Thoughts for Today.

"LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:5-

My Dear Family and Friends, You are personally invited to join my, you're, "CyberCurch" at OurterLight Ministries. Even though it's focus is Christianity, I have only one belief, that Jesus is the only way. I accept all of your beliefs, practices and your journey through this reality. My personal teachings are focused on Jesus Christ. This isn't to say that I do not respect your ways. As many great spiritual practitioners have thought and taught no one knows God's ways. So, please join me and freely express your inner-Light within this Ministry. All are welcome to share.

1John 2:18
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that
antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists;
whereby we know that it is the last time.

Jude 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last
time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

1 Peter 1:3-11
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you,
(5) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time.
(6) Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye
are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
(7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
(8) Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him
not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
(9) Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
(10) Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched
diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
(11) Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which
was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of
Christ, and the glory that should follow.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-8
(3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition;
(4) Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God.
(5) Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these
things?
(6) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his
time.
(7) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
will let, until he be taken out of the way.
(8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming.

The time of sudden destruction; and followed by the most trying time
of faith in God that we have ever heard of. Many will be made white and
tried and purified. That work will be done the messenger of the
promised coming.

Malachi 3:1-3
(1) Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way
before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his
temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
(2) But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand
when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
(3) And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify
the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer
unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Beliefs: A series of truths:

Agnosticism, Atheism, Non-religious

Introduction
Agnosticism is the faith system associated with material science (physics) and strict mathematical logic. It is a non-exclusive faith system in that it can be paired with any other number of religious beliefs at the user's discretion.

Agnosticism holds that while spiritual things may exist, there is no conclusive evidence to be found in the material world for believing so. This is strictly distinct from another faith system, atheism, which holds that there is conclusive evidence to be found in the material world for believing that an intelligent spiritual force does not exist. There are some atheists who believe that while nothing intelligent exists in the spiritual realm, there is a spiritual realm nonetheless; these people are pantheists. A few people think nothing of spirituality at all; this group might be called non-religious.

Agnosticism
Belief in spirits almost always includes a belief that the spiritual realm and the physical realm will, on occasion, interact with each other. Agnosticism is a faith system which actively seeks this interaction. A person who looks for evidence of the interaction is an agnostic; if the evidence is convincing, then presumably the agnostic would change belief system to whichever religion exposed the interaction between realms. If the evidence is not convincing, then the agnostic would remain agnostic. Note that an agnostic is not an atheist, but that an agnostic might convert to atheism in the same way that conversion to any other religion is possible: the agnostic would need to find convincing evidence supporting the adoption of that faith system.

Atheism
There are no universally known scientific tests for disproving the existence of spiritual things; therefore, atheism is a religion based on faith. There are atheists who have found sufficient evidence of spiritual things despite knowing that there are no deity figures within the spiritual realm. These atheists are not categorized, but some religions which have branches teaching of an all-pervading non-sentient force include Buddhism, Hinduism, various primal faith systems, and branches of Neo-paganism such as Druidism, Shamanism, and Wicca.

Many people who are professed atheists are upset due to perceived injustices perpetuated by religious organizations. A common belief of atheists is that all known religions must be invalid by virtue of their causing mankind more harm than good. There are statistical tests for supporting this claim; however, such tests will never be conclusive and will always have a certain obvious degree of subjectivity in their interpretation.

Some atheists chose their belief out of simple personal preference, preferring not to elaborate on causality. This habit can be found in all religions, and is not unique to atheists.

"It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of mens' minds which follows from the advance of science." [Darwin] "If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." [Voltaire] "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." [Einstein]

"Faith means not wanting to know what is true." [Nietzsche]

"I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul.... No, all this talk of an existence for us, as individuals, beyond the grave is wrong. It is born of our tenacity of life - our desire to go on living … our dread of coming to an end." [Edison]

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." [Lincoln] "Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?" [Arthur C. Clarke]

"Religions are all alike - founded upon fables and mythologies." [Thomas Jefferson]

"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile." [Kurt Vonnegut]

"Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race." [Bertrand Russell]

If you are interested in atheism ULC Catalog offers the Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism by David Mills.

Non-religion Some people have a total lack of faith system, neither believing nor disbelieving in a spiritual realm but they are few and far between. The fact that these people are so rare is a matter of intense curiosity. There is strong evidence supporting the notion that there is something inherent in the human design which makes practically all people question whether or not a spiritual realm exists, if they doubt its existence at all.

The Uniqueness of Jesus Every day more and more people everywhere are getting excited about Jesus of Nazereth. Wherever the true message of Jesus Christ has gone, people and nations have been revolutionized, resulting in new life, new hope, and new purpose for living.

Step 1: The Christian Adventure Have you been living in spiritual defeat - powerless and wondering if you can make it as a Christian? This study will show you how to enjoy what millions of other Christians around the world have experienced - the adventure of a full, abundant, purposeful and fruitful life in Christ.

Step 2: The Christian and the Abundant Life Have you ever wondered if there was something more exciting than you are experiencing as a Christian? This step describes the Christian way of life - what it is and how it works practically. The study discusses the problems of sin and temptation and the spiritual warfare of life.

Step 3: The Christian and the Holy Spirit Is your life filled with purpose and power? Are you living in joy and victory? Or does your Christian life seem dull? Discover how the revolutionary power of the Holy Spirit can help you rise above your discouragement and defeat and move into a life filled with God's supernatural power.

Step 4: The Christian and Prayer Prayer is the most revolutionary source of power known to man. This step will teach you how to tap into this power. The truths you learn will ignite your spirit.

Step 5: The Christian and the Bible The Bible - God's holy, inspired Word - is without comparison. The heart-warming story of God's love for mankind, the Bible is an exciting and joyful adventure of reading, meditation and study. No other book written can equal it. And no one can live a full, abundant, supernatural life without daily drawing upon the supernatural resources of God's word.

Step 6: The Christian and Obedience What is the secret to personal purity and power as a Christian? How can you experience a deep, abiding sense of God's holy presence as a way of life? Surrendering to the will of God and living daily in His grace is the key.

Step 7: The Christian and Witnessing Now you can learn to share your faith with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit. The principles presented in this step have been learned on the front line of experience. They have changed millions of silent, guilt-ridden Christians into radiant witnesses for our Lord.

Step 8: The Christian and Giving Does God reserve a special blessing for those who give generously to His work? Does the "Law of the Harvest" hold true today? Can you give liberally and still miss God's blessing? Learn the answers to these and many other vital questions concerning your money.

Step 9: Exploring the Old Testament Is the Old Testament a big mystery to you? Do you wonder if it is really important for the Christian? What does the Bible mean when it talks about a time of law and a time of grace? And who are some of the major players in the drama of God's dealings with mankind? This step explores the answers and shows what God did to prepare the way for Jesus Christ.

Step 10: Exploring the New Testament What is the key idea of each book in the New Testament? Why do we have four Gospels? Why did Paul write so many letters? And what is in store for us in the not-too-distant future? This step explores the answers and surveys the message of the New Testament as a whole. The study shows the focus of the four Gospels and highlights the exciting beginning of the Church.

Acts 10:5-8

"Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea." When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

Thoughts for Today:

Cornelius had an encounter with the supernatural. An angel of the Lord had visited him, and in verses 5-6, that same angel gave him specific instructions on what he was to do (send men to Joppa to bring back Peter). Then, in verse 7, the angel leaves -- for most of us this is where the doubt would begin to creep in. Putting myself in Cornelius place, I can hear myself thinking: "Did he really mean Joppa, what could there be in Joppa? He couldn't have meant a tanner, because Jews don't hang out with tanners -- I must have misunderstood. I must have imagined the whole event." Trying to make sense out of the instruction, one might slowly but surely talk himself out of taking any action -- does this sound familiar? Cornelius didn't wait -- he immediately "called two of his servants and [this is a key point, including] a devout soldier who was one of his attendants." I think this is very important -- to call someone who is not just clos! e but is also equally devout -- if it is the right person you will be encouraged to follow through as well as be given help in carrying out the mission.

I've used this same principle successfully many times in my own life. For example, a number of years ago I was having one of my more difficult and challenging financial times, when the Lord spoke to me about making a gift to a specific church (not the one I was currently attending). I thought I must have misunderstood the Lord's instruction -- so I talked to my wife, Sherry. She said I should follow through on what the Lord told me to do. I then talked to the Chief Financial Officer of my company, John (who is a strong Christian) about whether or not I should make the gift. I am ashamed to say that either one of them could have easily talked me out of going ahead. Instead John, like Sherry, immediately said, "If that is what God told you to do, then that's what you should do." I have thanked God often for Sherry and John -- two devout people who God put in my life to support and encourage me.