BEST OF 2001-2002
BEST OF 2002-2003
BEST OF 2003-2004
NEWS
Episcopal priest speaks out against gay ordination
Guiding Light lights the hearts of hopeful students
Cavalier smashed in Schenley Quad
Air Force ROTC simulates POW camp
Wait is over for Guiding Light hopefuls!
Pitt students pack Destinta Theatre to watch 'The Passion of the
Christ.'
Controversial movie receives David Limbaugh's commentary!
PHOTOGALLERY
Photogallery of the funeral procession ceremony for
Reagan to the Capitol
HOTPRESSIONS
Commandments controversy is so commie and not constitutional
SPECIAL FEATURE
Top 25 reasons compiled for the origins of the candy cane
from 2001-2003 based on 65 student responses
FEATURE
Pitt Dance Team goldens Heinz Field
Pitt Dance Team rainbow Heinz Field
IMPRESSIONS
Students vote matters
Privacy or perversion in the bedroom
Israel, Israel, what have you done for Palestine!
Pitt should be proud denying same-sex benefits
Keep the Reagan legacy alive by voting for President Bush this
November
Homosexuals do not need a special bill!
Presidential candidate John Kerry lied about his heritage!
Wake up media and uncover the terrorists!
Mount Rushmore needs to be revisted to include Ronald Reagan
Clinton wants Kerry who promotes immoral issues, do you?
9-11 report should not have been bipartisan!
SPORTS
Women's softball team saw Rockets falling.
Hungry Panthers win Pittsburgh Classic
EXPRESSIONS
Engineering Auditorium Shakes
Red,
White, & Blue
Constitution supports God and patriotism
One
Numb-er
He
sees you all the time
Vote for the perfect candidate 24-7!
What if Jesus talked football?
Pitt Dance Team's colors of black, red, green, and
white give significance to the Christmas
season!
Nativity reminds tourists of Christ's birth
Both evolutionism and creationism are based on faith!
Gong Show winner recited about 'If cocaine were an alien,
what it does not want you to know!'
Gospel revealed through semantics and word play
Only
the right antidote can protect your life
God's love is alphabetically revealed in random languages
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"Today Our Redeemer Mightily
Eradicates Now Torment!” (T.O.R.M.E.N.T)"
Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher
Editors note: This is part of the
devotional I had with the Lord this morning of June 21, 05 that I wanted to share
with you all! If these can be used as Bible study guides, feel free to us them.
Quiet Times (Psalm 22, Proverbs
22, and Mark 5:1-13)
"They
went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out
of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not
even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he
tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong
enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he
would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a
distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. (Mark 5:1-6, NIV)
Observations:
I asked
myself what happened right after Jesus calmed the storm and talked to
His disciples?
“They went across the
lake to the region of the Gerasenes.
When Jesus got out of
the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.”
(Mark 5:1-2, NIV)
I
asked myself what we can learn about the ‘man with an evil spirit’.
-
This man lived in the tombs.
-
No one could bind him any more,
not even with a chain.
-
He had been chained hand and
foot.
-
He tore the chains apart and
broke the irons on his feet.
-
No one was strong enough to
subdue him.
-
Night and day among the tombs
and in the hills he would cry out.
-
Night and day among the tombs
and in the hills he would cut himself with stones.
-
He saw Jesus from a distance.
-
He ran to Jesus.
-
He fell on his knees in front
of him.
Interpretations:
I asked
myself why the man lived in the tombs.
This man was possessed that the
people of the region of Gerasenes did not want to have anything to do
with him because of his condition. In the region, he must have been
creating chaos because of his evil possession. Of all the places, they
took the man to the tombs and left him there. Tombs are where the dead
are laid to rest. To the people of the region, he was dead to them and
they did not know him as he was. Instead, they saw someone they could
not control anymore because he was possessed and no one was strong
enough to subdue him. This will become significant later.
I asked
myself why would he cry out and cut himself with stones.
Because of what happened in his
life, he became an outcast, ashamed and isolated from society. The evil
spirit had control of him and no one was strong enough to rescue him. He
wanted to be rescued and the cries were cries of helplessness and
anguish. He was in such a bad shape that he started mutilating himself
with the stones that were at the tomb maybe hoping to die. This too was
not working.
I asked
myself what he does next.
He saw
Jesus
He ran to
Jesus
He fell on
his knees in front of Jesus
I asked
myself why it is significant.
In his condition being
overpowered by the evil spirit did not completely take over his humanity
100%. There was still a part of him that knew good from evil. No matter
how tormented he was, he still had a part of his humanity that was
working. It is what he had left of his humanity that saw Jesus from a
distance. He does not stop there but ran to Jesus. After running to
Jesus with his mutilated cuts and deteriorating condition, he does not
stop there. He takes the final 3rd step and fell on his knees
in front of Jesus. What happens next is evidenced by the following
verses.
"He
shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son
of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" For Jesus
had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"
Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he
replied, "for we are many." And he begged Jesus again and again not to
send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the
nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow
us to go into them." He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came
out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number,
rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
The man saw Jesus from a
distance and ran to Him. We do not know how far he ran. With the cuts
and everything that was happening in the man’s life, he must have become
exhausted in his condition.
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked
myself what happens next.
When the man fell on his knees
in front of Jesus, Jesus took immediate action. This is evidenced by v.8
“For
Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" (Mark
5:8, NIV)
I asked
myself why this is significant.
This caused a chain reaction
between the forces of good and evil. After the man fell on his knees in
front of Jesus and Jesus had ordered the evil spirit out of this man,
the battle began in the heavenly realm. The battle was happening outside
the man’s control and the people of the region's control. That is why no
human being was able to subdue him.
Observations:
I asked myself what we learn
about the evil spirit in the man.
-
The evil spirit is in control
of the man.
-
The evil spirit shouted at the
top of the man’s voice taking over the man’s speech.
-
The evil spirit asked Jesus
what Jesus wants with it.
-
The evil spirit acknowledged
Jesus to be the Son of the Most High God.
-
The evil spirit told Jesus that
his name was Legion.
-
The evil spirit told Jesus that
they were many.
-
The evil spirit begged Jesus
AGAIN and AGAIN not to be sent out of the area.
-
The demons begged Jesus to send
them among the pigs.
-
The demons begged Jesus to
allow them to go into the pigs.
-
The demons went into the pigs
and about two thousand of the pigs drowned.
Interpretations:
I asked
myself what is significant about asking Jesus what Jesus wants with the
evil spirit.
In other words, the evil spirit
was asking Jesus why Jesus was interfering in the man’s life and that it
had nothing to do with Him. The evil spirit wanted the man to be left
alone for them. They wanted to continue to torment the man and take over
him. Jesus would not have none of that and intervenes.
This is so significant because I believe when Jesus came to the region
of Gerasenes, he came with the purpose of coming to the aid of the man
who was possessed. Jesus knew no one in the region could subdue the man
so He made himself available to the man to heal him if asked. Jesus
cared for the man in his worst condition and torment. That is so awesome
and cool to know!
I asked
myself what is significant about the evil spirit acknowledging Jesus to
be the Son of the Most High God.
This is very significant because
the evil spirit knew its place and purpose. It also knew who Jesus was
even when the Pharisees and teachers of the law would not acknowledge
who Jesus was. This is also very important because just because someone
acknowledges Jesus to be the Son of the Most High God does not mean they
are saved. We know the demons were not saved. Acknowledging Jesus is not
the same as following Jesus! This becomes important when we are born
into a Christian family. There can be an acknowledgment of Jesus
without having the saving power of Jesus in their lives because they are
not born again. The evil spirit knew that Jesus alone could stop them
and spoil their purpose even though they were many. This is evident by
them begging Jesus.
I asked
myself why is it significant that the evil spirit begged Jesus AGAIN and
AGAIN not to be sent out of the area.
Tombs are a place of death and
destruction usually but not always! It was different for Lazarus. We
also see what happened to Jesus after He died! In general, tombs still
stand for death, destruction, and decay without the intervention of our
Deliverer Jesus Christ on that day when He will come back to take His
own!
The demons wanted to stay in a place that promotes death and
destruction. The man possessed was just a pawn to create havoc and they
wanted to continue to do that. I also believe the area they were in was
full of sin and destruction so they liked the area. No one could subdue
the man because evil cannot be subdued by evil. Those demons made their
home in that area for a specific reason. They were not threatened and
enjoyed their stay. It is to this region that Jesus came to bring change
and healing. It started with healing one man who was possessed and
tormented. The demons realized they were in a no win situation with
Jesus and He was going to send them out of the area so they now begged
Jesus to send them among the pigs.
I asked
myself why it is significant that the demons begged to go into the pigs.
They knew Jesus came to the
region of Gerasenes to get rid of them and bring healing to the region
through the healing of one man. Those demons had a backup plan and
utilized it. If they could not stay in the area at least they wanted to
go into something that was considered unholy. Pigs were considered
unholy by the Jews. Jesus gave them permission to go into the pigs and
we see what the result was.
“The herd, about two
thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were
drowned.” (Mark 5:13, NIV)
The demons had come out of the
man from tormenting him and went into the pigs. The man was now free
from torment when evil left him. I decided to look at what happens to
the man after this experience some other day.
Implications:
I saw important implications for
my own life from going over Mark 5:1-13. I need to understand torment
and what can cause it. I have been tormented in the past to the point
that it took over me. The torment was too great to handle but Jesus
intervened to help me.
Now I want to put myself in a
position where I can help those who are tormented. This can only happen
when evil does not pervade in my own life for evil cannot fight evil.
Our flesh cannot fight evil but the Spirit of the Living God living in
us can help fight it. We need to see Jesus for who He is, run to Jesus,
and fall on our knees in front of Jesus and be delivered. Even through
the torment, I saw deliverance and so can you. My mission later became
‘Counseling Broken Hearts with the Love of Christ’. Jesus helped me
address issues in people’s lives that I have never faced and also some
issues that I have faced. Through the issues came an online book that
has affected people’s lives in miraculous ways to the point of saving
them too. I thank the Lord for that. I intend to introduce it in the
Pittsburgh Standard section called ‘Virtual Book Library’ one day.
I ask you
now dear friend, where is your torment coming from?
Dear friend, I do not know if
you have ever been tormented but torment comes from the enemy because it
also involves condemnation. Torment can be a result of our own sin,
things we have done, and things we have not done. Torment can take over
us and even isolate ourselves from others. To others we will become like
we are dead and living in the tombs crying out for help to the point
suicide may have been attempted.
Evil can pervade hearts
that make them susceptible to it. We do not know what the man did to
cause this. We also do not know what was happening in the region of the
Gerasenes except that no one there could subdue him and the demons
wanted to remain in that area. As long as the demons wanted to remain
there, it was because it was their comfort zone. Things were happening
there to their liking.
When Jesus came to change that,
they had issue with it. This shows us just as Jesus healed the
demon-possessed man when he saw Jesus, ran to Jesus, and fell on his
knees in front of Jesus for help from this torment, Jesus can do the
same for us no matter what we have been tormented by or are being
tormented by. Yes, He can friend! He loves you so much.
There are things that may have
happened that you cannot change at all but Jesus wants to bring healing
into your life from this torment. Name the torment and allow Jesus to
heal you there! He wants to deliver you from this torment. Jesus sent
the demons away from the man, from the area and the man was freed. After
the man was freed he left the tombs without staying there.
Friend, evil will reside where
there is a comfort zone for it. To fight against evil, we need to take
certain steps too. I want to address three issues that are mostly faced
by college students and non -students that make them susceptible to
Satan which can cause torment later. No, I am not saying it will be easy
to overcome, for Satan will put obstacles in your way that could even be
in the form of withdrawal but know this that Satan knows he has no
control once Jesus intervenes! So, seek Jesus in every area of torment
without giving up. Deliverance is at hand.
If you have a problem with
getting drunk, do not keep any drinks in the house or go to a place that
will have drinks. Addiction can be tormenting too and as you give in,
you give a mighty foothold to evil spirits to take charge of the
situation. The Bible speaks against getting drunk so when we do it, we
put ourselves in a place of torment because evil loves disobedience and
has found it. To escape it, seek the Lord Jesus in prayer and for His
deliverance. Wait upon Him my friend for He loves you.
”Who
has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has
needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is
red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end
it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see
strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like
one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. "They hit
me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it!
When will I wake up so I can find another drink?" (Proverbs 23:29-35,
NIV)
There are so many passages in
the Bible that talk about nakedness in different contexts. See what
happened to one of Noah's sons when he placed himself in a position to
see another person's nakedness.
If you are into pornography, you
need to take an active stand and remove anything from your place
that will give you access to pornography. This means if you have
pornographic tapes, magazines, etc it is not enough to say that you will
not go to them or touch them. You have made a place for evil to reside
at. There should be no reason to keep them. Throw them away and burn
them. Let evil experience Hell. Hiding things will not take the torment
away. Put filters on your own computer and locks on shows that you know
have nudity, etc. You have to block them. It is not enough to pray to
Jesus and still allow that material to reside or go to places where you
know you will be susceptible to it if you know you can do something
about it. As you do that, seek the Lord Jesus in prayer and for His
deliverance. Wait upon Him my friend for He loves you and cares for you.
"Behold, I come like a
thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so
that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." (Revelation 16:15,
NIV)
If you are having sex outside of
marriage or tempted to have sex outside of marriage, you need to
make an active effort not to be alone in the bedroom with another person
or any place the enemy finds for you to have sex. When you do, you have
already given the enemy an opportunity to tempt you and entice you into
doing wrong. Most people give in including Christians after they
rationalize such as “it’s ok, we are engaged to get married anyway”,
“it’s ok we love each other and are planning to be in an monogamous
relationship, it’s as if we are married”, “it’s ok, need to know how sex
life is like if I want to be with that person rest of the life”, etc.
Believe me I have heard all these rationalizations that people shared
with me. One of my friends gave into it and regretted later. She asked
me to pray for her regarding the situation asking God for mercy. I was
happy to learn God's grace working in her life after the torment.
“Flee from sexual
immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he
who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, NIV)
These are only three issues that
I mention but there are so many other issues that can cause torment in a
person’s life. Only Jesus Christ can take away that torment. All the
counseling and extraneous activities will not take away the torment
without the Lord’s intervention. This however does not mean that Jesus
does not help those that do not know Him. I believe through intercessory
prayer Jesus can intervene in the lives of our loved ones who do not yet
know Jesus. With the Lord's intervention, there is a place for
counseling and other ways to help the tormented.
We need to do our part and leave
the results in the Lord’s Helping Hands removing stuff and keeping away
from stuff that we know will lead to torment. The enemy is deceptive and
crafty and will not lay out the consequences for you. Even when we have
allowed torment to take over us, evil does not have complete control
when we turn our lives over to Jesus in repentance. Jesus is there for
us and He is the Answer. Friend, He is the Answer to your torment and He
answers, for you are never out of His love and never out of His reach!
I want to share with you a poem
called “Altering Addiction through Another Alternative”, the Lord helped
me to write.
Addiction
to _______ you cannot quit |
You are
going down the pit |
Addiction
eating you bit by bit |
You are
suffering a fit |
Making
addiction no myth! |
Addiction
to ________ hits your brain. |
Your
immunity to stress it did drain. |
Cannot
yourself train |
Cause
addiction is in reign. |
Addiction
to ________ did your life bake. |
Making
addiction into a poisonous cake |
Cause your
life's control it did take. |
Everyday
giving you problems when you awake. |
Addiction
to ________ gave your brain a burn. |
Making you
mourn. |
Cannot
rehab able to learn |
Everything
will be ok, when to Jesus you turn. (Jn 14:1) |
Addicted to
JESUS is the right Way (John 14:6) |
Without any
withdrawals each day (Col 1:27) |
This is
what I say (Isaiah 43:1-4) |
Whether
addiction is in any month such as May (Heb 4:13) |
Your
addiction to _________, Jesus will cast. (Heb 2:18) |
And in
time, you will feel better at last (Phil 4:13) |
Cause Jesus
will give you therapy that's the best |
That can
pass any test (Rom 8:28) |
And give
you a healthy rest (Matt 11:28-30) |
Covering
you with a healing vest. (James 5:15) |
All you
gotta do is turn to Him (Psalm 34:4) |
Even when
your chances are slim (Mark 9:23) |
He will
make you win (James 4:7) |
And save
you from all your sin. (Matthew 20:28) |
Jesus love
for you is so deep. (Eph 5:2) |
That even
addiction to _______ cannot you keep. |
Instead
from addiction trouble, you can leap. |
Giving
addiction to _______ a tearful weep. (Rev 7:17) |
“Today Our
Redeemer Mightily Eradicates Now Torment!” (T.O.R.M.E.N.T)”/"Where
is your torment coming from?"
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much that we are never out of your love.
No matter what is tormenting us, you are there for us. When there are
days we cannot get through and loneliness has gotten the best of us
because we are isolated in our torment and sin, you are still there.
Just as the demon-possessed man saw you, ran to you, and fell before you
for healing, we can come to you too. Thank you Jesus! You made yourself
available to the man with the evil spirit. Thank you Jesus for making
yourself available to us now when we call your Name for we are never out
of your love and never out of your reach. You Oh Lord know what we have
done; you know what we will do. You know what Satan will do to entice us
and torment us. We come to you Lord and ask you for your healing
presence in our lives. Take any addiction and torment that people face
and fill them with your power to live for you. We know you can do it
Jesus. Only you have the power to deliver us from any torment and find
peace in you. Thank you so much Jesus. We come to you now Jesus and ask
you to forgive us of all our sin. Deliver us Oh Lord and cleanse us with
your cleansing blood. We believe in you Jesus; we believe you are the
Son of God, we believe that you died and rose again; we believe you are
here right now standing in our presence with the power to heal now and
the grace to forgive. Help us Oh Lord as we turn this song “I Believe”
into a prayer to you Oh Lord. Thank you so much for coming into our
heart and making our heart your home as we ask you in. Take us in Oh
Lord and be our Lord and Personal Savior as you lead us and guide us.
Help us to help others as you help us! Thank you so much Jesus you are
in our heart making our heart your home. Thank you for living in us.
Thank you for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you Jesus you
have heard our prayers and answered us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
P.S.. If you need someone to talk to, pray with,
or have a Bible, you can email me at
reddy4HisGlory2004@yahoo.com and we can set up a time that is
convenient for you! You can also call me at 412-720-4579
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JUNE 2005
Weather
MAY 2005
CHAPTER 1
How seriously do you T.E.S.T.I.F.Y to prophecy?
(May 02, 05)
Who do you P.O.I.N.T to?
(May 03.05)
Will you take a S.T.A.N.D?
(May 04,05)
How is your P.R.A.I.S.E?
(May 05,05)
How do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N?(May
06,05)
Who controls your T.I.M.E?
(May 07,05)
What do you do with your P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N?
(May 08,05)
Whose T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S do you listen to?
(May 09,05)
What C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today?
(May 10, 05)
Where do you need H.E.A.L.I.N.G?
(May 11, 05)
Where do you need an A.N.S.W.E.R?
(May 12,05)
How much important is S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y time with the
Lord for you? (May 13, 05)
Where do you want to be C.L.E.A.N?
(May 14, 05)
What do your actions C.A.U.S.E?
(May 16,05)
CHAPTER 2
What kind of F.R.I.E.N.D are you?
(May 17,05)
Where does P.A.R.A.L.Y.S.I.S take hold of you?
(May 18, 05)
What are you thinking in your M.I.N.D?
(May 19, 05)
What about your A.C.T.I.O.N.S?
(May 20, 05)
Where are you looking for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E?
(May 21,05)
Who
do you I.N.V.I.T.E? (May 23, 05)
When do you F.A.S.T?
(May 24, 05)
How do you see your L.I.F.E?
(May 25,05)
What kind of L.E.A.D.E.R are you?
(May 26, 05)
What does the S.A.B.B.A.T.H mean to you?
(May 27, 05)
CHAPTER 3
What are your N.E.E.D.S?
(May 28,05)
What is your I.M.P.A.C.T?
(May 31,05)
JUNE 2005
What S.P.A.C.E do you give
yourself?(June
01,05)
What has E.V.I.L done to you?
(June 02, 05)
What emphasis do you put on your
R.E.L.A.T.I.O.N.S.H.I.P with Jesus?
(June 03,04)
Where is your A.P.P.O.I.N.T.M.E.N.T in?
(June 04, 05)
Where do you G.A.T.H.E.R at?
(June 06,05)
How are your actions seen by your F.A.M.I.L.Y?
(June 08,05)
How do you handle S.L.A.N.D.E.R?
(June 09,05)
What is your V.I.E.W of Jesus?
(June 10,05)
Are you willing to do G.O.D.'S W.I.L.L?
(June 11,05)
CHAPTER 4
What do P.A.R.A.B.L.E.S mean to you?
(June 13,05)
Where are you at your W.A.L.K with God?
(June 14,05)
What kind of L.A.M.P are you?
(June 15,05)
What do you C.O.N.C.E.A.L?
(June 16,05)
What do you do with what you H.E.A.R?
(June 17,05)
What do you do with the W.O.R.D?
(June 18,05)
What will you do with the S.E.E.D?
(June 20,05)
What are the S.T.O.R.M.S in your life?
(June 21,05) |