Even they hedged their bets with statements like " it is possible to eat a low-quality diet even when choosing mostly minimally processed foods,"  In other words, if you compare the absolutely best processed foods to the absolutely worst unprocessed foods it is possible that they are almost the same in health benefit.  That, of course, doesn't mean that a normal unprocessed diet compared to a normal highly processed diet are similar for health.  Also, because they compared "nutrition" and not "health", that doesn't mean the worst unprocessed is equivalent to the best highly processed.  It doesn't sound like they were looking at any of the harmful effects of the toxic ingredients in the processed food.  They just counted things like vitamins and minerals.  That would mean they ignore the benefits of phytonutrients and equate natural vitamins with chemical vitamins and naturally chelated minerals with sterile chemical minerals that are not easily absorbed.

Since most people aren't logical thinkers, it is possible for these people to write something that is at least mostly factually true while being 100% misleading.


It's always convenient being on Nostr because someone always lets me know if BTC drops, so I can buy without having to actively keep an eye on prices.


Corracle has an unobtrusive request for funds and a zap split function.  Both make sense.


It is ironic that the liberal indoctrination centers aren't even pleasing the left anymore.


I always thought Microsoft's business plan was to bloat their operating system and Office so you needed a new computer that came with ...  ...  ...  new MS OS and MS Office.  They forced you to buy new software by making their old software slower and slower, so you had to buy better hardware that came with more of their bloated software.

I don't use MS office any more.  I use Libre Office.  I'd love to get away from MS Windows, but my work software only runs on it.


That all sounds good.  You also might want to avoid, or at least limit foods with oxalate, like spinach (and other greens) and some nuts.  I forget what else is high oxalate.  You can find it with a quick web search.

I've also recently read about some specific gut bacteria that help your body process oxalates so they aren't a problem.  I don't have more information than that, but it could be worth researching.


You may want to read [part 1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/fruits-of-the-spirit) and [part 2](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/abide-in-the-vine)

> But the fruit of the Spirit is* love*, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) {emphasis mine}

### Love: Our Favorite Trait of God

We all love studying God’s love and grace. It is comforting and encouraging. On the other hand we generally hate studying God’s holiness and wrath. It is uncomfortable and convicting. If we don’t accept and know both sides of God’s character, we can’t truly know God. Yes, He is a loving God who sent His son to die on the cross to take away our sins, but He is also a holy, wrathful God. Having His son take our sins on His perfect self and die a horrific death on the cross doesn’t make sense if you don’t have a holy God who can’t abide sin, who is so holy that He can’t be in the presence of sin and must judge it and punish it fully. Jesus took our sins upon Himself so He could take the punishment we deserved. He then gives us His perfect, sinless righteousness so that is what God sees instead of our filthy, sinful selves. This is the perfect combination of love and holiness.

Amazingly, this holy God has shown such love that He not only covered our sins, but He also filled us with His Spirit. He freed us from the chains of sin and empowered us with His character, so we can bear the fruits of His Spirit.

### An Empty, Dirty Glass That Needs Cleaning & Filling

We are like an empty, dirty glass. First He cleaned us and then He filled us. He fills us with His love until we overflow and His love flows out and upon those around us.

Many of us, however, want to produce fruit by ourselves. We are like a travel mug with a tight lid that doesn’t let His love in or out, but unfortunately we like it because at least it isn’t messy. Be the open glass over flowing with the love of God.

> and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”(Mark 12:30-31)

The greatest commandment is to love God and to love others. God’s mercy led Him to share His love with us so we can obey this command. Since this was God’s greatest command, it was also His first gift.

### Obedience Creates Love

One way that God says we learn to abide in His love is through obedience. Obedience leads to the fruits of the Spirit.

> If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:10-11)

If we want to obey we must know God’s commands. He shares His commands in the Bible. In addition to providing His commands of what to do and what not to do, maybe even more important, is that the Bible shares who God really is. To truly love God, we must know who He is.

Too often we define who we think God should be. We make Him in our own image. We make Him less than holy, like ourselves. We make Him less self controlled, like ourselves. We make Him more petty, like ourselves. We, the created creature, do not have the right to define who God is, but He does have the right to define who we are and who we should be. We need to love and worship God for who He truly is and we can’t do that if we don’t know His word, the Holy, “God breathed” Bible.

> Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)

### The Love Chapter

Of course a discussion on love cannot conclude without mentioning 1 Corinthians 13.

> If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

The first 3 verses tells us some reasons that love is so important, but if we really want to know what love is, it is described in verses 4-7 both as what it is and what it is not. I’ve included two different translations (other than the NASB that I normally use) to help clarify a few of the ideas conveyed, since Greek is a little bit more concise and precise than English, these verses are clearer in the original language.

> Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)

> Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)

Love is patient and kind. It is not jealous, prideful, or arrogant. It does not dishonor others, seek its own good, or cause irritation & resentment. It helps us to endure hardship (including when others do not act lovingly towards us). It causes us to have trust and hope. It helps us persevere. Love is the very essence of being Christ-like.

### No Love Without Truth

We all love the warm fuzzy side of love, but one of our biggest problems when we emphasize love is we forget that God associates love with truth and discipline.

> He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently. (Proverbs 13:24)

> but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:15)

> Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:18)

> Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart (1 Peter 1:22)

> Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. (2 John 1:3)

> it [love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6) [clarification mine]

We must remember that it is not love to encourage a person to continue to believe a lie or to act in a sinful way. We are not loving a person if we withhold a truth to make them comfortable.

Benjamin Franklin said with regard to poverty, “*I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer*.”

I would say about love and truth, “*I am for loving the lost sinners, but...I think the best way of doing good to the lost, is not making their sin easy and comfortable, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more the public condones sin, the more sin they commit, and of course became farther from faith in Jesus. And, on the contrary, the more God’s commandments and the truth are shared in love, the more they understand their need for a Savior and the more they turn to Jesus.*”

Don’t confuse permissiveness for love. It is the opposite of love. It is not loving for a parent to allow their child to eat only sweets because that is what the child wants. It is not loving for a doctor to encourage a patient to continue smoking when he knows that smoking leads to cancer and other health problems. It is not loving to encourage the continuation of sin or the continued belief in lies. A loving person tells the truth. “*…and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free*.” (John 8:32)

Many of the twelve step programs that teach how to recover from an addiction say the first step is to realize you have a problem. Sinners won’t seek a savior if they don’t realize they have a sin problem. They won’t seek the truth if they don’t understand that they believe a lie. They won’t repent and trust Jesus if they haven’t been told the truth about sin and Jesus. We have to speak the truth if we want to show love.

Of course, how you tell the truth makes it loving or unloving. You can share the truth in a way that is loving and encouraging. Some people, instead of being overly permissive, error on the opposite extreme and speak the truth in the most hateful, condemning manner that is more of an attack on the person than on the sinful behavior or the lie. Loving truth should not be permissive nor a personal attack. It is lovingly leading them to the truth for their good and not so we can “win”.

Love isn’t just about our loving God and loving others. It is even more.

> Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

It is also about our values and what is valuable to ourselves.

### Greatest Fruit

I believe love is listed first in the Galatians list of fruits of the Spirit because it the most important fruit. The fruit that all Christians must bear. The fruit that leads to growth in oneself and allows us to help disciple and grow others. It is spoken of as the Great commandment

> 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.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Love is also the fruit that lasts forever.

> But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

The greatest of the fruits of the Spirit is love because love never ends.

Trust Jesus.

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

A discussion of what the Bible says about LOVE and how the fruit of the Sprit, LOVE, relates to how we live our lives.
UPDATED with subheadings for easier reading

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38ycnwd3cxv6ngdpn0ykags


Read [Part 1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/fruits-of-the-spirit), [Part 2 (Abide in the Vine)](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/abide-in-the-vine), [Part3 (Love)](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/love)

Once again here are the fruits of the Spirit as defined in Galatians 5.

> But the fruit of the Spirit is love,* joy*, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) {emphasis mine}

### Joy in Hardship

When I started researching joy in the Bible, one thing really stuck out. Most mentions of joy are mentioned with hardship, fear, worry, persecution, and/or some other negative situation.

> Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, (James 1:2)

> fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

> In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, (1 Peter 1:6)

> rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, (Romans 12:12)

> But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; (Luke 2:10)

Whether it is Jesus suffering unfairly on the Cross or it is Christians suffering persecution for their faith, a right relationship with God leads to joy. Yes, joy is a gift from God, but I think it is also a sign of a right understanding of God. If we think all of the evil and hardship in the world is due either to chance or to evil “winning,” then we will worry and fret and not have joy. If we rightly know that God is in control and that “*… God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose*.” (Romans 8:28b), then we can have joy in all situations because we accurately know that everything will work out for good in the end.

### Joy vs Happiness

Many people think of happiness and joy as synonyms, but there is a huge difference between the two. Happiness is an emotion that comes about in response to good/fun/desired things happening. Joy is an emotion felt despite circumstances. It isn’t temporary. It doesn’t come and go. It isn’t dependent on circumstances. It is dependent on a relationship. It is dependent on a person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joy is so much better than happiness. We don’t have to chase after it to catch it. We aren’t led astray by our desire for joy like we are when we are seeking happiness. It is given to us as a free gift from God to His spiritual children.

> Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Joy is so wonderful that we can rejoice in “various trials,” knowing that they are for our good and other’s good. We can have joy in “various trials,” knowing that they will make us “perfect and complete.” How joyful is that?

> Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who *for the joy set before Him* endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2) {emphasis mine}

This verse seems like an oxymoron: “ *for the joy set before Him endured the cross.*” At first glance it looks like Jesus has joy in the cross, but in reality, He has joy in the result of the cross. When we know that God is in control and causes “*all things to work together for good*,” we can know that the end result of every difficult, unpleasant, or bad thing will be God’s good, at least for *“those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose*.” We can have joy in ALL circumstances. Also notice that Hebrews says, “*fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith*.” This is important when it comes to joy. Just like Peter, when he was walking on the water to meet Jesus, started to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and instead focused on the storm, we too can lose our joy when we take our eyes off Jesus and instead focused on the storm. After trusting in Jesus, the next key to joy is “fixing our eyes on Jesus.”

### Joy of Obedience

> If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:10-11)

If you use 1 John 2:3, “*By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments*,” with John 15:10-11 (above), it becomes clear that all believers will have joy *“and that your joy may be made full.*” We won’t just have a little joy. Our joy will “*be made full.*” Keeping God’s commandments is another thing that leads to great joy. God’s commands aren’t joy killers; they are joy builders. He commands us what to do and not do because He wants our best, just like a parent tells their kids to eat healthy and to not run out in the street. The parent isn’t trying to ruin the kid’s fun. The parent is trying to protect them from harm and to help them to grow and stay healthy. God wants us to grow in Him so our “*joy may be made full*.”

### Joy Inexpressible

I especially love this passage on joy and rejoicing:

> In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him,* you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible *and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9) {emphasis mine}

In this verse joy, trials, and faith are very closely linked. We have “*joy*” in “*various trials*” as *“proof of your faith*.” When we are “*tested by fire*” it leads to “*praise and glory and honor … of Jesus Christ*.” Best of all, if we “*believe in Him, [we] greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible*.” Imagine that! We can have a “*joy inexpressible!*” We don’t have to have a life of worry. We don’t have to have a life without meaning. We don’t have to have a life of despair. If we believe in Him we can have “joy inexpressible!” What more could anyone ask for?

> You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)

[Read Part 5 (Peace)](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/peace)

Trust Jesus.

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

A summary of the Fruit of the Spirit, JOY
Updated with Subheadings for easier reading.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38y6rxdfhxqenzvf3q2fyk0


Read[ Part 1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/fruits-of-the-spirit), [Part 2 (Abide in the Vine)](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/abide-in-the-vine), [Part3 (Love)](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/love), [Part 4 (Joy)](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/joy)

### War & Peace

Once again here are the fruits of the Spirit as defined in Galatians 5.

> But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) {emphasis mine}

When I think of the word *peace*, it makes me think of the stereotypical beauty pageant question and answer. “What do you most want?” “I want world peace.”

You could make an argument that *peace* is the absence of war.

* Peace is the end of war with God
*
* Peace is the end of war with others
*
* Peace is the end of war with and within myself

Of course that barely touches the surface of what the fruit of the Spirit form of peace really is. The idea that *peace* is the end of war with God is very much true,

> Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)

but the other two are only somewhat true of biblical *peace*. As long as there is sin in our lives and in the world, there will be a form of war with others and within ourselves because

> “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

There will always be war between righteousness and evil until the return of Jesus to reign and to make all things new. This does not mean personally attacking unbelievers, but it does mean fighting for the truth and against sin in the world. There is a reason that God gives us the armor of God as described in [Ephesians 6.](https://www.bible.com/bible/100/EPH.6.NASB1995)

### Peace Replaces Worry

You could also make the argument that *peace* is the absence of worry.

> Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)

Almost 20 years ago, I was leading a high school, girls bible study. They picked out a book that compared Mary and Martha. (I wish I could remember the name of the book so I could recommend it.) Initially, I wasn’t thrilled with their pick, but decided to go along with it. This book made a huge impact on me because my temperament definitely aligned with Martha and I needed to become more like Mary.

> But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; (Luke 10:41)

If there is any fruit of the Spirit of which I have been lacking or producing in meager amounts throughout my Christian life, it would probably be *peace*. On one hand I have the benefit that I can see the lies around me. I can see where the bad decisions are likely to lead. This allows me to act wisely in response to what may lie ahead. On the other hand, this ability to see how things can go wrong, leads to worrying about what might go wrong (no matter how likely or unlikely) and trying to prepare for every possible eventuality myself instead of trusting that God is in control.

> “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)

The good news is that I am learning and growing. I’ve found that by focusing on Jesus and His work, instead of focusing on what bad things are happening or may happen, the worry fades away. I like the example of Peter:

> And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” (Matthew 14:25-34)

Notice that they were all afraid of what they saw and what they thought might happen, but Peter looked at Jesus and said, “ “**Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water*.” And He said, “*Come!*” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.*” While looking at Jesus and listening to Jesus, he had faith and peace, even in the storm and he got out of the boat and walked on water, but see what happened when he took his eyes off Jesus. “*But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!*”” He immediately became frightened. He lost his peace. Jesus promises peace to all those who trust in Him. It truly is a peace that “*surpasses all understanding*.”

> Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the *peace* of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 4:6-7) {emphasis mine}

There are many examples of those who have faith in God having an incomprehensible peace in difficult circumstances. I’ll now give an example from the Old Testament.

> Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:14-18) {emphasis mine}

*Faith* and *peace* are so closely linked that they cannot be separated. Without *faith*, we can NOT have *peace*. Notice in this passage that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego had *faith* that “*our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire*,” but they had *peace* that “*even if He does not, … we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up*.” Faith in God’s power and faithfulness enables us to have peace in every situation, even in the most horrific, painful, scary situations. If we know who God is, His power and His faithfulness, then we don’t need to worry about anything. We can have peace, knowing that “… *God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.*” (Romans 8:28)

### Serenity Prayer

When I think of peace, I also think of the Serenity Prayer. Most people are familiar with the first 4 lines, but not necessarily the rest of the prayer. It doesn’t have the authority of scripture on the subject of *peace* or its close cousin *serenity*, but it does have some truth that can help us have a right view on the world and to embrace *peace* in the Spirit. Read it slowly concentrating on each line and I think you will be inspired.

> God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;

taking, as Jesus did,

this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it;

trusting that You will make all things right

if I surrender to Your will;

so that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

                                            Reinhold Niebuhr

The first 4 lines are very succinct and easy to remember, making them good for helping us get our minds right, but the lines that follow are even more biblically true.

There are numerous verses about taking one day at a time and not wasting time on worrying about the future.

> “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

There are numerous verses about being strengthened by hardship.

> “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14)

There are numerous verses about trusting God.

> Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

There are numerous verses about surrendering your will.

> For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. (1 Peter 2:15)

There are numerous verses about happiness (or more correctly, joy).

> These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. (1 John 1:4)

There are numerous verses about God making all things right.

> And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” (Revelation 21:5)

### Action Plan

Reread the Serenity Prayer and the examples of Peter, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abed-nego and look at your life to see what thoughts and actions might be stealing your *peace*.

> “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)

> Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11)

May God give you peace in good times and in bad.

Trust Jesus.

your sister in Christ,

Christy

FYI, my following posts will continue going through each of the individual fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38yur2dps8yur2wfkkt6k9n


I was inspired by the wilds of Wyoming.  There aren't many better places to enjoy Jesus's creation.

https://image.nostr.build/94445863b652af36df835da7c2d9ed000182839f872196ab08335078f70eb26c.jpg


Me, too!


The existence of a human life doesn't depend on the location of the baby or on the desires of the parents.  The moment unique, human DNA is present in a cell is the moment that human life begins.  That is science and that is what God confirms.

It amazes me how often people think feelings change reality.  Truth is truth even if nobody believes it.


I just spent the past three days ATVing in Wyoming.  I would ride in the back; stop and take a picture; and zoom (accelerate) to catch up.  If I tapped the breaks then the gas, I could get the tail end sliding around the corners.  What a thrill!


We used to sell OneWheels, but had to stop due to liability issues.


The US military did the same thing and I believe it was a loyalty test to throw out anyone who wouldn't blindly follow orders.


I hope her parents either made a lot of money playing professional basketball or know how to sew well because I can't imagine trying to find clothes for someone like her.


They have to all act shocked, so it isn't obvious to the blind followers that they have been misled yet again.


Three great days enjoying God's creation in Wyoming.  Two long ATV rides on Thursday. A long hike and a long ATV ride on Friday.  One long ATV ride on Saturday before having to clean up and go home.  Sadly, end of month accounting was calling.


When you are driving 35-40 mph into a 25-30 mph headwind on an ATV on a rough dirt track, it really feels like you are flying.
#Wyoming  #ATV  #wilderness  #outdoors  #excitement  #photos

https://image.nostr.build/0f9623f40b6c8e1d0511bec919e9e2de5c2a416ae00565d60a8d658c38ec598f.jpg


The reason Joe hasn't been removed for incompetence is that nobody wants President Harris.


There are not many places where you can see the less traveled, narrow way better than in Wyoming.

#jesus  #Jesus  #God  #creation  #Christian  #christianity  #NarrowWay
https://image.nostr.build/53bfc918be4c5069b0cf808d3f3bb104e1fdd6da0ac2ef54a858205f327b9017.jpg


Yet another reason to not do high tariffs.


I think it is good to take a social media (including Nostr) fast every so often.


The argument about golf handicaps was pretty entertaining.  Supposedly only one microphone was supposed to be turned on at a time, but they let both speak during that argument because it was the only entertaining moment in the debate.


Are you referring to his raspy, quiet, unenunciated voice or his total inability to finish a thought or even a sentence?


I hope you all feel better soon.


I think it works with just about anything spicy.

When I was scheduled to give my first big presentation at my first engineering job (not counting an internship), I came down with a fever.  I ran home, heated a bowl of gumbo, drenched it with Louisiana hot sauce, sweated out the fever, and went back to work fever free and able to give a great presentation.

Gumbo became my goto for sickness and especially fevers.  Sometimes when I don't have the good stuff, I just drown a bowl of canned chicken noodle soup in hot sauce and that will work almost as well.


Overall, tariffs would be bad because they would increase the cost of almost everything and cause a trade war.  In the long run, there could be a benefit, because it might make it worthwhile to produce more here instead of buying everything abroad.  This would make us less dependent on all of the enemies we are making.  Right now, if a war starts with China, they can cut us off from high tech microchips and drugs or the components needed to make drugs, especially antibiotics.  We would be seriously hurting.


Smashing a spider is about the same.  I know they can eat the flies, but I really don't like spiders.


I can't remember the name of the movie with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, but I had a friend watch that movie with me.  After walking out, she said she wished she was the Julia Roberts character.  I asked her if she wanted to be a hooker?    I don't think she liked the question, but it did wake her up out of her fantasy land.


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


and some who just do their own thing.


Especially when you have a kid who wants to change clothes every couple of hours.  He is now in charge of doing laundry.  Problem solved.


I got this from *The Biblical Man* on Substack.  I strongly recommend my fellow Christians check him out (especially male Christians).

The post is here:  https://substack.com/home/post/p-145965427

It's time for some hard truth that'll separate the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff. We're diving deep into the heart of what it means to have real, unshakeable faith in a world that's increasingly hostile to the followers of Christ.

You claim to have faith? You say you trust in the Almighty? Well, persecution is coming to put that to the test. And let me tell you something - if your so-called "faith" crumbles when the heat is on, it wasn't real faith to begin with.

Here's the cold, hard reality:

If persecution causes us to let go of our faith, it was not confidence in God that we possessed, but confidence in our understanding of His will.

Let that sink in for a moment. Meditate on it. Let it challenge you to your core.

Real faith, warrior faith, isn't built on your ability to comprehend God's plan. It's not about having all the answers or understanding why things happen the way they do. No, true faith is built on the unshakeable truth of who God is, regardless of our circumstances.

"*Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him*" (Job 13:15 KJV)

That's the kind of faith we're called to. The kind that stands firm when everything else is falling apart. The kind that says, "Even if I don't understand, even if it costs me everything, I will trust in the Lord."

So ask yourself these hard questions:

1. Is your faith in God, or in your understanding of His ways?

2. Can you trust Him even when His plan doesn't match your expectations?

3. Are you ready to stand firm when persecution comes?

These aren't hypothetical questions, brothers. The world is changing, and the days of easy, comfortable Christianity are coming to an end. We need to be prepared for the storm that's brewing.

Remember, the Apostle Paul didn't say "*I know why all these things are happening to me." He said, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day*" (2 Timothy 1:12 KJV).

It's not about having all the answers. It's about knowing the One who does.

Now, let's break this down further:

The Nature of True Faith

True faith isn't blind optimism. It's not positive thinking or wishful dreaming. True faith is a rock-solid confidence in the character and promises of God, even when everything around us seems to contradict those promises.

When persecution comes - and make no mistake, it will come - it will reveal what your faith is really made of. Will it stand firm, or will it crumble like a sandcastle in the tide?

The Danger of False Confidence

Many of us have fallen into the trap of confusing our understanding of God's will with faith in God Himself. We think that because we can explain God's actions or because we believe we know His plan, we have faith.

But what happens when God doesn't act the way we expect? What happens when His plan doesn't align with our understanding? That's when true faith is tested and revealed.

If your faith is based on your ability to understand or explain God's actions, it will fail you when you encounter situations that defy your understanding. And brothers, let me tell you, those situations will come.

The Refining Fire of Persecution

Persecution isn't just a possibility for the Christian; it's a promise. Jesus Himself said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33 KJV). Peter reminds us, *"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you*" (1 Peter 4:12 KJV).

These trials, these persecutions, they're not just random hardships. They're the refining fire that reveals and strengthens true faith. They're the crucible in which warrior-grade faith is forged.

When persecution comes, it will strip away all pretenses. It will reveal whether your faith is in God or in your understanding of Him. It will show whether you trust in His character or in your ability to explain His actions.

The Call to Unshakeable Faith

So here's your mission, warriors of faith:

1. Examine your faith. Is it built on God's character or your comprehension? Do you trust Him or just your understanding of Him?

2. Prepare for persecution. It's coming, whether you're ready or not. Steel yourself for the battle ahead.

3. Strengthen your resolve. True faith grows stronger under pressure. Let the challenges you face drive you deeper into trust in God.

4. Stand firm. Be the immovable warrior God called you to be. When others falter, you stay strong.

5. Know God, not just about God. Dive deep into His Word. Spend time in His presence. Build your faith on the rock of who He is, not the shifting sands of your understanding.

6. Be ready to say, like Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." That's the kind of faith that moves mountains and changes the world.

The world needs men of unshakeable faith. Men who trust God even when they don't understand Him. Men who stand firm when others fall away. Men who can say with Paul, "*For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord*" (Romans 8:38-39 KJV).

Will you be that man?

The battle is coming. The test is near. Will your faith stand, or will it crumble?

The choice is yours, warrior. Choose wisely. Choose faith in God, not just in your understanding of Him. Choose to stand firm when persecution comes. Choose to be the unshakeable man of faith that God has called you to be.

Now go. Be strong. Be faithful. Be the man God created you to be. The world is waiting for warriors like you to rise up and show them what true, unshakeable faith looks like.

Amen and amen.

Check out his substack, so I don't feel bad about borrowing his content.  https://substack.com/@biblicalman

Faith Under Fire:  Are You a Warrior or a Weakling?

A great summary of Biblical Faith from The Biblical Man on Substack.
https://substack.com/@biblicalman

#Jesus #God #Christian #Christianity #TheBiblicalMan #Faith #Perseverence #God #Bible #WordofGod #ManOfGod

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38yengvpnxsunvvpksh9geu


I love that idea and would totally support it, but I try to be practical on what might (even if on the off chance) be doable.  Most people aren't ready for that and the politicians definitely aren't because they wouldn't have power anymore.


The plants should be happy.


The Bible
Sermons
Podcasts
My husband
My son
Getting enough sleep.


I just hope they didn't free him so they can more easily Epstein him.  If that is the plan, I do think they will wait till after the election to make sure their guy is still in charge, so they won't be punished for their evil actions.


If you are loved by the world, you are probably doing something wrong, although there can be some appreciation for the loving attitude of a Christian and the way a devoted Christian stands firm in their faith during hardship and persecution.


" ... for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth ..." (Genesis 8:21)

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders."  (Matthew 15:19)

"You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me."  (Jeremiah 16:12)

Amen!

#Jesus  #WordofGod  #Christian  #Bible  #biblestr


I hate that he had to plead to a crime he didn't commit and that those who are truly guilty are still around running everything, but I don't blame him for taking the plea deal.  He has suffered so much.  I wish him the best and hope the US hasn't freed him in order to Epstein him.

I'm praying for his wellbeing and safety.


That post tells you all you need to know about Pence.  Anyone who goes after whistleblowers is a tyrant and a criminal.


Some men do not want the responsibility and consequences that come from freedom.

So sad.


We had a brief period between one dog dying and getting the next dog.  Some food got dropped on the floor and my husband and I just stood there looking at the food and looking at each other wondering what to do.  We finally figured out we were going to have to bend over and pick up the food.  We were not used to that.


There are multiple areas that he is very good, but I just can't get past his stance on abortion.  I do not think it is OK to kill a baby at any stage but think it is particularly horrific that RFK, Jr thinks it is OK to kill a baby seconds before natural birth.

The only moral functions of government are protecting life and property and he is not only failing to do the first, he is encouraging ending life.


1 or 2  (1 at a really high end steak restaurant, but 2 most other places)
4 or 5 (when I actually ate bread, which I no longer eat)
C or D


We plant the seed, but only God can bring forth the harvest.  It kind of takes away the pressure when witnessing.


I love it!  That is beautiful.  You've got good taste.


Tyrants got to tyrant.

Texas and New Mexico have been fighting over Rio Grande water for 10 years.  They finally got an agreement.  The Feds then say they can't have this agreement because the Feds didn't get their say.  Other than being power hungry, what does this have to do with the Federal government.  The federal government shouldn't be involved when the states are solving their own disagreements.

Of course the Supreme Court  (5-4) supported Federal power.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/us-supreme-court-rejects-texas-and-new-mexico-deal-on-rio-grande-water-5672857?src_src=Morningbrief&src_cmp=mb-2024-06-23&est=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYukgZxwJwsTazKoPtmpWRbd1xkFgAC4SFchPwUh2wpkxVxI%3D


Does she care about name brand stuff?  If so, she might prefer the natural, dug from the ground diamond.  Is she practical and likes a good deal on quality?  She might prefer the lab grown diamond.

I can't say that I have ever compared the two.  Chemically they should be the same, so if you can get more clarity, purity, and sparkle for the money, I'd go the lab grown.


When my husband proposed, he picked out a diamond and put it in a plain setting.  After I said yes, he took me back to the shop to pick out the setting/ring.  He said that, if I didn't find anything I liked, he could return everything and go elsewhere, but I told him, "if I can't find anything acceptable here, you need to throw me back."

I wouldn't care what kind of diamond it was.  I'm practical and would probably choose the lab grown one if it looks nice and is cheaper, but hopefully you know how your girl thinks.  Some girls care about brand and doing it the old fashioned way.  Some girls are more practical.


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


Sometimes I comment what I think is ideal.  Sometimes I comment on what might be possible understanding what we have now.  This was a pragmatic rather than idealistic comment.  It would make things better than they are now while not fixing the problem anywhere near fully.


I understand.  I also know there is zero chance of a law passing that actually punishes government employees or politicians when they break the law.  They worked hard to get in that position so they could break the law.

The only laws I might support are laws that limit and/or punish those that are part of the government and laws that protect life & private property.  Of course with the government, you always have to consider every possible way that law could be twisted.  They've already managed to interpret most of the Constitution in the exact opposite way in which it was intended.


We just need Congress to pass a bill with a lifetime ban on government employment  (and pensions) and with jail time for anyone caught using a private email or purposely misspelling words to prevent FOIA requests.  I'd say minimum of a year in jail with an additional week for every email that doesn't follow official rules to aid FOIA requests.  If there were real consequences, they'd be more likely to obey the rules and also try harder to make sure there are no "accidents."  Same, except with a 5 year minimum jail sentence for destroying or discarding equipment to make data unrecoverable.


I'll admit that I am trying to avoid flying.  I hate security and I don't trust the safety of the planes or the pilots.


I tend to think that the mRNA jabs were a loyalty test used to drive out anyone capable and willing of thinking for themselves.  All that is left are the blind order followers.  This was by plan.


I'm wondering if we will get a war or a pandemic that enables them to either "postpone" elections or switch them to entirely mail-in ballots so they can cheat their way into continued power.  They know they have broken so many laws that they can 't allow their opponents into power or they will all be going to jail.


I keep looking at gas prices.  The Ukraine/Russia war and the Israel/Hamas (and likely soon to be Israel/Hezbollah/Iran) wars along with Houthis shooting at ships in the Red Sea should make oil/gas prices skyrocket.  Instead they are dropping.  That says consumption is dropping like a rock.  Sadly, I expect bad times are coming.  The only questions are "how bad?" and "do we have a slow slide or a precipitous plummet?"


I really worry about the US.  The leaders seem to think they are invincible and can do whatever they wish without consequences.  They've given away most of their weapons to the lost cause of Ukraine (and others).  They've destroyed the readiness of the military by concentrating on woke agendas and destroying the health of the soldiers with forced jabs (especially the covid jab) and even starting to move to lab grown "meat".  They've made enemies of half of the world.  Now they are trying to start wars with Russia and China (and many other smaller nations).  If we actually go to war with Russia or China (and especially if we go to war with both), things are probably going to go badly quickly.  Then the bullies, in charge, will almost certainly go nuclear (or bioweapons) quickly to cover for their losses.  Americans are going to be shocked at how their lives get destroyed so quickly.


Sorry, I didn't respond right away.  This wasn't an easy, whip up a quick response, kind of answer and I went out of town for my son's birthday trip to a theme park/water park and an eye appointment and when I got back, I was doing VBS (vacation bible school) with our church.  This was the first chance to try to give a proper response.  I actually decided to do a long form post.  I'll tag you on the post.


I have had some thoughts regarding God's sovereignty and man's will and guilt.  My thoughts were triggered by these posts, starting with my post:  https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/fruits-of-the-spirit

### Response to my Post

buttercat1791
npub1wqf…cqsyn
19
6/16/24, 9:17 AM
 View Parent

"If there are more signs of bad fruit, we need to consider whether our faith is real and respond accordingly."

This may be due to my incomplete understanding of Reformed theology, but it would seem that this statement conflicts with the doctrine of Irresistible Grace. Do you hold to all the points of TULIP?

I struggle to wrap my head around how a believer can be said to respond to grace in this or that way, when that grace is said to be irresistible. Maybe you can help me understand the finer points better? — This is a comment on: yakihonne.com/article/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4

### My quick response

LibertyGal
npub1356…k805u
50
6/16/24, 10:05 AM

Although I have a lot of beliefs in common I don't consider myself part of the reformed theology. I do believe in Irresistible Grace because I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God. I can't deny this absolute sovereignty that is spoken of throughout scripture. I explain it to myself this way (although I admit that I likely don't have perfect understanding. As the creature, we shouldn't expect to fully understand the Creator.) Due to the sin of Adam and Eve, we have a sin nature. That nature causes everyone to reject God. If we could have true, complete faith we would be accepted by Him, but our sin nature makes this impossible. When God "calls" or "elects" a person, He unchains them from their sin nature. Once we are freed from our sin nature, there is no other choice, but to repent and trust Him as Savior because our nature and His nature make it so.

I'll admit I am still trying to fully understand His sovereignty and our choice.

### His 2nd Response:

buttercat1791
npub1wqf…cqsyn
19
6/16/24, 10:19 AM

Why would we think that, unchained from sin nature, there is no other choice but to accept God? Adam and Eve did not have a sin nature, but they still freely rejected God. If Christ's redemption redeems and elevates our nature by union with Christ, then would not that raise us to the freedom to love God as Jesus loves God the Father? It would seem to me that, for this love to be freely given, the possibility must exist that this love may be freely refused, as well.

### My initial Thought to answer the question asked

I reserve the right to be wrong, but I think the difference between us, when we are freed from our sin nature, and Adam and Eve is that they had never experienced sin and guilt.

I used to think it amazing that Adam and Eve were misled so easily.  When there is only one rule, "Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,"  how hard can that one rule be to obey?  Although Adam and Eve were physically adults, they were likely only days old, at most a couple years old.  They had never heard a lie before. They didn't know to watch out for a lie anymore than a baby understands that it can fall from a height.  Until that first sin, they had no idea what guilt felt like.  When they did sin, they hid from God because they fully understood their guilt  (We've sinned so often that we become more numb to the guilt).

The reason we are driven to repentance and acceptance of God's forgiveness the moment we are freed from our sin nature is because we have felt that guilt and the pain of separation, so we are more grateful for what was done for us.  Adam and Eve looked at God's command as something good being withheld from them. We have seen that Jesus humbled himself, came down to Earth, lived the perfect human life that we can't, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the dead to reign in heaven.  We can see how much we dishonored Him and how much He did for us.  Once we are freed from our sin nature, how can we do anything other than to submit to him in grateful adoration?

### More thoughts:

The Bible repeatedly speaks of God's absolute sovereignty.  There is nothing He cannot do and He has the right to make us do what He wants and/or to do with us as He wishes.

> 14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,  (Romans 9:14-23)

God has the power and the right to make us do His will, to use us as He plans, and to punish us for our actions (whether they are free will or not), but I think the reality is more complicated.

For example, in the story of Joseph, his brothers hated him and wanted to kill him, but God had a plan for Joseph, so he put the idea into their heads to sell Joseph instead and made sure the right people were nearby when they had this idea.  Rueben wanted to save Joseph and prevent sorrow for his father, but God made him too late returning, so Joseph got sold into slavery.  When Potiphar's wife made a pass at Joseph and Joseph refused her and she charged him with assaulting her, it is likely that Potiphar knew his wife and knew things weren't what he was told, but he was embarrassed that his wife would be interested in a Hebrew slave, so Joseph was sent to the Pharaoh's prison (from all of the penalties that could have been given to him), so that Joseph would be there to interpret the butler's dream.  The butler was busy, but God made him forget Joseph until the time was right to bring Joseph before Pharaoh to save the people of Egypt, Israel, and beyond.  God used what was in their hearts (their guilt) but only allowed them to act on those urges in the way God intended and to further His will.

In this way we do get to choose good or evil, but we still act out God's eternal plan according to His will.

I'll admit that understanding the perfect balance between God's absolute sovereignty and eternal will with man's choices and resultant guilt is difficult and I am still fine tuning my beliefs because they are not simple like many of God's commands. "Do not commit adultery,"  "Do not commit murder," and "Go, make disciples." are easy to understand, but the balance between God's will and man's is not so easy.  I always try to err on the side of God's absolute sovereignty and figure the rest will work itself out.

In Response:  Sovereignty of God vs Will and Guilt

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38ycrzvesxqursvenhwqmzg


Conscription is slavery.  I thought we abolished slavery, but not really.


God is good!


> You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? (Matthew 7:16)

The Bible talks in multiple places about people being known by their fruit. During most of humanity, we don’t have an obvious mark marking us as belonging to Christ or belonging to the Devil, but the way we think, speak, and act does show to whom we belong. The fruits of the Spirit, “*love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control*” (as listed in Galatians 5) are only found in those who have repented and trusted Jesus as savior. We can only produce this good fruit if we abide in the vine, the Lord Jesus Christ.

First lets look at the whole passage relating to abiding in the vine and the fruit that we bear. Then I will break down the passage in order to glean the key points.

> 1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. (John 15:1-16) {emphasis mine}

> “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2)

Part of bearing fruit includes being pruned. When a plant is pruned, unhealthy branches and branches that are in the way (blocking the air and light or rubbing and causing damage) are cut away. Sometimes a plant even has to be moved to a better location with better soil or better light. Sometimes pruning seems brutal when a large number of branches need pruning, but it strengthens the plant and helps it to produce more fruit. In the same way, we need unhealthy habits and ungodly distractions cut away, so we can focus on God and and to serve Him faithfully.

In Jesus’s parable of the sower He explains,

> And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19)

The “*the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things*” need to be pruned away so that we can be fruitful. This pruning is not necessarily enjoyable at the time, but looking back, it is always needful and for our benefit. If our minds are in sync with God’s, we will look with fondness on those hard days and won’t trade them for anything. Those who run from this pruning will miss the benefit. Those who seek this pruning will grow and flourish the most fully.

> And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:29)

> Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit,* for apart from Me you can do nothing*. (John 15:4-5) {emphasis mine}

So often we try to live Godly lives in our own strength, but we fail miserably. We need to lean on God. We need to read, understand, and embody God’s word, the Bible. We need to pray for the Spirit’s guidance and strength. Sometimes we need to just rest and wait on the Lord. Other times we need to jump in and act in accordance to His will. Whatever the case and whatever the stage of life, we need to lean on God as our strength and our guide “*for apart from {Him} you can do nothing.*”

> If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:6)

> Even worse, if we have not trusted God as savior, we can not only not produce fruit, we are good for nothing and will ultimately be “cast … into the fire and … burned.” It is so much better to be pruned and grow in Christ in this life, than to follow the easy path in this life and have an eternity of punishment, sorrow, and agony. It isn’t too late to trust Jesus. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

> 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:7-8) {emphasis mine}

It important to keep verse 8 in mind, “*My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples*.” when you read and try to interpret verse 7, “*If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you*.”

If you abide in Jesus, your desires and interests should align with His. You should want to do His will and not just your own. This should cause you to wish for things according to His will and not to ask for frivolous things like wealth, power, and prestige. If you are bearing His fruit, you are His disciple. If you are His disciple, you obey Him. If you obey Him, you glorify Him. God isn’t a magic genie in a bottle that you rub when you have a request and then send back to the bottle when you’re done with Him. God is the creator of the universe. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and holy. He is someone to praise and to obey, not to use and command.

> If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:10-11)

When we abide in Jesus, we love His word and submit to His will. We regularly obey His commandments (Unfortunately this doesn’t mean we will never disobey, but it should mean our normal way of life is obedience.) When we obey His commandments we abide in His love. When we abide in His love, we receive joy (one of the fruits of the Spirit). When we abide in Jesus life is good. It isn’t necessarily (or even likely) easy, but it is good because He is good.

> “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13)

In the Gospels, Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment.

> “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 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.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

When we have God’s love, we act on it towards God and towards others. When we wholeheartedly love God and His people, we will show love and love is the embodiment of obedience to our God and creator. When we show love to others, we are sharing the image of God, which was created in us. We are image bearers of our awesome God. This is what we were created to do.

> No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

God does not need us to complete His will. He choses us to include us and allow us to “help” Him in the same way a parent lets their toddler “help.” Including a toddler in the work that needs to be done almost always makes it harder to complete the task and it tends to be messier. God including us in His work also is messier, but He loves us and working through us helps us to grow in maturity and love for Him and others just as allowing that toddler to “help” actually helps the toddler grow rather than truly helping with the task.

We should truly be in awe of the idea that the creator of the universe, the creator of everything that is including time and space, would lower himself to think of us as friends instead of slaves. This is the ultimate honor and should never be taken for granted.

> 16You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. (John 15:16) {emphasis mine}

Let’s thank God for choosing us and appointing us to bear fruit. Let’s thank Him that our fruits of the Spirit will remain even after the end of the world.

Trust Jesus.

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

Abide in the Vine:  Fruits of the Spirit, Part 2

We must "abide in the vine" if we are to have the "fruits of the Spirit"

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38quryd3hx5mnjwpn89zhvf


Also, there are people who say they have trusted Jesus or become a Christian, but that belief is based on the beliefs of their family or them wanting a "get out of jail free" card or some other non-internalized belief.  The Bible says that "the demons also believe, and shudder." (James 2:19b).  It isn't enough to just believe that God exists or that Jesus exists.  You have to admit who He is, His character, our sin, and repent of that sin and submit to His will and authority.

There will be plenty of people who consider themselves Christians, but who are not.

"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"  (Matthew 7:21-23)

I guess you could call them the illegal aliens.  Jesus calls them the tares among the wheat.

I do believe that a person can truly know that they are saved and a child of God, but we cannot know for certain on another person, although we can have a pretty good idea by their fruits.


Although I have a lot of beliefs in common I don't consider myself part of the reformed theology.  I do believe in Irresistible Grace because I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God.  I can't deny this absolute sovereignty that is spoken of throughout scripture.  I explain it to myself this way (although I admit that I likely don't have perfect understanding.  As the creature, we shouldn't expect to fully understand the Creator.)  Due to the sin of Adam and Eve, we have a sin nature.  That nature causes everyone to reject God.  If we could have true, complete faith we would be accepted by Him, but our sin nature makes this impossible.  When God "calls" or "elects" a person, He unchains them from their sin nature.  Once we are freed from our sin nature, there is no other choice, but to repent and trust Him as Savior because our nature and His nature make it so.

I'll admit I am still trying to fully understand His sovereignty and our choice.


### Know Them By Their Fruits

There are many verses in the Bible that talk about our fruits. They talk about bad fruit and good fruit. They talk about trusting or not trusting a person based on a person’s fruit. I’ll touch on a few of them here. This post will be Bible verse heavy post that is an overview. We’ll get deeper into the subject with subsequent posts.

> “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:15-23)

This fruit can be used to judge others, but can also be used to judge ourselves. We are fallible humans, so none of us will always perfectly exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, but there should be signs of fruit if we are truly saved children of God. A fruit tree will have a flower bud, blooms, a beginning of a fruit, an unripe fruit, or a ripe fruit. There will be progress from one to another. Sometimes circumstances can damage a fruit, but there are still signs of the fruit. As Christians, there should always be signs of the fruit of the Spirit. If there are more signs of bad fruit, we need to consider whether our faith is real and respond accordingly.

> But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:16-26) {emphasis mine}

### The Plan

My plan is to work on a series of posts with more information on each of the fruits of the spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Hopefully this will be a blessing to you and help you to grow in the Spirit. Just keep in mind, that you will never successfully produce ripe fruit if you are not a born-again Christian who has been redeemed by Jesus Christ. Only those covered by the blood of the Lamb and filled with the Spirit of God can truly produce the fruit of the Spirit.

> “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2)

My next post will go into some details about abiding in Christ in order to bear fruit. Hopefully you are also longing for Jesus and to bear fruit in His name.

> For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. (Romans 8:22-25) {emphasis mine}

Our fruit will not be fully and optimally ripe until Jesus returns, but we should “*groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.*” We should long to be the person God has created us to be and to be worthy of what He has done for us. I hope this is your desire as well.

> But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:17-18)

May the Holy Spirit of God fill you and grow you and grow abundant fruit in you.

Trust Jesus.

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/fruits-of-the-spirit

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

Intro to the Fruits of the Spirit and description of the plan for my series on the subject

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38q6ngd3k8ycr2vech05grg


I'm definitely doing that, too.


It looks like the details I had read are not entirely right.  I believe this article describes the true situation.  The trend is the same, but the move away from the dollar is less sudden and less formalized than described above.

https://mises.org/mises-wire/saudi-arabia-drifts-away-washington-and-dollar


You say that because you've never gotten a front wedgie.


I don't think Oreos actually use much cacao.


As people and countries move away from the USD and the dollars come home, we'll be seeing a lot more inflation.  If there is anything that you really need, but haven't gotten around to getting it, the time may be now.


People today think they have moved beyond idolatry, but there is definite idolatry.  It just looks a little different.  I'd argue that the way we (Americans) treat the flag is a form of idolatry.  We "pledge allegiance" to the flag when we should only pledge allegiance to God.  We treat it with pomp and ceremony in the same way people used to treat their graven idols.  We throw a fit when the flag isn't treated just so according to the religious formula.  Anyone who mistreats the flag is treated as a heretic that must be destroyed or driven away.  It is idolatry.

The flag is only one example, but one of which many American Christians are very much guilty.


I haven't seen Christians worshipping or idolizing the rich.   In my circles it is almost the opposite.  What I see, all too often, is Christians talking about politicians like they are saviors and treating the American flag like an idol and destroying anyone who doesn't treat their idol with proper respect.  I like our flag, but I don't pledge allegiance to it (my allegiance is to God alone) and I treat it with general respect, but don't have a fit if someone else doesn't.  I think one politician is significantly better than another, but even the best, someone like Ron Paul, still has his faults and is unable to fix the mess we are in.

Politicians should not be treated like gods or saviors and the flag should not be treated like an idol.


I got my stubborn genes from him.


He thinks I'm crazy and clueless.  I think he's short sighted and unable to accept change.  Family get-togethers are interesting as my husband keeps kicking me under the table or giving me the "don't go there" back rub to keep me from discussing things that might cause a fight.


I'm with you.  I always say that when I met the man that is now my husband, I knew it was true love because he was the first guy who could keep up (or pass) me.

I used to work for Motorola in a facility that >5,000 employees.  Almost every time someone met me, they would comment with something like, "Oh, you're the girl who walks fast."


I love old books, especially old history books.


Yes, someone who tells you the truth respectfully and for your good.


Does the government deserve to be overthrown?  Absolutely, but most revolutions lead to worse tyranny, not a better smaller government, so be careful what people wish for and be careful starting something that could make everything so much worse.


It is great that they overturned Roe v Wade, but overall they have been rather disappointing.  They are much better than those recently nominated by Democrats, but that isn't saying much since those were basically nominated solely on their DEI scores and the adherence to ideology and not their skills and abilities or their adherence to the law/constitution.


In the Bible, people who are possessed usually talk in the plural.  I am starting to believe that is where it comes from.


So amazing!

Studying creation has given me a better understanding of God's awesomeness and helped my faith and my faithfulness immensely.

freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


I just saw this headline that Trump wants to eliminate the income tax.  I think the income tax and property tax are the two most evil taxes of all, so this was interesting to me (not that I trust Trump to follow through or think he is likely to get it through Congress).

I have wanted to eliminate the income tax (and all other taxes) and replace it with only a sales tax so we are no longer nickel and dimed to death and so we can see, with every purchase, how much we are really paying.  Unfortunately that isn't Trump's plan.  He wants super high tariffs.  He actually thinks tariffs would be paid by China and not the American people who buy their products.  He wants a 25% tariff on imports.  That will just mean the price of everything will go up 25%.  No Thanks!  (although it still is probably better than the income tax because it keeps the government out of our personal business).

He should also realize the moment we implement high tariffs on imports, other nations are going to implement high tariffs on our exports.

https://libertyonenews.com/trump-drops-bombshell-proposal-suggests-eliminating-income-tax-during-dc-republicans-meeting/

#grownostr  #economics  #taxes


It is amazing how many women (I think my sister is one of them) are willing to vote for a senile old man who is kingpin of a crime family because Trump posts mean tweets.

I don't blame anyone for not being a fan of Trump.  I do blame people for thinking Biden is better in any way.  I so badly long for a day that I can vote FOR a candidate instead of voting AGAINST a candidate or candidates.

FYI, I did vote FOR  Ron Paul when he ran.  He never really had a chance because the establishment wouldn't allow it and most people don't actually want freedom or small government.  Being at the national convention was eye opening about how corrupt the parties really are.


I don't have any grandma's left and my parents don't.  My Dad tried to bad mouth bitcoin and then stopped himself and asked if I had any, He stuttered and still tried to bad mouth it because one of his friends had lost bitcoin because he didn't protect his keys.  Someone staying on an exchange or losing their keys is not bitcoins fault, but in his old age, he doesn't like change.

I was flattered that he realized that I might have bitcoin.


If you surround yourself with "yes men" you are never challenged and never learn or grow.

I like having my ideas challenged.  Sometimes, I strengthen my beliefs and better understand why I believe what I believe.  Sometimes I slightly tweak my beliefs.  Sometimes I totally change my beliefs because I was wrong.

I like subscribing to you because, although we don't' agree on everything, the discussions are always thought provoking.  We do usually think similarly on the important stuff.


That response made me snort laugh.


For some reason I regularly try to spell words with British spellings even though I am American.  Normally I catch it and fix it, but my first thought is the British spelling.  I have no idea why.


I've been concerned that foreign countries are moving away from the USD (I don't blame them. I would if I was them.)  The US has been able to print money without massive inflation because the countries of the world hold USD in reserve for purchasing internationally (especially oil).  Until the money moves, it doesn't decrease the purchasing power.  Slowly nations, ie. BRICS, are moving to bilateral agreements and stopping using USD for trade.  They will be needing less and less dollars for purchases and will therefore stop holding dollars.  As the USD comes home and we have a huge amount of dollars chasing limited goods, inflation is going to sky rocket.  We could even get  inflation approaching Argentinia, Zimbabwe, and Weimar Republic levels.

Losing the petrodolllar agreement with Saudi Arabia  could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.  I hope not, but things are definitely heading in the wrong direction.
#grownostr  #petrodollar  #economy  #inflation

nostr:nevent1qyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qywhwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnzd96xxmmfdejhytnnda3kjctv9uq3kamnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wdaexzmn8v4cxjmrv9ejx2a30qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujucm4wfex2mn59en8j6f0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yh8qunfd4skctnwv46z7qgewaehxw309aex2mrp0yh8xmn0wf6zuum0vd5kzmp0qqs099yvg2dr3kplnkqf5rhkcna2j9zmjrdmkwscrxvp05h8attya5ch3sz3d


I'm not a person who gets worked up about labels, but I like "subscriber."

I did get upset once.  I have a son with Down Syndrome.  I saw a billboard that had a picture of a person with Down Syndrome and it said, "I'm not special."  I know what they were trying to say, but it really irked me.  My son is very special to me.  Just because some people have used "special" as an insult does not mean the word should be thrown out.  My son is very special and he is dear to me.


When our house burnt down, we stayed in a rental for a year and a month.  The house was very nice, with granite counters and hardwood floors, but it was sooo vanilla.  It was like the designers made sure nothing in it would be unpleasant to anyone and therefore there was absolutely nothing memorable or interesting about the house.  It was very nice, but totally blah.

When we rebuilt our home, I picked out every detail (my husband would've let the builder pick most of it out) because I wanted a house that was my own and was memorable.


Thanks to someone teaching me about long form notes and my creating my own, I finally understand your posts.  It always looked like just a bolded sentence and I didn't understand that it was a long form note.  I really should've just clicked on it, but didn't until I knew what was going on.


I only know how to word it for a loyal person.

Someone who you can count on to always seek your wellbeing and to tell you the truth.

Too many people consider someone loyal who does what they are told and is a "yes man"l.  I would totally disagree with the 2nd definition.


First thing this morning I was reading Proverbs 16. (One of our pastors had recommended reading the Bible before doing anything online which I used to do, but hadn’t been doing lately.) There were multiple verses on pride.

> Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Assuredly, he will not be unpunished. (Proverbs 16:5)

> Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before stumbling. (Proverbs 16:18)

> It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly
Than to divide the spoil with the proud. (Proverbs 16:19)

Since it is “Pride Month”, I started thinking about pride and especially Lucifer’s fall to become Satan or the Devil. What caused the most beautiful angel in heaven to become the monster we know as the Devil? It was PRIDE.

> “12You had the seal of perfection,

Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

 13You were in Eden, the garden of God;

Every precious stone was your covering:

The ruby, the topaz and the diamond;

The beryl, the onyx and the jasper;

The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald;

And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,

Was in you.

On the day that you were created

They were prepared.

14You were the anointed cherub who covers,

And I placed you there.

You were on the holy mountain of God;

You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

 15You were blameless in your ways

From the day you were created

Until unrighteousness was found in you.

 16By the abundance of your trade

You were internally filled with violence,

And you sinned;

Therefore I have cast you as profane

From the mountain of God.

And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,

From the midst of the stones of fire.

17Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;

You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.

I cast you to the ground;

I put you before kings,

That they may see you.

18By the multitude of your iniquities,

In the unrighteousness of your trade

You profaned your sanctuaries.

Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you;

It has consumed you,

And I have turned you to ashes on the earth

In the eyes of all who see you.

 19All who know you among the peoples

Are appalled at you;

You have become terrified

And you will cease to be forever.” ’ ” (Ezekiel 28:12b-19)

Lucifer became prideful of his God given splendor and it transformed him from the most beautiful angel in heaven to a monstrous evil, the face in our nightmares. Instead of being grateful that God had made him and made him with great beauty, strength, and wisdom, he tried to steal God’s position and claim God’s glory. Pride can turn anything and anyone into something unimaginably ugly.

> How you have fallen from heaven,

O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who have weakened the nations!

But you said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God,

And I will sit on the mount of assembly

In the recesses of the north.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:12-14)

In the same way that pride transformed Lucifer, an angel of light, to Satan, the very face of evil, we, who are made in the image of God, can be transformed from God’s perfect creation that reflects the glory of God, to a thing that is evil and ugly and of no use to anyone except as an example of what not to do and what not to be.

What does it say about our society when pride is held up as something to strive for? Why does one group brag about its pride? You could argue that pride is the root of evil and sin.

We need to have a right understanding of ourselves and our relationship with God. If we haven’t submitted our lives to Jesus, we shouldn’t have pride in anything we think, say, do, or are. If we have submitted our lives to Jesus, and we are now a child of God, we need to not put down what God has honored with His covering, but the only pride we should have is in God and His glory and what Jesus did for us on the cross.

> Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, (2 Corinthians 3:5)

> indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; (2 Corinthians 1:9)

Instead of being proud of who we are or what we have done, we need to praise and worship God for who He is and what He has done and who He has made us. He never makes a mistake.

> Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

2Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

3Know that the Lord Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

5For the Lord is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalms 100)

Trust Jesus.

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

Pride:  Could This Be The Root of All Sin?

A short summary on the sin of pride and how it led to the fall of Lucifer/Satan

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzde38qenwwpcx5mnyde39fz9ve


Beautiful


Whoever accepts Jesus, wins.

freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


I don't know why anyone wants to live in NYC.

On your chart, I am a little surprised that LA isn't higher.  Maybe people are finally realizing how awful it is and leaving.

I also notice that 2 of the 10 are high because of the ever increasing number of high paid government bureaucrats. (Arlington & D.C.)


We started our kids on C.S. Lewis and Narnia early.  We read to our first born in utero.


Amen!


My experience is that mechanics always have the most messed up, junk cars.


Yes!  That has become my conclusion.  We need to change the voters because the government is too entrenched to change without overwhelming interest in doing so, which we don't currently have.


Jesus

freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


why do people still live in NY?


I need glasses, my first glance at your picture, I thought there was a gator climbing out of the closest bin.


I've been expecting it to hit some time this year.  The question is, "will it be a slow slide or will something precipitate a catastrophic plummet?"

I'm in pretty good shape as well, although I haven't been good about working in my garden this year.  I've been focused on my writing and the garden has suffered.


I was just noticing that gas prices are going down.  This is despite escalation of war with Russia, Israel/Hamas fighting, potentially bringing Iran into the Israel war, and Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea.  All of these wars involving oil producing countries and shipping should make gas prices skyrocket, but instead they are dropping.  That only happens if demand is plummeting.  Demand for gasoline only plummets if demand for everything is plummeting.

I've noticed that things are slowing at work as well.


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


I don't know that the white buffalo necessarily means anything, but I do believe time is short and the tribulation is coming.


When private individuals see a need and donate their hard earned money, they are blessed by helping someone and the recipient is grateful that someone cares enough to share their hard earned money.

When the government does charity, the people whose money is stolen are upset and the people who receive handouts think it is owed to them and therefore are more likely to complain that they didn't get enough.  Other people use fraud to get freebies.  The bureaucrats that are stealing from the workers and taking their cut, treat the workers (tax payers) as ungrateful and those receiving the handouts as people to push around.  Everyone loses and time & wealth are wasted.


Now that is the desire we all should have.


I like to clean to classical music.  I don't know why.  I almost never listen to it otherwise.


They proved they don't care about choice in Colorado where they made it illegal to tell someone about or prescribe someone drugs to reverse the morning after pills.  If the mom choses to keep her baby, they won't allow her to do so anymore.  How can anyone be that heartless?


Besides the fact that most (all?) women are not good candidates for war/soldiering, adding women to the battle endangers the men.  They will be so worried about defending and protecting the women (or sexually distracted) that they won't be focused on their job as soldiers leading to them failing at their objectives and/or being killed.


Conscription is slavery.  Anyone who supports conscription or a draft needs to accept that they support the government owning slaves.


Very cool.


Nicely said.


This one really scares me.  Why did they need this sign?

https://image.nostr.build/f5aea0696356e8473e27849948600f1febd04616018a10664503a6ea73116916.jpg


Have a friend hike to the top with you.  It is safer and more fun and you might even forget you are working so hard.

I have a mental issue with running.  I've sprinted for an hour in a soccer game because I'm focused on the ball, but you put me on a track and I think I am going to die before I hit 100 yards.

In high school we had to run a mile on the track every once in a while.  It was torture.  One time, I started running with a friend.  We got into an interesting conversation and forgot about running.  We actually finished our 4 laps so quickly, the coach didn't believe we had run our mile and we had to run an extra lap.  What was normal torture and seemingly undoable, became almost easy when I was distracted by something else.  It is amazing how that works.

I love your drive and attitude.  It will take you a long way (hopefully to the peak)


The name is Puddintaine. Ask me again, I’ll tell you the same.