Sunday, June 15, 2014

Good advice for all of us

Important message for men - and anyone else.


Please watch this, and take it to heart! It is true and if you choose to take it seriously and live it, it will change your life and the lives of others, for the better!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Links


This is a list of pages and resources that I really enjoy and have helped me to understand Jesus and the Scriptures. Although the only resource that we need is the Bible, it is nice to have some wise people help us learn how to understand it; always remembering that the Holy Spirit is the authoritative teacher and is solely concerned with directing our minds to Jesus, who is Truth and Life.

I hope these are helpful to those who investigate them further. Feel free to comment any other resources you have/know of.



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Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading Plan is one of the best, most comprehensive plans I've ever seen, and used. This PDF includes and explanation of where Horner came from, how to use the plan [and why], including a printable page of bookmarks, if you wish to use them. I have been using this for the past year and it has greatly blessed me. I highly, highly recommend using this system.



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Dr. Neil Nedley is a very wise and knowledgeable man of God. His lectures are very logical, scientific and easy to understand, but yet teach us about the way in which God desires for us to live, eat, and conduct ourselves. He deals with a lot of topics relating to emotional disorders and depression.



My favorite presentation of his, is “Heavenly Music: Starting Now” which I believe, is on the second page of his index. However, all lectures of his, which I've listened to have been very enlightening and edifying.



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Christian Berdahl is a very interesting man and has a very unique testimony. He focuses on music quite a bit but also has a lot to say about how important it is to guard your mind and give your entire focus in life to Jesus, in order to disciple to others and do other work for the Lord.



My personal favorite presentation of his is “Distraction Dilemma – Exposing Distractions and Dangers in Music” (this is speaking of worldly music and misguided genres of “Christian” music). His testimony (the 2 hour version) is also very compelling and shows very clearly how God was leading his life.



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Of course Walter Veith has to be on this list. He was my first adventist teacher, before I started attending church again. His lectures were instrumental in drawing my attention back to Jesus and helping me realize that the Father loves us with a love beyond what we can even imagine. His lectures cover a myriad of topics: from Evolution vs. Creation, to Health, to the Reformation, to the End Times – a study mostly concerning the Sanctuary, Daniel and Revelation—and the fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy throughout history. There are a few other topics as well.








Repairing the Breach [this, and Total Transformation is more for those who are already Christian and are interested in knowing more in-depth how to understand God's will for our lives and a few other interesting points of view]




Walter Veith's testimony is very intriguing as well. I personally enjoy hearing testimonies because it shows me how real God is in our lives, if we invite Him to be, and also shows where this person has been and what gives them the knowledge and experience to know what they're talking about in their ministry.



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These are a few of my favorite Bible sites/apps. I have android (Google Play) but perhaps you can find them on your own “market”/”store”



You Version is a great Bible site and app. It also allows you to keep track of multiple reading plans, highlight passages, bookmark passages and more. I use it to keep track of my Prof. Horner Bible System.



Bible.is is also a very cool site. I don't believe there are reading plans on it, but it does have very well done audio-bibles. You can choose many different languages and translations and can also choose between dramatic readings (basically voice acting, background music, and sound effects), or non-dramatic readings. On the app, you can also download chapters of the audio-bible so that you can listen later, offline. You could even download the entire bible if you wish.



Remember Me is a really great site for aiding in memorizing Bible passages. This is something that I desire to do, but have trouble in doing so this app/site has helped quite a bit. The site is more of just keeping a record of your verses and perhaps adding more, but the app is where it really comes alive. You can use many different techniques of practicing the verses, and you can move the verses from “New” to “Due” to “Known.” When you feel confident that you know the verse, you can record yourself saying the verse on a virtual “card” and then flip the “card” over and listen to your recording to see if you were correct.


This Bible app is fairly unassuming, to the naked eye, but if you're interested in history and want to read many “old fashioned” translations, such as the Geneva Bible, or Webster's Bible, or Young's Literal Translation, this is a great app. It also has many Bibles of other languages, like Greek, Indonesia Baru, Ostervald, Martin



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These are just a very few of my favorite resources, and apps. I will add some more later on too. I have found many online study courses and Bible Study sites, if anyone is in need of some.





Have a good night and a blessed week!





Amanda

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

At War!

We are at war!

 Right now, in this very moment we are at war. The enemy seeks to plunder and destroy the foundation of Christianity, the foundation of each of us, to discredit us. To misuse our own teachings against us and to focus our thoughts on things that do not matter. A lot of times people forget to think about that matter. A lot of times people forget to acknowledge the fact that as Christians we are fighting a war.

Our first hint of this comes in 2 Timothy3:12

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution

Those who desire to live a God driven life will suffer persecution This is because we are at war. We are each soldiers in God's army. If you have ever been in a war or in the army then you know that no soldier goes through that without suffering of some sort. Luckily, just as basic training does for soldiers every where we are taught in the Bible how to fight this war.

The first thing we need to know about this war is that it is not new. Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 9 tells us that all things that have been will be again. Nothing is new. Christians have been fighting persecution since the dawn of our religion. Stories through out the Bible tell us this. Two familiar stories are in Daniel. Chapter 3 tells the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Who suffered because they refused to worship anything other than God. In the end their faith delivered them from a fiery death. Daniel Chapter 6 tells the story of Daniel as he is cast into the lions den for praying. Here to his faith was strong and he was set free from his captors. The Bible is rife with the stories but the truth is, we simply need to know that the war we fight is not new. It has been on going since the days of Christ.

The second thing we need to know about this war is that it is not a physical war, and can not be won in a physical way. We can not load a weapon and fire it at our enemy. Our enemy is unseen, he hides behind lies and misdirections.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us:

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

We can not fight a battle with regular weapons of warfare, no we must seek other weapons. Luckily God provides those to us as well.

Ephesians 6:11-13 tells us:
"11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"


We are to gird our waist with truth, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. We are to understand the Gospel of peace, and carry with us our faith as a shield, and the word of God as our sword.

Satan knows the word of God, and he subverts it to his own designs, but if we study it every day, if we learn it, and if we understand it, if we carry it with us in our hearts, he can not defeat us. This is the most powerful weapon against Satan that we have. Understanding and knowledge of the Bible, Faith in our savior, these are the weapons we need to rely on every day to battle in this war.

Sometimes it will be hard. Satan will look for weak points to attack you. Perhaps you have a physical ailment, and no matter how hard you try it just gets no better. Perhaps you have a bully, perhaps your love life is not what you want it to be. Maybe your friends are not Christians and you are afraid that you will offend them. Maybe you are faced with poverty every day. Whatever the circumstance these are things Satan can use against us if we are not careful.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.


So we must expect these attacks, and we must work to fight against them. Not by physical means but how? Through the word of God, and the Shield of Faith. These are our weapons of war.

2 Timothy Chapter 2 verse 1-13 tells us:

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things 8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

So our road will not be easy, and the war will rage on for our life time, but there is one more thing we need to know about this war. The most important part of it.

We have seen now in scripture that there is a war going on. We have seen how to fight it, and what to expect from it. The final peace though is the one thing Satan wants us to forget. The most important part of it all. The outcome of this war is already determined.

In John 16:33 Jesus tells us:
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”


No matter how hard we have to fight, and no matter how hard Satan pushes us. We can not lose. Jesus has overcome the world and promised us here that we will too. What's more if you read Revelation, you realize that at the end of it. Satan is cast into the burning pit forever and ever. So do not lose heart. We may be soldiers in a great battle, but it is one that we WILL win.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Vocemnostram updates!

In the past few days there have been some exciting updates to vocemnostram.blogger.com

We now have a facebook page! Feel free to like us!
We now have a chat channel dedicated and run by us on an secure IRC network!
We now have a prayer request page so that prayer requests may be submitted by our subscribers!




We hope to have new content up shortly, and we plan to hit this new year in the face with a whole bunch of exciting new posts helping to spread God's message to those who need to hear it!



Thanks for your support, and may God ever bless you!

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Enjoy!