Remembrance Day is a Memorial Day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty.
I was pleased to do a more detailed research a few years ago of the story behind Remembrance Day and it can be found if you read my previous Article, Remembrance Day: Forget Them Not
As we approach the centenary commemorations for the Armistice, the world will once again turn its attention to the events of 100 years ago.
The Imperial War Museum records and tells the stories of those who have lived, fought and passed in battle since 1914. As the 2 world wars that defined the twentieth century slip from living memory, war memorials maintain their tradition, a roll call of the fallen that reminds us of the fragility of peace. On Remembrance Day, 2 minutes of silence forms a bridge to the past. Gone however not forgotten, we will constantly remember them– those who given a lot for the freedoms we take pleasure in today.
Approximately 1.1million Commonwealth servicemen and women are still commemorated at 23,000 CWGC sites today. Imagine that!
But for the Commission, it is also a time to look to the future. How will they continue to maintain those sites? What are the challenges they will face for the next 100 years?
The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF) is a charitable foundation that highlights the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) by telling the stories of the 1.7m people the CWGC commemorates. Visit the following link for more information on how you can help: https://www.cwgc.org/
Technology and Globalization
Even though I have not been able to visit many of the places I have written about, due to today’s technology, I am able to experience and understand the world a lot better.
Technological advances have fueled globalization. Most people would agree that we can still get things done around the world more quickly than we previously were able to.
However due to technological pressures to streamline operating standards and procedures, we now run the risk of threatening individual’s livelihood and our societies most precious traditions, values and beliefs.
The fear of oblivion is like a turbulent storm seen from the distance but fast approaching.
Perhaps the most powerful of the global changes we now face are the incredibly swift and increasingly rapid advances in telecommunications.
The founders of the Innovative Hardiness Institute in Newport Beach, California, stated that more than experience or training, resilience in the face of stressful situations and rapid changes determines whether you ultimately succeed or fail in the workplace.
It allows you to thrive even in tumultuous (I like that word) conditions and to turn potential disasters into growth opportunities.
So where does resilience come from?
Resilience At Work
According to Deborah M. Khoshaba, who was already a professional psychologist for fifteen years at the time the book “Resilience at Work” was published, and was also a Director of Program Development and Training at the Hardiness Institute, you can learn to be resilient.
Deborah M. Khoshaba
Deborah M. Khoshaba (Newport Beach, CA) is Director of Program Development and Training at the Hardiness Institute.
When a person is under stress or find themselves in a stressful situation, if they are able to cultivate a group of attitudes and skills that help them to build on their stressful circumstances and not to be undermined by the situation, Deborah called that “hardiness”.
Hardiness emerged as the basis for resilience in their twelve-year, longitudinal study of the employees at Illinois Bell Telephone (IBT), as the company and its parent, AT&T, experienced a catastrophic upheaval when telephone services went from being a federally regulated monopoly to being a competitive industry.
Unfortunately, the massive, disruptive changes that followed greatly affected the performance, conduct and heath of two-thirds of the employees in their research at the time and many people fell apart.
However, in strong contrast, the resilient third not only survived, but also thrived! They rose to the top of the heap, and felt more enthusiastic and capable than before, as they turned the changes into opportunities.
They found that the resilient group had the hardy attitudes of commitment, control and challenge (CCC or Triple C) Lol!
These 3 Cs gave them the courage and drive to face the disruptive changes and because of their courage, bravery and motivation, the resilient group was better able to cope with the various challenges by finding solutions to the problems that arose and interacting supportively with those around them.
In the twenty years since the IBT project, more than four hundred studies around the world have further validated “hardiness” as the key to resilience.
Salvatore R. Maddi
Founder of the Hardiness Institute
Salvatore R. Maddi, who at the time the book “Resilience at Work” was published, had already obtain his doctorate in clinical psychology from Harvard University in 1960 and began developing the resilience and hardiness approach in 1975.
He later founded the Hardiness Institute in 1984.
He has been the author of over 100 papers and is internationally recognized as a leader in psychology, and continues to win prestigious awards for his hardiness-based consulting and research work. An international survey done in 1986 named him among the top 175 psychologists in the world.
Considering that it is now 2019, I am “tickled pink” to be learning from the wealth of knowledge he was kind enough to share with the world.
He clearly has no reason to fear oblivion. I fervently believe his research will stand the test of time.
“All knowledge cannot be expressed in words, yet our education is based almost exclusively on its written or spoken forms…. But the artist, dancer or spiritual person have learned to develop the nonverbal portion of intelligence.”
Speaking of spirituality, do you know who and what else will never have to fear oblivion? The Bible and the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible has always been and I strongly believe, will always be the best-seller year after year until the end of time and is peppered with many prophecies.
Prophecies
In our fallen and double-minded world, we can either be encouraged or terrified by prophecy.
In 2 Peter 1:19 of the New International Version (NIV) it states,
“19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shinning in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”.
And it continues to solidify verse 19 in verses 20 and 21 by saying the following:
“20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”.
In the Old Testament there are many stories of the prophets of Israel. One story in particular features the Priest Ezekiel who was among the Judeans that Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon in 597 BC.
Five years into their exile, God called Ezekiel to go to Israel and “speak my words to them” or prophesy.
The Priest Ezekiel often spoke his messages by composing exceptionally polished poetic oracles which he would either speak or perhaps sing to the public.
He was also known to be a very talented and creative individual and told many of his stories with symbolic meanings, symbolic actions and often described and demonstrated his extraordinary visions that he had received to the public using his various abilities.
It’s interesting to note however in Ezekiel Chapter 2 verses 14, that when he was called to be a prophet, he wasn’t exactly jumping with joy. It says he went on his mission in bitterness and anger. Lol!
I believe there are still true prophets among us today, however we need to be cautious of people- even those inside the Church, who astonish us with their exploits.
Astonishment or amazement is not enough. I sincerely believe it wise for us as believers to observe their lives and determine if they have truly been transformed. Many people agree that we should be able to see conviction, repentance, love and unity taken place within their lives.
I strongly believe that people can be very susceptible or naïve when they have never experienced the power of the Lord. When supernatural things take place that they don’t understand or can not explain, they may call it divine or of God. But watch out!
Just because a person believes in Christ does not automatically qualify him or her to receive everything that is divine.
See my previous article which also speaks on prophetic truth:
I believe spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy is very much needed in the church today, but many who are ignorant regarding how God choses to deliver the Spirit, may feel that they can imitate the Spirit. They may even believe it’s a gift that can be purchased!
But the bible said that for every supernatural gift that comes from God, satan has made a substitute. Ancient diviners or psychics have foretold events by countless methods but the Priest Ezekiel has warned us against this in the entire book of Ezekiel Chapter 13. It reads as follows:
Book of Ezekiel Chapter 13
1 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imaginations: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’
3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins.
5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord.
6 Their visions are false and their divination a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.
7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares”, though I have not spoken?
8 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words, and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.
9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
10 “Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with white-wash,
11 Therefore, tell those who cover it with white-wash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth.
12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the white-wash you covered it with?”
13 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury.
14 I will tear down the wall you have covered with white-wash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord.
15 So, I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it,
16 Those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
17 “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them
18 And say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?
19 You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have sparred those who should not live.
20 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.
21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives,
23 Therefore, you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord”.
Wow! That’s some serious revelations right there!
However, as I stated previously, the Apostle Peter calls prophecy a “light that shines in a dark place” (II Peter 1:19).
I also believe that even though their may be different interpretations of prophetic theories, some things are still held in common by all legitimate people involved:
1 Jesus Christ, Son of God, is Savior and Lord 2 The Bible is the Word of God 3 Jesus Christ is coming back again (Titus 2:13, 1 Peter 1:3 and 3:15, John 3:2-3 etc.)
Do you fear oblivion?
So, I ask these simple questions. Do you fear oblivion? Are you living your life with purpose and would you classify yourself as resilient?
Once again, we see in the Bible, around 65 AD, where the Apostle Peter, who was an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus, was imprisoned in Rome by the Emperor Nero.
During that time, he realized that he would soon be executed, but he knew it was of great importance that the ministry of Jesus be confirmed and therefore he once again wrote another letter to the believers, confirming Jesus’ ministry and warning against false teachers.
In powerful imagery Peter describes the false teachers’ destructive effect on the community and the judgement that awaits them.
Peter knew that the Messiah’s return had only been delayed because God wanted everyone to repent and I still believe that to be true today. So in 2 Peter Chapter 3:1-9 it reads,
“1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation”.
5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Wow!
Mentorship
61462087 – mentoring. chart with keywords and icons. flat design
As I have become more involved in the mentoring of young Caymanians in the Cayman Islands, I have come to realize that in order to become a more effective teacher and mentor, I will need to get deeper in the word of God.
And guess what else has also become apparent? Mentorship and discipleship go hand in hand.
Discipleship
Discipleship teaches us how to understand God’s word and pray, while mentoring demonstrates how to live life.
The Bible is full of mentoring examples: Elijah mentored Elisha, Moses mentored Joshua, Jesus mentored the disciples and there was even the story of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth.
You know what else I found out? The Lord created women to desire to be in relationships. Not only passionate coupled relationships, but sibling relationships as well as close friendships.
I believe He felt it was healthy and beneficial for us to partner with each other and offer support and assistance, when necessary, along life’s journey.
I pray that the Lord our Savior Jesus Christ will continue to see it beneficial to guide and protect me and my family as we blossom in grace and love and grow from strength to strength in faith.
Nobody really wakes up and say, “Today I am going to save the world!”
Many of us are just too tired, stressed-out and ridiculously annoyed with various affairs in our life to add additional duties to our ever-expanding list of community goodwill. Lol!
Don’t get me wrong, I like to acknowledge people in our community who clearly are deserving of recognition, but I know many of them were not doing it for recognition in the first place, they were really just being who they inherently were created to be.
Many times, in life we might have committed to do something in our community and our commitment started with a “bang” but along the way we encountered obstacles like discouragement, rejection, suffered poor self-esteem, sickness, financial struggles or even spiritual warfare.
But how many of you know that with the Holy Spirit you can make it?
I have learnt that unclean spirits, without exception and regardless of their names or where they act, are all agents of death.
But how can you distinguish between the Spirit of God and the spirits of the devil if many of them talk about love, light and good works?
Here is one clue:
• Demonic spirits always cause problems that deprive people of any joy, especially on special occasions. In fact, they never allow their followers to have peace. The Holy Spirit, however, is peace. He rejoices when we are happy. It is written,
“For the joy of the Lord is my strength” Nehemiah 8:10
We must learn how to bind the strong man in our lives.
Jesus gave us his authority over the devil and his evil cohorts, yet I have learnt that we must be motivated to use it if we want to see results.
Let us consider what Jesus taught his followers:
In the book of Matthew Chapter 16:19, it says,
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
To bind evil spirits means to restrain them by addressing them directly and forbidding them to continue their destructive activity.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our words will weaken or remove the person from the enemy’s bondage and in prayer we then ask the Holy Spirit to minister to his or her needs.
Our prayers should then be directed to God, and our warfare at the enemy.
According to the authors, Quin Sherrer & Ruthanne Garlock of A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, this tactic of binding evil spirits is especially effective when praying in agreement with a prayer partner.
The following is a hypothetical story to illustrate how we can become more effective in our everyday life:
Cadia is a spiritual warrior who’s learned to use this important tactic. One day she went to visit her twenty-year-old daughter Lisa, who had gone away to college. Not finding her at her designated residence, she went on in.
Appalled at the mess she found, she began to clean the apartment-straightening, dusting, sweeping, and scrubbing. She even cooked a meal, then washed all the dirty clothes lying around.
She knew her daughter was still adjusting to college life, but she was shock that her normally tidy and preppy daughter would have allowed her apartment to be reduced to such a deplorable state.
While putting things in order, Cadia found a bundle of torn and bloody undergarments amongst a small bag of “unknown substance” beside a used syringe and a small hand gun. It had one bullet in it.
At that moment, Cadia knew her daughter’s intent was to shoot herself and based on the evidence, the reason was obvious.
As a mother in the natural, she was devastated, but as a prayer warrior in the spirit, she was furious!
At that very moment, Cadia began to do serious spiritual battle for her daughter’s life. She said,
“Thank you, Lord, for giving us authority to use your name to set captives free. I plead the blood of Jesus over Lisa, and ask you to protect her life.
I come against the strong man of rejection operating against my daughter, and bind your power over my daughter in Jesus’ name.
I come against the spirit of suicide, you will not have my daughter.
I come against the spirit of deception and psychosis, you will not have my daughter.
I bind all spirits of rejection, madness, hate, anger, murder, and suicide, in Jesus’ name.
I command the spirits that are binding and controlling her to release her, in Jesus’ name.
Lord, let your peace permeate her apartment. Show Lisa how much you love her and desire to set her free from the bondage of the enemy.
Thank you, Lord, for protecting her life and drawing her into fellowship with you in Jesus’ name.
Amen”.
Cadia then began singing and filling the apartment with praises to the Lord as she continued to cook and clean.
Before leaving that day, she left a note:
“Lisa- I did this today because I love you. No strings attached. Mom”.
A few weeks went by before Lisa decided to visit her mom in person and upon arrival her mother noticed she had lost weight and seemed nervous.
But Cadia did not judge or harass her daughter because she knew if she had not prayed for her daughter’s deliverance and shown unconditional love, her daughter might not have been alive today.
Perhaps one day her daughter will find the courage to share her story and seek professional help.
For now, she was glad Lisa had come home for the holidays. Cadia also knew she was greatly missed by her friends in the community and at church.
Many people go to church just for the service- the feast, or ceremony- and some go to meet with God.
Some go only for the lavish worship while some truly worship by the Spirit of God.
Some people go to church because they like the pastor’s eloquent and obviously gifted way with words, while some people truly need to hear from God.
I have learnt that sometimes God remains silent and withholds communication in order for Him to receive the glory once a promise has been fulfilled.
Have you heard of prophetic jealousy?
It’s similar to professional jealously and I believe it exist among those who have a reputation for being gifted with a word of knowledge, or prophecy.
I strongly believe that people who are known for their prophetic gift sometimes are placed under pressure to perform and maybe also pressured to deliver ‘a word from the Lord’.
After-all the people expect it!
Then after a while their followers or the people in the congregation take it for granted and if someone other than their leader has a word that doesn’t include them – or confirm them- they are often ungracious or downright hateful.
Many may say, “It can’t be from God, or I would know”.
God was powerfully at work in Jerusalem and Jesus was the center of it all.
Not even his own parents- or those who knew him best- were aware of what was happening.
Hear me when I say, God can use you yesterday, but remain silent today.
He can use me today, but speak through someone else tomorrow.
It may be someone everybody has heard of- but don’t particularly like or even someone who no one has heard.
Why? God is sovereign.
Being used by God does not require any of the following:
Ed.D. – (Doctor of Education), Th.D. (Doctor of Theology), Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy), LL.D. (Doctor of Laws) or any other sophisticated titles we all have sacrificed to attain.
I believe it’s important to have a purpose in life and as soon as you have figured it out-get moving!
The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life is a 1994 book by psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray, in which the authors argue that human intelligence is substantially influenced by both inherited and environmental factors and that it is a better predictor of many personal dynamics, including financial income, job performance, birth out of wedlock, and involvement in crime than are an individual’s parental socioeconomic status. They also argue that those with high intelligence, the “cognitive elite”, are becoming separated from those of average and below-average intelligence. The book was controversial, especially where the authors wrote about racial differences in intelligence and discussed the implications of those differences.
According to my recent studies, the normal curve, also known as THE BELL CURVE because of its unique shape, is said to be shaped like a bell and is often the way in which certain characteristics such as intelligence, weight or height may be represented in the population.
The highest point on the curve typically represents the average score in any distribution.
Now distributions aren’t always normal in shape, just like people! Lol!
Some distributions are described as skewed. This occurs when the distribution is not even on both sides of a central score with the highest frequency.
Instead some scores are concentrated toward one side of the distribution.
For example, we might observe a study of people’s water drinking habits and it eventually reveals that most people drink between 4 and 8 16oz bottles of water daily, with no one drinking more than 8 bottles.
So, you may be asking, how does the above information tie into my message?
Well, if we were to start sieving through an enormous pile of professional profiles of people in our community who have been nominated for awards on Heroes day next year, one of the requirements should be- how have they used their intelligence to make a difference in their community.
National Heroes Day is a public holiday celebrated in the Cayman Islands on the fourth Monday in January.
Unlike other National Heroes Days in the Caribbean, the same people aren’t always celebrated on this day each year.
Instead, a committee comprised of public and private sector representatives meet to choose the theme for the following year’s holiday.
Different award categories are then established and the public is then allowed to nominate suitable individuals.
The National Heroes Day committee is then entrusted with the awesome but serious responsibility of deciding on all who are deserving recipients of the awards. Cool!
The theme chosen for 2018 was sports, with members of the public being invited to nominate people in the community who had made outstanding contributions to sports in the Cayman Islands.
National Heroes Day has been a public holiday in the Cayman Islands since 2003.
Jamaica
Every third Monday of October is National Heroes Day in Jamaica. This public holiday is dedicated to the memory of Jamaica’s seven official national heroes.
On National Heroes Day, six heroes and one heroine will still be remembered for their heroic deeds that led to greater freedom and economic growth and prosperity for their homeland.
For example, Alexander Bustmante was Jamaica’s first prime minister. Three other heroes were hanged after leading revolts against oppression and “social injustice”. And heroine “Nanny of the Maroons” led a group in resistance and raids against the British colonialists. Wow!
Jamaica celebrates Independence on August 6 each year, in commemoration of its first Independence Day on August 6, 1962. The period leading up to the public holiday is crammed with parties and activities celebrating the island’s culture.
For more exciting and educational information about the beautiful Island of Jamaica see my previous article:
Every 1st February is National Heroes Day in Rwanda and it is a day selected to remember numerous officially designated national heroes who lost their lives in the cause of their country.
Rwanda’s previous flag was a red-yellow-green tricolor with a large black letter “R” (to distinguish it from the otherwise identical Flag of Guinea). Derived from the flag of Ethiopia, the colors green, yellow, and red represented peace; the nation’s hope for its development; and the people.
What does the Rwandan flag mean?
Now the green is symbolic of the country’s prosperity, the yellow is symbolic of potential and real economic development, and the blue is symbolic of happiness and peace. The sun and its rays are said to represent enlightenment. Awesome!
I have learnt that Rwanda is a country with a diverse culture and rich heritage. The Rwandan cuisine is famous all-over East Africa, with its signature East African dish – Ugali and vegetables. Yum-Yum in my tummy!
How wealthy is Rwanda?
Rwanda is reported to have the 35th-highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) among African countries (20.32 million International dollars).
The top 10 African countries by GDP (PPP) are: Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Angola, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania. Wow!
France
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the flag of France (French: Drapeau français) is a tricolor flag featuring three vertical bands coloured blue (hoist side), white, and red.
It is known to English speakers as the French Tricolour or simply the Tricolour (French: Tricolore).
The Tricolour has become one of the most influential flags in history, with its three-colour scheme being copied by many other nations, both in Europe and the rest of the world.
The royal government used many flags, the best known being a blue shield and gold fleur-de-lis (the Royal Arms of France) on a white background, or state flag. Early in the French Revolution, the Paris militia, which played a prominent role in the storming of the Bastille, wore a cockade of blue and red, the city’s traditional colours.
According to French general Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, white was the “ancient French colour” and was added to the militia cockade to create a tricolour, or national, cockade.
This cockade became part of the uniform of the National Guard, which succeeded the militia and was commanded by Lafayette.
The colours and design of the cockade are the basis of the Tricolour flag, adopted in 1790. The only difference was that the 1790 flag’s colours were reversed. A modified design by Jacques-Louis David was adopted in 1794.
The royal white flag was used during the Bourbon restoration from 1815 to 1830; the tricolour was brought back after the July Revolution and has been used ever since 1830.
The French National Day is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution, as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790. Celebrations are held throughout France.
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was one of many world landmarks illuminated in the French flag colors after the November 2015 Paris attacks.
During the Hundred Years’ War, England was recognized by a red cross, Burgundy, a red saltire, and France, a white cross.
This cross could figure either on a blue or a red field. The blue field eventually became the common standard for French armies. The French regiments were later assigned the white cross as standard, with their proper colours in the cantons.
The French flag of a white cross on a blue field is still seen on some flags derived from it, such as those of Quebec and Martinique.
The flag of Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years’ War is described in her own words,
“I had a banner of which the field was sprinkled with lilies; the world was painted there, with an angel at each side; it was white of the white cloth called ‘boccassin’; there was written above it, I believe, ‘JHESUS MARIA’; it was fringed with silk.”
Joan’s standard led to the prominent use of white on later French flags.
From the accession of the Bourbons to the throne of France, the green ensign of the navy became a plain white flag, the symbol of purity and royal authority. The merchant navy was assigned “the old flag of the nation of France”, the white cross on a blue field.
The Panthéon
The Panthéon is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris, France. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens.
The Panthéon houses the ashes of Les Grands Hommes de la Nation. Illustrious French citizens from all walks of life – politicians, writers, defenders of the nation – are buried here upon approval by the French president.
In 1885, when the ashes of Victor Hugo were brought there in honor of that great man after the national outpouring of emotion caused by his death, the Pantheon became the final resting place of those who have become known as Les Grands Hommes (The Great Men).
The Panthéon is also home, in its immense entrance hall, to Foucault’s pendulum, named after a French physicist, designed to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation in relation to a frame of reference by Galileo. Cool!
72 illustrious personalities reside there today:
Among them:
– Jean Jaurès (1859-1914), the father of French socialism, assassinated in 1914. – Emile Zola (1840-1902), an important writer and journalist. – Jean Moulin (1841-1941), a hero of the French Resistance during the Second World War. – André Malraux (1901-1976), writer and minister for Culture, whose ashes were brought there in 1996. – Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), an important popular writer, whose ashes were brought there in 2002. – Jean Monnet (1888-1979), a politician who worked to create the European Community in the wake of World War II. – René Cassin (1887-1976), the spiritual father and principal author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948. – Pierre (1859-1906) and Marie (1867-1934) Curie, Nobel prizewinners for physics for their work with radium.
What was the Pantheon used for?
Roman Pantheon. The Roman Pantheon is the most preserved and influential building of ancient Rome. It is a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome. As the brick stamps on the side of the building reveal it was built and dedicated between A.D 118 and 125.
What is the pantheon made of?
The Pantheon that Hadrian created is a circular temple made of concrete faced with brick, with a Greek-style façade and a magnificent dome rising from its walls. The most striking feature of the building is the 27-foot circular hole (the oculus, or eye) atop the dome.
What does the pantheon symbolize?
The Pantheon is still discussed today as a building clouded in mystery. The original purpose of the building is unknown. Although the temple is dedicated to all Greek gods the scale and size of the temple emphasized power and Roman duty. There is also celestial symbolism present in the temple.
What does the pantheon say above?
Above the entrance, carved in stone, are the words M. AGRIPPA L. F. COS. TERTIUM FECIT which is translated, “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, in his third consulate, made it.” This basically says that “Agrippa built the Pantheon.”
Here is some history that I was pleased to locate:
In 1744, Louis XV decreed the building of a prestigious basilica in honor of Sainte-Geneviève to whom he attributed his healing after a serious illness.
The architect Soufflot was awarded the project in 1755. This project was also part of the political will of Louis XV. The basilica had to rival that of Saint Peter’s in Rome and above all re-establish the prestige of a divided church.
Soufflot placed the basilica in a monumental square in the very heart of the area of religious contestation, where the Jansenists officiated at Saint-Médard.
The architecture of the basilica is a sign of the architectural renewal and experimental research that was prevalent at the time and during the centuries of the Enlightenment.
Indeed, the ornamental vocabulary and the central plan in the shape of a Greek cross were inspired by ancient Greek architecture, the lightness of the structure of the vault is evocative of gothic art and the dome speaks of the Renaissance. The light entered through forty-five tall windows.
During the Revolution: the basilca become the Panthéon National.
In 1791, the basilica became the Panthéon National to house the ashes of the nation’s great men: Voltaire in 1791, Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1794, great men from the century of Enlightenment whose writing contributed to the changes wrought by the Revolution.
The high windows were also sealed to emphasize its role as a tomb. Very interesting.
When all is said and done, I like learning and I like sharing what I have learnt.
There is no peace when you serve Satan! What is caging you may ask?
It is when a person is literally put in a cage spiritually, so that they cannot see the wrong actions of someone, or so that they will believe lies about someone. It’s kind of like putting mental blinders on someone. Like the blinders you’d put on horses so they see in only one direction.
We must be ever vigilant as Christians so that we can discern if a person is a true servant of Jesus Christ. Once a person is caged, it is easy to place all kinds of wrong thoughts into their minds and they will not realize that the thoughts are inconsistent with God’s word.
This is one way in which demonic doctrines can get accepted in the Christian Churches today.
As Christians, we must refuse to accept anything or anyone at face value and test everything against God’s word. Don’t fall for someone just because of his or her charisma. Unfortunately, in today’s society we are easily susceptible to following people with a lot of charisma.
I believe that is perhaps one of the greatest problems within our churches today. Too many people may obtain positions of leadership simple because they have very charismatic personalities which naturally attract people.
Satanism is a big problem around the world and it is beyond anything that has been portrayed in the press. Every city, town or country has its covens, groups or community of people who directly worship and serve Satan.
Unfortunately, it also appears that even some High schools, Universities, Colleges and even Christian schools have their own covens.
In addition to this, did you know that many Asian religions practice another form of Satanism like Egyptians and Caribbean cults?
It doesn’t matter how you pretty it up and make it look glamorous, every religion that worships and serves demons is a form of Satanism. Some people refer to them as energies, vibrations, pagan gods, spirit entities etc.
I don’t care! They are still demons!
In 2 Timothy 4:1-5 it states,
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministries.
The Appeal Renewed
2 Timothy 2:1-13
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrusted to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others
3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.
6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel,
9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
And I forward to verse 19
19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription:
“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.
21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Types of Doorways
Inheritance
Ouija board
Ritual sex
Tarot cards
General occult games
Animal sacrifice
Murder
Horoscope
Blood contracts
Witchcraft
Drugs
Kung fu
Karate
Human sacrifice
Drinking blood (animal & human)
Hypnosis
Incest
Palm reading
Yoga
Rock music
Occult & horror movies
Rebellion
Drunkenness
Multiple sexual relationships
Cannibalism
Astral-projection
Blasphemy
Curses can also be placed on mirrors and this can be used as a doorway for demons to enter into a place. Mirrors are a common doorway frequently used to establish communication with the spirit world. All Christians must be alerted to this source of trouble, especially pastors and Christian leaders.
Terrible damage is being done within Christian churches and in relationships between people because of these curses and incantations. We must always be alert and sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Put on the whole Amor of God and ask the Lord to show you how to use it. Even though we may not be able to see the armor of God, it is real armor in the spirit world. We can use it in the physical world with the help of the Holy Spirit.
So, what exactly is the Armor of God you may ask? In Ephesian 6:10-18 it says,
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
And I say personally, “ 19 Pray for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Amen”
Psalm 35 New International Version
1 Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. 2 Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. 3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.”
4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. 5 May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away; 6 may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, 8 may ruin overtake them by surprise— may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin. 9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. 10 My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. 12 They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved. 13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, 14 I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. 15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing. 16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. 18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. 19 Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye. 20 They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. 21 They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. 23 Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. 24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God; do not let them gloat over me. 25 Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace. 27 May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.
I believe there is power in God’s word and we can still act upon His word today as the Holy Spirit shows us where to set our feet.
Please note however that it is important that we keep an attitude of humility and grace as we pray. John Dawson reminds us,
“As you stand in the gap for your city, allow the Holy Spirit to shine the bright light of truth into the inner rooms of your soul.
In Los Angeles, humans live with orcs and elves in a world where fantasy creatures do exist. LAPD police officer Dayl Ward is the first human cop having the orc police officer Nick Jakoby as a partner. When Ward is shot by an orc and Jakoby does not capture the shooter, he questions whether Jakoby lets the fellow orc escape. During a patrol, Ward and Jakoby arrest a man that tells that there is a prophecy and Ward is blessed. Meanwhile, Internal Affairs press Ward to find the truth about the escape of the shooter so that they can fire Jakoby. The magic department of the FBI interrogates the man that belongs to the terrorist Shield of Light group which protects brights so that they can prepare for the return of the Dark Lord that will destroy the world. Ward and Jakoby are summoned to attend a disturbance and they stumble upon a Shield of Light safe-house where they arrest the elf Tikka and bag her magic wand. Soon they learn that Tikka is hunted down by the evil and powerful rogue elf Leilah and her Terrorist group Inferni which are the ones actually trying to resurrect the dark lord and they need to protect Tikka and the wand; otherwise the world will be destroyed.
Women in the Church
A big obstacle that we as women face in maintaining an effective prayer life is the persistent and ever popular questions of,
“How can my prayers possibly make a difference in my life, my family, my community, my country or the entire world?”
This hesitation may possibly be Satan’s most effective method of discouraging us from pursuing prayer. Yet scripture clearly shows us that when believers pray on earth, they activate activities in the heavenlies.
The prophet Daniel had an angelic visitation after three weeks of prayer and fasting, and repenting on behalf of his people. The angel told Daniel that on the first day he humbled himself to pray, God had heard his words. In fact, the angel had been dispatched with a message in response to Daniel’s prayer, but had encountered interference from the “prince of Persia.”
Ultimately the messenger angel had to get help from the angel Michael to get his message through and he delivered a prophetic message to Daniel. If there were rulers or principalities in the spiritual realm trying to stop Daniel’s prayers from being answered then, who are we to believe we are immune!
I still believe there are hostile spiritual forces trying to block our prayers from being answered and scripture implies that these principalities rule over different geographical locations.
The Book of Daniel
The book of Daniel illustrates how God protected and promoted four young men.
When Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego demonstrated their faithfulness to God, they are delivered from deadly perils by God’s mighty acts.
In the bible, Daniel was given the ability to interpret dreams and in the second part of the book of Daniel, it describes visions and messages that Daniel received from God through angelic messengers. These visions are represented in the cryptic language and symbolic terms typical of apocalyptic literature.
The End Times
12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us to be strong women of God, even in our moments of weakness. In the bible, Jesus promised his followers, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, or Strengthener) that He may remain with you forever; the Spirit of Truth.
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
The Work of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26-27)
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
John 16:1-15 New International Version (NIV)
16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.
3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.
7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Jesus Prays for His Disciples (John 17:6-19)
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers (John 17:20-26)
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
God in His marvelous grace, began revealing His will for man right from the beginning, in Genesis 3:15, which is the first prophecy related to God’s redemptive plan for the salvation of mankind.
From there onward, through the pens of many writers, including myself, I strongly believe that God will continue to reveal more and more of His plan, which we can still find in the Bible today!
The Power of Three: A Perfect Testimony
During the third month of the calendar year (March), we shall celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, also known as Easter Sunday. Some churches may also celebrate Palm Sunday, which is the final Sunday before Easter Sunday.
Did you know that it is said that Christ died and rose again on the third day and that there is a symbolic meaning for the number (3) three?
Biblically, three is the number of the Godhead and the number of Divine completeness?
Regardless of the countless curses people may place on you in your life, distractions, fears, and setbacks, if you are a fighter and ready for warfare, you will always be resilient and tenaciously focus on the vision or goal that you have created for your life.
I highly recommend writing out your vision or dream and cementing it with a mission statement so that it becomes clear and compelling.
Next, you may want to review it occasionally and record the different lifestyle changes that have taken place and make necessary adjustments as unforeseen events inevitably might occur and reshape the basic logistics of your vision.
A formidable queen causes a rift between Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Together, they must face new allies and enemies in a bid to protect the magical lands which they share.
Reviewing and adjusting solidifies your original foundation and helps you to ascertain whether or not you are thriving within your environment.
Thriving and Surviving!
Speaking of thriving and surviving- Did you know that fighter pilots in World War II had different methods and tactics of survival they developed in order to remain steadfast through every mission they had to fly?
In order to get through the numerous moments of being tired, stressed and on the verge of panic at the sight of each new enemy plane, the fighter pilots would leave behind or carry sentimental objects that reminded them of loved-ones or they would make promises to their loved ones that they knew they had to keep.
For example, a letter that remained unread or a promise of marriage to someone they left behind.
See my previous article which also gives examples of other times of war in history:
Directed by Angelina Jolie As a boy, Louis “Louie” Zamperini is always in trouble, but with the help of his older brother, he turns his life around and channels his energy into running, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics. When World War II breaks out, Louie enlists in the military. After his plane crashes in the Pacific, he survives an incredible 47 days adrift in a raft, until his capture by the Japanese navy. Sent to a POW camp, Louie becomes the favorite target of a particularly cruel prison commander
The above movie Unbroken: Path to Redemption, which was directed by Angelina Jolie is a magnificently portrayed example of survival and the strength of the human spirit in spite of numerous obstacles.
Also, in addition to the fighter pilots in the World War II story I mentioned previously, I learnt that not only did the fighter pilots leave something or someone behind to look forward to, they might have also left something to complete.
That way their minds could focus on that thought and arouse or stimulate the necessary motivation to face one more “dogfight”, or survive another loss of a dear friend on the battle field and get through one more mission.
Just like in the movie Unbroken: Path to Redemption, the story I read illustrated where the real battle begins and ends.
The fighter pilots knew that while in battle the temptation to give in to physical wariness and breakdown under various psychological traumas was extremely high. The real war wasn’t on the battle field- the real war was in their mind.
Even though we celebrate our veteran’s heroism, the ugly truth is many of them both locally and around the world have been exposed to numerous traumatic events.
PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
Many Research Experts have agreed that most of the times, PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) develops shortly after exposure to the traumatic event. Sometimes, it may even be delayed months or even years later and may be triggered by something that is reminiscent of the original stressor. Wow!
However, please note that not everyone who is exposed to a terrible event goes on to develop PTSD. It really depends on the individual and the nature of the event.
Some people, particularly those with preexisting emotional or personality problems, are naturally more susceptible to being scarred by traumatic events.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was born originally on the battlefield and was known by a number of names such as “shell Shock”, “combat fatigue”, or “war neurosis”.
However, according to Allen Frances M.D. and Michael B. First M.D., horrifying experiences are by no means restricted to only warfare.
Community surveys that were done uncovered the fact that the majority of us have been exposed at some point in our lives to an event that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury.
For example, car accidents, natural disasters, torture, concentration camps, rape, sexual or physical abuse and other crimes.
Additional Articles
See the three following articles which illustrates behaviors and circumstances:
Let’s also not forget other forms of psychological manipulations such as gas-lighting.
Gas-lighting is a form of psychological manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity.
In order to gain more power, the person or entity makes the victim question their reality.
It works much better than you may think. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders.
It is done slowly, so the victim doesn’t realize how much they’ve been brainwashed. For example, in the movie Gaslight (1944), a man manipulates his wife to the point where she thinks she is losing her mind.
A gas lighter will tell you that you’d be a worthy person if only you didn’t have such a long list of negative traits. They attack the very foundation of your being.
When dealing with a person or entity that gaslights, look at what they are doing rather than what they are saying. What they are saying means nothing; it is just talk. What they are doing is the issue.
Occasionally, they may throw in positive reinforcement to confuse you.
This person or entity that is cutting you down, telling you that you don’t have value, is now praising you for something you did. This adds an additional sense of uneasiness. You think, “Well maybe they aren’t so bad.” Yes, they are!
This is a calculated attempt to keep you off-kilter—and again, to question your reality.
Also look at what you were praised for; it is probably something that served the gas lighter.
Gas lighters know that confusion weakens people.
Gas lighters know that people like having a sense of stability and normalcy. Their goal is to uproot this and make you constantly question everything.
And humans’ natural tendency is to look to the person or entity that will help you feel more stable—and that happens to be the gas lighter.
They often project their opinions on their “prey”.
Many times, they are drug users or cheaters, yet they are constantly accusing you the victim of that very behavior. This is done so often that you start trying to defend yourself, and are distracted from the gas lighter’s own behavior.
Unfortunately, they may even try to align people against you.
Gas lighters are masters at manipulating and finding the people they know will stand by them no matter what—and they use these people against you.
They will make comments such as,
“This person knows that you’re not right in your head or have a tendency to ‘go crazy’”.
Or
“you’re always gazing off in space,” or “This person knows you’re useless too”
or
“This person does not trust you either and we have heard that you carry an incurable disease.”
or
“We’ve heard that you’ve slept with so many men. Your a Whore!”
or
“This person also does not believe you are capable of holding down a regular job consistently”.
Keep in mind it does not mean that these people actually said these things. A gas lighter is a constant liar.
When the gas lighter uses this tactic, it makes you feel like you don’t know who to trust or turn to—and that leads you right back to the gas lighter.
And that’s exactly what they want: Isolation gives them more control.
Once again, they love telling you or others that you are crazy. This is one of the most effective tools of the gas lighter, because it’s dismissive.
The gas lighter knows that if they question your sanity, people will not believe you when you tell them that the gas lighter is abusive or out-of-control. It’s a master technique.
The more you are aware of these techniques, the quicker you can identify them and avoid falling into a gas-lighter’s trap.
Additionally, my bible tells me the following in Ephesians 6:12 (New International Version) NIV
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
According to Commonweal Magazine, The New Testament’s extensive language concerning malevolent spiritual forces is never humorous.
Apparently, the terminology varies and some texts speak of the Devil or Satan, while others speak of demons or unclean spirits which represent powers and principalities.
There are also such descriptions as the Ruler of the Power of the Air and the Dragon or Ancient Serpent.
Regardless of the description, when taken together, these terms point to a conviction, broadly shared by the writers of the New Testament, that a cosmic power, lesser than God but greater than humans alone, inhabited the world and worked against human good in a manner that was far from funny or creatively orchestrated like in the movies.
Satan hates ALL humans and he does not discriminate!
At the personal level, the bible says that Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, speaks of Satan as a constant threat, one lying outside the community yet capable of causing damage within.
More cosmically he envisions “powers and principalities” which, though conquered by the death and exaltation of Christ, remain capable of opposing believers, who must continue to do battle “against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Once again, as I mentioned from Ephesians 6:12).
Similarly, Peter pictures the Devil as a ravening beast out to destroy unwary believers, and counsels them to “be sober and watch, because your adversary the Devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
In the bible, Luke imagines Satan as the arrogant ruler of a kingdom counter to God’s own, capable of granting great power to those willing to worship him, and commanding a vast army of demonic spirits.
John declares that “the whole world lies under the power of the evil one.”
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
Ephesians Chapter 1, vs 3:13, New International Version (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Finally, the Book of Revelation imagines the world caught in a cosmic battle between Christ and Satan, the great beast waging ceaseless war against the saints in unholy alliance with the corrupt power of an empire that buys and sells human lives and brands them with its mark.
The Thousand Years
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.
They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Now, many of the previous paragraphs and links illustrated negative behaviors and their affects, however, how many of you know that God’s correction is different.
With God’s correction-conviction is concerning the attitude or deed of the person and then there is a call for repentance.
Next, there should be an assurance of forgiveness and restoration to remind the individual of their value as God’s child.
7 Deadly Sins
People have always been known to be immoral, shiftless, and self-gratifying. For ages, humankind struggled to find a conceptual system to understand their spiritual shortcomings.
Wrath
Wrath is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Anger.
As a beautiful young woman of pure heart, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) has an idyllic life in a forest kingdom. When an invading army threatens the land, Maleficent rises up to become its fiercest protector. However, a terrible betrayal hardens her heart and twists her into a creature bent on revenge. She engages in an epic battle with the invading king’s successor, then curses his newborn daughter, Aurora — realizing only later that the child holds the key to peace in the kingdom.
Qualities Needed in Trials
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Doers—Not Hearers Only
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
Christian Faith: From Elementary to Maturity
Hebrews 6 New International Version (NIV)
6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting,we will do so.
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Speaking of wrath; from another biblical perspective, the New Testament also has references regarding the Great Tribulation and the wrath of God.
The Wrath of God and the three angels (Revelation 14:6-13)
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth- to every nation, tribe, language and people.
7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgement has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8 A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,
10 they too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
Envy
Envy is the desire for others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation.
Directed by Angelina Jolie As a boy, Louis “Louie” Zamperini is always in trouble, but with the help of his older brother, he turns his life around and channels his energy into running, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics. When World War II breaks out, Louie enlists in the military. After his plane crashes in the Pacific, he survives an incredible 47 days adrift in a raft, until his capture by the Japanese navy. Sent to a POW camp, Louie becomes the favorite target of a particularly cruel prison commander
Being envied means that one is constantly under attack and
rendered helpless by it. To be envied is not always fun. When you are envied by
someone upon whom you are psychologically, financially or emotionally dependent
isolates and paralyzes the envied one.
According to Professors Ann and Barry Ulanor, in Cinderella and Her Sisters: The Envied and the Envying, the envied one grows increasingly desperate. Why? Nothing succeeds in warding off the envy.
If the envied person renounces all hope of being seen and accepted as themselves in all their natural, God-given talents, beauty, intelligence and grace, they are accused of being cold and aloof. They are also accused of being disconnected from the community, anti-socialist or branded as, “thinks they are better than everybody else”.
If on the other hand they try to share their brilliant
ideas, talents, or anything that is of value, they are attacked and accused of
showing off or being patronizing. Being envied is no fun!
If the envied person also tries to defend themselves by explaining
their abilities or seeks comfort when things go wrong in their life, they are
not listened to, for explanations will not fill up the empty heart of the Envier.
“What do you have to complain about? You have everything”,
or “Your life is better than most people I know, so stop complaining.”
Even if some of the above melodrama is lacking, the envied
person is still in the position of being held hostage as if they were being
held by terrorists. Terrorist whose only purpose is to exploit them and demoralize
them and laugh at their weaknesses.
There is nothing the envied person can ever do or say to appease their captors.
The envier’s enjoy the torture and manipulation of their victims too much and have no intention of letting go of the envied. They refuse to let their hostages get away.
Pride
Pride is excessive belief in one’s own abilities, that interferes with the individual’s recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise.
Pride is also known as Vanity.
In the age of heroes, a mighty warrior named Beowulf (Ray Winstone) arrives at the court of King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) and offers to rid the kingdom of a vicious demon called Grendel. He successfully slays the beast but thus incurs the wrath of Grendel’s mother (Angelina Jolie), a creature as vicious and vengeful as she is seductive
Pride Promotes Strife (James 4: 1-10)
4 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Greed
Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.
Babylon The Great, The Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth (Revelation 17)
1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”
3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
When I saw her; I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
9 “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
Lust
Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.
Luis (Antonio Banderas) and Julia (Angelina Jolie) are bound together first by matrimony, and then, by fierce love and desire. But the closer Luis becomes to Julia, the more enigmatic she seems to be. For Luis, the loneliness which led to love becomes a passion which transcends reason and defies convention, as he and Julia engage in a dangerous dance that takes them across the landscape of Cuba, into obsession, eroticism… and perhaps even murder.
Loving God Under Trials (James 1: 12-15)
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Gluttony
Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.
Like other bears, pandas spend most of the day eating and sleeping. Bamboo is the most important plant for giant pandas. They spend at least 12 hours each day eating bamboo. Because bamboo is so low in nutrients, pandas eat a lot of it daily
Po might just be the laziest, clumsiest panda in the Valley of Peace, but he secretly dreams of becoming a kung fu legend. When the villainous snow leopard Tai Lung threatens Po’s homeland, the hapless panda is chosen to fulfil an ancient prophecy and defend the Valley from attack. Training under Master Shifu, Po embarks on an epic high-kicking adventure as he sets out to thwart Tai Lung’s evil plans.
Angelina Jolie as Master Tigress in Kung Fu Panda
Sloth
Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.
A lazy scene, featuring Angelina Jolie’s character called Lisa
Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, “Girl, interrupted” is the searing true story of Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder), a young woman who finds herself at a renowned mental institution for troubled young women, where she must choose between the world of people who belong on the inside — like the seductive and dangerous Lisa (Angelina Jolie) — or the often-difficult world of reality on the outside.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
One-time surgeon Eugene Sands loses his license for the negligent death of a patient for drugs addiction, and his life spirals into chaos. He finds himself in the employ of a shady gangster and soon becomes embroiled in dark and dangerous dealings.
The final sin as mentioned above was sloth and is said to be the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. Remember faith without works is dead!
However, how many of you know that once you have been called, it is then critical that you share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The End Times
According to Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, coauthors of Left Behind and Charting the End Times, it is difficult for non-Christians to understand that a God of love would allow the tribulation.
But I agree with them that God really wants to draw as many people as possible to Him before Jesus returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom, and He will use the Tribulation to get their attention.
They believe that in grace and love, He will give more supernatural signs and leadings of His Spirit than at any time in the history of the world, proving that he is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
In the book of Revelation, Chapter 3, the Bible says to the angel of the church in Sardis:
1 These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.
3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Then to the angel of the church in Philadelphia:
7 These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
9 I will make those who are the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars- I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11)
Now in reverse, the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3)
3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3)
Mr. Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice states that in Revelation, we find the seven years divided into two periods of 1260 days, or 42 months, or three-and-one-half years, or “time and times and half a time” (Revelation 11:2-3;12:6,7,14; 13:5).
Every one of those time spans totals up to seven years. The first half, or first 42 months, is the Tribulation, while the last half is called by our Lord “The Great Tribulation.”
The Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-24)
5 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,
2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Final Instructions
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.
13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt
21 but test them all; hold on to what is good,
22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more Ishake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Complex and mega rich, full of quest and challenge, a human life is the product of many strands.
While brushing your hair, can you count the multi-colored strands?
The person you are and the many influences that have combined to shape your life thus far are many.
The genes you inherited from your parents, your relationships with your family and your friends, your personal experiences, ideas and dreams have all played an important role in shaping your unique self.
Lifespan Development
Research suggests from a psychological perspective that development refers to the changes over time in a person’s physical structure, thought, and behavior due both to biology and to experience. This encompasses a person’s entire life and all the events that shape their direction.
Middle Childhood: 6 years to approximately 12 years of age
Adolescence: Approximately 12 years to 18-21 years of age
Young Adulthood: 18-21 years to 40 years of age
Middle Adulthood: 40 years to 60-65 years of age
Older Adulthood: 60-65 years of age to death
Human development is not simply a “program” that is set in place at birth and plays its way out as an individual moves through their lifespan. Rather, the development of an individual is best seen as a dynamic exchange or interplay of biological potentials, social and environmental forces, and the individual’s own responses to these circumstances.
Please also see my previous article that also highlights additional psychological disorders:
Please also understand that I have deliberately injected videos, movie clips and additional articles to future cement my observations and also because I really want you to understand the significance of the sociocultural context in human development which I am referring to.
I wanted to show how it is important and useful to consider how the society and culture will influence the definitions of developmental periods at various times.
Historical views of Childhood
The conceptualization (love that word!) of childhood and attitudes
toward children have varied a great deal throughout recorded history and
beyond.
Although relatively little is known about the attitudes of prehistoric civilizations towards children, the agriculture-based societies of today’s poorer countries help to provide some likely parallels. Unfortunately such societies typically view children as coworkers and contributors.
Bangladeshi women pluck cotton in a field at Sreepur, 50 km from Dhaka February 11. Bangladesh produces only 15 percent of its annual requirement of cotton to feed some 3,000 garment factories but hopes to increase production by more than 40 percent by the year 2002.
Children are assigned household chores and errands at an
early age, with their workload increasing as they get older.
However, more is known and recorded about childhood in
ancient western civilizations, where children typically were viewed as material
possessions and little more.
In parts of ancient Greece, strict obedience and harsh physical punishment were the norm, in ancient Rome, killing undesirable children or otherwise unwanted children, or selling them into servitude was common.
Parents were free to exploit their children in whatever ways
they wished, child sexual abuse was rampant, and children tended to have no
rights.
Thankfully, child killing was finally outlawed in Christian
Europe in the 12th century AD, and it was not until the end of the Middle
Ages (about 1500 AD) that general attitudes towards children began to change
significantly.
Nevertheless, even in modern times, we still have some
cultures who still consider children as “economic assets” who are to be
exploited, made to work in factories and are often subjected to severe corporal
(physical) punishment.
In places like the United States, it was not until the late
19th century that children achieved special rights through the
advent of child labor laws and compulsory schooling. Laws defining child abuse and limiting the
use of corporal punishment came even later.
As a multicultural society, many of us have our own opinion
about Child Rearing practices. The concept of what is appropriate varies considerably
across cultures.
For example, I have learnt that Japanese children up to 3
years of age tend to sleep with their parents, grandparents, or siblings.
Apparently, this sleeping arrangement is a socialization practice that fosters a
close relationship between children and their parents as well as others. These
types of practices reflect a culture that values collective harmony. Cool!
Popular Questions
Do you think it’s a good idea for babies to
sleep in the same bed with their parents?
Would you ever spank your child? If yes, under
what conditions?
What would you do if your child told you they were
attracted to the same sex or they felt transgender?
What would you do if your child was caught shoplifting
from a supermarket?
Social and Political Factors
Social and Political factors can also affect our attitudes towards childhood in different cultures. The hundred of thousands of children who were forced to fight in the brutal ethnic wars that have raged in parts of Africa and many other regions of the world illustrates a view of childhood, where children were not considered special nor were they protected.
Children and War
Events as traumatic as war often have profound and permanent effects on those involved, and children may be the most vulnerable of all. Before the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Iraq, for example, had one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the developing world. By 2003, it had one of the highest infant mortality rates, with many children dying of hungry, malnutrition, dysentery and cancer.
War usually has a devastating impact on all concerned, but
its effects on children are especially tragic.
Many children are killed as innocent bystanders, others are orphaned and
may end up starving, sick, alone or in ill-equipped refugee camps. Many are
also subjected to sexual abuse.
According to an extensive study funded by the United
Nations, as of the Middle 1990s there were 27.4 million refuges and 30 million displaced
persons, half were children.
The effects of War on Children
Some of war’s impact is immediate and obvious: demoralization, depression and a chronic sense of fear and uncertainty. Numerous researchers also have found high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children who survived.
See my previous article for more on PTSD and other psychological disorders:
In a study of Palestinian children who had experience war,
it was found that almost 3/4th had at least mild PTSD symptoms, and
over 1/3rd had moderate to severe symptoms. These symptoms include high
rates of sleep disturbances, complaints of physical pain or infirmity, the
inability to feel normal emotions, problems in controlling their impulses, and
difficulty concentrating.
Sometimes the symptoms of PTSD occur immediately, but in
other cases they emerge later, sometimes months or even years after the
traumatic episode. Although PTSD can persist for years, fortunately for most
children its effects subside once a more stable life is regained.
When children grow up in dangerous, disrupted, and insecure
environments, they face many challenges.
War will always leave an imprint on all those who are affected by it;
for some, those scars are deep and permanent.
Yet, believe or not, children are remarkably resilient.
Even children growing up in war-torn regions of the world are
still able to master the developmental tasks of childhood and adolescence and
move on towards establishing meaningful adult lives.
Economic Factors
Economic factors often influence attitudes towards the
treatment of children. For example,
families that are more affluent tend to have fewer children. With fewer children, parents are under less
pressure to provide for the basics, therefore, they have more time to enjoy and
educate their children.
In addition, children from affluent families have less need to undertake adult responsibilities at an early age. Therefore they can enjoy their childhood a lot longer. Yeah!!!!
Bullying remains a key issue at most schools today. Everyone needs to feel that they belong.
Many teenagers cry themselves to sleep, aching to fit in.
I have personally walked through John Gray High School and seen a few incredibly lonely and vulnerable young students stifling to fit into an environment that seemed too harsh for their delicate natures.
Or the all-important school cafeteria, where yet again I see
lonely wall flowers with their heads down, sometimes birched at the end of lunch
tables pretending to be invisible.
In contrast, there will always be the cool kids, who appear to have it all, the obviously smart kids, the eccentric but wonderfully creative kids etc.
Please note that I have nothing against the age-old
stereotypes or groups that you will ultimately find at any school; what I do have
a problem with is bullying in our schools.
I have not been blessed as yet with children of my own, but it is my intention to assist with the reduction of the number of cases involving bullying in our schools.
It is my hope that in this process, I am able to assist with the creation of a more cohesive environment which is healthier, kinder and overall more tolerant of those who are different by enriching the hearts and minds of this generation and the generations to come.
So how can we as a nation, renowned for our kindness, counteract issues of discrimination in our schools, bullying and different types of biases in relation to gender, ethnicity and class?
How can we as World Leaders, Politicians, Preachers, Teachers,
Students and every hardworking community leader facilitate the needs of our fellow
pupils in spite of their class, ethnicity or gender?
How can we become champions for this great cause, known as
“Preventing School Bullying “when we consider each of our schools policies and
classroom procedures?
Well, I don’t pretend to know these answers right now, but I am ambitious enough to do my research and analysis and share my findings as I have started to do as seen below:
Jodee Blanco is one of the pre-eminent voices on the subject of bullying.
She is a survivor, expert and activist as well as the author of The New York Times bestselling memoir, Please Stop Laughing At Me… One Woman’s Inspirational Story. A chronicle of her years as the student outcast, the book inspired a movement among bullying victims everywhere of all ages–in middle and high schools, on college campuses, at the workplace, and at home.
She is also a youth advocate and the creator and executive producer of the critically acclaimed It’s NOT just joking around! anti-bullying program.
Her advice for students
If you’re a victim of bullying, remember, there’s nothing wrong with you. It’s everything that’s right about you that makes you stand out from the crowd. Don’t change for anyone. It is those who put you down and exclude you who need to change.
Never ignore the bullying and walk away. You must look the bully in the eye without any emotions or fear, command him/her to stop, and then stare them down long enough for them to know you mean business. Sometimes this works! Always defend your dignity and your pride. Remember, standing up for yourself nonviolently in the moment that abuse occurs is your basic human rights. Seeking vengeance later on is the mistake.
Don’t suffer in silence. Confide in an adult you trust that you’re being bullied and need help.
School doesn’t have to be your whole world even though it may sometimes seem that way. Seek an alternative social outlet like the public library, local park, or various community centers.
If you see someone being bullied and don’t want to be a bystander, you have two options. Intercede on the victims behalf and tell the bullies to stop or devise a clever excuse to pull the victim away from the situation.
If you think you may be a bully or an Elite Tormentor, recognize that it’s not just joking around. You may be damaging someone else’s life for a lifetime. Stop and think about that for a moment. The next time you abuse or shun another classmate, or the worst of all, treat him/her as if their invisible.
Always remember that bullying isn’t just the MEAN things you do, it’s all the NICE things you never do on purpose.
Another thing, If you see a classmate is struggling to fit in or being maligned (means to have someone say unpleasant, vicious and untrue things about someone), tell a teacher or counselor. It could change that person’s life and it could save yours. You never want what happened at the Columbine High School or Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton to happen at your school too.
Don’t be afraid of professional help. Be honest with everyone, including yourself. Your not crazy!
A school bus passes a makeshift memorial to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as it takes students to Newtown High School December 18, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Students in Newtown, excluding Sandy Hook Elementary School, return to school for the first time since last Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook which took the live of 20 students and 6 adults. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Pay attention to other classmates who may be experiencing some of the same loneliness and rejection you are experiencing and reach out to them in friendship. You could end up forging bonds that will last a lifetime.
What is “Academic Bullying “?
That’s when a student or group of students purposely make it
difficult for a classmate to perform academically. For example, if your assigned a book report
and another classmate checks out the book you need and keeps it just so you
can’t have access to it for your assignment, that’s academic bullying.
What role does ethnicity play in school bullying?
When ethnic groups bully each other, it can be hurtful and
infuriating, but at least “intended targets” can lean on others within their
own group for support. It’s damaging
however when the members of an ethnic group turns on one of their own, because
that person is now not only bullied from the outside but also shunned on the
inside. Wow!
Cases like these frequently have long-term emotional and
psychological consequences.
Can sibling rivalry have an impact on school bullying?
Jodee Blanco also states that sibling rivalry can be the early breeding ground for bullying behaviors. It’s important that parents do not allow sibling rivalry to flourish, because if children don’t learn compassion early on, in the home, they will bring that same lack of empathy to school.
Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother — and former heir to the throne — has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is soon ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. Now, with help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba must figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
Generation K (True Lies)
Everyone lies at one time or another including me. Lying is a universal talent. Some people can do it rather well. Most little kids start practicing the skill as soon as they master language.
When you look at it objectively it seems the ability to lie is part of everyone’s kit of survival tools, a side effect of possessing language skills. There are a lot of situations in which the ability to lie is extremely useful.
For instance, there are times when you might have to lie to protect yourself or someone else. Or you might have to lie just to defend your personal privacy. People lie all the time to diffuse a tense social situation or to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or even to calm someone who is frightened.
The way I see it, if people couldn’t lie, they probably wouldn’t be able to live together in groups, at least not for long or with any degree of sociability. The bottom line is- if humans could not lie, civilization as we know it would cease to exist.
According to Noreena Hertz, an author and commentator who, among other roles, advises world leaders on strategy, economics, geopolitical risk and artificial intelligence, stated that Generation K, sometimes referred to as Generation Z, has been fundamentally shaped by technology and spends a third of their day on different social media platforms online.
As the keynote speaker at the Royal Fidelity Cayman Economic Outlook Conference held on February 28th 2019 at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, Ms. Hertz offered insights into this generation, which she says will make up approximately one third of the global workforce by the year 2022.
“Generation K” is made up of people born between 1994 and 2003. The “K” originates from the film franchise heroine with whom the generation’s members most identify: Katniss Everdeen of “Hunger Games”.
They have also been shaped by the worst recession in recent years, the financial crisis of 2008, job insecurities and a lack of financial optimism. Not to mention existential threats forged by the Manchester and Paris terrorist attacks, the rise of Al Qaeda and Isis, several terrorist attacks and multiply school shootings in many of their home cities.
Unfortunately, this generation has been desensitized from an early age to violence due to the repetitive and constant exposure experience in various ways as they grow. She states that it is not that the world had all of a sudden become garbage, but now many children and young adults’ own smartphones which never leave their side.
Unsupervised access to the internet, grants children many opportunities to bully others and be bullied. To view explicit videos and information and sometimes encounter sinister recruitment websites.
Ms. Hertz believes that because this generation saw the world as unequal and harsh, the impact is now making them extremely anxious. She says, statistics show that in the US, more than one in five high school students had contemplated suicide, and in the UK, there had been a threefold increase in the number of teenagers who self-harmed.
Although her research was primarily focused in the United States and the United Kingdom, she has also conducted limited studies in other western European countries as well.
She continues to state that this generation strongly believes in equality. Economic, educational, racial, gender and social equality. They also are concerned about global issues like global poverty, global hunger and climate change.
Generation K has had to master the art of true lies in order to survive.
Allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment over the years, whether substantiated or not, have frequently been discussed amongst the community and the places we each call home. It affects virtually all nationalities and religions around the world.
However, even one child or teen being abused by a priest/pastor (or by anyone else) is too many.
Most cases of abuse, although being reported recently, go back two, three, four, or even fifty decades. Unfortunately, there was much less knowledge of the dynamics of abuse then than there is available today. Many times, offenders would be allowed to continue in their ministries after going through a time of brief counseling.
I am not against restoration of an individual, however, I believe it’s worth mentioning that according to research approximately 70% of accused priest/pastors were reported to also be survivors of abuse themselves. Wow!
A psychopath is murdering women across the Midwest. The FBI sends Agent Clarice Starling to interview psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, diabolical cannibal who could provide insight into the killer’s identity. Lecter agrees to help Starling only if she’ll feed his morbid curiosity with details of her own complicated life. Starling is forced to confront not only her own hidden demons, but also an evil so powerful that she may not have the courage – or strength – to stop it.
Statistics recorded that many of them had serious psychological problems such as substance abuse and/or mood and personality disorders.
You may also visit www.silentlambs.org for additional information regarding sex offenders.
Thankfully, we have elevated our standards and now members of the clergy are more mature when they begin seminary. They undergo intense comprehensive psychological testing’s that includes specific evaluation for sexual problems and risk factors, and they are extensively trained in how to manage sexual issues.
We live in a culture where the sexual abuse of children is not uncommon. There have been reported cases of public and private school children that have been sexually abused or molested by school staff or employees. Regrettably, research also indicates that a greater percentage of children have been abused by family members, rather than by the clergy or school staff.
The publicity surrounding sexual abuse has raised consciousness in many communities of faith, and many have established stringent and detailed policies for ensuring the safety of children and young people.
These often include such things as never having a child alone in a room with an adult; an open-door policy in classrooms; extensive screening and background checks on all personnel who come into contact with children, and detailed procedures for reporting suspected abuse and dealing with offenders.
Child sexual abuse is a complex and serious problem. A few years ago, I attended a Darkness to Light training session at the Red Cross Cayman Islands and was also informed that the training could also be completed online at www.D2L.org
At Darkness to Light, their vision is to have a world free of child sexual abuse. A world in which all children are loved, protected, and nurtured, able to grow up healthy, with their sexual boundaries intact.
Sins that bring Curses
We read in Deuteronomy Chapters 27 & 28 that curses are promised for sins in these six areas: idolatry, dishonoring of parents, dishonesty and deception, cruelty to the helpless, sexual sin of any kind, and disregard for the law. (Some references concerning the sins of the fathers are Deuteronomy 29:24-28; 2 Chronicles 7:19-22; 34:23-25; Ezra 9:4; 13-15; Nehemiah 9:1-3; Isaiah 65:6-7 and Jeremiah 14:20-22; 16:10-13).
“There is that unseen and mysterious connection between a father’s (also mother’s) sins and the path of their children. If the parent commits certain kinds of sin, regardless of their training, or the social, cultural, and environmental influences on them- the sin or iniquity that is committed is “passed down” to the children, to the third and forth generation. Each generation adds to the cumulative iniquity, further weaken the resistance of the next generation”.
PASTOR BURTON STOKES
However, Mr. Stokes also stated that he does not mean to imply that there is any deficiency in the power of the blood of Jesus, which redeems us from the curse of sin, or that believers today are bound to the letter of Old Testament Law. But if we rebel in our hearts and rebuild idols in our lives, we can be ensnared again by the same yoke of bondage from which we’ve been delivered (see Galatians 5:1, 16). Therefore, we again become susceptible to the curse.
Please note however that these insights are not intended to bring you into fear or bondage, nor cause you to attribute every problem in your life, habit, or bad character trait to a curse or a demon. Sometimes emotional and behavioral problems have physiological or biological foundation as I have come to realize.
If we take the time to look at the various issues we have in our lives and become aware of our vulnerabilities, I strongly believe with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can renounce the sins we’ve yielded to in our lives and strengthen our defenses against the evil one.
An example of a prayer may be like this:
“Father, we come before you to confess and repent of our sins and the iniquity of our forefathers. Forgive us for the sins of idolatry, witchcraft, rebellion, immorality of any kind, addictions etc.
According to Ephesians 6:12, we bind all principalities and powers trying to influence us or our family, and we forbid them to operate in the name of Jesus. We declare that our Family is under the blood of Jesus; we revoke any generational curses and say that they will go no further. Jesus became a curse for us, therefore we are a generation that serves God.
Father, forgive us for depending upon any source that is not of you. Pour out your supernatural power in our families, so we will not be bound by the things of the natural world. We ask you to send your warring angels to do battle on our behalf. We thank you in advance that our children will take their place in the body of Christ and fulfill your calling upon their lives.
Father, we submit to you, and our hope and expectations are from you alone and no other spirit. By the power and authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we declare ANY satanic influence directed towards our families destroyed and defeated by Jesus’ death on the cross.
We thank you for freeing us from the bondage of our past and cleansing us by the blood of Christ. We also would like to thank you for our faithful Christian heritage- for those ancestors who did follow you and prayed for us so that we may become stronger in you and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We thank you for your mercy and your grace and for the blessings you bestowed upon us and our families. Amen”.
Happy Father’s Day- Honoring Father’s and Fatherhood
Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It will be celebrated on the 16th June 2019
Father’s Day is also celebrated in Burscough, Lancashire, North West of England
The idea for Father’s Day originated in the USA and has been officially celebrated there on the third Sunday in June since 1966.
The exact origins of what we now know as Father’s Day are disputed, though we do know the movement for a day which celebrated fatherhood began roughly 100 years ago.
While in the UK fathers can expect, at best, a breakfast in bed and handmade card and, at worst, the day to be completely ignored, elsewhere the festival is done a little differently.
In Germany it is called Vatertag (Father’s Day) but is also sometimes known as Männertag (or men’s day).
In China, Father’s Day used to be celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is “ba”, while a colloquial word for father is “ba-ba” – so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to “daddy”.
The day has since been moved to the third Sunday of June, in line with the UK and US.
Satan’s goal is, through deception, to entice believers to sin or commit any act which quenches the Holy Spirit in their lives or dilutes their effectiveness in glorifying God through both personal conduct and Christian service. His desire is to find any areas in our lives where he can attach himself (See Ephesians 4:27). Through his demons he seeks to find any “sin handles” which give him access to influence us into actions of disobedience towards God.
Satanism is a big problem around the world and it is beyond anything that has been portrayed in the press or in movies. Every city, town or country has its covens, groups or community of people who directly worship and serve Satan.
After a spurned classmate curses him, an arrogant teen will be forever ugly unless he finds true love.
It doesn’t matter how you “pretty it up” and make it look glamorous, every religion that worships and serves demons is a form of Satanism. Some people refer to them as energies, vibrations, pagan gods, spirit entities etc.
Demons are masters of deceit. They have the ability in the spirit realm to “switch the sets” just the same as men do in the movie making industry. If you have ever visited Universal Studios, Warner Brothers (WB) etc., where many of the movies are made in America, you can walk down one street and be in the “Old West,” turn down the corner, and you are in 18th century England, turn another corner, and you are in a different time and country, maybe even on a different planet!
Demons can do the same thing in the spirit world and create all sorts of illusions, like modern day magicians for the humans under their control.
I have learnt that in some Eastern religions they center around gaining contact with the spirit world through meditation techniques to blank the mind. My scripture tells me that we are responsible for and should control our own minds at all times. (II Corinthians 10:5)
Visualization and guided imagery are also very old techniques but effective for gaining contact with the spirit world. Apparently, those techniques alone are responsible for thousands of Christians falling into the trap of using occultic practices.
It sounds like just another urban legend — a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer’s death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.
14th February 2011 at The University College of the Cayman Islands
Most important to note is that children go through a developmental stage where they use a lot of imagination and visualization.
During my ongoing extensive research, I was stunned to find out that there are many occultic games and toys for children. Parents should be extremely careful about the toys they buy for their children and the types of video games that they play.
The Bible says we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and just like a house, our temple should be guarded and protected from “unwelcomed doorways”.
What is a doorway? It’s a term used as a sin that defiles the temple.
Types of Doorways
Inheritance (Generational curses etc.)
Ouija board
Ritual sex
Tarot cards
General occult games
Animal sacrifice
Murder
Horoscope
Blood contracts
Witchcraft
Drugs
Kung fu
Karate
Human sacrifice
Drinking blood (animal & human)
Hypnosis
Incest
Palm reading
Yoga
Rock music
Occult & horror movies
Rebellion
Drunkenness
Multiple sexual relationships
Cannibalism
Astral-projection
Blasphemy
We can create many doorways and I’ve listed a few above however one such door way is sexual molestation.
Sexual molestation unfortunately is the most common childhood doorways. Apparently, it is always followed by a cycle of early sexual involvement on the part of the child with ever increasing involvement in sexual sins as the person gets older. This is usually because of the demons that may have been placed in the child at an early age.
Children are very vulnerable and should be protected at all cost! However, we adults are susceptible too and should be aware of the basic differences between the Occult and Christianity.
For example, the occultist will always try to control their contact with the spirit world and try to control the person or people within. If they do not do what the they are told, they are then punished. To a large extent, the Satanist appears to be controlling the power they are using for whatever purpose it’s being use for at the time.
However, as Christians, we are never in contact with the spirit world except for the brief occasions when the Holy Spirit allows such contact and we Christians do not and cannot control the power of God. We are simply his servants or vessels of honor, nothing more.
The Lord works through His servants as He chooses, not as we choose. Demons however, only cooperate with humans to give them power when that person wants it, and it is only used as a tool or I’d say a “carrot stick” to draw them even farther away from the Lord and into satanic worship.
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us to be strong women of God, even in our moments of weakness. In the bible, Jesus promised his followers, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, or Strengthener) that He may remain with you forever; the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
The Work of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26-27)
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
John 16:1-15 New International Version (NIV)
16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Jesus Prays for His Disciples (John 17:6-19)
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers (John 17:20-26)
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
I pray that as we will continue to be careful in our walk by faith and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, we will not allow desires for power and greed to draw us into Satan’s deceitful traps.
There has never been and will never be another testimony like that of Jesus Christ! During the third month (March) it is usually customary to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, also known as Easter Sunday.
Isn’t it interesting that it falls on the third month of our calendar year and he also died and rose again on the third day? This all appeared to need further investigation into the symbolic nature of three. Guess what I found out? Three is the number of the Godhead and the number of Divine completeness.
There is also Palm Sunday, the final Sunday before Easter
Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. At this time, Christians are
reminded of the palm branches placed in Jesus’ path at Christ’s triumphal
entrance into Jerusalem before His arrest and Crucifixion on Good Friday.
This year, Good Friday will be recognized on the `19th April 2019 and Easter on the 22nd April 2019.
Easter Worldwide
The first association of the rabbit with Easter, according
to Professor Cusack from the University of Sydney in Australia, was a mention
of the “Easter hare” in a book by German professor of medicine Georg
Franck von Franckenau published in 1722.
He recalls a folklore that hares would hide the coloured
eggs that children hunted for, which suggests to us that as early as the 18th
century, decorated eggs were hidden in gardens for egg hunts.
Australia
Rabbits and eggs have long been part of spring celebrations as
symbols of new life. On Easter Sunday, a bunny was said to deliver chocolate
eggs to many households across Australia.
Since pre-historic times, people have celebrated the equinoxes
and the solstices as sacred times.
“The spring equinox is a day where the amount of dark and the amount of daylight is exactly identical, so you can tell that you’re emerging from winter because the daylight and the dark have come back into balance.
“People mapped their whole life according to the patterns of nature.”
Following the advent of Christianity, the Easter period became
associated with the resurrection of Christ.
In the first couple of centuries after Jesus’s life, feast days
in the new Christian church were attached to old pagan festivals. Spring
festivals with the theme of new life and relief from the cold of winter became
connected explicitly to Jesus having conquered death by being resurrected after
the crucifixion.
Easter’s changing
date
In 325AD the first major church council, the Council of Nicaea,
determined that Easter should fall on the Sunday following the first full moon
after the spring equinox.
Apparently, that is why the date moves and why Easter
festivities are often referred to as “moveable feasts”.
Studies show that there is a defined period between March 25 and
April 25 on which Easter Sunday must fall, and that’s determined by the
movement of the planets and the Sun.
Pascha, Easter and
the goddess of spring
In most countries in Europe, the name for Easter is derived from the Jewish festival of Passover. So, in Greek the feast is called Pascha, in Italian Pasqua, in Danish it is Paaske, and in French it is Paques.
Germany
However, in English-speaking countries, and in Germany, Easter takes its name from a pagan goddess from Anglo-Saxon England who was described in a book by the eighth-century English monk Bede.
Ostara (1901) by Johannes Gehrts. Spring feasts were held to honor the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre/Ostara
Eostre was a goddess of spring or renewal and that’s why her
feast is attached to the vernal equinox.
Professor Cusack also stated that in Germany the festival is
called Ostern, and the goddess is called Ostara.
Rabbits and eggs as
ancient symbols of new life
Many of the pagan customs associated with the celebration of
spring eventually became absorbed within Christianity as symbols of the
resurrection of Jesus.
Eggs, as a symbol of new life also became associated with the resurrection and was commonly used as an explanation by many people. Many of them new that after the chill of the winter months, nature was coming to life again.
The rise of commercialization during the 19th century placed
rabbits as a popular symbol of Easter. This continues to be fruitful since the birth
of the greeting card industry, postage stamp industry, stickers and many other
forms of stylized accessories.
The first edible Easter bunnies made from sugared pastry
were made in Germany in the 19th century. Chocolate that used to be something
that’s bitter and drunk became something that was sweetened and turned into a confectionery
treat.
All of a sudden, Easter eggs became one of the areas of
marketing for chocolate.
Today, chocolate eggs and egg hunts are a popular part of
Easter celebrations around the world.
However, for me, Easter is definitely a time to celebrate The
Lord Jesus Christ. Through his death, Christ saved mankind from the bondage of
sin, and He destroyed the hold that death had on all of us; but it is His
Resurrection that gives us the promise of new life, both in this world and the
next. Amen.
The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park
The 65 acre, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park was
opened in a memorable ceremony by our current Monarch, Her Royal Highness,
Elizabeth II, on her second visit to the Cayman Islands as Head of State.
It is a delightful place located in tranquil Northside on Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands and is home to the world’s most endangered iguana species, the Cayman Islands endemic Blue Iguana.
It also features a Heritage Garden with trees that supported early Cayman settlers in conjunction with early Caymanian medicinal plants, small Lakes and Wetlands, a Color Garden, an Old Caymanian Home and Caboose and of course, let’s not forget, the Blue Iguana Recovery Project.
Rotary Children’s Education Center (Rotary
Schoolhouse)
The new Children’s Garden at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Park was officially opened by His Royal Highness Charles the Prince of Wales during his recent visit to the Cayman Islands.
This Rotary Schoolhouse is the first step within the development of the Children’s Garden. Local Rotary clubs partnered with the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Park to develop an innovative, botanical science and nature, educational building. Their hope is that it ignites the next generation’s curiosity and initiates interest in the exploration of Cayman’s flora, their endemic species and natural history.
Silver Thatch Palm
At the park you will find our famous Silver Thatch Palm,
which was chosen as the National Tree of the Cayman Islands.
The Silver Thatch Palm continues to play an important role
in the lives of Caymanians today and has done so ever since the first settlers
arrived on the islands in the early 1700’s. It is absolutely a valuable part of
Cayman’s natural heritage, as well as part of the landscape and can be seen
flourishing in abundance everywhere. It is endemic to the Cayman Islands and is
found nowhere else in the world. Wow!
The Silver Thatch Palm is both beautiful and useful. Its
slender trunk often grows more than 30 feet tall and its crown produces a
profusion of small white flowers that develop into berries that ripen from
green to red to black.
The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is also home to ten of the twenty-six orchid species recorded in the Cayman Islands, and guess what? Three of these are found nowhere else on earth.
One of these unique three, the most commonly seen by Park visitors, is Cayman’s National Flower, the Wild Banana Orchid.
The Annual Orchid Show
The Annual Orchid Show is a joint event hosted by both the Botanic Park, in partnership with the Cayman Islands Orchid Society.
This show is an exhibition of locally grown orchids and a plant sale of specially imported orchids, most of which are in bloom. Not only showcasing beautiful hybrid orchids, the Orchid Show promotes the conservation of Cayman’s native orchids.
The event has also become an occasion for educating gardeners on the techniques of growing orchids. The proceeds from this year’s event will go towards continued development of the orchid conservation area in the Botanic Park.
The Cayman Islands Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
During the month of March, the youth of the Cayman Islands also celebrated Commonwealth Day. In observance of Commonwealth Day, the Cayman Islands Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association had its Youth Parliament in the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly building.
I continue to view these wonderful young people as
intelligent stars in the making.
Emotional Intelligence
As individuals I believe our emotional intelligence is a very important key to our excellence. Here are a few facts I learnt during my studies: Intellect and expertise matters- but what sets the stars apart has much to do with their emotional competence.
A few examples are: Empathy, or interpersonal understanding, cooperation and a unified effort, self-awareness-in the form of evaluating their strength and weakness, and also building bonds with other people. As individuals in our community, we are all considered a part of a whole.
In this cast, we will have some playing the leading roles,
the supporting roles, the extras, the directors, the producers, the water
suppliers, the makeup artists, the hairstylists, the barbers, the
transportation services, the special effects, the shoulder-to-cry-on etc. etc.
However, in order for the most effective results, we should
never forget that no matter what our roles maybe, we are still a member of a
Star Team! Do you agree?
The Bell Curve
The normal curve, also known as THE BELL CURVE because
of its unique shape, is said to be shaped like a bell and is often the way in
which certain characteristics such as intelligence, weight or height may be
represented in the population.
The highest point on the curve typically represents the
average score in any distribution.
Now distributions aren’t always normal in shape, just like
people! Lol!
Some distributions are described as skewed. This occurs when
the distribution is not even on both sides of a central score with the highest
frequency.
Instead some scores are concentrated toward one side of the distribution.
The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life is a 1994 book by psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray, in which the authors argue that human intelligence is substantially influenced by both inherited and environmental factors and that it is a better predictor of many personal dynamics, including financial income, job performance, birth out of wedlock, and involvement in crime than are an individual’s parental socioeconomic status. They also argue that those with high intelligence, the “cognitive elite”, are becoming separated from those of average and below-average intelligence. The book was controversial, especially where the authors wrote about racial differences in intelligence and discussed the implications of those differences.
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
Alfred
Binet was a psychologist who was commissioned by the French Government to
devise an objective method for identifying children who were not doing well in
school. He designed the first comprehensive intelligence test in the early 20th
century.
Then later
on in 1916, Lewis Terman and his colleagues at Stanford University revised
Binet’s test for use in the United States, resulting in the administered test
gaining wide acceptance during the 1940s and 1950s.
I was
also intrigued to find out that as time progressed test researchers developed a
formula for expressing a child’s intellectual level that made it possible to
compare children of different chronological ages (CA), which apparently are
expressed in how old in years and months the children are. This measurement was
called the intelligence quotient (IQ) and is defined as follows:
IQ = MA/CA X 100
The
computation of IQ made it possible to understand how a child’s intellectual
ability compared to that of peers of the same chronological age. However, there
were problems with this ratio approach to IQ and now IQ is assessed using the
deviation IQ approach.
This
approach assigns an IQ score by comparing an individual’s test score with the
scores of other people of the same age range.
David
Wechsler (Wechester, 1974) is primarily known for developing this technique and
was applied to IQ tests that both he and his colleagues developed.
The test for
early childhood is the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, or
WPPSI.
An
individual who takes any of these tests obtains a score that is compared statistically to the scores of
other people of the same age.
The Wechsler
IQ test is widely used although there are many other intelligence tests being
used.
IQ is
assumed to be normally distributed around an average score of 100, with about
2/3 of the general population scoring between 85 and 115 and almost 96% of the
population scoring between 70 and 130.
That leaves
roughly 2% of the population scoring below 70 and another 2% scoring above 130,
which is a popular cutoff point for defining giftedness.
Energizer
Holdings, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is one of the
world’s largest manufacturers of primary batteries and portable lighting
products and is anchored by its globally recognized brands Energizer®,
EVEREADY®, Rayovac®, and VARTA®.
Their Values and Diversity
Passion, integrity, respect, teamwork, initiative and
challenge – these are more than just words to us. They are the foundation of
the way we do business.
Passion – A desire to be the best
We are a company fueled by a passion for what we do – people brimming with
curiosity, creativity and a powerful will to win. We have a constant desire to
ask, “How could this be better?” And a drive to make it so.
Integrity – Always doing the right thing
We’re staunch believers in the idea that doing the right thing affords us
tremendous opportunity to make a positive impact on the well-being of our
communities, our environment and our shareholders.
Respect – A greater diversity of ideas
Diversity of thought is the very thing that brings out the best ideas. Which is
why, fundamentally, it all comes down to respect – everyone has a voice and an
opinion that matters.
Teamwork – Collaboration is the key
We build diverse teams that include colleagues from all backgrounds, functions
and levels of the business. Doing so lets us develop innovative solutions that
solve problems and deliver on our ambitious goals.
Initiative – Lead by example
There’s also a great energy here. People like to take initiative and look for
ways to raise the bar. And because our size allows us to be more agile, your
contributions can make a greater impact from day one.
Challenge – Respectful engagement
And finally, we respectfully challenge each other to be better every day. This
means proactively seeking to understand others and sharing alternative
perspectives without sacrificing respect, integrity or speed of
decision-making.
If these values resonate with you, we encourage you to explore our culture and company deeper. You’ll find that the ideals these words represent are the guiding force in everything we do.
Duracell Inc. is an American
manufacturing company owned by Berkshire Hathaway that produces batteries and
smart power systems. The company has its origins in the 1920s, through the work
of Samuel Ruben and Philip Mallory, and the formation of the P.R. Mallory
Company
A Playboy
Bunny is a waitress at a Playboy Club. Bunnies at the original Playboy Clubs
that operated between 1960 and 1988 were selected through auditions, received a
standardized training, and wore a costume called a “bunny suit”
inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot, consisting of a strapless
corset teddy, bunny ears, black pantyhose, a bow tie, a collar, cuffs and a
fluffy cottontail. More recent Playboy Clubs have also featured Bunnies, in
some cases with redesigned costumes based on the original bunny suit.
Destruction of the Consecrated (Online Bullying and Hat8)
During a 30-year celebration of the World Wide Web, English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web, delivered a speech during an event at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Meyrin, near Geneva, Switzerland on March 12th 2019.
In his speech he stated that at the ripe old age of 30 and
with half the globe using it, the World Wide Web is now facing growing pains
with issues like hate speech, privacy concerns and state-sponsored hacking.
Even though the web has opened the way to a technological
revolution that has transformed the way people buy goods, share ideas, get
information and much more, it’s also become a place where tech titans scoop up
massive personal data, rival governments spy and seek to manipulate elections,
and hate speech and venom have thrived.
Mr. Berners-Lee and his World Wide Web Foundation
passionately wants to enlist governments, companies, and citizens to take a
greater role in shaping the web for good under principles laid out in its
“Contract for the Web.”
He continues to state that under the contract, governments
are called upon to make sure everyone can connect to the internet, ensure that
its kept available to the public, respect privacy and develop technology that
will put people and the public at ease.
He also would love to see more citizens creating and
cooperating with respect towards each other among other things.
At the time of this event, it was unclear how such rules
would be enforced and he cautioned the public that it was important to strike a
balance between oversight and freedom, however it was currently difficult to
agree what that should be. How would tech companies be regulated? Where is the
balance between freedom of speech and hate speech?
Tim Berners-Lee has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and
named as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century by
Time magazine.
Generation K (True Lies)
Everyone
lies at one time or another including me. Lying is a universal talent. Some
people can do it rather well. Most little kids start practicing the skill as
soon as they master language. When you look at it objectively it seems the
ability to lie is part of everyone’s kit of survival tools, a side effect of
possessing language skills. There are a lot of situations in which the ability
to lie is extremely useful.
For
instance, there are times when you might have to lie to protect yourself or
someone else. Or you might have to lie just to defend your personal privacy.
People lie all the time to diffuse a tense social situation or to avoid hurting
someone’s feelings or even to calm someone who is frightened.
The way I see it, if people couldn’t lie, they probably wouldn’t be able to live together in groups, at least not for long or with any degree of sociability. The bottom line is- if humans could not lie, civilization as we know it would cease to exist.
According to
Noreena Hertz, an author and commentator who, among other roles, advises world
leaders on strategy, economics, geopolitical risk and artificial intelligence,
stated that Generation K, sometimes referred to as Generation Z, has been
fundamentally shaped by technology and spends a third of their day on different
social media platforms online.
As the
keynote speaker at the Royal Fidelity Cayman Economic Outlook Conference held
on February 28th 2019 at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, Ms. Hertz
offered insights into this generation, which she says will make up
approximately one third of the global workforce by the year 2022.
“Generation
K” is made up of people born between 1994 and 2003. The “K” originates from the
film franchise heroine with whom the generation’s members most identify:
Katniss Everdeen of “Hunger Games”.
They have
also been shaped by the worst recession in recent years, the financial crisis
of 2008, job insecurities and a lack of financial optimism. Not to mention
existential threats forged by the Manchester and Paris terrorist attacks, the
rise of Al Qaeda and Isis, several terrorist attacks and multiply school
shootings in many of their home cities.
Unfortunately,
this generation has been desensitized from an early age to violence due to the
repetitive and constant exposure experience in various ways as they grow. She
states that it is not that the world had all of a sudden become garbage, but now
many children and young adults’ own smartphones which never leave their side.
Unsupervised
access to the internet, grants children many opportunities to bully others and
be bullied. To view explicit videos and information and sometimes encounter
sinister recruitment websites.
Ms. Hertz
believes that because this generation saw the world as unequal and harsh, the
impact is now making them extremely anxious. She says, statistics show that in
the US, more than one in five high school students had contemplated suicide,
and in the UK, there had been a threefold increase in the number of teenagers
who self-harmed.
Although her
research was primarily focused in the United States and the United Kingdom, she
has also conducted limited studies in other western European countries as well.
She
continues to state that this generation strongly believes in equality.
Economic, educational, racial, gender and social equality. They also are
concerned about global issues like global poverty, global hunger and climate
change.
Generation K
has had to master the art of true lies in order to survive. However, what can
we as a global community do to steer them in the right direction?
Leadership
Imparting
the spirit of error happens too often and too easily- and more often than not
without the leader even realizing it. This is what happen with King Saul and
Jonathan. If you are in the position of a leader, you are communicating to
others (even without words). Your life is saying, “The way I’m going is the way
you should follow”.
So, anything that you do incorrectly (because you have rejected the correction of the Lord), you are actually telling them, “This is the way you should act.” If you are imparting the spirit of error to them, rebellion will multiply in the lives of your spiritual children.
In the New
Testament, the apostle Paul spoke these words to Titus:
Paul, a
bondservant of God and an apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ (the
Messiah) was sent to stimulate and promote the faith of God’s chosen ones and
to lead them on to accurate discernment and recognition of and acquaintance
with the Truth which belongs to and harmonizes with and tends to godliness
(Titus 1:1)
So
basically, in regular language, Paul was saying, “I’m a servant who has been
ordained by God. Understand that I have been called by God to bring correction
to you. I want you to understand that my job isn’t to be concerned with your approval,
gifts, callings, or talents. I’m concerned with ‘cutting out’ a pattern for
character in you.”
Today in the
21st century we have many in the church who are extremely intelligent with
wonderful talents and abilities and the same was true during Paul’s time.
Unfortunately,
many church members today are expressing and using their gifts but seem to be having
a hard time being sensitive and real with the Holy Spirit. Basically, Paul was
telling Titus,
“You might have been an evangelist or a prophet at your old church. But if you’re going to minister in our church, we’re going to watch your servanthood. If you qualify as a servant, then we know you can be trusted as a prophet.”
I declare,
people’s souls are too valuable and important, for us to ignorantly give the
Devil any access into their lives.
So many
believers get too anxious, asserting:
“Oh, the Lord gave me a word; He gave me a word.”
If He gave
you that word, it will keep. In the meantime, your spiritual leaders will need
to carve character in you to bring you to a level where you can handle the word
you have received. You must be made to understand that a
true leader cannot allow your gifts to take you where your character can’t keep
you.
If you are
reading this and can truly identify with me, let’s pray this simple prayer
together:
“Dear Jesus,
I want so
much to be used by you in a unique way. I want you to help me to discover my spiritual gift and unique talent
so that I may use it to uplift your church and my community. Help me to be bold
and persistent in my journey.
Do not let
the pride of life and what society might consider relevant cause me to be
ineffective for you. Let the Queen or King in me rise up and be resolute in
this mighty cause. Once again, do not let pride, discouragement, finances, or
even my beloved family- basically anything, anyone, or any spirit that is not
of you, deter me from my course.
This day and
forevermore I commit myself to you under the covering of the blood of Jesus. I
ask for your anointing to flow freely in my life and for you to make me a
special blessing in your name.
Amen.”
For those of
you who followed me in this prayer; may God, the source of our hope, fill you
with all joy and peace by means of faith in Him, so that your hope will
continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Teneisha Johnson has a Dream 