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Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall
others grow. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came
upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. He
shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he
shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his
righteousness.

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let
them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them
also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Thou wilt shew me the
path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right
hand there are pleasures for evermore. And now shall mine head
be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I
offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I
will sing praises unto the Lord.

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life:
weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for
joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Let them shout for joy,
and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say
continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in
the prosperity of his servant.

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount
Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. The
pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered
over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt
judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
Selah.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Let thy priests be
clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. I
will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints
shall shout aloud for joy.

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in
due season, how good is it! The father of the righteous shall
greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have
joy of him.

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I
withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all
my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. For God
giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge,
and joy. For he shall not much remember the days of his life;
because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a
merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Therefore with joy
shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. The meek also
shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men
shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. It shall blossom
abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and
Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency
of our God. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come
to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they
shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away.

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste
places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her
desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be
found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Therefore
the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they
shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall
flee away. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places
of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath
redeemed Jerusalem. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led
forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth
before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall
clap their hands.

Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went
through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of
many generations. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to
give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they
might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the
Lord, that he might be glorified.

But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create:
for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a
joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and
the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the
voice of crying.

Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; your
brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake,
said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your
joy, and they shall be ashamed. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and
be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with
her, all ye that mourn for her. Then shall the virgin rejoice in
the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn
their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them
rejoice from their sorrow. And it shall be to me a name of joy,
a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth,
which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they
shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the
prosperity that I procure unto it.

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the
bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that
shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for
his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the
sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause
to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the
Lord.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and
the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast
of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness,
and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your
reward is great in heaven. For the kingdom of God is not meat
and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the
Holy Ghost.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see
him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full
of glory.

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be
glad also with exceeding joy. And these things write we unto
you, that your joy may be full.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Glimpses
of God © by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/ This writing
may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact, for
non-profit ministering purposes.

It is not certain that anyone has tried to prepare a list of all forms of religion that one can come across worldwide. A great deal of people make a living out of religion. We can state the obvious by saying that they seem to have made an excellent choice of profession. What makes the practice of religion so overpowering is the human perception of the awesome GOD.

The most illustrative evidence of GOD is in the writings of Moses as part of the Bible. The presence of GOD was almost palpable. There has never been a comparable experience to that the Jews had with GOD. We shall not attempt to turn this occasion into a review of those events. However, there is nothing to diminsh the authenticity of those events.

Man looks up to GOD in moments of grave difficulties, and the future threatens everything calamitous. The most obvious way to approach GOD is through religion. Those who believe in GOD, but practise religion as a matter of convenience, seek those who are more conversant with seeking GOD. Some have no confidence in their religion to provide the help sought. Therefore, they turn to other form of religion. The others seem to have enough confidence to approach the LORD GOD at any time.

Those who believe in religion accept the existence and the supreme power of GOd over the entire creation. It is rather curious that they do not reckon with the fairness of GOD to treat all men equal. It becomes obvious anyway when moment of unequalness occurs. Otherwise, all men irrespective of what you may choose as profession, are equal before GOD.

We live in a physical world. Under suitable conditions, all things in the physical are visible. It seems that GOD does not belong to our physical world. Religion is the vehicle of access. Since GOD is not physical, He must have His existence in the Spiritual. In that case, the approch that matters must be spiritual.

I am a Nigerian. I went to Britain for my university education. I obtained from the University of London B.Sc. Hons Physics, and M.Sc. Solid State Physics. Back in Nigeria, I taught at universities and polytechnics before I retired. I’m in United States to publish my book titled: The True Mission of Christ. The content is by Divine revelation in my dreams over a period of years. The book details what is wrong with the practice of Christianity. This puts it in a class of its own. It is different from the other Christian religious books. My web site for the book is: http://www.babasanyacraig.com.

About Being a Christian
What is a Christian? According to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, the general definition of a Christian is “One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.”

There are many Christian denominations, each varying slightly in its interpretation of the Bible teachings. But, the basic, fundamental trait of all Christians is their belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. Christians believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, died on the cross for the sins of mankind, was resurrected, and returned to Heaven. Christians also believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ. The Bible is regarded as Holy Scripture, the Word of God.

“l am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Fellowship with other Christians and make new friends at ChristianMingle.com.

Bible references to consider:
Jesus Christ was, and is, the eternal Son of the eternal God
Isaiah 7:14 ; 9:6 | Matt. 3:17 | Luke 9:35 | John 1:1-3,14 ; 10:30 ; 14:9 ; 17:1-5 | I Tim.3:16

He came from Heaven, was born of a virgin called Mary, lived a sinless life on earth yet died for our sins at Calvary’s cross.
Isaiah 59:2 | Gal. 4:4,5 | I John 4:10,14,19 | I Peter 2:22-25 ; 3:18

He was buried, rose again the third day according to the scriptures and is now seated at the right hand of His Father, God, in Heaven.
I Cor. 15:3,4 | Acts 13:30 | Romans 4:24,25 | Hebrews 1:3 ; 8:1 ; 10:12 ;1 2:2

Bible is divinely inspired word of God.
Psalms 119:89,105,140 | II Timothy 3:16 | II Peter 1:21

Existence of a literal Heaven to gain, as well as a literal Hell to shun.
John 14:1-3 | Luke 16:23 ; 23:43 | John 3:16-18,36 | II Corinthians 5:8

Christians should be gathered unto the name and person of the Lord Jesus Christ for public worship, praise and ministry of the word of God.
Matthew 18:20 | I Corinthians 5:4 | Psalms 50:5 ; 100:4 | Hebrews 13:13,15

About the Author

Tracy Jones was always active in local and international ministries. She was a faithful member and treasurer of the local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for many years. Tracy graduated from FSU in 1987 and has earned 18 years of business experience. Since 1997 she has built business in the technology industry with Yahoo!, Inc. and was recently recruited by Spark Networks to build ChristianMingle.com personals service.

In 1994, the Holy Father authorized the publication of a new
Catechism of the Catholic Church. This was a cause for great joy
for it had been over four centuries since the last catechism had
been promulgated. At that time the Church was trying to
reconcile the impact of the Protestant “Reformation” and needed
to clarify her teachings for those in spiritual turmoil. Fast
forward to the twenty-first century and, once again, Christians
face challenges for which they need deep insights and clear
answers. This wonderful book has answered the call.

>From nuclear war to stem cell research, modern Catholics wrestle
with issues that are simply not addressed in the Sacred
Scriptures and far removed from our childhood CCD classes. The
new Catechism fills the void by carefully delineating the
teachings of the Church and the source reference of those
teachings. The second edition of the Catechism (green cover) was
released in 1997 and contains improvements from the first
edition such as inclusion of a comprehensive index and glossary.

Reading and studying the text, however, can be a bit daunting to
the average Catholic. A catechism is a reference text and should
be read as such. Small forays into its depths with subsequent
time for reflection is more productive than attempting to read
it like a novel. Like Scripture, it presupposes a certain
understanding of Sacred Tradition. Without this grounding,
readers may have difficulty unearthing the great wisdom in its
pages.

Perhaps a short review of some key building blocks of the
Catholic faith will assist in this regard. The Magisterium is
the teaching authority of the Church which, guided by the Holy
Spirit, seeks to safeguard and explain the truths of the faith.
Magisterium comes from the Latin magister meaning “to teach.”
All the world’s bishops united with the Pope comprise the
Magisterium. Their singular goal is to protect the authentic
teachings of Christ until the end of time.

The Deposit of Faith is the body of saving truth entrusted by
Christ to the Apostles and handed on by them to the Church to be
preserved and proclaimed. This deposit has numerous components,
such as the oral tradition of the Apostles, Sacred Scripture,
writings of the Fathers of the Church, the documents of the
twenty-one Councils of the Church, testimonials of the Saints
and Doctors of the Church, and pontifical “teaching letters”
(known as encyclicals). As evidenced by the list, the Roman
Catholic religion runs deep and wide.

As with any component of the Deposit of Faith, however, the
Catechism does not stand alone but is part of a vast mosaic.
Like hyperlinks on the Internet, the new Catechism presents a
teaching and then leads us on to other references so we can
pursue the supporting Scripture passage, theological writings or
conciliar document. Those who contend that the Bible is the sole
reference for faith life miss out on these profound resources.

How is the catechism structured? It begins with the Apostolic
Letter from the Holy Father which describes the evolution of the
text and authorizes it as a valid reference for teaching the
faith. A review of the Contents page shows that the catechism is
set upon four “pillars” which form the framework of the entire
text. These pillars, and the doctrines they present, are as
follows:

Profession of Faith - This part of the Catechism discusses man’s
relationship with God and the unfolding of God’s revelation to
man. God chose to reveal Himself slowly over time as Father, Son
and Spirit, and the reader begins to see the deep mystery of
this relationship. The text carefully lays out the importance of
the Old and New Testaments and their value to the Christian. The
reader is then taken on a journey through the twelve articles of
the Profession of Faith, the creed that summarizes the key
truths of the Catholic religion. In summary, this part of the
Catechism explains:

A. Divine Revelation

B. Apostolic Tradition

C. Relationship between Scripture and Tradition

D. Sacred Scripture

E. The Profession of Faith (referencing the Apostle’s and Nicene
Creeds)

Celebration of Christian Mystery - In this part of the
Catechism, we plumb the depths of the seven Sacraments. Many of
us received the Sacraments in our youth but never understood how
deeply they are grounded in Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the
teachings of the great Fathers of the Church. The new Catechism
opens up each Sacrament and carefully explains the layers of
meaning for each of these powerful gifts. Living among many
“Bible-only” Christian groups, this exposition is most valuable
in helping us defend these profound moments of grace. The text
also gives us an understanding of sacramentals, those physical
objects which serve to excite pious devotion and remembrance of
holy people or events. In summary, this part of the Catechism
explains:

A. The Sacraments of Initiation, Healing, and Vocation

B. Sacramentals

Life in Christ - This part of the Catechism encapsulates the
teachings of the faith on the inestimable value and dignity of
human life. It is here where we explore those issues that often
put the Church at odds with the global “culture of death.” We
learn about how, from the earliest years of the faith,
Christians honored human life from conception to natural death.
We go on to learn how, contrary to societal notions, sin and its
devastating effects cannot be masked behind euphemisms or
“relative” morality. The Catechism conducts an exhaustive review
of the Ten Commandments, reminding us that they are still in
force and how they must serve as the template to shape our
lives. In summary, this part of the Catechism explains:

A. Dignity of the Human Person

B. Christian Morality

C. Virtues

D. Sin

E. Social Justice

F. The Ten Commandments

Christian Prayer - The last section of the Catechism offers
insights into the importance of maintaining intimate contact
with our Creator through prayer. We learn about the various
types of prayer, the intrinsic value of prayer and the
obstructions that can affect the quality of our prayer life.
Prayer is essential to our pilgrimage but, like any endeavor, it
takes practice and commitment. Saints have reminded us that God
is interested in quality, not quantity. The Catechism closes
with a superb exposition of the Our Father, the prayer taught to
us by the Lord himself. In summary, this part of the Catechism
explains:

A. The Revelation of Prayer

B. The Tradition of Prayer

C. The Life of Prayer

D. The Lord’s Prayer

A wonderful feature of the book is that, after every few pages,
there is a bullet-type summary (known as In Brief) encapsulating
the major points presented. In a culture grown accustomed to
sound bites, each In Brief section gives us a quick review and
provides the cross-reference back to the main text. These
summaries come in handy when the material is especially deep or
theologically complex.

A journey through this profound document would be extremely
difficult were it not for the supporting material that comprises
almost one-fourth of the book’s total pages. Located at the very
back of the Catechism, this material gives us the tools to
pursue the source of Catholic beliefs and doctrines. It starts
off with the Index of Citations which give us the source
reference of each footnote, from Sacred Scripture (all taken
from the Revised Standard Version or the New Revised Standard
Version of the Bible) to the Ecumenical Councils, the Pontifical
Documents, Canon Law, and the Ecclesiastical Writers.

Perhaps the most important navigation tool is the Index of
Topics, an improvement made to the second edition of the
Catechism. This comprehensive Index is a wonderful pathway to
the vast array of topics inside. Those new to the faith find it
especially helpful to go here first. They find a topic of
interest or concern to them and zero in on the appropriate
paragraph in the text to see where the Church stands on that
issue. Coming from a “Bible only” background, it is often a
revelation for them to see that the Church has squarely faced
the difficult issues of the age and given a clear, supported
teaching. For those of us who grew up in the Catholic faith, we
find comfort in the fact that the Catholic Church is consistent,
i.e. that her commitment to virtue, piety and moral living is
always the same no matter what new challenge comes along. The
difficult topics addressed by the Catechism remind us that Holy
Mother Church never was, nor will ever be, afraid to stand as a
moral voice for all ages. A helpful Glossary follows the Index,
which aids in understanding some liturgical or theological terms
we may not come across every day.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a treasure. Its riches
are wide open to the faithful, reminding us that we are members
of an ancient Church, “…so old yet so new.” In mining the
wisdom of its pages we hear, once again, the voices of the
Apostles, the Popes, the Fathers, and the Saints. They remind us
that, in our humility before the world, we can still be proud to
be members of the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ.

Hindus are concentrated in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and these places have been the hot spot of this culture since time immemorial. Unlike other religions, Hinduism does not recognize a single prophet and has multitude of gods and goddesses, mythologically numbering at around 30 millions! Such a figure is given in mythology by people of wisdom who have included all such perceptible forms as things of worship, so that man can see god in them and respect the existence of such all forms (plant, animal, stone, sky, stars, soil, water, rain, fellow human being, etc.

While failing to appreciate such deep meaning of the practices and beliefs, few people from within and outside have started criticizing negatively the Hindu way of life as something of superstition and irrelavancy.The same people have done precious little in appreciating the basic tenets, principles, thoughts, etc. of Hinduism while magnifying the seemingly negative and negative things.

Also, Indian communists never miss an opportunity to point out that the name ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hinduism’ is not ancient and that the name has been given by Persian invaders. Yes, it might me true, but the way of life, its culture being followed since thousands of years in India, Nepal and in earlier days, in many other countries surrounding India, does not cease to exist, just because it does not have a indigenous name. For example, though coconut and rice are predominantly grown in south of India, they are mandatory for religious purposes in all parts of the country. Lord Srirama or Sri Krishna, though are believed to hail from the northern India, and are worshipped through out all the three nations.

The Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists, though follow their own religions are still part of the Hindu way of life in that they worship the Hindu gods and goddesses and even name themselves after the Hindu names. Thus the term Hinduism, irrespective of the time and origin, represents the much older native culture and traditions of ancient India, comprising of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, etc.

Unlike the earlier Islamic invaders, known for violent way of promoting their religion by invading and destroying the local cultures and Christianity which is known for aggressive promotion through missionary activities, Hinduism is never known to have been promoted aggressively or purposively.Hindusim or people of the ancient culture of India have allowed religions like Buddhism to take root in India. In act Buddhism has not been promoted in other countries by Indians who traveled abroad, but it has been taken by those people from other countries who have traveled to India and back to their countries.

Another great aspect of Hinduism is that it has promoted spirituality and recommended restraint in becoming overly materialistic. The knowledge gained by learned people, has been used for general good of the public (such as Ayurveda, Yoga etc). I believe, no other religion or religious literature has such copious mix of spiritualism and knowledge related to daily life applications.

Even many traditional practices, have a scientific background relevant either to the olden times or even the present day. For example cow dung mixed with water is sprinkled in the front yard daily after sweeping and even the mud floors are applied with a dung paste periodically. Sprinkling dung mixed with water is known to be germicidal.

Die hard detractors of Hinduism (read communists of India), should note that the good old traditions cannot be looked with oversight and that Hinduism is not equivalent to casteism alone, which they frequently refer to.

Explaining the Hindu way of life (Dharma)in an article such as this, though may not do justice, it will give insights for further research and understanding the ancient Indian way of life.

Ravikumar Uppaluri holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Sciences and is cofounder of an organization involved in Nature conservation and sustainable development. The author can be reached at uravikumar@yahoo.com

Can You Be a Christian and Believe in an Old Earth? Yes, you
can! There is no verse in the Bible which causes you to accept a
young earth as the only answer. The Bible does not say, “Thou
shalt believe in a young earth.” The fact is, no verse in the
Bible makes any claims as to the age of the earth. All the
so-called verses that young earth proponents point to can be
interpreted by the reader to mean old or young. Also, the key
doctrines of the Bible are not affected by either interpretation.

Many young earth believers will claim that you cannot believe
in an old earth and be a Christian. The reasons for this belief
vary, but there are several overlying principles underneath this
argument.

Death, Disease Before Sin

The Bible teaches that death is the penalty for sin. The young
earth proponent carries it one step further than the Bible
teaches by adding their own belief that there was no physical
death before sin. However, when Adam and Eve sinned, spiritual
death was introduced, not physical death. This mistaken belief
is due to a misinterpretation of the Bible.

Why do they misinterpret this key fact? Let’s look at the key
verses.

Genesis 1:29-31

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the
which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be
for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl
of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
where-in there is life, I have given every green herb for meat;
and it was so. 31And God saw every thing that He had made, and,
behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were
the sixth day.”

Romans 5:12

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death
by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned.”

Yes, Adam introduced death. However, he did not introduce
physical death…only spiritual death. Consider these key points:

1. God said creation was “very good” (Gen 1:31). Young earth
proponents claim it can’t be “very good” if it contained disease
and death. They fail to realize that God created a thriving,
renewing ecosystem. Death and regeneration are crucial to the
working of God’s creation. It was specifically designed this
way. If it were not self-renewing, it would not last very long,
and then God’s creation would indeed not be “very good.”

2. The Bible says that God gave the green plants to all animals
to eat. Young earth proponents claim that since the animals ate
grass, there was no death due to carnivorous activity. However,
the Bible does not say that animals “cannot” eat meat…it only
says they were given grass to eat. God created many animals to
eat meat…without meat, they would die. Click here for a more
expansive treatment of this subject.

3. The Garden of Eden was a special place. According to the
“known world” of Adam and Eve, everything was perfect. It is
possible that in the Garden, the animals could only eat
grass…but what about outside the Garden? Perhaps all the meat
eaters were outside the Garden (I don’t believe this, but it is
food for thought).

4. Spiders are wondrous creatures. They spin their silk webs in
order to ensnare their victims before consuming them. How would
they have survived in a pre-death world? Would their webs have
been used to catch falling leaves? No, they could just simply go
into a tree, or to the ground, to feast on the leaves. Spiders
were created with only one diet in mind…a dead insect.

Also, why were some spiders created with poison? What is the
purpose of this poison? They didn’t need to poison the leaves,
or whatever else they were supposed to eat in the Garden. And,
it could not have been for self-defense, since there were no
predators in the Garden? In fact, the same thing goes for
poisonous snakes. Poison only has one purpose…to kill. Even
poisons that incapacitate are for the same thing in the end, for
once the creature is incapacitated, it is consumed.

The only logical conclusion is that God created poison to kill.
Poison serves no purpose in a calm, friendly Garden with no
death. If God did create poison, according to the young earth
model, then His creation was not perfect, as the poison served
no purpose.

5. It is obvious that these passages mean spiritual death, not
physical. Here’s a simple logical answer…when Adam ate the
forbidden fruit, he entered into spiritual death…he did not
physically die when he bit the fruit. We know this because he
had children with Eve after he ate the fruit. Adam did not
introduce physical death, but spiritual death (see the blue text
box above). In fact, if you read Satan’s dialogue with Eve, then
you will see the answer plain as day. He told Eve she would not
die, but would become knowledgeable. Satan knew that he would be
introducing spiritual death to the world. How else was Satan to
prevent people from following God…killing them physically did
not end their spiritual relationship with God. By introducing
spiritual death, Satan knew he could prevent people from
worshiping God.

6. Young earth proponents claim that sin and suffering entered
the world after the Fall of Man. They claim that disease is a
result of sin. However, what is disease? It is sickness caused
by viruses, bacteria, etc. Did these microorganisms exist before
the fall of man? If you listen to young earth proponents, they
could not have existed before the fall. However, they had to. To
imply that they came about as a result of the fall of man, is to
imply that God created them after Adam sinned. But, since God is
in His seventh day of rest, and the creation is already 100%
complete, he could not have created them after the fall. They
had to be created sometime during the six days of creation.

Here is conclusive proof that bacteria existed before the fall.
How do we know this? Because Adam and Eve were normal human
beings, and as human beings, they required the aid of bacteria
for the breakdown of foods in the human digestive tract. Right
now, as you read this, millions of bacteria cells are in your
colon, breaking down your foods into waste products. (Perhaps
the young-earth proponents will argue that the bacteria and
viruses we have today mutated from this original bacteria
source. There response would be interesting).

7. The rock record, through its fossils, indicates that death
existed for millions of years. By young earth models, all
fossil-bearing rock layers must be laid down after the fall of
man. The mechanism they point to is the Flood of Noah. For a
discussion on why the Flood can’t produce all these rock layers,
click here. Bottom line…if the Flood can’t do it, then there
must have been physical death before sin.

There is absolutely no sound reason for not believing there was
death before the Fall of Man. Now, on to the issue of time.

What is Time?

The other major stumbling block for young earth objections is
time. Here we will examine two concepts; first is God and time,
and second, a weak God.

Nowhere in the Bible does it teach that the earth is young. The
Bible does not say “the earth is 6,000 years old.” Nor does it
say “the earth is 4.5 billion years old.” The fact is, the Bible
makes no claims as to the age of the earth. We must interpret
the age of the earth from science and the Bible.

Young earther’s will make a defense of the “days” of creation
being literal 24-hour days. The truth is, there is no claim in
the Bible that states the length of these days. The “day” as we
know it didn’t even begin until the fourth day of creation, when
the sun and the moon were created (according to young-earth
interpretations). The saying I like to use is, “If you are God,
and you are in outer space, a million miles away from any stars
or planets, then how do you mark the passage of time? As God,
you do not sleep, you do not need rest, therefore time has no
meaning.” When we get to heaven, we will spend eternity there.
Are we going to have clocks in heaven? Wow, there goes another
million years! It won’t matter to us, just like it doesn’t
matter to God.

Should finite man limit infinite God to a twenty-four hour day?
It is finite man that has imposed his interpretation of the word
“day” onto an infinite God. Well, our rules of time don’t apply
to an infinite, everlasting being. Just look at the creation.
God rested on the seventh day. In fact, he is still resting, and
we are still in the seventh day! If this day has lasted for over
6,000 years, then who are we to impose time limits on the other
days of creation? The use of the word day is just so that man
can have some type of framework to understand creation, and does
not imply 24-hour days.

The Bible says in II Peter 3:8, “…that one day is with the
Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” God
does not see time the same way we do! To him, one second could
be a million years. Therefore, no matter what the interpretation
is of the original Hebrew for the word “day,” it does not apply
to an infinite God. The early church fathers, including Justin
Martyr, believed the days of creation were a thousand years
long. Literal days were not even considered until the fourth
century, and it did not become a major theologic issue until the
19th century.

One more point to ponder. Old-earth creationists say the earth
is 4.5 billion years old. Was God here 4.5 billion years ago?
Obviously, the answer has to be yes. Think about it.

Our second major concept concerning time is a weak God. One of
the claims by young-earth creationists is that the old-earth
theory waters down, or weakens, Gods powers, by in effect saying
that if God could not create the earth in six days, then he must
not be as powerful as the Omnipotent God of the young earth
believer.

Here again, simple logic will prevail. It doesn’t matter how
long the period of creation is, God’s power is beyond
comprehension, beyond anyone else’s capabilities, and He remains
omnipotent no matter how long creation lasted. I could say “An
all powerful God could have created the world in six seconds.
Why did it take him six days…he must be weak.” This obviously
is not true.

To prove this, here is the simple argument. I challenge any
young-earth creationist to do this…starting right now, I
challenge you to create a brand new world, complete with new
plant and animal species, complete with a thriving ecosystem,
complete with coal beds, fossils, oceans, etc. And, I’ll even be
generous and give you 10 billion years to do it. Can you do it?
Of course not. But the all-powerful, omnipotent God that we
worship can, and did do it.

Could He have done it in six days? Sure, if He wanted to. If He
wanted to, He could have done it in 6 seconds. Is the God of the
six-day creation weaker because He didn’t do it in 6 seconds? Of
course not.

Conclusion What then are we to conclude? Spiritual death, with
the eternal possibilities of heaven and hell, began with Adam
and Eve. They were the first humans to have this option. But
physical death has been here long before Adam ever walked the
earth.

Concerning age, the creation itself testifies to its age. Job
12:8 says “Speak to the earth, and it will teach you.”
Fortunately, none of the objections of young earth proponents
carries any weight. You can be 100% confident that you can be a
Christian, and believe in an old earth.

The original location of this article is at
http://www.answersincreation.org/question.htm.

Jesus Christ. The First , The Last, The Eternal.
Luke 17:20-17:24 (NIV, NIRV, TNIV, KJV)

Jesus Christ. The First , The Last, The Eternal. Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
There are many times in our lives where we ask ourselves the question;”What is my purpose in Life?” And there are some who make a living, telling others exactly what it is. Many write books covering the subject and others make movies and presentations, but none really address the answer very clearly. Haven you seen time after time children killing themselves because they say that there is no purpose in their lives? The demands of this life time and especially of this upcoming generation is weighing down many a persons spirit, cutting them to the bone, not leaving them any recourse but to go with the flow, being swept away with peer pressure and company abuse. So what is the answer, is it in a book, a movie, a presentation or a single mans idea of life? No, The answer is in Jesus. Lets read a little Scripture and look at the Son of Man. Luke 17:20-24, And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. Counselors, psychriacrist and others say they know what people need, but they never mention Jesus. Jesus, The Son of Man, Son of God, Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Word, The Prince of Peace, The Lord of The Sabbath, The Christ, The Seeker of the Lost, The Avenger, The Rewarder, The First, The Last, The Eternal, The Faithful Witness,The First Begotten of the Dead, The prince of the Kings of the Earth, The Bright and Shining Star, The Alpha, The Omega, The First, The Last, The Morning Star, The Holder of The Key of David, and the Amen. Man writing book after book explaining what our purpose is in this life, giving us, theology, terminology, making trees, animals and even man gods to pray to and seek healing from. False hope, false doctrine, Idol worship and man science. Trying to explain our origin from science, evolution and revolution, new wave religions that can neither hear nor answer prayer. Mankind building up man as a demigod, searching our purpose from the stars and from the Big Bang Theory.
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Matthew 11:27 is a perfect place to start finding your purpose on this earth. You must be known of The Father, you must be recognized by the All Mighty, without Him there is no purpose in your life, except to die and be judged. Is your purpose in life to posses? James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Jer 17:11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. Luke 12:19-20 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
The Bible says no.
[Ref.Jam_1:6, Jam_1:7; Job_27:8-10, Job_35:12; Psa_18:41, Psa_66:18, Psa_66:19; Pro_1:28, Pro_15:8; Pro_21:13, Pro_21:27; Isa_1:15, Isa_1:16; Jer_11:11, Jer_11:14, Jer_14:12; Mic_3:4; Zec_7:13;]
Is our purpose in life to recieve Glory from our name and position in life? John 7:18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 2Co 12:6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.Phi 3:18-19 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) Well the Bible says no, mans glory is fadeing and foolish to try to achieve.
Is our purpose in life to gain riches? Jesus said; “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” “the deceitfulness of riches” Luke 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; James 5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Rev 18:15-17 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, Well again the Bible says no. So then you ask, “What is our purpose in life and who is this Son of Man, Jesus Christ?” The answer is simple; Romans12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Our purpose in Life is to be a living sacrifice to God, to seek His Glory, His Wisdom, His Knowledge, His Acceptance as Children of The Almighty. Our purpose in Life is to Serve as our Saviour Served. Then can we also say that our purpose in life is not to be subject to ordinances?
Col 2:20-23 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. Can we also say then, that this Son of Man is a liveing word from God that is a guide to rightiousness, to Glory, to Honor, to Life, not as we know it but a life eternial in Spirit and not in the flesh? A regenerative Spirit that leads us to God?
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus, The Son of Man, Son of God, Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Word, The Prince of Peace, The Lord of The Sabbath, The Christ, The Seeker of the Lost, The Avenger, The Rewarder, The First, The Last, The Eternal, The Faithful Witness,The First Begotten of the Dead, The prince of the Kings of the Earth, The Bright and Shining Star, The Alpha, The Omega, The First, The Last, The Morning Star, The Holder of The Key of David, and the Amen. Seek out the Son of Man while He still may be Found and know your purpose in Life. ars …

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International
www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

This article represents part 1 in a short series of a brief-but-sound refutation of what Lee Iron’s calls his 4-page “cheat sheet” dubbed “Some Common Theonomic Arguments.” The operative word here is “cheat.” So I have broken down the arguments from his site as Mr. Irons has stated them (prefixing his name to them), and then posted a response from me and “the Theonomic brethren,” here known as “us.” Some of Lee’s arguments have been abbreviated for the sake of literary sanity, but I have made every effort to leave out nothing relevant to the core argument expressed in his article. You can find it at: http://www.upper-register.com/theonomy/commonargs.html. Let the exchange begin.

Lee: It is hoped that the brief responses given here will enable the non-theonomist to hold his own in future discussions and debates when he or she encounters those of the theonomic persuasion.

Us: Hope springs eternal.

Lee: 1. The [Theonomic] ‘No other standard’ argument Where else can we find God’s standards for socio-political justice, except in Scripture, particularly, the Mosaic civil legislation? If we reject the divinely-revealed civil law, we are left with no other standard, condemned to wander in a fog of personal bias and subjective relativism.

One way to respond to this argument is to question the assumption that Scripture is a sufficient source of guidance for societal and political questions.

Us: This response falsely assumes that “political questions” are NEVER ALSO ethical questions (like “Should Christians vote against abortion laws?”). This is called the “either-or fallacy” in informal logic. Since the Word of God is sufficient to answer all ethical questions and has the “consent of all the parts,” this makes denying the Bible’s “political or societal” sufficiency an implicit denial of biblical sufficiency per se. Fun for Romanists, but not a biblical option — see Psalm 19:7ff., 2 Tim. 3:16.]

Lee: No doubt the Bible contains many general principles that are to be observed, but why should it be regarded as a detailed blueprint for society?

Us: We’ll just take a wild stab at this one. Maybe because:

1. Another term for “detailed blueprint for society” is “code of law,” and the Scripture regularly self-refers as the law of the Lord (Ps. 19:7; 119), an international law code. And law codes are necessarily “detailed bluleprints for society.” The Bible says “the law of the Lord is perfect.” Psalm 119 elaborates on the “perfect” law as “graciously sufficient, adequate, lacking nothing, powerful, efficacious.” This detailed blueprint for national and social justice takes the form of legal documents called Testaments (i.e. inscripturated Covenants).

2. Scripture has detailed commands about all sorts of things, including how folks may or may not dress, and how kings must judge. Each king of Israel was required to study the law of the Lord daily that he might “do justice” in his nation.

3. God commands all nations (societies) to obey him (Prov. 14:34), not merely individuals. God commands all kings to do justice in their nations, and nations have to do “detailed things,” like collect and account for taxes, and administer justice in their courts. Anyone who thinks this is not a detailed business need only read the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to become overly-convinced.

4. All Christians are “kings and priests to our God” (Rev. 1:8), and thus must study and follow the example of the good kings of Israel, insofar as their station in life and calling permit it. Moreover, they must call upon others in their nation to do likewise — including the civil magistrates (as did John the Baptist, and the other prophets). For it says: “Rebuke your neighbor frankly, do not share in his sin.”

5. God gave special revelation to Israel AS A NATION, so it would be a royal priesthood and “holy nation.” This is now true of the Church, and of those nations where the saints of God live. ‘Royal priesthood’ means “priests and kings.”

6. Detailed Blueprints for nations are inevitable and inescapable. Legal codes are not an option, but a necessity, for every nation. It is never a question of detailed blueprint vs. no detailed blueprint, only WHICH detailed blueprint (law code) God requires nations to follow in order to obey Him.

7. The contrary to theonomy is impossible. Notice Lee has not refuted the point in question by offering an alternative, equally detailed blueprint sufficient for social and national justice; he has simply denied that one exists by challenging (unsuccessfully) the only game in town — biblical law. This ignores the first principle of debate: You cannot beat something with nothing.

Lee: After all, we don’t go to the Bible to find specific directions for other equally important human endeavors, such as art and architecture, literature, the culinary arts, medicine, technology, etc.

Us: Surely you jest. Administering justice — the duty of the civil magistrate — is NOT “equally important” with pizza baking or artfully sculpting pottery. The former is a holy duty, and the latter is common. This is why one must be “sworn in” (take an oath of office) as the civil magistrate who is “God’s deacon” (Rom. 13). No one may properly require an oath to join the Iron Chef Association. Unjust verdicts can destroy people’s lives, unlike flawed desserts. Okay, unlike MOST flawed desserts.

Lee: The Westminster Confession acknowledges that there are areas of life “which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed” (WCF I.6).

Us: The immediate context of WCF I.6 relates only to affairs “common among men,” not holy matters. This adiaphora clause ends in “general rules of the Word.” Even here written revelation, not the light of nature, is the final standard. Affirming the specific application of such general rules remains consistent with the Thenomic position. Here, Lee pretends to offer a counterinstance to that view, but does nothing of the kind.

Moreover, the Westminster divines practiced what is known as the “regulative principle of worship” in their churches. This is a minimalist principle which says that in holy matters (such as oath-taking), whatever God has not commanded (explicitly or implicitly), God forbids. And the Westminster confession affirms that all oaths — like the ones a man must take to hold either a civil or ecclesiastical office — are A MATTER OF WORSHIP.

Thus, WCF I.6 does not apply to the administration of justice, but to common matters only. God has but one, holy standard by which he will judge men on Judgment Day, which is the same single standard by which He judges nations now. Nations do not exist in eternity, so if God will judge them at all — and the entire body of literature attributed to the prophets says He does — He must do so within the bounds of what we consider ordinary human history. Lee has left unanswered the obvious rejoinder: By what standard does God judge nations? If not by God’s law, then by whose?

Lee: The “No other standard” argument assumes that special revelation in Scripture is the only divinely-approved standard for questions pertaining to civil government and legislation. Any other standard would of necessity involve a reliance on mere human ideas instead of God’s, and that is nothing less than autonomy.

Us: Untrue. The N.O.S. argument is no assumption, but rather a conclusion from 1. the exegetical details of numerous biblical passages (and what these entail), and 2. A good and necessary implication from the biblical doctrine of Sola Scriptura.

Lee: The difficulty with this assumption is that it proves too much. If autonomy is narrowly defined as the use in any sphere of ideas not specifically revealed in Scripture, then we will be paralyzed by inaction, since the Scripture simply contains very little information about vast areas of human thought and action.

Us: This is another straw man. No Theonomist defines autonomy this way. Theonomists are Trinitarians, which shows that they believe that what Scripture IMPLIES is as much the Word of God as what the Word says “explicitly.” And Lee knows this, ergo the “cheat sheet” reference.

Moreover, if the Bible were as non-comprehensive as Lee insists, God could have said it in 3 chapters. Scripture treats the ethical aspects of every possible human endeavor so thoroughly that it specifies the limits and requirements needed to perform every human activity RIGHTEOUSLY (the ethical aspects of each activity) — so as to please the Lord in the doing (or in avoiding the doing) of it.

Lee: Scripture is not sufficient for the art of cologne and perfume manufacture, although one particular recipe is given in the Mosaic law (Exod. 30:23-25). Does that mean we should only make the Levitical perfume? Are all other non-Biblical scents autonomous and sinful? …. Examples such as these could be multiplied.

Us: This is getting silly. The Bible is not a perfume-makers success manual. It promises, that if it is obeyed, it will make you righteous, not well-scented. This would imply limits on including chemicals in the colognes to which some persons (being allergic to them) might be harmed, or would at least require the maker to post a warning label on the bottle, and other such ethical matters related to perfume making and selling. It IS sufficient for its intended purpose, which Lee has here ignored.

Lee: It seems too obvious to point out, but the Bible was never intended to provide specific information and guidance regarding the vast majority of human spheres of thought and action. These common grace spheres belong to the natural order and are pretty much up to us to figure out on our own using the common sense, reason, and scientific abilities that God has given to mankind.

Us: It seems too obvious to point out that there are no “common grace spheres,” because reality does not come to us in mislabeled sections with some assembly required. The Bible never speaks this way either, though it does speak of matters holy, and others which are common. For more on this, see Carson’s article, “Critical Thinking To Go: Dodging the Pepperoni Pizza Fallacy.”

As far as common grace spheres (the vast majority of epistemological real estate) being “pretty much left up to us to figure out” — how does this NOT sound like an excuse for imposing one’s “autonomy”?? The original Theonomic challenge (N.O.S.) argument says “Reject the biblical standard and all you have are arbitrary ones. Then you come along saying, “Standards? We don’t got to show you no stinking standards! We’ll just make it up as we go and call it “common sense,” “reason,” or “science.” Doesn’t that ILLUSTRATE — rather than refute — the N.O.S. argument?

Besides, natural revelation (the “light of nature”) contains far less information than written revelation. So any diminution of the comprehensive character of written revelation bodes even WORSE for any view that depends on “nature’s light” for its ethical standard — which Lee’s view in fact does.

Lee: It is not denied that the Bible contains general principles that apply to all areas of life - the most important being, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). But the Scripture is not sufficient to provide practical, detailed guidance for the sphere of common grace; that sphere is to be guided by “the light of nature.”

Us: Oh, we get it now. The Bible is foggy and says almost nothing. But thankfully we have this extraordinarily comprehensive, detailed, and crystal clear “natural revelation,” so that we never needed the Old Testament in the first place. This is both an inversion of what the Bible actually teaches about the relationship between general and special revelation, and the flagship of Dispensational thought. You say “Titanic,” we say “Iceberg.” A few brief points:

1. The Old Testament was given by God so that the fall (having marred the clarity of natural revelation) could have its obfuscating effects “progressively undone” as redemptive history moved forward with the growth of the canon. Lee wants this progress REVERSED, favoring the natural revelation, which is less clear and comprehensive than the written revelation, over the more clear and comprehensive. We call this, “making room for autonomy.”

2. The case laws of the OT are regularly cited by Jesus and the apostles as binding under the new covenant, including labor laws like Deut. 25:4 (Do not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain, 1 Cor. 9, 1 Tim. 5), judicial due process requirements like Deut. 18 (that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses, 2 Cor. 13:1), etc., etc.

Lee’s view cannot tolerate these passages, which shows thereby that his is not the New Testament view of the OT either.

Lee: Properly defined, the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture states that the Bible is “the only rule of faith and obedience,” (WLC # 3), directing us “how we may glorify and enjoy” God (WSC # 2). The Scriptures “principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man” (WSC # 3). In other words, as Paul states, the primary purpose of Scripture is to “make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15).

Us: Yes, but the biblical view of salvation is more than merely justification. It necessarily includes SANCTIFICATION, for “without holiness no one will see the Lord.” And since Christians will be kings in the resurrection, reigining on earth, what detailed law code (blueprint for society) will God expect them to use to make righteous judgments (as Christian judges must do even today? Whole-life holiness requires a comprehensive and detailed ethical standard not offered by common sense, reason, science, or the light of nature. If this is not found in the canon (OT and NT), then where? This kinda puts us back at question #1.

– To Be Continued –

Carson Day has written some 1.3 gazillion aritcles and essays on all manner of diverse topics. These aim to glorify God and offer people real help to live wisely and well. You can visit Carson’s websites at http://ophirgold.blogspot.com (The Omniblog, where Carson blogs everything) or http://extremeprofit.blogspot.com (Carson’s Day Trading Outpost). Thanks for stopping by.

Once you become saved and born again, the Bible tells us that we
have now become new creations in Jesus Christ. All things have
been made new. Our slates are now wiped clean and we now have a
brand new start in this life if we are willing to properly work
with the Lord in allowing Him to raise us up in His grace,
knowledge and power.

As I have stated numerous times in my other articles - after you
get saved, the next step is to come into a full surrender of
your entire life over to God the Father so that He can start to
lead you into the path and call that He has set up for you to
follow in this life. Jesus must now become Lord over your life,
not just your Savior. Making Jesus Lord over your life means
that you will now turn the reigns of your life over to Him for
Him to handle. You are no longer your own. You now belong to God
and Jesus and no one else!

Once you enter into this full surrender of you and your entire
life with the Lord - one of the first things God may do with
many of you is to take you back in your past so that He can
begin to clean up any wreckage that may have occurred. Before
you can really move forward into your call and destiny that God
has in store for you in this life - you may have to deal with
some specific things that may have occurred in your past.

Too many Christians are bound up in their past - and as a
result they cannot fully live in their present.

Before you can really start to move forward in your walk and
call with God - you will have to learn how to let the past go.
Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul make two very profound and
life altering statements in the two verses I will give you in
this article. For many, these two specific verses will determine
whether or not you will be able to fully succeed in your call
for God in this life.

As a result of the curse of Adam and Eve that is still operating
on this earth - we are all forced to be born into a fallen and
imperfect world. We are all stuck having to deal with the
reality of pure evil in our lives through the activity of
demonic spirits and bad and evil people who have chosen with
their own free wills to live this life out on the dark side. As
a result - all of us will get hurt to some degree in this life.
There is no getting around it. And for many, some of these hurts
will be extreme and traumatic.

Every minute of every day someone is getting murdered, robbed,
raped, abused and abducted. We literally can’t go one day
without some of this kind of activity being reported on our
local news channels.

Jesus Himself said that a certain amount of tribulation would
come our way and that we will all have to put up with a certain
amount of persecution in this life. That is why the Bible tells
us that we have to become soldiers of Jesus Christ and that we
have to learn how to put on and apply the armor of God for our
lives.

We have all been born into a war zone as a result of the curse
of Adam and Eve - and unless you learn how to walk in the power
and anointing of God for your life - some of these torpedo shots
may knock you right out of your call in the Lord - if not
possibly knock you right out of this life for good through an
actual early physical death.

All of us to some degree or another have issues from our past
that have got to be dealt with before we can really proceed to
walk strongly in our calls with the Lord. Some Christians are so
bound up with things that have happened to them in their pasts -
that they literally cannot even get off the couch to start
living half-way again - much less fly into their real calls and
destinies for the Lord. Many of God’s eagles have had their
wings broken and decimated with some of the torpedo shots they
have taken. Many of them are living on anti-depressants and pain
killers because they can no longer handle the stress, pain and
heartache of this life.

Before an eagle of God can really start to fly into the heights
that God has in store for him or her in this life - that eagle
has got to break off any chains that may be holding him or her
back. Those chains are keeping God’s eagles grounded. And for
many of God’s eagles - some of those chains are things that they
are still holding onto from their past.

Jesus has said that He has come to set the captives free - and
one of the areas that we all have to be set free from is some of
our wrong thinking that has arisen out of some of the bad things
that may have occurred in our past.

As you will see in the two verses I will list below - Jesus and
the apostle Paul are telling us that we have to learn let the
past go. Jesus says that anyone who is trying to move forward in
His walk for God - but keeps looking back - is not fit for the
kingdom of God.

Paul says that the one thing he makes sure to do in his walk
with God is to forget those things which are now behind him and
press forward into those things which lie ahead of him. Once you
put these two verses right next to one another - you get perfect
revelation from the Lord on this issue.

Bottom line - you have to learn how to let your past go before
you can start to proceed full steam ahead in your walk and call
for the Lord. If you don’t learn how to let the past go - you
will stay grounded and struck right where you are at, and you
will never accomplish what God would have had in store for you
in this life.

And that will be an eternal regret that you will carry with you
once you enter into heaven and the Lord shows you what you could
have accomplished for Him if you would have allowed Him to
unchain you from your hurtful past. The choice is yours.

You can choose to stay bound up in your past, continue to throw
pity parties, blame everyone and everything for your miseries -
or you can choose to rise up and make a brand new fresh start
with the Lord by choosing to fully surrender your entire life
into His hands - and then work with Him to get your past cleaned
up so that you can fully start living in the present again and
fly into the call and destiny that He has already planned out
for you before you were even born into this world.

The choice to learn how to let your past go so that you can
start to fully live in your present is an individual choice for
each believer. Not even God Himself will trample on your free
will in this area. All God can do is give you the knowledge that
this is what He wants from you - with all of it being for your
own good. And then God will take you back in your past for a
reasonable amount of time so that you can get all of your loose
ends tied up.

But after that time is up - God will expect you to make a very
important decision for your life. Will you now let your past go
so that you can fly into the life and call that God now wants to
give you - or will you choose to stay grounded, wailing in the
misery of your past?

Each Christian will have to make that choice for themselves.
That is why the Bible says that we are transformed by the
renewing of our minds. You have to learn how to develop right
thinking in your thought process with how you think and how you
view things. And one of the first basic things you will need to
learn and think right about is this principle of learning how to
let your past go.

Learn to let go of your past in the way God will want you to -
and then you can step from the dugout out onto the real playing
field where the real action of life is really at!

Isaiah 11.1 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:”

I live in a pecan orchard where most of the trees are at least 80 years old. One of the varieties the original owners of the land planted was called a “moneymaker”. This pecan is round, has a good flavor and a hard shell..It is a tough nut to crack by hand. Since 1962, when we moved on this place, we have gathered hundreds of pounds of these delicious nuts, and the trees have given up some to the squirrels and birds.

One of my moneymaker trees was huge…about four feet in diameter, and usually produced over 200 pounds of pecans. Then, one year, it was struck by lightning, and one side of it begin to die. It took a few years for the top to fall out and the limbs to fall from the damaged side. Finally, there was one huge limb left, yet it still continued to produce pecans. I carefully watched that limb as it slowly separated from what was left of the trunk of the tree. One day, I was outside, and heard a loud noise…It was the one remaining limb falling from the trunk of the tree.

Sadly, I watched as the old tree gave a quiver, and shuddered as it gave up the ghost. After a few weeks, I got my chainsaw and begin to clean up the fallen tree. I burned all the debris, and thought of all the pecans that had fallen from that good old tree. My thoughts went back to the day it was planted in hope by someone else, it was carefully nutured, and then I imagined the joy of the previous owner when it produced it’s first pecans. It was over now, the life of the tree, or so it seemed.

About three years ago, after Mama died, I noticed some green shoots coming up in the vicinity of where the moneymaker tree had been. I looked closely, and could see that it was a tiny pecan tree…springing forth from the roots of that big ole tree that had fallen..New life!! I let it grow, and then there were two…side by side. I let them grow in memory of my Mama, and her twin sister. Those two trees, springing forth from the root of the old tree, are flourishing and are now 12 feet tall. The root system was already established, so the trees could grow rapidly.

This experience has reminded me of a spiritual truth. Seeds planted long ago will continue to produce fruit. People are born, they die, yet there heritage lives on. A strong root system produces a healthy tree and shows me that we must be firmly rooted in the Word of God.

That original moneymaker tree was planted, grew and became old..like us…yet its memory still lives on.

Psalm 92.14 “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.”

Irvin L. Rozier, author of My Walk with the Lord, www.selahbooks.com

About the Author

author, preacher, retired US Army