NOVEMBER 20 | IT IS BEST TO COOPERATE WITH THE INEVITABLE

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

PSALM 57:2

A simple-hearted man was once asked how he managed to live in such a state of constant tranquility even though surrounded by circumstances anything but pleasant.

His answer was as profound as it was simple: “I have learned to cooperate with the inevitable!”

The idea here set forth is so wise and practical that it is hard to see how we Christians have managed to overlook it so completely in our everyday living. That we do overlook it is shown by our conduct and conversation. Some of us “kick against the pricks” for a lifetime, all the while believing that we are surrendered to the will of God.

What wicked men do should not disturb the good man’s tranquility. The inner world consists of our thoughts and emotions, presided over by our will. While we cannot determine circumstances we can determine our reaction to them. And that is where the battle is to be fought and victory won!

This is not to teach fatalism or to deny the freedom of the human will. Quite the contrary, it is to assert that freedom unequivocally.

Though we cannot control the universe, we can determine our attitude toward it. We can accept God’s will wherever it is expressed. If my will is to do God’s will, then there will be no controversy with anything that comes in the course of my daily walk. Let God make the alterations as He may see fit, either by His own sovereign providence or in answer to believing prayer!¹

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¹  Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2015). Evenings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings (p. 352). Moody Publishers.

Evening, November 20 | “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.”—Proverbs 30:26

Conscious of their own natural defencelessness, the conies resort to burrows in the rocks, and are secure from their enemies. My heart, be willing to gather a lesson from these feeble folk. Thou art as weak and as exposed to peril as the timid cony, be as wise to seek a shelter. My best security is within the munitions of an immutable Jehovah, where his unalterable promises stand like giant walls of rock. It will be well with thee, my heart, if thou canst always hide thyself in the bulwarks of his glorious attributes, all of which are guarantees of safety for those who put their trust in him. Blessed be the name of the Lord, I have so done, and have found myself like David in Adullam, safe from the cruelty of my enemy; I have not now to find out the blessedness of the man who puts his trust in the Lord, for long ago, when Satan and my sins pursued me, I fled to the cleft of the rock Christ Jesus, and in his riven side I found a delightful resting-place. My heart, run to him anew to-night, whatever thy present grief may be; Jesus feels for thee; Jesus consoles thee; Jesus will help thee. No monarch in his impregnable fortress is more secure than the cony in his rocky burrow. The master of ten thousand chariots is not one whit better protected than the little dweller in the mountain’s cleft. In Jesus the weak are strong, and the defenceless safe; they could not be more strong if they were giants, or more safe if they were in heaven. Faith gives to men on earth the protection of the God of heaven. More they cannot need, and need not wish. The conies cannot build a castle, but they avail themselves of what is there already: I cannot make myself a refuge, but Jesus has provided it, his Father has given it, his Spirit has revealed it, and lo, again to-night I enter it, and am safe from every foe.¹

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¹  Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. Passmore & Alabaster.

November 20.—Evening. [Or October 9.] | “To be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

1 Corinthians 2

AND I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (This is the one thing needful for us to know. All our reading and studies will be in vain if we are ignorant of Christ and his atoning blood. If Paul the preacher determined to know nothing but this, we may be sure it is above all things important.)

^3–5 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (If men believed because of the preacher’s grand speech, their faith would be good for nothing. If one man can convert you, another can unconvert you. God’s power is needed; no minister can give us faith.)

^6–8 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Simple as the gospel is, it is wisdom itself—more philosophical than philosophy, and more reasonable than human reason’s best conclusions.

^{9, 10} But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (What reason and imagination could not have conceived, the Holy Spirit has revealed; spiritual men have an inner eye and ear to which the Spirit grants discernment.)

¹¹ For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (Ours is a spiritual religion, which our new nature receives from the Spirit of God: it is not wrought in us by ceremonies which we can see with our eyes, neither are we persuaded into it by the fair speeches of men, but we are taught it by the Holy Spirit himself.)

¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (As spiritual men receive the faith by a spiritual work, so they endeavour to spread it by spiritual means only. They reject the pride of learning and the pomp of oratory, and rely upon the Spirit and the truth.)

^{14, 15} But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth (or discerneth) all things, yet he himself is judged (discerned) of no man.

¹⁶ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (The whole of mankind may correctly be divided into natural and spiritual, and these are as distinct as the dead and the living. The natural man has no spirit, and cannot therefore discern spiritual things. In the new birth a spirit is implanted in us, and thus we gain spiritual faculties, we live in a spiritual atmosphere, and are capable of spiritual joys. Have we received this higher life? Have we the mind of Christ? Lord, work it in us, for Jesus’ sake!)

Mighty Redeemer! set me free

From my old state of sin;

Oh, make my soul alive to thee,

Create new powers within.

Renew mine eyes, and form mine ears,

And mould my heart afresh;

Give me new passions, joys, and fears,

And turn the stone to flesh.

Far from the regions of the dead,

From sin, and earth, and hell,

In the new world that grace has made,

I would for ever dwell.

Teach me, my God and King,

In all things thee to see;

And what I do in anything,

To do it as for thee.

All may of thee partake,

Nothing so small can be

But draws, when acted for thy sake,

Greatness and worth from thee.

If done beneath thy laws,

E’en servile labours shine;

Hallowed is toil, if this the cause,

The meanest work, divine.

Allied to thee, our vital Head,

We act, and grow, and thrive:

From thee divided, each is dead

When most he seems alive.

Thy saints on earth, and those above,

Here join in sweet accord:

One body all in mutual love,

And thou our common Lord.

Thou the whole body wilt present

Before thy Father’s face!

Nor shall a wrinkle or a spot

Its beauteous form disgrace.

There is a house not made with hands,

Eternal, and on high,

And here my spirit waiting stands,

Till God shall bid it fly.

Shortly this prison of my clay

Must be dissolved and fall:

Then, O my soul! with joy obey

Thy heavenly Father’s call.

’Tis he, by his almighty grace,

That forms thee fit for heaven;

And, as an earnest of the place,

Has his own Spirit given.

Be not yoked unequally

With the unbelieving race;

For what concord can there be

With the heirs of sin and grace?

Sin opposes sanctity;

Darkness, light doth ever shun,

Right and wrong can ne’er agree,

Christ and Belial ne’er be one.

Wherefore be ye separate,

Nor with sinners hold accord,

While ye in a holy state,

Bear the vessels of the Lord.

Bound by his word, he will display,

A strength proportion’d to our day;

And, when united trials meet,

Will show a path of safe retreat.

Thus far we prove that promise good,

Which Jesus ratified with blood:

Still he is gracious, wise, and just,

And still in him let Israel trust.

Do I believe what Jesus saith,

And think his gospel true?

Lord, make me bold to own my faith,

And practise virtue too.

Suppress my shame, subdue my fear,

Arm me with heavenly zeal;

That I may make thy power appear,

And works of praise fulfil.

If men should see my virtue shine

And spread my name abroad,

Thine is the power, the praise be thine,

My Saviour, and my God.

What have I else whereof to boast?

A sinner by myself undone,

And still, without thy mercy, lost,

I glory in thy cross alone.

Conform’d to my expiring Head,

I share thy passion on the tree;

And now I to the world am dead,

And all the world is dead to me.

Go, you that rest upon the law,

And toil and seek salvation there;

Look to the flame that Moses saw,

And shrink, and tremble, and despair.

But I’ll retire beneath the cross;

Saviour, at thy dear feet I’ll lie;

And the keen sword that Justice draws,

Flaming and red, shall pass me by.¹

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¹  Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (pp. 689–690). Baker Book House.

November 22 – What Does Ezekiel Do When He Encounters the Glory of the LORD? | VCY

November 22 – What Does Ezekiel Do When He Encounters the Glory of the LORD?

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Ezekiel 44:1-45:12
  1 Peter 1:1-12
  Psalm 119:17-32
  Proverbs 28:8-10

Ezekiel 44:4 — What did Ezekiel do when he encountered the glory of the LORD? He fell on his face! Some day we’ll see the glory of the LORD, and we’ll be in the presence of the One who died for us!

Ezekiel 44:9 — Ezekiel bears record of God’s immigration requirements. Notice the reference to “uncircumcised in heart.” Paul picks up on this in Romans 2:25-29 and goes back to Deuteronomy 30:6 where God promises to circumcise our heart so we can love the LORD wholeheartedly!

Ezekiel 44:31 — Notice the similarities between this chapter and Leviticus 22. God is reconsecrating the priesthood for a future responsibility!

Ezekiel 45:8 — God will reform the priesthood and the political princes in the future! All of these passages remind us that God is not done with Israel yet!

1 Peter 1:8 — Hilton Griswold, pianist for the Blackwood Brothers, performing “Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory!”

1 Peter 1:11 — Notice that the prophets did not know what they were prophesying about! They studied what they said because they did not understand it! We now understand more than Ezekiel did! That is why we who have not seen Jesus (1 Peter 1:8) can rejoice with “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” We haven’t seen the wheel in a wheel or the visions of temples future. We haven’t seen Jesus in bodily form and, unlike Thomas, we haven’t put our fingers in his nail-scarred hands. But we love Him and believe Him and He gives us joy! Peter will talk later about this “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19).

Psalm 119:18 — As we approach His Word, let’s pray that God will open our eyes!

Psalm 119:27 — Notice throughout this passage the seeming conflict between the active Psalmist (“I have kept thy testimonies” – Psalm 119:22, “thy servant did meditate” – Psalm 119:23, “I have chosen the way of truth” – Psalm 119:30, and “I have stuck unto thy testimonies” – Psalm 119:31) with the dependent Psalmist (“Open thou mine eyes” – Psalm 119:18, “hide not thy commandments from me” – Psalm 119:19, “teach me thy statutes” – Psalm 119:26, and “make me to understand” – Psalm 119:27). How do we reconcile these two? Are we supposed to work? Are we to wait on God working in us?

Psalm 119:32 — This verse reconciles the conflict! God will change our heart so we can run. As Christians we have received the LORD (Colossians 2:6), so we are to walk in Him. We don’t have an excuse for not obeying God; He changed our heart and put His Spirit in us!

Proverbs 28:9 — God has given us His revelation. If we ignore it, He won’t hear our prayers.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

A Completed Sacrifice | VCY

A Completed Sacrifice

And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering: and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.Leviticus 1:4

If by that laying on of his hand the bullock became the offerer’s sacrifice, how much more shall Jesus become ours by the laying on of the hand of faith?

My faith doth lay her hand On that dear head of Thine, While like a penitent I stand, And there confess my sin.

If a bullock could be accepted for him to make atonement for him, how much more shall the Lord Jesus be our full and all-sufficient propitiation? Some quarrel with the great truth of substitution; but as for us, it is our hope, our joy, our boast, our all. Jesus is accepted for us to make atonement for us, and we are “accepted in the Beloved.” Let the reader take care at once to lay his hand on the Lord’s completed sacrifice, that by accepting it he may obtain the benefit of it. If he has done so once, let him do it again. If he has never done so, let him put out his hand without a moment’s delay. Jesus is yours now if you will have Him. Lean on Him—lean hard on Him—and He is yours beyond all question; you are reconciled to God, your sins are blotted out, and you are the Lord’s.

How Should We Respond to Criticism of Christianity? (Podcast) | Cold Case Christianity

https://coldcasechristianity.com/podcasts/how-should-we-respond-to-criticism-of-christianity-cold-case-christianity-broadcast-19/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-should-we-respond-to-criticism-of-christianity-cold-case-christianity-broadcast-19

In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner discusses the manner in which we, as Christians, ought to respond to criticism. Are you adequately prepared to defend what you believe as a Christian? Have you come to expect the kind of pointed criticism we face today as believers? Do you have a strategy to help you respond to those who don’t share your beliefs?

https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/33890442/height/128/theme/modern/size/standard/thumbnail/no/custom-color/174dbd/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF

You can also listen to the Cold-Case Christianity Radio Interview Podcast, located on iTunes or our RSS Feed).

For more information about the reliability of the New Testament gospels and the case for Christianity, please read Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. This book teaches readers ten principles of cold-case investigations and applies these strategies to investigate the claims of the gospel authors. The book is accompanied by an eight-session Cold-Case Christianity DVD Set (and Participant’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.

The post How Should We Respond to Criticism of Christianity? (Podcast) first appeared on Cold Case Christianity.

Charles Crismier: When Christianity Is Seen As A Threat, Persecution Is Here | David Fiorazo Ministries

http://davidfiorazo.com/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=charles-crismier-when-christianity-is-seen-as-a-threat-persecution-is-here

Charles Crismier founded Save America Ministries in 1993, hosts the radio show, ‘Viewpoint’ and has authored numerous books, including ‘When Persecution Comes.’

Obedience to the Word of God – The pathway to blessings – Part II | Bible Apologetics – A DAILY DEVOTIONAL

In today’s devotion we are going to look at five more reasons why obeying God is not only required by Christians but very rewarding.

Reason 2.

If somebody said to you, I have a great deal that you can’t lose on. It’s a sure thing and you can double your money in three months with no risk! What would you do? You would probably jump at the chance to invest. Well in (Psalm 19:7-11) we read:

“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.”

What a blessing to know that when we obey God’s commands, we are doing something that is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true!

Reason 3.

When we obey God’s laws, we become overcomers. In the Book of Revelation, we read about what we can expect to receive as overcomers once we get to heaven. We read in (Revelation 2:7, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21, 21:7) the following awesome words: “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Wow!!

Reason 4.

We have God’s personal promise in (Proverbs 3:5-6) that He will direct our paths when we put our trust in Him. For we read: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Imagine the Creator of the universe being our own personal guide, coach, and counselor in all of our lives’ decisions.

Reason 5.

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him: “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32). When we listen to God, and obey Him, He promises us freedom. But freedom from what! From worry, fear, and the bondage that so many people are in to their own thought lives. This freedom allows us to focus our complete attention on Jesus. When we do this (Isaiah 26:3) says: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” This freedom also allows us: “…To know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19). Praise God!!

Reason 6.

In (Hebrews 11:24-25) we read: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” We can choose to disobey God and experience passing pleasures or we can strive to be obedient to God’s Word and come into His presence, where we read in (Psalm 16:11): “…In Thy presence is fulness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.” The choice is our – passing pleasures or pleasures forever.

The post Obedience to the Word of God – The pathway to blessings – Part II appeared first on Bible Apologetics – A DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

Source: Obedience to the Word of God – The pathway to blessings – Part II

Do You Fear God? | Monergism

Do You Fear God

Website:

ligonier.org

Format:

Web Page

Genre:

Essay

Topic(s):

Fear of God

Author(s)/Speaker(s):

R C Sproul

Link:

https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/ultimately-with-rc-sproul/do-you-fear-god

Source: Do You Fear God?

What does it mean that God is holy? What does it mean that God is incomprehensible? – Podcast Ep 232

What does it mean that God is holy, holy, holy? If God is incomprehensible, why should we even both trying to understand Him? Why should God’s holiness motivate me to be holy?

Links:

What does it mean that God is a holy God? What is the holiness of God? – https://www.gotquestions.org/holy-God-holiness-of-God.html

What does it mean that God is holy, holy, holy? – https://www.gotquestions.org/holy-holy-holy.html

What does it mean that God is transcendent? – https://www.gotquestions.org/God-transcendent.html

Source: What does it mean that God is holy? What does it mean that God is incomprehensible? – Podcast Ep 232

Mid-Day Snapshot · November 20, 2024

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

THE FOUNDATION

“The importance of piety and religion; of industry and frugality; of prudence, economy, regularity and an even government; all … are essential to the well-being of a family.” —Samuel Adams (1780)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

• Executive News Summary
• Featured Analysis: Another Democrat Doesn’t Know Which Bathroom to Use
• More Analysis
• Best of Right Opinion
• Best of Videos
• Short Cuts
• Memes and Cartoons

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler

• Illegal immigrant found guilty of murder in the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley (NBC News)

Government & Politics

• FEMA head says anti-Trump treatment is limited to one employee: FEMA Director Deanne Criswell was grilled yesterday by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about her agency’s response to recent hurricanes that devastated parts of the Southeast, particularly western North Carolina. Foremost among the concerns of the committee’s Republicans was an outrageous order from FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington, who, via text message, told a group of 13 staffers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” in their disaster relief efforts. As Fox News reports, “Criswell has insisted that orders to avoid pro-Trump homes originated from a lone employee and were not part of a wider directive.” A FEMA whistleblower who appeared before the House Oversight Committee yesterday begs to differ, saying that at least some FEMA officials consider Trump supporters to be “domestic terrorists.” Criswell, though, says her agency is investigating the incident and that they have “found no evidence that there is anything beyond this one employee’s specific direction.” On the bright side, Republican Scott Perry at least got Criswell to call the employee’s actions “unacceptable” and to say that she’d “welcome” an independent inspector general’s investigation into the incident.
• Senate GOP truants allow lifetime post to hard-left judge: “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” So said accused child molester and leftist playwright Woody Allen in a moment of glaring cynicism. But did he have a point? It would seem so, at least insofar as lifetime judicial appointments to the federal bench are concerned. The Democrat-controlled Senate confirmed Judge Embry Kidd to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals by a vote of 49-45 because only 94 senators bothered to show up. VP-elect JD Vance and Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio were among the Republican no-shows, as were Tennessee’s Bill Hagerty, Indiana’s Mike Braun, and Montana’s Steve Daines. “This leftist judge would have been voted down and the seat on the important 11th Circuit would have been filled by Donald Trump next year had Republicans showed up,” noted an understandably outraged Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “Now, the leftist judge will have a lifetime appointment and the people of FL, AL and GA will suffer the consequences.” Article III Project founder Mike Davis was equally chagrined. “These are the worst of the worst, the nominees that could not get confirmed,” he said. “Your only job as a Senate Republican is to show up and vote.”
• Trump names Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary: He was angling for treasury secretary, but he’ll have to settle for the commerce gig. We’re speaking of Donald Trump’s longtime friend and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, whom the president-elect nominated yesterday to serve as commerce secretary. From that powerful post, Lutnick will lead Trump’s trade agenda, including his plan for targeted tariffs against unfair traders like China. Lutnick is the co-chair of Trump’s transition team and is reportedly responsible for a number of picks. As former Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow adds, “You can bet that Howard Lutnick will be a bulldog in defending American business around the world. Thankfully, Mr. Lutnick is a dyed in the wool capitalist who is a strong believer in ‘America First.’ He will also be a strong advocate to remedy unfair trading practices directed at the U.S.” Lutnick is also, in Trump’s words, “a dynamic force on Wall Street.” He brought Cantor Fitzgerald back from having been wiped out on 9/11, when the company lost 658 employees in its offices on floors 101-105 of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. On that fateful morning, Lutnick was taking his son to kindergarten.
• Trump taps Linda McMahon for EdSec: On Tuesday, Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon, the wife of World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon, to head the Department of Education. This will be McMahon’s second stint in Trump’s administration after serving as the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019. Trump noted McMahon’s experience with both business and education, as she served on the Connecticut Board of Education for two years. While Trump had been toying with the idea of eliminating the Department of Education altogether, McMahon’s nomination indicates that won’t be happening — at least not yet. In light of this, Trump made clear that his goal for the department is to expand school choice to every state while also giving each state the authority over educational standards. That will be an interesting juxtaposition for McMahon to pull off. Furthermore, will she be able to cull the number of DOE bureaucrats?
• Trump taps Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (USA Today)
• Trump chooses former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as NATO ambassador (AP)

Around the Nation

• Wyoming pro-life laws struck down: Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens has ruled that two pro-life laws in Wyoming are unconstitutional. The first law prohibited on-demand abortion except in the extremely rare cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother being in jeopardy, while the second was a ban on medication-induced abortions. Owens claimed that the laws “impede the fundamental right to make health care decisions for an entire class of people, pregnant women.” Is a pregnant woman a different type of person than a non-pregnant woman? She writes, “The Court concludes that the Abortion Statutes suspend a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions during the entire term of a pregnancy and are not reasonable or necessary to protect the health and general welfare of the people.” Owens’s decision assumes that preborn babies are not human persons; therefore, any consideration of their rights and protections is moot. It’s a sad day in Wyoming, especially for babies in utero, as this judge has just declared them to be subhumans.
• Nanny Staters arrest Georgia mom for unleashing her kid: It’s a sad sign of the times that so many of us now live in fear of letting our children do what children have always done: explore, venture out, and grow. Some of these parents are afraid of harm coming to their kids, while others, more rightly, are fearful of what might happen to them as parents. Here’s a case in point, from NBC News: “A Georgia woman was arrested and accused of allegedly endangering her son — all because the unsupervised 10-year-old walked less than a mile away from home, officials said. … The Fannin County Sheriff’s Department called to say her son Soren had wandered from their rural home in Mineral Bluff and into town.” Anyone else out there remember having “wandered” when you were a kid? “It’s not a super dangerous or even dangerous-at-all stretch of road,” said Brittany Patterson, 41, last week in an interview. “I wasn’t terrified for him or scared for his safety.” Apparently, though, that’s not good enough for our statist usurpers of parental rights, the Nanny State Police.
• North Carolina House overrides veto of $463.5M increase for private-school vouchers (WRAL)

Security

• Tren de Aragua gang now in DC: The violent Venezuelan gang known for human trafficking and drugs has established a foothold in the DC Metro area. Tren de Aragua, or TDA, is in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, according to a memo from the Department of Homeland Security. The memo notes that it is “highly probable” that TDA will seek more control in the region. TDA has been aggressively setting up shop in major cities across America. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) recently reported that TDA has been engaging in human trafficking in the state’s four largest cities, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. TBI Director David Rausch reported that TDA members “shot a cartel member 31 times, broad daylight on video and posted it to social media.” The growing presence of TDA in the U.S. will likely lead to escalating violence with rival gangs, especially the notorious Salvadoran gang MS-13. This is what failure to secure our southern border has gotten us.
• Feds dismiss charges against Jordanians who trespassed on military base (Washington Times)
• Putin open to Trump’s Ukraine peace plan, aims to avoid concessions (Newsweek)
• Ukrainians are changing their minds on the war (Newsweek)

Culture

• The Vatican goes rainbow: Pope Francis recently named Father Pasolini to the position of preacher of the Papal Household, a post within the Vatican wherein he “will deliver Advent and Lenten sermons to the pope and members of the Roman Curia.” Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa had previously held this role for the past 44 years. Pasolini represents the second blatantly pro-LGBTQ priest that Francis installed in the Vatican. Earlier this year, Francis appointed Timothy Radcliffe as a cardinal. Pasolini has hypothesized “that there could have been homosexual relationships, for example, within the circle of the disciples, between Jesus and the disciples, Jesus and Lazarus, because there are expressions that ‘Jesus loved Lazarus,’ there are very strong expressions.” Regarding the Bible’s clear teachings against homosexuality, Pasolini has stated, “It must be said that the Bible does not even hypothesize a world in which there is a tendency that is not heterosexual. In the culture of that time, the only tendency that existed in the eyes of the authors and the people they saw was the heterosexual one.” Radcliffe has said that homosexual sex can be “Eucharistic,” arguing, “Certainly, it can be generous, vulnerable, tender, mutual and non-violent,” and even “expressive of Christ’s self-gift.” That sounds to us like blasphemy.

Misc.

• Trump sentencing in hush money case indefinitely “adjourned” (Daily Wire)
• Left-wing “smear factory” SPLC doxxes Babylon Bee-linked writers (Daily Wire)
• Stellantis job cuts near 4,000 and delaying RAM electric pickup to 2025 (Hot Air)
• China set to lose over 50 million people in population crisis (Newsweek)
• Humor: Kamala asks Biden to stop doing Trump dance in cabinet meetings (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Another Democrat Doesn’t Know Which Bathroom to Use

Nate Jackson

It’s not complicated. The science has been settled since God created Adam and Eve. Humans are binary, male and female. There are two genders, and none of us can change to the other gender.

Because we’re so “advanced” as a society in 2024, however, we have to go over such fundamental truths. It would be one thing if we just had to argue about it, but we must fight being censored and silenced for saying it. We have to have legislation introduced in Congress to keep men out of women’s bathrooms.

If you haven’t heard the glowing Leftmedia reports, Tim McBride, who claims to be a woman named Sarah, will begin serving in January as the first “transgender” individual elected to Congress. Naturally — or should I say unnaturally — the Delaware Democrat intends to use the restroom of his culturally appropriated identity.

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace isn’t going to sit idly by, so she introduced legislation to prohibit men from using women’s restrooms and vice versa in the Capitol building.

“If someone with a penis is in a women’s locker room, that’s not OK,” Mace said. “I’m a victim of abuse myself. I’m a rape survivor. I have PTSD from the abuse I’ve suffered at the hands of a man, and I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces.” She added, “I’m absolutely 100% gonna stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a women’s restroom, in our locker rooms, in our changing rooms. I will be there fighting you every step of the way.”

Again, this is just basic biology here, but The Party of Science™ indignantly rejects it.

“This is not just bigotry, this is just plain bullying,” groused Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who recently removed her pronouns from her social media bio. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed her, complaining about Republicans who “want to bully a member of Congress.” Representative Becca Balint added, “The cruelty is the point.”

No, the biology is the point. Protecting women is the point.

Predictably, the Leftmedia was no better. In its first sentence, The Hill said Mace’s bill would “bar transgender women from facilities on Capitol Hill that match their gender identity.” Likewise, CBS News said the legislation makes “rules to prohibit transgender women from using women’s bathrooms and other facilities on Capitol Hill.”

“Transgender woman” — noun, a biological man.

This issue has become part of the Left’s hard charge further left in recent years. It’s now a litmus test for “tolerance,” by which they mean intolerance of the viewpoint virtually everyone had until five minutes ago.

Yet they pretend that, somehow, the Right started all of this. “This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing,” McBride huffed in a statement. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care and child care, not manufacturing culture wars.”

Fact-check: Democrats caused costs for housing, healthcare, childcare, and everything else to spike.

Furthermore, conservatives didn’t manufacture anything. Leftists are the ones who, only a few years ago, decided that men in women’s clothing were no longer the butt of jokes in beer ads but earnest minorities who had to be affirmed. They launched a culture war and blamed us for it — including when that same beer company imploded for getting it wrong.

Though it’s a very new issue in the grand scheme of things, the Rainbow Mafia has been pushing so-called “gender affirmation” for years now. You’d think every Republican everywhere would be ready at any moment to answer questions about it with something akin to my opening paragraph.

Think again.

Even House Speaker Mike Johnson was caught off guard when asked about Mace’s bill yesterday. To be fair, he’s no doubt occupied with many things that are more important than Tim McBride’s genitals. But still. “We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people,” Johnson said. “I believe it’s a command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect, and we will, and I’m not going to engage in silly debates about this.”

Johnson soon realized his mistake, though, and later clarified: “Let me be unequivocally clear. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman, and a man cannot become a woman. … That’s what Scripture teaches, what I just said — but I also believe that we treat everybody with dignity, and so we can do and believe all those things at the same time.”

Johnson is certainly right that “this is an issue that Congress has never had to address before.” Well, members have to address it now, and they can all thank the increasingly radical leftist Democrats for it. The gender cult has taken over the party, and you will be made to care. You will be made to like the emperor’s new clothes. Or else.

Follow Nate Jackson on X/Twitter.

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MORE ANALYSIS

• Michael Swartz: The Increasingly Radical Left — Leftists commonly claim that the Right has become more extreme, but it’s the unhinged Left that has moved the Overton window.
• Emmy Griffin: Jen Psaki and John Oliver Insist Dems Keep ‘Transing’ — “There is no evidence” that men in women’s sports “pose any threat to safety or fairness”? Humph!
• Douglas Andrews: ‘Morning Joe’ Bows to the Trumpian Reality — Longtime Trump-haters Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski recently made an opportunistic trip to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
• Thomas Gallatin: The Growing Power of New Media — More than a fifth of American adults are getting their news from social media influencers.
• Linda Moss Mines: Lincoln’s Election Triggers a Southern Response — In the simplest of explanations, Southern leaders looked back at the Union’s history for their justification for secession.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

• Gary Bauer18 Minutes
• Salena ZitoBiden Was the Fluke in 2020, Not Trump in 2016
• Christine FlowersAdvise and Consent as Important as Ever
• Byron YorkSchumer to GOP: Please Don’t Do What We Were Going to Do to You
• John StosselDestructive Environmentalists

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

BEST OF VIDEOS

• Nancy Mace Nukes Reporter Over ‘Anti-Trans’ Bill — Mace introduced a bill to ban men from using women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill.
• ‘It’s Over’ — Senator Steve Daines calls on Senator Bob Casey to concede his race to Dave McCormick.
• Ignore Laws and Courts — The 2024 election controversy in Pennsylvania has ignited national debate.
• Military Expert Debunks Gaza ‘Genocide’ — Green Beret combat veteran Nick Freitas explains why Israel’s fight against Hamas is not a genocide.
• Biological Woman Finally Wins a Beauty Pageant — The winner of Miss Universe 2024 is an actual woman.
• Satire: Democrats Say the Election Was Rigged! — Joe Biden finally admits to stealing the 2020 election.

SHORT CUTS

The BIG Lie

“Let’s be clear: The party that was focused on culture wars — the party that was focused on trans people — was the Republican Party.” —gender-confused Congressman-elect “Sarah” McBride

Non Compos Mentis

“Republicans want to kill your kids. It’s actually true.” —Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin

Demagogue

“I will not tolerate efforts that are part of misguided [border] policies that harm our communities, that threaten our communities, that terrorize our communities.” —Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs

Political Futures

“It used to be said that if someone looked over his shoulder, he was about to tell an insensitive joke. Now people are worried about being overheard making what should be commonsensical observations. … But the voting booth is private. No one can overhear you voting, or punish you for how you vote. And this surely is one of the reasons that Trump won. His candidacy was a rare opportunity to register an audible dissent from woke impositions that, otherwise, have had to be suffered in silence.” —Rich Lowry

“As the sun sets on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, it’s premature for Democrats to think about the next presidential election until they rethink the kind of governors they elect in the largest, yet shrinking, blue states.” —Daniel McCarthy

For the Record

“Very much like the president-elect, [Matt] Gaetz can be a human wrecking ball. In my view, one is enough.” —Jack DeVine

Upright

“Every government agency or program has a charter or legislative authority that created it. People who run the cabinet departments and agencies should be brought before Congress and show evidence how they are living up to the purposes of the charters or legislation. If their work can be done at less cost and more efficiently by the private sector, they should be eliminated. That’s the pattern most businesses follow, and it should be the pattern for government.” —Cal Thomas

And Last…

“Let me be unequivocally clear. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.” —House Speaker Mike Johnson

“The fact that men want to be in women’s bathrooms is creepy and disturbing.” —Lisa Boothe

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MEMES & CARTOONS

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For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

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For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

Is Biden Edging Us Closer to WWIII? | The NEWSMAX Daily (11/19/24)

Today’s 20-min top headline news brief includes:
[5:17] -Ukraine used weapons supplied by the United States to strike inside of Russia after President Biden gave them the green light. [Newsmax Breaking]
[11:42] -Rob Schmitt: The media is becoming desperate as many are showing their MAGA colors for the first time. [Rob Schmitt Tonight]
[13:58] -Newsmax’s Carl Higbie breaks down the failed Pentagon audits. [Carl Higbie Frontline]
[17:18] -Grant Cardone: We need to delete bloated government agencies. [Carl Higbie Frontline]
[20:01] -Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton: We will have to send illegal immigrants back home. [Newsline]
[23:17] -Newsmax’s Joe Pinion: Accountability is coming back to America. [Newsmax2]

Source: Is Biden Edging Us Closer to WWIII? | The NEWSMAX Daily (11/19/24)

WATCH: Trafficked, exploited, and missing: Migrant children victims of the Biden-Harris administration | WND

Source: WATCH: Trafficked, exploited, and missing: Migrant children victims of the Biden-Harris administration

Iran Again Threatens New Attack on Israel | CBN NewsWatch – November 20, 2024

Iran again says it will strike back at Israel, even as Israel keeps up its fight against Hamas and Hezbollah; Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says Hamas will not rule Gaza, as Israel systematically works to wipeout Hezbollah amid ceasefire talks, and even as US Senator Bernie Sanders and other Democrats propose legislation to ban US arms and military aid, but Republicans promise they will support Israel; Chris Mitchell talks about the possibility of an Iranian attack before Donald Trump is inaugurated, the potential of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program, Israeli opposition to letting Hamas rule in Gaza, possible hostage releases, and if Israel still wants to wipe out Hezbollah; the dangerous rising waves of antisemitism around the world, and some possible ways to fight it; and our Studio 5 conversation with singer, songwriter and worship leader Kim Walker-Smith about her music and life on tour.

Want more news from a Christian Perspective? Choose to support CBN: https://go.cbn.com/ugWBn

CBN News. Because Truth Matters™

Source: Iran Again Threatens New Attack on Israel | CBN NewsWatch – November 20, 2024

As Biden Adds Fuel to Ukraine Fire With Mines, Russia Vows Unshakable Defense

The outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden is fully committed to prolonging the conflict in Ukraine and is doing everything possible to drag the hostilities on, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Source: As Biden Adds Fuel to Ukraine Fire With Mines, Russia Vows Unshakable Defense

U.S. Closes Kyiv Embassy Over ‘Significant Air Attack’ Intelligence

The U.S. embassy in Ukraine cited “specific information of a potential significant air attack” on Wednesday morning. The post U.S. Closes Kyiv Embassy Over ‘Significant Air Attack’ Intelligence appeared first on Breitbart .

Source: U.S. Closes Kyiv Embassy Over ‘Significant Air Attack’ Intelligence

Fox News Highlights – Nov. 19, 2024

Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld bring Fox News viewers their fresh takes on the top news of the day.

Source: Fox News Highlights – Nov. 19, 2024

Russia readies to launch RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missile to strike Kyiv

Ukrainian media outlets report that the Russian Armed Forces are preparing to launch an RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missile from Kapustin-Yar in the Astrakhan region. Russian Geran loitering munitions were launched from the Kursk region towards Ukraine. The Kyiv authorities raised alarm after warnings of a massive Russian airstrike from the US Embassy.

Source: Russia readies to launch RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missile to strike Kyiv

World War III Watch: Joe Biden Approves Anti-Personnel Land Mines for Ukraine Three Days After Approving Long Range US Missiles to Strike Deep Inside Russia | The Gateway Pundit

World War III Watch: Joe Biden Approves Anti-Personnel Land Mines for Ukraine Three Days After Approving Long Range US Missiles to Strike Deep Inside Russia

Joe Biden is pushing the West into WWIII before he leaves office.

Joe Biden and his handlers are moving quickly to ignite World War III before Christmas and before President Trump can be inaugurated and bring peace to the region.

On Sunday, Joe Biden’s regime approved Ukraine’s use of US-made long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia.

The Washington Post reported that Biden will allow Ukraine to use a powerful American long-range weapon for strikes inside Russia, supposedly in response to North Korea’s recent aid to Russia in the form of thousands of troops. Ukraine will be specifically allowed to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to hit targets inside Russia.

As The Post notes, ATACMS is a supersonic-guided missile system that can be used with either cluster munitions or conventional warheads. It has a maximum range of about 190 miles.

The Post elaborates that Ukraine is expected to focus on and around the Kursk region at first but could expand its targets.

On Tuesday, Ukraine fired six US-made long-range missiles inside Russia. The first Ukrainian strike targeted the border region of Bryansk in Russia.

According to BRICS News – Five missiles were shot down by S-400 & Pantsir AA systems, one was damaged, its fragments fell in the technical zone of a military facility, causing a fire, Russian Defense Ministry says.

Putin, following reports of Biden’s decision to give Ukraine permission to “long-range” missiles, approved the updated nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation. As part of the new doctrine Russia spelled out that aggression against Russia and its allies by a non-nuclear country with the support of a nuclear state will be considered a joint attack.

On Wednesday morning Joe Biden approved antipersonnel land mines for Ukraine – undoing his previous policy.

According to Reuters the United States expects Ukraine to use the mines in its own territory, though it has committed not to use them in areas populated with its own civilians, the official said. The Washington Post first reported the development.

The mines are designed for use against humans.  Joe Biden just authorized these horrible weapons to blow up humans in Ukraine.

Via Reuters – The United States has provided Ukraine with anti-tank mines throughout its war with Russia, but the addition of anti-personnel mines aims at blunting the advance of Russian ground troops, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The post World War III Watch: Joe Biden Approves Anti-Personnel Land Mines for Ukraine Three Days After Approving Long Range US Missiles to Strike Deep Inside Russia appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

FCC Commissioner Tackles Big Tech ‘Censorship Cartel’ | IFA

Brendan Carr, Trump’s pick for FCC Chair, is seeking answers from big tech companies, alleging they participated in a “censorship cartel.”

From The Daily Wire. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is taking on four major Big Tech companies for their involvement in an alleged “censorship cartel” that he says targeted Americans for promoting narratives that the companies did not agree with.

Visit your state page to pray.

Carr sent letters to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Apple CEO Tim Cook requesting that they provide the FCC with information …

“Over the past few years, Americans have lived through an unprecedented surge in censorship,” Carr said in his letter. “Your companies played significant roles in this improper conduct. Big Tech companies silenced Americans for doing nothing more than exercising their First Amendment rights.”

Carr said that the companies worked with so-called “media monitors” to censor speech involving politics, science, and religion. …

Carr said that various congressional investigations and news reports showed the companies operated this “censorship cartel” with the help of Biden-Harris administration. …

He requested information about their work with NewsGuard, a for-profit company that bills itself as the Internet’s arbiter of truth by “rat[ing] the credibility of news and information outlets and tell[ing] readers and advertisers which outlets they can trust.” …

The letter said that NewsGuard’s own track record was a serious problem, for example rating “official propaganda from the Communist Party of China as more credible than American publications.” …

https://twitter.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/1857419658812440927

Share your prayers for free speech below.

(Excerpt from The Daily Wire. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America – Brendan Carr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66914915)

Source: https://ifapray.org/blog/fcc-commissioner-tackles-big-tech-censorship-cartel/