Chrislam: Christian or Islam?‏

Hello Friends!

Lately we’ve been hearing considerable news about the mistake our military allegedly made by burning some Qurans. What may not be known by many is that these Qurans were already found to be “corrupted” by hand written messages created by Muslim prison inmates…

Chrislam: Christian or Islam?‏

Just when you think that America’s “white-glove” treatment toward Islam can’t go any deeper, news sources are reporting that Purpose-Driven pastor Rick Warren is in the news again. This time Warren is allegedly developing what’s referred to as the “Kings Way” peace plan. This plan is designed to establish peace, define mutual goals between Muslims and Christians and agree that neither side will attempt to evangelize the other. 

This is just one more example of the current phenomenon known as Chrislam. I contend that this “Chrislam” ideology is nothing less than an ecumenical, politically correct attempt by some Christians to combine Christianity with Islam in hopes that those from both faith systems can happily coexist. What the Christian proponents of this effort fail to inform people of is that the doctrines of Islam clearly call for total world domination – religiously, politically and militarily. 

Does Rick Warren understand what he is claiming or is he simply mistaken? Read the following article and discern for yourself…

http://www.holybibleprophecy.org/2012/02/28/rick-warren-acknowledges-christians-and-muslims-worship-same-god-by-elliott-nesch/  

The truth must be told. Is the god of Islam the same as the God of Christianity? Both the Bible and the Quran do not support this theory, it is a complete contradiction! 

Study to show yourself approved. A workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth – 2 Timothy 2:15

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com 

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

God’s “Key” to Success‏

Hello Friends!

Here are some thoughts on God's approach to "success" and how we can trust in Him with everything... always.  Enjoy!

God’s “Key” to Success

According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, success is defined as “achieving a favorable or desired outcome.”

All organizations—for profit and not for profit—desire to achieve success.  The former generally define success in terms of financial profit and the latter define success in terms of social profit.

Regardless of our specific definition, to achieve biblical success requires people who are fulfilling the purpose of God for their lives.  These people are working in concert with God’s design and continually seek His will for their lives—even when it seems they are out of His will!

Many times organizational leaders recognize the efficacy of biblical living, but their understanding of it is nascent.  Specifically and most often, they fail to understand how to discern good character.  Leaders commonly judge character based on brief interactions with people and perhaps a few reference checks.  But this gives only a glimpse into a person’s true character.

To gain an accurate perspective of a person’s character requires much more careful analysis—something that, in my experience, few organizational leaders are willing to do.  This is one of the reasons that so many organizations make frequent hiring errors.  Unwittingly, organizational leaders hire people who are under curses, who lack divine favor, who don’t submit to authority, who are not teachable, who live in deep shame, who make excuses, who have a pattern of failure, who are void of divine help, who are not problem-solvers, who have marred judgment, etc.  The list of undesirable character traits is long.

The best way to discern good character is to become a serious student of the Bible.  The Bible reveals God’s standard of righteous (right) living.  One of the biblical concepts that encompasses God’s righteousness is the term “the fear of the Lord,” which is a concept that is widely used in Scripture and has many facets to it.  Those who seek to understand and live in the fear of the Lord display—among many traits—wisdom, knowledge, discernment, insight, understanding, and sound judgment.  And they often enjoy favor, blessings, guidance, honor and protection.  Clearly these traits are wonderful qualities that we want both in ourselves as well as in others with whom we associate.

To ignore the standard of biblical character in yourself and others is fatal.  Just as the fear of the Lord leads to all the wonderful things that you want in life, failing to live in the fear of the Lord leads to everything that you don’t want—confusion, poor judgment, ignorance, folly, poverty, failure, death, and so forth.  Leaders who fail to learn how to develop sound biblical character in both themselves and others will struggle with organizational success.  No organization can truly succeed unless its workers succeed.  And workers cannot succeed unless they develop godly character, that is, learn to live in the fear of the Lord.

In Conclusion:

We must learn how to live in the fear of the Lord and to recognize others who do as well.  With the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, let's live boldly in the fear of the Lord.  Don't take this casually.  If we really want to achieve enduring success and excellence, we must be vigilant about learning to live in the fear of the Lord.  This will release wisdom, knowledge, divine guidance, protection, blessings, favor, and God's success in our lives.  The fear of the Lord is in the beginning of wisdom and knowledge and is therefore the foundational key to our success.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Proverbs 9:10

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Better $ Choices‏

Hello all!

Here are some thoughts on a Biblical worldview of economics, specifically in the area of personal finances...

The story is told of the compassionate little boy who sees the struggling butterfly attempting to shed his cocoon and decides to help the process along by prematurely cutting open the cocoon, only to discover his shortcut may cost the butterfly his very life.

Sometimes I feel like that little boy when I see those around me struggling through some of life's toughest challenges, financial or otherwise. The universal and Biblical economic law of “sowing and reaping” should not be altered, nor ignored by individuals or governments. The reason: The possibility of failure is essential for human growth. In other words, “if you really love me, let me struggle!”

 

There are times when true love means we must temper our compassion for others needs with our trust in our Creator's ability to meet those needs. If we've sown bad seeds in the past we should not be surprised to find our life - or economy - now full of weeds...

 

Better $ Choices

No one can do anything to magically fix the financial mess we are in as a nation. We don't need new government programs, higher taxes, bailouts or cash injections into the system. We need a giant dose of faith and trust in God, confidence in His provision and common sense. In the arena of economics, keep in mind that gold & silver (precious metals) creates financial confidence, while paper assets depend on confidence. With all the new money to be created (printed) over the next decade, I believe gold & silver will have the best chance to hold true financial value. Biblical currency had three distinct characteristics- it was scarce, portable, divisible and had an actual store of value.

The "symbols" of wealth such as paper money, stocks, bonds, CD's, etc. do not.

America was a land forged by faith in the God of the Bible, rugged individualism, hard work and personal responsibility. Our strength was our ability to take care of ourselves and limit the size of government to the very basics of protecting the nation. In recent decades that has changed radically, and now it is all about "big brother" taking over every aspect of our lives. Regardless of political or religious affiliations, most people are not only embracing this entitlement, welfare nanny state mentality, they are demanding it.

Our personal choices determine our habits, our habits determine our lifestyle and our lifestyle determines our destiny. Small, daily choices ultimately shape our destiny - as individuals and as a nation. Stated in reverse - the definition of insanity is: If we do the same things that we’ve always done we will get the same result that we’ve always got. Positive change can restore sanity.

Here are some positive actions that individuals, families, churches and other organizations can take right now in their own lives to offset the negative effects of today’s uncertain economic environment:

1. Don’t borrow: The U.S. is suffering from a chronic debt addiction of monumental proportion. We've now amassed over $1 trillion in bad mortgage debt, $1 trillion in weak consumer credit card debt and have surpassed the $15 trillion in government debt. Experts have recently uncovered a very disturbing fact - With all unfunded U.S. liabilities tallied, we face well over $100 trillion in total national debt! This debt enslaves us to an economic system in a chronic state of collapse. We must learn to live within our means. If our government leadership refuses to do so, we must then take personal responsibility and do something about it ourselves!

2. Own hard money: If you have money saved, consider investing a portion of it into tangible assets before the dollar’s value is further destroyed by the monetization (printing) of our fiat currency (inflation) - otherwise known as the "Quantitative Easing" factor. Precious metals and U.S. rare coins represent an excellent value for both safety and long-term growth and offer an excellent hedge against loss of value over the long term.  Don't wait to buy gold; buy gold and wait!

3. Think for yourself: Search for sound, reliable information about the economic and political situations we face today in our nation and around the world. Read books, study the facts and turn off the TV and video games. Discuss ideas and issues with your children, family and friends.

4. Develop new skills: Learn to be more frugal. Do your own household repairs. Grow and cook your own food. Do your shopping with coupons. Look for sales. Make purchases in the off-seasons. Start your own part-time business.

5. Become politically active: Register, vote and demand honest elections. Support politicians with integrity, who favor smaller government, lower taxes and our nation's Constitution. Reread the Constitution as a reminder of your rich, Godly American heritage. Demand changes in accordance with your core values/worldview. Remember: America was created by our founding fathers as a Constitutional Republic, NOT a Democracy!

6. Fear not, God is in control: We tend to be overwhelmed by external forces such as government, corporations, banks, credit ratings, the economy, media, armies and technology. In reality, God is the only source of true peace and power in the universe and nothing happens that is out of His will. The more we realize God's presence in our lives, the less we fear externals. It all starts with us as individuals and our faith in the Lord to see us through.

In Closing:

True wealth is not measured in dollars, but in our intimacy with Jesus Christ, our contentment level, our relationships and the legacy we leave to the next generation. Embedded in this growing need for contentment is an appreciation of our unique American heritage.

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)