HELP FOR PTSD

The Effects of Trauma and How to Deal With It Jim Banks

 

REJECTION A ROOT IN MANY ISSUES

Source: REJECTION A ROOT IN MANY ISSUES

MANY ARE CALLED FEW CHOSEN

Many are called FEW CHOSEN

 

The Bible uses three powerful
words concerning the calling of
God. First, it is a “high calling”
(see Philippians 3:14). It is on a
different level from all the other
interests and claims of life. In a
Christian’s life nothing else may
take precedence over the calling
of God — neither a home, nor
any family or earthly ties. “If you
want to be my follower you must
love me more than your own
father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters —
yes, more than your own life.
Otherwise, you cannot be my
disciple” (Luke 14:26 NLT)

 

There has been enthusiastic collusion by the leadership of the Democratic Party with the Russian disinformation campaign to destroy President Donald Trump. (See “A Brief History of ‘Fake News'” on AT.) The Democrat willi…

Source: There has been enthusiastic collusion by the leadership of the Democratic Party with the Russian disinformation campaign to destroy President Donald Trump.  (See “A Brief History of ‘Fake News'” on AT.)  The Democrat willi…

A Wonderful Story of Deliverance from ‘Gay Christianity’ — Charisma News

Source: A Wonderful Story of Deliverance from ‘Gay Christianity’ — Charisma News

JUDGEMENT BEGINS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

.Judgment Begins at God’s House
Dear Friend:
As American Christians, we are confronted by a grim, undeniable fact: our nation has come
under the judgment of God. For this there are many reasons, but they can be summed up in one
simple statement: We have committed the sin for which Esau was rejected—we have despised our
birthright (Heb. 12:15–17).
God judges us according to the measure of light we have received. Jesus told the Jews of His
day that their judgment would be much more severe than that of Sodom and Gomorrah, because
they had received a much greater revelation of the truth (Matt. 11:20–24).
The same applies to America in this century. No other nation has had the same access to the
Word of God that has been granted to the American people. Through culture and tradition,
through churches and evangelists, through radio and television, and through the printed word,
America has been blessed above all other nations with the knowledge of God’s truth. Our
judgment for rejecting it will be correspondingly severe.
Many Christians do not realize that God’s judgment does not begin with the people of the
world, but with the people of God. Peter told the Christians of his day, “For the time has come
for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of
those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). These words apply equally to the
church in America today.
Of all the sins that could be charged against the contemporary church, it is sufficient to
focus on two: materialism and compromise.
In Luke 17:26–30 Jesus predicted that the period before His return would be like the days of
Noah and Lot. He mentioned specifically eight activities characteristic of those days: eating,
drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, buying, selling, building, planting. Yet there is nothing
specifically sinful in any of these activities. What, then, was the problem?
The problem was materialism. The people of those days had become so engrossed in these
materialistic activities that they were unaware of the impending judgment of God on their
carnal lifestyle. When judgment came, they were totally unprepared.
The same is true today of most professing Christians in America. If the final judgments of
God should suddenly usher in the return of Christ, they would be totally unprepared.
2
Like materialism, the sin of compromise often goes unrecognized. About two years ago,
while praying, I had a mental picture of the interior of a typical church building with rows of
pews, a platform, a pulpit, a piano and so on. But the whole building was permeated with some
kind of fog. The outlines of objects could be discerned, but nothing was sharply defined. While
I was wondering what the fog represented, God gave me one clear word: compromise.
In the contemporary church, most of the main moral and doctrinal truths, so clearly
enunciated in the New Testament, have become blurred and ineffective. In 1 Corinthians 6:9–
10 Paul wrote: “Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” Yet the church today is full of people who commit
these sins, but remain totally unconcerned. In fact, they often boast of such sins.
A church member lay in a hospital, dying of AIDS, which he had contracted through
homosexuality. Then he received Christ and was given a New Testament. After reading some
way in the New Testament, he sent an urgent message to the person who had led him to Christ:
“Come and pray for me. I need deliverance. I never knew there was anything wrong with my
lifestyle.”
About seven years ago, at the Christmas season, our staff had committed Ruth and me to
appear on two television presentations of PTL. Since we do not watch television, we had no
idea what to expect. I was supposed to be the “main speaker.” Out of the first hour, I was given
ten minutes, and out of the second hour, twenty minutes. Most of the time was given to appealing
for money and selling Tammy dolls. As far as I can recall, Ruth and I were the only people who
even mentioned Jesus.
Shortly afterwards there was a public exposure of the scandals that have now become
notorious. But for me personally the most shocking thing was not any sexual or financial misdoing,
grievous as that was. What shocked me then, and still shocks me today, is the realization that
millions of Americans were being continually confronted with a totally false picture of
Christianity—one that had no room for the cross, with its demands for humility, for holiness
and for sacrificial living. How terrible to realize that people who have been seduced by such a
presentation may never hear the real truth of the gospel!
The PTL scandal is now history, but it has left us with a question we need to answer: was it
simply an isolated phenomenon, or was it a symptom of a disease that affects the Body of Christ
throughout America?
Yet within the church there is still a remnant of sincere, devoted followers of Jesus. If we are
among that number, how does God require us to respond to the present crises?
One clear answer is given in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people who are called by My name
will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” The phrase, “My people
who are called by My name,” applies to all Christians who take the name of Christ upon
themselves.
For at least 30 years I have been teaching on this Scripture, but recently I was confronted by
3
a shocking realization! God’s people in our day have never fulfilled the first condition. We have
never truly humbled ourselves. Our pride—both religious and racial—remains as a barrier that
holds back the answer to our prayers for ourselves and for our nation.
Through the severe dealings of God in my own life, I have learned the most effective way for
us to humble ourselves. Very simply, it is by confessing our sins. If we regularly and sincerely
confess our sins to God, it is impossible to approach Him with an attitude of pride.
Furthermore, I have seen that God has only committed Himself to forgive the sins we confess.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Unconfessed sins are unforgiven sins. Thus the barrier of pride
builds up a second barrier of unforgiven sin.
The Bible exhorts us to confess our sins not merely to God, but also to one another. “Confess
your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
Confessing our sins to God deals with vertical pride; confessing to one another deals with
horizontal pride. We can hardly maintain an attitude of pride towards someone to whom we
have just confessed our personal sins.
This applies especially to the relationship between husbands and wives. Those who regularly
confess their sins to one another are not kept apart by a barrier of pride.
Furthermore, confession of sin is an essential prerequisite to effective intercession. Daniel
was one of the most righteous characters in the Bible, but when he set out to intercede for his
people Israel, he began by acknowledging his own share in their sin (Dan. 9:3–13).
I believe that God is waiting for us as American Christians to humble ourselves before Him
and one another by confessing our sins. Only after we have done that, can we move on to claim
the healing of our land.
But I must add a word of warning. Do not begin to indulge in morbid introspection! The
Holy Spirit is “the finger of God” (Matt. 12:28; Luke 11:20). Ask God to place His finger on the
sins you need to confess. He will do it with unerring accuracy, probably bringing to light sins
which you never recognized!
I have confined this analysis to the situation in the United States. Much of what I have said,
however, applies to other nations who are heirs to the Judeo-Christian inheritance and to the
church worldwide. May God help each of us to accept our personal responsibility!
Yours in the Master’s service,
Derek Prince
Reproduction for free distribution is permitted.

HEBREWS 12 TODAY’S NUGGETS

 

 

 

HEBREWS 12 AMPC Classic

 Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

² Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

⁴ You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.

⁵ And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him;

⁶ For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.

⁷ You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline?

⁸l]. Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all

⁹ Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live?

¹⁰ For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.

¹¹ For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous andpainful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].

¹² So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees,

¹³ And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.

¹⁴ Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.

¹⁵ Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—

¹⁶ That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

¹⁷ For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears.

¹⁸ For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a [material] mountain that can be touched, [a mountain] that is ablaze with fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm,

¹⁹ And to the blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them.

²⁰ For they could not bear the command that was given: If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.

²¹ In fact, so awful and terrifying was the [phenomenal] sight that Moses said, I am terrified (aghast and trembling with fear).

²² But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering,

²³ And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect,

²⁴ And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].

²⁵ So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen and heed Him Who warned and divinely instructed them [here] on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes [us] from heaven?

²⁶ Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens.

²⁷ Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [that can be] shaken—that is, of that which has been created—in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue.

²⁸ Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe;

²⁹ For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.

                               

 

 

Derek Prince Consuming fire

Wilkerson http://tscpulpitseries.org/english/undated/tsvictry.html

 

(Unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us 

http://gospeltruth.net/1845OE/450312_besetting_sins.htm    Charles Finney

HUMANISM FORERUNNER TO ANTICHRIST

HUMANISM:
Forerunner for Antichrist
Dear Friend:
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without
bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil
princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the
spirit world. (Eph. 6:12, TLB)
As followers of Jesus Christ, we find ourselves caught up in a conflict that spans both
heaven and earth. The forces that confront us are “persons without bodies”—evil spiritual
powers in the unseen realm that oppose all true righteousness and seek to establish Satan’s
dominion over the whole world.
Our responsibility in this conflict is unique, because Christ has committed to us alone
the spiritual insight and weapons that can give us victory. The governments and the armies
of this world, operating solely on the natural plane, have no understanding of the conflict
and no power to deal with the satanic forces in the heavenlies. On the contrary, without
realizing it, they themselves are manipulated and controlled by those forces.
One essential requirement for victory is to identify the nature of the forces that are at
work in any given situation. In recent months as I have been meditating on developments
in the world—and especially in the U.S.A. and Israel—I believe that God has shown me
the identity of the evil, deceptive power that Satan plans to use to consummate his purposes
for the end of this age. It is HUMANISM.
I had always thought of humanism as a comparatively harmless error. When I consulted
a dictionary, I was taken aback by its definition:
“the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity; the rejection
of religion in favor of a belief in the advancement of humanity by its own efforts.”
I realized that humanism is not spiritually neutral. On the contrary, it is a deliberate denial
and rejection of God’s power and authority. It is an anti-religious religion. For this reason,
it can be—and often is—taught in educational systems, such as that of the U.S.A., which
prohibit the teaching of religion in its usual sense.
I decided to trace humanism back through history, starting with Nebuchadnezzar’s
2
dream of an image with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze,
and legs of iron. Daniel interpreted this as foreshowing four Gentile empires which would
arise in succession. The head was Babylon; the chest and arms were Media-Persia; the
belly and thighs were Greece; the legs were Rome (Dan. 2:31–40).
One key factor was impressed upon me: the reproductive organs were in the area
identified with Greece. With my background in Greek philosophy, this became particularly
vivid to me. I realized that it was Greece—more than any of the other empires—which,
through its philosophy, reproduced itself in subsequent cultures.
Two of the early Greek philosophers of whom we have a record are Heraclitus and
Protagoras. Three of their surviving sayings state: “all things flow” . . . “you can never
step twice into the same river” . . . “man is the measure of all things.” It is amazing how
these three sayings sum up the essence of humanism. They assert that everything is relative;
there are no moral or legal absolutes; and man is the highest authority in the universe.
It is outside the scope of this study to analyze how this thinking has molded, first, the
concepts of Europe, and then, through Europe, the concepts of contemporary “civilization.”
The Greeks idolized the human mind. Aristotle’s concept of God was a perfect mind
contemplating itself—because nothing less was worthy of its contemplation. Out of this
the whole philosophy of rationalism has developed.
In addition to philosophy, another main element of Greek culture was its emphasis on
athletic contests. Their Olympic Games represented what was, in fact, an idolatry of athletic
prowess, which has come back to life in the present century. The most widely viewed TV
programs today are the great international sporting contests.
The Greeks also tended to downgrade the marriage relationship between a man and a
woman, and to view a homosexual relationship between two men as being more
“intellectually fulfilling.” In their statuary, the idealized male form was usually presented
naked, whereas the female was draped with some form of robe.
The so-called “gods” of Greece exhibited all the moral failings of humanity: lust,
immorality, jealousy, vindictiveness and deception—a complete absence, in fact, of any
binding moral code. This left man free to be his own god, and to establish his own moral
code. After all, no people can be expected to live above the level of its own gods.
All these effects of Greek humanism have been increasingly evident in our Western
culture throughout the present century. In 1992, however, the spirit of humanism launched
a major new offensive against both the U.S.A. and Israel. Almost simultaneously, a cloud
of dense spiritual darkness descended upon both nations.
In their national elections that year the spiritual force that brought to power both the
Clinton administration in the U.S.A. and the Labor Coalition in Israel was blatant, undiluted
humanism. Both administrations represent an open and deliberate rejection of God’s
righteous laws and of the covenants He made with man, first through Moses and then
through Jesus Christ. They have demonstrated that, carried to its ultimate, humanism will
believe anything but the truth and will tolerate anything but righteousness.
3
This exaltation of man is the force which will finally give rise to the Antichrist, whose
name is the number of man (Rev. 13:18), the man of lawlessness, who opposes and exalts
himself above everything that is called God or is worshiped, and even sets himself up in
God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thess. 2:3–4).
Scripture reveals that he will bring under his dominion all who have refused the love
of the truth. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will
believe the lie—the original lie, that is, with which Satan deceived our first parents: “You
will be like God . . .” or “like gods.” This exaltation of man in the place of God will usher
in “the great tribulation”—a period of worldwide agony so terrible that it will exceed
even the holocaust of 1939–1945 (Matt. 24:21–22).
Before this final period of tribulation, however, God still has tremendous purposes to
work out for both Israel and the Church. A harvest of mercy will precede the harvest of
judgment. God’s preparation for this is revealed in Zechariah 9:13: “I will raise up your
sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece. . . .”
The “sons of Greece” are those who embrace the deception of humanism. The “sons of
Zion” are those who take their stand upon the infallible Word of God, embracing both its
promises and its covenants. They will be drawn both from natural Israel and from the
professing Church. Of them it will be said, “They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of
the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the
death.” They will be people with one overriding priority; to do the will of God will be
more important to them than to hold on to life itself.
Faced with this challenge, we each need to ask ourselves: Am I ready to take my stand
as one of the sons of Zion?
Numerically, we are vastly outnumbered by the forces of humanism. Nevertheless, we
can take courage from the example of Asa, king of Judah. Facing an invasion by an
overwhelmingly superior army, his prayer of desperation turned sure defeat into total
victory. For us today, his prayer provides a wonderful pattern with which to counter the
self-exalting forces of humanism.
“LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,
O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this
vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”
(2 Chron. 14:11, NIV)
Let us stand together in prayer!
Yours in the Master’s service,
Derek Prince
Reproduction for free distribution is permitted.

Are You Cursing Your Money Without Realizing It? — Charisma Magazine

Source: Are You Cursing Your Money Without Realizing It? — Charisma Magazine

New Research Reveals Devastating Health Effects of Fatherless Homes — Charisma Magazine

Source: New Research Reveals Devastating Health Effects of Fatherless Homes — Charisma Magazine