NOVEMBER 9 EVIL IN OUR NATURE

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

—Psalm 51:7

Why should we delude ourselves about pleasing God in worship? If I live like a worldly and carnal tramp all day and then find myself in a time of crisis at midnight, how do I pray to a God who is holy? How do I address the One who has asked me to worship Him in spirit and in truth? Do I get on my knees and call on the name of Jesus because I believe there is some magic in that name?

If I am still the same worldly, carnal tramp, I will be disappointed and disillusioned. If I am not living in the true meaning of His name and His nature, I cannot properly pray in that name. If I am not living in His nature, I cannot rightly pray in that nature.

How can we hope to worship God acceptably when these evil elements remain in our natures undisciplined, uncorrected, unpurged, unpurified? Even granted that a man with evil ingredients in his nature might manage through some part of himself to worship God half-acceptably. But what kind of a way is that in which to live and continue? WHT126-127

Lord, it is the longing of my heart that I might worship You acceptably. Purge me and cleanse me, that the evil nature within me might be subdued. Amen. ^[1]

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^[1] Tozer, A. W., & Eggert, R. (2015). Tozer on the almighty god: a 365-day devotional. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

11/09/2018 — Wretched

WR2018-1109

•Nadia Bolz Weber endorses “ethically sourced porn”
•How do I reply when someone says “God told me”?
•When your brother blames your son’s scoliosis on your lack of faith
•Pray for the Presbyterian kids kindnapped in Cameroon
•How do we address stingy American corporations?
•Al Mohler addresses the Beth Moore moment
•Common sense in Australia
•What parents of Trans-kids hate to hear
•How do I counsel an unrepentant unbeliever?
•Which Scriptures are infallible?
•What is the difference between Psalm 136 and repetitive worship?
•Where does the Bible describe Hell as a bottomless pit?
•My pastor told us not to judge

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11/09/2018 — Wretched

THE FLIP THAT FLOPPED: The Consequences of Doctrinal Compromise

Veritas et Lux

President Obama promised to “fundamentally transform the United States of America.”  He has in many respects delivered on that promise with the unveiling of the Affordable Health Care Act and a host of executive orders that are, in the final analysis, out of step with American values.  But give credit where credit is due.  The transformation which the president promised has taken place.  Now, Americans wait for the painful consequences to set in.

In Doug Pagitt’s latest book, “Flipped,” the author sets out to fundamentally transform the classical view of God.   This transformation is creative and innovative.  It is intuitive and will attract the attention of many readers.

Pagitt sets forth three goals at the beginning of the book:

1. To see that changing your mind, drawing new conclusions, and engaging new ideas all lie at the heart of Jesus’s message and life.
2. To behold the big, beautiful…

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November 9 Rejoice in the Lord

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.

Philippians 4:4

Many believers allow themselves to be victimized by their circumstances and consequently vacillate between a spiritual high and low. For them, a command to rejoice seems unreasonable. But the command of today’s verse is to rejoice “in the Lord.”

We can’t always rejoice in our circumstances or other people because both can be bad. However, we can rejoice in the Lord because He is always good and we know He never changes. Thus, our spiritual stability directly relates to our knowledge of God. Knowing Him helps us live above our circumstances and provides stability. That’s why the Psalms were written in poetic form and meter and set to music—so the people of Israel could memorize Scripture and sing hymns to deepen their knowledge of God. Knowing Him makes everything else seem less significant.^[1]

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^[1] MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : a daily touch of God’s grace (p. 338). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

This ‘n’ That — Do Not Be Surprised…

• Like candy? Then this might interest you!

• The Holocaust was real, and we should never forget it.

• Suffering and suffering for the gospel are two different things.

• Being an alumnus of Pepperdine University, Wednesday night’s shooting in Thousand Oaks, CA, hits home. Please be praying for these families.

• Um, yeah, I complain sometimes.

• I’ve been saying this for years and refuse to use hand dryers in public restrooms.

• Here’s your weekly dose of adorable.

• Why did God make weeds?

• This is tragic.

• Perhaps you fumbled your way into contemplative prayer because it’s not biblical.

• No one understands like Jesus.

[T]o be a believer in the gospel is no dishonor to a man’s intellect. While the gospel can be understood by the poorest and the most illiterate, while there are shallows in it where a lamb may wade, there are depths where leviathan may swim. —C.H. Spurgeon

via This ‘n’ That — Do Not Be Surprised…

Are Those in Hell Aware of God’s Presence? — Ligonier Ministries Blog

Is hell the absence of God? Or are those in hell aware of God’s presence—and wrath? In this Q&A video from our 2016 National Conference, Albert Mohler and William VanDoodewaard consider what makes hell hellish.

Ask your biblical and theological questions live online at Ask.Ligonier.org.

Read the Transcript

via Are Those in Hell Aware of God’s Presence? — Ligonier Ministries Blog

Calvinism and Arminianism compared — Triablogue

I’ll comment on a post by Roger Olson:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2018/11/calvinism-and-arminianism-compared-by-roger-e-olson/

What is Calvinism? A) Belief that God foreordains and renders certain everything that happens without any exceptions; everything that happens in creation is designed, ordained and rendered certain by God; B) Belief that God alone decides, unconditionally, who will be saved, that Christ died only for them (“the elect”), and God saves them without any cooperation on their part (“irresistible grace”). “A” is called “meticulous providence,” “B” is called “double predestination.”

That’s largely true but misleading:

i) To my knowledge, “irresistible grace” is a synonym for monergistic regeneration. There’s no cooperation in regeneration.

That doesn’t mean Calvinism takes the position that “God saves them without any cooperation on their part” across the board. For instance, Calvinism regards sanctification has a having a cooperative dimension. It would be more accurate to say Calvinism denies that their cooperation is independent of God’s grace.

ii) Olson has a formulaic characterization of Calvinism: “designed, ” rendered certain”. The problem is not with those descriptors but the implied contrast with Arminianism. But there’s an obvious sense in which those descriptors apply to Arminianism as well (see below).

*There are some varieties of Calvinism that deviate slightly from above, but above is classical, historical, evangelical Calvinism as taught by Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Hodge, R. C. Sproul, John Piper and all other classical, historical, evangelical Calvinists.

Notice that Olson typically ignores Reformed philosophers like Paul Helm, Greg Welty, Paul Manata, Guillaume Bignon, James Gibson, and James Anderson. He doesn’t test his position against the most challenging opponents.

What is Arminianism? A) Belief that God limits himself to give human beings free will to go against his perfect will so that God did not design or ordain sin and evil (or their consequences such as innocent suffering); B) Belief that, although sinners cannot achieve salvation on their own, without “prevenient grace” (enabling grace), God makes salvation possible for all through Jesus Christ and offers free salvation to all through the gospel. “A” is called “limited providence,” “B” is called “predestination by foreknowledge.”

i) How did the Arminian God not “design” sin if he created a world in full knowledge of the outcome? That wasn’t an unforeseen development. So he took that into consideration–in which case it wasn’t an unplanned event. Didn’t the Arminian God intend the foreseen consequences of his own actions?

ii) When does God offer salvation to all through the gospel? Not in this life. Is postmortem evangelism classical, historical Arminianism?

*As with Calvinism there are varieties of Arminianism that deviate slightly from above, but above is classical, historical, evangelical Arminianism as taught by Arminius, John Wesley, Charles Finney, C. S. Lewis, and Dallas Willard and all other classical, historical, evangelical Arminians.

I thought Finney was Pelagian, Willard was an open theist, while Lewis espoused Purgatory. Is that classical, historical, evangelical Arminianism?

The underlying issues are not free will or predestination; both Calvinists and Arminians say they believe in both. (But they interpret them differently.) The underlying issue one has to consider is the character of God. The Arminian emphasizes God’s love; the Calvinist emphasizes God’s power.

i) What a gross caricature! According to Calvinism, salvation and judgment display all of God’s attributes.

ii) Moreover, there’s different kinds of love. The Arminian emphasizes indiscriminate, ineffectual love while the Calvinist emphasizes exclusive, effectual love.

According to Arminianism (as espoused and explained for example by John Wesley), double predestination and meticulous providence make God morally monstrous and not good in any meaningful sense of the word. Why?

According to Calvinism, salvation is completely produced by God from beginning to end with no free cooperation on the part of the sinner being saved. God decides to save some unconditionally and damn others when he could save them because grace is irresistible. Christ died only for the elect—those God decreed to save. Both the saved and the damned have no “say” in their eternal destiny (heaven or hell). Of course, they both feel as if they are making free decisions, but from God’s perspective everything, including sin, is part of God’s plan and purpose—including hell. Calvinist Theodore Beza (Calvin’s successor in Geneva): “Those who find themselves suffering in the flames of hell for eternity can at least take comfort in the fact that they are there for the greater glory of God.” Hell is necessary for God’s full self-glorification because God’s self-glorification (God’s purpose in creation) requires that all of his attributes be manifested. One of God’s attributes is justice and wrath, including hell, is necessary for the full manifestation of God’s justice. (Arminians argue that the cross on which Jesus died was a sufficient display of God’s justice and wrath.)

i) As I’ve often pointed out, to say the Calvinist God could save “everyone” is equivocal. A possible world in which God saves everyone has a different world history than a possible world in which God saves some and damns others. It’s not the same group of people in both worlds because regeneration and sanctification impact the choices people make, which impacts how the future turns out. And that has a snowball effect the earlier in the process that begins. Changing a few variables in the past generates greater changes in the future. Some people who are saved in a world where some other people are damned wouldn’t even exist in a world where everyone is saved. So they’d miss out.

ii) Rom 9:22-23 say one purpose of salvation and judgment is to manifest God’s justice and wrath.

iii) God’s “self-glorification” is ambiguous. That’s not for God’s personal benefit, since he has nothing to gain, but for the benefit of the saints.

iv) Notice that Olson never gets around to explaining how his (flawed) description of Calvinism makes God “morally monstrous”. Does Olson think God has an obligation to save the wicked? This isn’t like rescuing a drowning swimmer.

v) According to classical (simple foreknowledge) Arminianism, if the world God foresaw contains hellbound sinners, and God makes the world he foresaw, then it’s too late for hellbound sinners to change their eternal destiny. By making the world he foresaw, God locks in that world history. Having acted on what he foresaw by making that foreseen world, it can’t be any different.

vi) According to Molinism, although there may be two possible worlds in which the same individual is saved or damned, the individual has no say in which world God instantiates. The individual is never given that choice. God doesn’t consult him on whether he’d rather exist in a world where he goes to heaven rather than hell. Rather, he’s stuck with God’s choice-for better or worse.

Arminians believe God genuinely wants all people to be saved and does everything possible to bring that about—without taking away free will. The gospel (the Holy Spirit through the gospel) frees the sinner’s will from bondage to sin and makes it possible for him or her to respond with repentance and faith.

But everyone doesn’t hear the gospel in this life. Moreover, some people have much greater spiritual advantages than others in this life. Two people who hear the gospel aren’t equally receptive depending on their social conditioning. So unless Olson makes postmortem evangelism a necessary component of freewill theism, his claim makes no sense.

Arminians make a distinction between two wills of God: “antecedent” and “consequent.” God’s antecedent will is what God wishes were the case; God’s consequent will is what God permits to be the case. Sin has no place in God’s antecedent will; neither does hell. These exist only because of human persons’ free (not foreordained) rebellion against God and refusal of God’s mercy.

Doesn’t that artificially compartmentalized God’s omniscience? If God has foreknowledge and counterfactual knowledge, then he knows all along what will happen in case he makes the world, and he knows all along whom he will consign to hell. How can God not intend the consequences of his own choices and actions? Although he’s not the only agent, his choices and actions create the necessary initial conditions for what unfolds.

According to Calvinism (as espoused and explained for example by Jonathan Edwards), the Arminian view of salvation makes the human person’s free decision to accept God’s grace by means of repentance and faith the decisive factor in his or her salvation and therefore makes salvation less than a free gift; it becomes partly a “work of man.” This contradicts (they argue) many passages of Scripture including, of course, Ephesians 2:8-9.

Is that just a Calvinistic view of Arminianism? Is it not true from an Arminian viewpoint that “the human person’s free decision to accept God’s grace by means of repentance and faith the decisive factor in his or her salvation”?

Calvinists believe God wishes it could be true that God saves everyone, but for his own good reasons knows it is not possible—if his main purpose in creation is to be fulfilled (viz., his own self-glorification by means of the manifestation of all his attributes including justice).

Is it definitional to Calvinism that “God wishes it could be true that God saves everyone”?

Calvinists make a distinction between two wills of God: “decretive” and “permissive.” (They also distinguish between God’s “decretive will” and God’s “prescriptive will,” but that is not directly pertinent here.) God’s decretive will is all-determining; it decides and then God renders certain all that happens without exception for his glory. However, God does not cause anyone to sin or do evil; God renders these certain. There are two or three different Calvinist explanations of how God renders sin and evil certain without being guilty of them.

i) That’s not really two different “wills”. That’s a verbal distinction based on using the same word twice. An unfortunate linguistic tradition. But to put it more accurately, they make a distinction between predestination and God’s commands or prohibitions.

ii) Actually, there is a sense in which the Calvinist God causes sin, but there’s a sense in which the Arminian God causes sin. As one philosopher (David Lewis) put it:

“We think of a cause as something that makes a difference, and the difference it makes must be a difference from what would have happened without it. Had it been absent, its effects — some of them, at least, and usually all — would have been absent as well.”

On that definition, God causes sin and evil, although he’s not the only cause. That’s applicable to Calvinism and freewill theism alike.

Arminians argue that Calvinism, with its all-determining decretive will of God, cannot escape making God the author of sin and evil.

I rarely see Arminians define “author of sin and evil”. They use that as an intellectual shortcut. A substitute for an actual argument.

Calvinists argue that Arminianism, with its emphasis on the necessity of human free acceptance of God’s grace (free meaning able to do otherwise) makes salvation something other than a sheer gift and ultimately falls into works righteousness.

A better characterization is that Calvinists affirm salvation by grace alone while Arminians deny salvation by grace alone. In freewill theism, salvation is a combination of God’s grace and the sinner’s independent consent.

Arminian synergism emphasizes that God’s grace is the effectual cause of salvation while the person’s faith is its instrumental cause.

Since, according to Arminianism, saving grace is resistible, how is that effectual rather than ineffectual?

According to Calvinism, evil, including sin, is efficaciously permitted by God (meaning his permission renders it certain) for a good purpose—his own glory in redeeming his elect people from sin and evil and his own glory in punishing the wicked (showing forth his justice and power).

According to Arminianism, evil, including sin, is non-efficaciously permitted by God (meaning his permission does not render it certain) for a good purpose—his desire to have a relationship with human beings created in his own image and likeness that is not coerced but is free. God grants (self-limitation) human beings the ability to resist his will. God is sovereign over his own sovereignty; he can remain sovereign and permit sin and evil which are not his antecedent will.

That’s Olsons’ stock formulation, which he repeats ad nauseam. It never occurs to him that merely allowing something to happen can (and often does) ensure the outcome. Some outcomes are be inevitable unless an agent intervenes to prevent it or deflect it. If I’m standing next to someone who jumps off a skyscraper, then once he makes the jump, his fate is sealed. If I tackle him before he makes the jump, I prevent his suicide. But if I do nothing, my inaction renders the fatal outcome certain. At that point the trajectory is irreversible.

There are many situations where an outcome is initially indeterminate; up to a point it could veer off in more than one direction, depending on other factors, but then it crosses a point of no return. I can take the onramp or bypass the onramp . But if I take the onramp, I’m committed. I’m no longer in the same indeterminate position I was approaching the onramp. Making one choice excludes another choice. It’s too late to change my mind.

Calvinists respond that if God foreknew that some of his human creatures would reject and disobey him and created them anyway, he is just as responsible for their sin as if he foreordained it and rendered it certain. Arminians respond that God’s foreknowledge does not cause sin and evil but only “corresponds” with it. God foreknows because it will happen; his foreknowing does not render it certain.

i) Many philosophers argue that foreknowledge does ensure the outcome.

ii) It’s true that God is responsible for the consequences of his own actions. But in my experience, the argument goes like this: if God foreknew that some humans would reject and disobey him and created them anyway, then he wasn’t acting in their best interests. If he made them in full knowledge that by doing so, they’d be damned, he failed to treat them lovingly.

via Calvinism and Arminianism compared — Triablogue

Going against God ‘just for fun’ (Reprise) — Christian Research Network

This article by CRN managing editor Marsha West was first published May 2, 2013.

Today we’re hearing a lot about Spiritism or Spiritualism, not to be confused with spiritual or spirituality, as in “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual,” or “I’m into spirituality.” The term Spiritism has replaced what was once called animism and other religious practices involving the invocation of spiritual beings.

Some religions meld Spiritualism with Christianity. For example, a blend of Christian and African folk beliefs that originated in Brazil is now practiced in the U.S. Spiritualism is much the same as Spiritism only it has adopted Christian rites and prayers. People visiting Spiritualistic services can be misled into thinking they’re Christian churches. The problem is Christianity cannot be melded with any other religion or practice.

One of the major tenets of Spiritism is reincarnation. The classic form of reincarnation originated in India in the 9th century BC. Reincarnation has become a hot topic in our post-modern culture.

There are a whole host of beliefs about reincarnation. The most widely touted belief is that upon death one’s spirit exits the body in search of another body to inhabit. Believing in reincarnation gives hope for continuing one’s existence in further lives to work off one’s karma. Karma is broadly defined as the consequences of one’s actions.

Ask professing Christians as they flow through the doors of a Sunday worship service if they believe in reincarnation, some will give you a cavalier “Yes,” as if it’s no big deal for believers to mix Christianity with mystical beliefs. However, believing in reincarnation is a very big deal for the serious Christian. For example, reincarnation is a central tenet within Hinduism, not Christianity!

The thing Christians need to come to terms with is that belief in reincarnation goes against what the Bible teaches regarding the soul’s final judgment by a holy God. What Jesus Christ clearly taught is that unrepentant sinners are condemned to an eternity in hell. Jesus never mentioned reincarnation – not once!

Hebrews 9:27 reveals what occurs when human beings die:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

Listen to what Paul says happens when we die:

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8)

It is imperative that serious Christians view mysticism as evil. When Paul came face to face with the Jewish mystic Elymas, he charged him with being a child of the devil and an enemy of righteousness. Moreover, he accused the mystic of perverting the right ways of the Lord. (Acts 13:10) Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul caused him to go blind. Not only did he put out the sorcerer’s eyes, he also put him out of a job! When it came to confronting evil, Paul never backed down, never hesitated, wavered or vacillated. He had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer when it came to rebuking evildoers.

God forbids any sort of participation in paganism for our own protection. His reason is simple: its roots are steeped in pagan idolatry and drug use. The occult world is an open door to Satan’s world. Those who enter find themselves on a quest for ‘hidden wisdom’ or ‘deeper truth.’ And, not surprisingly, the sought after ‘hidden wisdom’ is not meant for everyone, it’s meant for a select few such as New Age disciples and gurus.

We call those who possess supernatural power (power’s what it’s all about) shamans, witchdoctors, clairvoyants, trance channelers, spiritists, and the list goes on. So, how does a spiritist go about getting in contact with the spirit world? By receiving radiation, frequencies or vibrations from the dead. “Communication from the spirit world manifests itself in psychical phenomena (e.g., telepathy, clairvoyance, trance speaking, and apparitions) and in physical phenomena (e.g., levitation, automatic writing, and poltergeist and ectoplasmic activities).” (Source)

The Bible tells us that it is God who instigates communication, not man. Generally the Lord will use angels as His envoys to humans. We know very little about angels, either the elect or the fallen. However, the scriptures inform us that on occasion the Lord sent a holy elect angel to Earth to deliver messages. And He also sent angles to minister to people, to protect them, and also to execute His judgment. The angels have one purpose: to glorify God’s holy Name and to carry out His will.

There are also fallen angels – the rebellious ones! The most notorious of the lot is Lucifer aka Satan. The Bible refers to the fallen angels as demons, spirits of darkness and evil spirits. The ones that rebelled against God fell from grace. Consequently, they were hurled out of heaven, lock stock and barrel. Bible expositor John MacArthur elucidates what happened next:

At that point, Satan gained the rulership of the world, and the term world took on a third meaning: the evil system opposed to God that now dominates this planet. The system that Satan began will continue to develop up to the time period known as the Great Tribulation.

As I have made clear, Christianity and Spiritism have nothing in common whatsoever. I mean, think about it. Can you trust God and Satan at the same time? Here’s what Paul said:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Cor. 6:14-18)

Satan is known as the “father of lies.” Even those who are guided by an “inner voice” can be deceived, warns occultist Nicholas Weeks:

Channels such as [Alice] Bailey are sincere and convinced that their inner voices and visions are real Masters. Unhappily, sincerity is no protection from delusion. In 1884 Master KH wrote to a psychic of that time, giving an explanation for the befuddling of a channel or seer. ‘Since you have scarcely learned the elements of self-control, in psychism, you must suffer bad consequences. You draw to yourself the nearest and strongest influences “often evil” and absorb them, and are psychically stifled or narcotised by them. The airs become peopled with resuscitated phantoms. They give you false tokens, misleading revelations, deceptive images. Your vivid creative fancy evokes illusive Gurus and chelas [disciples], and puts into their mouths words coined the instant before in the mint of your mind, unknown to yourself. The false appear as real, as the true, and you have no exact method of detection since you are yet prone to force your communications to agree with your preconceptions. (Source)

And to think, many Christians are now engaged in magical mystical practices such as contemplative prayer that can give the practitioner misleading revelations and deceptive images, where the false may appear real. (See my column on contemplative prayer here.)

Keep in mind that the spirits that speak through the mouths of the willing are demons. People who get themselves into a mind-altering trance with the purpose being to channel a benevolent spirit may end up becoming demon possessed! Granted, some channelers are really nothing more than convincing actors who write the script as they go along. These are the charlatans who do it for money or fame – or both. However, there are many dupes that allow their bodies to be used by spirit entities that use the occasion to spew anti-Christian propaganda!

The Bible tells us to, “Prove [test] all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 John 4:1). We’re also told to flee (run like a maniac) from the devil who “walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Now, picture a lion hiding in the brush to pounce on an unsuspecting wildebeest. The devil’s like the hungry lion, only he’s waiting to pounce on Christ’s sheep! Unfortunately many Christians fail to obey God’s command to resist the devil, which is one of the reasons Christianity’s in the sorry state it’s in today.

Far too many followers of Jesus Christ are unaware that our Lord quite literally detests all forms of sorcery. There are no exceptions! Sorry to be a wet blanket, but even astrology is banned. And it doesn’t matter if it’s done “just for fun.” One cannot be a Presbyterian on Sunday and a spiritist the other six days of the week.

This brings me to two blogs I stumbled on. Both male bloggers declare their love for Christ and state that the Bible is the standard by which they live their lives. One studies apologetics; the other is a youth pastor. They both have their Zodiac signs on display. That way if you land on aspiring apologist’s blog, you’ll know that he’s a Gemini; likewise, if you land on youth pastor’s blog, you’ll discover that he’s a Virgo. One can only assume that these young men have not yet read Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Exodus 22:18 and other similar passages where God commands His people to steer clear of sorcery. And yet these so-called Bible believers find time to read up on astrology?

Christians who are confronted with an evil practice must lace up their trusty running shoes and high tail it out of there, pronto! Keep away from horoscopes (astrology), numerology, séances, tarot cards, tealeaves, palm reading, crystal balls, talking boards, omens or signs. Moreover, do not get involved in wizardry, witchcraft, the study of Kabbalah, nature religion (Wicca), and the practice of yoga (its sole purpose is purely spiritual). Believers must flee from any and all pagan customs and practices. Those who are currently involved in any of the above must bring it to an end today!

Since dabbling in sorcery is a sin against God, repentance is of paramount importance. So if you’ve been dabbling, repent! And never return to any sort of evil practice – even if it’s “just for fun.”

Bear in mind that the demonic powers operating in the realm of the occult are very real. These spirits are stronger and more dangerous than people realize. The Bible warns us to “regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” (Lev. 19:31).

The Apostle Paul understood all too well that evil forces are ever present in the “heavenlies.” Hence, he admonished followers of Christ to wear the “armor of God” to protect against familiar spirits that prey on gullible humans. He even gave specific instructions to the Church in Ephesus:

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:1-12).

Christian – take Paul’s instructions to heart and daily put on the full armor of God to protect against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

Resources:

Are You Armed for Battle? 

Occult – Scrcery

Angels 

New Age Movement

Contemplative Prayer 

Christian Yoga?

© Marsha West

via Going against God ‘just for fun’ (Reprise) — Christian Research Network

November 9, 2018 Afternoon Verse Of The Day

56:6, 7 house of prayer: Inclusion in the covenant community involves intimate communion with God (Ps. 15:1; Matt. 21:13). for all nations: People of other nations who came to a living faith in God were met with a joyful welcome (2:2–4; 1 Kin. 8:41–43). Jesus also spoke of joy in heaven over a repentant sinner (Luke 15:7).^[1]

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56:7 — “ … For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

God is serious about prayer and about His people, from throughout the world, gathering to pray together. Jesus quoted this verse when He drove the merchants and money changers out of the temple (Mark 11:15–17).^[2]

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56:7 My house … for all the peoples. In the kingdom of the Messiah, the Jerusalem temple will be the focal point for worship of the Lord by people of all ethnic backgrounds. Jesus cited a violation of this anticipation by His contemporaries in His second cleansing of the temple: Jewish leaders had made the temple a commercial venture (Mt 21:13; Mk 11:17; Lk 19:46).^[3]

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56:7 My holy mountain is the place of God’s presence and his people’s worship—a house of prayer for all peoples. See 1 Kings 8:41–43; Isa. 2:2–3; 25:6–8; Mark 11:17 (combining it with Jer. 7:11).

56:7 The extension of salvation to the nations takes place in Christ (Matt. 21:13; Acts 1:8; Rev. 5:9).^[4]

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56:7 my holy mountain Zion, the temple mount in Jerusalem. See note on 2:2.

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Foreigners and eunuchs were not allowed to enter the temple to offer sacrifices. The Apostle Paul may be alluding to this passage in Rom 15:16.

a house of prayer for all peoples The idea that foreigners would pray to Yahweh is found in Solomon’s prayer dedicating the temple in 1 Kgs 8:41–43. The motif of Gentile nations coming to acknowledge Yahweh and worship Him alongside the people of Israel is found throughout Isaiah (see Isa 2:2–5; 19:19–25; 42:6; 49:6; 60:5).

The outer courtyard of the temple was supposed to be the area where foreigners could come and pray. But by the first century ad, it had been turned into a marketplace. In the nt, Jesus evicts the merchants from the temple court and quotes this line from v. 7 regarding the appropriate use of the house of God (see Matt 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17, and Luke 19:45–46).^[5]

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56:7 house of prayer. Being here means being included in the covenant and enjoying the life of communion with God (2:2–4; Ps. 15:1; cf. 1 Kin. 8:41–43; Mark 11:17).^[6]

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56:7 Jesus quoted these words when He drove the money changers out of the temple (cf. Matt. 21:13; Luke 19:46).^[7]

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56:7 God will not turn away anyone who desires to worship him, even foreigners and eunuchs. His house, the temple, will be a place where everyone can come to pray. This verse is quoted in Mt 21:13; Mk 11:17; and Lk 19:46.^[8]

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^[1] Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (pp. 865–866). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

^[2] Stanley, C. F. (2005). The Charles F. Stanley life principles Bible: New King James Version (Is 56:7). Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles.

^[3] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 56:7). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

^[4] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1343). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Is 56:7). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

^[6] Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2005). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (p. 1032). Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries.

^[7] Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J. (Eds.). (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., Is 56:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[8] Longman, T., III. (2017). Isaiah. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 1122). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Rent-a-crowd? Those who rallied against Sessions, now protest his removal

Democrat activists groups have mobilized on short notice to hold rallies in cities across the US, demanding that the new acting head of DOJ recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s ‘Russiagate’ probe.

A Harvard University student explains how evidence changed her mind about God

WINTERY KNIGHT

Harvard University student discovers apologetics

Here’s a must-read article  about the effectiveness of apologetics on college campuses in Christianity Today.

Excerpt:

I don’t know when I first became a skeptic. It must have been around age 4, when my mother found me arguing with another child at a birthday party: “But how do you know what the Bible says is true?” By age 11, my atheism was so widely known in my middle school that a Christian boy threatened to come to my house and “shoot all the atheists.” My Christian friends in high school avoided talking to me about religion because they anticipated that I would tear down their poorly constructed arguments. And I did.

As I set off in 2008 to begin my freshman year studying government at Harvard (whose motto is Veritas, “Truth”), I could never have expected the change that awaited me.

It was a brisk…

View original post 789 more words

Video: John MacArthur on the Difference Between Social Justice and Real Justice — Pulpit & Pen

This is a great Q&A session with Dr. John MacArthur explaining the difference between Social Justice and real, actual and Biblical justice. Watch below.

 

“Justice is not a word that needs an adjective. And if somebody puts an adjective on ‘justice’ they have something else in mind.”

via Video: John MacArthur on the Difference Between Social Justice and Real Justice — Pulpit & Pen

Why I Left Christianity | BTWN Review | Bible Thumping Wingnut

On this episode of “The Atheist Experience Experience” BTWN reviews a video titled “Why I Left Christianity.”

Video of this episode:

https://youtu.be/9Nou_pJMXRA

— Read on biblethumpingwingnut.com/2018/11/09/why-i-left-christianity/

Tommy Robinson to Discuss Censorship of Those Who Speak About Islam at Capitol Hill Event on Wednesday — The Gateway Pundit

Persecuted independent journalist and activist Tommy Robinson will be speaking at a Capitol Hill event discussing the censorship of those who talk about Islam on Wednesday afternoon.

Robinson will be appearing via Skype, telling Gateway Pundit that he has accepted an invitation to go to Australia for ten days and does not want to be away from his family for too long. He has received many invitations to come and speak in the US and is planning a proper tour for a future date.

“I want to bring my warning to America, not just to Congress — but all corners of America,” Robinson told the Gateway Pundit. “I think it’s better to plan a proper tour. My message is too important to cram into four days.”

Wednesday’s event is being hosted by the Middle East Forum and is titled, “Silenced! Censoring Public Discussion of Islam.” Others on the panel include MEF President Daniel Pipes and Rebel Media founder Ezra Levant.

“The pattern is clear: Question Sharia Law — and find yourself banned from Facebook and Twitter. Criticize a radical Imam, get fined. Call for limits on immigration, get fired. Plan a talk on female genital mutilation, get deplatformed,” the MEF invitation reads.

The MEF is an activist-think tank that identifies and promotes American interests as they relate to the Middle East and Islam.

The event will be taking place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building. The MEF asks that people register to attend and arrive early with a photo ID to get through security. They will be providing lunch and ask that guests wear business attire.

Robinson had also been invited by seven members of Congress to come and speak before the Conservative Opportunity Society, a caucus of conservative members of the US House of Representatives at 8 a.m. on Wednesday — but that will likely happen at a later date. Signatories on the invitation included Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. Steve King, Rep. Ralph Norman, Rep Brian Babin, Rep. Scott Perry, Rep. Andy Harris and Rep Louie Gohmert.

Robinson told Gateway Pundit that he has an open invitation to come speak before Congress any time that he wants — so there is no need to rush his visit.

“I have so many people I would like to thank in the United States that I want to plan it properly. I want to thank everyone who helped to free me in person,” Robinson said.

In May, Robinson was arrested for contempt of court while filming outside a Pakistani grooming gang trial in Leeds, as the case was under a reporting ban. His arrest and immediate imprisonment leads to protests all over the world — from London to Washington, DC.

In August, the charge was struck down by Lord Chief Justice Burnett and two other judges — but he may now be subjected to a retrial.

Robinson appeared before a judge at the Old Bailey last month. He had brought his prison bag and was prepared in case he was sent back to jail — but instead the judge referred the case to the Attorney General. Thousands of his supporters gathered outside and celebrated when the outcome was announced.

#FreeTommy pic.twitter.com/adFQaxlhop

— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) October 23, 2018

Though it was what Robinson and his lawyers were hoping for, it means the case continues to drag on and he remains stuck in limbo, uncertain if he will have to return to prison. He expects to be cleared soon, which will also open him up for easier travel.

Robinson was recently banned from PayPal, who said that they “do not allow PayPal services to be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory.” They have additionally frozen the money that he had in his account for 180 days.

“They just don’t like my opinion and want to silence me,” Robinson told the Press Association. “The government and establishment can see I have public support, they can see I have the ability to fight back.”

Additionally, 55 anti-free speech British MPs wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him not to let Robinson into the country to speak. It does not appear that Pompeo has responded to them.

On the eve of last month’s hearing, Robinson sat down with the Gateway Pundit to discuss his case — as well as his hopes and fears.

You can watch the video here:

via Tommy Robinson to Discuss Censorship of Those Who Speak About Islam at Capitol Hill Event on Wednesday — The Gateway Pundit

RenewAmerica Newsletter for November 9, 2018

November 9, 2018

Still the smartest guy in the room

JOAN SWIRSKY — Well, whaddaya know? In the midterm elections of November 6, 2018, the American people rewarded the president – – for only the third time in almost a hundred years – – with a net gain of three and possibly four Senate seats, lost half the House seats that his predecessor lost, and left the radical left-wing Democrats not rejoicing at their meager gains, but still chomping at the bit to bring down the president who has effectively destroyed everything they believed in, worked for, and thought they achieved over the past 75 years…. (more)

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November 8, 2018

The Obama/Soros machine beats Trump

CLIFF KINCAID — The election results are hardly the “great victory” claimed by President Trump. Republicans picked up a few seats in the Senate only because unpopular Democrats were up for re-election in conservative states, and lost the House. However, conservative Senator Ted Cruz barely survived in Texas, and the Republican gubernatorial candidate in conservative Georgia, Brian Kemp, only has a narrow lead…. (more)

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November 8, 2018

The war for the soul of America

PATRICK J. BUCHANAN — The war in Washington will not end until the presidency of Donald Trump ends. Everyone seems to sense that now. This is a fight to the finish. A post-election truce that began with Trump congratulating House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi – – “I give her a great deal of credit for what she’s done and what she’s accomplished” – – was ancient history by nightfall…. (more)

 The most despised question (Timothy Buchanan)

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November 8, 2018

Rick Scott sues elections supervisor over ballots

NEWSMAX — Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s Senate campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) filed a lawsuit against the Broward County elections supervisor as votes continue to be counted – – and even discovered – – in Scott’s tight race with incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla…. (more)

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November 8, 2018

Fox’s Wallace: Acosta ‘makes it awfully hard to have journalistic solidarity’

NEWSMAX — Fox News anchor Chris Wallace lamented Thursday that CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta “makes it awfully hard to have journalistic solidarity” after the White House suspended his credentials…. (more)

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November 8, 2018

Tattooed ex-Marine who killed 12 people in country music bar massacre had PTSD

DAILY MAIL — The gunman who massacred 12 people at a country music bar in southern California on Wednesday night has been identified as an honorably discharged ex-Marine whose neighbors say he was plagued with PTSD and terrified his own mother…. (more)

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November 7, 2018

Defiant Trump emerges from midterms with no regrets

WASHINGTON TIMES — President Trump emerged undaunted from the midterm elections, warning the new Democratic House majority to work with him or else and escalating his war with the liberal news media. Facing a divided government and the threat of House committee investigations, Mr. Trump promised to pursue bipartisan cooperation but put the onus on Democrats to meet him halfway…. (more)

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November 7, 2018

GOP: ‘Brett bump’ saved the Senate after Kavanaugh fight angered voters

WASHINGTON EXAMINER — Top Republicans on Wednesday credited their expanded majority in the U.S. Senate to a “Brett bump” that was caused by the explosive partisan fight to confirm conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court…. (more)

 Republican gains may have put Senate out of reach for 2020 Democrats (Washington Examiner)

 For Trump, challenge of governing with Dem House, but full speed ahead with GOP Senate (Byron York)

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November 7, 2018

The media’s Democrat darlings of the midterm elections all failed

WASHINGTON EXAMINER — After the midterm election results, future Democratic candidates in tough races might hope that the national media completely ignore their campaigns, lest they find themselves in the same position as Beto O’Rourke, Andrew Gillum, and, probably, Stacey Abrams…. (more)

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November 7, 2018

Trey Gowdy: I didn’t think ‘dead man walking’ Sessions would be fired ‘before all the votes had been counted’

WASHINGTON EXAMINER — Outgoing House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy said Wednesday he wasn’t expecting fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions to be booted from the Justice Department before all the votes were counted in the 2018 midterm elections…. (more)

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November 7, 2018

Sessions firing threatens to upend Mueller probe

WASHINGTON TIMES — Attorney General Jeff Sessions was fired Wednesday, leaving a host of questions about what comes next for the ongoing special counsel probe, criminal justice and immigration enforcement. Formally, Mr. Sessions resigned, but the move came at President Trump’s request less than 24 hours after the midterm elections…. (more)

 New acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker now overseeing Mueller investigation: 6 things to know (Washington Examiner)

 Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns (WorldNetDaily)

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November 7, 2018

Privacy advocate demands Mueller report

Files request for ‘all drafts, outlines, exhibits, and supporting material’

WORLDNETDAILY — Special Counsel Robert Mueller is expected to soon issue findings of his investigation of alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election…. (more)

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November 7, 2018

Pollsters botch key races as turnout models over-count Democrats

WASHINGTON TIMES — Pollsters on Tuesday avoided their disastrous 2016 election forecasts by correctly predicting that Democrats would regain control of the House, though botching some important statewide races. Unlike 2016, when political gurus at The New York Times, The Washington Post and other media said President Trump had little or no chance of winning, surveyors this time captured voting in blue-state congressional districts where a number of Republican seats flipped…. (more)

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November 7, 2018

Texas governor considers probe of ‘illegal-alien voting’

Poll worker admitted in undercover video ‘tons’ had cast ballots

ART MOORE — Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who won re-election Tuesday, called for an investigation into alleged illegal voting after Project Veritas published a video showing poll workers in Texas saying non-citizens could vote and admitting “tons” already had done so in early voting…. (more)

 Video: Poll worker caught advising ‘Vote Democrat’ (WorldNetDaily)

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November 7, 2018

Nobama: Endorsed candidates in competitive races all lose

Limbaugh: Ex-president ‘still doesn’t have coattails’

WORLDNETDAILY — In the final stretch leading up to Tuesday’s midterms elections, former President Obama was called upon in five major competitive races to help put the Democratic candidate over the top, and in all five he lost, points out the American Mirror blog…. (more)

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November 5, 2018

The Christian ethos vs. arrogant elitists

Alan Keyes exhorts Americans who understand the role of God’s authority

ALAN KEYES — I think that every election in the United States ought to be taken as proof that the elitists are wrong who have, for several decades, preached the end of “American exceptionalism.” Who knows what most Americans take that to mean? But to their elitist enemies, it has always referred to the existence and success of their self-government and the disruptive effect it has had, from the start, on the self-respecting aspirations of human beings around the world…. (more)

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November 4, 2018

Grassley pulls a ‘gotcha’ on the liars

WES VERNON — My first memory of Chuck Grassley was when he (along with two of his colleagues) showed up in Billings, Montana, as a young congressman to promote a GOP candidate’s (ultimately successful) bid for a congressional seat. Little did I know that decades later, this “young pup” from Iowa would return as a tough old boy (now 85) as a Senate committee chairman who tracks down purveyors of untruths…. (more)

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November 4, 2018

White House statement advances Trump’s pro-life campaign

Declares November National Adoption Month

WORLDNETDAILY — President Trump has declared November National Adoption Month, and his statement from the White House leaves little doubt about his pro-life stance, declaring Americans must recognize “that adoption is a powerful way to show women they are not alone in an unexpected pregnancy.”… (more)

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November 4, 2018

Blessing an abortion clinic is ‘crazy faith’ indeed—but not as ‘grotesque’ as Dems’ support of abortion

FR. FRANK PAVONE — It’s no secret that some religious denominations support legal abortion. But it’s nothing short of grotesque when members of the clergy don their robes and stoles and lead a public blessing of abortion businesses. This happened in 2015, when a group of mostly female clergy blessed the Preterm clinic in Cleveland, where just a year earlier, young mother Lakisha Wilson had a second-trimester abortion that killed her…. (more)

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November 4, 2018

This map shows how far the migrant caravan is from the U.S. border

MARKET WATCH — Reports about a caravan of migrants coming to the U.S. from Central America have been featured prominently in the news cycle in past weeks, but the group is still far from the U.S. Trump said Wednesday the U.S. was going to send 10,000 to 15,000 troops to the border in anticipation of the caravan’s arrival. The U.S. military has already deployed nearly 1,000 troops along the U.S.-Mexican border, in areas where U.S. officials have determined the migrants and asylum seekers may try to enter…. (more)

 Trump’s caravan grand slam (Timothy Buchanan)

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November 3, 2018

Pence says Republicans will keep control of the House

THE HILL — Vice President Pence maintained in an interview with Hill.TV on Friday that Republicans will keep control of the House in next week’s midterm elections. “I think we’re going to expand our majority in the United States Senate, and I think we’re going to hold our Republican majority in the House of Representatives,” Pence told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton. “But that being said, there is certainly common ground in areas that we can work that the president has laid out,” Pence added when asked about working with Democrats if they win the House, citing issues like trade and infrastructure…. (more)

 Pence: GOP will keep control of House (Newsmax)

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November 3, 2018

Trump slams legacy of ‘Barack H. Obama’ on campaign trail

WASHINGTON TIMES — President Trump condemned the legacy of former President Barack Obama Friday night with one withering blast at a campaign rally in Indiana. Campaigning for Republican Senate candidate Mike Braun, Mr. Trump noted that Mr. Obama will be stumping in the state this weekend for incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly…. (more)

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November 3, 2018

Trump slams Kavanaugh accuser who admitted to lying

NEWSMAX — President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed a woman who came forward as the author of a “Jane Doe” letter detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, claiming that she has now admitted her story was false…. (more)

 Another Kavanaugh accuser admits to fabricating rape story (Washington Times)

 Woman who accused Kavanaugh of rape admits she never met him (HotAir)

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November 3, 2018

‘Ya’ll don’t do that again,’ principal tells praying students

First Liberty Institute confronts district regarding ‘quarantine’

BOB UNRUH — Lawyers with First Liberty Institute, one of the nation’s premiere defenders of religious liberty, have confronted a Texas high school principal’s decision to “quarantine” students who wanted to pray together during non-class time…. (more)

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November 3, 2018

Utahns mourn loss of ‘genuine hero’: North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor killed in Afghanistan in apparent insider attack

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE — After he got his orders in January to deploy to Afghanistan, North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor went live on Facebook to tell his constituents he’d be gone and what to expect. It was an easy choice for him, one that was months in the making, rooted in decisions he’d made years ago to serve God, his family and his country…. (more)

 Killed in Afghanistan, North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor remembered as ‘a man of excellence’ by Utah National Guard, Gov. Herbert and friends (Salt Lake Tribune)

 Why a North Ogden mayor is leaving home to serve his country — again (Deseret News)

 Mike Kjar and Brent Taylor on Fox 13 News Utah [VIDEO; go to 18:45] (YouTube)

 

November 9, 2018 Truth2Freedom Briefing Report (US•World•Christian)

REUTERS

President Donald Trump on Friday blasted a federal court decision halting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, saying the U.S. judge in Montana had made a political decision and calling it a disgrace.

President Trump said he has signed an immigration proclamation, an order that would help effectively ban migrants who cross the U.S. border with Mexico illegally from qualifying for asylum.

The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to sharply curtail federal authority aimed at curtailing abuse and civil rights violations at local police departments across the country by directing U.S. attorneys to limit the use of consent decrees and settlement agreements.

High-profile U.S. elections in Georgia, Florida and Arizona remained unresolved on Thursday, two days after the vote, with the prospect of legal challenges, recounts and ballot reviews setting the stage for possible weeks of uncertainty.

Democrat Maxine Waters, poised to become chair of the U.S. House banking committee, told Reuters on Thursday she would like the heads of the country’s biggest banks to testify before the panel as she seeks to ramp up regulatory oversight.

A senior Austrian military officer is believed to have spied for Moscow for decades, Vienna said on Friday, adding to a list of recent Russian espionage cases and souring relations with arguably the country’s closest ally in the EU.

At least 17 people were killed when suicide attackers set off two car bombs at a hotel near the headquarters of Somalia’s Criminal Investigations Department in Mogadishu on Friday.

A Taliban delegation on Friday attended a diplomatic conference in Russia for the first time, in a move that underscored Moscow’s keenness to play a role in the Afghan peace process, but the Kabul government sent no official representative.

AP Top Stories

A Texas judge reportedly released nearly all of his juvenile defendants after losing his re-election on Tuesday, but not before asking if they planned to kill anyone.

Twelve jurors and six alternates were selected Wednesday to decide the fate of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, one of the most notorious criminals in the world, on trial in New York for smuggling drugs into the United States over a quarter of a century. The seven women and five men will determine whether Guzman is guilty on 11 trafficking, firearms and money laundering charges, which could see him spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Preliminary exit poll data suggests white evangelical Christians, who have long been among President Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters, showed up strongly for Republican House candidates in the 2018 midterm elections. Seventy-five percent of white respondents who identified as “born-again” or evangelical Christians voted for Republican House candidates.

Armed police stormed a high school in North Carolina after noises made by a malfunctioning heater were mistaken for an active shooter.

At least 65 Islamic State group fighters have been killed around their last enclave in Syria despite a pause in a two-month Kurdish-led assault, a monitor said Wednesday.

Michigan is aiming to build a potentially lucrative industry from the ground up with passage of a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. It could do more by serving as a model for the rest of the Midwest – and possibly beyond.

About half a million people have died violently in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan due to the US “war on terror” that was launched following the September 11 attacks in 2001, according to a study released Thursday.

A car bomb killed three people in Iraq’s Mosul on Thursday, medical and security officials said, the first such attack since jihadists were ousted from the city last year.

Central American migrants on Wednesday continued to straggle in for a rest stop at a Mexico City stadium, where about 4,500 continue to weigh offers to stay in Mexico against the desire of many to reach the U.S. border. Mexico City officials said they expected as many as 1,000 more might arrive at the Jesus Martinez stadium as lagging members of the caravan trail in, their journeys slowed by difficulties in getting rides or by hopping aboard trucks that veered off their route.

BBC

A man who set a car on fire and stabbed three people – one fatally – in the Australian city of Melbourne has died in hospital after being shot by police. Authorities now say they are treating the attack as a terror-related.

On the 80th anniversary of the Nazi Kristallnacht attack on Germany’s Jews, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe has revealed a 69% increase in anti-Semitic incidents this year.

A cold storage firm says it has run out of room because the food industry is stockpiling in the run-up to Brexit. Cardiff-based Wild Water has rented extra space in Newport, Bristol and Staffordshire, and bought another storage site in Merthyr Tydfil. It is also building a large facility in Aberbargoed in the Rhymney Valley to help cope with increased demand. Customers were “ultra-concerned” about food being held up at ports.

WND

Barack Obama’s efforts to embed abortion funding in the health-care system took a significant blow this week when the Trump administration finalized rule changes that roll back Obama’s contraceptive coverage mandate and prevent tax subsidies from going to abortionists.

Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair and a set of his medals and awards have been sold for a combined total of nearly $786,000 while a copy of his PhD thesis raised almost that amount on its own, at an auction of items belonging to him and other celebrated scientists.

A Florida woman underwent back surgery and ended up having a healthy kidney removed after a surgeon mistook the organ for a tumor.

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News – 11/9/2018

Satanists sue Netflix for £38m over ‘misappropriation’ of goat-head god
A group of Satanists is suing Netflix and Warner Bros for 50 million US dollars (£38 million) over the depiction of a goat-headed statue in one their television shows. The lawsuit, filed at a federal court in New York on Thursday, claims the depiction of Baphomet constitutes misappropriation, confusion of origin and injury of reputation.

Northern California wildfire leaves town in ruins, thousands flee
A fast-moving wildfire advanced to the outskirts of the Northern California city of Chico early on Friday, forcing thousands to flee after it left the nearby town of Paradise in ruins.

Saudi Arabia targets Palestinians in Israel with latest Mecca ban
Saudi Arabia has banned Palestinians and Israeli Muslims from entering the country with temporary passports, ending their chance to make the pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site, Mecca.

China found hijacking global web traffic, two reports confirm
Two new reports indicate that China has been using abnormal internet routing patterns, which may have been intended for global internet hacking. After a paper was published by the War College, detailing China’s practice of using “border gateway protocol (BGP) hijacking” to hack global web traffic, an internet analysis expert from Oracle confirmed China’s unusual routing patterns, according to an Oracle blog post on Monday.

What will come first – Israeli elections or the U.S. peace plan rollout?
Two clocks are ticking, one in Jerusalem and one in Washington. The problem is that for the time being, they are not synchronized. With the midterm elections over in the US, President Donald Trump now has the bandwidth and time to shift his focus back to foreign policy issues, including the so-called “deal of the century” that he longs to broker between Israel and the Palestinians…and it could be rolled out as early as next month or in January.

Gallant: We’re ready for peace with Arab states
Israel is ready to make peace with every Arab country, Construction Minister and former OC Southern Command Yoav Gallant told The Jerusalem Post…“All of the relations we have with Arab countries, every relationship that is conducted behind closed doors and not publicly, this is done by their own choice. Israel is ready for peace with every Arab country,” Gallant…told the Post in his office in Jerusalem ahead of the paper’s annual Diplomatic Conference.

Melbourne attack: Man shot dead after fire and fatal stabbing
A man who set a car on fire and stabbed three people – one fatally – in the Australian city of Melbourne has died in hospital after being shot by police. Authorities now say they are treating the attack as a terror-related. The attacker was shot after confronting officers on a busy city street, authorities said. He was taken into custody in a critical condition.

China’s Xinhua agency unveils AI news presenter
China’s state news agency has unveiled a virtual newsreader sporting a sharp suit and a somewhat robotic voice. Xinhua News claims the presenter “can read texts as naturally as a professional news anchor”, though not everyone may agree. “Hello, you are watching English news programme,” says the English-speaking presenter at the start of his first report.

‘Remarkable’ decline in fertility rates
There has been a remarkable global decline in the number of children women are having, say researchers. Their report found fertility rate falls meant nearly half of countries were now facing a “baby bust” – meaning there are insufficient children to maintain their population size. The researchers said the findings were a “huge surprise”.

Will humanity survive this century? Sir Martin Rees predicts ‘a bumpy ride’ ahead
Humanity is under threat. At least according to Sir Martin Rees, one of Britain’s most esteemed astronomers. In his new book, “On the Future,” Rees turns his focus closer to home, examining the existential threats that face humanity over the next century. From cyberattacks to advances in biotechnology to artificial intelligence to climate change, Rees, Britain’s astronomer royal, says we are living at a critical juncture — one that could define how the human species fares.

Debt ceiling will be set to record high of $22 trillion, fund government to just summer
The federal government is set to reinstate its borrowing limit, and a new analysis indicates that it will be a record-high $22 trillion — and then, it won’t provide enough money to fund the government past summer. The shocking number, however, is only slightly higher than the current actual debt of some $21 trillion. The ceiling has been in suspension and the debt has grown under President Trump. It is set to be reinstated on March 2, 2019.

‘A wall of fire’ in California: 3 wind-powered wildfires gain momentum
A trio of wind-driven wildfires in California gained strength early Friday, lighting the sky with orange flames and filling the air with gray smoke and ash. As the Camp Fire raged in the northern part of the state, about 90 miles north of Sacramento in Butte County, the Hill and Woolsey fires triggered widespread evacuations to cap a hellacious day in Ventura County that began with news of a mass shooting that left 13 people dead at a neighborhood country music bar…

Britain Struggles With Rise in Knife Attacks
Daniel Frederick, a 34-year-old father of three, was returning to his home…when a group of teenagers stabbed him in the back seven times, yards from his flat near a children’s playground. Mr. Frederick, a security guard, was targeted in a case of mistaken identity, police believe, but the assault was part of a crime trend that London’s mayor said this week would take a generation to solve: a surge in knife attacks in a country with relatively low levels of violent crime.

U.S. judge halts construction of Keystone XL oil pipeline
A federal judge in Montana halted construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline on Thursday on the grounds that the U.S. government did not complete a full analysis of the environmental impact of the TransCanada Corp (TRP.TO) project. The ruling deals a major setback for TransCanada Corp and could possibly delay the construction of the $8 billion, 1,180 mile (1,900 km) pipeline.

U.S., Mexico, Canada ministers to sign trade pact Nov. 30, official says
Cabinet ministers from the United States, Mexico and Canada will sign a new trade agreement on Nov. 30, Mexico’s economy minister said on Thursday. The deal will be signed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo told reporters at an event in Mexico City. Argentina is hosting the G20 international forum for governments and central bank governors.

Google Admits in Court Documents that it Believes Free Speech is “disastrous” for Society
Every year, nearly half the world’s population uses Google. According to Internet Live Stats, Google processes over 40,000 search queries every second. In that same second, internet users view over 76,000 YouTube videos, a streaming service designed by Google.

Bombshell Proof Soros Funds The Caravans
The official organizer of the caravans, Pueblo Sin Fronteras, appears to be a lone organization, however, we now know the group is run by La Familia Latina Unida which in turn is overseen by Centro Sin Fronteras which is backed by the Soros financed National Immigration Forum.

Dem Campaign Accused of Stealing Fla. Election
The spokesman for Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s campaign has accused his opponent’s campaign of “preparing” to steal the election for Florida’s next senator.

President moves to restrict asylum access at border
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen today announced an Interim Final Rule declaring that those aliens who contravene a presidential suspension or limitation on entry into the United States through the southern border with Mexico issued under section 212(f) or 215(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) will be rendered ineligible for asylum.

Watch Live: Soros Activates 900 Antifa Terror Cells, Leader of Group Calls For Killing of Police & Republicans – Red Alert!
Billionaire globalist deploys leftist foot soldiers after Trump fires Sessions. The group started Wednesday night by threatening Tucker Carlson at his Washington DC home and doxing the home addresses of Tucker Carlson’s brother Buckley Carlson, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and The Daily Caller’s Neil Patel on Twitter.

False Flag CALEXIT-Inspired Mass Murder Event of White People In a California Bar
It wasn’t Mandalay Bay, the site of the Las Vegas Massacre, but it may as well have been. In verse two of the same event, we see the same variables and the same exact scenario acted out again and nobody in the MSM is the slightest bit suspicious.

Antifa targets Tucker Carlson as hit list expands to conservative media
When a mob of left-wing Antifa activists descended Wednesday night on Fox News personality Tucker Carlson’s D.C. home, it signaled a new phase in the political violence and angry confrontations that now are targeting the news media.

Poll: 40 percent of British Jews considering leaving UK ‎over anti-Semitism
An incredible 90 percent of British Jews believe that the Labour Party is ‎anti-Semitic, and 40 percent are considering leaving the United Kingdom ‎because of the spike in anti-Semitism.‎

Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War and Ebola in Eastern Congo
In two of Congo’s anarchic eastern provinces, War and Plague combine to inflict local horrors and seed conditions for a “breakout epidemic” with lethal regional and possibly global health consequences.

Pro-Life Win in West Virginia
Abortion supporters suffered a major setback in West Virginia after voters amended the state constitution.

White South Africans Barred From Registering On Government Jobs Website – Tea Party News
White South African men are reportedly being excluded from a government-partnered youth employment initiative program, according to a new report.

Radical Leftists take to the streets to demand deep state maintain control over DOJ and Mueller investigation
 If you just voted for Democrats, you voted for left-wing violence that demands the complete destruction of the USA, the dismantling of the U.S. border and the complete nullification of the DOJ under President Trump.

The Psychological Reasons Why Good People Do Nothing In the Face of Evil
Here is a very stern warning from old literary history. All that evil needs to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Why do good people continue to do nothing in the face of abject evil? Here is the complete story on this psychological phenomenon which seems to prevent good people from doing anything in the face of abject evil.

Brazil: We won’t yield to Muslim pressure, embassy will move to Jerusalem
The various Arab Muslim governments are relentlessly lobbying Jair Bolsonaro to renege on his promise to move the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Fortunately, unlike President Mario Abdo Benitez of Paraguay, Jair Bolsonaro has a spine. Bolsonaro will not be intimidated by bullies from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the “Palestinian” Authority, or the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

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Mid-Day Snapshot

The Foundation “We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections.” —John Adams (1797)

Vote Shenanigans in FL, While AZ Still Counting Democrats are working overtime to snag a couple of Senate seats from Republicans. Another Mass Murder and More Media Misinformation When 12 people were murdered in California, leftists trotted out their usual plan. Honoring American Veterans We invite you pause and contemplate the service and sacrifice and American Patriots. Remembering the Lessons of the Great War World War I ended 100 years ago Sunday, and there are still critical things to learn.

The Price of Liberty On Sunday we pause to honor American Veterans. These Patriots form the heart and soul of The Patriot Post’s Mission of Service to our Armed Forces. The Patriot Post, under the able leadership of many veterans now serving with our National Advisory Committee and editorial team, has become one of the nation’s leading advocates for our Armed Forces and their mission — by providing millions of Americans with the right perspective on that mission and the demanding tasks our military personnel have carried out with pride. It is for that reason that we request no financial support from our military readers around the world, opting instead to provide our publications and resources to them as a small token of our gratitude for their service. Today we are asking for your support to ensure that The Patriot Post’s encouraging message of Liberty reaches an ever-wider audience of military Patriots and their families. We have just a few short weeks left to raise the remaining half of our annual operating budget. Please make a secure online donation toward The Patriot Fund’s Year-End Campaign today. Thank you for your support. —Mark Alexander, Publisher

Support Our 2018 Year-End Campaign $360,000 DONATE ONLINE DONATE BY MAIL

Not the Founders’ Vision of Congress and the Presidency Congress and the press have contributed to an increasingly powerful executive branch. Health Care as a Selling Point Unless Republicans can figure out a unified policy, they’re going to struggle in years to come. Remembering Billy Graham The 20th century’s greatest Christian evangelist would have been 100 this week. Acosta’s Accosting The CNN reporter’s conduct is an example of why Trump calls the Leftmedia the “enemy of the people.” Video: What Took Trump So Long to Fire Sessions? President Trump finally “resigned” his attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Friday Short Cuts Non Compos Mentis: “What I saw was a battery, not by Jim Acosta, but by the young White House aide.” —Sunny Hostin Friday Top Headlines Asylum changes, DACA ruling, election fraud, gun control, Mueller report, and more.

Today’s Opinion Hans von Spakovsky Jeff Sessions Put the Justice Department Back on Course Rebecca Hagelin Greater GOP Senate Control Means Long-Term Victories David Harsanyi Democrats Aren’t Losing Faith in Our Constitutional System. They Just Don’t Like It Erick Erickson Where Do We Go When Journalism Fails Us? Michael Barone Split Election Result Sends Polarized Politics Toward 2020

Today’s Meme

Today’s Cartoon

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Headlines – 11/9/2018

In Jerusalem, new envoys from Cairo and Amman recommit to peace with Israel

Abbas agrees to Egypt-mediated calm’ between Israel and Hamas – report

Gaza: NIS 90 million from Qatar transferred

Yoav Gallant: Hamas holding Gaza hostage, lacks military solution

Palestinian Said Killed by Israeli Military Fire Near Gaza Border Fence

Russia’s envoy says plane downing still rankles, blames US for fatal Gaza riots

Gaza-area teens complete protest march to Jerusalem

Planes briefly grounded at Ben Gurion airport; TV: Jets scrambled in false alarm

Brazil risks Middle East trade with Israel embassy move

US Jews feel more positively towards Israel despite religious pluralism rift

Man in LA arrested for tearing off Orthodox women’s wigs

French PM says anti-Semitic acts in country up 69% this year

Hezbollah has more firepower than ’95 percent of world’s conventional militaries,’ warns report

Syria forces free 19 Druze women, children held hostage by ISIS

Farrakhan in Iran: Nation of Islam Leader Warns Trump a Mideast War Likely

Louis Farrakhan warns Trump war with Iran will ‘end America as you know it’

US willing to lift Sudan’s ‘terror state’ designation pending reforms

Plagued By War and Famine, Yemen Is ‘No Longer A Functioning State,’ Journalist Warns

Yemeni government warns of Houthi militias’ ‘terrorist intentions’

Saudi Arabian tells Israelis: We want peace

Change in Saudi Policy Prevents Over One Million Israeli Muslims From Making Hajj to Mecca

Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s Anchor, Ponders a Future Without the Cartel

US navy ship ignored sinking migrants’ cries for help, say survivors

North Korea postponed U.S. talks because ‘they weren’t ready’: Haley

White South Africans Barred from Government Jobs Website

Bandits butcher vet school’s horses for meat in Venezuela

Venezuela arrests hundreds of currency ‘speculators’

Debt ceiling will be set to record high of $22 trillion, fund government to just summer

Pope denounces governments that use media to defame critics

Acting US attorney general said judges need ‘biblical view of justice’

Manchin: We’re ‘on the verge’ of a constitutional crisis due to Sessions’s firing

Americans protest as firing casts doubt over future of Russia probe

Indictments? Final report? White House braces for Mueller

Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after fracturing 3 ribs in fall

People concerned about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fall are offering their ribs and organs

Man Arrested for Allegedly Making 40 Harassing, Death Threat Calls to CNN

Will humanity survive this century? Sir Martin Rees predicts ‘a bumpy ride’ ahead

Google CEO Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

At China’s Internet Conference, a Darker Side of Tech Emerges

Smartphones, tablets causing mental health issues in kids as young as two

Dating apps use artificial intelligence to help search for love

A Powerful Solar Storm Likely Detonated Dozens of U.S. Sea Mines During the Vietnam War

6.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen

5.8 magnitude earthquake hits the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

5.5 magnitude earthquake hits the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Golfito, Costa Rica

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Manjimup, Australia

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Mamasa, Indonesia

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Tristan da Cunha region

Sheveluch volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 26,000ft

Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 26,000ft

Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 20,000ft

Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica erupts to 13,000ft

Ebeko volcano in the Kuril Islands erupts to 12,000ft

A Northern California fire is growing at a rate of about 80 football fields per minute

‘Everything destroyed’ as wildfire scorches Paradise, California

At least 1,000 structures destroyed by fast-moving fire in Northern California

Santa Ana winds to fuel Hill, Woolsey fires in Southern California as evacuations expand

Smoke pours into Bay Area, air quality as unhealthy as Beijing

Florida monarch butterfly populations have dropped 80 percent since 2005

Party of Mexico’s president-elect wants to legalize marijuana

‘Remarkable’ decline in fertility rates

HIV-infected Thai man accused of raping scores of teenagers

‘I’m about 40 or 45.’ 69-year-old cites transgender arguments to change legal age to find more women on Tinder

Guam Catholic church to file bankruptcy amid abuse lawsuits

California Man Tries to Hijack Bus Full of Children, Says ‘Jesus Is Coming, I Must Go to Mission’

One dead, two injured in stabbing rampage in Melbourne

Inside, it was ‘like hell.’ Another mass shooting in another public place claims 12 lives

California bar shooter identified as former Marine, may have suffered from PTSD

Thousand Oaks was third-safest city in US before mass shooting

Pittsburgh mayor requests worldwide moment of silence for synagogue victims

Apostasy Watch Daily News

Is the world really a sinking ship?: A critique of Christian pessimism

The “We Know and Prophesy in Part” Fallacy for Justifying Failed and False Prophetic Words

Burglar wore ‘I love Jesus’ hat as he ripped Bibles apart in church, camera shows

Man tries hijacking bus full of children to go to Jesus. Police say heroes stopped him

Massachusetts Voters Uphold Law Allowing ‘Transgenders’ to Use Restroom That Aligns With ‘Gender Identity’

Colorado Elects First Openly Gay Governor In U.S. History As The State Persecutes Christians

West Virginia Approves Pro-Life Amendment Saying There is No Right to Abortion

Bomb Planted at Church in India

Pakistan blasphemy case: Asia Bibi freed from jail

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November 9 Knowing the Right Answers

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

1 Corinthians 1:20

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Knowing Christ makes the believer wiser than the world.

Lawrence Toombs, in his 1955 article “O.T. Theology and the Wisdom Literature,” said, “Wisdom is to be found with God and nowhere else. And unless the quest for wisdom brings a man to his knees in awe and reverence, knowing his own helplessness to make himself wise, wisdom remains for him a closed book” (The Journal of Bible and Religion, 23:3 [July 1955], 195). It’s wonderful to have the book of God’s wisdom opened to us as believers.

Through God’s book of wisdom it’s easy for any believer to analyze the world. People who have no biblical background find it difficult to resolve controversial issues like capital punishment, abortion, or homosexuality. But the Bible has clear answers for those seemingly complex issues: If you take a life, you should die (Gen. 9:6); the life within the womb is a person made by God (Ps. 139:13); and homosexuality is not an alternate lifestyle but a damning sexual sin like adultery or fornication (1 Cor. 6:9–10; Rom. 1:26–27).

As a Bible–believing Christian you may not be considered “noble” or “mighty” by the world’s standards (1 Cor. 1:26) and may be seen as the refuse of the world (1 Cor. 4:13); but you have the answers to the important questions. Because of God’s sovereign, gracious work, you’ve been ushered into the wisdom of God through fear of the Lord. The apostle Paul said, “You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30). Once you fear God, His wisdom continually flows to you. Paul told the Colossians that in Christ dwells “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3). Since Christ dwells in you, you possess the very wisdom of God!

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Suggestions for Prayer: Praise the Lord for the privilege of knowing Him and His will through His Word and His Spirit. ✧ Pray that you might manifest the wisdom of the living God so that the world sees Christ in you.

For Further Study: Read 1 Corinthians 1:18–31. How does the apostle Paul contrast God’s wisdom with the world’s?^[1]

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^[1] MacArthur, J. (1997). Strength for today. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

November 9 Daily Help

BEYOND measure it is desirable that we, as believers, should have the person of Jesus constantly before us, to inflame our love towards Him, and to increase our knowledge of Him. But to have Jesus ever near, the heart must be full of Him, welling up with His love, even to overrunning; hence the apostle prays “that Christ may dwell in your hearts.” See how near he would have Jesus to be! “That He may dwell:” not that He may call upon you sometimes, as a casual visitor enters into a house and tarries for a night, but that He may dwell; that Jesus may become the Lord and Tenant of your heart.^[1]

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^[1] Spurgeon, C. H. (1892). Daily Help (p. 317). Baltimore: R. H. Woodward & Company.

November 9 Walking by Faith

“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God” (Heb. 11:5).

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When you walk by faith, you enjoy intimacy with God.

Our second hero of faith is Enoch. Genesis 5:21–24 records that “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

What a wonderful epitaph: “Enoch walked with God.” His life exemplifies the walk of faith. Adam and Eve had walked with God in the Garden of Eden, but their sin separated them from such intimacy. Enoch experienced the fellowship with God they had forfeited.

Enoch’s faithful walk pleased God greatly. And after more than three hundred years on earth, Enoch was translated to Heaven without ever experiencing death. It’s as if God simply said, “Enoch, I enjoy your company so much, I want you to join Me up here right now.”

Like Enoch, there is coming a generation of Christians who will never see death. Someday—perhaps soon—Jesus will return for His church, and “then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up … in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). Enoch is a beautiful picture of that great future event, which we call the Rapture of the church.

As you walk with God, He delights in you. You’re His child, and your praises and fellowship bring Him joy. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” Death simply ushers you into His presence for all eternity.

Let the joy of intimacy with God, and the anticipation of seeing Christ face to face—either by Rapture or by death—motivate you to please Him more and more each day of your life.

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Suggestions for Prayer:  Thank God for the promise of Christ’s return.

For Further Study: Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. ✧ What events surround the Rapture of the church? ✧ How were the Thessalonians to respond to Paul’s teaching about the Rapture? ✧ How should you respond?^[1]

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^[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1993). Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith (p. 326). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Friday Briefing Nov. 9, 2018 – AlbertMohler.com

Download MP3

Is there still a distinction between boys and girls? Lawsuit between Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts forces important cultural conversation

• Reuters (Jonathan Stempel) — Girl Scouts sue Boy Scouts over trademark as boys welcome girls

How a change in one retailer’s corporate policy reveals moral confusion of modern age

• Wall Street Journal (Khadeeja Safdar) —Under Armour’s #MeToo Moment: No More Strip Clubs on Company Dime

When a culture reevaluates how it is structured, even bake sales may seem out of step

• New York Times (Deb Perelman) — I Love Baking. I Hate Bake Sales.

— Read on albertmohler.com/2018/11/09/briefing-11-9-18/