HOMOSEXUALITY, LESBIANISM & RAPE

                                              HOMOSEXUALITY, LESBIANISM & RAPE

                                                                          Prologue

    There is much to glean from scripture on these subjects, and the material is appropriate for non-Christians as well as Christians. Because the subjects are so scattered throughout the bible, it requires study to understand what God really says about these subjects. And, if you do the research and study, you will find most of the people making all kinds of claims really don't know what they're talking about. In an attempt to be more "religious" or pure than their adversaries, they make opinionated statements that tend to inflame emotions of the unlearned. The unlearned don't have to be unlearned, but choose to be unlearned. It is easier to simply accept an emotional opinion from a "self righteous" church person or carnal thinker than to find out God's Word. If you don't like history or
scripture study, you will probably never understand  Christianity or how and why things happen here and in the remainder of the world. There  is a major connection between homosexuality, lesbianism and rape. It's all in the bible, folks. Unfortunately I'm not finding many (or any) pastors or teachers working to explain God's Word on the subjects. Politicians and wannabe leaders are taking up the slack with frequently outrageous
claims and statements. For leaders in the church world, it's much easier to go with the flow. When being a pastor is your profession, you may want to maintain job security.
 
    This entire message is based totally on scripture, which I will either quote directly from the King James version of the bible, or give you the pertinent verses as reference in an attempt to keep the message from becoming too lengthy. As you proceed, remember our Teacher is none other than Jesus Christ, and His key admonition to you is found in
Matt.12:31,32. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit,
it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."


THIS IS THE ONE AND ONLY SIN THAT IS NOT FORGIVEN. EVERY OTHER SIN MAY BE FORGIVEN. 

The forgiving of sins is God's option, not man's option. You are not the judge of anyone; Matt. 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged." If you've been able to accept what is
written here, the rest of the message will tackle the subjects.

    The bible introduces us to homosexuality in Genesis, the very first book. To keep explanations short, I'll consider homosexuality and lesbianism together as being the male and female same sex situation. This is an entirely different sin than rape. Let's be clear
about this--homosexuality, lesbianism and rape are sins. But those involved in these sins are no worse sinners than someone who commits the more common sins such as stealing, lying, gossiping, fraud, adultery, assault, or even murder. It is unfortunate that people
use highly emotional sins such as homosexuality to stir up hatred and divide Christians. If you are guilty of envy, you are in trouble just as seriously as the "gay" person. There is more to the story we read in Gen. 18 and 19. This is where we find the reference to rape,
although you won't see that word. In fact, scripture refers to words such as "ravish" rather than rape. Rape is non-consensual sex with either a female or male. 

    Genesis tells us three angels visit Abraham and Sarah. One of the angels is actually the Lord who has come to accomplish two things. One thing is to tell Abraham and Sarah they will have a son. The other part of their mission is to investigate the reason for people's cries to heaven. They will visit Sodom and make a judgement. You may not realize this, but God or His angels use many methods to judge us on a regular basis. He is not fooled by what you say. He knows your heart. He knows things you should do or say, and judges you
for sins of commission as well as omission. Robbing a bank is a sin of equal value as being too stingy to help a needy person. You can't hide the condition of your heart. 

    Abraham is apparently aware of the sinful conditions in Sodom, and doesn't want the entire city destroyed. Abraham "bargained" with the Lord to spare the city if 10 righteous people could be found. That took considerable intestinal fortitude. We don't have any bargaining power, but Abraham was speaking not for himself, but other Israelis. The Lord, showing great mercy, agreed to the plea by Abraham. When the angels arrived at Sodom, they met Lot, a righteous man, who took them to his home for the night.

    Now we learn that homosexuality is rampant in Sodom, as men and villagers surround Lot's home seeking the strangers. This is where we tend to accept the terminology without carefully considering the entire situation. These villagers want to have sex with the strangers, a homosexual act. But, wait a minute. If the village men have forceful sex with these men, it is not only a homosexual act, but rape. With consensual sex, you don't
have what is termed a "victim." With rape of either sex, you do have a victim.

    I hear church people and conservatives denying that women aren't really victims. In fact, George Will, the newspaper columnist, claims college girls DESIRE to be raped because that is a coveted category for them. Girls may be sexually active, but that does not mean they "enjoy" rape. Rape, for a man or woman, is a highly traumatic experience. We have counseled rape victims, and they suffer terribly. It can take months and even years for the victim to return to normalcy. It seems there are quite a number of white
American men who think raping women isn't a crime, and the women only want attention. In fact, they have said there is a difference between legal and illegal rape. These poor excuses for men are actually imitating the Arabs and other nationalities that consider
women to be chattel, much like a cow or dog. There is no way rape  can be justified by a Christian. Worse yet, these white American men want total control of women's bodies. 

    Sad to say, there weren't 10 people in Sodom who were righteous or heeded the warning. I see many people today who don't heed any warning signs of sins except the "sensational" sins. Obviously the inhabitants of Sodom were living sin-filled lives. It had become so "normal", they no longer recognized  how far they had strayed from the Word of God. The terrible status of women in many countries of the world is deteriorating even further. Men of these countries see nothing wrong with kidnapping girls and women, selling them into prostitution or slavery. An untrue claim of rape does not mean all rape victims should be dismissed. Men, you should realize that God keeps count.

     We see from Genesis that homosexuality was given as the main reason for the destruction of Sodom. Although some were warned, they laughed it off. Only three people escaped. It's important to understand that those sins of Sodom were not the main reasons that caused Israel to go into captivity. Separating homosexuals and lesbians from society is not scriptural. God hates those sins, but He also hates all the other sins, and does not hate the sinner. Many, if not most, of those people don't want to be "different." Unfortunately, there are some who exploit sensationalism. Rape violates the victim,
and is an invasion of personal physical characteristics. 

    By selecting sexual oriented subjects and using sensationalism, people can build a forum to persuade others to support a program or individual that actually promotes a much different subject. A person   who knows he/she is guilty of gossip that contains little or no truth,  would find it easier to oppose homosexuality in other "less pure"  people. It is one way to enable the carnal being to ignore a personal   failing. As Christ said in John 8:7, "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.'" These self righteous religious leaders were considering themselves to be the judge and jury of this woman. Our leaders today, both in the church and politics, are as guilty as those who stood before Christ that day. It is the preachers who rant about "selective" sin who must answer to God, but they'll have lots of company from politicians.

    Israel continually went through the 4-cycle historical rise and fall of a civilization. It has always been rags to stability-to wealth-to ruin. Take a look at America, and you can make a guess as to the future. Going back to Genesis, the people of Sodom were not only guilty of homosexuality, but they were disobeying the 10 Commandment and  not  worshiping  God. If we look at scripture historically, the pattern of lost worship has been the main reason for captivity and destruction. Deut. 29:26 tells us, "for they went and served other gods and  worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them." Jeremiah 23:14 likens Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah, but not because of sexuality. "And I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem : They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from
his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah." Here you see the church leaders are called out by God for their wicked leadership. Leaders, both religious and carnal, had better watch their mouth and motives. God already knows their heart. Is God giving you an O for obedience or a D for disobedience?

    
    Lamentations is a book usually languishing in bible studies. It is beautiful poetry written by Jeremiah. It tells how and why Israel was stricken, but it also gives the people hope. Pay attention to the fact that greed overtook the people and sins listed in 4:13 were responsible. "Because of the sins of her prophets AND the iniquities of her priests, Who shed in her midst The blood of the just." Note it was oppression of the common folks by church leaders (who also were the civil leaders) that brought the Lord to punish Israel. God cares for all of us--remember John 3"16. If our leaders--both religious and civil--don't
take care of the people, God will step in. Better to make your stand now against misleading men than to offer God excuses later. His Book of Life has no omissions or errors.

    To recap: homosexuality and lesbianism are sins. They have the same value of evil as all other sins EXCEPT denying the Holy Spirit, the very power of God. Homosexuality and lesbianism are victim-less sins unless sex is forced. When sex is forced and non consensual, the act is RAPE. There is a victim who has been violated by both a religious and criminal act. There is no such thing as legal rape. There is, however, a continuing growth of ignorant white American men who do not honor women's place in God's world. If you hate this message, wait until you see "same sex marriage."

Rev. Walbear

FATHER'S DAY

                                                                  FATHER'S DAY

    We worship our Heavenly Father every day, and once a year we set  aside a day to show thankfulness and appreciation for our human father. Dad was a devoted husband and caring father. He was not trained for the ministry and was not denominational. He read his bible every day and led by example. He was not a bible-toting self righteous person claiming to be a Christian. He treated people as Christ taught in the Four Gospels.
  

  He did not claim to have any special gift, but when others had serious problems they came to him for prayer. And, did he have prayer power! As a very young boy I had recurring painful earaches. One bright summer day when I was nine, I suffered yet another  episode. I went to my bedroom, and my father came in, pulled up a chair to bedside and sat down. He had his bible with him. He looked at me as I lay in bed, unable to sleep because of the pain. He simply said "It's enough." He began praying silently, and I fell asleep. It was late in the day before I awakened. No more earache. It has been 70 plus years since that June Day, and I have never again experienced any problem with my ears.

    That was the first time I experienced the power of prayer personally. I knew that when Dad prayed, things happened. When people came to him with problems, he never broke confidence and spoke about the situation. I remember a day a few years earlier when Dad went to open our country general store in the morning. It was too late. Thieves had broken in during the night. My Dad called the police. Then he took his bible and prayed.
   

 Later that morning the police called and said they had caught two men they believed were the robbers. It was them. They lived about 25 miles from our rural store, and, as Dad explained, became confused when God "blinded their eyes". They could see, but got lost and kept riding around in circles, causing the police to be suspicious. The items
they stole were in the car, and all were returned.
  

  I was sold on Christ's message shortly after I learned to walk. There were so many of these "miracle" results from his prayers that I had no doubt about Christianity. I recalled scripture where a woman touched Christ's garment and was healed. I thought my Dad must somehow have touched Christ's garment to receive some of the power the
disciples were given.

    Mother always wanted me to go into the professional fields, but Dad always half teased me abut becoming a preacher. After college I did many things in several fields, and ignored God's call because I couldn't see myself as a minister like most of those I saw. However, I did eventually answer His second call. Dad was sort of awed that I actually studied for the ministry.
   

 When I reflected on Dad's accomplishments and how he always took the Godly path, I had that to compare with all I had learned and experienced working in other fields. Dad was not college educated, but took on many responsibilities. He was both the school board, superintendent, and secretary-treasurer of the one room school in Villanova #8. He hired teachers and installed playground equipment. During WW II, he was the area's Civil Patrol officer and Air Raid Warden. When we moved to the farm, he was a school board member who often went to Harrisburg to meet with state school officials. He set
up the first school lunch program in a consolidated rural school, several years before schools in area towns added lunch programs.
    

Dad's prayers and help with people of all denominations except a few who had "special" requirements to be their kind of Christian, showed me the need to be Christian, but not to be caught up in denominational do's and don'ts, nor be pious. He showed me life wisdom that some of my bible teachers probably will never attain. He stressed the basic
teaching of Christ as clearly explained in the Gospels. Next to  worshipping God is to love your neighbor. Much of today's Christian community has no love or care for the poor or needy. They equate all people who need help as lazy takers. They even want to change the name of social security to Government Entitlement Program. This is out and out stealing retired workers' savings through many years of work. And, it's Christian leaders who are pushing this.

    My Dad had a partnership relation with me. We had different skills, but the same purpose in life. He never expected pay or recognition for his ministry work. He always said he helped me  in my work until I was broke, and then I helped him until he was broke, and the cycle started over. Although Dad was always busy, he somehow found time to coach my team and practice with me. His unofficial college studies were of the self-help type, and he covered subjects from finance to history and geography. I was a voracious reader and he encouraged that. He taught me about the outdoors, from shooting and fishing to trapping.

    He had confidence in my abilities and usual common sense, and I was driving a tractor and doing field work ahead of most of my siblings. I know he was proud of me, and I'm blessed to have had a Dad who put me on the Godly path and pointed me in the right direction. We'll meet again and line up for further directions.

Thanks, Dad.  Rev. Walbear

The Rev. Walbear's mother and father pictured in front of their store.

HOMECOMING

                             
                                                                  HOMECOMING

    Sometimes your real values in life don't become apparent until you have to make a very difficult choice. In the process you also learn things about the manner in which our society works. It may be that you only know you made the correct decision when you have the feeling of peace that Jesus spoke about. Did you ever notice in scripture that Christ and the disciples often used "peace" as a greeting?

    The subject of this message, "homecoming", is the update on this ministry's ongoing problem with the tax sale and cattle drive. The title is appropriate because we had to deal with both subjects, and a determination had to be made on priority. The learning I mentioned concerns the tricky new ways our legal experts and businesses have
changed the meaning of our legal system. I'll go over that after you get just the basic detail of homecoming.

    Last week some of our foundation breeding cattle came home. Not all were there because the veterans' organization lost one of the cows to pneumonia over the winter. The other four are okay, but in need of groceries. The two cows and the heifer are bred, so it is extremely important they receive extra care immediately. More details will follow, but the story of getting our priorities straight deals with how we consider our personal values.

    When the county notified us by letter that our contract with Project Eden Prattsburgh had been cancelled, we were jolted to reality that our taxes wouldn't be paid and our cattle were gone. We were never kept in the loop concerning payments to the county or welfare of the cattle. The county told us the last payment they received was in March, and
it was for the month of January. The Project Eden Prattsburgh never  kept us informed, so we assumed everything was okay. Get used to that word "assumed". Try to never use it. The county treasurer told us the contract was not only cancelled, but could not be replaced by a similar contract for a period of three years. Now the full taxes for the current year would have to be paid before we could work on trying to settle the cancelled contract. The cost for taxes was now beyond the total price of the cattle.

    Since we couldn't do anything about the taxes, our attention immediately focused on the well-being of the cattle. They could be shipped to market; a distinct possibility because the price of beef has gone sharply up. They would not bring anywhere near their breeding value, but the money would  still be a bonus since the contract was already voided. We called the state police to see if we could get a safety escort to bring the cattle home. We were surprised to learn we not only could not get the cattle, but we could be kicked off the property as trespassers. Although we had the registration papers proving ownership, we did not have the legal right to possess the cattle because they were in the vets' possession. When I studied some law to be able to do paralegal work for disadvantaged people who came to the ministry for assistance, procedures were somewhat changed. That is why it's so easy for the car repossession workers to take back cars. It must now be written into contracts that the person possessing the car can't prevent the real owner (bank, car dealer, etc.) from taking the car back. The same holds true for just about anything. You must have a signed statement or clause in the original contract GIVING YOU PERMISSION to reclaim property you own.

    Fortunately none of the legal cases we worked on were of the property type, and we were able to obtain satisfactory results. Our legal system has become as mixed up as our religious system. The lesson and warning here is that nothing in any agreement is "fail safe". Please note your contract for salvation with Christ is not written on paper and involves the condition of your heart, not necessarily your mouth. The spiritual realm deals in total truth and honesty. A second lesson is that in most states, you actually only rent your property from the government, because if you don't pay your taxes they sell it out from under you. Your local officials are the ones doing this most of the time. The people you elect on the local level take many more properties than the state or federal governments.

    The State Policeman was very helpful in explaining the manner in which the laws have changed. He also telephoned the vet organization and spoke with the founder who signed the contract. We could not contact anyone at Project Eden by phone or email. The policeman was told the vets had just made a payment. There was absolutely no truth in that statement. The January payment didn't arrive at the county until mid-March, and nothing was sent after that. We have always supported veteran organizations, but I guess we have been too trusting. There will be a message later on how some of these organizations work. For some people, this is a way to make a living, much like some of the ministries. And, it's a pretty good living.

    Now we knew we would have to obtain an attorney to chart how to  proceed and determine the costs. Obviously we couldn't afford an attorney if we couldn't pay the taxes. Here was another learning experience. Do not make the mistake of blaming the secular world for all our (your) troubles. It was the secular world that provided the help we needed at this point. The Services to the Aging steered us to an attorney for consultation at no cost. We had agreed before meeting with him that our top priority was the return and welfare of the cattle. The tax sale was months away, but the cattle could be gone already. 

    The attorney was very helpful and agreed to send a letter to the vets releasing them from the tax contract if they returned the cattle. If this didn't work, we would face filing and attorney expenses to take the organization to court. The Veterans Administrations refused to do anything because it was a veteran (me) versus a veterans' organization.
That was similar to the help I received from a VA hospital, and why I was a survivor thanks to God and His direction to a wonderful hospital. More on that later, too.

    This assistance assured us we had made the correct choice, because God told us the taxes would be paid anonymously. There was still time for that, but the cattle must be taken care of immediately. We had no idea how much money our appeal for help had been generated, but the vets said they were unable to raise the $436 monthly payment and buy feed. We had been able to raise the down payment to begin the contract. Either Project Eden Prattsburgh received very little if any donations, or they  used the money for other purposes. From our experiences, at least half of the donations were from un-churched people, many of whom were not saved Christians. Meanwhile, the amount of unpaid taxes increases with added penalties and interest, not to mention the current year's
taxes added to the total. At last check, it was over $13,000.

    It was not easy to set the cattle as the top priority, but they represent 30 years' work in genetics by experts to establish foundation animals, and the animals are a basic part of the ministry. We have seen broken hearts healed through the companionship of people with animals. These cattle enabled us to "buy" time to pray that people who could afford to help us raise tax money would provide support. Yet this secular legal assistance was a blessing that came after something that occurred over 40 years ago. That was when services to the aging was organizing county chapters to assist the elderly. That began with providing hot lunches for senior citizens and meals on wheels. The Montour County commissioners appointed me to a board that organized that agency chapter  and I had
the honor of giving the dedication prayer at one of the sites when it  opened. 

    Some denominations teach that doing good works will bring you material blessings, but don't warn that Satan may try to punish and discourage you. Check scripture and note what happened to Paul and many of the characters in the four Gospels. There were some people in the community who resented our work, and upon learning of my appointment to the committee, they managed to have my occupational tax assessment raised. This was a no pay, no reimbursement position. It was free community service. I "thanked" the commissioners for the appointment, and they were infuriated. The assessor was a good friend of a jealous neighbor. The commissioner chairman took care of that "error". There was no money involved, so there was no way an  occupational assessment could be raised. You need to do good works to justify your commitment and faith. Just don't be fooled into thinking a blessing won't also mean a visit from Satan. That's when you have to
stand up and resist as scripture directs. You may be wounded in the battle, but you shouldn't give up.

    We surmise many people will consider us stupid to place the  cattle as more important than our property which includes our home. If we didn't follow God's leading of the Holy Spirit, I wouldn't be here writing this today. My physical problems provided a major learning experience through many people. It brought me insight to situations and areas I would not otherwise have experienced. You don't learn this kind of stuff in college. When something seems to be a setback, it does no good to despair. God is in control and He has a plan. If we are not in tune with Him, it is our fault for not being able to communicate
with Him. We need to listen more and repress our human desires to enable God to convey His explanations and directions to us. It's not about ME, friends, it's about WE. When it's WE, it's you and God. When it's ME, you stand alone. Think about that when you need to make a decision. 

    I haven't quoted scripture in this message as I usually do, but if you read the bible at all, you'll know where the appropriate directions are from. When we prayed about the cattle/taxes problem, it was clear to us that taxes would somehow be paid. We are still praying for support, and donations should not go to Project Eden Prattsburgh or Johnnys
New Hope. We discovered that Johnnys New Hope refused to honor  the commitment (contract) with Project Eden Prattsburgh and were not involved in raising funds for them. At least that's what Joshua Watkins, the Johnnys New Hope leader said. Although his website listed Project Eden Prattsburgh as an "affiliate", that apparently is not exactly a complete story. A friend who works for a large corporation that matches charitable gifts, made a donation after Watkins told us he was not accepting donations for the cattle drive. This friend told johnnysnewhope about the matching gift possibility, but never received a response. You'd think they would be eager for a matching gift.

    As it stands, we lost a foundation cow who was with calf and have to to get the other animals in condition to deliver calves this summer. They could calve by the Fourth of July, so every day is important. We consider our loss of the cow/calf a sacrifice. We have been blessed to get the animals back. Contributions should be sent directly to Faith Walk
Ministry at 4258 County Route 14, Canisteo, NY 14823. For people who donated previously to Project Eden Prattsburgh or Johnnysnewhope, we give out thanks, even though the money probably was spent  elsewhere.

    Stay tuned for the next chapter on how the taxes are paid. They will be paid, you know. Our ministry is not affiliated with any denomination or group. We only owe allegiance to Jesus Christ and God. The Holy Spirit is our workman, and yours, too. Obedience brings blessings.

Rev. Walbear

To see how the taxes were paid, go here----  http://faithtracks.blogspot.com/2014/06/tax-sale.html

VALLEY TREK

                                                                  VALLEY TREK

    How about we take a trek through a life expanding valley as another Summer has finally arrived? I've been told this trip is quite difficult, and it has to be on foot. Preparations must be carefully made, and since some of the trip may be dangerous, we will need a rock-solid guide. Others who have traveled this route tell me I'll learn a great deal about myself by the journey's end. So...come along with me.

    I have in hand the traveler's guide, a complete volume of directions, including pitfalls to expect along the way. As you probably have easily guessed, a pastor/preacher's guidebook is the bible. That means our guide is non other than Jesus
Christ. He has outlined the minimum requirements to be able to complete the journey. Very carefully consider the three major steps needed to conquer this walk.

    The first step is belief. Almost every person in the physical world has some kind of belief. Every religion has a god, idol, or something on which they believe. Satan is also a believer, and can quote scripture. As a Christian, belief gets you nothing that other believers don't have, except you have accepted Christ's  gift of salvation with a commitment by heart and mouth. This is  the introduction to the "real thing." You can pray and expect answers and miracles. However, unless you are fine tuned to the next step, you may not get the result you desire. The path of belief narrows to the direction Christ sends us.

    Belief in Christ is on the path that passes right by a pit that will claim those who have chosen to follow some other supreme being or object. Christ sacrificed Himself to cover our sins, and opened the door to eternal life. No one or nothing else has done that. He rose from the dead and will return to preside over the world. 

    Now the path gets more narrow, as be approach a very  complex intersection. This is the crossroad of faiths. Nearly everyone who believes is quick to tell us they have "faith."
This seems to be a favorite claim by people who desire to easily convince you they are part of a special group. Faith is a term that is much overused. People say they have faith they will win a game, or complete a puzzle or problem. They also say they have faith to go with belief. Christian faith requires more than words. Let's examine how Christ explains faith and the manner to "weigh" it.

    Matt. 17:20 gives us a measuring standard, "if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be
impossible for you." A mustard seed is very tiny. That means a small amount of faith must be pretty powerful, right? There is a "trick" here, because it is extremely difficult to concentrate and focus on something of consequence. Any doubt in your mind cancels out your faith. Prayers may not be answered because you have some degree of doubt in your mind. Faith is not just a word; it is a spiritual condition.

    We've come this far on our walk through the valley, and now we need to listen to how we are prepared by our guide for the remainder of our walk. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not  want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake." (Psalm 23, verses 1-3)

    After this encouragement, Christ prepares us and guides us on our walk. (Palm 23: 4 through 6) "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare 
a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."

    Friends, if you follow these steps in sincerity, you can expect not only safety, but prayers to be answered and miracles to occur. Belief and faith are validated through a full commitment to Christ through heart and soul. The spiritual world does not operate on
words alone, because that is for the physical world. The condition of your heart when you say the words determines your spiritual commitment.

    Faith Walk Ministry is nondescript in size, but scripture has delivered miracles. Size of a congregation or individual oratory do not necessarily bring success. Your mouth may not always tell the truth, but you can't misrepresent your heart. When the Holy Spirit gives you a message or "nudges" you, God is telling you something. What you do about His message is His measure of your faith. James 2:20 warns us, "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

    There are many people, including church leaders and preachers, who profess they have seen or been part of miracles. Many people actually don't believe in miracles. There is good reason, because so many miracle claims are false. Claims of healing are sometimes
difficult to prove. If you practice Christianity as Christ teaches in the Four Gospels, you have probably discovered that generosity and compassion are frequently missing in the recipient of your good intentions. 

    This has happened many times to Faith Walk, but you should know that your generosity and help to others is recorded by God. You may feel betrayed and hurt when this happens. Take heart, friends, because if you are really committed to Christ, you have a blessing reserved in heaven for your effort. Some of these blessings may even come to you on earth. Herein we again see belief and faith right before our eyes. Matt. 10:16 says, in part,
"Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

Rev. Walbear