Devotional

Forgiveness is Not an Option

I was reminded this morning that in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus told us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬)‬‬

Some translations replace ‘debt’ with the word ‘sin’. I noticed that this was the only instruction Jesus gave us in the Lord’s prayer. Then reading the next couple verses, I realized it was more than a nice to do, it’s a necessity.

We know that when we turn to Jesus, He forgives our past, present and future sins. A reminder that gives us the warm fuzzies knowing we are covered by unmerited grace. This is indeed true and foundational to our Christian faith. But did you notice that Jesus described forgiveness as conditional in Matthew 6:14-15? How so? Note that the aspect of sin in this passage relates to sin against me done by others, not sin against God. I see this as key. Our eternal spirit is forever set free from sin when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but our soul is not. Paul reminded us of this, saying we need to ‘work out our salvation’.

How do we do this? By worshiping and fearing God with all reverence.

There isn’t a day that goes by when sin is not done against us by others, directly or indirectly. It’s often in the form of a verbal attack, and in today’s culture often through social media. Persecution is part of living for Christ, but how we respond is important.

We are told by Jesus we need to repeatedly forgive those that come against us (Matthew 18:22). There is no way you can do this naturally. Holy Spirit is the one that empowers us to do so. He also enables us to see in the spiritual that the source of an attack may be coming from Satan, so we can respond not according to the flesh, but Spirit. We can then forgive the one sinning against us, and release them to God.

How do you do this practically? When under attack by someone I have learned to pray in the Spirit first, then if guided, respond with words in the natural. It's powerful, it's freeing, and most importantly, Jesus instructed us to do so. Try it next time sin comes against you.

Forgive others that sin against you and live free in Christ, it's not an option.

Health Nuggets

Natural Remedies for Flu Season

It is flu season and we need to prepare our body in order to stay healthy. 

According to Dr. Bryan Ardis, there is a more natural way to heal our body from the flu/covid symptoms, without taking any vaccines. 

In the video link below, Dr. Ardis gives a very broad description on what’s in the vaccines the Health Department is encouraging us to take. Two very disturbing ingredients are Thimerosal (MERCURY), and Polysorbate 80 (PS-80).

Video: Can Natural Remedies Help During Flu Season? – Dr. Bryan Ardis | ElijahStreams 

Dr. Ardis’ recommendation for treating the onset of the flu/covid (sore throat or nasal congestion, etc.), is to take 1000 mg of vitamin C per hour for 6 hours, repeating the treatment for up to 3 days as necessary, followed by 1000 mg 3 times a day for the remainder of recovery period.

In conclusion, a study showed that megadose Vitamin C therapy can help prevent, as well as therapeutically treat, the symptoms of cold and flu.

Load up on Vitamin C y’all! Be healthy and stay healthy and don’t forget to go out in the sun for at least 10 minutes a day during the winter months.

Note: Health Nuggets are opinions and not medical advice.

Financial Update

Can America's Economy Grow Without Adding Jobs?

I recently saw a post where an individual was celebrating landing a job after spending hours a day for over 16 months applying to open roles. She stated how she previously held an executive role, but during the 16 months found it nearly impossible to get call backs for roles she was clearly qualified for.

This is just one example of the handful of stories I’ve seen over social media regarding the state of employment over the past year or so; and ironically, I see companies announcing new products, new departments, capital raise milestones; but the numbers tell a different story. Hiring has seemed to slow, but output continues to grow.

Historically, economic expansion has generally been accompanied by job creation. Recent figures, however, illustrate why the relationship between growth and employment is more complicated than it appears.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. GDP expanded at a 3.4% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2026, accelerating from 2.2% in the second quarter. Yet September's employment report showed just 29,000 new jobs, compared with an average monthly increase of 45,000 over the preceding year. Unemployment remained relatively stable at 4.2%.

So how can the economy expand while hiring remains subdued?

One explanation is productivity, the amount of economic output generated per hour worked. During the second quarter, nonfarm business productivity increased 2.2% from a year earlier. On an annualized quarterly basis, output grew 1.7%, while hours worked increased just 0.3%. In other words, businesses produced more without a comparable increase in labor hours.

This can occur through investments in equipment, improved logistics, better management practices, and more efficient production processes. Productivity growth can also help businesses manage labor expenses.

Another factor is the changing workforce. Federal Reserve research published in April estimated that potential U.S. labor-force growth could fall below 10,000 workers per month in 2026, reflecting slower population growth and an aging workforce. With fewer additional workers available, the economy may require less monthly job creation to maintain a relatively stable unemployment rate.

The United States experienced periods of relatively weak hiring following the 1990–91 and 2001 recessions, often described as jobless recoveries. Economic output resumed growing before employment recovered meaningfully.

Today's circumstances are not identical. Unlike those periods, the current economy has not emerged from a recent recession, and labor-force demographics are playing an increasingly important role.

Historically, both workforce expansion and productivity improvements have supported economic growth. Federal Reserve researchers estimate that potential GDP grew approximately 3% annually between 1960 and 2025, with employment growth contributing roughly 1.4 percentage points and productivity accounting for the remainder.

The central question is not simply how many jobs the economy creates, but how effectively businesses use labor and capital to produce goods and services.

Understanding that distinction provides a more complete picture of economic growth, and why strong GDP figures and modest hiring can coexist.

Tech Update

Largest Bank Heist and Digital Security Reminder

A couple of weeks ago, the largest banking heist took place. The total stolen was more than all the thefts in the history of bank robberies - $6.3 Billion. You read that correctly, Billion with a ‘B’’.

No guns were involved. No hostages were taken. There wasn’t even a police standoff or chase. As a result, it barely made the news. The heist occurred online and was stolen from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. I was curious to compare this heist to the previous largest in history:

The FBI and blockchain intelligence firms linked North Korea’s state-sponsored TraderTraitor group to the recent Binance theft. It was executed through a multi-stage social engineering and insider access campaign rather than via direct vulnerability in blockchain code. Fortunately, blockchain tracking leaves a trail that is hard to hide. As a result, $2.8 billion of the funds have been recovered and Binance covered/restored about 90-95% of the affected accounts.

All this is a reminder we are in a digital age where the combination of advanced AI and cyberhacking is used to create havoc globally. We should anticipate that this will continue but also pray for solutions to be put in place to counter it. On our part, we need to be diligent about our online security. I recommend you review the tips we previously provided in this past article, AI Security Alarm.

Trivia Corner

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