I just want to thank everyone that showed up and participated. Last
nights meeting was a blessing to me. It was good to hear everyone
share what God put on their heart and how this message has been
impacting our lifes.
I really like how John 3:17 says that Jesus didn't come to condemn
the world but to save. Everyone knows John 3:16 very few now the
verse after and to me thats the vital part. God not only saves but
he's not here to judge or condemn. The judgment WILL COME but its not
here now. I also like Matthew 19 where it talks about the kingdom of
heaven is like a servant forgiven of much who goes and tries to hold
someone who owes him very little accountable and throw him in prison
and shows how if we don't forgive the sins we were forgiven for we
will be held accountable for because unforgiveness is an unpardonable
sin, once your forgive then your slate is clean. As it says in the
manner we judge we will be judged. If we forgive we will be forgiven.
To many forget that forgivness of others is essential to be forgive.
There were a few testimonies about family, work and other
relationships where forgiveness was needed to be given and how to
deal with situations with Christians who are hypocritical.
Some good points where brought up.
I love how Francis Frangipane words things. I feel like I share alot
in common with things he says and how he approaches life and faith.
Where he says unless your willing to die for someone you have no
right to judge them. And that until your willing to intercede for
them and love them then you have no place to judge them. If you have
the Christ kinda of love that you will die for them and never leave
nor forsake them then you can help them toward the right path. We
discussed the biblical pattern for dealing with issues like that,
going to the person one on one, taking someone with you or taking it
further if necessary. But if your not willing to lay your life down
for them and intercede then you have no place.
And that realy leads to the point about the Plankeye Syndrome that we
discussed last night that when a person Judges and doesn't forgive
that they become so critical of others that they can't see their own
sins and since they are in judgement the critisize and just others
and this also brought us into a discussion on seperation and
discernment. Being able to understand what kingdom people are
opperating under. To be "meek and lowly of heart" to be slow to
speak, to take time to listen and hear the truth in things people say
and not take on the offense when someone may intend to offend. But to
be discerning of what spirit they are operating under and how to
minister through encouragement and wisdom, which is the application
of knowledge and experience which only comes through being doers of
the word not just listeners.
Most people with Plank Eye syndrome have a fixation with your spec
and keep picking at it but everytime they look at you, you have to
duck because if you dont their plank will hit you in the head.
Its also important to understand that you'r ears are holy and you
don't have to be defiled by listening to gossip that not saying
anything is the same as agreement or atleast to those speaking and
you're spirit feels defiled. We must have boundaries and when people
start to defile us we speak up. As I mentioned before meekness isn't
weakness, its strength cover or vieled, its having the power to but
making the choice not to. Humility is taking the lowest position,
taking the lowest seat, not trying to rise above others.
We must be meek and lowly of heart, to judge our own heart and walk
in love and realize Jesus didn't come to condemn or judge but to
save. Our job or mission is to love others as Christ did and through
our love lead them to Christ. As I mentioned last night to "Witness
at all times, but when necessary use words," Jesus spending time with
Zacheus the tax collector caused him to give half of all the stuff he
took back to those he took it from. In that time Tax collectors would
take an additional percentage of the taxes, if the tax was 10 percent
they would take 20 percent, or whatever they felt like and just the
fact that Jesus would spend time with him, he felt the love and
acceptance of God and that brought him to repentance.
The word says that Gods kindness leads to repentance. Gods love
covers a multitude of sins. The accuser of the brethren will accusser
a sinner of sin. You don't have to try to confront a sinner and tell
them they are a sinner. Jeremiah 33 says the new covenant will be on
peoples hearts and that you won't have to say to your neighbor know
God beause they now. Everyone is convicted of sin.
As Francis Frangipane said Jesus never Condemned Sinners, He
condemned Hypocrites / Religious Pharisee's. Judgement first comes to
the house of God. A sinner is a sinner. I think that Mormons,
Jehovahs Witness and others have pushed a false view of evangelism,
make sinner feel bad for their sin, condemn them for their sin and
then get them to repent. When Jesus spent time with Zacheus he
repented just because Jesus spent time with him. He saw his life, his
deeds, his works but that he would just eat dinner at his house was
amazing to him. Our lives should be like that.
When the women with adultery was caught and brought to him. Jesus
said let the first person without sin cast a stone and started to
write in the sand. As he wrote the all left starting the eldest
Pharisee on down. They all had sin. And then Jesus said where are you
accusers and then he said "go and sin no more." The shortest sermon.
Simple to the point. He didn't have to judge or go look adultry is
wrong you shouldn't do it, God doesn't like that. She knew. He said
go and sin no more. Many scholars say she's the one who brought the
alabaster jar and washed his feet with it when Judas said it was a
waste but our Lord said this must be done for the preperation for my
burial.
Love covers sin, the accuser uncovers.
He who is forgiven much loves much. We must shift our live to live by
example. We talked about how using proverbs in the workplace and with
others is a good way to plant seeds without judging and how God has
openned doors to change peoples lifes that way.
We also, discussed how Jesus humbleselve to come to the earth as a
man and at the Lords Passover Meal he washed the feet of the
disciples. The God who spoke the world into existance, the word,
Jehovah Elohim, was kneeling at the feet of His disciples and said
they had no part of him if they didn't let him wash their feet.
Jesus took the lowest place, so He could take us to the highest place
with him. He showed love, mercy, forgiveness, healed those hurting,
binded up their wounds, suffered punishment for our sins and pain for
our healing.
When faced with the cross he never spoke a word because he "knew the
spirit that is within men." He discerned the kingdoms and knew of
which spirit people spoke, so he was able to divide a person from
their sin. The word is sharper than a two edged sword to dividing
assunder of joints and marrow, soul and spirit, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart. Jesus, The Word, IS SHARPER
than a TWO EDGED SWORD. Jesus was a sharp guy. Who was tempted in all
ways as we are but didn't sin. He didn't say a word but on the cross
said of those who killed him, "Father forgive them, they don't know
what they do," because he "knew the spirit that is within men" as
Paul said "when I sin its is no longer I but sin in me."
It easy to meek when you a confronted with a rough situation when you
know that the person who is full of judgement, wrath and anger is
under judgement for their unforgiveness and they are walking in a
spirit of bitterness. You know that they behave that way because its
a spiritual issue not a physical battle.
As I mentioned late night, the Nicene council was called to battle
the Gnostic gospels that were trying to teach that knowledge saves
and the "enlightenment" really brought that to the mainstream and is
the mainstream in Western Culture and education. After the dark ages
came the enlightenment which real taught that "knowledge is power."
Thats really the luciferian spirit and the mantra of
witchcraft, "know thyself and you know god and the universe," which
is rooted in Lucifereanism. Too say rationaly I am self reliant, self
sufficient, self capable. You may be but if you are a hearer and not
a doer of the word. If you are lost in knowledge but have no power in
your life. You might want to apply "your heart" to knowledge and let
it become wisdom through experience.
We must cast down those vain imaginations, thoughts and arguments
that rise against the knowledge of God. The most common topic I read
about in Paul epistles is Sanctification... That we go from Glory to
Glory, Height to Height, that God keeps us when we walk with him. Its
our job to apply our hearts to wisdom, to walk according to Gods
word. In the OT the glory resided in the Holy of Holies, we are not
temples of the Glory of God, if we walk out sanctification or which
Humility is the foundation of transformation, then the closer to God
we get, the more humble we have to be. God resists the proud but
draws near to the humble. Humility is the key to the power of Gods
kingdom in your life.
When we walk in humility and sanctification, we go from glory to
glory and the closer we get to God, the more that people around
us "feel" the change of the presence of God in our lives.
Jesus said in the last days we are to preach the good news to all the
earth and in the OT is says His glory will be poured out all over the
earth. We are the earthen vessels of clay that to carry the oil of
the spirit. We need to keep getting vessels to bring them in so they
can get filled up and then go out. We are the vessels who are to
carry His glory to the ends of the earth. That is the miseo-dea the
mission of God. We are His vessels and vessels of dishonor can
cleanse themselves and become vessels of honor.
I know this is another of my long posts... Thank you for reading it
for those of you who do. I pray that it blesses you as we were
blessed last night.
Shalom,
Jermiah Giehl
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Summary Of "Strongman's his nam What's his game?" Dr Jerry Robison
Summary Of "Strongman's his name… What's his game?"
By Dr. Jerry Robison
Summary by Jeramiah Giehl
According to Dr. Jerry Robison in his book, "Strongman's his name…
What's his game?" Says that there are 16 biblically named demonic
spirits. So let us look at what scriptural prescription we can give
for the deliverance eviction and restoration of a bound/oppressed
person. He lists the principality and then the underlies or
activities of that spirit, he also lists what to bind and what to
loose. Because when you clean a demon out of a person they must be
filled up so that the devil won't come back and find that person
empty and make it seven times worse.
List of spiritual strongmen listed in the bible:
Spirit of Divination - Acts 16:16-18
Manifestations - Fortuneteller-Soothsayer, Warlock-Satanist-Witch-
Wiccan-Druid-Pagan, Stargazer-Zodiac, Horoscopes, Rebellion,
Hypnotist-Enchanter, Drugs (Greek. - Pharmakos),
Waterwitching/Divination, Magic
Scriptures: (Acts 16:16-18; Micah 5:12; Isaiah 2:6; Exodus 22:18;
Isaiah 47:13; Leviticus 19:26; Jeremiah 10:2; 1 Samuel 15:23;
Deuteronomy 18:11; Isaiah 19:3; Galatians 5:20; Revelaion 9:21;
18:23; 21:8; 22:15; Hosea 4:12; Exodus 7:11; 8:7; 9:11)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: the Spirit of Divination
Loose: The Holy Spirit and Gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:7-12
Familiar Spirit
Manifestations - Necromancer, Medium, Peeping and Muttering, Yoga,
Clairvoyant, Spiritist, Drugs (Greek. - Pharmakos), Passive Mind-
Dreamers, False Prophecy
Scriptures: (Deuteronomy 18:11; 1 Chronicles 10:13; 1 Samuel 28;
Isaiah 8:19; 29:4; 59:3; Jeremiah 29:8; 1 Samuel 28:7,8; Galatians
5:20; Revelations 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Familiar Spirits
Loose: Holy Spirit and Gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:9-12
Spirit of Jealousy
Manifestations - Murder, Revenge-Spite, Anger-Rage, Jealousy, Hatred,
Cruelty, Strife, Contention, Competition, Envy, Cause Divisions
Scriptures: (Genesis 4:4-6; 37:3,4,8; Proverbs 6:34; 10:12; 13:10;
14:16-17,29-30; 22:24-25; 27:4; 29:22-23; Numbers 5:14,30; 1
Thessalonians 4:8; Song of Solomon 8:6; Galatians 5:19)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of jealousy
Loose: Love of God, 1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 5:2
Lying Spirit
Manifestations - Strong Deceptions, Flattery, Superstitions,
Religious Bondages, False Prophecy, Accusations, Slander, Gossip,
Lies, False Teachers
Scriptures: (2 Chronicles 18:22; Psalms 31:18; 78:36; Proverbs 6:16-
19; 10:18; 20:19; 26:28; 29:5; Jeremiah 23:16-17; 27:9,10; Matthew
7:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-13; 1 Timothy 4:7; 6:20; 2 Timothy 2:16; 2
Peter; 1 John 3-5; Revelation 12:10)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Lying Spirit
Loose: Spirit of Truth, (Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and The Word
of God) John 4:23-24; 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17; 1 John 3:24-4:6
Perverse Spirit
Manifestations - Broken Spirit, Evil Actions, Atheist, Abortion,
Child Abuse, Filthy Mind, Doctrinal Error, Sex Perversions, Twisting
The Word, Foolish, Chronic Worrier, Contentions, Incest, Pronogrophy
Scriptures: (Exodus 20:13; 21:22-25; Proverbs 1:22; 2:12; 14:2; 15:4;
17:20,23; 19:1,3; 23:33; Isaiah 19:14; Acts 13:10; Romans 1:17-32;
Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Timothy 6:4,5; 2 Timothy 3:2,7-8; Titus
3:11,11; 2 Peter 2:14)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Perverse Spirit
Loose: God's Spirit; Pureness, Holiness, Zechariah 12:10; Hebrews
10:29; 12:14
Spirit of Haughtiness
Manifestations - Arrogant-Smug, Pride, Idleness, Scornful, Strife,
Obstinate, Self-Deception, Contentious, Self-Righteous, Rebellion,
Rejection of God
Scriptures: (1 Samuel 15:23; 2 Samuel 22:8; Proverbs 1:22; 3:34;
6:16,17; 10:4; 13:10; 16:18,19; 21:24; 24:9; 28:25; 29:1,8; Jeremiah
43:2; 48:29; 49:16; Isaiah 2:11,17; 5:15; 16:6; Ezekiel 16:49-50;
Daniel 5:20; Obadiah 1:3; Luke 18:11,12)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Haughtiness
Loose: Humble and Contrite Spirit, Proverbs 16:19; Romans 1:4
Spirit of Heaviness
Manifestations - Excessive Mourning, Sorrow-Grief, Insomnia, Self-
Pity, Rejection, Broken-Heart, Despair-Dejection-Hopelessness,
Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Inner Hurts-Torn Spirit, Heaviness
Scriptures: (Isaiah 61:3; Luke 4:18; Nehemiah 2:2; Proverbs 15:13;
Psalms 69:20; Proverbs 12:18; 15:3,13; 18:14; Luke 4:18; 2
Corinthians 1:8-9; Isaiah 61:3; Mark 9; Luke 4:18; Proverbs 18:14;
26:22)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Heaviness
Loose: Comforter, Garment of Praise, Oil of Joy, John 15:26; Isaiah
61:3
Spirit of Whoredoms
Manifestations - Unfaithfulness/Adultery, Spirit-Soul-or-Body
Prostitution, Chronic Dissatisfaction, Love of Money, Fornication,
Idolatry, Excessive Appetite, Worldliness
Scriptures: (Ezekiel 16:15,28; Proverbs 5:1-14; Galatians 5:19;
Deuteronomy 23:17-18; Ezekiel 16:28; Proverbs 15:27; 1 Timothy 6:7-
14; Hosea 4:13-19; Judges 2:17; Ezekiel 16; Leviticus 17:7; 1
Corinthians 6:13-16; Philipians 3:19; James 4:4)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Whoredoms
Loose: Spirit of God: Pure Spirit, Holiness, Commitment, Insatiable
Ever Increasing Hunger for more of God Spirit and Presence, Ephesians
3:16; John 3:34; 14:12
Spirit of Infirmity
Manifestations - Bent Body-Spine, Impotent-Frail-Lame, Asthma-Hay
Fever-Allergies, Arthritis, Weakness, Lingering Disorders,
Oppression, Cancer
Scriptures: (Luke 13:11; John 5:5; Acts 3:2; 4:9; Acts 10:38)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Infirmity
Loose: Spirit of life and gifts of healing, Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians
12:9
Deaf and Dumb Spirit
Manifestations - Dumb-Mute, Crying, Drown, Tearing, Blindness, Mental
Illness, Ear Problems, Suicidal, Foaming At The Mouth,
Seizures/Epilepsy, Burn, Gnashing Of Teeth, Pining Away Prostration
Scriptures: (Matthew 9:32,33; 12:22; 15:30-31; 17:15; Mark 5:5;
9:18,22,25-26,39; Luke 9:39)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Deaf and Dumb Spirit
Loose: Resurrection Life and Gifts OF Healing, Romans 8:11; 1
Corinthians 12:9
Spirit of Bondage
Manifestations - Fears, Addictions (Drugs, Alcohol, Cigarettes, Food,
Etcetera…), Fear of Death, Captivity to Satan, Servant of Corruption,
Compulsive Sin, Bondage to Sin
Scriptures: (Romans 6:16; 7:23; 8:15; 2 Peter 2:19; Hebrews 2:14-15;
Luke 8:23; John 8:34; Acts 8:23; Proverbs 5:2; 2 Timothy 2:26)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Bondage
Loose: Liberty, Spirit of Adoption, Romans 8:15
Spirit of Fear
Manifestations - Fears-Phobias, Heart Attacks, Torment-Horror, Fear
of Man, Nightmares-Terrors, Anxiety-Stress, Fear of Death, Untrusting-
Doubt
Scriptures: (Isaiah 13:7-8; 2 Timothy 1:7; Psalms 55:4-5; 1 John
4:18; Luke 21:26; John 14:1,27; Proverbs 29:25; Jeremiah 1:8; 17-19;
Ezekiel 2:6-7; 3:9; Psalms 91:5-6; Isaiah 54:14; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1
Peter 5:7; Matthew 8:26; Revelation 21:8)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Fear
Loose: Love, Power, and A Sound Mind; Perfect Love casts our all
fear, 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18
Seducing Spirits
Manifestations - Hypocritical Lies, Seared Conscience, Attractions-
Fascinations by false prophets, signs and wonders, Deception,
Wandering from the Truth, Fascination with evil ways objects or
persons, Seducers-Enticers
Scriptures: (1 Timothy 4:1; Proverbs 12:22; James 1:14; Mark 13:22;
Romans 7:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:13; 1 John 2:18-26;
Deuteronomy 13:6-8; 2 Timothy 3:13; Proverbs 1:10; 12:26; 2 Timothy
3:13)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Seducing Spirits
Loose: Holy Spirit - Truth, John 16:13
Spirit of Anti-Christ
Manifestations - Denies Deity of Christ, Denies Atonement, Against
Christ and His Teaching, Humanism, Worldly Speech and Actions,
Teachers of Heresies, Anti-Christian, Deceiver, Lawlessness
Scriptures: (1 John 2:18,19; 4:3,5; 2 John 1:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:4,3-
12; Revelation 13:7)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Anti-Christ
Loose: Spirit of Truth, 1 John 4:6
Spirit of Error
Manifestations - Error, Unsubmissive, False Doctrines, Unteachable,
Servant of Corruption, Contentions, Defensive/Argumentative
(defend "Gods revelations" to them personally), New-Age Movement
Scriptures: (Proverbs 14:22; 1 John 4:6; 2 Peter 3:16-17; Proverbs
29:1; 1 Timothy 6:20-21; 2 Timothy 4:3,1-4; Titus 3:10; 1 John 4:1-6;
Proverbs 10:17; 12:1; 13:18; 15:10,12,32; 2 Peter 2:19; James 3:16; 2
Thessalonians; 2 Peter 2:10)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Error
Loose: Spirit of Truth, 1 John 4:6; Psalm 51:10
Spirit of Death
Manifestations - Suicide Attempts
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Death
Loose: Spirit of life, love, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost
By Dr. Jerry Robison
Summary by Jeramiah Giehl
According to Dr. Jerry Robison in his book, "Strongman's his name…
What's his game?" Says that there are 16 biblically named demonic
spirits. So let us look at what scriptural prescription we can give
for the deliverance eviction and restoration of a bound/oppressed
person. He lists the principality and then the underlies or
activities of that spirit, he also lists what to bind and what to
loose. Because when you clean a demon out of a person they must be
filled up so that the devil won't come back and find that person
empty and make it seven times worse.
List of spiritual strongmen listed in the bible:
Spirit of Divination - Acts 16:16-18
Manifestations - Fortuneteller-Soothsayer, Warlock-Satanist-Witch-
Wiccan-Druid-Pagan, Stargazer-Zodiac, Horoscopes, Rebellion,
Hypnotist-Enchanter, Drugs (Greek. - Pharmakos),
Waterwitching/Divination, Magic
Scriptures: (Acts 16:16-18; Micah 5:12; Isaiah 2:6; Exodus 22:18;
Isaiah 47:13; Leviticus 19:26; Jeremiah 10:2; 1 Samuel 15:23;
Deuteronomy 18:11; Isaiah 19:3; Galatians 5:20; Revelaion 9:21;
18:23; 21:8; 22:15; Hosea 4:12; Exodus 7:11; 8:7; 9:11)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: the Spirit of Divination
Loose: The Holy Spirit and Gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:7-12
Familiar Spirit
Manifestations - Necromancer, Medium, Peeping and Muttering, Yoga,
Clairvoyant, Spiritist, Drugs (Greek. - Pharmakos), Passive Mind-
Dreamers, False Prophecy
Scriptures: (Deuteronomy 18:11; 1 Chronicles 10:13; 1 Samuel 28;
Isaiah 8:19; 29:4; 59:3; Jeremiah 29:8; 1 Samuel 28:7,8; Galatians
5:20; Revelations 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Familiar Spirits
Loose: Holy Spirit and Gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:9-12
Spirit of Jealousy
Manifestations - Murder, Revenge-Spite, Anger-Rage, Jealousy, Hatred,
Cruelty, Strife, Contention, Competition, Envy, Cause Divisions
Scriptures: (Genesis 4:4-6; 37:3,4,8; Proverbs 6:34; 10:12; 13:10;
14:16-17,29-30; 22:24-25; 27:4; 29:22-23; Numbers 5:14,30; 1
Thessalonians 4:8; Song of Solomon 8:6; Galatians 5:19)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of jealousy
Loose: Love of God, 1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 5:2
Lying Spirit
Manifestations - Strong Deceptions, Flattery, Superstitions,
Religious Bondages, False Prophecy, Accusations, Slander, Gossip,
Lies, False Teachers
Scriptures: (2 Chronicles 18:22; Psalms 31:18; 78:36; Proverbs 6:16-
19; 10:18; 20:19; 26:28; 29:5; Jeremiah 23:16-17; 27:9,10; Matthew
7:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-13; 1 Timothy 4:7; 6:20; 2 Timothy 2:16; 2
Peter; 1 John 3-5; Revelation 12:10)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Lying Spirit
Loose: Spirit of Truth, (Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and The Word
of God) John 4:23-24; 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17; 1 John 3:24-4:6
Perverse Spirit
Manifestations - Broken Spirit, Evil Actions, Atheist, Abortion,
Child Abuse, Filthy Mind, Doctrinal Error, Sex Perversions, Twisting
The Word, Foolish, Chronic Worrier, Contentions, Incest, Pronogrophy
Scriptures: (Exodus 20:13; 21:22-25; Proverbs 1:22; 2:12; 14:2; 15:4;
17:20,23; 19:1,3; 23:33; Isaiah 19:14; Acts 13:10; Romans 1:17-32;
Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Timothy 6:4,5; 2 Timothy 3:2,7-8; Titus
3:11,11; 2 Peter 2:14)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Perverse Spirit
Loose: God's Spirit; Pureness, Holiness, Zechariah 12:10; Hebrews
10:29; 12:14
Spirit of Haughtiness
Manifestations - Arrogant-Smug, Pride, Idleness, Scornful, Strife,
Obstinate, Self-Deception, Contentious, Self-Righteous, Rebellion,
Rejection of God
Scriptures: (1 Samuel 15:23; 2 Samuel 22:8; Proverbs 1:22; 3:34;
6:16,17; 10:4; 13:10; 16:18,19; 21:24; 24:9; 28:25; 29:1,8; Jeremiah
43:2; 48:29; 49:16; Isaiah 2:11,17; 5:15; 16:6; Ezekiel 16:49-50;
Daniel 5:20; Obadiah 1:3; Luke 18:11,12)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Haughtiness
Loose: Humble and Contrite Spirit, Proverbs 16:19; Romans 1:4
Spirit of Heaviness
Manifestations - Excessive Mourning, Sorrow-Grief, Insomnia, Self-
Pity, Rejection, Broken-Heart, Despair-Dejection-Hopelessness,
Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Inner Hurts-Torn Spirit, Heaviness
Scriptures: (Isaiah 61:3; Luke 4:18; Nehemiah 2:2; Proverbs 15:13;
Psalms 69:20; Proverbs 12:18; 15:3,13; 18:14; Luke 4:18; 2
Corinthians 1:8-9; Isaiah 61:3; Mark 9; Luke 4:18; Proverbs 18:14;
26:22)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Heaviness
Loose: Comforter, Garment of Praise, Oil of Joy, John 15:26; Isaiah
61:3
Spirit of Whoredoms
Manifestations - Unfaithfulness/Adultery, Spirit-Soul-or-Body
Prostitution, Chronic Dissatisfaction, Love of Money, Fornication,
Idolatry, Excessive Appetite, Worldliness
Scriptures: (Ezekiel 16:15,28; Proverbs 5:1-14; Galatians 5:19;
Deuteronomy 23:17-18; Ezekiel 16:28; Proverbs 15:27; 1 Timothy 6:7-
14; Hosea 4:13-19; Judges 2:17; Ezekiel 16; Leviticus 17:7; 1
Corinthians 6:13-16; Philipians 3:19; James 4:4)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Whoredoms
Loose: Spirit of God: Pure Spirit, Holiness, Commitment, Insatiable
Ever Increasing Hunger for more of God Spirit and Presence, Ephesians
3:16; John 3:34; 14:12
Spirit of Infirmity
Manifestations - Bent Body-Spine, Impotent-Frail-Lame, Asthma-Hay
Fever-Allergies, Arthritis, Weakness, Lingering Disorders,
Oppression, Cancer
Scriptures: (Luke 13:11; John 5:5; Acts 3:2; 4:9; Acts 10:38)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Infirmity
Loose: Spirit of life and gifts of healing, Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians
12:9
Deaf and Dumb Spirit
Manifestations - Dumb-Mute, Crying, Drown, Tearing, Blindness, Mental
Illness, Ear Problems, Suicidal, Foaming At The Mouth,
Seizures/Epilepsy, Burn, Gnashing Of Teeth, Pining Away Prostration
Scriptures: (Matthew 9:32,33; 12:22; 15:30-31; 17:15; Mark 5:5;
9:18,22,25-26,39; Luke 9:39)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Deaf and Dumb Spirit
Loose: Resurrection Life and Gifts OF Healing, Romans 8:11; 1
Corinthians 12:9
Spirit of Bondage
Manifestations - Fears, Addictions (Drugs, Alcohol, Cigarettes, Food,
Etcetera…), Fear of Death, Captivity to Satan, Servant of Corruption,
Compulsive Sin, Bondage to Sin
Scriptures: (Romans 6:16; 7:23; 8:15; 2 Peter 2:19; Hebrews 2:14-15;
Luke 8:23; John 8:34; Acts 8:23; Proverbs 5:2; 2 Timothy 2:26)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Bondage
Loose: Liberty, Spirit of Adoption, Romans 8:15
Spirit of Fear
Manifestations - Fears-Phobias, Heart Attacks, Torment-Horror, Fear
of Man, Nightmares-Terrors, Anxiety-Stress, Fear of Death, Untrusting-
Doubt
Scriptures: (Isaiah 13:7-8; 2 Timothy 1:7; Psalms 55:4-5; 1 John
4:18; Luke 21:26; John 14:1,27; Proverbs 29:25; Jeremiah 1:8; 17-19;
Ezekiel 2:6-7; 3:9; Psalms 91:5-6; Isaiah 54:14; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1
Peter 5:7; Matthew 8:26; Revelation 21:8)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Fear
Loose: Love, Power, and A Sound Mind; Perfect Love casts our all
fear, 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18
Seducing Spirits
Manifestations - Hypocritical Lies, Seared Conscience, Attractions-
Fascinations by false prophets, signs and wonders, Deception,
Wandering from the Truth, Fascination with evil ways objects or
persons, Seducers-Enticers
Scriptures: (1 Timothy 4:1; Proverbs 12:22; James 1:14; Mark 13:22;
Romans 7:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:13; 1 John 2:18-26;
Deuteronomy 13:6-8; 2 Timothy 3:13; Proverbs 1:10; 12:26; 2 Timothy
3:13)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Seducing Spirits
Loose: Holy Spirit - Truth, John 16:13
Spirit of Anti-Christ
Manifestations - Denies Deity of Christ, Denies Atonement, Against
Christ and His Teaching, Humanism, Worldly Speech and Actions,
Teachers of Heresies, Anti-Christian, Deceiver, Lawlessness
Scriptures: (1 John 2:18,19; 4:3,5; 2 John 1:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:4,3-
12; Revelation 13:7)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Anti-Christ
Loose: Spirit of Truth, 1 John 4:6
Spirit of Error
Manifestations - Error, Unsubmissive, False Doctrines, Unteachable,
Servant of Corruption, Contentions, Defensive/Argumentative
(defend "Gods revelations" to them personally), New-Age Movement
Scriptures: (Proverbs 14:22; 1 John 4:6; 2 Peter 3:16-17; Proverbs
29:1; 1 Timothy 6:20-21; 2 Timothy 4:3,1-4; Titus 3:10; 1 John 4:1-6;
Proverbs 10:17; 12:1; 13:18; 15:10,12,32; 2 Peter 2:19; James 3:16; 2
Thessalonians; 2 Peter 2:10)
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Error
Loose: Spirit of Truth, 1 John 4:6; Psalm 51:10
Spirit of Death
Manifestations - Suicide Attempts
Roots… "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19-21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18
Bind: Spirit of Death
Loose: Spirit of life, love, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost
Bridge To Dominion Lifeteam meeting follow up
I want to thank everyone who made it to me and my wifes apartment. It
was a really good meeting, the fellowship was good, the conversation
was great and God really brought revelation and personal break
throughs for everyone in the house.
I just wanted to leave some notes on my heart. One that we go from
Glory to Glory, Height to Height, in Christ, if you are a disciple
then your growing and being Transformed and Renewed, if your are not,
your life is stagnant and you recieve no oposition because your not a
threat to the devil and your not in his way. Jesus said count the
cost and he that desires to live right and godly shall suffer
persecution. So if you even want to do what right satan will target
you because you are a threat to him.
I also wanted to remind you of what I shared out of Hebrews 2:7-11,
that God crowned us with glory and gave us dominion and put us
only "a little lower" than angels. That satan came to decieve we were
made IN GODS IMAGE, satan tempted Eve & Adam saying "don't you know
you will be like gods (or divine beings)" that was a temptation at
demotion not promotion. They were in Gods image, it doesn't get
better than that. They where given dominion over the works of Gods
hands it doesn't get better than that. They were tempted to accept a
false cheaper counterfiet.
The truth is that we are made Gods son's and daughter, we are
adopeted into the family through the Abrahamic promise we become
JOINT HEIRS with JESUS, FULL PARTNERS with Jesus who is seated at the
right hand of the Father on the Throne interceding for us and we are
seated in heavenly places with him on that same throne.
Jesus told His disciples all power on heaven and earth has been given
to me, I know give to you. We have power and authority.
Humility and meekness isn't weakness its having power and choosing to
not show it of or use it but when necessary. Its knowing your calling
and being obedient.
Jesus said, "If you love me obey my commands," and "go and learn what
this means I desire obedience not sacrifice." When we obey God we
then reside under His covering protected in His secret place, hidden
under the shadow of His wing and the enemy can't harm us, (Psalms 91
which was referenced alot).
We are joint heirs with God, We are full partners with the Godhead,
we have all the authority that Jesus did and humility is the key to
accessing and using the power. You can trully say I am Gods son or
Gods daughter, not just "a child" of God, or a yeah yeah I know I'ma
son of God but I am a fully adopted adult child accepted into the
family fo God, I am brothers with God, with Jesus, God the son,
Jehovah Elohim of the Old Testament. And we pray to the Father Adonay
Jehovah through Jehovah Elohim's new covenant name revealed to us
Jesus or Yeshua, whom through which we have authority.
Humility is knowing that and being able to oproriate that. Where we
can be like Peter and John when they were brought before the
Sanhedrin and they said "how do these mean teach with authority, they
are unlearned," basically they aren't theologians and didn't go to
school, and someone said, "we saw them with Jesus, this must be how."
There is authority in submission to God and in submission is humility
and humility really is power when the meek shall inherit the earth.
As man see's it muscle and control and manipulation and others forms
of witchcraft, the need to know or the need to control, is power. But
in reality humility, meekness and submission is power. Psalms 133
says that when the bretheren dwell in unity there is a commanded
blessing.
So there is power in meekness not weakness, humility brings God near
like nothing else, the broken and contrite He will never deny and
obedience brings you under the shadow of the almighty under the cleft
of His wing safe in the secret place where your protected from satan
and you can eat a meal in the presence of your enemies.
was a really good meeting, the fellowship was good, the conversation
was great and God really brought revelation and personal break
throughs for everyone in the house.
I just wanted to leave some notes on my heart. One that we go from
Glory to Glory, Height to Height, in Christ, if you are a disciple
then your growing and being Transformed and Renewed, if your are not,
your life is stagnant and you recieve no oposition because your not a
threat to the devil and your not in his way. Jesus said count the
cost and he that desires to live right and godly shall suffer
persecution. So if you even want to do what right satan will target
you because you are a threat to him.
I also wanted to remind you of what I shared out of Hebrews 2:7-11,
that God crowned us with glory and gave us dominion and put us
only "a little lower" than angels. That satan came to decieve we were
made IN GODS IMAGE, satan tempted Eve & Adam saying "don't you know
you will be like gods (or divine beings)" that was a temptation at
demotion not promotion. They were in Gods image, it doesn't get
better than that. They where given dominion over the works of Gods
hands it doesn't get better than that. They were tempted to accept a
false cheaper counterfiet.
The truth is that we are made Gods son's and daughter, we are
adopeted into the family through the Abrahamic promise we become
JOINT HEIRS with JESUS, FULL PARTNERS with Jesus who is seated at the
right hand of the Father on the Throne interceding for us and we are
seated in heavenly places with him on that same throne.
Jesus told His disciples all power on heaven and earth has been given
to me, I know give to you. We have power and authority.
Humility and meekness isn't weakness its having power and choosing to
not show it of or use it but when necessary. Its knowing your calling
and being obedient.
Jesus said, "If you love me obey my commands," and "go and learn what
this means I desire obedience not sacrifice." When we obey God we
then reside under His covering protected in His secret place, hidden
under the shadow of His wing and the enemy can't harm us, (Psalms 91
which was referenced alot).
We are joint heirs with God, We are full partners with the Godhead,
we have all the authority that Jesus did and humility is the key to
accessing and using the power. You can trully say I am Gods son or
Gods daughter, not just "a child" of God, or a yeah yeah I know I'ma
son of God but I am a fully adopted adult child accepted into the
family fo God, I am brothers with God, with Jesus, God the son,
Jehovah Elohim of the Old Testament. And we pray to the Father Adonay
Jehovah through Jehovah Elohim's new covenant name revealed to us
Jesus or Yeshua, whom through which we have authority.
Humility is knowing that and being able to oproriate that. Where we
can be like Peter and John when they were brought before the
Sanhedrin and they said "how do these mean teach with authority, they
are unlearned," basically they aren't theologians and didn't go to
school, and someone said, "we saw them with Jesus, this must be how."
There is authority in submission to God and in submission is humility
and humility really is power when the meek shall inherit the earth.
As man see's it muscle and control and manipulation and others forms
of witchcraft, the need to know or the need to control, is power. But
in reality humility, meekness and submission is power. Psalms 133
says that when the bretheren dwell in unity there is a commanded
blessing.
So there is power in meekness not weakness, humility brings God near
like nothing else, the broken and contrite He will never deny and
obedience brings you under the shadow of the almighty under the cleft
of His wing safe in the secret place where your protected from satan
and you can eat a meal in the presence of your enemies.
Are we "gods"?
Question: Are we "gods"?
So when Hebrews 2 says that Jesus made many men His Brothers, that we are created in Gods image, Heb 1 says Jesus is the express image of God, that that we are joint heirs with Christ, in Mathew that all power in heaven and earth has been given me I give you, that he said "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I said you are gods (theos in John & elohim in Psalms),'" those you forgive will be forgiven, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ (Q: Where is Christ seated? A: on the throne with Adonai His Father and Our Father), and that in the beggining God put Adam in DOMINION over the earth and put man a little lower than angels and crowned him with glory, what position does that put us in?
Jesus said "in that day you will ask nothing in my name but you will ask my Father in my name and He will do it for you." That puts us in a position of great responsibility and power in the kingdom of God, to remove the kingdom of satan from peoples lives but we are not little demi-gods as satan tried to decieve eve she would be like. We are made in Gods image with Gods authority in Jesus name but we are servants of the most high God our Father and Lord and only Potentate / Supreme Ruler.
Note the key words:
Brothers & Sisters to Jesus - Thats an equal position right.
Joint Heirs - Joint, joined together, heirs of a promise of a family
Adopted into the family - Accepted into the beloved
All Power - not some but all power has been given, the keys of the kingdom are give to us and hell can't defeat us
Seated With - Thats a joint position
The Image Of God - we were created in Gods image. Satan lied and said you will be like "gods" (elohim) when they were already created in Gods image and given dominion.
gods - theos the greek word used for gods many and the Judeo-Christian monotheism, or elohim the Hebrew which means Lord, Master or Sir, to rule over something, we are not to Lord it over people, we have domonion and authority, we are not YAHWEH, The One TRUE GOD. We have a position with Him, when we are save by Him, that we can use and access His power in our lives. We are not God / YAHWEH or Adonai.
Dominion - to rule over or to have authority over
What do those words mean?
Christ is seated at the right hand of God most high, the Father, on the throne interceding for us, we are adopted in the family of God, but the family of God is the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
So what position does that put us in?
It has been falsely taught that we are little gods, but we are joint heirs with God the son and have all power over the enemy in Jesus name.
So when Hebrews 2 says that Jesus made many men His Brothers, that we are created in Gods image, Heb 1 says Jesus is the express image of God, that that we are joint heirs with Christ, in Mathew that all power in heaven and earth has been given me I give you, that he said "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I said you are gods (theos in John & elohim in Psalms),'" those you forgive will be forgiven, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ (Q: Where is Christ seated? A: on the throne with Adonai His Father and Our Father), and that in the beggining God put Adam in DOMINION over the earth and put man a little lower than angels and crowned him with glory, what position does that put us in?
Jesus said "in that day you will ask nothing in my name but you will ask my Father in my name and He will do it for you." That puts us in a position of great responsibility and power in the kingdom of God, to remove the kingdom of satan from peoples lives but we are not little demi-gods as satan tried to decieve eve she would be like. We are made in Gods image with Gods authority in Jesus name but we are servants of the most high God our Father and Lord and only Potentate / Supreme Ruler.
Note the key words:
Brothers & Sisters to Jesus - Thats an equal position right.
Joint Heirs - Joint, joined together, heirs of a promise of a family
Adopted into the family - Accepted into the beloved
All Power - not some but all power has been given, the keys of the kingdom are give to us and hell can't defeat us
Seated With - Thats a joint position
The Image Of God - we were created in Gods image. Satan lied and said you will be like "gods" (elohim) when they were already created in Gods image and given dominion.
gods - theos the greek word used for gods many and the Judeo-Christian monotheism, or elohim the Hebrew which means Lord, Master or Sir, to rule over something, we are not to Lord it over people, we have domonion and authority, we are not YAHWEH, The One TRUE GOD. We have a position with Him, when we are save by Him, that we can use and access His power in our lives. We are not God / YAHWEH or Adonai.
Dominion - to rule over or to have authority over
What do those words mean?
Christ is seated at the right hand of God most high, the Father, on the throne interceding for us, we are adopted in the family of God, but the family of God is the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
So what position does that put us in?
It has been falsely taught that we are little gods, but we are joint heirs with God the son and have all power over the enemy in Jesus name.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Vote For Ron Paul
Ron Paul 2008
Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution.
Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record:
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
Issues
Debt and Taxes
· Working Americans like lower taxes. So do I. Lower taxes benefit all of us, creating jobs and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives.
· Whether a tax cut reduces a single mother’s payroll taxes by $40 a month or allows a business owner to save thousands in capital gains taxes and hire more employees, that tax cut is a good thing. Lower taxes allow more spending, saving, and investing which helps the economy — that means all of us.
· Real conservatives have always supported low taxes and low spending.
· But today, too many politicians and lobbyists are spending America into ruin. We are nine trillion dollars in debt as a nation. Our mounting government debt endangers the financial future of our children and grandchildren. If we don’t cut spending now, higher taxes and economic disaster will be in their future — and yours.
· In addition, the Federal Reserve, our central bank, fosters runaway debt by increasing the money supply — making each dollar in your pocket worth less. The Fed is a private bank run by unelected officials who are not required to be open or accountable to “we the people.”
· Worse, our economy and our very independence as a nation is increasingly in the hands of foreign governments such as China and Saudi Arabia, because their central banks also finance our runaway spending.
· We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It’s called the Constitution of the United States.
American Independence and Sovereignty
· So called free trade deals and world governmental organizations like the International Criminal Court (ICC), NAFTA, GATT, WTO, and CAFTA are a threat to our independence as a nation. They transfer power from our government to unelected foreign elites.
· The ICC wants to try our soldiers as war criminals. Both the WTO and CAFTA could force Americans to get a doctor’s prescription to take herbs and vitamins. Alternative treatments could be banned. The WTO has forced Congress to change our laws, yet we still face trade wars. Today, France is threatening to have U.S. goods taxed throughout Europe. If anything, the WTO makes trade relations worse by giving foreign competitors a new way to attack U.S. jobs. NAFTA’s superhighway is just one part of a plan to erase the borders between the U.S. and Mexico, called the North American Union. This spawn of powerful special interests, would create a single nation out of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, with a new unelected bureaucracy and money system. Forget about controlling immigration under this scheme.
· And a free America, with limited, constitutional government, would be gone forever.
· Let’s not forget the UN. It wants to impose a direct tax on us. I successfully fought this move in Congress last year, but if we are going to stop ongoing attempts of this world government body to tax us, we will need leadership from the White House.
· We must withdraw from any organi-zations and trade deals that infringe upon the freedom and independence of the United States of America.
War and Foreign Policy
· The war in Iraq was sold to us with false information. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies, the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. This war has cost more than 3,000 American lives, thousands of seriously wounded, and hundreds of billions of dollars. We must have new leadership in the White House to ensure this never happens again.
· Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women.
· We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing America and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution. Under no
· circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised. Too often we have supported those who turn on us, like the Kosovars who aid Islamic terrorists, or the Afghan jihads themselves, and their friend Osama bin Laden. We armed and trained them, and now we’re paying the price.
· At the same time, we must not isolate ourselves. The generosity of the American people has been felt around the globe. Many have thanked God for it, in many languages. Let us have a strong America, conducting open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations.
Border Security and Immigration Reform
The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. This is my six point plan:
Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals.
Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas.
No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That’s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws.
No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules. But taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services.
End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong.
Pass true immigration reform. The current system is incoherent and unfair. But current reform proposals would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country, according to the Heritage Foundation. This is insanity. Legal immigrants from all countries should face the same rules and waiting periods.
Privacy and Personal Liberty
· The biggest threat to your privacy is the government. We must drastically limit the ability of government to collect and store data regarding citizens’ personal matters.
· We must stop the move toward a national ID card system. All states are preparing to issue new driver’s licenses embedded with “standard identifier” data — a national ID. A national ID with new tracking technologies means we’re heading into an Orwellian world of no privacy. I voted against the Real ID Act in March of 2005.
· To date, the privacy focus has been on identity theft. It was Congress that created this danger by mandating use of the standard identifier (currently your SSN) in the private sector. For example, banks use SSNs as customer account identifiers because the government requires it.
· We must also protect medical privacy. Right now, you’re vulnerable. Under so-called “medical privacy protection” rules, insurance companies and other entities have access to your personal medical information.
· Financial privacy? Right now depositing $10,000 in your local bank will generate a “suspicious activity report” to the federal government.
· And then there’s the so-called Patriot Act. As originally proposed. Expanded the federal government’s ability to use wiretaps without judicial oversight; allowed nationwide search warrants non-specific to any given location, nor subject to any local judicial oversight; made it far easier for the government to monitor private internet usage; authorized “sneak and peek” warrants enabling federal authorities to search a person’s home, office, or personal property without that person’s knowledge; and required libraries and bookstores to turn over records of books read by their patrons. Today the threat to your liberty and privacy is very real. We need leadership at the top that will prevent Washington from centralizing power and private data about our lives.
· I have fought this fight for many years. I sponsored a bill to overturn the Patriot Act and have won some victories.
Property Rights and Eminent Domain
· We must stop special interests from violating property rights and literally driving families from their homes, farms and ranches.
· Our country’s founders would roll over in their graves if they saw the takings clause in the Fifth Amendment used to justify booting people out of their homes for the profit of private developers and tax-hungry local governments. The Supreme Court’s Kelo decision said government power could be used to condemn private homes and churches to benefit a huge pharmaceutical corporation and a large property developer.
· Today, we face a new threat of widespread eminent domain actions as a result of powerful interests who want to build a NAFTA superhighway through the United States from Mexico to Canada.
· We also face another danger in regulatory takings: Through excess regulation, governments deprive property owners of significant value and use of their properties — all without paying “just compensation.”
· Property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society. Without the right to own a printing press, for example, freedom of the press becomes meaningless. The next president must get federal agencies out of these schemes to deny property owners their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
About Ron Paul
Congressman Ron Paul is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the “one exception to the Gang of 535” on Capitol Hill.
Ron Paul was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine, before proudly serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He and Carol, who reside in Lake Jackson, Texas, are the proud parents of five children and have 17 grandchildren.
While serving in Congress during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Paul’s limited-government ideals were not popular in Washington. In 1976, he was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Ronald Reagan for president.
During that time, Congressman Paul served on the House Banking committee, where he was a strong advocate for sound monetary policy and an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve’s inflationary measures. He was an unwavering advocate of pro-life and pro-family values. Dr. Paul consistently voted to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending and regulation, and used his House seat to actively promote the return of government to its proper constitutional levels. In 1984, he voluntarily relinquished his House seat and returned to his medical practice.
Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th congressional district of Texas. He presently serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He continues to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.
Congressman Paul’s consistent voting record prompted one of his congressional colleagues to say, “Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers’ ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are.” Another colleague observed, “There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few.”
American Independence and . . . You!
Hope for America Be a part of it!
American Independence and . . . You! http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution.
Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record:
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
Issues
Debt and Taxes
· Working Americans like lower taxes. So do I. Lower taxes benefit all of us, creating jobs and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives.
· Whether a tax cut reduces a single mother’s payroll taxes by $40 a month or allows a business owner to save thousands in capital gains taxes and hire more employees, that tax cut is a good thing. Lower taxes allow more spending, saving, and investing which helps the economy — that means all of us.
· Real conservatives have always supported low taxes and low spending.
· But today, too many politicians and lobbyists are spending America into ruin. We are nine trillion dollars in debt as a nation. Our mounting government debt endangers the financial future of our children and grandchildren. If we don’t cut spending now, higher taxes and economic disaster will be in their future — and yours.
· In addition, the Federal Reserve, our central bank, fosters runaway debt by increasing the money supply — making each dollar in your pocket worth less. The Fed is a private bank run by unelected officials who are not required to be open or accountable to “we the people.”
· Worse, our economy and our very independence as a nation is increasingly in the hands of foreign governments such as China and Saudi Arabia, because their central banks also finance our runaway spending.
· We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It’s called the Constitution of the United States.
American Independence and Sovereignty
· So called free trade deals and world governmental organizations like the International Criminal Court (ICC), NAFTA, GATT, WTO, and CAFTA are a threat to our independence as a nation. They transfer power from our government to unelected foreign elites.
· The ICC wants to try our soldiers as war criminals. Both the WTO and CAFTA could force Americans to get a doctor’s prescription to take herbs and vitamins. Alternative treatments could be banned. The WTO has forced Congress to change our laws, yet we still face trade wars. Today, France is threatening to have U.S. goods taxed throughout Europe. If anything, the WTO makes trade relations worse by giving foreign competitors a new way to attack U.S. jobs. NAFTA’s superhighway is just one part of a plan to erase the borders between the U.S. and Mexico, called the North American Union. This spawn of powerful special interests, would create a single nation out of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, with a new unelected bureaucracy and money system. Forget about controlling immigration under this scheme.
· And a free America, with limited, constitutional government, would be gone forever.
· Let’s not forget the UN. It wants to impose a direct tax on us. I successfully fought this move in Congress last year, but if we are going to stop ongoing attempts of this world government body to tax us, we will need leadership from the White House.
· We must withdraw from any organi-zations and trade deals that infringe upon the freedom and independence of the United States of America.
War and Foreign Policy
· The war in Iraq was sold to us with false information. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies, the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. This war has cost more than 3,000 American lives, thousands of seriously wounded, and hundreds of billions of dollars. We must have new leadership in the White House to ensure this never happens again.
· Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women.
· We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing America and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution. Under no
· circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised. Too often we have supported those who turn on us, like the Kosovars who aid Islamic terrorists, or the Afghan jihads themselves, and their friend Osama bin Laden. We armed and trained them, and now we’re paying the price.
· At the same time, we must not isolate ourselves. The generosity of the American people has been felt around the globe. Many have thanked God for it, in many languages. Let us have a strong America, conducting open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations.
Border Security and Immigration Reform
The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. This is my six point plan:
Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals.
Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas.
No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That’s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws.
No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules. But taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services.
End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong.
Pass true immigration reform. The current system is incoherent and unfair. But current reform proposals would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country, according to the Heritage Foundation. This is insanity. Legal immigrants from all countries should face the same rules and waiting periods.
Privacy and Personal Liberty
· The biggest threat to your privacy is the government. We must drastically limit the ability of government to collect and store data regarding citizens’ personal matters.
· We must stop the move toward a national ID card system. All states are preparing to issue new driver’s licenses embedded with “standard identifier” data — a national ID. A national ID with new tracking technologies means we’re heading into an Orwellian world of no privacy. I voted against the Real ID Act in March of 2005.
· To date, the privacy focus has been on identity theft. It was Congress that created this danger by mandating use of the standard identifier (currently your SSN) in the private sector. For example, banks use SSNs as customer account identifiers because the government requires it.
· We must also protect medical privacy. Right now, you’re vulnerable. Under so-called “medical privacy protection” rules, insurance companies and other entities have access to your personal medical information.
· Financial privacy? Right now depositing $10,000 in your local bank will generate a “suspicious activity report” to the federal government.
· And then there’s the so-called Patriot Act. As originally proposed. Expanded the federal government’s ability to use wiretaps without judicial oversight; allowed nationwide search warrants non-specific to any given location, nor subject to any local judicial oversight; made it far easier for the government to monitor private internet usage; authorized “sneak and peek” warrants enabling federal authorities to search a person’s home, office, or personal property without that person’s knowledge; and required libraries and bookstores to turn over records of books read by their patrons. Today the threat to your liberty and privacy is very real. We need leadership at the top that will prevent Washington from centralizing power and private data about our lives.
· I have fought this fight for many years. I sponsored a bill to overturn the Patriot Act and have won some victories.
Property Rights and Eminent Domain
· We must stop special interests from violating property rights and literally driving families from their homes, farms and ranches.
· Our country’s founders would roll over in their graves if they saw the takings clause in the Fifth Amendment used to justify booting people out of their homes for the profit of private developers and tax-hungry local governments. The Supreme Court’s Kelo decision said government power could be used to condemn private homes and churches to benefit a huge pharmaceutical corporation and a large property developer.
· Today, we face a new threat of widespread eminent domain actions as a result of powerful interests who want to build a NAFTA superhighway through the United States from Mexico to Canada.
· We also face another danger in regulatory takings: Through excess regulation, governments deprive property owners of significant value and use of their properties — all without paying “just compensation.”
· Property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society. Without the right to own a printing press, for example, freedom of the press becomes meaningless. The next president must get federal agencies out of these schemes to deny property owners their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
About Ron Paul
Congressman Ron Paul is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the “one exception to the Gang of 535” on Capitol Hill.
Ron Paul was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine, before proudly serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He and Carol, who reside in Lake Jackson, Texas, are the proud parents of five children and have 17 grandchildren.
While serving in Congress during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Paul’s limited-government ideals were not popular in Washington. In 1976, he was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Ronald Reagan for president.
During that time, Congressman Paul served on the House Banking committee, where he was a strong advocate for sound monetary policy and an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve’s inflationary measures. He was an unwavering advocate of pro-life and pro-family values. Dr. Paul consistently voted to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending and regulation, and used his House seat to actively promote the return of government to its proper constitutional levels. In 1984, he voluntarily relinquished his House seat and returned to his medical practice.
Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th congressional district of Texas. He presently serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He continues to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.
Congressman Paul’s consistent voting record prompted one of his congressional colleagues to say, “Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers’ ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are.” Another colleague observed, “There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few.”
American Independence and . . . You!
Hope for America Be a part of it!
American Independence and . . . You! http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Flood of Pornography Threatening Marriages, the Church
Flood of Pornography Threatening Marriages, the Church
Jerry Pierce
Southern Baptist TEXAN
Divorce lawyers are noting its increasing influence.
In Great Britain, it's blamed for a 20 percent jump in sexual assaults perpetrated by kids as young as 11.
In the United States, the adult film industry sees it as a $13 billion a year business -- more money than mainstream Hollywood generates.
The numbers are staggering: up to 45 million "unique" users visited adult websites in a recent month, as tracked by Nielsen Net Ratings.
With the advent of wireless handheld devices, porn is accessible via mobile phones and similar devices.
"Certainly, this is going to make it easier to view porn in more places than ever," Pamela Paul, author of "Pornified: How Pornography Is Transforming Our Lives, Our Relationships and Our Families," told USA Today.
"The flood of pornography in our culture has desensitized society and has contributed to the fact that our nation is wandering aimlessly in dangerous, uncharted territory," Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said in a statement e-mailed to the Southern Baptist TEXAN.
That flood has entered the church doors, leaving anecdotal and documented evidence that families and churches are being damaged, mostly by Christian men -– some of whom are ministers -- who succumb to what Land calls a cheap imitation of God-designed sex.
"Sexuality is a far bigger and more troubling issue in the church than any other moral issue," Land said.
The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity reports that an estimated 2 million Internet users are addicted to pornography. Christian men are among them.
In an August 2000 survey of its readership by Christianity Today magazine, 36 percent of laymen who responded had visited a sexually explicit Internet site, of which 44 percent visited such sites "a few times" in the past year.
Additionally, the six-year-old research showed that 51 percent of pastors admitted pornography was a possible temptation, 37 percent said porn is a struggle and 33 percent had viewed Internet pornography at least once a year.
A PASTOR'S REPORT
One pastor who spoke to the TEXAN about the problem said the incidence of sexual immorality in the church, with pornography as the culprit, has increased in the last five years.
The pastor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he has counseled two fellow ministry leaders regularly over the last year who have lost their ministries because of porn and related problems. One lost his marriage and the other is fighting to keep his, the pastor said.
One was a para-church leader whose wife discovered his addiction. "He's doing treatment, he's doing counseling, he's doing accountability," the pastor said. "He's doing everything he can do."
The man did not have extramarital intercourse, but "he was doing the pornography, topless bars.... He spent thousands of dollars on this type of stuff. This guy was in ministry."
The pastor estimated that "80 percent of all young ministers have at some point struggled with this on some level. Now, that may be as simple as he got sent a naked picture and he looked at it and that was the end of it. But on some level, I would say virtually every minister under the age of 30 has had some kind of experience with it in their adult lifetime."
He added: "If you're talking about just men in general under the age of 40, I'll tell you it's well above 50 percent that at least occasionally use pornography. I'm saying Christian men. Statistics show that as well."
Henry Rogers, corporate chaplain at Dallas-based Interstate Batteries and author of the book "The Silent War: Ministering to Those Trapped in the Deception of Pornography," told the radio audience of "For Faith & Family" that porn's proliferation is "ripping the soul out of the American male."
Rogers said the problem is "within the church walls and not only in the pews but in the pulpit as well."
The mind is the battlefield, Rogers said, noting the crucial Christian discipline of taking thoughts captive.
"We have an adversary who wants to take us out," Rogers said. "He may wait 10, 15, 20 years. There is no age at which we can relax, thinking we are immune to sexual temptation."
Rogers added: "Confession is a powerful deterrent to temptation."
HOPE FOUND IN A BOOK
Stephen Lawhon, 32, a member of Central Baptist Church in College Station, Texas, and a longtime Christian believer, said he attempted to fight the temptation of pornography for years until he found hope in the simple warnings of Scripture.
Lawhon said that even though he grew up in a Christian family, his occasional encounters with porn as a kid led to a problem that he recognized as early as age 15.
"I started seeing porn at 11 or 12 years old. There would be a dirty magazine outside somebody's house. It just escalated from there. I always had an unquenchable thirst for it."
All the while, he was a leader in his youth group. He even recalled talking to his youth minister once about it.
"He prayed with me and patted me on the back and said, 'Hey, it's going to be alright.' That was it. And that's not a slam on him. We just didn't know what to do with this back then. We just didn't talk about that stuff," Lawhon said.
In college at Texas A&M, Lawhon said he joined Central Baptist and was in college ministry leadership there, though he still battled pornography.
"I was leading this double life. I had this secret compartment tucked away. When it really took off for me was when it became available online. I would never get caught dead buying pornography. But I would download it in my room. It scares me to think where I'd be now if I had the access that kids and men have today," he said.
He once got rid of his external computer modem, then he got rid of his computer altogether. But his compulsion led him to the school computer lab, where he'd download porn on floppy disks, he said.
After meeting his future wife, he told her he had struggled with pornography, but he said she underestimated the problem. He thought that once he was married he would no longer desire pornography, but he was wrong.
"The pastor who married us told us whatever problems we bring into our marriage would be magnified in the marriage. He was right, and I nearly lost my marriage over it."
Lawhon said he bought book after book on the subject, but, "It wasn't until I picked up the Bible that [God] really showed me He wrote the book thousands of years ago on this subject. It wasn't until I was truly broken that I started climbing out of it."
Lawhon said he has found hope and strength from his church family, his wife and, more than any other resource, the Bible, particularly Proverbs 7 and the warning about the harlot who lurks on every corner.
He said King David was in the wrong place when he lusted after Bathsheba and committed adultery with her, while Joseph faced his temptation with Potiphar's wife while tending to his responsibilities. Lawhon said that through the lens of Proverbs 7, one can see that Joseph had an advantage because he was where he was supposed to be while David, who should have been at war, wasn't.
"The Bible talks about how we will not be tempted beyond what we are able to endure, and when we're tempted God will provide a way out. What does that mean? What does that look like in real life? The Holy Spirit is huge in overcoming this. The Holy Spirit will bring accountability in my life. When I feel temptation coming on, I start to drift where I'm not supposed to drift ... and the phone will ring and it's a friend from church," Lawhon said.
"My point is, the Holy Spirit brings accountability into our lives. And when that way out presents itself, I have to make a choice to walk that way out."
Instead of offering "burnt offerings" by going to Promise Keepers or reading a book or attending another conference, Lawhon said he realized "I was choosing pornography over what God had for my life. I wasn't living in the grace of Jesus Christ."
Lawhon spends much of his time working with college students, many of whom are struggling through many of the battles he went through. He advises them to continually renew their minds by memorizing Scripture and dealing with only one day at a time, because overcoming sexual temptation is fought one battle at a time.
"I used to rationalize my discouragement by saying, 'I'm gonna mess up tomorrow. I might as well mess up today.' The Lord told me, 'No, you deal with today, Stephen. I'll deal with tomorrow.'"
Also, the stigma of pornography is greater than alcohol or drug abuse, Lawhon said, which makes coming forward more difficult.
The SBC's Land said in a 2002 radio interview: "You can go to your Sunday School class and say you have a real problem with alcohol and ask the class to pray for you, but if you go to your Sunday School class and say you need prayer for a problem with pornography, it would be like you set off a stink bomb in the room."
RIPPLES IN THE KINGDOM
The pastor the TEXAN interviewed said one of the ministers he is counseling is "going to do everything he can to recover. He turned himself in [to his ministry], started the counseling process, started the accountability, did a contract with his wife and with me and with some other guys."
But even with accountability, vital as it is, "both you and I know that people can lie," the pastor said. "In fact, one of these guys I used to meet with, he did lie to me for a while. When all this started, when he actually was doing some of this stuff, he was lying to me."
The man later initiated a meeting and confessed that he had lied.
"There's no guarantee that goes with accountability. And we're naïve to think that just because somebody sits down and asks the questions that we are always getting the truth. But at the same time, I think it's something important. I think it's something you need to do. It's a process you need to be experiencing, though it's certainly no guarantee."
The pastor said it is crucial that a minister allows friends, staff and fellow church members to inspect the cache of his computer anytime to see what sites he has visited.
The ravages of pornography and sexual sin among believers has a ripple effect, the pastor said.
"Particularly when it's someone in ministry. It affects that pastor. It affects his spouse, his family, his children if he has any. It affects his children's friends. It affects his congregation. It affects his immediate family, cousins. It affects his neighbors. It degrades the image of Christ for those who are lost and those in the community who look to that church and those who are considering the claims of the Gospel, those who have just come to know Christ.
"It's enormous when you stop and think about the negative consequences of falling into the trap. Quite frankly, at least half the time they end up losing their family. And nobody thinks that way. Nobody thinks when they first start looking at porn that 'I'm going to lose my family, I'm going to lose my job.'
"Both of the guys I'm dealing with right now, here's what they've lost: They've lost their marriage. They've lost their job. They lost a lot of friends in the sense it will never be the same. They've lost custody of their children and now they are both doing something that they don't really want to do or feel called to do, and they're just trying to get by."
(c) 2007 Baptist Press. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.crosswalk.com/marriage/11547518/
Jerry Pierce
Southern Baptist TEXAN
Divorce lawyers are noting its increasing influence.
In Great Britain, it's blamed for a 20 percent jump in sexual assaults perpetrated by kids as young as 11.
In the United States, the adult film industry sees it as a $13 billion a year business -- more money than mainstream Hollywood generates.
The numbers are staggering: up to 45 million "unique" users visited adult websites in a recent month, as tracked by Nielsen Net Ratings.
With the advent of wireless handheld devices, porn is accessible via mobile phones and similar devices.
"Certainly, this is going to make it easier to view porn in more places than ever," Pamela Paul, author of "Pornified: How Pornography Is Transforming Our Lives, Our Relationships and Our Families," told USA Today.
"The flood of pornography in our culture has desensitized society and has contributed to the fact that our nation is wandering aimlessly in dangerous, uncharted territory," Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said in a statement e-mailed to the Southern Baptist TEXAN.
That flood has entered the church doors, leaving anecdotal and documented evidence that families and churches are being damaged, mostly by Christian men -– some of whom are ministers -- who succumb to what Land calls a cheap imitation of God-designed sex.
"Sexuality is a far bigger and more troubling issue in the church than any other moral issue," Land said.
The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity reports that an estimated 2 million Internet users are addicted to pornography. Christian men are among them.
In an August 2000 survey of its readership by Christianity Today magazine, 36 percent of laymen who responded had visited a sexually explicit Internet site, of which 44 percent visited such sites "a few times" in the past year.
Additionally, the six-year-old research showed that 51 percent of pastors admitted pornography was a possible temptation, 37 percent said porn is a struggle and 33 percent had viewed Internet pornography at least once a year.
A PASTOR'S REPORT
One pastor who spoke to the TEXAN about the problem said the incidence of sexual immorality in the church, with pornography as the culprit, has increased in the last five years.
The pastor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he has counseled two fellow ministry leaders regularly over the last year who have lost their ministries because of porn and related problems. One lost his marriage and the other is fighting to keep his, the pastor said.
One was a para-church leader whose wife discovered his addiction. "He's doing treatment, he's doing counseling, he's doing accountability," the pastor said. "He's doing everything he can do."
The man did not have extramarital intercourse, but "he was doing the pornography, topless bars.... He spent thousands of dollars on this type of stuff. This guy was in ministry."
The pastor estimated that "80 percent of all young ministers have at some point struggled with this on some level. Now, that may be as simple as he got sent a naked picture and he looked at it and that was the end of it. But on some level, I would say virtually every minister under the age of 30 has had some kind of experience with it in their adult lifetime."
He added: "If you're talking about just men in general under the age of 40, I'll tell you it's well above 50 percent that at least occasionally use pornography. I'm saying Christian men. Statistics show that as well."
Henry Rogers, corporate chaplain at Dallas-based Interstate Batteries and author of the book "The Silent War: Ministering to Those Trapped in the Deception of Pornography," told the radio audience of "For Faith & Family" that porn's proliferation is "ripping the soul out of the American male."
Rogers said the problem is "within the church walls and not only in the pews but in the pulpit as well."
The mind is the battlefield, Rogers said, noting the crucial Christian discipline of taking thoughts captive.
"We have an adversary who wants to take us out," Rogers said. "He may wait 10, 15, 20 years. There is no age at which we can relax, thinking we are immune to sexual temptation."
Rogers added: "Confession is a powerful deterrent to temptation."
HOPE FOUND IN A BOOK
Stephen Lawhon, 32, a member of Central Baptist Church in College Station, Texas, and a longtime Christian believer, said he attempted to fight the temptation of pornography for years until he found hope in the simple warnings of Scripture.
Lawhon said that even though he grew up in a Christian family, his occasional encounters with porn as a kid led to a problem that he recognized as early as age 15.
"I started seeing porn at 11 or 12 years old. There would be a dirty magazine outside somebody's house. It just escalated from there. I always had an unquenchable thirst for it."
All the while, he was a leader in his youth group. He even recalled talking to his youth minister once about it.
"He prayed with me and patted me on the back and said, 'Hey, it's going to be alright.' That was it. And that's not a slam on him. We just didn't know what to do with this back then. We just didn't talk about that stuff," Lawhon said.
In college at Texas A&M, Lawhon said he joined Central Baptist and was in college ministry leadership there, though he still battled pornography.
"I was leading this double life. I had this secret compartment tucked away. When it really took off for me was when it became available online. I would never get caught dead buying pornography. But I would download it in my room. It scares me to think where I'd be now if I had the access that kids and men have today," he said.
He once got rid of his external computer modem, then he got rid of his computer altogether. But his compulsion led him to the school computer lab, where he'd download porn on floppy disks, he said.
After meeting his future wife, he told her he had struggled with pornography, but he said she underestimated the problem. He thought that once he was married he would no longer desire pornography, but he was wrong.
"The pastor who married us told us whatever problems we bring into our marriage would be magnified in the marriage. He was right, and I nearly lost my marriage over it."
Lawhon said he bought book after book on the subject, but, "It wasn't until I picked up the Bible that [God] really showed me He wrote the book thousands of years ago on this subject. It wasn't until I was truly broken that I started climbing out of it."
Lawhon said he has found hope and strength from his church family, his wife and, more than any other resource, the Bible, particularly Proverbs 7 and the warning about the harlot who lurks on every corner.
He said King David was in the wrong place when he lusted after Bathsheba and committed adultery with her, while Joseph faced his temptation with Potiphar's wife while tending to his responsibilities. Lawhon said that through the lens of Proverbs 7, one can see that Joseph had an advantage because he was where he was supposed to be while David, who should have been at war, wasn't.
"The Bible talks about how we will not be tempted beyond what we are able to endure, and when we're tempted God will provide a way out. What does that mean? What does that look like in real life? The Holy Spirit is huge in overcoming this. The Holy Spirit will bring accountability in my life. When I feel temptation coming on, I start to drift where I'm not supposed to drift ... and the phone will ring and it's a friend from church," Lawhon said.
"My point is, the Holy Spirit brings accountability into our lives. And when that way out presents itself, I have to make a choice to walk that way out."
Instead of offering "burnt offerings" by going to Promise Keepers or reading a book or attending another conference, Lawhon said he realized "I was choosing pornography over what God had for my life. I wasn't living in the grace of Jesus Christ."
Lawhon spends much of his time working with college students, many of whom are struggling through many of the battles he went through. He advises them to continually renew their minds by memorizing Scripture and dealing with only one day at a time, because overcoming sexual temptation is fought one battle at a time.
"I used to rationalize my discouragement by saying, 'I'm gonna mess up tomorrow. I might as well mess up today.' The Lord told me, 'No, you deal with today, Stephen. I'll deal with tomorrow.'"
Also, the stigma of pornography is greater than alcohol or drug abuse, Lawhon said, which makes coming forward more difficult.
The SBC's Land said in a 2002 radio interview: "You can go to your Sunday School class and say you have a real problem with alcohol and ask the class to pray for you, but if you go to your Sunday School class and say you need prayer for a problem with pornography, it would be like you set off a stink bomb in the room."
RIPPLES IN THE KINGDOM
The pastor the TEXAN interviewed said one of the ministers he is counseling is "going to do everything he can to recover. He turned himself in [to his ministry], started the counseling process, started the accountability, did a contract with his wife and with me and with some other guys."
But even with accountability, vital as it is, "both you and I know that people can lie," the pastor said. "In fact, one of these guys I used to meet with, he did lie to me for a while. When all this started, when he actually was doing some of this stuff, he was lying to me."
The man later initiated a meeting and confessed that he had lied.
"There's no guarantee that goes with accountability. And we're naïve to think that just because somebody sits down and asks the questions that we are always getting the truth. But at the same time, I think it's something important. I think it's something you need to do. It's a process you need to be experiencing, though it's certainly no guarantee."
The pastor said it is crucial that a minister allows friends, staff and fellow church members to inspect the cache of his computer anytime to see what sites he has visited.
The ravages of pornography and sexual sin among believers has a ripple effect, the pastor said.
"Particularly when it's someone in ministry. It affects that pastor. It affects his spouse, his family, his children if he has any. It affects his children's friends. It affects his congregation. It affects his immediate family, cousins. It affects his neighbors. It degrades the image of Christ for those who are lost and those in the community who look to that church and those who are considering the claims of the Gospel, those who have just come to know Christ.
"It's enormous when you stop and think about the negative consequences of falling into the trap. Quite frankly, at least half the time they end up losing their family. And nobody thinks that way. Nobody thinks when they first start looking at porn that 'I'm going to lose my family, I'm going to lose my job.'
"Both of the guys I'm dealing with right now, here's what they've lost: They've lost their marriage. They've lost their job. They lost a lot of friends in the sense it will never be the same. They've lost custody of their children and now they are both doing something that they don't really want to do or feel called to do, and they're just trying to get by."
(c) 2007 Baptist Press. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.crosswalk.com/marriage/11547518/
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Boundaries Teaching - Cloud Townsend Resources
Why are boundaries necessary?
Because God is behind the concept of boundaries. According to the Bible, this need is fundamental in the creation of mankind. God created us to be free, and to act responsibly with our freedom. He wanted us to be in control of ourselves, and to have a good existence. He was behind that idea all along.
But as we all know, we misused our freedom, and as a result, lost it. With the loss of freedom came the loss of self-control. The results of losing self-control are displayed in a wide variety of miseries. Consider a few of the alternatives to self-control:
Controlling relationships where people try to control each other.
Faith that is practiced out of guilt and drudgery instead of freedom and love.
Being motivated by guilt, anger and fear instead of love.
The inability to gain control of our own behavior and solve problems in our lives.
The loss of control to addictive processes.
These are to name just a few. It is no wonder why the need for Boundaries is felt so deeply.
In fact, these issues are so dear to the heart of God, He says it was one of the motivators for the sacrifice of Christ Himself: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) Jesus died to set us free: from sin, from the devil, from the world around us. And that is the essence of what
Boundaries teach—freedom.
From The Simple Scoop on Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud; cloudtownsend.com
Aren’t Boundaries selfish?
No. Many people think that boundaries are about selfishness and are at their root, self-serving. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Boundaries are about freedom, and freedom is always meant to have, as it’s ultimate fruit, love. As Paul says, and we would echo to anyone who uses boundaries in a self-serving way.
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:13,14)
Boundaries are about God’s restoring freedom to you and me so that we could take control of our lives to be able to love Him and others. Ultimately, that is the fruit of boundaries, to love out of freedom, and with purpose.
From The Simple Scoop on Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud
I like to help others but sometimes I feel like I am being used. I have a hard time saying “no” when someone asks me to help them. What should I do?
This problem is one that many people have. Sometimes it because of pushy person who is insensitive and does not really think how their behavior is affecting you. But often, it is the miscommunication of the one who is “giving too much.” The miscommunication is this: my heart is saying “no,” but my behavior is telling you “yes.”
Regina was a sweet woman I worked with many years ago. I walked into her office one day and asked how she was doing. Immediately her eyes welled up with tears, and she began crying. At first she tried to hide it, but then she spilled her guts. She was feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work she had to do, fearing that she would never get it all done.
Although I was not her direct supervisor, I knew what her responsibilities were and it did not seem to me they were past her abilities. I could not understand why she was cracking. So, I told her that. Then she revealed more. It was not her work that was killing her; it was the work of one of her co-workers. It seemed this person was always asking her for little favors, “could you drop this project off for me?” or “can you finish these proofs for me and get them to the printer?” And being the “sweet Regina” she was, she always said “yes.”
But, while her behavior was saying yes, her heart was screaming, “leave me alone.” I have heard the same stories from single women who were having sexual relationships that they did not want to have, but were not being direct with their boyfriends. I have heard it from friends who were being drawn in to being someone’s entire support system in time of need getting burned out in the process. The contexts are different, but the issue is the same.
Are you giving more than you feel comfortable with and not telling the other person? Have you asked yourself “why?” There are several reasons people do this:
Fear of facing conflict.
Fear of not being liked.
Fear of being abandoned and rejected if they do not comply with another’s wishes.
Fear of being perceived of as “selfish” by God or others if they say “no.”
A history of controlling relationships.
If you can identify with any of these fears, you have to address them first. But even if you get past the fear, there is still the problem of communication. Remember, the Bible does not have any problem with your saying “no,” and having a limit on what you want to give to someone. What God does have a problem with is saying “yes,” and meaning “no.” (Matthew 5:37; James 5:12) It is at that point we have lost integrity in the relationship.
The sad thing about most of these situations is that the person on the other end “just didn’t know.” They often say: “Gosh, I never knew you felt that way. Why didn’t you tell me?” If that is their reaction, then you have finished the circle of communication and they accept your limits, like a good friend should.
If they don’t accept them and begin to get angry, you have another problem. At that point it is not a communication problem, it is a problem of freedom and control. You probably need to stop giving altogether until the issue is faced.
Until then, “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’.” Then both of you will know what the truth is in the relationship. And, painful as it is sometimes, the truth will set you free.
Becoming Separate - Creating Healthy Boundaries
In the last two “Features” we have talked about bonding. In the process of growth, bonding is the important first stage. Once bonding is established the process of separateness begins to “kick in.”
Separateness is an important aspect of human identity. We are to be connected to others without losing our identity and individuality. We are to master the art of “being me without losing you.”
On the human level, just as our connection was marred in the fall, so is our sense of separateness, boundaries, and responsibility. We are all confused as to where we end and someone else begins. We have difficulty having a will of our own, without getting it entangled with someone else’s. Often we don’t know who we really are as opposed to who someone says we are. Sometimes we don’t know what we think or feel unless the culture feels it first. The boundaries between us and the world get blurred.
When we think of relationship, we think of love. When we think of boundaries, we think of limits. Boundaries give us a sense of what is part of us and what is not part of us, what we will allow and what we won’t, what we will choose to do and what we will choose not to do. This leads to responsibility and love.
Developing separateness involves knowing our what our boundaries are. Knowing these boundaries helps us develop our separate and unique personalities.
When we understand healthy boundaries we can better determine when those boundaries have been violated. The chart below looks at certain areas of our lives in which we are separate from others. See what it looks like to have healthy boundaries and what happens when the boundary lines are crossed over.
Healthy Boundaries
+ Body
Our body has physical boundaries that define who we are. We have the ability to physically open ourselves up to good things from the outside. We can eat nourishing food, open our eyes to something beautiful, listen to our favorite music and breathe in fresh air. Likewise we can choose to keep bad things out. We can refuse spoiled food, shut our eyes when the light is too bright, cover our ears when music is too loud, or sneeze when the air is dusty.
- Body
To invade another personís body, to cross over this personís boundaries, is the most basic act of abuse. The first effect of a crossover in body boundaries is that the person whose boundaries are crossed feels more like a thing than a person. Whether the abuse is sexual, physical or verbal, it can cause a person to feel like they no longer own their own bodies. They loose an aspect that defines who they are. Work must be done to reclaim what they have lost.
+ Attitudes
Our attitudes are our opinions about something. We are responsible for our own attitudes, for they exist inside our ìproperty line.î They are within our hearts, not someone elseís. God tells us to examine and take responsibility for the attitudes and beliefs that govern our lives. They form the structure of our personality. In the beginning of life, we ìsoak upî attitudes; as we mature, we need to take responsibility for making sure our opinions are ours and not someone elseís. We choose them.
- Attitudes
We often do not own our own attitudes; instead, we take responsibility for the attitudes of others. We may complain how a person is ìputting expectationsî on us. Whenever we feel pressured by someone to do something, it is our problem and not the problem of the one who is putting the pressure on. In reality, our ìfeeling pressureî is our tendency to agree with the pressurerís attitude instead of setting forth our own. We must get in touch with how we are getting hooked into saying yes and not put the blame on the other person.
+ Feelings
Feelings signal our state of being. Feelings tell us how we are doing, what matters to us, what needs changing, what is going well, and what is going badly. We are responsible for our own feelings. To disown our feelings and ignore responsibility for them is one of the most destructive things we can do to both others and ourselves. When we take responsibility for our own disappointments, we are setting clear boundaries
- Feelings
If we feel responsible for other peopleís feelings, we can no longer make decisions based on what is right. Instead, we will make decisions based on how others feel about our choices. If we feel responsible for other peopleís displeasure, we are being controlled by others, not God. This is a basic boundary disturbance. When we take responsibility for othersí feelings we are crossing over their boundaries. We should always be sensitive to othersí feelings about our choices. But we should never take responsibility for how they feel.
+ Behavior
We cannot go where we want to go in life if we do not own both what we do and what we donít do. This is the basic law of cause and effect or sowing and reaping. People who obey this law of the universe feel in control of their lives, to the extent that we are able to feel in control. If they have a need, they behave in a way that will get their need met: they pray, they go to work, they ask for help, they exercise, they make friends, they behave in ways that bear fruit in their lives and they get somewhere. To own our behavior, to take responsibility for it, is an important aspect of knowing our boundaries.
- Behavior
People who donít obey the law of cause and effect, who do not own their behavior and the consequences for it, feel enormously powerless. They become dependent on others who encourage their irresponsibility to maintain their dependency. Whenever anyone is not allowed to ìownî their own behavior, or suffer its consequences, boundaries are being crossed. To shield people from the consequences of their behavior is unbiblical. It can cause a person to live a life of chaos because they have no confidence in their ability to cause an effect.
+ Thoughts
Our thoughts are another important aspect of who we are. We are to develop them in the same way we develop any other aspect of ourselves. We are to take every thought captive, take responsibility for it and evaluate it. If we are owning our thoughts, we are not repressing or denying them. This dynamic of ìowningî oneís own thoughts is very important in establishing identity because what we think is an essential part of who we are. Thinking our own thoughts is the beginning of freedom and responsibility.
- Thoughts
When we take responsibility for someone elseís thoughts, we invade their boundaries; we interfere with their property. If we expect them to take responsibility for ours, we have a similar problem. Boundaries get crossed in thinking when people try to put their interpretations onto others. We need to give people the right to their own thoughts and interpretations and not try to change them. Each person has the responsibility to change his or her own thoughts and opinions.
+ Abilities
God has given each of us certain talents and abilities, and He holds us responsible for developing them. Many times people do not explore their own talents. They accept othersí definitions of them, without seeing if these definitions fit. We lose ourselves when we so conform to others wishes for what we ìshouldî be. We are separate people with separate identity. We must own what is our true self, and develop it with Godís grace and truth.
- Abilities
People who cross boundaries in this area are in danger of feeling either false pride or false guilty. An eye may look at a hand and say, ìI can see so much better than that hand! Arenít I great!î or ìI canít pick up anything like that hand can. Iím so stupid.î Both appraisals are inaccurate. In addition, we must not allow someone else to cross our boundaries and try to tell us what our abilities are. Parents are often guilty of this kind of boundary crossing. They may want their child to be an intellectual when his is an athlete or the reverse. If loved ones cannot appreciate and value our real talents, we often conform to their expectations and deny our real abilities.
+ Desires
Our desires are a major part of what it means to be created in Godís likeness. He has given many desires to us; others we have chosen. Both can be good. But some of our desires are not good. In either case, we must begin to own them to straighten out what is good and bad. When we do not acknowledge our desires, we cut ourselves off from who we are, and we limit our future satisfaction. God uses our desires to fulfill his purposes. Only when we admit our desires can God work with us to meet them, delay them, encourage us to give them up, or whatever would be helpful.
- Desires
Desires are like feelings and any other element of what lies within our boundaries. We must own ours, and ours only. They are our responsibility and not someone elseís. For example, letís say Jimís wife, Jean, has a desire for a nice yard. This is her desire, not his; therefore, she is responsible for it. She can certainly ask Jim for help, and he may give it to her. But she is still responsible for obtaining it. If he doesnít give it, and she still wants it, she must take responsibility for getting it, If she doesnít get it, thatís her problem also. If we donít see that we own our desires, we blame others when we are deprived. This is a case of crossing over boundaries.
+ Choices
To own and make our own choices, we must be aware of all aspects of ourselves (attitudes, behaviors, feelings, desires and thoughts) that go into any decision. In addition, we must be aware that we are making a choice about almost everything we do. There are certainly things in life over which we have no control, but we always have a choice about how we will respond to these things. Our choices determine our direction in life.
- Choices
The essence of boundaries is taking responsibility, and at the hub of responsibility is choice. God has given every human the ability to choose. Whenever we make someone elseís choices for them, or whenever we think they are responsible for making our choices for us, boundaries are crossed.
+ Limits
When we examine our boundaries we discover our limits. Just as our yard has physical boundaries, so our livesóemotional, psychological, and spiritualóhave limits also. We all possess a finite amount of ability, time, money, energy and so on. It takes time to learn our limits in the various areas of life but they can be learned if we are aware of our feelings, attitudes and behaviors. At times, we may overextend ourselves. Or at other times, our limits may be too narrow. We can err in either direction. It takes much grace, truth and practice in time with others to discover our limits and to take responsibility for them. This is the balanced life.
- Limits
Crossed boundaries work the same way with limits. We must own our own, and not othersí. We decide what limits we will set on ourselves, and let others be responsible for the limits they set on themselves. If we have limitations of time, money or energy, we must set those. If we extend them too far, it is our fault. At the same time we cannot decide where someone elseís limits are. If a family member chooses not to limit their drinking this is their responsibility. However, other family members can set limits on how they will be affected by it. They can limit their exposure to the behavior by removing themselves from the situation until the behavior is changed.
From Changes That Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud; Zondervan, 1990, 1992.
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