Wednesday, September 10, 2025
MORE IS CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT
Many elderly people are experiencing the hatred of their children for no good reason except what they concocted in their own heads because of their rebellion against authority when they were children. No parent was perfect, and neither will the adult children who are parents, they only think they are, in reality, they will train their children by their own example to despise them in their elder years. "MORE IS CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT."
Those Who Pull the Trigger of a Wicked Man's Heart
The evil one, the devil, and all those who follow him are increasing their attacks against believers in Christ as we near the end of the age.
Those who hate Christ and all His commands and principles are on hyperdrive against anyone who loves Him.
What the wicked ones do not realize is that anyone they murder who belongs to Christ goes immediately to be with Him upon their death. And, the one who murdered one of God's children will pay the price on judgment day.
The wicked ones mean it for evil, but God means it for His glory and His purposes. It is likely that the harder the wicked political factions fight against righteousness, the more they discredit themselves, perhaps even chasing those on the fence to run from them toward the ones they persecute.
Mark 7:21-23
"21 For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, 22 deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”
One does not have to murder someone to have murder in their heart. Hatred toward others is considered murder to God.
Those who hate enough to wish someone harm or encourage others to harm their enemy are themselves guilty of murder, even if they never pull the trigger of a gun.
Those people who pull the trigger of a murderer's heart so that he does the deed, and stand back and claim innocence, are as guilty as the one who pulled the trigger of the gun.
Just saying!!!!!
Those who hate Christ and all His commands and principles are on hyperdrive against anyone who loves Him.
What the wicked ones do not realize is that anyone they murder who belongs to Christ goes immediately to be with Him upon their death. And, the one who murdered one of God's children will pay the price on judgment day.
The wicked ones mean it for evil, but God means it for His glory and His purposes. It is likely that the harder the wicked political factions fight against righteousness, the more they discredit themselves, perhaps even chasing those on the fence to run from them toward the ones they persecute.
Mark 7:21-23
"21 For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, 22 deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”
One does not have to murder someone to have murder in their heart. Hatred toward others is considered murder to God.
Those who hate enough to wish someone harm or encourage others to harm their enemy are themselves guilty of murder, even if they never pull the trigger of a gun.
Those people who pull the trigger of a murderer's heart so that he does the deed, and stand back and claim innocence, are as guilty as the one who pulled the trigger of the gun.
Just saying!!!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Time Out Punishment is Child Abuse
Time out is child abuse; it basically says we don't want you when you are bad. A spanking says, We want you to behave properly because we love you, and because we love you, we want you to be with us.
Using isolation to manipulate feelings and compliance is mean; it is better to bring compliance through spanking and allow the child to continue with the family than to send the message "we don't want you around us."
I have also noticed that time-out promotes the "silent treatment" mentality in those who have been trained by it. It causes people to isolate others rather than discuss and punish to modify behavior problems.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Discipline restores relationships, banishment excludes and isolates leaving emotional scars rather than restoring relationships.
Proverbs 23:13-14
"13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And rescue his soul from hell."
The idea of "time out" is not Biblical and comes from psychology.
Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights."
Those who resent discipline, fighting to justify their sin and reject correction, will remain spiritual and emotional babies. Pride drives those who refuse to admit their flaws; a person cannot change and grow if they will not admit their deficiencies.
1 John 1:9-10 "…9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."
This passage was written to believers; those who think they never sin after salvation are walking in pride.
Proverbs 20:9 "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?
Ecclesiastes 7:20 "Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
If we are believers, we ought to be growing in holiness all the time. When someone believes they do not sin after salvation, they will become lazy about their character, missing things that need correction, because the focus is on how perfectly they are doing things in their own flesh.
It needs to be the Holy Spirit changing us as we ask Him to reveal to us our flaws that we might confess to be cleansed. Nothing can be fixed if there is denial that anything is wrong.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Those who will not confess their sins and flaws will not be cleansed. The longer someone avoids confessing, the harder the heart is hardened to self-improvement. This hardening also diminishes relationships, not only with God but with people, too.
Psalm 66:18
"18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"
Using isolation to manipulate feelings and compliance is mean; it is better to bring compliance through spanking and allow the child to continue with the family than to send the message "we don't want you around us."
I have also noticed that time-out promotes the "silent treatment" mentality in those who have been trained by it. It causes people to isolate others rather than discuss and punish to modify behavior problems.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Discipline restores relationships, banishment excludes and isolates leaving emotional scars rather than restoring relationships.
Proverbs 23:13-14
"13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And rescue his soul from hell."
The idea of "time out" is not Biblical and comes from psychology.
Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights."
Those who resent discipline, fighting to justify their sin and reject correction, will remain spiritual and emotional babies. Pride drives those who refuse to admit their flaws; a person cannot change and grow if they will not admit their deficiencies.
1 John 1:9-10 "…9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."
This passage was written to believers; those who think they never sin after salvation are walking in pride.
Proverbs 20:9 "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?
Ecclesiastes 7:20 "Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
If we are believers, we ought to be growing in holiness all the time. When someone believes they do not sin after salvation, they will become lazy about their character, missing things that need correction, because the focus is on how perfectly they are doing things in their own flesh.
It needs to be the Holy Spirit changing us as we ask Him to reveal to us our flaws that we might confess to be cleansed. Nothing can be fixed if there is denial that anything is wrong.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Those who will not confess their sins and flaws will not be cleansed. The longer someone avoids confessing, the harder the heart is hardened to self-improvement. This hardening also diminishes relationships, not only with God but with people, too.
Psalm 66:18
"18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"
Trusting Christ For Everything
I am grieved often when spending time with "Christians" in our day. Their idea of "Christianity" is conservative politics almost exclusively.
When I am in conversation with family who say they are Christians, they are embarrassed at the mention of Jesus Christ, and His name never comes from their mouth.
Something is wrong with this; they seem to think only the man in the pulpit should speak His name. They don't say that but act as though they believe it.
I also notice they speak of conservative politics non-stop; it is almost an obsession with them. Conservative living and political ideologies seem to always take priority over speaking about Christ. Because of this, they are continually irritated and even angry about what is going on in the world as though it is everything to them.
When Jesus Christ is our focus, we understand the world is wicked and it will be that way until Christ rules on the earth from Jerusalem.
We hate what we see in the world, but do not expect anything else from the world. The world will always be opposed to Christ and to us, because we love Him.
Tilting at windmills, meaning to attack imaginary enemies, is not the calling of the born-again believer. Our calling is to speak of Christ to encourage the believers and to warn the unbelievers that judgment is coming and they must turn to Christ before it is too late.
What do I mean by "imaginary enemies"? When we fight against human beings who do not know any better, we are fighting people when the real enemy of our souls is the devil.
We can fight against people all day long without ever mentioning the name of Jesus Christ and the reason they even exist at all. Those who hear our banter about politics need to hear about Christ. The conservative politics will not save them from hell, only Christ can do that when they trust in Him.
The world is an evil place, and believers often are now spending more time becoming emotionally invested in the evils while neglecting the good news of Jesus Christ.
We have not been placed on this earth to turn nations into conservative entities. We have been placed to preach that mankind is sinful and needs a Savior, that is, Jesus Christ.
If someone is called to some sort of political office, then that person must speak of Christ while in the position. Christ must be the reason for everything they do, and they must make that clear. If the statesman obtains office and never speaks of Christ, perhaps he should not be there.
2 Corinthians 2:16-17 "…16 To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task? 17 For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God."
God did not save us to turn a country into a conservative one; He gave us our calling to present Christ so that individual souls would trust in Him and become saved from hell.
My only encouragement in this article is that every believer ask the Holy Spirit to reveal their calling and give them the strength to speak of Christ often. Even if it means you will be rejected by family and friends. The more you speak of Christ and are rejected, the stronger and less affected by the personal attacks you become.
The personal attacks for our faith are a blessing; the more we experience them, the stronger we become. The rejection and gossip become irrelevant!
James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing".
It is true, "no pain, no gain"! Just as in building physical muscles, one must tear the muscles in weight lifting; when the torn parts heal back, they are stronger than the muscles were before. We must experience rejection and challenges to build our Spiritual muscles to become impervious to the assaults of the enemy.
Also, remember, those people who abuse us are not the only enemy; they are controlled by the ultimate enemy of our souls, and that is the devil and his demons.
The challenge is to remain kind, loving, truthful, and all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ despite the assaults. Satan wants us to respond to personal attacks by attacking back, this ultimately ruins our Christian witness.
When we remain Christlike, bold and resolute, the enemy has nothing to accuse us of; he will lie, but a negative lie about us rather than a negative truth.
Satan wants to ruin our witness by causing us to become like our enemy, angry all the time, intimidated, and weak just like our enemies.
When we walk in the Spirit of Christ, eventually we have no desire to respond to those who assault us; we simply respond in the character of Christ, either to not respond at all or to gently and lovingly tell the truth in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in our flesh, so as not to appear phony and fleshly.
Ephesians 4:15 "15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,"
How do we calmly speak the truth when we are assaulted verbally and emotionally? The only way we can do it is if the Holy Spirit is working through us. We no longer care if anyone likes us and we care deeply that the Holy Spirit be the One to speak on our behalf.
Luke 12:12 "12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
We need not formulas or instructions from others how to handle people; all we need is the Holy Spirit and a willingness to obey Him, as well as knowledge of the Bible that the Holy Spirit will remind us of as it is needed.
Trust in Christ for salvation is only the beginning; we must learn to trust Him in all situations every day.
Proverbs 3:4-6 "…4 Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
When I am in conversation with family who say they are Christians, they are embarrassed at the mention of Jesus Christ, and His name never comes from their mouth.
Something is wrong with this; they seem to think only the man in the pulpit should speak His name. They don't say that but act as though they believe it.
I also notice they speak of conservative politics non-stop; it is almost an obsession with them. Conservative living and political ideologies seem to always take priority over speaking about Christ. Because of this, they are continually irritated and even angry about what is going on in the world as though it is everything to them.
When Jesus Christ is our focus, we understand the world is wicked and it will be that way until Christ rules on the earth from Jerusalem.
We hate what we see in the world, but do not expect anything else from the world. The world will always be opposed to Christ and to us, because we love Him.
Tilting at windmills, meaning to attack imaginary enemies, is not the calling of the born-again believer. Our calling is to speak of Christ to encourage the believers and to warn the unbelievers that judgment is coming and they must turn to Christ before it is too late.
What do I mean by "imaginary enemies"? When we fight against human beings who do not know any better, we are fighting people when the real enemy of our souls is the devil.
We can fight against people all day long without ever mentioning the name of Jesus Christ and the reason they even exist at all. Those who hear our banter about politics need to hear about Christ. The conservative politics will not save them from hell, only Christ can do that when they trust in Him.
The world is an evil place, and believers often are now spending more time becoming emotionally invested in the evils while neglecting the good news of Jesus Christ.
We have not been placed on this earth to turn nations into conservative entities. We have been placed to preach that mankind is sinful and needs a Savior, that is, Jesus Christ.
If someone is called to some sort of political office, then that person must speak of Christ while in the position. Christ must be the reason for everything they do, and they must make that clear. If the statesman obtains office and never speaks of Christ, perhaps he should not be there.
2 Corinthians 2:16-17 "…16 To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task? 17 For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God."
God did not save us to turn a country into a conservative one; He gave us our calling to present Christ so that individual souls would trust in Him and become saved from hell.
My only encouragement in this article is that every believer ask the Holy Spirit to reveal their calling and give them the strength to speak of Christ often. Even if it means you will be rejected by family and friends. The more you speak of Christ and are rejected, the stronger and less affected by the personal attacks you become.
The personal attacks for our faith are a blessing; the more we experience them, the stronger we become. The rejection and gossip become irrelevant!
James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing".
It is true, "no pain, no gain"! Just as in building physical muscles, one must tear the muscles in weight lifting; when the torn parts heal back, they are stronger than the muscles were before. We must experience rejection and challenges to build our Spiritual muscles to become impervious to the assaults of the enemy.
Also, remember, those people who abuse us are not the only enemy; they are controlled by the ultimate enemy of our souls, and that is the devil and his demons.
The challenge is to remain kind, loving, truthful, and all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ despite the assaults. Satan wants us to respond to personal attacks by attacking back, this ultimately ruins our Christian witness.
When we remain Christlike, bold and resolute, the enemy has nothing to accuse us of; he will lie, but a negative lie about us rather than a negative truth.
Satan wants to ruin our witness by causing us to become like our enemy, angry all the time, intimidated, and weak just like our enemies.
When we walk in the Spirit of Christ, eventually we have no desire to respond to those who assault us; we simply respond in the character of Christ, either to not respond at all or to gently and lovingly tell the truth in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in our flesh, so as not to appear phony and fleshly.
Ephesians 4:15 "15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,"
How do we calmly speak the truth when we are assaulted verbally and emotionally? The only way we can do it is if the Holy Spirit is working through us. We no longer care if anyone likes us and we care deeply that the Holy Spirit be the One to speak on our behalf.
Luke 12:12 "12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
We need not formulas or instructions from others how to handle people; all we need is the Holy Spirit and a willingness to obey Him, as well as knowledge of the Bible that the Holy Spirit will remind us of as it is needed.
Trust in Christ for salvation is only the beginning; we must learn to trust Him in all situations every day.
Proverbs 3:4-6 "…4 Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Monday, September 8, 2025
Entertainment and Fun are a Distraction Impeding Emotional and Spiritual Maturity
Many people are in the season of life where fun and happiness are the focus. I grieve at how many think life is about having their pleasure and entertainment before it is no longer possible.
Entertainment and fun do not bring wisdom; they only delay it, they are a distraction.
The worldly and humanistic idea that young people should be sure to have their fun first because later come the hard things in life only retards spiritual and emotional maturity.
Those who are wise know that living a normal life with joy in a task well done is enough pleasure; nothing more is needed. Rest at the end of the day is more delightful than any adventure for those who value wisdom.
When we cannot enjoy the simple things as we go about our life duties, there will be disappointment and depression when the pleasures are removed.
My prayer is that every young person starting out in life will focus on pleasing God, blessed by the lessons of everyday life, and will gain their joy from the tasks God has given them to do. Their joys in life will come from living their life in obedience to Christ.
The lessons of life come from diligence and difficulties. It is rare for anyone to learn a great lesson in life without first experiencing struggles.
Life is very fleeting; by the time an elderly person realizes the fun taught them nothing, it is too late to learn those lessons, they are old and out of strength.
James 1:2-12 "2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
Entertainment and fun do not bring wisdom; they only delay it, they are a distraction.
The worldly and humanistic idea that young people should be sure to have their fun first because later come the hard things in life only retards spiritual and emotional maturity.
Those who are wise know that living a normal life with joy in a task well done is enough pleasure; nothing more is needed. Rest at the end of the day is more delightful than any adventure for those who value wisdom.
When we cannot enjoy the simple things as we go about our life duties, there will be disappointment and depression when the pleasures are removed.
My prayer is that every young person starting out in life will focus on pleasing God, blessed by the lessons of everyday life, and will gain their joy from the tasks God has given them to do. Their joys in life will come from living their life in obedience to Christ.
The lessons of life come from diligence and difficulties. It is rare for anyone to learn a great lesson in life without first experiencing struggles.
Life is very fleeting; by the time an elderly person realizes the fun taught them nothing, it is too late to learn those lessons, they are old and out of strength.
James 1:2-12 "2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
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