**NOTE:** *I get my inspiration from different events and studies in my life. I'm always worried that I will run out of inspiration, but never seem to do that. I always find something new and interesting to write about. If you have a question you want answered, please let me know and I will try to research and answer your question about the Bible.*

The Bible tells us about the role of a wife and a husband in marriage. It also uses the analogy of a bride and a groom to explain the church’s relationship to Jesus. When I started looking at these two descriptions, I found that what the Bible says about woman & man, wife & husband, and marriage, tells us a lot about the relationship of the church to Jesus. In the same way, the description of the church and Jesus informs us about the role of the wife and the husband. There is a lot we can learn.

One of the key verses relating to these roles and analogies is Ephesians 5:

> **Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord**. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
> ****Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her**, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. **This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church**. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-33) {emphasis mine}

The sister verses are Colossians 3:18-22.

Many people, especially women, really have a hard time with Ephesians 5:22-23 that states, “*Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body*.” Why does God say that wives should be subject to their husbands? God is a god of order. In any group of people, things work best when there is someone to lead because when there is disagreement, there has to be a final authority. Christ is the head of the church and He has placed the husband as head of the wife (family). This does not mean that the husband makes all decisions without considering the wife’s feelings, knowledge, or interests. A wise leader always uses the skills and knowledge of his followers and, unlike Jesus, the husband doesn’t know everything and can’t do everything himself.

We’ll see more about why God chose these positions below.

## Definition of Marriage

Marriage was created from the very beginning so man could have a unity with another in following the pattern of the trinity of God. The trinity works together towards unified goals. They have fellowship. They have love towards one another.

> but for Adam **there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the Lord God caused** a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said,
>
> “This is now bone of my bones,\
> And flesh of my flesh;\
> She shall be called Woman,\
> Because she was taken out of Man.”
>
> For this reason **a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh**. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:20b-25) {emphasis mine}

Man and woman are made one flesh just like the the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God. Husband and wife each have their own position and responsibilities, just like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each have their own positions and responsibilities. Jesus dying for our sins and we repenting of our sins and believing in Him causes us to become one with Him in a similar way to a husband and wife, although the church won’t have full unity until we have been given our new, sinless bodies for eternity.

## A Proverbs 31 Church

The most well known verse relating to what a Godly wife looks like is Proverbs 31. I will go through the verses and look at what each qualification is and how these qualifications can be applied to the church.

> An excellent wife, who can find?\
> For her worth is far above jewels.

The church has a value far above jewels. It is the crowning jewel in God’s creation.

> \
> The heart of her husband trusts in her,\
> And he will have no lack of gain.

The church should always be faithful to Jesus and always be available to be used by God to fulfill His will.

> She does him good and not evil\
> All the days of her life.

The church should always be faithful to Jesus. It should obey His commands to do good and not evil, so it is always honoring what He did for them. The church is Jesus’s representatives on Earth.

> She looks for wool and flax\
> And works with her hands in delight.

The church is not supposed to just sit around. The church is meant to work for God and to do His will. We are to look for what He is doing and join Him. It is to find joy in doing His will.

> She is like merchant ships;\
> She brings her food from afar.

The church should share the Gospel with those near and far through direct sharing of the Gospel and supporting others who work full time in the ministry.

> She rises also while it is still night\
> And gives food to her household\
> And portions to her maidens.

The church should always look out for the needs, especially spiritual needs, of others and should be willing to work, night and day, weekday and weekend, in this good work. Whether this is coming to the need of a friend in need, or waking at God’s call and praying in the middle of the night when we’d rather be sleeping, we need to always be open to the calling of God.

> She considers a field and buys it;\
> From her earnings she plants a vineyard.

The church is to act with an eternal purpose. We can’t just act on the moment, but we need to prepare for the future so we will always have the means to provide for needs physical and spiritual. Sometimes this planting is providing physically for one’s family, friends, and acquaintances. Sometimes this planting is planting spiritual seeds into the life of others through the gospel message and meeting the physical needs of others so that they will listen to the gospel message.

> She girds herself with strength\
> And makes her arms strong.

God calls the church to be strong and prepared, but our battles are not primarily physical battles, but spiritual battles, so our preparations are different. Ephesians 6:10-20 talks about the armor of God. The most important tool is probably the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. If we don’t know God’s word, we are not strengthened for the work of God.

> She senses that her gain is good;\
> Her lamp does not go out at night.

The church should live lives that are productive. Lives won and lives changed should be a fruit of their actions. Even when hard times hit, the church should continue to shine for Jesus in His work. Our lives should be so different than our culture that we shine for Jesus like a light on a hill.

> She stretches out her hands to the distaff,\
> And her hands grasp the spindle.

The church is called to do its part in the work of the tapestry of life. It reminds me of the analogy given by Corrie Ten Boom of the tapestry of our lives. On one side, it looks messy. There are knots and strings and such and the pattern cannot be seen, but when the tapestry is turned over, there is a beautiful picture made in the stitches of the cloth. God has a design and we have to follow the design he has given us like a paint by numbers. We may not see the picture, but he does. We are just called to do the work He has assigned us.

> She extends her hand to the poor,\
> And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

God cares about the poor and calls the church to take care of the poor, especially those like widows and orphans that can’t provide for themselves. God wants us to live lives where we can both meet the physical needs of the poor and supply their spiritual needs as well. If we don’t build up a certain level of physical and spiritual wealth, then we can’t meet the needs of others.

> She is not afraid of the snow for her household,\
> For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

The church should support its members physically and spiritually so they do not need to worry when hard times come. There should be such a spiritual difference that their lives stand out as different than the culture around them. Their spiritual difference should be so positive that it draws others to them.

> She makes coverings for herself;\
> Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

The church’s clothing is not fancy clothes and jewelry, but it should be the godly works done in love that makes them stand out in a world of sin.

> Her husband is known in the gates,\
> When he sits among the elders of the land.

If the church is doing its job, everyone arounds should hear the gospel message of Jesus Christ. We should never hear the words, “Oh, I didn’t realize you were a Christian.” We should be different than the world so we hear, “Oh, that’s why you are different.”

> She makes linen garments and sells them,\
> And supplies belts to the tradesmen.

The church should be known for getting things done. This may being known as the employee that stays late, fills in, or does the thing that needs to be done, but isn’t really their job. It may mean they run a household that is loving and meets the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of all its members. It may mean that the church meets the needs of each other and unbelievers.

> Strength and dignity are her clothing,\
> And she smiles at the future.

The church should not be afraid. Hard times are coming (and to a certain extent are here). We should never fear the future because we know God is in charge and in control. We know our eternity is assured, so illness, persecution, economic hardship, etc., should not cause fear. We should say like James, “*Consider it **all joy**, my brethren, when you encounter various trials*.” (James 1:2) {emphasis mine}

> She opens her mouth in wisdom,\
> And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

The church should always tell the truth, but tell it in a loving manner as stated in Ephesians 4:15a “*but speaking the truth in love*.” Of course, to tell the truth, it is necessary to know the truth, so we must study the Bible to know the truth. Other areas of expertise are nice and we should always seek excellence in everything we do, but Biblical truth is key.

> She looks well to the ways of her household,\
> And does not eat the bread of idleness.

The church is to provide for each member’s personal family and the the greater Christian family. Christians should never be considered lazy. We not only have to work to provide for our families, but we have the extra responsibilities given to us by God to share the Bible and to provide for those in need.

> Her children rise up and bless her;

The church should be fruitful and reproduce. We should be constantly sharing the gospel with others, so we can say like Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:22b, “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” (Only God can save, but He includes us in His miraculous works.) These people that we have led to the Lord will rise up and bless us before the Father.

> Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:\
> “Many daughters have done nobly,\
> But you excel them all.”

The church should act in such a way that we face Jesus at the marriage supper of Christ where He will say, “… ‘Well done, good and faithful slave…’” (Matthew 25:23)

> Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,\
> But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

The church should be faithful to God and not seek to attract followers by sinful means like those of the worldly culture. Too often the church uses music, comedy, entertainment, pop-psychology, etc., to try to draw people to Christ instead of the gospel as shared by Jesus. We don’t want butts in seats; we want born-again disciples of Christ.

> Give her the product of her hands,\
> And let her works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:10-31)

If the church finishes strongly, it will be rewarded. **“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;” (1 Peter 1:7)

Just as Proverbs 31 describes a godly woman in detail, it also describes a godly church that is the bride of Christ.

## God’s Organizational Chart

> for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

God is not a God of confusion. All organizations of more than one person require a differentiation in authority and responsibility in order for everyone to work together towards a common goal. Because of this, God has designed an organizational chart for both marriage and the church.

> Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. **For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.** But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint. (1 Timothy 2:9-15) {emphasis mine}

This passage has lots of descriptions about how a Godly woman should adorn herself and live her life, but one of the interesting points in this passage is why God chose the husband as the head and commanded women to submit to their husbands.

1. The first reason is that Adam was created first and then Eve. Practically, the first person around was put in charge of the Garden of Eden and then became the head of the marriage and family.

2. The other reason is because it was the woman who was deceived. Eve was the original person to be tempted by Satan and to fall into temptation and disobey God.

In the same way:

1. Jesus is head of the church because he existed from the very beginning being involved in creation and before time existed. He was first, so He is head of the church.

2. Jesus is also head of the church because He lived a perfect life completely without sin. On the other hand we, the church, sin daily.

The parallels are many:

- Woman are called to “*adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly*.” In the same way the church is called in Luke 12 to “*do not worry about … your body, as to what you will put on. … Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith*!” Neither a woman or the church should focus on clothing or physical appearance.

- Women are called to “*adorn themselves … rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness*.” In the same way the church should be known by its good works and not for pure attention seeking or complying with the culture.

- “*A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness*.” In the same way the church should submit to the instruction of Jesus as given through the Bible. The church should never pick how it will act based on personal feelings/preferences or because of any leading of man contrary to God’s word.

- Related to the previous statement 1 Corinthians 14:35 says, “*If they (wives) desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church*.” In the same way the church shouldn’t question the commands of Jesus, but should obey knowing that Jesus knows best. The church especially shouldn’t air its disagreements or misunderstandings before unbelievers, just as 1 Corinthians 6:1,4-6 says “*Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? … So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?*”

- The most inspiring analogy between the commands to a wife and what is expected of the church is this, “*But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint*.” The church should bear children. We are called to share the Gospel with unbelievers and to lead them to our Savior where they can become children of God. No member of the church can make a person a child of God, but we are called to do everything in our power towards that goal and leave the rest to God. We are to “*continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint*.” This is true of all women, wives, and the church. The fact that “*faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint*” is mentioned with “*bearing of children*” suggests that our faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint can help lead people to Jesus. Also, since a mother is called to “*Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it*” (Proverbs 22:6), the church should disciple new Christians in the way of Christ, so when they are old, they will not depart from it and will join Jesus in paradise for the marriage supper of Christ.

I may do a part 2 comparing husbands to Christ, but this article is getting long and I think I covered the part that is more applicable to more people.

[Trust Jesus](https://trustjesus.substack.com/).\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

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

For more articles and to make sure you don't miss any posts check out the [Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/) and click the subscribe button on any substack post.

The Wife is to Her Husband as the Church is to Jesus


Exactly.  People can have a different opinion, but they can't have a different truth.  There is one truth and it is the truth even if not one person believes it.

freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


The USD has only lasted as long as it has due to being the world reserve currency and lots of people around the globe holding it, rather than spending it.  Of course, even the USD truly has defaulted because it used to be backed by silver.  First they prevented the peons from redeeming in silver.  Then they prevented nations from redeeming in silver.  I wonder when the next default is coming.


When I used to have chickens, I found that picking up and handling the roosters nearly daily helped keep them in line, so they didn't get nasty and attack everyone.


Yes the government is horrible and wasteful and doesn't really care about the people it claims to be there for, but people like this just complain.  They never do anything about it.  She probably will elect the same people.  She won't start keeping more cash on hand.  She won't store extra food and water and flashlights with batteries.  She doesn't sound like she will learn from this.

I hate seeing the suffering, but I have more empathy for those who did everything right, who prepared, and still were hurt by a totally unexpected catastrophe rather than those who don't prepare at all and just depend on others to take care of them and then play the victim card.


You can get a berkey water filter and just pour any water into it and drinking water comes out.


The difficult thing about the Harry Potter series is it gets darker and darker as the books go along.  When the books were coming out, there was enough time between books for kids to mature and be ready for the next book, but if you start your kids on the first book when they are just mature enough for it, they will want to read all of the books, but likely won't be mature enough for the later books.  I found it a little difficult deciding when was the right time to introduce them, but it has been done and they enjoyed them.


Those rural areas vote Republican and are big Trump fans.  I hate to say it, but I think a lot of people in government, the Democrat party, and the media want them to die.  I don't want to think that of people, but sadly, I believe it is true.


Both Hezbollah and Hamas hide their weapons in residential areas, under schools & hospitals, and various areas guaranteed to cause lots of civilian deaths if Israel attacks their leaders or weapons.  I'd argue that is a much greater evil than Israel defending itself and even sending out warnings to civilians to leave the area because an attack is imminent.  Israel is warning its enemies in order to save as many civilian lives as possible.  Hamas and Hezbollah are hiding behind civilians so any attack on them can be called genocide with no consideration of how many of their own people die or are disabled.

There has never been another case when terrorist attack the civilians in a nation and the nation that was attacked was told they can't fight back and need to compromise with the terrorists.  The norm is zero negotiation with terrorists.

Israel isn't perfect, but they are being put in a no win position by people who want to wipe them out of existence.


Before last Thanksgiving, we picked up my son from College, spent 2 nights outside Asheville, NC and then stopped at Dry Falls on our way to visit family near Atlanta.  It blows my mind that so much of what we visited is now destroyed.  This dual picture of Dry Falls is amazing.  Dry Falls is neat because you could walk under and behind the falls.  I'm betting the trail is destroyed now.

nostr: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


Wow!  That's insane.  We stopped by dry falls just before last Thanksgiving.  I don't think it is safe to walk under it now.


Beautiful


I think I forgot to post this on nostr.  Hopefully it isn't a duplicate.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us “*pray without ceasing*;”

You may be thinking, “I have responsibilities. How can I pray without ceasing? I can’t be on my knees praying without stopping. This can’t be what the Bible expects from us.”

Don’t worry, prayer doesn’t have to be a burden. It doesn’t have to be locking yourself in a room alone for hours on you knees on a cold, hard stone floor like the monks of the middle ages. Prayer is just what you need to help you on your next step to growing closer to Jesus.

### Analogy of old married couple and believer with God

As believers, our prayer relationship with God should be like the way an old, loving couple talks. They don’t talk without stopping to do other things, but they are always talking and keeping the other person included in what they do and what they care about.

They also have lots of different kinds of conversation. Some are deep conversations that take an extended period of time. Some are brief comments about what is going on in their life. Some are pointing out something interesting or asking for help. Sometimes the words are just an acknowledgement of the other’s presence. Sometimes communications may be no more than a glance or a grunt, but it conveys so much because of how close they are.

### Scheduled time

Just like the old married couple schedules a date night or other time together, there are times that we want to schedule time with God. It might be a group prayer meeting. It might be a time alone to discuss particular worries with God. This is usually an extended time to pray about something in particular. It may be scheduled regularly. It may be scheduled specifically based on circumstances.

To many people, this is what they think of when they think about being a prayer warrior, but the truth is, at least for most of us, this is the smallest portion of our prayer life.

### Regular time

Just like an old married couple has times that they are regularly together and talking, such as first thing in the morning when they awake and say “Good morning!” or just talk about their plans for the day. Most couples regularly talk during meals together. These discussions might be about how the day is going or about plans for the future or about various common interests. Most couples also talk at least briefly at bed time. They know that almost every day they will talk during these periods.

In the same way, believers should have regular times that they talk to God. I think upon waking, at meals, and at bedtime are good times to pray regularly. That doesn’t mean that you always have to pray for extended periods . Most of these will probably be fairly short and the time allowed may vary from day to day.

Praying at these 5 times is handy because you wake up and go to bed every day and most people eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. These events are reminders to pray. You may have other times like when you pick kids up at school, when you get in your car to drive, or nightly devotions before putting kids to bed. You might have other times that work for you because everyone’s life is a little different. Some of these may be solitary prayers, while others might include someone else, especially family members. Whatever the case, these are times that you usually pray every day. They are guaranteed times with God. They are times God can count on you and you can count on God.

### With others

An old married couple usually doesn’t hang out only with each other. They also hang out and talk with friends and family. They will get together with some friends/family on regular occasions. They will get together with others on special occasions. This is a nice time of jointly conversing and helping each other.

Believers also are called to pray together.

> They were c**ontinually devoting themselves** to the apostles’ teaching and **to fellowship**, to the breaking of bread **and to prayer**. (Acts 2:42) {emphasis mine}

We may pray with a person or group. We may pray at church, a Bible study, or a prayer meeting. We may regularly meet with one or more people just to pray for our church, our country, and each other.

For 2-3 years I had a friend I would pray with once a week for about an hour. We were both very busy. We both homeschooled kids and had other responsibilities. We didn’t live near each other, so we prayed together on the phone. We made prayer together work, even when it wasn’t convenient, because it was important to us.

Depending on our life circumstances, we may pray with others more or less. (Singles usually have less opportunities to pray with others, while families always have each other to pray with.) Whether or not it happens every day, we are called to pray to God with other believers and for other believers.

### Random discussion (Thanks, interests, & Concerns)

Random discussion normally should be the largest component of communications between a couple and between believers and God. These prayers are not planned or organized. They are a sign that we are including another in our daily lives because they are important to us.

Sometimes these prayers are a quick comment on what is happening in our lives. Sometimes these prayers are about a worry or concern. They can be a mention of something we find interesting or something we find beautiful. It may be a comment on something we learned or about us finally understanding something. Frequently they are prayers to say a quick “help” or “thank you.”

These little brief prayers shot up to God, usually while doing the normal activities of life, are just a sign that we find God important and want Him in our life. You may say, “Wow! That is a great view! You made beautiful mountains.” You may say, “I’m really struggling with this. Please help me do better.” You may say, “What is happening in the world is scary. Please help me to know what to do and help me to trust you in all things.” You might ask, “What am I supposed to say to this unbeliever to draw them to you?” or “How do I speak wisely to this person who is hurting?” We are including God in our lives and listening to Him because we want His opinion and guidance.

We may speak out loud or we may think our prayers silently where only God hears. We usually aren’t kneeling. We usually don’t have our hands folded, nor do we have our eyes closed.

If we are truly depending on God to guide our lives, these prayers should be a huge part of our lives. They should be sprinkled consistently through our day.

### Cries for help

Part of the joy of a long and loving marriage is having someone to depend on when we are in need, whether sick, or tired, or sad, or frustrated, or physically unable to do something ourselves. We always have that other person to depend on and lean on.

> And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

In the same way believers should lean on God to support them throughout their lives. I’ll admit that I used to only “bother God” with my really big concerns. I wasn’t comfortable asking Him for help with my little, day-to-day concerns, but that was pushing God away.

Unlike with a person who has a limited amount of time and energy, God can see and hear all prayers throughout all of history at the same time and not even break a sweat. We aren’t bothering God with our requests. We are honoring Him with our requests. He wants to be not only a part of our lives, but the leading part of our lives. When we ask for His help, His wisdom, His guidance, and His power, we are doing exactly what we should and we are growing our relationship with Him.

It is good to continually ask God for help, but that doesn’t mean we should ask for every petty desire. Our prayers shouldn’t be filled with requests for wealth, fame, and power. All prayers should include the same qualifier (even if not stated explicitly) Jesus used right before going to the cross, saying, “… yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42b) We should be praying our problems and leaving the solution to Him. He frequently will answer in ways we never imagined (and frequently would never choose for ourselves), but these answers are always for our good.[1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/pray-continually#footnote-1-148323118)

### Conclusion

As you can see, praying continually is just a lifestyle. It is a way of including God in our lives. It is a way of showing we trust God fully. It is a way of serving God and being used by God.

In reality, praying continually isn’t as hard as it sounds. Like all habits, it just takes a little time to build the habit. Once prayer becomes a part of your life, it doesn’t feel like work, it just happens. It is as natural as talking to your best friend or spouse or parents or kids. You can’t imagine not talking to God continually.

I’ll end with these lyrics:

*What a friend we have in Jesus\
All our sins and grieves to bear\
What a privilege it is to carry\
Everything to God in prayer*

*Have we trials and temptations\
Is there trouble anywhere\
Our precious Savior\
He is still our refuge\
Take it to the Lord in prayer*

*When we're weak and heavy laden\
Cumbered with a load of care\
We should never be discouraged\
When we take it to the Lord in prayer*

***Oh what peace we often forfeit\
Oh what needless pain we bear\
We should never be discouraged when we\
Take it to the Lord in prayer***

Trust Jesus.\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

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

FYI, If you are wondering what to say, this acrostic (ACTS) is a handy for outline for prayer:

- **A = Adoration** -Praise God for who He is

- **C = Confession** - Admit our sins and His righteous lordship

- **T = Thanks** - Thank God for all He has done for us including our salvation

- **S = Supplication** - Make requests from God for help and to supply our needs.

To read more check out the[ Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/) or subscribe at the bottom of the substack version of ["Pray Continually."](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/pray-continually)


When WWIII starts, I expect the US to become the first to drop a nuclear bomb again.  The US thinks they are unstoppable, but they are totally dependent on other nations, especially their enemy China, for all of their technology and medicine.  The US has given away so much of its smart weapons to Ukraine and others that we don't have a stockpile for a real war, nor do we have the ability to produce more at anywhere near the rate necessary for a war with even a near peer.  When those in charge realize they are going to lose, they will go nuclear and things will go from bad to worse.

I'm really starting to wonder if the US, as we know it, will exist for more than a few more years.  I don't know whether the problem will be an economic collapse, a lost foreign war, a civil war that divides the country, or tyrants that take over and do all of the above.  Whatever the case I feel confident the US will no longer be the world's only super power for more than a decade.

I guess time will tell if I'm right.


My Kia Telluride has touch screen, but it has manual controls (knobs & buttons) also for all of the common stuff that you really need.  The rest of the features are just window dressing.


Only 3% and only on those making more than $100,000.  If I remember correctly, that lasted maybe 3 years.


I really need to get around to figuring out linking my fountain to my nostr.


I've always thought that a lot of software companies encourage inefficient software, so people need a new computer to run their software and that new computer comes with new software and the people buy more software.  It forces people to buy (especially I believe that is Microsoft's business model).    Since most programmers have nicer computers, they get lazy and write inefficient code.  The two together means everything takes more resources and is more inefficient than it should be.  If programmers still tried to be efficient, I'd never have to upgrade my computer till it died.  That would be wonderful.


I never thought of that, but that does make sense.


Let me guess, all of the duplicate ballots were in highly democrat areas.


When my son was young, he was awful with names, but very social.  He would introduce everyone, even someone he met 5 minutes ago as "my friend."


I so prefer a wired mouse.


I appreciate getting feedback.


I've fed my coffee grounds to my worms and use the worm compost to feed my garden.


Thank you.  I plan to.


I do support succession and I picked out what states I want in my country almost 10 years ago.


That is good advice on all subjects.  It always amazes me how many people put down others, who are where they were knowledge wise just a couple of years ago.  You never bring a person to the truth by calling them names and putting them down.


very nice!


I've been doing some reading on the nephilim.  It is interesting.  There seems to be more physical evidence of their existence than I realized.


I'm torn.  I'd love to have proof of the government people involved in the assassination attempts so we can throw them in jail and get them out of the government or even maybe defund some agencies.  At the same time, I don't want anyone to have access to anyone's phone.  I believe in privacy.  I'd prefer a situation where nobody, not even the phone manufacturer or phone software companies, can get into a phone because they are completely secure.  If they can get in for reasonable reasons, they will start looking for unreasonable reasons until nothing is private.


Supporting the Ukraine/Russia war is just leading to more deaths.  It isn't helping Ukraine at all.  It is so sad.  They had a peace agreement almost worked out months after the war started, but the US and NATO stopped it and the result was hundreds of thousands of deaths for nothing.  It is so sad.


Not surprised.  Liars are going to lie and tyrants are going to be tyrannical.  They are what they are.  I just wish more people could see the obvious.


Less than once a month, but every once in a while.


Also posted on [substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/pray-continually)

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us “*pray without ceasing*;”

You may be thinking, “I have responsibilities. How can I pray without ceasing? I can’t be on my knees praying without stopping. This can’t be what the Bible expects from us.”

Don’t worry, prayer doesn’t have to be a burden. It doesn’t have to be locking yourself in a room alone for hours on you knees on a cold, hard stone floor like the monks of the middle ages. Prayer is just what you need to help you on your next step to growing closer to Jesus.

## Analogy of old married couple and believer with God

As believers, our prayer relationship with God should be like the way an old, loving couple talks. They don’t talk without stopping to do other things, but they are always talking and keeping the other person included in what they do and what they care about.

They also have lots of different kinds of conversation. Some are deep conversations that take an extended period of time. Some are brief comments about what is going on in their life. Some are pointing out something interesting or asking for help. Sometimes the words are just an acknowledgement of the other’s presence. Sometimes communications may be no more than a glance or a grunt, but it conveys so much because of how close they are.

## Scheduled time

Just like the old married couple schedules a date night or other time together, there are times that we want to schedule time with God. It might be a group prayer meeting. It might be a time alone to discuss particular worries with God. This is usually an extended time to pray about something in particular. It may be scheduled regularly. It may be scheduled specifically based on circumstances.

To many people, this is what they think of when they think about being a prayer warrior, but the truth is, at least for most of us, this is the smallest portion of our prayer life.

## Regular time

Just like an old married couple has times that they are regularly together and talking, such as first thing in the morning when they awake and say “Good morning!” or just talk about their plans for the day. Most couples regularly talk during meals together. These discussions might be about how the day is going or about plans for the future or about various common interests. Most couples also talk at least briefly at bed time. They know that almost every day they will talk during these periods.

In the same way, believers should have regular times that they talk to God. I think upon waking, at meals, and at bedtime are good times to pray regularly. That doesn’t mean that you always have to pray for extended periods . Most of these will probably be fairly short and the time allowed may vary from day to day.

Praying at these 5 times is handy because you wake up and go to bed every day and most people eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. These events are reminders to pray. You may have other times like when you pick kids up at school, when you get in your car to drive, or nightly devotions before putting kids to bed. You might have other times that work for you because everyone’s life is a little different. Some of these may be solitary prayers, while others might include someone else, especially family members. Whatever the case, these are times that you usually pray every day. They are guaranteed times with God. They are times God can count on you and you can count on God.

## With others

An old married couple usually doesn’t hang out only with each other. They also hang out and talk with friends and family. They will get together with some friends/family on regular occasions. They will get together with others on special occasions. This is a nice time of jointly conversing and helping each other.

Believers also are called to pray together.

> They were c**ontinually devoting themselves** to the apostles’ teaching and **to fellowship**, to the breaking of bread **and to prayer**. (Acts 2:42) {emphasis mine}

We may pray with a person or group. We may pray at church, a Bible study, or a prayer meeting. We may regularly meet with one or more people just to pray for our church, our country, and each other.

For 2-3 years I had a friend I would pray with once a week for about an hour. We were both very busy. We both homeschooled kids and had other responsibilities. We didn’t live near each other, so we prayed together on the phone. We made prayer together work, even when it wasn’t convenient, because it was important to us.

Depending on our life circumstances, we may pray with others more or less. (Singles usually have less opportunities to pray with others, while families always have each other to pray with.) Whether or not it happens every day, we are called to pray to God with other believers and for other believers.

## Random discussion (Thanks, interests, & Concerns)

Random discussion normally should be the largest component of communications between a couple and between believers and God. These prayers are not planned or organized. They are a sign that we are including another in our daily lives because they are important to us.

Sometimes these prayers are a quick comment on what is happening in our lives. Sometimes these prayers are about a worry or concern. They can be a mention of something we find interesting or something we find beautiful. It may be a comment on something we learned or about us finally understanding something. Frequently they are prayers to say a quick “help” or “thank you.”

These little brief prayers shot up to God, usually while doing the normal activities of life, are just a sign that we find God important and want Him in our life. You may say, “Wow! That is a great view! You made beautiful mountains.” You may say, “I’m really struggling with this. Please help me do better.” You may say, “What is happening in the world is scary. Please help me to know what to do and help me to trust you in all things.” You might ask, “What am I supposed to say to this unbeliever to draw them to you?” or “How do I speak wisely to this person who is hurting?” We are including God in our lives and listening to Him because we want His opinion and guidance.

We may speak out loud or we may think our prayers silently where only God hears. We usually aren’t kneeling. We usually don’t have our hands folded, nor do we have our eyes closed.

If we are truly depending on God to guide our lives, these prayers should be a huge part of our lives. They should be sprinkled consistently through our day.

## Cries for help

Part of the joy of a long and loving marriage is having someone to depend on when we are in need, whether sick, or tired, or sad, or frustrated, or physically unable to do something ourselves. We always have that other person to depend on and lean on.

> And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

In the same way believers should lean on God to support them throughout their lives. I’ll admit that I used to only “bother God” with my really big concerns. I wasn’t comfortable asking Him for help with my little, day-to-day concerns, but that was pushing God away.

Unlike with a person who has a limited amount of time and energy, God can see and hear all prayers throughout all of history at the same time and not even break a sweat. We aren’t bothering God with our requests. We are honoring Him with our requests. He wants to be not only a part of our lives, but the leading part of our lives. When we ask for His help, His wisdom, His guidance, and His power, we are doing exactly what we should and we are growing our relationship with Him.

It is good to continually ask God for help, but that doesn’t mean we should ask for every petty desire. Our prayers shouldn’t be filled with requests for wealth, fame, and power. All prayers should include the same qualifier (even if not stated explicitly) Jesus used right before going to the cross, saying, “… yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42b) We should be praying our problems and leaving the solution to Him. He frequently will answer in ways we never imagined (and frequently would never choose for ourselves), but these answers are always for our good.[1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/pray-continually#footnote-1-148323118)

## Conclusion

As you can see, praying continually is just a lifestyle. It is a way of including God in our lives. It is a way of showing we trust God fully. It is a way of serving God and being used by God.

In reality, praying continually isn’t as hard as it sounds. Like all habits, it just takes a little time to build the habit. Once prayer becomes a part of your life, it doesn’t feel like work, it just happens. It is as natural as talking to your best friend or spouse or parents or kids. You can’t imagine not talking to God continually.

I’ll end with these lyrics:

*What a friend we have in Jesus\
All our sins and grieves to bear\
What a privilege it is to carry\
Everything to God in prayer*

*Have we trials and temptations\
Is there trouble anywhere\
Our precious Savior\
He is still our refuge\
Take it to the Lord in prayer*

*When we're weak and heavy laden\
Cumbered with a load of care\
We should never be discouraged\
When we take it to the Lord in prayer*

***Oh what peace we often forfeit\
Oh what needless pain we bear\
We should never be discouraged when we\
Take it to the Lord in prayer***

[Trust Jesus](https://trustjesus.substack.com/).\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

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

FYI, If you are wondering what to say, this acrostic (ACTS) is a handy for outline for prayer:

- **A = Adoration** -Praise God for who He is

- **C = Confession** - Admit our sins and His righteous lordship

- **T = Thanks** - Thank God for all He has done for us including our salvation

- **S = Supplication** - Make requests from God for help and to supply our needs.

For more articles and to see all of my posts check out my [Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/) and consider subscribing to avoid missing any posts.


wss://creatr.nostr.wine

wss://creatr.nostr.wine

#nostr #relay #grownostr


True, but people also need to keep in mind that loving does not mean condoning sin.


Simply Sarah [Zap.Cooking | Content Coordinator]


After our hike Sunday, we went across the street and enjoyed an aspen grove.  Aspens are my favorite trees, especially in the fall.  These weren't quite at their peak color, but close.  It is also nice when you can get a picture with the golden Aspens contrasted by the deep blue Colorado skies.  Due to storms that morning, there were still a good bit of clouds, so I couldn't fully get the effect, but you can see it some.

I was also trying to copy some pictures I'd done on my honeymoon 25 years ago that had burnt up when my house burnt down 9 years ago.
https://image.nostr.build/7a5c0aff9373f709ad270346ff3fec4bacb111112eac3fc7ebfe82628c250a50.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/6c81921304681e2f6b793e882e3d39abbc3380da92c8bdd5f1e71d92dafb0207.jpg


Right now spending bitcoin and one satoshi is no big deal.  I zap and spend all of the time, but what happens way in the future when the value is 1,000 or 10,000 or more times greater.  It could get to the point that requiring a sat is real money and limits the number of people a person can follow.  I admit that is way in the future, but we don't want to design in something that destroys nostr in the future.


Got to do a nice hike this afternoon, but not as strenuous as Friday.
https://image.nostr.build/f898974b7561135d8dcce91978fa7234d1781d13e7e117728ca32aaad382607b.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/f7b4cf466156d5a03ffe246205f45c4706b5f16dddca6f7e309dbda668515558.jpg


I've done that and think it helps a little.  It only helps protect for a year or two, but I guess that is enough time to help them get somewhat established.


In general, I like it, but many newbies aren't set up with sats and a lightning wallet yet.  That makes them unable to pay to follow and makes them leave.  Until it is a little easier to setup a wallet and zap really easily, that would just drive people away.

The other problem is what happens when bitcoin sky rockets and a sat is real money?  We don't want to force something that causes problems later.  I suppose if it was optional, it might be OK.

That being said, I'd definitely be willing to pay a sat to follow someone.


On the way to church this morning, I saw this large herd of elk bedded down in a field along the road.

In the zoomed in picture, notice the large bull elk surrounded by his cows.

https://image.nostr.build/a167d6c86b71f0a1c4aa31b0abe02d088ef5cf7eeb5bbcbc1e07691cbe00dbab.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/0ad7b5da88dad2c1d8605605dd1bcc0d234f6143316ca12cdaa69b4f09b834a3.jpg


Agreed.


Explicit taxes are way more than 10%.  They just collect a huge number of smaller taxes to hide how much they are really stealing.  Of course inflation steals more and then they tax capital gains that aren't real gains, but are just apparent gains caused by the reduced purchasing power of the fiat currencies.


When dealing with a stubborn mule, traditionally you use both a carrot and a stick. The carrot is something the mule wants that is used to encourage good behavior, while the stick is the punishment for doing wrong. Sadly most of us tend to focus more on God’s stick rather than His carrot. God’s primary stick is:

> For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

We seek God in hopes of avoiding death and hell, but instead we should be seeking God’s blessing and His presence.

### Separated from a Holy God

Adam’s original sin separated us from our holy God. Throughout all of the Old Testament, the people of God were required to follow rituals and make sacrifices in an attempt to get right with God, but nobody was allowed to approach God directly.

Moses, one of the men in the Old Testament times who was closest to God, made this request:

> Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” But He said, “**You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!**” Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and **you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.**” (Exodus 33:18-23) {emphasis mine}

Moses asked God to show him His glory, but God replied, “*You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live*!” No sinful person can look at our holy God and live. Sin has wholly separated us from God. We cannot approach God

> Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
>
> Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, **but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.** The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly **both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience**, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
>
> But when **Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come**, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will **the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God**?
>
> For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:1-15) {emphasis mine}

Also, God setup a statute that required the high priest to purify himself and offer sacrifices and to enter the holy of holies once per year to atone for the people. This was done every year. It was only allowed for the high priest and he had to go through extensive purification processes and multiple sacrifices for this annual duty. All of this was required just to approach God’s ordained ark of the covenant, not to actually be able to look at the face of God.

> “This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. .... So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, **to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.**” And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, *so* he did. (Leviticus 16:29-30,32-34) {emphasis mine}

We can also look at when God talked to the Israelites at Mount Sinai:

> The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” (Exodus 19:10-13)

For God to speak to them, the Israelites had to purify themselves for two days, wash their clothes, and even then they couldn’t approach closely. They had to not touch the holy mountain of God. If man or beast so much as touched the mountain, they were to be put to death, and not just killed, but put to death in such a manner that nobody touched them. Sinful man cannot approach a holy God even if they are His chosen people and even if they have worked to cleanse themselves from sin.

### The Veil Torn so We May Approach the Throne of God

> And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the **veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom**. (Mark 15:37-38) {emphasis mine}

When Jesus, the perfect sacrifice and kinsmen redeemer, died on the cross, “*the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom*.” It was torn from the top to the bottom illustrating that the barrier separating us from God was torn by God himself. (The Holy of Holies was 20 cubits wide and tall, but 2 Chronicles 3 says it had columns 35 cubits tall with capitals 5 cubits tall. That would make the room 40 cubits tall, or 60 feet tall. No person could tear the veil top to bottom.)

Jesus’s death on the cross allows those who believe in Him to approach God in a way that they haven’t been able to do since Adam and Eve first sinned.

When the apostles asked Jesus how to pray, Jesus said:

> “Pray, then, in this way:\
> ‘**Our Father** who is in heaven,\
> Hallowed be Your name.’” (Matthew 6:9) {emphasis mine}

Because of what Jesus did for us to take away our sins and to cleanse and cover us, we can now approach God directly and address Him as “*Our Father.*” Imagine that! We, sinful creatures, can approach the God, who spoke the universe into existence, and call Him “Father.” If you have repented of your sins and believed in all that Jesus has done for us, you are adopted to become a child of God.

> In that day you will ask in My name, and **I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; *for the Father Himself loves you*, because you have loved Me** and have believed that I came forth from the Father. (John 16:26-27) {emphasis mine}

We no longer have to wish for well being. We no longer have to have a priest as a go-between to God. We don’t need someone holier than us to intercede for us. We can speak directly with our creator and He lovingly answers our prayers and acts for our good (although not necessarily in the way we would chose, because He knows better what is for our eternal good).

> Therefore, since **we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God**, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore **let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace** to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16) {emphasis mine}

When Jesus was asked how we should pray, He specifically told us to pray directly to the Father saying, “Our Father.” At the same time, we can approach God through any and all parts of the trinity. We can approach the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can address them independently or as the one God they are. Jesus provided the way and when we address Him, we know that He sympathizes with us because He experienced what we experience and He lived the perfect life that He desires for us. Do you truly understand how amazing this privilege is?

We can directly commune with the Holy God who spoke the universe into existence along with time and space, whose creation of all of the stars in the universe was so easy that the Bible mentions this miraculous creation almost as an aside “… *He made the Stars Also*.” (Genesis 1:16b) We have been blessed beyond comprehension, but so many of us treat it as just ho-hum.

Prayer should not be a burden. We should hurry to the presence of God every day. We should make use of this privilege and be grateful for it every day of our lives.

> **See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God**; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. **We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is**. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:1-3) {emphasis mine}

Of course, this closeness and love that we have now is only a beginning. At the rapture, we will be transformed to be more like Jesus, physically and spiritually. Then we will truly be able to see Him face to face like not even Moses was able to do.

### How Do We Get This Privilege?

I hope you are a born-again child of God who has repented of your sins and trusted Jesus as your Savior and believed all that He has told you. If not God calls you to repent (admit wrongdoing and chose to change and obey/submit to God’s commands).

Romans 10:9 says:

> that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

You just have to confess your sins and believe that Jesus is God and that after living a perfect, sinless life, He died on the cross to save us from our sins. You have to believe that on the third day He rose from the dead. There is more that He wants us to believe, but that is all that is necessary to become a child of God. (Of course our repentance must be real and not just be words said as insurance against Hell. God knows our heart.)

> and **He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness**; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. (1 Peter 2:24-25) {emphasis mine}

Jesus came down to earth as a man to live the perfect life that we were unable to live, take our sins upon Himself, pay the punishment that we deserved, and give us His righteousness. Amazing!

> He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, s**o that we might become the righteousness of God in Him**. (2 Corinthians 5:21) {emphasis mine}

We all know that we have not lived perfect lives. We have all done things we regret. We have been unkind. We have lied. We have stolen (even if only a pen from the bank or our workplace). Instead of walking around in sin and guilt, faith in Jesus lets us walk around in blessings and His righteousness.

> This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom **we have boldness and confident access through faith** in Him. (Ephesians 3:11-12) {emphasis mine}

If you’ve trusted Jesus, you don’t have to approach God timidly. You can approach Him boldly (although always with the awe and respect He deserves).

> But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that **being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life**. (Titus 3:4-7) {emphasis mine}

Be grateful for all that our awesome, creator God has done for us and go to Him with all of your needs, worries, fears, and desires. He is an unimaginably powerful and holy God, but He is also a loving and merciful God. We, as believers, are truly blessed.

[Trust Jesus](https://trustjesus.substack.com/).\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

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

---

**If you don’t want to miss a post, please consider[ subscribing](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/greatest-blessing) near the bottom of the post**, so you know when new posts are published.


Every single person who votes themselves "free" stuff is supporting slavery.  They are forcing other people to work and not receive the benefit so they can receive the benefit and not work.  They are acting as slave owners, but they use government as their proxy so they can feel good about stealing from others.


The hike was actually to the top of Lily Mountain.  I hiked a 14er (Mt Elbert) when I was younger.  I think my 14er hikes are over, but we made it just shy of 10,000 feet and it was very steep with a hard rock scramble at the top, so I feel good about it and even better that I'm able to move the next day.


I actually live in Wyoming, but Estes is always nice.  I am also a big fan of Telluride, CO, although I haven't been there in a while.


I'm still trying to figure out optimal.  I was very low carb (<15 g/day) for 4-5 years and felt good, got to a healthy weight, etc.  After a while I got to the point that I would gain weight if I ate more than 1600 calories a day, my gut got really messed up, I started having food sensitivities, and I had trouble with high cortisol in the morning waking me up early feeling like a furnace, so I was unable to get enough sleep.   Raising my carbs (vegetables & fruits only.  I still don't do grains or processed food other than 88%+ and usually 92% chocolate sometimes) and upping my fiber, helped with all of those problems.  My gut isn't fully healed yet, but the other issues are  gone.

I have verified the cortisol issues are due to my blood sugar being low in the early morning, so my body produces a bunch of cortisol to convert protein into glucose to fuel the parts of my body that need glucose.  Overall, I feel a little better with more carbs (but still much less than the standard American diet).  I agree 100% on avoiding grains, seed oils, and processed food, although I'll admit to breaking down and eating sushi (including rice) up to 4x/year.


Dairy/calcium only clogs arteries if you don't get enough vitamin K2.  The K2 puts the calcium into your bones and teeth.  We all need a balance of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2.  They work together.  It is getting out of balance that causes problems.


Even most of the skinny ones look half dead, like zombies.  They are doing something wrong.


Work out your mind instead of your body.


Most people follow the crowd or the popular people unless they stop, consider and find a really good reason to not follow them.  My gut always tells me to do the opposite and stay away from the popular and only do as they do if given a really good reason.

I doubt it is good to be either extreme, but I do think following the crowd and the popular is more likely to get you in trouble.


Good book.


The peak is just shy of 10,000 feet tall and the last mile climbs about 1,000 feet.


As part of celebrating my 25th anniversary, we decided to do a longish hike.  The hike ended up being very strenuous and harder than expected.  We almost turned around before the end, but ran into some people that encouraged us to continue because the view was worth it.  We felt every one of those 25 extra years, but the view at the end was so worth it.  The peak had shear drop offs on 3 sides and 360 panoramic views of the entire valley of Estes Park, CO.  The tall peak is Long's Peak which is one of the fourteeners (peaks over 14,000 feet high).
https://image.nostr.build/aa5bd3b77526d9d790e4d0af9c7a74576a7c39c91f41765019745d0ca8ea2304.jpg


I think it is wise to not give young kids cell phones, but when you do decide it would be nice to have a way to communicate with them, if don't want them wasting their time online or doing other crazy stuff, you can get a Gab phone.  It looks like a smart phone but doesn't hook to the internet.  It does calls, text (if you want), calendar, alarms, and other basic features.  It is cheaper for the phone and the service than most phones.  It is a good option if you want to protect your kid.


Hopefully there are enough people like you to prevent it happening again.  I think there are lots, but I don't know if it is enough.


At this point the only thing the Fed might be able to affect is whether we get hyper inflation or stagflation and whether things collapse quickly or slowly.  I definitely think they kicked the can down the road too long and it can't be fixed without some really hard times.  There are some things that could be done , so we could fairly quickly (a few years) come out of the collapse and get better, but all of those are hard and will cause an immediate collapse, so no one will have the courage to do them.  I expect hard times to come and stick around.  Most likely things will go from bad to worse and not improve until Jesus's millennial reign.


And people used to be able to provide for themselves and used to have deep relationships with their neighbors.  If things even get close to as bad economically as the Great Depression, it is going to be really bad (at least for all of the unprepared Americans).


Israel seems to be sending a message.  Is it related to the news I heard that Iran is only about a month away from having multiple nuclear bombs?  I don't know.


There are lots of ways, but no guarantees without spending a bunch of money, which is unlikely to be worth it.  As much as I hate traditional social media, it is a good way to get the information out on this.  Think about places that the well-to-do frequent and see if you can hang flyers at any of those places.  Tell everyone you know to tell anyone they know about it.  I think some grocery stores have a board for flyers.  Are there any big businesses where potential clients might work?  You could ask if you could hang flyers there.   "We can cook for your employees so they can work longer," is a good motivation for the business to allow you to hang flyers.  There also might be some older people who would like the service, so maybe a senior center.


The trick in life is being able to ask the right question.

At my business, before having kids, I was the fixer for every problem.  I figured out everything and nobody else seemed able to think for themselves or get answers.  When I was pregnant with my first kid, I gave most of my employees the help number for the main program we use at work so they could call when they needed help instead of going to me because I didn't know how available I would be.  Even with the helpline, the majority of the time they had trouble with getting an answer because they would share assumptions instead of facts and not ask the right questions.  It blew my mind that most of them couldn't give the basic facts to get an answer.  Luckily, we seem to have a better quality of employee now and I'm not involved in every little detail anymore.


That depends on the kid and their age.  Young kids need lots of help.  Older kids, if you have instilled a love of learning and responsibility, are capable of learning on their own.

I will say, that it does make a difference when a kid has a parent (or someone who loves them. Some friends of ours have grandma homeschooling) helping them.  It builds closeness.  It helps the kid if they are having problems.  It helps the kid stay on track.  Learning together is fun.

Personally, I don't like dumping a kid in front of a screen, even if it is a lesson from the best teacher on earth, for hours of learning.  If there is a subject you don't feel qualified to teach, making use of online classes is handy.  I've used some online classes, but I've never had the kids do all of their learning online.


All of that is 100% true, but we aren't to rebel for the sake of rebelling.  We are to rebel against evil and in faithful service to God.

freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials," (James 1:2)  I find it enlightening that we are to consider trials ALL joy.


My grandma used to keep those in a little bowl on her coffee table.  I'd get one when I went to visit as a little girl.


I think we are living in the last days.  The church will be raptured and the world will see how bad things get without God's restraint against evil.  All of the power structures, technologies, and cultures necessary to make the end times prophecies come true literally seem to be coalescing.  Suddenly Biblical end times prophecy makes sense.


Treat you lungs well.  Not being able to breath is not fun.  Hope you feel better.


It almost sounds like he eats as much as my 112 lb dog.


There are definitely lots of subscribers from other countries.  I interact with them regularly.  I do think they tend to self organize.  Those that speak English use English relays and those that speak other languages use relays that are predominantly their language.  Because so many people around the world speak English, the English relays actually get a fair amount of people whose primary language is something other than English, so we benefit from their posts.


Nobody alive has a high enough view of God.  Our God, the true God, the God who spoke into existence time and space, matter and energy, things seen and unseen, is more awesome than our earthly minds can comprehend.

This is a very good thing.  A God who is omnipotent, omniscient,  omnipresent, and holy is a God we can trust.  A God who is unfathomably complex and able to do things we can’t comprehend is a God worth worshipping.

### Wrong View of God

When I first became a Christian, some of the verses about honoring and worshipping God seemed proud and self-absorbed, but I was judging God as a man.  He is so far above us in every way and we owe Him our very existence.  Of course He should be honored and worshipped.  I judged Him as having human motives instead of omniscient, holy motives.  I judged Him as just being an above average man instead of being the Creator who spoke everything, even time and space, into existence.  I judged Him wrongly because I didn’t fully know Him and who He truly was.  The more I learn about Him the more amazed I am at who He is and the more I realize how little I truly comprehend His awesomeness.

I serve a God that is so magnificent that we can’t fully understand who He is or the various traits He has revealed to us.  Other religions worship a god that is no more than a superhero.  Their gods are understandable because they are made up by people.  A god that is fully understandable isn’t a god worth worshipping.

### Wrong View of the Law

God has given us a law to follow.  He has given us explicit laws like the ten commandments.  He has given us things we must do and He has given us things we must not do.  Too often we are offended by these commands.  We look at every command to do something as a burden and every command to refrain from doing something as a limitation on our freedom and happiness.  We only feel this way because our view of God is wrong.

We have an awesome God who loves us so much that he condescends to tell us how to live the best life we can live.  He tells us not to do things that are bad for us and will harm our relationships with Him and others.  He tells us to do things that will help us grow and help us build relationships with Him and others.  He lets us join Him in His amazing plan for humanity.  He doesn’t need us, but like a good Father, He includes us in His work and empowers us to do what we could not do on our own.

Instead of resenting God for His commands, we should be grateful that He cares enough to give them.  We should be grateful that He cares enough to send Jesus to earth to show us what a perfect life looks like.  We should be grateful that He has given us the laws necessary to make family and society work properly.  When we obey His commands, we will be glad we did.

### Wrong View of Sin

We all view our sin as less bad than it really is.  We excuse that “little white lie.”  We discount the harm from stealing that pencil from work.  We make light of our social actions because we are conforming to the culture around us and because everyone is doing it.  We talk about all of the “good” people around us and wonder why God lets “bad” things happen to these “good” people.  Does anyone truly see the true horror of their sin?

We have a wrong view of sin for several reasons.  First of all, we judge sin by the actions of other people.  We judge one person to be a better person than another.  We judge some sins, like murder, to be worse than other sins, like a lie of flattery.  We don’t judge sins by their rightful measure, the word of God and the life of Jesus.

Beyond that we look at things based on whether the sin seemed to hurt someone.  Of course we are only able to look at the external effects, not the effects on the heart.  Truth is loving even when it hurts.  That definitely doesn’t mean we should tell the truth in a hurtful way to make a person feel bad or to win, but we should tell the truth because the truth always benefits in the long run.  A lie, even if it makes the person feel better today and seems to help a relationship, causes harm in the long run.  It breaks trust.  It leads the person on the wrong path.  It hardens the liar’s heart.

Ultimately all sin is about one thing.  All sin says, “my way is better than God’s way.”  All sin says, “I know better than God.”  All sin says, “my opinion is more important than God’s opinion.”  Worst of all, all sin says, “I am god of my life and I don’t want God to rule over my life.”  Sin is a denial of God and His authority.

If we have a higher view of God then we realize the gravity of our sin.  This won’t mean we will never sin, but it should mean we sin much less.  It should also mean we repent more because sin is idolatry.  We are our own idol.

### Wrong View of Hardship

So often when things go wrong in our lives, we question God.  We say, “Why me? Why did you let this happen to me?”

We need to remember that God is in control.  We need to remember that God loves us. We need to remember that God knows everything that is, that was, and that will be and that He looks at events differently than we do because He has an eternal perspective.

Why do bad things happen to people, especially believers?  God told us

> Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (John 15:20)

God is transforming us to be more like Jesus, so some hardship is given to us to mold us to be more like Jesus.  Almost all growth in faith and holiness comes from hardship, not easy times.  God knows this and gives us what is for our eternal good instead of what gives us momentary happiness.  Looking back with a godly attitude, you will be able to see the good God has done through hardship and be grateful even if it was very difficult in the heat of the trials.

Sometimes God allows hardship as a punishment for sin.

> For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6)

Sinning unbelievers are often allowed to continue sinning and may not seem to get their punishment here on earth.  Christian sinners are more likely to be punished here on earth as a correction, to lead us back to Him and a godly life.  If you are going through a hard time, ask yourself, “Is there an unconfessed sin in my life for which I am paying the consequences?”  If the hardship is due to sin, usually repenting and turning from that sin will help, but even repentance and turning fully to God does not guarantee that the consequences of sin go away.  It does mean that the hardship will become more bearable because everything is better and easier when you have God on your side.

Frequently hardship is preparing you for something.  He may be preparing you for additional hardship. He may be preparing you for ministry.  He may be preparing you for leadership.  You can look at the story of Joseph.  He was sold by his brothers, made a slave, tempted and then jailed when he resisted temptation, and then abandoned in jail by those he had helped.  I’m sure there were moments when Joseph doubted God.  Joseph stayed faithful, but he went through severe hardships for decades.  God, however, knew what He was doing.  He was preparing Joseph to save the people of the Middle East and beyond.  God was moving Joseph from a place far from the seat of power to a place where he could speak God’s word to Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world at that time.  Joseph didn’t know what God was doing, but he stayed faithful and God blessed him immensely.

You may not be made second in charge of the most powerful country in the world, but God has a plan for your life.  You have been blessed by the Creator God to be used for His purpose.  He will put you through what you need to go through to prepare you for His earthly plans and to prepare you for Heaven.  Trust me, it will be so worth it.

Knowing who God is and that He loves us can enable us to go through these hard, desperate times.  When we trust God, we don’t just barely make it through, we can thrive and go through horrible circumstances with joy because:

> And we know 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)

When we start to get a right view of God, everything is better.  We can understand the truth in God’s word and in the world more correctly.  We know that our loving God controls everything throughout history with ultimate wisdom.  We know that everything happens for a very good reason.

When we start to get a right view of God, it is like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.  Everything is clear and bright and joyful.

[Trust Jesus.](https://trustjesus.substack.com/)\
\
your sister in Christ,

Christy

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

A Wrong View of God leads to a Wrong View of Everything


Them refers only to Adam and Eve, not to some random other people.  Genesis 1 is a summary of God's entire creation.  Genesis 2 is the details of how He created the first man and the first woman.  They aren't a sequence.  They are Him going into more details about His special creation of mankind, which was the purpose of His whole creation.

"12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— " (Romans 5:12).  The first sin was committed by Eve and then Adam.  Sin led to death.  Therefore there was no death before Adam and Eve, so there can not be people before Adam and Eve.  God tells exactly how He created Adam and Eve.  They did not come from other people or animals.

"So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. " (1 Corinthians 15:45)  This verse explicitly says Adam was the first living soul.

"But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh." (Mark 10-6-8)  This New Testament verse not only talks about man and woman being created "from the beginning of creation", but also quotes Genesis 2:24 as fact.


When Benjamin Franklin was asked about how to stop poverty, he said (paraphrased) "The best thing we can do for the poor is to make them uncomfortable in their poverty."  He said this because many needed to become uncomfortable in order to motivate them to stop being lazy and using others.  If they were really uncomfortable, they would do what was necessary to improve their situation.

In the same way, we don't want to make people comfortable in their obesity.  It is hard work to turn things around when you're addicted to carbs and toxic chemicals, flavors, and colors.  It is hard to change when you feel bad and therefore don't have motivation.  We shouldn't be mean, but we don't wan the obese to be comfortable because that is not for their personal good.


It is so obvious that it breaks my heart half of the nation can't see it at all.


At first there was one name, but attached to multiple different relays.  Now the spam bots have multiplied and they are spamming everything.  Lots of posts have 2-5 different copy replies.  I think yours only had 2.


God told us how he did it.  I take Him at His word.

When I was first reading Genesis 1, it seemed so strange that God went into what seemed to me the wordy, "It was evening and morning the first day."  "It was evening and morning the second day." etc.  Now I know why He said it that way.  He knew that people were going to say that He created over billions of years and He wanted to make Himself perfectly clear.  Yes, "Yom" (the Hebrew word for day) can mean an indeterminate period of time, but whenever it is used with a number, the word morning and/or the word evening, it always means a literal 24 hour day.  He worded Genesis 1 to make sure you had to 100% ignore His words to believe anything else.

There are also little details like the Earth being made before the Sun and stars (unlike in the Big Bang Theory) and plants being created before the sun (which works for 24 hours but not millions or billions of years.

Scientists that believe in a literal 6 day creation have done a much better job of predicting what evidence we will find than those who believe in the Big Bang and billions of years.  They've been saying  the Big Bang is settled science for many decades, but they have to change it every couple of years to make it sort of match the evidence.  The same is true of Darwinian Evolution (and its various spin-off forms of Evolution)

The more science I study, the more I think the Big Bang and evolution are a religion and anti-science story telling.  When I was in high school, a bunch of things didn't make sense, but I just assumed that there were things I didn't understand and the specialists had figured it all out.  Then I found out that almost all scientists are specialists.  They all assume someone else figured it all out (especially with evolution).  The  biochemists think the biologists figured out how life came to be.  The biologists think the paleontologist figured out how life came to be and the paleontologists think the biochemists figured it out.  The truth is that a cell is so complex and especially irreducibly complex that it is incomprehensible to believe life happened by chance.


I actually really like the taste of manuka honey 263 MGO (although the super strong stuff 1122 MGO can get a bit of medicinal taste), but it is stupid expensive, so I only allow myself to splurge when I have a sore throat or something and then only a teaspoon.


"Scientists" saying that there was nothing, nothing happened, and then everything just look like fools.  Saying there was an explosion and the gases coalesced into stars when everyone knows that gases expand to fill the space (even more so with an explosion).  The whole naturalistic, big bang theory is nothing but story telling with big words and math.


Amen.


What's the deal with all of the spam bots that just duplicate posts?  There are a bunch of them and they seem pointless other than to just be annoying?

I guess I shouldn't complain when God's word is copied.


Don't use the balls.  They are a pain and easy to over stuff where they don't steep well.


This is the one I use.  It is fantastic.  I have 6 of them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CFQW79K8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Check out my longform post.  I give detailed evidence that He did claim to be God.


All I know is I don't see the people I want until I go into the filter.

https://image.nostr.build/a61dc29aec5a69206bfdb2115b6c862ca91184d272407ce178253f34a1944a67.jpg


This link shows all of the places where it is available as an ebook, but I'm having an issue with the printer for the paperbacks.  I'll post links when it is available.

https://books2read.com/u/47LrXa


Very interesting.  That makes more sense to me than what I was taught in school.


When it comes to UFOs, it depends on what you mean.  I do NOT believe there are little green men from planets many light years away visiting our planet, but there does seem to be unidentified stuff going on (some is hoaxes, but not all).  I tend to think (but am not dogmatic) that they are trans-dimensional beings that are otherwise known as demons.  The uptick on sightings and governments becoming open about it is setting up the world for the rapture.

I never understood how the rapture of the church could happen and the world not turn instantly to God, but if "aliens" (aka demons) suddenly appeared in the sky announcing they had removed the unenlightened people so the world could progress, people would shrug and go on with their lives happy that they were the ones chosen by the higher beings.

Just a theory, but it matches with the evidence.


Good job!


Happy Lord's Day to you, too.


I don't know how to react to this quote because my reaction depends on exactly how I interpret this quote.  We are told to pray continually, so I agree 100% with that principle.  We should also have the nonstop attitude of repentance and gratitude that we are forgiven sinners, so I agree 100% there.
If this quote is saying to just continually repeat the words, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," then I disagree because Matthew 6:7 says, "“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words."


I've got some rubber boots for chores like that.  If they get dirty, I just hose them off and move on.  Nothing damages them.  I've had them for 8 years and they are as good as new.  I guess the only issue is if it is really hot, my feet get sweaty.  Since I'm not in a hot climate, that is only really an issue 3 months out of the year.  They handle, mud, snow, brambles, weed eaters (put my boots between bushes and weed eaters to get closer with girdling the bush/tree), and just about anything else.


What's going on with the Coracle feed.  I used to love it?  Now every time I refresh, I have to go chose follows/followers or I get a feed I don't care for.  Is Coracle now using some algorithm to feed me what it wants to?


I've written and submitted for publishing one book, "Why I Need Jesus".  It is available in ebook, but I'm having some issues with publishing the paperback that is causing a delay in availability online (although I bought 20 author copies to sell or give away locally).

I'm a glutton for punishment, so I just finished the first draft for a second book, "Joy in the Storm:  Growing my faith in a very good God."  It will still take several months to tweak, proof, and format the book and is likely to take ~6 months before I can hit publish, but it still feels good to complete the basic book.
https://image.nostr.build/84cb5cb0b20caf34ca781d9cf069ea27079fcced4d870c677c486b9a1198f6b5.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/6bf679dca2992f856f3c73208a5a5929aac027984c5c507456ef4ccfe80297ac.jpg


Congratulations and good job.

I'm going to celebrate my 25 wedding anniversary later this month.


It is pretty interesting in genetics.  Scientists (including secular scientists) have looked at mutations in the mitochondrial DNA that is passed down from mother to child through the egg.  Their calculations say the first female mitochondrial DNA was about 7,000 years ago (awfully close to the Bible's 6,000 but based on assumptions that might not be accurate).  They also looked at mutations in the Y chromosomes passed down from father to son.  These calculations came out to 4,500-5,000 years which is about the length of time since the flood.

Since the men on the ark were Noah and his 3 sons, you would expect all Y chromosomes to go back to Noah ~4,500 years ago.  Since the women on the ark were 4 unrelated women (Noah's wife and each of his son's wives), you would expect their mitochondrial DNA variation to trace back to Eve ~6,000 years ago.  Science matches the Bible.


God's word is always accurate, even the first 11 chapters.  God doesn't lie.


Carbon was created by God when He created the Earth before the stars.


or the whole earth and diamonds are very young


FYI, diamonds have been found to have C-14 in them, so they can't be billions of years old.  Even if they were formed as 100% C-14, there would be none left.


You are quite right that the rock layers are made by the violent flood and the "breaking up of the waters of the deep."
- Most fossils are either marine fossils or land and marine fossils mixed together.  This makes much more sense if the layers were caused by a global flood.
- Most animals don't become fossils when they die.  For fossils to form, it requires the animal to be buried quickly (so not even bacteria can break them down) and to be exposed to mineralized water (like sea water or volcanic water).
-  There are lots of places that sedimentary rocks were significantly bent (even 90 degrees or more) without cracking.  If they were soft mud at the time, this makes sense.  If they were lithified, they would crack.  Frequently people will say they bent because of heat, but heat metamorphizes the rocks and that hasn't happened.  These rocks layers were clearly bent while wet.
- When "scientists" say the rocks were formed over millions and billions of years, they will point to "gaps" in the rock layers.  They will point to a knife thin border between rock layers and claim there are millions of years missing, but this is nonsensical.  If millions of years have gone by, you would expect to see erosion, with gullies and even valleys, but you see perfectly flat, even borders between layers.  You don't even see animal or insect burrows.  The most likely explanation is that the layers were laid down only hours or days later, not the purported millions of years.


All radiometric dating is based on several assumptions that are very questionable.  For radiometric dating to work, all of the following must be true.
1.  The exact proportion of parent and daughter isotopes have to be known (how can we know when we don't even know the date?)
2.  We have to know the exact decay rate and that decay rate has to be constant even under changing conditions (this is the easiest to believe, but there is still physical evidence that it isn't true).
3.  The sample must not allow any of the parent or daughter isotope to come into or exit the sample (since most are water soluable, this is hard to believe).

C-14 dating uses the assumption that we currently have a particular proportionality of C-14 and C-12.  This proportion is present in the CO2 in the air that plants use and therefore the plants have this same proportion in their flesh.  Animals eat these plants and therefore have the same proportion.  When either dies, they stop ingesting C-14 and therefore it starts decaying into C-12 over time.
There are two problems with this dating.  Plants and animals in the ocean are further from the initial ingestion of C-14 and therefore they (and anyone/anything that eats them) with have a lower proportion of C-14 giving an older age when their age is calculated.  Also, Earth's magnetic field halves approximately every 1400 years.  The magnetic field was higher in the past.  This reduced the solar radiation which converts N-14 to C-14, therefore the C14/C12 ratio was lower in the past, once again giving older dates.  There is no measurable C-14 after less than 100,000 years and isn't very accurate over about 10,000 years.

Since rocks aren't ingesting carbon, these symptoms clearly don't work, so other radiometric methods are used, most of which have extremely long half-lives meaning there is not much change over millions of years.  They also tend to assume the sample started with only the parent isotope (which is very unlikely).  Most (if not all) cases that radiometric dating was used to test rocks of unknown ages, it gave multiple orders of magnitude higher ages.  If it doesn't work on rocks of known ages, why should anyone believe the ages of rocks of unknown ages?


This one is even better because it shows when each person was born, when they had the next kid, and when they died.  https://viz.bible/visualizing-the-genesis-timeline-from-adam-to-abraham/
https://image.nostr.build/b94c1f8257f6769516a409294c2bd48e44b1e12869c0af8b5ed07da4603b6a0c.jpg


It is interesting that the flood came during Noah's life and he was the first generation that was not alive during Adam's lifetime.


I found this chart online.  Keep in mind there are small errors due to not knowing when in a particular year, each generation was born, and potential different ways of counting ages/years.  It is unlikely that it is off by more than a couple of tens of years.  The traditional calculated date of creation by Usher was 4004 BC.  That should be very close.

https://image.nostr.build/ba92e42c593db3525355b6209d407281685fa38f0dd2dead9296863641c53a31.jpg


Yes, Confession is key.

"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)

We are not righteous in ourselves or our deeds:
"as it is written, “There is none righteous , not even one ;" (Romans 3:10)

All of our righteousness comes from Jesus:
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)


Exactly


Yes it does include all of those, but you have to remember that they don't add, they overlap (a lot).  For example, when Abraham was born, Noah was still alive.  (Sorry my example is post flood.  I was curious one day how long since Noah died when Abraham was born and was shocked to calculate that Noah was still alive when Abraham was born.)