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Capt. Molly Murphy, on July 19 became the first US Army nurse to graduate from Ranger training. As such, she became the 143rd female to so graduate. Women are essential to the mission of the US military. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-army-captain-becomes-first-female-nurse-to-graduate-from-the-army-s-elite-ranger-course/ar-BB1qYY0X?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Amazing

(N) Isaiah 43:13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

Sheila Jackson Lee was a devout SDA. The following is a 13-minute video of the speech given at her funeral by Kamala Harris, which was attended by other high figures in U.S. politics. She had been a member of Congress for almost 30 years.

Scriptures record how God Himself taught Peter (see Acts 10). BEFORE that vision, Peter taught that prior to repentance and baptism people were unclean, just as you teach. But AFTER that vision, Peter learned his lesson: Acts 10:28 . . . but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Sadly, you seem to refuse to learn yours. Forgiveness - both in the Old and New Testaments - is God's work FOR man, all grace, NOT an iota of human participation, solely accomplished through Christ Whose death cleansed us from all sins. Sorry, jackson. You seemed to have totally misunderstood me. When Adam fell into sin, God saved him through Christ that same day, an act that cost the Father His only begotten Son, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8), just as any good earthly father would do. Do you think our heavenly Father just folded His hands upon seeing his child fall into sin and did nothing to save him from drowning in it? Is that how you describe our God of agape love, that He only sent down the Lifesaver of heaven FOUR (4) millennia after the emergency occurred? No, brother. God implemented the plan of salvation right on that same day the emergency occurred, sent down heaven's Lifesaver and saved Adam in Christ. With Adam in Christ, all his descendants are all born in Christ. The slaying of the Lamb of God from the foundation of the world PRECEDED all commands for repentance both in the old and new testaments! The cross is simply the manifestation of the plan of redemption devised before the world began (see 2 Tim 1:8-10).

In Romans 7, Paul is speaking of this conundrum. He WANTS to change His ways [repent] - but finds it impossible. Why would this be true, IF (as Samie contends) Paul was already "in Christ" and "saved" the moment he was born? CJB Romans 7:15 "I don't understand my own behavior - I don't do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate! 16 Now if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am agreeing that the Torah is good. 17 But now it is no longer "the real me" doing it, but the sin housed inside me. 18 For I know that there is nothing good housed inside me - that is, inside my old nature. I can want what is good, but I can't do it! 19 For I don't do the good I want; instead, the evil that I don't want is what I do! 20 But if I am doing what "the real me" doesn't want, it is no longer "the real me" doing it but the sin housed inside me. 21 So I find it to be the rule, a kind of perverse "torah," that although I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me! 22 For in my inner self I completely agree with God's Torah; 23 but in my various parts, I see a different "torah," one that battles with the Torah in my mind and makes me a prisoner of sin's "torah," which is operating in my various parts." Do we repent [change our ways] FIRST? Or do we believe in Christ FIRST, and THEN - Christ changes us? I believe the latter. Those who logically come to see that evil is NOT good, also come to a place of great frustration BECAUSE they cannot BE GOOD. They may try many different "remedies" - which then fail them. IF they come to know Christ, ONLY THEN do they find the transformation and "goodness" that they seek for themselves. IMO - Those who believe we must "be good" (repent) in order to be "forgiven" are looking at this from a legal perspective. Jesus paid a price (presumably to God, or to "the Law") so that humans could "be forgiven" by God. Those who believe we cannot "be good" until we ARE "forgiven", are ALSO looking at things from a legal perspective. Jesus paid a price, therefore God has "forgiven" all sins. Samie says men CANNOT BELIEVE until they are FIRST "forgiven", therefore God must have forgiven, because men can believe. IMO: God has not treated mankind as He could justly and legally have done. He could have left us to stew in our own hatreds until we slowly died and passed out of existence. Rather He has treated us as a loving father who just wants to win us back to a trusting, respectful relationship. He did this because He loves us - yes. But He did this BECAUSE we were deceived - by the Evil One. It was NOT OUR FAULT that we were born into a war zone, between super spirit powers. Does this mean that God the Father HAS FORGIVEN us? What does it MEAN - to "forgive" ? Oxford University says it means "to excuse" and "to stop feeling angry towards someone who has wronged you". Strong's equates the word "forgive" with the word "pardon". No "punishment" or "revenge" will be exacted upon the one who wronged another, or broke the law BY the one wronged. First: God never "felt" angry towards us - just hurt. Second: We all experience the "punishment" demanded by God's Law - death. God WANTS to give us "life", but only His indwelling spirit can do THAT, and we must open the door to THAT. IMO: Believing is OUR PART. Believing is our RESPONSE to God's pleading spirit. Christ's suffering death is the EVIDENCE God uses to convince us that He loves us, and we can "return home". God will NOT do the believing FOR US. This is the crunch point - the linchpin - in the whole process. This is the opening of the heart to the spirit of Christ. Christ will NOT pry open the door!!! He just knocks. I am looking at things from a trust perspective. Jesus paid a price (did what it took) so that men (hearing about the price He paid) could believe in God, and trust Him. THEN they will open their hearts. And THEN they can be healed. This still leaves men the FREE-WILL option NOT to believe, NOT to open their hearts, and NOT to be healed/empowered. So I do NOT believe the forgiveness comes BEFORE the believing. Forgiveness IS healing, and we cannot be healed UNTIL we open our heart to the Spirit of Life. Matthew 9:2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." (Mat 9:2 NKJ) Matthew 9:5 "For which is easier, to say,`Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say,`Arise and walk '? 6 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"-- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

Yes, it is. But that work is done because people are ALREADY in Christ, NOT to be in Christ. If one teaches that overcoming is done so people can be In Christ, then that's teaching a works-based salvation. But if overcoming is done because people are already in Christ and hence already saved, then that is simply living life in accordance with what the Head wants its body parts to do. Overcomers will Christ NOT blot out from the book of life and will be seated with Him in His throne even as He Himself also overcame and sat down with the Father in His throne (Rev 3:5, 21).