There is one atheist argument that no Christian theist can really refute, and every time I’ve used it, no Christian theist has successfully tried to refute this. It goes like this: “Had you been born and raised in a different or past society / culture [like that of ancient Egypt] you’d be singing the praises of a quite different deity (or deities) with equal faith, belief or conviction [like Osiris] and you know this to be so. So what does that say about the existence of your Christian God?”

So how would my all too frequent debating colleague known as MG react to this? Well MG raised the issue of the existence of Osiris – a god within the pantheon of the ancient Egyptian deities.

MG – “Atheists actually do quite frequently say that God doesn’t exist… “

JP – Some do, but those people are misrepresenting the accepted atheist position. That is NOT the position I adopt. My position is that you, as a theist, making a positive claim, have the burden of proof to back it up. Now let’s see if you can. I seriously doubt it.

[Even though there is no evidence for God’s existence that doesn’t preclude the possibility that God exists just that the burden of proof exists with the theist making the positive claim. Can that argument be applied to the ancient Egyptian god Osiris?]

MG – “Likewise, no rational person says “I just haven’t seen evidence of Osiris”. No, Osiris does not exist, and we all know it.”

JP – The ancient Egyptians didn’t know that. Were they all delusional? If so, doesn’t that suggest that all deities are delusional since there’s no evidence for any of them?

JP – And the ancient Egyptians had evidence and sound reasons to believe Osiris did exist.

JP – The ancient Egyptians were intelligent and rational people and believed in the existence of Osiris. So your argument is downright silly. No matter how you slice and dice things, a lot of people, as rational and as intelligent as you, believed in the existence of Osiris. Who the heck do you think you are to pass judgment on them!

MG – “We have evidence and sound reasons to believe Osiris does not exist.”

JP – Who is “We”? Speak for yourself. Regarding the ancient Egyptians and Osiris, so what makes you think that you’re better, more intelligent, and more rational, than they were? A bit up yourself – yes? But further to the point, you are an atheist when it comes to Osiris. You say Osiris doesn’t exist, yet that’s just your opinion. How do you actually know Osiris doesn’t exist? You can’t absolutely prove that Osiris doesn’t exist and you know you can’t, but if you think that you can, do so here and now. Give the readers here your “evidence”.

MG – “OK, I have solid reasons to believe that Osiris does not exist. If Osiris did exist, then there would be a spiritual plain of existence in which our own spirits are judged (our hearts weighed against a feather). Since we do not have spirits, there can be no such place, and Osiris cannot exist.”

JP – While I quite agree with you that there is no spirit world, millions of other intelligent and rational people would willingly take you to task for your non-spiritual plain of existence worldview.

JP – Regarding Osiris: 1) Osiris may have been an actual human whose legend has over the centuries in ancient Egypt been blown out of all proportion with the telling and retelling and re-retelling of his story. 2) If we’re simulated beings then Osiris had the same degree of virtual reality as you now have. 3) Osiris may have been an ‘ancient astronaut’ – he is frequently depicted having green skin! 4) Osiris inhabited the underworld so he would normally be out of sight except to the newly dead awaiting judgment and possible resurrection into the Egyptian version of the afterlife.

Now using this question of Osiris as an example, I have the decided opinion that you’ve set yourself up as judge, jury and executioner over an entire ancient culture rubbishing them just because they held different belief systems than you do. So what makes you right and the entire ancient Egyptian Empire wrong? Finally, don’t knock another culture unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.

MG – “The Egyptians (and other ancient groups) were rational people, but they didn’t have enough information to realize their gods didn’t exist. We have enough information to show these did not exist, as I did in the case of Osiris.”

JP – So again you’ve set yourself up as judge, jury and executioner over an entire ancient culture rubbishing them just because they held different belief systems than you do by suggesting they lacked sufficient information.

MG – “The point is that the gods of ancient civilizations can be shown not to exist, but the God of the Bible is even more plausible now (with more information accumulated) than He was back then.”

JP – Regarding evidence for God, well the ancient Greeks would give you evidence for Zeus (and the rest of the Olympians); the Norse evidence for Odin; the ancient Egyptians evidence for Osiris & Isis; the Aztecs evidence for Quetzalcoatl; the Incas evidence for Viracocha; the Hindus evidence for Brahma; the American Indians evidence for a Great Spirit; the Australian Aborigines evidence for their Rainbow Serpent and on and on it goes. You not only have to provide evidence for God, but refute all the evidence for Zeus, Horus, etc. You can probably come up with several other examples of deities that are currently believed in in other modern monotheistic religions; deities that you would also need to negate in order to prove God as the one true god.

JP – Akin to the Osiris argument, since nobody in the past several thousand years has proven the actual existence of your preferred deity (i.e. – God), what makes you think you can?

JP – So even after all of these posts of yours you’re still not one jot closer to providing any evidence for far less proving the existence of your preferred deity than you were when you started. Going off on tangents about Osiris does nothing to bolster up your case for your preferred deity.

JP – So let’s stay with modern times and just forget about Osiris for the moment who after all is quite beyond our reach and therefore his status can’t actually be determined. So, let’s say that when you finally kick-the-bucket you go off to the Pearly Gates only to be greeted by the Trinity of Shiva, Braham and Vishnu. Oops! Now you have a good billion or so rational and intelligent people, true believers living right now who accept the existence of the Trinity of Shiva, Braham and Vishnu. So why are they wrong and again, who are you to pass judgment?

Note: There was no response to this challenge.

Conclusion: The purpose here was not to show that Osiris actually existed rather than in principle the Christian God and the Egyptian deity Osiris are on equal theological footing since neither can be proven to have had existence or non-existence. There’s as much or as little likelihood for the one as for the other. That’s in contrast to MG who asserts that the Christian God actually exists in actual fact and that the Egyptian deity Osiris doesn’t exist and never has existed in actual fact.

oooooOOOOOooooo

Postscript: Now here’s one reason why I think you should find the Simulation Hypothesis appealing. All theologies could be ‘true’ – Osiris could have virtually ‘existed’.

Postscript: God is not a necessary being. Brahma, Shiva, Isis and Osiris perhaps, but not God. Actually in fact there is no such thing as a necessary being since beings or entities are in no manner, shape or form fundamental to existence.

Postscript: What about personal experiences? Personal experiences are just that, personal. They convey no evidence relating to that experience to anyone else who hasn’t shared that experience, an unlikely happening since, by definition, the experience was personal. Further, spiritual experiences are not confined to God, Jesus or the Virgin Mary. All manner of other deities from Osiris to Shiva to Apollo and Odin have been personally experienced. That also applies to extraterrestrials as well as having visions and communications with the deceased.

Postscript: The concept of a resurrection is not by any means restricted to Jesus. Resurrection, for example, was a common theme in Ancient Greek mythology. Hercules, as noted above, got resurrected by his daddy too! And in Ancient Egyptian mythology, Osiris was resurrected by Isis. Further, if you read the Gospels side-by-side instead on consecutively, you’ll note that the various accounts of the resurrection of Jesus are inconsistent and contradictory with numerous discrepancies with respect to who (that differs) saw what; between what actually happened (that differs too) and when; and between when (timelines also differ) whatever happened actually happened. The personnel, events and timelines are not consistent.

Anything we do in life is pre-planned and this is known by the prophecies where it clearly states that the one God, the Spirit of the Universe, is in full control (Isaiah 45: 4-8). It creates the evil and the good. It controls all minds and actions, otherwise the things laid down would never happen. The world is not in chaos but is continuing along the path set out from the beginning, which will bring about the end of the world as we know it.

Religious leaders are also led by the Spirit. They oppose common sense, and make normal behavior into something whereby they can dominate thoughts and actions. They do this through overpopulation and the means to control sex and the birth of offspring is first and foremost a priority in their interests. Their goal is power and profit.

The more children people of 'faith' produce the stronger becomes the religion that guides them. Offspring are taught by parents to follow the same trends and that is part of the ways by which the Spirit leads us.

"The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure, into whose hand God bringeth abundantly" Job 12: 5

We need only to look at the religious world and the ways in which people are controlled to see the plan of God. Abortion and the right of women to choose whether or not they remain pregnant is currently under debate in many places. Protesters influenced by religious indoctrination are out in force promoting the cause against such choice.

My experience of reincarnation taught me that; Firstly, all religions are man-made and they are wrong. They mostly promote an eternal life in either heaven or hell and that provides them with 2 enormous weapons. Secondly, all religious gods are false because they are manufactured on ancient thoughts and the reworking of past dreams. Thirdly, nothing happens unless God allows it.

"I am God and besides me there is no one else. I make the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I God do all these things." Isaiah 45 "4-8

When leaving my last body and between lives there was the pressing urgency to do this job. It is for this reason that the Spirit sent me into this life and has provided the tools to carry it out.

Nothing, however, will change the minds of the indoctrinated and whatever comes of my work is entirely in the hands of the Spirit. Those with ears to hear and eyes to see will benefit from it.

The New Testament is a false document based on the work of 666, who established the Catholic Church in 325 AD. It was the Vatican that banned reincarnation and promoted heaven and hell as destinies. It claims to hold the keys to heaven and the weak in spirit believe them. Its hold on the world is breaking and God is decreasing its power.

Many Sabbath-keeping Church of God members (various groups and organizations associated to one degree or another with Herbert W. Armstrong) are sincerely opposed to offering any Church of God literature or religious material for sale, since Herbert Armstrong taught us to “buy the truth and sell it not.” However, such Church of God members should remember that Mr. Armstrong later permitted his books to be made available for sale in bookstores, informing the brethren and co-workers in a letter dated September 12, 1985:

“There is a very large audience which would never request this book [Mystery of the Ages] if offered free – who would never send their name and address to us – but would gladly buy a copy in the bookstore. By putting it in the bookstores we will reach a very great audience that we can reach in no other way. We will not sell the book ourselves, but it cannot be made available to this large audience of book buyers unless the bookstores do put a price on it.” (Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Volume 2, page 638).

Some have been upset that Beyond Babylon: Europe’s Rise and Fall is sold. I remind them of Herbert Armstrong’s words above and Paul’s rhetorical response to some in his day over this principle that we’re commanded to not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain and that a worker is worthy of his hire. Besides, Beyond Babylon is available to for FREE or read online for FREE. God knows I am certainly not in this for the money, but gladly share the plain truth of the Bible and history as I am able, knowing it is truly priceless information.

I am also an individual, not a Church organization receiving regular tithes and offerings who therefore have no need to sell anything, as they’re equipped to offer it all, ideally, for free. I don’t believe any Church of God organization should sell Church of God literature. However, those out in the field, not part of the administration or headquarters, have a God-given right to do as necessary. Yeshua didn’t condemn selling sacrificial animals but was righteously indignant that such commercial activities were taking place in the Temple courtyards and at exorbitant prices. Many were making a killing rather than offering a service.

A member of the Philadelphia Church of God recently corresponded with me on this and other Church of God issues.

Didn’t you try and impose your book on God’s ministers and church?

Not at all. Gerald Flurry refused to go forward with Beyond Babylon and fell backwards, treading old ground and is now going in circles, business as usual, as Europe rises and Judah and Israel have yet to be warned.

Maybe you should have waited until the time came.

Don’t you believe God goes first to His Church and then His Nation? It was time to bring Beyond Babylon before Flurry, whom I consider to be the leader of this Laodicean era of God’s Church.

Do you think you are one of the 2 witnesses?

God knows, but what I do know is that we ought to at least prepare the way for them with Judah and NONE of the Church of God groups reach the cities of Judah.

That would be a honor to be one. I’ve often prayed about them and in my silliness wished I could be one of them.

It would be an honor and a grave responsibility and the most hated job in the world since rejection would be by many in the Church, initially, and nearly all in the world, with a bloody ending until the resurrection to physical life just before the return of the King, Yeshua the Messiah. No nice dinners or fancy invitations for the Two Witnesses but plenty of murderous misunderstanding and hateful grief.

But I’m just a lay member…..

No such thing as “just” a lay member. Everybody has their God-given place in the Church of God and are equally important for whatever God has called them to do.

Seems to me you focus too much on the physical Jews.

Not at all. Herbert Armstrong always told us to “WATCH JERUSALEM!” Who’s in Jerusalem? JEWS! The gospel began and will return there. God’s true church is not there now although “Elijah” went there. This must change.

Mr. Armstrong, near the time of his death, said on one of his sermons or Bible studies that they are not so important as he once thought since they don’t even believe in Jesus Christ.

I don’t believe that at all and don’t believe he ever said it. I quote what we know for sure Herbert Armstrong said about the importance of reaching the cities of Judah. It’s documented. Shamefully, it’s something that hasn’t been done yet but the foundation has been laid, even though the Work in Israel is temporarily suspended by government decree as it was in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Mr. Flurry never read your book right?

I don’t know. Wayne Turgeon [Gerald Flurry’s son-in-law] handed him a print out of it years ago and he returned it to him saying, “He’s always sending us stuff.” Mr. Flurry even responded to me several times on various issues including his confusion of Mount Carmel with Mount Hermon which I brought to his attention (having been blessed to live next to both of them), and my disagreement with him when he said the pope was the only religious leader to sit on a throne and I mentioned the Queen of England is also head of the Anglican Church (although agreeing with the point he was making against the Roman Catholic Cult).

I would love to find those letters, however during my many moves overseas to Israel I thought I kept them stored at my sister’s home but she can’t find them. Such letters also include correspondence from Dr. Herman Hoeh years ago about the Jews and their variations in color and why. I met Dr. Hoeh at the Toronto Singles’ Weekend (Church of God singles from all over were in attendance) where he spoke and invited us to write him, which of course I did.

Later I sent an autographed copy of a self-published BB (Beyond Babylon) to Flurry’s home for him and his wife who said to me (during the Feast of Tabernacles in Louisville) about my name, “What a strong Judah name!”

Dennis Leap said he read parts of it and that it wasn’t necessary for him or Flurry to read it, unlike Mr. Armstrong wanting Sardis (Church of God, Seventh Day) to read his manuscript – The United States and Britain in Prophecy – which they DID.

Well, I hear you loud and clear. I do not agree with some of headquarter’s decisions but they are just as human as we are and liable to make mistakes, including Mr. Flurry. Sometimes we just have to suffer the wrong and go on.

I readily accept and acknowledge that fact, but if it’s a mistake or a sin we learn from it, acknowledge it and go forward all the wiser. Flurry has done none of those humble things. Regardless, I go on without him as he goes backwards trying to play HWA and God in the Temple, grieved to say.

David, I hope and pray for your return to PCG… Mr. Flurry has engaged in personal appearance campaigns and he plans to go to Joseph and Judah this coming year I think. The Key of David will no longer air on TV and we are now focusing on personal warnings.

Remember we are baptized into the Body of Jesus Christ – not into any sect or denomination of men. I remain a member of the spiritual Church of God that isn’t bound by membership lists at the mercy of men. Remember Diotrephes? (3 John vs. 9-11).

What do you mean they’ve scrapped the TV programs (even though I always constructively criticized them -through Wayne Turgeon who used to write me very frequently – that nobody but a very limited religious audience would watch the programs at the hours they were shown). As Turgeon can testify, I also said they needed a toll free number (which years later they obtained); I said they needed a website with Church literature (which years later they have); they need to publish Beyond Babylon freely (which they still don’t) and to take out major newspaper ads like HWA to reach EVERYBODY and get EVERYBODY talking about our God-given controversial message.

We do really need better advertisement.

Yes, because I’ve conducted my own tests and surveys on many internet forums to see that the general public doesn’t have a clue who Flurry is, never heard of the PCG and doesn’t know the warning message at all. All that money for what? A private club?

Too bad you only see what you think is bad but God has to get his family ready first to marry his Son before He can deal properly with the world.

And how does God do that? Have us stare at our Church navel – Church headquarters as the center of our attention? – or by the way of give, outflowing concern for the good and welfare of OTHERS – like the cities of Judah. Otherwise folks will never feel ready to reach out and will have proven themselves deceived by Satan who doesn’t want the Work to GO FORWARD. As we reach out, so help us God, He will work in and through and for us at the same time.

I know everything that is good about the PCG and continue to direct folks to its literature and The Philadelphia Trumpet magazine despite their refusal to send it to me. They even know I’ve given them contacts in the Middle East, in Jerusalem, Jewish leaders, and that it was me whom God used to contact the mayor of Jerusalem to get the HWA monument repaired (in the Liberty Bell Park in Jerusalem), and then I forwarded the information to Flurry (who didn’t even say thank you and wasn’t even aware of its woeful neglect that I knew about from being over there so many times). I’ll bet you didn’t know that, did you?

I had written an open letter to the mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupolianski, that was published in The Jerusalem Post. His office contacted me to inquire about what groups or organizations I was referring to that would be interested in undertaking the financial responsibility for the monument’s restoration and the rest is history.

Are you in anyway feeling sad and unfulfilled at this time of the year? You shouldn't be and give the enemy room to rejoice over you. The greater one has done greater things for you. Therefore, this is the time to rejoice and celebrate the goodness of God. This article charges you to let go of all that wants to bring you down and celebrate the Lord who has done great things for you this year.

But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion – Ecclesiastes 9: 4 (NKJV).

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls-Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation – Habakkuk 3: 17-18 (NKJV).

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! – Philippians 4: 4 (NKJV).

You may not feel like praising God now because things did work out the way you desired this year. However, this is actually when to celebrate Him excitedly. This is the time to engage your spirit, soul and body to glorify Him for what he has done for you from the beginning of the year till now. The enemy wants you to believe you lost, I charge you not to give him that satisfaction because he is lying. God says that all things are working together for your good.

Displeased with God?

Many people are angry, displeased with God because according to them, He did do all that they asked of Him. I have a question for them, "Did they do all that the Lord asked of them?" Certainly, nobody should be angry with God because He did mighty things for us in-spite of our shortcomings.

Reasons to celebrate the goodness of God

1. You are alive

There is hope for the living, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Many people started the year with you but they are no more. Some people achieved what you desire to achieve but they are no more to enjoy the success. You are still here and there is much hope of you still achieving your heart desires in life. You have breath, so praise the Lord.

2. You are saved

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his soul? It will profit him nothing good but damnation. But you are saved and your name is written in the book of life. This is the best achievement anybody can ever have. It pays here on earth and afterwards in heaven. So, you have every reason to celebrate God who gave His son for your salvation.

3. The benefits of the Lord

When you count your blessings just for this year you will see how good God has been to you. To mention but a few: He forgave all your sins, healed your diseases, delivered you from destruction, showered you with loving kindness and tender mercies and gave you what to eat such that your strength renews like the eagle's.

You are married while others are still expecting their life partners, and you have children while many people are yet to become parents years down the line. You have a paying job or business, a roof over your head and clothes to cover your nakedness. You are not mentally sick and you have peace with your family members. Truly, there are many more benefits that have come your way that you should not forget.

Celebrate in Faith

Everything may not be fine yet, but still rejoice and celebrate God. Your efforts and investments may not have yielded fruits, yet rejoice in the Lord, for He is your salvation and strength. Surely, He will make you to walk in your high places. As long as you trust in the Lord, your change will come. Celebrate God for His faithfulness, man may fail you but the Lord will never fail you.

Rejoice, again I say rejoice

This is celebration time! Put aside what is not done yet and rejoice again and again. You have every reason to praise God. The enemy wants you to cry, choose to dance and celebrate God, for He is Lord of all, and no matter what you are going through He will fix it for you.

The Disappearance of God: Dangerous Beliefs in the New Spiritual Openness [Hardcover]

by R. Albert Mohler Jr.

208 pages, $ 14.99

ISBN-13: 978-0307456298

Nonfiction

The Roman philosopher Seneca noted, "Other men's sins are before our eyes; our own are behind our backs." Certainly, it is easier to see the sin committed by others while grudgingly hiding any hint of our own. Perhaps scrutiny of the modern church reveals that we are no longer concerned about sin. To this observation, the thinking Christian must ask, â € • Has God changed his mind about sin?

The problem inherent in this question is its implied spiritual reality. Dr. Albert Mohler, noted author and seminary president, contends that God has not changed his mind about sin. While the population descends rapidly into the quagmire of postmodern relativism, the accurate accepted religious stance shifts from mere tolerance to openness. Tolerance implies extreme broadmindedness, while openness allows for not making a judgment at all.

Such a change threatens the very existence of Christianity. Will the church contend for the faith – even if it popular opinion rewards apathy? Will the church uphold the essentials of the faith, even when it is progressively unpopular to do so?

For example, consider the fact that the very word sin has departed our vocabulary. People may lack moral judgment or suffer from a disease, but will hardly ever be labeled as sinner. Modern culture resists the idea of ​​sin insisting it puts an inordinate amount of guilt upon those exposed. The Christian, however, cannot ignore the reality of sin. Eliminating sin eradicates grace-the foundation upon which the gospel is built.

Writing with the precision of a skilled physician who is determined to diagnose the church's ills, Mohler's analysis finds its mark. He addresses certain â € • hot potato issues; such as, the decline of church discipline; the fact that Hell is off-limits in preaching; and the increasing preference for a secularized God. The church cannot surrender its biblical truth claims in light of the ever present chagrin they cause culturally.

To answer this problem, the church must return to biblical preaching and courageously continue its missionary enterprise. In doing so, the victorious church will endure cultural deviations from truth and will discover that an omnipresent God can never disappear.

Pastors and church leaders: this book is commended as a "must read."

Dr. R. Albert Mohler's analysis of Scripture is very sound. He serves as the ninth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. When the seminary is not keeping him busy, Dr. Mohler also hosts the Albert Mohler Program , a daily live nationwide radio program which addresses key issues affecting Christianity today.

In Rushing the Floodgates of Heaven: For Those Who Are Thirsty !, Nathan French, a pastor in Washington State, provides a special look at the personal conversations he's had with God. French previously wrote It's NOT Meant to Be a Secret: God Wants to Talk to You, in which he shared his dramatic story of drug use and a failed suicide attempt-failed because he believes God intervened to save him for better things. Nathan's father, himself a minister, came to bring him home and help the healing begin. In addition, his mother has been his chief supporter and the editor of his writings, fully believing in her son's ability to communicate with God and convey His words. God has clearly blessed Nathan with phenomenal parents.

In Rushing the Floodgates of Heaven, Nathan shares with readers the personal journal entries he made between September 2011 and April 2012, picking up where his first book left off. In each entry, he records what he hears God telling him. These are not prophecies like those of Isaiah and Jeremiah, but more like friendly conversations, although the voice of the Old Testament God is heard clearly here as is the gentle voice of Jesus. Besides the words themselves, Nathan often has visions of Jesus doing simple things such as sitting beside him that reflect the personal closeness that God wishes to have with all of His children.

In the passages, we receive a few hints about Nathan's conversational process with God. Nathan writes down what God tells him. In one passage, God says:

"When I speak these things to you, it is important to remember that you do much better when you do not have your own thoughts in the way. Write only the word I give you next. Your faith brings the next word forth. That is how you know it is from Me because surely if you did this apart from Me, you would not have complete sentences. "

In another passage, God remarks:

"Notice that when you write by faith, you don't know what the next word is going to be until you write down the last one. Write by faith-not by thoughts. Process information by My Spirit, which bypasses the mind and sends signals from the heart. The purer the heart, the purer the signal. Root out all that is not from light and let My light shine. "
But more important than the process of how Nathan communicates with God are the words God shares with him.

Some of these words are quite dramatic. For example, during a church service, God tells Nathan:

"Point to the solution-don't focus on the problem. Always remember that I reward every act of faith. Put your foot in the water and strike the rock the way I tell you to. I am preparing to bring fire, and every Person will experience Me. Raise your hands to the sky; then drop them down and say, 'I release the Holy Fire of heaven.' I will come down to purify my saints. "

Following this message, Nathan tells us that "During the church service, one young man was freed from addiction. His feet were so hot that he took his shoes off for several days."

All the messages have daily themes or topics, and sometimes there are multiple ones per day. Topics discussed include how people treat Santa Claus compared to God, the importance of forgiveness of others, forgiveness of sins, the value of unity among Christians, guidance on how Nathan should serve as pastor, gossip, jealousy, obedience, and the need for people to return to the Lord. I love the passage about the importance of Unity among Christians when the Lord says: "Everyone has issues and hurts that need help. People need each other-the days of Lone-Ranger-Christianity are over. Unity requires more than one."

About Nathan's church, The Rock of the Harbor, God tells Nathan to explain to people when they ask what the church's mission is: "We are a non-denominational Christian Church that is non-competing. We welcome people from all walks of faith with a focus on love and acceptance. Our vision is to unite the body of Christ. Testimony, prophesy, healing, and deliverance are a regular part of our ministry. Equipping the body of Christ in the fullness of God is our mission. "

In one passage, Nathan is conversing with God, not knowing his parents in the other room are listening to the blind singer Andrea Bocelli on TV. During their conversation, God tells him, "The reason my blind singer can sing with such purity and power is because he cannot see the audience. When you no longer notice the audience and just do according to My purpose, it will become the open door through which many will walk. My will is to bring you victory. My will is to tear down strongholds. A stronghold cannot exist in total surrender. I do not tear down strongholds unless I receive a request giving permission. "

In another passage, God calls Christians to repentance and self-examination:

"Too many Christians do not know how to do a proper self-check. The hurts of rejection, abandonment, and the fear of not measuring up or the haunting of past sins keep them from wanting to examine themselves. It is like having a room in your house that you put junk into-the more time that goes by, the more junk gets collected and the more you do not want to go in there. The bigger the mess, the more the torment and the less the peace.

"The secret is to clean out the chambers of your hearts and keep them clean by often evaluating what you are putting into them. Constant evaluation and reflection will help you let go of offenses and bitterness from offenses caused by judging. Perfect peace is found when the house is clean and in order. To get your house in order means more than your place to live or your environment-it means your body, soul, and spirit. To have perfect peace, one must spend time with Me and My words. Then you can see clearly into the mirror and know what needs to be corrected. "

I could quote many more passages from the book as examples. Instead, I'll just say there are a few amazing stories in the back of the book of times when God has told Nathan to speak to certain people that have allowed him to help bring them to Christ. There are a couple of stories of what might even be considered miracles, such as how Nathan got money to buy a house and how he asked God to let him meet Joel Osteen and God did so for his birthday.

I am sure there will be skeptics out there, but that is why you need to read Rushing the Floodgates of Heaven for yourself. The Lord works in mysterious ways, so we never know how He will choose to speak to us. Perhaps He's drawn your attention to Nathan's book for a reason.

What is still holding you bound to fear? You have been released from all kinds of fear including the fear of death, which is the main thing holding people in bondage all their lifetime. As a child of God you have no reason to fear again, for if God be for you, who can be against you? This post aims at making you see that the Lord is bigger than all your fears.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? – Romans 8:31 (NKJV).

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them – Psalms 118: 6, 8, 10 (NKJV).

Many people are so fearful. They are afflicted by fear of so many things: fear of the devil, fear of wicked men, failure, rejection, poverty and sickness. However, this is so because of, first their ignorance of whom the Almighty God is and secondly, what they have surrounded themselves with. They allow themselves to be fed with the evils and wickedness in this world and so become clogged with fear. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. You must choose Christ to enjoy deliverance and protection from Him.

Two forces on earth

There are only two forces determining which direction you will go: God and Satan. Everything on earth concerning you is governed by either of these two, and who you yield yourself to determines what becomes of you.

The Almighty God cannot be compared with the devil, but unfortunately many people fear him more than they fear the Lord. God is the creator of the devil, why should you fear the created? The enemy is subject to Christ, so if Christ is for you can the enemy be against you? The Lord is more powerful and wiser, and His words never fall to the ground.

Many people, for fear of death, have subjected themselves to the dictates of the devil. But Christ has released those who through fear of death were their entire lifetime subject to bondage and that includes you. You have been delivered from the bondage of fear of death. Besides, you are not to fear them that can only kill the body but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell. God is supreme! He has not given you the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. Why are you still fearful? If God is for you no one can be against you!

Should nations come against you, in the name of the Lord you will destroy them. They that be for you are more than they that be against you. Should the enemy come like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against him. You are covered. If you are in Christ, the enemy has no power over you. The devil is not your problem but YOU.

What should you do?

As a child of God, position yourself under His wings; ensure that He is for you by obeying and serving Him. Let His word never depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, hide it in your heart that you may not sin against God, for sin separates us from the Lord. Know your God, exercise you faith in Him and you will do exploits. Choose to surround and feed yourself with things related to God. Read this post again and again until you see how big the Lord is compared to the enemy.

Few Scriptural examples

The scriptures have so many instances of God delivering and protecting His own. He has not changed and will never change. What He did for His children before, He will keep doing for His children today and much more.

The scriptures have a record of how Almighty God delivered the Israelites from Egypt with out-stretched hands, great signs and wonders. Pharaoh thought that nothing could save the Israelites, he underrated God's power and got his people and nation destroyed (Exodus 1: 1-13: 16). Also, the king of Syria sent his soldiers to capture Elisha but the Lord handed them over to Elisha who handed them over to the king of Israel (2 Kings 6: 8-23). Furthermore, when King Herod rose against the disciples of Christ and imprisoned Peter in order to bring him forth to the people later, God delivered Peter supernaturally and eventually destroyed herod when he did not give him the glory due to him (Acts 12: 1 -23).

In conclusion, you have no reason to fear anything but God Almighty. He has never failed anyone and he will not start with you. Position yourself well in Christ; let God be for you and no one will be against you. You are safe in Christ, whose name is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and is safe.

Jerome Midgette's Understanding the Reason God Made Man is a book every Christian will want to read. As someone who has read the Bible numerous times and been studying it since childhood, I was blown away by some of the information in this book I had not fully understood before. I did not expect I'd find anything new in this book, and yet time and again, I was surprised or felt points had been clarified about God and his purpose that had never seemed quite clear to me. Anyone, believer or scholar, who wants a better understanding of the Bible will want to read this book. As Midgette states early in the book's beginning, "it should be the most imperative quest of every human being: to know who we are, from where we originated, and why."

First and foremost, Midgette emphasizes what many Christians have forgotten: We are at war. Long before the creation of the earth, Satan and his followers sought to overthrow God, and because they failed, they have ever since been plotting to destroy humanity because we are made in God's image.

While this belief is not really news to most Christians, what I never fully understood before is that God created us as a direct result of Satan's rebellion. God could have easily destroyed Satan, but Midgette reveals that instead God crafted a legal plan to destroy his enemies, one they did not anticipate, and mankind was at the center of that plan. Because we were made in God's image, they hate us and wish to destroy us; they wish us to fall as they did. As Midgette explains: "They know something most of us do not: non-compliance is complicit rebellion against him [God]. By manipulating us, through our debased sinful nature and lack of spiritual insight, Satan can perpetuate the rebellion he originated before man's creation. He is fully aware there is an appointed day when all will be summoned before a higher legal system that many do not realize exists. God's eternal enemies totally understand unrighteousness will legally subjugate humanity to share their fate. "

However, Satan did not expect God to create a loophole of pardon from sin through Jesus Christ. I will let readers explore the technicalities of God's legal plan for our salvation for themselves in Midgette's pages. I just want to add that Midgette brings many surprising yet fascinating arguments into the discussion. One of those is to discuss the matter of aliens. He believes that aliens, and indeed life on any other planet, does not exist. He explains, "Many cling to the hope that there must be life on other planets. They cannot fathom that life only exists on earth in the vastness of space. Those who challenge the reality of the Creator do not want to concede in any way. Why? They don't want to accept that we are exclusive. For reasons not apparent, they want to drive the idea of ​​man's non-exclusivity because it substantiates their rejection of the Bible's creation narrative and, by extension, the supernatural God. " In fact, Midgette even suggests that Satan and his followers may be influencing us to believe in aliens so that some day the Antichrist might appear to us as an alien and deceive us.

Midgette also spends a great deal of time discussing how scientific discoveries are supporting the truths revealed in the Bible. He provides examples throughout the Bible of descriptions of the sea and other items that it would have been impossible for the ancient writers to have known without divine revelation. For example, the book of Job discusses the ravines in the ocean, yet no man in ancient times could have traveled deep enough into the ocean to know such ravines exist so such knowledge could only have come about through divine revelation.

Midgette also points out the many holes in evolutionary theories, and he continually reaffirms the truths expressed in the Bible. He also goes into detail about the end times, devoting an entire chapter to the concept of the Rapture, and discussing in detail many biblical prophecies that he believes are now being fulfilled.

Ultimately, Midgette's book reflects the work of a man who has spent a lifetime studying the Scriptures. He spent eighteen years writing this book, and the sheer length and depth of the material shows he has not labored in vain. Not everyone may agree with all of his conclusions, but all of his arguments are supported by Scripture. Furthermore, he reaffirms that God loves us and will someday bring us to a better place. He states, "We are God's heirs, and as heirs together with Christ, we have the legitimate legal right to all things with him. So the next time someone puts you down, remember who you are. The next time you're going through tough times, remember who you are. You are an heir of God and a joint heir with the King of kings himself! Your light affliction cannot compare to the glory that will soon be revealed. "

If you wish to understand completely not only why God created man but what it means to be God's heir, I can think of no better or more thorough book, aside from the Bible, for you to read than Understanding the Reason God Made Man.

This week I came face-to-face with a genuine dilemma. I had several meetings across town and for some reason I miscalculated and ended up with a 2-1/2 hour gap between meetings. I hate to waste time, but if I drove back to my office, I would simply have to return to my meeting later and with the cost of gas these days, one cannot be too cautious.

You know gas is getting high when it costs more to fill up the car than the car is actually worth. The most valuable thing in my car is in my gas tank.

I remedied the situation by stopping in a small coffee shop for a cup of Joe. As far as I am concerned, there is no bad time to have a cup of coffee, in spite of the price. I ordered my coffee and when the waitress brought it, I began to think about coffee. Why did God give us coffee?

Then my mind went back to my grandfather, whose greatest gift to me was a love of coffee. Nobody loved coffee more. I remember one of his favorite quotes, “You can always tell a man by the coffee he drinks.”

Anathema to my grandfather was the idea of instant coffee. No man, in his opinion, would ever drink anything of the kind. “If a man would drink instant coffee,” my grandfather perked, “there’s no telling what else he would do. Never trust a man who drinks instant coffee.”

Making coffee was an art form to my grandfather. There was a right way and a wrong way to make coffee, and he always insisted on the right way. Of course, the right way was his way.

In grandfather’s kitchen was an old wood-burning cook stove. My grandmother cooked meals on this ancient apparatus for more than 50 years. On this old-fashioned stove, my grandfather brewed his famous mud broth. He never allowed my grandmother to make the brew; it was his job, which he took seriously.

Once for his birthday, we all chipped in and bought him an electric coffee pot. I had never seen my grandfather so mad. When he saw what it was, he would not even take it out of the box.

He had strong ideas about coffee and how it should be brewed and woe be to the person who contradicted his ideas.

Grandfather always kept a fire in the old wood cook stove and on the back of the stove he kept his coffee pot, a large 2-gallon pot – one of those old-fashioned percolators long since gone out of style. The coffee was always on, and no matter when you stopped in to see him, he always had “fresh” coffee brewing.

When I say, “fresh,” I need to explain. Actually, the coffee was only fresh on Sunday. On Saturday night, he routinely emptied the coffee pot and prepared fresh coffee for Sunday morning.

He had an old coffee grinder and ground the coffee beans on Saturday night. He put some other things in the coffee, I have never figured out what. One thing I know he put in was a crushed eggshell. What it did to his coffee, I have no idea but grandfather was sure it was an important ingredient.

The freshly ground coffee beans were put in, the pot filled with fresh water and set on the back of the stove to slowly perk. This coffee would last the entire week. The coffee was so strong on Sunday that if it did not wake you in the morning, you were dead.

In fact, Cousin Ernie died on a Sunday afternoon, so my grandfather tells the story, and one sip of his black coffee roused him and he lived seven more years, which was unfortunate for grandfather, as he had to support him.

Before retiring each evening my grandfather took care of his coffee. He would freshly grind a few coffee beans, sprinkle it on top of the old coffee grounds and then add a newly crushed eggshell. Then he would refill the coffee pot with water.

His coffee percolated 24/7 and by Saturday it was so strong you needed a half-cup of sugar just to drink one cup. It was thick enough to use as syrup on your pancakes, but so strong, it dissolved your pancakes before you could eat them.

My grandmother once tried washing the coffee pot. When my grandfather saw her, he became furious, “Never wash that coffee pot,” he spouted, “you’ll ruin its character and a coffee pot needs a lot of character to make good coffee.”

When my grandfather died, I looked at his old black coffee pot and discovered two things. One, the original color was blue. And two, although it was originally a 2-gallon pot, it only could take three quarts of water. The “character,” so important to my grandfather, had built up so much over the years its capacity was diminished.

In pondering my grandfather, I thought about my Heavenly Father and His gifts. The Bible puts it this way; “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

I really do not know why God gave us coffee, but I do know God’s character is of such a nature that it never diminishes His ability to bless me each day.

Abstract:

What does your patient (client) expect from you? Their life is in turmoil, problems ascend from the sky and land squarely at their feet and they need answers. The danger here for therapists is to become everything for that person, father figure, sexual object, confessor, adviser and most of all the only person who has ever really listened to them and understood! In this paper we will explore the dangers to both therapists and to clients when both parties start to see the therapist as a God – the know all – see all – understand all, a being who will magically whisk away all those terrible feelings and leave a well-adjusted happy person behind.

Introduction:

From the time therapists began in the early 19th century patients have idolised their doctors as someone special amongst all the people they know, whether that be male or female it does not matter but the relationship structure of the powerless under the spell of the powerful. Freud and others recognised that patients often transfer their needy emotions to the therapist (counsellor) in the form of a love object. Most after some period of therapy actually find their feelings for the therapist actually diminish to one of respect or care but not as intensive as the early sessions. This bell-shaped graph of emotion shows the early mistrust to dependency to eventual co-dependence and finally disengagement from the carer to an independent self supportive state of mind. Of course these same therapists realised that dependency works the other way in counter-transference where the therapist becomes dependent on the patient (client) and finds disengagement fearful and experienced as a loss.

In order for therapists to deal with the problem elaborate rules were devised over the years by societies and expressed as boundaries of behaviour (ethics). In these rules the therapist should be aware of transference in both directions and deal with the situation by gentle rejection and assurance to the client that these feelings are normal and will pass. However for many therapists and clients these intense emotional feelings do not always go away and ethical lines become crossed by the therapist who allows their need for worship and to be treated in a God like manner to blur their judgement for the patient’s well-being and on-going treatment.

God Like Worship

What entices the therapist to slip so easily into the God complex? One definition is that the therapist themselves have a needy personality from childhood. Where maybe from a large family of siblings where parents have to share out the love available – where competing for attention often results in frustration and feelings of being alone even in a house surrounded by others. As adults they often search for people who are giving in nature to satisfy their need for attention that was sadly lacking in childhood. So when confronted with an attentive client the therapist can find themselves feeding off their loving worship, enjoying the attention, the worshipfulness of the client that allows the therapist to feel powerful, loved and above all needed.

A second area is that of the therapists self -esteem. The therapist may have feelings that they are not fulfilling there own professional standards, that they are failing their clients through lack of knowledge, professionalism and so constantly look for clients to assure them through their God-like worship that they are doing a good job, that they are succeeding in helping them feel better. The therapist is constantly asking the client questions such as, “are you feeling better?”, “have things improved?”, and “are these sessions helping you?” All are genuine questions for any therapist to ask from time to time to check or measure progress but when asked to often can indicate that the therapist is looking for approval or commendation for the work so far. In other words they want to hear they are doing a good job for the client. Here the therapists self-esteem can be boosted and help them to continue to treat clients with a new-found confidence. However this confidence is only temporary as the self-doubts creep back in over time and further reassurance is needed from the client to boost the ego once more to its God-like heights. When one particular client is constantly praising the therapist then in turn the therapist creates a need for that client that makes it imperative they continue in treatment. To achieve this the therapist is constantly searching for new reasons to continue the sessions not for the sake of the client but in fact for their own needs.

A third area is professional snobbery, here the therapist has a reputation to keep, a need for recognition both by the client as an expert but also the adoring public for their outstanding work or achievements. Here the therapist becomes the centre of the counselling process in which they are magnanimous in their Godly status amongst fellow colleagues and the public arena. This dangerous self-importance can lead to recklessness on behalf of patients who believe this person to be that all-knowing God who will answer their need to be treated by the best – the one with the outstanding reputation amongst his peers – that therapist who is hard to see (get an appointment with) as they are so busy and in demand. Of course this same therapist has the largest fees to pay and so the client perceives they are getting the best as they are paying the most.

The Crisis Trap

Every therapist is aware of the trap of transference and counter-transference and despite this knowledge can find themselves sucked into an unhealthy situation even without realising what is happening until a crisis emerges where the patient and therapist meet at the junction of an emotional precipice where decisions have to be considered about the continuance of therapy itself and the disengagement from those emotions that have crept up so silently. Once in this situation the therapist has the difficult task of repairing the relationship either by toning down their own responses to the client or recommending the client see a new therapist. However for the therapist who is addicted to the attention of the client this is a hard decision – to send away the very person who is giving them the need they have become drawn too. For some therapists there are other concerns such as being found out, a professional complaint, an incidental family interference or crisis of confidence about their own skills in counselling. This can lead to a fear response effecting other client’s sessions and outcomes. A therapist in emotional crisis cannot be effective in helping clients when they are more concerned with their own welfare than that of the patient.

Outcomes

Is it so surprising that as therapists we are any less than anyone else in need of love, attention, to have needs met, to feel wanted and appreciated by others. So it is not surprising that given the opportunity to feel worshiped in a God like manner that so many therapists fall from grace and into the trap of hero-worship by the very clients whom they should be looking after for their emotional needs and helping them to grow so as to deal with their own (the clients) real life problems and to move forward being able to cope with life.

There is no easy solution to this phenomenon of transference and to offer a simple guide to avoiding the situation would be futile as every situation brings differing dynamics that each therapist has to confront and deal with as professionally as possible. However it would be unfair not to point out some obvious rules of thumb for therapists who succumb to God Worship, at least to think about.

First once you realise as a therapist that boundaries have been crossed a general discussion with a peer professional may help to reassert their personal perspective about themselves and the client involved. Secondly the therapist should consider breaking with the client and so end the unhealthy situation by recommending another therapist (usually of the same sex as the client). Third if the transference is one-way (from the client only) then to explain to the client the reasons for their feelings towards the therapist and how in counselling a inverted bell like pattern of emotions can be seen as a healthy progression through stages of the sessions towards a healing process in the end. That mutual respect is a far healthy outcome than God-like worship that in fact may colour the outcome of the treatment. To take the I’m OK – Your OK position in that both parties to the transference have needs to be met and acknowledge those needs but within the boundaries of good ethical practice. Fourth is to realise that to be appreciated by the client for doing your job is a worthwhile reward but that there are limits to that praise that have to be tinged with realism about the therapist’s role in counselling as a guide and not a God-head for the client to worship at.

Conclusion:

I started out in this paper warning therapists about the trap of transference and how it can become addictive to have clients worship you and hold you in unnatural high esteem. That it is natural for all humans and not just therapists to seek love have needs met and feel wanted. However therapists are unique to our society in that they must be trusted to keep boundaries and professional standards when offering treatment to vulnerable clients who often desperately need to have answers to their problematic lives with an atmosphere of trust, respect and humanitarianism Magic may be expected from the client but realism and genuine support and understanding is the real magic offered by therapy to the client.

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