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Posted on 05/26/2006 6:59:05 AM PDT by Billie
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Every Thursday at the Finest  |
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Wonderful post, Aqua.
May 28, 2006
READ: Ephesians 6:10-18
Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14 In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera, a young chorus girl named Christine Daae receives voice training from a mysterious musician she calls the “Angel of Music.” Christine believes this is the angel her dying father had promised to send to complete her musical training.
As the plot thickens, we find that her mysterious mentor is really a demented man who wants to carry her away into a bizarre underworld beneath the opera house. What the girl thinks is a supernatural agent sent by her beloved father is really a madman who wants to possess her for his own ends. The “Angel of Music” is evil masquerading as good.
The believer in Christ also faces an evil one who masquerades. One of Satan’s key strategies is to look like someone who is good. Paul told us, “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The Greek word translated as “transforms” means “to change appearance, masquerade, or disguise oneself.”
In preparing us to face the evil strategies of the devil, God has provided all the equipment we need to stand our ground. Protecting ourselves with the armor of God unmasks the evil that opposes us and stabilizes our spiritual walk (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Bible in One Year: Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 10:24-42
Good morning, Rus! Hope your holiday weekend is filled with family fun and honoring our troops. I just read that the State Democratic Convention was going to be in Buffalo...God help that town! :o)
Sing out in church this morning....we can all be "angels of song". Thanks for our beautiful lesson from God's Word!
Did you read that in my site?
Oh what a thrill having all the Dems here in the city.
I hope the unions protest as they have threatened to.
Bill and her heinous too... wow, the hollywood glamore of it all.
I am going to try and attend the rally for the Democrat opponent for governor.
Tom Suozzi is challenging Spitzer.
There...and in our local newspaper this morning. I immediately thought of you. I was hoping you'd show up there and challenge them on the issues that need to be addressed. But you'd probably get thrown out.
You'll have to scrub the whole city when Hitlery and her Bill leave! Ick! It should be very interesting. Have fun with it! ;o)
"In preparing us to face the evil strategies of the devil, God has provided all the equipment we need to stand our ground. Protecting ourselves with the armor of God unmasks the evil that opposes us and stabilizes our spiritual walk (Ephesians 6:10-18). "
Good Sunday Morning.
Thank you for reminding us of the spiritual battles we face daily. And the need to put on the whole armor of God.
This was the scripture reading I lead today in Church.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Worship Leader: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Congregation: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Worship Leader: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Congregation: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Worship Leader: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Congregation: And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Worship Leader: Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Congregation: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Worship Leader: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–
Everyone: Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." Ronald Reagan
"Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains." Winston Churchill, Sir (1874-1965)
"I remember a couple of days after Sept. 11 writing that weepy candlelight vigils were a cop-out: the issue wasn't whether you were sad about the dead people but whether you wanted to do something about it." Mark Steyn, Chicago Sun-Times, September 5, 2004.
9/11 Tribute, The Blood of Heroes. Be sure to have your speakers on. http://members.cox.net/classicweb/Heroes/heroes.htm
Senator John McCain at Pat Tillman's funeral: "In our blessed and mostly peaceful society we're not as familiar with courage as we once were. We are obliged to value our blessings, and to pay our debts to those who sacrificed to secure them for us.
They are blood debts we owe to the policemen and firemen who raced into the burning towers that others fled; to the men and women who left for dangerous, distant lands to take the war to our enemies and away from us, and to those who fought in all the wars of our history.
Our country's security doesn't depend on the heroism of every citizen. Nor does our individual happiness depend upon proving ourselves heroic. But we have to be worthy of the sacrifices made on our behalf. We have to love our freedom, not just for the ease or material benefits it provides, not just for the autonomy it guarantees us, but for the goodness it makes possible. We have to love it so much we won't let it be constrained by fear or selfishness. We have to love it as much, even if not as heroically, as Pat Tillman loved it.
No, I didn't take that photo of the Blue Angels. I do have photos from last year that I took.
I love my freedom. My heartfelt thank you to all who have served our great nation. Without them, I would not know what freedom is. God Bless each and every one of them.
A blessed Memorial Day to you and yours.
Thanks Colleen, same to you.
Planting flowers and plants, was taking a break...back to work.
Nice to see ya here :-)
Yes, this is a great time to do some planting. I have a little back yard, it's looks like a dog kennel, lol, well, a bit bigger, but I like to plant a few flowers at this time of the year.
I'm so jealous. ;) How exciting you got to see them! :)
Happy Memorial Day Victoria :)
Thanks much, Happy Memorial Day to you, too.
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