Granny Answers Your Questions: 6

Question Is there a way of hiding things from satan. I mean does he and his angels know whats on my mind without saying it?

Granny's Answer: No Satan and his angels cannot read minds--BUT they know a lot about humans and they can tell a lot by what we are doing and we give clues in our behavior . That is why people that claim to read minds and they have the help of dark angels--they can't really read minds but they make very good guesses.

"When we talk discouragement and gloom, Satan listens with fiendish joy; for it pleases him to know that he has brought you into his bondage. Satan cannot read our thoughts, but he can see our actions, hear our words; and from his long knowledge of the human family, he can shape his temptations to take advantage of our weak points of character. And how often do we let him into the secret of how he may obtain the victory over us. Oh, that we might control our words and actions! How strong we would become if our words were of such an order that we would not be ashamed to meet the record of them in the day of judgment. How different will they appear in the day of God from what they seem when we utter them".--RH, Feb 27, 1913. 

Q: What about the holy angels. Do they know my secret thoughts?

A: They do because of the Holy Spirit, Who does know our thoughts.

The interesting thing is that while the dark angels can't know our thoughts--they can place thoughts in our minds--these we call temptations--so many times when we think it is our own thoughts causing us to want to do bad things--it is temptations put there by evil angels; but if we refuse these thoughts and push them out of our minds by praising the Lord in quiet gratitude, singing a hymn or thinking on a scripture, the thoughts are driven away and the temptation is over come. Also remember in temptation to first lift your mind in prayer to ask for strength and God's power to resist the enemy.

 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"In no case can Satan obtain dominion over the thoughts, words, and actions, unless we voluntarily open the door and invite him to enter."  AH 402

Question 22:  Is it alright to listen to all music that claims to be Christian? Is there music that is bad even if the words are right?

Granny's Answer: I will tell you some interesting facts. Did you know that before Satan was cast out of Heaven that he was called Lucifer and one of his jobs was to lead the music choirs in heaven.  

SO nobody on earth knows more about music than Satan does. He knows what kinds of music to give to humans so that they will have a hard time to be able to learn the truth about Jesus. The popular music industry is controlled by Satan and he uses it to mess up our minds and feelings. All that kind of music that makes you want to sway side to side as you listen to it and all the music that has heavy drum beats is all related to the kind of music Africans used to worship the spirits. I have learned that it is best to not listen to any kind of popular music and any kind that has a beat that makes you want to clap or sway -- these things are harmful to the brain and the health. It is not only the words of music that make it harmful, it is the very music itself.

There is even most music that is used in the churches today that has that beat and swaying to it--that music is bad too even though the words may seem alright.

We do not need to be filling our heads with noise and entertainment all the time--God says: "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Being quiet is very helpful way for us to learn about God.

What I tell you, I do myself; I listen to hymns at times; maybe when driving a long way; but I have a lot of quiet so I can think, study and learn. God talks to us in a 'still small voice' if we are surrounded with noise and heavy rhythms and such, we can't hear Him: that is Satan's plan, to make it so we can't hear God and only hear his noisy lies instead.

God Bless!
Granny

Question 23 If Christmas is a pagan holiday, why are there true stories that show how God delivers many poor families at this time?

Granny's Answer: This is a very good question, but I am sure God also delivers poor folk other times of the year as well; He helps those who pray any time of year. BUT because people are very sentimental about Christmas; we tend to collect up stories like this; and many of the stories are made up stories and not true at all. Also people that will give money to help the poor because it is Christmas, and they feel sentimental, often couldn't care less about them when it isn't.

We have to remember that many folk do not know that Christmas came about as the Roman church took the pagan feast days into the Christian church and that it really has no business being there. For some people Christmas is very religious and they think they have to celebrate it, but they do not know where it really came from. But when you look around at what Christmas is for most people, you can see a lot of things that are not at all what a Christian should be doing.

People talk about 'keeping Christ in Christmas'–but He was never there, so you can't keep Him there; this is entirely a man-made idea. Jesus told us to look at the 'fruits' to know if a tree is good or not. What really are the fruits of Christmas? Most of them are not good for sure. Children are lied to about the coming of a false god–Santa–just move the letters and you can know who he really is–Satan. Is it good fruit for people to lie to children?

People drink alcohol a LOT at Christmas parties and many bad things happen because of that. People spend too much money and go deep in debt at Christmas because they feel they have to do it. Again, not good fruit.

People waste so much food and spend money for decorations and silly things that are really worthless–then later on, many are suffering for want of means that they wasted at Christmas. Wasting money and food and overindulgence are not good fruit.

People are covetous and want so much at Christmas and then are disappointed with what they get. People who are alone or not able to get what they want are very depressed at Christmas and more people commit suicide then than any other time of year.

I will not continue this list here, but I am sure you can think of some things also. Anything that truly comes from God and is part of His plan has ALL good fruit and no bad fruit. Christmas is not from God. Remember even Satan can seem to do good–but God never mixes good and evil together. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14.

We have a special holiday every week as true Christians–the Holy Sabbath day–also we can think about Jesus and Bethlehem and sing Christmas carols any time we want, and not just at Christmas. We can also see to it that we help the poor and needy all year long. We do not have to be all tied up with the chains of the world's holidays–feeling we HAVE to do certain things just because it is a certain day; If Jesus has set us free–we are free indeed! We can do right things because we choose to, not just because it is a certain day that the world called a holiday.

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36

God Bless you!
=^..^=

 

Question 24: What does it means that some animals are 'Clean' and some are 'Unclean'?

Granny's Answer: This is a good question and helpful to know, because even though in our day it is better not to eat any animal flesh, certainly the 'Unclean ones are more dangerous! Notice: No permission was given for man to eat animal flesh until after the flood and at that time God gave man permission to eat certain animals He called “clean animals.” He was not to eat “unclean animals.”

Now this was NOT a religious thing meant only for certain people; the reason God told them this is because although any kind of animal flesh is not good for the health, the ‘clean animals’ were safer to eat and would do less harm, especially if they followed God directions on eating them without fat or blood in them.

The ‘unclean animals’ are not safe to eat and eating them results in much disease more than eating the ‘clean animals’. The Bible gives us a list of which animals are ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’. I will make a simple list here:
Clean Birds are: Chickens, quails, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons, things like that.
In animals the ‘clean’ ones are ‘ruminants’ like cows, sheep, deer, goats, things like that.
In Sea animals, only swimming fish that have BOTH fins and scales are to be eaten.  

For ‘Unclean animals’ the pig (called swine in the Bible) tops the list; to eat the pig or pork is an abomination—that means very bad. WHY? Because the pig is a scavenger and his flesh especially causes unhealthy conditions in people. The pig’s job in nature was to be a garbage cleaner, he will eat any kind of filth. Eating pork or any pig product will always have a bad effect on one’s health, and it is not a cultural or religious thing, it is a fact.

 

Question 25: Just wondering; in the story about the man that had the Legion of devils and Jesus cast them out, they all led the swine to die in the water, but did the demons die too or it was the swine which perished only? I always wonder when l read that story?

Granny's Answer:  No they just drove the pigs to drown thinking they could make trouble for Jesus that way. Jesus allowed them to kill the pigs because those beasts were owned by rich Jews who had no business raising these unclean animals! It did make temporary trouble for Jesus as the people asked Him to leave—but later when He returned the people welcomed Him! Demons don’t die but they will die in the fires of the final destruction of the wicked. BUT it is a good lesson as to how the fallen angels like to harm and destroy everything, even animals! Notice this:
"But the purposes of Christ were not thwarted. [beaten] He allowed the evil spirits to destroy the herd of swine as a rebuke to those Jews who were raising these unclean beasts for the sake of gain. Had not Christ restrained the demons, they would have plunged into the sea, not only the swine, but also their keepers and owners. The preservation of both the keepers and the owners was due alone to his power, mercifully exercised for their deliverance. Furthermore, this event was permitted to take place that the disciples might witness the cruel power of Satan upon both man and beast. The Saviour desired his followers to have a knowledge of the foe whom they were to meet, that they might not be deceived and overcome by his devices." Great Controversy 88 515.