US Military - Praise you in the Storm by Casting Crowns

PRAYER - THANK YOU FOR MY LIFE

Fernando Ortega - Give me Jesus

JONATHAN POLLARD - PRISONER FOR 27 YEARS - PLEASE CALL WHITE HOUSE MONDAY

ACTION ITEM! GET READY TO CALL THE WHITE HOUSE ON MONDAY

November 21, 2011 - the day that Jonathan Pollard begins year 27 in prison.

Let's flood the call in lines! Please hit the share button so as many people as possible can participate.

CALL THE WHITE HOUSE:
Tel: 202-456-1414 or 202-456-1111

Everyone is urged to participate in this worldwide ...grassroots effort on Monday November 21st by calling the White House to urge President Barack Obama to free Jonathan Pollard.

Call between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM EST.

To leave a message for the President, the White House Switchboard can be reached at 202-456-1414.

The White House Comment Line can also be reached directly by calling  Phone: 202-456-1111.

Tell the President that enough is enough!

Ask the President to please send Jonathan Pollard home to Jerusalem now!

Keep calling daily until Jonathan is free.
Thank you!

Jonathan Pollard has been held in a US Prison for 27 years now .. Jonathan is in prison for passing information to an ally country. Nobody in hisotry of the United Sates who has been convicted of the same c(arges has been punished so severely. It is time that we come together and call the White House and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH....

He did everything that our government asked him to do and was promised that he would not get life in prison... but now it is 27 years...

Please help....

(VIDEO)  POLLARD TIED TO THE PEACE PROCESS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE AS PRESIDENT OBAMA HOLDS THIS MAN (ALMOST AS A RANSOM)..

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has decided to publicly and officially appeal to president Obama to release Jonathan Pollard.

As response to these proclamations, US government officials indicated that Netanyahu's request could be tied to considerations of peace talks with the Palestinians.

State department's spokesman P.J. Crowly claimed that Pollards' Issue was mentioned with regards to the Mid East peace process both in the past and in the present. He added that although Pollard's case's promptness is understandable, the peace process is US's top priority thus any subject other than this particular matter will be evaluated within these terms
Since the Nation of Israel complied and let go of 1000 TERRORISTS to satisfy the United Nations - don't you think it would be fair of our United States Government to release ONE PERSON, whom has spent 27 years in prison and where MANY are saying he deserves clemancy, his name is JONATHAN POLLARD....

Does our American Government have any INTIGRITY left.... FREE JONATHAN POLLARD....

HOW CAN OUR AMERICAN GOVERNMENT OFTEN GO THROUGH WITH FREEING TERRORISTS - BUT WILL NOT FREE SOMEONE AS JONATHAN POLLARD....

Please show our American TRUE COLORS of doing the RIGHT THING...

THE RIGHT THING OF AMERICAN JUSTICE for a man that has served enough time....

Information on who is Jonathan Pollard and what he did to go to prison please open up and read this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard

Wall Photos

MAYORUNA AMAZON TRIBE - MISSIONARY SHORT-TERM TRIP

 MARK AND I HAVE SUPPORTED THIS MINISTRY TO THE AMAZON FOR YEARS. 
If you, a church group, or your church would like to become short-term missionaries to the Mayoruna Tribe in the Amazon, please contact this website to inquire about trips/costs:

Amazon Expeditions Home Page
http://amazonxpeditions.com/

Christ for the Nations Bible College from Dallas Texas is doing a trip to the Amazon on:
May 15 - June 5, 2012

These pictures reflect the Medical Clinic that Amazon Expeditions sets up when they take these trips to the Amazon people.

This video is about Amazon Xpeditions Missionary Trips

Please see this page for the dates and costs:  http://amazonxpeditions.com/category/trips/

READ BELOW about the Mayoruna Tribe within the Amazon:

(This was what happened and what was in the most current newsletter that I received on November 15, 2011)  I am typing this to share with you from the latest newsletter that I received.  This will be exactly as the wrote in their current newsletter and not me personally:)

The last night we spent in San Antonio, Brazil at Clauber's home, the team from Ohio had opportunity to... pray for MOSES and to omission him to the Gospel ministry into THE 'VALLEY". (The Valley of the Amazon).

We have been training Moses, from the Mayuruna Tribe, during the last three years, now he is ready to evangelize his own people among many villages in the jungle.

We have purchased a large canoe and a new "peque-peque" motor, plenty of fuel, food, and lots of Christian literature to be distributed along these remote villages along unchartered rivers.

Moses work is to visit each village on those rivers, to spend one day on each village and share with the people what it means for him to have salvation in Jesus Christ. Then he will share literature in Spanish or Portuguese languages and make arrangements to visit them again and start a Bible study once a month.

Next day Moses will go to the next village and repeat the process. We expect him to start fifteen different Bible studies and by the end of 2012 to establish at least ten churches in 'THE VALLEY".

At the same time we continue making trips to build the orphanage and install other water purification systems, reaching other villages rom the other tribes.

Thank you for praying for Moses and for investing in his ministry. He needs $200 each month for his personal expenses and $300 each month for his "peque-puque's" fuel. May the Lord bless you.

I will post a picture of Moses later...
This is the HISTORY and who the Mayoruna Amazon Tribe is (posted below)...

Please prayerfully consider becoming involved, your church youth group, or your church).  

The Mayoruna live in widely scattered groups along the Rio Javari, which over much of its course marks the boundary between Brazil and Peru. On the Brazilian side there are several small settlements with a total population of about 250 on the upper Javari. Across the river on the Peruvian side, the Mayoruna villages, with a total population of approximately 350, are between the Javari and its tributary, the Río Galvez. In 1978, after a clash between Mayoruna factions, about 100 Mayoruna migrated far downriver and founded a new settlement some 80 kilometers above the confluence of the Javari with the Solimoes. There are believed to be uncontacted groups of Mayoruna living in the regions of both the upper and lower Javari.

The Mayoruna speak a language of the Panoan Family; only a few speak Spanish or Portuguese fluently. "Mayoruna" is apparently a name of Quechua origin, derived from the words for "river" ( mayo ) and "people" ( runa ). It was applied in colonial times to several groups similar in language and appearance that were in contact with Spanish Jesuit missions on the Solimões, Huallaga, and Ucayali rivers. Some settled at these missions, whose populations, however, were often reduced by epidemics and mass desertions. After the Jesuits left in 1769, the missions were taken over by Franciscans, and, although some Mayoruna remained settled, others became hostile, gaining a reputation as fierce nomadic cannibals who made it impossible for Whites to explore the stretches of the Javari they controlled. In 1866 the Mayoruna attacked members of the boundary commission surveying the frontier between Peru and Brazil.

Uncontacted Amazon Tribe: First ever aerial footage

At the time of the rubber boom, Peruvian and Brazilian rubber tappers moved into the Javari region. Little is known of the Mayoruna during this period; they may have retreated to the headwaters of tributaries on the Peruvian side. The account of an elderly Mayoruna indicates that they were intent on avoiding contact. After this man's father was killed around 1920 in a fight with hunters of animal skins, some of his group, which was then living on the upper Río Galvez in Peru, left to explore the vicinity of the Bio Pardo, a tributary of the Curuçá in Brazil. After some months, five men returned, relating that they had found a region without Whites and where there was plenty of game. The rest of the exploring party had remained there to clear fields and build houses. The entire group then made the long migration of over 240 kilometers, carrying with them maize seeds, banana shoots, and manioc stalks to plant in the new gardens. When they arrived after three months of travel, they found that the manioc stalks had dried up and were useless. A few young men took a canoe and paddled downriver until they came upon the homestead of a settler, from whose garden they stole fresh manioc stalks for planting.

This group lived undisturbed for forty years, until Protestant missionaries of the Summer Institute of Linguistics attempted to contact them. The missionaries' planes began to make low flights over the Mayoruna village, dropping presents such as knives, cooking pots, and cloth. At first the villagers refused to touch these things, pushing them into the river with sticks or burning them. The missionaries persisted, however, and on a day when the headman was away, some villagers, overcome by curiosity, gathered the presents.

Beginning in the early 1960s, the Mayoruna increasingly came into contact and conflict with Peruvians and Brazilians who were opening roads for logging and rubber tapping. There were killings on both sides, and the Mayoruna kidnapped several White women. The missionaries' efforts also continued, and eventually two women missionaries were able to live with a Mayoruna group and study their language. Through emissaries from contacted groups, they persuaded the Pardo group to move nearer to Peru, but in 1969 the Mayoruna again dispersed, some rejecting contact and returning to isolation.

The Mayoruna live in large communal houses, rectangular in shape, with an entrance at each end. The walls are built of vertical bamboo posts, and the palm-leaf roof has overhanging eaves. In the interior there are eating and storage areas, an enclosed sleeping area, and a separate cooking place for each wife. At the doorway of each house the Mayoruna display monkey skulls mounted on poles and bones of the game animals they have killed. These bones give clues to the prevalence of game, as the more smoke-darkened the bones the longer since the animal was killed, whereas the bones of more recently killed animals are white.

Mayoruna women seldom marry outside the tribe, except for those who are kidnapped, sometimes as children. The Mayoruna and other groups often steal children, including Whites, whom they adopt and raise as members of the tribe. A young husband lives with his wife's family for a period of time, and nowadays, as well as working for his father-in-law, he is expected to bring presents such as radios, wristwatches, and rifles, which confer high prestige among the Mayoruna, to his wife's parents. Preferred marriage is with a cross cousin, either matrilateral or patrilateral.

A boy receives his name from his father's father or from his father's father's brothers, either biological or classificatory. Girls' names are inherited from the mother's mother or from sisters of the mother's mother. A girl child was traditionally betrothed at birth to a small boy, which imposed on the boy's parents important responsibilities toward her; they were expected to provide the future bride with food up to the age of marriage, generally at puberty.

Although it is known that the Mayoruna on the Brazilian side have shamans in their villages, little is known to outsiders about their shamanistic practices, nor has Mayoruna cosmology been studied.

Hunting has always been a very important factor in Mayoruna subsistence, and movement in search of game probably contributed to their nomadism. Present-day Mayoruna hunt with bows and arrows, a practice they learned from the neighboring Marubo. The Mayoruna formerly used the blowgun, but for unknown reasons they have abandoned it. Women accompany hunting parties, helping with the pursuit of game and carrying the animals. Meat is distributed according to well-defined rules, and the meat of certain kinds of animals cannot be consumed at the same meal as that of certain other kinds. A hunter never eats the game that he himself killed. Fishing is a dry-season activity, and collective fishing parties may produce large quantities of fish, which the Mayoruna preserve by smoking. They also gather a number of different wild fruits.

The Mayoruna practice slash-and-burn agriculture, preferring dark soils on high ground. Their fields average 300 meters by 100 meters in size. Men plant manioc and maize, and women plant bananas and most minor crops except tobacco. Besides their staples, the Mayoruna grow yams, sweet potatoes, sugarcane,barbasco (fish poison), arrow canes, cotton, achiote (for skin paint), and other plants. The missionaries have introduced citrus fruits, rice, mangoes, and cacao. Women harvest maize, and men weed the gardens. The owner of the crop is the family that planted the field, but men invite other men to help them weed in exchange for some of the produce of the field. Before the Mayoruna let a field go fallow, they dig up the rest of the manioc tubers and make flour from them. The plot is then no longer weeded, but they return to pick the fruit from trees they have planted.

All Mayoruna—men, women, and children—have a line tattooed around the lips and across the cheeks to each ear. The tatoo instrument is a sharp fish bone. They also make small perforations across the upper lip and sometimes in the nostrils, into which they stick bristles. These "jaguar whiskers" give the face a feline look that is fundamental to the Mayoruna image. Faces are painted with achiote and cord anklets and wristlets are worn. All Mayoruna women make hammocks for their close relatives, and they also make pots to store water and to cook meat and sweet manioc.

The Mayoruna have occasionally worked for Whites as skin hunters or loggers, but they are still little involved in the regional economy. On the Brazilian side, the Mayoruna at one government Indian post have cut and sold timber through the intermediary of the Indian agent, using the proceeds to buy salt, kerosene, batteries, clothing, tools, and other Western goods to which they have become accustomed.

The health of the Mayoruna is probably now suffering less than that of most other recently contacted groups because, on both the Brazilian and Peruvian sides of the border, they have received some immunizations. A recent census of the Brazilian settlements shows that more than 65 percent of the population is estimated to be under 20 years old. This indicates that the population is growing rapidly, but the lack of people over 50 suggests that epidemic diseases must have taken a heavy toll in former years. On the Brazilian side of the border, the project for the Javari Indian Park, with a proposed area of over 80,000 square kilometers will, if carried out, provide land for the Mayoruna as well as for a number of other Amazonian groups.

Read more: Mayoruna - http://www.everyculture.com/South-America/Mayoruna.html#ixzz1e0ioQRR5

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T he Mayoruna (sometimes spelled Mayuruna) Indians (also called the Matsés, not to be confused with the Matis) of Brazil and Peru practice a unique native ceremony involving the use of a poison obtained from the skin of a frog. Phyllomedusa bicolor, an arboreal dart frog, commonly found in the canopy of the Amazonian rainforest, excretes a toxin from its skin that the Mayoruna inject into their bodies. Although the poison frog ceremony has probably been practiced for hundreds of years by the Mayoruna and Matis tribes, it is only recently that scientists have become aware of it and have begun to study the chemical components of the toxin and its effects on humans. While not as well-known as the hallucinogenic plant Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi), some of the chemicals found in the poison frog toxin may prove of medicinal use with a number of brain malfunctions, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and clinical depression. Experiments involving this toxin are opening up new areas of research involving brain functions.  Why do the Mayoruna Indians inject this frog poison into their bodies? The answer to this question is complex and you need to study the Mayoruna culture to truly understand their fascination with the toxin and the ceremony. This poison dart frog is known by Panoan-speaking Indians (Mayoruna, Matis, Korubo, and Marubo) as “hunting magic.” The Mayoruna believe that the toxin increases ones endurance and strength, making them invincible hunters. Additionally, they give it to individuals that are perceived as lazy, believing it will make them better workers. Almost immediately after taking the poison, one experiences a rapid heartbeat, vomiting and incontinence, and later one enters a dream-like state. After awakening from a deep sleep, the Indians say one can hunt for long periods without feeling hungry or tired, and that their hunting arrows always hit their prey. Some have remarked that taking frog poison is similar to getting high, but in reverse. First you get a hangover (vomiting) and later you feel euphoria.  I first experienced this ceremony when I traveled with my Canadian friend Jason to the Yavarí Valley which occupies the frontier of Peru with Brazil. Jason and I visited a Mayoruna tribe maloca (long house) near the Yavarí River where we witnessed and participated in the ceremony. At the Mayorunamaloca we met Tchampicassi, a beautiful teenage Mayoruna girl. Shortly after arriving I asked her to boil some water for us as we had run out of drinking water. While the water was being heated, she showed me some of the plants in her garden. She showed me a plant they call “Awaka” which she explained they use to kill fish. Next she showed me a poisonous plant that she said some Mayoruna women use to kill their husbands. Shortly after, she brought me the boiled water. The water was muddy and murky, and after viewing the collection of poisonous plants in her garden, I just couldn’t bring myself to drink it and went the whole day without water. Tchampicassi is a natural blonde, which is not unusual among the Mayoruna. It seems that until recently, the Mayoruna kidnapped white women and integrated them into their tribe. Using my camcorder mounted on a tripod, I filmed Tchampicassi injecting frog poison for the first time in her life. At the beginning of the ceremony, she was cheerful and laughing. I watched as her mother used a stick from a fire to burn two points on her abdomen. Next the frog poison mixed with human saliva (to activate it) was applied to the wounds. Within a few minutes, the formerly bubbly teenager, drifted-off into another world. To truly appreciate how frog poison is used by indigenous Amazonians, you need to view my Matis videos that are available on DVD and instant download.  My friend Jason also participated in the ceremony. First he drank a type of chicha that was bright orange. Next he snorted a tobacco mixture (nu-nu) that was blown into his nose by one of the Mayoruna. Three small points were burned on his arm. After peeling off the outer skin layer, the poison frog mixture was applied. Within several minutes his heart rate accelerated and his body and mind responded to the toxin in a manner that could only be described as intense. Although not hallucinogenic in the sense that LSD or ayahuasca is, my friend experience a dream-like state and later euphoria. Jason said that his perception of the world changed and he would never see things the same after this experience. Later that night, I remember one of our group teasing Jason that the frog toxin was changing him and that his face was beginning to resemble a frog. Cheerful and cordial as always, Jason smiled and winked at me and I could see that o5r friend that had made the comment had missed something; my friend Jason had dared to explore a world few outsiders ever see – not the realm of the frog, but the world of the Mayoruna.  If you would like to learn how you can meet theMatsés-Mayoruna and find out how you can help them preserve their culture, please contact me atdjpantone@amazon-indians.org.  Extraordinaryvideos of the Matis tribe are available.   Additionally, if you are interested in authentic Matsés bows and arrows, hammocks or other crafts, please contact handicrafts@amazon-indians.org.  For more information about the Matsés-Mayoruna Indians, please visit www.amazon-indians.org/matses.  In addition, please view the documentary films of my expeditions to the Matis Indians which are available on video.  The author, Dr. Dan James Pantone, is the editor of Amazon-Indians and an ecologist currently working with the Movement in the Amazon for Tribal Subsistence and Economic Sustainability (MATSES), a NGO that is helping indigenous people so that they themselves can preserve their culture and lands in a sustainable and independent manner.

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IDF - Israel Defense Forces

IDF - Israel Defense Forces

SEXUAL SINS THAT DESTROY.... HOMOSEXUAL (GAY), PORNO, LUST, PEDOPHILES, ADULTERY, SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE

SEXUAL SINS THAT DESTROY SOCIETY - before God...

There are different forms of sexual sins before GOD...

No matter how much we try to argue, or try to convince, or prove that 'society' needs to catch up with the modern times', or that we treat what GOD refers to as SIN as okay to do and disregard GOD...

We are in great REBELLION toward GOD if we choose to follow sin

God's Word should be the STANDARD LINE of living life on this earth.

If we try to convince ourselves that God's WORD is not prevalent for the modern day of today - we are in great error.

Look at the history of The Roman Empire. Within this Empire - they too chose to live their lives according to the modern way standard. During this time period it was acceptable to be a pedophile with having sex with children.

The same with the Dark Ages of England. It was acceptable to embrace the ways of 'sin' and it was completely acceptable to embrace being pedophile.

This is lining life up with the standards of man... and man's standards will lead you to HELL and separate you from GOD.

It comes down to 'Do you follow GOD's STANDARDS as according to GOD's  WRITTEN WORD'... or do you follow SOCIETY morals and embrace SIN as good.

Some of the DECLINE of society moral standards in embracing sexual sins is:

1. Adultery - Having an extra marital affair and treating this as acceptable and okay







2. Watching Pornography - and treating this as acceptable and okay

3. Internet/Computer Affairs - These kind of affairs can come so deceptive.  A person can become emotionally attached to a stranger on the Internet thinking it will not harm anyone.  But it is direct SIN and it not only will harm YOU but it harms the person on the other side and it harms the family.

4. Being Gay and practicing the sin of homosexuality - and treating this as acceptable and okay

There is coming a day through this MORAL SOCIETY DECLINE that it will become acceptable with adults having sex with children... and pedophiles will become the new acceptable SIN to do within society...  There have been PEDOPHILE CLUBS in California for years called Men 4 Boys...
Is anything being done against these kind of clubs?

SIN destroys... like a cancer that has no boundaries. SIN destroyed an entire society with The Fall of the Roman Empire. SIN destroyed during the course during the Dark Ages of England.

SIN has no boundaries... no consideration of consequences... SIN is selfish, Self Serving, and thinks of no one else except for SELF satisfaction, and SELF feelings....  SIN is full of pride.... SIN is all REBELLION (which rebellion is the same as witchcraft, according to God's Word)... SIN is full of greed

SIN brings death...

If we do not repent of our SINS before GOD - SIN cannot and will not enter into the presence of GOD, for HE is a HOLY GOD, and we must learn to walk n the FEAR OF GOD.

(I describe SIN as this:  If you took out every stop sign and every stop light and every speed limit sign - what would you have?  Your answer will probably be correct.  You would have total CHAOS and death.  The purpose of GOD'S WRITTEN WORD is to put STOP SIGNS, STOP LIGHTS, and SPEED LIMIT SIGNS within our life to follow.  GOD'S WORD allows boundaries.  But we make the choice while here on earth... If we choose to follow GOD's WORD and embrace the TRUE of God's Word - we will have LIFE...  But if we choose to be in rebellion of GOD's Word and choose our own way and do our own thing, then we choose our course of eternal life with GOD, (after life on this earth), or eternal life (never ending) in a true HELL with Satan.

God wrote about HELL... it is not made up imagination.

If you truly embrace GOD's Word then you embrace all of HIS WORD as written truth and not just what you want.

Please see this site on HELL:

http://so4j.com/hell-scriptures-and-facts.php

God does not put people in HELL (As God wants no one to perish)... but we have a free will choice and if we choose (on our own) not to follow God's Word and make Him Lord of our LIFE then the consequences is HELL (as written in God's Word)...

In the days of Noah... people were eating, drinking, and being merry.  Noah obeyed GOD in building the ARK for over 125 years in the middle of a dry desert.  But on that day (After over 125 years of being warned) God's judgement came, only 8 people went inside of the ARK and it was GOD whom sealed the ARK.  The remaining people on the earth - made a choice and from their choice they perished.

On that day God said he no longer would judge the earth with water/flood but the next time HE brought JUDGEMENT to this earth it would come through FIRE (Our God is a consuming FIRE)...

Your destiny is your free will choice.  If you want to be with GOD for eternity - then it will take for you to REPENT of our sins before GOD, and make things right to GOD and follow HIS WORD... but if you choose to do 'your thing' and SIN, no matter what, then this is your choice and your destiny.

You can use every excuse you want to try to convince GOD, 'why you are the way you are'... you can even say to GOD, 'I was born this way, to be a homosexual, or lesbian, or a pedophile, or to see prostitutes and have every kind of sex I wanted'... 'I WAS BORN THIS WAY'...

God does not 'born' people to go against HIS WRITTEN WORD to practice SIN...but this is an outright CHOICE and REBELLION of God's Word... and the consequences that we suffer in the end, are made from our own personal choices in life - and we will suffer the consequences of those choices...

James 1:15  (NKJV)

¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

The Consequence of Sin

• Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2).
• Sin makes prayers useless (Micah 3:4; Isaiah 1:15, 59:2-3).
• Sin kills physically and spiritually ( Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 4; Luke 15:24, 32).
• Sin excludes from heaven ( 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 21:27).
• Besides this, it degrades a man and makes him a slave to greed, sinful desires and selfishness
• It robs him of a clear conscience, and thus also of happiness and contentment. In short: it ruins our life.

There are consequences to SIN before GOD... (not with man, but with GOD).

Isaiah 59:2 (NKJV) ² But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

Consequences of Sexual Sin

Sexual sin produces consequences that will affect us deeply.

Viewing porn is a form of sex sin committed through lust and idolatry (see How Porn Works). If you are looking at pornography, you are susceptible to the same consequences that result from other forms of sexual sin. The consequences may not be easily absolved, but God will forgive you of your sin through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Whether you have already sinned, or are thinking about doing so, the point here is to encourage you not to sin. Here are some examples of the consequences of sex sin:

Sex sin defiles your body and damages its ability to fulfill God's purposes. Sex sin is unique in that we commit it against our own bodies (1 Corinthians 6:17). Our bodies function as temples of God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). When we use our body for sex sin, we dishonor our body and defile God's temple. We're also defiling the people that we are sinning with. Our lack of respect for the body (and for God) damages our relationship with God.

Sex sin grieves God's Spirit. Any sin we practice will grieve God's Spirit (Ephesians 4:31). It puts out the "fire" of the Holy Spirit in our life (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The more we quench God's Spirit, the less we will be inclined to live a changed life in righteousness.

Practicing sin forms a stronghold for evil in our lives. When we repeatedly sin, we give evil an increasingly protected place in our lives. The more we give in to our sinful lusts, the more they have control over us. Paul described this as slavery to sin in Romans 6:16. Sexual strongholds are particularly powerful, since they involve our body, soul and spirit. Thankfully, Jesus provided the means for us to break out of any stronghold and live for God in righteousness.

Sex sin can bring a curse on you, your partner and/or your children. Sex sin gives Satan a right to oppress us and our descendants through curses (see generational curses). The scriptural basis for generational curses is found in Exodus 34:6-7 and several other passages. Promiscuity, adultery, divorce, infertility, frigidity and other reproductive problems can sometimes be traced to curses arising from sexual sin (Numbers 5:11-31). Please note that all curses can be broken by the applied blood of Jesus (Galatians 3:13-14)

Sex sin can give evil spirits footholds to influence your life. Romans 1:28-32 provides a vivid account of how sexual promiscuity and idolatry opened the door to many other forms of evil. The Bible offers plenty of additional examples of sex sin and the ensuing consequences (see Bible Sex Sin Examples). Perhaps the most famous is David's sin with Bathsheba. His adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband produced family strife, the death of his son and opportunities for enemies to blaspheme God (2 Samuel 11-12).

Sex sin can bring spiritual confusion. Spiritual confusion begins when we start pursuing the pleasures of sin and disregard our conscience of right and wrong. The more we pursue sin, the more our conscience becomes dulled (1 Timothy 4:2, Titus 1:15). A dull conscience causes us to be susceptible to enemy's lies which will draw us progressively further from God (James 1:14). Eventually we may not even think our actions are sinful and our ability to repent can be hindered (Hebrews 6:1-8). Two examples of sex-related spiritual confusion are found in Romans and 1 Kings. The people in Romans 1:24-32 sinned through sexual immorality and idolatry and were filled with all kinds of evil. 1 Kings 11 illustrates how Solomon, the wisest person that ever lived, descended into spiritual confusion through sexual idolatry with his pagan wives.

Sex sin can cause emotional confusion. Sex creates emotional bonds ("soul  ties") with our sex partner. These bonds will vary in strength depending on the relationship. God intended this emotional bond for marriage partners. When we bond with people other than our spouse through sex, emotional confusion results. This confusion can manifest in many ways. Here are some examples:

• Recurring dreams and/or thoughts about former lovers
• Inability to achieve emotional intimacy with spouse
• Regret or bitterness toward people who hurt us in past relationships
• Comparing our spouse with former lovers in sexual performance
• Distorted understanding of true love (corrupted by lust or other selfishness)
• Increased promiscuity, in attempt to find true intimacy and love

The danger of emotional confusion is that it can hold us back from experiencing true intimacy with our spouse and God. Emotional confusion can also act like a curse, fueling sex addiction and other struggles we may be having. For more info, please see our soul ties page.

Sex sin causes lasting memories. Sex memories are created in our brains with the help of special hormones released during sexual arousal. The devil uses these memories to condemn us and keep us in bondage to lust. These memories can cause difficulties in our sexual relationship with our spouse. Here are some examples:

• Our sexual experiences with our spouse are corrupted by thoughts of our former lovers or porn images we've viewed
• We idolize past sexual partners...especially when we run into difficulties in our marriage
• We feel less satisfied with our spouse's sexual performance
• Our minds are conditioned to gratify our lusts through sex instead of showing true love and affection
• We get angry and resentful when our spouse won't help us relive past sexual experiences or perform sex acts we've seen in porn

Thankfully, when we follow Jesus Christ, we receive power to overcome the memories, purify our minds and regain control of our thought-life. See our prayers for healingmemories for more info.

Sex sin can produce unloved or unwanted children. Sexual sin has helped devalue human life such that human babies are discarded as rubbish on an altar of convenience, pleasure and rebellion (40 million aborted since the 1960's). Children born through sex sin may grow up in homes where a loving father and/or mother are absent. Their brokenness will likely be echoed through the sexual choices they make down the road, impacting generations to come.

Sex sin can expose us to sexually transmitted disease. Porn's sexual fantasies do not portray the reality that sexually transmitted diseases often accompany a life of promiscuity. There are many different kinds of sexually transmitted diseases, most of which bring unpleasant symptoms. The worst of these diseases, AIDS, can cause death. Romans 1:27 contains a possible reference to AIDS.

Sex sin can destroy marriages and families. Adultery often destroys marriages and families. The husband and the wife will suffer emotional, spiritual and even physical damage when the bond of fidelity is broken. Major healing will be needed to repair the breach. Memories created during a marriage breakup can last the lifetime of the family and the effects can be felt up to four generations. Viewing pornography is a form of adultery (Matthew 5:28), and its potential to damage a marriage is real and significant. Too often it is justified as a harmless necessity by the addicted, suggesting that it is not as damaging as physical adultery. This is a lie!

Sex sin can lead to an unbridled pursuit of lust and perversion. Sex sin usually feeds a growing fire of lust in our minds. If we continue to feed that fire, we can easily drift further and further into decadence. Paul described this state as indulgence in every kind of impurity, with continual lust for more (Ephesians 4:19, Romans 1:24-28).

If you have already reaped these consequences, there is hope for recovery through Jesus. Though every consequence may not be completely removed, God can help you make the best of your circumstances, and get back on track in a life of happiness and blessing.

Q. What is homosexuality?

Homosexuality is the manifestation of sexual desire toward a member of one's own sex or the erotic activity with a member of the same sex. (The Greek word homosmeans the same). A lesbian is a female homosexual. More recently the term "gay" has come into popular use to refer to both sexes who are homosexuals.

Q. How does one determine if the practice of homosexuality is right or wrong?That depends upon who is answering the question. The Christian point of view is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. A truly Christian standard of ethics is the conduct of divine revelation, not of statistical research nor of public opinion. For the Christian, the Bible is the final authority for both belief and behavior.

Q. What explicitly does the Bible teach about homosexuality?This question I consider to be basic because, if we accept God's Word on the subject of homosexuality, we benefit from His adequate answer to this problem. I am concerned only with the Christian or biblical view of homosexuality. The Bible has much to say about sex sins in general.

First, there is adultery. Adultery in the natural sense is sexual intercourse of a married person with someone other than his or her own spouse. It is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:14; I Cor. 6:9, 10). Christ forbids dwelling upon the thoughts, the free play of one's imagination that leads to adultery (Matthew 5:28).

Second, there is fornication, the illicit sex acts of unmarried persons which is likewise forbidden (I Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; Ephesians 5:3).

Then there is homosexuality which likewise is condemned in scripture. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declares that homosexuality "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9; 10). Now Paul does not single out the homosexual as a special offender. He includes fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, revilers and extortionists. And then he adds the comment that some of the Christians at Corinth had been delivered from these very practices: "And such were some of you: But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11). All of the sins mentioned in this passage are condemned by God, but just as there was hope in Christ for the Corinthians, so is there hope for all of us.

Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" (Leviticus 18:22). "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion. The Christian can neither alter God's viewpoint nor depart from it.

In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel" (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was not an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, the perverted and unnatural vice for which Sodom was known. Let us look at the passages in question:

But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house around, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. (Genesis 19:4-8)

The Hebrew word for "know" in verse 5 is yada`, a sexual term. It is used frequently to denote sexual intercourse (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; Matthew 1:24, 25). The message in the context of Genesis 19 is clear. Lot pled with the men to "do not so wickedly." Homosexuality is wickedness and must be recognized as such else there is no hope for the homosexual who is asking for help to be extricated from his perverted way of life.

Q. You said that sexual intercourse outside of marriage is condemned in the Bible. How do you explain marriage ceremonies in which two persons of the same sex are united by an officiating clergyman or justice of the peace?There are cases on record where a marriage license was issued to persons of the same sex. I recall one such incident in Phoenix, Arizona. A marriage license was issued in the Maricopa County clerk's office to two men 39 and 21 years old respectively. The two men are reported to have "married" in a private ceremony.

However, to call a union of two persons of the same sex a "marriage" is a misnomer. In the Bible, marriage is a divinely ordered institution designed to form a permanent union between one man and one woman for one purpose (among others) of procreating or propagating the human race. That was God's order in the first of such unions (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:24; Matthew 19:5). If, in His original creation of humans, God had created two persons of the same sex, there would not be a human race in existence today. The whole idea of two persons of the same sex marrying is absurd, unsound, ridiculously unreasonable, stupid. A clergyman might bless a homosexual marriage but God won't.

Q. Why do homosexuals refer to themselves as "gay"?The word "gay" means merry, exuberant, bright, lively. More recently it has been adopted by homosexuals. In its original use it did not have this double meaning. The clever adaptation of the word "gay" by homosexuals has robbed it of its pure meaning, thereby corrupting a once perfectly good word. I never use the word "gay" when referring to homosexuals. There are many bright, exuberant, merry people in this world who are not sexual perverts.

Q. You made reference to First Corinthians 6:9-11. What is the meaning of the word "effeminate" in verse 9?There are certain words in every language that can be used in a good or bad sense. In the context of this verse the use of "effeminate" is obviously in a bad sense. It is listed among other evils which are condemned. It describes feminine qualities inappropriate to a man. It is normal and natural for a woman to be sexually attracted to a man; it is abnormal and unnatural for a man to be sexually attracted to another man. Many male homosexuals are effeminate, but not all. Nor are all lesbians unduly masculine.

Q. Are there other scriptures in the New Testament which deal with homosexuality?Yes. Romans 1:24-27; I Timothy 1:10 and Jude 7. If one takes these scriptures seriously, homosexuality will be recognized as an evil. The Romans passage is unmistakably clear. Paul attributes the moral depravity of men and  women to their rejection of "the truth of God" (1:25). They refused "to retain God in their knowledge" (1:28), thereby dethroning God and deifying themselves. The Old Testament had clearly condemned homosexuality but in Paul's day there were those persons who rejected its teaching. Because of their rejection of God's commands He punished their sin by delivering them over to it.

The philosophy of substituting God's Word with one's own reasoning commenced with Satan. He introduced it at the outset of the human race by suggesting to Eve that she ignore God's orders, assuring her that in so doing  she would become like God with the power to discern good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). That was Satan's big lie. Paul said that when any person rejects God's truth, his mind becomes "reprobate," meaning perverted, void of sound judgment. The perverted mind, having rejected God's truth, is not capable of discerning good and evil.

In Romans 1:26-31 twenty-three punishable sins are listed with homosexuality leading the list. Paul wrote, "For this cause God gave them up into vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26, 27). These verses are telling us that homosexuals suffer in their body and personality the inevitable consequences of their wrong doing. Notice that the behavior of the homosexual is described as a "vile affection" (1:26). The Greek word translated "vile" (atimia) means filthy, dirty, evil, dishonorable. The word "affection" in Greek is pathos, used by the Greeks of either a good or bad desire. Here in the context of Romans it is used in a bad sense. The "vile affection" is a degrading passion, a shameful lust. Both the desire (lusting after) and the act of homosexuality are condemned in the Bible as sin.

Q. There are those persons who say that homosexuality, even though a perverted form of the normal, God-ordained practice of sex, is a genetic problem, constitutionally inherited. Is there evidence to support this view?
There are possibly a number of different ways in which homosexual practices could begin. When boys and girls reach puberty and the genital organs develop, it is not uncommon for boys to experiment with boys, and girls with girls. In prisons where men and women are denied access to persons of the opposite sex for long periods of time, some are introduced to homosexuality for the first time.

Homosexuality must be accepted for what God says it is-- sin. Some homosexuals will attempt to circumvent the plain teaching of the Bible with the insipid reply that they are the way God made them. There is not the slightest bit of evidence in scripture to support this false concept. God never created man with a so-called "homosexual need." No baby is born a homosexual. Every baby is born male or female. In every place the Bible refers to homosexuality, the emphasis is upon the perversion of sexuality. The practicing homosexual is guilty of "leaving the natural use of the woman" (Romans 1:27), meaning that his behavior is "against nature" as in the case of the lesbian (Romans 1:26). Inasmuch as homosexuality is opposed to the regular law and order of nature, the genetic concept must be ruled out completely. If homosexuality were a genetic problem, there would be little hope for the homosexual simply because there is no way that the genes in a person can be changed.

Q. Are there contributing factors to homosexuality for which a homosexual might not be responsible?Yes, I believe there are. I have not done much research in this area, however, studies made by others showed varied deviations from the average or normal parent-child relationship. For example, clinical cases show that some homosexuals have not had a normal or natural relationship with the parent of the same sex. In some instances there has been a wide gap between father and son. There are those boys who have been neglected by their unaffectionate fathers. The boy who has not had a good and wholesome relationship with his father could have an unfulfilled need for a father relationship with a man. Now that need will not start out as a sexual one, but there are cases on record in which the sexual relationship has developed. I know one case of a homosexual adult who seduced a 13 year old boy whose father had forsaken him. Before the boy's contact with the older man he had no knowledge whatever of homosexuality. The older man seduced the boy.

Lesbianism has been known to follow this same pattern. Some mother-daughter relationships are not conducive to a normal social and sexual development. One young woman came to her pastor seeking help. She had gotten involved with a lesbian in the community where she lived, a woman twenty-one years her senior. The girl's parents had a defective marriage which ended in divorce when the daughter was ten years old. Her mother became bitter and resentful against all men. She convinced her daughter that men were not to be trusted, and that man's one goal was to exploit women sexually. The daughter grew up with a fear of men, a fear totally unwarranted. She was an easy victim of the seductive older lesbian. The good and wise pastor showed the counselee from the Bible that homosexuality was sinful and that God condemned it. She confessed her sin to God and received Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. Today she is happily married to a fine Christian man.

Q. Do you believe that the homosexual controversy is causing problems for the churches of America?Evil in any form is a problem in the church. It always has been. The greater problem, however, is the church's failure to discipline evil when it arises. Karl Menninger's book, Whatever Became of Sin?, deals directly with that point. There are ministers, priests, and rabbis who never talk about sin. There was a time when the minister of God's Word preached the whole counsel of God. Today many pulpits are silent on the sin question. Sin has become fashionable and therefore acceptable. When sin gets its victim into serious difficulty, the psychiatrist and psychologist tell him he is sick. The church must face the fact of sin squarely.

Q. Does the Bible tell us how the church should deal with sexual sins?In Old Testament times in Israel God dealt severely with homosexuals. He warned His people through Moses, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). Every Jew knew that homosexuality was an abomination, a disgusting practice to be loathed, hated. This was God's attitude toward that evil practice. He hated it to the extent that He considered it worthy of punishment by death. Now God loved His people Israel dearly, and it was from His great heart of love that He chastened them. The Epistle to the Hebrews says, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Hebrews 12:7). When God issued His law forbidding homosexuality, and the punishment for those persons who violated that law, He did so in order to prevent them from sinning. However, when anyone broke the law, the offender paid the penalty due him. God is a holy God who hates and judges sin. Parents who love their children will not refrain from warning them of prevailing evils, nor will they fail to chasten them when they disobey. The church today not only tolerates sin but in some instances condones it. God does neither.

In the New Testament the principle of discipline was applied with apostolic authority. In the church at Corinth the young man who was committing fornication with his step-mother was excommunicated. Paul instructed the church to take that action "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and with the power (i.e. the authority) of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 5:1-8). In Romans 1:21-32 where Paul shows the Gentile world in its downward plunge into sin, including the sin of homosexuality, verse 32 concludes with the words, "who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death . . . " Worthy of death, yes. But today we are not under law but under grace. People used to hear and heed the Gospel-truth, the message that God is holy, man is a sinner, and that through faith in the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, sinful people can be born again and thereby delivered from the guilt and penalty and practice of their sins.

Q. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the church?Nothing is more foundationally essential for the church and the world than a return to the truth. Recently I read where someone said we are suffering from a famine of the worst kind, "a truth-famine." Our modern culture is in a degenerating, deteriorating stage caused by a departure from the truth. And I must say unequivocally that truth does not exist independently of God, and His written Word the Bible, and His Son Jesus Christ. Truth is in no sense of man's imagination or contrivance. Man in his fallen state does not know truth, and that is why he continues to go on sinning. A civilization without the truth is doomed to oblivion. Every ancient civilization that ignored God and His laws has crumbled. Our present civilization is well on the road to doom. We cannot survive independently of God and His Word.

The Church must return to the truth, the whole truth, the sum total of truth founded and grounded upon Him Who said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6). In our Lord's high priestly prayer for His own He prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17). There must be in our churches the clear exposition of the scriptures and a continuing exaltation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ if our civilization is to be saved from the disasters that overcame past civilizations. Any civilization with a philosophy or a doctrine which denies the real truth cannot survive.

Q. Do you see any prophetic significance in the recent homosexual upsurge?Yes, I do. However, I would suggest caution on this point. It is not uncommon for preachers to attach a prophetic meaning to every earthquake, riot, war, moral scandal or political disaster, labeling all such events as "signs of the times."

The modern homosexual upsweep is one phase of a declining trend in morals. When the disciples asked our Lord, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?" He told them that "iniquity shall abound" (Matthew 24:3, 12). There is today a permissiveness and a promiscuity in sexual behavior unprecedented in the history of America. There is little restraint upon the widespread of material containing pictures and writing depicting erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement. This would be included in our Lord's prophecy about abounding iniquity.

There is also a prophetic statement in Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy which has some bearing upon the subject we are discussing. Paul said, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection . . . " (II Timothy 3:1-3). Homosexuality is an unnatural affection, practiced by persons "that defile themselves with mankind" (I Timothy 1:10), translated in the New American Standard Version "homosexuals," and in the New International Version, "perverts." I conclude, in the light of these scriptures, that the rise of homosexuality is very definitely a trend which indicates the approaching end of the age.

Q. What should be the Christian's attitude toward the homosexual?

We must always keep before us the fact that homosexuals, like all of us sinners, are the objects of God's love. The Bible says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). The Christian who shares God's love for lost sinners will seek to reach the homosexual with the gospel of Christ, which "is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). As a Christian I should hate all sin but I can find no justification for hating the sinner. The homosexual is a precious soul for whom Christ died. We Christians can show him the best way of life by pointing him to Christ. Our Lord said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). We are obligated to take the gospel to all.