Enduring Trials and Tribulations

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:2-4,12 NASB1995)

Trials and tribulations are part of life. We all have them, not all of us all of the time, and not all of us to the same degree as one another. But life has its difficulties as well as its rewards. It has its blessings and its misfortunes. But for the follower of Jesus Christ, these trials serve a good purpose. For they test our faith to see if it is genuine. And if we respond correctly to the trials, they produce in us endurance which leads to spiritual maturity in Christ. 

Not everyone responds to their trials in all the same ways. Not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ sees their trials as a gift from God to help them to come to maturity in Christ and to be strengthened in their faith. But they see their trials as a bother, a distraction, a nuisance, a misfortune, and something to fight against or to give in to in a way which leads to sin rather than to increased faith and perseverance, perhaps out of anger against God.

And I am certainly not saying here that we should just cave to the trials and to let them conquer us. We can certainly pray for deliverance and for healing and for miracles. We can pray for God to intervene on our behalf and to deliver us out of the difficulty. But at the same time we must surrender to the will and purpose of God, saying, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” And we must be willing to learn what we need to learn through it all.

For suffering is to produce in us endurance, character, and hope. If we are insulted for the name of Christ, we are blessed. If we are taken as prisoner, and if we are brought before a court of law for our testimonies for Jesus Christ, that will be our opportunity to bear witness to the gospel of our salvation. And some of us will be delivered up to death by friends and/or family members because we speak the truth of God’s word to the people.

In all that we suffer for the sake of knowing Jesus, and for the sake of the gospel of our salvation and for our testimonies for our Lord, we are to remain steadfast in faith and not ever give up. And God uses these times in our lives to make us more like Jesus, and so that we can encourage others in their suffering. For all that we suffer for our faith teaches us to not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. So we put our hope in the Lord.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

We Will Sing!  

Based off The Psalms

An Original Work / December 4, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I will praise You, Lord, among all peoples.

I will praise You for all that You have done.

I called to the Lord, and He heard my cry.

He turned weeping into a song of joy!

I will sing praise to my Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God evermore.

I will praise You, Lord, for Your mighty works,

For Your love is great, reaching to the heav’ns.

O my Strength, I sing my praise unto You,

For Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

I will sing praise to my Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God evermore.

Shout with joy to God all who’re on the earth.

Say to God, “O how awesome are Your deeds.”

The redeemed sing praise to their Savior, King, 

For He saved them all in His righteousness.

We will sing praise to our Lord all our lives;

We will sing praise to our God evermore.

https://vimeo.com/114678287

Enduring Trials and Tribulations

An Original Work / March 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Spiritual Warfare

This is about spiritual warfare. And this is letting us know how we can win the battle against the enemy of our souls. We cannot win the battle in our own flesh. We have to put on the armor of God daily with which to fight off the evil attacks of the enemy Satan, i.e. the devil. For he is a con artist, a trickster, and a magician with all sorts of sleight of hand tricks up his sleeve. He has all sorts of schemes which he attempts to use against us. So, we have to take up the armor of God daily if we are going to win this battle. 

“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17 NASB1995)

Truth

If we are going to win this battle against the devil (Satan), the enemy of our souls, we have to be the people of God who are living the truth of his Word, and who are speaking the truth of his Word to the people, and who are truth tellers, in practice, who are not liars by habit. Too many people today, in the name of Christ, are speaking lies to the people to make them feel good about where they are, even if they are living in deliberate and habitual sin against God. All that does is open the door wide for the devil to control.

Righteousness

We must be the people of God who, in the power of God, are walking (in conduct) in righteousness, i.e. in what is deemed right by the Lord, i.e. in what is approved in his eyes. This can clearly be seen by us in the teachings of the Scriptures provided that we are reading them in their appropriate biblical context and that we are willing to hear the truth and to reject the lies. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (Titus 2:11-14).

The Gospel

We need to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate biblical context so that we can know the truth of the gospel and so that we can reject the lies which are gaining so much ground these days. And then we need to be living the gospel message ourselves before we go out sharing it with the people of the world. But we must be diligent to make certain that what we are regarding as “the gospel” is the one taught by Jesus and by his apostles, and not the “feel good gospel” being taught today.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

Faith

And faith is not something we can make up in our own minds. Faith comes from God, it is persuaded of God, it is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ, it is not of our own doing, of our own flesh, and we cannot even come to faith unless God the Father first draws us to Christ. And faith is divine persuasion, the persuasion of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to deny self, die to sin daily, and to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, all in the power of God.

Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 6:1-23; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Hebrews 12:1-2 

Salvation

And our salvation, which is a gift from God, is not merely forgiveness of all sin and the hope of eternal life with God. For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin so we will now serve our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands. We are saved from our addiction to sin so we can now be slaves of God and of his righteousness. So, if we continue living in sin, making sin our practice, and if obedience to God is not our practice, we are not saved, and eternal life is not ours.

Word of God

We have to be students of the Scriptures. If you are reading this, you obviously have access to the internet, and you can find the Scriptures on the internet if you do not have a written Bible in your possession. But make sure you choose a trustworthy translation of the Scriptures, for many of these more modern ones take much liberty in teaching what is not of God. And then we must read the Scriptures in their full biblical context, for many lies are being taught from Scriptures taught out of context. And don’t rely on other humans to tell you the truth. Test everything against the Scriptures.

And when Satan is coming against you, to attack you, to confuse you, to make you doubt God or his word, please go to the Scriptures and read them in context, verse by verse and chapter by chapter and book by book. And use the Word of God to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against you. Use the truth of the Scriptures, taught in context, to refute the lies of the enemy which are spreading like wildfire these days. Speak the truth in opposition to the lies, and you will gain the victory over the enemy of our souls. 

Your Word  

Based off Psalms 119

An Original Work / December 27, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Praise You with an upright heart as

I learn of Your righteousness.

I seek You with all my heart;

Do not let me stray from Your law.

I have hidd’n Your word in my heart

That I might not sin against You.

Open my eyes that I may see

Wonderful things in Your word.

I am a stranger on earth.

I have chosen the way of truth;

My heart is set on Your word.

I will walk about in freedom,

For I have sought out Your truth.

Teach me knowledge and good judgment, 

For I believe in Your law.

Your hands made me, and they formed me;

Give me understanding, Lord.

I put my hope in Your word.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light unto my path.

You are my shield and my refuge;

In Your word I put my hope.

My heart trembles at Your word, Lord.

May my lips o’erflow with praise.

May my tongue sing of Your truth, Lord.

Your salvation, Lord, long I.

Your word, Lord, is my delight. 

https://vimeo.com/125862410 

Spiritual Warfare

An Original Work / March 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Earth Angel

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12 NASB1995)

Before I sat down at my desk to look at today’s passage of Scripture, I had an old song playing in my mind called “Earth Angel.” It is a romantic love song of the early 1950’s about a guy falling in love with a girl who he regarded as an “earth angel,” probably not in a spiritual sense, as the meaning of the term is defined, but more in a physical and emotional sense as someone he regarded as beautiful from the inside out. And yet…

“An earth angel is a person often described in spiritual, New Age contexts as a highly evolved soul in human form with a mission to spread positivity, healing, and love. They act as "light workers" aiming to assist humanity's spiritual evolution through compassion and kindness. They are seen as earthly vessels for divine energy, anchoring light and peace.” (Google AI)

But this doesn’t have to be taken literally as some kind of supernatural being, but this can be taken more figuratively in regard to another human being who is spreading “positivity, compassion, kindness,” and some kind of healing (could be of the mind only), and a humanistic love based solely in human emotions. So, in a way, this is like taking the song lyrics and combining them with the “earth angel” definition, as a blend of both.

What I am seeing today as some of “the schemes of the devil” is to push “positivity” to the point of replacing logic, reason, and spiritual discernment. The “feel good” stuff is what is being pushed as something that is “good,” while much of the truth of what Jesus taught, and what his New Testament apostles taught, is being regarded as “bad, unkind, negative, and lacking in compassion and love.” And they are convincing many to believe that.

Are we to be kind? Yes, but kind according to God. For it is kind to tell people the truth, spoken in love. But it is not kind to lie to people just to make them feel good emotionally. And are we to be compassionate? Yes! But not to the point of tolerating and placating sinful addictive practices among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and among church leadership, while defining that as “love, kindness, and compassion.” Love speaks the truth!

But the devil has so convinced the masses that lying is kindness, and that ignoring and tolerating sinful practices is compassion, and twisting the Scriptures to alter their meaning is spreading positivity, and accepting sin as normal behavior is healing, and remaining silent and not confronting anyone with their sinful condition, and not calling for repentance and obedience to our Lord is love. So everything is being turned inside out and upside down.

It may feel good to the human emotions, but if we lie to people to make them feel good, and if we refuse to speak the truth to them, in love, so that they will like us, then that is not biblical love. That is selfishness. And that is definitely lacking in love, compassion, and kindness. For if they do not, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, deny self, put sin to death daily, by the Spirit, and obey our Lord’s commands, in practice, they are not “in Christ.”

They may like you. They may think you are swell. And everyone else may talk about how loving and kind and compassionate you are, like an “earth angel,” of sorts. But one day all the people you lied to are going to stand before the Lord in judgment, and they are going to have to give an account to God as to what they did with Jesus Christ and his message of salvation (deliverance from slavery to sin and obedience to our Lord’s commands).

And they may dislike or disapprove of us who are spreading the gospel as Jesus taught it, and as his New Testament apostles taught it, calling us negative, unloving, unkind, and not compassionate. But I would rather be hated and falsely accused of wrong for telling people the truth that can save their souls from hell, and that can assure them eternity with God in heaven, than to have people love me for telling them lies that will land them in hell.

So, just because it feels good and it sounds good does not mean it is good. Just because it sounds positive and not negative, and it seems more accepting rather than confronting, it does not mean that it must be of God. Remember that the devil and his angels disguise themselves as angels of light and as servants of God spreading his messages. So study the Scriptures in context, and believe God, and obey God, and die to sin.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]   

Your New Life  

Based off the Gospels  

An Original Work / May 15, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Go and make disciples of peoples,

Teaching them to obey their Savior.

Do not fear, but go where He sends you.

Tell them all of what you have heard.

The kingdom of God now is upon you. 

Come, and follow Jesus, your Lord.

He will make you fishers of man.

If the people Jesus desire,

They must die to sin and to self-life.

If they want to hold on to their lives

They will lose them forevermore.

Surely you heard that coming to Christ

Means a new life in Jesus, your Lord.

Follow Christ wherever He leads.

Love the Lord with all of your heart, and

Love your neighbors as you would yourself.

Preach the gospel to all the nations.

Do not worry what you will say.

Proclaim the freedom for all the captives.

Share the light with all who are blind.

You are ministers of our God.

https://vimeo.com/95450440

Earth Angel

An Original Work / March 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The USA and Revelation 13

From the very founding of our nation, our nation was designed to espouse universalism, which accepts all religions, as does freemasonry, and which centers around doing “good deeds” and the idea that we all believe in the same god. And we have come full circle back around to this today. 

Many of our founding fathers were freemasons, and much of our history is based in freemasonry, as are our national symbols and monuments, which are also patterned after Greek, Roman and Egyptian gods and goddesses. So, our national religion was not Christian, but a blend of Christian in with freemasonry and foreign gods, which is syncretistic. 

The Lord is reminding me of the forefathers of our nation, and what they did in forming this nation. A lot of people have the mistaken idea that most all of our forefathers were Christians and that they built this nation on Christian principles, but that just isn’t true. Look at our national monuments, statues, the layout of Washington, D.C. and our national seal. They are filled with Satanic and occult images, and those of false gods and goddesses. 

Our nation was built on the premise of a one-world government and a one-world religion (Free Masonry) right from the beginning. Look at our national seal and our nation’s motto. On the seal we see the All-seeing Eye of Horus hovering over an unfinished pyramid (a masonic symbol). This is symbolizing this beast of the Elite of the world hovering over the world and one day to be conjoined (united) with the world as its capstone, in place of Jesus Christ.

“It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8 NASB1995)

The USA government is not who they purport themselves to be. They are the harlot who rides the beast, who has served this beast from the very beginning of this nation. And “The Beast” is this conglomerate of the wealthy and powerful of the world who are taking down the nations of the world one by one in order to bring us all into a One World Order of The Beast. And the USA government serves this beast (the elite) in doing their dirty work for them. All of my life my government has been destroying one nation after another in order to bring all of us under the rule of The Beast.

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.” (Revelation 13:11-12 NASB1995)

Here I see the institutional church which is a partnership between the church and the government. The American church at large incorporated under (merged, partnered with) the US government in an unholy union not long after I was born, and I am 76 years old. The institutional church promoted government worship within the gatherings of the church via the pledge (vow) of allegiance (fidelity) to the US government and the honoring of our military as our heroes who serve as our saviors from our “enemies.” But our de facto government is the wealthy and powerful elite ruling the world.

“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” (Revelation 13:14-15 NASB1995)

From childhood on up I was taught to pledge (vow) my allegiance (fidelity) to the flag (the image) of the USA (the beast, in reality, for our de facto government is not our leaders but the powerful elite ruling the world). But an image can mean so many things. And when it comes to an image speaking, I would regard the image there more in the category of television and the internet (especially the internet), which has had such massive influence on the minds, hearts, character, and beliefs of the people.

“And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13:16-17 NASB1995)

Although I believe there is going to be a physical mark of some kind (like a digital ID of some sort) implanted in human beings (I believe some are already using this technology), the word “mark” has to do with “influence” and “characteristic” and “indicator.” So the real danger here is the influence that this beast #1 and beast #2 are having on the minds, character, beliefs, and behaviors of the people of the world, which is enormous! So many “Christians” today do not follow Jesus with their lives but they believe and follow after these beasts and what they are teaching and promoting, instead.

So, although you may refuse a physical mark, you may already have taken upon yourselves the mark of the beast if what you are believing and living are the lies which they are spreading instead of believing God and his teachings in the Scriptures (taught in the correct biblical context). For the Scriptures are clear that we are to come out of the world (in thought and behaviors) and we are to come out of these market-driven “churches” partnered with the government, and we must now die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord if we want to have eternal life with God in heaven.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]   

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/379406352

The USA and Revelation 13

An Original Work / March 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Image of The Beast

“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Revelation 13:1-4 ESV)

So, who is this beast? Many speculate. Only God knows for certain. From what I have read and watched and been taught of the Lord over the past 20 years, I believe this beast to be, for example, “The World Economic Forum.” Basically it is a conglomerate of the wealthy and powerful of the world, a large number of them Jewish Zionists, who are the ones truly ruling the world and who are taking over nations, one at a time, to bring all nations under the rule of this beast in a One World Totalitarian Order of government.

I believe that the USA serves this beast and that this group of elite are the de facto government of the USA. And so the USA and their military forces have been instrumental in the take down and the conquering of nation after nation across the globe, in order to bring all nations under the rule of this beast. And now America itself is being taken down, one piece and one step at a time, using the same modus operandi that they used to take down many other nations across the globe, perhaps beginning after WW2.

So first they create the problem and then they come in as “saviors” with a preconceived solution to “the problem” they created. And then they appoint a new head of government over what now is regarded as a “unity” and/or as a “transitional” government. So they have to create situations which make the people cry out for a “savior” to deliver them and to bring normalcy back to their lives. That is their hope. But “normalcy” is not what is intended. A totalitarian one world government of the beast is the ultimate goal.

“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

“If anyone is to be taken captive,

    to captivity he goes;

if anyone is to be slain with the sword,

    with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:5-10 ESV)

And if we are paying close attention to what is going on in our world and in the USA (if that is where we live), we should be seeing the signs of the times in which we now live, and we should be seeing how this beast is conquering people and nations and Christians (the saints of God). And so much of this is done via psychological warfare and massive deception and indoctrination and cult followings. For us baby boomers in America, we have been trained in government worship from very early on in our lives (1945ish to present).

But the indoctrination and mind manipulative tactics that the government uses to enslave us as its followers is also now being incorporated into the gatherings of the institutional market-driven “churches” (businesses) of today. So if you are in the minority and not the majority, because your eyes and ears are attentive to what is going on and you can see the deceptive changes being made, then you may be ostracized and even invited out of these “churches” to go somewhere where you will be “a better fit.”

“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” (Revelation 13:11-18 ESV)

A big part of the founding of America had to do with the separation of church and state. Although they may have been separate for many years, they have not been in entirety since sometime in the 1950s when the 501c3 tax exempt status came into being. And it appears that most American “churches” incorporated under the state as not-for-profit incorporations (mergers) of the state. And this was wholly unnecessary, for the church had always been tax exempt. But now it brought the majority of what are called “churches” in union with the US government, which God warns against.

Then many churches began operating as businesses, and began marketing their “churches” to the people of the world. And in order to attract the world to their gatherings they began to dilute (alter) the gospel message and the character of God/Christ and of his church in order to make “the church” more inviting and acceptable to the ungodly, i.e. to the flesh of humans. And pastors began to become more like cult leaders and anyone who was not on board with their marketing schemes might then be encouraged to leave.

Anyway, I see this second beast as this union of church and state in an unholy union, which God forbids. And from my childhood on up I was taught government worship in the “church.” And an “image” can be many things from something like a national flag to television to the internet to anything or anyone who emulates this beast in character and which has the capability to lead the masses to worship this beast. TV and the internet are images and they are quite capable of leading the masses to worship this beast.

And with regard to the mark of the beast, although it may end up as a physical mark of some kind, the greater danger is its mark (influence, character, evidence) in our lives – in our thinking, believing, speaking, behaving, attitudes and actions. We are not to take on the character of the world as followers of Christ. We are to be separate (unlike, different) from the world, for we should now be being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. So pray for spiritual discernment in this matter.

[Matt 21:12-13; Jn 2:13-17; Ac 5:27-32; 2 Co 6:14-18; Php 3:18-19; Rev 13:5-8; Rev 18:1-5; Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

Caution: This link may contain ads

The Image of The Beast

An Original Work / December 19, 2024

Reposted March 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Called for This Purpose

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:21-25 NASB1995)

For what purpose have we been called of God? First, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, that we might deny self, die to sin (not just once, but daily), by the Spirit, and walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant, in the power of God. Then that we might walk worthy of the calling, pleasing God in all that we are and do and say. And included in that is that we might suffer for the sake of the gospel and for our testimonies for our Lord and love those who persecute us.

And Jesus set the example for us to follow in how we ought to live, even when we are suffering unjustly and for the sake of righteousness. For in his life and in his death he suffered much that we might believe in him, turn from our sins, and now walk with him in obedience to his commands. When he taught the truth to the people, his enemies (the religious) opposed him fanatically. They hounded him regularly, accusing him of wrongdoing, while trying to find ways to trip him up with his words so as to accuse him.

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was born to a virgin woman, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man. So when he lived on the earth he was fully God and fully man (God incarnate). And since he was not born of man, he was not born with a sin nature as we are. He never once sinned while he lived on this earth. And he withstood much opposition from the Jews and from the rulers and teachers of the Scriptures in the temple who refused to believe in him as their promised Messiah who had then come.

And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. YES! When Jesus was crucified he put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to righteousness, all in the power of God. He did not die just to forgive us our sins so we can go to heaven when we die. He died and rose from the grave to change us, to transform us, and to make us into the people of God who will now obey God with our lives.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:1-26; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]  

Praise Be Told!  

Based off Various Scriptures 

An Original Work / December 28, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for all our sin.

Our chastisement was upon Him.

By His stripes, we now are healed.

He has witnessed all our trials,

And the sins we choose to wear.

Yet, while we were dead in our sin,

Jesus died, our sins to bear.

He himself bore all of our sins

In His body on a cross,

So that we might die to our sin,

And live for His righteousness.

By faith in the pow’r of Jesus

And His blood shed for our sins,

We can be forgiven our sin,

And have life with God in heav’n.

He will lead us and He’ll guide us

In the way that we should go.

He will comfort and protect us,

Because Jesus, we do know.

Though He disciplines for our good,

He will heal us – Praise be told!

Do not fear, your Lord is with you.

Just have faith in Christ your Lord.

https://vimeo.com/112335646 

Called for This Purpose

An Original Work / March 21, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Work as Though Working for God

“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.” (1 Peter 2:18-20 NASB1995)

I live in the USA. As far as I know, the kind of slavery that existed early on in this nation was abolished many years ago. But that is not to say that slave labor no longer exists or that no one in the USA is being treated like a slave. I am certain that this still does exist in some places. But to apply this more in a general sense, I would rather use the imagery of boss and employee. When we work for another person, or for a company or corporation, we are obligated to do what we are told to do, as their employees.

But, just as in the situation with submitting to and obeying governing authorities, there are biblical exceptions to such obedience as is required of us if we work for someone else. We never have to submit to anything sinful. We do not have to lie, cheat, steal and do what is illegal just so our boss can get ahead in the business world and make the “big bucks.” We do not have to submit to foul language, to sexual advances, or to mistreatment of any kind. We can quit, and trust the Lord to provide a better job for us.

But if it is a safe environment, and we remain, then we should be people of integrity who give the best we have to the company, and to the boss. We should never be slack, but always diligent in giving the job the best we have to give. We should never cheat on our time or take shortcuts that could cost the company money. For me, when I was employed for money, if I took longer at lunch, I worked that much longer at the end of the work day. I always got in early, and if my work was done, I tried to find work to do.

I worked as a temp employee in this one job where all that was required of me was to answer the phone. But the phone didn’t ring that much. So, I asked if I could do other things. And so I worked on spreadsheets and marketing tools, and I created marketing literature. I filled in the time when the phone was not ringing in ways that were beneficial for my employer and for the productivity of his business. So, working for someone else doesn’t have to be just the minimum required. We should give the job our best.

Now, our boss doesn’t have to be the kindest most congenial person to work for. The boss may be rough and gruff. The boss may be unreasonable. I worked for some people like that. That is not necessarily a reason to quit, if we have that option to quit. For the Lord may have us there for a reason, and it may be to minister God’s love and grace to our employer. God may want us to bear up under some unfair treatment as a testimony to the boss. But, again, we are never to submit to participating in anything sinful.

[Proverbs 24:17-20; Proverbs 25:21-22; Matthew 5:8-12,43-48; Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:27-36; Luke 10:27; John 13:33-35; John 15:12; Romans 12:9-11,14-21; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; 1 Corinthians 16:14; 1 John 4:7]

Love Must Be Genuine 

Based off Romans 12:9-21

An Original Work / October 22, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Love must be genuine.

Hate what’s evil; cling to good.

Love each other with affection.

Show respect for ev’ryone.

Never lack in your zeal.

Serve the Lord with diligence.

Rejoice in steadfast hope.

In affliction, patient be.

Keep on praying; share with others.

Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute.

Feel with others sympathy.

Be not filled with conceit.

Daily sit at Jesus’ feet.

Live in harmony with others.

Live at peace with ev’ryone.

Repay not to someone

With the evil he begot.

Do not take your revenge;

Leave it to the wrath of God.

If your enemy is thirsty,

Give to him something to drink.

Do what’s right for mankind.

Evil: overcome with good.

https://vimeo.com/114695549

Work as Though Working for God

An Original Work / March 21, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love