Prayer - The Weapon

Prayer is one’s communication with the Creator of all things. It is necessary to understand. It is something every true believer must know how to do, and how to do it correctly. Prayer is called a communication, yet it is such because it carries a language inside of it. The language of a prayer, the message sent from man to God is the message written on your heart.

See the message of a true believer is humility, reverence, burden, thanksgiving and praise. It is that of a beggar, asking for something that he knows he does not have. It is the beggar asking for something he does not deserve, yet he needs. We who want to pray a prayer that God will hear, a prayer that changes lives, that moves mountains and heals the sick will pay attention to the commandments which Christ delivered.

Matthew 5:3 says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

This series on prayer I have been researching is more than just a research project, it is an important message that we must recognize.

“So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelations 3:16

We must become what we were sent here to become. We must attain the level of prayer that the apostles had. It is in prayer that we can become everything God wants us to become, and it is then that we can be used by God the Father. We read many times of the prophets, their communication with God, have you never wanted such a relationship with Christ? If you can slay yourself, your sinful nature, you can then become pure or spirit, become a child of our Lord, a man or woman of renown, a son of God.

Prayer is a weapon used to fight a battle that is going on around us, which apathy and wimpy souls are too afraid or too busy to recognize. God has already warned us in Revelations 3:16 that you must be active, Christ told us what happens with branches that produce no fruit.

I remember a retreat I went to in my youth group. We got to go to Western Michigan University, and each year there was a different phrase printed on the shirts. Today the message is made clear to me. “Even a dead fish can go with the flow.” We must put our nature to death, become poor in spirit so that we may become alive in Christ.

We must recognize this battle around us, and we must learn to fight. Our weapons are clear, as is our armor. The Word of God, Prayer, and Faith are the weapons we are given, and the Armor Ephesians 6 12-17. Then read verse 18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

God the Father has given us “Power from on High” (Luke24:49), when we learn to be devoted and humble, to be poor in spirit and rich in our faith, we will be able to use it.

When will you give up your life, so that you can be used?

Prayer - Praise and Thankfulness

When we talk about thankfulness and praise, it is important to distinguish between the two. There is in fact a difference, even though it is small.

Praise is to glorify, or show admiration for; Thanks are used to express gratitude.

When we pray, it is important to show both. I have always used praise and thanks in my prayers; however I haven’t always done it correctly.

Thanks and gratitude is given for things of the past. Thanks is something given to God in verbal form for some blessing in our lives. Gratitude is something secret, or passive, kept inside. Gratitude is heart felt, and gives way to thanks, it is the inward expression.

When we thank God for our blessings, it is important that we truly understand what we are thanking God for, that the thanks is heart felt. Think of it in this sense: at Christmas, when you’re opening presents, and you get something you really like. You show expressions of thanks far greater than when you have received something you do not appreciate. “Oh, uh, thanks for the sweater….” Is not the same as “OH WOW, I cant believe you got me this, its freakin sweet!!”

Phil. 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

We must be sure we understand the importance of the blessing, and its effect on our lives to show true thanksgiving, and true thanksgiving comes from true gratitude.

Praise is a little easier, however much more important. Praise can be sung, like many of the Psalms. This brings me to a point of something I must address: congregational praise. Singing in church is of high importance, it is the church praising God. I have a personal disgust for fake praises. At the end of a sermon, and the music pastor sings the last song, and a person is moved to stand and raise their hands to praise God, this does not mean the entire congregation needs to do the same. This is not praising God.

It is also my belief that much of modern music removes much praise from God. Singing the same phrase over and over does not seem to grasp the entirety of praise.

Praise cannot be created by song or music; it derives from the grace of God in ones heart. However, the grace of God in ones heart can certainly create music and song.

It is amazing that God asks us to praise and give thanks to Him. We are the lowly sinner, unworthy of anything we might have, and yet it is our Lord and Savior who wants us to sing praises to Him. A song sung for eternity could not tell of all the praise due to God.

Prayer - Be Humble

If you want to learn how to pray, you must first learn to be humble. There is no Christ without humility; likewise, there is no prayer without humility.

Psalm 8:3-4 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

Being humble is feeling unworthy, because you realize we are unworthy. It is feeling little because we are little. Humility understands that we do not deserve salvation, but it is given to us anyway.

Kneeling in prayer is the first step in reminding us that we should be humble. Start your day with a prayer. Kneel before the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to provide understanding of His word and life. During that prayer put on a cloak of humility, and the armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-17). Ask God to provide an opportunity for you to witness to someone, and that you will recognize it. Dedicate this day, to working for our God.

Kneeling in prayer at the beginning of the day reminds us to live humbly throughout the day. At the end of that day, take some time to prepare yourself for prayer. You wouldn’t stroll up to your boss, unprepared, and ask for a raise. Why then should you do this to the creator of the universe? Be prepared to praise God, to thank Him, and to ask your requests. Know those requests before you start to pray, and allow the Holy Spirit to choose your words to say. Do not rush prayer, and minimize your distractions. Christ would wake up early and go to a quiet place to pray, let us try this as well.

It is a wonderful feeling to know that our God, our Savior, wants to talk with us, but how often do we give Him the chance? We go to God in prayer, asking for things we do not deserve, thanking Him for things that we do not need, and then we hang up the line of communication. When do we allow God to talk to us? We need to allow time for God the Father to tell us what He wants, and give Him time to thank us, let Him tell us we are doing a good job (if we are doing such).

Hebrews 13:15 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess His name.” Throughout your day, you have time to say, “thank you Christ Jesus for _____.” Start the habit of thanking and praising Jesus throughout the day. It will serve as a constant reminder of who is in control. When you understand that God is in control of every second of your day, you can remember to be humble; we do not deserve a more perfect guide in our lives. Get in touch with that still soft voice, and it will also remind you to thank God throughout the day. When you can hear that voice for praise, you will be able hear it in tough decisions also.

“O that now I might decrease!
O that all I am might cease!
Let me into nothing fall!
Let my Lord be all in all.”

Prayer - Devotion

Devotion is defined as a desired attachment, to give oneself or ones time entirely. This definition is what the Bible asks of us in prayer. 1 Thessalonian 5:17 “Pray without ceasing” Luke 18:1 “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always…”

The Bible is very clear on when to pray, pray always. Prayer is a communication process between our Creator and us. If you have constant communication with someone, you are devoted to that person.

When I joined the US Navy, I quickly learned who my real friends were. They were the ones who would call on occasion to see how I was doing; some even came to visit, even though I was stationed on the opposite side of the nation. The others I no longer speak with, because I let those communication lines die. The devotion wasn’t in the friendship.

Devotion is what modern Christians are missing in prayer, and in our daily walks. We are not devoted in our prayers, and we are not devoted in our relationships with Christ. Too often we water down Christianity. The church is seen as a building we attend on Sunday and maybe Wednesday night. We look at our pastors as a public speaker, like an honest politician or lawyer, like a professor of the Bible. A pastor is a Divinely called man of God, someone held responsible not only for his actions, but for his peoples’. We stroll into the House of God as if it were some sort of common location like a theater, or hall, ready to see this week’s edition.

Devotion comes from the heart and soul of man. If your heart is not in prayer, your soul is not either. If those two parts are not in your prayer, your words are as hollow as you are. It parallels an adolescent boy telling an adolescent girl that he loves her. Meanwhile, prayers from devoted and holy men can change God’s mind. Many times in the Old Testament we hear of God’s anger and how it is diverted by a prayer, on behalf of Israel, made by their prophet. The prophet cries out to God, tears his clothes and throws himself into dirt. He humbles himself and prays.

Devotion is to give oneself entirely. Christ’s life was a perfect example of this. He gave everything He could, so that we, the sinful and undeserving, could attain heaven. The giving of our lives, or devotion, is our way to heaven, through Christ Jesus.

Prayer: A New Study

Recently I have decided to "investigate" prayer. Sounds a bit odd I am sure, however, I do not feel satisfied with my prayer life, and I pray constantly. Whenever something happens that is good, I thank God. Whenever something happens bad, I pray for help. Whenever I notice something that is a beautiful creation, I praise God. I do it throughout the entire day, everyday.

Now these prayers are not my main prayers, these are the random prayers, usually said in a matter of 20-30 seconds. I also pray before meals, even in restaurants. I also pray with my wife, every night before we go to bed. That is the main prayer for me, at night.

When I was researching the "sons of God" topic, I found a lot of online commentaries I have been studying. I have found a few by the Author E.M. Bounds, who wrote several books on prayer. As I stated to read through them, I understood that while my current prayer life is not bad, it is not good. My main prayer time is at night, while lying in bed.

Saturday night, I decided that we are no longer going to lay in bed and say our prayers like that. We got out of bed, and knelt to pray. Before we prayed, we took time to decide what we were going to ask from God, in specifics.

I live in Southwestern Michigan, and we were part of the 58,000 people without, power starting Thursday evening. Consumers Energy told us we wouldn't have power until early Monday morning. Saturday we knelt to pray, asking God to turn our power back on by the time we got home from church. As it went, God turned the power back on before we left.

I had a great weekend. My wife and I enjoyed all the pleasures of camping, with the comforts of home! We had a fire for light on Friday night. We played cards by candlelight, boardgames, enjoyed the full moon, it was amazing. When the power came back on today, we didn't turn on the computers until after lunch, and a game of monopoly.

God used this weekend to teach me how to pray again, and show me I still have much more to learn. He also showed me and my wife that we can still hang out and have a lot of fun. There was so much that happened this weekend, it would take all week to post the amazing things God did this weekend.

I plan on researching and writing more about prayer this upcoming week. Stay Tuned!

Nephilim, Furthermore...

I decided to look further into this issue, as some readers might want more clarification or proof. I will also include myself in this search for more knowledge, as I was still a bit uneasy about this "sons of God" issue.

Genesis 6:4 " The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."

I will not argue that there are places in the Old Testament that call angels "sons of God". Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7 and Daniel 3:25 "sons of Mighty". However, any claim to suggest that the term "sons of God" only refers to angels, is wrong. (I would like to note that, to my knowledge, no reader on this blog has suggested such.)

Showing that angels are called "sons of God" it is important to note, in Psalms 73:15 "generation of thy children" uses the same word "sons" describing them as they belong to God. in Deut. 32:5 the same word "sons" is used in reference to Israel. Hosea 1:10 stronger yet calls Israel "sons of the living God" Psalms 80:17 also belongs here.

So which one do we know to be true? So far in Genesis we have had no mention made of angels. Yet we have had reference to other sons which would be easily considered men of renown. Look at Genesis 5. The entire chapter is a list from Adam to Noah. An entire chapter of renown men, Adam to Noah, directly listed before chapter 6. The heritage listed in chapter 5 is also important to note, because it show that Noah, and his children, are men of renown, which plays perfectly into before and after the flood.

There is a distinction between two types of people. There would be the heirs or Cain, and the heirs of Seth. Those of Seth are called Sethites, and you guessed it, Cains heirs are called Cainites. That is why there needs to be distinction between normal men, and men of renown, or sons of God. The Sethites publicly worshiped God, stayed close to Him. Read over chapter 5 and you can clearly see this. The problem is that the Sethites were starting to marry women of men. That is to say that they no longer cared about the character of the women they married, it was a pretty face and figure that they cared about more.

I hope this clears this all up. I used a commentary by H. C. Leupold (1892-1972) titled "Exposition of Genesis: Volume I".

The Return of Christ

Many Christians speculate on the second coming of Christ. There is something about the idea of Christs' return that excites us. I for one love to read Matthew 24, and Luke 21 because of it. I enjoy discussions with people about the signs, and if we are the generation that will see these events.

I have compiled a theory (surprise!) to throw my name into the hat. I may not be the first to develop this, but it is something I came up with after looking over my own research. I would like to remind everyone of Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." That being said, I shall continue.

Throughout the Bible, Israel is talked about as a fig tree. Hosea 9 speaks of a punishment for Israel, "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree". In Joel 1, the words of our Lord describe a nation that invaded "my land"(verse 6) and "It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. " (verse 7). So it is I believe that in Matthew 24, Christ is also speaking about Israel.

Israel is an amazing nation. For nearly two thousand years the nation survived without being a nation. Israel was conquered by the Babylonians, Persians, Greek and finally the Romans. Even though there was no land for this nation, it has survived. In 1948 Israel, a nation scattered, became a nation once more, as Ezekeil mentioned in chapter 11 verse 17.

Following through Matthew 24, we have identified the "fig tree" stated in verse 32.

The next step to cover is Matthew 24: 33 & 34. "Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."

This verse can mean a couple of things: That the generation that sees the start, will see the finish, or that things will happen rapidly. I believe both. The generation that saw the fig tree come into bloom will be the same generation that sees the signs listed in earlier verses of Matthew 24.

I belong to generation X (1980-1990), because I was born in the early 1980's. Thats not to say that my generation is over because a new one has started though. I am alive and well, and I am still considered to be a part of generation X. In Genesis 6:3 it says: "Then the LORD said, 'My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal ; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.'" I believe a generation to be 120 years max.

If Israel became a nation in 1948, and one generation is 120 years, then the dilemma is, when did the generation start? I mean, do we start generation at 1948 or 1940 or 1900? Well generation X, which I believe has no relevance other than a tool of measurement, started in 1980 and goes until 1990. Lets assuming that the generation that saw Israel become a nation started in 1940. If we calculate the sum from the length of a generation and the start of the generation that saw Israel become a nation (120+1940) we get 2060.

There are many variables in this calculation, however I believe this shows that we are living in the times of Christs' second coming. Again, no one knows when that amazing day will be, nor do we truly understand how it will happen. This starts an entirely different argument over issues which I may go into another time.

Unforgiveable Sin

This morning I woke up and did what I normally do: get up, let the dogs out, let the dogs in, check my mail, and then check the news.

So as I was reading through the normal sites I go to for the news, the same I list on this blog on the lower left, I stumbled upon a site that caught me off guard. The ironic thing was that as I went to post it on The Mind of a Young Pastor, in reference to an earlier discussion, I noticed someone else was talking about this unforgivable sin.

The sin is to deny the holy spirit residence within your life. The website advocates people to do just that. Called "The Blasphemy Challenge" they are willing to offer you a free dvd of their thoughts in return for a person to upload a video of themselves denying the Holy Spirit.

The crazy thing? People are doing it. Not just anyone however, sinners and saved alike. This brings me back to the topic of "Once Saved Always Saved". See it is in my opinion that a true Christian can lose their salvation. I believe that God gave us free will, and to say that a person cannot choose to change their mind after they became a Christian is to say that you lose your free will after you choose salvation.

Once saved always saved means that after you choose to ask forgiveness from your sins, or repent, you no longer have free will. This also leads into predestination, if you believe once saved always saved, your forced to believe you have no free will, which means that God chooses who goes to heaven and who does not. Predestination is to say that Christ didn't come to die for everyones sin, just those that God wants to save. This is absurd.

In closing, I feel it is important to note that the only unforgivable sin, is forgivable. What makes it unforgivable? Well if you denounce the Holy Spirit from your life, and you die, your screwed. However, if you denounce the Holy Spirit, and later in life come to the conclusion you are wrong, Christ will forgive, and thus, the sin has been forgiven.

The verse that this debate comes from is Mark 3:29 "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." Remember, when reading this you must take into account not only the verse, but the context and the rest of scripture.

About Mike Huckabee

In a recent article by New Man Magazine, they discussed presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee. Not many know much about him, so I thought I would take time to inform you why I support this man.

Mike Huckabee, 51, comes from Hope, Arkansas. He's a devout Christian and has been married to his wife, Janet, since 1974. They have three kids. Mike was governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007.

While running for the office he garnered more than 43% of the African-American vote and more than 48% when he was re-elected in 2002, despite the fact that former Pres. Clinton campaigned in Arkansas five times for his opponent.

In 2005, Time magazine named Mike one of the five best governors in the U.S. and recognized the personal touch he brings to government, calling him a "second commandment Christian"—always doing to others as he would have them do to him. Huckabee is past chairman of both the National Governors' Association and the Southern Governors Association.

A fiscal conservative, working in a state where 86 percent of elected officials are Democrats, Huckabee was able to double the child-care tax credit, eliminate the marriage penalty and get rid of capital gains tax. Despite the fact that 91% of government spending in Arkansas was mandated by the state constitution or courts, he cut spending and was able to balance the state budget five times. By the time he left office the state had a surplus of $800 million, and saved taxpayers close to $400 million.

"I believe that our nation was birthed in a spirit of faith—not a prescriptive one dictating how or what to believe," says Huckabee, "but a faith that acknowledges that there is indeed a Providence that pervades our world."

He has formerly served as pastor of several Southern Baptist churches in Arkansas and was the youngest president ever for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, the state's largest denomination.

"My faith is my life," he says. "It defines me. I see no separation between my faith and professional life. Real faith should make us humble and mindful, not to the faults of others but of our own. It should not make us more judgmental, but rather less judgmental, as we see others living a life with the same frailty we acknowledge within ourselves."

While governor, he had a weight problem and when doctors told him his life was in danger from it, he went to work and lost more than 100 pounds.

He supported the marriage amendment in Arkansas and led the covenant marriage movement in the state. He also worked hard to pass abortion restrictions and regulations in state.

You can learn more by visiting his website here.

Bush Seeks to Boost Canada, Mexico Ties

I dont have time right now to explain too much on this article, however in my last post I mentioned what I thought the President of USA should do...

Article here

Bush is still proving he is a good leader.

Russia's Rearming

I did not write any part of this article, but I have removed some parts. Great article, a must read.

"The Russian-military machine is back in business.

On Friday President Vladimir Putin caused consternation by announcing the resumption of regular, long-range nuclear bomber patrols, but there is more to come; Russia is planning to double combat aircraft production by 2025 with more nuclear missiles, aircraft carriers and tanks at the top of Moscow's shopping list.

Intelligence sources say Washington and London have been taken aback by just how seriously Russia has viewed the perceived slight and admit that in concentrating so heavily on Iraq and al-Qaeda, they took their eyes off the ball.

"They were slow to see that these people are still players," said a former White House staffer, who served both Ronald Reagan and George Bush. "My great fear is that I wake up one day soon to discover that we lost the Cold War, or rather that like everything else, we won the war and then lost the peace."

A source close to the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who cut her teeth in government as a Kremlinologist in the Eighties, said that Middle East issues had diverted her attention from a more rigorous engagement with Moscow.

"She wants to spend more time on Russia but that hasn't always been possible. She said to me that she regrets the fact that she has not done enough on what is, after all, her major area of expertise."

While Russia's submariners have managed to upset even the mild-mannered Norwegians and Canadians by planting a flag under the Arctic ice, its long range TU-95 Bear bombers have rattled America's cage by buzzing its US naval base on the island of Guam in the western Pacific. The Georgians are furious after a Russian missile landed on the outskirts of a village near Tbilisi and a series of war games in Russia's southern Ural Mountains featuring some 6,500 troops from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan sparked Western concern over the emergence of a new Warsaw Pact.

The alarm may have sounded too late, however, according to Matthew Clements, Eurasia editor of Jane's Country Risk. "I think what has not been seen is the way Russia perceives itself as a new, great power, and how it feels it has not been taken as seriously as it should be," he said.

Russian defence spending rose by 22 per cent and 27 per cent in the past two years and could be up as much as 30 per cent this year. In February, Sergei Ivanov, then defence secretary and now one of the front-runners to replace Mr Putin next year, announced a £100 billion programme of expenditure. According to Jane's Sentinel Country Risk Assessments, the Russian shopping list includes two new submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles, the Bulava and the Sineva, both with a 5,000 mile range and capable of carrying 10 nuclear warheads, and a new anti-aircraft missile, the S-400, which the Russian ministry of defence claims is effective against incoming missiles.It also plans to spend heavily on the new TU-160 strategic bomber, which can launch cruise missiles, the SU-34 "Fullback" fighter-bomber capable of all-weather attacks on heavily defended targets and a new fifth-generation fighter, the Sukhoi T-50, which is expected to come into service in 2008 as Russia's main lightweight front-line fighter. The expanded Russian fleet will include six new nuclear powered aircraft carriers, it has just one at present, and eight ballistic missile submarines." (article)

Russia & China Working Together...

Again. Russia and China is a dynamic duo that should be watched ever so closely. With the way that America and China have been butting heads about oh so many issues lately, it doesn't surprise me that Russia is moving in for the "buddy buddy" relationship.

"Fighter jets streaked through the air as Russian and Chinese forces held their first joint maneuvers on Russian land Friday in a demonstration of their growing military ties and a shared desire to counter U.S. global clout.

The war games in the southern Ural Mountains involved some 6,000 troops from Russia and China along with a handful of soldiers from four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations that are part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional group dominated by Moscow and Beijing.

The drills coincided with a massive Russian Air Force exercise in which dozens of Russian strategic bombers ranged far over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans." (article)

This would be a great time to take photos over the waters to find and locate any US ships. That way the Chinese subs that have been held secret from the Americans, until recently spotted by Google Earth.

I tell you, this is something the US President and the Defense Secretary are probably keeping a close eye on. With Russia providing arms and nuclear technology to Iran, and trying to keep the United States from putting a missile shield in Europe, China is just icing on the cake. No doubt Russia has enough small armaments to supply the Chinese army, and still have enough to sell to Iran, America should be looking for ways to strengthen its ties to Great Britain, Israel, and other important allies... including working with Mexico. Venezuela is not far off, and it would be harmful to burden the bordering countries when we may need them.

I could see the Chinese and Venezuelan Navies hitting up the coast guard, Russia launching nuclear warheads, and then a possible gateway into America from the back door?

Nephilim Answers.

And then God looked down upon me, and he blessed me, and answered my prayers; He gave me the wisdom I asked for by way of a wise pastor.

Sons of God are called thus, as we (Christians) are called the children of God. Where Genesis6:4 says "when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them." It is saying that Christian men were marrying non Christian women. Remembering this is the old testament and this was wrong. Thus the idea of "unequally yoked".

I dont know if I went into any details about Isaiah 34:14, but that verse supposedly talked about Lilith, a supposed first wife to Adam. However, with greater insight than my own, it was revealed that Isaiah was referencing parts of Revelations. As far as the mis-conception of Adam and 2 wives, people need to understand that Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are both accounts of creation. So just because we have 2 different chapters on creation doesn't mean that God created Adam two wives. Thats like saying that Christ came to earth 4 times, because of the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

I am very pleased with the information my pastor was able to provide for me, and am reassured he is in the light of Christ Jesus. I am very blessed to have a pastor willing to take time to explain how our society has tried to misconstrued and discredit the Bible as the Word of God.

Hungry in the Spirit

Lately I have been doing a lot of searching on the whole Nephilim stuff in the Bible. Well I have hit a rut. I am kinda stuck on what to believe. Some friends have said that its a bunch of phooey, while others are like me and confused about the issue.

So I have decided to talk to my pastor about this topic. It has caused me a lot of trouble lately, and I feel "hung up" on this topic. Its one of those things that you want to answer to, but cant get it yah know? So anyway, hopefully tomorrow I will have a little clarity on the issue.

I have had a pull recently to learn more and more about Biblical issues. Its like when I was first saved so long ago, and like how your fire is crying out for fuel to burn hotter and bigger, only this is different. Back then I wanted to learn everything and knew where to go in the Bible to get it. However this latest episode is different. I am not sure where to go to get my answers. I have prayed daily for wisdom and direction and discernment. I feel like I am seeking something, and I do not know what it is.

I know when we are young in faith that we are fed, but when we are seasoned and mature in our faith, we should be able to feed ourselves spiritually. This bothers me because I seem to be struggling in this area, and I am not sure why.

Your prayers are appreciated.

Priming the World

Have you ever watched Heroes? How about Smallville, Charmed, or the new upcoming Pushing Daisy's?

How about a super hero movie? Ever notice all those old comic books have become movies? Batman, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Superman, X-Men, Hellboy, Catwoman, The Flash and The Punisher. As kids we all wished we had super powers.

Well it all hit me today while eating lunch with my wife. Matthew 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible."

Mark 13:12 "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible."

Is it possible that maybe, just MAYBE, God created something in us, something that draws our imagination to hope that it could be possible, someday, that someone might have special powers? Our television and all Hollywood knows that right now, those kinds of shows sell. They sell big! Isn't it just a tad ironic that while society glorifies this "mysterious attribute" that one day, the Antichrist will show up and be able to "perform signs and miracles"? I mean we are getting primed for him/her.

So we are eating and discussing all of this, when I notice a very tall blond walk past. You know what my first initial thought was? Nephilim. See the Nephilim were giants and able to perform magic. Well how odd is it to see someone thats super tall? pretty often, especially if you watch basketball. I think those people are abnormally tall because they still carry that gene from the Nephilim. However, they aren't performing magic, that will be saved for the Antichrist.

Dont ask, Dont tell, Dont join...

I am curious to know what people think about this. In the recent presidential debates, some were willing to push for a repel of "Dont ask, dont tell".

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) said during the Democratic presidential debate: "I want to get [the repeal] done when I'm president. I want to do it, and I want to be successful. We're talking about what steps we can take to lay the groundwork so that when we do have a change in the White House ... we will be able to move on that." she added, "It is one of my highest priorities".

While Guiliani said: "At a time of war, you don't make fundamental changes like this," and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney added, "This is not the time to put in place a major change, a social experiment, in the middle of a war going on."

When you're enlisted in the military, there is no privacy," stated Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council. "In the Marine Corps - to keep them focused on the mission - they keep the men with men and the women with women. They are there for a purpose."When you enter into the mix men hitting on men, it's a distraction, it's destructive to the morale of the unit, it's not why they're there," he said. "They're not there for recreational sex."

"Our men and women in uniform, and their families and loved ones, are ready for a commander in chief who puts qualification ahead of discrimination and military readiness ahead of outdated prejudice," said Steve Ralls, director of communications for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a watchdog group opposed to the policy. "The time has come to topple this un-American law, and we are proud to have these candidates join us in the fight to lift the ban." (article)

So here we are, facing the issue again, now that there is a possibility of a democratic president. I think that this feeds into the idea that, due to such low ratings of congress and their goal of losing the war in Iraq, this issue being brought up is to assist them in destroy our military. In their eyes, once we lose the war, the soldiers come home and families are happy again. They don't see the families of Iraq, so that isn't their problem.

Why is it okay to subjegate other countries to our laws and rules when it applies to minority rights (like womens rights), but not okay to give them democracy? This is something I do not understand.

Is It Too Much of a Good Thing?

This morning as I sit preparing a new topic for the day, I thought about changing the Bible verse under the title of my blog. Sometimes I have good quotes up there, yet on a rare occasion I will put a scripture verse.

As i started to open a new tab in firefox, I couldnt help but feel a slight tug to leave it up there, or if anything, replace it with another. Of course this was all very much a quick thought, but I had to sit and think for a moment. Then it hit me; "I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them". Now I did not remember the verse at the time, so I did a quick check in my "Application Bible" under memorization, Psalm 119: 11 (TLB) "I have thought much about your words, and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin."

I slide the mouse over to that new tab and run off to Bibleontheweb.com (Bible.com was down, probably for maintenance) and do a search for "Write them" which returns about 8 results in the KJV. Because I can be lazy, i use the browsers' find feature and type in heart. I was a bit surprised that out of 8 results, 4 of them said something like, write them on your heart.

Now by no means do I feel it bad not to have a quote on a web page, nor do I think that just because I am a Christian, I have to write scripture all over.... or do I?

Is there such a thing as too much? Where do you draw the line?

Which version to use?

The more and more research I do within the Bible, the more I notice that there is a difference between versions. I normally use the NIV version of the Bible. Not too long ago Timm and I were discussion something, and it came down to the wording of the text. He was using King James version whereas I used NIV. In that argument, it is better to go with a text that is closest to original text, the King James.

Now upon searching these last few days, I stumbled on a new website that brought up this exact issue. While I do not consider the NIV to be evil, or meant to do harm, it seems that while making it more user friendly, certain parts of the Bible may be compromised. The example Tracy used is this:

NIV:
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son...

Authorized King James:
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son...

(emphasis added to both)

Now this is interesting to me because, well not only do I normally use the NIV, this plays in directly with my research on the Nephilim. For those that did not read it: Genesis 6:4 "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." (again, emphasis added)

Now this gets into a touchy subject, because "sons of God" says that Christ had, to some extent... siblings. The word begotten means of blood. Now we all know that kids can be adopted, or that you can acquire kids by marrying someone who had kids from another marriage. My point is that Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God.

Now it could also be said that when sinners repent we become children of God, but does that make us siblings of Christ? I do not know.

The NIV also totally removes verse's from the Bible. Example: Find yourself a NIV Bible, lookup Acts 8:37. It has become a footnote. There are many others. You can view them here.

So which version do you use, and do you think this important to know?

A history on Nephilim's.

What we know about the Nephilim: They were giants in comparison to the average size person, and they are called "sons of God".

Genesis 6:4 " The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."

Numbers 13:33 " We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

Numbers 13 refers to them as descendants of Anak, which are called the Anakites. Which are referred to in Deuteronomy 2:10, comparing the Emites' size to that of the Anakites.

Anakites are also mentioned in Joshua 11:22 "No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive." and then again in 14:15 "(Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)" In fact the Anakites are spread throughout the Old testament, and are matched by another group as stated above the Emites, who were also thought to be descendent's of Rephaites, just like the Anakites.

Like the others, Rephaites are scattered throughout the Old testament up until 1 Chronicles. There is nothing after that. In fact, Anakites aren't mentioned after Joshua, and the Emites are only mentioned in Genesis and Duet. Joshua destroyed the majority of the Anakites (Joshua 11:21-22), Moses defeated the Rephaites (Joshua 13:12). Duet 2:9-12 describes that they used to live in Ar, which was promised to Lot, but never says if they are still alive, or rather Lot killed them off. They are mentioned no more.

This brief overview of history tells us quite a bit. We know that Giants existed, outside of Goliath (who is also entwined in this mess). It shows in Genesis 6 that they were around before and after the flood, and that at one time were heroes and men of renown. That suggest to me that by "sons of God" it could mean fallen angels. It tells us that the descendants live in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod. Today we look at the Gaza strip and see non stop violence. That suggests to me a glimpse of what the world was like before the flood.

On another note, Genesis 6:3 tells us that God put age limits on humans. If the Nephilim's were part human, this would apply to them as well. Over time these people would eventually be married to people outside their own race, and thus such the Giant sizes would slowly diminish.

I plan to continue research in this area, and will continue to share my explorations and theories.

The Red Dragon Threatening to Attack

China has roughly $1.33trillion of foreign reserves, over $900bn is a mix of US treasury bonds. This is obviously a very significant amount.

The Chinese government is hinting to liquidate these bonds if the American Government imposes trade sanctions, trying to force a yuan (Chinese currency) revaluation. This liquidation is considered to be a "nuclear option" in the state media, such action could trigger a dollar crash at a time when the US currency is already breaking down through historic support levels. It would also cause a spike in US bond yields, hammering the US housing market and perhaps tipping the economy into recession.

"China has accumulated a large sum of US dollars. Such a big sum, of which a considerable portion is in US treasury bonds, contributes a great deal to maintaining the position of the dollar as a reserve currency. Russia, Switzerland, and several other countries have reduced the their dollar holdings." said He Fan, an official at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,

"China is unlikely to follow suit as long as the yuan's exchange rate is stable against the dollar. The Chinese central bank will be forced to sell dollars once the yuan appreciated dramatically, which might lead to a mass depreciation of the dollar," he told China Daily.

Henry Paulson, the US Tresury Secretary, said any such sanctions would undermine American authority and "could trigger a global cycle of protectionist legislation".

Mr Paulson is a China expert from his days as head of Goldman Sachs. He has opted for a softer form of diplomacy, but appeared to win few concession from Beijing on a unscheduled trip to China last week aimed at calming the waters. (article)

Russia's Number One Enemy

A recent survey was commissioned by the Levada Analytic Centre of 1,802 Russians ages 16 to 29. It focused on this "Putin generation'' because it is Russia's political and economic future.

In the days after the Soviet collapse, it seemed reasonable to hope, even expect, that this generation, as the collective beneficiaries of a putative post-Soviet transition to economic prosperity and political freedom, would embrace the United States as a friend of Russia. The survey, conducted in April and May, found that a majority of young Russians view the United States as enemy No. 1.

Putin has become increasingly vocal in his accusations that the United States seeks to impose its ideas and interests on the rest of the world, going so far as to liken American policies to those of the Third Reich. He frequently cites the "dangers'' of foreign influence, suggesting that Russia is encircled by enemies and that foreign governments finance Russian organisations to meddle in Russia's affairs. President Vladamir Putin virulently rejects any foreign criticism of episodes from Russia's Soviet past or of such current policies as media restrictions, brutality in the North Caucasus and the persecution of Kremlin opponents.

These themes resonate with young Russians. Nearly 80 percent agreed that "the United States tries to impose its norms and way of life on the rest of the world,'' we found. Nearly 70 percent disagreed that the United States "does more good than harm.'' Three-quarters agreed that the "United States gives aid in order to influence the internal politics of countries''.

Putin's rhetoric is an influence on these and two other findings: 54 per cent agreed that Stalin "did more good than bad'' and 63 per cent agreed that the Soviet collapse was the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century''. (article)

Overall, we have the President of Iran trying to convince the Iranian people that the Holocaust never existed, and we have the President of Russia trying to convince the Russian people that Stalin was a good guy.

Wiretap Bill

The House handed President Bush a victory Saturday, voting to expand the government's abilities to eavesdrop without warrants on foreign suspects whose communications pass through the United States. (Bill S. 1927)

The bill updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. It gives the government leeway to intercept, without warrants, communications between foreigners that are routed through equipment in United States, provided that ``foreign intelligence information'' is at stake.

New wiretaps must be approved by the director of national intelligence and the attorney general, not just the attorney general. (article)

In my opinion, I can see that it could be considered an infringement on privacy, however if you are doing nothing wrong, what are you worried about? Yet the question could be asked, are we giving up too much power?

So whats your take on this issue, should the Government be allowed to conduct such wiretaps without need of a warrant?

Romney on the Issues

Russia Claims N. Pole

The North Pole has an estimated contents of up to 10 billion tons of oil and gas deposits, as well as vast reserves of diamonds and valuable metals such as gold, tin and platinum. Where do you think Santa gets all the supplies for his toys?

Well last night Russia put a flag in the seabed and claimed the North pole as theirs.

Canada mocked Russia's ambitions and said the expedition was nothing more than a show. "This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'," said Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay.

Under international law, the five states with territory inside the Arctic Circle -- Canada, Russia, the United States, Norway, Denmark via its control of Greenland; have a 320 km (200 mile) economic zone around the north of their coastline.

You can rest assured that when Russia starts to drill or mine for the valuable materials that all bordering countries that have a partial claim, including the US, will have something to say about it.
(article)