demanding a miraculous sign

Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign?
I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign. Jesus said this. Mark 8:12

Prior to this He had performed many miracles. He displayed His supernatural power over sicknesses, evil spirits (spiritual realm), physical and natural elements. The news about His miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see Him and followed Him. They were His eye witnesses. Mark 3:7-8

He healed a man with leprosy. 1:41-42
He healed a paralyzed man. 2:8-11
He healed a man with deformed hand. 3:3-5
He had healed many people. Power came out from Him to heal the sick and cast out demons. All the sick sought to touch Him. All who touched Him were healed. Those possessed by evil spirits too were delivered. 3:10-11. 6:56
He sent out His disciples (apostles) to preach the Kingdom of God and He gave them supernatural authority and power to cast out many demons and heal man sick people too. 3:14-15, 6:7, 12-13
The wind and waves obeyed Him. 4:41
He healed a demon possessed man. 5:1-20
He raised from death the daughter of a leader of the synagogue. 5:22, 35-36, 41-42
He healed a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 5:25-34
He fed 5,000 men and their families with five loaves and two fish. 6:41-44
He walked on water and stopped the raging waves and wind. 6:47-52
He healed a deaf man. 7:32-35
He fed 4,000 people with seven loaves. 8:6-9
He healed a blind man. 8:22-26

Coming back to the question, why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? More show of the power of Jesus? Why do they still want proof of His supernatural authority to show that He is from God? Why do people see the power of Jesus but still continue not to believe in Him?

I ask this question too today. Here is the answer I received from Jesus:
“You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Mark 8:33 (Jesus rebuked Peter for listening to Satan-influenced humanistic reasoning and not to the Holy Spirit. Jesus reprimanded Peter, “Get away from Me, Satan!”)

Peter was doing well when he listened to the Holy Spirit. But he lost his supernatural discernment the moment he switches back to his human mind. Jesus called that as being selfish, trying to hang on to the life he could see, not knowing that what he could see and feel (body and soul) could not save him. He was ashamed of Jesus talking about dying on the cross and resurrecting after three days. He considered Jesus being not politically correct. Mark 8:31-38
It is so clear that the minute a Christian resorts to using a human point of view to explain or question a supernatural miraculous sign from Jesus, he or she loses the spiritual privilege and faith that come only from the supernatural realm. The authority and power of Jesus would be of no use to them. They may still get healed or see their loved ones get healed but they would still be excluded from the Kingdom of God. Without faith in the supernatural God-Jesus, one just cannot get saved. Without faith one cannot please God. Without believing in the spiritual reality of Jesus one cannot connect to Him and interact with Him in a relationship. But the children of God must join to the Lord and be one with His Spirit. The children of God must be led by the Spirit of Christ. Believing in Jesus requires spiritual faith, and a belief in a realm human eyes cannot see. Unless we can see with our spirit the reality of God, we cannot enter. It is easy for many to believe in a historical Jesus who existed during a period on earth as a human but not a Jesus (in Spirit) who is still living today. This is the dilemma of many who choose the wide, easy and popular road today. Is there hope for this group? Yes, as long as you are still open to Jesus through the Holy Spirit and His words.

Bible verses: John 3:3, 5-6, 3:16, 4:23-24, 5:24, 26-27, 37-40, 6:29, 35-36, 40, 63; Romans 10:8-12, 8:1-2, 8:9, 8:11, 14, 16; Galatians 3:2, 26-29; Hebrews 11:1-3, 11:6. 1Corinthians 6:17.

For she cares nothing about the path to life.

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel.
Then you will show discernment,
and your lips will express what you’ve learned.

For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,
and her mouth is smoother than oil.
But in the end she is as bitter as poison,
as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.[a]
For she cares nothing about the path to life.
She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

So now, my sons, listen to me.
Never stray from what I am about to say:
Stay away from her!

Don’t go near the door of her house!
If you do, you will lose your honor
and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
Strangers will consume your wealth,
and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

In the end you will groan in anguish
when disease consumes your body.
You will say, “How I hated discipline!
If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
and now I must face public disgrace.”

Footnotes:
5:5 Hebrew to Sheol.
(above quoted from the Holy Bible, Proverbs 5:1-14 New Living Translation (NLT)
Avoid Immoral Women)

Revelation 17:5 A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.”
Revelation 18:2 He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal..

Prayer Window

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,[e] the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.[f] I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

(Above passage is quoted from the Holy Bible Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT) (Footnotes: e. 3:14 Some manuscripts read the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. f. 3:15 Or from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.)

Colossians 1:18-20 (NLT)
Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.[a]
So he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
Footnotes:
a. 1:18 Or the firstborn from the dead.

Colossians 2:8-10 (NLT)
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers[a] of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.[b] So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Footnotes:
a. 2:8 Or the spiritual principles; also in 2:20.
b. 2:9 Or in him dwells all the completeness of the Godhead bodily.

A fast day is not only a sad day, but an opportune day.

Watchman’s notes: Christians need to know that God’s will for salvation includes both Jews and gentiles. This is written in the Bible. Jesus has told us to pray according to God’s will. During the time when the Jews are fasting and mourning what shall we do? I believe each should seek God and pray too for them. Some Christians may fast too. My experience is that fasting and praying as a small group helps one to focus and not be easily discouraged. On the other hand, some watchmen may find it more convenient to fast and pray alone. I pray all of us receive fresh revelation and insight to pray for not just the Jewish people but also for those nations that God has imprinted on our hearts at this time of great strife and fear among the nations of the world.

The fast of the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, known as Shivah Asar B’Tammuz, is the start of a three-week (July 24 – August 14) mourning period for the destruction of Jerusalem and the two Holy Temples.
The sages explain: “Every generation for which the Temple is not rebuilt, it is as though the Temple was destroyed for that generation.” A fast day is not only a sad day, but an opportune day. It’s a day when we are empowered to fix the cause of that destruction, so that our long exile will be ended and we will find ourselves living in messianic times; may that be very soon.
The fast (abstain from eating or drinking between dawn and nightfall) commemorates five tragic events that occurred on this date:

Moses broke the tablets when he saw the Jewish people worshipping the Golden Calf.
During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, the Jews were forced to cease offering the daily sacrifices due to the lack of sheep.
Apostomos burned the holy Torah.1
An idol was placed in the Holy Temple.2
The walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, in 69 CE, after a lengthy siege. (Three weeks later, after the Jews put up a valiant struggle, the Romans destroyed the second Holy Temple on the 9th of Av.)
The Jerusalem Talmud maintains that this is also the date when the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem on their way to destroying the first Temple.

Abstaining from food and drink is the external element of a fast day. On a deeper level, a fast day is an auspicious day, a day when G‑d is accessible, waiting for us to repent.

(above quoted from: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/479885/jewish/The-17th-of-Tammuz.htm)

Also read: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144558/jewish/Tisha-BAv-and-the-3-Weeks.htm

She sees a GREAT NATION. She is a mother.

MOTHER NEEDS NOT BE POLITICALLY CORRECT

There is a mystery about Leah. She has unusual eyes. She is the the older sister of Rachel. She was the first wife of Jacob and gave birth to six sons and one daughter. The Bible did not describe her look except a sentence about her eyes. Her eyes were attractive. I have previously written about her faith in God and her close relationship with God. She knew that her husband’s first love was Rachel who was more physically attractive. BUT Leah loved Jacob. She was determined to have his children and she had six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. She named all her sons. Jacob did not seem to care. She named them in terms of her relationship with God and her perspective of God.

(This is what she said when she had her first four sons: Genesis 29,30)

So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
(Later she had two more sons: )And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

The versions of the Bible describing Leah with lovely eyes are as follows:

GW Leah had attractive eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and beautiful features.

GNT Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.

TLB Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely, and in every way a beauty.

NOG Leah had attractive eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and beautiful features.

MSG Now Laban had two daughters; Leah was the older and Rachel the younger. Leah had nice eyes, but Rachel was stunningly beautiful. And it was Rachel that Jacob loved. So Jacob answered, “I will work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

What is so great about Leah’s eyes? From what we have read we see that this woman is without malice or jealousy. She sees and keeps her focus on God’s goodness and the good sides of life. She does not even blame God for her unloving husband or her possibly unshapely body. She does not give up on her love. She does her best. She knows that only God can grant her the favor and ability to give birth. She is not ashamed or embarrassed by her fertility or try to be politically correct. Mothers need not be politically correct. She not only has one son, she carries on and has six! She sees what God has done even in her little world as a housewife and gives thanks. She sees the future where her many sons will grow up and do great things. She is right. Her sons did great things. They became the ancestors of the Israel nation. She became the mother of kings and priests. Yes, her eyes do matter. Instead of a mere family, she sees a great nation! And history has proven her right.

Did Jacob finally recognize it was Leah he should give honor as his lawful heavenly-ordained wife? He did. We read from below the words he gave his sons before he died: (Genesis 49)Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of …which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah…”

(Updated July 13) What has Britain’s fate got to do with USA

What has Britain’s fate got to do with USA or the Commonwealth or the rest of the globe?
A lot. Believe me. She is just the beginning of another phase the globe will enter henceforth.

Why I support Andrea Leadsom as Prime Minister for the first independent Britain after EU? I believe she is the anointed one for an entrepreneurial Britain who will sail round the globe and conduct free trade again.

She is not a glamorous civil servant but the ruling days of the bureaucrat is over. Look at the current world history for evidence. No nation or corporation today can afford to pay a general manager with no other skills or knowledge except to administer or talk in rounds of meetings only. No talkers or negotiators can contribute anything productive which the hungry world badly needs. I believe Mrs. Leadsom will be a solid doer and not talker.

I pray the nation wake up and vote for the right choice who will bring back the original enterprising spirit that Britain was formerly good at.

What has Britain’s fate got to do with USA or the Commonwealth or the rest of the globe?

A lot. Believe me. She is just the beginning of another phase the globe will enter henceforth. A right choice fits into a good plan. A wrong choice means acceleration toward a worse end for all. Andrea spoke of one key word when I was prompted to read her speeches before her ascension to the forefront. The day I was alerted was three hours before the final count of Brexit votes came out on June 23rd. She spoke of one word: “Principled“.  I know that is the key word for her. It has been confirmed as a sudden twist of events left her as the only Leave contestant.  (Note: as of July 13, Andrea has pulled out from the race. There is no longer option for this nation right now unless there is another significant shift which can only come from the 17 million who voted Brexit).

Personally, I respect the old values she represents and believe that those values will bring Britain and even those other States, including USA,  which will follow suit, GREAT again. GREATNESS does not mean in greed for selfish power to gratify self. It means successfully bringing a people to align with godly values that have sustained the survival of the human race for thousands of years on this earth. I pray that the nations of the world will wake up and see that there is a spiritual realm that everyone must take heed. It is late but not too late to align with the Creator’s  plan. I am calling out as a futuristic watchman here. I pray it will not be too late for anyone. Forget about the superficial glamour. Look at the spirit behind. 

I quote below excerpts from: (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/07/theresa-may-andrea-leadsom-tory-leader-prime-minister)(http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/07/how-andrea-leadsom-can-beat-theresa-may)

Andrea Leadsom, the junior energy minister who shot to prominence as a leading voice in the Vote Leave campaign, has secured second place in the Conservative party leadership race behind Home Secretary Theresa May on Thursday, ensuring Britain’s next prime minister will be a woman.
Leadsom was boosted by the support of Johnson, who insisted that despite her relative inexperience she had the “zap, drive and determination” required for the top job.

After the vote, Johnson said: “For the second time in history the Conservatives will have a female prime minster, proving that we are the not just the greatest but the most progressive party in Britain.

“I want to offer particular congratulations to Andrea Leadsom on her stunning achievement. She is now well placed to win and replace the absurd gloom in some quarters with a positive, confident and optimistic approach, not just to Europe, but to government all round.”

Leadsom also received the backing of many of those MPs who, unlike May, had supported the campaign for Britain to leave the EU. She gave a speech on Thursday morning at which she promised to “banish the pessimists” on the risks to the economy of leaving the EU.

Her campaign chief, Tim Loughton MP, said: “It was absolutely right that this would be an all-women shortlist. We have two strong women. We can now given the party a real choice. A remain woman; a leave woman. They both happened to go to state schools. They are both women. Hey, that’s pretty quirky for the Tory party.”

Another Leadsom backer, defence minister Penny Mordaunt, said: “It will be a really exciting contest, I hope it will be really positive. [Leadsom] is in this to win it, what she offers, her unique selling point is her strength on the economy, restoring stability and certainty to our economy swiftly.”

Andrea Leadsom now has about six weeks to woo the Conservative membership, who are likely to be more rightwing, middle class and affluent than the average voter. She will have to appeal to these 150,000 people to get the job of prime minister, and convince them that she can win over the whole country when it comes to a general election. To beat May, the following strategies will be crucial:

Reiterating her fight for Brexit
Highlighting May’s failure to bring down immigration
Classic rightwing policies to appeal to Tory members
The Tory grassroots have been feeling highly neglected in recent years, having reportedly been dismissed by the party’s chairman, Andrew Feldman, as “swivel-eyed loons” – although he denied making that comment. Leadsom could be the person to make them feel loved again by their leader.
Her supporter Peter Bone saying: “She has been out in the real world, working. People are crying out for non-establishment figures. This is not just about governing now, its about winning the 2020 election. Who would be better? I think its Andrea Leadsom.”

How should a nation become great again?

GOD SPOKE TWICE.
What should a nation do to become great again?
1. I am reminded of the successful examples in the Book of Ezra and Book of Nehemiah.
Rebuild your Temple of God/churches. Rebuild your walls: physically by demarcation and sovereignty over your borders (spiritual defense too).
I pray the Lord’s Spirit be poured out mightily upon you.
When you align with God’s plan and His words you will be great again.
Prosperity and peace.
Booming trades and bountiful harvests.
No one will lack.
You will be the head and not the tail.

2. READ THE BIBLICAL LESSONS ON EXCELLENT EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL NATIONAL LEADERS: FINANCE MINISTER Joseph, PRIME MINISTER Daniel and his friends, COMMANDER prophet Samuel, SPIRITUAL LEADER prophet Elijah, EDUCATIONIST Scribe Ezra, CIVIL GOVERNOR Zerubbabel, Nehemiah and many more.