Jan 30, 2019

Psalm 103

1Praise the Lord, my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2Praise the Lord, my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

3who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

7He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

8The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

19The Lord has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20Praise the Lord, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

21Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

22Praise the Lord, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Born To Hate Jews ~ Kasim Hafeez from Prager University

Editor's Note: As a Follower of Christ and a disciple, it is critical how you think on a variety of societal issues. The Bible tells us that we as Christians are "ARE IN THE WORLD", but "NOT OF THE WORLD", yet still we are astounded by our culture's rapid LEFT-Wing agenda that threatens to challenge and change everything we know to be Good and True as presented in scripture.

In 2009, Prager started a website, Prager University, offering five-minute videos on various subjects such as the Ten Commandments, the minimum wage, the Middle East, Global warming, and happiness with a conservative perspective. To be very clear, Mr. Prager is NOT a Christian, but has his roots as an Orthodox Jew, thus his videos do not necessarily view scripture exactly as Christians view scripture, nonetheless there are many general parallels between. Here is another video in this series:

How do devout Muslims born in the West feel about Jews? How do they feel about Western values in general? Kasim Hafeez, who was raised a devout Muslim in England, explains.

Change the Ending ~ C.S. Lewis

Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot ~ Collingsworth

Lord Fill Me With Your Holy Spirit Today

Lord Fill Me With Your Holy Spirit Today!

Ephesians 5 ~ "...be filled with the Spirit"

Jan 23, 2019

New York Legalizes Abortion Up to Baby's Birth Day

Editor's Note: Abortion Facts: 59 million abortion murders in the USA since Roe vs. Wade in 1973 / 42 million worldwide in 2018 alone / 82,000 abortions in New York in 2018. / ...and now this makes it even easier to kill people through abortion!

For an online link to this article on CBN see:
New York Legalizes Abortion Up to Baby's Birth Day

New York legislators cheered and applauded Tuesday night after the state Senate removed restrictions on late-term abortions, allowing unborn babies to be aborted on the day of birth.

The Reproductive Health Act passed with a 38-28 vote and was signed into law by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

"Today we are taking a giant step forward in the hard-fought battle to ensure a woman's right to make her own decisions about her own personal health, including the ability to access an abortion," Gov. Cuomo said.

The law erases New York's previous limitations on abortion which restricted the fatal procedure past 24 weeks.

The Reproductive Health Act states, "every individual who becomes pregnant has the fundamental right to choose to carry the pregnancy to term, to give birth to a child, or to have an abortion."

The law also removes abortion from the definition of homicide and New York's criminal code altogether. Previously, New York law treated the murder of an unborn child in its the third trimester as a felony offense punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The Reproductive Health Act changes that. Instead, abortion will be regulated under public health law and a variety of medical professionals, not just licensed physicians, will be allowed to perform abortions without penalty.

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"Opponents say this limits prosecutors when they look to charge individuals who harm a woman's unborn child in a domestic violence case or otherwise. Supporters say, in such cases, there remain plenty of other, much harsher criminal charges at prosecutors' disposal," reports the Times Union.

New York Republicans and conservatives fought against the law but the measure sailed through the state Senate after Democrats won a majority in the Senate last November.

Advocates say the new law will protect abortion even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

"With the signing of this bill, we are sending a clear message that whatever happens in Washington, women in New York will always have the fundamental right to control their own body," Cuomo said.

Pro-life activists are horrified by the legislation.

"New York Senate cheers today for legalization of killing a baby old enough to born - poisoning a 6 month old to death in the womb & delivering her in pieces. This is the legacy of #Roe. It's time to end this barbarism," said Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action.

Outspoken Christian and New Orleans Saints tight end Ben Watson also strongly condemned the law.

"It is a sad and evil day when the murder of our most innocent and vulnerable is celebrated with such overwhelming exuberance. We SHOULD be supporting and encouraging the building of families which are fundamental to any society. By not doing so, we invite consequences untold," he tweeted shortly after the law was passed.

Not Your Choice ~ Psalm 139

Psalm 139
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
~ Psalm 139: 14-16

Jan 19, 2019

Another Attack On Men? ~ This Time By Gillette

Editorial Opinion:

I don't think we need Gillette telling us what we should all inherently already know.  We are made in His Image and our conscience bears witness that there is right and wrong choices for each of us.  Gillette is using this ad to ultimately sell more of their product and in doing so we can be deceived. 
Jesus said, "...that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications (sexual immorality), murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:  All these evil things come from within and defile the man (or woman)." ~ Mark 7
So Christian, please don't blur the lines.  This week's new term ("toxic-mascullinity" or for that matter "toxic-femininity") are really just other words for sin.  The Gillette ad folks will never defer to Scripture or understand the actual "sin-dynamic" inherent at the root of this discussion.  In fact anything "scriptural" is unable to be grasped by sinful people.  The Bible says that it takes the Holy Spirit to illuminate and teach us what God requires of us.  
You cannot conquer sin except through the power of God's Holy Spirit.  Apart from the influence of the Spirit we as men and women default to our base nature.  Thus the effect of this ad tells me that if I just try "a little harder", I can be at my best ...and put this sexual abuse thing away once and for all.  NOT; This is a lie and YOU are deceived.  You cannot conquer your sin problem ...apart from yielding to the power of God's Spirit!
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom."  ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17

_____________________________

But, here is the ad decide for yourself;  Below are my thoughts after I first heard about this ad.:

In my opinion Procter & Gamble parent and its prodigy “Gillette”, should stick to mass-producing shaving cream instead of pulling attention-getting goofy stunts like what I saw this week. Since when does a manufacturer of overpriced products get to suddenly be a crusader for social justice? Few men I know act like the ungentlemanly-seeming actors in this ad. Yes, actually I do know about abuse the MeToo movement has uncovered and am sorry for the individuals who behave so badly and their victims – and I have little patience for these bully-propagators. Historically, they’ve been around for centuries, so nothing real new here. They are men who know better, yet ignore their God-given conscience.  But it’s as if Gillette is tone-deaf & selectively ignoring society’s continuing attack on the North-American male. In fact, it is now a contributor to the “attack-the-males” campaign. Is this attack deserved or is it time to push back?

Yes, I mean it’s an attack on the same male who learns to be a plumber, electrician, mechanic, builder, miner, fisherman or what-have-you etc. and sacrifices near-every waking moment (40-60 hours each week) in making a living for his family from his hard employment work; He then leaves work for home and begins more work at the house …serving them and supporting every aspect of their well-being, through protection of their person and identity through his mentoring/teaching, inspiring their much-needed values, paying for their post-secondary schooling, and helping that same family find their way in an increasing competitive, confusing world ….Yes THAT male! In many cases he will “go without” so that his family “can-have”. Yes, THAT male!

Yet to watch the sitcoms and now the accusatory Gillette ads, he is portrayed as nothing short of a boorish fool with the new buzzword “toxic-masculinity”???  (By the way ...there really isn't any such thing as toxic-masculinity".  But IF there was really was a "thing" called "toxic-masculinity", it would be more like, forgetting to use my Procter&Gamble Crest toothpaste for a week OR perhaps otherwise it would be personified as Justin Trudeau's miscalculated dance steps in India last year....both "toxic" imo. )  

AARRRggghh, …my goodness give me a break! Take this ridiculous ad off the air! This is just the latest invented term for bad-behavior (the Bible clearly calls it out as sin in 2 Corinthians 3:17)   Where did we lose our way in the past 30/40 years? Has it come down to society expressing its thanks for what all good men have done by an ad like this?  A man who earns respect, works his tail off for his family, behaves himself and admits when he’s wrong and adjusts his course, …THAT guy needs to receive respect and be appreciated, not attacked. He is a dying breed in society & Gillette has evidently turned their corporate back on him for their own purposes.

Meanwhile, the flip-side of this “societal-coin” are the humanistic “rights-demander” endeavors.  Foremost seems to be the over-militant feminist movement who have aggressively taken over (or is trying to) our society in many aspects; e.g. as in “my body/my decision” for example (...would that be "toxic-femininity"?). Our society & its twisted notions have swung far-left. Society has outspokenly declared that this attempt at a left-leaning society is OK with 59 million abortion murders in the USA since Roe vs. Wade in 1973 (…and 42 million worldwide in 2018 alone.)??? How does a “MY Body/MY Decision” goal work well when 42 million people worldwide in 2018 alone die? Isn’t this unbalanced Mr. Gillette??? Of course, it is, severely unbalanced; yet the males are chosen to be criticized by Gillette and the "toxic"-feminists ignored. If that doesn't grip you, something's very wrong imo.

This injustice really upsets me! And yet Gillette misguidedly chooses to attack (especially) the white male because he catcalls and occasionally some few behave badly. Huh??? Stop the condescending nonsense Gillette and show some respect for the men that make our world as we know it possible! This has me irked somewhat, …but end of rant! By the way Gillette, I really like my Turbo Mach Three; stick to what you do well. I can think of 42 million recent reasons why your focus is flawed!

__________________________

Ed's Note:   
The following ad is by EGARD, a watch company.  Which ad do you feel more accurately portrays a man?

Jan 11, 2019

At Calvary ~ The Collingsworth Family

Years I spent in Vanity and pride caring not my Lord was crucified
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary

Mercy there was great And grace was free
Pardon there was multiplied to me
There my Burdened soul found liberty At Calvary

By Gods words at last My sin I learned
Then I trembled at the Law i'd spurned
Then my guilty soul Imploring turned To Calvary

O the love that drew salvation's plan
O the grace that brought It Down to man
O the mighty gulf That God did span At Calvary

Now I've given to Jesus Everything
now I'm Gladly own him as my king
Now my raptured soul can only sing Of Calvary

Mercy there was great and grace was free At Calvary

THINK Before You Speak

Amazing Revelation of President Trump in the Bible? ~ Jonathan Cahn

Ed's Note: About Jonathan Cahn (Bio from Wikipedia)

From Sid Roth's "It's Supernatural" : Amazing Revelation

of President Trump in the Bible ~ Jonathan Cahn

Sid Roth with Jonathan Cahn on It's Supernatural!

On this week's episode of Sid Roth's It's Supernatural! 2017: Is it possible that there actually exists a master blueprint from ancient times that we’re all following and that reveals everything that has happened, that is happening and that will happen? Hear what Jonathan Cahn has to say, and find out an amazing revelation of President Trump in the Bible! Are Our Lives Shaped by Israel Past? Join Jonathan Cahn as he shows us the uncanny parallels between events in America today and those of ancient Israel nearly 3,000 years ago. Jonathan simply asks, “Have the dramas of Israel past found expression in the White House and America’s political scene for almost four decades?” More importantly, are there lessons to be learned? And is there more yet to unfold? The bottomline. If your life has already been touched by this ancient blueprint, do you have a role to play in current and upcoming events? If mistakes have been made, can future mistakes be avoided? The Paradigm may prove to be Jonathan Cahn’s most explosive revelation, and we may never see our world the same way again. The most important question to ask could be, why? Order your copy of The Paradigm & The Paradigm Revealed: http://bit.ly/2vU67Po Jonathan Cahn is a Jewish believer in Messiah and leader in the Messianic movement. His teachings and messages are known for their profound and prophetic nature and for revealing the deep mysteries of biblical truth. He’s the senior pastor and rabbi of the Jerusalem Center in Wayne, New Jersey and is president of Hope of the World Ministries.

The Surprising Discovery About Those Colonialist, Proselytizing Missionaries

Ed's Note: See this story in Christianity Today

LEER EN ESPAÑOL

They didn’t set out to change history. But one modern scholar’s research shows they did just that.

ANDREA PALPANT DILLEY| JANUARY 8, 2014

The Surprising Discovery About Those Colonialist, Proselytizing Missionaries

Image: Alice Seeley Harris / Panos Archives

For many of our contemporaries, no one sums up missionaries of an earlier era like Nathan Price. The patriarch in Barbara Kingsolver's 1998 novel, The Poisonwood Bible, Price tries to baptize new Congolese Christians in a river filled with crocodiles. He proclaims Tata Jesus is bangala!, thinking he is saying, "Jesus is beloved." In fact, the phrase means, "Jesus is poisonwood." Despite being corrected many times, Price repeats the phrase until his death—

...CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE at CT

The 3 Wise Men

On Socialism ~ Winston Churchill

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Winter 2018/2019 ~ A Season of Reverence

The Meaning of Christmas!

He seemed relaxed on the comfortable open-area easy-chair that the mall had provided. Most of the Christmas shoppers had begun to leave for the day and the space was free from the tension and anxiety of the day. Perfect for some extra smartphone surfing or so he thought! His significant other was nearby doing some shopping in the not-to-crowded stores which gave him the free time, so he slumped into the comfortable chair. We began our approach. He seemed to be around 30 years old with an expressionless look on his face.

My colleague James and I wanted to ask him if he knew the meaning of Christmas, and perhaps move the conversation from the natural to the supernatural. Before our witnessing plans began, we had prayed that God would open doors for us and give us the right words to say. I'd brought along an icebreaker to start, so simply walked up smiling and in my friendliest voice asked "...hey can you tell me which of these cards is bigger?" I held up each of the 3" inch cards, one blue and one red. They had been cut in a semi-circle and one of the cards optically appeared to be much longer than the other, although in fact they were both the same identical size..

In barely a flash the conversation had begun and he had picked the "larger" card as his choice. The three of us shared a laugh as I then super-imposed them upon each other, clearly demonstrating that they were in fact both the same size...much to his amazement! I quickly continued, "....actually my friend and I are just here tonight in the mall asking people if they know the meaning of Christmas?

His instant and very lengthy reply was that Christmas originated as a Nordic tradition that involved reindeer, magic mushrooms and a host of select things and events I'd never heard of before. His detailed answer to our simply query told us he had actually in his own way put a lot of thought into some aspect of the spiritual world. His body likewise bore witness to our observation as we observed multiple silver skull rings decorating his fingers, while numerous occultist hand and arm tattoos embellished his exposed skin. A goatee seemed to confirm his preference of spiritual worlds as he began to tell us his chest contained a large tattoo of Satan. But he quickly added that during the past four years he had been thinking that the tattoo hadn't been such a good idea, and he was now sorry for that tattoo. He seemed very willing to listen to our version of the christian meaning of Christmas and yet sat solemn-faced as we conversed. He flat out told us that, "...I am a very bad person; and I do a lot of drugs. You'd be surprised who I am, but I'm trying to change my life". He introduced himself as Calvin and we all shook hands.

While he might have done a lot of drugs he was nonetheless still a very articulate young man capable of understanding right from wrong and how he could be better in life. He seemed genuinely glad to be talking about himself to us. His admissions seemed only to confirm that it was no accident we had come across this man who seemed to be searching for meaning to his life. But, he soon added that he just didn't see where Christians came from thinking that Christmas had anything to do with God. At that juncture, I offered the obvious; ....that the first 6 letters of Christmas were C H R I S T. A look of bewilderment overwhelmed his face as if a curtain had been opened exposing bright sunlight. For just an instant, a hint of smile crossed his otherwise deadpan face. This simple fact came as new information to his Nordic theory!

"...Well then what exactly is the Christian-meaning-of-Christmas?", he asked. It was at that point that I mentioned John 3:16, the well-worn verse that succinctly encompasses the meaning of Christmas.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

We went on to explain that we all have sinned, yet only Christ, God's Son offers us forgiveness from our sins if we will believe on Him and repent.

I continued, "It's like a courtroom scene when your facing a $5000. fine and just as the judge says you're guilty, someone steps up and pay the fine on your behalf and you walk away free; You are forgiven! ...that's what Jesus has done for us; He's given us forgiveness!"

Calvin suddenly looked surprised. "It's funny that you just mentioned the possibility of a $5000 fine, because that's what I was given; I was given a $5,280 fine a few years ago and I'm still struggling to pay it off!"

James and I continued explaining the gospel to him as we conversed for about twenty minutes. Again this was all new information to him and he seemed to be soaking up every word. There were frequent "off-the-wall" diversions while speaking to Calvin. He ventured into a number of crazy rabbit-trails, but we did our best to keep the conversation gently steering back to the gospel story. Noticing an authentic interest in the bible, James suggested that he should perhaps start discovering who Christ was by reading the gospel of John and he indicated he would like that. When James offered to provide him a bible, he said he'd get his own. Sensing it was time to wrap up the conversation, we asked if we could quietly pray for him in his search for spiritual things and Calvin couldn't have been more agreeable. My eyes watered slightly as I led in prayer asking for God's Spirit to draw Calvin toward himself as a seeker and reveal to Calvin who Christ was. Mission accomplished; Calvin was one step closer to understanding the meaning of Christmas!

Route 66 Bible Books Study

In Genesis, He is the Creator

In Exodus, He is the Lamb

In Leviticus, He is our High Priest

In Numbers, He is the Deliverer

In Deuteronomy, He is the Prophet

In Joshua, He is the Captain of our Salvation

In Judges, He is our Lawgiver

In Ruth, He is our Kinsman

In 1 & 2 Samuel, He is our trusted Prophet

In 1 & 2 Kings, He is our Reigning King

In 1 & 2 Chronicles, he is our Ruling King

In Ezra, He is our Faithful Scribe

In Nehemiah, He is the Rebuilder

In Esther, He is our Leader

In Job, He is our Ever-Living Redeemer

In Psalms, He is our Grand Shepherd

In Proverbs, He is our Understanding

In Ecclesiastes, He is our Wisdom

In the Song of Solomon, He is our Bridegroom

In Isaiah, He is the Prince of Peace

In Jeremiah, He is the Righteous Branch

In Lamentations, He is our Weeping Prophet

In EZEKIEL - He is the Pastor

In Daniel, He is the Fourth Man

In HOSEA - He is the Faithful Husband

In Joel, He is the Baptizer

In Amos, He is our Burden-Bearer

In Obadiah, He is the Mighty to Save

In Jonah, He is our Missionary

In Micah, He is the Messenger

In Nahum, He is the Avenger

In Habakkuk, He is God's Evangelist

In Zephaniah, He is our Saviour

In Haggai, He is the Restorer

In Zechariah, He is the Fountain of Life

In Malachi, He is the Sun of Righteousness

In Matthew, He is our Messiah

In Mark, He is our Miracle

In Luke, He is the Son of Man

In John, He is the Son of God

In Acts, He is the Holy Spirit,

In Romans, He is our Justifier

In 1 & 2 Corinthians, He is the Mystery

In Galatians, He is our Freedom

In EPHESIANS - He is our Riches

Ephesians Worksheet

In PHILIPPIANS ~ He is our Joy

In COLOSSIANS - He is the Fullness of the Godhead

In 1&2 THESSALONIANS - He is Our Soon Coming

King

In 1&2 TIMOTHY - He is our Mediator

In TITUS - He is our Faithful Pastor

In PHILEMON - He is our Friend

In HEBREWS - He is our High Priest

In JAMES - He is our Great Physician

In 1 & 2 PETER - He is our Chief Shepherd

In 1,2 & 3 JOHN, He is the Good Shepherd

In JUDE, He is the Great Shepherd

In REVELATION - He is the King of kings

The NAMES of GOD

The NAME OF JESUS

OUR GREAT SALVATION:

FAITH

PROPITIATION

JUSTIFICATION

SANCTIFICATION

Videos

_________________________________________ Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know _________________________________________ Is That Wedding Music That I Hear? ...Songs of Expectation! _________________________________________ E.Dewey-Smith -When I visited Dewey's Decatur (Atlanta), GA Baptist church in Spring 2014, he gave me a first class taste of southern hospitality. He had me stand in front of his congregation of 5,000 and gave me a short interview and a very friendly welcome. The church sisters gave me lots of hugs too. I couldn't have been made more welcome! He asked if they could sing my favourite GTR song, ...that was easy to decide. I quickly picked "At the Cross". He is highly relational, an awesome leader and speaker. By the way...do you make people welcome when they come to your church? _________________________________________ Heritage Singers _________________________________________ Gilbert Earl Patterson, COGIC Pastor

Tough Love For Singles

Tips for Loving Tough

By Dr. James Dobson

Tough Love For Singles

Let me get very specific with those of you who are single but wish not to be. (No insult is intended to those who are single by design and wish to remain unmarried. That is a legitimate choice which should be respected by friends and family alike.) I have listed 16 suggestions that will help you conform to the principles of loving toughness in matters of the heart.

Don’t let the relationship move too fast in its infancy. The phrase “too hot not to cool down” has validity. Take it one step at a time.
Don’t discuss your personal inadequacies and flaws in great detail when the relationship is new. No matter how warm and accepting your friend may be, any great revelation of low self-esteem or embarrassing weaknesses can be fatal when interpersonal “valleys” occur. And they will occur.
Remember that respect precedes love. Build it stone upon stone.
Don’t call too often on the phone or give the other person an opportunity to get tired of you.
Don’t be too quick to reveal your desire to get married—or that you think you’ve just found Mr. Wonderful or Miss Marvelous. If your partner has not arrived at the same conclusion, you’ll throw him or her into panic.
Most important: Relationships are constantly being “tested” by cautious lovers who like to nibble at the bait before swallowing the hook. This testing procedure takes many forms, but it usually involves pulling backward from the other person to see what will happen. Perhaps a foolish fight is initiated. Maybe two weeks will pass without a phone call. Or sometimes flirtation occurs with a rival. In each instance, the question being asked is, “How important am I to you and what would you do if you lost me?” An even more basic issue lies below that one. It wants to know, “How free am I to leave if I want to?” It is incredibly important in these instances to appear poised, secure and equally independent. Do not grasp the other person and beg for mercy. Some people remain single throughout life because they cannot resist the temptation to grovel when the test occurs.
Extending the same concept, keep in mind that virtually every dating relationship that continues for a year or more and seems to be moving toward marriage will be given the ultimate test. A breakup will occur, motivated by one of the partners. The rejected individual should know that their future together depends on the skill with which he/she handles that crisis. If the hurting individual can remain calm, the next two steps may be reconciliation and marriage. If not, then no amount of pleading will change anything.
Do not expect anyone to meet all your emotional needs. Maintain interest and activities outside the romantic relationship, even after marriage.
Guard against selfishness in the relationship. Neither the man nor the woman should do all the giving. I once broke up with a girl because she let me take her to nice places, bring her flowers, buy her lunch, etc. I wanted to do these things, but expected her to reciprocate in some way. She didn’t.
Beware of blindness to obvious warning signs that tell you that your potential husband or wife is basically disloyal, hateful, spiritually uncommitted, hooked on drugs or alcohol, given to selfishness, etc. Believe me, a bad marriage is far worse than the most lonely instance of singleness.
Don’t marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can’t live without.
Be careful to defend the “line of respect” even during a dating relationship. A man should open doors for a woman on a formal evening; a woman should speak respectfully of her escort when in public, etc. If you don’t preserve this delicate line when the foundations of marriage are being laid, it will be virtually impossible to construct them later.
Do not equate human worth with flawless beauty or handsomeness! If you require physical perfection in your mate, he or she may make the same demands of you. Don’t let love escape you because of the false values of your culture. In the same vein, be careful not to compare yourself with others—which is the root of all inferiority.
If genuine love has escaped you thus far, don’t begin believing “no one would ever want me.” That is a deadly trap that can destroy you emotionally! Millions of people are looking for someone to love. The problem is finding one another!
Regardless of how brilliant the dating relationship has been, take time to “check your assumptions” with your partner before committing yourself to marriage. It is surprising how often men and women plunge into matrimony without ever becoming aware of major differences in expectation between them.

For example:

Do you want to have children? How soon? How many?
Where will you live?
Will the wife work? How soon? How about after children are born?
Who will lead in the relationship? What does that really mean?
How will you relate to your in-laws?
How will money be spent?
Where will you attend church?

These and dozens of other “assumptions” should be discussed item-by-item, perhaps with the help of a premarital counselor. Many future struggles can be avoided by coming to terms with potential areas of disagreement. If the differences are great enough, it is even possible that the marriage should never occur.

Finally, sexual familiarity can be deadly to a relationship. In addition to the many moral, spiritual and physical reasons for remaining virgins until marriage, there are numerous psychological and interpersonal advantages to the exercise of self-control and discipline. Though it’s an old-fashioned notion, perhaps, it is still true that men do not respect “easy” women and often become bored with those who have held nothing in reserve. Likewise, women often disrespect men who have only one thing on their minds. Both sexes need to remember how to use a very ancient word. It’s pronounced “No!”

Jan 30, 2019

Jan 23, 2019

Jan 19, 2019

Jan 11, 2019

Followers