Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.
La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.
Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.
Manna Minutes en español:
Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.
Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:
Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.
Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - 1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world
Escritura del día - 1 Juan 4,1
Amados, no creáis a todo espíritu, sino probad los espíritus si son de Dios; porque muchos falsos profetas han salido por el mundo.
Bibelstelle des Tages - 1 Johannes 4,1
Geliebte, glaubet nicht jedem Geist, sondern prüfet die Geister, ob sie von Gott sind! Denn es sind viele falsche Propheten hinausgegangen in die Welt.
Cursed Objects: The Work of Satan? Blessed Objects: The Work of the Holy Spirit?
God Said Cursed Objects Truly Exist
Chapters six and seven of the Old Testament book of Joshua is a prime biblical example of the real existence of cursed objects. We read, "And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it" (Joshua 6:18).
God reveals that items can be cursed. He also reveals that taking cursed items into our possession can bring a curse upon our life. The evidence of that curse is the arrival of trouble. Not all of God's people heeded His solemne warning. We read, "But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing, for Achan...took of the accursed thing. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel." In the same chapter we learn that Israel was greatly troubled. It's logical to deduce that the Lord, in His anger, departed, at least somewhat from Israel, because they were defeated in the next battle they fought. The enemy took the lives of approximately 36 soldiers of Israel's army (Joshua 7:2-5). How did the things that Achan took get cursed?
The Sources of Blessings and Curses
Who has the power to curse and bless objects and/or people? The Bible, which is God's Word, reveals that the Lord, Satan and demons, and people have the ability to curse and to bless. This is because God, Satan and demonic spirits, and man have the ability to speak. Although rituals and ceremonies usually accompany curses, the curse itself is a spoken word, somewhat like a prayer that is pronounced to bring harm, trouble, and even death to the one against whom it is spoken. Given that innanimate objects can't be killed, we keep in mind that they can lead to the death of the one who has them in his possession. Thirty six men in Joshua's army died in battle as a result of the presence of cursed objects in their camp.
As early as the book of Genesis, God reveals that He can, and does curse objects when He said, "I will not again curse the ground." And we are told in 2 Chronicles 33:6 that king Manaseh worked witchcraft and used enchantments. The practice of all forms of witchcraft is satanic in God's eyes. It is not neutral. Witches and warlocks used satanic power, and they curse things and people.
People who do not work witchcrat also have the power to curse, because they have a tongue. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus tells His followers to bless the people who curse them. So God, evil spirits, and man are able to curse. The Bible also says they are able to bless. Satan's "blessings" are really curses in disguise. But because they appear to be good, they are commonly referred to as "blessings". Let's keep in mind, however, that God is the only one with the power to bless what was cursed, and to curse what was blessed (Malachi 2:2). This is why curses against true servants of God lack the power to fulfill Satan's will. They are already blessed by God.
Who cursed the objects that Achan took? Was it God, the devil, or an individual? The passages we read in Joshua do not directly say who cursed them. However, we believe the scriptures of Joshua 6:17-19 strongly suggest that the Lord was the author of the curse. We read, "And the city shall be accursed, and all that are therein to the Lord. Only Rahab the harlot shall live. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord."
Remember, God can bless what man, through demonic power, has cursed. Had Satan cursed the city, why wasn't Rahab also cursed? Because God had blessed her. And, if Satan had cursed the city, why wasn't the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron also cursed? Obviously, the Lord determined what and who was cursed or blessed within the city of Jericho. The conclusion, based upon biblical scripture, is that cursed objects really do exist.
Does That Mean Blessed Objects Really Exist?
Given that cursed objects exist, does that mean blessed objects also exist? Do they bring goodness and protection into our life? Let's consider the scripture of Acts 19:11-12, which says, "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons. And the diseases departed from them. And the evil spirits went out of them."
Doesn't the scripture in Acts suggest that blessed objects exist? Deliverance fron demonic possession and disease certainly are good things. Nevertheless, we should not use this scripture to support belief in blessed objects in the same way as we view the reality of cursed objects. Why shouldn't we say the handkerchiefs and aprons Paul had worn were not blessed objects? After all, these objects were taken to people to heal them of disease, and to drive demons from them. Let's pay attention to what scripture revealed about those items.
Again, Acts 19:11-12 says, "God wrought SPECIAL MIRACLES by the hands of Paul, so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons." This same scripture in The Living Bible Paraphrased says, "And God gave Paul the power to do UNUSUAL MIRACLES, so that even when his handkerchiefs or parts of clothing were placed upon sick people, they were healed, and any demons within them came out."
It is clear this was NOT a case of blessed objects. We just read that scripture says this was a case of SPECIAL MIRACLES God worked through Paul. Blessings must not be confused with miracles. "Blessing" is defined as a thing conducive to happiness. However, a miracle defies the laws of nature. Miracles are always supernatural, and they do not always bring happiness, whereas a blessing does. God performed signs and miracles in ancient Egypt after pharaoh refused to let His people go. But, those miracles cannot be called blessing, because they were not subject to natural laws, nor did they bring happiness to the Egyptians.
Holy Water Is Not A Blessed Object
Many religious leaders, as well as their deceived followers, believe that someone who has been given a high position in church can make water holy by reciting prayers over it. No, that holy water is not to be compared to the special MIRACLES God Himself worked through the apostle Paul. Again, the Bible says those aprons and handkerchiefs were miraculous, not blessed objects.
A woman who lived in a house where paranormal activity took place was told to place the Holy Bible in the doorway of her room to keep the evil spirits from entering. Desperate for relief, she placed the Bible in the doorway of her room. But, to her unpleasant surprise, the spirit stepped right over the open Bible, entered her room, and carried on with it's usual paranormal activity. Neither holy water nor the physical book of the Holy Bible is a blessed object simply because someone recited a prayer over water, and simply because scripture is the Word of God. They are just objects.
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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