Diane Penny

For some people the holiday season is a joyous time of the year filled with the anticipation of taking part in all of the activities associated with it. However, for some people it is a season of grief because like no other time of the year, this season forces people to face the reality of a loss in their lives. There are various forms of loss that cause grief. These include: loss of career or finances; loss due to death; loss of graduating college; loss of health; loss of leaving home; loss of relationships; loss of selling a home or other possession. There are also various physical symptoms of grief. These include anxiety, changes in appetite, insomnia, irritability, panic attacks, upset stomach, changes in body weight, and other physical ailments. During our times of grief, Satan will try to deceive us into believing that there is no hope. John writes, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have ...

When things are spoken repeatedly, there is a tendency to accept it as truth without questioning its validity. This is especially true in religious settings. The preacher says the same thing from the pulpit over and over again, until the hearers accept it as truth, even repeating it themselves before studying the scriptures to find out if it lines up with the Word of God. In this article we will look at several things that we all may have heard spoken from the pulpit that do not line up with the Word of God. The intent of this article is to shed light on these topics to promote the distribution of the truth of God’s Word to the masses. GOD REBUKED THE PRACTICE OF LINE UPON LINE, PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT When passages of scripture in The Bible open with the word “Woe,” it is certain that a rebuke will follow. This is the case with Isaiah, Chapters 28 and 29. God rebuked the religious leaders for teaching precept upon precept, line upon line. In the book of Isaiah God says, “But the word of...

  A Pharisee asked Jesus, “What is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus responded, “…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40). The Pharisees of Jesus’ day believed that the oral traditions are equal to the Word of God. As a result, they were such strict observers and enforcers of the Law of Moses that they lacked empathy and compassion for others. The Pharisees rejected the two greatest commandments of God to preserve their own religious traditions. The reference scripture verses for this article are Matthew 23:13-34 in which Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their religious traditions and their hypocrisy. We will see from this study of the scriptures that the religious traditions and the resulting fruits of unrighteous...

Through Jesus Christ the saints of God possess the fullness of God, and are heirs to the kingdom of God. We will see through the covenants that God made with his people, that he intends for his saints to be a royal kingdom. In the Mosaic Covenant God promised the children of Israel that they would be a “kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exo. 1:6). God promised King David in the Davidic Covenant that his house, his kingdom, and his throne would be established forever (2 Sam. 7:16). God’s New Covenant promise is salvation to all who believe on Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a direct descendent of King David and reigns in the forever kingdom that was established by God. THE MOSAIC COVENANT PROMISES The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant between God and the children of Israel where they would receive blessings for obeying God, and cursing if they did not obey him (Got Questions). God promised the children of Israel, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy ...