Trust in The Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
The amazing thing is that we try SO much! To be, to do, to achieve.
Have you ever thought that Essence has ALWAYS been there?
Let us not dive into the ‘spiritual’, just about yet.
What makes things happen? Belief in yourself, hopes, dreams, luck?
What and where are those things?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines “luck” as follows:
1. The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events. 2. Good fortune or prosperity; success….to gain success or something desirable by chance: “I lucked out in finding that rare book.”
The main question is, do things happen by chance? If they do, then one can speak of someone being lucky or unlucky. But if they do not happen by chance, then it is inappropriate to use those terms. Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 states, “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.” Much of what Ecclesiastes shares is from the perspective of a person who looks at life on earth without God, or life “under the sun.” From such a perspective—leaving God out of the picture—there seems to be good luck and bad luck.
A runner in a race may be the swiftest, but because someone in front of him stumbles, he trips over him and falls and does not win the race. How unlucky for him? Or a warrior king may have the strongest army but some “chance” arrow shot up into the air at random by a no-name enemy soldier just happens to pierce his armor in its most vulnerable location (2 Chronicles 18:33) resulting in that king’s death and the loss of the battle. How unlucky for King Ahab? Was it a matter of luck? Reading the whole of 2 Chronicles 18, we find that God had His hand in the matter from the beginning. The soldier who shot the arrow was totally unaware of its trajectory, but God in His sovereignty knew all along it would mean the death of wicked King Ahab.
A similar “chance” occurrence takes place in the book of Ruth. Ruth, a widow who was caring for her widowed mother-in-law, seeks a field to glean grain to provide for them. “So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). Elimelech had been the husband of her mother-in-law, Naomi, so Boaz was a relative of hers and was generous to Ruth. As Ruth returns home with a great deal more grain than Naomi expected, “her mother-in-law asked her, ‘Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!’ Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. ‘The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,’ she said. ‘The LORD bless him!’ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. ‘He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.’ She added, ‘That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.’” (Ruth 2:19-20). So Naomi did not see it as a “chance” occurrence but as the providence of God, as do others later on (Ruth 4:14).
Proverbs 16:33 states a general principle: “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.” This refers to the use of casting lots (similar to the tossing of a coin or the rolling of dice) to settle certain judicial cases. The case involving Achan in Joshua 7 is an example in which the principle of Proverbs 16:33 is used to find the guilty party. Proverbs 18:18 states something similar: “Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.” Again, the idea is that God’s providence plays the determining role in the results of the casting of lots so that judicial conflicts can be resolved no matter how great the contention. Proverbs 16:33 would indicate that something as random as the rolling of dice or the tossing of a coin is not outside of God’s sovereign control. And, therefore, its results are not merely of chance.
God’s sovereignty involves two aspects. God’s active will or sovereignty would involve something He causes to happen such as the leading of wicked King Ahab into battle (2 Chronicles 18:18-19). Ahab’s death was not merely the result of a randomly shot arrow, but as 2 Chronicles 18 reveals, God actively directed the events that led Ahab into battle and used that randomly shot arrow to accomplish His intended will for Ahab that day.
God’s passive will involves Him allowing, rather than causing, something to happen. Chapter1 of the book of Job illustrates this in what God allowed Satan to do in the life of Job. It is also involved in the evil that God allowed Joseph’s brothers to do to Joseph in order to accomplish a greater good, a good not apparent to Joseph until years later (Genesis 50:20).
Because we do not have the curtains drawn back to see what is taking place in heaven, we cannot always determine whether God’s active or passive will is involved in the events of our lives, but we do know that all things that take place are under the umbrella of His will, whether active or passive, and, therefore, nothing is a matter of mere chance. When a person rolls the dice to play a board game, God may sometimes cause the dice to land a certain way, but more often than not in such inconsequential matters, He may allow the dice to land as His laws of nature would determine without any active involvement. But even when He is not actively involved, how the dice land is still under His sovereignty.
So it is for any event of life; no matter how small (Matthew 10:29-31) or how large (Daniel 4:35; Proverbs 21:1), God is sovereign over all (Ephesians 1:11; Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 46:9-10), and thus nothing is merely the matter of chance.
From an earthly perspective, things may seem to happen at random, but throughout the whole of Scripture, it is clear that God is in control of all of His creation and is somehow able to take the random acts of natural law, the free will of both good and evil men, and the wicked intent of demons and combine them all to accomplish His good and perfect will (Genesis 50:20; Job chapters 1 and 42; John 9:1-7). And Christians, specifically, are given the promise that God works all things, whether seemingly good or bad, together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
And we take a hard look at belief! What is faith? Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Dreams? Boy! We could tread long and far on this! Let us start with the English definition.
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A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep.“I had a recurrent dream about falling from great heights”
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A cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.“I fulfilled a childhood dream when I became champion”
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Experience dreams during sleep.“I dreamed about her last night”
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Indulge in daydreams or fantasies about something greatly desired.“she had dreamed of a trip to Italy”
Here, I must refer to The Word. Many individuals in His-story experienced out of body experiences in dreams.
To state fact, you are you in that body, that shell! Does a formerly fit person cease to be who and what they are? Yes! Depression, disappointment, dissatisfaction, regrets etc all weigh one down! Actions could be explained by these emotions. But, look!
I for one can understand drive! A lack thereof places you in a spot that noone EVER wants to be in! Look at these individuals! Should they not be in a bed traumatized? Without legs – they run! Without legs – they swim! I have learned so much from these individuals! Being in my accident caused loss of so very much.
I know some of you may have heard, read and/or seen something about the accident I was in. “So” you may say! I am of the knowledge that I am back for a reason. Yes! We have articles written by many in that position. I on ‘recovering’ buried my nose in books. I have read many similar accounts.
First, this confirmed I was and am not “crazy.” Yes! I admit I have made some mistakes since my return. I am fully trusting El Shaddai, my God, my King, my EVERYTHING to take FULL control! I have recently learned to be hands off and remain in prayer.
I am moved to tell you that your exact condition, circumstances are well known! We have shared this before Daniel Chapter 10. We spoke about John on the Island of Patmos: John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine or John the Theologian; Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Θεολόγος; Coptic: ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ) is the author named as John in the Book of Revelation, the apocalyptic text forming the final book of the New Testament. The text of Revelation states that John was on Patmos, a Greek island where, by most biblical historians, he is considered to be in exile as a result of anti-Christian persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian.
Of the 12 Apostles appointed by Jesus, 10 of them died as martyrs. Judas, the traitor, took his own life. But the last Apostle to die, John, met a very different fate. Living nearly to the very end of the 1st century, he died of natural causes – and it was because of an amazing miracle.
Tradition says John was the author of the cryptic bookend of the New Testament, Revelation, as well as the three New Testament letters and Gospel that bear his name. In the latter, he’s described as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and is charged by Jesus on the cross to care for his mother Mary. He’s also believed to have been the youngest Apostle. This partially explains why scholars think he lived all the way until around A.D. 95.
But if Peter was crucified upside down, Thomas was impaled with a spear, and Jude Thaddeus was killed with arrows (just to list how a few of the Apostles were killed) – how in the world did John escape a similar fate for such a long time?
The answer: The authorities did try to kill John in a gruesome way – but God didn’t let them.
The story goes that after the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (for whom John was caring), John was arrested by the authorities and taken to Rome, where he was sentenced to death.
The prescribed method of execution? Being plunged into boiling hot oil in front of a crowd of spectators at the Colosseum.
The fires were set under the pot, the oil was boiling, and John was brought out. Guards picked him up and then forcibly plunged him into the scalding liquid.
That’s when something amazing happened. Rather than see a man be brutally boiled to death, the crowd witnessed a miracle: John stood in the oil completely unharmed!
Some versions of the story say that many or even all of the spectators converted because of what they saw. The Roman ruler, furious and embarrassed that he was unable to kill John, decided instead to have him banished to the small Greek island of Patmos.
But God redeemed even John’s banishment: it was there on Patmos that John received the vision he transcribed in the New Testament book of Revelation.
At some point, John was able to leave Patmos and travel back to Ephesus, where he died of natural causes. Given all that had happened, it was truly miraculous that he did.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-dreams/
Above we can see examples of communication between our plain and the spiritual plane in dreams.
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Acts 10
I shared this because the examples are documented. We can journey back to the Old Testament and appreciate a ‘dream’. The description of Jacob’s ladder appears inGenesis 28:10-19: And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. … And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up onthe earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
There are countless (frankly) other examples in The Word! Key is “Test all things”, why?
“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
2 Corinthians 11:14
Satan is called in The Word – the great deciever.
- Matthew 24:24
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
- Ephesians 2:1-3
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. - Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Isaiah 14:12-14
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
- 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted’you may well put up with it! - 2 Corinthians 11:14
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. - 1 John 5:18-19
We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. - Genesis 3:13
And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
https://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.verses/ID/3274/Satan-as-Deceiver-of-Whole-World-verses.htm
who or what is the father of all lies?
“What does it mean that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44)?”
Answer:
Speaking to a group of Jews, Jesus says, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Satan is the “father of lies” in that he is the original liar. He is the “father” of lies in the same way that Martin Luther is the “father” of the Reformation and Robert Goddard is the “father” of modern rocketry. Satan told the first lie in recorded history to Eve, in the Garden of Eden. After planting seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind with a question (Genesis 3:1), he directly contradicts God’s Word by telling her, “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). With that lie, Satan led Eve to her death; Adam followed, and so have we all.
Lying is Satan’s primary weapon against God’s children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from their heavenly Father. Some of his more common lies are “there is no God,” “God doesn’t care about you,” “the Bible cannot be trusted,” and “your good works will get you into heaven.” The apostle Paul tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), so that what he says and does sounds good and seems reasonable. But it is nothing more than a false appearance.
Many of Satan’s lies tend to perpetuate themselves. This is what happened when Eve convinced Adam to also believe the devil’s lie. Today, Satan still uses people to spread his lies for him. Often, he uses charismatic but foolish people to further his falsehoods, as in the case of false religions and cults.
The Bible has many names for Satan to describe his true nature, including “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:5), “deceiver” (Revelation 12:9), “Beelzebub” (literally, “lord of the flies,” the ruler of demons, in Matthew 10:25), and “Belial,” meaning “wicked” (2 Corinthians 6:15).
Satan has told more lies to more people (and even angels) than any other being ever created. His success depends on people believing his lies. He has used everything from “little white lies” to huge, pants-on-fire whoppers to deceive folks. Adolph Hitler, a man who learned how to lie effectively, once said, “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
Whether a lie is small or large is not really the issue. Lies are of the devil. If you’ve lied even once, then, unless you repent, you will not enter heaven. The Bible teaches that all liars “will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Proverbs 19:9 also teaches that anyone who lies will be punished.
Avoid this fate by obeying Mark 1:15: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), and He will never deceive you. Those who come to Jesus in faith will find that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Self reliance?
https://www.openbible.info/topics/self_reliance_
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:3-7