There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business… That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without….
1 THESSALONIANS 4:11, 12
We Christians must simplify our lives or lose untold treasures on earth and in eternity!
Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible, multiplying distractions and beating us down by destroying our solitude. “Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still” is a wise and healing counsel, but how can it be followed in this day of the newspaper, the telephone, the radio and the television? These modern playthings, like pet tiger cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to devour us all. No spot is now safe from the world’s intrusion.
One way the civilized world destroys men is by preventing them from thinking their own thoughts. Our “vastly improved methods of communication” of which the shortsighted boast so loudly now enable a few men in strategic centers to feed into millions of minds alien thought stuff, ready-made and predigested.
The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today. Even the majority of Christians are so completely conformed to this present age that they, too, want things the way they are.
However, there are some of God’s children who have had enough. They want to relearn the ways of solitude and simplicity and gain the infinite riches of the interior life. They want to discover the blessedness of what has been called “spiritual aloneness”—a discipline that will go far in making us acquainted with God and our own souls!1
The more you know about Christ the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of him; and the more deeply you study his transactions in the eternal covenant, his engagements on your behalf as the eternal Surety, and the fulness of his grace which shines in all his offices, the more truly will you see the King in his beauty. Be much in such outlooks. Long more and more to see Jesus. Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of agate, and gates of carbuncle, through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the telescope to the eye, and enables us to see Jesus after a better sort than we could have seen him if we had lived in the days of his flesh. Would that our conversation were more in heaven, and that we were more taken up with the person, the work, the beauty of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the beauty of the King would flash upon us with more resplendence. Beloved, it is very probable that we shall have such a sight of our glorious King as we never had before, when we come to die. Many saints in dying have looked up from amidst the stormy waters, and have seen Jesus walking on the waves of the sea, and heard him say, “It is I, be not afraid.” Ah, yes! when the tenement begins to shake, and the clay falls away, we see Christ through the rifts, and between the rafters the sunlight of heaven comes streaming in. But if we want to see face to face the “King in his beauty” we must go to heaven for the sight, or the King must come here in person. O that he would come on the wings of the wind! He is our Husband, and we are widowed by his absence; he is our Brother dear and fair, and we are lonely without him. Thick veils and clouds hang between our souls and their true life: when shall the day break and the shadows flee away? Oh, long-expected day, begin!1
HE who comprehends the struggle of the seventh chapter is the man to enjoy the blessed elevation of the eighth. It is well to experience in due order the truths which God reveals, indeed they cannot be rightly known except in their relation the one to the other.
Romans 8:1–18
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
They are not condemned and cannot be. They struggle, they mourn, they weep, but condemned they are not. These happy men are known by their character, the old nature does not rule them, the Holy Spirit guides their lives, both in their secret walk with God and in their public conversation among men.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God (has done by) sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (The principle of law produced no holiness in us, but Jesus has condemned sin and created a new life in our hearts, and thus he has brought forth in our lives the conformity to God which legal terrors never produced.)
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7, 8 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Since their mind is enmity to him, their acts cannot please him; renewed men are at peace with God, and their persons are acceptable to him, and hence their lives please him.)
9, 10 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Though our inner nature is transformed, the body still suffers and tempts us to sin; but even the body is the Lord’s and is yet to be changed.)
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (A noble cry, with far more true eloquence in it than all the orations of Cicero and Demosthenes. Can we look up to God and cry “Abba, Father”? Then are we miracles of divine grace.)
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Our new nature claims kinship with God, the Holy Ghost confirms the claim, and hence comes our full assurance.
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (This is a chain made of diamond links. It leads us from the cradle of regeneration to the perfection of glory, by sure steps, each one firm as the throne of God. Are we children? Then we shall be glorified with Christ.)
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Here the rule of proportion is calmly applied, and by heavenly arithmetic it is shown that our present griefs are hardly worth a thought, for eternal glory so infinitely transcends them. Blessed be the Lord God of our salvation for ever and ever. Amen.
5–6 Several specific instructions comprise this general admonition to be faithful. The first is to trust in the Lord and not in oneself, because he grants success. In other words, the teaching is valid because God will bless it. Bāṭaḥ (“trust”; GK 1053) carries the force of relying on someone for security; the confidence is to be in the Lord and not in human understanding. Here the object of faith is what the Lord has said through the wise teaching of the father. The call is for a trust characterized by total commitment—“with all your heart,” “in all your ways.” Bînâ (“understanding”) is now cast in a sinful mode (cf. 1:2, 6), so there is to be a difference between the bînâ that wisdom brings and the natural bînâ that undermines faith.
The traditional rendering “acknowledge him” (v. 6) needs to be refined, for the expression suggests “confess him.” But the verb is “know him,” and it reflects the intimate experience of a personal relationship. The sequence of the lines may also suggest their communication of a promise: by trusting him fully you will know him. What these beautiful expressions call for is “absolute obedience and surrender in every realm of life” (Fritsch, IB, 4:799). When obedient faith is present, the Lord will guide the believer along life’s paths in spite of difficulties and hindrances. The idea of “straight” contrasts to the crooked and perverse ways of the wicked.1
5–6 The father now secures his son in a personal relationship with the Lord in bonding him to his teaching (see 2:6). Since the son had committed himself to the father’s ethical teaching, the father now orders the son to trust the Lord to uphold them. The son’s confidence is neither in an impersonal created order subject to his rational control nor in an impersonal code of ethics inherited by tradition from the fathers but in Israel’s covenant-keeping God who stands behinds the moral order and the heritage and its promises (see also 22:19). Since the teaching is good only to the extent that God backs it up, the disciple must trust (beṭaḥ, i.e., rely on out of a sense of security, usually in the face of danger) in the Lord (cf. p. 67-68; cf. 16:3, 20; 22:19; 28:25; 29:25). Faith in God’s promises and renouncing confidence in oneself (cf. 18:10–11; 28:11, 26) are unnatural and gifts of God, mediated in part through the admonitions and promises (see 2:6; cf. Rom. 9:14–17; Eph. 2:8–9). Normally, bāṭaḥ has a negative ring in the Old Testament. Jepsen says, “The thing on which one relies turns out to be deceptive, so that the words derived from the root bṭḥ are actually used to indicate a false security,” such as other people and/or their deceptive devices (cf. 11:28; Ps. 52:7; Jer. 9:23–24). He adds, “Most of all, man must not have confidence in himself [see 3:7; 21:22; 28:26; cf. Ps. 62:10[11]; Isa. 30:12; [cf. Ezek. 16:15] … or in his own ‘righteousness’ (Ezek. 33:12).” Trust in the Lord, however, without definition, is platitudinous; it cuts no ice in one’s thinking unless the Lord expresses himself. The unity of the poem and its connection with 2:6 show that one trusts the Lord who speaks through the father’s inspired teaching (see p. 80-83). The wise trust the Lord to uphold his moral order freely (i.e., according to his sovereign good pleasure) and contingently (i.e., in response to human activity). They are confident that as they fulfill their obligations, he will uphold his in his own time and in his own way, even when the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer (cf. 14:26; 16:3, 20; 18:10; 19:23; 28:25; 29:25; 30:1–14). That trust must be entire, with all your heart (cf. p. 92). Since the Lord alone gives wisdom and provides protection (2:5–8), one’s security depends on him. On your own understanding (or insight, see 1:2; 2:3) stands in marked antithesis to “in the Lord” and along with 22:4 is an exceptional use of bînâ in this book. “By the usual assumptions of the book, a mental faculty employed without trust in God could not be called bînāh.” Elsewhere bînâ refers to wisdom itself, or insight into its interpretation. An entire commitment entails an exclusive commitment. Do not rely (ʾal-tiššāʿēn), or lean as on a broken crutch, depicts what is meant by “trust.” One is a fool to rely on his thimble of knowledge before its vast ocean or on his own understanding, which is often governed by irrational urges that he cannot control (26:5, 12, 16; 28:26a; esp. 30:1–6; Job 38:4–5).2
3:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.
We come now to perhaps the most familiar and best loved verses in all of Proverbs. Here, too, we encounter an exhortation (vv. 5–6a) and, then, a promised reward (v. 6b). Like the last exhortation/ reward, the exhortation here is given in three lines. The first line calls us to ‘trust’ in the Lord with all our hearts. This ‘trust’ is the sense of security and safety that comes from being under the care of another more competent than ourselves.
This trust is to be total: ‘with all your heart’ (cf. ‘in all your ways,’ v. 6). The heart represents the totality of one’s inner being: mind, emotions and will. Everything we are and all we have must be rested upon the Lord as our security.
The second part of the exhortation is cast negatively: we are not to ‘lean’ on our own understanding. The root of the verb means to support yourself on something, to lean with your entire weight upon something.9 We are not to take our ‘own understanding’ as buttressing support. ‘Understanding’ is a word that is generally given a positive spin by Solomon (cf. Prov. 1:2; 2:3), but here is seen negatively. Here it is that human wisdom worked up from our natural selves as compared to the divine wisdom that God gives to those who seek Him (cf. James 3:15–18). This does not mean to imply that there is nothing to be trusted in ‘common sense,’ but simply that you don’t use it as your sole, or even primary, support in life. Rather, we should bank our all on God and the wisdom of His ways. His ways are above ours (Isa. 55:8–9; Rom. 11:33–34), and must be chosen when they seem to contradict our earthly, human wisdom.
3:6. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
The third line of the exhortation is found here: ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him.’ The verb ‘acknowledge’ means simply ‘to know.’ Such knowledge is more than acquainting yourself with God, but describes a deep experiential knowledge. The fact that this is to be ‘in all your ways’ (cf. ‘with all your heart,’ v. 5) drives deeper still the level of intimacy intended.
Finally, the reward is stated: ‘And He will make your paths straight.’ The straight paths of the wise contrast with the crooked or perverse ways of the wicked (Prov. 2:13, 15; 3:17; 10:9). The reward is more than the promise of simple guidance. It includes the removal of obstacles (Isa. 40:3; 45:13) from the path of the wise and the surety of arriving at one’s destination.
When you abandon yourself to God in trusting obedience, finding your entire support in Him and striving in every avenue of your life to know Him more intimately, He guarantees that the path before you will be clearer and smoother than otherwise it would have been, and that He will keep you in His will.3
Trust in the Lord (vv. 5–6)
Trust God entirely, ‘with all your heart’ (v. 5a). God demands an undivided commitment to himself. Too often Israel had a loyalty divided between the Lord and the false gods of the nations. We can be tempted to trust the wisdom of the world rather than rely upon divine revelation. The psalmist says, ‘I hate those who are double-minded’ (Ps. 119:113). Jesus said, ‘No one can serve two masters’ (Matt. 6:24a), and he taught that the greatest commandment is to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30).
Trust God exclusively, and ‘do not lean on your own understanding’ (v. 5b). By nature we are inclined to foolishly rely upon our own inclinations and desires: ‘All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way’ (Isa. 53:6). Many people make crucial life decisions in areas such as marriage, finances, and vocation not based upon God’s revealed Word but their feelings. Proverbs tells us that our feelings are unreliable: ‘There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death’ (14:12); ‘he who trusts in his own heart is a fool’ (28:26a). A man may feel that he would be happier if he were to divorce his wife. A mother may not feel like using the rod of discipline on her children. In their quest to grow, churches may be tempted to resort to worldly methodologies that compromise biblical principles. The wise man does not lean on his own understanding but trusts that God’s way is best. The one who chooses his own way arrogantly claims that he knows better than God.
Proverbs also warns us against being improperly influenced by other people: ‘The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted’ (29:25). We must evaluate the counsel and influence of friends, family members, and worldly experts against the Word of God, and we must have the courage to risk their disapproval when Scripture directs us otherwise. The command to trust God also brings to mind the way of salvation. Conversion takes place when we repent of trusting in our own goodness and wisdom and put our faith in what God has done for us in Christ (Eph. 2:8–9).
Trust God extensively: ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him’ (v. 6a). We are not merely to acknowledge God’s lordship over our religious life; we are to bring God’s truth to bear on every aspect of life. We trust him in how we run our families, our education, our careers, our finances, and our friendships. He is Lord of all! Abraham Kuyper said, ‘In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, “That is mine!” ’ The wise person is characterized by continuous contemplation of God and a ready observance of his will, not only in the great issues of life but also in day-to-day routine. No matter is too small for God’s attention. To paraphrase one commentator, it is self-idolatry to think we can carry on even the most ordinary matters without his counsel.8
God blesses those who trust him: ‘He will make your paths straight’ (v. 6b). The person who trusts God entirely, exclusively, and extensively will enjoy success in life.4
3:5–6. These verses represent the heart of the exhortations. The son is admonished to trust in the Lord with all his heart (v. 5a). Such trust completely believes what God says, including accepting His words of wisdom while rejecting the way of folly, obeying His commands, and embracing His promises. Trust also involves resting secure in God’s loving, protective care and relying completely on His resources. Thus the trusting one will not lean on his own understanding (v. 5b). “In acknowledging one’s own lack of resources, one becomes open to God’s power and wisdom, which is a better guide to life” (Longman, Proverbs, 133).
The one who trusts God and not his own wisdom will also acknowledge God in all his ways (v. 6a). To acknowledge God is to know Him personally and to be in fellowship with Him (Kidner, Proverbs, 63–64). The trusting one thus pursues his relationship with the Lord in everything he does (cf. 1Co 10:31).
The result of trusting and pursuing the Lord is that He will make your paths straight (Pr 3:6b). As the lifestyle of the wicked is crooked in both a moral sense (they live corruptly) and a pragmatic sense (they face difficulties of their own making) (see 2:15), so the lifestyle of the righteous is straight in both senses. His way of life is straight morally (i.e., he lives in a God-honoring way) and smooth pragmatically (i.e., he faces fewer obstacles to a successful, joyful life).5
1 Ross, A. P. (2008). Proverbs. In T. Longman III, Garland David E. (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Proverbs–Isaiah (Revised Edition) (Vol. 6, pp. 64–65). Zondervan.
Ezekiel 37:3 — Ezekiel didn’t have the answers but was full of obedience (Ezekiel 37:7). Contrast this humble servant to the arrogant rebel Jonah who was full of answers (Jonah 4:2) but didn’t have obedience (Jonah 1:3).
Ezekiel 37:12 — Further on in this chapter we’ll read about the coming King (Ezekiel 37:24). When that King made a way for man to connect to God (Matthew 27:51), this passage was literally fulfilled (Matthew 27:52). The bones came together (Ezekiel 37:7), breath came into them (Ezekiel 37:10), the graves opened, and they came out into the land of Israel (Ezekiel 37:12).
Ezekiel 37:19 — This is the “two sticks prophecy.” What does it mean? Does it refer to the union of the people who will reign with Christ with those who will dwell on the New Earth as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach? Does it refer to the union of the Bible and the Book of Mormon as the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons or LDS) teaches? Does it refer to the union of non-Jewish believers and Jewish believers under Torah observance? Does it refer to two Jewish nations that will exist in the Tribulation as Jimmy DeYoung teaches? I’m inclined to see it partially fulfilled in the post-Exilic Israel. God gathered them together into the one nation, but I don’t think it was fully fulfilled because the King has not yet come (Ezekiel 37:22).
Ezekiel 37:24 — Ezekiel often repeats his key themes. The end fulfillment will be David the King ruling over Israel dwelling in their land (Ezekiel 37:25), as part of an everlasting covenant (Ezekiel 37:26), faithful to the LORD (Ezekiel 37:27). This hasn’t happened yet; there is no King in Israel. King Alexander Jannaeus of the Hasmonean Dynasty in the first century BC reclaimed much of the land, but he illegally combined the office of King and Priest. Additionally, he was by no means identified as a peacemaker (Ezekiel 37:26).
Ezekiel 38:2 — What is this battle of Gog and Magog? From Jimmy DeYoung:
In verse 2, “Magog” is modern-day Russia, “Meshech and Tubal” along with “Gomer and Togarmah”, in verse 6 is present-day Turkey. “Persia” in verse 5 is Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The other two names, “Ethiopia and Libya”, are also nations that will join the “alignment” to attack Israel.
These nations make up the “who” in this passage. The “when” is revealed to us in two verses, verses 8 and 11. These verses speak of the time when the Jewish people come back into the land in the last days and are “dwelling safely” in the land. They also will be living in “unwalled villages”.
Both terms are referring to a time when there is “peace” in the land. It will not be the time when Jesus has brought “peace” but a time of a “pseudo-peace” one that will be a “short-lived” peace. This “peace” comes when the Antichrist has established a “peace” in the land, which is in the very beginning of the Tribulation.
The “what” is the unfolding of the war to destroy the Jewish people and take the “land” that God has given the Jews. As these nations attack Israel, God intercedes, verses 18 to 23. Couple this with the verses found in Ezekiel 39, verses 1 to 6, and you come to an understanding that the Lord protects His “Chosen People”.
Ezekiel 38:22 — How will God judge Gog & Magog? Similar to how He judged Sodom and Gomorrah – with fire and brimstone (Genesis 19:24, Luke 17:29). The earthly judgment is but a foreshadowing of the eternal Lake of Fire and brimstone (Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10, Revelation 21:8).
James 1:21 — The best illustration of “superfluity of naughtiness” was from an evangelist who told about a new intern on his team, who was tasked with emptying the sewage tank on the evangelist’s RV. If you haven’t dumped an RV, it is an interesting experience! Apparently the hose wasn’t connected properly, and gallons of raw sewage poured out over the new intern, covering him in a “superfluity of naughtiness!” It’s a vivid picture of the despicableness of sin.
James 1:22 – James points out some behaviors are incompatible with the Christian life:
Lazy listeners (James 1:22)
Loose tongues (James 1:26)
Leaving the fatherless and widows (James 1:27)
Leaning to the rich (James 2:1)
James 2:10 — There were 613 laws under the Torah. James declares that we can keep 612 of the commandments perfectly, and yet still break the entire Law!
James 2:14 — James declared in James 2:10 that we cannot keep the Law. Those who try to be saved by works fall greatly short. We are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8, Titus 3:5). But a person who displays behaviors incompatible with the Christian life needs to go back to the warning passages of Hebrews and realize that Jesus said we can know a Christian by his fruits (Matthew 7:15). James is reiterating what Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18).
James 2:17 — Jesus said “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit” (faith without works) “is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 7:19). We are commanded to bear much fruit (John 15:8). This is why we were created (Ephesians 2:10). But we cannot do good works without the antecedent of faith, for our good works are but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The proof that we have turned from sin to Christ is that we Bring Forth Fruit!
Psalm 117:1 — Worship need not always be long, but it should be frequent! Reminds me of 1 John 4:9 – Why do we love Him? Because He first loved us!
Proverbs 28:1 — We need some Christians that are bold as a lion to take the news of Jesus to people everywhere!
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If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.Romans 10:9
There must be confession with the mouth. Have I made it? Have I openly avowed my faith in Jesus as the Savior whom God has raised from the dead, and have I done it in God’s way! Let me honestly answer this question.
There must also be belief with the heart. Do I sincerely believe in the risen Lord Jesus? Do I trust in Him as my sole hope of salvation? Is this trust from my heart? Let me answer as before God.
If I can truly claim that I have both confessed Christ and believed in Him, then I am saved. The text does not say it may be so, but it is plain as a pikestaff and clear as the sun in the heavens: “Thou shalt be saved.” As a believer and a confessor, I may lay my hand on this promise and plead it before the Lord God at this moment, and throughout life, and in the hour of death, and at the Day of Judgment.
I must be saved from the guilt of sin, the power of sin, the punishment of sin, and ultimately from the very being of sin. God hath said it—”Thou shalt be saved.” I believe it. I shall be saved. I am saved. Glory be to God forever and ever!
A beloved portrayal of the gospel itself, the parable of the prodigal son is a story we should be eager to hear again and again. In this message, R.C. Sproul celebrates the lavish mercy of God toward prodigal sinners like us.
Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) was a famous English Christian evangelist known for his emphasis on prayer and revival. He is also known for his many powerful and witty quotations. Two quotes that really struck a chord with me are: “My main ambition in life is to be on the devil’s most wanted list.”1 And: “Smart men walked on the moon, daring men walked on the ocean floor, but wise men walk with God.”2
While smart men walked on the moon, I believe that all Christians can exhibit this trait when they are well versed in the Bible. President Theodore Roosevelt said it well: “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”3
And while daring men walked on the ocean floor, many Christian missionaries, have over the centuries risked their very lives proclaiming the gospel message in many hostile lands throughout the globe. For many missionaries disease and hostile inhabitants are common place in many countries. These daring men and women often risk their very lives in spreading the good news.
But when it comes to exhibiting wisdom Christians are in a class of their own. For you see while most people value worldly wisdom there is nothing that can compare with the godly wisdom that can accrue to those men and women who walk with God. And when you walk with God and obey His will you indeed become wise.
Godly wisdom is so special for many reasons. As one read’s (Proverbs 3) we see that true wisdom brings a treasure trove of benefits to those who make seeking it their life’s pursuit. Just a few of these benefits are listed below.
For example, wisdom will prolong your life. (Proverbs 3:2) states: “For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” As with all proverbs these are not automatic sayings that will always be fulfilled. However, all things equal, they have a greater likelihood that they will come true. Wisdom here is keeping God’s commandments and when we do we will live a longer life because we will handle stress better, have more peace, and a host of other life-prolonging attitudes and behaviors.
Wisdom will also bring you prosperity. (Proverbs 3:10) states: “So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” This verse comes right after verse 9 which says to “honor the Lord from your wealth…” True wisdom knows that God is the source of all blessings, including financial ones. And wisdom knows to give back to the Lord and you will be blessed. It is a spiritual law that when you give you get blessed.
In addition, wisdom will win you favor with God and man. (Proverbs 3:4) states: “And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.” Godly wisdom was something Solomon asked God for so he could rightly govern his people and as a result God was so pleased with his request that He added wealth and so much more. And while man may not always agree with someone who possesses true wisdom, he usually will respect you because your decisions will be based on the soundest judgment possible.
Finally, wisdom will bring happiness. (Proverbs 3:18) states: “She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.” When you have real godly wisdom, you will have a great chance to live a longer life, to prosper, and to find favor with God and man. With all of these benefits it’s no wonder you can feel happy.
No wonder Leonard Ravenhill said that wise men walk with God!
11 And not only this, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:11 (LSB)
The very heart of Christianity is the doctrine of the Atonement. Is it no wonder that so many proclaiming a “new type of Christianity” also attempt to do away with this doctrine? Any attempts to redefine Christianity by modifying or eliminating this doctrine are marks of heresy. I have seen professing Christians argue and write off former brothers in the faith over aspects of our faith that are nowhere near as vital to orthodoxy as the doctrine of the Atonement. I have been cursed and called heretical because I have differed from those doing so on things like eschatology or on the Sovereignty of God….
How can we do that to our brothers and sisters in Christ whose sins have been atoned for by Christ just as ours have? Emerging Christianity along with the movement to include Social Justice into the Gospel are nebulously defined paradigms that see doctrine as divisive and, therefore, unimportant. Their advocates want Christianity to be only about social and relational things and not about doctrine at all. To make that paradigm shift though requires a departure from Christian Orthodoxy because that also says that the Atonement of Christ is not something that should be what defines what real Christianity is or is not. Woke “Christians” have even said that without the inclusion of Social Justice we do not even have the real Gospel. <Continue reading post>
Author Joel Rosenberg believes some of the events unfolding around us hold biblical significance, particularly when it comes to Israel and the Middle East.
“Look back at those videos from last week. Sure, they lashed out as usual against white male Christians. But they explode into hate-driven frenzy when ranting against women and minorities who didn’t vote for Harris. As blasphemers. As traitors. As Judases. To paraphrase the great Nigel Tufnel, these cultists went to 11.”
(C.A. Skeet – PJ Media) When the TikTok freakout videos first started being posted the morning after the election, showing assorted leftists in various stages of post-election mental breakdown, I was initially amused. Here, I thought, were the usual pampered, suburban brats throwing tantrums because the world doesn’t look like their living room. They did the same thing in 2016. They’ll get over it.
Then a couple days went by, and my bemusement faded into annoyance. The videos kept coming. Are these people serious? I get it, you’re upset, your candidate lost. But get a grip! Can so many supposed adults be having this large of a collective hissy fit? How are you not embarrassed to post this? View article →
For a fourth time the Pentagon is ‘finding money’ outside of the budget that can be spend on Ukraine.
I had previously noticed three occasions in which the Pentagon, on order of the Biden administration, used some or ‘accounting error’ gimmicks to ‘find’ more money for Ukraine.
The Pentagon has found $2 billion worth of additional errors in its calculations for ammunition, missiles and other equipment sent to Ukraine, increasing the improperly valued material to a total of $8.2 billion, a U.S. government report revealed on Thursday.
Here is now another, the fourth, incident of creative budget accounting in favor of money for war in Ukraine:
All reports previously indicated that there was $4.3 billion left in the Presidential Drawdown Authority account, which reimburses the U.S. armed forces for munitions and equipment sent to Ukraine.
Turns out, the number is actually $7.1 billion, thanks to some revised accounting the Pentagon has done, DOD officials tell your anchor. That extra $2.8 billion isn’t just found money. The way things work is that the Pentagon calculates how much buying replacement goods for what it sends Ukraine will cost. The number crunchers at the Pentagon ran through the lists and discovered that replacement for some items cost less than anticipated.
The plan is for the administration to spend down that whole $7.1 billion by Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 …
Luckily, not all of the money will reach Ukraine:
[Spending the money] is a pretty tall order given the cadence of aid packages being announced roughly every two weeks work between $200 million and $500 million. Those numbers are going to have to go way up, but even then deliveries of that equipment would continue well into the Trump administration, which could turn off the spigot at any time.
I bet that the lower ‘replacements costs’ the Pentagon has found to spend more on Ukraine, will themselves turn out to be ‘accounting errors’. The replacements will – unfortunately they will say – later require much higher outlays than anticipated today.
Creative accounting like this, i.e. faking the books, is a no-no for commercial entity as it might well end with time spent in jail.
I’ll repeat myself:
Any commercial company doing what the Pentagon is doing here would be asking for serious trouble.
One wonder if and when Congress will wake up to this.
WARNING: Graphic footage—Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld bring Fox News viewers their fresh takes on the top news of the day.
And it wasn’t the first time. He strongly advocated for many of the same actions in his first term and got results.
Trump’s incoming appointees support that tough approach. The potential future “border czar,” Thomas Homan, said on Nov. 12 that Trump is committed to deploying the “full might of the United States Special Operations to take them out.” The appointed defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said in 2023 that military “precision strikes” on the cartels might be needed to deter them from operating “in the open with impunity.”
The United States has every ethical reason to launch a war on the cartels. They use chemical precursors from China to produce the vast majority of the illegal fentanyl that causes most of the 82,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2022 in the United States. That’s over 27 times more deaths every year than happened from the 9/11 attacks.
Fentanyl poisoning is deliberate and far worse in the number of deaths than anti-U.S. terrorism. Those who sell illegal fentanyl in the United States, when it results in death, are justly convicted of murder.
Yet China and Mexico get off scot-free. Beijing uses its supply of precursors as leverage against the United States on issues like Taiwan, which proves that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intends the deaths that result when Washington does not submit. If we want Beijing to stop the shipment of precursors, the CCP demands that we stop following the law to supply Taiwan with the weapons it needs for its self-defense. Some have called these CCP actions a form of blackmail, chemical warfare, or genocide. Arguably, they are all three.
Just as the mullahs in Iran used Hamas to attack Israel, the CCP is using Mexican cartels to attack the United States. The risk for Hamas and now the cartels is that they could be targeted in response. Trump published an “action plan to destroy the drug cartels” in December. He is threatening to designate them as terrorist organizations, cut them off from the international financial system, hit them with cyberattacks, deport or execute foreign drug dealers and gang members, finish the border wall, and eliminate cartel leaders. This could be done with cruise or drone-fired missiles.
If Mexico fails to help or take over these tasks themselves, Trump could unmask the Mexican politicians who cooperate with the cartels, entirely close the border, impose tariffs on Mexico, and impose a naval blockade to stop precursor shipments.
The falsely glamorous image of being a cartel leader with a grand hacienda, pool, caravan, and armed guards posted on the perimeter wall will not seem so glamorous when these expensive homes and vehicles attract Hellfire missiles on a regular basis, forcing drug kingpins into less glamorous digs in hill camps and Mexico City’s back alleys. Neither will it be honorable to be a high government official in Mexico when Trump starts unmasking them as on the cartel payroll.
Brendan Carr, the Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, penned a letter to the CEOs of Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft on the central roles their companies have played in the censorship cartel.
The four page letter calls out the tech giants Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for participating in what he describes as “improper conduct.”
Carr wrote, “Big Tech companies silenced Americans for doing nothing more than exercising their First Amendment rights.” Carr accused the tech giants of “working in concert with so-called media monitors and others – to defund, demonetize and otherwise put out of business news outlets and organizations that dared to deviate from an approved narrative.”
Carr also pointed out how the tech giants were “participating in a censorship cartel that included not only technology and social media companies but advertising, marketing, and so-called “fact-checking” organizations as well as the Biden-Harris administration itself.”
Carr goes on, “The relevant conduct extended from removing or blocking social media posts to labeling whole websites or apps as “untrustworthy” or “high-risk” in an apparent effort to suppress their information and viewpoints, including through efforts to delist them, lower their rankings, or harm their profitability.
Says Carr, “This censorship cartel is an affront to Americans’ constitutional freedoms and must be completely dismantled.”
Commissioner Carr then describes the damage organizations like News Guard” that targets conservative and independent media have had on society today.
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The Gateway Pundit has reported numerous times on the NewsGuard organization that has targeted our news outlet for years.
Newsguard claims to be a non-partisan fact-checking organization. But a quick glance at its operations and related social media accounts shows the group is an unhinged group of committed Trump-haters.
Newsguard is a media “fact-checking” company that was started in 2018. They claim to rate websites for reliability. Basically, they’re in the business of deciding who is fake news and who is not. And they HATE pro-Trump publishers and citizen journalists. They also hate the truth. The company is supported by Trump-haters, elites and media giants – AND earlier this year we discovered the US government was also financially supporting this far-left blacklisting group.
There is ample proof the activists behind Newsguard are unhinged leftists and anti-Trumpers.
Our friends at the conservative website 100percentfedup previously shared information with The Gateway Pundit that exposes the Newsguard liberal activists.
As we reported earlier — ALL of the top activists at the Newsguard organization are virulent Trump-haters.
And their mission is to DESTROY pro-Trump and conservative websites.
Breitbart.com reported on this organization and their goal to demonetize opposing voices online.
Financial Blacklisting: NewsGuard Advises Advertisers to Avoid Pro-Trump Media
NewsGuard, the news-filtering browser extension recently partnered with Microsoft and run by neoconservatives, Obama-Clinton alumni, and other assorted Trump haters, has advised advertisers to withdraw their business from websites on its blacklist of “unreliable” news websites — a list that includes Breitbart News, The Drudge Report, and the Daily Mail…
…The effect isn’t merely to silence pro-Trump media. It also ensures advertisers don’t market their products to Trump voters, causing them to rely less and less on consumers in the heartland, and more on progressive consumers who read establishment news sources.
In 2019 there was a report by La Corte News that revealed conservative sites are twice as likely to be rated unreliable as liberal publishers.
In March, we found out the United States Department of Defense was using taxpayer dollars to censor conservatives and independent media online.
From Matt Taibbi: “Some NGOs, like the GEC-funded Global Disinformation Index or the DOD-funded Newsguard, not only seek content moderation but apply subjective “risk” or “reliability” scores to media outlets, which can result in reduction in revenue. Do we want government in this role?”
Newsguard has consistently attacked The Gateway Pundit on COVID, the Hunter Biden laptop, and vaccines, reports that have all been proven to be accurate.
Newsquard has NEVER criticized the mainstream media for lying about Trump-Russia collusion, the Hunter Biden laptop, COVID and vaccines.
So why is the federal government funding this radical censorship outfit?
These are some of the atrocities that the open-borders Biden-Harris administration and their left-wing allies have not only ignored, but actively worked to make worse over the last four years. President-elect Trump and Tom Homan end their sick policies starting on January 20.
Sanctuary jurisdictions have freed tens of thousands of criminal migrants during President Joe Biden’s time in the White House, federal law enforcement data show.
Sanctuary cities and other localities across the U.S. have freed more than 22,000 criminal migrants wanted by federal immigration authorities since January 2021, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) obtained by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). The numbers pertain to ICE detainer requests ignored by local law enforcement agencies, instances when the enforcement agency provided insufficient notice to ICE, or early releases of migrants subjected to detainer requests.
Immigration detainers are submitted to local law enforcement agencies after they take custody of a non-citizen — typically on criminal charges unrelated to immigration violations — that ICE suspects to be living in the U.S. unlawfully. These detainers ask the enforcement agency to hold on to the non-citizen long enough for an ICE agent to arrive and make an apprehension on-site.
However, countless localities have passed laws that strictly forbid their law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, which would include honoring immigration detainers. The data published by CIS suggests that sanctuary cities increasingly ignored detainer requests under the Biden-Harris administration, meaning more criminal migrants were released back into the community over the years.
There were 2,512 declined detainers in fiscal year 2021, beginning when Biden assumed office on January 20, 2021, according to the ICE data. There were 5,723 declined detainers in fiscal year 2022, 7,934 declined detainers in fiscal year 2023 and 5,871 declined detainers in fiscal year 2024 only up to the middle of July.
The number of criminal aliens freed into the country by sanctuary authorities could potentially be much higher given that, in numerous instances, local law enforcement releases criminal migrants before ICE is able to become aware of their apprehension and lodge a detainer request.
There are an estimated 17 million illegal migrants currently living in the U.S. as of June 2023, resulting in local law enforcement agencies having countless run-ins with individuals who do not hold lawful status. Since early 2023, ICE has lodged an average of roughly 10,000 immigration detainer requests a month, according to the Transactional Records Clearinghouse.
President-elect Donald Trump — who won office on a hardline immigration platform — has pledged to crack down on sanctuary cities, which could include withholding federal funds. However, sanctuary city leaders have so far expressed intense opposition to the idea of cooperating more with ICE agents.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said her police force would not be helping the president-elect’s expected plans for mass deportations, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pledged to resist the upcoming administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. Since Trump’s election victory, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been working with city officials to fast-track a bill that would enforce sanctuary laws in her city, and she hopes to have it passed before Trump makes it into office.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation about the detainer data.
The persecution and prosecution of President Donald Trump is finally winding down.
Jack Smith, a primary player in the lawfare campaign against Trump, has filed to dismiss the case involving classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Rep. Jim Jordan has instructed Special Counsel Smith to preserve all records related to the cases.
The Deep State tried everything to make Trump lose. In total, 91 frivolous felony charges were thrown at the former president. All so they could brand him a felon, tie up resources and prevent him from campaigning.
Then there was the January 6th “insurrection”, multiple Russian collusion hoaxes and countless media lies.
The Deep State even prosecuted his advisers, such as 75-year-old famed economist Peter Navarro, who was the first former White House official ever imprisoned on a contempt-of-court charge. This dignified gentleman was frog-marched into prison as part of a political persecution campaign.
The entire affair was a disgrace to the nation.
On Election Day, Americans rejected this vile lawfare.
And soon, it will be time for justice. With GOP control over both sides of the Congress and a near-landslide win, Trump has a mandate from the American people to pursue it aggressively.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
President Trump has not been shy about his intentions, stating, “The departments and agencies that have been weaponized will be completely overhauled.”
On day one, he promised to reissue his executive order allowing the President to remove “rogue bureaucrats” from their positions. Trump promised to “wield that power very aggressively” against the Deep State.
Our once and future President even promised to establish a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission”, opening the books on issues including the JFK assassination, illicit spying, and government corruption. I can’t wait to see what it uncovers.
Trump’s recent speech was packed full of details on how he plans to drain the swamp. He starts strong and keeps going:
This is how I will shatter the Deep State and restore government that is controlled by the people and for the people…
Make every Inspector General’s office independent and physically separated from the departments they oversee so they do not become the protectors of the Deep State…
Launch a major crackdown on government leakers who collude with the fake news to deliberately create false narratives and to subvert our government and our democracy…
Clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus…
Push a constitutional amendment to oppose term limits on members of Congress.
“Shatter the Deep State”.
No ambiguity there…
Some will call what is coming revenge. But this will not be revenge. It will be justice. The distinction is important.
I would fully support justice here if the shoe was on the other foot, and the GOP were the offending party.
This type of behavior simply cannot stand. It undermines and corrupts the entire system. Re-establishing a just and fair government is critical.
It will be difficult, but I believe Trump will succeed this time. He has learned from the mistakes of his first term. Trump has the right people around today.
He has already rejected the idea of inviting Nikki Haley or Mike Pompeo to join the new administration. This is an excellent sign of things to come.
Given the mandate, the appointment of Attorney General will be particularly important. I have my eye on Mike Davis. He is the exact type of person this position calls for. Tough as nails, fair, and dedicated to cleaning up the system. I’ve met the man, and he’s just the type of person required for this job.
The stage is set for a historic draining of the swamp. Of course, there is still the potential for last-minute desperation moves by the Democrats, including their plan to disqualify Trump using the “insurrection clause”. But given my prediction that Congress will be controlled by Republicans, I think we’ll be in the clear in that department.
U.S. — After winding up in debt from blowing through $1.2 billion in just three months, Vice President Kamala Harris called in to the Dave Ramsey Show to ask for some financial guidance.
“One point two… billion dollars,” repeated Ramsey slowly, attempting to wrap his mind around the story. “And you say you did this in just three months? Meaning, you spent half a million dollars every hour, even while sleeping, for three straight months? Oh… my… gracious. Where do I begin?”
Always the professional, Ramsey began by gathering more background information about Harris’s financial situation. “So, you’re saying you also just got fired?” asked Ramsey, incredulous. “No job prospects, except fast food? Okay, well let’s talk about those expenditures, to see if there are any assets you purchased during your spree that you could sell to pay off debt. You paid a rapper to twerk?? No, I don’t believe you can sell twerks back, I don’t think it works like that.”
At publishing time, Ramsey had reiterated to listeners that the envelope system could have easily prevented this tragic billion-dollar spending spree.
BIG NEWS: We made a movie, and you can watch the trailer NOW:
11 And not only this, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:11 (LSB) 
“Look back at those videos from last week. Sure, they lashed out as usual against white male Christians. But they explode into hate-driven frenzy when ranting against women and minorities who didn’t vote for Harris. As blasphemers. As traitors. As Judases. To paraphrase the great Nigel Tufnel, these cultists went to 11.”
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