Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,* take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
This is a place to share your spiritual struggles, hopes, and successes as we live out what taking up the cross means.
In Matthew 11, Jesus also says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
I heard a commentary on this from Fr. Mike Schmitz recently. He said we tend to think of ourselves in a single yoke, but a double yoke was more commonly used, and what Jesus was referring to.
When we assume his yoke, we are beside him, laboring side by side with his strength pulling us on.
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Thank you, Menagerie. May God continue to bless us all.
~ EM
Matthew 16:23-25
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
In this age of unlimited bodily self-indulgence, most people can’t even give something up for the duration of a television show. The concept of “delayed gratification” is no longer considered a path toward achieving self-mastery. As for sacrificing something solely for the sake of a deeper relationship with Christ…that’s left as an exercise for the reader.
As Catholics, we are called to slave the will to the intellect as it is through the light of reason that we can come to know and accept God’s will for us. In order to reign in the will, it is necessary to cultivate the cardinal virtue of temperance. The best way to cultivate temperance is to regularly practice mortification of the flesh, denying one’s self and sacrificing things willed in reparation for offenses against Almighty God and in thanksgiving for His abundant blessings. This, unfortunately, is a spiritual exercise that has fallen out of practice amongst “church of accompaniment” Catholics. Ignore the heterodox innovations and ramblings of the current crop of hirelings and return to the traditions that nurtured the faith of the martyrs and saints. For anyone interested in learning more about Catholic belief and practice as it always was, I recommend as a starting point the Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent, the Baltimore Catechism of 1885, and the Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
One key for me is as the apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10 there is no temptation takes ahold of me but is common to man but God is faithful and with temptation provide a way of escape.
In other words, I am not so unique that I alone suffer a unique temptation; I turn to him in temptation rather than trying to gut it out.
The key is fellowship with him while avoiding evil to begin with.
Love, love, love Father Mike Schmitz. I listen to Bible in a Year and find him so inspiring.
For me, taking up his yoke means steadfastness – persisting day to day even when the body, the culture, my own personal weaknesses and temptations, would counsel me not to. It’s not just a one day at a time fight, but a moment by moment trusting in God’s power even when the immediate evidence would suggest that I should doubt. Because my experience has been that he’s never let me down, he continues to pull that yoke.
Even the strength that we have to pull our share of the yoke comes from him. We think of the early believers, and read the compendium of what they endured in the book of Hebrews, people of whom it is written “the world was not worthy,” and we make them superhuman, But they had the same frailties and weaknesses that afflict us. But they also had a belief in the power and love of God and they learned to rely on his power to carry them in situations where otherwise they would have surrendered, yes, even to the point of death. This is the same power that works, even today, in people of faith, because it’s the same God that we serve and he never lets his children down.
The fire of God’s love, by Augustine of Hippo,354-430 A.D.
“Gravity keeps everything in its own place. Fire climbs up, while a stone goes down. Elements that are not in their own place are restless until they find it. This applies also to us. My weight is my love; wherever I go, I am driven by it. By the love of God we catch fire ourselves and, by moving up, find our place and our rest.” (excerpt from Confessions 13,9)
Amen! Thank you for your very good and very true words!
God will never fail us nor forsake us. We however are the ones being put to the test under temptations, not God. It is our integrity, our virtue, our love that is more than sweet words in songs and poems; but love in deed and in truth!
Are the temptations real? Are they kicking and screaming and threatening, that we had better satisfy this or that forbidden lust, RIGHT NOW? Then it is the time to put our “money where our mouth is!” That is where being a true and faithful friend of God is proven. God isn’t the one who has to do it; WE HAVE TO DO IT! And by His grace, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! Greater is He who is in us, than he that is in the world, than the pull of our own lusts, than anything and everything! Stand your ground and be strong! Speak out and proclaim the Scripture that you stand on: Sin shall not have dominion over me! I am crucified with Christ, and the body of sins is destroyed: I am a new creation in Christ! Thou shalt not commit adultery! You shall be holy unto Me, for I the LORD your God am holy! FLEE FORNICATION! If any man love the world, the love of the Father IS NOT IN HIM!
Find the Scriptures that pertain to the temptations, and own them! Read the word of God all the way through, pray it in, and work it out. We don’t know how many days we have in this world; and we will not want to come before Jesus ashamed and sorry that we failed Him at every opportunity to prove our love and obedience and faith.
What we do know, is that what we exercise becomes stronger; and practice makes perfect! Resist once, and the next time you’ll get better at it.Don’t give up, and don’t look back; and never ever listen to the devil who tells you that you can’t get the victory! You have the victory already through the power of Christ’s resurrection, and the Holy Spirit in you. But you are the one who has to do it! So be that man after God’s own heart, and be a David; perfect with the LORD all your days! No one and nothing can keep you from doing all that Jesus has said for us to do. It all depends on whether you are going to be true to your word, and commitment to the Lord. So let us play the men, for our people, and for the cities of our God!
Thank you, Michael! Powerful, spirit-inspired words indeed!
It’s really very simple, but as The Bible says, the darkness doesn’t like the light. God is as close as any person wants Him to be. The more you know Him, the more you will bear any cross, willingly, just as He did. It’s simple, but it’s not always easy. I have felt His power, strength, and peace directly since my daughter passed on Dec 23rd. I chronicle this amazing grief filled but spiritual journey on substack/I Can’t Imagine.
Broken, so saddened for your deep, heavy loss of your child.
Thankful for the Lord Jesus carrying you through it all.
Blessings and prayer.
🙏🏻 ✝️ 🌸
Thank you Miss. Della.B
✝️ 🌷
Broken Pottery, I am saddened for you….; for the –seemingly unimaginable– loss of your daughter. 💔
Last night Ma said that pulling her hair out, screaming, crying ….. staying in bed, being miserable….
will not bring her two children back! That ‘Someone’ must be helping her; as that ‘Someone’ always has. That her suffering is nothing compared to what Mary suffered. Nothing, compared to what Jesus suffered.
Then we cried a bit.
Then we sang before making ready for bed.
✝ God Bless and keep you. 💖
Bless you, Patience, for helping your mamma. It’s a heavy load, I know.
May God continue to provide for you both all that you need.
Shalom, Shalom – perfect peace.
✝️ 🌷 🌷
Though the Bible has many fav verses, this one is top of my list!
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (28)
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (29)
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (30)
Matthew 11:28-30
I want to be yoked with Jesus -24/7- for rest of my days.
A current spiritual struggle is criticizing certain others for their not-so-smart life choices.
Then, I have to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy on me, a sinner. And to pray more for them instead.
He’s been helping me learn from Him -as the verse says- to trust Him with all my heart – in everything.
Easier said than done.
Thank you, Menagerie, for this!
(A link for those interested in role of a yoke in ancient times)
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/teaching-and-messages/the-yoke-of-jesus-biblical-meaning-and-importance.html
i will give you rest
Thank you, Molon, I appreciate you. 🌷🌷
Ever heard song by Andrae Crouch: “Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God.”
That’s what I’m doing…
https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/847594/Andraé+Crouch/Through+It+All
Miss.Della.B and Broken Pottery…often sang at funerals, On Eagles Wings…can remind one of the strength The Almighty can bring to all. Sending prayers…
Some sweet words:
For to His angels He’s given a command
To guard you in all of your ways
Upon their hands they will bear you up
Lest you dash your foot against a stone
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=lyrics+to+on+eagles+wings+by+michael+joncas
Thank you, Aggie, those are beautiful words!
I adore Psalm 91:11.
When the Covid 2020 lock-up bore down on all, many people had banners in the yard with this verse…
blessings to you,
🤗 🌷 🌷
The silver lining of Lockdown is that it sent me back into the Bible for peace and sanity, and gradually an organized quiet time emerged. This is the Three-a-Day approach to Daily Bible study: A chapter from each of the Old & New Testaments and the Psalms –
OT minus the Psalms – 779 chapters, a little over 2 years to read through once.
Shortest to longest (Obadiah to Isaiah), a different book each day, last chapter first.
This breaks up long lists (genealogies etc.) into manageable bite-sized pieces.
Psalms – 150 chapters, 5 months to read through, so will be repeated 5 times during 2 years.
Starting in the middle at the 75th Psalm and then reading them through in a ‘ripple’ from the center outwards: 75, 74, 76, 73, 77, 72, 78, 71 etc.
NT – 260 chapters, 8 months to read through, so will be repeated 3+ times during 2 years.
Shortest to longest (Jude to Acts), a different book each day beginning with the first chapter except for Mark & Luke where you start with the last chapter.
This keeps the synoptic Gospels’ similar narratives from overlapping too much.
After 45 years of hit or miss Bible reading, I have found this approach avoids anxiety & frustration, giving me joy, encouragement, and a lot more fun than crossword puzzles.
While it is certainly important that a believer builds a solid foundation by study (not just read) of the holy word – how else would he/she understand the intention and meaning of their prayer?, however it is acknowledged in many circles that the power of personal prayer is the highest. By personal, I mean a constant (if possible) “conversation” with our Maker. Prayers that originate in the heart and soul of the person. – as apposed to set prayers. Whatever is troubling one, from the mundane to the highly, from simple “requests” (please help me pay my rent etc) to clarity and guidance of deep spiritual matters. In one’s own words, from the heart, even “arguments” (with respect of course). It is told that King David walked with the name of God (YHWH) (not to be spoken) constantly – “in front of his eyes ” – As much as I am going to speak to You – I’m going to think on You more”. May we all become one in His name – Amen.
Agree. It’s communicating with your closest friend, most loving father, who wants to be involved in every little aspect. Once you have this, you can recognize His presence and help in and from other people.
This is a prayer I have shared here many times:
Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for our country. Please thwart the evil plans of men, and expose the evil deeds of men so that they will not escape justice, and rescue from destruction the innocent, the helpless, the unwary, and the unsaved. Protect those facing persecution, blessing and shielding them, and touch the hearts of their persecutors, lifting the veil, so that they will recognize their sin, repent, and trust Jesus Christ as savior.
Father we pray that you would give us politicians who have clarity, integrity, and passion for what is right. Give them great intelligence to solve problems, but please give them great strength of character, to stay away from anything corrupt or sinful as well.
Bless all who love us and all whom we love. Bless and protect Donald Trump, all of his supporters and allies, all lawmakers who uphold Biblical principles, law-keepers in all branches of the military and in all law enforcement agencies – especially those Departments which are under attack – all who are tasked with ending corruption by bringing the truth to light, and ALL of their families, working your good and perfect will in their lives this day enabling them to become the servants you want them to be, so that with wisdom and discernment they will lead spiritually fruitful, spiritually productive lives, and as happy, healthy, and long as you have appointed with your good and perfect will, free from malevolent interference.
Protect us from a slow agonizing destruction we pray.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Protect us from a slow agonizing destruction we pray.” – “we”, “the chosen”, the children of God, His faithful – will not be destroyed – slow, agonizing, or in any other form. We WILL endure hardship, joy,sorrow, tests, highs and lows – the cleansing “fire” of redemption, but we will not be destroyed. That, sad to say is reserved for the enemies of the most High – in His time and fashion.
Right now there are those doing their level best to destroy what we have been as a nation. It’s a fiery trial that is awakening many to their need for God. I am confident that He will see us through whatever lies ahead.
We will have Martyrs.
Even thought I was raised a Catholic when in college I would attend a few Quaker meetings with a friend.
The kind of Quaker meetings that were not organized with prepared talks and songs.
We just sat in silence until some one seemed to feel the need to share something.
These Quakers teach their children to “quiet their minds” so they can feel the Spirit.
I was impressed with these meetings, they were so quiet and peaceful.
I have tried to acquire that state of mind ever since them, but it is not easy.
Our world is so noisy and intrusive.
So many talking or shouting and trying to get attention, it is hard to find the still small voice of our Heavenly Father.
But I am working on it and it seems to be getting harder instead of easier for some reason.
The world is even noisier and intrusive than it was 45 yearsago when I met these wonderful quiet Quakers.
Love this testimony, CC…such unique experience with the Quakers!
It is hard to hear God’s voice in noisy world and I cherish those times of silence!
In my 20’s, I noticed there were on average just 10 verses of scripture read from the pulpit before the sermon. A number cruncher in the aerospace industry, I mused “that’s just 520 verses per year – if no repeats how long would it take to get through the entire protestant Bible at that rate”? So I counted all the verses, divided by 520 and came up with like 59.8 years to get through the Bible at that rate.
In my 40’s, I suspected us pew-warmers weren’t getting the whole picture and the Lord prompted me to sit down with 3 years of bulletins and using a well worn Bible, highlighted the scriptures that were read every Sunday. By year 2 it was obvious they were repeating scriptures year in and year out. What emerged was the advent calendar schedule of scripture readings, repeated year after year wherein 95% of the Bible went unread, if a person’s only exposure to scripture was the Sunday service.
About that time, I adopted a reading regimen that included 5 Psalms and 1 Proverb a day, every month – and a few chapters of the OT and NT until I’d read everything. Going through a blindside divorce at the time, I wrote my favorite scriptures on 3×5 cards and carried them in my shirt pocket to read through out the work day for encouragement. It’s been nearly 30 years since that time and I still read the cards once in awhile to remember. My favorite, now that I’m happily remarried to my friend and sister in Christ?
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. (Ps 128:3).
Still brings me to tears of joy.
Its a double yoke . !!! this has been a profound revelation to me. I can think of many Christians who have experienced the Presence of Jesus and the double yoke really explains it.
Smith Wigglesworth once laid hands on a man to pray for his healing. The man was on his death bed. As wigglesworth looked down on the mans chest he could see a second pair of nail pierced hands coming from the other side of the bed, also on the mans chest.
I know of another Christian who was having a conversation and in the middle of the conversation the Holy Spirit simply took over and spoke using the Christians body. He got to watch this and thought, with shock, “Why did I just say that !?”
Praise God our Father. I thank Christ Jesus for the daily reminder that I am nothing and He is everything . Bless all you wonderful believers.
“Know where you stand and stand there.” Fr Berrigan
I’ll add “now”.
The storm isn’t gathering, it is here.
John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
This is a time where we need God to guide us, this ancient evil that goes back to the Garden.
We love you, O our God; and we desire to love you more and more. Grant to us that we may love you as much as we desire, and as much as we ought. O dearest friend, who has so loved and saved us, the thought of whom is so sweet and always growing sweeter, come with Christ and dwell in our hearts; that you keep a watch over our lips, our steps, our deeds, and we shall not need to be anxious either for our souls or our bodies. Give us love, sweetest of all gifts, which knows no enemy.
Give us in our hearts pure love, born of your love to us, that we may love others as you love us. O most loving Father of Jesus Christ, from whom flows all love, let our hearts, frozen in sin, cold to you and cold to others, be warmed by this divine fire. So help and bless us in your Son.
(Prayer of Anselm, 12th century)
And we need The Mother to get to The Son.
1 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
I believe No is the first two letters of Not Yet which can also mean…I’m Possible.
While we may not always know what we can be thankful for in our lives, we can always be thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It was this sacrifice that opened the gates of Heaven and has since provided for us innumerable graces
Truth, covertly. We will always, always have that one thing for which to give thanks.
Jesus paid it all – for us.
🌷 ✝️ 🌷
1
To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life our redemption to win,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.
2
Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
3
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.
Amen.
The grace and power of love and obedience
How does love and obedience to God’s law go together? The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements. They made it a life-time practice to study the 613 precepts of the Old Testament along with the numerous rabbinic commentaries. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose.
What does God require of us? Simply that we love as he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbor is firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God’s love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will.
The love which conquers all
What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? Faith in God and hope in his promises strengthen us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises.
The Lord, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new freedom to love as he loves (Galatians 5:13).
Do I/we allow anything to keep me/us from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart?
Paul the Apostle says: hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5). Do we/I know the love which conquers all?
Dear God,
I bow my head and ask,
If it be Thy Will,
Please save this land from those who seek to destroy it.
In Jesus’ Name…..Amen
Amen, Amen.
Could you folks please pray for our 18 yr. old adopted daughter? We adopted her a birth and she was fine up until about 5 years ago. We sent her to an all girl’s Christian boarding school for 17 months and she improved some but once she came home, she said she would not live by the boundaries we set up to live in our home. She accepted Christ at 8 yrs. old so we tell ourselves if the worst occurs, at least she is saved. We are presently pursuing eviction as her disrespect is ruining our marriage. I am so scared for her since the world is so far gone now on the outside. I covet your prayers.
I just prayed for you all, Mr_Detail. Peace and wisdom to you, I pray.
Praying for you and all the family, especially your child, Detail.
This is heart-wrenching, I know…
May God grant you His peace, strength and wisdom for days ahead.
May He guide you with His voice and Light every step of the way.
You may consider clicking on “prayer requests” link on right margin, top corner here.
Faithful prayer warriors can help carry your burden to the Lord.
Shalom, Shalom – perfect peace
🌷 ✝️ 🌷
Thank you Miss. Della B & Jeff C-C. I am sorry, I did not see that upper right margin “Prayer Requests”.
Sorry, Detail, didn’t mean to confuse you!
You’re fine to ask for prayer on any thread at this wonderful Treehouse.
I believe the “prayer requests” link is good place for those on-going requests, and you would be covered there.
Whereas, this thread topic that we’re on here, will not be an “active” place after few days.
Did I make sense?
🌷 🥰
No apologies needed Mr Detail and all prayer requests are treated respectfully here.
We will pray for your daughter and your family, no problem at all.
About 10 years ago I turned the television off during Lent. No tv at all. It’s very peaceful and amazing how quickly clarity returns.
Please pray for wisdom that as Christians we may be able to ably discern false teachers and doctrines when they come our way. Seems like we are being sneakily bombarded with deceptive “beyond Biblical” programs in some of our churches. I know it’s happening in mine.
I would like to request prayer for my family. Today is the anniversary of my son’s death and it’s always a bit rough on all of us. All prayers are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Prayers for peace and love to shine from your angel
Praying for your family. I know how much prayers help. May God grant you peace as you wait until you see each other again.
Dear Lord, please comfort Jude and the family today – and in days ahead.
Give them extra measure of Your grace and mercy.
Please bind up their wounds and heal their broken hearts.
Only You can do so, and You love them.
Help them all keep good and loving memories of their son in their hearts and minds.
Give them courage and strength as they continue their journey to home – with You, and uniteD with their son once again. Forever.
We humbly bow and ask these things, for Christ’s sake and in His holy name.
Amen.
TY ALL…so very much for your prayers and support.
If a double yoke is used and Jesus is in the other yoke it’s impossible to end up in a ditch. If a single yoke is used ending up in a ditch is guaranteed!!!
One finds wisdom at the intersection of truth and love. For there, one finds Christ.
John 14:6, 1 John 4:8 & John 10:30, 1 Cor 1:24
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
16th President of the United States: 1861 ‐ 1865
Proclamation 97—Appointing a Day of National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer
March 30, 1863
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Whereas the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations, has by a resolution requested the President to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation; and
Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord;
And, insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do by this my proclamation designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. And I do hereby request all the people to abstain on that day from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite at their several places of public worship and their respective homes in keeping the day holy to the Lord and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.
All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the divine teachings that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington, this 30th day of March, A. D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-seventh.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
By the President:
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State .
Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation 97—Appointing a Day of National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/203143
I make a motion to call upon the Congress of these United States of America, to re-enact this solemn Proclamation 97, and that all be made a National Holy Day into law.
There is no separation between God and the States of men’s governments. Those who separate themselves, are the ones out of order and deviated from the truth. And it is our duty to God and man to do what we can, and what we know to be right, for the good of all men. We who have the knowledge of the True and Holy God, and are partakers of the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, are obliged to watch for the souls of our brethren and countrymen, regardless of how they stand with God. We are under Commandment to love, even as our Father in heaven loves; and setting aside a day for humiliation and fasting and prayer, for confessing and repenting and setting in order our account with God; is the way we ALL can do what we can for Jesus.
In view of the present catastrophe which is Western Nations’ Politics; is it unreasonable to assume, that exactly what was described in this interview, is IN FACT what is happening? Whether it be one foreign adversary or another, is irrelevant; the prostitutes in positions of power, and the drunken in ephemeral delusion, are doing exactly these things, in every facet of Western Life.
KGB Defector Yuri Bezmenov 1985 Interview. Explains KGB Manipulation of US Public Opinion
For me, being near 80, I have been through much. Have always been blessed. I think I am growing in Christ Jesus, although, I also find myself relying on the old brute strength of MY will power v God’s Will and the leading of Holy Spirit. As a believer I experience the attack of satan on a regular basis. In my opinion, satan is always trying to disprove the Cross. I think, for me, I have grown greatly after trying to fix something myself, failing, then surrendering to the Grace of God, repenting. The double yoke is self battling with the world in our own power. This battle brings the double yoke. We are redeemed by FAITH in the Cross, and everything Jesus did at that Cross, the victory, the resurrection, and Holy Spirit dwelling in all who believe by faith in the Cross and all it brings…the yoke becomes easy when I remain focused upon the Cross and Jesus Christ. For me, it opens my heart to Holy Spirit for continued enlightenment, rival, and victory…All leads to being more Christlike. This is also 24/7, 365 pursuit for me. I am strong willed, opinionated, salty and loud…lot of “yokes”. I sometimes, return to the “law” and accomplish nothing of value. As soon as I remember the Cross, repent, Holy Spirit brings revelation, those yokes become lighter, and I moved forward. God is Love. He has only strengthened me. We do carry yokes. The Cross and what Jesus did there, brings relief and Holy Spirit brings the peace and wisdom we need.