Makings Through Breakings

By D. Brandt Berg

Audio length: 10:44
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God chooses and uses the weak things, the foolish things, the despised things, “that no flesh should glory in His presence!”—1 Corinthians 1:25–29

The list is almost endless of all the men in the Bible whom God had to humble before He could use them, of all the leaders God had to bring down to the depths before they could stand to be exalted—lest they would have taken credit to themselves and not given God the glory.

Look at Joseph. Of Jacob’s twelve sons, he was his father’s favorite. His elder brothers finally became so jealous of him that they nearly killed him, threw him into a pit, and then sold him into slavery. But the Lord used this to humble him. Joseph was made a slave and a prisoner and condemned as a criminal before God was able to exalt him to become the savior of His people.1

And look at Moses. For 40 years he was groomed in the very courts of pharaoh, and rose to become the second most powerful man in the mighty world empire of ancient Egypt. The Bible says he was “educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,”2 but God could not yet use him to lead His people to freedom, for he was full of the ways of the world and not the ways of God. Moses had to be broken first. So God allowed him to become a fugitive from pharaoh, and he had to spend 40 years in the wilderness doing nothing but tending sheep, until finally he was broken and humble enough for God to use him for the great task He had designed him for.3

And consider King David, the greatest king that Israel ever had. He fell in love with Bathsheba, purposely had her husband, Uriah, killed in battle, and then tried to lie and cover up the entire crime. God had to completely expose him, humble him, and severely judge him. And he was soon driven from the throne by his own traitorous son, Absalom.4

But was David’s fall a fall downward or a fall upward? God’s way up is sometimes down—usually, in fact! Just the opposite of what we think. David was humbled and the whole kingdom was humbled, and they were all reminded that it was only the Lord who made them great. And from that squeezing and twisting of David’s life came forth the sweet honey of the Psalms, and the fragrance of his praises to the Lord for His mercy—a lesson that’s been an encouragement to other sinners like me and you ever since.

The great, brave and mighty prophet, Elijah, was able to call down fire from heaven to confound the false prophets of Baal and to prove that he was right.5 But after slaying hundreds of false prophets, he panicked and ran away from one little woman, wicked Queen Jezebel. Hiding out in the wilderness, he became so discouraged that he wished that he might die. But there in his time of desperation, this prophet of fire and thunder became a meek little man who learned to listen to the still, small voice of God. And he became a much better, humbler instrument in the hands of the Lord—a prophet who fearlessly returned to face not only the queen, but the king and all of his soldiers.6

And look at the apostle Peter. He was so proud and self-confident that he swore to Jesus, “Though all others forsake You, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death.”7 But just a few hours later, when Jesus was seized by the temple guards and hauled before the Jews’ religious court, some people outside of the building recognized Peter and pointed him out as one of Jesus’ followers. Peter vehemently denied that he even knew Him, cursing and swearing that he had no idea what they were talking about!8

As he was denying the Lord a third time, Jesus, who was being led by His captors to another part of the building, turned and gazed upon Peter, and Peter suddenly remembered how he had sworn that he would never deny Him. The Bible tells us that Peter then “went out and wept bitterly.”9 Was this the end of Peter’s service for the Lord? No! It was shortly after this humiliating defeat, this great failure, this breaking of his pride, that the Lord anointed and raised up Peter to become the leader of the early church.

And consider the great apostle Paul. He had been a prominent Jewish leader, the Rabbi Saul, and had personally taken it upon himself to put an end to the fast-growing sect of the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Journeying by horseback to Damascus, where he intended to capture, imprison, and execute as many Christians as he could find, God had to literally knock him off his horse and blind him with the brilliant light of His presence. Trembling, helpless, and blind, the once proud rabbi had to be led by the hand into the city, where he was so astonished that he was unable to eat or drink for three full days. A disciple of the Lord then came to give him God’s message and pray for his eyes, and Saul was converted and became the apostle Paul! But God had to humble him and break him first, and make him a new man before He was able to use him.10

In fact, this is the story of everyone who is of any real use to the Lord’s work. For us to become what He wants us to be usually requires many breakings, humblings and meltings, remolding, reshaping, and remaking into a better vessel, better than we were, better than we thought we were, and much more yielded and useful for His kingdom. Such tests, trials, and tribulations will either soften and melt you, or harden and embitter you. Suffering can either make you bitter or better. So watch out that you don’t get hardened, bitter, and resentful against God when you’re going through it. His Word says, “Look diligently, lest any man fail the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up and trouble you, and through it, many be defiled.”11

If you let trials humble you and melt you, you’ll be a whole lot happier, because you’ll be drawn a whole lot closer to the Lord. If you harden your heart against the Lord, if you resist the Holy Spirit and harden your heart against God’s love and truth, your heart becomes calloused, and soon it no longer even feels it so much anymore, and you risk becoming “past feeling.”12 Be careful, you wouldn’t want to wind up like the man in that horrible poem, “Invictus”: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. My head is bloody, but unbowed.”13 Even though he was bruised, buffeted, and bloodied, he still insisted on being his own boss and would not yield or “bow” to the Lord.

Truth resisted will lose its power over your soul. Every time you resist the truth, you’re hardening your spirit against the Lord. It’s like when you have a little tender spot on your foot where your shoe has been rubbing. At first it’s very, very sensitive, really sore. It hurts. But if it keeps on rubbing, pretty soon you build a big callus; the skin gets thicker and tougher and hardened.—Which is what happens to your heart if you continually refuse to yield to the Lord.

Hardening your heart is not the solution. He says, “Harden not your hearts.”14 But rather, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite (broken, repentant) spirit.”15

Whatever God does, He always does it in love. “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”16

The Lord loves you and is even “touched with the feeling of your infirmities.”17 But He knows that He will never be able to use you as much as He would like to unless you are humbled. When you become a tool and a channel, a little diamond of dust, then He can mightily use you!

He makes us through the breakings we experience. Without experiencing suffering, loss, tragedy, and failure, you won’t know how to love the poor lost world and sympathize with and reach others with His love. But if you’ll allow Him to break and melt your heart, then He’ll woo and win it, warm and melt it, and make it bright and happy and burning with His love—so you can share that love with others.

Compiled from the writings of D. Brandt Berg, originally published in April 1987. Adapted and republished November 2014. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.



1 Genesis 37, 39–41.
2 Acts 7:22.
3 Exodus 2–3.
4 2 Samuel 11,12,15.
5 1 Kings 18.
6 1 Kings 19 and 21.
7 John 13:37; Luke 22:33.
8 Mark 14:66–71.
9 Luke 22:62.
10 Acts 9.
11 Hebrews 12:15.
12 Ephesians 4:19.
13 William Ernest Henley (1875).
14 Hebrews 3:15.
15 Psalm 55:22, 34:18; Isaiah 55:6.
16 Psalm 103:8–14.
17 Hebrews 4:15.

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CEO Went Against the Petrodollar and Dies a Mysterious Death. Who Holds a Monopoly on the Truth?

The World of Energy
by Marin Katusa, Chief Energy Investment Strategistl facebook twitter google+

Last month in these pages, I wrote:

Patrick de la Chevardière, CFO of Total SA (which is France’s largest energy company), has publicly announced that Total is looking to finance its share in the $27-billion Yamal LNG project using euros, yuan, Russian rubles, and any other currency but US dollars.

“The effect of US sanctions was that Yamal LNG will be prevented from raising any dollar financings,” Patrick de la Chevardière stated in London at a news briefing.

Patrick de la Chevardière’s boss was Total SA CEO Christophe de Margerie. De Margerie is now dead: he died under mysterious conditions last week, when just after midnight a snowplow and his private jet collided at a Moscow airport.

Back in university (yes, over 18 years ago now), I actually worked at the Vancouver International Airport. Because I was a young buck going to university, I got the night shift: I was responsible for bringing planes into the bays, where passengers unload and the plane gets refueled.

One has better odds of being struck by lightning at an airport than being hit by a snowplow—or any other ground support.

Is it a coincidence that the one CEO who went against the petrodollar is now dead?

To understand the consequences of being on the wrong side of the Colder War, you really need to read my new book.


Maybe Christophe de Margerie had a falling out with Putin… As I wrote last month, his company is part of the charge to kill the petrodollar… but perhaps something happened behind closed doors.

In my book, part of a chapter focuses on “mysterious deaths” and how they’re linked to being on the wrong side of the political equation. Whether it’s going against Putin or against the petrodollar, there are many who have fallen on both sides.

But back to de Margerie and Total.

Total has yet to complete the financing. Did de Margerie fail to deliver what he promised to Putin—which was that he would invest $27 billion into the Russian Yamal LNG plant? Did the EU28 prevent Total from closing the financing under pressure from the French government? De Margerie and French President François Hollande were close friends.

De Margerie was outspoken in his support for Putin’s agenda; he believed Russia was a good partner for Europe. While we don’t know for sure whose toes de Margerie stepped on, we know how this story ended last week.

If Total doesn’t close the $27 billion financing to move forward with the Yamal LNG project, then we will know that the powers that be (whether French government, EU28, or the US) stepped in to prevent an attack on the petrodollar.

The world is turning its back on the US Under Obama

As an American, you may not like what I’m going to say, but it needs to be said: America is losing face internationally under President Obama’s leadership. Obama’s failed foreign policy was challenged publicly at the podium at the most recent 69th United Nations general assembly.

On September 27, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov started out his speech by challenging America’s undemocratic actions of late, stating:

The US-led Western alliance that portrays itself as a champion of democracy, the rule of law and human rights within individual countries, acts from a completely opposite position in the international arena, rejecting the democratic principle of the sovereign equality of states enshrined in the UN Charter and tries to decide for everyone what is good or bad.

Lavrov uses the election in Crimea as an example, stating:

“It was precisely the aggressive assault on these rights that compelled the population of Crimea to take its destiny in its own hands and make a choice in favor of self-determination. This was an absolutely free choice no matter what has been invented by those who were, in the first place, primarily responsible for the internal conflict in Ukraine.

The attempts to distort the truth and to hide the facts behind blanket accusations have been undertaken at all stages of the Ukrainian crisis.

The vast majority of North America has a strong bias against Russia or any election results involving the Eastern blocs and specifically Russia. When I bring up the fact in any media interview that the takeover of Crimea by Russia was the result of a free election, my interviewers immediately dismisses that election as a fraud. They state that it was staged and fixed and ignore the data. The fact is that the vast majority of the population of Crimea are Russians who speak Russian and who see themselves as Russian… so it makes total sense that they freely voted to join Russia instead of wanting to be under the rule of an unfriendly regime in Kiev.

Many years ago, a well-known media personality was involved in the promotion of a company looking for an investment. He was pitching Doug Casey and me, and as Doug’s analyst I began to question the media personality regarding the details of his pitch. His only response to my very pointed questions was, “Look, kid, don’t let the details interfere with my story—it’s a good story.”

This is essentially what most of the Western media outlets are doing—distorting the facts so that they fit neatly into the story they want to tell.

But back to Lavrov’s speech at the UN; he also called out the US for its failed foreign policy by stating (emphasis mine):

Washington has openly declared its right to the unilateral use of military force anywhere to advance its own interests. Military interference has become common, even despite the dismal outcome of the use of power that the US has carried out over recent years.

The sustainability of the international system has been severely shaken by NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia, intervention in Iraq, the attack against Libya and the failure of the operation in Afghanistan.

Lavrov is speaking from experience. When Obama openly declared, “We are drawing a red line” regarding Syria in 2013, it was Lavrov who threw out a lifeline for our president, suggesting that Russia should work with the US to get rid of the sarin gas and other WMDs, rather than invading against the wishes of Congress and the American people.

I am not at all sympathetic to the Russian cause, but rather look at the facts, the data, and more important, the actual events to form my opinion. The harsh reality is that Obama, as much as the Western media will deny it, is comparable to the Wizard of Oz. The current US president is a confused and weak leader hiding behind a curtain: the American flag.

Russia is standing up to Obama and his failed foreign geopolitical policies. Unfortunately for us, the rest of the world is taking notice.

It would be nice if the Western media would remember that nobody has a monopoly on the truth.

The Colder War will provide all the details

Hard copies of my book are available on Nov 10, but it is available now on Amazon kindle, and my book has already cracked Best Seller status in the following categories on Amazon:

Best Seller: Oil and Energy Industry

Best Seller: Public Policy

Best Seller: Commodities Trading

Best Seller: Physics of Energy

My book covers many aspects of the geopolitics of energy… especially the struggle between Russia and the US. Some influential people have endorsed my book, such as former Congressman Dr. Ron Paul, who noted:

The Colder War provides a reversing contrast from the hysterical “Putin is Stalin, Jr., restart the Cold War” message emanating from the neocon think tanks and the mainstream media. Marin Katusa shows the real threat to the American people …

You see, while America and the West weren’t looking, Vladimir Putin has orchestrated a takeover of the energy sector. Putin has transformed Russia from a crumbling former Soviet state into an energy powerhouse. Russia is quickly becoming the only source of energy for countries desperate to secure long-term supplies—this gives Putin more power and more leverage than ever before, and the West has yet to recognize this threat.

Europe, Africa, and China are all dependent on Russian energy. Putin won’t stop until he takes down the only thing holding Russia from turning into a superpower: the US.

Inside my book, you’ll discover how Putin is working to break the monopoly of the US dollar in the global energy trade. He has set in motion an ingenious and devastating plan to do it.

If Putin is successful, he could nuke the US economy and cost the average American dearly.

Do you think the recent pullback in oil prices will cripple Putin? If you said yes, you’re wrong… and you really need to read my book.

Friends and colleagues have told me that when they sat down to read it, they could not put it down and had to finish it; it was fast paced and easy to digest.

Once you read it, your view of the world and the global markets will never be the same.

You might even want to call your broker the next morning—because the US has never been more vulnerable, and the stakes have never been higher.

Preorder your copy of The Colder War and make sure you’re among the first to read this important book, so that you can start to separate partisan politics from the truth in this increasingly important geopolitical chess match.


Preorder The Colder War Now

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38 Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning!

How to Teach Your Kids Critical Thinking Skills: A Great Resource
September 10, 2014 By Natasha Crain - 8 Comments



With two 5-year-olds and a 4-year-old in our family, bad logic frequently permeates our home. Here are two conversations just from yesterday:

Me to my 4-year-old daughter: “Can you please put that blue ball away?”

My daughter: “Mommy, I’m not wearing blue today. I must not have gotten it out.”

Logic fail: Not wearing blue has nothing to do with whether or not you got the ball out. (But nice try.)

Me to my 5-year-old daughter: “It looks like you need to go potty. Please go.”

My daughter: “No, mommy I don’t need to go.”

Me: “Then why are you walking like a duck?”

My daughter: “Because I need to go potty.”

Me: “You just said you didn’t.”

My daughter: “Right, because I don’t.”

Logic fail: Totally inconsistent responses.


It’s pretty easy for adults to call out kids when they’re using poor logic. It can be a lot harder, however, to identify bad reasoning coming from other adults, particularly when it comes to claims against Christianity.

Consider the following statement that commonly gets tossed around the internet. You might realize it doesn’t sound like good reasoning, but can you explain why? More importantly, can your kids?

“Religion is just an accident of geography. If a person is born in Kansas, he’ll probably be a Christian. If he is born in Saudi Arabia, he’ll probably be a Muslim. Religion is man-made and you were simply brainwashed into it.”

(This is called a genetic fallacy – saying something can’t be true because of where it began, how it began, or who began it. Even if religions are correlated with geographic locations, that says nothing about the respective truth of those religions.)

We can’t teach our kids how to answer every single claim against Christianity before they encounter it. But we can teach them how to think critically so they are intellectually prepared to appropriately evaluate the massive amounts of information that will come their way.

Today I want to share a fantastic resource that is designed to help you do just that. It’s a book called The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning.

A fallacy is simply an error in the way someone is making an argument. The book’s 38 lessons are written for kids ages 12 and older to understand, and are perfect for parents to go through as well (I don’t have kids 12 and older, but I learned a lot myself as I read through this!). Each chapter contains:
A 2-3 page lesson on what the fallacy is.
Several exercises to practice identifying that fallacy. Example statements are given, and the reader has to identify which of all the fallacies he/she has learned to date applies.
Answers to the exercises, with brief explanations. (As a side note, there were several answers I disagreed with, but it didn’t hurt my overall impression of the book. They could have made some of those exercises more clear, but at the same time, that makes for even better discussion with your kids.)

The exercise examples are somewhat entertaining, so kids won’t be bored by them. They’re also very practical types of statements that kids would actually hear – statements about religion (the authors are Christians), politics, and everyday life. Although the suggested age is 12 and up, parents could easily use this with younger kids who are intellectually curious.

If you want to help your kids learn how to think, this is a wonderful introduction! You can read more about The Fallacy Detective here. (Just for credibility’s sake, this was a totally unsolicited post about the book – I simply came across it, bought it, thought it was an awesome resource and wanted to tell you about it!)

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Former Buddhist finds Jesus!

By Laurence, Spain

Though I am originally from Scotland, I now live in Marbella, in the south of Spain. I’m a maths teacher and give private classes to students in the area where I live.

For almost 30 years, I was a practicing Nichiren Buddhist and a local leader of the lay Buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai International, in the UK. As many people are aware, Buddhism is a godless, atheistic religion. To understand why I gave up being a practicing Nichiren Buddhist and member of Soka Gakkai we need to examine why I turned to Buddhism in the first place.

Until I was about 21 years old, I was a Roman Catholic. Like many other young Catholics, I had relaxed my religious practice to the point where I never attended church regularly, took communion, or made confession. As a child, I recall speaking happily and directly to the Lord about everything in my life. But as a young man in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, the pagan, satanic influences of rock music such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath entered my consciousness and began slowly but surely to dull the soft voice of the Lord.

One day I found myself in the confessional box. As I confessed to some minor sins, the priest absolved me as usual and gave me a small penance of 10 Hail Marys. As I silently recited the prayers, I was struck by the ludicrousness of the situation. Here I was praying to the Virgin Mary, while in my heart of hearts, I no longer believed in a God. The steady chipping away of my soul by Satan had finally worked … at least for a while.

I thought that Nichiren Buddhism held the answers to inner peace for me, and thus began many years of sincere practice. Nichiren Buddhism essentially teaches that all earthly desires are considered as “enlightenment” and can be achieved by chantingNam Myoho Renge Kyo (devotion to the mystic law of cause and effect). They believe the universe is subservient to this law and adjusts everything in harmony with the desire of the chanting Buddhist.

Over the years, when teaching people about Buddhism, I would say, "If this practice fails to work for me personally, then I will immediately give up Buddhism."

Little did I know that there were challenges ahead of me that chanting could not overcome. As I slowly came to this realization, I began to acknowledge that chanting had not helped me achieve my "earthly desires."

So what happened to me? In September 2013, I received the Lord into my heart. I think my conversion was a gradual process, quite natural and gentle—a steady leading along the correct paths. I realized that Buddhism did not contain all the answers to life and death, nor does it have a clear picture of life after death. Jesus and the Bible have all those answers and the answers toevery question. Receiving Jesus caused a complete repentance in my life—a 180-degree turnaround.

The Lord had filled my spiritual vacuum. I was that little boy once again being talked to in a comforting way by his dear heavenly Father. A natural and painless rebirth had occurred in my heart. Now I found that there was a power infinitely greater than I had ever known before. Jesus is alive!

One instance that helped me see a tangible manifestation of Jesus’ power was when I was cycling home along the seafront in Marbella. A young man stopped me and joked about my rather slow speed. I laughed and continued my journey. A few seconds later, I realized that my new cell phone was missing! I turned back to retrace my short journey to that point. I soon began to think that I had been the victim of a classic professional pickpocket. I prayed to find my phone.

I made the decision to return to the spot where I had met the young man and ask him politely if he had seen my phone. But as I approached the spot, I couldn’t see him. I made up my mind to report the incident to the local police. Suddenly as I turned the next bend, there stood another young man. He held one hand in the air, and to my astonishment, he held my new cell phone in the other hand. He spoke Arabic, so I found it difficult to understand why he had my phone and expected him to demand some reward, but instead he just handed it over. I thanked him, shook his hand, and said, “God bless you.”

As I got back on my bike, I noticed the first young man I had originally spoken to standing nearby. I also thanked him and continued home. I later checked the phone and found it had not been accessed in any way. I thanked Jesus for His clear intervention and asked Him to bless the young men.

Over the next weeks and months, as I walked about in my new faith, I determined to ask as many people as possible about their experiences with the Lord in their daily lives. I feel like a missionary and try to act like a disciple of Jesus, spreading the Good News where and when the opportunity arises.

Around the time of my conversion, I was researching the musical roots of Jeremy Spencer. I have always been a keen guitarist and mandolin player, studying and playing Celtic music from my home country. I read of Spencer’s conversion to Jesus after he met the Children of God.

As I continued my research, I came upon the writings of David Berg. I realized almost immediately that this was the type of Christian I would aim to be. I felt at home when I read Father Berg's writings. His writings inspire me in the same way that Paul's letters must have inspired the early followers of Jesus; simple and direct, a true prophet for the endtime.

This led me to write the Family International, and I got a reply from Paul and Sara, who invited me to take the 12 Foundation Stones course and sent me the lessons via email, which I really enjoyed studying. The course was the perfect introduction to the Bible, and I have benefited from it greatly. After completing the course in February, I applied for Family International membership and was delighted to have my application accepted!

Since then, I have met up with some TFI members in Spain and have also attended a fellowship in Murcia. What an experience! It was wonderful to meet so many loving and caring people devoting their lives to Jesus. They were very welcoming to a newbie like me. I listened carefully to their testimonies and witnessing experiences. Many have been members since the 1970s.

I have maintained contact with several brothers and sisters since the meeting. Several ask me to pray for specific requests and I ask them in turn to pray for me. I like to read the GNB to get an idea of how other brothers and sisters serve Jesus on a daily basis and in their own way.

On becoming a member, I worked through the 12 Bridges course, which I had access to via TFI’s publication site. I completed the 12 Bridges in June 2014 and found it to be a truly awesome course!

Praise the Lord, and thank you for the warm welcome to the Family. May God bless you.

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Notes From the Field - Sovereign Man

By Simon Black
October 21, 2014
Santiago, Chile

I walked in the door this morning to my apartment in Santiago, happy to be back in Chile after a week away.

(One of the things that I really love about this place is the weather. The weather forecast in the entire central region of Chile is typically just a string of yellow circles. Yet it's not so hot that you need air conditioning. I love it.)

But my mood was quickly spoiled when my maid handed me an envelope.

"It looks official," she said, staring at me to gauge my reaction. She was right. The sender was the United States Department of Treasury.

Clearly my first thought was wondering why the US government was sending me anything, especially to my apartment in Santiago. My second thought was utter astonishment that the US Postal Service had managed to get it here!

I ripped it open and found... a check. Made out to me. It was my tax refund.

As an aside, I'll tell you that living overseas has a lot of huge benefits. One of them is that your taxes are almost always going to be lower.

If you're American, you can earn up to $99,200 in foreign income, tax free. This amount goes up every year (not that there's any inflation).

If you're married, you and your spouse can BOTH claim the foreign earned income exclusion, meaning you can earn nearly $200,000 as a couple, tax free.

And when you include the additional deduction you can receive on foreign housing, your total tax benefit living overseas can easily be upwards of $250,000 or more.

Just imagine being able to put an additional $250,000 in your pocket each year, instead of giving that money to a bankrupt government to finance drones, bombs, and body scanners. (More on this in another letter...)

In my case, I have income from other sources, including certain investment income that still gets taxed. And just to be on the safe side, I ALWAYS overpay my taxes, so our friends at the IRS send me a refund each year.

This is the first year in ages that I remember receiving a physical check; I must have forgotten to fill out the direct deposit section of the 1040.

And while checks seem like vestigial relics of a financial era long gone, it's not a big problem to deal with down here. Chileans really like checks, and it turns out that a number of Chilean banks we deal with are more than happy to immediately clear foreign checks from the US.

Then I glanced back at the envelope. It said, "Forgery or endorsements on Treasury checks is a Federal crime. Maximum penalty is a $10,000 fine and ten years in imprisonment."

Wow. In the Land of the Free, you can't even deposit a tax refund check without being threatened with fines and imprisonment. It's unreal.

We've talked about this before. Even the most basic, innocuous tasks now involve threats and intimidation.

If you apply for a passport on form DS-11, the government threatens you with "fine and/or imprisonment under U.S. law including the provisions of 18 U.S.C. 1001, 18 U.S. C. 1542, and/or 18 U.S.C. 162."

Applying for a social security replacement card threatens you with "penalty of perjury".

Applying for a driver's license in my home state of Texas threatens me with "five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine."

And of course, the instruction book for IRS form 1040 includes an entire section threatening anyone about to file his/her taxes with civil, criminal, and administrative penalties.

There's very little you can do in the Land of the Free that doesn't involve the threat of fines and imprisonment anymore, including simply depositing a check.

They've criminalized almost every aspect of existence. EVERYTHING—how your children are educated, the purchasing power of your savings, the privacy of your email, what you can/cannot put in your body-- is regulated by the state.

Any deviation from the standards that they establish is criminalized. And they shove these threats in our faces at every opportunity.

The idea of a government for the people, by the people, of the people... has long been lost. They don't even pretend to serve the people anymore... it's just threats and intimidation.

This is not how a free society is supposed to operate. And as we explored inyesterday's podcast, it's a sign of the top.

We have reached peak government. Like any bubble, this one is about to burst.

Until tomorrow,

Simon Black
Senior Editor, SovereignMan.com

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À Sua imagem

Uma compilação

Quanto a mim, feita a justiça, verei a tua face; quando despertar ficarei satisfeito ao ver a tua semelhança. — Salmo 17:15

Amados, agora somos filhos de Deus, e ainda não se manifestou o que havemos de ser, mas sabemos que, quando ele se manifestar, seremos semelhantes a ele, pois o veremos como ele é. — 1 João 3:2

Somos a Sua Imagem

O plano de Deus desde o início foi nos tornar como Seu Filho Jesus. Esse é o nosso destino. … Deus anunciou Sua intenção à Criação:

Então disse Deus: "Façamos o homem à nossa imagem, conforme a nossa semelhança.”

Apenas os seres humanos são feitos “à imagem de Deus”, um grande privilégio que nos confere dignidade. Não entendemos o sentido completo dessa frase, mas, em parte, significa que somos seres espirituais. Nosso espírito é imortal e continuará depois que nosso corpo físico se for. Somos seres intelectuais. Podemos pensar, raciocinar e resolver problemas. Como Deus, somos relacionais. Podemos dar e receber amor. E temosconsciência moral, somos capazes de discernir o certo do errado, o que nos torna imputáveis perante Deus.

A Bíblia diz que todas as pessoas, não apenas os crentes, são feitos à imagem de Deus. Mas a imagem ficou incompleta, danificada e distorcida pelo pecado. Por isso, Deus enviou Jesus em uma missão para restaurar a imagem total que perdemos.

Como será a “imagem e semelhança” de Deus? Como Jesus Cristo! A Bíblia diz que Jesus é “a expressão exata do seu ser”, “a imagem do Deus invisível” e “a expressão exata do seu ser”. — Rick Warren[1]

À Sua semelhança

O primeiro capítulo, no primeiro livro da Bíblia diz: "Deus criou o homem à sua imagem. A imagem de Deus o criou"[2]. Em outras palavras, Deus nos fez muito parecidos com Ele em muitos aspectos, à Sua imagem e semelhança. Somos como Deus! Temos a honra de escolher, podemos fazer o bem ou o mal e parecemos com Deus no nosso entendimento, nas nossas emoções e na nossa personalidade.

O homem foi criado e posto aqui para escolher entre o bem e o mal, para fazer o que está certo ou o que está errado, para servir a Deus ou a si próprio. Dessa forma é possível conhecer os benefícios de servir a Deus: colher a alegria, a felicidade e a satisfação de seguir as amorosas regras de Deus para o seu próprio bem, adorá-lO e Lhe agradecer por tudo, como um filho agradecido do Pai celestial, que nEle crê, tem fé, confia nEle, na Sua Palavra e obedece a ela para o seu próprio benefício e para a glória de Deus.

Quando a pessoa escolhe se rebelar contra Deus e seguir seu próprio caminho, sofre as consequências da rebeldia às leis de Amor de Deus, o que resulta em miséria, sofrimento, desumanidade do homem para com seu semelhante, crueldade, atrocidades, guerras, males econômicos, angústia, e morte.

Deus está interessado nas nossas decisões. Importa‑Lhe ver que, se nos for concedida a grande honra de escolher, vamos fazer as escolhas acertadas. Claro que Ele fica triste quando escolhemos mal. Foi por isso que Ele nos pôs aqui e temos de aprender a tomar as decisões certas. Por isso, Ele nos deu a oportunidade de fazer como bem entendemos, com o livre arbítrio, para Ele ver nossas escolhas. — D. Brandt Berg

Moldados à Sua imagem

Estamos sendo moldados à imagem dEle. Graças a Deus, mesmo que às vezes seja doloroso, Deus sempre estraçalha as imagens que criamos de nós mesmos e dEle. A Encarnação é o maior exemplo. Ele não foi o Messias que aqueles que o esperavam imaginavam que Ele deveria ter sido. Tampouco é o Messias que esperávamos. Não é, absolutamente, o que imaginávamos que ele nos pediria. No entanto, Aquele que chorou a morte de Lázaro ao lado da sepultura e suou sangue no Getsêmani, pede para refletirmos em tudo isso. Ao vir como um bebê, Jesus nos ensina um significado do que é um ser humano maior que conseguimos entender. A Sua vinda como Deus silencia nossos questionamentos em relação a Deus, — com um rosto, uma mão e uma Cruz. Não podemos nos moldar na forma de ícones eternos, assim como não é possível criarmos, a partir de um punhado de barro, um deus que fala. Mas podemos ser moldados à imagem do Deus que vive quando somos moldados pelas mãos do Deus que enviou Jesus. — Jill Carattini

Deus é Pessoal

Possuímos os atributos de pessoas por sermos feitos à imagem de Deus. O que difere os seres humanos das demais criaturas na Terra é que fomos criados à Sua imagem e elas não. Como William Lane Craig explica: O homem é uma pessoa porque Deus é pessoal, e isso nos permite nos identificarmos com Deus.[3] O fato de Deus ser pessoal e possuir os atributos de pessoa não significa que seja humano, mas que nós, humanos, partilhamos dos atributos da pessoa de Deus.

Deus interage pessoalmente com a humanidade, como pode ser visto em toda a Bíblia. Ele Se relaciona com as pessoas. Fez acordos ou parcerias com elas — as chamadas “alianças”. Em toda a Bíblia vemos que Deus fala com as pessoas. São ações pessoais.

Em todo o Antigo Testamento fica claro que Deus estava pessoal e ativamente envolvido com Seu povo.[4] O Livro de Gênesis mostra Deus interagindo de forma pessoal com Suas criaturas em muitas situações, tais como na criação do mundo, em Suas ações e conversas com Adão e Eva, nos acordos pessoais que fez com Noé, Abraão, Isaque e Jacó. Ele continuou Se manifestando em Seus entendimentos pessoais com Moisés e com os filhos de Israel.

A Palavra de Deus atribui emoções a Deus: amor, ódio, ira, arrependimento, tristeza, compaixão, indignação, repugnância, paciência, longanimidade, alegria e outros sentimentos. Essas emoções são atributos da pessoa.[5]

Quando Moisés perguntou, Deus falou Seu nome: — Javé, EU SOU. Ter um nome e comunicá-lo a outrem é um ato pessoal. Ele também possui títulos que O caracterizam como pessoa, tais como: Pai, Juiz, Pastor ou Marido.[6]

Nada mostrou que Deus é pessoal tão claramente quanto Ele Se revelar em Jesus. Jesus era Deus em forma humana e pessoal em todas as formas e em todos os Seus atos, a ponto de, pessoalmente, morrer para que pudéssemos receber a salvação.

Os nosso Deus não é um ser distante e desinteressado. Ele é um Deus pessoal, que tem um relacionamento com Sua criação. Manifestou-Se a nós pela Sua Palavra. Revelou parte de Sua essência. Tem interesse pessoal em nós e, pela salvação, criou uma forma para vivermos com Ele para sempre. Ao acreditarmos em Jesus, Deus Filho, tornamo-nos filhos de Deus, o que nos permite tocá-lO pessoalmente, nos comunicarmos com Ele, ouvir Sua voz e com Ele compartilharmos nossos corações. Ele comunga conosco, vive conosco e nos ama. Comungamos com Ele, vivemos com Ele e O amamos. Temos um relacionamento pessoal com o Deus Pessoal. E isso é incrivelmente maravilhoso! — Peter Amsterdam

Footnotes:
[1] The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002).
[2] Gênesis 1:27.
[3] William Lane Craig, The Doctrine of God, Part 4. “Defenders” Lecture Series.
[4] Ver Salmos 78, 105, 106, 136.
[5] The Oberlin Evangelist. 9 de outubro de 1839. Professor Finney’s Lectures. Lecture XVIII, Affections and Emotions of God.
[6] Pai: Eu serei para vós Pai, e vós sereis para mim filhos e filhas, diz o Senhor Todo-poderoso. (2 Coríntios 6:18). Juiz: O Senhor é o nosso juiz, o Senhor é o nosso legislador, o Senhor é o nosso rei; é ele quem nos salva (Isaías 33:22). Pastor: O Senhor é o meu pastor; nada me faltará (Salmo 23:1).Marido: O teu Criador é o teu marido — o Senhor dos Exércitos é o seu nome — o Santo de Israel é o teu Redentor; ele será chamado o Deus de toda a terra (Isaías 54:5).

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The Wider Life: Chapter 12 - Being a Comfort to Others

By J.R. Miller
Just after the death of Queen Victoria, this beautiful story was told: She was visiting the wounded soldiers who had been brought back from South Africa. She was specially distressed by the suffering of one man who had been terribly hurt. "Is there nothing that I can do for you?" asked the Queen. The soldier replied, "Nothing, your Majesty, unless you would thank my nurse for her great kindness to me."

The Queen turned to the nurse, and said, with tears in her eyes, "I do thank you with all my heart, for your kindness to this poor wounded son of mine."

There was something exquisitely beautiful in the soldier's unselfish thought of the nurse who had been such a comfort to him in his sufferings. His gratitude was so great, that he sought even the Queen's honoring for her--rather than for himself.

There is a beautiful charm in such self-forgetfulness as this, such entire elimination of one's self, in thinking of others. There are those who reach this rare beauty of spirit. There are mothers who live for their children so utterly--that they seek only their good, their happiness, never asking anything for themselves, never sparing themselves any cost or sacrifice--to serve them. There is in many a home an unmarried sister who devotes herself to the comfort and good of the other members of her household with complete unselfishness, ministering to them in countless ways, with never a thought of rest, ease, or advantage for herself. Then, outside the circle of home, where we seem to have no right to expect service of love, there are those who live to do good, to give cheer, to be a comfort to others.

There really is no higher attainment in life--than that of being a blessing to others in one's own place. Every noble-spirited young person is ambitious to live well and helpfully, to do something worth while. But not all the really heroic things bring fame in this world. One may be a hero in God's sight--and yet never hear a hurrah from any human lips.

When the country needed defenders, one boy entered the service, fought bravely, rose to honor, and returned, when the war was over, with high rank. He was greeted as a hero. His younger brother had stayed at home caring for his widowed mother and the little children--only a common farmer, without fame. But with God he was no less a hero than the other.

Then, it is not only what we DO--but even more what we ARE, that makes our lives count in their helpfulness and their capacity for giving pleasure to others. Some people are full of activity, even of eager helpfulness, and yet they are not always a comfort to their fellows. They have faults which mar the charm and the influence of their personality; they have 'dead flies in their ointment' which send forth a foul odor. They are not sweet, they lack humility, they are not really unselfish. People do not go to them with their perplexities and sorrows--there is in them something which hinders the outflow of confidence. One said, speaking of another, "He is one of the best men in the world, and is always offering his help--but somehow I could never go to him with my questions or with a sorrow." There is something in certain people's religion, which mars its beauty. If we would be a comfort to others, our lives must be rich in lovingness. A mother said of her daughter, "She makes a beautiful climate for me!" That is what we should make for the people who live near to us.

In one of his epistles, Paul speaks of certain of his friends as "men that have been a comfort unto me." He was in prison, and in his loneliness these men had cheered and strengthened him. They had been kind to him, and their kindness had comforted him.

He mentions by name three men who had specially helped him in this way. The first was Aristarchus, whom he calls "my fellow-prisoner." Perhaps he voluntarily stayed with the old minister in prison. No doubt he showed his love in many ways. Someone has defined a friend as "the person who comes in--when all the world has gone out." That is what Aristarchus had been to Paul.

Another who had been a comfort to him was Mark. We are glad to have Paul write this, for many years before Mark had failed him, and the apostle would not trust him again. It is pleasant to know that Mark lived long enough and well enough--to win again his old friend's confidence and affection.

There is another name in this list of honor, "Jesus who is called Justus." Not a hint is given of the way he had been a comfort to the apostle. Perhaps he had just been kind to him, doing nothing that could be written down--and yet no doubt his life was full of little gentle ministries that helped Paul more bravely and cheerfully to endure his chains. At least this man had been his friend, and just being a friend when one needs friends--is something gloriously worth while. Someone has said, "The greatest thing that a man can do for his Heavenly Father--is to be kind to some of the Father's other children."

The friends that Paul names were a comfort to him, because they sympathized with him with a sympathy that was not obtrusive, not officious, not always reminding him of his chain and prison--but that manifested itself in quiet, unostentatious, inspiring ways. The word comfort is from a root-word which means to strengthen. It is like our noun cordial, in its old sense, something that invigorates, exhilarates; something that stimulates the circulation, making the pulses quicker, the life fuller. Paul's friends were a cordial to him, not lessening his sufferings nor lightening his burdens--but making him braver and stronger for endurance. They were a comfort to him.

Paul himself was a wonderful example of a man who was a comfort to others. What his life, with its rich fullness and its genius for friendship, must have been to those who came into personal companionship with him! What a privilege it was to his fellow-craftsmen to have him working with them at their tent-making! His presence must have made the work seem lighter and the atmosphere of the shop brighter. We do not begin to realize what it means to us--to live with certain people, to have them for friends, to drink from the fullness of their life.

One wrote of Phillips Brooks, after his death: "We did not know how much of God was walking with us!" Just so, men did not know how much of God was walking with them--when they had Paul for their companion, friend, teacher. The more closely we study his life and his words--the more do we find in him and in his teachings of love, of the delicate refinements of love, of all gentleness and kindness. The thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians is as matchless as a picture. It is like a dream in its beauty. But it was a dream which was realized in the writer's own life. "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged." Some people praise this wonderful picture of love--but do not think of living it. What a comfort we would be to each other--if we really lived in all our common days, the teaching of this great chapter!

Some people have love in their hearts, while in disposition, in speech, in expression, they lack lovingness. Paul teaches us not only to have a kindly heart--but a gracious manner. In his epistles he exhorts to the rarest delicacy of courtesy. Perhaps we do not give sufficient emphasis to this phase of Christian culture. We condemn lying, as well we may--but we forget that rudeness is a sin, too--as are also thoughtlessness, discourtesy, censoriousness, sharpness in speech or tone. Paul names "whatever things are lovely" among the ideal qualities of Christian character. Our religion should be beautiful, winning. We are to please others for their good, to edification.

Those who live thus gently, thoughtfully, beautifully--will always be a comfort to others with whom they live. A pastor was commending religion to a boy, expressing the hope that he would give his heart to God in his youth. "Religion is a continual joy," he said. "Look at your sister, Sarah. How much that dear girl enjoys her religion!" "Yes," drawled the boy, with frank candor, "She may enjoy her religion--but nobody else in the house enjoys it!" The boy's judgment may have been harsh and unjust--but there are professing Christians of whom it is true--that their families do not enjoy their religion! It is not sweet. It is not a comfort to people. It is critical, irritating, censorious, exacting. It was a serious condemnation of this girl's religion--that her family did not enjoy it.

A close observer has said that "Many a sister spoils her testimony in the church--by her tongue in the kitchen!" Another has said, "There are people who lead us heavenward--but stick pins in us all the way!" In a conversation overheard on a railway train, one reports catching this fragment of talk: "Yes, I suppose she's good--I know she is. But she isn't pleasant to live with." A goodness that isn't pleasant to live with--is not the kind that is most needed in this world. We may do all our duties faithfully, conscientiously, bearing our share of the burdens and cares--and yet if we are not pleasant to live with, we fail in the most essential quality of love. An unlovely spirit, frowns and chilling looks, sharp, impatient words--outweigh the eager, painstaking service that does so much to help in practical ways. What the person IS--mars the value of what he DOES.

After all, "being pleasant to live with" is one of the final tests of Christlikeness in life. You are careful never to fail to do all the little things of duty. Your friends can never say that you are inattentive to them, that you leave undone the kindly deeds of neighborliness or even brotherliness. But if, meanwhile, you are not pleasant to live with--is there not something lacking? The ideal pious life--is one that is a comfort to others--as well as a help. It is gracious and winning in its spirit. It is a blessing to all it touches. It makes one a comfort, not only in his own home, where even his dog has a more pleasant life, because the master is a "Jesus Christian," but also in his church, among his neighbors, in the office or shop where he works. Then, withal, it makes him pleasant to live with.

This word of Paul's, really tests the Christian life of everyone of us. Are we a comfort to people? Are the boys and girls a comfort to their mothers and fathers? or do they vex them, fret them, keep them awake at night with anxiety? Are husbands and wives, a real comfort to each other? Are we a comfort to our neighbors, kindly, thoughtful, obliging, ready always to be helpful and gracious?

It has been named as the mark of a gentleman--that he never gives pain to another. An English poet called Jesus "the truest gentleman who ever breathed." He never gave pain to anyone. Love characterized him in all circumstances and experiences. Even when he was being betrayed, he was still the refined gentleman. When he was being nailed to the cross--he prayed for his executioners. Love never failed in him. He was always a comfort to others.

We as Christ's followers should be so full of his spirit, have our lives so permeated with his grace, love, and meekness, that we shall be a comfort to all men, and, above all, shall be a comfort to God!

Back to J.R. Miller index. SAVE ON 'J.R. MILLER' BOOKS

See Also:
Chapter 1 - The Wider Life
Chapter 2 - Visions and Dreams
Chapter 3 - Loyalty to Christ
Chapter 4 - God in our Common Life
Chapter 5 - The Things That Are above
Chapter 6 - The Inner and the Outer Life
Chapter 7 - The Print of the Nails
Chapter 8 - Influence
Chapter 9 - Is God Always Kind?
Chapter 10 - Peril in Life's Changes
Chapter 11 - Helping by Prayer
Chapter 12 - Being a Comfort to Others
Chapter 13 - Nevertheless Afterward
Chapter 14 - The School of Life
Chapter 15 - Words of Life
Chapter 16 - Presenting Men Perfect
Chapter 17 - As I Have Loved You
Chapter 18 - The Beauty of Christ
Chapter 19 - The Law of Sacrifice
Chapter 20 - Learning to Pray

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Mountain Men

http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/mountain-men/
Introduction by Peter Amsterdam

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In the symbolic language of spending time on the mountain, David presents four principles which apply to our spiritual life, but can, in many ways, be applied to our practical life as well.

1. The principle of being alone with God, in prayer and meditation, getting quiet and allowing Him to communicate with you. The symbolism of being able to see the light much longer on the mountain than when dwelling in the valley. The personal cost to taking that time, the effort necessary, symbolized by the cold and wind on the mountain, but also the payoff, the things you hear and see during your mountain times with God which thrill you.

2. The principle of retreat from the hustle and bustle of life, as symbolized by the valley. The importance of not becoming overly encumbered by life’s activities, to where you forget your mountain time, your time with God, your time of refreshment and reinvigoration in the spirit.

3. The principle of perseverance in following your dream, or your calling, or anything you feel that God has shown you is worth doing.—Realizing the cost of scaling the mountain of your dreams, the sacrifices one must often make in reaching those goals, the personal cost, but also the rewards of fighting through to accomplish them.

4. The principle of the pioneer. Having a vision to do something new, faith to believe it can be done, initiative to go ahead and try it, and the courage, the stamina, and commitment in order to bring it to fruition.

Throughout history, important things have happened on physical mountains. Important things can happen in your history if you learn the principles of spending time on the mountain in spirit. Be a mountain man!

*
Mountain Men
By D. Brandt Berg

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Mountain peaks are never crowded. I climbed many mountains and I was almost always alone. Why?
It’s hard work.
Not many people desire to climb mountains.
It’s lonesome.
You have to forsake all to do it.
It’s apt to cost your life.
Lots of scratches and bumps.

Long after the valley was in darkness, I could still see the sun. There is more light on the mountain. The valley is full of people and things, but usually in darkness. The mountain is windy and cold, but thrilling.

You have to have the feeling that it’s really worth dying for! Any mountain—the mountain of this life, the mountain of accomplishments, the mountain of obstacles, of difficulty—if you’re going to climb them, they have to be worth dying for, to brave the wind and cold and storm, symbolic of adversities.

But on the mount alone, you feel so close to the Lord. The voice of His Spirit there is so loud, it’s almost like it’s thundering! The voice of the multitude is so loud in the valley, you can’t hear the voice of God. The silence on the mountain peak is deafening! You get a real “high” on top of a mountain! It’s a thrill! It’s almost terrifying!

Only pioneers climb mountains—people who want to do something that no one ever did before, people who want to get above the multitude, beyond what has already been done and accomplished. Pioneers must have vision—to see what no one else can see; faith—to believe things that no one else believes; initiative—to be the first one to try it; courage—the guts to see it through!

On the mountain, you’re the first to see the sun rise and the last to see it set. You see the full circle of God’s glorious creation. You see the world in its proper perspective with range after range to be conquered and a world beyond the horizon of normal men. You see distant peaks yet to be climbed. You see distant valleys yet to be crossed. You see things that the men in the valleys can never see—can’t even comprehend, because they can’t see it! You can see the 360-degree circumference of the total horizon. It’s like seeing all of life from its beginning to its end, and understanding. You feel like you’re living in eternity.

The valley land is man’s country; the highlands are God’s country. Man dominates the valley. Only God dominates the mountain, and the men living on the mountains know this. Those on the mountains live so close to God and the things which are frightening and terrible and dangerous that they have to live close to God.

There aren’t many places to live on the mountain—little rugged shelters and lean-tos. There’s not much to eat, it’s cold and windy, but it’s a thrill even to die there. It’s better to die on the mountain than to live in the valley. Whoever read in the newspaper about the man who slipped and fell on the city street? But the man who dies on the mountain, even in far-off Switzerland, you’ll read about it, because at least he dared to try.

Beaten paths are for beaten men, but mountain peaks are for the mighty. Mountain peaks are for the mighty pioneers.

You never hear about the people who wait to see if it can be done. You only hear about the people who either made it or died trying. You never hear about those fancy tourists down on the ski slope somewhere. You just hear about the people who either made it or tried. But when you make it, the mouth of God will be opened unto you. He’ll speak to you face to face and will teach and reveal to you the greatest of His secrets.

The greatest laws ever given to man, whereby most of the civilized world is still ruled, were given to one man alone on a mountain.1 The greatest sermon ever preached was given to a handful of mountain men by the greatest mountaineer of all, who finally climbed His last mountain—mount Calvary, Golgotha—and died alone for the sins of the world.2 That was a mountain that only He could climb for you and me, but He made it!

So what do you hear on the mountain? You hear things that are going to echo around the world. What do you hear in the stillness? Whispers that are going to change the course of history.

Eight people came down from one mountain—Noah and his family from the Ark on Mount Ararat—and they were never the same, and the world was never the same.3 One man, Moses, came down from a mountain and a whole nation was never the same, and they changed the world. And Jesus and His disciples came down from this mountain and changed the world! They were never the same.

Are you a mountain man?

Originally published December 1969. Excerpted and republished November 2010.
Read by Peter Amsterdam.

Footnotes:
1 Exodus 24:12.
2 Matthew chapters 5–7, 27:33–35.
3 Genesis 8:1–17.

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