"NEW YORK — A new worldwide network that will support new age,
witchcraft, spiritual, pagan and other alternative lifestyles and feature
a 24-hour online television and radio network plus Internet on demand
services will debut October 31, said co-founders Steve McManus and
Elizabeth Sturino.

“People interested in these lifestyles haven’t had a centralized location
where they can find the latest information,” McManus said. “With the Illuminati
Network, they will not only be able to find such items as their favorite occult
radio personalities, but they will also be able to find information on all
alternative lifestyle events and issues.”

The network will also have children’s programming for
parents who want to educate their children about their
lifestyle."

Continue Reading at Link:
Herald Online, October 26th, 2012

China holds the second largest economy in the world.  Her people face a spiritual void; they are choosing between materialism and religion.  Today, the population of China is 1.3 billion people.   Members of the church numbered at 750,000 60 years ago.  30 years ago, 3,000,000 people belonged to the church.  Today, there are 60-80 million believers in China.  "This growth represents one of the largest revivals in the history of Christianity," and it has come in the face of continued repression and persecution.

“To focus the world’s attention on the plight of Christians, where persecution occurs and religious freedoms are limited, Open Doors instituted the World Watch List. Every country in the world is evaluated based on questions that go to the very heart of the issue.

"Does the country have laws that provide for religious freedoms?  Is it legal to become a Christian?  Are Christians killed, imprisoned or institutionalized because of their faith? Is the printing or distribution of Christian materials prohibited?  Are the meeting places or homes of Christians being attacked for religious reasons? 

"China.  Although the country still authorizes churches, there are many places where followers of Jesus still suffer from persecution, sometimes very severe, at the hands of local government officials.  China has a history of religious intolerance, one that dates back to 1949, when Mao Tse Tung formed The People’s Republic of China."

Listen to this powerful testimony.  “The Lord was with us.  He would not let His church die.”  “We worshipped, we prayed.  We believed God would keep us in life, or in death.”

Today is not the first day that Jack Kelley has written an article that so speaks to a personal situation, the difficulty of a loved one, my country or the state of humanity in general.  I currently have several dear friends who have, in a way, hit bottom.  Jack's lesson today is very much appreciated.  There is no better way to tackle the apparent misfortune in our lives, than to give hearty thanks for it, praise the Lord, and march forth with a smile and surety in our faith.  Seems strange, but out of every difficulty there comes strength, learning and a little more wisdom to help deal the next time around.  Thank you, Jack, your missives are very much appreciated! 

Here is Jack Kelley's wonderful article, quoted in full below.  I have taken the liberty to emphasize in bold type.



Psalm 134

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.   May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

If the priests working in the Temple needed reminding to praise the Lord, how much more do we? Some of us spend a half hour or so on Sunday mornings praising the Lord and that’s it.

Yet the Lord blesses us all day every day.  Shouldn’t our praise in some way approximate His blessing?  And so what if you’re in a bad place right now?  He’s gotten you out of bad places before and will do so again.  Besides, you’ll soon be in Heaven with Jesus where you’ll be blessed forever.  Praising the Lord is just the thing you need.  Praise The Lord!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Phil. 4:4-7)

Since you can only think one thought at a time, the time you spend praising the Lord is time you won’t be able to spend feeling bad about your situation. The Lord knows the trouble you’re in and He knows how He’s going to get you out of it. If you start praising Him now, who knows, He might deliver you sooner. So make a “contrary to feelings” choice. Put your favorite praise CD in the player or turn to your Christian radio station and start praising Him. I guarantee you’ll soon feel much better. Praise the Lord!

And if you’re in a great place, you shouldn’t need reminding. You should already be praising Him. It wasn’t your brilliance that got you here, but His blessing. There are plenty of brilliant folks in the world who never get anywhere. Look at the path you’ve taken to get where you are and pick out the unexplained coincidences. Those are where God got involved and decided to remain anonymous. Praise the Lord!

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.  May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

Visit Grace thru Faith, by Jack Kelley

We are all sinners at heart.  There is no doubt.  Our holy book speaks of this often.  But here is not where I wish to focus today.  I wish to remind myself that Jesus was also tempted, but remained untouched by sin.  He is a rock, here for us when we suffer; He knows, for He has experienced the same.  

Hebrews 2:18
For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. 

Further, He will never bring a temptation into our lives that we cannot endure.  If you look closely at your life experiences, you will see that there has always been also an alternate path to the temptations that have arisen, a way out, an escape from the torment.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 

Humans are quick to experience feelings of guilt and often keep terrible, self-destructive thoughts from view.  The consequences of these are dire; they weaken us, make us feel unworthy of His love, strike us down.  When we consider from where these thoughts are coming, it may be easier to train ourselves to let them go.  They come from our arch enemy, the great deceiver.  We are loved.  We have accepted Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior.  We have confessed our sins.  We are filled with the Holy Spirit.  He will never leave us alone, all by our lonesome, to deal with the great tempter.  Why is His suffering on the cross, His promise to us, sometimes not enough to keep us from right action, from such hideous self-loathing?

Mark has advice for us:
Mark 14:38
Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 

It is the nature of our being to err.  Yet, we are also able to resist inappropriate urgings.  He has.  He has suffered the worst of temptation.  The big lizard was literally in his face.

Matthew 4:1-11 (The Temptation of Jesus)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;
9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.  Therein is much help for us who also suffer temptation.  Is it a matter of training ourselves, so that one day our automatic response will be to 'worship the Lord our God and serve Him only?'

He has resisted temptation and shown us the way.  He would have us follow Him.  He would have us in the spirit of joy and mighty appreciation for what He has done for us.  He would have us in the spirit of peace, in order that we may honor our creator.  It is guilt that keeps us from such bliss when we can't resist the horny beast and his never ending effort to lead us astray. 

Temptation.  Let It Go.  Give it to the Lord.  We ask that God keep us from it.

 Matthew 6:8-13
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
(KJV)

"Come boldly, believer, for despite the whispers of Satan and the doubts of your own heart, you are greatly loved. Meditate on the exceeding greatness and faithfulness of divine love this evening, and then go to your bed in peace."
Alistair Begg

~~~~~~~~

References:
Alistair Begg, Our Identity, October 2nd, 2012.
One Place

Alistair Begg, Come to Your Tempted Savior, October 3rd, 2012.
Truth for Life