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faithisthekey-23 · 1 year

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Hi brothers and sisters

Today, I will also write my testimony on how my life looked like when I was listening to KPOP, how Lord of Lords delivered me from listening to worldly music, watching a lot of content from some groups and solists, and how my spiritual life looks like now.

My journey with kpop

I discovered kpop in 2018. However, I only listened to a few music groups: Blackpink; Twice; Red Velvet and one song from Sunmi. I won't say too much about it for it isn't that important. I just liked listening to this music but wasn't that invested in it.

However in March 2021, I started listening to BTS, Enhypen and TXT. I quickly wanted to just know their names so that I could recognize them, but I began to really like their songs. I loved the fact that everytime I was sad, I could listen to their songs and feel happiness. I felt a lot of energy after listening to their songs and began to watch different types of content from these groups and videos their fans published. I was very anxious and thought that they are the reason why my anxiety calms down. Whenever I felt hopeless, I came to their music, I also posted posts about them on a few apps. I didn't see any red flags and even when I began to see that I depend on them when it comes to happiness and my well-being in general and felt miserable, very sad when I thought of going back to school after breaks on which I listened to Kpop and watched Kpop content for a few hours everyday. Even though I could see how I depend on kpop groups too much, I didn't even think of taking a break from it. There were times when I wasn't listening to this music for a few days, but I still watched content related to it. I didn't see that it is satanic, full of blasphemy against my Creator God, personal Savior Jesus Christ and maybe blasphemy against my Precious Friend Holy Spirit too. I was so blinded by all of those innocent looking people that I didn't see that there is so many wrong things about this industry. I saw how people working in it are treated, the negative impact their songs have on my emotions and heart (my heart hardened really quickly after listening to some songs), I heard songs about the devil and revenge, and even though I tried to be closer to God, I actually didn't seek Him in the right way, as I was too invested in this music industry and didn't stop listening to these songs for the sake of my identity as a child of God. I even loved singing them. I even started thinking that I should be like those singers and tried to learn how to sing and dance like them. I had a lot of scenarios about becoming a kpop idol (even though the name is also a huge red flag which I didn't see as I was blinded by satan) to the point that I even dreamed about talking with my (now ex) favorite groups. I am ashamed for I even tried to introduce other people to kpop not knowing that it was one of the reasons why I was so miserable, but I realized it only recently.

How God delivered me

I actually didn't have to do much to get rid of listening to kpop. On 15th March, I went on referat and the for the first time in my life I truly felt that it's not a priest talking about God to me, but it's God talking to me through the priest. I felt a strong presence of the Holy Spirit and loved it. When I went out of the church, my mind was filled with the thoughts that I want to truly start seeking God and spend much more time with Him, at least a few hours. I also lost the desire to listen to the wordly music and after some time I also stopped having the desire to watch movies that aren't about God, study if it isn't about Him (I still study and have good grades, but I just don't keep on seeking knowledge after school at all. However, I love getting to know about Almighty more).

The comparison how my life looked like before and how it looks like now

I can easily notice that just like I had so much anxiety when I was listening to kpop, it is gone. I sometimes feel anxiety when I want to explain the Bible for someone and obey God's will but it disappears thanks to the Most High. Earlier, I used to compare my looks and abilities to everyone around me and got way too involed in beauty standards. However, today I noticed that I haven't felt ugly or wanted to change anything about my looks for a few months now (it's May, so 4 months' passed since I was born again). I also stopped feeling so sad and lonely, don't need to depend on music to feel happy. I found my identity and only true happiness in the Holy Trinity and know that they always care about me. Even when someone rejects me or doesn't treat me with respect, I always come back to my Heavenly Father and remind myself that having Him, Jesus and Holy Spirit in my life is more than enough. I did overthink everything, but stopped. Randomly, different thoughts about future fill my mind, but I able to ignore them and focus on my Savior. These days, I get tempted so much to come back to kpop. To be honest, I wanted to come back to kpop to listen to Christian songs. However, I also had a strong desire to listen to other kpop groups but my King of Kings lead me to the video that talked about the negative impact it has on faith of people. Then, I realized that I could watch kpop content and listen to this genre even for 5 hours during the day but prayed for only 25-30 minutes and didn't feel that I need God as I thought that I only need those groups. I watched a few videos about how bad it is and on the next day, I told myself that I won't come back to this again. I was tempeted way more often and the thoughts that told me to come back to this were really intensive, I also saw some articles and videos on the websearcher but didn't choose to waste my this way. I learned how to stand firm and I am thankful for Holy Trinity, for God helped me. Thoughts of the books I read about kpop also show up in my mind and try to encourage to read them again, but I will not break for God. He died for me, I can at least put Him first and not go back to something that is against Him. You can choose Jesus as well! His Arms are always opened for you, no matter how much you've sinned. He loves you to the point that He even died for you, took your blame on Himself to give you salvation and not let you perish. He is always there to listen to you and give you comfort. Just accept His offer, you won't regret it in the end :)

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jedineedlove · 6 months

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Legend VS LMK Characters:

Kui Mulang (LMK):

[Kaui Mulang, Guard of the Celestial Court, Mansion of the White Tiger, Devourer of Earthly Souls]

Korean: Gyumokrang Mandarin: The Wood Wolf of Legs

Former Celestial Guard turned Yellow-Robed Demon.

After Falling in Love with Jade Maiden and having their love rejected by the Celestial Realm. He gave up their immortality and he awaited for her to reincarnate. As he waits to make sure he will be there to see her he consumes mortal lives to longavit his own.

The 28 Mansions mentioned by him are part of the Chinese constellation system as to why there is so much star imagery is in his castle.

Kui Mulang (Ledgend):

Kui Mulang originated from the ancient Chinese worship of the constellations, a spiritual practice that combines Chinese mythology and astronomy. He is considered to be one of the 28 Mansions, which are Chinese constellations. These are the same as those studied in Western astrology. He appears in Chinese mythology literate notably the JTTW & Fengshen Yanyi.

He is linked to a historical figure called Ma Wu, a general who hailed from the town of Huyang in Tanghe, located in the Henan province.

Kui Mulang is associated with the constellation Andromeda, which appears in the sky in the middle of November. In this constellation is Kui Xiu, described as the "four-legged fish palace" of Heshansu (和善宿) because its shape is similar to a fish. Another constellation, the White Tiger, is also associated with this cluster of stars.

According to the novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi), Kui Mulang was originally named Li Xiong. After he died in the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals, Jiang Ziya deified him as the Wood Wolf of Legs, one of the twenty-eight stars.

In JTTW

Kui Mulang appears as a demon named Yellow Robe Demon . He lives the Moon Waves Cave on Bowl Mountain in the Kingdom of Baoxiang. In his past, the Yellow Robe Demon falls in love with the Jade Maiden in Heaven and decides to elope with her. He becomes a demon lord and the maiden is reincarnated from a goddess to a human who is named Baihuaxiu . She is the third princess of the Kingdom of Baoxiang. The demon then kidnaps the princess, though she has no memory of her existence as a Jade Maiden. He marries her and the couple has two children. Sun Wukong manages to defeat the demon, which mysteriously vanishes after his defeat. Wukong then seeks help from Heaven to track down the demon and learn his true identity. The Jade Emperor discovers that one of the 28 Mansions is missing, so he orders the remaining 27 to subdue the demon. The demon is revealed to be a disguised as Revatī, the Wood Wolf of Legs, a star deity in the heavenly court, and one of the 28 Mansions. The Wood Wolf is then subdued and brought back to Heaven. As punishment, he is ordered to become a furnace keeper under Taishang Laojun.

Jade Maiden:

Considering she is a huge part of Kui Mulang's life I thought maybe also some info about her as well.

[ Yunü / Jade Girl or Jade Maiden]

Yunü is a common designation for a beautiful woman or, in Daoism, for a fairy or immortal

A Taoist deity or goddess in Chinese mythology and Chinese traditional religion who, along with her male counterpart Jintong (Golden Boy), are favored servants of the Jade Emperor and Zhenwudadi.

They are also believed to serve as guides in the underworld and the protectors of houses and temples. Some of the Golden Boy and Jade Girl pair could be found on some graves at Bukit Brown Cemetery as they are believed to serve as guides in the Spirit World or the Underworld.

During the spring festival, pictures featuring the two can be found on the doors of many households.

This couple helps virtuous souls over a golden bridge to paradise and helps souls whose good deeds outweighed the bad, over a silver bridge to paradise. Therefore by erecting the Golden Boy and Jade Maiden by the grave of the deceased, living family members hope that the deceased will not venture into the courts of hell but instead lead their afterlife in paradise. Yunü and Jintong have appeared in several stories since the Song and Yuan dynasties and have become important figures in Chinese mythology.

There are several mountain peaks bearing her name.

In Journey to the West, Yunü is a servant maid of the Jade Emperor in Heaven. She falls in love with a star god called Kui Mulang and decides to elope with him. However, she doesn't want to ruin Heaven's pureness, so she decides to reincarnate as a human. She enters the human world as Baihuaxiu, the third princess of the Kingdom of Baoxiang.

In Other Literature:

Specific examples are the southern opera version of the legend, Jintong and Yunü, In this context, Yunü is called Longnü and Jintong is called Shancai Tongzi. According to the Shenyijing, Yunü and her companions loved to play touhu, a Chinese game in which arrows or darts are thrown into a vase. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, she and Jintong seek enlightenment and are acolytes of Guan Yin. In this context, Yunü is called Longnü and Jintong is called Shancai Tongzi. Some folktales say that Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua were originally the Golden Boy and Jade Girl. The Jade Emperor was furious with them and wanted to punish them for breaking the celestial utensils. Fortunately, the Old Man of the South Pole begged for their mercy and was demoted to the mortal world. In the Hanyi ji play, the protagonists Qi Liang and Meng Jiang are reincarnations of Jintong and Yunü. In most popular versions of The Butterfly Lovers, the protagonists Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are human reincarnations of Jintong and Yunü who are expelled from Heaven Court by Guanyin or the Jade Emperor for their sin and forced to live as a thwarted couple for three or seven generations before being reunited and restored to their original status.

Thoughts:

Yunü has a lot of love and being kicked/leaving heaven tales.

But did love she was more than just known for this story alone.

The JTTW and LMK versions of Kui Mulang are not too different. However, in the retelling of their love tale he only mentioned himself ridding them of their immortality it almost sounded like in that tale she might have had second thoughts and he did it by force. But I hope not but we can never know because the LMK changed a lot of the characters and tweaked some backstories.

I think the real change in the LMK is that Kui Mulang captured Ao Lie before the JTTW. From the way he talked about the Jade Maiden, she had not been reincarnated or at least he had not captured her yet. For Ao Lie It had to be after his banishment of course because he talked about his powers causing damage he felt bad for aka when he burned his dad's stuff.

Well, I hope you, readers enjoyed:)

#lego monkie kid #jttw #lmk #fan thoughts #journey to the west #lego monkey kid theory #character study #kui mulang #jade maiden #chinese mythology

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rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw · 23 days

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Sunday Afternoon Session

Conducting: Quentin L Cook

Come Rejoice

D Todd Christofferson

A limiting trait is not being valiant in your testimony

Wholehearted devotion is what we should strive for

To make it to and stay in the Celestial Kingdom we must have a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and act on that testimony

Being Valiant in your testimony of Christ

Includes nurturing and strengthening that testimony

Heading His messengers

Encouraging others by word and example

We will not let anything keep us from being together forever

Do the things Jesus shall teach and command you

Taylor G Godoy

God hears our prayers and answers them in a personalized way

Mosiah 5:12

This life by its nature brings about experiences

Call Him, don’t fall

Just because you aren’t answered immediately doesn’t mean your call wasn’t answered at all

Confidence in the Lord’s answers requires accepting that they are not always what would expect in our minds for them to be.

The Lord is the first option for help

Call Don’t Fall (pray)

After prayer do all you can to obtain the answers you pray for

Humbly accept His answers

Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling

Gary E Stevenson

Where is the foundation of your bridge?

The two towers are love the Lord thy God and love your neighbor as thyself – these are the towers that the bridge of the gospel is supported by

Loving the Lord leads to eternal Happiness

Bridges our heavenly upward gaze to our heavenly outward gaze

Love of the Lord is not complete if we do not love our neighbors

Loving your neighbors includes Christlike deeps of love and service

How are you building your tower of love?

“did God call on you specifically, or were you simply the one who listened?”

These towers need to function together in balance, equal devotion, and harmony

God loves everyone and so should we; we seek out those in need and serve them regardless of race, wealth, gender identity, sexual orientation, or anything else

God commanded us to love one another. Leave judgement up to Him

How do we build our own bridge of faith and devotion?

Early drafts become polished blueprints

Mathias Held

Consequences are a part of agency

Repentance is where growth happens

Seek to learn and accept support from the Lord

In the darkness of night we can turn on our lights

We can still choose how to respond to things out of our control

We are agents not objects.

Opposites don’t exist apart from each other, they can complement each other.

Where there is sunshine, shadows must be there too. Floods brings destruction but they bring life as well

Our difficulties do not define us – it is our attitudes and choices that define us much better than our situations

How Firm a Foundation

Niel L Anderson

It is breathtaking to see the works of God

Discipline your faith, what does that mean to you?

Eleazer Cearcy – sealing story – this is why listen to promptings

Angels have charge over us

Through the power of the Holy Ghost we are filled with strength and peace and joy and unspeakable hope.

Many different ways to see the face of Christ and no better place than in His holy house

Mark L Pace

Transform our homes into sanctuaries of faith

The scriptures are here to help us draw closer to Him

How can you avoid personal apostasy?

We are responsible for our own personal spiritual growth

The most important copy of the book of Mormon is the one you read

Heavenly Father wants you to know yourself – but you must put in the effort

Russell M Nelson

Called to apostles 40 years ago!

Six temples when he was born

Ponder what the Lord’s promise means for you personally

The priesthood was restored prior to the church – to ensure that the church could be organized with the correct authority

The priesthood keys are the only way we get the essential ordinances and covenants, the only way we can have blessings the way we do – we can extend all the blessings promised to/by Abraham to all God’s children

D&C 110

The gathering of Israel is evidence God loves all of His children everywhere

The gospel of Abraham is further evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere

The sealing power is supreme evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere and wants them to return to Him

Study Kirtland temple dedicatory prayer in D&C 109

Regular temple worship will enhance how you see yourself

The temple empowers us to take on the challenges of life

You do not have to face life alone

What courage does it give you to know that angels really will help you?

No combination of wickedness will prevail over those who worship in the house of the Lord

Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than attending the temple as regularly as you can, nothing will protect you more, nothing will bolster your testimony of Christ and His atonement, or recognize the significance of His plan, nothing will soothe your spirit more, nothing will open the blessings of Heavens more

15 temples:

Uturoa, French Polynesia

Chihuahua, Mexico

Florianopolis, Brazil

Rosario, Argentina

Edinburgh, Scotland

Brisbane, Australia South Area

Victoria, British Colombia

Yuma, Arizona

Houston, Texas South Area

Des Moines, Iowa

Cincinnati, Ohio

Honolulu Hawaii

West Jordan Utah

Lehi Utah

Maracaibo, Venezuela

Now Let Us Rejoice

#genconf #tumblrstake #ldsconf #general conference #church of jesus christ of latter day saints #temples

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talonabraxas · 11 months

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"As above, so below. The microcosm corresponds to the macrocosm, and we must therefore seek in man the Kether above the head which shines with a pure white brilliance in Adam Kadmon, the Heavenly Man.

The rabbis call it the Yechidah, the Divine Spark; the Egyptians call it the Sab; the Hindus call it the Thousand-petalled Lotus. But under all these names we have the same idea-the nucleus of pure spirit which emanates but does not indwell its many manifestations upon the planes of form."

"The Spiritual Experience assigned to Kether is said to be Union with God. This is the end and aim of all mystical experience, and if we look for any other goal we are as those who build a house in the world of illusion.

Anything that holds him back from the straight path to this goal is felt by the mystic to be a bond that binds, and as such to be broken All that holds consciousness to form, all desires other than the one desire-these are to him evils, and from the standpoint of his philosophy he is right, and to act otherwise would invalidate his technique."

"The virtue assigned to Kether is that of Attainment, the Completion of the Great Work, to use a term borrowed from the alchemists. Without completion there can be no attainment, and without attainment no completion. Good intentions weigh light in the scale of cosmic justice; it is by our completed work that we are known. True, we have all eternity in which to complete it, but complete it we must, even to the final Yod. There is no mercy in perfect justice save that which gives us leave to try again."

"Kether, viewed from the standpoint of form, is the crown of the kingdom of oblivion. Unless we have realisation of the nature of the life of the pure white light we shall have little temptation to strive for the Crown which is not of this order of being at all; and if we have this realisation, then are we free from the bondage of manifestation and can speak to all forms as one having authority."

— Dion Fortune - "The Mystical Qabala"

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walkswithmyfather · 5 months

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“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34, NIV)

https://www.facebook.com/PostcardsFromGod/

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digitaldoeslmk · 6 months

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This a little too complicated for a ask but, how do Chinese demons work, how do they come into being, how do their powers work, how do they get their powers, what types exist, what is the general feel about them since it not totally extermination, what type of civilization they have, what can they make like how do they get there weapons and armor, how strong are they physically, and for a joke you think the Armstrong canon is a mortal weapon that a author might not have thought of they wrote a demon is immune to all mortal weapons. (This why you don’t power scale historic mythical figures DEATHBATTLE.)

welcome back, bud! and, hoo boy that's a lot of questions ajhdadbjawdw

i'm assuming you mean in my au, but for most of them, i gotta point towards actual folk religion beliefs, since that is what i'm leaning on. and as most thing with real mythology, it's Complicated xvx

so, Chinese demons come in many shapes and sizes and have multiple origins and power levels, sometimes (but not always) related to their origins. i'd have to direct you to my own sources, aka the ever wonderful @journeytothewestresearch and his articles!

this one explains some of the basics and a few nuances of JTTW demons while also offering the book from which the information was acquired, and the one below is a wonderful compilation of a myriad deities in folk religion, as well as some info on how worship and the pantheon functions.

but for the sake of convenience, i'll do a quick run down under the read more uwu

to make a very complicated and deep topic veeery short, though. demons (Yao) are simply one class of being, like mortals and immortals. some demons (Yaoguai) are animals who cultivated (either through the Dao or Buddhist merit) themselves into demonhood. some become cultivated enough to shed their animal form and assume human form, which is generally considered pretty advanced. sometimes, they are just animals that for some reason grew to be Very Old, grew very large, and became demons. sometimes, they are restless spirits who lingered and cultivated into Yaojing. some even, are celestials and immortals who committed some misdeed or crimes, and were punished into being demons, either for a set time or until they've redeemed themselves somehow.

overall they don't have a specific "civilization", they are also part of the Middle Kingdom (the mortal realm) and exist within it or on the skirts of it. most of them are not unlike highwaymen or a very dangerous animal; they attack people on roads, they have mountain lairs and call themselves "mountain kings" over the region they control, etc. as demons, they often are on a bad path, killing and stealing and causing grief wherever they are, and so the locals learn to avoid them as much as possible and call on exorcists if the demons become too much of an issue. but there are demons who seek a better path, cultivate on their own without causing mischief, and those may even gain an appointment in the heavenly bureaucracy.

in very short terms, you were reborn in a lesser tier of the reincarnation realms and thus you have to work your way back into the human path by doing good deeds, or you dig yourself a deeper grave by causing chaos. generally, humans fear demons because they more often than not cause chaos, illnesses, bad luck, etc. and if uncovered, they'll likely be expelled from wherever they are.

as for weapons, some of them are let's say signature weapons. in Esoteric Buddhism and folk religion, how a deity is depicted is imperative to asking for their blessing or summoning them; their pose, colors, clothes, mudras, chants, and indeed even weapons, are very clearly detailed so that you won't be fooled by a masquerading demon impersonating them. therefore some deities are assigned weapons as the signifier of who they are. for example, Sun Wukong has had many forms and depictions over the years, but you Know it's him by the Ruyi Jingu Bang. same for Bajie and his rake.

however, some are weapons that were stolen in some way or another from higher beings. a common trope in JTTW is that demons were acolytes or underlings from higher deities, and left service with a few trinkets from their masters, which are then returned once the demons are defeated.

as for what they can do, a few are depicted as being able to produce pills of immortality for instance, from their own merit as cultivators, so again depending on their level of cultivation, they can accomplish quite a lot.

and if i remember right, Wukong himself is a demon (sorta) who is impervious to mortal weapons. he cultivated to reach Copper Head Iron Arms, a skill that makes him impervious of any attack. he also has his warding circle, in which he draws a circle on the ground with him staff, and everything and everyone within the circle is protected.

EDIT: depending on the region and myth, you might also see yaksha and rakshasa being mentioned. they are imports from India thanks to Esoteric Buddhism, but like demons, there are good and bad individuals among them. i don't know enough about Hinduism and Esoteric Buddhism to go in-depth on the topic, but know that they are Different But Similar xvx

#jttw #journey to the west #chinese folk religion #daoism #buddhism

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canayams-art · 1 year

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I am here today to present to you my Qianxiu propaganda (Lang Qianqiu & Pei Xiu)

Alternatively: Yong’an solidarity— a prince who had everything taken from him and a soldier fallen from grace. Lang Qianqiu’s reputation as a bright and noble god in Pei Xiu’s eyes is in conflict with the version of Lang Qianqiu traveling the mortal realm and lightly veiling personal revenge with the label of justice. What happened to the god of the East?

Pei Xiu, currently facing heavenly exile in the mortal realm, has already destroyed the lair of the one person Lang Qianqiu is desperately seeking revenge against. It’s not a stretch to imagine the two of them bumping into each other on their respective journeys.

Time for a hypothetical exposition lol

Imagine young mortal Pei Xiu, growing up in the Yong'an outskirts and hearing passing tales of the kingdom's former glory. The elders telling of the legendary prince who ascended to godhood after slaying his former teacher and restoring peace to his people; how the people know him now as their beloved and benevolent protector: His Highness Tai Hua.

Now consider Pei Xiu's surprise after a turbulent and traumatic ascension, the issues and consequences of his actions still close on his heels. The God of the North has seen greatness in him and while he's effectively made a new name for himself, it's not been achieved in a way he wanted. He's ashamed but he resolves to handle what remains of his bloody ascension quietly-- not wanting to tarnish his new General's reputation.

Time passes and Pei Xiu grows accustomed to his new position in the Middle Court, handling several tasks on behalf of Ming Guang Palace while quietly managing the situation within the Half Moon Kingdom. He is efficient and calm under pressure. His General often calls on him to handle affairs among the High Court.

It was only a matter of time before he was tasked with handling business directly with Tai Hua Palace.

They say you should never meet your heroes but if that's the case then Lang Qianqiu is the exception. He's bright and straightforward and far more sincere than other gods of his caliber. Most think him naive; Pei Xiu thinks the High Court could benefit from being more like him. Himself included.

In the passing of time and the expense of Ming Guang's pristine reputation, Pei Xiu finds himself mortal and-- one again-- in exile. Imagine his surprise at a chance encounter with the god of the East while on his new path. He doesn't know what brings Lang Qianqiu to the mortal realm, but it's likely to do with the sudden shift in the prince's demeanor. There's a darkness in his eyes that Pei Xiu recognizes in those who haunt his past; who has stooped so low as to be the object of Tai Hua's revenge?

And now-- some ship vibes to chew on:

In short: I think these two would compliment each other stupidly well and as a result they have an entire cinematic universe in my brain.

#tgcf #tgcf fanart #pei xiu #lang qianqiu #it’s MY rarepair and I’ll ship them if I wanna #also important to note that this is NOT ban yue erasure #I live in the world where px would absolutely defend both bny and lqq with his life #post-canon qianxiu is just the three of them co-parenting guzi while trying to mend qi rong's spirit #lqq overseeing qi rong personally while px and bny bring guzi to yushi in the mortal realm and help give him a good life #ANYWAY AS YOU CAN SEE I AM LOST IN THE SAUCE OF THIS RAREPAIR AU #yams thought #yamsart

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albertfinch · 7 months

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October 8, 2023 - Exhortation

God wants you to be breaking through into new places as He is always calling you to come up higher in the Christ reality of your calling. All that is required is for you to get on God's frequency. Jesus told us that His sheep hear His voice, but we, as His sheep, must be in tune to His voice. We cannot live in compromise with the spirit of the world and expect to hear the voice of God.

Why?

Because that is being in tune with a different kingdom, a different sound, and a different voice. What does it take for us to get on His frequency? There has to be a hunger and desire for more of Him and a passion for revealing His Kingdom to a fallen world.

There are things you can do and mindsets that you can adopt that will facilitate this endeavor:

Come to understand your Christ identity through studying verses in the epistles of Paul that show you our inheritance due to Jesus' finished work on the Cross.

Ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7) until you come to apprehend your Christ calling and begin bearing fruit that remains for God.s kingdom.

REPENT towards the heavenly example of anything you are doing that does not match up with Heaven. You live free from guilt and condemnation and enjoy a lifestyle of oneness with Christ and walking in the Spirit.

Simplify your current lifestyle so you have more time to focus on what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do in fruit-bearing for God's Kingdom. You may have to find new friends if the ones you currently have lead you in the wrong direction.

You lead others as you follow Him.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

#jesus #calling #destiny #purpose #bible #devotional #daily word #revelation #inspiration #holy spirit

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alwaysrememberjesus · 1 year

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“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭30‬-‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

#god #jesus #christ #holy spirit #bible #scripture #bible scripture #bible verse

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satanismeng · 14 days

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Answer to the question regarding my journey to Satanism.

Recalling moments from my childhood, I remember that my parents were quite religious, and I always questioned who God was and what his purpose was. However, since I was only nine years old, I couldn't fundamentally contemplate this question and asked people older than me what they thought about it.

The answers varied, but they all shared one motif - after death, for sins, you'll go to hell, where there will be cauldrons, demons, and so on. (Everyone around me was believers.) As the years went by, I became more and more doubtful because what was called "sin" was permissible for everyone if they went to the priest afterward, gave him money, and confessed their sins. I understood that even for a free religion, money was needed, and that a person cannot avoid these sins themselves.

At roughly the same age, I discovered the word "atheist" for myself and stopped going to church under any pretext. My parents reacted negatively to this because with my chronic illnesses, I had to visit the church until that moment to "recover." As you understand, nothing of the sort happened, and to this day, I remain with the same health issues. However, unlike the times when I believed in miracle healing through prayers, now, being a Satanist and ardently adhering to life's views, I have become much healthier. To delve into details, exacerbations and spontaneous attacks of my illnesses have ceased, and I no longer carry medicine with me. However, doctors' opinions about my health have not changed.

At the age of fourteen, after becoming closely acquainted with the word "Death," I began to understand my actions instead of childish pranks, and started reading a lot of literature from exact sciences to Nietzsche, then decided to revisit religions and search for answers to my questions. After reading their "sacred" books, I came to the following conclusion. In my eyes, religions began to look like instruments of control and management over people, rather than a source of spiritual enlightenment. I realized that many religious doctrines contradict scientific facts and logical reasoning.

For example, the teaching that the world was created in 7 days, when in reality, it took millions of years for the formation of the planet Earth. Or the teaching that man is the center of the universe when in reality, we live on a tiny planet in a vast Universe. I began to ponder about the meaning of life and what happens after death. But unlike religion, I did not find answers in mythical beings and heavenly kingdoms. I decided to seek answers in scientific and philosophical works, as well as in my inner world.

When I learned about Satanism, many of its principles seemed logical to me and aligned with my views on life. For example, the idea that each person chooses their own path and is responsible for their actions, as well as the principles, rules, commandments, and sins.

In conclusion, after years of observation from childhood, I came to the conclusion that the favorite pastime of religious people is shifting their responsibility onto God. Whether it works out or not, it's all "God's will," they cannot realize that all their failures are due to their own incompetence, and words like self-blame, self-criticism, and the like are unknown to them. All failures are seen as tests from God.

End of story.

#satanic #satanism #satanist #anton lavey #anton szandor lavey #satan #laveyan satanism #eleven satanic rules

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childofchrist1983 · 3 months

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The first thing Andrew did after meeting Jesus Christ was to tell his brother Simon Peter the good news. Were you as excited as Andrew to tell others when you first came to know Jesus? How about now? Sometimes, we lose that excitement over time. But with every answered prayer, every new beginning, God gives us an opportunity to reclaim - and proclaim - our excitement all over again. It is a joy to know Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ. When we look back on our first meeting, we remember how we were so amazed and overwhelmed with joy by Him. Thank Him for continuing to show up in our hearts and our lives. May He use these moments to give us fresh eyes and a restored spirit, so that we may continue to be amazed by Him and His Holy Word and Spirit, and continue to share His Gospel Truth with others without hesitation.

May He empower us by His Holy Word and Spirit to live in the light of His Truth, love grace. May our healing and transformation glorify His name and Kingdom of Heaven and reveal who He truly is to others. May He help us to keep close to Him, so that we may endure until He fully sets us free and brings us to our true home in His Kingdom of Heaven. Thank Him for His Holy Word and Spirit. Thank Him for revealing the Truth of Him and His holiness. May He help us to hold close to Him just as He holds close to us, so that we may live in humble and faithful obedience. If we stray from Him and His path, may He use His Holy Word and Spirit to bring us close to Him once again. May He help us daily to trust fully in Him and His love, provision and care. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for making us anew! May He complete His renewing work in us, ridding us of the sinful words, thoughts and actions that aren’t from Him, so that we may reflect only His love and light and presence in us to this dark and fallen world and the lost souls within it.

God is our Heavenly Father, our Creator and our guide. And Jesus Christ is our LORD and Savior and King. As Christians, we trust Him wholeheartedly and we submit our heart and our lives into His skilled hands. May He shape us according to His design and plan for us, so that we may stand strong in the firing furnace and emerge revealing His craftsmanship as He prepares us serve Him on Earth and in His Kingdom of Heaven according to His Holy Word and will. May He give us the peace and endurance we need each day, and may He use this time to help us grow in His wisdom and strength and to grow in our walk and relationship with Him. May He make us more into the person that He not only created us to us to be, but called us to be from the very beginning.

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for securing a place for all true Christian believers as followers of Christ and spiritually reborn children of God in His eternal Kingdom. Each day, the sun rises and its light and warmth, and the Holy Bible gives us a glimpse of the promised eternity to come. May we continue to walk in the love and light of Christ with our heads held high and our eyes on the finish line. May we lead others to His Gospel Truth and to His light as well throughout this journey with Him. Let us all humble ourselves before God daily, asking Him to forgive us and to strength and teach us to view life through the lens of God and His promises. May He guard our hearts against Satan and the temptations of this world and our flesh. May He give us the peace to find full satisfaction in God and His peace and promises, so that we may live our lives daily in ways that honor and pleases Him. As we seek Him daily, may He reveal Himself to us through the words He has provided and use it to conform the desires of our heart to Him and His love and compassion and grace.

As true and spiritually reborn Christians, we love, trust and believe in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ. We choose to keep Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ first in our hearts and lives and all other worldly desires behind us. He extends salvation to everyone, and we want to show the world the freedom, hope and peace they can have in accepting and following Him. We must ask Him to help us grow spiritually in our relationship with Him and strengthen us and the bonds of love that He has given us, so that our unity may glorify and testify to His power and goodness. Thank Him for calling us to faith and imparting us with salvation and righteousness. May He empower us to live in His will and righteousness, so that we may testify to His soul-saving power as our faith carries us past all doubt, fear, and failure. May He grant us the grace to forgive others who have wronged us, and the humility to seek forgiveness where we have caused strife. May we follow and serve God daily with love, trust, awe and wonder. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ strengthen our faith, lift our spirits, protect our hearts, and show us opportunities to help bring others to Him and His Gospel Truth daily. May we do this duty boldly, humbly and faithfully. Seek, follow and trust in the LORD God Almighty always! To God be all the honor and praise and glory!

We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with sincere hearts to ask forgiveness and follow Him and His Holy Word and Spirit always. We praise Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the mercy He bestows upon us and we are grateful for His grace and mercy and infinite blessings. By surrendering our hearts and our lives to His will, we see all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. God our refuge and our salvation and our constant provider. We lift our voices to Him in praise for His steadfast love, mercy and understanding. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ open our minds and hearts more and more to perceive and embrace Him and His truths. May He help us to find time to pray and read and study the Holy Bible daily and to find power in prayer, praying according to His Holy Word and will. May He help us to come to Him in true repentance and with faith in Him and His grace and merciful nature. May He give us the grace, courage and strength we need to walk with Him and do His will daily. May He teach us to watch our words when we pray to Him and to speak reverently and rightly. May we continually ask God to transform our hearts and make us faithful and humble as we walk with Him daily. We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with honest, humble and repentant hearts. We must seek Him and His will and choose to follow Him all the days of our lives. May He help transform our hearts, help us to seek and live for Him above all else and to grow spiritually and build our faith and relationship with Him with each passing day. May He forgive our sinful nature and help us always make Him and our relationship with Him top priority.

As true and born-again Christians, we choose to walk in His righteous path and lead a life that is pleasing to Him. We desire Him and His will above anything else. We desire to walk in accordance with the love and light He has shown to us through His Holy Word and Spirit. We long for a deeper relationship with Him and a deeper fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. When we fall into temptation and sin, we must turn to Him for forgiveness, strength and guidance. When believers learn to walk in accordance with God's Holy Word and Spirit, they have deeper fellowship with both God and one another. And the sin that could threaten to destroy that fellowship, if confessed (1 John 1:9), is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ and no longer a barrier between us and God. May we ask Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ to forgive us for any sins we have sinned this day or in days past. May we be faithful to Him and His Holy Word always. May He help us to walk more consistently in the light and to not neglect long to confess and forsake any sins that hinder our walk with Him. May He lead us in the direction He wants us to go so that we may seek and serve Him faithfully. God is holy and almighty and deserving of all praise honor and glory. We rejoice in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, knowing He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8). May our hearts always be filled with thanksgiving and rejoicing. May He help us to praise Him freely and honestly like all believers who came before us. May we live a life that showcases our love and trust in Him and His Holy Word and Spirit as He uses us draw others to Him and His soul-saving Gospel Truth daily. May He continue guide, correct and protect us, so that we continue to grow in Him and not weaken and stray. May we all remain faithful to Him and to this duty and purpose He has called us to. Seek and put your faith and trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and let Him do the rest. May He humble our hearts and help us focus on following and serving Him daily and helping others with joy and happiness. We lift our voices in praise to Him for His love, mercy, peace, faithfulness and grace - For EVERYTHING!

It is vital that we remain rooted in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit and that we live and walk as a beacon of His light and love and share and spread the Gospel Truth daily, so that the lost souls in this world can come to know Him and be saved. The more we focus on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, growing spiritually by building our relationship with Him, leaning on Him and His Holy Word and Spirit, the better off we will be. Thanks to this and our faith in Him, we know that everything will be alright. And we will forever be grateful to Him. As true and born-again Christians, we believe in Him and His Holy Word and we strive daily to walk in His Holy Spirit. We know though our mortal bodies should die, He will raise us up and into new and glorious bodies (The Rapture). We who are truly His and alive at His second coming will never die, and our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and so shall we ever be with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forevermore (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is one of many promises given to us by God Himself. Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin and temptation. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives daily according to His will.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven (John 3:5, 14:6), the ONLY way to salvation (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9) and He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26). Jesus Christ the LORD of lords, the KING of kings, the GOD of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16) - He is the Living, Almighty and Everlasting God (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8, John 3:16, John 3:36, Jeremiah 10:10). There is no other God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5). We MUST humble ourselves before Him, turning our backs on false teachers, false gods and idols and our sinful ways. We MUST repent and turn back to God and recognize who He is and love Him in return for His great love for us. We MUST make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

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apesoformythoughts · 2 months

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“So it was in Albertyn, as the war tore apart the fabric of our once peaceful lives, my own included, that I came to understand more clearly and in some small way this truth in all its terrible simplicity: ‘Do not be anxious, therefore, saying what shall we eat or what shall we wear, or where shall we sleep, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice.’ We would survive, although the world around us had changed completely. We would go on, today and tomorrow and the next day, picking up the pieces and working out each day our eternal destiny and our salvation. There would be a tomorrow, and we would have to live in it—and God would be there as well. The Church would survive, perhaps not exactly as we had known it at the mission, because the faith would survive among the people of God as it had al ways survived in times of persecution. One thing only need be of great concern to us in all this seeming upheaval and catas-trophe: to be faithful to God and to look to him in everything, confident of his love and his constancy, aware that this world and this new order was not our lasting city any more than the previous one had been, and striving always to know his will and to do it each day of our lives.”

— Walter Ciszek, SJ: He Leadeth Me

#walter ciszek sj #the romance of orthodoxy

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officialyourdailyinspiration · 2 months

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Concerning Almsgiving

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Concerning Prayer

5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be revered as holy. 10 May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

14 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Concerning Fasting

16 “And whenever you fast, do not look somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Concerning Treasures

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Eye

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Serving Two Masters

24 “No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. — Matthew 6 | New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE) New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Exodus 22:2; Exodus 34:7; Ruth 1:6; Ruth 3:3; 2 Samuel 7:26; 1 Kings 3:13; 1 Kings 10:4; 1 Kings 18:21; 1 Kings 18:26; 2 Kings 4:33; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Job 35:11; Psalm 38:9; Psalm 39:5; Psalm 90:6; Psalm 103:20; Psalm 111:5; Proverbs 20:6; Proverbs 25:22; Isaiah 5:20; Isaiah 58:5; Jeremiah 45:5; Hosea 14:5; Matthew 5:7; Matthew 18:35; Matthew 19:21; Matthew 20:15; Matthew 23:5; Mark 11:25; Luke 10:41; Luke 12:34; Philippians 4:19; 1 Peter 5:7

#charity #prayer #fasting #treasure #lamp of the body #serving two masters #worry #Matthew 6 #Gospel of Matthew #New Testament #NRSVUE #New Revised Standard Version Bible Updated Edition #National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America

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cassianus · 5 days

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How do we approach the world and writings of St. Isaac the Syrian? For, Archimandrite Vasileios tells us, he "commands a territory which is difficult to describe. It is the mystery of the age to come, as it is lived out today by a saint who is mature, totally transfigured; who not only sees the strength of things uncreated and the beauty of things unseen, but has the power, in the likeness of God, to create new worlds, as he himself says. And although this is something so vast, it is not a dizzying vastness; on the contrary, it soothes you. It calms you down. Because he has attained to the mercy of God, the incomprehensible compassion which loves the whole creation." St. Isaac makes present to us, then, all that we can be and are meant to be by the grace of God. In him and in his writings we see what it is to live as a saint in the world and so also glimpse the glory of the Kingdom.

"He is above created things," Vasileios continues, "beyond all activity. And at the same time he cannot bear to see even the least of creatures suffering. This is why in the likeness of God he prays with tears for all creation, even to the very reptiles." St. Isaac though sharing in the life of God is not separated from creation; rather he shares in the very compassion of God that forever links him to every creature.

It is for this reason, Vasileios warns, "the text that dares to speak about the spiritual world of Abba Isaac cannot be organized systematically. It cannot be divided into sections; it cannot fence his teaching in." To do so would be to do violence to the man and to the saint, to do violence the mystery of God's ways.

Thus, Vasileios continues, such a work "will speak in a way that is general and fragmentary. It will leave place for those who approach this wonder to register their amazement." St. Isaac is a wonder; a wonder of God and His grace. His life itself becomes for us a revelation. It pulls back the veil and allows us to gaze upon the heavenly Mystery in which we find ourselves caught up. For this very reason any writing or discussion of Isaac will not fully give us simply the flavor of the man, but "inevitably reveal how this uncreated grace and sparkling radiance are reflected off the uneven surface of the writer's own disorderliness. Thus it both speaks the truth, and unavoidably distorts it. It helps towards an understanding of Abba Isaac and at the same times obscures it." What St. Isaac reveals to us is more than we can ever fully comprehend outside of sharing in his experience; outside of becoming saints. Every encounter with him radically humbles us.

And so Vasileios sets the path for us: "Nothing remains - this is a desire and a wish - but for each of us to cross himself, and quietly proceed to his own personal encounter with the Abba. Thus each of us will receive, secretly and silently, what he is looking for, what he can find nowhere else with such maturity, universality and completeness.

In the weeks to come we will seek to enter, with the help of Vasileios, into the world of St. Isaac and so be made "fellow guests at the eternal feast of his joy."

***************

Abba Isaac is there.

He could have lived without every writing anything, and still nothing of his grace and richness would have been lost.

But because we lack the receivers to pick up all that radiates from him in silence, out of love he starts to write:

"My beloved, I have become foolish, and I cannot bear to guard the mystery in silence, but I am become a fool for the sake of the profit of my brethren."

The whole truth that the Church believes and lives, all that is set out in St. Gregory of Nyssa, the Areopagitic writings or St. Maximus the Confessor in a form which is intellectually difficult and dogmatically crystal clear, is to be found here - not reproduced verbatim, but verified through experience. His joy and his ethic stem from this nourishment and the way he has digested it.

He experienced the grace of the incarnation in his whole body.

He was taken up into the paradise of deification with his whole being.

In his life the grace of the Church exists in its entirety. And in his book you find the whole of his sanctified self.

He is a genuine person, shaped by momentous experiences. For long years he was battered by temptations from the right and from the left. And he received experience of "divine aid"; "Having been tempted over a great period of time in things from the right hand and from the left, . . . and having received countless blows from the adversary, and been deemed worthy of great and secret aid, I have gained experience from many long years, and through trial and by the grace of God I have learned these things."

He was tried in his entirety and saved in his entirety. This is why he is able to transmit salvation.

He passed through the ultimate crisis of darkness: "This hour is full of despair and fear; hope in God . . . is utterly effaced from his soul, and she is wholly and entirely filled with doubt and fear." "Many times we have experienced all these things."

He entered in his entirety into the paradise of future blessedness, where "a certain delight and gladness descends into the whole body." And "a certain sweetness constantly wells up from the heart, and draws the intellect altogether after it."

Thus he attained to the measure of the true "giants", as he calls the saints, those who "do not practice each virtue separately, but all the virtues at once, completely and comprehensively." This is why he was able to write this book.

And the writing of it was a convergence of experiences; a torrent of life passed right through him, testing his endurance and paralyzing his members and his heart: "Often when I was writing these things my fingers failed me in setting down everything on paper, and they were unable to endure the sweetness that descended on my heart and silenced my senses." His teaching flows like molten gold, pouring at this very moment from the furnace of his being.

A certain elder, as Abba Isaac relates, said of his writings: "These are . . . true deliberations that are stirred in me by nature. I write them down when they come to me, so that I might reflect on them in my periods of darkness, and they might deliver me from delusion."

That was how Abba Isaac wrote. His words wrote themselves in the hour of grace. This is why now, as you study them, they fill you with grace, the light and the holy stirring that engendered them. The writing and the study of his words are a participating in divine and eternal life "for remission of sins, for communion of the Holy Spirit and for boldness towards God."

As you study his holy writings, you truly live with Abba Isaac. And he lives in you. Your being functions in a way that is ecclesial, a liturgy. You receive and involuntarily you offer, and at the same time you feel gratitude: "These things I have written down as a reminder and source of profit for myself, and for everyone who comes upon this book . . . in order that they might be a help to me through the prayers of those who are profited by them. For I have taken no little trouble to set these things down."

He knows that by the way he has lived and the way he has written, he has enslaved us in freedom to his ethic. He has made us fellow guests at the eternal feast of his joy. And we all dwell there.

Historical scholars want to find out whom he was influenced by and whom he influenced (and this is a legitimate exercise). But in entering into that realm where he has entered, he has taken from all, both earlier and later, and gives to all. He lives in the realm of the Kingdom. And he influences everyone through the high dignity he has attained in his own being.

Archimandrite Vasileios

Abbot of Iveron Monastery, Mount Athos

Abba Isaac the Syrian

An Approach to His World

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walkswithmyfather · 11 months

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“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.” —Ephesians 5:1‭-‬10 (NLT)

“Beloved Children, Pleasing to God” By In Touch Ministries:

“God delights in those who love Him and want to do His will—even when they stumble.”

“As believers, we’re supposed to imitate Jesus. That might seem impossible to us. After all, He was the Son of God! In fact, God the Father even attested several times, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). How can we possibly live up to that?

Thankfully, God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He knows we’re still learning. Just like a parent who rejoices over a baby’s first steps, so our heavenly Father delights in our steps as we seek to walk with Him. The goal is growth. Once a toddler walks, the parents’ delight shifts to more mature achievements. As long as we keep growing in our faith, we will never cease learning new ways to please our Father. He loves us and patiently cheers us on at each new level.

What’s important to the Lord is our heart. Amidst all our frailties, failures, and temptations, God sees our inmost thoughts and motivations. He knows how much we love Him and desire to obey. Even in our stumbling, He helps us up and encourages us with His Word.

If you’re prone to perfectionism, give yourself grace and time to grow. That’s what the Father does, so learn to see yourself through His eyes. He’s waiting—not to berate your efforts but to help you develop into the person He designed you to be.”

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livingbeyondaddiction · 3 months

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John 10:10 (ESV): The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 1. What does the devil seek to steal? He seeks to steal our identity and give us a false sense of self which we then place on the throne. We idolize and worship ourselves and others, the creature, rather than the creator. In a sense brainwashed and then being barricaded inside that identity with walls all around. How do we escape our captivity and imprisonment? The only way out is to be broken. Those walls torn down and replaced with our true identity in Christ as a child of God. What does it mean to be a child of God? It means we were selected from the beginning. It means we receive an eternal inheritance and that we are adopted. Literally, grafted into son-ship as a brother or sister of Jesus. Nothing can take that away, not even the devil. We are eternally secure. Now I ask you, is that a free pass to do whatever we want because we've been set free? Absolutely not. Once we receive salvation we seek only to do His will and when we go against that we feel convicted and we strive to do as He would want. When we slip we promptly admit it and repent. I beg you to examine your hearts. Do you feel convicted when you go against the grain? Do you seek His will? Or are you just going through the motions? Have you accepted Christ or are you waiting for a different opportunity? I urge you to accept Him into your hearts while you can because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Ephesians 1:3–10 (ESV): Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

John 1:11–13 (ESV): He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 2. What does the devil seek to kill? He seeks to kill our purpose. What is our purpose? Our purpose is to do the will of God. The devil kills our purpose by blinding us to our purpose. The world and the prince of this world (Satan) lays a veil over our heads (eyes to see, ears to hear, and the mouth to confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior). He lays traps to ensnare us but he doesn't force us to sin, but rather tempts us with subtle suggestion. However when we stop seeking the worlds "sense of completion" and seek after the things of God Christ pulls the veil from our eyes so that we can see these traps. What are some examples of worldly things? Drugs, alcohol, sex, money, power, fame, etc. What are the things of God? Love, peace, joy, peace, righteousness, etc. Are we chasing the desires of the flesh or are we hungry and thirsty for the things of God?

Galatians 5:16–24 (ESV): But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

2 Timothy 2:22–26 (ESV): So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 3. How does the devil seek to destroy us? He seeks to destroy our relationships with God, ourselves, and others. The devil is the accuser and he gets that title naturally. He accuses us by leading us to sin against God and once we sin he causes us to feel shame, guilt, fear, regret, anger, doubt, secrecy, and all manner of spiritual and emotional turmoil that isolates us and sends us further into sin. What is sin? Sin by definition is a separation from God. What does separation from God look like? It means that we are void of His presence. God is light and in Him is no darkness. To be separated from Him means to be in total darkness. God is the living water. To be apart from Him means we thirst. He is the bread of life. This means without Him we starve. God is the Word made flesh. To be separated from Him means we're separated from His knowledge and wisdom. God is the healer of the sick and injured. To not have this means eternity of weeping and gnashing of teeth. We take for granted the things in life that can only be explained as the presence of God. But to ignore these things we forsake what God has given us and will suffer complete absence from Him eternally.

James 1:13–15 (ESV): Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

1 Peter 5:6–11 (ESV): Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 4. What does it mean to have life? Furthermore, to have it abundantly? Abundant life comes from our life in Christ and of the abundance of eternal blessings supplied by Him. Satan doesn't want us to have an abundant life. He seeks to kill, steal, and destroy all our eternal blessings by leading us to a life of complacency. What does it mean to be complacent? To be complacent is to procrastinate. It also means that we consider ourselves to far gone to be saved or to think that there will be time in the future to seek salvation. There are many ways to be complacent and it's in non-action that the devil takes action. Are we taking action or are we being complacent? So how do we get an abundant life? We accept the sacrifice of God's only begotten son Jesus Christ and rest assuredly in His eternal salvation. We flee from the devil. How do we draw closer to God? We first seek His kingdom and all things will be added to it.

James 4:4–8 (ESV): You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

So in conclusion I prompt you to Seek God, seek His kingdom, and accept His sacrifice and His salvation. Flee from the devil, being firm in your faith, shun the world and it's wicked ways because friendship with the world is enmity with God. I pray that this blog reaches you where you're at and touches your heart. May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and please feel free to reach out to me with questions or prayer requests.

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