This message is not from the usual writers here at Cutting Edge but it is from our webmaster. It is not about the New World Order but simply to warn you about some dangers and hoaxes we have encountered and to tell you how you can save some money by getting your internet for free.

Here at Cutting Edge we get a flood of email daily. Among them are testimonies, questions, prayer requests and even hate mail. Then there are the technical questions about the website and those are the ones I get as the Cutting Edge webmaster. If a page is not found or a password isn't working, I am called on to help. We also get two other types of email that will be the subject of this article.

FREE INTERNET DIALUP

The first type of email we sometimes get is from Christians who have faithfully supported this ministry with monthly and yearly donations who tell us that they will no longer be able to contribute due to a job loss, sickness in the family or just economic hard times. Some can no longer even afford the $20.00 per month for an Internet dialup account.

The news I have for you is that we can help. Access to the intenet is becoming free through advertiser support and in most major cities today you can get a dialup account for free. Cutting Edge is not involved in bringing this service to you other than to tell you where and how to get it.

You are about to save that $240.00 per year that you were paying to an Internet provider !

For those who have hit hard times, it means you can still read our articles and possibly even make a contribution to keep this ministry on the Internet. For those who are in good shape financially you will now have an extra $240.00 a year in your pocket. Would it not be better for you to spend this amount of saved money on a poor family or contribute more to your local church or to another ministry, than to pay for service that you can now get for free? How about an extra contribution to that missionary that your church supports? That money could be spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and getting people saved.

Ok, I have said enough about the money, now I am going to tell you how it works. There are probably more companies that offer this free dialup but I am going to tell you about Netzero, a nationwide company who gives free internet service. Here is how it works and why it works. Netzero has a little piece of software that you will need and can download free from their web site. You will need to go to their website to see if they have a local nuimber for your area. The software will setup a special dialup on your computer that will connect you to the Internet and give you an email account. It's all free .

What's the catch? Something has to pay for this, right? Yes, advertisers pay for it. A small portion of your screen will have a banner ad on it all the time that changes often. These advertisers are paying for you to have free access. They are also enabling you to spend some of that saved money for the Lord, for spreading the gospel if you choose to spend your savings in that way. This is the same way search engines make money.

You can put the ad in any corner of the screen. I signed up for an account and tested it before I would recommend it to our readers. I have never gotten a busy signal and the speed is faster than the AOL account and another account I have. It does not beat the Mindspring account which is the fastest I have seen and which works best when I am on the road. 

Here is the address to get this free internet dialup service www.netzero.net  and the steps to take.

1. Go there.

2. Check for a number in your area.

3. Download the software.

4. Enjoy the Cutting Edge and other great Christian ministries on the net.

5. Give a little more to the work of Christian ministries.

6. If you have problem with Netzero , please contact their tech support and not me. I have never had  problem with it but I probably could not answer your question.

7. I know that you are going to share the good news about this free internet with all your friends. Remember you have better news about Jesus and salvation. Be sure to share that too. Don't tell them about saving $240.00 and not tell them about His saving grace.

Now let's get on two the second half of this article. VIRUSES AND OTHER HOAXES

When a virus warning comes in to our ministry, it is forwarded to me for verification. The Bible in the book of Acts warns us to verify things before we accept them.

Ac 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

This brings to mind a virus warning I get all the time, especially from Christians.

First, there is the almost obligatory warning to not open mail with a specific Subject Line. In this case, the Subject line is;

The warning continues, claming that if you do open a message with that Subject: line, it will erase everything on your hard drive. Recipients of the hoax are urged to 'Forward this letter out to as many people as you can'. The virus is referred to as "new and very malicious."

The only malicious thing that happens is that millions of these emails clog up the internet and waste time. Often I can see when I get these warnings that they have been carbon copied to dozens of other people.

Another hoax involves something you will win if your forward this email to all your friends. Some of these warnings will say that they came from IBM to give them credibility.  

Here is the IBM web page that gives the correct information.

http://www.av.ibm.com/BreakingNews/HypeAlert/

Another site to check out the credibility of these warnings, hoaxes and myths is

http://kumite.com/myths/

All virus warnings are not hoaxes. Melissa was especially bad and happy99 has been a real pain although not as destructive.

Another web site that exposes even more Internet hoaxes including the Janet Reno and the Proctor and Gamble hoaxes can be found at:
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm?pid=2733&cob=home

If you read the article about the Reno hoax you will find the following quote:

"Please note that the Christian Defense League is a far right hate group known for spouting racist and antisemitic views, as well as paranoid conspiracy theories. "

We must be so careful as Christians to check these things out before we pass them on. Our credibility is on the line and passing on rumors is nothing more than gossip, which is forbidden in the word of God.

Proverbs 10:18 He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.

The three web sites listed above can tell you about these and other hoxes so I won't go into that here except to give a few good rules to follow."

1. Get a good virus detection program on your computer.

2. Be extremely careful about opening email attachments even if they are from someone you know. People infected with happy99 send it to everyone they email and don't even know they have it and when you open the attachment and see the fire works display, you are infected and will send it along with every email. I have gotten at least 5 copies of this virus from our readers who were very glad to know about the sites listed above.

3. Don't pass on these email warnings unless you verify them first.

4. Do pass on the news about Cutting Edge ministry and Netzero.

5. Don't forget to share the gospel. The worst virus of all is unbelief and the only cure is Jesus Christ.

Here at Cutting Edge we have learned that we must verify everything. I tell you, do not beleive what you read  just because a friend says it is true or a preacher said it on TV. Be a good Berean and check it out first. We can trust the word of God and Him only can we trust. As the internet grows so do the deceivers who try to take your money, but far more destructive are those cults and false teachers who will lead you and your family to spritual destruction.

Are you spiritually ready? Is your family? Are you adequately protecting your loved ones? This is the reason for this ministry, to enable you to first understand the peril facing you, and then help you develop strategies to warn and protect your loved ones. Once you have been thoroughly trained, you can also use your knowledge as a means to open the door of discussion with an unsaved person. I have been able to use it many times, and have seen people come to Jesus Christ as a result. These perilous times are also a time when we can reach many souls for Jesus Christ, making an eternal difference.