Praise is.......

The debate about the right or wrong of certain 'activities' such as dancing, entertainment, consuming of certain beverages, etc in a Christian's lifestyle  goes on and on, and has about as many different opinions as there are stars in the sky.  When it comes down to it, however, the ONLY "opinion" on these matters, uh, matters- and that is what GOD says about it.  The rule of thumb for us as Christians to live by, in ANY area, is very simple really.....I know it's corny cliche now, but, WWJD???  Seriously, think about this.....that movie you're watching- would Jesus choose to watch it?  Would he "express" himself the way you do?  Would he spend his leisure time the way you do, enjoy the same activities you do? 

On another note (but actually the same), the subject of praise:  When people start voicing their opinions on the right and wrongs of praise, it can get downright hilarious!!  Church A thinks anything that is not in a hymnal is of the devil.   Church B thinks everything IN the hymnal is boring and obsolete, so they trash them!   Church C has 'watchers' to make sure no one 'gets out of hand' in their exuberance, and if there is an incident, the offender is quietly escorted to a side room for counseling....... while Church D's praise portion of the service somewhat resembles a combination of a rock concert / hip-hop convention / and the home stadium, seconds after a Super Bowl win! 

Who's right?  Who's wrong? Again- what does GOD say about this?  Praise is, after all, about HIM.....not for OUR entertainment, right?

Hebrews 12: 28 says Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.......

Biblical worship (yesterday) was reverent, holy......it was jubilant, yes!  It was joyful, it was celebrative, yes it was!  BUT, it was never lewd, suggestive, or resembled a drunken frat party in any way. 






Heavenly worship (forever) will be the same.  It is a level of reverence and holiness, and breathtaking awe such as no one has ever seen or heard! 

So doesn't it stand to reason that God intends for our praise and worship of him (today) follow the same standards?  Can you honestly see some of the ridiculousness that goes on in some church circles today, going on around the throne of God almighty?!  I highly doubt that David, or the crowds of worshipers who welcomed Jesus into the city were emulating the latest popular dance craze of their day to entertain the crowds.  Their focus, the object of their affection was The LORD!  Their physical praise was nothing more than an expression of the joy in their hearts, it was pure, it was as innocent as the excitement a small child exudes when their father comes into view after a long absence, and it would have never been anything else.  THAT is godly praise- the love a child of God displays who adores their Father.

MANY, or few?

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. MANY will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."  Matthew 7:21-27

This passage tells us a couple of things:

A)  There is going to be a LOT (many) of people who claim to be Christians, that will be cast out of God's presence in the end.  It says they 'called' him Lord- people who don't claim to be Christians do not call him Lord, or pray to him....nor do they prophesy, cast our devils, or do wonderful works in the name of the Lord- "CHURCH people" do these things.  It is a great falsehood that all who 'believe in God', or 'go to church' are going to inherit the Kingdom of God- in fact, according to vs 13 and 14 of this same chapter, the MAJORITY of those who call themselves Christian will not > "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and MANY there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find IT.

B)  When THE storm comes, a LOT (many) of "Christian" empires will come crashing down, violently

If the reality of this would really sink in to the hearts of churches across America, a lot of the nonsense and game-playing going on within a lot of them would come to a screeching halt.  We are embroiled in an all-out SPIRITUAL WAR right now, and a lot within the church are layin around inside the barracks, polishing, admiring, and comparing their weapons instead of using them as the offensive weapons they were meant to be.  The enemy is advancing at a rapid rate, but we are too engrossed in entertaining ourselves to notice.  The concept of CHURCH has long been lost- it exists for 3 reasons:  To worship GOD, to encourage each OTHER, and to become equipped to go out into the battlefield and rescue the lost!  But tragically, MANY have put those 3 reasons on the back burner (IF they are even recognized at ALL anymore) for ONE main reason> church is about SELF now.  It's structured to be convenient for SELF, to feed SELF, to entertain SELF, to stroke SELF'S feelings, and to affirm SELF.  And if it should ever have the audacity to judge SELF, to make SELF uncomfortable, to bring conviction upon SELF, or to tell SELF that it is wrong, then SELF leaves and finds another SELF catering 'church'.  This does not describe the CHURCH that Christ is returning for.  Do most of us even understand what the words of this old chorus mean?

"In times like these, we need a Savior
 in times like these, we need an anchor
 be very sure, be VERY SURE
 your anchor holds and grips the solid rock
 and this rock is JESUS, HE'S the one
 this rock is Jesus, God's only son
 be very sure, be VERY SURE
 your anchor holds and grips the solid rock"

HERE COME DA JUDGE!!!

Pope Francis gave some surprising answers in a candid news conference with reporters as he flew back to Rome from his celebrated trip to Brazil. For instance, he said he won't judge priests for their sexual orientation: "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" He also said the Catholic Church needs to build a bigger role for women, though stopped far short of suggesting they be ordained as priests. He also said he appreciates being challenged by his advisers: "I like it when someone tells me, 'I don't agree. This is a true collaborator. When they say 'Oh, how great, how great, how great,' that's not useful." http://yhoo.it/1e5NZxi 


I am so SICK TO DEATH of this "Who are WE to JUDGE! Who are YOU to JUDGE!" garbage! Standing up for righteousness, calling sin SIN, not cow-towing to rebellious carnal minded people within the church because we don't want to OFFEND them or hurt their feelings has nothing to do with JUDGING somebody. Good gosh, sometimes I think "judge not lest ye be judged" is the ONLY sentence in the word of God that most people in the church ever bothered to read, but the sure do have it memorized! That one scripture is used, or should I say ABUSED, more than any other probably- used by do-it-yourself 'Christians' to justify the sinful lifestyles they refuse to come out of. ALL Christians have faults and things that they battle.....but hating something and battling it is a completely different thing than cuddling up to it and affectionately petting it! Homosexuality is SINFUL, it is a stench in God's nostrils and a slap in his face. It is a CHOICE- a rebellious wicked minded choice, and GOD will not tolerate it EVER! And for other Christians to keep silent about it happening IN THE CHURCH, patting people on the back who claim the name of Christ yet swim in the homosexual cesspool, and LYING to them that God agrees with, understands, AND accepts it, because we think warning them about it would make them feel like we were JUDGING them....is a gross violation of what GOD commanded his people to do, such as "Cry aloud, spare not. Lift up your voice like a trumpet and declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins!" (Isaiah 58:1) ......

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.” Ezekiel 3:17-21

WAR in America!

We need to pray AGAINST this satanic force of racial tension in our country. It is very serious folks. I'm not trying to be an alarmist, and I know everybody's tired of hearing about....you know who.....but, we need to understand the tactics of the enemy. We as God's people don't need to retreat to our homes and cower in fear, but neither do we need to ignore the situation and complacently allow this cancer of hatred and divisiveness to destroy America from within. GOD'S people need to rise up and take a stand....and I do NOT mean against a race of people! ......

Ephesians 6:10-18 says....

"In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to STAND UP AGAINST [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and STAND your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to STAND [firmly in your place].

STAND therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of INTEGRITY and of MORAL RECTITUDE AND RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD

And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.

Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the SPIRIT wields, which is the Word of GOD.

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end, KEEP ALERT and WATCH with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

 

"A TERRORIST BY ANY OTHER NAME......"

I don't think I have ever witnessed anything more disrespectful (and might I add "traitorous") to American military, than for that spineless Eric Holder and his boss to classify the Fort Hood shooting as "workplace violence" instead of what it so obviously is, a terrorist act!  What more evidence did they need???  Hasan should be treated no differently than Dzhokhar  Tsarnaev is/will be for bombing the marathon, or even Mohamed Atta and his bunch WOULD have been if they had somehow survived the WTC attacks!  He's a TERRORIST- a Muslim radical, who was born, raised, and educated right here in America.  a 'home-grown' terrorist, if you will.....but a terrorist nevertheless. 

Workplace violence is an act committed by employees, because of mental instability or retaliation against the company, usually for unfair disciplinary actions or even termination of employment.  Workplace violence is not committed because of demented radical religious and/or political beliefs, by someone who has been observed for YEARS prior, engaging in suspicious activity and behavior, such as corresponding with notorious Al-Queda leaders and blatantly expressing (in front of MANY witnesses) his growing disdain for the American military and their "war against Islam" as he saw it.

Why wasn't anything done about this ticking time-bomb before he blew?  WHY was he not stripped of the medals AND the American military uniform that he wore but no longer deserved the honor to wear, and DIShonorably discharged, and even court-marshaled on charges of treason?!  WHY is this low-life living comfortably in 'prison' and drawing a bigger salary than American cops, firemen, and teachers ever thought of drawing?! WHY HAS HE NOT BEEN PROPERLY LABELED FOR WHAT HE IS, AND NOW ABOUT TO BE TRIED FOR WHAT HE IS, BY HIS MUSLIM BROTHER AND FRIEND WHO SWORE TO PROTECT US???!!!

It is a gross travesty, and a slap in the face of each and every one of his victims and their family members!  Even to the FOURTEENTH murdered victim, who is not included on the list......because he/she was the unborn baby of murdered Private First Class Francheska Velez

"America's budget: A gross imbalance"

It never ceases to amaze me these days, how politicians try to make it seem so difficult, and nearly impossible, to balance the budget and reduce the outrageous and ridiculously out-of-control deficit of this country.  I don't know if you have ever seen the movie "Dave" or not, but if you have, you will recall the scene in which Dave brings his good friend, the accountant, in to help him balance the budget, and, after pulling an all-nighter over deli food and putting their two heads together, they actually pull it off?!  It is my opinion that something this simple could actually work- it is nothing that a good accountant couldn't fix, IF they were given the freedom to take monies spent on extravagance and ridiculous purposes, and apply them to sensible and badly deficient areas!

Recently, several Oklahoma children died when a devastating tornado tore their school to shreds as they huddled in the hallway for protection.  Had the tornado been an EF-2 or 3, they might have stood a chance....but it was a massive EF-5 with wind speeds measuring over 200 mph.  No one in it's path who was not sheltered underground or in a specially constructed storm safe room was able to survive it's fury.  Moore OK is located in one of the most dangerous hot spots of Tornado Alley.  Only 100 Oklahoma schools are equipped with storm safe rooms - 1700 are not.  State officials say that part of the reason for this is because each safe room is estimated to cost $1 million dollars to construct.  Why do OK state officials even have to ask the federal government for the money to build these safe rooms?!  In fact, storm safe rooms should be made a basic requirement for new school construction in tornado prone areas.

Why are millions of dollars each year spent on the Secret Service entourages to accompany the Obamas and the Bidens on all their many vacation adventures all over the world, when that money could be spent on re-enforcing entrances to our schools with better security equipment and armed guards, and also other armed guards patrolling the hallways and monitoring classrooms?!  




 
Why are we spending millions on fighter jets to send to terrorist controlled countries when thousands of Americans don't even have a car to drive?  Why are we being forced to pay for programs to teach people in other countries job skills or how to grow gardens, or spending ungodly amounts of money on government assistance for illegal foreigners, when there are entire communities in America's poverty stricken regions who are living in squalor without basics like electricity, adequate plumbing, medical care, FOOD?!  Why isn't all that money being spent teaching our OWN to read and write, teaching them better parenting skills, nutrition, repairing their homes, and/or giving THEM food/medical/housing assistance?!  

 

Why do we have "leaders" that could take the money they spend on just ONE of their (many) vacations or all-star parties, and build and entire neighborhood of Habitat For Humanity houses that AMERICAN homeless people could live in?!?!  





WHY DO WE TOLERATE THINGS LIKE THIS>>>

$30 million to Pakistani mango farmers - part of a four-year, $90 million effort to boost hiring and sales among Pakistani businesses funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

$765,828 to the Anacostia Economic Development Corp to build an International House of Pancake franchise (and train its workers) in an "underserved community." - Columbia Heights, which is termed "one of Washington's more desirable neighborhoods."

$113,277 to The International Center for the History of Electronic Games to conduct a detailed conservation survey of video games.

$484,000 to build a Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers franchise in Arlington TX

$100,000 for a celebrity chef show in Indonesia. The Washington State Fruit Commission was given the grant to help promote their fruit and cooking recipes in "an emerging market."

$10 million to fund the production of a Pakistani version of Sesame Street called "SimSim Humara"

$550,000 for "Rockin' the Kremlin", a documentary on how rock and roll contributed to the end of the cold war. 

$702,558 to bring television to Vietnamese villages: Researchers at Pennsylvania State University wanted to know how television affects family formation and reproductive health. So the government paid to bring the TVs and gas generators, because, of course, these villages also don't have electric power?

$706,065 to produce the series "Diary of a Single Mom" which chronicles the lives and challenges of three single mothers and their families trying to get ahead despite obstacles that all single mothers face, such as childcare, healthcare, education, and finances.  In addition to the production costs, $230,753 was paid to Townsend Entertainment, Inc. to direct the show.

$75,000 to increase awareness about the role Michigan plays in the production of Christmas trees and poinsettias. 

$356,933 awarded to The University of Kentucky to study how cocaine effects sex drive- tests were performed on Japanese quail. 

$2 million federal grant money toward the construction of The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center, which has been trying to raise $6.3 million for a new facility in Washington wine country. The center, owned by the Port of Benton, hopes to educate the public about Washington State‘s diverse wine and food industry.  The Clore Center is expected to be a destination for wine and food education, featuring a tasting room, kitchen, exhibits, teaching vineyards, gardens, teaching classrooms and conference rooms

$200 million annually is spent by The Department of Agriculture‘s Market Access Program (MAP) to subsidize advertising, market research, and travel around the globe for various industry groups, cooperatives, corporations, and their members or employees.  Well-known American brands like Welch‘s, Sunkist, and others have received tens of millions of dollars from taxpayers to promote their products.  Since 1999, total reimbursements for MAP‘s international market promotion activities have reached nearly $2 billion.  Basically, what this means is, huge corporations who net billions each year in revenue from us, are given even more of our tax dollars to fund their advertising and marketing to us

$96,000 in federal stimulus funds went to purchase i-pads for kindergartners in one school district in Maine

$916,567 given to the Wisconsin Historical Society to conduct archaeological surveys of five shipwrecks, that represent a cross section of historically significant vessel types that have sailed Wisconsin waters....and also to install exhibits in a carriage museum and a visitor center at Wade House, a historical tourist destination in Wisconsin.

$23 million to help industries in Pakistan develop plans on how to use less energy, because of the frequency of power outages they experience

$86,000 of federal grant money went to a ski museum in New Hampshire to create a new exhibit telling the story of skiing from the Stone Age to present day.

$111,000 in federal funds will pay for a delegation of hops and brewing experts to travel to China to conduct a series of classes for Chinese breweries

$149,900 to Researchers at the University of California-Riverside to create a video game called Rapid Guppy for cell phones and other mobile devices. In the game, targeted for students 12-21 years old, users control the growth and evolution of a guppy

$764,825 to the University of Notre Dame to study the wireless and social networking habits of college freshmen.

$1.35 million for the development of curriculum, courses, and faculty at Cave' Hill School of Business in Barbados to teach students how to create and manage entrepreneurial start-ups. 

$24,450 tax dollars paid for a US Coast Guard New Orleans Mardi Gras float in 2011

$150,000 in tax dollars to renovate the carriage house to a mansion in Salt Lake City owned by Albert Fisher, a turn of the century beer brewing businessman.

$1.1 million in tax dollars to restore a 56 ft long covered bridge in PA. The National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program was given $8.3 million in 2011 for projects such as this

$100,000 given to The Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) University Center at Becker College for the development of more 'intellectual' video games.

$170,000 awarded to a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher to study changes in

hookah smoking habits and beliefs of university students in Jordan.

$425,642 paid for a study on how local politicians in India through better communications can improve as elected officials.

$306,000 in U.S. taxpayer money paid for an initiative called Summer Institutes for European Student Leaders. This funding allows high school and college students from Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to come to the U.S.at U.S. taxpayer expense to learn about civic activism and environmental leadership at American colleges.

$600,000 to Researchers at Columbia University to study how heterosexuals use the internet to meet one another, and how that activity influences their sexual behavior.

$198,000 to the University of California-Riverside from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study motivations, expectations and goal pursuit in social media.

$338,998  awarded by the National Science Foundation to study the impact of women on the Icelandic textile industry from the Viking Era to the 19th Century.  The research investigates the roles of imported textiles and dyes within Iceland and the ways that women's work in textile production influenced both Iceland‘s domestic and international commerce.

$130,000 awarded by The National Science Foundation  to Christine and Jonathan Bird to redesign Mr. Bird‘s website called "Jonathan Bird‘s Blue World".  Blue World is a television show that often airs on PBS stations.

 and the list goes on

• Moroccan pottery classes (part of a $27 million grant from U.S. Agency for International Development)
• Efforts to promote caviar consumption and production ($300,000)
• “Prom Week,” a video game that allows taxpayers to relive prom night ($516,000)
• Penny production. Manufacturing a penny now costs 2.4 cents each. ($70 million annually)
• Golf putting study. NSF funds go to a study of how golfers can putt better if they envision the hole is bigger. ($350,000)
• NSF funds spent on a musical about biodiversity and climate change. ($445,444)
• Beef jerky defense. DOD is researching a new way to make beef jerky with processed meat. Several other jerky companies have received federal funds this year. ($700,000)
• Researchers study whether the elderly could play World of Warcraft to increase their cognitive function. They used NSF funding. ($1.2 million)

"GONE BLIND"

Every sin begins with a root of selfishness.  We've heard the old acronym- JOY is putting Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last- Jesus said the first greatest commandment was loving GOD with all our heart, mind, and soul- the second greatest commandment is to love OTHERS as much as ourselves.  We must put God first in all we do, and not put ourselves first at the expense of others.....If we live our lives in this manner, we won't be controlled by sin, ANY sin. 

Speaking of how easily the antichrist will be able to deceive people, even people who THINK they "have it all together" spiritually, the Apostle Paul wrote these words:
 "...And by unlimited seduction to evil and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing (going to perdition) because they did not welcome the Truth but refused to love it that they might be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a misleading influence, a working of error and a strong delusion to make them believe what is false, in order that all may be judged and condemned who did not believe in [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely on] the Truth, but [instead] took pleasure in unrighteousness.

Sadly, we see so much of this in the church world today- the refusal to obey God, of seeking after HIS righteousness, of allowing him to change us, of holding on to sinful ways, because WE SEE NOTHING WRONG with it.  May God open ALL of our eyes, may he search ALL of our hearts, and reveal to us what HE sees, and may we submit ourselves to his will, repent, and turn from our selfish motives