tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30261790847908319332024-02-21T00:00:31.683+02:00Experiential Truths of Spiritual WarfareRevealing the ultimate purpose of Christianity by the understanding of deliverance.Soterioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08515160338718187978noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026179084790831933.post-5475542601429372692016-06-24T16:02:00.001+02:002016-06-24T16:02:26.846+02:00A Fresh Perspective on Adultery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here are some points that
I feel are appropriate<o:p></o:p></div>
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to individuals and couples seeking biblical knowledge and freedom in these
times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Remembering that in the scripture, we are told that the
perfect law brings freedom. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have
exhausted every avenue in trying to resolve issues in your marriage and still
there is no freedom,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> it may be a good idea to</span> re-examine what Jesus teaches us in the New Testament.<o:p></o:p></div>
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God gave Moses commandments. He expounded on the
commandments to bring us the rest of the law, which is laid out in Leviticus.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God considered adultery a serious problem, so it was given
to Moses as a commandment and etched into stone that “you shall not commit
adultery”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The commandment “you shall not murder” is fairly obviously
defined in itself, but one cannot simply say that the abortion of a foetus is
murder, because</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fdfeff; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/9-6.htm">Genesis 9:6</a></span> <span style="color: #001320;">says, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fdfeff; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #001320;">"Whoever sheds
man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made
man."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/leviticus/24-17.htm">Leviticus 24:17</a> </span><span style="color: #001320;">says</span></span></b><span style="color: #001320;"><br />
<span style="background: #FDFEFF;">'If a man takes the life of any human being,
he shall surely be put to death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">The core issue is taking a
life of flesh and blood. Abortion tends to be more to do with preventing a life
more than taking a life. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adultery originates from the Hebrew word that the Israelites
understood implicitly in those times. If we look at the Hebrew translation, the
word adultery originated from the word “naaph” meaning whoredom or licentiousness.
That to me seems to point out the wrong in promiscuous behavior rather than
having a love affair with just one man outside of your marriage partner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That would make prostitution a form of licentiousness. Today, the meaning has been lost in translation and we have become preoccupied by the issue of marital unfaithfulness, rather than licentiousness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem with the law is that adultery is only clearly defined in the New testament when Jesus gives interpretation to how adultery is applicable. Our understanding is made clearer by Jesus' teaching:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;"><br />
</span>Matthew 5:32 NIV<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,
makes her a victim of adultery. Anyone who marries a divorced woman commits
adultery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(She is made a victim of adultery because the divorce
certificate is created by the marriage break-up)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A husband concerned for the future well being of his soon to be ex-wife,
may possibly decide to just separate from her rather than divorce her. That
would allow his wife to enter another relationship or be re-marryable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The danger to men is in marrying a woman who is divorced. A
man would be better off marrying a woman who has separated from her husband, but better off not marrying her if she was divorced from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
care about your soon to be ex-wife’s future happiness it may be best to simply separate
from her with a settlement and not issue a legal divorce with ensuing divorce
certificate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The New Living Translation says <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<span style="background: white; color: #001320;">and
I tell you this, whoever divorces his </span><b><span style="color: #001320;">wife</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #001320;"> and marries someone else</span><span style="color: #001320;"> <span style="background: white;">commits adultery--</span><b>unless</b><span style="background: white;"> his </span><b>wife has been unfaithful</b><span style="background: white;">." </span><b>...</b><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again, referring to the Hebrew commandment, the problem of
adultery is licentiousness, not unfaithfulness. Other translations state that
the problem is lewdness, unchaste or fornication of the wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfaithfulness is not the central problem. Promiscuity
is more the core issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God’s Word translation has an interesting slant:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">But I can guarantee that
any man who divorces his wife for any reason other than unfaithfulness makes
her look as though she has committed adultery. Whoever marries a woman divorced
in this way makes himself look as though he has committed adultery.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew 19:9 NIV<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">I tell you that anyone who
divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman
commits adultery."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here the emphasis points out that the problem is anything
other than sexual immorality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The New Living Translation backs this up:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: #FDFEFF;">And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife
and marries someone else commits adultery--unless his wife has been
unfaithful."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This appears to qualify the
unfaithfulness as being acceptable, the immorality a problem. Again, I would
say that if there were unfaithfulness by consent of the husband or non-consent
of the husband that is considered to be acceptable. It is when the wife becomes
immoral, licentious or promiscuous in her unfaithfulness that is the problem. For that reason, I would say that the issue has been confused in Matthew 19:9 rather than clarified.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Neither Mark nor John’s
gospel offer much expansion on our knowledge and I would say that once you have
studied these yourself, you will agree that Matthew’s gospel is where the true
defining explanations of adultery come from.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To put those findings into
layman’s terms, the following points on adultery ought to be made:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If your wife cheats on you
behind your back that is not sufficient grounds for divorcing her. You must be
able to prove that she was promiscuous or licentious in her cheating, then that
is what would be the true grounds for divorce.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing is said in the
gospels or epistles about the man’s unfaithfulness in marriage. Perhaps God
felt that wives were more likely to be unfaithful to their husbands than the
other way around. Perhaps God thought that man would find it more difficult to
be promiscuous in a marriage than women. Who knows.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Divorces are issued daily by legal professionals around the world on behalf of men whose wives have cheated on them and so have been unfaithful with their husbands in loving one other man outside their marriage. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That legal stance is unrealistic and contrary to biblical teaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If a women must find another man outside her marriage, it could be because her husband won’t or is unable to perform his marital obligations to his wife, not that she has a desire to be promiscuous.<b><span style="color: #001320;"> ...</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #001320;"> And I tell you this, whoever divorces his </span><b><span style="color: #001320;">wife</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #001320;"> and marries someone else</span><span style="color: #001320;"><br /><span style="background: white;">commits adultery--</span><b>unless</b><span style="background: white;"> his </span><b>wife has been unfaithful</b><span style="background: white;">." </span><b>...</b><span style="background: white;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happens if a man
decides to remain celibate on account of righteousness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could he claim a God-given right to be served
by married women in a congregation? Possibly, because the commandment is
against re-marriage of divorcees and the promiscuous inclination of wives and
does not deal directly with a man’s needs. If many wives serve one man, then
none of the wives are being promiscuous and the man is not committing adultery
because he has no intention of marrying any of those women. In effect he is in
a polygamous relationship with married women who don't plan to divorce their husbands. No adultery
is possible in that situation and he can still maintain his celibacy.</span></span></div>
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Soterioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08515160338718187978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026179084790831933.post-57602224959916667572015-12-13T08:45:00.000+02:002015-12-13T08:45:04.851+02:00Hi to my readers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just want to say hi to my readers because I have been silent for a long time.<br />
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I´d like you all to know i´m fine and plodding on from day to day. There have been some minor breakthroughs, but generally the pace of my nightly deliverance has trailed off. It is as though I am on a treadmill and God has slowed down the belt but raised the incline.<br />
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There are days of frustration where I can´t seem to get any work done. I feel myself trying to anticipate things in advance because the war is a strategy which is designed to attack your life on all fronts. I have been through phases of persecution, especially in my family. These have eventually resulted in me giving-up praying for certain family members, because there has been no definitive change. If the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective and yet after ten years a family members still remains set in their ways and has the same opinions about you and your character, then in my opinion you should not keep up prayer efforts for them.<br />
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The bible says pray for those who persecute you not persecute those who pray for you. It is implied that if people persecute you, you should pray for them. I have found that if you pray for people, they will begin to persecute you.<br />
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Many of the people I pray for take sleep medication, but the receipt of deliverance each night depends on a person having an active spirit. If you don´t dream, there can be no healing.<br />
The faculty of the spirit ought not to be dulled by sleep inducing medication.<br />
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Since ten years I have kept up the daily pace of my struggle by saying my prayers for healing each night and by steadfastly reading about 2-3 pages of my bible each night. This daily regime in conjunction with Penn-Lewis´ deliverance strategy outlined in Secrets of Spiritual warfare, have resulted in a marked overall improvement in my health. My narcoleptic attacks are becoming less and less of an issue and i´m feeling confident that I will eventually break free of the symptoms.<br />
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About 3 years ago I began to take an fluoxitine anti-depressant medication which has helped to curb appetites and keep compulsions in check. Committing to spiritual practice is humbling, but God has also given us the chemical benefits of medication which we should also humble ourselves to.<br />
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I began to experience diminished eye-sight about a year ago, which eventually got me to make a covenant with my eyes. I recommend to anyone who is struggling with visual acuity problems related to internet use.<br />
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Things are improving although I have days where a spirit in me that erodes my forward momentum and puts me down so to speak. There are days where I feel useless and in those days I feel that simply resting is best.<br />
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Hopefully 2016 will be a better year and I will continue from strength to strength. God willing.<br />
Please keep me in your prayers.</div>
Soterioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08515160338718187978noreply@blogger.com0