27. May 2009 by PawBill.

When the Hebrew children were beginning to form a nation, their God gave them rules, regulations and commandments.  They had lived in slavery in a pagan society for hundreds of years and were going into lands that were also pagan.  Rules and regulations had to be implemented and enforced.  Otherwise, they would fall prey to the evils of societies they would encounter and become captives of their idolatrous living.

Similarly, the United States was formed under the inspiration of God, the same God of the Hebrews that was working in the lives of our founding fathers.  A Constitution and Bill of Rights was written and a government formed.  Like the Hebrew children, many in the United States have now forgotten the God of their founding fathers and ungodly judges, lawyers and politicians are rewriting the Constitution and its interpretation to suit a more “enlightened nation.”

In the formation of the Hebrew nation, sexual promiscuity was identified as one of the sins the Hebrew society was to guard against.  In historic American sexual promiscuity was considered a sin but in modern America, sexual promiscuity is viewed as freedom from legalistic Biblical teachings of the religious right.

When you hear of sin, think of that label in terms of ones health: both mental and emotional. There is a connection between sexual promiscuity and ones health.  The God of both the Hebrew children and America’s founding fathers knew this and warned them.  That warning still applies today.

One of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” is found in Deuteronomy 5:18, KJV.  Other regulations regarding sexual activities can also be found in the book of Deuteronomy.  Among these are regulations regarding the following: prostitution by both men and women; virginity; family incest; bestiality; homosexuality; transvestism; adultery; rape and others.

You may not see anything wrong with sexual promiscuity.  I would dare say a large percentage of people of all faiths do not see anything wrong.  After all, everyone is just doing what feels good. It is only a human desire although a very powerful one!

God knew sexual promiscuity would cause many problems, and this is why it was viewed as sinful; the Hebrew society was forbidden to accept the practices of pagan societies. Individuals caught committing these sins were to be stoned to death. That’s right, they were to be stoned to death.  A severe penalty for something modern society views as “just a natural act.”

Marriage was to be between a man and a woman, and sex was to be enjoyed within marriage.  Why you may ask?  The answer is simple.  It was known more than four thousand years ago that sexual abstinence, outside of marriage, prevented physical diseases and emotional/mental anguish.

When a man and a woman engage in sexual activity they become one flesh, as told in the Bible.  In other words, sexually transmitted diseases can be passed between the participants.  You’ve heard of syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital herpes and AIDS just to name a few.  Some mouth cancers are now being linked to oral sex.  What about other collateral infections/diseases resulting from untreated sexually transmitted diseases?  Just think about the rapid spread of disease from individuals engaging in sexual acts with multiple sex partners? 

Look at the untold emotional damage being done as a result of pregnancies being terminated through abortions. Adulterous affairs result in broken homes and innocent children are affected emotionally as a result.  A wife or husband cheats and possibly the two other deceived partners lives are almost destroyed.  Envy, pornography, child molestation, and other emotional deviations abound when nothing is view as harmful.

The list of harmful bodily results could continue but why go on.  Everyone knows.  Well, maybe not the young teenagers who only see the “fun” of sexual freedom being portrayed on TV and in the movies as the “in thing.”  They are not told of the physical and emotional harm they may experience. 

Parents should be cautioning their children but they don’t.  After all, they are enjoying their own sexual promiscuity.

Yes, physical and mental health issues of sexual promiscuity were known thousands of years ago, but each generation seems to forget or think it will not happen to my family.  Continue on with your heads buried in the sand.  America has become a pagan nation and will remain a pagan nation until the time of the end. 

God, the one who gave us rules to follow for our own good, does not look with favor on those who violate his teachings.  America will soon experience his wrath as we as a nation are punished for our foolishness and disobedience.  Continue on in condoning or participating in sexual promiscuity but do so at your own peril.  You have been warned!

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27. May 2009 by PawBill.

Who would want to be a police officer? It is a thankless, low paying job for many.  They should be paid more for what they have to endure and I, for one, would agree to have my taxes increased for the betterment of both our police departments and society.

Recently while surfing the TV channels I tuned in a news program and happened upon a discussion on “police violence.”  It seems another criminal was ruffed up when apprehended.  I forget which State but when the suspect was caught, after a high-speed chase that reportedly endangered others, one of the arresting officers kicked him in the head.

As is turns out, the action of the officer was caught on tape, and the cry went out to punish, retrain or fire the officer.  I listened to some of the babble on TV.  It is the usual “poor criminal” cry of the do-goods and the ACLU.

I have a solution.  Police officers should be given “courtesy kicks.”  In situations where the police have been pursuing real time criminal activity, the first officer on the scene should be allowed one kick. After all, the adrenaline is flowing.  What normal person would not need a little blowing off of steam?  We see it on the football fields all the time.  No difference in my mind!  It would be the officer’s option of whether to kick or not.

In cases where the officer chose not to use his courtesy kick he or she could save it for another occasion when two kicks might be in order.  They could be treated like cell phone minutes. You know, like roll over minutes, but instead they would be roll over kicks. Get it? Roll over kicks!

There could even be squad or precinct kicks from pools of unused officer kicks.  I think I’m on to something here.  But, lets stop as this could get out of hand.

I’m just joking with this, and do not advocate violence in any form, especially “courtesy kicks.” There is, however, a form of injustice permeating our country.  The injustice is in our criminal justice system as it relates to the treatment of victims of crimes. As long as criminals are allowed rights above and beyond what the victims of their crimes receive, our streets will become filled with more violent offenders.

As we see these outbursts of anger in our police officers, try to place yourself in their position. They are only human like everyone else with emotions and feelings. For there to be an occasion when levels of pent up anger or frustration comes out we should not be so quick to rush to judgment.  To demand perfection is asking too much especially in our society where the media portrays law enforcement officers as buffoons and treats criminals with awe.

I believe many Americans will one day form bands of vigilantes who will hunt down criminal predators and remove them from society; instead of a kick to the head there will be a shot.  The good will rise up and defend themselves and their communities.  Otherwise society will crumble.

I do not advocate this.  However, there is an undercurrent of disgust in our country.  Casually engage your friends or people you run across while shopping or having coffee and donuts at the local dive about the prevalence of criminal activity, and you might be surprised at the responses you get. 

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21. May 2009 by PawBill.

What about the Bible?  Do you believe it is the inspired word of God written by man through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?  Have you ever read the Bible?

I find laughable the “read through the Bible in a year” mentality by people who call themselves Christians.  The Bible is the most important book a born again believer should be reading.  It is the guide, the road map leading you to life eternal.

People say the bible is too complicated; it is hard to understand, and etc.  Of course it is.  If you are unwilling to accept there is a God and the Bible is the Word of God for man to follow, the Bible will never make sense to you.  You need the Holy Spirit to unlock your mind to understanding.

Many Christians and even non-Christians can quote scripture and facts from the Bible but know little else.  It is just another book.  They do not know its power.

You either believe in the God of the Bible or you believe in another god or gods. You must make a choice.  What will your choice be?

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20. May 2009 by PawBill.

The plan was ingenious: neither flawed or madness!  No present day intellectual could have devised a mental health plan like it.  It is all encapsulated in the term “Grace.” 

Our creator, the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14, fashioned man (I’m going to be politically incorrect and just use the term man rather than man/woman for simplicity) and gave him the free will to make his own way in a world designed for his habitat.  A Garden of Eden, if you will. 

Now, our creator did not want just another animal as in a puppy dog to pet.  He would save that creation for man to enjoy.  He created man for a particular purpose and while we as yet do not know or understand that purpose it will one day be revealed. 

Our creator understood the workings of man’s intellectual faculties.  After all, he designed them; even Lucifer (Satan) was one of his creations.  Our creator knew man would be capable of digressing to animalistic behavior or even worse if they were not able to manage their self-will which he endowed them with.

Knowing that man (because of man’s gift of self-will) would be capable of failing to live up to his created design, our creator provided a way for man to be forgiven of all transgressions he would commit.  He would not have to do good works, but he would have to have faith and believe in the concept of a God as his protector and provider.

So how is man doing?  Not so well.  Man has denied the existence of his creator and has refused to accept his creator’s commandments.  After all, is not the New Age movement declaring that all men are gods?  Satan also sought to be God.

In ancient times our creator gave the Hebrew people a sacrificial system of forgiveness. An animal was brought to the Priest and slain for a man’s transgressions of the law.  Those transgressions were called sins, an all-encompassing term. This system was unable to completely atone for the sinfulness of man because it had to be repeated ad infinitum.

Some ancient men also sought to make sacrifices, human sacrifices, to various gods of nature that cannot hear, talk or see: the worship of objects rather than the living creator. 

When our creator was ready, he revealed his ultimate plan for man.  One sacrifice, Jesus Christ, who would take on the transgressions of all men for now and forever more, and the sacrificial sacrifices would be abandoned.  By believing on Jesus Christ, man was freed from the bondage of sin.

I know this does not make any sense to man’s “human mind.”  It is a spiritual concept or dimension to be accepted on faith, with no works involved.  You do not have to do anything to earn forgiveness.  You just have to accept the free offer of forgiveness and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit that will dwell within you.

The plan is this.  When the Spirit of God convicts you of your transgressions or sins, confess and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; believe that he was born of a virgin, died on a cross for your transgressions, was resurrected from the grave, and will send his Holy Spirit to dwell within you; one day he will return and give you a glorified body. If you can accept and believe this, you will live forever with Jesus Christ.

By believing and accepting Jesus Christ as your savior and accepting the Holy Spirit in your life, your mental and physical conditions can be managed without alcohol, mind altering drugs, psychologists, psychiatrists and in some cases medical doctors.

Your creator provided the answers and solutions, all you have to do is believe and receive.  Apparently this is too simple a process for man, who would prefer doing good deeds or performing good works, rather than accepting his creator’s way of redemption.  What a pity.  How about you? 

Will you accept your creator’s Grace?  Ask him now if your spirit is leading you. 

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14. May 2009 by PawBill.

I was reading again One Nation Under God by Gibbs and Newcombe and rediscovered one of the key events in the founding of the United States as a Christian nation; that event is called the Great Awakening.  Does America need another Great Awakening?

America’s Christians need a Great Awakening or to phrase it differently, an “old time religion revival.”  Unless there is a revival of the soul and spirit in the Christian churches across this Nation, America will soon be lost to become a pagan society. It may already be too late!

Have you ever been to a church revival?  It has been a long time for me.  I’m not even sure they still have them.  Too bad our churches have become so sophisticated.  Small Baptist churches or other denominations may still have revivals but large churches wouldn’t have time with their busy schedules.

But, just what is a church revival? It is a once a year or sometimes twice a year community soul winning drive; they usually span one week.  A visiting preacher or evangelist would preach a fiery sermon every evening. There would be visitations, old time hymns, re-dedications and people, some even church members, finding Jesus Christ and his saving grace.

I can still remember the bowed heads, the evangelist asking for a show of hands, the lost walking the aisle to meet the pastor and the song leader being led to “sing one more chorus” to give one more opportunity for that last soul who needed salvation.  But, we’ve become too sophisticated.  It takes too much time.  Let’s not embarrass anyone.  Lost souls can talk with a decision counselor before they make a decision to accept Jesus or join the church. And so it goes.

I miss the old time church hymns.  They tore at your heart and stirred your emotions.  Who could resist, “Just as I Am?”  It saddens me to know that so many may never experience the saving grace of revival.  What about you?

Although I attend a Southern Baptist Church, I don’t recall a revival of both soul and spirit in recent years.  Our churches and religions have failed to stand as a beacon of hope and light.  Our political leaders are devious scoundrels unable and unwilling to promote decency and integrity supporting only bad legislation and wasteful spending.  Watered down sermons delivered by unbelieving ministers and complacency of parishioners have allowed the ungodly to promote their agenda of political correctness.

Being ungodly in and of itself is not the problem.  Many good people, both Christian and non-Christian,  are trying to do good things, i.e., giving of their time to charities, following most of the Ten Commandments and etc., but they are still ungodly in the Biblical sense in that they condone by either their actions or in-actions the following: Adultery; Sexually explicit movies and television; Vulgarity of speech in any setting; Drug and alcohol acceptance; Disrespect for parents, laws and institutions; Distortions of news and history by televisions commentators; Homosexuality and same sex marriage; Abortion; Teenage promiscuity; Lowering of school standards; Parents who want to be their children’s friend but not their parents; Gang and criminal violence; Pornography, and on and on. 

It is long past time for America’s true Christians to ask their God’s forgiveness for their silence in allowing the ungodly and immoral to erode the very foundations upon which America was established.   America needs a revival and a return to the God of the Bible who raised us up as a Nation.

Will you join in this effort before it is really too late?

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8. May 2009 by PawBill.

January 20, 2009 was a historic day for the United States of America with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the forty-forth president and as the first African American president.  It was joyous for many Americans, and I include myself in that group.  For others it was not.

As I reflect on the events and activities of the inauguration, I am left with feelings of sadness for what lies ahead for America. Not because of the election of President Obama but because of the impending threats from terrorists who seek our destruction, the financial instability that will ultimately result in the loss of freedoms we have so long enjoyed, and America’s people placing their hope for the future in idolatry instead of God.

But first, let me comment on racism. There are still, unfortunately, pockets of racism (not necessarily black and white racism) in the United States and also throughout the world. I would expect some residual racism from a minority, but not all, of older generations who were perhaps raised in an environment of hate and bigotry. However, I still encounter a surprising number of comments from younger people who outwardly espouse a disdain for racism but “off camera” express racist opinions through jokes, innuendos and just plain bigotry or hatred of others.

I did not vote for presidential candidate Barack Obama.  Not because he was African American but because I did not support the Democratic Platform that was supportive of taxpayer funding of abortions, appointment of activist judges who seek to change our constitution and legislate law, gay marriages and other equally politically correct agenda items the likes of which I perceive as “appeasement carrots” thrown to pacify the vast uneducated masses who they, the Democratic Party leadership, want to control and quite candidly will eventually control.

It is my opinion that Barack Obama was God’s choice.  WHAT do you mean, God’s choice?  Yes, God is allowing the United States to have what it wants - a godless society.  At a time when God and the Ten Commandments are being removed from the land, it is ironic that our newly elected president openly expresses a belief in the person of Jesus Christ. He even chose to use Abraham Lincoln’s Bible in his swearing in ceremony.  It is ironic in the sense that many supporters of the now President Obama do not profess the beliefs he voiced. Only God knows his heart and I will pray for our new president and his administration, as there is a Biblical directive to pray for our elected leaders.

The United States was founded upon the Christian faith. Contrary to what you are being told or not being told as the case may be, our country’s historical documents support the fact that our forefathers founded the United States of America to be a Christian nation.  While the majority of twenty-first century Americans are not willing to promote or defend our Christian heritage a minority of Americans are successfully working to have all references to God removed from our books, monies, monuments and teaching institutions.

Fear and anxiety in the United States brought on by the world’s financial crisis, which started in the United States, are tightening their grip on those who place their values in money, greed and lust.  Many, I believe, have or will soon cry out to God for relief.  But will God be listening?  I do not think so. 

The United States is fast becoming a pagan nation.  Watch the evening news, read your paper and magazines, watch your television and movies and you see a pagan society in the making.  Go to a church on Sunday morning and then go to a football game that afternoon.  The people in attendance at either event or both events for that matter share the same values.  That is, people who confess to be Christian give only “lip service” to their faith in Jesus Christ and thus are no different than those who don’t.

The world is changing fast.  Soon, America along with the rest of the world, will be supportive of a one-world government, a one-world currency and a one-world religion led by a charismatic leader the likes of whom has never been known.  This time in history was prophesied in Biblical writings more than two-thousand years ago by inspired men of God that many of you have never read nor even heard about.

There will soon come a time when there will again be peace on earth.  Unfortunately, those who have not confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will not experience this peace.  Famines, pestilences, wars, destruction and death wait their appointed time as foretold by the prophets of old. 

But what shall we do? Is there any hope?  If you accept the Bible as the inspired word of God and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, there is hope for you.  Jesus will give you “peace that surpasses all understanding” and will save you from the trials and tribulations to come. 

If you are of another religious faith then you have placed your hope in a god that I am not familiar with or know.  I am not saying you have no hope.  I am just saying that I don’t know about the customs, practices and gods of other religions.  Your religious faith will have it’s own set of instructions. As an example, people of the Islamic faith have placed their hope in Allah, the god of Muhammad, and the Koran (Qur’an) is their book of instructions.

What hope do you have for the future as prophesied by your religious leader or books?  Your religious belief, not your belief in our elected officials, may or may not determine where you spend eternity.  The choice and decision are yours, chose wisely.

The bottom line is this. The United States of America was founded upon the Christian faith and a republic was established that recognized God as its source of strength and dependence.  Great steps were taken to prevent the newly established government from declaring a one-nation religion.  Our founding fathers wanted freedom of religion, not a mandated State Religion. You could practice any religion or no religion if you so desired.  However, our founding fathers never envisioned that God, their God, would not be recognized as the one true God and future generations would chose to become a pagan society and follow false teachings and other gods.

Journey with me as I write about my God and my faith in his son, Jesus Christ.   It may change your life forever. 

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5. May 2009 by PawBill.

I’ve heard it quoted some 79% of all Americans believe you will go to heaven if you are a “good” person.  Likewise, in the same polling some 68% of Evangelical Protestant Christians believe in multiple ways to heavens even though Jesus did not preach multiple ways.  These polls may be correct. I have not verified the polls myself, but believing that being good enough will get you to heaven is troubling enough no matter what the numbers.  All of this sounds good and maybe it will be true for those who believe in a just and forgiving God. My Bible does not read that way and Jesus certainly did not preach another way.

You can be a great American and not believe in Jesus Christ.  However, you cannot be a true follower of Jesus Christ and believe Jesus is only one way to heaven.  If you read and study the Bible there is only one path to heaven and that path is through Jesus Christ.  Who provides the better answer; Jesus himself or someone else?  If Jesus is quoted as saying he is the only way to heaven how can someone claim there is another way.  The Bible does not present other ways.

Is Jesus a liar?  If Jesus said he was the only path to heaven but there are other paths available you would have to assume that Jesus was a liar and should not be followed. He was a fraud.  Find for yourself the scriptures that tell of other ways to heaven.  There are none.

You can debate the lost tribe in Indonesia or Brazil that may have never heard of Jesus, but I believe God reveals himself to them in a supernatural way that we do not understand, see Romans 1:18-23, NIV Bible.  Not so for the radio and television audiences in today’s world.  The message of Jesus has been preached to all nations so no one can claim they have not heard.

So, just how do you plan on getting to heaven?  Being good or doing good works is not the answer if you truly believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.

Let’s complicate the picture a little more.  Jesus said in John 14:6-7, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  Jesus followed this in John 14:9, “… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…”

Do you get it?  Jesus is the only path to heaven and he told you so.  But, you can’t come to Jesus unless God draws you to him.  Jesus says in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” and again in John 6:65, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”   Do you believe this?  If not, why not is the question I would ask?  Not to be judgmental but only to understand what literature or source you use to support your position. 

You must first believe there is a God (Reference Romans 1:18-23 again if you still do not believe there is a God) for you to be drawn to Jesus. Once you accept there is a God, the Holy Spirit of God will lead you to salvation through the redemptive works of Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection.  When you submit to Jesus and ask him to be your savior, you will be saved and become a child of God.  God’s Holy Spirit will come into your life and provide directions for your new life in Christ.  In 1 John 4:4 we read,  “… The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

You must know Jesus in your “heart.”  It is not just “knowing about Jesus.”  It is “knowing Jesus” and following him through the lead of the Holy Spirit that will dwell within you.  The large percentages of people who profess there are multiple ways to heaven know about Jesus but do not truly know Jesus.  Which camp do you fall in?

Continue to ponder on “the way” to heaven while development of this Blog continues in its beginning phase.

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