When I was sixteen, I became Catholic to marry my husband, who was a cradle Catholic. I was raised in a Covenant church where the people believed one could lose their salvation. I expressed salvation in Christ at about 12 years old but had no idea what that really meant.
Both my husband and I were indoctrinated in the notion that we must do certain things to maintain our salvation. Rituals: attending Mass, or in the case of the covenant church, Sunday services every week and being a good person.
After I became Catholic, I was introduced to the confessional, where I would enter a little closet door and sit down. The priest was in another closet on the other side, and between us was a little window that would not reveal the penitent or the face of the priest. A little dark window with hatches would be opened so that the priest and I could hear one another without seeing each other.
Having been raised Protestant, I was not familiar with the mantras that were required to confess my sins, except: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." The other phrases that were required for me to speak, I didn't know.
I said to the priest the required words, "Forgive me father for I have sinned." I was shocked when the priest chastized me for not repeating the other phrases that had to be said before he could absolve me of my sin. He mocked me by saying, "How old are you? You should know this by now."
At this point, I argued with the priest, "You mean you will not forgive me because I didn't say those words? I think God has forgiven me." I explained that I was not raised Cahtolic and didn't know all the rituals. Then the priest reluctantly absolved me, as though I was rebellious.
This is the nature of ritualistic religion based on rules instead of Christ. When I told the story to others, they laughed because I argued with the "man in charge, who had the ability to not forgive me.
I left that little confessional box and never returned. Not because I was offended; I wasn't. I just sensed the foolishness of having to confess to a man when I could go straight to God.
This was the beginning of my quest to read the Bible for myself. After I began reading the Bible, I trusted in Christ and left the Catholic system of religion.
Shortly after that, my husband came out too and trusted in Christ.
Religion is based on man's rules and ideas, not on God's Word. Those in religions such as Catholicism trust in the Pope, not in Christ, and in the rules of the system, not the Bible.
The Catholic church feared losing people to protestantism because of their desire to read the Bible, which in the past they were discouraged from doing. I was one who defied the church and read it anyway.
Now we have "Catholic Bible Studies", sadly teaching to fit with their traditions, even using some Protestant verbiage to confuse people.
When a Catholic says they are saved by grace, they mean they get more graces each time they do a good deed. They never know for sure if they are saved, or how many graces it takes, but the more graces by deeds, the better chance they will earn their salvation.
Of course, we know the Bible teaches we do not earn grace. We accept the grace of God, based on His work, not our own.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Now I deal with Protestants, Pentecostals, and others who claim to be Christian who are acting the same way as the priests did. They heap rules on people God never gave, they monitor our every encounter to make sure we are following their doctrine, and isolate us from the herd for not accepting the traditions of their group that God never instituted.
Mark 7:13 "13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
Isaiah 29:13 "Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."
Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ."
1 Peter 1:18 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,"
Brothers and Sisters, we must seek the Holy Spirit and read His word for ourselves to avoid becoming in bondage to man's traditions and the cultural pulls we encounter every day.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Difficult Times
2 Timothy 3:1-5 is here now!
"3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
These are difficult times to live in because of the disrespect for God.
When we watch what is happening today, good is called bad and bad is called good; even in church gatherings, the ones being punished are the ones speaking the truth from God's Word. They are gossiped against, minimized, and rejected.
God told us to count it all joy when we are reviled for Christ's sake.
Matthew 5:11-12 "11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
We are not here on this earth to be praised by men or loved by family members; we are here to speak for God, His way from His Word.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Many "Christians" are pleasure-seeking, desire popularity, and indulge in activities that dishonor God. It is not possible to be like this and love God with all your heart too!!
Matthew 22:37-40 "37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Loving God first and then others is to desire to bring truth and all the fruit of the Spirit of God to every relationship.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
"3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
These are difficult times to live in because of the disrespect for God.
When we watch what is happening today, good is called bad and bad is called good; even in church gatherings, the ones being punished are the ones speaking the truth from God's Word. They are gossiped against, minimized, and rejected.
God told us to count it all joy when we are reviled for Christ's sake.
Matthew 5:11-12 "11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
We are not here on this earth to be praised by men or loved by family members; we are here to speak for God, His way from His Word.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Many "Christians" are pleasure-seeking, desire popularity, and indulge in activities that dishonor God. It is not possible to be like this and love God with all your heart too!!
Matthew 22:37-40 "37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Loving God first and then others is to desire to bring truth and all the fruit of the Spirit of God to every relationship.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Modesty Demonstrates Humility and Respect
The immodest clothing we see in our day is a reflection of prophecy.
When the first bikini came out, only prostitutes would model it; no self-respecting model would wear it.
We are living in the end times when nearly all respect for self and others is gone. This behavior of lack of self-respect and lack of respect for others is commonplace now. Prophecy told us it would happen in God's Word.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.""
What is acceptable now would have lost a woman societal respect even just 100 years ago.
The hardest thing to watch is that this immodest clothing is now accepted in the churches. Holes in jeans, tight and short dresses, and much more.
This and many other signs we are living in the last days confront us every day. Our hope is not in the world changing but it is in our homegoing soon when we will leave this world behind.
In the meantime, we can be what God wants us to be in spite of what the world is doing all around us.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It is a lack of humility to dress immodestly, showing off what only a husband should see.
Deuteronomy "“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?"
Proverbs 14:16 "One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless."
Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,"
When the first bikini came out, only prostitutes would model it; no self-respecting model would wear it.
We are living in the end times when nearly all respect for self and others is gone. This behavior of lack of self-respect and lack of respect for others is commonplace now. Prophecy told us it would happen in God's Word.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.""
What is acceptable now would have lost a woman societal respect even just 100 years ago.
The hardest thing to watch is that this immodest clothing is now accepted in the churches. Holes in jeans, tight and short dresses, and much more.
This and many other signs we are living in the last days confront us every day. Our hope is not in the world changing but it is in our homegoing soon when we will leave this world behind.
In the meantime, we can be what God wants us to be in spite of what the world is doing all around us.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It is a lack of humility to dress immodestly, showing off what only a husband should see.
Deuteronomy "“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?"
Proverbs 14:16 "One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless."
Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,"
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Discrediting What They Don't Want to Hear
I have witnessed this in those who are dedicated to disrespecting us. They can watch you do something perfectly fine and even good and claim it was bad. If someone does not want to believe Christ because they resent being instructed, they will not believe it on purpose to discredit what they don't like.
From Divine Insight:
Don't run from the truth because it exposes your sin. Run to Christ because He is the only One who can forgive it and give you a new heart.
John 3:19–20
"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."
Amen!
From Divine Insight:
Many people say, "If I had more proof, I would believe."
But Jesus said the greatest problem isn't always a lack of proof. Sometimes it's a heart that doesn't want to leave the darkness.
The gospel calls every one of us to change. It asks us to repent, forgive, humble ourselves, and follow Christ. That's not always easy, but it's always worth it.
But Jesus said the greatest problem isn't always a lack of proof. Sometimes it's a heart that doesn't want to leave the darkness.
The gospel calls every one of us to change. It asks us to repent, forgive, humble ourselves, and follow Christ. That's not always easy, but it's always worth it.
Don't run from the truth because it exposes your sin. Run to Christ because He is the only One who can forgive it and give you a new heart.
John 3:19–20"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."
Amen!
Do not believe those who make up their own doctrine to fit their own desires.
In my experience, the Pentecostal churches are constantly adding to the Bible and deleting from it to make up their own doctrine.
They often teach that if something works, then it must be from God. If something came to their mind, it must be from God. There is no discernment according to the Bible, and worse, they are hostile when you tell them something is not Biblical that they teach.
Much false doctrine comes from these groups who think the Holy Spirit in them speaks something different from the Bible; in other words, new revelation. I have to question whether those who live like this have ever been born again.
The Holy Spirit in us will never tell us something that is contrary to the Bible. We need no new revelation because everything we need is in the Bible.
The principles in the Bible will address every life experience.
John 16:13 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
God has told us the things that are coming in His Word. We recognize prophecy as it unfolds because of the Bible. We do not need future telling because we live by the principles and commands of God in every situation.
The specifics of each situation will be guided by the commands and principles of the Bible.
Proverbs 30:4-6 "4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know! 5Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar."
Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."
Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work."
They often teach that if something works, then it must be from God. If something came to their mind, it must be from God. There is no discernment according to the Bible, and worse, they are hostile when you tell them something is not Biblical that they teach.
Much false doctrine comes from these groups who think the Holy Spirit in them speaks something different from the Bible; in other words, new revelation. I have to question whether those who live like this have ever been born again.
The Holy Spirit in us will never tell us something that is contrary to the Bible. We need no new revelation because everything we need is in the Bible.
The principles in the Bible will address every life experience.
John 16:13 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
God has told us the things that are coming in His Word. We recognize prophecy as it unfolds because of the Bible. We do not need future telling because we live by the principles and commands of God in every situation.
The specifics of each situation will be guided by the commands and principles of the Bible.
Proverbs 30:4-6 "4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know! 5Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar."
Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."
Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work."
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