Read Time: 3 minutes 28 seconds

A heartbreaking weather phenomenon is currently happening in Pakistan and many are wondering if it’s tied to biblical prophecy. More than 1 million homes have been destroyed and at least 1,100 people have died since massive flood rains started devastating the country in June.

Pakistan typically gets three to four cycles of monsoon rains during the peak season, but so far they have been hit with eight cycles and more are expected to come.

This isn’t the only event in biblical nature that is happening. The Euphrates River is drying up from years of droughts, misuse of water and a decline of imports into Iraq from neighboring countries. The Euphrates is the most crucial river in the Middle East and it flows through Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

In Revelation 16:12 the Bible says, “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the East.”

In 2021 the highest temperature ever measured in Canada was recorded at 121 degrees. Over the heat waves two week span, 1,400 heat-related deaths were reported across western Canada and the northwestern United States.

The Earth’s climate is ever-changing with numerous external factors at play. Climate experts study the Earth’s rotation, volcanic eruptions, El Nino-Southern Oscillation, sunspot cycles among numerous other variables—but what does all of this have to do with Christians?

The National Association of Evangelicals Releases a 96-Page Climate Change Report

The NAE feel Christians are mandated by the Bible to care about climate change. Whether some believe climate change is a hoax, or the biggest threat to mankind, the Bible says that God has given us dominion over the Earth.

The debate between many liberal and conservative thinkers is the role human activity plays in the warming of the Earth’s surface temperature compared to natural factors that have occurred across the span of time, like wind cycles, volcanic eruptions, etc.

Global Evangelical leaders equate climate change to the Great Commission because environmental changes affect those in poverty around the world who need the gospel.

So what does the National Association of Evangelicals think Christians should do about it? Here is what their report says:

• Severely cut greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane and switch to non-fossil fuel energy sources.
• Use more efficient appliances, shift to public transportation and renewable energy-powered cars, prioritize energy savings and eat more plant-based diets.
• Pass legislation that helps speed up the transition to renewable energy.

What are other activists saying?

Political activist Ben Shapiro says, “We live in a geopolitical world in which carbon emission from China counts the same as carbon emission from the United doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can’t do, it means what we ought to be doing is the thing that will prevent the 83 million .”

Shapiro says we should:

• Build sea walls at coastal low lying areas.
• Geoengineering–shoot certain material into the air to change the climate itself.

Activists like Shapiro think that using advancing technology is an easier option to combat climate change than a global carbon tax.

Shapiro says significant rises in sea level take hundreds of years.

“As it turns out when the tide rises people move inland,” Shapiro says this is nothing new and has been happening throughout human history.

In a YouTube video Shapiro discusses the land bridge between Russia and Alaska saying, “Not a huge number of people were killed… when that land bridge ended up being covered up in water, there weren’t tens of thousands of people who died in that because it took thousands of years for that to be covered up by water.”

What does the Bible say?

The NAE points to Genesis 2:15 as their basis for why Christians should care:

Genesis 2:15 says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and to keep it.” In the Old Testament Jesus says the greatest commandment in the Law is to love the Lord with all our hearts and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

For the NAE, obeying God means caring about what happens to God’s creation because the Lord gave us the job of tending to the Earth.

In the end, there are real people who are being affected by forest fires, severe flooding and droughts. The global church needs to love those in need as they would love Jesus, and do what they can to take care of the Earth that God has given us dominion over.

Shelby Lindsay is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.

When the Geary County school district in Kansas created a policy to deceive parents, teacher Pamela Ricard knew it was wrong.

Ricard was reprimanded and suspended for referring to a transgender student by their given, legal name and pronouns in 2021.

What she found deceptive was that the school district wanted her to use those monikers for the child when talking with the parents. The school district did not want the parents to know when a student changed their pronouns or name.

Ricard sued the school district, claiming instruction to lie to parents in her meetings with them went against her Christian faith.

On Wednesday, Aug. 31, the school district settled with Ricard and the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) who was representing her in the lawsuit, for $95,000. Upon settling, the school district withdrew the lawsuit.

“No school district should ever force teachers to willfully deceive parents or engage in any speech that violates their deeply held religious beliefs,” ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer commented.

“We’re pleased to settle this case favorably on behalf of Pam, and we hope that it will encourage school districts across the country to support the constitutionally protected freedom of teachers to teach and communicate honestly with both children and parents.”

“The Geary County school district unsuccessfully tried to convince a federal court that a teacher should completely avoid using a child’s name during a parent-teacher conference in order to hide new names and genders being used by the school for a child in a classroom,” ADF Attorney Joshua Ney said. “Absurdity and deception have limits, especially in federal court. I’m glad the case clarifies the financial stakes for school boards if they attempt to force teachers to lie to parents about their students.”

This decision joins other cases of public schools and school boards trying to deceive and hide information regarding children from their parents. In Pennsylvania, a first-grade teacher is being sued in federal court by parents accusing them of teaching their children about “gender dysphoria and transgender transitioning.” This action violates school policy and state law.

Recently, Florida primaries saw five school board seats flip to conservative majorities. This includes Miami Dade, which is now the largest conservative controlled school board in the country. {eoa}

James Lasher is a Copy Editor for Charisma Media.

Read Time: 1 minute, 38 seconds

On April 21, 2007, the Lord woke me up at midnight and spoke a lengthy word to me about America. I have read over these words often over the years since then, and I’ve seen parts of this prophecy unfold. I am waiting for the ultimate fulfillment. I heard the Lord say:

“There is a Great Awakening coming to this nation. For I have heard your cries and I long to heal your land … Only those things which can be shaken, will be shaken that the sin in the land may be laid bare.

“Repentance. I require repentance from My people who have through the generations allowed the enemy to take ground in this nation. I require repentance for the abortions and for the prayerlessness. I require repentance for the apathy and for the idolatry. You shall have no other gods before me. I am indeed the God of America.

Read Time: 4 minutes, 22 seconds

Lifeway Research recently released the results of a survey involving 1000 Protestant pastors concerning the level of their acceptance of women in leadership. They found that most would accept women leading Bible studies, but only 44% of evangelical pastors and 14% of Baptist pastors answered in the affirmative when asked if their church permitted women to serve as “senior pastors.”

“Senior pastor” is not a Biblical term, but for many Protestant pastors, it is the highest position of authority in the local church. Since “authority” is the central issue for them, they exclude women from that position.

For other churches it may be the position of “elder” that is off limits to women, but the issue is the same—”authority.” One influential mega church, for example, allows women pastors, but only men can be elders. They explain that the governing body for their church is their board of elders, and since, in their opinion, women cannot exercise governing authority, all elders must be men.

No Biblical Evidence of Women Being Excluded from Authority

The truth is that neither Paul nor any New Testament writer ever made “authority” the issue when it comes to women serving in leadership roles in the church. The Greek word for “authority” in the New Testament is exousia, and it is found 102 times in the Greek New Testament, and numerous other times in its verb and other cognate forms. Not once is a woman told she cannot exercise exousia.

How then are we to understand 1 Timothy 2:12, where Paul writes, I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man? To understand correctly what Paul meant in this passage, it is necessary to examine his word choice. It is of utmost importance to note that the Greek word translated “authority” here is not exousia.

Instead of exousia, Paul uses the word authentein, and this is the only place it is found in the entire New Testament. This should immediately raise a red flag for the Bible exegete, for if he were addressing the normal exercise of authority in the church we would expect him to use the normal word for authority that he and all other Biblical writers use.

That he uses a strange Greek word that neither he nor any New Testament writer ever uses, is a clear indication that he is addressing a unique situation that exists with Timothy and the church in Ephesus where Timothy is ministering. The historical context in which Paul writes this letter to Timothy must, therefore, be taken into serious consideration.

Why Paul Used Authentein in this Letter

We know from 1 Timothy 1:3 that Timothy is in Ephesus at Paul’s urging to confront false teaching that is affecting the Christians in Ephesus. It is also obvious from the letter that this false teaching is having a particular effect on the women. Paul’s admonition in 2:11-12 must be understood in this context. Those who read 1 Timothy as a manual for church order are completely missing Paul’s point.

Based on the use of authentein in the Greco-Roman world, we know that it had very negative connotations meaning “to domineer” or “to usurp authority.” In the ancient world, it was used, at least once, in reference to a murder. The murderer was said to have committed authentein.

The religious and cultural milieu of Ephesus, and the fact that he and Timothy are confronting false doctrine in that city, offer the key for understanding why Paul would use authentein in this letter.

In Ephesus, where the culture was dominated by worship of the female goddess, Artemis, female primacy prevailed. Artemis was a fertility goddess, totally independent and able to reproduce offspring without the help of a male cohort. According to one ancient legend, the female warriors, known as the Amazons, came out of Ephesus and their role model was Artemis.

Modern archaeology has uncovered ancient documents that confirm the sort of heresy Paul and Timothy were probably confronting in Ephesus. In these gnostic writings it obvious that myths of Artemis have become entangled with the Genesis account of creation. In these accounts, Eve is the dominate character and the one who gives life to Adam. One document reads:

“The spirit-filled woman came to him and spoke with him saying, ‘Arise Adam.’ And when he saw her, he said, ‘You are the one who has given me life. You will be called ‘the mother of the living,’ because she is my mother, she is the female healer, and the wife and the one who gave birth’ . . . For Eve is the first virgin, the one who had no husband and yet gave birth. She is the one who acted as a physical midwife to herself.”

Based on Paul’s admonitions throughout this epistle, it seems that this was the sort of thinking that was infiltrating the church in Ephesus and provoking domineering, inappropriate behavior that would be described as authentein. Dr. David Scholer, late Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, agrees and says that by the use of the word authentein, Paul is denouncing violent, inappropriate behavior.

He is persuaded that the text is not prescribing a universal norm of male leadership and female subservience. Rather, he concludes that the data supports the view that the passage is opposing the negative behavior of certain women, “probably the women mentioned in 1 Timothy 5:15 who follow and represent the false teachers that 1 and 2 Timothy are dedicated to opposing” (Hyatt, In the Spirit We’re Equal (2nd Edition), 418).

In Summary

In her just released 500-page treatise, In the Spirit We’re Equal (2nd Edition), Dr. Sue Hyatt demonstrates that women in the early church functioned as teachers, pastors, evangelists and apostles (Hyatt, In the Spirit We’re Equal (2nd Edition), 126-34). Couple that knowledge with this breakthrough understanding of 1 Timothy 2:11-12, and it is obvious that women are not excluded from any leadership role in the church, including “senior pastor.” {eoa}

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an ordained minister and Biblical scholar. The information for this article was derived primarily from Dr. Susan Hyatt Hyatt’s latest book, In the Spirit We’re Equal (2nd Edition), available from Amazon and her website at .

For the original article, visit .

Read Time: 3 minutes, 52 seconds

Three simple words. We. Need. God. But those words say it all. America has sunk too deep to recover on its own.

We have sunk too deep into a moral morass, too deep into cultural confusion, too deep into a spiritual stupor. Only God can turn the tide. Only God can save us from implosion. We need God!

Political involvement has its place. Social engagement is important. There are many practical things we can and should do.

But all the while, we must recognize that without divine intervention, it is over for America as we know it. There is no turning back the clock.

Without a fresh wave of revival in the church that will lead to a great awakening in our society, America is in terminal condition. No strategy can heal us. No method can save us. Only God!

Let’s be realistic for a moment. We need to understand just how far we have fallen.

There was a time when truth was considered absolute. Today we have “my truth” vs. “your truth.”

There was a time when moral standards were considered fixed. Today, morality is relative.

Even reality has become relative. After all, you are whoever (or whatever) you perceive yourself to be, including males who are females and females who are males and others who are neither or both.

A whole generation has been raised on this madness. Let’s not fool ourselves.

Consequently, while we’re trying to restore respect for the Scriptures, others are debating which preferred gender pronouns to use. We need to wake up!

Think about it for a moment.

It was not that long ago that the idea of same-sex “marriage” was universally rejected by conservative leaders, especially in the church. It was contrary to nature. It was in violation of God’s plan. It was not in the best interest of children who would be raised by same-sex parents.

Today, many conservative outlets avoid the subject of homosexuality as too controversial, while many pastors affirm it from their pulpits. This is high-level deception. This is a generational turn in the very wrong direction.

In fact, when gay atheist David Rubin announced that he and his partner were adopting children, quite a few conservative leaders offered him their warmest wishes. (This is not to bash Rubin and his partner. It is to point out the degree to which our eyes have been blinded and our standards have been compromised.)

And it was Fox News, the largest “conservative” news network, that recently hired Bruce “Caitlyn” Jenner as part of their team. In the words of Fox CEO Suzanne Scott, “Caitlyn’s story is an inspiration to us all. She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience.” Enough said.

Or consider the depths to which we have sunk in musical entertainment, with unrepeatable songs like . captivating the nation. How many young children know the words by heart?

As for our churches, how many are really preaching the gospel without compromise? How many are gaining new converts and making lasting disciples rather than losing members?

Recent research indicates that more churches are closing than opening in America, while the number of professing Christians continues to decline dramatically.

As for our reputation before the world, how many more scandals must we experience before we recognize that something is fundamentally wrong? We need God!

When it comes to the church and politics, we are just as divided as the world and often as vulgar and ugly and carnal. Is this the church for which Jesus died? Is this His spotless Bride?

Yet again and again, we think a new church strategy will transform us or we look to the latest political hero to deliver us. When will we learn? How much more shaking do we need in our nation, from political upheaval to riots in our streets and from pandemics to financial crises, before we fall to our knees by the millions and cry out for mercy?

In the Old Testament, Israel constantly looked to the arm of flesh, hoping that other nations and leaders could bail them out of their trouble. But they were in trouble because they were not in right relationship with God. Instead, they continued in their sin and looked to man for help. But it never worked.

As the prophet Isaiah warned, “Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him” (Isa. 36:6). The same can be said about all earthly supports in which we put our spiritual trust.

We need God!

More of the same will only produce more of the same, and we deceive ourselves by thinking that somehow, simply with the passing of time, the tide will turn on its own.

Not so.

Only God can turn the tide. Only God can change the narrative. Only God can save the nation. It really is revival or we die.

We. Need. God. {eoa}

Dr. Michael Brown () is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Revival Or We Die: A Great Awakening Is Our Only Hope. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

Read Time: 3 minutes, 37 seconds

War is an unfortunate byproduct of sin in the world. Since creation, there has been fighting and war. God has used armies for His purposes during these conflicts; from the Israelites claiming the promised land to the Allies defeating the Axis powers during World War II.

A functioning military is a necessary deterrent to the evil forces that inhabit this earth. Often people ask how God can allow something, without taking into account that there is a spirit roaming this earth who seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) everything he comes in contact with.

In biblical examples of military conflict and American military victories up to World War II, there is the evidence of God’s presence on the battlefield. After World War II however, things started changing.

The movement to remove prayer, and thus God, from public schools began well before 1962 when the Supreme Court made that decision official. Satan had been building up influence in the government for years prior to achieve this goal. With God removed from the schools, and soon the government, how could America expect Him to show up with them on the battlefield?

The Korean War, called the ‘Forgotten War,’ was not the astounding victory many expected from the victors of World War II. It was not a defeat either, but it should have been a wake-up call about what was happening within the heart of America.

God was not kicked out yet, but He was not revered by American leaders, either. Humanism was taking His place.

The Vietnam War, and the brave men who fought and died in it, saw the first war in American history without God on the battlefield. Vietnam was the quagmire of poor decision-making and ineffective leadership at the highest military and civilian levels. Americans still see to this day the effects that it had on the men who fought in that war, the culture who witnessed it and the forgone conclusion to it: America had lost.

Civilizations go through dark periods during their existence. The 1960s and 1970s were that dark spiritual time for American culture. The devil used social events like the hippie movement, the ‘sexual revolution’ and racial animosity to sow division within the country.

Were there movements of God within? Absolutely, just as there were believers in God within Israel during Ahab’s reign, but the leaderships’ hearts were not receptive to the Lord.

Over the years America saw a partial restoration, and a government under Ronald Reagan that acknowledged God and revered Him. This change of heart and attitude saw the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end to the Cold War. America was victorious again, but it would not last.

Fast-forward to the War on Terror, and Americans witnessed a war that dragged on in a situation reminiscent of Vietnam, with the outcome of Korea. That is until an administration, who has shown repeatedly it is anti-God, approved the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that saw a terrorist organization once thought defeated, seated in power.

The current leadership of the U.S. military is not God-fearing. Are there Christians within the military? Yes, and when they speak up against what is transforming the military, they are subsequently removed without delay. This happened to U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, who was removed from command for speaking against critical race theory (CRT) being taught at his installation.

These moves to weaken the American military are orchestrated, and accomplishing the goal of Satan: to have a weakened United States that has turned its back on God.

Current military leadership has tried to justify what they are doing in the name of strength, but the evidence says otherwise. If strength was their goal, there would not be the reduction of physical fitness requirements across the military.

At West Point, the premier military academy in the U.S., lectures titled, “Understanding Whiteness and White Rage” are being taught to cadets using materials marked, “White Power at West Point.”

People suffering from gender identity issues are being allowed to enlist, and have their ‘transition’ surgeries paid for with taxpayer money. This does not achieve the mission of maintaining a combat-ready force.

Radical leftists, like Ibram X. Kendi, are having their CRT focused books placed on reading lists by leadership such as the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday. For many officers, this is required reading.

All of these course-changing decisions, for the military and federal government, take away time, funding and manpower from maintaining a ready to fight, and properly supplied and funded military.

Despite the negative effects of ‘wokeness’ and its Marxist roots, there will not, and cannot, be a return to military dominance without God on the battlefield. The Bible illustrates how God won battles for lesser Hebrew forces against mightier, more technologically advanced foes. The Israelites were ready for war, because their hearts were turned toward God. {eoa}

James Lasher is a Copy Editor for Charisma Media, and a veteran of the United States Air Force and Marine Corps.

Read Time: 3 minutes 28 seconds

A heartbreaking weather phenomenon is currently happening in Pakistan and many are wondering if it’s tied to biblical prophecy. More than 1 million homes have been destroyed and at least 1,100 people have died since massive flood rains started devastating the country in June.

Pakistan typically gets three to four cycles of monsoon rains during the peak season, but so far they have been hit with eight cycles and more are expected to come.

This isn’t the only event in biblical nature that is happening. The Euphrates River is drying up from years of droughts, misuse of water and a decline of imports into Iraq from neighboring countries. The Euphrates is the most crucial river in the Middle East and it flows through Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

In Revelation 16:12 the Bible says, “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the East.”

In 2021 the highest temperature ever measured in Canada was recorded at 121 degrees. Over the heat waves two week span, 1,400 heat-related deaths were reported across western Canada and the northwestern United States.

The Earth’s climate is ever-changing with numerous external factors at play. Climate experts study the Earth’s rotation, volcanic eruptions, El Nino-Southern Oscillation, sunspot cycles among numerous other variables—but what does all of this have to do with Christians?

The National Association of Evangelicals Releases a 96-Page Climate Change Report

The NAE feel Christians are mandated by the Bible to care about climate change. Whether some believe climate change is a hoax, or the biggest threat to mankind, the Bible says that God has given us dominion over the Earth.

The debate between many liberal and conservative thinkers is the role human activity plays in the warming of the Earth’s surface temperature compared to natural factors that have occurred across the span of time, like wind cycles, volcanic eruptions, etc.

Global Evangelical leaders equate climate change to the Great Commission because environmental changes affect those in poverty around the world who need the gospel.

So what does the National Association of Evangelicals think Christians should do about it? Here is what their report says:

• Severely cut greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane and switch to non-fossil fuel energy sources.
• Use more efficient appliances, shift to public transportation and renewable energy-powered cars, prioritize energy savings and eat more plant-based diets.
• Pass legislation that helps speed up the transition to renewable energy.

What are other activists saying?

Political activist Ben Shapiro says, “We live in a geopolitical world in which carbon emission from China counts the same as carbon emission from the United doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can’t do, it means what we ought to be doing is the thing that will prevent the 83 million .”

Shapiro says we should:

• Build sea walls at coastal low lying areas.
• Geoengineering–shoot certain material into the air to change the climate itself.

Activists like Shapiro think that using advancing technology is an easier option to combat climate change than a global carbon tax.

Shapiro says significant rises in sea level take hundreds of years.

“As it turns out when the tide rises people move inland,” Shapiro says this is nothing new and has been happening throughout human history.

In a YouTube video Shapiro discusses the land bridge between Russia and Alaska saying, “Not a huge number of people were killed… when that land bridge ended up being covered up in water, there weren’t tens of thousands of people who died in that because it took thousands of years for that to be covered up by water.”

What does the Bible say?

The NAE points to Genesis 2:15 as their basis for why Christians should care:

Genesis 2:15 says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and to keep it.” In the Old Testament Jesus says the greatest commandment in the Law is to love the Lord with all our hearts and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

For the NAE, obeying God means caring about what happens to God’s creation because the Lord gave us the job of tending to the Earth.

In the end, there are real people who are being affected by forest fires, severe flooding and droughts. The global church needs to love those in need as they would love Jesus, and do what they can to take care of the Earth that God has given us dominion over.

Shelby Lindsay is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.

Inflation moderated a little during the month of July.  Consumer inflation fell from 8.7% to 8.5%.   Producer inflation fell from 11.3% to 9.8%.  PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures) fell from 6.8% to 6.3%.  Although inflation was slightly lower for one month, it is still the second highest inflation rate in 40 years.  The battle is far from over.

Demand pull inflation is when aggregate demand increases.  The rightward shift of demand causes higher inflation and a stronger economy.  Causes of demand-pull inflation include increased government expenditures, lower consumer taxes, higher inflationary expectations, and/or increasing the money supply.  Tools to fight demand pull inflation include reversing any of the listed causal factors.

Supply-push inflation is when aggregate supply decreases.  The leftward shift of supply causes higher inflation and a slowing economy.  Causal factors include increased business costs from higher business taxes, more regulations, higher wages or other input costs, drought, higher inflationary expectations, and/or supply chain problems.

The Federal Reserve can slow inflation (with a significant lag) by reducing the money supply and increasing interest rates, both of which slow the economy.  The Federal Reserve was slow to the inflation fight.  For months they claimed that current inflation was transitory.  While finally admitting their error, hindsight shows that they were still slow to act with the kind of resolve necessary to manage inflation.  Many did not consider the Fed to be a trustworthy warrior in fighting inflation.

Since spring the Fed has been fighting inflation by raising interest rates.  Chairman Powell has insisted that inflation is the number one goal of the Fed (which it should be in this writer’s opinion) and that it will do what is necessary to control it.  But when inflation moderated a little in July and because of the Fed’s diminished trustworthiness, many analysts speculated that the Fed was reversing positions.

Last Friday, Chairman Power spoke at a much-anticipated Jackson Hole Economic Symposium.  In a short ten minutes, he convinced many that the Fed was going to be in the inflation battle until they reached their 2% inflation target.  He correctly said that reducing inflation would likely require a sustained period of below-trend growth but that failure to control inflation would be even more painful.  The trustworthiness of the Fed increased in that ten-minute speech, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than one thousand points with new expectations of higher interest rates and a slowing economy.

Uncontrolled inflation is one of the most dangerous enemies which a country can face. If people expect higher prices tomorrow, many will speed up their purchases and some will hoard items, which will cause higher prices and expectations to tomorrow. Left uncontrolled, hyper-inflation can develop which could cause an economy to collapse. Unfortunately, controlling inflation is never without pain.

As kingdom citizens, we have a special responsibility to be trustworthy. The dictionary gives the following synonyms for trustworthy:  truthful, honest, loyal, faithful, sure, well-founded, sincere, candid, undisguised, impartial, and unchangeable.  If we fail to be trustworthy, our Christian message, which today’s world so desperately needs, is unlikely to find as many receptive ears.

“This is the way any person is to regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2, NASB 2020).

We have a sacred responsibility to share Christ and His Kingdom in word and deed in all our spheres of influence. Jesus taught that we are to be a light to the world. Our world of influence can include family, religion, business, politics, education, media, and the arts. To be effective witnesses, we must be trustworthy; to the Lord, to our families, and to those whom the Lord has placed in our paths. Being trustworthy earns respect, but not necessarily agreement.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; …Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14,16 NASB 2020).

The following principles will help us to be trustworthy. Faith, prayer, empowerment of the scriptures, empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the burning desire to be effective witnesses will enable us to be successful.

Be a man or woman of your word. Be truthful, even if the truth is personally embarrassing or not in your best interest for the short run.  The truth will always be in everyone’s best interest long-run.  The respect generated by your unflinching effort to always tell the truth plows fertile soil to talk about more eternal subjects.

Accept responsibility for failure. If you fall short, accept the responsibility of the shortcoming, learn from the experience, and try to do better. With faith and prayer, failure is only temporary.

Treat others with respect. Don’t gossip, show respect to everyone in both public and private settings, celebrate with the success of others, and give an encouraging word when others fall short.  Keep confidences.

Be responsible. Give your best effort. Show up on time, do more than you are asked to do, and stay late when necessary.

Be ethical. Model the highest level of ethical behavior.  If you have a position of responsibility, teach, expect, and model ethical behavior.  If you do not have a position of responsibility, refuse to compromise your ethics regardless of pressure to do so.

“The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are trustworthy.” (Psalms 111:7, NASB 2020).

Dr. James R. Russell is a professor of economics at Oral Roberts University.

Read time: 2 minutes, 32 seconds

The Bible paints vivid stories of spiritual affliction, possession and healing—stirring accounts that have captivated Christians for over two millennia, while also sparking vibrant conversations about the relationship between good and evil.

The discussion over spiritual warfare and the levels to which people face affliction has also ignited ongoing theological debate. Among the terms to emerge in this ever-complex discussion is “deliverance,” a word sometimes interchangeably used for “exorcism.”

“Deliverance is the act of getting free from the burdens and the trauma that the enemy has had an inroad into our lives for,” Bible teacher Jareb Nott recently told “Billy Hallowell’s Playing With Fire Podcast.” “Deliverance [is] simply a matter of ministering freedom and removing the demonic attachments that really have come into our lives.”

Nott and his wife, Petra, are co-authors of the book “The Science of Deliverance: How Spiritual Freedom Brings Physical Healing,” operate a deliverance ministry and train others to help set people free from demonic influence.

Listen to them explain their views on how pornography and other issues have demonic elements.

Nott explained the differences between people who are completely overtaken by the demonic—individuals who have fully committed themselves to evil—and those who struggle with certain issues or in various arenas in their lives.

Full possession, he said, is rare. But issues like pornography, among other struggles, are far less irregular and can open believers up to spiritual problems.

“Most people, they’re not going to fully commit their lives to Satan,” he said. “What we see frequently is there are areas in our life, say the gates of pornography … our eyes, our ears. The things that we are involved in because they’re enticing.”

When people “dip their toes” into such sinful behavior, Nott said it can have dire consequences.

“We dip our toes in,” he said. “That’s the open door for that particular issue and that particular demon to infiltrate our lives.”

Nott differentiated between ministering to a person completely overtaken by evil and one who has engaged in pornography or some other moral struggle.

“If I had to minister to someone who was fully taken over and possessed to that degree, it would potentially be a more deliberate, longer-term effort for that individual to come to the knowledge of Christ, because you’re walking them through first of all renouncing and repenting for all of the participation that they have willingly given themselves to,” he said.

Nott continued, “For those areas in their life whereas somebody who maybe dabbled in the Ouija board or pornography, those are areas where we can quickly renounce, repent. We break the evil attachment and we command the demon to go and it’s a done deal.”

Despite the difference in approach, “freedom remains the same,” he said.

Nott is hardly the first person to connect pornography to the demonic realm.

In an interview with Faithwire earlier this year, Sathiya Sam, a Christian author who has developed a systematic process to help men overcome pornography addiction, also highlighted “a demonic component” to porn consumption.

“The reality is, when you engage in something as toxic as pornography, you’re almost like literally dancing with the devil, like you’re really engaging with something demonic and giving him a foothold,” Sam said, noting that, while some men might experience early success in overcoming pornography, many will relapse “because they have not built the spiritual maturity to actually sustain the breakthrough.”

Hear what Jareb and Petra have to say about these issues here.

This article was originally published on Faithwire.

Read Time: 1 minute, 38 seconds

Even as COVID restrictions relax, many houses of worship have found it difficult to attract returning parishioners at their pre-pandemic attendance levels. The resulting physical and financial drop-off further complicates the worrying trend of church closures outpacing new ones to replace them.

But the shift also stirred a religious awakening of sorts, forcing once reluctant pastors and church leaders to rethink their outreach and adopt widely-used technology, like livestreaming which has allowed them to reach audiences far beyond their church walls.

Now some faith leaders are considering what’s next on the technology horizon and the implications for ministry, eyeing the unchartered world of the metaverse to plant churches and preach the gospel.

Metaverse: A Primer
Not to be confused with Marvel Comic’s multiverse, the metaverse is a 3D digital world that allows users to experience an alternate reality using computer software and specialized VR equipment, like goggles and haptic suits that use sound vibrations to mimic physical sensations that can simulate touch.

To the casual observer, it’s easy to dismiss the computer-generated depictions as cartoons or video games, but in reality, they represent real people guiding their avatar selves in a much more immersive world than what most people are accustomed to experiencing on their phones, tablets or computers.

That realm is gaining interest among the curious and the faithful, including ministries like based in Edmond, Oklahoma. Its Church Online Platform helped 30,000 churches continue to spread the gospel even as their physical doors shuttered in the wake of the global shutdown in March 2020.

While many churches are still struggling with attendance, has witnessed growth—even adding a campus in the metaverse last December, a reboot of a previous venture on another multimedia platform called Second Life. Much like traditional missions, its decision was based on a desire to be a “light” in a space that lacks a Christian influence.

“We found that the environment was a rich environment for ministry,” said Bobby Gruenewald, pastor of innovation at . “When there’s new technologies and new platforms and all the new attention that the metaverse is getting today, we want to be present and we want to learn and understand how we can do ministry in it.”

For the rest of this article, visit our content partners at .