Interesting Quotes about Aliens being Demons

wow "Kenneth Ring and Christopher J. Rosing [Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut]:

"There are wide-ranging and powerful, psychophysical changes following either a UFOE [UFO experience] or NDE." 73
Both involve "an increase in energy currents in the body, mind expansion, information flooding, and psychic abilities."
"Energy current in the body" is something that some people think of as the Holy Spirit.  But how do people know that's not evil spirits rather than the Holy Spirit.  hm.....The same description is given for demonic possession and "alien abductions."  Scary. 

wow. "The 'medical examination' to which abductees are said to be subjected, often accompanied by sadistic sexual manipulation, is reminiscent of the medieval tales of encounters with demons."  I did not know that demonic encounters can involve sadistic sexual manipulation, but that is very interesting and quite scary.

Wow. "The symbolic display seen by the abductees is identical to the type of initiations ritual or astral voyage that is imbedded in the [occult] traditions of every culture."  It makes one wonder what exactly are the initiation rituals for the occult.

Lynn E. Catoe (the senior bibliographer for a government publication researched by the Library of Congress for the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research: UFOs and Related Subjects]:

"A large part of the available UFO literature is closely linked with mysticism and the metaphysical. It deals with subjects like mental telepathy, automatic writing and invisible entities as well as phenomena like poltergeist [ghost] manifestations and 'possession.'

wow.

Demons communicate through mental telepathy.  So any time a person thinks only "aliens" do, no demons do as well. 

Dr. Pierre Guerin [an eminent scientist associated with the French National Council for Scientific Research]:

UFO "behavior is more akin to magic than to physics as we know it." 53 "...the modern UFOnauts and the demons of past days are probably identical."

yep. 

Ivar Mackay [former chairman of the respected British UFO Research Association]:

"...if one sets the three occult groups against the three classifications of UFO entities and their characteristics, it is rather surprising how complementary to each other they appear to be, not only through their appearance, activities, and level of behavior, but also in the quality of mental and, especially, emotional reaction and response that has been noted to have occurred on contact."

Pretty amazing website for sure.....

http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/aliens.html

And this is a big wow.  I do believe that is what Gen. 6 refers to, when it says that the sons of God bred with the daughters of men.  I do think it was fallen angels breeding with human women.  This made God mad and was partly why he sent the flood on the earth I think....

"Scripture speaks of demons penetrating the world physically by interbreeding with humans, Genesis 6:4. Giants were the results of this demon spawn. Demonic interbreeding with humans didn’t end with the floods of Noah, though it characterized that period of time. There were giants in the world after the flood also. But as Jesus said in Matthew 24:37-39, the end times will be as the days of Noah were. If this is true, (which it is), then this open demonic interbreeding with humans will be occurring the way it was back then. Consider that the recurring theme in almost all alien abduction cases usually has something to do with tests, and reproductive experimentation......"

Wow.  (http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/aliensinbible.htm)

Do Trivia for Free Rice

Hey, here is something really cool.  If you like words, try this. I found this in an article about ways to serve the world. :) 

"Test your vocabulary and help feed the hungry. For every right answer you give to increasingly difficult word questions at freerice.com, the UN World Food Program donates 10 grains of rice to the hungry. You can also spread the word by grabbing banners to link to the site....."

I just won 2,000 grains of rice doing vocabulary, yay! There are many trivia topics to chose from.  Try Vocabulary at level 60 lol that's really hard. And I don't know how but I got 1,100 grains of rice in the Spanish category lol, I did take three semesters in college, but I'm surprised I still remember so much of it.  May God bless you all :)

Movies and Addictions

I did something revolutionary today lol I watched movies by myself.  Well, with Serenity, but I never do that.  And not just one but three.  I guess figured it's a holiday so why not.  I watched "Let's Be Cops," which I actually recommend.  It wasn't as crude as I expected.  There are a few parts you might want to fast forward but overall it was very funny. :) And then "Girl Most Likely To."  That was a very good and cute movie. :)  And I watched "Thanks for Sharing."  That one was about a group of men in a support group for sexual addiction.  It was very eye opening for sure.  If you do watch it, you might want to skip over a few parts.  That movie inspired me to read up a bunch on addictive behaviors.  The main thing I learned is that addicts have a very hard time with anxiety and coping with stress.  Addicts are not able to self-soothe very well, so they turn to their substance or activity etc. to soothe themselves.  I have always used listening to music and writing as my self-soothing coping skill.  So the trick I think is to find healthy coping skills and a variety of them, so you don't depend on one coping skill too much, because then that coping skill can become an addiction lol.  Exercise seems harmless but it can even become an addiction.  Any good thing in excess can turn into an addiction.  If you feel like you absolutely have to do something, you are probably addicted.  May God help all addicts to become free of their addictions and may God break any chains that are holding people to addictions.  In Jesus' name amen! :) woot

How to Stay Qualified for Heaven

I hope this blesses you all! 

Some Christians say that a Christian is "once saved, always saved," but if you look at the Bible, it would seem that one's salvation isn't quite as secure as some think it is. Paul says "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." And "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction." He also said, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall!" The question is, does this refer to falling from the faith? Possibly. In 1 Cor. 9:27 Paul says, "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." To think of even Paul possibly being disqualified seems almost unbelievable. But this article will lay out some things that can disqualify anyone for heaven, even a "Christian." James says, "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do....faith without works is dead." And lastly, in 1 Cor. 6 Paul says, "Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Steps

1. Be pure; don't be sexually immoral or commit adultery. Sexual immorality can include a lot of things really. Paul does not mean by his statement in 1 Cor. 6 that if you were ever sexually immoral you won't inherit the kingdom of God. Paul means that if you continue in that life the rest of your life, you won't go to heaven.
⦁ Paul says "do not be deceived." Many are deceived into thinking once they say the prayer, get their ticket to heaven, that they can live however they want, but that is not what the Bible says. If someone is saved, or they think they are saved, but they are still highly sexually immoral, they probably aren't really saved.
⦁ One of the number one things that turns non-believers off to Christianity is when Christians still live like anyone else does, but the key is to realize that "you shall know them by their fruit." If someone is habitually cheating on their spouse, or habitually looking at porn or sleeping around etc., they probably aren't really Christian.
⦁ The true mark of a Christian is one who might sin from time to time, but they regret it, repent, and try to be different. As Jesus said, "Go and sin no more." This is why John says in 1 Jn. 3:9, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God." This does not mean that a Christian will never sin, this means that a true Christian will not be in a habitual un-repentant pattern of sin.

2. Put God first always; don't be an idolater. An idol can be anything really; it can be a thing, person, activity etc. Many people idolize their spouse. Be careful of doing that, because if they die or leave you and they are your whole world, then what will you have left? You will be devastated, unless you keep God first in your life and not your spouse.
⦁ Many people idolize money. That is why Jesus said, "You cannot serve two masters. You will love the one and hate the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Many guys idolize football. Many women idolize beauty and shopping.
⦁ A good way to test yourself and see if you have an idol in your life is to consider what you think about the most. What is the number one thing that you are always thinking about? If you are Christian, that one thing should be God and his Kingdom. This is what it means to "pray without ceasing." To always have God on our minds and constantly talk to Him about everything. "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you," material things. If God is not the number one thing on your mind, try to make the thing you think about smaller in your mind and make God bigger.
⦁ Pray that God would make you more passionate about Him and sharing the gospel than about anything else in the world, and He will.

3. Be straight; don't practice homosexuality. I know the world is tired of hearing Christians talk about homosexuality but it actually comes up in the Bible a lot. Paul says "men who have sex with men" or women with women, will not inherit the kingdom of God. I think it's interesting that he said, "that is what some of you were." There very well could have been people in the early church who were homosexual before they came to Christ and now, once receiving Christ, they became straight. There actually are several testimonies on YouTube of this happening to people.
⦁ If someone is homosexual, they are not destined to be homosexual their entire lives. It is the same as someone having a tendency toward alcoholism, it can be overcome. If God can heal an alcoholic of alcoholism, then God can heal a homosexual from wanting to be homosexual.

4. Work for your money; don't steal and don't be a swindler. Paul says that thieves will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Joyce Meyer said once that she has even had people steal money out of her offering plate. People might need help with money, but stealing is not the way to get money.

⦁ Stealing is kind of the easy way to get money; being humble and asking for charity is very hard. No one likes to ask for help. But be humble and ask for help; don't steal.
⦁ Also swindling is conning people out of their money, or tricking them to give you their money. It is being a con artist. Don't swindle people either, obviously.

5. Be generous; don't be greedy. When one thinks of greed it's easy to think of Mr. Scrooge in the Christmas Carol. He only cared about himself. He never wanted to share his money with anyone. But was he happy, with all the money he had? No, he was miserable. So it is when we are greedy. That is why the saying goes "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

6. Giving will usually make you a lot more happy than receiving. Satan likes to tell us the lie that receiving will make us more happy, but the truth is that the more we try to make ourselves happy, the less happy we are. Giving of yourself is the only way to find true joy in life.

7. Be sober; don't be a drunkard. Does this include getting drunk on the weekends? Possibly. We need to have everything in moderation. A little wine or beer every once in awhile is ok, but going overboard is sin, just as much as over-eating is sin.

8. Speak well of others; don't slander others. To slander is to make a damaging statement about someone else. It's talking about people behind their back, gossiping. It's telling other people things about someone that would tarnish their character. It ruining someone's reputation. Don't do this.
⦁ Also, someone once said, if you gossip about others to people, they will probably talk about you behind your back too. Talk nicely about other people. Don't slander their character.
⦁ There can be a fine line between "sharing your story" and gossiping about people. If you are sharing about what someone did to you, make sure the person you are talking to doesn't know that person. That is just a general rule to follow on that.

Tips

⦁ Remember that Paul says repeatedly that you are to "walk in a manner worthy of your calling." We are to live like we are saved, which is differently than we use to, if we really are saved.

Warnings

⦁ Don't become overly judgmental of others on these things. Look at yourself first.
May God bless you! :)

How to Understand God's Character

With the way the world is, people can easily become confused about the character of God. The Bible says that Satan is "the ruler of this world," so any pain or hardship we face, is brought about by Satan, not God. God allows difficult things to happen to us, but the Bible promises that "God works all things together for the good of those who love Him." The true character of God is that He is good, patient, kind, loving, merciful and holy. Here are more attributes of God's true character.

Steps

1. Understand that God is the creator of the world, and that He is all powerful and perfectly wise. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." That is, in the beginning of our time, but God has always existed. He is not a created being; He simply is. As God said to Moses, "I am that I am" meaning that He always has been.
⦁ No being alive is as powerful as God. Isaiah 40:28 says, "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
⦁ God is all wise. No being is more intelligent than God. The Bible says that "His ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts." We cannot fully understand why God allows the world to be the way it is, because we do not have his mind. We just need to trust Him, even though we don't understand everything.

2. Know that God is omnipresent. This means that God is everywhere at the same time. God the father is not a body; He is a spirit. He is in every place at the same time. It could be said that God is so big that His spirit takes up the entire universe. He is not sitting somewhere up in heaven, way off at a distance somewhere. God is all around us. His one Spirit is all around us at all times.
⦁ David says in Psalm 139:7-8, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." God's Spirit is everywhere. You cannot go anywhere that God is not.

3. Recognize that God is love. The only thing that the Bible says that God is through and through is love. Love is his quintessence; or it is the essence of who and what God is.
⦁ 1 John 4:8 says, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." This is referring to true love. In Greek there are four words for love; one means family love, one is friendship love, one is romantic love, and then there is agape love which is the love that is from God. It is perfect love and it is supreme. This love is unconditional; meaning that no matter what we do, God will still always, always love us. Why? Because we are his creation.
⦁ God loves us no matter what, just like a parent loves their child no matter what, because they created them, in a sense. Christian or non-Christian, God loves you no matter what you do. Romans 8:38 says, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God." Amen!

4. Contrary to what many think, know that God really does not want anyone to go to hell. Satan might feed people the lie that God wants people to go to hell but the Bible says differently, and the Bible is the truth. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." God's wish is that everyone on earth would repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but God also gives us free will.
⦁ God will not force us to love Him, because he knows that would not be real love. God wants us to come to Him through our own wills. He will not force us to follow him. Just like you wouldn't want someone to fall in love because you forced them to, so it is the same with God. We want people to love us of their own choice; so does God.
⦁ Those who will go to heaven are those who love God/Jesus and those who don't will be those who don't.

5. Know that God is only good and any good thing is from God. 1 John 1:5 says, "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." Darkness in the Bible represents evil and light represents good. This is saying that God is perfectly good and there is no evil in him at all. Also, any good thing is from God. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." This includes our children, good food, comfortable beds etc. Every good thing that we have in this life is from God. We should be thanking him constantly for all the good things he has given us rather than complaining about the bad things.

6. Understand that God is loving, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, at peace and full of joy. Galatians 5:22 says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." This is the fruit of God's Holy Spirit, because these are the essential qualities of God himself.
⦁ God is perfectly loving; no being alive can love us like God can. God is patient with us; He puts up with a lot more from us than he has to. God is kind with us; He sent his son to die for us. God is good; there is nothing evil about God. God is faithful; He follows through on his promises. God is gentle; He cares about us and listens to our prayers. God is at peace; He is fully confident and has nothing to worry about because he is God. God is full of joy; God is not depressed or sad. He is very much alive and well.

7. Know that God always wants to help us, strengthen us, and protect us. God says in Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Satan wants us to fear, but God does not. God wants us to be at peace. If God is with us we have nothing to fear. The Bible says, "If God is for us, who can be against us." People may be against us, but it won't matter, if God is for us. Amen.
⦁ God tells us to not be "dismayed," this means do not be depressed. Since God is our God and he is good and he is loving, we should have nothing to be depressed about. God wants to renew our strength so that we can "soar on wings like eagles."
⦁ God also wants to help us and protect us. Psalm 18:30 says about God, "He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." God protects us from Satan and from evil when we take refuge in Him. When we ask God for help, he will protect us. Psalm 91:11 says, "He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." When we pray and seek refuge in God, he sends his angels to "guard us" in all our ways.

8. Know that God loves every single person in the world. The most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God did not have to send His son to die for us, but he chose to because of how much He loves us. He wants to save us from our sins, if we would only believe in Jesus.
⦁ God wanted Jesus to die so that we would not have to face the penalty for our sins. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, because he was absolutely perfect; he never sinned. The next verse, John 3:17 says, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
⦁ Some say that the belief about Jesus is narrow minded. Some say that it is judgmental or condemning to say that Jesus is the only way. But on the other hand, it is very freeing. In what other religion does the god of that religion offer his people a free gift of salvation? None. In any other religion you have to prove yourself; you have to work your way to heaven. Christianity is the only one that says that God already paid the price and that the only thing we need to do is put our faith in Jesus' free gift of salvation.
⦁ It is not mean to say that Jesus is the only way, it is very good news. God shows his immense love for us in sending his son for us and making it so easy for us to be saved. However, that is why some don't believe, because it seems too good to be true. It seems too easy. But it is. It just really is that simple.

Tips

⦁ If you are not a believer, you can pray to receive the free gift of salvation if you want. Simply say, "Jesus I repent of my sins. Please come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior."
May God bless you! :)

How to Not Worry About Cheating

There is an interesting book about dating called "The Rules." It talks about the importance of being confident and seeing your own uniqueness etc. when it comes to dating. The book says that coming off as overly needy will only drive people away. The most attractive quality to both men and women, is confidence. The more a person is insecure, or talks about what they are insecure about, the more others will notice the things that they point out. The key to keeping someone in love with you, is to be confident in yourself. If you feel, about yourself, that you are quite a catch, then they will probably feel that way about you too. Here are some tips on how to not worry so much about if your partner will cheat on you.

Steps

1. Don't be paranoid. Yes people cheat all the time in our modern society, but that doesn't mean you should be paranoid about it. If you get paranoid, it will only make you insecure, overly worried, and controlling, which are all very unattractive qualities.
⦁ The more jealous you may become, and interrogate whoever you are with, the more they won't want to be around you. No one wants someone asking them questions all the time and being suspicious of them. No one wants their partner to not trust them.
⦁ Show them that you think they really are trustworthy, and they will be trustworthy. If you always treat them like they are a cheater, then it might become a "self-fulfilling prophecy." You might create the very thing you were so worried about. You might cause the very thing to happen that you were trying to prevent.

2. Don't look at their phone. The odds are that you will find something to worry about. Just don't go there. If you don't find something suspicious, you will invent something to be suspicious about. Just trust them and let them have the freedom of doing what they want to on their phone. If you are loving them in the way you should, you won't have to worry about them wanting to get away from you. You will be confident that they would want to stay with you.

3. Don't look at their Facebook page too much. You might see girls/guys on their Facebook that comment on their things. This will only make you worry un-necessarily. Try to stay off of each other's Facebook.
⦁ You can also open a new joint Facebook account. Then you will have mutual friends and everyone else on Facebook will know that you are a couple. Post a lot of couple pictures of the two of you so others get the message that they are taken etc.

4. If you are religious, have faith that God will ensure that they stay with you. In some things, we just have to let go and have faith.

5. Do things to prevent cheating. If at all possible, make a general relationship rule that neither of you will have close friends of the opposite sex. This is always the first step in affairs or cheating. The friendship might start out innocent enough, but over time it builds until an affair might happen.
⦁ Also, don't stay friends with ex's. There is no point to do this, and it will only keep your current partner or spouse jealous. Cut all communication with ex boyfriends or girlfriends. You are with a new person now, so you shouldn't need to be talking to that old person.

6. Work on building your relationship with your partner. Show genuine interest in your partner and listen to them. The closer the two of you are, the less likely that other person is to leave you or cheat.
⦁ Talk about your dreams with each other. Have fun and laugh together. Be each other's best friend. Stay unified and on the same page with each other.
⦁ Be open and honest with each other. If you always have open communication, it will be a lot harder for them to hide any secrets from you.

7. If you are married, be intimate often. Sometimes, a lack of intimacy in marriage causes men to look elsewhere. Wives, if you want to prevent your husband from looking elsewhere, you need to be available when they need you in this area.

8. Stay attractive for your mate. Sometimes after kids, you might not look like you did before you had kids, but you can still do things to look attractive.
⦁ Ask your partner what kind of hair styles and clothes they like etc. Take a shower every day. Brush your teeth and floss multiple times a day. Chew gum so you have fresh breath etc. There are many things you can do to stay attractive to your partner.
⦁ The most attractive thing, though, is being a loving and kind person. Don't work on your outside and forget about your inside, as in your heart. Try to be a good person so that they will want to stay with you. Try to be the most loving person you know, and they won't go looking for love anywhere else but with you.

Tips
⦁ Remember to stay confident in yourself.
God bless! :)

How to Have Christian Discernment

Often times, Christians have a hard time with discernment. Discernment is the ability to judge well. Sometimes, Christians focus too much on not judging, that they don't judge things when they really need to. Discernment is a spiritual gift, so some Christians are gifted to have more discernment than others. It is also something that any Christian can pray for. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." So you can pray for more wisdom and discernment. You can also get more discernment by reading the Bible. Here is what the Bible says about other ways to grow in your ability to have discernment.

Steps

1. Always remember to "test the spirits." 1 Jn. 4:1 says, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."

⦁ The reality is, one third of "angels" are fallen angels. Angels appear to human beings often, but the catch is to know if it is God's angel or a fallen angel. This is why John warns us to test the spirits.

⦁ There is the Holy Spirit and then there are evil spirits that are set on deceiving people, which can sometimes be in other people.

⦁ 2 Cor. 11:13-15 says, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds." This is referring to people who call themselves Christian but are actually not. John says a way to "test the spirits" is to see if they acknowledge that Jesus is God. That is the main way.

⦁ Also look at the fruit that a spirit produces, in a person, a church, a church leader etc. Is it the fruit of the Holy Spirit or not? Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruit."

2. Remember to always, always be wise. Jesus said in Mt. 10:16, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Jesus wants us to understand evil without letting it make us evil. We need to be as "wise as a serpent."

⦁ In the Garden of Eden, Satan was a serpent. The reason Eve was deceived by him was because she was not as wise as Satan. Yes, "greater is He that is in us, than He that is in the world," but if we try to outsmart Satan in our own strength, we wont be able to. He is the master deceiver. We need to give him more credit than we do. He is highly intelligent. So in order to have mastery over him, we need to study the word so that we become more intelligent than he is.

⦁ Paul said to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:15, "From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." The more we read and study the Bible, the more wise we will become.

3. Strive to grow into full maturity in your Christian walk. Hebrews 5:14 also says, "Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." The more we practice being able to tell good from evil, that is the more we judge situations based on what the Bible says, the more mature and wise we become as Christians. Then we will be able to eat solid food, which is the deeper things in the Bible. Then we will be able to see through Satan's schemes and lies, which is us having discernment.

⦁ In Eph. 4 Paul says that God has given us teachers etc. in the church to teach us, "So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." When we are a "baby Christian" we are not as discerning; we cannot see through Satan's schemes as well. But the more we learn, the more we grow, and we are then able to stand firm in our faith. We are no longer "tossed to and fro" by the waves of false teachings. We come to know our Bibles well and we know the truth, so we cannot be swayed.

4. Remember that Jesus said in the last days many false teachers would arise. Jesus said in Mt. 24:24, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect." He was talking about the end times, which we are in now. He said that their signs and wonders would be so convincing that almost even "the elect" would be deceived.

⦁ Most of the time when the Bible talks about signs and wonders in the last days it is referring to what false teachers will be doing. You can do a study on this and you will come to see that. If there are churches that have a lot of miracles happening but they are chaotic, know that God is not in charge there, because Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:33, "God is not a God of confusion but of peace." God's Holy Spirit would not lead to confusion but peace.

5. Watch out for teachings that cause division in the body of Christ. 1 Tim. 6:3 says, "If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people."

⦁ If there is a teaching that says that some in the body of Christ are better than others, in any way and for any reason, that teaching only produces quarrels, envy, dissention, friction etc. Try to focus on teachings that promote unity in God's body, not division.

6. Renew your mind. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." We cannot really have discernment until we allow God to renew our minds. This means cleaning out the old ways of thinking and bringing in new ways of thinking. This means allowing God to control our thoughts and not ourselves, and not Satan.

⦁ Also, as Christians, we can learn to hear God's voice. In John 10:27 Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." This is not an audible voice, but a quiet voice in our minds, our renewed minds. We can't hear God's voice if we are always listening to the world's voice. We have to empty our minds of the world in order to hear God's voice. We have to "be still and know" that He is God. We have to meditate and focus on God in order to really hear what He wants to say to us.

7. Be discerning of what a person's fruit is. Jesus said in Mt. 7:18-20, "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit......Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." A person may appear to bear good fruit but you always need to look closer. It could be just an act or a show. Are they genuinely loving others or just pretending to? Do they genuinely have peace or are they just good at appearing like they do? Are they patient, self-controlled, gentle, joyful, and generally good?

8. Always, always test what someone teaches against the word of God. Don't just take their word for it. See if what they are teaching is actually true. Learn to read and understand the Bible for yourself. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is who gives us eyes to see. So any Christian can see the truth for themselves. You do not need to depend on someone else to explains thing to you, if you truly do have the Holy Spirit inside of you.

⦁ In Acts it talks of a group called the Bereans. Acts 17:11 says, "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." The Scripture commended them for testing what Paul said against the Word of God. That is what they were supposed to do, and that is what we are supposed to do.

⦁ If a teacher is really teaching the truth, they won't be offended if you want to test what they say against the Bible, they will encourage it.

Tips

⦁ Get a Christian mentor that can help you grow in your Christian walk. Find someone that you can ask almost any question about the Bible and they will generally know what the answer is.

God bless :)

Finding Christian Symbolism in the Matrix

Most would say that the movie "The Matrix" is one of the best movies of all time, or at least one of the best Sci-Fi movies. Here are some interesting paralells between characters in the Matrix and the Bible. Neo in "The Matrix" was meant to represent Jesus, as the Savior of all mankind. He was a Christ-figure. Cipher, who betrays Morpheus and Neo, is supposed to represent Judas Iscariot. Judas betrayed Jesus for money, silver, and Cipher also does it for money. Morpheus represents God the Father. The crew on the ship represent Jesus' disciples. Trinity possibly represents the Holy Spirit, in that she is always helping Neo, as the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus when he was on earth. Here are more interesting allusions to the Bible in "The Matrix."



Steps

1. Notice that Neo at the beginning of the movie represents a Christian before they become a Christian and they get "eyes to see," as the Bible puts it. Neo does not become "Jesus" per se until he believes in himself. At the beginning he is like an atheist, then he is like someone who is searching for the truth but is still filled with doubt and does not have faith yet. After he comes into the real world it is like he is a believer, but still a baby Christian, which is why he reacts to the truth in frustration at first. Finally, at the end of the movie, he gets it. He understands and finally sees the power within him, which in Christianity we would say is the Holy Spirit.

2. Understand that there is a theme of a rebirth in "The Matrix," just like the Bible talks about. It is often raining at the beginning of the movie. This could represent what our lives are like in sin, when we are slaves to sin before Christ regenerates us. Also, when he wakes up in his strange liquid soup he notices that he is bound by cords; this could represent how we are slaves to sin before Christ, as Paul talks about.
Neo then is released from all the cords, the bondage, and flushed down a tube naked, which looks a lot like a birth. I think this is to represent that he is being reborn, spiritually reborn, as Jesus told Nicodemus that we must be. This is when we die to ourselves and come alive in Christ.

Neo still has the plugs on his body the rest of the movie in the real world, which could represent that our past sin still affects us. Just because we are a new creature in Christ, we cannot forget old memories or old sins. We cannot forget the way things used to be when we were of the world.
3. See that the moment when Neo takes the red pill is to represent his "conversion" and baptism. Neo taking the pill is like a baptism, a physical way that we show our faith. It is the turning point in the movie and in our lives. It is when we decide that we will take things seriously from now on. We will take God seriously. It is when we decided that we really do want to see the truth, as Neo did in the movie.

4. Notice that Morpheus comments on Neo's ability to see, which is to represent his spiritual sight. When Neo is brought into the real world he is on the table getting acupuncture. He hears Morpheus and opens his eyes but asks, "Why do my eyes hurt?" Morpheus says, "Because you've never used them before." Aka. You have been blind, but now you see.
He was spiritually blind before. He was walking in darkness. But once he decided to take the red pill, to see the truth, his eyes were opened for the first time so that he could see the truth, he could see everything.
5. Understand that the agents in "The Matrix" are meant to represent demons and spiritual warfare. When Neo first woke up in his cage, his womb like capsule, he looks around and sees the fields of human beings in capsules, in cages. He sees for the first time reality as it really is, that things are not as they seem. All of them aren't really walking around in the world, hanging out with friends. In reality they are in bondage, just as the majority of our world is, since Satan is "the ruler of this world," as the Bible says.
Neo sees for the first time, that all humans are merely energy slaves for the computer, and the computer is playing games with their minds, hypnotizing them, so that they will not wake up and see reality for what it really is. This is like 2 Cor. 4:4, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ." The people in the matrix, like most of the people in our world, cannot see the hidden spiritual realm. They do not have eyes to see, because Satan has "blinded their minds." He sees that humans are being used as slaves, just like we are slaves to sin before God saves us through our faith in Jesus and regenerates our minds and spirits.

At one point Morpheus says to Neo, "They're watching you Neo." He was talking about the computer, the agents. The agents are supposed to represent the principalities of evil spirits that we have on this earth, which is Satan and his demons. Satan is watching us, trying to figure out when he can attack us. As the Bible says, "The devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour."

When Neo has his first meeting in the room with the agents, this could represent Jesus' temptations by Satan in the wilderness in the Bible. An agent tells Neo that his slate can be wiped clean if he will just turn in Morpheus. Likewise, Satan tempted Jesus with power etc. if he would just worship him, Satan, instead of God. Neo, like Jesus, refuses the temptations, the supposed easy way out. Jesus quotes scripture to counteract the temptations of Satan. Neo brings up his phone call, which is how he had been communicating with Morpheus. Both value their connection to the Father, as Morpheus is to represent God the Father, more than what the agents or Satan can offer them.
6. See that Morpheus is meant to represent God the Father in "The Matrix." The root word of his name would be morph, so the ability to morph into different things. God is three in one. He is at the same time one person, but he is also three, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Neo is supposed to represent Jesus, the son of God, and Morpheus, his spiritual father, trains him. This could also be seen as Neo being a disciple of Morpheus.

Lastly, Trinity is supposed to represent the Holy Spirit. She believes in Neo, the one, the Christ figure. She supports him, just as the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus when he was on earth. And she and Neo are in subjection to Morpheus, as Jesus and the Holy Spirit are in subjection to God the Father.
7. Recognize that Neo in the movie is supposed to represent Jesus in his second coming. When Neo wakes up the first time in the real world, Morpheus told him of a man born inside the Matrix who was smarter and realized that he could break the rules of the Matrix. He saved the first of them and started the city of Zion. This describes what Jesus did in his first coming. He broke the rules of nature by performing miracles and raising from the dead. He saved many and founded the first "city of God," being the early church. He freed his disciples and they freed many more, from Satan, from the Matrix that blinds most of our own world.

8. Notice that Morpheus believes that Neo is the fulfillment of a prophecy, just as Jesus was. It was prophesied that a man would return and save mankind. Morpheus believes that person, the one, is Neo. Neo's name means "new, revived, modified." Neo is supposed to be Jesus at his second coming, where he will ride onto our earth as a conquering hero on a white horse. This is what Revelation prophesies, that Jesus will throw Satan in the dungeon and take his people home to be with him. According to Christianity however, this will not be the whole world that he will save, but only those who have put their faith in him, Jesus.

9. Notice when Morpheus fights Neo in Kung Fu, he is being trained, which is like when Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. Jesus was being trained in his time of fasting to deny himself. He was God, yes, but he was fully man as well. Therefore he had all the desires and temptations that we all face. He never sinned, but this time of fasting was a time where Jesus most likely began to gain control over his human body and to increase his faith, that it was God who sustains him as a human being, not food.
Fasting does that. It makes us die to ourselves and increases our faith. It challenges us, just like Morpheus did in the fight with Neo. It makes us become the best person we can become. It helps us to die to ourselves, to die to the flesh, and walk better in the Spirit. It increases our faith, as Morpheus tried to do in the jump training program with Neo.

Morpheus told him "free your mind" when they were on the roof about to jump. He meant that he needed to free his mind of any pre-conceptions about how the world works. Neo had to take away any thoughts that might hinder his faith, just as we need to do constantly, if he was going to fly.
10. Recognize that Neo could bend the laws of nature just like Jesus did when He was here. When Morpheus fights Neo he explains that some of the rules in the Matrix could be broken. This is like how Jesus broke the laws of nature when he did miracles. He rose the dead, made the blind see, healed the lame etc. He broke the physical law of entropy; that everything tends toward disorder, just as Morpheus broke the law of gravity when he flew across the roof tops. Neo went on to break natural laws when he was dodging bullets from the agents.
Jesus made things better, rather than allowing things to become worse, as they naturally do left to themselves. He inserted his power to change the natural order of things. The jump program is also like the verse, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains." If Neo had faith as small as a mustard seed, he could have jumped, or flew, across the roof tops, but he didn't, at least not yet.
11. Notice that the crew on the ship are like Jesus' disciples, with Cypher being like Judas Iscariot. The crew had been trained by Morpheus, as we are trained by God the Father. They were united as one, except for one mole on the inside, the betrayer, Cipher.
Cipher's name is interesting. A cypher is a code, a secret, a puzzle, or an enigma. Cipher acted one way but really was another. Just as Judas acted like he was one of Jesus' disciples but ended up betraying Jesus n the end. He was a puzzle. He appeared one way but really was another. He was wearing a mask, a façade.

In the movie, Cipher coughs when they are in the walls, which is how the agents could spot where they were. This is like when Judas kissed Jesus to reveal who he was to betray him.
12. Notice that Neo comes back to life at the end of the movie, just as Jesus rose from the dead. At the end, Neo is shot several times and seems to die, but then he raises from the dead just as Jesus did, and Neo becomes far more powerful than before. He defeats death and therefore is able to defeat the machines, just as the Bible says Jesus made a public spectacle of Satan and the evil forces when he rose from the dead. Amen. Jesus showed himself and proved to be more powerful than death and Satan, just as Neo proved himself to be most powerful, "the one," in the end.



Tips


You can find many more movies with Christian allegories if you really look for them.

Understanding the Dual Nature of Jesus

When Jesus was approaching where John the Baptist was, John said of Jesus, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." But Old Testament prophesies also refer to Jesus as "the Lion of the Tribe of Judah." So Jesus is both a lion and a lamb. Some say that in Jesus' first coming, he was a lamb, and in his second coming, he will come as a lion. But it seems that Jesus also had some very lion-like qualities when he walked the earth in his first coming. Here are some examples of how Jesus was both a lamb and a lion.



Steps

1. Understand that Jesus was very much like a lamb before and during his crucifixion. Matthew 26 says, "The high priest stood up and said to Him, 'Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?' But Jesus kept silent." In Jesus' trials, he remained silent for the most part. He let people falsely accuse him. He let the soldiers beat him and whip him. He let people spit on him. He let them put the crown of thorns on his head and nail spikes in his hands and feet. He did nothing, when he could have called 12,000 angels.
Here is a very interesting passage on this from Matthew 26, when the men came to "arrest" Jesus, "One of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 'Put your sword back in its place,' Jesus said to him, 'for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?'" Amen. At any point Jesus could have called "twelve legions" of angels to save him, but he didn't. Jesus went to the cross as a lamb, because he loved us SO much and wanted to save us from our sins.
2. Recognize that when dealing with the Pharisees, Jesus was very lion-like. Matthew 23 is full of a list of "woes" that Jesus said against the Pharisees. He was essentially cursing them. Here was one of the "woes," "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Those are some very strong words aren't they?
It could be asked, "Was Jesus loving his enemies in doing this?" Well that would depend on what your definition of love is. There is mushy love and then there is tough love.

Jesus was trying to warn the Pharisees that they were lost in sin, even though they were so sure that they were saved. They would not listen to plain reason because their hearts were hardened. Therefore, Jesus took more drastic measures to get their attention, such as cursing them and insulting them. Jesus spoke the truth, and love is about speaking the truth. Jesus wasn't afraid to say it like it was.
3. Know that when Jesus was looking at the crowds of people, he always looked on them with compassion. Jesus was ironically extremely lion-like when it came to the religious people of his day, the Pharisees, but he was very lamb-like when it came to the common people.
The Bible says in Mt. 9, "Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." The people had leaders, the Pharisees, but they were very mean and controlling leaders. Jesus saw that they needed a shepherd, as in someone to care for them and guide them in a loving way.

In Mt. 30 Jesus healed two blind men. Scripture says, "They said to Him, 'Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.' Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him." With everyone that Jesus healed, he was very lamb-like and he had compassion on them, as in he felt sorry for them having to suffer with whatever their disability or illness was.
4. Understand that there are also many accounts where Jesus was a bit feisty. When Jesus' mother asked him to help at the wedding, where his first miracle was performed, he said to her "Woman, why do you bother me? My time has not yet come." It is interesting that he called her woman instead of mother. Also, he was trying to dismiss her and tell her to go away really.
Also, when Jesus was a child he stayed behind in Jerusalem when his family had gone there. Mary and Joseph were looking for him "three" days before they found him. Here is the story found in Luke 2, "After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, 'Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.' 'Why were you searching for me?' he asked. 'Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?' That answer is just classic. He didn't say sorry or anything like that. He even asked why they were searching for him. Very interesting.
5. Also see that Jesus was very confrontation and direct with people. Here is what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." That was very confrontation, and in our modern culture we would say it was even a bit rude.
There is also the classic account of Jesus saying to Peter "get behind me Satan." In Matthew 16 it says, "Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!' Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'"
It was quite silly of Peter to try to rebuke Jesus, but it is also a bit shocking that Jesus called Peter, Satan. What Jesus meant was that Satan was in Peter's mind, trying to get Peter to stop Jesus from accomplishing his goal. But that must have been pretty intense, to have Jesus call you Satan.


Tips


Realizing more about the nature of Jesus can help you know that you don't have to be just a "nice Christian." We are called to live like Jesus did, so you can be confrontational and direct when needed. This can be very freeing to realize.


Warnings


In seeing these interesting aspects of Jesus, maintain respect for him. Just because Jesus got angry on a few occasions does not mean we should lose respect or think he wasn't self-controlled enough. He was God walking on earth and he was perfect, without sin, so always keep that in mind.

How to Overcome a Pornography Addiction

Many people have seen the movie "Fireproof." In this movie, the husband struggles with an addiction to pornography. At first he doesn't think it's much of a problem, even though it causes him to fight with his wife a lot. Throughout the course of the movie, however, he realizes that if he is going to save his marriage, he needs to quit. He breaks his computer and throws it in the trash finally, not that all porn addicts need to do this, but for some, such drastic measures might be necessary. Here are some practical tips on overcoming an addiction to porn as a Christian.

Steps

1. Be humble and admit that you have a problem. You will not overcome anything until you first admit that it is really a problem, and realize then you realize that you do, in fact, want to be different or better.
⦁ The first step in AA or any recovery program is to admit that you are powerless over whatever your problem is. You have to come to see that in your own strength, you can't do anything to solve your problem or overcome your addiction. It is not until you are able to admit this that you will be willing to help from God and others.

⦁ You have to be humble and see that you can't overcome your sin alone. The Bible says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," but you have to ask Christ for that strength. If you think you can go it alone, God won't help you, because he does not force his help on us. Jesus said, "You have not because you ask not." You have to ask for God's help to get it.

2. Pray. The most important step to overcome any sin is to pray. And don't just pray casually; do spiritual warfare in prayer and break the strongholds in your mind and in your life.
⦁ In Mark 11:23 Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." This is how you need to pray, with faith, believing that God will help you in what you are asking for his help with. If you believe that God will help you overcome your addiction, He will. But you have to believe.
⦁ Also, the mountain Jesus is referring to is our problems. It is whatever seems to be a mountain in our own lives. That is what we need to have faith that we can overcome, with God's help.
⦁ Jesus said, "According to your faith, it will be done to you." How much you will be able to overcome anything will depend on how much faith you have that you can overcome it, and that God will help you overcome it.

3. Confess your sin to others. The Bible says, "Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other that you may be healed." You will not be healed of your addiction until you confess it to someone.
⦁ This doesn't have to be someone you know. You can pay a counselor, preferably a Christian counselor, who is paid to keep things confidential. You just need to tell someone. As long as your addiction stays secret and in the dark, it will grow. When we bring sin into the light, only then can it get better.

4. Get in a support group, preferably at your church. Most churches have a Celebrate Recovery program, which is an amazing program. Or just look at the website of the biggest church in your city and they will probably have the program. The times should be listed on the website.
⦁ You can't overcome any addiction alone. You need people to hold you accountable to your desired recovery. You need people that will ask you the tough questions.
⦁ Ask someone to be your accountability partner, and ask them to text you every day, or multiple times a day, and ask you how you are doing in regards to your problem. If you have to "report" to someone else, in a sense, it will make you a lot less likely to do the wrong thing. And be honest with your accountability partner. Make sure you find someone that you can be totally honest with, whoever that may be.

5. Be honest and take a moral inventory of your life. Ask yourself how viewing pornography has affected every area.
⦁ Here are some questions to ask yourself and possibly journal about: How has looking at pornography affect my relationship with God? How has it affect my relationship with my spouse (or girlfriend)? How has it affected my relationship with my friends? How has it affected my job? etc.

6. Work on your relationship with your spouse. Think about why you are looking at porn? Does it have something to do with your relationship with your spouse (if you are married)? If so, openly talk with her about things you might like to change in your marriage, such as being intimate more often, but do this with gentleness and respect. Don't demand certain things. Express your feelings about things that you might wish were different.
⦁ Forgive her for anything in the past and make plans that both of you will strive for a better marriage in the future.
⦁ Watch marriage videos online, go to marriage seminars etc. Get an older Christian couple to mentor you two and tell you all their stories and how they learned things the hard way. Go to marriage counseling. Talk to your pastor etc.

7. Work on your relationship with God. If you are sinning a lot as a Christian, obviously you need to work on your relationship with God. Ask yourself how you view God and to what degree you want to follow Him. Do you really believe what the Bible says, that there will be consequences for sin? Do you really love God? How much do you love God?
⦁ Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." One of those commandments was to never look lustfully at a woman, unless it's your spouse. Do you want to honor God with your life? These are all things you need to honestly ask yourself. See where you stand with God.
⦁ Paul said, "If any man thinks he stand, take heed, lest he fall." That means that you may think you are standing firm in the faith, but you need to not get too arrogant. It's possible that you think you are saved, when you are really not.
⦁ Jesus said "Many will say to me in that day 'Lord, Lord, did we not....' And I will say 'depart from me. I never knew you.'" He said "many" will say that. Not just some, many. So "test yourself and see" if you are really in the faith or not.

8. Be careful when you tell your spouse about your addiction. Depending on the personality of your wife, she might file for divorce as soon as you tell her. According to the Bible, any kind of marital unfaithfulness is grounds for divorce; this includes looking at pornography.
⦁ You might want to wait until you have been "clean" for many months or a year, for example, to tell her. She will probably need to see that you really are better first if she is going to stick around. Marriages can be restored and healed after such things, but it is very, very hard. Once trust is broken it is extremely hard to get it back.

Tips
⦁ Always believe in yourself, and God in you, that you can recover and you will.

⦁ Have grace with yourself. Know that all Christians struggle with something. You are not the only Christian struggling with sin. Typically, everyone has at least one sin they will struggle with their whole lives, whether Christian or not.

Warnings
⦁ When in your support group, don't give graphic details about your addiction. This might cause the other men in the group to stumble. Just give general information about your struggle.

May God bless you all!

My Testimony

This is a short version of my testimony:

I have been through so much in my life it's unreal.  I like to say that if anyone has reasons to hate God, be mad at God or not trust God, I have more.  I was molested my own dad and brother as a child.  My mom had clinical depression my whole life.  I had a fiancé die two years ago due to being on too many medications and then drinking.  I have had an extremely hard life.  But despite all that I try to stay close to God, I write Christian blogs all the time, and I try to serve God as best as I can. :) All that has happened to me has made me realize even more the need to reach out and try to help others.  Healing from a death or sexual abuse is so hard and we really need support in those times.  So my life goal is to help as many people in pain as I can, and point them to and disciple them for Christ.  Amen!  May God bless you all! 

How to Find Freedom in Your Christian Life

I hope this can help a lot of people on here. :) May God bless you all!

Often times Christians are still in bondage to various sins or thoughts, but this should not be, since Jesus has set us free. People might still let Satan, or other people, bring them into bondage again. But the Bible says, "He who the son sets free, is free indeed!" Amen. If you are a Christian, know that you are completely free and you don't have to be a slave to anything or anyone ever again. Don't let anything or anyone master you. Paul says, "All things are permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything." This is true freedom. Here are some tips on how to come to total freedom in your life in every area.

Steps

1. Realize that Jesus has set you free for good. When Jesus died on the cross, he broke the power of sin and death.
⦁ On the cross he said, "It is finished." What he meant was that the price for sin is finished, and that any human being a slave to sin was conquered and finished. The only thing we have to do is put our faith in him and believe he is the son of God. "If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved."
⦁ You may have a head faith, but make sure your heart believes too, as in you fully trust God and would do anything for Him etc. Once we believe in our hearts, we become his child and he sets us free from anything and everything. There are countless testimonies of people coming to faith in Christ and then no longer having any desire at all for drugs or alcohol etc.

2. Believe that you really are a "new creation" in Christ. Jesus changes lives, and if you are his child, he has changed your life. The Bible says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!" Live out what is already true of you. You are free! You are a new creation. If you really believe it, it will be true for you.
⦁ Jesus said in Mark 11:23, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." Believe that you are free, and you will be. Amen.

3. Take every thought captive. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Amen.
⦁ Don't just let your mind run wild and think about anything. Think about what you are thinking about and control what you are thinking about. Joyce Meyer always says that we need to talk to ourselves a little more. We need to put ourselves on time-out sometimes, or tell ourselves that certain things are not ok to think. This is called self-control.
⦁ Learn to control your own mind and your own thoughts. "Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ." Don't let yourself think anything that Jesus Christ/God would not approve of. Guard your mind. Subject your thinking to the law of God and the teachings of Christ, always, always. Don't get lazy about this. Every single thought, you have to force it to be in line with "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." That is the only way to truly be free in your mind. Amen.

4. Understand that there is now no condemnation in Christ. Paul says in Romans 8,"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."
⦁ We are no longer under the law as Christian, because Jesus has saved us. That does not mean the law is not important anymore, it just means that now we follow the spirit of the law as opposed to the letter of the law. As Jesus said, "All the law and the prophets are summed up in this one commandment, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" As long as you are doing that, you are following God's law.
⦁ Since Jesus died for us, we are set free from "the law of sin and death." There is now no condemnation, because Jesus paid the price in full for us. Through him we are justified and righteous in God's eyes. So don't let anyone try to condemn you about anything. Only God is your judge, not people, and he says that you are justified and that you are free.
⦁ The movie "The Great Debaters" has a comical scene about this. Denzel Washington keeps asking his debate team, "Who is the judge?" And they respond "God is the judge." That is very true. Only God is our judge, not people. Always remember that. Amen.

5. Understand that as a Christian you not required to be "nice." At least not in the sense that the world defines what "nice" is. This realization can really be very freeing.
⦁ The Bible says that we are to "hate what is evil." You can't hate something, like pornography for example, and be nice about it at the same time can you? No. Look at the character of Jesus; he was not "nice" about half of the time that he was here on earth.
⦁ For one, everyone knows about the time when he cleared out the temple with a whip. When it came to his enemies, the Pharisees, Jesus was extremely bold, very confrontation, and almost insulting to them. Yes we are supposed to love our enemies, but we are by no means supposed to let them walk all over us either. Here is one of the things Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." That's pretty direct and confrontation, and it's not very "nice" is it? But he was without sin.
⦁ Therefore, know that it is ok to stand up for yourself as a Christian and not be pushed around by others. Don't let other people try to dominate and control you in any way. Jesus has set you totally free, that includes free from the attempted domination of any other person.
⦁ There is a great quote, "People can only have power over you if you let them." So don't let anyone have power over you. Only God should have power over you, not a mere created, finite, human being, who is like the grass, here today and gone tomorrow. Remember that. You are free from the control of anyone else.

Tips
⦁ Grow in your own self-confidence so that you will believe that you deserve better treatment. Often times people who allow abuse have insecurities, or they think they actually deserve such treatment. Do things to boost your self-esteem, like working out etc, so you will know that you deserve better. Learn to respect and love yourself more and others will love and respect you more too.

Warnings
⦁ If you are in an abusive, controlling marriage, it might be wise to take time apart until the abusive person can learn to treat you with respect. Or just set boundaries with any controlling person in your life. You could be in an emotionally or verbally abusive parent-child relationship. Don't allow certain things, ignore them, or distance yourself etc. Don't let people mistreat you. God would not want them to, and He does not want you to let them either.
Thank you for reading. :) May God bless you!

Personality Conflicts

I wrote this for all my new wikiHow peeps.  Hopefully it helps things. :)

.........Regarding wikiHow, it has occurred to me that the main issues arise on here due to personality conflicts, as in most areas of life. Certain personalities like to do things certain ways and they have a hard time understanding other personalities. For example, beavers are nothing like otters. Beavers make good editors, otters make good writers. Both are needed, but they are night and day different. If an otter tries to be a beaver, they will just be miserable. So all the beavers on here need to let this lion/otter just be a lion/otter. lol. :) This is a very interesting personality test. "Know Thyself" so take the test and see who you are and learn about what other people are life. It will greatly benefit you in any interpersonal interactions the rest of your life. It's good to realize that not everyone is like you, whoever you are reading this. http://thaoski.com/2013/04/02/5-minute-personality-test-lion-beaver-otter-golden-retriever/.......

Me being primarily at otter, I always seem to clash with Beavers for some reason.  My step-dad is a beaver and we have never gotten along much.  Not that we fight, we just have nothing in common.  We never have anything to talk about.  It's like um.....so yeah.  He likes sci-fi and I like comedies.  He likes to read and I like to write.  He has had the same clothes for about 10 years and I like to buy new clothes every month lol.  Not a lot, just some. :) He thinks things are funny that I don't.  He is very serious; I am very carefree.  Etc.  He likes to keep to himself; I like to go out and do things with people.  

My mom and I kind of have the same differences, except that she likes shopping and going to Bible studies too. :)  She is a bit more social than my step-dad, but still more reserved and introverted than me. 

My brother and I have a lot more similar qualities. :)  We both love comedies, or anything funny.  We both are into natural cures for things.  We both like to be individuals and think for ourselves.  But we also both like to be popular and have lots of friends.  We both like to have influence over others.  I do through writing; he does through talking to people.  We both are somewhat into fashion and looking good.  We pretty much think the same things are funny.  And neither of us are very serious.  Well, Nate has gotten more serious with age, but we both used to be pretty goofy. :) 

Most of my friends though have been the more reserved type, I guess because opposites attract.  I like to lead so I always pick people to befriend people that are ok with following most of the time. lol  Of course eventually I think they come to resent that and they think it's all about me.  But if I come across another leader, it's usually no fun. :(  Two people can't lead at the same time.  Sometimes I do have a hard time submitting and being told what to do, which maybe I need to work on. 

My otter personality is why I have always loved, loved working with kids, because most kids are pretty much otters.  Yes the otter personality tends to be very kid-like. :) 

But then again you can tell distinct differences in personalities even in children.  Around 6 months they start to all become different and unique; it's very interesting to see if you ever have the chance to work with a group of babies. :)


Anyways, personalities are always very interesting to think about.

Enneagram Personality Tests

I just took the Ennegram personality test.  Last time, 8 years ago, my result was The Helper.  This time that was my lowest score haha.  It's funny how we change over time.  My results this time are pretty even on three different personality types.....

The Reformer
 The principled, idealistic type. Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience. At their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic.

The Investigator
 The perceptive, cerebral type. Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity, nihilism, and isolation. At their Best: visionary pioneers, often ahead of their time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way.

The Challenger
 The powerful, aggressive type. Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self-mastering, they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.

Yep I think that about sums me up lol :) Take the test for yourself if you want.  It's fun! :) 
http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/dis_sample_36.asp#.VNWSxbA3PmQ

This test is also very interesting.  I got ESFJ, like I always do lol So funny :) 

http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Here is all about ME! lol yay....it says I'm popular :)  woot.  http://www.16personalities.com/esfj-personality

haha this part totally relates to my new writing life on wikiHow. :) "It's important for ESFJs to remember though, that people come from many backgrounds and perspectives, and what may seem right to them isn't always an absolute truth." yep, aside from religion.  This is more how I tend to think my opinions on things are absolute truth lol. :)

"It's easy for ESFJs' feelings to be hurt if their ideas are rejected, or if people just aren't interested." yep :(

"Coming to terms with their sensitivity is ESFJs' biggest challenge - people are going to disagree and they're going to criticize, and while it hurts, it's just a part of life. The best thing for ESFJs to do is to do what they do best: be a role model, take care of what they have the power to take care of, and enjoy that so many people do appreciate the efforts they make." yep

This is interesting, "ESFJs place a lot of importance on what is socially acceptable, and can be very cautious, even critical of anything unconventional or outside the mainstream. People with this personality type may also sometimes push their own beliefs too hard in an effort to establish them as mainstream."

"Being as altruistic as they are, ESFJs find it hard to be satisfied unless they know they've done something valuable for another person. This is often the driving force behind ESFJs' careers and career advancement, and makes religious work and counseling particularly rewarding.: hm...counseling....

 I love this!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uF812r9SWg

Why I am Anti-Doctors

It seems that pretty much the only person alive, besides my husband, that totally agrees with me about doctors and medication is my brother. I guess for him it was because he was forced to take Ritalin most of his life, which had many negative affects on him.  Also we watched how medication messed up my mom's emotions so much.  Our entire lives she has been on one medication or another, constantly getting on and off of things.  I know she kept getting off of things because she felt convicted, like she knew God wouldn't want her to be taking that.

My brother and I are both into natural cures now for everything and avoiding doctors as much as possible.  I know most of the world does not agree with that, and it is what it is I guess. 

Also my mom had 3 or 4 back surgeries for her scoliosis.  Each surgery just seemed to make the problem worse.  She also had surgery on her ear and they kept only messing it up more and more with each surgery. 

Regarding depression, I don't agree when people say that depression is a medical problem. I believe that doctors MAKE IT a medical problem so that they have another excuse to give people medication. I am very anti-doctors and I feel that most aren't trustworthy.  I am not talking about nurses here; I am talking about doctors. 

Doctors are good when a woman is having a baby, but in most other cases they seem to do more harm than good.  

Also I had my fiancé die two years ago from being on too many medications and then drinking. So needless to say I have a lot of reasons to hate medications and when doctors prescribe them for people.  America is highly, highly over-medicated and we have doctors to thank for that. 

I bet most people wouldn't have the problems that they did if they never took medications. 

I think they can permanently mess up a person's brain chemistry.  Maybe you had slight issues before you took anything, which could have been solved just by counseling, friends and exercise, and then the issues become major thanks to the medication. 

If you have never taken a medication, praise God that he has protected you from them!  And DON'T take any, ever!  (unless you are diabetic lol) God bless! :)

How to be a New Christian Mom

Congratulations on becoming a new mom! This can be a very difficult time in your life, and somewhat scary, but it will also be one of the most special times in your life. This will most likely be your most sleep-deprived time in life, but know that it is all very much worth it. Taking good care of your new little one is very rewarding. Like anything new, there is a kind of high at first, as you get to know and fall in love with your new baby. The fun never ends, as you put new outfits on them and take endless of pictures of how cute they are. It is a lot of fun, but sometimes being a new mom can be a difficult job. Some say it's the hardest job in the world, and when you get woken up about 6 times every night, it can definitely feel like that. Here are some tips that will help to make your role as a new mom be a bit easier to manage.



Steps

1. Stay positive at all times. Being negative about anything will only discourage you. Don't allow your spouse to speak negatively about anything either. Speak life, not death. The Bible says, "Life and death are in the power of the tongue." So be careful what you say about yourself and your baby.
Believe that you can be a good mom, and you will be.
Believe that your baby is going to be a good baby, and he or she will be, or at least you will ensure that he/she will be.
2. Try to remain calm at all times. To worry about anything only drains your energy. Worrying does not solve any problems. It only makes the problems seem bigger than they really are.
If your baby gets a fever, for example, try to not worry right away that he/she will get brain damage etc. Most fevers go away after about 24 hours. Just give your baby some baby Tylenol, mixed in her formula or water, and everything will most likely be ok.
If your baby is crying and you can't figure out why, know that it is probably because of gas. Sometimes you will have changed your baby, fed your baby, but they are still crying and it might be driving you crazy. Don't worry, every mom has been there, at a loss and not know what else to do. You may just need to pat their back and hold them upright so that they can burp. The solution might just be as simple as that.
Don't freak out immediately if you make a mistake or accidentally bump your baby's head etc. And don't let your spouse freak out either. Babies get their head hit on things all the time. It is just a myth that it will cause brain damage; they will be ok. God gave us a skull for a reason. :)
Try to worry less and have faith that everything will be okay. Know that God is in control and he will help to protect your baby. Angels are helping you protect your baby, if you are praying for him/her. Learn to let go and let God. Ask for God's help and he will help you and give you His peace that passes understanding. Amen.
3. Don't do the cry it out thing with your baby at night. They are crying because they need you, so help them in any way you can.
Do whatever you can to find out why they are crying, and fix it. If you do let them cry for hours, as some moms do, this can have a huge negative effect on their emotional well being, and it could affect them the rest of their lives.
Babies are learning how much they can trust other people, in this time in life. Believe it or not, you are setting the stage for how they will interact with people for the rest of their lives. The way you treat them might also be what determines their temperament or personality.
It has been said that babies need to learn all the basics before the age of three; how to respect themselves and others and how to love and be loved. If they don't learn all this then, it will be hard for them to ever learn it.
Don't neglect your baby in any way, attend to their needs as best as you can.
4. Learn ways to make being a mom easier on yourself. It is hard enough to now pretty much be employed 24/7. The only working people on call are doctors, and mothers. This can be a very hard adjustment to make.
Your life now revolves around your new little one. You have to deny yourself in almost every single hour of the day. You keep getting your sleep interrupted, which you are of course not used to, but don't worry you will get used to it. You can't get outside as much as you might want to. It can be a very hard adjustment to make. You are all of a sudden having to die to yourself, and sometimes you feel like you are living completely for this new little life. So remember to give yourself breaks sometimes. Listen to fun music. Watch some good movies etc.
In regards to feeding with a bottle, it's OK to prop the bottle up on a blanket. This will free your hands so that you can get some work done. The baby will not choke. He or she will be perfectly fine. Sometimes, this can be a nice break which will allow you to get things done or just relax for a bit.
5. Use diaper rash cream often. With disposable diapers, babies get rashes a lot. This can lead to a lot of crying and discomfort for them.
Sometimes babies resist diaper changing time, or are extra fussy, because they have a rash.
6. Transition to milk gradually. It is a fun transition to make, because milk is obviously much cheaper than formula, but do it with caution.
When switching to milk from formula, make sure you mix the formula with milk. You need to slowly wean your baby off of the formula. If you don't do this, they will be very constipated and unhappy. Constipation happens with an abrupt change in diet, so make transitions in food "slow and easy".
7. Ensure that you have support from a family member. You can't do this huge new job on your own. You will feel overwhelmed if you don't have any help at all. Before a baby comes you may think that your husband will be a big help, but unfortunately men are not very helpful with new babies. They really have no idea what to do. They do not connect as well with the new baby in the way that mothers do. It takes men a bit of time to warm up to a new baby, and they might even be jealous of the new baby. So realize that of the two of you, you will be the main person doing everything for your new baby.
If at all possible, make sure you are living near either your mom or your mother-in-law. Make it happen somehow. You will definitely need their help and advice. Also whenever you have questions just google whatever it might be and you can find the answer to pretty much anything online, which is great.
You have to have breaks, even if it's just going to the store by yourself, baby free, once a week. Try to get them to babysit once a week so you can relax and recapture the peaceful life you had before taking on all this responsibility.
8. Take time to maintain your other relationships. Still have friends after your new baby comes. If you used to go to Bible studies, keep going. It helps a lot to have other women to talk to about being a mom.
Especially, make sure you still do things with your spouse, and don't let the baby consume all your time. It's can be easy for your husband to get jealous of a new baby, but if you still do things together, that will help. Watch movies together still. Play cards. Go out to the mall or the park etc.
9. Go easy on yourself if you have to shift your obligations. You probably won't be able to do everything that you did before your baby arrived.
If you used to go to church every Sunday, don't stress yourself out too much if you can't make it to church on Sundays anymore. You can find alternatives during this phase of your life. For example, you can always watch online church services or go to a mid-week Bible study when your mother or mother-in-law are able to watch the baby.
Be flexible and refrain from forcing yourself to go out when you know the baby might have a very hard time in the nursery.
10. Be forgiving of yourself. Have grace with yourself. You don't have to be the perfect mom because no one alive can be a perfect mom. We all make mistakes but that is ok. God can cover whatever mistakes you might make. Everything will turn out ok in the end. As the Bible says, "God works all things together for the good of those who love Him." Amen.
Don't blame yourself for not being perfect. Realize it would be impossible to be.
Don't expect too much of yourself or anyone else.
11. Have fun and enjoy your new baby. Don't just take care of him or her.
Play with your baby, laugh with them, and make faces and noises at them.
Dress them up in tons of cute outfits.
Take lots of pictures.
Learn to enjoy this time because it goes by super, super fast.
12. Give yourself a huge congrats on getting to be a new mom! Not everyone gets to be one. Remember to be incredibly thankful everyday that God blessed you with the most precious gift in the entire world. Recognize that it is a tremendous privilege to get to be a mom. Many women spend thousands on fertility clinics and still have no success. You are a very lucky and very fortunate woman to be able to have your own little mini me. Praise God every day for your new little blessing.



Warnings


Be cautious of which vaccinations you give your baby. Vaccinations do cause fevers in babies and they can cause more ear infections. If you do vaccinate him/her, which you have the option not to, try to space them out so they don't get five shots at a time for example. This can be very hard for their tiny little systems to deal with.

How to See That God Loves You

A lot of people, Christians and non-Christians, have a hard time seeing that "God is love," or they have a hard time seeing how much God loves them. The only thing that the Bible says that God IS, is love. When you read the Bible, you can see a lot of things that show how much God loves you!

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Steps

1.  
   See that just the fact that God created you shows how much he loves you.
   
   • Psalm 139 says, "You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Amen. God spent a lot of time making you; that what it means to be "fearfully and wonderfully made."
   
   
   • You are not a mistake. You are not the result of just random chemicals coming together. You were planned by God.
   
   
   • Some verses say that God knew about us before the foundation of the world. He planned on YOU being born, before he even created the world. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did.
2.  
   Understand that God sending Jesus to the world was because of how much He loves us.
   
   • Whether you believe in Jesus or not, God sent Him into the world to die for YOU. If you will only believe in Him, His death for you will be the only sufficient payment you will need to get you into heaven.  Praise God. 
   
   
   • The Bible says that "For God SO loved the world he sent his only begotten son." God did not send Jesus to us for any other reason than simply that he loved us and wanted to save us.  Amen.
3.  
   Realize that Jesus dying on the cross to pay our sins was to show us how much God loves us. Jesus did not have to die for our sins.
   
   • So many take it for granted that Jesus died, but we need to always remind ourselves; He did not HAVE to die. He chose to die, because He, Jesus and God the Father, loved us SO much. They wanted to pay the price so that we could be with them in heaven someday. That was why Jesus died.
4.  
   Understand that hard times in our lives can actually show us how much God loves us.

 

• Often times, when people go through a hardship, they start thinking that God doesn't really love them. But there is a great quote, "Sometimes God will allow a tree to be cut down so that it can grow back better." Sometimes, God will allow us to go through hard times or trials in order to discipline us. The Bible says "God disciplines those He loves."

• For a parent to not punish or discipline a child is not loving and is considered neglect. When a parent takes the time to discipline and train a child, that is what shows that the parent really loves the child. In the same way, God disciplines us for our own good.

• Hebrews 12:11 says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." In the end, God's discipline will make us better people.

5. Consider God's beautiful creation as showing us how much God loves us.

• When was the last time you watched a sunset or a sunrise? Have you really taken the time to look at the stars or sit by a mountain stream or listen to the wind blowing through the trees? Have you ever really taken in, and been amazed by, the exquisite beauty of creation?

• Think of all the thousands of species of animals that God made just for us. He didn't have to. God could have just made cats, or just cows etc. But God chose to make tons of amazing animals for us to see and enjoy.

• God could have just made apples, but no he made hundreds of different kinds of fruit for us to enjoy. "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

• God has blessed us, and showed us His love, in so many ways just in His creation, but how often do we really take time to think about it.

Tips

• You need to learn to love yourself as well, because if you don't love yourself at all, you will not see how God could love you.

Warnings

• In knowing and realizing how much God loves you, don't become overly arrogant. He loves you regardless of anything you have ever done. You did not earn God's love; He simply loves you because He created you. Amen.