What Kind Of "Bread" Do I like?

                                                Picture Taken From Bog "From Me To You" by 

I'm responding to Faithblogger.com Prompt #4.

"Man does not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds out of the mount of God."

Jesus quoted that verse of Scripture to Satan when he tempted Him to make stones into bread.  He was quoting from Deuteronomy 8: 2 - 3. 

As the verse of Scripture in Deuteronomy suggests, physical nourishment is not sufficient for a healthy life; man also has spiritual needs. That why to live a healthy life in spirit, soul and body we need to read the word of God everyday. Reading, studying/meditating on the word of God can give us  "spiritual nourishment" from it. But we can't be strengthened by it if we don't OBEY IT!

I don't really have one 'favorite' Bible translation. I read the King James Version for my daily devotionals because that is the main copy I have, and I have learned all my verses from it. But for my blogging, I have discovered the God's Word Translation that really makes the Scripture easy to understand, which I like because I hope that all kinds of people will read my blog. But I really love the Amplified Bible; it brings out the meaning in the King James Version of the Bible so well that you can understand what God is trying to say.

But no matter what Bible translation' that I eat, I must make sure that I obey what I read, so that I will reap the full benefits of the 'spiritual bread' that I 'eat'. 

"And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna...that He might make you know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." Deuteronomy 8: 2 - 3 (King James Version)

Related Blog Post 

http://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/117h3l/what_is_your_personal_favorite_bi

I Pray For My Readers

This blog is in response to Faithbloggers.com Prompt #31

I didn't think of praying for my blog and its readers at first. Which is very strange for me, because I pray for anything and everything that concerns me, or whatever I do.. Prayer is so important to me. But I was going through so much when I started this blog (and still am) that it just didn't occur to me.

Hooking up with Faithbloggers and Courtney reminded me of this.  I read the article she wrote in which she said that she prayed for everything and then she didn't worry about it anymore, including her blog.  It touched me deeply because here I am, praying and still worrying about everything in my life. Plus I was feeling the challenge of getting new content and the daily business of running a blog (I am a newbie and still feel quite lost), so i started praying fervently.

I now pray both for the blog and the readers. I usually pray before I start, and now, even as I get the ideas to blog. I know some people imagine who their readers are (mine are children and the people who take care of them). I don't. As I write, I pray that they would benefit and be blessed by what they read. As I say constantly, I really want children and adults who are hurting from various forms of abuse would get answers, a sense of God's comfort, and information that they can use to help them in their daily lives. I pray that they would know that God can take their broken, banged up, horrendous lives and make it brand new again. I pray for this for all children and adults who have been hurt in their childhood, including my blog readers.

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all  people.."2 Timothy 2:2 (Eastern Standard Version)

Hey, You! Drink Your Milk!

This is the second day of responding to one of Faithbloggers.com prompts. This is Prompt #50. 

How do I read my Bible? Good question.

When I decided to make a consistent effort to read my Bible daily, I started out using the study guide from Scripture Union. This guide had a devotional reading, a Scripture verse for the day, a daily Bible reading plan, and an application part where you get to apply the Scripture that was given in your life.

But after a while I couldn't get the Scripture Union monthly study guide, so I started using The Daily Bread. This devotional book also has a Scripture reading, a verse, and a daily reading plan, but alas, no application guide.. It usually goes through the whole Bible in a year, but there have been deviations.One year the Psalms and Proverbs were rused, and another next year only the New Testament was read through the year.

I've managed to read the Bible through about twice.Most times I admit that I get left behind because I do not read all the chapters set forth for the day.  But one thing I do know. Daily Bible reading has helped me to live as a Christian. It has strengthened me, cleansed me, and helped me in good and bad times. Thank God for His Word!

"Desire God's pure Word, like newborn babies desire millk, Then you will grow in your salvation." 1 Peter 2: 2 (God's Word Translation) 

Why I Started This Blog

This week I'll be answering five Faithful Bloggers Prompts. This is in reply to Prompt # 74.
At first, I started blogging because a friend of mine suggest it. I thought it was a good idea at the time. It was a good way for me to keep writing and to make my presence known.

My initial intention (and still is) is to give a biblical view of situations that children and their caregivers go through. Incidences of abuse, rape, domestic violence and bullying were increasing in my country and around the world. I have a deep concern about these things  As a Christian with training in Guidance and Counseling and Biblical Studies, I felt that I was able to do so.

I can't say that God told me to blog. I'll be lying if I did. But my intention is to let my readers know that God can come into the midst of these ugly, dangerous, heartbreaking and seemingly hopeless crises and put the wounded child or adult back together again. 

I should know. God took me out of a life where I was slowly going under because of alcohol, smoking and sexual relationships with men because I was looking for love, for someone to build my self-esteem. Even now, twenty four years later, God is still working on me.

I didn't start off blogging with the right intentions, but I know that God can still use me and this blog to bring glory to His Name.

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  Colossians 3:17 (Eastern Standard Version)

Run For Your Life!!

Yesterday I blogged about what happens when a person views pornography. We saw that the person who views pornography opens the door for Satan to 'break the hedge'  around him and devastate his or her life.
Where can a porn addict do to get freedom? Only from God our Maker. A Biblical counselor would consider a 3 pronged attack:

• Pre-Deliverance Counselling 
• Deliverance Session (s)
• Post Deliverance Counselling

In the Pre-deliverance Counselling deals with the porn problem itself, asking the client to confess to God and his/her family the sins of porn watching, reading or listening to lewd and/or violent content. The person also confesses any sins done against his/her family and /or whoever else they have hurt. If they are willing, to be saved, they should say  a salvation prayer. Then they  renounce and get rid of whatever form of pornographic material they have.

In the Deliverance Session the client will again renounce the pornography in the name of Jesus. Then he or she is then prayed for by people who are trained in this area of ministry. The demonic aspect of the problem is thus dealt with here. Several deliverance sessions may be necessary according to the severity of the addiction. Even in the counselling sessions, deliverance may occur as the person deals with the root of the problem.

The Post Deliverance Counselling deals with the underlying issues that caused the person to become addicted in the first place. The family is also counselled (spouse if married, or relatives or friends if not). The person also may have to deal with any legal aspect of their problem, if any. 

I hope that these past few posts will show you the dangers of pornography, both to adults and children. Please parents, don't allow your children to view this stuff, you are setting them up for hurt and pain in  later life. Live pure and holy before God. 

"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 2 Corinthians 6: 18 - 20 (ESV)

Don't Break The Hedge Or The Serpent Will Bite You

There is a both natural as well as spiritual consequences to the viewing of pornography.  In the natural there is addiction, which eventually leads to acting out if not dealt with. The results may lead to rape, murder and incarceration even death.

The spiritual consequences in a sense is the precursor of the natural. When someone, whether child or adult, starts to read, watch or even listen to this ugly materials (many songs nowadays have profane language and pornographic descriptions in them), then they allow the devil access into their lives, and he uses this to destroy their lives. Let me give you an analogy. In King David's day, when an army wanted to conquer a city they  besieged the city by building a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. The battering rams break into the walls. When a breach is obtained, the besieging army can enter into the city and conquer it.

Picture of an Old Testament city bieng besieged

This is the how Satan attack a person who starts watching porn. The devils always tries to attack us through the 'gates' in our bodies, for example the eye gate and the ear gate. When he gets into us, he gets a toehold in our minds. Demons come in and plant evil ideas in our mind, and then the evil actions begin. When we actually read or view the stuff, we break a ' breach' in the 'hedge of protection't that God has placed around each person to protect them from satanic attack. Tomorrow, our last post on this subject is about solution to this problem.

"...whoso breaketh through a fence, a serpent shall bite him." Ecclesiastes 10:8 (New International Version)

Addicted To "Love"

Yesterday I mentioned the young lady who was scared because a young man said that he was planning to rape her. This is what someone who is addicted to pornography would act. It is now known that many serial rapists are actually porn addicts.  The notorious Ted Bundy actually admitted to this    Serial killer.rapist Ted Bundy
Another type of porn addiction is more insidious and evil. These are those who devour child pornography and so prey on children. One of the former keepers of our national zoo, Hans Boos, was convicted of being in an international child pornography ring.
Reading porn makes a person unfeeling. For the addict/rapist-murderer, it is not about sexual pleasure; It is about control, intimidation, power. A person who may seem to have it all, but in fact have low self-esteem, or some emotional problem, may use this material to bolster their self image.




Porn addicts tend