National Prayer Breakfast: Obama Preaches "Jesus is a good cure for fear"

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by CHARLIE SPIERING4 Feb 201679

President Obama warned Americans to stay away from fear, as the world grows more troubled under his leadership.

During his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. this morning, Obama spoke about the dangers of the “primal emotion” of fear – and how to combat it with faith.

“Fear does funny things. Fear can lead us to lash out against those who are different, or lead us to try to get some sinister ‘other’ under control,” he said, alluding to anti-Muslim and anti-refugee sentiment in the country.

Obama added that fear was a “primal emotion” that could destroy community and feed mankind’s “selfish impulses.”

“If we let it consume us, the consequences of that fear can be worse than any outward threat,” he said.

Obama announced that faith was the best way to defeat fear.

“For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is a great cure for fear,” he said. “Jesus is a good cure for fear.”

He declared that Jesus helped Americans stand up “not just to our enemies but to our friends” and helped Christians to be more tolerant and accepting.

Obama cited the recent terrorist attacks and the mass shootings in America as proof that evil was in the world, striking fear into hearts of many.

“Like every president, like every leader, like every person, I’ve known fear,” Obama said. “But my faith tells me that I need not fear death, that acceptance of Christ promises everlasting life and the washing away of sins.”

As he concluded his speech, Obama prayed for more humble politicians, perhaps referring to his presidential successor.

“I pray that our leaders will always act with humility and generosity,” he said.

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Rev. Graham on SOTU: ‘Our Nation is Broken – It’s Broken Morally, It’s Broken Spiritually, It’s Broken Politically’

cnsnews.com

Rev. Franklin Graham. 

(Screenshot, FNC)

In anticipation of President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, Rev. Franklin Graham said he could already reveal the condition of our nation – it is broken, morally, spiritually, politically, and racially.

The reverend added that he hoped President Obama would “turn to God for wisdom and direction” in leading America for his last 12 months in office.

“Tonight the president is set to give his final State of the Union address,” said Rev. Graham in a Jan. 12 post on Facebook. “I can tell you the state of our union.”

“Our nation is broken -- it's broken morally; it's broken spiritually; it's broken politically; it's broken racially,” he said.

“The state of our union cannot be fixed unless we repent of our sins individually and ask our nation to do the same,” Rev. Graham continued.

”I've just led a Decision America Tourprayer rally in the capital of Florida--#2 of 50!” he said.  “Now I'm on way to Baton Rouge to pray with the people of Louisiana for their state and this nation tomorrow at noon.

“Mr. President, I hope in the time you have remaining in office that you will turn to God for wisdom and direction about how to lead this nation,” said Rev. Graham.  “May your last 12 months be the best and most beneficial for this country. ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’ (Psalm 33:12).”

Franklin Graham, 63, is the son of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. Franklin Graham oversees the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the international Christian relief group Samaritan’s Purse.  He is married and has five children. 

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Is the Bible's description of heaven real? What near death experiences tell us

FAITH

By Pastor John Burke

Published January 08, 2016

FoxNews.com

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'Imagine Heaven' author wants you to kick off 2016 with hope

The Bible has always claimed that Heaven is real, and now thousands who have died and returned believe it too. 

After researching nearly 1,000 accounts of people who died, were resuscitated, and lived to report a near death experience (NDE) of the afterlife, I wrote my book"Imagine Heaven." In it, I showcase 120 stories that illustrate the commonalities of these accounts, correlating them with an in-depth look at the Bible’s picture of Heaven. What results is an exhilarating, imaginative journey into the life to come—an encouraging perspective for us all as we enter into a new year.

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When I examined the similarities of the actual NDE reports across ages and cultures, they affirm each other and scripture. These are accounts told by surgeons, college professors, commercial airline pilots, bank presidents—people who have nothing to gain, but credibility to lose. Their experiences align with reports from around the globe, from children, even from blind people who claim to “see” this same awe-inspiring picture of Heaven.

People report that when they clinically died, they found themselves above their bodies in a new body. They felt more alive than they had ever felt before—not only with five senses, but more like 50 senses. They describe the spiritual body outlined in scripture (I Corinthians 15, Philippians 3:20-21).

Additionally, many met loved ones previously deceased, reminding us of the great reunion Jesus promised to his close friends in John 14. 

People often describe a place of exquisite beauty, not unlike the earth, with mountains, forests, flowers, and streams, yet alive in new dimensions of time and space—illuminated by a light that radiates life and love. Even a few NDErs who were blind from birth also “see” the same exquisite beauty. They describe this same mystical light that doesn’t shine on, but out of, everything, affirming the Bible’s explanation that there is no sun or moon in Heaven, but the glory of God is its light (Revelation 21:23-24).

Around the globe, people encounter a brilliant Person of Light, brighter than the sun, yet not difficult to look at in Heaven. People intuitively know he is God and say he exudes an unconditional love unlike anything experienced on earth. He knows their every thought and motive, yet they feel so at home with him, they never want to leave. The biblical writers Daniel, Paul, John, and others also describe this same Person of Light (Daniel 10:4-6, Acts 9:3-5, Revelation 1).

In the presence of God, many people experience a life review—a panoramic, three-dimensional re-living of their entire life in an instant. Every thought, motive, and action is laid bare, and they experience the profound way their actions affected others. In the presence of unconditional love, they see all the good and evil, cause and effect, and they realize it is love that matters most to God. This is consistent with the teachings of Moses and Jesus, who say that loving God first and loving people second sums up all the commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).

Because some may find all this hard to believe, I also research skeptical doctors who were convinced by their patients reporting verifiable observations while outside their lifeless bodies. The corroborative evidence of details reported has been chronicled in academic journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet. "Imagine Heaven" explores all these experiences in great detail, so that by the end of the book, you feel like you’ve been there.

Ironically, some Christians have dismissed NDEs as tales of hallucination or the last flicker of a dying brain. However, I believe most of these are divine experiences—gifts from God—pointing us to the hope of Heaven as detailed throughout scripture. 

This hope is something we can grab hold of today as we review our lives and set goals for the new year--to change the way we view and live our lives, to love other people and make a difference in their lives, as we set our sights on our futures in Heaven. 

John Burke is the New York Times bestselling author of "Imagine Heaven" and the founding pastor of Gateway Church in Austin, Texas. To explore more, visit ImagineHeaven.net.

Obama Knows Where Benghazi Terriors are but Refuses to Arrest Them.

Written By : Ashley Herzog
April 5, 2014

Well, this is enraging. Rep. Mike Rogers, the House Intel Committee Chair, says Obama knows where the Benghazi terrorists are hiding, but refuses to go after them because of his “kinder, gentler approach” to terrorism.

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He revealed this information to Time Magazine this week.

We have numerous people that we know participated in the Benghazi attacks affiliated with al-Qaeda that are still on the battlefield. We have the capacity to get them but there’s no planning to get them. We have other serious al-Qaeda threats that normally we would take off the battlefield, but because of this Administration’s more kinder, gentler approach we have not done that.

As the saying goes, the more things change around here, the more they stay the same.
Also see: An Interview With Warren Farrell, The Author Of “Why Men Are the Way They Are.”

 

Hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas.