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A Pakistan high court has handed down a ruling based on Islamic “sharia” law that says men in Pakistan can marry underage girls as long as they have had their first menstrual cycle. 

International Christian Concern (ICC), a Christian persecution watchdog group, reports the ruling handed down by a two-judge panel is in direct opposition to the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act which forbids marriage below the age of 18.

The ruling came during the latest court hearing into the kidnapping, forced conversion and marriage of Huma Younus, a 14-year-old Christian girl.

As CBN News reported, Younus was kidnapped by three men from her home in Karachi last October. The men waited on her parents to leave the house before forcibly taking the young girl. She was reportedly taken to Dera Gazi Khan, a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan, more than 370 miles from her home. 

Since then, the girl’s parents have been doing everything they can to recover their daughter. 

Younus’ parents received documents from the abductors a few days after she was taken, including papers showing her alleged conversion to Islam and a marriage certificate. The girl’s mother Nagina said the papers are fake because the date on documents was the same as the day when her daughter was abducted.

In an effort to rescue their daughter, the family argued the marriage to a man named Jabbar was invalid under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act. The Christian couple supplied the court with baptismal and school documents proving Huma is 14, according to the ICC. She was born on May 22, 2005, the Independent Catholic News reports.

The law in question was passed almost six years ago in an effort to stop forced marriages to minors in the province. The practice is prevalent among Hindus and Christian girls, according to various media outlets. 

During the court hearing, judges Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Irshad Ali Shah ruled that the marriage between Huma and Jabbar is valid because she has already had her first period.

“Once again, justice has been defeated and, once again, our state has shown itself unable to treat Christians as Pakistani citizens,” Nagheena Younus, Huma’s mother, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Huma’s parents have vowed to take her case to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. 

“On February 3rd we went to the Sindh High Court but our little girl was not in the courtroom. If we do not get justice, we will address the case to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. We believe that the government and the judges are delaying the decision because our girl is 14 years old. They want to wait for her to turn 18 and then close the case,” she explained. 

Tabassum Yousaf, Younus’ lawyer, told the ACN they hoped the law could have been applied for the first time in Huma’s case.

“But evidently in Pakistan these laws are formulated and approved only to improve the image of the country in front of the international community, ask for development funds, and freely trade Pakistani products on the European market,” he said. 

Another hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 4. 

In an email to CBN News, ICC President Jeff King responded to the court’s ruling.

“Pakistan’s High Court decision to rule in favor of underage marriage is wrong on so many levels. In the last few years, the world has been awakened to the disastrous practice and effects of child marriage (child brides) through various organizations and brave female voices throughout the world,” King wrote. “I’ve yet to see these campaigners, though, touch on one aspect of the practice that allows Christians around the world to have their daughters kidnapped, often never to be seen again. That is the issue of forced marriage and forced conversion in Muslim countries.”

King explained that young Christian women are frequently targeted by Muslim men. 

“In the most fundamentalist Muslim countries (ie. Pakistan, Egypt, and others), where Christians are a minority, young Christian girls are routinely targeted by Muslim men,” he noted. “It usually starts with a young Christian girl being approached by a Muslim boy or man with a request to date or marry. If these requests are ignored, she will start to hear how she’s too pretty to be a Christian and other statements that represent a more dangerous level of harassment.”

The ICC president adds that the family usually knows the perpetrator. 

“Usually, and often tragically, the next step is that she will be kidnapped, drugged, beaten, and raped multiple times, and often the family knows who is responsible,” King continued. “In a fundamentalist, shame-based culture, the girl’s prospects for marriage, and a decent life, are permanently ruined. She is left feeling incredibly useless and ashamed. Then, she will be presented with an offer to save her dignity by being married to her rapist. If she refuses, she will be raped and beaten repeatedly.” 

King says Pakistani law enforcement officials are of little help to parents.

“When the parents inquire of the police and try to get them to do something, they will be presented with a statement from their daughter saying that she has become a Muslim,” he continued. “If the Christian parents continue to fight, they’re often slapped around and threatened with arrest. If the parents are especially brave, the daughter is often then dragged in front of them in a drugged state (with her torturer and rapist in the room) to say that she is a Muslim and doesn’t wish to come home – never making eye contact with her parents.”

King pointed out to CBN News that none of this is a rare occurrence, unfortunately.

“So it is with tremendous sadness that we receive the news that Pakistan’s High Court has allowed this practice to continue. Even more tragically, it means that for 14-year-old Huma, whose case the trial was based on, will not be returned to her parents and is probably lost to them forever,” he concluded.

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I am Daniel Whyte III, president of GLM Omnimedia Group, and this is Episode #86 of the “Get Things Done!” podcast. The simple purpose of this podcast is to help you get things done every day so that you can accomplish something worthwhile with your life. I am a firm believer that God has put each person on earth to do something great for His glory.

In this podcast, we are going through the book “Doing It Now” by Edwin C. Bliss. I had just finished speaking at a meeting in Philadelphia many years ago, and as I was walking through the airport, I picked up this little book and read it in its entirety. It is one of the best books that I have ever read on the subject of productivity, getting things done, and avoiding procrastination, and along with prayer and the power of God, it is one of the reasons why I have accomplished so much in my life. Today, I will continue sharing with you some of the principles that Edwin C. Bliss talks about in his book.

As we begin, let me give you this reminder from the Word of God. Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Our quote for today is from Olin Miller. He said: “If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.”

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 12 of Step 11: “Manage Your Time.”

And what does “spraying” mean?

The term is borrowed from Sydney J. Harris. In his book Winners and Losers, he says, “Winners focus; losers spray.”

Just as the gentle rays of the sun, when focused, can burn through steel plate, so moderate skills, when focused on a single task, can accomplish miracles. On the other hand, diversification of effort—spraying—guarantees squandering both skills and time.

Emerson used a tree as an analogy. He said: “As the gardener, by severe pruning, forces the sap of the tree into one or two vigorous limbs, so should you stop off your miscel- laneous activity and concentrate your force on one or a few points.” One way to accomplish this is to follow the advice of Emerson’s famous tenant, Henry David Thoreau: “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.”

Vince Lombardi was sometimes criticized for using a smaller repertoire of plays than most coaches, but he believed that even when working with top professional athletes it was better to focus on a relatively few plays, and master them completely, rather than to risk the “spraying” effect by having too many options available. “It’s difficult to be aggressive when confused,” he said.

You’ve occasionally been amazed at how much you ac- complished when an imminent deadline or a crisis forced you to stop “spraying” and to focus all of your energy and attention on a single activity. Force yourself to display that same singleness of purpose whenever you undertake any task, and you’ll amaze yourself every day!

Besides avoiding the tendency to “spray” you must also beware of the tendency to switch.

What do you mean by that?

Aside from concentration, you must also develop staying power. Even if you concentrate, if you don’t do it long enough—if you continually switch from one thing to another—you will be ineffective. You must develop what has been called the “compulsion to closure.”

Lord willing, we will continue this discussion in our next podcast.

– – – – – – – – –

Now, let’s pray our prayer together —

Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare Thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore Thou those who are penitent; According to Thy promises declared unto mankind In Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

Now, the greatest secret to getting things done with your life for the glory of God is to have the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. When you have Jesus in your life, you can say with Paul in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, here’s how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

God bless you, and remember: if you have something to do, there is no better time to do it than now.

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Welcome to the Prayer Motivator Devotional Broadcast #768. This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. The simple purpose of this podcast is to encourage you, exhort you, and motivate you to Just Pray. This podcast is not necessarily for people who already know the secret and power of prayer and who actually practice genuine prayer on a regular basis, rather it is for those who may find it difficult to pray or for people who claim they do not have time to pray. I am convinced that most Christian people do not need to learn how to pray; they need to Just Pray! If I can get you to just pray, all sorts of wonderful things will begin to happen for you, your family, and whatever God has called you to do. We do not pray based upon our subjective feelings, we pray based upon objective facts in the Word of God.

Our prayer motivator passage from the Word of God today is Matthew 6:10 which reads: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this passage from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

3. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. We pray that God’s kingdom being come, we and others may be brought into obedience to all the laws and ordinances of it. By this let it appear that Christ’s kingdom is come, let God’s will be done; and by this let is appear that it is come as a kingdom of heaven, let it introduce a heaven upon earth. We make Christ but a titular Prince, if we call him King, and do not do his will: having prayed that he may rule us, we pray that we may in every thing be ruled by him. Observe, (1.) The thing prayed for, thy will be done; “Lord, do what thou pleasest with me and mine; 1 Sa. 3:18 . I refer myself to thee, and am well satisfied that all thy counsel concerning me should be performed.’’ In this sense Christ prayed, not my will, but thine be done. “Enable me to do what is pleasing to thee; give me that grace that is necessary to the right knowledge of thy will, and an acceptable obedience to it. Let thy will be done conscientiously by me and others, not our own will, the will of the flesh, or the mind, not the will of men (1 Pt. 4:2 ), much less Satan’s will (Jn. 8:44 ), that we may neither displease God in any thing we do (ut nihil nostrum displiceat Deo), nor be displeased at any thing God does’’ (ut nihil Dei displiceat nobis). (2.) The pattern of it, that it might be done on earth, in this place of our trial and probation (where our work must be done, or it never will be done), as it is done in heaven, that place of rest and joy. We pray that earth may be made more like heaven by the observance of God’s will (this earth, which, through the prevalency of Satan’s will, has become so near akin to hell), and that saints may be made more like the holy angels in their devotion and obedience. We are on earth, blessed be God, not yet under the earth; we pray for the living only, not for the dead that have gone down into silence.

Our featured prayer motivator quote is from Aldous Huxley. He said, “The third petition of the Lord’s Prayer is repeated daily by millions who have not the slightest intention of letting anyone’s will be done but their own.”

My personal encouragement for you today is this: God is in Heaven waiting to hear from us through prayer. Some think God is too busy with billions of people around the world to listen to their prayer. But God is interested in hearing your prayer and He is waiting to answer your prayer. Just pray!

Our prayer motivator devotional today is titled “PRAYING MEN AT A PREMIUM” part 3 from the book, “The Weapon of Prayer” by E.M. Bounds.

E.M. Bounds goes on to say:

Men and women are needed whose prayers will give to the world the utmost power of God; who will make His promises to blossom with rich and full results. God is waiting to hear us and challenges us to bring Him to do this thing by our praying. He is asking us, today, as He did His ancient Israel, to “prove Him now herewith.” Behind God’s Word is God Himself, and we read: “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, his Maker: Ask of me of things to come and concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.” As though God places Himself in the hands and at the disposal of His people who pray—as indeed He does.

The dominant element of all praying is faith, that is conspicuous, cardinal and emphatic. Without such faith it is impossible to please God, and equally impossible to pray.

There is a current conception of spiritual duties which tends to separate the pulpit and the pew, as though the pulpit bore the entire burden of spiritual concerns, and while the pew was concerned only with duties that relate to the lower sphere of the secular and worldly. Such a view needs drastic correction. God’s cause, its obligations, efforts and successes, lie with equal pressure on pulpit and pew.

But the man in the pew is not taxed with the burden of prayer as he ought to be, and as he must be, ere any new visitation of power come to the Church. The Church never will be wholly for God until the pews are filled with praying men. The Church cannot be what God wants it to be until those of its members who are leaders in business, politics, law, and society, are leaders in prayer.

Now, friend, it is time for us to pray…

Remember, the announcer will provide the information for you to send in your prayer request at the end of this broadcast.

Please join me in prayer……..

We pray collectively and individually for the following:
> 3 million people to come to know you as Saviour
> the revival of the church
> the healing of families
> the healing of this nation
> blessings and guidance for all pastors, church leaders, and missionaries
> Salvation, leadership, and wisdom for the president and for all governmental officials who run this country and all other countries.

Now, Lord, we pray for three people who have sent in prayer requests:

Name: Cecil
rejuvenate his relationship with You, baptize him with the Holy Ghost and please renew his marriage

Name: Sherette
for Neichelle and Lanten’s chemotherapy to go well, that he would be healed

Name: Shanquetta
for her family to get a decent housing situation and not be homeless; for her husband to keep the faith and remain strong; for strength for her three brothers and mother

—-

Holy Father God, we pray for the following people who have accepted you into their hearts. We pray, Lord, that you would confirm them in the faith and have them grow in the faith to become the Holy Spirit-filled Christians that you want them to be. We pray specifically for —-

Suryoday
Richard
Peter

Now, Lord we pray for the following people who have been saved for a while but who have recommitted their lives to You. We rejoice with them in this decision and pray that they will keep their commitments to you and be strengthened in the faith. We pray specifically for —-

Subodh
Bobbi
Daimi

***

Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time,

Remember, friend, Pray, Think, Do! God Bless You!

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This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening podcast. This is Episode #24.

Charles Spurgeon was a prominent English Particular Baptist preacher. He was very influential among the Christians of various denominations during his age and even today, and is commonly called the “Prince of Preachers”. After some time of alternately searching for God and running from God, he had a powerful encounter which led him to give his life to Christ. Spurgeon was only 16 when he preached his first sermon and he began publishing books shortly afterward. At the time of his death, he had preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published 49 volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations and devotions. Spurgeon said, “encouraging thoughts are like honey to the heart”, and wrote this devotional in hopes that its uplifting messages for each day of the year would bring comfort and refreshment to our walk with God. He was inspired by Isaiah 50:4 which reads, “He wakeneth morning by morning. He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” and Psalm 63:5-6 which says, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches.”

Job 36:2 reads: “Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God’s behalf.”

We ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or notoriety for our zeal; but, at the same time, it is a sin to be always seeking to hide that which God has bestowed upon us for the good of others. A Christian is not to be a village in a valley, but “a city set upon a hill;” he is not to be a candle under a bushel, but a candle in a candlestick, giving light to all. Retirement may be lovely in its season, and to hide one’s self is doubtless modest, but the hiding of Christ in us can never be justified, and the keeping back of truth which is precious to ourselves is a sin against others and an offence against God. If you are of a nervous temperament and of retiring disposition, take care that you do not too much indulge this trembling propensity, lest you should be useless to the church. Seek in the name of him who was not ashamed of you to do some little violence to your feelings, and tell to others what Christ has told to you. If thou canst not speak with trumpet tongue, use the still small voice. If the pulpit must not be thy tribune, if the press may not carry on its wings thy words, yet say with Peter and John, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” By Sychar’s well talk to the Samaritan woman, if thou canst not on the mountain preach a sermon; utter the praises of Jesus in the house, if not in the temple; in the field, if not upon the exchange; in the midst of thine own household, if thou canst not in the midst of the great family of man. From the hidden springs within let sweetly flowing rivulets of testimony flow forth, giving drink to every passer-by. Hide not thy talent; trade with it; and thou shalt bring in good interest to thy Lord and Master. To speak for God will be refreshing to ourselves, cheering to saints, useful to sinners, and honouring to the Saviour. Dumb children are an affliction to their parents. Lord, unloose all thy children’s tongue.

PRAY.

Thank you for listening to the Morning and Evening podcast. If you do not know the Lord as your Savior, here is how you can be saved from Hell and walk with the Lord morning and evening until you go to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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This is Daniel Whyte III with The Scripture & The Sense Podcast #409, where I read the Word of God and give the sense of it based on an authoritative commentary source such as the Bible Knowledge Commentary. This podcast is based upon Nehemiah 8:8 where it says Ezra and the Levites “read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” The aim of this podcast is that through the simple reading of the Word of God and the giving of the sense of it, the church would be revived and the world would be awakened.

Today we are reading Amos 1:6.

6 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:

________

That was Amos 1:6. Now here is the sense of it.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary reads:

In verses 6–8 four of the five cities comprising the Philistine pen-ta-polis are mentioned—Gaza, Ash-dod, Ash-ke-lon, and Ek-ron. The omission of the fifth, Gath, may be due to its ruined condition at the time of Amos because of the batterings of Ha-za-el in 815 b.c. and Uz-zi-ah in 760 b.c. The Philistines’ crime against humanity was that they captured whole communities in slave raids and sold them for commercial profit. Defenseless people were treated as mere objects and auctioned off in the slave markets of Edom, from which they were shipped to other parts of the world.

____________

Thank you for listening to the Scripture & The Sense Podcast. Remember to read the Word of God each and every day and pray without ceasing to God for wisdom to understand it and apply it to your life. Most importantly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Please stay tuned for a complete presentation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can get your soul saved from Hell to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer.

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Overcoming the Acceptable Christian Sin of Gluttony #39

Welcome to the Overcoming the Acceptable Christian Sin of Gluttony podcast, a companion podcast to the Acceptable Christian Sin of Gluttony message series. My name is Daniel Whyte III president of Gospel Light Society International. The purpose of this podcast is to share with you, from a biblical perspective, the means by which we can combat and overcome the sin of gluttony and its outcome of obesity.

Our passage from the Word of God today is Proverbs 23:20-21 which reads: “Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”

Now, let’s look at gluttony and its effects in the news: According to The Times of India, the first thing that comes to our mind when we talk about overeating is weight gain. But that’s not all, according to a new study, overeating doesn’t just make the number on the scale go up but also damages the important regions of your brain, leading to brain damage. The research used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging, which compared the brains of 59 obese adolescents with 61 healthy adolescents. DTI is the new technology that tracks the diffusion of water along with the white matter of the brain. White matter is the nerve-fibre-rich matter found in the deeper tissues of the brain. The researchers derived the fractional anisotropy of these people, which was correlated with the condition of the white matter in the brain. The lower the FA, the more damaged was the white matter. On comparing the FA values of all the participants, it was seen that obese people had lower levels of FA. The brain change caused in obese people due to the lower levels of FA was related to important regions that are responsible for controlling the emotions, appetite and cognitive functions. This same brain damage was caused by increased blood sugar and insulin resistance. The study even showed a positive relation between brain damage and hormones like leptin (which regulates hunger and stores fat) and insulin. In short, obesity causes inflammation that can lead to brain damage, increased blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and leptin resistance.

In this podcast, we are going through the book, The RAVE Diet and Lifestyle: The Natural Foods Diet With Meals that Heal, by Mike Anderson. This section is titled: No Animal Foods, Part 1:

William Clifford Roberts, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of Cardiology, said, “When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores.”

William Connor, M.D., The New American Diet, said, “No one can contemplate directly eating 13 pats of butter, but they essentially do when they eat a cheeseburger.”

The Scientific American, 1892, said, “Cancer is most frequent where carnivorous habits prevail.”

All animal foods are excluded from the RAVE Diet because they promote the major degenerative diseases sweeping across the country. The link between animal foods and cancer, for example, begins back in 1892 with a study published in the Scientific American from which the quote above is taken. Subsequently, there has been a mountain of evidence compiled that confirms the link.

The only thing you’ll miss from eating animal foods is the saturated fat, cholesterol and animal proteins – as well as the diseases these ingredients bring to your body. When you come right down to it, all our nutrients are ultimately obtained from plant foods. Meat-eating animals (including humans) feed off plant-eating animals, which really amount to storage systems for plant nutrients. The problem, of course, is that the plant nutrients in animals are delivered in a package of saturated fat and cholesterol. So why eat animals when you can get everything you need directly from plants – without the cholesterol – and in a low-fat package with healthy fiber and cancer-fighting chemicals to boot?

And calorie for calorie, plant foods are far richer in nutrients than animal foods, with green vegetables being the most nutrient-rich foods on the planet.

From a weight loss perspective, many studies have confirmed that over time, the more people eat meat, the more they gain weight. The more people eat whole plant foods, the less likely they are to gain weight. In a recent multi-nation study, it was found that without exception, the thinnest people ate a complex carbohydrate diet, while the fattest people ate a meat-based diet. Eliminating meat from your diet is essential if you want to achieve your ideal weight, reverse heart disease and protect yourself against cancers and our major degenerative diseases.

We will continue looking at this topic in our next podcast.

— PRAYER —

Now, in this series, as we focus on overcoming the sin of gluttony, and managing our bodies as God intended, we must not lose sight of the most important part of our existence — our spiritual life. Even those of you who are fit, who eat right, and who exercise regularly must still address the condition of your soul. You may keep your body in perfect condition till the day you die, but you will still die — we all will, and the only thing that will matter is the condition of your soul. Is your soul in shape? Is your soul in right standing with God?

The only way to make sure of that is to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin and the consequences of sin. He alone can save your soul, put you in right standing with God, and ensure that you do not perish in Hell. Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you is my prayer.

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