Our Stumbling Blocks In Our Lives... I Know Mine

Christ said " the mind is willing but the flesh is weak..." , He knew us so well He told us what we are about and with compassion He was telling us that as long as we keep on trying, though we keep on stumbling, we can make it to the goal.

My stumbling block, and i guess i am confessing here, are Muslims. Not just the terrorists but many times i see them in the street and i resent them... when i see a Muslim woman covered head to toes in black it bothers me at times even just the hijab ... and when i read what they do to Christians today in the Middle East and Africa i get enraged, ready to strike at them for hurting such beautiful people. Yet, dealing with them one on one i love them... but i keep on falling in the same rage when i read how they just kill in a most awful way our brethren... i think of the village in Syria that speaks the language of our Lord Jesus, Aramaic, probably the only one left that is Christian and speaks Aramaic, and how the ugly hordes of Muslim terrorists just ran thru, ransacked and then threatened the villagers to either convert to Islam or die... one of the leaders said never, he was killed. Reading about how in Nigeria Boko Haram everyday kills specifically Christians, destroying churches, raping and kidnapping... i allow myself to get in a rage against this, i do pray for these brethren and many times ask God why he doesn't stop this, that they need His help and protection... though i ask all the time for forgiveness i seem to keep on giving in to the anger i have towards them ...

Christ told us to love our enemies... i know i should, yet, knowingly i can't bring myself to it ...
 
Bless God Rosa.

I use to hate Catholics. All that bugging Sister Mary with prayers all day, when they ought to be bugging their Father whom Jesus made a way to get to. As if Mary does not have better things to do. I was not very fond of Muslims now that I think about it.

Anyway.....................

God is doing things to get protection to His people. It's not a matter of why God does not stop this, it's a matter of God having a place to stop this. Jesus said...

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

(Luk 10:19)

Paul said: (By the Holy Spirit)

And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
(2Th 3:2-3)

David, a Man of faith against terrible odds.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
(Psa 91:7)

So the question is never why God is not doing something, the question is why are not people receiving what God already said?

As a believer I have learned I can't carry the burden that Jesus bore. We are not The Lord, so we should not get upset or we will become ineffective. If the Lord would allow me to beat Love, obedience, faith and hope into people, I would. I don't like seeing anyone come short of all the Good the Lord said about us.

The only sin Muslims are condemned already for is not believing on Jesus. It's not the raping, murdering or bad behavior.
Jesus did not come to judge the World, the World is already Judged as all fell short of the glory of God. I keep that in mind when I see people do stupid and evil things. My Lord is not judging them, I don't judge and get upset.

There is hope though, and God is moving in Nigeria.
We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, so we can blame the devil for everything even if it's our fault. (well..........Why not?) The devil has to seek whom he may devour. That means not everyone is fit for him to eat. Here is one such church in Nigeria.

http://www.thesummitbc.org/

So lets stay encouraged, and pray the Lord send ministers out full of faith with a message of our great God's protection. Jesus said if we pray that, then He will do that.
 
I don't think I've ever thought "I hate" or even "I dont' like" about any group of people. Individuals? Yeah, sometimes, but entire groups of people, no. We're all individuals with our own unique backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs that help make us who we are. So I always try and see things from someone else's POV as best I can.

My "stumbling block" is that I'm too competitive. I've played a lot of sports in my life, and my competitiveness was one reason why I was so driven to be good at them. The problem is when that competitiveness bleeds over into other areas of my life.
 
Bless God Rosa.

I use to hate Catholics. All that bugging Sister Mary with prayers all day, when they ought to be bugging their Father whom Jesus made a way to get to. As if Mary does not have better things to do. I was not very fond of Muslims now that I think about it.

Anyway.....................

God is doing things to get protection to His people. It's not a matter of why God does not stop this, it's a matter of God having a place to stop this. Jesus said...
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
(Luk 10:19)

Paul said: (By the Holy Spirit)

And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
(2Th 3:2-3)
David, a Man of faith against terrible odds.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
(Psa 91:7)

So the question is never why God is not doing something, the question is why are not people receiving what God already said?

As a believer I have learned I can't carry the burden that Jesus bore. We are not The Lord, so we should not get upset or we will become ineffective. If the Lord would allow me to beat Love, obedience, faith and hope into people, I would. I don't like seeing anyone come short of all the Good the Lord said about us.

The only sin Muslims are condemned already for is not believing on Jesus. It's not the raping, murdering or bad behavior.
Jesus did not come to judge the World, the World is already Judged as all fell short of the glory of God. I keep that in mind when I see people do stupid and evil things. My Lord is not judging them, I don't judge and get upset.

There is hope though, and God is moving in Nigeria.
We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, so we can blame the devil for everything even if it's our fault. (well..........Why not?) The devil has to seek whom he may devour. That means not everyone is fit for him to eat. Here is one such church in Nigeria.

http://www.thesummitbc.org/

So lets stay encouraged, and pray the Lord send ministers out full of faith with a message of our great God's protection. Jesus said if we pray that, then He will do that.
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Thank you Michael... i am trying and i do ask in prayers that i stop stumbling on this block... and i do see that there are forces which are defending the Christians in these areas where they are being so brutally treated... reading how once a monster like Putin the president of Russia actually goes out of his way to declare that Christians have the right to their faith and to be safe... to see a man which we ourselves are going against Assad of Syria who uses his army to protect the minorities of Syria which include the Christians... yet our own country does very little. i pray for the Christians every day for protection from God, and i hope i will also pray for the Muslims that inflict all this pain on them...
 
Just a thought, opinion:

Thinking about the other post where the Moslem wrote in the “ dome of the rock”… makes me wonder: is the the Son of God is the stumbling block of the Moslems?

They kept on seeing things in terms of carnal, flesh definition….

John 4:21-24

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spiritand in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
 
Just a thought, opinion:

Thinking about the other post where the Moslem wrote in the “ dome of the rock”… makes me wonder: is the the Son of God is the stumbling block of the Moslems?

1Cr 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

so what is a stumbling block or foolishness to them, IS NECESSARY for Salvation ..

1Pe 2:6 For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNERSTONE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED .”
 
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Thank you Michael... i am trying and i do ask in prayers that i stop stumbling on this block... and i do see that there are forces which are defending the Christians in these areas where they are being so brutally treated... reading how once a monster like Putin the president of Russia actually goes out of his way to declare that Christians have the right to their faith and to be saf.

Praise God Rosa, I just have to believe that God does have his power in places that understand His protection and God is also changing the hearts of the kings which is in his hands to turn as He will. Putin is a great example of this, so thank you for mentioning it. Who would have thought.

I know there are church in Nigeria that Satan can't touch, and being a spiritual battle I believe all our Brothers and Sisters will understand that the devil and his bunch is no match for God and his bunch. God has always showed up where the cry of faith is heard and woe to those that harm us. You don't mess with the Mans children as bad things can and will happen to you.

Michael.
 
Just a thought, opinion:

Thinking about the other post where the Moslem wrote in the “ dome of the rock”… makes me wonder: is the the Son of God is the stumbling block of the Moslems?

They kept on seeing things in terms of carnal, flesh definition….

John 4:21-24

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spiritand in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”


Interesting thought... i do think that especially for Muslims our Lord Jesus must be their stumbling block for they do all to disavow His divinity... i saw a bumper sticker here in NY from an out of town vehicle which stated to go on their website because Jesus is in the Quran... well, you know that i wanted to speed up and yell at him, but i realized how they also want to confuse people by making that statement and trying to lure many on their website... i didn't speed up, but i prayed, hoped, that those who saw that would realize the same as i did...
 
1Cr 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

so what is a stumbling block or foolishness to them, IS NECESSARY for Salvation ..

1Pe 2:6 For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNERSTONE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED .”

Thus, Christ, the stumbling block for Jews and Gentiles (which i assume includes Muslims) is necessary for salvation, for those who believe it is not a stumbling block but the path to salvation, hopefully that the more the Jews and Gentiles (Muslims) stumble on it the quicker they realize that Christ is God...
 
Praise God Rosa, I just have to believe that God does have his power in places that understand His protection and God is also changing the hearts of the kings which is in his hands to turn as He will. Putin is a great example of this, so thank you for mentioning it. Who would have thought.

I know there are church in Nigeria that Satan can't touch, and being a spiritual battle I believe all our Brothers and Sisters will understand that the devil and his bunch is no match for God and his bunch. God has always showed up where the cry of faith is heard and woe to those that harm us. You don't mess with the Mans children as bad things can and will happen to you.

Michael.


It is amazing to see such an atheist go from being the best KGB to one of devotion to Christ, here is a link which tells of his secret baptism that his mother did without his father knowing and anyone else... :

http://www.hungarianambiance.com/2013/07/the-moscow-times-putin-was-baptized.html

Nigeria is in dire peril, Boko Haram everyday seems to be attacking Christians and threatening them to leave... the government is trying its best to destroy them but i feel they are getting help from outside, possibly Iran which is just about in every insurgency that deals with terrorism, this link gives a lot of news of everyday attacks on Christians:

http://zeenews.india.com/tags/Boko-Haram.html

We all need to keep praying for the safety of our brethren who are in these areas and in such peril... may God answer our prayers and theirs and keep them safe...
 
Christ said " the mind is willing but the flesh is weak..." , He knew us so well He told us what we are about and with compassion He was telling us that as long as we keep on trying, though we keep on stumbling, we can make it to the goal.

My stumbling block, and i guess i am confessing here, are Muslims. Not just the terrorists but many times i see them in the street and i resent them... when i see a Muslim woman covered head to toes in black it bothers me at times even just the hijab ... and when i read what they do to Christians today in the Middle East and Africa i get enraged, ready to strike at them for hurting such beautiful people. Yet, dealing with them one on one i love them... but i keep on falling in the same rage when i read how they just kill in a most awful way our brethren... i think of the village in Syria that speaks the language of our Lord Jesus, Aramaic, probably the only one left that is Christian and speaks Aramaic, and how the ugly hordes of Muslim terrorists just ran thru, ransacked and then threatened the villagers to either convert to Islam or die... one of the leaders said never, he was killed. Reading about how in Nigeria Boko Haram everyday kills specifically Christians, destroying churches, raping and kidnapping... i allow myself to get in a rage against this, i do pray for these brethren and many times ask God why he doesn't stop this, that they need His help and protection... though i ask all the time for forgiveness i seem to keep on giving in to the anger i have towards them ...

Christ told us to love our enemies... i know i should, yet, knowingly i can't bring myself to it ...
I think you do need to isolate. Even if its just Sunni and Shiite.

What upsets you about the woman? The fact that they are ultra submissive to the men or that the men abuse them by making them dress like that? I have great respect for Muslim woman. If there were no Christian woman left, they would be my go too.

Islam > ungodly by far! The extremists are simply mostly uneducated. The problem is not Islam but education.

Submissive woman (y). Banning immoral media (y). Devotion to their religion (y). Enforcing and keeping the law (y).

Abuse to woman (n). Banning all media and keeping propaganda (n). Seeing Jihad for silly reasons as devotion (n). Laughable jury and sentences (n).

Truly devout Muslims are a stone throw away from accepting Christ. Obeying the laws from the prophets can be seen as drawing close to the Lord.
 
I think you do need to isolate. Even if its just Sunni and Shiite.

What upsets you about the woman? The fact that they are ultra submissive to the men or that the men abuse them by making them dress like that? I have great respect for Muslim woman. If there were no Christian woman left, they would be my go too.

Islam > ungodly by far! The extremists are simply mostly uneducated. The problem is not Islam but education.

Submissive woman (y). Banning immoral media (y). Devotion to their religion (y). Enforcing and keeping the law (y).

Abuse to woman (n). Banning all media and keeping propaganda (n). Seeing Jihad for silly reasons as devotion (n). Laughable jury and sentences (n).

Truly devout Muslims are a stone throw away from accepting Christ. Obeying the laws from the prophets can be seen as drawing close to the Lord.


From what i know the Sunni are more devout than the Shiite which seem to be the confrontational and domineering ones...
When i see the women with the head garb it seems like a reminder, a badge, of who they kneel to, but the ones that are totally covered to me represents slavery and Christ freed us, men and women, from slavery taking us out of bondage, and here the men keep them purposely thousands of years back just because they use the excuse that anything exposed leads them to lust... pleeeease . i have spent time with Muslim families in their homes, speak to them and have had business deals with the devout and find them to be devout and loving, and i do feel in my heart that the reason so many ME and African countries ban conversion to Christianity is the fear that the truth and the God of love which we glorify and worship would be the one the majority of Muslims would want and accept in their life...
 
I've learned to tolerate people I conflict with, but I really aspire to love them more. I aspire to respond to everything with sincere, unabashed love. It can be extremely difficult for me.

I'm not afraid to voice my opinions on subjects, and many of those opinions rub people the wrong way. I've definitely received my share of attacks. My place has been vandalized, I've been punched, I've been called a series of slurs, my wife has received her share of attacks too...I ultimately want to be able to forgive my enemies, and if given the chance, help them in a way that they just wouldn't expect.

I struggle with this quite a bit when these things happen as it can release a bitterness. This sounds crazy, but I want to be a saint. I suspect I won't be because of how much of a sinner I am, but I want to express a love that would direct people to God.
 
I struggle with this quite a bit when these things happen as it can release a bitterness. This sounds crazy, but I want to be a saint. I suspect I won't be because of how much of a sinner I am, but I want to express a love that would direct people to God.

You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!!! Amen!!! Praise God!! So your not going to commit a certain amount of righteous acts to become a saint, and your not going to commit a certain amount of unrighteousness acts to miss your Sainthood. Your Righteousness and Sainthood are based on the "IN JESUS" part and what He did. So faith in the Lord Jesus makes you the Righteousness of God and a Saint.

Sheep don't run the farm, the good Shepard runs the farm. The spiritual standing of the sheep is based on the Sheppard.
 
You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!!! Amen!!! Praise God!! So your not going to commit a certain amount of righteous acts to become a saint, and your not going to commit a certain amount of unrighteousness acts to miss your Sainthood. Your Righteousness and Sainthood are based on the "IN JESUS" part and what He did. So faith in the Lord Jesus makes you the Righteousness of God and a Saint.

Sheep don't run the farm, the good Shepard runs the farm. The spiritual standing of the sheep is based on the Sheppard.

This is encouraging, Michael. Thanks :)
 
I've learned to tolerate people I conflict with, but I really aspire to love them more. I aspire to respond to everything with sincere, unabashed love. It can be extremely difficult for me.

I'm not afraid to voice my opinions on subjects, and many of those opinions rub people the wrong way. I've definitely received my share of attacks. My place has been vandalized, I've been punched, I've been called a series of slurs, my wife has received her share of attacks too...I ultimately want to be able to forgive my enemies, and if given the chance, help them in a way that they just wouldn't expect.

I struggle with this quite a bit when these things happen as it can release a bitterness. This sounds crazy, but I want to be a saint. I suspect I won't be because of how much of a sinner I am, but I want to express a love that would direct people to God.

Like you i make my opinions well known and even my own family goes against me, i don't mind but i do try to make them see what i see... i think you are on your way to be a saint for saints go a little further than the average person, they do a little more like St. Francis, they always look to God for all their guidance and always praise and thank God for all in their life whether good or bad... God bless you .
 
You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!!! Amen!!! Praise God!! So your not going to commit a certain amount of righteous acts to become a saint, and your not going to commit a certain amount of unrighteousness acts to miss your Sainthood. Your Righteousness and Sainthood are based on the "IN JESUS" part and what He did. So faith in the Lord Jesus makes you the Righteousness of God and a Saint.

Sheep don't run the farm, the good Shepard runs the farm. The spiritual standing of the sheep is based on the Sheppard.

So true Michael, it is the Sheppard that leads the sheep either to their safety or demise... i am always so grateful to Christ that He allows me to know Him and to hear Him for without His presence i would have fallen off the cliff so many times...

God is great and truly wonderful...bless Him for all His grace for us all...
 
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