Category: faith

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Danny Baker’s royal baby chimp tweet was racist and it’s right he was sacked – what you sow is what you reap

An honest mistake? Maybe he did not think before posting the tweet?However, thats not justification. Life is full of choices. You will reap what you sow. The tweet was very upsetting, and disturbing. You should never speak of a non-white or mixed-race child in the same breath as a chimp.

Radio DJ Danny Baker has been fired from BBC Radio 5 Live after for posting tweet about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s baby son that featured an image of a monkey

The broadcaster said: ‘Sorry my gag pic of the little fella in the posh outfit has whipped some up’

Danny Baker has issued an apology, but unfortunately, that apology isn’t worth a grain of sand as the only person he seems to feel sorry for is himself?

On Wednesday, the BBC Radio 5 Live presenter tweeted a black and white photo of a man and woman holding hands with a chimpanzee in a suit and a top hat, with the caption, “Royal baby leaves hospital.”

The above picture was branded “racist” and people urged Mr Baker to quit from his show on the radio station with immediate effect. Danny Baker has since apologised for the tweet and said it was intended as a joke.

Danny Baker has since been fired from 5 Live on Thursday 09th of May 2019.

Twitter users were outraged by the post with one user tweeting:

“I used to think Danny Baker was funny as too, but if a monkey is the first thing you ‘think’ about regarding a mixed race baby, you’ve got issues clearly!.”


Another wrote: “Is there a petition going to get Danny Baker sacked? My pen is ready #racist.”

The BBC wrote:

“This was a serious error of judgment and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody.”

The BBC

That’s an understatement. It’s the second time Baker has been axed by 5 Live and is the third time he has left the BBC. Clearly the BBC has as problem.

Lack of Diversity in the BBC

The lack of diversity in the BBC is still in stark contrast to their vision for a “diverse and gender balanced senior leadership team” by 2020.

THESE are the faces of the chiefs of the BBC – despite attempts by Auntie to make its workforce more diverse. PUBLISHED: 13:59, Sat, Jun 4, 2016.

White, Oxbridge educated and middle-aged: THESE are the faces of the ‘diverse’ BBC in 2019. As you can see, no noticeable changes since 2016. Could this be the reason why people like Danny Baker were re-hired again and again? And if so what does this really say about the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)?

In 2019 the overwhelmingly middle-aged Oxbridge educated men each earning at least £250,000 a year still make up the majority of the BBC’s Executive Board.

I hope it will become a teachable moment. I now hope to see a stronger commitment to diversity and a series of unconscious bias training for all staff. #AlanSugar

Labour MP Brent Central | Opposition SOS for Women & Equalities | UK’s first elected female African-Caribbean Government Minister 

History of the photograph

The photograph is a picture of famous 1920s chimpanzee Joe Mendi “the gentleman chimpanzee”.

The primate was the most popular animal entertainer of the time.

He was billed as having “the intelligence of a five-year-old child” and toted around Broadway, New York by circus-owner Lew Backenstoe.

Tricks included playing a miniature piano, posing for photographs and drinking Coca-Cola at the local soda counter.

The picture shows the primate dressed to the nines as he attended “Trial of the Century,” the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925. 

Thousands watched as Clarence Darrow defended high school science teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution in his classroom while William Jennings Bryan argued for the prosecution. 

Time magazine described the proceedings as ”the fantastic cross between a circus and a holy war.” 

A Biblical Preceptive on the Danny Baker Post

From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.

When our words help and benefit our people, we honor God. People who experience kindness and encouragement will surely bear good fruit. Many leaders do not realize that what is in their hearts comes out of their mouths, In other words, “What is in a man comes out of the man.” If one’s heart is filled with evil, then he will speak evil.

If Jesus is in his heart, then Jesus is what will come out

This is why we should, as Christian and Business Leaders, be constantly filling ourselves to the brim with goodness, not despair and disaster or things that are not wholesome. How do we do this? Here are a few suggestions:

  • Spend time reading God’s Word
  • Have a relationship with God by fellowshipping with other believers
  • Volunteer in a Ministry in which you can impact the world
  • Devote time with your family sharing your life with Christ
  • Connect in a Bible study or start one yourself
  • Help grow the Church that you attend
  • Encourage and minister to our youth


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You Need A Makeover

Caterpillars and butterflies bear witness: God is in the transformation business. God alone transforms us into new creatures that fly free from the cocoon-like prison of our past.

I cried out to God – how do I stop from falling consistently into sinful behaviour, addictions or bad attitudes that aren’t pleasing to God? When Adam and Eve disobeyed in the garden, the first thing God did was to put clothing on them. They needed to be covered. In the same way, you and I need to be covered today.

What should we cover or clothe ourselves with you may ask? The Bible says with the Lord Jesus Christ. When you “clothe yourself” with the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be protected and able to stand strong against temptation. How do you clothe yourself with Jesus Christ? When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you are covered and cleansed by His blood. You are restored and renewed. Then, just as you get dressed daily, you have to daily “cover” your mind with His Word. 

Today cover (clothe) every vulnerable exposed points to your mind. Cover your ears by listening to the Word through music. Cover your eyes by watching only what is pleasing to the Lord on your T.V, computer or smart phone. Cover your mouth by speaking only positive words of encouragement. As you clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ll become powerful against temptation, you‘ll walk in victory, and you’ll experience the good things He has in store for you!

“Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature]”¦”

(Romans 13:14, AMPC)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for sending Your Son, Yahshua, to redeem me and restore me. Father, thank You for making me new and covering me so that I can stand strong against temptation. God, change my fleshly clothes for that of my Lord Jesus Christ. I  submit my mind and every area of my life to You, and invite You to have Your way in me, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

A special word from the Lord, from Pastor Ray Patrick

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Put On Your Garment Of Praise

I watched one of the greatest comebacks in football history on Tuesday night, as Liverpool looked down and out to Barcelona. But instead of the fans having an attitude of doom and gloom, they came to the stadium with an attitude of praise, to lift their team to victory. What type of attitude are you wearing today? What’s covering your mind and emotions? Are you clothed with despair and disappointment? Are you wearing “heaviness?”

Maybe you’re going through hurt or disappointment. It’s important to go through that process and release the hurt to God. But the Bible also says that God wants to give you a garment of praise, instead of a spirit of heaviness or despair. He wants to exchange your hurt for His healing. He wants to fill you with His peace and joy.

Today, change your clothes. It’s time to take off the heavy garments of yesterday that’s holding you back and weighing you down. It’s time to put on the garment of praise. Release those heavy burdens right now. It’s time to forgive those who have hurt you, and begin to praise your way to victory. When you wear a garment of praise, you’ll stand in faith and excitement about your future, also displaying God’s splendour and power all the days of your life!

“…Provide for those who grieve”¦a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour.”

(Isaiah 61:3, NIV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, I come to You with an open and humble heart. Father, I ask that You take my old garments of despair, hurt and heaviness. God, make me new today, by giving me a garment of praise and joy. Please have Your way in my life, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

A special word from the Lord, from Pastor Ray Patrick.

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Why Some People Remain in Sin, Bondage & Brokenness

Why Some People Remain in Sin, Bondage & Brokenness

The Proper Foundations Haven’t Been Laid

It’s a problem of putting the cart before the horse. We too often launch off into man-made solutions that can never produce the interior transformation that is necessary for lasting freedom. Such “solutions” often teach us (overtly or covertly) to rely on a “system” rather than on God.

Worldly solutions are “maintenance programs” that teach us to keep ourselves from falling by our own wisdom, discipline and power. They can be helpful in a secondary way, but should never be offered as the primary solution.

In contrast, God offers a “transformation program” by which He heals the underlying wounds, transforms the will and keeps us from falling by His power and love (Jude 24; Psalm 37:23-24, 55:22; 1 Peter 1:5).

True freedom comes not from focusing on the bondage, but on the Savior. In 2 Peter 1:3, the Holy Spirit says that through our knowledge of Him, God’sdivine power has already given us everything we need for life and godliness.The solution, therefore, is not found in the wisdom of the world. It is foundthrough intimate knowledge of Him and the appropriation of the power that already resides within us by virtue of His divine presence.

Self-Deception

Some people don’t want to change because they receive too much sympathy, affirmation and attention by staying broken. Others recoil because of the pain that results from revisiting the wounds that have contributed to their dysfunctional behavior.

Our inclination is to deceive ourselves into believing that we want freedom from something when we really don’t. Our hearts are deceitful and duplicitous (Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19). For example, I used to regularly cry out to God for freedom from a particular bondage. One night the power of God fell on me and I knew that He was finally answering my prayer. But to my utter shock, my first thought was “Oh no!” In that moment, I realized that I had been begging for deliverance from something that I still wanted. Hidden within the recesses of my mind, I didn’t think I could live without it. Deep in the interior of my heart, I still loved it. My pleas for help had not been coming from a desire to walk in holiness, but from self-deluded, performance-based religion.

Primary Reasons for Failure to Find Freedom

1.  Failure to Make an Across-the-Board Commitment to Holiness

The Kingdom of God is not a supermarket. We cannot say that we want freedom from one sin without being willing to be freed from them all. 

God wants us to commit to holiness at every level. Thankfully, He does not lay them all upon us at once, but brings them up as we are ready to deal with each one. As we forsake the things of the world and fix our heart permanently toward the things of God, He then responds with revelation and empowerment.

2.  Failure to Believe In and Act Upon God’s Power to Deliver and Keep Us

Most of us haven’t a clue just how much power God has and how little power Satan has. We need to pursue God in His Word to understand and believe who we are in Christ and the authority He has given us (Luke 10:18-19).

I recommend “truth therapy” – regular meditation on the truths of Scripture,even when they seem to contradict what we feel and experience in our battle with sin (Hebrews 11:1).

Some of us are so enslaved to our feelings that we are incapable of believing anything else. When I fail to become planted in the ground of my identity in Christ, His call on my life, and His empowerment of that call, I’m a sitting duck for the lying thoughts and feelings that invade my soul.

3.  Failure to Undergo a Transformation of the Will Through a Belief In and Embracing of God’s Unconditional Love (Jeremiah 31:3b-4a)

We are in a partnership with God. His part is to provide the grace, love and power that changes our heart and makes us willing to obey. Our part is to pursue His presence. As we believe in His unconditional love, we’re empowered and motivated to forsake sin.

One day, I was in the midst of committing a besetting sin when the Lord spoke to my heart, saying, “If you turn to me right now, I will love you, forgive you and embrace you.” Ignoring the voice, I continued with my sin until satisfied, at which time the Lord repeated the same words to me.

It was a moment I’ll never forget as I realized that His focus was not on my sin, but on His desire to communicate to me that all He really wanted was for me to turn to Him and receive His love. In that moment, He had so taken my heart by this otherworldly love that I now wanted to do His will. In essence, He changed my will through the repeated experience of His grace and love. For the first time, I chose to do His will, not because I was supposed to, but because I wanted to (Titus 2:14). “For it is God who is at work in us both to will and to do that which is according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). In essence, we just need to get under the spout where the glory comes out!

4.  Failure to See Healing as a Process with a Purpose

As we live in intimacy with Him, God shows us the root causes of our behavior, the needs that we have been trying to meet, and His more perfect provision to meet those needs. Through our pursuit of healing, we develop a relationship of love and dependence on God because we have need to turn to Him often for power over temptation and healing from brokenness.

Bondage is essentially a problem of broken relationships — first with God, and second, with human beings. We must come to know Him as He really is and forsake the fiction that our minds have created that has convinced us to run from Him and not to trust Him.

5.  Failure to Develop an Intimate Relationship with God the Father

Many of us fear intimacy. It is where we’ve been hurt. But intimacy with ourperfectly loving Father is another matter. Jesus said that if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father (John 14:9). Do you love Jesus? The Father is just like Him!

Another fear is that we intuitively know that intimacy with someone means commitment and a loss of independence. But we soon learn that intimacy is the deepest level of knowing, of loving and of feeling. It produces the fruit of inner joy. Foundationally, it has to do with our response of love to the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

6.  Failure to Humble Ourselves in Absolute Dependence on God

The pride of self-sufficiency and independence is the fruit of ignorance. The truth is that we are already, completely dependent on God’s power and wisdom in order to have any kind of meaningful existence.

In our culture, humility is considered a weakness. We think that life’s problems are challenges that God expects us to deal with on our own. However, without continual dependence on God, we’re like infants left outin the middle of a freeway. We are completely dependent on God to reveal to us what is true as distinguished from what the world says is true (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

Jesus said that without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Consequently, the closer I get to Him, the longer I sit at His feet and allow Him to uncover the depths of my heart, the more I am going to grow in the humility of understanding the grace that I stand in, and I will love Him even more. And so, our first response to bondage, brokenness or temptation must always be one of utter dependence that turns to God for power, wisdom and strength.

7.  Failure to Learn & Practice Spiritual Warfare

The Bible teaches that the weapons of our warfare are mighty to pull down strongholds — but only when employed in the ongoing reality of these first six pillars of incarnational relationship and empowerment. In other words, spiritual warfare involves using the power of God, the wisdom of God, the discernment of God, the peace of God, the faith of God and the love of God to proclaim the will of God at any given moment.

Those of us who live in the defeat of habitual sin have not yet fully fallen in love with Jesus. We have not received the depth of the revelation of His love and awesome beauty that transforms the heart and mind. Once that has been accomplished, without even realizing it, we will find that we are already wearing the weapons of our warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18) and have beenmarked by the evil one as dangerous.

First Things First

The primary reason that so many of us do not experience victory over the sin and brokenness that so easily besets us is that we do not put these spiritual principles first when attempting to find freedom. In fact, one second of revelation from the God who loves us is worth a lifetime of therapy. This is not to say that therapeutic approaches are unimportant in some cases. It is simply a matter of placing first things first so that any help that we receivefrom men will bear fruit that will last (John 15:16).

Adapted from the Sexual Healing Reference Edition by David Kyle Foster.Dr. David Kyle Foster (M-Div, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; D-Min, Trinity School for Ministry) is the author of Transformed Into His Image and Love Hunger and is the founder/director of Pure Passion Media.

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex reveal royal baby’s name is Archie

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh meet royal baby Archie, held by Meghan as Prince Harry and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, look on. Photograph: Chris allerton/Sussex Royal/Twitter

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have named their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Right up until now the newest royal was referred to in the press simply as “Baby Sussex”.

Meghan recently said: “It’s magic, it’s pretty amazing, and I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy,” she said during her son’s first brief encounter with a television camera.”

The name was announced shortly after the Queen met her eighth great-grandchild for the first time at Windsor Castle, where earlier the couple showed him off to the cameras and then posted pictures to social media.

“He’s already got a little bit of facial hair as well,” the bearded prince joked.

Archie’s first Instagram got 1.4MILLION likes within an hour of making his social media debut as his parents shared heart-warming family pictures taken by their personal photographer. 

Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are so incredibly grateful for the warm wishes and support they’ve received from everyone around the world, since welcoming their son two days ago.

The royal birth

Meghan gave birth to the couple’s first child at 5:26 a.m. local time on Monday. He weighed 7 pounds and 3 ounces, and Harry said on the day that both mom and baby were doing well.

Will Archie have a title?

By deciding to call their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, it is thought that the Duke and Duchess have in doing so signified they will not use a title for their first born.

The baby could have become Earl of Dumbarton – one of Prince Harry’s subsidiary titles – or have been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, but instead he will simply be Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

Will Archie be a Christian and attend Church?

Yes, every member of the royal family is Christened into the Church of England, which is a Protestant strain of Christianity.

The reigning monarch, who’s currently the Queen, holds the title of Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

During her 1953 Coronation, Her Majesty was anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and took an oath to “maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England”.

As part of her role as the Defender of the Faith, the Queen helps the Prime Minister appoint archbishops, bishops and deans of the Church of England.

Prince Charles has previously said that, when he becomes King, he will be known as Defender of Faith – to avoid excluding all the other religions practised in Britain today.

Harry and Meghan, a timeline

8 November 2016 – Kensington Palace releases a statement that confirms Prince Harry has been dating Meghan Markle “for a few months” and asks the press to respect their privacy

28 November 2017 – Harry and Meghan announce they are engaged to be married

15 December 2017 – Kensington Palace confirms the couple have chosen to wed in Windsor on 19 May the following year

19 May 2018 – Harry and Meghan are married in front of 600 guests at St George’s Chapel and become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

15 October 2018 – Kensington Palace announces the duchess is pregnant, and is due to give birth in Spring 2019

6 May 2019 – Meghan gives birth to a boy, who becomes seventh in line to the throne

  • The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh meet royal baby Archie, held by Meghan as Prince Harry and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, look on. Photograph: Chris allerton/Sussex Royal/Twitter
    The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh meet royal baby Archie, held by Meghan as Prince Harry and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, look on. Photograph: Chris allerton/Sussex Royal/Twitter


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You Were Chosen

God chose you, before you chose Him. And He did it before the foundations of the world. Before the world was ever formed, you were on His mind. Created to be above average. He created you to excel! Equipped you for everything you need to thrive in this life. God, has deposited seeds of greatness inside of you, but in order to tap into those seeds of greatness, you have to believe this and act on it.

Many of us go around with low self-esteem, feeling inferior like we don’t have what it takes. But that’s not true. And as long as we have a poor self-image, we’re not going to experience God’s best. In order to be all that God has called us to be, we have to see ourselves as chosen by Him, valuable to Him and victorious through Him.

Today, let’s get rid of low self-esteem and self-image, and meditate on God’s truth that you are“fearfully and wonderfully made” to be great and live above average. Let it sink down deep into your heart. Let it build confidence and security in you. As you understand your value in the eyes of God, you’ll be empowered to live the life of victory He has prepared for you!

“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world”¦”

(Ephesians 1:4, NIV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for choosing me before You created the earth. Thank You for making me valuable and victorious, and for equipping me. Help me to see myself the way You see me. God, lift my self-esteem, and show me Your ways that I may walk with You in confidence and trust, all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name! Amen.

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Oh No! I Forgot To Plug In!

Photo by Thom Holmes

The other day my phone died unexpectedly, because I had forgotten to plug it in to charge, and all the power was drained. Everyone goes through seasons in life that seem overwhelming; times when you’ve felt drained of strength and power. But you haven’t been left without hope. You haven’t been left without an answer. The God of heaven and earth is near you, and He promises to give you strength and might to overcome life’s toughest times. Hallelujah!

You may be asking, where does this strength and power come from? It comes directly from Him. When you connect with Him, you are connecting to your power source. It’s like plugging into a power bank for your phone. You “plug in” through prayer, reading the Word and worshipping Him. You “turn on” the switch by the words of your mouth–by declaring what God says and His power to change.

Today, remember to plug in, especially at the night times in your life. Don’t let the difficult times and difficult people drain you. Rise up, plug in and connect with God’s power, because He is your source of strength! He promises to equip and empower you for victory today and every day of your life!

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:29, NKJV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for Your power, strength and grace at work in my life. Today I choose to plug in to Your power, especially when life seems dark and draining. Father, I will turn my focus and my thoughts on You. I set my heart and love upon You because You are good. God, give me the strength to stay away from people, place and things that drain my spiritual batteries. Thank You for filling me with might and power to overcome the tough times, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

A special word from the Lord, from Pastor Ray Patrick

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Inquiry into Child sex abuse widens scope to other religions outside Christianity for first time

Photo by Kat J on Unsplash


The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales was announced by the British Home Secretary, Theresa May, on 7 July 2014. The inquiry was established to examine how the country’s institutions handled their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse. The (IICSA) in England and Wales has been investigating claims against local authorities, religious organisations, the armed forces and public and private institutions – as well as people in the public eye.

In May 2019 the IICSA announced it was widenening its inquiries scope to include a review of child protection and policies in organisations belonging to religious organisations across the country.

(IICSA) recently announced it was widenening its inquiries scope to include a review of child protection and policies in organisations belonging to religious organisations across the country.

Investigation will include Christian, Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist organisations

Set up in 2015 the IICSA investigates institutions which failed to protect children from sexual abuse. The investigation prior to the announcement yesterday only dealt with Christian cases when probing religion.

The new investigation will review the current child protection policies, practices and procedures in religious institutions in England and Wales and is separate from the IICSA investigations into the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.

Religious groups falling under the scope of this new investigation will include non conformist Christian denominations such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodists, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Baptists, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Mosques, synagogues, churches and temples also fall within the scope of the investigation together with places of faith teaching such as Muslim madrassahs and Christian Sunday schools and places where children and young people gather in connection with their religious beliefs, including but not limited to youth groups and camps.

Last year, several people contacted the Guardian with allegations of child sexual abuse and other mistreatment in Jehovah’s Witness communities in the UK.

More than one in 10 survivors of child sexual abuse (11 per cent) who shared their accounts with the Inquiry’s Truth Project reported sexual abuse in a religious institution. Of this group, almost a quarter (24 percent) told the Inquiry they were abused in institutions in scope of this new investigation, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists, Methodists, Judaism and Islam. Not all participants provided details about the religious denomination of the institution or perpetrator.

They described a culture of cover-ups and lies, with senior members of the organisation, known as elders, discouraging victims from coming forward for fear of bringing “reproach on Jehovah” and being exiled from the congregation and their families.

Dino Nocivelli, a specialist child abuse solicitor at BoltBurdonKemp and an ambassador for the Survivors Trust, welcomed the move. “Finally!” he tweeted. “IICSA has agreed to look into #childabuse in a number of religions to include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islam, Judaism and others #BreakTheSilence #StopChildAbuse.”

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Church of England, and Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster and most senior Catholic cleric in England and Wales, have both given evidence in person, apologising for abuse and its cover-up.

A preliminary hearing will take place at 2pm on 23 July 2019 and public hearings will take place in 2020.

What is the IICSA investigating?

The inquiry’s public hearings consist of 13 separate investigations, which are expected to last until 2020.

What have we learned so far?

Three of the investigations are now complete, along with a case study of abuse in Ampleforth and Downside Roman Catholic schools.

They found:

An interim report has also been published, which concluded that common responses to child abuse “deflected responsibility away from perpetrators and institutions”.

It is highly likely that you know a child who has been or is being abused.

  • Experts estimate that 1 in 10 children are sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
  • 30% of children are abused by family members.
  • As many as 60% are abused by people the family trusts.
  • About 35% of victims are 11 years old or younger.
  • Nearly 40% are abused by older or larger children.

Stranger danger is a MYTH.

Research shows that the greatest risk to children doesn’t come from strangers, but from friends and family. People who abuse children look and act just like everyone else. In fact, they often go out of their way to appear trustworthy, seeking out settings where they can gain easy access to children, such as sports leagues, faith centers, clubs, and schools.

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Connected By Praise

When things get hopeless and seem uncontrollable, what do you do, or where do you turn? Habakkuk the biblical prophet knew what to do when things seemed completely hopeless. His world was falling apart around him. There was destruction everywhere. But Habakkuk knew that God was greater than what he was facing. So what did he do? He invited God into his circumstances by rejoicing and praising Him.

What situation are you facing? Does life seem dark or hopeless? No matter how difficult things may seem, God has a plan to bring you out into a place of victory. Your praise is the bridge that will carry you through, because your praise connects you to your Deliverer. Hallelujah!

Today, remember, God inhabits the praises of His people. Praise gets God’s attention and brings Him tangibly into your circumstances. When God shows up, miracles happen and things change. No matter how things may seem in the natural, you can find peace in your praise, and by staying joyful and focused on the God of your salvation.

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”

(Habakkuk 3:17-18, NLT)?

Pray With Me
Yahweh, I come to You trusting that You will deliver me, when the blossoms of my life fail and life’s fields seem barren and empty. Father, no matter what is going on around me, today I choose to bless and praise Your name. God, I choose to stay connected to You by my praise, knowing that You are the source of my strength, hope and peace, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

A special word from the Lord, from Pastor Ray Patrick

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Pete Buttigieg, a gay Christian and Democrat talks at length about his faith in the 2020 Campaign

LEFT: Sound Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks in Raymond, N.H., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. RIGHT: Rev. Franklin Graham speaks during an interview about his latest book in New York on May 1, 2018. (AP Photos/Charles Krupa, Bebeto Matthews/File)

Buttigieg is a homosexual and has been openly critical of Christian leaders like Vice President Mike Pence who stand for the biblical definition of marriage.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is an Episcopalian who is able to quote Bible verses. He also happens to be a presidential candidate who embraces his husband on stage at campaign rallies. However, Combining homosexuality and Christianity might be the most natural thing in the world for Buttigieg and millions of gay Americans, but it is an iconoclastic development in American politics, where generalizations about religious freedom have in recent years been used specifically to fight advances in LGBTQ rights.

Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg is an American former naval intelligence officer who has been the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, since 2012. Buttigieg graduated from Harvard College and, on a Rhodes Scholarship, from Pembroke College, Oxford. 

Wikipedia

Vice President Mike Pence has never attacked Buttigieg, but as CBN News has reported, Buttigieg made it sound like he did.

“I wish the Mike Pence’s of the world would understand, that if you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is not with me,” Buttigieg said earlier this month. “Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”

Pete Buttigieg

Answering multiple comments Buttigieg made about God, Graham tweeted,

“Presidential candidate & South Bend Mayor @PeteButtigieg is right–God doesn’t have a political party. But God does have commandments, laws & standards He gives us to live by. God doesn’t change. His Word is the same yesterday, today & forever.”

Vice President Mike Pence

Franklin Graham – one of President Trump’s top evangelical advisers – believes Pete Buttigieg’s marriage is sinful and has called on him to repent for his homosexuality.

Franklin Graham

For some on the religious leaders, like Franklin Graham, Buttigieg’s identity, while it’s shared by many gay Americans of faith, does not hold water.

Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, tweeted:

Being a gay Christian “is something to be repentant of, not to be flaunted, praised or politicized.”

Some have said that Graham’s position is ironic and hypocritical given his embrace of Donald Trump as President. But conservative faith leaders have pushed Trump and applauded him in particular for his selection of conservative Supreme Court justices like Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who they hope will challenge court precedent on abortion and marriage equality.

“Mayor Buttigieg says he’s a gay Christian!!!! As a Christian I believe the Bible which defines homosexuality as sin, something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized. The Bible says marriage is between a man & a woman – not two men, not two women.”

Franklin Graham

Still, John Fea, professor at Messiah College and author of “Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump,” characterized the whole debate as “much ado about nothing,” politically speaking.

“I do not think evangelicals (of any race) are ready yet for a gay president and few of them will vote Democratic, so in some ways the point is (moot),” he said in an email. He added that if evangelicals did back a Democrat, it would most likely be former Vice President Joe Biden.

“If Buttigieg was pro-life and gay that would be very interesting,” John Fea said. “My guess is that many evangelicals would hold their nose and vote for Buttigieg because the life of the unborn is more important.”

John Fea

What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

The debate over gay marriage is not just taking place among politicians — it is also a subject of intense discussion in the nation’s churches.

Discussions of homosexuality or “same-sex marriage,” whether in person, in the media or on the Internet, often turn to what the Bible says. Someone is likely to argue that homosexuality is a sin and point to Leviticus, Romans or the Genesis story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Others will suggest homosexuality is not a sin.

The Bible provides God’s blueprint for marriage and for His good gift of sex in Genesis 2:24. The gift is only to be enjoyed within a marriage between a man and a woman.

There are no exceptions suggested, such as homosexual partnerships. From Genesis on, the Bible praises the marriage of a man and a woman, but it speaks only negatively of homosexual behaviour whenever it is mentioned.

The Old Testament states, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable” (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13). The New Testament agrees, listing “homosexual offenders” among a list of people who “will not inherit the kingdom of God” unless they are cleansed through Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Other passages are Genesis, chapter 19; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; and Jude, verse 7. However, it is important to note that the Bible speaks only of homosexual behaviour (which would include lust–choosing to fantasise about behaviour), not unchosen feelings. God will not judge a Christian guilty for his or her involuntary feelings.

Sometimes it is said that the Bible does not record any words of Jesus about homosexuality, and therefore it must be acceptable to God. However, the Bible does not record sayings of Jesus about a number of other specific sins either. When people asked Jesus about marriage, He told them to remember what Genesis said about God’s plan for marriage (Matthew 19:1-12). So, in this sense, Jesus did have something to say about homosexual partnerships. God only blessed sex within the committed marriage relationship of a man and a woman.

Some have tried to reinterpret what the Bible says, in an effort to approve homosexual relationships. For a reply to such efforts, read “Straight and Narrow” by Thomas Schmidt


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What Is Happening In France?

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Over two hundred churches attacked in France in the past two years, twenty of them burned to the ground. And now Notre Dame… what on earth is happening in France?

I was channel surfing last month when I caught the tail end of a news report: Notre Dame was on fire. I couldn’t believe it! Memories of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Aristocats, Ratatouille, and The Three Musketeers all surfaced as I watched the news report. How on earth did a building as long-standing and well-known as this simply go up in flames?

My mind started spinning with possible reasons for the fire such as arson, a terrorist attack, or faulty wiring. The building is over 800 years old, maybe some old wiring sparked and caused the fire. However, according to Benjamin Mouton who served as Chief Architect of Historic Monuments in France, this cannot be the case. All electrical wiring of Notre Dame was updated in the 90s; furthermore, they had alarm mechanisms in place for things such as fires. And what about the two men that were meant to patrol the area? For such a historic building, there has to be some form of security in place, and there was, day and night. What happened to those two men?

I waited for the result of the investigation to be released, expecting it to take a couple weeks due to the size of the cathedral. To my surprise, the authorities were able to give information to the public before the ashes had even stopped smouldering. How is that even possible? How were they able to rule out arson and terrorism so quickly? Where was the thorough investigation? Did they take into consideration that many churches in France had been attacked, and some even burned down? I smell a rat here.

What the authorities were saying and what I was seeing and hearing was just not making any sense. First of all, we are talking about wood that is over 800 years old- that stuff is not easy to burn! It would take an extraordinary amount of effort to ignite the amount of oak in the cathedral, but somehow it wasn’t caught soon enough to avoid the amount of damage sustained. Once again, where were the two watchmen who were meant to keep an eye out for such things? Why did the fire have to get to that stage?

Youtube has a wealth of information on every topic that you could ever think of, and many people take it upon themselves to look for the truth. I happened across a video of a mysterious figure on the Notre Dame rooftop before the fire began, but what really caught my eye was the figure’s odd movements. The person seemed to be going to specific spots on the roof, and once they moved away, there would be a flash of light in the area just vacated. With all the conspiracies going on in the world, could this be one of them?

The President of France has promised to rebuild the monument and make it even more beautiful than before, but he said something else that caught my antennae. He said that he wants to rebuild the building to reflect their modern multi-diversity… Multi-diversity? Considering that France is no longer known as a Christian country, what could he mean? Now, I am aware that Christianity and Catholicism are two different things although the world lumps us into one box. The cathedral was even consecrated to the Virgin Mary, something that has nothing to do with our faith. However, his statement raised warning flags in my mind because I immediately thought of either a mosque-like building being built or something that reflects the One World Order that is coming to existence at an alarming speed. When I read that many billionaires and companies were pledging millions of dollars to rebuild the cathedral, I found it fascinating. Why put so much money towards building Notre Dame when people around the world are in need? The contribution racked up a staggering $1 billion in a matter of hours, and pledges were still pouring in. What is their interest in the building? What does this building truly represent for them?

Then the bombings in Sri Lanka took place, and it left no doubt in my mind that all of these events, the timeframe of them, the type of media coverage, hiding of the truth, etc. all seem to be part of some global plan. This is not just a coincidence! We need to have ears that hear and eyes that see for us to take note of all that is unfolding around us. It’s both an exciting and dangerous time to be alive. Exciting because Jesus is most certainly on His way, and dangerous due to Christian persecution being ramped up. Make no mistake: things will unfold whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.

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Coming up from behind

Coming up from behind

And there it is, coming up from behind what was already there. An unexpected bloom, a place of blessing, a new way to minister to others. I have Orchids, and they are such amazingly delicate flowers, yet they do amazing things. They can sustain blooms for up to 4 months or more. Then they go into a time of dormancy that can last up to 9 months. I was caring for one of the four Orchid plants I have when I noticed new buds coming out just behind the current blooms.  I love this because, as the old blooms die, new ones are opening, to replace the colour and beauty the old ones are losing.

Isn’t God just so amazing in how He designs life to work, both earthly and spiritually. There are times when our life can feel dormant, or stagnant, nothing new on the horizon. But God is always at work within us and around us. Like a master artist and designer, He is creating new growth that we cannot see yet, but it’s there, deep down, awaiting God’s call to come forth.

“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

(Isaiah 43:18-19 HCSB)

I love that about God, He is always doing something new, bringing us new ways to honor Him and to serve Him.  He delights in surprising us with new opportunities and wonderful paths we’ve never been down before. Following Him is always an adventure .  But there are times of extended dormancy in our lives as well. Times of rest and training. Times of confusion and healing. Time much needed for our roots to grow deeper and our faith to become stronger. Ecclesiastes says it best:

The Mystery of Time

There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:

a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his struggles? I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 HCSB)

Are you in a time of new growth and blessing? Rejoice in it. But if you are in a time of dormancy, wait for the Lord there.  He is deep at work within you and around you, preparing new paths for you to walk, new ways to bring Him Glory. Watch for it, wait for Him. It may come in a very unexpected way, a bloom coming up from behind. An unexpected path into His Joy.

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Faith And Fashion: Creating A New Ethics Of Shopping

Faith And Fashion: Creating A New Ethics Of Shopping

Christians are among the most likely to offer their money to the less fortunate, with 79% donating to charities. However, followers of Christ need to think more holistically about the way their actions could be impacting the world. Why not start with fashion? The textile industry contributes 300,000 tons of CO2 each year, while keeping employees in unsafe conditions for an unfair wage. Despite this, Americans spend an average of $1700 a year on clothing, while Brits spend £1222. The global fashion market is worth $2 trillion a year, when footwear and jewellery is counted. Remedy this by turning to your bible. It will remind you of the value of shunning materialism, especially insofar as it contributes to evil in this world.

Christian Charity

“Whoever is kind to the needy honors God”

(Proverbs 14:31)

The Bible is very clear in its endorsement of serving those in need. Giving money to charity is one way to do this, but shopping for your clothes at charity shops kills several birds with one stone. Firstly, your money is going directly to help the poor, rather than lining the pockets of wealthy CEOs of fashion companies. Secondly, you are lowering the demand for new clothing items, so less has to be produced, and less harm is done to the environment and sweatshop workers. Also remember to donate your unused items. And when you do buy new, look for clothing brands with ethical credentials.

Worship Through Non-Consumerism

It is important to buy less and to buy more consciously. In our consumerist society, many people are making purchases without thinking of the consequences. By paying attention when you shop and doing so within a moral framework, you are actually engaging in an act of worship.

John 2:16 describes “pride in possessions” as coming from the world, rather than from God. By scaling back your interest in fashion, you are showing that you are grateful for the gift of life and for your loving friends and family. When you show gratitude for what the Father has given you, you are serving Him and living as a good Christian.

The Bible’s Message On Sustainability

Matthew 6:26 has one of the most beautiful and profound messages from our Lord on the importance of caring for the environment: “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?” The lesson here is to do as little damage as possible to the land that was created for humans and all animals. “You shall not pollute the land in which you live,” reads Numbers 35:33-34, yet this is exactly what the fashion industry is doing.

Living sustainably, charitably, and humbly is the virtuous route for a Christian. Take a look at your clothes buying habits, consider the impact, and make a conscious change for the better. Using charity shops provides for the poor, while buying less is both an act of gratitude and a way of reducing the harm done to the planet and the humans who live here.

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God Rewards The Diligent

God Rewards The Diligent

God is still in the blessing business. He longs to show you His goodness and provision. He promises to do His part, but you have to do your part too. You have to be diligent. First of all, be diligent in seeking His ways and following His commands. Then, be diligent with what you have in your hand, with your time and resources.

In the New Testament, Jesus tells a parable about three men whose employer gives them money (talents). Two of the men were diligent and invested the talents and received a great return. The third man was afraid and buried what he was given. The first two men were rewarded and praised for their diligence, while the third man was rebuked.

Today, be diligent with what you have in your hand. Whatever you do, do it with excellence. Be the best you can be and go the extra mile, even when you think it goes unnoticed. Understand that when people don’t notice, God notices, and promises to reward the appetite of the diligent.

“”¦the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.”

(Proverbs 13:4, AMPC)?

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for Your favour and blessing on my life. Father, I choose to be more diligent. I choose excellence, and will strive to do everything to the best of my ability. God, I will  give You all the glory, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

A special word from the Lord, from Pastor Ray Patrick

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Instagram and Facebook Bans Far-Right Voices including Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos: Is Christianity Next?

Instagram and Facebook Bans Far-Right Voices including Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos: Is Christianity Next?

On Thursday 02 May 2019 Facebook the social networking giant has permanently banned Infowars founder Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos, Laura Loomer as well as other prominent figures and labelled them far-right provocateurs – a sign that they are more aggressively enforcing their hate speech policies under pressure from civil rights organizations, including the SPLC. Also banned from Facebook going forward is Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, who has been criticized for his frequent antisemitic remarks.

The bans come as Facebook has pledged to do more to eliminate hate speech on its platform.

Jones has claimed events like the September 11 terror attacks and the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting were hoaxes. But there are many conspiracy theories that attribute the planning and execution of the September 11 attacks against the United States to parties other than, or in addition to, al-Qaeda including that there was advance knowledge of the attacks among high-level government officials.

For this and many more accusations Infowars is subject to the strictest panishment. Not only did Facebook ban Jones and Infowars, it is also going to delete any Infowars content posted to its platform by any of its users, and any groups that spread Infowars content.

Facebook has said that it wasn’t going to allow white nationalism and separatism on its platform anymore in previous announcements.

In a public statement Facebook said to The Atlantic that:

“We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology,” a Facebook spokesperson told Variety. “The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove these accounts today.”

The company told reporters that it would also ban any supporter accounts set up in their likeness and remove any events that these individuals will be participating in.

As part of the sweeping crackdown, Facebook said:

Any account that shares Infowars content will see the content removed; if an account violates terms on multiple occasions it will be banned. Facebook and Instagram will remove any content containing Infowars videos, radio segments, or articles, and Facebook will remove any Groups set up to share Infowars content and Events promoting any of the banned extremist figures, according to a company spokesperson. (Twitter, YouTube, and Apple have also banned Alex Jones and Infowars.)

This week, Facebook also announced an entire redesign of the platform focusing on Groups, in an effort to give users more private spaces. Facebook is “using people’s understandable anger over the company playing fast and loose with their personal data to push a ‘privacy’ focus which is just a fancy way to hide the other big problem on the platform and evade journalists and watchdogs,” the NBC journalist Brandy Zadrozny tweeted upon Facebook’s Groups announcement. “There are very nice groups”¦ but some are also very very dangerous and make the world worse.” One recent investigation found dozens of Facebook groups dedicated to the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. Joining just one of those groups resulted in recommendations for more conspiracy-theory groups.

But Will ‘Christian Speech’ Be Allowed in the New Facebook World?

Well, let’s face it, the values of Silicon Valley are not conservative values; they’re not Christian values, for example, in one one recent instance, a Catholic university put up a picture of a cross to commemorate Easter. Facebook rejected the ad because it did not meet its standards. After a secondary review, the social media giant reversed their initial censorship of the ad. 

We believe that Silicon Valley does not want conservative talk and Christian talk; they want to push progressive and Leftist values. It’s just the fact as Zuckerberg even admitted that’s its a real issue in 2018 during his testimony Tuesday when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, asked him if Facebook had a political bias.

“I understand where that concern is coming from; as Facebook and the tech industry are located in the Silicon Valley, which is an extremely Left-leaning place. And this is actually a concern that I have, that I try to root out in the company, is making sure that we don’t have any bias in the work that we do,” Zuckerberg answered to Cruz.

The NRB has previously said that it wants Congress to hold Zuckerberg’s feet to the fire over these allegations of censorship.

They said that there are five major questions he should answer, including how the social media juggernaut defines “hate speech” and how they respond to comments by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, who acknowledged that some social media platforms “routinely block or discriminate against content they don’t like.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: With concerns over Facebook and other Social Media sites cracking down on Conservative/Christian content, Please ensure you subscribe to Godinterest to receive the Christian Perspective on today’s news directly in your Inbox.

Facebook has disclosed its rules and guidelines for deciding what its 2.2 billion users can post on the social network. 

The full guidelines can be read here. Below is a summary of what they say: 

1. Credible violence

Facebook says it considers the language, context and details in order to distinguish casual statements from content that constitutes a credible threat to public or personal safety.

2. Dangerous individuals and organisations

Facebook does not allow any organizations or individuals that are engaged in terrorist, organized hate, mass or serial murder, human trafficking, organized violence or criminal activity.

3. Promoting or publicising crime

Facebook says it prohibit people from promoting or publicizing violent crime, theft, and/or fraud. It does not allow people to depict criminal activity or admit to crimes they or their associates have committed. 

4. Coordinating harm

The social network says people can draw attention to harmful activity that they may witness or experience as long as they do not advocate for or coordinate harm. 

5. Regulated goods

The site prohibits attempts topurchase, sell, or trade non-medical drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, and marijuana as well as firearms. 

6. Suicide and self-injury

The rules for ‘credible violence’ apply for suicide and self-injury. 

7. Child nudity and sexual exploitation of children

Facebook does not allow content that sexually exploits or endangers children. When it becomes aware of apparent child exploitation, we report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

8. Sexual exploitation of adults

The site removes images that depict incidents of sexual violence and intimate images shared without permission from the people pictured.

9. Bullying

Facebook removes content that purposefully targets private individuals with the intention of degrading or shaming them.

10. Harassment

Facebook’s harassment policy applies to both public and private individuals.

It says that context and intent matter, and that the site will allow people to share and re-share posts if it is clear that something was shared in order to condemn or draw attention to harassment.  

11. Privacy breaches and image privacy rights

Users should not post personal or confidential information about others without first getting their consent, says Facebook. 

12. Hate speech

Facebook does not allow hate speech on Facebook because it says it creates an environment of intimidation and exclusion and in some cases may promote real-world violence. 

13. Graphic violence

Facebook will remove content that glorifies violence or celebrates the suffering or humiliation of others.

It will, however, allow graphic content (with some limitations) to help people raise awareness about issues.

14. Adult nudity and sexual activity

The site restricts the display of nudity or sexual activity.

It will also default to removing sexual imagery to prevent the sharing of non-consensual or underage content.

15. Cruel and insensitive

Facebook says it has higher expectations for content that defined as cruel and insensitive.

It defines this as content that targets victims of serious physical or emotional harm. 

16. Spam

Facebook is trying to prevent false advertising, fraud and security breaches.

It does not allow people to use misleading or inaccurate information to artificially collect likes, followers or shares. 

17. Misrepresentation

Facebook will require people to connect on Facebook using the name that they go by in everyday life.

18. False news

Facebook says that there is also a fine line between false news and satire or opinion. 

For these reasons, it won’t remove false news from Facebook, but, instead, significantly reduce its distribution by showing it lower in News Feed.

19. Memorialisation

Facebook will memorialise accounts of people who have died by adding “Remembering” above the name on the person’s profile. 

The site will not remove, update or change anything about the profile or the account. 

20. Intellectual property

Facebook users own all of the content and information that they post on Facebook, and have control over how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. 

21. User requests

Facebook say they will comply with:

  • User requests for removal of their own account
  • Requests for removal of a deceased user’s account from a verified immediate family member or executor
  • Requests for removal of an incapacitated user’s account from an authorised representative

22. Additional protection of minors

Facebook complies with:

  • User requests for removal of an underage account
  • Government requests for removal of child abuse imagery depicting, for example:
  • Beating by an adult
  • Strangling or suffocating by an adult
  • Legal guardian requests for removal of attacks on unintentionally famous minors

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

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The Purpose of Life is Intimacy with God: What Is It & How to Pursue It

The Purpose of Life is Intimacy with God: What Is It & How to Pursue It

Did you know that the purpose of life is to pursue and live in an intimate relationship with God? Salvation is our rescue from the sentence of death because of sin, but intimacy is to define our life with Him.

First, in a world that regularly defines “intimacy” as something sexual, it is a difficult concept to fathom when it comes to God. God is spirit, however, so there is nothing sexual about having an intimate relationship with Him. Isn’t it just like the evil one to take a word that describes something so vital to be something so uncomfortable to pursue.

A second problem is that intimacy with God takes a lot of effort. Most believers won’t take the time that it requires. After all, He might demand too much of their attention or might ask them to do something they don’t want to do. They’ve got their ticket to heaven but want to keep their day-to-day life separate from God. Pursuing Him compromises their autonomy. Blinded by their own selfish independence, they don’t know what they’re missing.

A third problem is that we have been groomed by the media to expect quick results from little effort. We unconsciously put a stopwatch on God and His promises and when He doesn’t live up to our expectations, we move on to something else. The concept of “waiting on the Lord” has become an anachronism.

A fourth problem is that many people assume that being intimate with God is a special call for special people — that the average person can’t go there because they’ve been compromised by their lackluster or sinful Christian life. This is simply not true! It is a trick of the enemy to keep them from the solutionto their sin and compromise. It is a diversion from knowing the glories of eternal life, which began when they gave their life to Jesus Christ, who said to the Father”¦”¦”¦

This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

(John 17:3, NIV)

A fifth major problem with this concept is that although many talk glowingly about having an intimate relationship with God, few describe how to get there. Some of my favorite authors describe the glories found in His presence – writers like A.W. Tozer (The Pursuit of God& The Knowledge of the Holy), Mike Bickle (Passion for Jesus), Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God), Francis Frangipane (I Will Be Found by You), J. Oswald Sanders (Enjoying Intimacy with God), Gary Wiens (Bridal Intercession), Sandra Wilson (Into Abba’s Arms), Jack Frost (Experiencing Father’s Embrace), and for our Catholic friends, Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen(Divine Intimacy), but few outline the path to intimacy. In my book, Transformed Into His Image: Hidden Steps on the Journey to Christlikeness, I try to explain how intimacy with God is the indispensable foundation for being made holy. It underpins the sanctification process and is the path to loving God at deeper and deeper levels.

What Does It Look Like?

People’s experience of intimacy with God varies because He tailor-makes His response to fit the uniqueness of each person. In my years of pursuing Him, there have been words of love released into my heart; dreams, visions and revelations of His power, glory and love; secret insights given that unlock the roots of my besetting sins while illuminating and empowering the way of escape; warnings and encouragements; healing and transformation; deeper understanding of His Word; and so much more.

Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;  they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

(Isaiah 40:31, NASB)

How to Get There

Although minor details vary, the fundamentals of this pursuit are easy to understand”¦”¦”¦

  1. Repentance:  This is fundamental to beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ, (Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:21, 4:12; Romans 6:23, 10:9), but it needs to be characterized by genuine, heartfelt sorrow over sin and serious and ongoing attempts to turn away from it (2 Corinthians 7:10).
  2. Appropriation of God’s Power:  Many people aren’t aware that God wants to impart the power to resist sin. However, we need to maintain a genuine desireto both receive and use it once given. This is a “transformation of the will”that can only be achieved through a revelation of God’s grace and love (Titus 2:11-14; Philippians 2:13, 4:13; Galatians 2:20; Romans 2:4, 5:17, 8:5,28; 2 Corinthians 1:21, 5:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:3).
  3. Motivation for Obedience:  The thing that motivatesyou to obey God is vital. If it is love that compels you, (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Romans 2:4, 16:20; John 14:23; 1 John 5:3-4), then the power of God will manifest in your life to keep you from falling (Jude 24; Romans 6:15-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 John 6). 
  4. Renew & Govern the Mind:  It is not just God “keeping us from falling” (assuming we have faith in His promise to do so). We must also do our part by following His instructions (James 4:7-10). The Christian walk is a partnership – God doing His part and we doing ours (Romans 8:5, 12:1-2; Galatians 6:7-9; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 4:7-8; Colossians 3:1-10; 1 Peter 1:13-16).
  5. Reckon Yourself Dead to Sin:  To “reckon” means to accept as a fact for yourself and in your own experience. The Bible tells us that sin shall not be our master (Romans 6:8-14). If that weren’t possible, then God would never have said it! Our task is to find out and appropriate how that is possible.
  6. Live by the Spirit:  Galatians 5:16-18 tells us that if we live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 2 Peter 1:3-10 tells us that as believers, God’s divine power has already given us everything we need for godliness (see also Romans 8:4-15). Our tendency, even when we know better, is to take the reins from God and try to achieve holiness under our own strength (Galatians 3:1-5).

The Puzzlement of Wilderness Periods

Temptations and troubles can sometimes cause us to believe that God has abandoned us. They test and temper our faith (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). But God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can withstand (1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 2:18) and He will never abandon or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Wilderness periods of the kind where God seems to have disappeared from our lives can also be periods where He is teaching us to seek Him not for the consolations that He gives, but for Him alone. However, He is never as close to us as when He seems to have vanished. We need to build ourselves up in this holy faith during such wilderness periods (Jude 20).

Practical Steps to Intimacy with God

When God rescued me from a life of great sin, I was left alone to find my way. I didn’t trust Christians and so didn’t have a good Bible-believing church to guide me through the temptations that easily beset me (Hebrews 12:1-3). So initially, it was just me and God – a good thing because I was forcedto seek Him diligently and with all my heart (Hebrews 11:6; Jeremiah 29:11-14). In total reliance on the leading of the Holy Spirit, here’s what I learned about developing intimacy with Him.

1.  Decide to Obey No Matter What the Cost or How Difficult the Journey

  • Forsake the Things of the World (John 14:15)
  • Believe in His Goodness and Obey Him Even When There is No Evidence of It
  • He who loses his life for Jesus’ sake will find it (Matthew 10:39)

2.  Immerse Yourself in the Word 

  • Follow the lead of Jesus and believe every word He says (John 5:30, 10:30; 15:10; 17).

3.  Spend Copious Time Pursuing God– Hebrews 7:19

  • Be Brutally Honest with God  
  • Ask the Hard Questions
  • Wait on Him
  • Do Everything He Tells You to Do (Luke 22:42)
  • Learn to Believe in His Grace, Love and Transforming Power (2 Corinthians 3:18)

4.  Immerse Yourself in Intimate Worship of God

  • Sing Love Songs toGod, Rather Than Songs AboutGod
  • Avoid the False god of Christian “Entertainment,” Where your Fleshis Stimulated Rather Than Knit to God

5.  Find and Dive Into the Life of a Church That Believes the Word and Operates in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-21)

  • Regularly Attend Home Fellowship and Support Groups
  • Spend Copious Time Receiving Prayer at the Altar
  • Learn to Imitate Seasoned Believers Who Have Overcome (1 Corinthians 4:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; Hebrews 6:12, 13:7)

6.  Seek Direct Healing from the Father and the Impartation of the Missing Pieces of Your Childhood

  • God will surprise you with badly needed revelation while you are in the midst of seeking Him. If you ask Him for it, He will supernaturally impart vital things, such as: a sense of well-being; a knowledge of being loved, lovable, worthwhile and valuable; a knowledge of the goodness and rightness of His having made you male or female; a certainty that you are wanted and that you have a Father in heaven who adores you, etc.

7.  Minister to Others

  • Learn How to Serve and to How to Love (1 John 4:10; John 14:15)
  • God has given us an amazing promise – that if we seek Him with all our heart, He will reveal Himself to us (Jeremiah 29:13-14). “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
  • Often, someone who is dying will express deep regret that they did not spend more time with their family. As their life comes to an end, they lament over discovering too late that life was to be found in intimacy with those they loved — that in fact, all the money, possessions and career successes were worthless in comparison. Don’t let that happen to you!
  • Friends – intimacy with God and others is the intended purpose of life, both here and in heaven. It may require time and effort but will prove itself in a transformed life and the intense joy of experiencing God’s presence. How can we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)
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Dr. David Kyle Foster (M-Div, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; D-Min, Trinity School for Ministry) is the author of Transformed Into His Image and Love Hungerand is the founder/director of Pure Passion Media.

 

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