Category: Devotionals

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

‘THE ROAR OF THE DRAGON’ AND NOT THE VOICE OF THE GENTLE SHEPHERD

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

‘THE ROAR OF THE DRAGON’ AND NOT THE VOICE OF THE GENTLE SHEPHERD

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12:17, KJV

“The [Waldensian] messenger of truth went on his way [after sharing the precious truth with those hungering and thirsting for it]; but his appearance of humility, sincerity, his earnestness and deep fervor, were subjects of frequent remark. In many instances his hearers has not asked him whence he came and whither he went. They had been so overwhelmed, at first with surprise, and afterward with gratitude and joy, that they had not thought to question him. When they had urged him to accompany them to their homes, he replied that he must visit ‘the lost sheep of the flock.’

“In many cases the messenger of truth was seen no more. He had made his way to other lands, or he was WEARING OUT HIS LIFE in some unknown dungeon, or perhaps HIS BONES WERE WHITENING on the spot where he had witnessed [testified] for the truth But the WORDS HE HAD LEFT BEHIND COULD NOT BE DESTROYED. They were doing their work in the HEARTS of men; THE BLESSED RESULTS WILL BE FULLY KNOWN ONLY IN THE JUDGMENT.

“The Waldensian missionaries were invading the KINGDOM OF SATAN [on earth], and the powers of darkness aroused to greater vigilance. Every effort to advance the truth was watched by the prince of evil [especially now!], and he excited the fears of his agents. The PAPAL LEADERS saw a portent of danger to their cause from the labors of these humble itinerants. If the light of truth were allowed to shine unobstructed, it would sweep away the HEAVY CLOUDS OF ERROR that enveloped the people; it would direct the minds of the minds of men to GOD ALONE, and would eventually DESTROY THE SUPREMACY OF ROME…..

“When Rome determined to exterminate the hated sect, a BULL was issued by the Pope, condemning them as HERETICS, and delivering them to SLAUGHTER. (see appendix on this page of the book). They were NOT accused as idlers, or dishonest, or disorderly; but it was declared that they had the APPEARANCE of piety and sanctity that SEDUCED ‘THE SHEEP OF THE TRUE FOLD.’ Therefor the Pope ordered ‘that malicious and abominable sect of malignants,’ if they ‘refuse to abjure, to be crushed like venomous snakes.’ (Wylie, b.16, ch.1).

“Did this haughty potentate expect to meet those words again? Did he know they were registered in the books of heaven, to CONFRONT him at the judgment? [Matt. 25:40 quoted].

“This bull called upon all members of the church (of Rome) to join the CRUSADE [Islamic counterpart is jihad] against the heretics. As an INCENTIVE to engage in this cruel work, it ‘absolved from all ecclesiastical pains and penalties, general or particular; it released all who joined the crusade from ANY OATHS they might taken; it LEGITIMIZED their title to any property that they might have ILLEGALLY acquired; and promised REMISSION OF ALL THEIR SINS to such as should KILL any heretic. If ANNULLED all contracts made in favor of Vaudois (Waldenses), ordered their domestics [servants, employees] to ABANDON them, FORBADE all persons to give them any aid whatever, and EMPOWERED all persons to take possession of their property.’ (Ibid)

“This document clearly reveals the masterful spirit BEHIND the scenes. It is the ROAR OF THE DRAGON, AND NOT THE VOICE OF CHRIST, that is heard therein.” – ‘Great Controversy,’ 1911 ed., E. G. White, pp. 75,76,77. Pacific Press Publishing Asso., Mt. View, CA.

Soon God’s last-day “Waldenses” will hear the voice of the “beast with lamb-like horns” “speaking like a dragon” (Rev. 13:11-17). Are they prepared? God bless all, NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

SATAN’S ENMITY AGAINST CHRIST DEMONSTRATED BY ROME’S HATRED FOR THE WALDENSIAN CHRISTIANS.

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

SATAN’S ENMITY AGAINST CHRIST DEMONSTRATED BY ROME’S HATRED FOR THE WALDENSIAN CHRISTIANS.

Jesus told His disciples these words of immortal truth: “If the world hate you, you know it hated Me before it hated you…..Remember the word that I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will ALSO persecute you.” John 15: 18, 20, KJV. – FF 128-129: “In fact, amid the license of the Middle [and Dark] Ages, ASCETIC VIRTUE was apt to be recognized as a SiGN OF HERESY-“ ‘History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, H. C. Lea, Vol. 1, p. 87, NY, Harper & Bros. 1888.

Professor Philippus van Limborch writes:

‘It was the entire study and endeavor of the POPES, to crush, in its infancy, any doctrine that in any way opposed their EXORBITANT power. In the year 1163, at the Synod of Tours, all the bishops and priests in the country of Tholouse, were commanded to ‘take care, and to forbid, under the pain of excommunication, every person presuming to give RECEPTION, or the least assistance to the followers of this heresy, which first began in the country of Tholouse, wherever they shall be discovered. Neither were they to have any dealings with them in BUYING OR SELLING [fast forward to Rev. 13:15-17]; that by being thus DEPRIVED of the common assistances of life, they might be COMPELLED to repent of the evil of their way.

Whoever shall DARE to contravene this order, let them be excommunicated, as a PARTNER with them in their guilt. As many as them as could be found, let them be imprisoned by the CATHOLIC PRINCES, and punished with the forfeiture of all their substance.’

‘Some of the Waldenses, coming into the neighboring kingdom of Arragon, king Ildefonsus, in the year 1194, put forth, against them, A VERY SEVERE AND BLOODY EDICT, by which he ‘banished them from his kingdom, and all his dominions, as ‘enemies of the cross of Christ [!], profaners of the CHRISTIAN RELIGION [not all Christians are true Christians], and PUBLIC ENEMIES to himself and his kingdom.’

He adds: ‘If any, from this day forwards, shall presume to receive in their houses, the aforesaid WALDENSES and INZABBATATI, or other heretics, of whatever profession they be, or to hear, in any place, their ABOMINABLE PREACHINGS, or to give them food, or to do them any kind office whatsoever; let him know, that he shall incur the indignation of Almighty God [the god of this world, not the God of heaven!] and ours [so they admit they have ‘other gods.’]; then he shall forfeit all his goods, without the benefit of appeal, and be punished as though guilty of high treason.’ ‘ — ‘History of the Inquisition,’ pp. 88, 89. London. 1816.” – C. Edwardson, Facts of Faith, pp. 128, 129.

In stark contradiction, Jesus taught His followers and disciples that in His kingdom of grace and righteousness on earth, its subjects would “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and PERSECUTE you”(Matt. 5:44). And so did Paul in Rom. 12: 19-21.
Indeed “by their fruits you shall know them!” God bless all, NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

WALDENSIAN CHILDREN WERE ‘TRAINED UP IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO’ BY GODLY PARENTS

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

WALDENSIAN CHILDREN WERE ‘TRAINED UP IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO’ BY GODLY PARENTS

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that FROM A CHILD [from childhood] thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 3: 13, 14, KJV.

The young moral heroes of the Bible represented by Joseph, Daniel and his three friends, etc. were not “overnight sensations” but were moral heroes in the making through the faithful parenting of their godly parents by precept and example. The “bountiful harvest” of their parents’ wise and faithful “sowing” that took place in distant lands where their children were totally denied the safety and comfort of godly surroundings, yet stood unflinchingly true and uncompromising even in the face of terrible death. They were the lights of truth in the midst of gross and appalling darkness in the citadels of heathenism and paganism in the ancient world. So were the Waldensian children in the beginning of the Dark Ages during the Christian Era.

“While the Waldenses regarded the feat of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, they were not blind to the importance of contact with the world, a knowledge of men of active life, in expanding the mind and quickening the perceptions.

“From their schools in the mountains some of the youth were sent to institutions of learning in the cities of France or Italy, where it was a more extended field of study, thought, and observation than in their native Alps.

“The youth thus sent forth were exposed to temptation, they witnessed vice, they encountered Satan’s wily agents, who urged upon them the MOST SUBTLE heresies and the MOST DANGEROUS deceptions.

“But their education FROM CHILDHOOD had been of a character to PREPARE them for all this. In the schools where they went, they were not to make confidants of any. Their GARMENTS were so prepared as to conceal their GREATEST TREASURE—the precious MANUSCRIPTS of the Scriptures. These, the FRUIT of months and years of toil, they carried with them, and whenever they could do so without exciting suspicion, they cautiously placed some portion in the way of those whose hearts seemed open to receive the truth.

“From their MOTHER’S KNEE the Waldensian youth had been trained for this purpose in view; they [particularly mothers] understood their work and faithfully performed it. Converts to the true faith [of Jesus, the religion of the Bible] in these institutions of learning and frequently its principles were found to be permeating the entire school; yet the PAPAL LEADERS, could not, by the closest inquiry, trace the so-called ‘corrupting heresy’ to its source.” – Great Controversy, 1911 ed., E. G. White, pp. 69, 70. Pacific Press Publishing Asso., Mt View, CA.

No wonder the same author says that there is a great need “for old-fashioned mothers and fathers in spiritual Israel.” Both men and God have been asking the question, Where can they can be found? They are “more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir! Bless all, NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

CHRIST’S LIGHTS SHINES IN AND THROUGH THE DARKEST PART OF THE NIGHT

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

CHRIST’S LIGHTS SHINES IN AND THROUGH THE DARKEST PART OF THE NIGHT

Jesus, Himself the LIGHT OF LIFE OF THE WORLD, in His Sermon in the mount, told the multitudes and His first disciples as He defined and described the nature of the kingdom He had incarnated into in order to establish on earth:

“Ye are [going to be] the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A CITY set on a hill cannot be hid…..Let YOUR LIGHT so shine before men, that they may see YOUR GOOD WORKS and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5: 14,16, K.J.V.

The multitudes and first disciples did not yet fully comprehend what being “light of the world” and what it’s “good works” meant. The “eye” of their minds (just like Paul before his conversion) were still enveloped with the thick “scales” of tradition, doctrinal misinterpretations of the Messiah and His kingdom, and personal temporal ambitions. But they were attracted to this simple Man from Galilee.

After Christ left for heaven, and the first disciples conducted their gospel commission within the first century of the newborn Christian church clothed in its original apostolic purity, the period soon began when and where their special calling and roles, following and patterned after that of Christ’s, as His “lights of the world” with their “good works,” would be understood by fiery experience, learning in “terrible lessons in righteousness.” This is what we are covering in the life and times of the Waldenses, etc., and onward. Thus we continue:

“Ignorance and superstition generated VICE of the basest sort, and brought the Christian world into the DARKNESS OF THE DARK AGES, which made the Reformation of the sixteenth century absolutely necessary. [We will cover this subject as opportunity presents itself].”

“And as ‘the darkest of the night is just before dawn,’ so the TWELFTH TO THE SIXTEENTH CENTURIES where the darkest in the Christian Era [CE]. For a time, however, there were still a FEW LIGHTS SHINING in the religious horizon, shedding their MILD GOSPEL LIGHT INTO THE DENSE DARKNESS. But when these were extinguished, the darkness became well nigh complete!

“The Celtic Church of Scotland and Ireland had sent their missionaries with and open Bible into almost every country in EUROPE. The gospel lamp in Scotland was EXTINGUISHED in 1069; that of Ireland in 1172; that of the ancient Albigenses in 1229; the Assyrian lamp of the East was extinguished at Malabar, India, by the INQUISITION in 1560; and the Waldensian lamp, that had been SHINING THE LONGEST, and had sent its MILD RAYS over EUROPE for centuries, was extinguished in 1686.

“The history of these [original, genuinely apostolical] evangelical churches during this dark period is very interesting and has MANY VALUABLE LESSONS for our day.

“The Waldenses and Albigenses were QUIET AND INDUSTRIOUS people, and followed the BIBLE STANDARD OF MORALITY, which actually CAUSED THEIR PERSECUTION! [Note]:

“But their crowning offense was their love and reverence for the Scripture, and their burning zeal in making converts. The INQUISITOR of Passau informs us that they had translations of whole Bible in the vulgar [common] tongue [language; dialect], which the [Romish] Church vainly sought to suppress, and which they studied with INCREDIBLE ASSIDUITY……
Many of them had THE WHOLE NEW TESTAMENT BY HEART…..
Surely if there ever was a GOD-FEARING PEOPLE it was these UNFORTUNATES [the typical scorn and hatred of the unrighteous towards the righteous, beginning with Cain towards his brother Abel] under the BAN OF THE CHURCH AND STATE [Precisely what the First Amendment stipulates]…..
The Inquisitors [not the messengers and prophets of God] declared that the SIGN of a Vaudois [Waldenses], DEEMED WORTHY OF DEATH, was that he FOLLOWED CHRIST AND SOUGHT TO OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.’ – ‘History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages,’ H. C. Lea, Vol. I, pp. 86, 87. NY: Harper Bros., 188&.” – Facts of Faith, Christian Edwardson, pp. 127, 128. Southern Publishing Asso., (Rev.) 1842.

Of such mold in the furnace of affliction and tribulation will be the genuine Christians of these last days till earth’s probation closes. These precious souls provide me hope, courage, and determination to keep my conscience free of offense towards God and to carry on, all by His empowering grace, until He shutters the windows and closes the curtains for the long night. Bless all, NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

ROME’S HATRED IS NOT AGAINST SIN BUT AGAINST THE SABBATH AND SABBATH-KEEPERS, AS THE WALDENSES WERE

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

ROME’S HATRED IS NOT AGAINST SIN BUT AGAINST THE SABBATH AND SABBATH-KEEPERS, AS THE WALDENSES WERE

“We have seen that the ancient apostolic church, scattered by persecution, and often in hiding, went under various names. Being peaceful, virtuous, industrious citizens, they were TOLERATED and even SHIELDED, by princes who understood their value to the country, while the Catholic Church HUNTED them down like wild beasts. After the Waldenses and Albigenses had lived quietly in France for many years, POPE INNOCENT III wrote the following instructions to his bishops:

‘Therefore by this present apostolical writing [?] we give you a STRICT COMMAND that, by WHATEVER means you can, you DESTROY all these heresies and EXPEL from your diocese all who are polluted with them. You shall exercise the RIGOR OE ECCLESIASTICAL POWER against them and all those who have made themselves suspected by ASSOCIATING with them. They may NOT appeal to your judgment, and if necessary, you may cause the princes [civil powers] and the people to SUPPRESS THEM WITH THE SWORD.’ – ‘A Source Book for Medieval History,’ Oliver J. Thatcher and E. H. McNeal, p. 210. NY Charles’ Scribner’s Sons: 1905.

“Philippus van Lindorch, Professor of Divinity of Amsterdam, speaking of the way the LIBERTY of the people was suppressed after 1050, says:

‘In the following ages the affairs of the church [of Rome] under the government of the Popes [the papacy] and all persons so strictly curbed by the SEVERITY of the laws, that they durst [dared] not even so much as WHISPER against the received opinions of the church. Besides this, so deep was the IGNORANCE that had spread itself over the WORLD, that men, without the least regard to KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING, received with a BLIND obedience everything that the ecclesiastics ordered them, HOWEVER STUPID OR SUPERSTITIOUS, WITHOUT ANY EXAMINATION; and anyone dared to the least to contradict them, he was sure immediately to be punished, whereby the most ABSURD opinions came to be established by the VIOLENCE OF THE POPES.’ – ‘History of the Inquisition.’p.79. London 1816.” – ‘Facts of Faith,’ Christian Edwardson, pp. 126, 127.

“There is nothing new under the sun. What has been that shall be.” Learn from history and be prepared for the future. Bless all, NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

THE WALDENSES, THEIR ‘SABBATIC’ NAMES, AND THE PAPACY

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

THE WALDENSES, THEIR ‘SABBATIC’ NAMES, AND THE PAPACY

David Benedict, M.A., says:
‘Robinson gives an account of some of the Waldenses of the Alps, who were called SABATI, SABBATATI, INSABBATATI, but more frequently INSABBATATI. One says they were so named from the Hebrew word Sabbath, because they kept the Saturday for the Lord’s day. Another says they were so called because they rejected all the festivals.’- ‘General History of the Baptist Denomination,’ Vol. II, p. 413: 1813.

Dr. J.L. Mosheim says: ‘PASSAGINIANS (Waldenses) had the utmost AVERSION to the dominion and discipline of the Church of Rome ….and celebrated the Jewish Sabbath.’ – ‘Ecclesiastical History.’ (2-vol. edition), Cen. 2, Part 2, Chap. 5, Sec. 14, Vol. 1, p. 333. New York: Harper & Bros., 1871.

“The papal author Bonacursus, wrote against the ‘PASAGINI’[ Waldenses/Albigenses] ‘Not a few but many know what are the ERRORS of those who are called Pasagini [what errors?]. First, they teach that we should obey the law of Moses according for the letter—-the Sabbath and circumcision, and the legal precepts still being in force….Furthermore to INCREASE their error, they condemn and reject all the church Fathers, and whole Roman Church.’ – Quoted in ‘History of the Sabbath,’ J. N. Andrews, pp. 547, 548. 1912

It must be pointed out here that papal author Bonocorsus clearly calls his church as the Church OF ROME, not the church OF CHRIST. In his own mouth and by his scholarly pen he testifies, whether he was aware or not, that the Church of Rome or the Romish church, the Roman Catholic Church, is, and of Rome, not is and of Christ! It was Rome, at the behest of the Jewish people, in essence the union of church and state, the religious and the civil powers, who crucified the Lord of the Sabbath! God bless, NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

WALDENSIAN PARENTS ‘TRAINED UP’ THEIR CHILDREN ‘TO ENDURE HARDNESS AS A SOLDIER’

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

WALDENSIAN PARENTS ‘TRAINED UP’ THEIR CHILDREN ‘TO ENDURE HARDNESS AS A SOLDIER’

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. . . . Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth, entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” 2 TImothy 2: 1, 3. 4, KJV.

“Pure, simple, and fervent was these followers of Christ. The principles of truth they treasured ABOVE houses and lands, friends, kindred, even life itself. These principles they earnestly sought to impress upon the hearts [and the conscience] of the YOUNG.

“From EARLIEST CHILDHOOD the youth were instructed in the SCRIPTURES, and taught to regard SACREDLY the claims of the law of God. Copies of the Bible were RARE; therefore its precious words were COMMITTED TO MEMORY. Many were able to repeat LARGE PORTIONS of both the Old and New Testaments.

“Thoughts of God were associated alike with the SUBLIME scenery of nature [not the metropolitan glitter and glamor or Disneyland’s short-lived, spiritualistic fantasies, etc.] and the HUMBLE BLESSINGS of daily life. LITTLE CHILDREN learned to look with gratitude to God as the Giver of every favor and every comfort.

“Parents, TENDER AND AFFECTIONATE as they were, loved their children TOO WISELY to accustom them to SELF-INDULGENCE. [Why?] Before them [their real ‘future’] was a life of trial and hardship, perhaps a MARTYR’S death.

“They were educated from childhood to ENDURE HARDNESS, to submit to control [to genuine godly parents]. and yet to think and act FOR THEMSELVES. Very early they were taught to BEAR responsibilities, to be GUARDED in speech, and to understand the WISDOM OF SILENCE.[Reason?] One INDISCREET word let fall in the hearing of their enemies, might imperil not only the life of the speaker, but the lives of HUNDREDS of his brethren; for as wolves hunting their prey did the ENEMIES OF TRUTH pursue those who dared TO CLAIM FREEDOM OF RELIGIOUS FAITH.”- E. G. White, ‘The Great Controversy,’ 1911 ed.,p. 67.

Ask yourself, Am I an enemy of truth or an enemy of lies? There exists no “shared platforms” here for there are only two “Fathers,” the “father of darkness, “lies, and murderer from the beginning” and “the Father of lights [not lies], with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Thus there are only two kinds of spiritual children: “the children of light and obedience” and the “children of darkness and rebellion” against God’s law and authority. “Choose ye this day whom your ‘Father’ is!” Bless God’s humble family on earth, His household of faith. NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

THE SIMPLE AND PURE BIBLE-BASED FAITH OF THE WALDENSIAN CHRISTIANS

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

THE SIMPLE AND PURE BIBLE-BASED FAITH OF THE WALDENSIAN CHRISTIANS

“The Waldenses were among the first of the peoples of Europe to obtain a translation of the Holy Scriptures. Hundreds of years before the Reformation, they possessed the Bible in MANUSCRIPTS in their native tongue [dialect, language]. They had the TRUTH UNADULTERATED, and this renders them the special OBJECTS of hatred and persecution. [Here’s particularly why]

“They declared the Church of Rome [in contrast to the church of Christ] to be the apostate Babylon of the Apocalypse [Revelation], and at the peril of their lives they stood up to resist her corruptions.

“While, under the long-continued pressure of persecution, some compromised their faith, little by little yielding its DISTINCTIVE principles, others held fast the truth.

“Through ages of darkness and apostasy, there were Waldenses who DENIED THE SUPREMACY OF ROME, who rejected IMAGE WORSHIP as idolatry, and who kept the TRUE SABBATH. Under the fiercest tempests opposition they maintained their faith. [can this be also said of us today when the prophesied persecution hasn’t yet come?]. Though gashed with the Savoyard spear, and scorched by the Romish fagot, they stood UNFLINCHINGLY for God’s word and His honor.

“Behind the lofty bulwarks of the mountains,—-in all ages the refuge of the persecuted and oppressed—-the Waldenses found a hiding-place. Here the light of truth kept burning AMID THE DARKNESS OF THE MIDDLE AGES. Here for a THOUSAND YEARS, witnesses for the truth maintained the ANCIENT FAITH.

“God had provided for His people a SANCTUARY OF AWFUL GRANDEUR, befitting the MIGHTY TRUTHS committed to their trust. To those faithful exiles the mountains were an EMBLEM of the immutable RIGHTEOUSNESS of Jehovah. They pointed their CHILDREN to the heights towering above them in unchanging majesty, and spoke to them of Him ‘with whom there is no variablemess nor shadow of turning’[James 1:17], whose word is as ENDURING as the everlasting hills. God had set fast the mountains, and girded them with strength; no arm bug Infinite Power could move them out of their place.

“In LIKE MANNER He had established His law, the foundation of His GOVERNMENT IN HEAVEN and upon earth. The arm of man might reach his fellow-men and DESTROY THEIR LIVES; but that [mortal, finite] arm could as readily uproot the mountains from their foundations, and hurl them into the sea, as it COULD CHANGE one precept of the Law of Jehovah, or BLOT OUT His promises to those who DO HIS WILL. In their FIDELITY to His law, God’s servants should be AS FIRM as the unchanging hills.

“The mountains that girded their lowly were a constant witness to God’s CREATIVE power, and a never-failing ASSURANCE of His protecting care. These pilgrims learned to love the SILENT symbols of Jehovah’s presence. They indulged NO REPINING [complaining, grumbling] because of its hardships.of their lot. What a rebuke to Christians who are constantly complaining over little or even imagined, self-induced difficulties and problems!].

They were never lonely amid the mountain solitudes. [Instead] they THANKED God that He had provided for them an ASYLUM from the wrath and cruelty of men. THEY REJOICED IN THEIR FREEDOM TO WORSHIP BEFORE HIM. Often when pursued by their enemies, the strength of the hills proved a sure defense. From many a lofty cliff they CHANTED THE PRAISE OF GOD and the armies of Rome could not silence their SONGS OF THANKSGIVING.” Great Controversy, 1911 ed., pp. 65, 66.

During this pandemic, how many words of complaint, murmuring, accusations, lying versus word of praise, versus words and songs of praise and gratitude to God in Christ have been entered by our guardian angels into our books of record in heaven? Remember that “by our words we are either condemned or justified.” Ponder prayerfully, humbly, and thoroughly. God is mercifully righteous and just, NMF.