If I Were The Devil

If I were the devil ...

I would gain control of the most powerful nation in the world;
I would delude their minds into thinking that they had come from man's effort, instead of God's blessings;
I would promote an attitude of loving things and using people, instead of the other way around;
I would dupe entire states into relying on gambling for their state revenue;
I would convince people that character is not an issue when it comes to leadership;
I would make it legal to take the life of unborn babies;
I would make it socially acceptable to take one's own life, and invent machines to make it convenient;
I would cheapen human life as much as possible so that the life of animals are valued more than human beings;
I would take God out of the schools, where even the mention of His name was grounds for a lawsuit;
I would come up with drugs that sedate the mind and target the young, and I would get sports heroes to advertise them;
I would get control of the media, so that every night I could pollute the mind of every family member for my agenda;
I would attack the family, the backbone of any nation.
I would make divorce acceptable and easy, even fashionable. If the family crumbles, so does the nation;
I would compel people to express their most depraved fantasies on canvas and movie screens, and I would call it art;
I would convince the world that people are born homosexuals, and that their lifestyles should be accepted and marveled;
I would convince the people that right and wrong are determined by a few who call themselves authorities and refer to their agenda as politically correct;
I would persuade people that the church is irrelevant and out of date, and the Bible is for the naive;
I would dull the minds of Christians, and make them believe that prayer is not important, and that faithfulness and obedience are optional;

I guess I would leave things pretty much the way they are ... .

[By Paul Harvey © 2009 WorldNetDaily.com]

You and Your Pastor

If it were up to you to determine what your pastor should do, what would it be?

“Care for the people? Preach interesting sermons? Baptize, marry and bury people?”

Can you think of anything else?

“Not really.”

How about what Paul said in Ephesians 4:12, where he outlined the principal reason for the gift of the officers of the church as equipping the saints for their work of service to build up His body?

“Somehow, that just didn‘t come to mind.”

Well, if it’s true — and you know it is, Christian — shouldn’t it be happening?

“Guess so.”

Two things stand out:
- You are to be equipped by your pastor
- You have a work of service to do that will benefit the church.

Are these things happening?

“Uh . . . Not sure”

Well, either your pastor is remiss, you are remiss, or both of you are remiss. Which is it?

“I’d hate to say.”

Well, it’s time you determined to be built up in your faith to the point where you contribute to the welfare of the whole church. If you aren’t aware of this important function of your pastor-teacher in equipping you, then you need to become aware of it. One way is to ask your pastor how you need to be equipped, and what you should do to enable you to become equipped to help the body. That, perhaps, is the very best way to begin. Start with yourself. Then, you can handle any other aspects of the problem that may arise. But until you have dealt with your side of the matter, it isn’t time to consider any other.

[from Institute for Nouthetic Studies Blog by Jay Adams]

The President seeks to take away religious rights of doctors and health care providers who refuse to perform abortions.

According to several news agencies, President Barack Obama will rescind the "conscience rule" that protects health workers who refuse to participate in abortions or other medical procedures that go against their moral and religious beliefs. If the rule is rescinded, doctors, nurses and other health care workers could lose their jobs or be punished professionally for adhering to their sincerely held religious convictions. Obama's proposal would take away their religious freedom.

The current rule empowers federal health officials to cut off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, clinic, health plan, doctor's office or other entity if it does not accommodate employees who exercise their right of conscience. It applies to more than 584,000 health care facilities.

The Obama administration is doing the bidding of pro-abortion advocacy groups who seek to penalize health care providers who refuse to participate in abortions.

According to The Washington Post, Obama administration officials stressed that the proposal will be subject to 30 days of public comment.

If you disagree with this proposal, it is so very important for you to let the White House hear from you. Send your e-mail to President Obama opposing his plan to rescind the "conscience rule."

Forward this to family and friends and ask them to do the same.