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Three Beginner Bible Study Tips

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Make it your aim to prepare yourself for your mission as a follower of Jesus

Written by GodLife on 31/01/2017
Series: Weekly Devotional
Tags: Bible, Application, Interpretation, Context, Obedience
Ezra had spent his entire life studying and obeying the Law of the Lord and teaching it to others.

Ezra 7:10
Most Christians understand that we’re all supposed to be reading the Bible on a regular basis. But isn’t it true that it’s hard to understand at times? (It’s OK to admit this – even Peter did! [2 Peter 3:16]) Even when we “understand” it, it’s possible to take it all in and go away unchanged. (James 1:23-24) But God’s promise to bless what we do only applies “if we listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.” (James 1:25)

Here are three simple principles for reading the Bible. You can remember them by associating them with “SOS,” the international call for help:

S: What does it SAY
Before we can make use of what we read, we have to be sure of what it meant at the time it was written. To understand this, be sure to get the context. Here are three dimensions to context:

There’s the Biblical context: Who wrote it? Why was it written? What did it mean to those who received it? It’s been said that “a text without a context is a pretext.” It’s possible to quote the Bible and get the meaning all wrong. The words of foolish people (1 Samuel 26:1-21), false prophets (1 Kings 22:10-28), and even the devil (Job 2:4) can be found in Scripture. King Jeroboam deliberately quoted Exodus 32:4 without context to justify his plan to set up golden calves in his kingdom. (1 Kings 12:28) But Paul praised the Bereans for “gladly accepting the message” but also “studying the scriptures to see” for themselves that what he said was true. (Acts 17:11).
There’s also the context of time. It’s important to know where a passage fits in history. Was it before, or after Jesus’ coming? Does it describe a temporary situation? In 2 Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah destroyed the brass snake God commanded Moses to make! Why? The people were worshiping it—a thing of brass—as if it were an idol.
The context of culture may also be important. God told Noah in Genesis 9:2-3 to eat every animal. He told Moses and Aaron to set Israel apart by their diet and gave a list of clean and unclean animals in Leviticus 11.
O: Ask God what He wants you to OBEY
Never forget that you have access to the Author! Jesus was recognized as an authoritative teacher (Matthew 7:28-29) and occasionally revealed things they had not realized they were accountable to believe or obey. (See Exodus 3:6 and Matthew 22:32; also see Exodus 20:12 and Matthew 15:3-6.)

S: What can you SHARE
God promises His Word does what He sends it forth to do. (Isaiah 55:11) Once He has done His work in your life, you’re not supposed to keep the good news to yourself. (See 2 Kings 7:1-9)

There’s a biblical basis for these reminders. They came from a statement about one of the great characters in the Bible. Ezra was someone very influential, but not as well-known as Elijah, Samuel or even Esther (who appears in a book he may have written). He was a priest and a scribe in Israel after the nation’s return from captivity in Babylon. A short statement about him tells us a lot about why he had such a profound impact on his country:

“Ezra had spent his entire life studying and obeying the Law of the Lord and teaching it to others.” (Ezra 7:10)

To put it another way, Ezra read the Bible carefully to find out what it SAID. His purpose was to OBEY God’s laws. He then spent time SHARING it with others. In Nehemiah 8:1-8 we see that the whole regathered nation of Israel stood and listened as Ezra read the Bible and helped them understand what it said so that they could agree to its truth. This resulted in them worshiping the Lord. Making hearers into worshipers should be the mission of any follower of Jesus as well; but first, we have to make sure we are worshipers ourselves. If we read the Bible this way, we will be!

Pray this week:
Dear Lord: I want to know your Word and know you. I want to help others understand and obey and worship you. Please help me have the faith and discipline to do these things. AMEN

Have you ever come across a confusing passage in the Bible? If you need help, contact us and someone will write back and pray with you.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Bitcoin could be gearing up for a short-term rally

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Bitcoin could be gearing up for a short-term rally

Bitcoin could be gearing up for a short-term rally

Bitcoin’s price appears to be stabilizing, and the digital currency may even be gearing up for a short-term rally, technical indicators show.

The GTI Global Strength Technical Indicator for Bitcoin is nearing oversold levels, clocking in at 35.6. That’s the lowest level since December. Bitcoin appears to be stabilizing around $3,500, with clear support at $3,000 to $3,100, the measure suggests.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency also breached its lower VERA band limit today, but rocketed back to trade just above the limit. The GRI VERA Trend Signals indicator helps identify trends, and this behaviour implies an upcoming short-term rally.

The indicators are notable as investors are looking for signs of hope after Bitcoin tanked some 70 percent last year, and continues to grind lower. Worried about volatility, many regular investors remain wary of crypto market.

Greater stability in Bitcoin’s price could entice them to return, and for more institutional investors to give this market another look.

 

Bloomberg 23 January 2019

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

One Practical Way to Study the Bible

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How can you figure out what a passage is saying?

Written by Gary Fleetwood on 15/01/2019

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Bible, Interpretation, Scripture, Grow, Word

but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:2

There are many different ways to study the Bible. You can study a book, a chapter, a verse, a word, or a Bible character.  You can do a devotional study, an in-depth study, or a topical study of a particular subject.  However, a very simple way to study the Bible is by what is called “inductive Bible study”.  The word “inductive” refers to the process of analyzing something, and it has three parts – observation, interpretation, and application.

What is observation?

Observation asks, “What is this passage saying?”  This takes effort. Too often we read something, but we do not take the time to observe what we are reading. My first rule for Bible study is to never get in a hurry.  Why? Because God is never in a hurry. The word “meditate” in Psalm 1:2 means to digest what is being read. The word “meditate” comes from how a cow chews its food by taking it down into its stomach and then bringing it back up to chew on some more. The cow has four stomachs, so it does this four times before the food is fully digested. So, read the passage you are studying several times and mark down anything that stands out in your reading – key words, key phrases, repeated words or phrases, encouragements, warnings, and anything else that seems important.  By writing down what you observe, the meaning will become clearer to you.

What is interpretation?

Interpretation asks, “What does this passage mean?”  Most every passage should have an obvious meaning simply because God has not designed the Bible to be mysterious or vague.  There is no benefit in God hiding His meaning from a believer.  Whenever my children were growing up, I never tried to make what I wanted them to do to be mysterious.  Remember, we cannot interpret the Bible based only on what the words mean to us.  The correct question is, “What did these words mean to the people to whom they were originally written?”  Normally, that means the reader needs to have a good Bible dictionary to help them understand the words the writer used. If you are not able to obtain a good Bible dictionary, then a simple rule would be to simply allow the “obvious” meaning to control and govern your interpretation.

What is application?

Application asks, “How should I apply this passage to my life?”  Obviously, it does no good to read a passage and discover its truth, but then not be willing to apply what we have learned to our life.  A very wise man once said that “90 percent of knowing the will of God is being willing to do the will of God before we know what it is.”  It is the simple idea of just saying, “Yes, Lord,” before we ever start reading.  Please appreciate that God will never ask us to do something that does not actually benefit our life.  As we learn what God desires for our life, we have the privilege to begin applying God’s truth to our life.  Application is what equips us to face the trials and the difficulties that life will bring our way.

So, going forward, remember that the more you develop a consistent and meaningful way of studying the Bible, the more skilled you will become in understanding God’s Word so that you can actually apply it to your life.  Remember – never get in a hurry when studying God’s Word.  Just take your time and He will give you greater understanding.

Pray this week:

“Father, please help me to learn how to study your Word in such a way that it can really benefit my life.  Please help me not to just read it, but to dig into it so that I can really know your perfect will for my life.”

How and when can you set aside time this week to read the Bible and truly understand what it is saying?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Down 80 per cent in just over a year: Why Bitcoin’s bubble burst

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Down 80 per cent in just over a year: Why Bitcoin's bubble burst

Down 80 per cent in just over a year: Why Bitcoin’s bubble burst

Bitcoin was the first of the crypto currencies and invented by a mysterious computer genius. This is how it’s taken a massive dive.

A little over a year ago we looked at Bitcoin and the whole crypto currency phenomenon.

Eerily, it turned out to be the same week as Bitcoin traded at its peak of $US19,891 on the Bitfinex exchange.

We were being accused of ignoring the “new age” investment darling.

We concluded it was an investment bubble waiting to burst. Our aversion to the whole crypto currency fad was based on a few reasons;

• We had no idea who was behind the Bitcoin business.

• The trading market was unregulated.

• It was too easily replicated by other crypto currencies

• People couldn’t work out what was fair value.

Around the same time the Australian Securities and Investments Commission issued this warning: “ICOs (initial coin offerings) are highly speculative investments, are mostly unregulated, and the chance of losing your investment is high. Consumers should understand the risks involved, including the potential for these products to be scams, before investing”.

We just weren’t convinced that Bitcoin and other crypto currencies were a legitimate investment option for average Australians.

THE BIG FALL

Since that week, Bitcoin and the whole crypto currency market has dropped 80 per cent in value. That’s bigger than the dotcom bubble and crash of 1995-2000.

As a couple we invest in start-ups and alternative investments so are pretty open minded about new trends. As we said at the time, crypto currencies had all the signs of an investment bubble, and reports of people mortgaging their house to invest was just plain crazy.

You can make big bucks investing in a fad. Just don’t be the sucker at the end when the crash comes. Always take profits along the way, try to get back your original investment and then just play with the profits.

HOW IT WORKS

As background for those who weren’t caught up in the hype, Bitcoin was the first of the crypto currencies and invented by a mysterious computer genius called Satoshi Nakamoto who decided there would only be 21 million ever created.

Bitcoins are created or “mined” by supercomputers which solve complex algorithms and, in return, receive a unit. The closer the number of Bitcoins gets to 21 million units the harder it is to mine and the bigger the supercomputers need to be to solve the puzzles.

The Bitcoins are then held in digital wallets of investors which are numbered and password protected. Some describe it as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. No names are used so it’s very secretive and investors anonymous.

The Bitcoins are then traded on markets using “blockchain” technology. This is simply a decentralised network of computers around the world which monitor and record all transactions.

Basically a Bitcoin is a means of trading value. Think of it as a digital version of money. Before that there were shells or rum during the Rum Rebellion when Australia was an early colony. It’s used as a means to pay for good and services.

Its value is determined by good old supply and demand.

While Bitcoin is acknowledged as the first major crypto currency, at the peak of the boom there were around 1700 different electronic currencies being traded. Everyone was getting in on the action.

So what happened?

Like a lot of new investments, when they start to get popular, and move toward the mainstream, they attract scrutiny. Experts say the market has been hit hard by a number of factors.

REGULATOR CRACKDOWN

Regulators and traditional financial institutions are always spooked by new investment schemes. But when that new product is an electronic currency which is decentralised with no central regulating authority and avoids the regular payments process, it is going to get a lot of attention from authorities.

Governments and central banks around the world have hit the market with a series of regulations and warned against anyone investing in crypto currencies.

INADEQUATE SECURITY

Cyber thieves have attacked a number of the crypto trading exchanges and stolen money from investors. How much has been stolen is not clear because there are no formal tracking of these exchanges, but some estimates are that over $1 billion went missing in 2018.

That’s a lot of money, even for investors at the extreme of the risk profile, and undermines confidence.

TAX OFFICE STAKES A CLAIM

Where there are people making big money out of investing, government revenue agencies are not far behind to get their share of the action.

Despite the secretive nature of crypto currency investing, the Australian Taxation Office (and its counterparts around the world) ruled gains would be subject to tax.

One of the reasons given for the current market collapse is that US investors are cashing in to pay their tax bills on the big gains they made in 2017. The Internal Revenue Service ruled crypto currencies were property and would be taxed on capital profits.

GOOGLE’S ADVERTISING BAN

At its peak, the crypto phenomenon was fuelled by huge marketing dollars spruiking the different “coins” and their incredible investment returns. Most of our online screens were flooded by advertising showing we were fools not to get involved.

But Google turned off the tap by banning online advertising of crypto currencies and the marketing machine ground to a halt.

Originally published as Why the Bitcoin bubble burst

 

DAVID & LIBBY KOCH

 

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Who Am I?

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Your Secret Identity in Christ

Written by Dan Lee on 17/10/2017

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Identity, Friendship

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:3-4

Literature is full of secret or hidden identities. Many superheroes, such as Superman or Spiderman, spend most of their time disguised as a regular person. In the old fable of Beauty and the Beast, a prince is trapped in the body of an ugly, scary monster. At the end, when all hope seems lost, he is magically transformed back into a handsome prince.

It’s only a fairy tale, right? Yes, but every good story is a a small picture of the great Story, written by our Creator. And for those who know Him, this Story ends with a glorious revealing of our true self, more wonderful by far than the old.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Until that great day of revealing, we don’t look different from anyone else. Yet we are new inside.

Here are a few more important identities of a true follower of Christ:

Identity #1: We are his children

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7)

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1a)

American President John F. Kennedy famously allowed his young children to roam around the White House and come to him at almost any time. While civilians and even powerful people often could not approach the president, Caroline and John, Jr. had access to him — not because of anything they did, but just because they were his children.

Having rich and powerful parents is great. But the Bible tells us that we are far more blessed than that. We are beloved children of God, the Creator and Owner of all, with unlimited access to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). And we are heirs, not just of money and possessions, but of God’s eternal, unshakable kingdom (Hebrews 12:28).

Identity #2: We are a chosen race

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

God’s original chosen people were the Israelites — descendants of Jacob. But now in Christ, we are also the chosen people, adopted by God into His family. Note that this is not for our benefit only, but so that we can tell others about God’s greatness and excellence.

Identity #3: We are God’s friends

Being God’s servant would be a great honor, but Jesus goes beyond that, telling us, “You are my friends, if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his Master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15).

This statement comes with a condition: “if you do what I command you.” That does not mean we are perfect, but it refers to a lifestyle, a pattern, of seeking to know and obey God’s will. A person who doesn't know or care what God wants him to do is probably not even a true believer.

And the result of friendship in this verse is that Christ shares with us, through the Holy Spirit, what He hears from the Father. So the more we obey Him, the more He will reveal to us, and the deeper our friendship can grow.

If you ever struggle with feelings of unworthiness or unimportance, spend some time re-reading and meditating on the passages in this article. Let God’s word renew your mind (Romans 12:2), and ask Him to give you a greater understanding of your great worth — your infinite value — in the eyes of God, the Creator of the Universe. And remember that for those who know and follow Jesus, “happily ever after” is not a dream from a fairy tale, but a solid promise from God.

Pray this week:

Thank You, Father, that because of Jesus, I now have infinite worth and am completely loved by You — as your child and Your friend. Help me by Your Holy Spirit to know and believe this truth more and more, and to live with confidence as a Child of the King, proclaiming Your excellence to others and bringing You glory.

Need more encouragement about your identity in Christ? Connect with one of our caring volunteers to learn more.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Bitcoin price analysis – experts call the bottom the market does not believe

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Bitcoin price analysis - experts call the bottom, the market does not believe

Bitcoin price analysis – experts call the bottom, the market does not believe

  • BTC/USD retested the lowest level of 2019 despite growing transactions volume.

  • A sustainable move above $3,600 is needed.

Bitcoin is hovering marginally above $3,500 at the time of writing. The digital coin No.1 has lost nearly 4% since this time on Sunday, resuming the decline that started on the second week of January. The market seems to see the glass half-empty, paying attention only to negative news.

Meanwhile, the researchers note that Bitcoin's average daily transactions volume returned to the levels registered in October 2017 (a short reminder: that was the period of a strong rally on the cryptocurrency market).

"Bitcoin daily on-chain transactions grew 63% in the last ten months. Volumes are now the same as we had during the 2017 bull run, a Twitter user ArminVanBitcoin notes.

While the share of SegWit transactions has not changed in recent six months, LighteningNetwork activity has been gathering pace.

This makes the experts believe that the market has bottomed out and the bull run is about to start in the nearest future.

Bitcoin’s technical picture

Looking technically, BTC/USD retested the lowest level of 2019 at $3,480 before the recovery pushed it back above $3,500. It is worth noting, that the upside momentum has faded away, which means that the sell-off may be resumed later during the day. If the above said $3,480 is broken, the price might slide towards $3,400, which is guarded by 23.6% Fibo retracement level, monthly.

On the upside a sustainable move above $3,600 is needed to mitigate the immediate bearish pressure.

 

Tanya Abrosimova

FXStreet

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

3 Facts About Being a Child of God

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What exactly is this new identity we have in Christ Jesus? Here are three things that happen when you become a child of God.

Written by Joy on 25/01/2015

Series: Weekly Devotional

 

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

 

Paul tells us; “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). So what exactly is this new identity we have in Christ Jesus? Here are three things that happen when you become a child of God.

You are Adopted by God

“You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15). When you become a child of God, you are adopted. You may not have a good human father, but God is a perfect Father. He loves you no matter what. Nothing you do will change God’s love for you (Romans 8:35-39). Sin can hurt your relationship with God, but even if you sin you are still God’s child. God’s forgiving love is shown in the parable of “The Prodigal Son.” (Luke 15:11-32).

You Inherit God’s Blessings

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…” (Romans 8:17). Becoming an heir means you’ll inherit God’s great riches and blessings. Jesus promised that he would secure a place for us in his Father’s House (John 14:2-3). As adopted children, he has chosen us and given us all the blessings of heaven (Ephesians 1:3,11). He has revealed his plans to us and enabled us to be heirs of His Kingdom.

You Begin to Reflect God’s Image

Children are often a reflection of their parents, in looks and in learned behavior. Since we are children of God, our Heavenly Father is the perfect role model. “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children…..For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…” (Ephesians 5:1, 8-10). As a Christian, you represent the family of God. When you become a child of God, you’ll begin to reflect God’s image. You can give others an impression of God by your actions and words.

When you fully understand God’s love for you as His child, you will have power to live a life that pleases Him. Are you ready to become a child of God? Click here to learn how to join God’s family.

Pray this week:

to fully understand your position as God’s child.

What new truth did you learn about being God's child, and how did this encourage you?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Bitcoin Nears 3750 as Top Cryptos See Moderate Gains

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Bitcoin Nears $3,750 as Top Cryptos See Moderate Gains

Bitcoin Nears $3,750 as Top Cryptos See Moderate Gains

Saturday, Jan. 19 — all the top 20 cryptocurrencies are seeing slight to moderate gains in the 24 hours to press time. Bitcoin’s (BTC) price is nearing $3,750 again, according to Coin360 data.

At press time, Bitcoin is up about 2 percent on the day, trading at around $3,730. Looking at its weekly chart, the current price is higher than $3,663, the price at which Bitcoin started the week.

Ripple (XRP) is up just over 1.6 percent on the day, trading at around $0.331 at press time. On the weekly chart, the current price is higher than $0.329, the price at which XRP started the week — and notably lower than $0.337, the midweek high reported on Jan. 14.

Ethereum (ETH) has seen its value increase by nearly 3 percent over the last 24 hours. At press time, ETH is trading at almost $125, having started the day around $121. On the weekly chart, Ethereum’s current value is near identical to $126, the price at which the coin started the week.

Among the top 20 cryptocurrencies, the ones experiencing the most notable growth on the day are NEO, which is up over 5 percent, and Maker (MKR) and Litecoin (LTC), both up about 4 percent.

The combined market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies — currently equivalent to about $124.5 billion — is higher than $121.8 billion, the value it reported one week ago.

As Cointelegraph recently reported, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has stated that global regulators should work together to facilitate the development of initial coin offerings (ICOs).
 

Also, crypto entrepreneur and regular contributor to CNBC, Brian Kelly, claimed that there is no chance for a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval in 2019. Kelly made his remarks in an interview with Cointelegraph at the Crypto Finance Conference this week.

 

 

By Adrian Zmudzinski

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Who are you?

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You might be wondering about your identity as an adopted child of God.

Written by GodLife on 14/04/2013

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Family, God, Identity, Jesus, Relationships

 

I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as My prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

 

During our family’s process to adopt a child, we learned that adopted children sometimes wonder about their history and how they fit in. You, too, might wonder about your identity as an adopted child of God. He has known who you were and would become since before your birth, but God lets you discover how He can use your unique personality to minister to others.

Your Identity in God

When you accept Christ as your Saviour, that means that God has accepted you as His adopted child. "To all who believed Him and accepted Him, [Jesus] gave the right to become children of God"(John 1:12), and "God sent Him to buy freedom for us…, so He could adopt us as His own children"(Galatians 4:5). Part of your identity as God’s child is as a representative of our Lord. Jesus told His followers, "You are the light of the world … let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father"(Matthew 5:14 & 16)

Interaction with Other Believers

Good deeds begin at home, with family; other believers are your family in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote, "we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith"(Galatians 6:10). And as further encouragement, we are told to "keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters"(Hebrews 13:1).

Interaction with Non-Believers

Making sure love is part of your personality is important for ministering to people who don’t know God yet. Jesus called His followers to “be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere” (Acts 1:8). Peter reminded us “if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it” (1 Peter 3:15). Sometimes, unbelievers “are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). So when sharing the gospel, Paul would “try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Following that example, you can discover what good things God has put into your personality that will enable you to share His love, in your own unique way.

Prayer, Care and Share Jesus

* The Prayer, Care and Share (PCS) series is a guide to help you pray and care for others and share your faith in Jesus *

"I cannot" is not an option!

Scripture: "Moses said to the Lord ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent … I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (Exodus 4:10-12)

Are you following Jesus (Luke 14:27), and obeying His commands? Some of His commands are: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-40). He wants us to teach others about Him, too (Matt. 28:19-20). These commands apply to all His followers, regardless of their personality, spiritual gifts or life situations.

Sometimes we use our personality type or lack of gifts from God as an excuse for not following Jesus and His commands. We might say things like:

"I cannot" share about Jesus with others because I don’t have the gift of evangelism.

"I cannot" speak easily because I am an introvert.

Instead ask, “How can I use what the Lord has given me to follow His commandments?” You can follow Jesus in a way that fits your personality, makes use of your gifts, and can be lived out in every situation, every day.

Here are a couple of things anyone can do when following Jesus’ commandments. You can daily pray for blessings, peace and love of the Lord silently for people you meet and places you go. You can also find people around you who need Jesus. Then you can pray and choose one (or more if you can) to start an intentional friendship with. All personality types can do this, but some might find it easier than others. Don’t let "I cannot" be an option.

I myself have trouble being outgoing. But I can follow Jesus by praying silently for people every day. Making friends with unbelievers is difficult, but as I pray for them, the Lord helps me. I know God can help me be a good friend. I trust people will see Jesus in me, even before I start speaking about Him!

Pray this week:

That God will help you understand your identity as His child.

What are some ways introverts and those who don't have the spiritual gift of evangelism can share Jesus? How does it help you to remember that Jesus is the Vine and you're a branch (John 15)? Talk to someone about it.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Daily bitcoin transactions on darknet markets doubled throughout 2018 – Report

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Daily bitcoin transactions on darknet markets doubled throughout 2018 - Report

Daily bitcoin transactions on darknet markets doubled throughout 2018 – Report

  • Bitcoin is a popular form of payment on darknet markets because users do not need to reveal their identities.

  • In 2017 bitcoin became wildly popular with speculators who trade it online against other virtual currencies.

  • Bitcoin’s price peaked in December 2017 at just above $20,000 and is now down more than 80 per cent from its high.

Overall bitcoin flowing into darknet markets fell to $600 million in 2018 from $700 million a year earlier.

NEW YORK: Use of bitcoin as a form of payment doubled in 2018 on darknet market sites, where users can buy anything from illegal drugs to fake IDs, even though the price of the cryptocurrency crashed, according to a study by data firm Chainalysis.

Bitcoin transaction volumes on darknet markets rose throughout 2018 to an average of $2 million daily, nearly double the activity measured at the start of the year, according to Chainalysis.

Overall bitcoin flowing into darknet market .

“The reason for that drop is more law enforcement activity,” Grauer said. “It would be misleading to think that this year it (the volume) will go down.”

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, is a popular form of payment on darknet markets because users do not need to reveal their identities.

In 2017 bitcoin became wildly popular with speculators who trade it online against other virtual currencies as well as hard currencies such as the US dollarNSE 0.45 %. Bitcoin’s price peaked in December 2017 at just above $20,000 and is now down more than 80 per cent from its high.

 

Reuters|Jan 19, 2019, 10.56 AM IST

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Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member