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"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, 'In Isaac your descendants shall be called.' He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead" (Heb. 11:17-19). A willingness to sacrifice something precious to you is proof of genuine faith. John Bunyan had a little blind daughter, for whom he had a special love. When he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel, he was deeply concerned about his family, especially that little girl....

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). Every believer is responsible to walk wisely. I believe the moment an individual becomes saved, God deposits enough wisdom in him to make him absolutely responsible for his behavior. Someone may say, “Wait a minute! How can a brand-new believer walk in wisdom? Doesn’t he grow into that? Haven’t wise Christians been saved for many years?” Such questions miss the point of Ephesians 5:15. The first word in this verse takes us back to Paul’s invitation to become saved in verse 14: “Awake, sleeper, and...

In a time where Christians have very little knowledge of other spiritual beliefs and the occult it seems that we are being challenged to be transformed along with the rest of the world that does not know Christ. The question we need to ask those who are promoting these methodologies: is Christ sufficient or deficient? The newest breakthrough trend on spiritual life/personality casting is ENNEAGRAM, this is supposed to be a tool for discovering more about one’s strength's and weaknesses in our personality. The word 'Enneagram' comes from two Greek words Ennea meaning 'nine' and Grammos meaning 'point'. The Enneagram...

The “Donald Trump/Mike Pence Prayer Vigil” and “Heroes and Nation Prayer Thread” have combined to form the American Prayer Vigil prayer thread. Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for our President and Vice-President-Elect and for America: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. I John 5:14 Religion forum threads labeled “Prayer” are closed to debate of any kind.

November 20, 2016 The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Reading 1 2 Sm 5:1-3 In those days, all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:“Here we are, your bone and your flesh. In days past, when Saul was our king,it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. And the LORD said to you,‘You shall shepherd my people Israeland shall be commander of Israel.’” When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron,King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD,and they anointed...

"All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. "And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared...

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). Living wisely will set you apart from the world. Walking in wisdom is an element of the worthy walk that Paul has been describing since the beginning of Ephesians 4. He says in verse 1, “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” and then proceeds to describe this worthy walk with the following characteristics: It’s a humble walk (4:1-3), a united walk (4:4-16), a unique walk (4:17-32), a loving walk (5:1-7), an illuminated walk (5:8-14), and a wise...

November 19, 2016 Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rv 11:4-12 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me:Here are my two witnesses:These are the two olive trees and the two lampstandsthat stand before the Lord of the earth.If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouthsand devours their enemies.In this way, anyone wanting to harm them is sure to be slain.They have the power to close up the skyso that no rain can fall during the time of their prophesying.They also have power to turn water into bloodand to...

"By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised; therefore, also, there was born of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore" (Heb. 11:11-12). Your faith in Christ will influence future generations. I've been blessed with a wonderful Christian heritage. In fact, I'm the fifth generation of preachers in our family. The faith of my predecessors has had an enormous impact on...

“The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, the heart of the wicked is worth little” (Proverbs 10:20). A fool desires to share his folly with others. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Wisdom, as defined in the Book of Proverbs, is living by divine standards, which implies accepting divine truth. But a fool rejects that. First Corinthians 2:14 says that “a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him.” To a fool, foolishness is wisdom and...

November 18, 2016 Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rv 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and said:“Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angelwho is standing on the sea and on the land.”So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll.He said to me, “Take and swallow it.It will turn your stomach sour,but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.”I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and...

November 17, 2016 Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious Reading 1 Rv 5:1-10 I, John, saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne.It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice,“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earthwas able to open the scroll or to examine it.I shed many tears because no one was found worthyto open the scroll or to examine it.One...

"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going" (Heb. 11:8). The life of faith begins with a willingness to forsake everything that displeases God. Abraham is the classic example of the life of faith. As the father of the Jewish nation, he was the most strategic example of faith available to the writer of Hebrews. But the people to whom Hebrews was written needed to understand that Abraham was more than the father of their race;...

“The seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18). A wise life is a righteous life. Puritan minister Richard Baxter said, “Wisdom is honorable because it is the skill of doing good.” Like Baxter, James also sees a connection between wisdom and doing good. James 3:18 is in the present tense and literally reads, “The fruit of righteousness is being sown in peace by them that make peace.” At first glance it seems strange that James would say the “fruit of righteousness is being sown” because usually seed is sown. But harvested...

Vatican City, Nov 15, 2016 / 11:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A year after Pope Francis released his encyclical on the environment, Laudato si', the Vatican has stepped up its efforts in the recycling game by creating a new central waste collection point within Vatican City.Announced Nov. 14 by the State Governorate of Vatican City Events Coordination, the new system builds on recycling practices already in place.With the implementation of the new, more organized system, the leaders of the Vatican’s State Governorate said they hope that the small state “can in some way become a good example of a ‘green’ and...

Police records indicate they arrested a pro-life activist when he became aggressive and punched multiple members of a megachurch. Jeff White, the founder of Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, says the members were the ones who accosted him. According to local news, two security officers approached White while he was pinning pro-life literature to cars in the parking lot of Sunrise Church in Rialto, California, on behalf of Congressional Candidate Paul Chabot. "The two confronted White asking him to leave the property when he became confrontational and punched them both in the face, the statement continued to read," the Press...

The key to understanding the cry of Jesus from the cross is found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Gal. 3:13, NIV). To be cursed is to be removed from the presence of God, to be set outside the camp, to be cut off from His benefits. On the cross, Jesus was cursed. That is, He represented the Jewish nation of covenant breakers who were exposed to the curse and took the...

November 16, 2016 Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rv 4:1-11 I, John, had a vision of an open door to heaven,and I heard the trumpetlike voicethat had spoken to me before, saying,“Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards.”At once I was caught up in spirit. A throne was there in heaven, and on the throne sat onewhose appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian.Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an emerald.Surrounding the throne I saw twenty-four other throneson which twenty-four elders sat,dressed in white garments and with...

By grace, God offers the righteousness of Christ to all who put their trust in Him. For all who believe, all who have faith in Him, the merit of Christ is reckoned to their account. Does this exclude good works in the life of the believer? By no means. Our justification is always unto good works. Though no merit ever proceeds from our works, either those done before our conversion or those done afterward, good works are a necessary fruit of true faith. “Necessary fruit?” Yes, necessary. Good works are not necessary for us to earn our justification. They are...

"By faith Noah . . . condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Heb 11:7). Your actions and words should rebuke our godless society. Genesis 6:5 says, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Before moving in judgment against the most evil and corrupt society in history, God appointed Noah to build an ark, which became a symbol of life and salvation to all who believed God. For those who disbelieved, it...