Messages From Heaven: Assault on a Woman’s Worth!

Messages From Heaven: Assault on a Woman’s Worth!: He was prominent in the community. What woman wouldn’t feel fortunate to be his wife? She certainly had all the finer things in life. And...

Assault on a Woman’s Worth!

He was prominent in the community. What woman wouldn’t feel fortunate to be his wife? She certainly had all the finer things in life. And the children … didn’t they have the best that money could buy? How could she think about destroying such a picture-perfect family or risk stepping into a future unknown? Where would she go? What could she do? How would she support herself? And even worse, if she began to expose the terrible truth, would she lose the children? She felt hopeless. Who would believe her? She had been so skillful at hiding her feelings, as well as the bruises. With swollen, tear-stained eyes, she reasoned … “It’s mostly my fault anyway!”
Even when reason seems skewed, the Psalms offer hope for the afflicted.
“You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending … the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” (Psalm 10:17-18)
While abusive acts are committed by both husbands and wives, in cases of domestic violence, approximately 95% of the victims are women. Although the reality of wife battering reveals a long history of being tolerated—tolerated traditionally and even legally—abusive behavior has always grieved the heart of God. Any violation of this most sacred relationship always produces pain, but God promises to be close to the victim who suffers at the hands of an abuser.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
Domestic violence is not an issue of “marriage problems” or “irreconcilable differences” solved by “conflict resolution.” This kind of abuse…

• ~ Affects everyone in the family
• ~ Bridges all levels in society: racial, religious, geographic, and economic
• ~ Undermines the value of others
• ~ Seeks to dominate others
• ~ Escalates in intensity and frequency

What Are the Different Types of Abuse?

• ~ Verbal Abuse
• ~ Emotional Abuse
• ~ Physical Abuse/Violence
• ~ Sexual Abuse/Violence

God’s Heart for the Victim

• ~ God hears the cry of the battered and abused.
  “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” Psalm 10:17
• ~ God holds the victim of abuse in the palm of His hand.
  “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
• ~ God will rescue the victim of abuse and violence.
  “He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” Psalm 72:14

Messages From Heaven: Is the Allah of Islam the God of the Bible?

Messages From Heaven: Is the Allah of Islam the God of the Bible?: "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." ( 1 John 2:23 NIV) Long before ...

Is the Allah of Islam the God of the Bible?

"No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23 NIV)
Long before Muhammad was born, Arabic Christians were already referring to God as Allah — and millions continue to do so today. The Allah of Islam, however, is definitely not the God of the Bible; for while Muslims passionately defend the unity of God, they patently deny His triunity. They recoil at the notion of God as Father, reject the unique deity of Jesus Christ the Son, and renounce the divine identity of the Holy Spirit.
First, while Jesus taught His disciples to pray "Our Father in heaven," devotees of Muhammad find the very notion offensive. To their way of thinking, calling God "Father" and Jesus Christ "Son" suggests sexual procreation. According to the Qur'an, "It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son" (Sura 19:35); and Allah "begetteth not, nor is he begotten" (Sura 112:3). The Bible, however, does not use the term "begotten" with respect to the Father and the Son in the sense of sexual reproduction but rather in the sense of special relationship; thus, when the apostle John speaks of Jesus as "the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14 KJV, emphasis added), he is underscoring the unique deity of Christ. John goes on to state, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" (John 1:18 NIV). When the apostle Paul likewise refers to Jesus as "the firstborn over all creation" (Colossians 1:15 NIV, emphasis added), he is emphasizing Christ's preeminence or prime position as the Creator of all things (cf. vv. 16–19). Christians are sons of God through adoption; Jesus is God the Son from all eternity.
Muslims, furthermore, dogmatically denounce the Christian declaration of Christ's unique deity as the unforgivable sin of shirk. As the Qur'an puts it, "Allah forgiveth not (the sin of) joining other gods with Him; but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this" (Sura 4:116). Muslims readily affirm the sinlessness of Christ, however, they adamantly deny His sacrifice upon the cross and subsequent resurrection. In doing so, they deny the singular historical fact that demonstrates that Jesus does not stand in a long line of peers from Abraham to Muhammad, but is God in human flesh. The Qur'anic phrase, "Allah raised him up" (Sura 4:158) is taken to mean that Jesus was supernaturally raptured rather than resurrected from the dead. In Islamic lore, God made someone look like Jesus, and this look-alike was crucified in His place. In recent years, the myth that Judas was crucified in place of Jesus has been popularized in Muslim circles due to the propagation of a late-medieval work titled The Gospel of Barnabas. Against the weight of historical evidence, the Qur'an exclaims, "they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them" (Sura 4:157).
Finally, in addition to rejecting the divinity of Jesus, Islam also renounces the divine identity of the Holy Spirit. Far from being the third person of the triune God who inspired the text of the Bible, Islam teaches that the Holy Spirit is the archangel Gabriel who dictated the Qur'an to Muhammad over a period of 23 years. This is ironic considering that Islam also identifies the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus in John 14 as Muhammad. The Bible, however, roundly rejects such corruptions and misrepresentations. The Holy Spirit is neither an angel nor a mere mortal; rather, He is the very God Who redeems us from our sins and will one day resurrect us to life eternal (e.g., Acts 5:3–4; Rom. 8:11).

Messages From Heaven: Should A Young Woman Prepare for Career or Family?...

Messages From Heaven: Should A Young Woman Prepare for Career or Family?...: I have always been a good student, and I want to go to either law school or medical school. That means I could be in my mid- or late-twe...

Should A Young Woman Prepare for Career or Family?

I have always been a good student, and I want to go to either law school or medical school. That means I could be in my mid- or late-twenties by the time I graduate and get on with my life. But I also want to be a wife and mother and stay home with my children. I can't figure out how to reach both these goals. How can I be a professional and a mother, too?

You've described a dilemma that millions of young women struggle with today. Three competing choices lie before them--whether to have a career, be a wife and mother, or attempt to do both. It is a decision that will have implications for everything that is to follow.
Since you don't yet have plans to get married, I would recommend that you press ahead with your academic goals. Once your training is complete, you will still have all the options available to you. If by that time you are married and want to become a full-time mother, you can put your career on hold for a few years or leave it altogether. Remember, you can always return to it after the children are older.
Only you can decide what is best for yourself, of course. I would strongly suggest that you make it a matter of prayer as you seek the Lord's will for your life.

Messages From Heaven: Why Christ Must Return!

Messages From Heaven: Why Christ Must Return!: Scripture is neither vague nor equivocal on the promise of Christ's return. A large portion (by some accounts, as much as one-fifth...