To God be The glory, Amen

“Hey! I should really do that this way! If I do…”
“Time and time again, this has worked…so I should definitely…”
“The ‘answer’ is by doing it exactly like…”

So many times, we are smarter than the situation. Brighter than the ‘occurences’. We can…we try…we think; just what exactly? As a Christian, did you pray about it first? Did you put it before The LORD? It is amazing that our galaxy is so vast, we essentially have only started to peel at the surface. Spaceships, space trav5el, technology….the list goes on and on.

Let me point something out. We are right here. As we have shared Earth is the ‘right’ distance from the sun! There is oxygen which is essential for life. If you ‘think’ about it even the moon lacks oxygen and that is the closet ‘distant’ planet or object. To further break this down, everything is on an axes. Planets, stars etc.

Where did oxygen come from? I am sure that ‘evolutionists’ will fathom some unthinkable equation or guess, at best an estimation. So, why doesn’t any other planet have what we have?
I am sure that ‘evolutionists’ will say “Everything lined up perfectly.” Really?

Let us take a look at what we call God’s book. I didn’t make that up. We have the Bible which essentially gives us a vision into how things came to be. So many times, I am limited by my ‘view’ of life from this aspect: space, time, what we have, don’t have, want, need, hope for. Essentially, ‘life’ in a nutshell. I will be so brazen to say “After ‘life’ then what???” Once again the evolutionists ‘reign supreme’ on this notion. ‘Recycling’ they might call it. Let me state one thing… If we were recycled, wouldn’t there be more than a few ‘recallecting’ their ‘former’ lives? I will not doubt that there are a few who state that they can ‘remember’. Let me state it this way. There is an alternate existence, a parallel ‘place’, inhabited by a ‘drove’ of creations. Don’t you have your drive? What you were created for? Sometimes we think/feel it is to bring ‘joy’ to parents. Come again! How about the ‘unwanted offspring’, the mistakes, the ‘uh-oh’s’? They were allowed to be for a reason. To state something that becomes more factual by the day, my existence is/was for a reason. I went to school, did Medicine; became a Doctor etc. I tried to do everything I could to be ‘happy’, ‘satisfied’, ‘complete’. To do what I promised not to do; I was ‘made’ to go to church by my Mom. There I learned so much ‘against’ my ‘better judgement’. The fact that there is Love, a source of Love. The definition of Love, is Love; God is Love.

Let us 1 Corinthians 13 it and see what exactly this means: Love is patient; let us go back in history of the world, there are so many people who have tried things. God gives them a chance to do them ‘right’ through Him and with Him. So many times we are on the wrong foot. God is PATIENT and allowscuscto find the way that has been pointed out. Let us further break this down. Examples! Just what to do, not do, try, not try. Others in our short history have tried that. It has either worked or doesn’t work. In reading the bible, I came across many ‘rulers’ after king David who did not do things right, and they did rule for a whilem. God was and is patient; giving endless opportunity to come to the knowledge which is God. This explains why it is the first description of God. Through His-story, patience has reigned supreme.

Love is kind; just what does this mean? Kind? To establish this kindness as defined means “allowing others to have their way”, It means “giving selflessly”. There are so many times in history that we (as humans) have gone the way we ‘willed’ and wanted to; and were allowed. At this time, I will give two HUGE examples Lucifer in all his beauty and grace was placed at the epicenter of God’s creations. He was given exemplary ‘allowance’ to do as he willed. Above all other Spirits but God. This got to him and he fell. Thinking that what was granted him could be factual. He thought he would take. All we need do is read the denoted scripture and realize just what happened. Lucifer was and is a “prince” of this world. Mind you, Christ is King. He earned the Title, by being tortured, mangled and killed by the ‘men’ led by the prince of this world.

Let us further examine this. Jesus is a part of God. In creating the world, God created and saw that it was good. He created more and more and saw that it was good. Now, timelines, we cannot be sure of. But in Heaven, the fall of Lucifer the archangel at the time came before the creation of man. How do I know? In the Garden, Lucifer influenced what was. We have discussed this prior. Did serpents speak? Or was it just by seducing, by eating the fruit of the tree of ‘ good and evil’? We are not sure, but the serpent was the most ‘wily’ of all the creatures and had been used to ‘tempt’ man (Eve) by what he did. In essence, the fruit ‘spoke’ to Eve and looked ‘tempting’ enough to try knowing “good from evil”. This in itself should give us ‘knowlege’, we know what we should and should not do, no? So in essence the effect of the fruit of the tree is still with us today. More so, God in His exquisite awesomeness, would leave Adam and Eve to ‘tend’ the garden and return to ‘fellowship’ with them in the cool of the evening. This brings so many things to light. God did and does give us a chance to decide just what we shall do.

In both Adam and Eve’s case He allowed them to decide (wrongly though) that the would eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil. Let me point an amazing thing out; who was there that they covered their nakedness? With one other person there, there was nothing to be ashamed of. Let us further break this down. Animals who had seen them all their existence in the nude? We can thing about animals today. With no other people, who would they have been ashamed to be naked in front of? This goes to explain in part why it was called the tree of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

But, more so it definitely explains why The Father allows us to do what we will. With the hope that we do right.

Love does not envy, if someone has. Be proud for and of them. So many times we gain and a set of eyes (or more) are on us, determining how they can get what we have gotten. Other peoples experience is a great lesson. Reather than envy, we should ask humbly and work at it so that we can have. More so it is the fact that God, who made the Universe, in His goodness allowed Man to have wisdom does not ever envy. But rather is proud of with trust in Him and His ability to provide. Yes, an example; God was proud of His creation Job and spoke of him with glowing words. So much so, that Lucifer who was at the gathering of angels asked if it wasn’t for the wall around Job that God had set in place that didn’t cause Job to serve the Lord uniquely. It was ‘suggested’ that God remove His ‘fence’ from around him and see Job fall. All God asked was that his life Be spared, and everything was taken. Including his health. But still Job held on to The LORD and His promises. A true ‘child of God’. Are we? When things ‘do not go ‘right’ are we encouraged to ‘hold on’, to ‘believe’, to ‘have faith’. Most amazingly, we have all seen good and know just what it entails. Haven’t we had a ‘ good meal ‘, an awesome snack, snooze, or trip to a destination? Well. We get the idea, and this is made possible by the grace of God. We cannot understand ‘goodness’ until we have experienced it. Essentially, this is what some of us experience when we admit how ‘awesome’ life is.

Love does not boast; Let us think about this. To have created the universe in this plane. There is nothing to ‘boast’ about; God created and “Saw it was good” and continued creating. Here, I have to stubbornly err on the roadside and ask, is there a thing The LORD created that was not good? Here, we have to wonder just who wrote the book of Genesis and little be it a mystery. I am ‘moved’ to write. A lot of what I write is ‘revealed’ to me in my Spirit. I have to state, I did not go to ‘School’ to learn to write. After the accident, my words were shoddy, my writing unkempt. The Lord has blessed and I am able to write. So often, I think of just who wrote what? Does it really matter? A person so moved can put in words what has happened and in the case of the Word, what is to be. We can see this in the book of Revelations where things a far way off were shown to apostles and they were written about.

The letters of Paul were obtained by the people who were led to ‘share’ the Word. Are there ‘more’ books? Essentially, we have just what we are meant to have. We can build on it. In seeking the face of The LORD we attempt to do HIS will and practice His bidding.

Love is not proud; we can and do see that truly Love is not proud. We can see from the above that God saw it was good and let it be. We can see that at a point there were things that did not go as He willed. To be specific, in the days of Noah, people went awry. We can read that even fallen angels created by God had their picknof man and took advantage. Seeing this God knew something had to be done. Earth almost ceased to be, but there was one man and his family that served The LORD and was saved from the almost end of Life.

This brings me to something we have discussed, why then the ‘division’ among the descendants of Noah? We can go back and read. What I think is that some spiritual beings still came and had their part with man. Not as before, why I say This is that in the ‘move’ of Isrealites from Egypt, there are described ‘giants’ among men who were associated with this race. We have discussed the size of Goliath. Goliath’s stature as described in various ancient manuscripts varies: the oldest manuscripts—the Dead Sea Scrolls text of Samuel, the 1st century historian Josephus, and the 4th century Septuagint manuscripts—all give his height as “four cubits and a span” (6 feet 9 inches or 2.06 metres.
Very possibly (though with the ‘size’ of people today, it is possible that he was an ‘aberrant’) But, we see that many a time there are things that ‘ do not add up. .’

Love does not dishonor others, as stated above honor and respect are given to man. We can do as we will. There is a time and place to give all and tell all that we experienced. Is there ‘life’ after life? There is existence in a place that our belief, activity and doing take us to be.

Love is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. To define this We know that we are never dishonored, Love does not seek its own.When we ask for forgiveness. It is given, what we ask forgiveness for is passed. We ate given a blank slate. Something we can hold on to and praise The LORD.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. We can define Love as God, When We do we see that all these describe God as is, has done and has permanently been. God always protects, always trusts in Christ Jesus. God always hopes in the good He has placed in you, always perseveres holding on to belief in you, your activities, beliefs and actions.

God never fails, nothing more needs to be written. Just as in creation, God saw that it was good. He made you ANF is patient, hoping in you, believing in you. At this time, I encourage you to turn to Him, trust in Him fullytouchT

And we receive the Word. To follow through, I share.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Christ Is In You

I will give unto The Lord a new heart and renew a right Spirit within me.
Let us enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts,
Let us enter His courts with praise!
Let us say this is the day that The Lord has made,
We will rejoice for He has made us glad!

‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.’ Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV

When God said, ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you,’ you could call it ‘a spiritual heart transplant’. Tara Storch understands this miracle. In 2010 a skiing accident claimed the life of her thirteen-year-old daughter, Taylor. What followed for Tara and her husband, Todd, was every parent’s worst nightmare: a funeral, a burial, a flood of questions and tears.

They decided to donate their daughter’s organs to needy patients. And few people needed a heart more than Patricia Winters. Her heart had begun to fail five years earlier, leaving her too weak to do much more than sleep. Taylor’s heart gave Patricia a fresh start in life. Taylor’s mum had only one request: she wanted to hear her daughter’s heartbeat. She and Todd flew from Dallas to Phoenix and went to Patricia’s home, where the two mothers embraced for a long time. Then Patricia offered Tara and Todd a stethoscope.

The question is: when they listened to the healthy rhythm, whose heart did they hear? Did they not hear the still-beating heart of their daughter? It indwelt a different body, but the heart was still the heart of their child. And when God hears your heart, does He not hear the still-beating heart of His Son?

Paul said, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.’ (Galatians 2:20 NKJV) The apostle sensed within himself not just the philosophy, ideals, and influence of Christ, but the person of Christ. Christ moved in—and He still does. ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ (Colossians 1:27 NKJV)

Why “Holy Communion”?

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”
– Luke 22:19

Be blessed.

Chapter 2

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter His courts with praise. Any takers? Remember this? Well, I should ask if it ‘sounds’ familiar?
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100:3-5

We ‘speak’ now. That will change. The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voiceb goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
Psalm 19:1-4

FINDING ALTERNATIVES?

Memorise:
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7

After several years of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Sarah sat down one day, had a long thinking session, and came up with an alternative plan which she presented to Abraham, and he accepted it. She had been barren for several years and was now obviously tired of being in that state; hence, she decided to give Hagar, one of her slaves, to her husband hoping to get a child through this arrangement. How mistaken she was! Sarah’s experience has a lot to teach contemporary Christians. When God is leading you in a certain direction, or if He has made a promise to you, any contrary opinion or alternative is borne out of impatience, doubt or unbelief. Its when people can no longer wait for God’s plan that they come up with their own alternatives. One lesson from this story is that man’s alternative charts a new course for you, which can take you completely out of God’s original plan.

Just like Abraham and Sarah, many people have come up with alternatives that have landed them at destinations they never expected. But for God’s patience and mercy, the step Abraham and Sarah took was enough to derail them from God’s original course. The reason why the Holy Spirit says in Proverbs 3:5-6 that you should subordinate your plans under God’s will is so that He can guide you along His original plan for your life. Believe it or not, God has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 1:4-5). If you follow this plan, you will definitely obey God’s word and remain in His will. God’s word never negates His will for your life (James 1:18). The question is, “Are you still in God’s plan?”

To keep within God’s will, you must be filled with His word and His Spirit, prayerful, watchful, thankful and humble. Why? The natural man within you will always come up with alternatives to God’s perfect plan for your life. You need to be watchful because some alternatives may look like the original plan, but in essence, they are miles apart. If you will access God’s perfect plan for your life, then you must leave no space for the flesh or the devil to give you an alternative. You must trust, rely on and completely depend upon God. God’s choice is always the safe choice. For this reason Proverbs 29:25b says,
“…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
If you depend on God 99% and leave 1% for an alternative, that is enough to derail you. Never rely on what you think you know or your assessment of the situation. No matter how brilliant your ideas may be, God has something better. Bring your plans before God’s searchlight and let Him tell you if its okay or not.

Action Point:

Has impatience made you pursue your own alternatives? Stop and beat a retreat today!

We take a brief examination of our Loving responsibilities. I am aware this jumps topics quite a bit. The first ‘sharing’ Had primarily to do with your life as it pertains to ensuring that you are headed in the right direction. There were the baselines of prayers, just to get you started. Building from that point on is totally on you.

The amazing thing is Jesus is there knocking. There are some who may think “Why doesn’t He just ‘force’ the door?” Come now! If He did, wouldn’t we be ‘So’ angry; and even say “I can’t believe this!” Wouldn’t you then in your defense habe a reason to be ‘mad’? It all comes down to ‘decision making’. No one can tell you what decisions to make. We each have our own journey. We set out to accomplish so much; stability, peace, income, friendships. It is exactly what ‘life’ is about. Having lived in New York City; how ‘comfortable’ is your place? Your space? What makes it unique? Could we have a ‘goal’ in mind? To see, be, do, feel a certain way? In answer to the last question; we all do.

The most amazing thing is we were all created with and for a purpose. I will be a stickler and ask “What is yours?” We have gone over this before, we touch on it again. Have you figured it out yet. From my perspective so many have a ‘purpose’, they may not realize it just yet or really ‘ever’. As a parent, do you not care for your kids? Prior to that, did you not get an education, a job? Are you happy?

That last question was and is a complex one. How do you define ‘happy’. By whay you have. Is the most frequent answer I have heard. We pointed out that in the ‘grand scheme’ of things. This is just a blink of am eye. When I was where I was, in the ‘coma’, there was no time. It just was. Again, I apologize for bringing this up again. I have been ‘cognisant’ for quite a while. For me, I know what I want.

The amazing thing is that Paul (formerly known as Saul), at a time stated: “For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
2 Corinthians 5:7-10

Again, we can see just what he experienced and try to understand why. Again, we have a decision to make. To place it bluntly-You will give account of just why you decided to do as you did. The funny (not ha-ha funny) is that we have spoken about laying all your dice on the table. Let us say that I was deluded or in some way ‘misled’; how do you ensure that all the bases are covered? You know what? It is not too hard at all. All you have to do is believe. Possibly, I speak too ‘deep’. We have an option to lay it all on the line.

I have a HUGE smile on my face at this point. What exactly am I saying? Lets us ‘say’ that as an ‘active’ Christian, you are winning souls to the Kingdom. Very possibly you will have earned a crown or crowns:
1. The incorruptible crown: 1 Cor. 9:24,25. This is also called the imperishable crown. This crown is given to believers who faithfully run the race, who crucify every selfish desire in the flesh and point men to Jesus. God calls some people to do things that will require some sacrifice in the way they will live and conduct their lives. Some people may be called to be a missionary in a far off and poor country. They will literally be working for almost nothing in earthly terms. They will have to sacrifice the money, possessions and life style they could have had, if they stayed home in their own country. This verse also implies that these people will also receive this crown for the sacrifices they were willing to make for God in order to successfully complete the call and mission God had called them to do.

Basically run whatever race that God has set out for you and be the best you can be for God. Be willing to make whatever sacrifices there may be to successfully complete the mission that God has set out for you.

2. The crown of rejoicing: 1 Thess. 2:19, 20. & Dan 12:3 To those who faithfully are witnesses to the saving grace of God and leads souls to Jesus. This crown has also been named the soul winner’s crown. It seems to indicate here that God will be giving a crown to those who have been witnessing to others and leading people to Christ.

Telling others about the grace of God, telling others about Jesus, is the greatest thing that you can do for someone while here on this earth. When you help someone to be led to the Lord, you have just been used as a vessel of God.

God will judge you by your willingness and desire to be used by Him to witness to others, not necessarily on how many actually get saved, because we are to water and He gives the increase. There are many Christians who are simply too busy to be willing to be used by God to try to lead others to the Lord. God can fit opportunities for you in your life to witness and work for Him if you allow Him to. Some could be your unsaved friends, family members or co-workers, etc.

3. The crown of life: James 1:12. For those believers who endure trials, tribulations, and severe suffering, even unto death Rev. 2:8-11. This crown is also referred to as the martyr’s crown.

Jesus says that He will give this crown to those who undergo severe hardship, testing, tribulation and/or physical death on His behalf. Probably being willing to die for your faith in God would be the ultimate sacrifice. It is the greatest act of courage and love that you can show God. Christians who have been martyred for their faith throughout history will not only be given this crown of life, but other rewards once they enter into heaven.

God the Father will honour each ones trials and tribulations, and thus will be rewarding them accordingly. Also consider this verse from Rev. 2:10.

“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

4. The crown of righteousness: 2 Tim. 4:8. To those who love the appearing of Christ, who anxiously wait and look forward to the day when He will return for His saints. This crown is given to those who have lived a good and righteous life for God while living down here on earth.

First, if you are a believer you have been made righteous before God the Father as a result of Jesus dying on the cross for all of our sins. This means that the righteousness of Jesus has now been imputed to you.

Second is that it refers to us living a good and righteous life for God the Father with what time we have left down here. There are Christians who are righteous before God the Father as a result of being saved, called Justification, through the blood of Jesus Christ; but they are not living righteous lives in their actions, words and behaviours, called Sanctification.

There are some people may be saved in God’s eyes, but who continue to do are still do evil works that the unsaved would do. We all have our flaws, weaknesses, and certain temptations that we may struggle with. It is not perfection but direction that God is looking for. The Bible says that, we all have sinned and have fallen way short of the glory of our God.

We all know right from wrong! God just wants each one of us to choose to do the right thing when faced with certain temptations or choices to do something bad. When it is all said and done, these Christians will probably be receiving some of the greatest rewards that God can hand out once they enter into heaven. To live a righteous life for God will really be worth your while as you will definitely be given this crown by God Himself once you enter into heaven.

5. The crown of glory: 1 Pet. 5:1~4. This is the pastor’s crown and will be given to the ministers who faithfully feed the flock of God. . This probably could also include preachers, teachers, Sunday School teachers, missionaries and all those who teach the Word of God in their respective ministries. This crown may signify the importance and sacrifices of bringing up others into the ways of God. God wants those who are saved to grow and learn as much as they can about Him, His Son and His Holy Spirit and to do that he uses mature believers who are willing to each others.

God can use you to teach and shepherd others. God shows you the extreme importance that He is placing on those who teach and preach the word. Being willing to teach and educate others after they are saved is one of the greatest things you can do for them this side of heaven.

http://www.savedbygracenotworks.com/top2biblecrowns.htm

Having stated what I did, as always I had me references and this is just one of many. In essence, you don’t have to ‘earn’ a crown, just being in His presence is more than enough. I know that we defined “Love”, not being selfish, jealous, wanting, needing nought but Love in its true essence. We have defined it as God, being with “Love” in its true essence is enough.

Time does not exist there. It is then difficult for me to state “for your eternity you will wish…” Where I ‘visited’ there was no ‘time’; ‘waking up’, I felt like it had been but a few ‘minutes’ in the most amazing ‘dream’ I have ever had. I will leave the rest alone. You can go back and ‘read’ if you want to.

But in essence, you are encouraged to lay it all out and choose to gamble on the winning number. If I am wrong, I in no way apologize, in that case, life becomes a simple ‘accomplishment’. It at this point (as we have stated earlier) is a ‘series of lessons’. What to do, not do, try – and see if it works. Essentially. It is nothing I have not said before.

In this case, it is made easier. God created and saw that it was good-all things He created. We were placed to care for what He created. We were robbed of that by the prince of this world. I have to point out that the “Love” which existed in the creation of mankind is still the Love that it has always been.

Who is the ‘oldest’ person in history? I should say in “biblical” history. Methuselah. You have it. His life was just a ‘moment’ in the eyes of God. As I wrote that, I was made to wonder- “Does God have eyes?” There are so many examples in the bible of His seeing and knowing all. We are made in His image, no?
God doesn’t have hands or eyes or feet; God is a spiritual being without form or body, and He is far greater than any physical being. Sometimes the Bible speaks about God’s hands or eyes, but when it does, it is using symbolic language to convey some truth about His activity: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

When the Bible says God created the human race in His image, it means that God put His character or imprint on our souls or spirits. We aren’t God–but we are like Him (although limited). Because of this, we have the ability to love, and to know right from wrong. Because we bear God’s image, we are different from the animals, and all human life is sacred.

The tragedy is that God’s image within us has been defaced and twisted by sin (although not destroyed). But Christ came to make us whole, and someday “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). In the meantime, make it your goal to grow closer to Christ and serve Him with all of your life.

As an aside, I wanted to share what I have read and hope it makes a difference. Many focus might be past this point, but I realize that we always are. In humility, I realized just what parents mean. Having to start again, it truly meant starting again and my father and mother made it possible. So, I just wanted to point out that you owe it to your child:

‘If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don’t love them.’
Proverbs 13:24

As a parent, there are three things you owe your child. The first is: affection. The Bible says if you love your child you’ll discipline them. And you’ll do it in love, and not anger. Don’t buy into the idea that good parents don’t discipline their children because they ‘love them too much’.

The truth is, if you don’t discipline your child it’s not because you love them too much, it’s because you love yourself too much. A Gallup poll revealed that more than 90 per cent of graduating high school seniors wished their parents and teachers had loved them enough to discipline them more and require more of them. Like water, we follow the path of least resistance. It’s much easier to let things slide, avoid confrontation, stick your head in the sand, and hope things will get better, than it is to suffer the pain of disciplining a child you love. Keep in mind, however, that the only person who ever got anywhere by letting something slide was a trombone player.

Seriously, the Bible says, ‘Whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.’ (Proverbs 3:12 NKJV) Let that sink in! The greatest and wisest father of all is God. He not only loves, He is love. Yet we read here that our loving God is one who disciplines. Any parent who refuses to discipline their child is really saying they are a better parent than God. Love always does what is best for the other person. And there are times when love demands discipline and training.

For one of the learning points above, I went and referenced if God has eyes, ears, a nose….it is a litany of attributes. I have to point out that spiritually there are no such things. Being on Earth here, there are. God is Spirit. We are Spirit too, the spirit lives within the ‘shell’ that is the ‘body’. To break this down, I am at a point where it is….aha! We might have known a ‘handicapped’ person who is beautiful to their family; the words warm, caring, bright don’t do them justice. Essentially, each day they make waking up a thing to be appreciative of and for.

There are quite a few reasons I mention this. When we get to the place after life-no matter where that is. They will no longer be ‘impeded’ by this ‘sack’ we have, but rather as God is (not with a trickle of the power or majesty), so shall they be. We have pointed it out before, BOTH male and female are made in His image. Yes, We need eyes, ears, hands, feet, organs….in the spirit world, these are all unnecessary.

In the scripture, we read that (I state this again) we are made in His image. We have our faculties for operating, surviving in this plain. More like the animals were created to multiply. So were we. I continue to be confused at the extent ‘evolutionists’, ‘creatinists’ etc. would go to ‘explain’ reproduction. I have researched many books. I point out that we all have the same ‘mechanics’. Yes there are eggs in many species; Uhhh even human. In our case they are in the ovaries and partirition occur within our bodies.

Again, I have done extensive ‘research’ in trying to figure this out. I know that the science is necessary, I am all for it. E en being away from medicine for a while has helped me with some ‘concepts’. We can discuss these at a later time, but being a Minimally Invasive Surgeon in my past life, it is the continuation of what is. As pointed out, Laparoscopic surgery started in my Residency years. I remember when it took an hour plus to perform a Cholecystectomy, now it can be done through one ‘hole’ with an advanced piece of equipment. This goes on and on, not the time or place.

We have laid ground for some of the future topics/subjects.

angels came and attended him.
Matthew 4:11

We can go on, but I want this to ‘settle’. Be blessed.

Chapter 3

Chock full of promise (I should say chock full of knowledge and the “path/way” to speak with our Father in Heaven!)

We might set out to a actively pursue a ‘quick’ morning bible study, does it happen? Seriously, I ask because mornings are so busy.

In high school, I was in a boarding house-home away from home. The reason I bring this up is because every morning there was an individual who would awake, perform his ‘ morning duty ‘ and pray. It actually was a challenge for me. Is God that important that speaking with Him takes precedence over everything else? I will give you a quick moment to think this over.

We wake up in the morning and brush our teeth, no? That is ‘second nature’. I was going to add ‘breakfast’, but for some I will admit that it is ‘overlooked’ especially if in a hurry. But, you awoke didn’t you? You went to bed and woke up. Aren’t there things to do upon waking? Getting ready for school/work, getting the kids ready and out the door? You getting out the door? Let me state what we all know: “Old habits die hard.” So, is prayer an ‘old habit’ of yours? Or do we just rush to say a quick “Bless me as I go out.”?

I would even be so direct as to say “There are many who when the times are ‘good’ totally forget about The LORD.” Again, there are many who consider God a go to in times of need. If things are stressful, then the prayer flows. Did you stop to consider how far away God is when you get a promotion, a positive review, a tap on the shoulder?

It is not for me to say, but we should at all times learn to thank God. We pointed this out earlier “In all things, give thanks.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Have we in times of trouble taken the time; not to complain-but to give thanks? I will point something out, all are lessons; things to defi I rely repeat or avoid. Think of this; let us say you lose a job, are in an accide, do not make it in something you set out to do. Just what then do we do? Bury our heads in the overwhelming ‘anguish’ over our loss? Or learn just what to avoid\prevent, do\not do next time; if given another chance. Even if you are given an award\recognition for what you do ‘right’, is it not a reason to thank God? We, so often are besot with so much; What to do\not do. Decision central! Again, I point out: Did you start the day on the ‘right foot’? Just as I said before, brushing becomes second nature; is praying?

Let me throw in a point to stress this. What have you done today? What did you do when you ‘woke up’. Commit the day into God’s hands? Thank Him for the day? It’s potentials? Its testimonies? Let me point something out; something as simple as a door being held for you is a testimony. Not that we have to ‘share’ It, but definitely something to be grateful for to both the person who held the door and to God for placing that person there at that time, in that place, in that way.

There are testimonies all around us. All we have to do is be aware of their existence and we have much reason to give thanks. Again, how does this start? Waking up in the morning and committing your day into The LORD’s hand. When you do, at every turn, swivel, change there is a testimony. Again, how does it start? Simply by giving thanks for that day. As we said starting off on the correct foot!

Let me give an example of a prayer, from no other place than The Word. I have to point out that the most important thing in the lives of those who served The LORD in the Word was speaking with Him. How did they find direction? We see so many examples, just too many to name them all Elijah during the famine 1 Kings 17:7-15. Even you, as you do His will “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the Love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister.” Hebrews 6:10

Again, we could go on and on. But I just wanted to point out fact. In the second verse above, we are encouraged to show Love. The awesome thing is that in our eventual ‘home’ these same brothers and sisters will be there. A reason to ensure that you treat them even better than you treat yourself. A positive thing for the future.

A little side path here. I haven’t at this time read too many accounts of people who ‘crossed over’ and are here to share the story. God created Earth, the cosmos, the universe. We pointed out that the Earth is so far from the sin that we get light; warmth and food from the sun. Amazingly with technology we are able to ‘tap’ into solar power. Amazing that that has been ‘discovered’.

We went from wood to energy (as in electricity) derived from water, wind, heat, movement…it is truly awesome, no? We had spoken about the advances in medicine briefly. This should and will be a topic that we cover. At this point I will just state a ‘scare’ we had that is ‘taken care’ of now. In the early 80’s in 1983 to be exact, scientists discovered the virus that causes AIDS. The virus was at first named HTLV-III/LAV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus-type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus) by an international scientific committee. This name was later changed to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

In this day and age it is ‘managed’ quite well. In fact, it really is not a ‘life threatening’ issue any more. The reason O bring this up is multifactorial. We develop! We developed cars, air flight, even underwater living. Technology is booming. Always has been. I am confident that in those days, there were means of transport by ‘beasts of burden’, now look around to what technology has wrought.

Space travel? That is here in our plane. As pointed out, there is a totally desperate plane. The spiritual plane. Yes, there is much difference. We are in the physical but we are spirits ‘living in’ the physical. Within you resides a spirit. We pointed this out earlier, our spirit leaves the body and even creationists cannot deny that our Spirits continue to exist. Some theories state that we are ‘recycled’. I at this time leave that well alone.

The one thing we agree on is that we ‘go on’; just where and how-that is The question. The awesome thing is that I was given a ‘peek’ over the threshold and spent years in denial of what I had seen/experienced. I came to not understanding why, what, how… I know in my ‘dream’, I said I would share. Let is expound on this a tad bit. If it was a drug induced experience after my accident. I will admit it ended up being more awesome than I can put into words.

If it was only a ‘dream’, the actuality of what we go to is beyond description. We here on earth, in life are limited by ‘space’. There in the place I visited there is no limit. Coming to think of it, I thought I was in a ‘dream’. As stated earlier, I thought it was for ‘minutes’. I am keenly aware that it was a ‘dream’ and ‘much’ did happen. I thought it was ‘minutes’ long like a ‘quick dream’ that jumps around.

Coming conscious was an experience and a half. Not being able to walk, to ‘speak’ as I used to. The ‘shock’ of being ‘back’ led me to withdraw from life as I knew it. Again. I am blessed to have parents who were 100% supportive and caring. It in itself goes without saying. I realize that if I was the parent, I’d do much the same. To come close to ‘losing’ a child must do emotionally horrendous things to one.

The most awesome part in and of all of this is that we have the potential of being in the same place. Not for a day or years, but for eternity! I cast my mind back to the garden of Eden. Everything was taken care of. Man was just placed there as on overseer. I am aware that we spoke about ii once, but imagine if Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of Life? At this point, I have to point out that God, Angels, Spirits in the parallel existence do not age. They merely are as were created. We have discussed this before.

There were two main trees in the garden of Eden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of Life. Eve was not tempted to eat of the tree of Life, but rather of the fruit of the tree of ‘good and evil’. We being men have an ‘Adams apple.’ It I am aware is a modicum of speech and in truth he swallows the apple. But, I am made to wonder what could or would have happened of Adam or Eve had eaten of the tree of Life!

Again, they would still be here. Amazingly, The LORD placed limits on man. In Genesis 3:19 we see just what God said and did: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
This is In respect to our physical bodies. O will point out that we ‘human’ were made in His image. Not in the physical but in the spiritual. We pointed out that God in a Spiritual being; in the likeness of God were we created. There is a tad bit of ‘slowness’ at this point. In the physical we have hands, noses, eyes, fingers, toes…So we have thought that God made us physically like He is. Come again! We were placed here in His image in robes of flesh to do His will.

We are Spirit as God is Spirit. Yes, our bodies from the dust of the Earth were they made, and to that shall they return. But, our Spirit lives on. We have pointed out time and time again that it is our decision ‘spiritually’ speaking that will determine where we shall be.

This is complex, so let me slow it down. God made both male and female in His likeness. God in His word has both qualities of men and women. As a Christian we can say God is everything! Both male and female characteristics are found in Him. Or rather we as created are made in His likeness and have the qualities we were given.

In being made in His likeness, we are Spirit living in this body. That is complex but simple, we go on. Just as Heavenly Spirits were created So were we. Just as they are, so are we! We cannot and will not pass, yes! Your body will. We have no choice in the matter it has been said. What we shared earlier was that in those days Methuselah was 900+, think of this. We are aware that time in our realm is calculated on the days. One full day is a morning and night.

Yes, there are different cultures, but at the beginning of time, a day was defined as the rising of the sun and setting of the sun. No matter where you are, we calculated it to be a 24 hour period. There are areas in the world where day and night for some parts of the year are the same.
The autumnal equinox is an astronomical event that happens every year and officially marks the beginning of fall. On the day of the autumnal equinox, the day and night are both approximately of equal length.

There are two equinoxes every year, and they are often referred to as the March (spring or vernal equinox) and the September (autumn) equinox. They usually occur on the same date or a day later or before every year. The autumnal equinox usually starts on either September 22 or 23, depending upon the year. When this happens, it is officially the beginning of autumn.

Equinoxes are the only astronomical times when the sun shines directly above the equator, and then moves south after the autumnal equinox and north in the case of the spring equinox. During both annual equinoxes, both day and night are about the same length all over the world, and as such, equinox comes from the Latin word aequinoctium (basically meaning equal night). It is when the center of the sun spends an approximately equal amount of time both above and below the horizon.

The sun crosses the celestial equator (an imaginary line that parallels the equator on earth) from north to south (in the northern hemisphere). Since seasons are the opposite on each side of the equator, the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere actually corresponds to the spring or vernal equinox in the southern hemisphere.

During every day of the year, the earth either tilts its axis away from or towards the sun, on an equinox however, the earth does not tilt away or towards the sun, and so this is why there is an approximate balance between day and night in different places around the world during such a time.

It is a phenomenon that has happened as long as the earth and sun have been in existence, even Julius Caesar, who established his calendar in 45BC (and which was used in the western world at least, before Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar and replaced it) marked the dates of both annual equinoxes.

So, when is your ‘quiet time’? When do you seek the face of The LORD? attempting to read the Bible cover to cover can feel like jumping into a marathon without training. Pretty soon your legs start to cramp, your lungs feel as helpful as a pair of flattened soda cans, and you either limp off the course or finish with a time more in keeping with the America’s Cup than the Boston Marathon.

A positive is our ability to say and believe “Oh! how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97
You must find the right time. Your quiet time should last at least half an hour. But some time is better than no time, so if you can’t start at thirty minutes, begin with ten. It should be your very best time. Don’t give the Lord your leftovers. And don’t try to find time – make time, and make it a priority. Also find time early in the day. Psalm 5:3 says, “… in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.” You don’t take the trip and then read the map, do you? Spend time alone with God to begin your day.

Yes, I am aware that I admitted that there are ‘problems’ with morning ‘quiet time’s. Let me ask: “what time did you go to sleep last night? What did you do before going to bed?” Let me take a minute to show you a few things you could do before going to bed so you get a better sleep and like that last bible verse states are able to start your day ‘right’.

Ten quick things: (we will list them, you can and will figure out what works best.)
1. Pray!
2. Eat well. An old saying is eat breakfast like a king, dinner like a pauper. This way no gas, diarrhea, abdominal complaints.
3. Cool Yourself Off at Night. Warm temperatures can hinder sleep. Keeping the window open in this day and age might not be such a great idea. But lowering the temperature on the heater in winter at night could be awesome. In the summer, a fanvdoes wonders if you don’t have an AC.
4. Get the Perfect Amount of Sleep. This cannot be overstated; in starting this list I asked what your night time habits were. Like the late show? Might have to record that! Again we are aiming for an awesome day ahead!
5. Learn to Nap Like a Pro. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking A quick afternoon ‘head down’. The funny thing is that we all did it in ‘kindergarten’ and in some cultures ‘siesta’ is a real thing. I am keenly aware that for some it is impossible- too busy! But, I thought I would suggest some ways of making ‘life’ better.
6. Go to bed earlier. I realize that individuals stay up longer than they should as opposed to calling it quits earlier. Start a habit of going to bed earlier.

7. Keep your bedroom dark. ‘Nuff said.

8. Power down an hour before bed.
Dim the lights and turn off all your devices — smartphones, laptops, TVs, all of which belong outside the bedroom — about 60 minutes before bedtime. Bright light is one of the biggest triggers to our brains that it’s time to be awake and alert, so start sending the opposite signal early.

9. Just try not to do it too close to bedtime.
Most of us don’t exercise intensely enough to really rev ourselves up so much that we override the sleep-promoting benefits of regular workouts. However, especially in people with trouble sleeping, making sure your sweat sessions end at least a couple of hours before bedtime is generally a good idea.

10. Reserve the bed for sleep and sex only.
Reading in bed is a form of relaxation, right? Yes… and no. A page-turner, a mystery or any other book that demands your emotional and intellectual attention may be more distracting than relaxing. Opt for lighter reading before bed, and keep it to the couch or your favorite comfy chair.

And keep your bedroom quiet; not too quiet though, research has been done on ‘sound machine’s that promote a restful sleep.

Rather than go on…I decided to share some of the sites:
http://www.health.com/syndication/natural-sleep-remedies-insomnia

http://www.health.com/sleep/not-enough-sleep-alyssa-mastromonaco

http://www.health.com/sleep/how-to-improve-sleep

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/17/better-sleep-tips-best_n_4958036.html

So, waking up earlier for what you are supposed to do becomes more of a culture that you keep, and for the right reasons too.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Chapter 4
Qualities as a ‘Christian’. Being ‘god-like’.

The way we are to be each and every day. We just noted the importance of praying regularly. So many verses point to this continuous ‘conversation’ with God.

When we do, we have the assurance that
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren (and sistren), whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:7,8

To start this off, it tells us exactly as we should be. No matter what I have studied; these characteristics define what a Christian is. What we believe is what we practice, how we practice is what we live. That was a long way of getting at that. Let us then take it one item at a time and break it down in His name.

True and honest; need we say more? We know the results of telling untruths; things unravel and there is nothing left but to experience raw dismay as things are as they “should not” be. Telling the truth and being honest are one and the same thing. Check this out; “I have to share this with you, ‘honestly’…” Do we need to say that? Our speech should be such that it is known that as we share it is done in nothing but honesty. I do not think as a true Christian we ever have to use those terms. People should know that all that exits your mouth is truism. Once this is…we are blessed, everything we say, do, believe is factual, nothing needs to be added or taken away from it.

Being just means being fair; “Doing unto others as we want done to us.” Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31. Isn’t it amazing how everything ties together? No matter what we read, it is backed up! We have a Father whose word He has placed above His name. I will admit that I have to study closely the putting together of The Word, in Bible knowledge we studied this When I was in high school, on that I will admit I am a tad bit rusty.

Purity, let us break that down. (Heb. niqqayon; Gk. hagneia [aJgneiva]). The Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the basic sense of the Hebrew word for purity is probably an emptying out or being clean. The verb appears about forty times, most occurrences with an ethical, moral, or forensic sense. Purity is opposed to being guilty. It stands over against such conduct or attitudes as unfaithfulness to God’s covenant ( Hosea 8:1 ), rebellion against God’s law (v. 1), and idolatry (vv. 4-6, 11). Purity consists of “clean hands” ( Gen 20:5 ), innocence ( Psalm 26:6 ; 73:13 ), and an “empty stomach” ( Amos 4:6 ).

Purity is related to guiltless, blameless, or innocent behavior. In Exodus 23:7, an innocent person is portrayed as someone who is righteous as measured by the demands of the law. Purity is not a cultic term; in fact, it does not appear in the rules for holiness detailed in Leviticus. Yet the idea of purity does surface in a number of instances. Before they can engage in any cultic or ceremonial activity, God’s people must be consecrated or had to sanctify themselves ( Exodus 19:10 Exodus 19:14 ; Joshua 7:13 ; 1 Sam 16:5 ; Job 1:5)
http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/purity/

Again, I try to give credit where it is due. These things have been written about. I could write them in my words, but they exist. Rather than re-write I simply quote and give credit.

Lovely? Just what does that mean? If and when we look at/see something. The truism it represents is beautiful. Let us explore this closer: LOVELY

luv’-li (‘ahabh, ‘ahebh; prosphiles):

“Lovely” occurs only 4 times. In 2 Samuel 1:23 it is the translation of ‘ahebh, “to be loved” (“Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant (the King James Version margin “sweet”) in their lives”), where it seems to mean “loving” or “lovable.” Two other words are so translated in the Old Testament: machmadch, “desire” a “desirable thing” (Song of Solomon 5:16, “He is altogether lovely,” that is, “lovable,” “to be desired,” literally, “all of him lovableness,” or “desirableness”); `aghabhim “loves,” or “charms” (Ezekiel 33:32, “Thou art unto them as a very lovely song,” the King James Version margin “a song of loves,” the Revised Version margin “a love-song”; in 33:31 the same word is translated “much love,” the King James Version margin “They make loves or jests”); in Philippians 4:8 we have prosphiles, “very lovely,” or “lovable,” “whatsoever things are lovely.”
W. L. Walker

Good report and virtue lean in the same direction. To be of good report is defining you as a person. What do people have to say about you? It is important that others have nothing adverse to say about you, but rather It is important to note that there are ‘haters’ people who have no good to speak of you. We live in times where many things stand against us as Christians; admittedly some more than others. We all do have our paths that we must walk remaining in Christ.

In a matter of speaking, we should be of good report so that if and when someone speaks of you, you don’t have to defend yourself. The facts speak louder than you would. So, rest easy and remain focused in and on prayer.

If something, any thing is praise worthy, focus on these things. We have a task to perform as individuals. We are one with other Christians; we might not yet know them, but we are of the same body. To further break this down; in the body we have a multitude of ‘parts’ ears, eyes, hands, feet each with its unique function.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized byc one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:12 -27

In so doing, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18

We call this ‘faithing it’. Brethren, at this point I must state fact, we might ‘think’ we know just what to do, how to be; but be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
Proverbs 3:7

Chapter 5

The way things are, and the way the are supposed (going) to be.

Amazingly, there are many things that became clear. We here have a concept of ‘time’, everything ‘runs’ on time. Late to an appointment, early for breakfast, on time to bed…it all runs on time. Amazingly, we have pointed it out. Where we will be, nothing runs on ‘time’. You are where you are because you are there. Based on your decisions, your heart, your Spirit.

Time is an earthly concept. We might be amazed at the ‘patience’ of The LORD. Yes, He watches and sees as we are, our decisions, our plans and so on. Even Jesus being of him, did not know exactly when He would come again. The key is to be ready, be prepared. Is there anything in your life that would ‘hinder’ you from God’s presence? Think hard; your thoughts, actions, feelings? The should be in line with The Word of God! It seems heavy, but it simply is ‘direction’ of which way we should go. I would be so ‘forward’ to say The Word is a suggestion. If you want to be in The LORD’S house, do as so. That seems simple enough. Learning to live like this is to be learned in eternity of how to be.

I think about it often, we are here and by His grace we will be in His timeless ‘region’ to worship and give Him praise. The thing is that there is no time. I spent a long time trying to figure out just how long any thing after life was. Think of this, we estimate Earth in the 100’s of thousands of years. Man perhaps less, we already spoke about the periods the earth was created. Yes, they are described as days but they are periods, we can look hard at this and realize. I have read publications on the ‘big bang theory’ and the age of the earth.

One thing that is surprising is that a majority of science journals estimate Earth to be have come into existencs: “According to the standard theory, our universe sprang into existence as “singularity” around 13.7 billion years ago.” This means the days that are described are periods. Let us go to the original translations.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, “Let there be an expanse[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,[f] and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The length of the “days” of creation in Genesis has involved a major controversy in Biblical interpretation among evangelicals for over 150 years. Many have sought to redefine the term in light of the naturalistic presuppositions of modern scientism. Therefore, let us attempt, honestly, to examine the evidence from Scripture.

The communication of language is through words and their use. We must ask ourselves why Moses was using the words he did, and not other words. What is the meaning he was trying to communicate to his original audience and to us, as well? Why did Moses use the word “day” and not the more generic term, “time”? Is there any significance to the repeated use of numbers in the account (“first day,” “second day,” etc.)? Why are these “days” bounded by the terms, “evening and morning”? As we examine the text of Genesis 1, answers to these questions become clear.

THE MEANING OF “DAY”

Those who argue that the word “day” means “long age,” point out that the Hebrew word, yom, can have a number of meanings, only one of which is “day of 24 hours.”1 They further seek to strengthen their position with the use of Psalm 90:4 and II Peter 3:8, comparing a day to a thousand years. Both of these verses, however, are simply using figures of speech (similes) to show that God is not constrained by the same time parameters as are humans. These verses are really irrelevant to the discussion of the meaning of “day,” in Genesis 1.

It is recognized, of course, that the word “day” can be used with a number of variations. It can have any of five meanings:
1) a period of light;
2) a period of 24 hours;
3) a general, vague time;
4) a point of time;
5) a year.2 The context determines which of these is intended by the writer. The English language also can have up to 14 definitions for the word “day.” The reader should be reminded that the purpose of language is to communicate. Moses wrote in a language that was meant to communicate to his readers. Words must be defined by their relationship to one another. Word meaning must be determined from within its context. It will be shown how the context defines the word in Genesis 1.

The use of a number with the word “day” is very illuminating. This combination occurs 357 times outside of Genesis 1. The combination is used in four different ways, but each time it is used, it must mean 24-hour periods of time. If the combinations had been intended to mean long periods of time, both the texts and contexts then become meaningless. A typical verse is Genesis 30:36: “And he (Laban) set three days journey betwixt himself and Jacob.” God frequently issued commands that the people were to do or not to do certain things on a given day. This use occurs 162 times. A good example is Exodus 24:16: “And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days, and on the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.” These are the most typical uses of the word “day” with a number. Four times the terms are used to show a starting point. Ezra 3:6 says, “From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord.” A number may also be used with “day” to convey an ending point. An example is Leviticus 19:6: “It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.” It would appear, then, that whenever the Old Testament uses a number with the word “day,” it means a 24-hour period of time without any demonstrable exception.

If the meaning of the word “day” with a number always means a 24-hour period of time outside of Genesis 1, then it should also mean a 24-hour period of time inside Genesis 1. The words that Moses used to communicate what God did during creation are very significant. If Moses had meant to signify that the “days” were more than 24 hours in length, he could easily have done so. If we are to understand what Moses wrote, then the language he used must be understood in its normal meaning. The normal meaning is that of 24-hour periods of time.
http://www.icr.org/article/meaning-day-genesis/

Hopefully, this points to what was said. As I shared, I was going to ‘review’ the history and having done so, it is clear to me. As stated Moses used the word day, but it means period. At least we have figured that out with a definite heart and am ease in Spirit.

Chapter 6

And we are Healed.

We just discussed the way things are and the way they will be. We discussed this in faith holding on fast to The Word. I am sure so many would say; “Look at that individual…” Insults tend to follow or deridment, ridicule even in the lightest sense; or is it? We hold on for the mere fact that we do. Who do we spread The gospel to? Do we need to talk? Do we need to say anything? Our actions speak louder than words. Do we take this and keep it to mind?

We briefly spoke about the way things are, we will focus on a bit on the way they will be. Mind you, this is in faith, we can describe this as in nowhere else but The Word it does. Hebrews 11 starts off with fact: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Pretty powerful words, no?

Our very existence is based on hope, hope that we are correct. I will state boldly that if we are wrong, we are wrong being blessed. I understand that is a non-sequitur, to be ‘blessed’ meaning that the existence of a questionable entity has been tested in our spirit. Let me ask this “where did you come from? How did you come to be?” We can answer this in so many ways…some expected, some a surprise, others worked for…extremely hard might I add. We ‘know’ there are couples how ‘visit’ infertility clinics with the hope of bringing a ‘self-made’ child into the world.

The question is “Why did you; planned or unplanned: come to be?” I will point out that many start out as parents but a ‘spontameous abortion’ occurs. Just what can and do we chalk this up to? It is difficult to say why exactly. If and when we hope to be blessed- put it in prayer! More importantly, in our belief there is an author and finisher of our faith. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 11:2

Because, by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. People who doubt are welcome to doubt, we stand rooted in faith; believing that what we read, were taught and learned about are in actuality fact. I am aware that we do not see as of yet. Even more so, we know “seeing is believing.” So, in faith are we wrong?

Knowing just what was written after the coming of our LORD, we read the definition of faith. What is NOT seen and or experienced. So, that explains that.

This brings us to my favorite verse (for now). “By His stripes, we are healed” Check out what even was said well before Jesus came. Amazingly God who existed before ‘time’ itself-let us break this down. There are questions “Where did God come from? Who are His parents?” Questions flow. Hold on??? Wait just a minute, we base our knowledge on what is known, what exists in from what exists. Let me ask you this…being acquainted with Science, chance is how much of it is explained. The fact that ‘things came together’. Funny enough, why and how do we think or feel that these ‘things’ happened to come into being.

Our Universe was not made by ‘chance’ we cannot ‘age’ the first thing that ever existed. Even in our ‘fantasy world’, the gods that exist always existed, yes there are children in those stories but where did the gods come from? In reading, they always existed, meaning that even in mystery/novels what exists started from nothing. Yes, over time things became more complex, that is exactly what happened before time.

Let us look a bit further back. Dinosaurs existed. Funny enough no paintings or drawings exist of a dinosaur. We have found bones- age them!? We can try, it gives us a clue about the history of the world. As discussed earlier, life has been here since the beginning of time. As we discussed, different ‘essences’ were created at different periods. We looked back at the original language to learn what was translated into ‘days’ meant and realized that it was periods.

All things came to be by Gods grace and will. It is surprising that we-humans came last. Being placed on Earth in the image of who and what came before.

Our topic at this point ‘flows’. Yes, we understand that God created all. Man stepped out of line and was cast out, but not disowned because God is Love. God knew just what He would do, we read awesomely that a fee hundred or thousand years before, essentially in His ‘existence’ which has no estimation (all things started from Him) Isaiah, a human much before the ‘time’ stated what we know now. In our time it has been said that a year is like a thousand and one year as a day. ‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ 2 Peter 3:8 this says so much and we will return to it, but it goes in line with what we discuss at this time.

The verse we are talking about is:
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

Jesus, a part of God bore it transgressions, faults and errors on His body. The enemy had planned His ‘downfall’ after failing at the time of the three temptations. As we discussed prior, there were many temptations prior; as stated Jesus was led out to the wilderness by The Spirit. We read that God is three parts. God the Father, Jesus-the Son and the Holy Spirit. As discussed earlier, God is always present.

A quick review, in leading the Isrealites-the first people of God out of Egypt, God was with them. To show this exactly, even though we have discussed this earlier- “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Exodus 33:18-23

So, we see that our known statement has been in the existence of Man. That existence will end, we have a God that is patience. Just as it was allowed that people follow their desires and paths. God has always allowed man to do as he wills. We have a chance to decide to follow His path.

To outline what this means, we have daily challenges. We are not told of the challenges of Adam or Eve. All that is written was written by people who were ‘led’. It is amazing that I share this much having never been a biblically centered individual. The awesome thing is I had no idea that what had happened had happened. All I knew was….(having stated the earlier) I went through what I did and was in the most amazing place. Looking back, yes! Things did occur, but there was no time, coming back I felt (knew) I had been away for a minute, to state what I promised to stay away from was that I ended up in the most amazing place ever. As stated, I first was seeking if that bliss could be found here. The answer is “No. Not even close.”

To be in a ‘spot’, no hunger, perfect vision, no body parts, no recollecible attire, as I pointed out-no time. Yes, those left behind put so much time, prayer, worrying, concern and Love. On being allowed back Love, support, wholeness in Spirit exudes from those in Christ.

If anyone was close to God in the first century church, it was the Apostle Paul. Paul even said that the Lord Himself stood by Him 2nd Pet 4:17, but whether that was literally or in his spirit, only he knew this, but Paul trusted in God’s sovereignty and trusted it enough to know that whatever happened to Him, nothing could separate him from God (Rom 8:35), and that everything that was happening to him was going to work out for his ultimate best (Rom 8:28). He understood that his suffering today was no comparison to what’s coming (Rom 8:18), and I think that kept him content. Paul had a problem and it was a thorn in the flesh, and even though he prayed three times to have it removed, God’s answer was “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). But why didn’t Paul claim, “with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5d)? We know he believed the Scriptures, because that’s what most of the Book of Roman’s contained, so he must have known Isaiah 53:5 and understood what it meant, but the silence of this verse being used for healing in the New Testament is evidence that the context was not about having someone physically, although we cannot limit God, but this verse is not an unlimited promise for God to heal everyone who believes it. It is much more than that. In fact, I would say, it’s infinitely more than that John 3:16
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2017/05/01/is-by-his-stripes-we-are-healed-a-promise-to-heal-everyone/

We will start quoting the verse in the interest of time, even I realize how ‘long’ these can be, I will attempt to hit the breaks where appropriate.

To take a break, I decided to ‘fill in’ the ‘space’ with a lesson that was shared with me which is related to our curremt ‘sharing’.

‘He comforts us in all our troubles.’ 2 Corinthians 1:4

God can make you comfortable in some of life’s most uncomfortable places. He can bring you through situations you think you won’t survive, or feel like you’ll be stuck in forever. He can give you peace when you’re under pressure. Before your life is over, you’ll experience loss. Indeed, losing some things will actually help you to appreciate the things you have. It’s the taste of failure that makes success so sweet. You’ll live not knowing what tomorrow holds, but knowing that God has all your tomorrows planned out. Your future isn’t in the hands of your boss, your banker, your spouse, or anybody else. Nor is it in your own hands to control.

All your tomorrows are in God’s hands. And just because you don’t understand the path you’re on, doesn’t mean He isn’t leading you. He promises: ‘I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.’
Isaiah 42:16

So get to know God, because you need Him. And He will be there when everybody else has failed you. He will be there for you in the dark places. The psalmist writes, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.’
Psalm 30:5
However long the night, and I agree that at times it seems that the morning will never come. Male it a habit to pray and d wait on The LORD. We habe pointed out that He knows all, where you have been, where you rare; more importantly where you will be in His presence.
Morning will come—and with it God given joy. Looking back, you’ll realise that His grace has protected you, provided for you, calmed you, comforted you, and brought you through. In short, His grace is sufficient for you. 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Times and seasons change, but not the Lord. He’s ‘the same yesterday, today, and forever.’ Hebrews 13:8

Chapter 7

The definitions of heaven
What is seen and what is not yet seen.

1. Jacob dreamed of “a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven….And, behold, the Lord stood above it” (Gen. 28:12, 13).

2. Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel…saw the God of Israel (Ex. 24:9,10).

3. Moses saw the back of God (Ex. 33:23).
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Eleven Visions of God

1. Jacob dreamed of “a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven….And, behold, the Lord stood above it” (Gen. 28:12, 13).

2. Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel…saw the God of Israel (Ex. 24:9,10).

3. Moses saw the back of God (Ex. 33:23).

4. Micaiah “saw the Lord sitting upon his throne” (2 Chron. 18:18).

5. Isaiah “saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple” (Isa. 6:1).

6. Ezekiel saw “the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and…the likeness as the appearance of a man above it” (Ezek. 1:26).

7. Ezekiel again had a similar vision (Ezek. 10:1).

8. Daniel “beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit” (Dan. 7:9).

9. Stephen “looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55).

10. Paul wrote that he “knew a man” (likely himself), who was “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2).

11. John “was in the spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Rev. 4:2).

We see and try to understand these. If and when we go even further there is in The bible ‘heavenly’ existences. So, let us ‘break this down’.
(1) Our Immediate Atmosphere

(2) Outer Space (The Sun, Moon, And Stars)

(3) The Home Of God

Consequently we find the Bible speaking of more than one heaven or multiple heavens.

More Than One Heaven

The fact that Jesus passed through the heavens gives evidence there is more than one heaven.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (Hebrews 4:14).

Third Heaven

Furthermore the Bible refers to the third heaven.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know – God knows (2 Corinthians 12:2).

If there is a third heaven, it seems there must also be a first and second heaven. The Bible, however, does not mention a first and second heaven.

1. The Atmospheric Heaven – The First Heaven

The atmospheric heavens include the air that we breathe as well as the space that immediately surrounds the earth. The technical term for this is the “troposphere.” It extends about twenty miles above the earth. The space above this is called the “stratosphere.” The Scripture uses the term heaven to describe this area.

I will destroy humanity whom I have created from the face of the earth, both humans and beasts, creeping thing and birds of heaven (Genesis 6:7).

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather in barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them (Matthew 6:26).

The word translated “air” is ouranos, the same Greek word that is elsewhere translated “heaven.” We have another example of this use in the book of James.

And he [Elijah] prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced fruit (James 5:18).

2. The Celestial Heaven – The Second Heaven

This use of the term heaven refers to outer space or the stellar heaven. It includes the sun, moon, and stars.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Matthew 24:29).

Stars are said to be in heaven.

And take heed, lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage (Deuteronomy 4:19).

Heaven Of Heavens

The Scripture speaks of heavenly spheres beyond that which is visible from the earth. It is called the heaven of heavens.

Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it (Deuteronomy 10:14).

The psalmist wrote.

Praise Him, you heaven of heavens and you waters above the heavens! (Psalm 148:4).

3. Heaven As The Home Of God – The Third Heaven

The Bible is clear that God cannot be limited to any one geographical place.

But will indeed God dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You (1 Kings 8:27).

Yet Scripture also teaches us that there is a certain geographical place where God resides. It is also designated heaven. The writer to the Hebrews said.

The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 8:1).

Stephen knew he was going into the presence of the Lord.

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).

Heaven is called the presence of God.

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:24).

The location of the abode of God is not revealed in Scripture.
Sometime the word heaven is used symbolically in Scripture. When used of an actual place, Scripture speaks of three heavens.

1. The first is the atmosphere above us.

2. The second heaven is the stellar heaven, the sun, moon, and stars.

3. The third heaven is where God resides, above the other two regions.

God, however, is certainly not limited to one geographical place.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_151.cfm

Chaper 14
What does it take to be ‘close’ to God?

Even though God is always right there beside us; I ask what it means for us to be close to Him? This is uniquely different, in essence God I’d everywhere, doing all. In fact we have ‘richer’ lives when we are under Him! I can go back and review so much, but we can open our eyes and see what He has done. Yes, there are people who are in harm’s way for faith. People have seen what is in the future. Such have said this is only “the blink of an eye.” When we realize this, all becomes doable. The blink of an eye! In all senses in is a moment, in ‘existense’ it is but a mere fragment of ‘time.’ Let me point out again that when ‘time’ does not exist. You are.

I have tried to explain this. I tried previously to describe it as being in our decision. We actively decide where we are going, when we pass from this life- we are where we ‘decide’ to be.

There is one example (among many I am sure) that a person with a ‘temper’ actually walked with The LORD. I will allow you to stop guessing- it was Moses. We read that he among men was great. He had a mission.
We can go back and read his story; in so many cases we are left with so many emotions. One of said is “I want to be like him!” Yes, there is so much involved that I am sure we appreciate the position that we are in, is that factual? Without getting into the question, let us start somewhere.

We all understand the fact that God knew him even before his birth, among the males, his mother ‘kept’ him and placed him in the ‘basket’ in the right we. Now, so many things could have happened to Moses, but we follow that everything happened as it was supposed to.

We have pointed out that with God there is no time or acts to be undone. Even in Mankind, God saw reason to allow man to go forth and asked Noah to build an ark.

Yes, God realises that for us ‘life’ is measured in ‘time’ and that in His actions are taken into consideration in each step we take.

In his ‘development’, Moses had become an adult, and out among his people (the Isrealites, having grown up in pharaohs palace, so many things can be said…the men fighting were not his agemates. They were either older or much younger-as there was the edict when he was born about slaying every Isrealites male child.) And he saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. He looked around to make sure no one else was there. Then he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. We are introduced to his ‘temper’. Murder I state for you to realize exactly what he did.

Despite his attempt to be secretive, it was known! The very next day, he saw two Isrealites quarreling and asked why. One of them replied, “Who made you a boss or judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?”

As seen even having been raised with regal brethren he had a temper. And we move on. He ran so that the Pharaohs would not order him punished for his crime. Most likely death. I point this out for a reason- Moses was always a ‘passionate’ person. He ran…Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses.

Moses ran away from Pharaoh and settled down in the land of Midian. One day Moses was sitting by a well. We point out here that he was always ‘passionate’, even to the point of murder.

So, come again?! A former murderer??? Would be close to God??? This is one major example that our God is a forgiving God, when repented of our sin ceased to exist. What we did/do is overwhelmed by and with the Love God has for each of us. I mean, look at this in his anger Moses killed another.

Let us move forward to the Isrealites journey in the wilderness. When thirsty they complained- God heard them and told Moses to touch a rock with his staff, but our passionate Moses struck the rock and saw a part of God he was aware of. He never set foot in the promised land.

In Exodus, God commands Moses to strike a rock, and promises to make water flow in the desert for the elderd.

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 17:6 ESV)
Later on, God tells Moses to speak to a rock, promising to make water flow in the desert again. However, Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it. Because of just this one thing, God tells Moses that he will no longer be permitted bring the people into the Promised Land.

And we quote:
“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Numbers 20:8-12 ESV, emphasis added)
Why was the punishment so harsh for what seems like a small infraction?

He was asked to ‘strike’ the rock in the presence of the elders. In this case he was asked to touch it.

Another example is God carved the ten commandments on rock, which would have been A marked effort to bring down from Horeb. When our ‘passionate’ Moses saw what had transpired in his absence, he dashed the pillars of stone on the ground in anger.

“And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”
Exodus 32:19

To demonstrate that our ‘passionate’ Moses was with The LORD often:
And Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Say this to the house of Jacob and tell the people of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will obey My voice and keep My agreement, you will belong to Me from among all nations. For all the earth is Mine. You will be to Me a nation of religious leaders, a holy nation.’ These are the words you will speak to the people of Israel.”

Before the official tabernacle was built, “Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting.’ Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp” (Exodus 33:7). As Moses visited this tent of meeting to intercede for the people of Israel, “the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses” (verse 9). Moses’ position of favor with God is evident in the fact that “the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (verse 11).

However, later in the same chapter, Moses requests to see God’s glory, and God replies, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. . . . But . . . you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:19–20). To protect Moses, God put him “in a cleft in the rock” and covered him with His hand as He passed by (verse 22). “Then,” God promised, “I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (verse 23).

We see that Moses met with The Spirit of God. When Moses saw God from the rear we are made to understand that this was the first time he beheld God. We may have misunderstood the referrals to the “tent of meeting.” When the Isrealites wanted to request something they went out of the camp to the “tent of meeting” where Moses was. Is it not amazing that we have this personally in our lives?

Think about it. If and when people need something from The Source of all, they can come to you. Even if that is a little difficult to swallow; there is ‘safety’ in numbers? “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:19-20

So, we have seen the life and ways of Moses. If he was with us now, I am sure that there would be head shaking and murmuring. This we see was exactly what happened with the people of Israel. I mean to have ‘escaped’ from Egypt. To be fed with Manna? To have water, meat, even clothes that did not wear thin despite the washing and care they sustained.
Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 29:5,6

Amazing, no? In our time, the Scripture says “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:19

This I share for the cause that it is fact!
God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?

Let me ask, before I do, we have THE example in Jesus. How much do you “Jesus” in your every day?

Chapter 15
Time to take a break.

I share with couples a truism that will shock you into action. This was shared with me, I share with you, feel free to share with others.

‘The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’ Luke 6:38 NLT

The truth about the container: when the offering plate was passed in church, a lady didn’t put anything in. When she complained all the way home about how poor the service was, her little boy said, ‘Mum, that proves if you don’t put anything in, you won’t get anything out.’

Marriage is like an empty container—you get out what you put in. This truth frees you to make your relationship rich and rewarding by becoming a giver rather than a taker. Some people think the container comes filled with romance, sexual fulfilment, and being served in the style to which they’ve become accustomed. They think they can take whatever they want from a never-ending supply—instant, low maintenance, satisfaction guaranteed!

Then one day they dip in and come up empty. Shocked, disappointed, angry, despairing and hopeless, they conclude that their partner failed, fooled or forsook them. Why else would the container be empty? Then they go looking for a new container. The truth is, it’s your responsibility to make enough deposits every day to guarantee sufficient withdrawals for a rich relationship.

Jesus said, ‘The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’ Ask yourself what you’d like to have in the container, and how much. Then start depositing towards it. J. Allan Petersen said: ‘There’s no love in marriage; love is in people, and people put it into marriage. There’s no romance in marriage; people have to infuse it into their marriages. A couple must form the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising—keeping the box full.’

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43

Where did Jesus go for the period of 3 days after he was crucified? Very little is said in the Bible of where Jesus was and what he was doing during the three days, but here’s what we do know:

He promised the thief on the cross that they would be together in paradise after death. (Luke 23:39-42)

It says paradise. Let us define this:
par·a·dise
ˈperəˌdīs/
noun
(in some religions) heaven as the ultimate abode of the just. Again this is the ultimate goal of the just.
It should be noted that inn the period post crucifixion Jesus did not go to The Father, but definitely was ‘somewhere’. Performing the work that He had been given took precedence over all. He was sent to witness. We see that in His time on earth so many came to know Him and believe. In The Word that follows after His ascension into Heaven so many gave their lives and came to believe
synonyms:heaven, the kingdom of heaven, the heavenly kingdom, Elysium, the Elysian Fields, Valhalla, Avalon
“the souls in paradise”
the abode of Adam and Eve before the Fall in the biblical account of the Creation; the Garden of Eden.
noun: Paradise
synonyms:the Garden of Eden, Eden
“Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Paradise”
an ideal or idyllic place or state.
“the surrounding countryside is a walker’s paradise”
synonyms:Utopia, Shangri-La, heaven, idyll, nirvana
“a tropical paradise”
bliss, heaven, ecstasy, delight, joy, happiness, nirvana, heaven
When Mary recognized him in the garden after his resurrection, he told her that he had not yet been to heaven. (John 20:15-17 ) From this we can deduce that Heaven, where God is, is something distinct from Paradise, where Jesus had been while he was dead.

While he was dead and in paradise, he “went and preached unto the spirits in prison.” (1 Peter 3:18-20) This shows that he wasn’t simply laying around relaxing, but continuing his ministry on the other side, preaching the gospel to sinners just as he had in mortality.

To answer this I have spent time Going over Scripture. I admit not much is said. The souls in between their human death and the final judgement were in my view- given a chance. I will admit that this was a one time chance. If and when spirits of people who had not heard The Word of God. Think of this-Goliath who faced David was most likely never preached “God”. This goes to so many nations, tribes and people. It gets complex quickly.

The question is where was Christ for those 3 days? I am aware that in the ‘afterlife’ there is no time. Spirits are where their acts determine they will be.

We are made for God, by God, we have shared earlier that you should speak to your creator to ensure that you are where you were destined and designed to be. I will share a quick scripture that explains a lot:
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, having discussed this they are together-for Earth was created with all within it and God saw that it was ‘good’. God does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole Earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. All has been determined; your existence, as we have pointed out, it is dependent on your ‘decision’ follow Him or choose to believe God does not exist
God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’b As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:24-28

We might ‘decide’; hopefully correctly. Which is why prayer is encouraged with each step.
In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 This verse is so very important. Can anyone guess which verse is shorter in Scripture? It is just as important because it shows how a portion of our Father dealt with loss of a Loved one. (I know we have a few heads shaking. We are all Loved!) In His ministry there were people Jesus related with that went a step ‘beyond’. Even their reactions. The sister of Lazarus who sat at his feet to spend the time basking in His Glory was reprimanded by her sister.
Mary and Martha were real women, not illustrations in a parable. They lived with their brother, Lazarus, in Bethany, a small village within easy walking distance of the old city of Jerusalem via the Mount of Olives. John records that “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus” and wept at Lazarus’ death. (John 11:5, 32–36.)

We read of Mary and Martha on only three occasions, each of which reveals different facets of their characters.

Together, They Learned of the Savior

We are first introduced to Mary and Martha in the book of Luke. The story related there has probably produced the feeling that somehow Martha is not the spiritual equal of her sister Mary. Jesus and his disciples have come to Judea from Capernaum. “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.” (Luke 10:38.) We are not told whether Jesus knew the people in this particular household. Perhaps he was already acquainted with them, because there seems to be some familiarity as Jesus and Martha communicate with each other.

For years I have mistakenly assumed that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha worked in the kitchen. Not so. In verse 39 Luke carefully explains that Martha “had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word.” (Luke 10:39; italics added.) They both sat there to hear the words of eternal life from their Lord.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43

Where did Jesus go for the period of 3 days after he was crucified? Very little is said in the Bible of where Jesus was and what he was doing during the three days, but here’s what we do know:

He promised the thief on the cross that they would be together in paradise after death. (Luke 23:39-42)

It says paradise. Let us define this:
par·a·dise
ˈperəˌdīs/
noun
(in some religions) heaven as the ultimate abode of the just. Again this is the ultimate goal of the just.
It should be noted that inn the period post crucifixion Jesus did not go to The Father, but definitely was ‘somewhere’. Performing the work that He had been given took precedence over all. He was sent to witness. We see that in His time on earth so many came to know Him and believe. In The Word that follows after His ascension into Heaven so many gave their lives and came to believe
synonyms:heaven, the kingdom of heaven, the heavenly kingdom, Elysium, the Elysian Fields, Valhalla, Avalon
“the souls in paradise”
the abode of Adam and Eve before the Fall in the biblical account of the Creation; the Garden of Eden.
noun: Paradise
synonyms:the Garden of Eden, Eden
“Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Paradise”
an ideal or idyllic place or state.
“the surrounding countryside is a walker’s paradise”
synonyms:Utopia, Shangri-La, heaven, idyll, nirvana
“a tropical paradise”
bliss, heaven, ecstasy, delight, joy, happiness, nirvana, heaven
When Mary recognized him in the garden after his resurrection, he told her that he had not yet been to heaven. (John 20:15-17 ) From this we can deduce that Heaven, where God is, is something distinct from Paradise, where Jesus had been while he was dead.

While he was dead and in paradise, he “went and preached unto the spirits in prison.” (1 Peter 3:18-20) This shows that he wasn’t simply laying around relaxing, but continuing his ministry on the other side, preaching the gospel to sinners just as he had in mortality.

To answer this I have spent time Going over Scripture. I admit not much is said. The souls in between their human death and the final judgement were in my view- given a chance. I will admit that this was a one time chance. If and when spirits of people who had not heard The Word of God. Think of this-Goliath who faced David was most likely never preached “God”. This goes to so many nations, tribes and people. It gets complex quickly.

The question is where was Christ for those 3 days? I am aware that in the ‘afterlife’ there is no time. Spirits are where their acts determine they will be.

We are made for God, by God, we have shared earlier that you should speak to your creator to ensure that you are where you were destined and designed to be. I will share a quick scripture that explains a lot:
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, having discussed this they are together-for Earth was created with all within it and God saw that it was ‘good’. God does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole Earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. All has been determined; your existence, as we have pointed out, it is dependent on your ‘decision’ follow Him or choose to believe God does not exist
God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’b As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:24-28

We might ‘decide’; hopefully correctly. Which is why prayer is encouraged with each step.
In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 This verse is so very important. Can anyone guess which verse is shorter in Scripture? It is just as important because it shows how a portion of our Father dealt with loss of a Loved one. (I know we have a few heads shaking. We are all Loved!) In His ministry there were people Jesus related with that went a step ‘beyond’. Even their reactions. The sister of Lazarus who sat at his feet to spend the time basking in His Glory was reprimanded by her sister.
Mary and Martha were real women, not illustrations in a parable. They lived with their brother, Lazarus, in Bethany, a small village within easy walking distance of the old city of Jerusalem via the Mount of Olives. John records that “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus” and wept at Lazarus’ death. (John 11:5, 32–36.)

We read of Mary and Martha on only three occasions, each of which reveals different facets of their characters.

Together, They Learned of the Savior

We are first introduced to Mary and Martha in the book of Luke. The story related there has probably produced the feeling that somehow Martha is not the spiritual equal of her sister Mary. Jesus and his disciples have come to Judea from Capernaum. “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.” (Luke 10:38.) We are not told whether Jesus knew the people in this particular household. Perhaps he was already acquainted with them, because there seems to be some familiarity as Jesus and Martha communicate with each other.

For years I have mistakenly assumed that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha worked in the kitchen. Not so. In verse 39 Luke carefully explains that Martha “had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word.” (Luke 10:39; italics added.) They both sat there to hear the words of eternal life from their Lord.

The tasty ‘nuggets’ that are in The Word, of which you will get your fill.

He is the LORD our God: His judgments are in all the Earth. Psalm 105:7

As often as we want to acknowledge that there is a prince of this world, we have to realize it to and learn how to place all at the feet of our Father. On many occasions he was called such. As shared, we were placed here on God’s Earth to be caretakers. This was robbed, earlier man had not a clue as to what existed before him. All is without age, the Heavens were created and set apart from the Earth. Parallel existences they are.

At times people are taken to see what lies ahead. We read it in Scripture:
Stephen “looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” Acts 7:55

Paul wrote that he “knew a man” (likely himself), who was “caught up to the third heaven” 2 Cor. 12:2

John “was in the spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” Rev. 4:2

When we ‘strive’ it is an opening for blessings! But The Spirit of God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. Amen.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Chapter 17

Role of happiness. Teaching of happiness. Why happiness is important

Are you happy? This is our key reason for all we do, think and attempt as we strive to live. It is the key to our existence. Are you happy? I just have to ask. What is your definition of ‘happy’? Yes, I asked that. More importantly, what is The bible definition or explanation of ‘happy’?

Many verses paint a very different picture from the self-centered happiness that we pursue. For example:

“Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves” (Job 5:17, NASB).
“Happy is he who is gracious to the poor” (Prov 14:21, NASB).
“Happy is he who keeps the law” (Prov 29:18, NASB).
“Behold, we count those blessed who endured” (James 5:11, NASB).
“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed” (1 Pet 4:14, NASB)

“Godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment” (1 Tim. 6:6, NASB).

What does it take to make happy?

“He whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he” (Prov. 16:20, KJV).

When Jesus eventually came to the house of Mary and Martha, the dead Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Martha in believing what she had learned and knew, she told Jesus that if He had come early enough, Lazarus would not have died. Martha’s statement implied that Jesus came too late to do anything to help Lazarus. Even though she believed that Lazarus would resurrect on the last day, she had hoped that Jesus would have come in time to heal him.
(John 11:5, 32–36.)

The wonderful news, however, is that Jesus is the resurrection and life. To our comfort, He is the same yesterday, today and for always. The positive, awesome thing is that when He came to save us. There was doubt in the heart of the enemy. “Oh! I can change him!” He thought. “I know scripture. I was here when it was spoken. The heart of God, I am aware of.” These must have assailed his spirit and, Yes! He tried. No matter what he tried, he came up empty handed.

Moving straight into the next phase. “I will turn these people, His supposed people against Him.” No matter what we read, He had no sin! Even the cetruriona at the crucifix believed!
The Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion, a Roman soldier, served in Judea under the command of the Governor, Pontius Pilate. When our Savior Jesus Christ was crucified, it was the detachment of soldiers under the command of Longinus which stood watch on Golgotha, at the very foot of the holy Cross. Longinus and his soldiers were eyewitnesses of the final moments of the earthly life of the Lord, and of the great and awesome portents that appeared at His death. These events shook the centurion’s soul. Longinus believed in Christ and confessed before everyone, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54).

According to Church Tradition, Longinus was the soldier who pierced the side of the Crucified Savior with a spear, and received healing from an eye affliction when blood and water poured forth from the wound.

After the Crucifixion and Burial of the Savior, Longinus stood watch with his company at the Sepulchre of the Lord. These soldiers were present at the All-Radiant Resurrection of Christ. The Jews bribed them to lie and say that His disciples had stolen away the Body of Christ, but Longinus and two of his comrades refused to be seduced by the Jewish gold. They also refused to remain silent about the miracle of the Resurrection. )https://oca.org/saints/lives/2012/10/16/102980-martyr-longinus-the-centurion-who-stood-at-the-cross-of-the-lord)

Whether we live or die, we are alive in Him! Moreover, God is always on time to perfect His will in our lives. Are there some situations in your life which you think are beyond hope and help? Jesus proves from today’s reading that He always has perfect timing. Sarah passed the age of child bearing, yet God caused her to conceive and bear a child. No situation is hopeless in the hands of God. He can cause dead dreams and hopes to come to life. He did it for Lazarus. He can do it for you. Only trust Him!

PRAYER: By the power of the Holy Spirit, I command everything that is dead in your life, health, ministry and business to resurrect in Jesus name, Amen.

Chapter 18
We have ‘meat’ to eat and will not go ‘hungry.’

Now just what is meat?
He hath given meat unto them that fear Him: He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He hath shewed His people the power of His works, that He may give them the heritage of the heathen.
Psalm 111:5,6

And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his MEAT was locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4 )

But we go back to the original tongue this was written in broma pneumatikon, “food spiritual”. I understand that English has its ‘weak’ spots.

Nourishment for the soul, referring specifically (1 Corinthians 10:3) to the manna by which the children of Israel were miraculously fed and which was made by Paul prophetically equivalent to the broken bread of the Christian sacrament symbolizing the body of Christ. Hence,

(1) Christ Himself as the food of the soul:

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:48-58);

(2) anything that nourishes the spiritual life:

(a) obedience to the will of God:

“My meat is to do the will of him that sent me” (John 4:32-34);

(b) the truths of God in the Scriptures:

“Word of righteousness” = “strong meat” (Hebrews 5:12-14); “word of God” (Matthew 4:4);

(c) the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)

I should ask: “Are you hungry?” Spiritually I mean. You can ‘eat’ in the pasture and have your fill. We can graze in His pasture and be touched, filled up till we spill over.

We, being of the Kingdom have been given so much.

Our prayer:
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. Psalm 51:14

blood·guilt
ˈblədɡilt/
noun
guilt resulting from murder or bloodshed.

We sin with thought and word, what we do and fail to do. Stand right!

A wonderful way to end this is meat for our soul.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:1-8

Our meat to eat for the moment! Keep praising Him, He Loves you! There is none like Him in all the Universe! Hallelujah!

Just want to add a testimony.

And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Matthew 3:9

Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
God makes you laugh when He turn his prophesies into decrees. There is a difference between prophesies and decree. When you hear “Thus says the Lord” that is the prophecy for which you will need to wait to see its fulfilment. In contrast, when God suddenly decides to issue a decree, such as “Let there be light”, you will know that your waiting period is over, as your miracle will manifest immediately. In Genesis 1:3, when God said “Let there be light”, there was no need to vote on it, and neither was there any delay, because He had decreed it. Psalm 33:8-9 says one reason why the whole earth should fear God is that whenever He speaks, it is done. All He has to do is to speak, and the next moment, it is done. By the grace of God, I have witnessed God operate in this dimension. Sometimes ago, a couple came to us believing God for the fruit of the womb. I asked them, what kind of baby do you want? Their response was simultaneous: the man wanted a boy while his wife wanted a girl. So I said we should make it twins – a boy and a girl – and both of them said “Amen”. Exactly nine months after, the man was carrying his baby boy and the wife carrying her baby girl. This season, God is saying let there be light, healing, fruitfulness, increase, promotion, victory over enemies and fullness of joy in your life, and so shall it be!

Moreover, God makes you laugh when He decides to show you His Almightiness. After declaring that Sarah would have a child, she laughed, but denied laughing when He asked her why she laughed (Genesis 18:11-15). Then He asked, “is anything too hard for the LORD?” Every man definitely has his limits, and even spirits are limited, but not the Father of spirits (Hebrew 12:9). Hence, Luke 1:37 says nothing is impossible with our God. He can suspend physical laws and have His way any day.Matthew 3:9 says this God can produce children out of stones! Whatever the specialists have said cannot hinder my God. Where they are limited, He is not. The resources they lack, He has in abundance. What they do not know, is common knowledge to Him. His word is full of power and gives direction to anything he wants done. This is why I know that this season, everything standing in your way to laughter shall give way so that you can laugh. You shall laugh last and your laughter shall be unstoppable!

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
– John 5:24

We are in Him and with God already. Time to start living our Life as promised.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2

There are lots of scandals among church leaders today. Have you been hurt by a church leader or member? Are you feeling disheartened and disgusted, angry and tempted to forget about Christianity altogether? Stop! A certain pastor was out visiting homes, inviting people to church. He mentioned to a man that his neighbour was already a member of the church. On hearing that, the man said there was no way he could go near the church, because the guy had hurt him so badly, that he wanted nothing to do with a religion that would include such a person.

The pastor was quiet for a moment. Then he gestured towards a nearby piano, and asked the man’s little daughter to play a piece by Beethoven that was lying on the piano. The man protested: Beethovens music was much too advanced for his daughter. But the pastor insisted, and the little girl gave it a trial. It sounded dreadful. It was awful. When the little girl finally finished butchering that glorious piece of music, the pastor looked at the man and said, _”Boy, that Beethoven sure wasn’t much of a composer, was he?”_. The man got the point. He had been judging Christianity by the performance of one player, rather than focusing on the composer Himself, Jesus Christ.

Don’t turn away from Jesus just because some religious people turned out to be corrupt, or you have been wounded and bruised by some religious leaders. If you’re going to base your attitude towards God on the actions of one person, make sure that person is the Lord Jesus. Christianity is Christ.

PRAYER POINTS:
1. Lord Jesus, help me to focus my attention on You in my Christian journey.
2. Lord, help me to walk worthy of the calling You have given me, so that I dont become stumbling block to anyone in the Christian path.
3. Pray that God should soften the hearts of people who have left, or who refuse to join Christianity, because of some supposed Christians who had hurt them.

Chapter 17

“Let me do this…”
“I think I can…”
“What will they say…”
“If I may say so, this I’d pretty impressive…,
“Compred to what they had previously, I am a genius…”

Do any of these sound familiar? Ok, not ‘sound’, more importantly can we identity with the speaker? Difficult to day, but a few of those will not stand too far off from what we feel/express. Can we find anything to do with this in The Word?

I wouldn’t ask If You couldn’t. Let us read: Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:3

This encompasses our actions. You know what? For a second, I considered if God were not. The bible as a ‘guide’ to life lifts none up. It focuses on one pint. In reviewing ‘religios sharings’, we all have to focus on something. In our case as believers, it is God.
Jesus who came of Him, is a part of Him., and we review:
Jesus the Son is not a creature but rather shares in the selfsame nature as the Father. The Holy Spirit is then the life-giving Love breathed out between the Father and the Son.

Almost everyone believes that Jesus lived, that he was a teacher, a famous prophet, even a miracle worker, although they may not accept everything the Bible says about him. Islam believes he was a good prophet, that he died and went to heaven, and that he will come again (as a prophet of Islam); but it does not believe that he is God and that his death was salvific. And liberal teachers in the churches today might claim something similar, that he was a good Man, a great teacher, a wonderful example, but not God in the flesh. But the Bible and thereafter the traditions of the church claim much more for Him.

Pause! Lay it all down! For real, stop! And thinks on/of this. Is being a believer wrong? I already said that we should place my sharing to the side.

Let’s say that after this ‘life” there is more. No matter the belief system, we are laying footwork for a time and place to come. Now stands as the point- Time to throw in your lots/cast the dice. I am sure a lot do not ‘gamble’. Nut this represents a ‘gamble’ for your eternity. We are presented with choices daily; the “what” and the “why” are given. In this case, we take it a step further “where?”

There is so much to consider. We stand In a ‘spot’ and cannot help but wonder “What next???” We are besot by so much “need”. Even if we do not believe in God, a “Help me Lord!” escapes those lips. Who then are you seeking? Even if it is who I suspect it is just Who I think you refer to. Why, O! Why do you not remember Him when times are ‘good’? I can go through so very much here, but I think you can imagine a few things. But if you have those, do you give this ‘unseen force of goodness’ credit that is due?

We are introduced to The LORD, your saving grace- your all;

“As you sit quietly in My Presence, remember that I am a God of abundance. I will never run out of resources (our God made all that exist, I add that it was fairly simple, He spoke and it was and still is!);

“My capacity to bless you is unlimited. You live in a world of supply and demand, where necessary things are often scarce. Even if you personally have enough, you see poverty in the world around you. It is impossible for you to comprehend the lavishness of My provisions: the fullness of My glorious riches.
(Here again, I encourage you to take a break and think, you know what? Go for a walk and think while you are moving and be moved by His excellence. Let us take a moment to consider that which he has made. He placed all here. Let us contemplate: What are the most valuable things in life?
What are the most valuable things in life?

Family; the only people who will always love me, never judge me and always stand by my side, no matter what the circumstances. My parents are my friends and mentors, while my younger sibling is the trigger for my transformation into a child once again.

Faith and patience; these are two qualities that I highly value. Believe in yourself and God (if you do believe in Him) and learn to be patient. He who has mastered these two qualities can perform tasks that would be considered miraculous.
A small, tight group of friends;
A career based on passion and not pressure; I consider myself fortunate to be pursuing a career which I truly wished for. I have encountered many people who are frustrated with their careers and life, because they did not know where their desires lied.
A collection of good books; who wouldn’t want to visit Hogwarts again (Harry Potter), re-discover him/herself (The Alchemist), unravel mysteries with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, understand the origin and basis of life (religious books) and have symbology lessons with Robert Langdon (Dan Brown Series)?
Childhood memories; I still feel nostalgic when I watch The Lion King, Toy Story, Tom and Jerry or read Tintin and Asterix. I also feel nostalgia when I realize the innocence and dreams I had as a kid. Growing up surely changes quite a lot.
Lifetime Experiences; reminiscing about travels to different countries, pranks with friends, crushes and love affairs, etc. If you don’t collect experiences when you can, you may regret it when you are no longer able to.
Gratitude and being content; the key to true happiness is being content and grateful for what you possess. Without gratitude, one cannot truly enjoy the pleasures of life. Not being content with what you have leads to greed and misery. Beware!
The ability to love, forgive and live in the present; we no longer love unconditionally, rather we love others until our interests are satisfied. We do not forgive those who have wronged us, even for the most trivial matters. We are so caught up in our past and judging others, we lose out on living and experiencing life.
A positive attitude towards life; being positive even in the toughest of situations will surely bring happiness to you. “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.

Wa all remember this story, let us quickly go through and pull out its importance.

Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.

A lot of people have gotten their finger burnt in the place of seeking an alternative to God’s promise. When God’s promise is seemingly delayed, some Christians do not have the strength of character to keep waiting on the Lord and holding on to His promise; they therefore seek out and accept man’s alternative to God’s precious promises. Not only does man’s alternative take you off God’s course and provide you with quick fixes that cannot really fix anything, they also give you monetary joy that cannot absolve you of sorrow. This was the experience of Sarah. In today’s Bible reading, after Sarah gave her maid, Hagar, to Abraham to raise children through her, she was happy and relieved that her problem of barrenness seemed solved. But her relief soon turned into grief as her happiness became sorrow. Genesis 16:4 says,

“And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.”

Sarah took good care of Hagar, in expectation of using her as a means to an end. For the purpose of child-bearing, she exempted her from the usual chores that her fellow maids would perform. However, the moment Hagar conceived, the tables turned against Sarah. Suddenly, all attention shifted to the new queen of the house. Everyone and everything had to be at her beck and call. She no longer had regard for her mistress. Realizing she now had what Abraham earnestly wanted, she used her pregnancy as an excuse for gross misbehaviour. She took over Abraham’s attention and the poor man hardly even had time for Sarah anymore. When she was disobedient and her mistress tried to correct her, she would simply tell her, “Madam, if you were ever pregnant, you would understand what I am going through. “That was the beginning of Sarah’s sorrow”

When you are tired of waiting for God’s will, plan or timing, and you decided to follow one of the alternatives that comes your way, you will only be hurting yourself. May you not use your own hands to undo yourself! When God blesses you, he removes every form of sorrow from it Proverb 10:22, but whatever blessing you think you can derive from substituting God’s plan with an alternative will only be short-lived and will definitely come with sorrow. Some people who knew and turned down God’s will in marriage, following the dictates of their flesh, ended up in sorrow. A good number of them are secretly weeping today. They cannot cry out because people warned them before venturing into such marriages, but their ears were deaf to those warnings. In your own interest, take time to find out God’s will for every area of your life and apparently follow it. In years to come, you will understand why that was the best decision you ever made.

Key Point:

It is better not to be ‘blessed’, than to be blessed and have sorrow with it. For a true blessing comes with joy and peace.

Chapter 18

God Is Your Unfailing Source

‘The brook dried up.’ 1 Kings 17:7 NIV

The psalmist wrote, ‘Joyful are those…whose hope is in the Lord their God.’ Psalm 146:5

One author writes: ‘Sometimes when there’s not enough money to make ends meet, people tell us to budget and we chuckle. We look at the situation and say, “No way.” That’s the time to trust God. Your possibilities aren’t limited by past or present circumstances. If there’s not enough to pay legitimate expenses, do your best and then let go. Trust God to supply your need, then look beyond your wallet. Look to your source. Claim a divine, unlimited supply. Do your part. Strive for financial responsibility in thought and action. Ask for wisdom, and listen to God’s leadings. Then let go of your fears and your need to control. We all know money is a necessary part of living—and so does God.’

FB Meyer said: ‘The education of our faith is incomplete till we learn that God’s providence works through loss… There’s a ministry to us through the failure and fading of things. The dwindling brook where Elijah sat is a picture of our lives! “Some time later the brook dried up” (1 Kings 17:7 NIV) is the history of our yesterdays and the prophecy of our tomorrows. We must learn the difference between trusting in the gift and trusting in the giver. The gift may last for a season, but the giver is eternal. If the Lord had led Elijah directly to the widow at Zarephath, he’d have missed something that helped make him a better man—living by faith. Whenever our earthly resources dry up, it’s so we may learn that our hope and health are in God.’

Has your brook dried? Time to rise up and be blessed. I had seen an episode of “America’s got talent.” Which has become a world wide phenomenon. The amazing girl who had no arms came out to sing and play the piano with her feet! Yes, you got that right. Not only was she awesome, nut the crowd, the judges burst into tears. She was a singer but more so, could play the piano with her feet! I stop touched, amazed and corrected. I have and I habe to excess praise The LORD for family and for doing his will. Again, if someone had ever told me that there was a possibility of…I would have called them “crazy.” Now, take it, I know I am blessed. I have a chance to start again. Most of the time, peoples ‘start again’ will be right where they left off. I on the other hand truly have the ability to ‘start again.’ Yes, difficult to know just where, but by God’s grace, I know He has a plan for me.

Amazingly, the first thing that I felt/thought about/focused on was what I lost. How about what I have? Family, true friends. This is what you need to be truly see- your tomorrows!

Chapter 19

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.
(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
Numbers 12:1-3

Cush, also spelled as Kush, (/kʊʃ, kʌʃ/; Biblical: כּוּשׁ Kûš) was, according to the Bible, the eldest son of Ham, who was a son of Noah. He was the brother of Canaan (land of Canaan), Mizraim (Egypt) and Phut (land of Libya), and the father of the Biblical Nimrod mentioned in the “Table of Nations” in the Genesis 10:6 and I Chronicles 1:8. Cush is traditionally considered the eponymous ancestor of the people of the “land of Cush,” an ancient territory that is believed to have been located on either side or both sides of the Red Sea. As such, “Cush” is alternately identified in Scripture with the kingdom of Kush, ancient Ethiopia, and/or the Arabian peninsula.

In the first Hebrew translation of William Shakespeare’s Othello the hero of the play was named Ithiel the Cushite (איתיאל הכושי)
The word Cushi or Kushi (Hebrew: כּוּשִׁי‎‎ kūšî) is a term generally used in the Hebrew Bible to refer to a dark-skinned person usually of African descent. Initially the word was used by Hebrew-speaking Jews to refer to individuals of Ethiopian origin, derived from the Biblical land of Cush

I will start with this to draw quite a few pictures that tell a story. We are aware that Moses became a ‘friend’ to God. We will not that his choice of wife was a Negro. Yes, we aren’t supposed to use words like that in this day and age.

We are left to figure out exactly what he looked like. This goes farther, Miriam and Aaron (who had been chosen by God to assist Moses in addressing the Egyptiann pharoah) spoke against Moses for his acts and were punished for their thoughts spoken in ‘private’. Once again we see that there is no ‘privacy’. Yes, in our realm there may be noone watching, but in the parallel realm there may be myriads. As we pointed out, we have our memories. Funny enough if we really had ‘mind reader’s’ what would they see?
you and I are not just a number computers can trace; Jesus Christ knows all your needs, he knows each one of us by our names, he knows each one of us by our faces. Where on earth can we run away from the all knowing God! At times this is what most of us would think. We are so ignorant to think that the God who created us do not know our needs in this daily life. Friends, you and I are an Open Book before the Lord. There is nothing about us that is hidden from Him. Whatever concerns each one of us are already in His book. God knows us even before we were born. It was God who formed us in our mothers womb. In the Book of Psalm 139:13-16it clearly states how well God knows each one of us.

We can definitely know and say:
‘If you, Lord, kept a record of sins… who could stand?’
Psalm 130:3 NIV

We live in a results-oriented society where we’re rewarded for our performance in school, in sports, and at work. But God doesn’t reason like that, too many times we are equating God to ourselves who in fact are made in His image. In no way e rd God have eyes, a nose, a mouth. We are made in His image. It is wonderful to know that in the next existence we will have no hunger, thirst or need. There activities will in the spaceless realm. There are no limits. For example we have spoken about the ‘limits’ here on Earth. This ‘limits’ being gone in the place of our next and last stop (and best; undoubtedly.) At times it is a wonder to see people with a ‘knowledge’ wait patiently. Actually, I kind of figured that out. If we are rewarded for the good we do. you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do…Ephesians 6:8.
God’s thoughts and ways are far above ours (see Isaiah 55:8–9). He’s not impressed by empty duty. ‘Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to Him.’ (1 Samuel 15:22)

Feelings and emotions are powerful, but they’re seldom objective. And when you base your worth as a Christian on your performance as a flawed human being, the enemy has a field day. Satan is called ‘the accuser of our brethren’ (Revelation 12:10); he wants you to run a checklist of your failures and mistakes. That way he can torment you by reminding you of all the times you lose your temper, criticise, fail to speak up for what’s right, or let a misconception go unchecked to make yourself look better. David said if the ‘Lord, kept a record of sin… who could stand? ’

Even the most disciplined believer has areas where he or she struggles and fails. It’s why we need God’s grace and forgiveness 24/7. ‘He knows how weak we are’ (Psalm 103:14 NLT), and He’s never surprised when, despite our best intentions, we fall short.

Reimar Schultze says: ‘God doesn’t measure us by our performance, but by our love for Jesus. Indeed, in the Kingdom of God our love for Jesus is our performance. Everything else is secondary. Desire to be with Him, to abide in Him, to keep in fellowship with Him, to please Him, is what our Master longs for.’ So put away your measuring stick and be glad God’s not grading you based on your performance, but on Christ’s performance.

We even go one tiny step forward, we being here on earth segregate people on culture, color, creed or belief. If a ‘mam of God, a prophet that came to know God in intimate ways would consider ‘inter-racial’ relations. Who are the ancestors? Or more importantly we have a picture that has been laid out. We are all essentially the same. So, we can start there.

Chapter 20

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
– John 3:3

We hear this so often, it must wear ‘tired’ in our ears and on our senses. What exactly does it mean to be ‘born again’? We should go back to the original Scripture and see what in its original form it described.

The Wikipedia definition is “In some Christian movements, particularly in Evangelicalism, to be born again is a popular phrase referring to “spiritual rebirth”, or a regeneration of the human spirit by the Holy Spirit. … Individuals who profess to be “born again” often state that they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” In essence, a ‘realization’ that doing it ‘alone’ is a challenge. Surprisingly, The Word draws upon this concept so many times. We may have worries, problems, challenges and they are made do much easier when we learn how to lay them out.

The reminder to leave my burden at Jesus’ feet is one that I’m really working on right now. Sometimes, though, I really am not sure how I’m supposed to do that. What does it look like, practically speaking, to leave my burdens at His feet? Do you have a specific example of a time in your life when you did this?

The question is tough because we are taking sometimes intangible items (our burdens) and placing them in an invisible, though real place (Jesus’ feet)

In I Samuel 1&2, we find the story of Hannah, a woman whose greatest desire was to have a child. We can imagine the anguish this desire caused Hannah to have. In my book, The Sensational Scent of Prayer, the two prayers of Hannah are examined and described. The first prayer of Hannah simply requests that God give her a son. Without explaining all the detail contained in the book, let’s look at Hannah’s own description of her prayer:

but have poured out my soul before the LORD. I Sam. 1:15

Think for a moment of a pitcher filled with water.

This pitcher represents our life and the water represents our burdens. Wow- that pitcher sure is heavy when filled with all the burdens!

So we go to time with God and pour some water out of the pitcher. We talk to God about our burdens and we attempt to listen to what He is telling us.

But the pitcher is so heavy, we tire of holding it. And while much of the water (our burdens) remains contained in the pitcher, we walk away from our time with God, carrying the burdens with us.

A little while later, maybe hours, maybe days, we return to the Lord in conversation with our pitcher of burdens still in tow. And that pitcher seems even heavier than before because of the weight.

But instead of relinquishing it all to God, we carry our pitcher back out of our time spent with Him. Lugging the weight of burdens like we enjoy it- though we claim it to be our worst enemy.

Hannah gives us a wonderful description of what she did with her burden. She poured out her soul before the Lord. She wasn’t about to walk away until she told God everything on her heart regarding the matter. She wasn’t about to leave that place until she had spent every ounce of her energy, strength and dignity explaining her need to God.

Again, I ask “What does it mean to be born again?” A born-again Christian is someone who has repented of their sins and turned to Christ for their salvation, and as a result has become part of God’s family forever. All this takes place as God’s Spirit works in our lives.

Even growing up Catholic at the time of confirmation though it is missed by many. In baptism as a baby; our parents made the decision for us. Now being ‘older’ and able to understand the ‘right from the wrong.’ And just what is ‘asked of us’, we are told where to leave our concerns our worries.

In the past, when John the Baptist baptize in the river, it was a big thing. But even he said, there is one coming whose straps on His sandals, I am not worthy to loosen. We have Him waiting patiently for us to open the door for Him to come in our lives.

And we see what was said; Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
– John 3:3

What did He mean? Jesus made this statement to a man named Nicodemus who was a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus had heard Jesus preaching about a new kind of kingdom, and he came to ask Jesus questions about it. Jesus told him that the way to enter this new kingdom was to be born again.

Nicodemus asked Him the same question you or I might ask: How can a man be born again? Can he enter into his mother’s womb again? Jesus explained to Nicodemus that the new birth He was talking about was not physical but spiritual. It was the beginning of a new life in a new kingdom.
Jesus answered, “Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.”
– John 3:5-7
The way back to God is to acknowledge our need of a Savior and to accept Jesus Christ

The term “born again” is one of the most used phrases among present-day Christians. Yet, if asked what the term born again means, most church members could not give a clear explanation. The importance of this subject is shown in what Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus is saying that to be born again is to be saved. Being born again is the plan of salvation that Jesus authored at Calvary. It is imperative that we understand what is required for us to be born again!

All agree that when Jesus went to the cross, He brought in the means of salvation for everyone who will accept it. But what really happened at Calvary? What can it do for me? How do I accept what was done there in my own personal life?

At Calvary, there were three steps to the work of Christ: death, burial, and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-4). It is very easy to see that these three steps make up the act of being born again spoken of by Jesus (John 3:1-5); to die, to be buried, and to rise again—that is to be born again. So we see that Jesus, through His death, burial, and resurrection, bought for us the plan of being born again spoken of in John 3:3, whereby we receive salvation.

The fact that Jesus purchased a plan of salvation for us is the greatest news the world has ever received. The thing we must understand is that not only was it necessary for Jesus to do something, but also it is absolutely essential for us to act upon what He did. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

The phrase “born again” literally means “born from above.” Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart—a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12, 13 indicates that being “born again” also carries the idea of “becoming children of God” through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.

The question logically comes, “Why does a person need to be born again?” The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (NKJV). To the Romans he wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sinners are spiritually “dead”; when they receive spiritual life through faith in Christ, the Bible likens it to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.

How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” When one is saved, he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means to be “born again.” “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today? “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

Being born into a Catholic home, the term was really never used much. Of course I wondered why. Was this solely a “‘believers church thing”? I can be more specific. If ones ‘true’ relationship starts with the knowledge of Christ, what He stands for, came to fulfill and where we are in Him. We are part of a HUGE family (of believers) and this concept ‘allowing old things to pass away and all things becoming new.’ 2 Corinthians 5:16 I would say “Sums it up.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
– John 3:3

We hear this so often, it must wear ‘tired’ in our ears and on our senses. What exactly does it mean to be ‘born again’? We should go back to the original Scripture and see what in its original form it described.

The Wikipedia definition is “In some Christian movements, particularly in Evangelicalism, to be born again is a popular phrase referring to “spiritual rebirth”, or a regeneration of the human spirit by the Holy Spirit. … Individuals who profess to be “born again” often state that they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” In essence, a ‘realization’ that doing it ‘alone’ is a challenge. Surprisingly, The Word draws upon this concept so many times. We may have worries, problems, challenges and they are made do much easier when we learn how to lay them out.

Occasionally I’m asked a question by a reader that really makes me think. One that makes me immediately say to myself: Goodness, I don’t know the answer to that question. But the cool thing is that while I truthfully don’t know the answer, I do know where to find the answers to life’s questions. So I turn to God’s Word and read and study- praying for the Lord to show me the answer.

The question I’m answering today doesn’t have an easy, pat answer that you throw out there to pacify someone. The depth from which a question is asked must also be the depth from which a question is answered. Here’s our question for today:

Thanks for the post. The reminder to leave my burden at Jesus’ feet is one that I’m really working on right now. Sometimes, though, I really am not sure how I’m supposed to do that. What does it look like, practically speaking, to leave my burdens at His feet? Do you have a specific example of a time in your life when you did this?

The question is tough because we are taking sometimes intangible items (our burdens) and placing them in an invisible, though real place (Jesus’ feet.)

1K+how to leave your burdens at the feet of jesus

What is the answer as to how to leave your burdens at the feet of Jesus?

In I Samuel 1&2, we find the story of Hannah, a woman whose greatest desire was to have a child. We can imagine the anguish this desire caused Hannah to have. In my book, The Sensational Scent of Prayer, the two prayers of Hannah are examined and described. The first prayer of Hannah simply requests that God give her a son. Without explaining all the detail contained in the book, let’s look at Hannah’s own description of her prayer:

but have poured out my soul before the LORD. I Sam. 1:15

Think for a moment of a pitcher filled with water.

This pitcher represents our life and the water represents our burdens. Wow- that pitcher sure is heavy when filled with all the burdens!

So we go to time with God and pour some water out of the pitcher. We talk to God about our burdens and we attempt to listen to what He is telling us.

But the pitcher is so heavy, we tire of holding it. And while much of the water (our burdens) remains contained in the pitcher, we walk away from our time with God, carrying the burdens with us.

A little while later, maybe hours, maybe days, we return to the Lord in conversation with our pitcher of burdens still in tow. And that pitcher seems even heavier than before because of the weight.

But instead of relinquishing it all to God, we carry our pitcher back out of our time spent with Him. Lugging the weight of burdens like we enjoy it- though we claim it to be our worst enemy.

Hannah gives us a wonderful description of what she did with her burden. She poured out her soul before the Lord. She wasn’t about to walk away until she told God everything on her heart regarding the matter. She wasn’t about to leave that place until she had spent every ounce of her energy, strength and dignity explaining her need to God.

Again, I ask “What does it mean to be born again?” A born-again Christian is someone who has repented of their sins and turned to Christ for their salvation, and as a result has become part of God’s family forever. All this takes place as God’s Spirit works in our lives.

Even growing up Catholic at the time of confirmation though it is missed by many. In baptism as a baby; our parents made the decision for us. Now being ‘older’ and able to understand the ‘right from the wrong.’ And just what is ‘asked of us’, we are told where to leave our concerns our worries.

In the past, when John the Baptist baptize in the river, it was a big thing. But even he said, there is one coming whose straps on His sandals, I am not worthy to loosen. We have Him waiting patiently for us to open the door for Him to come in our lives.

And we see what was said; Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
– John 3:3

What did He mean? Jesus made this statement to a man named Nicodemus who was a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus had heard Jesus preaching about a new kind of kingdom, and he came to ask Jesus questions about it. Jesus told him that the way to enter this new kingdom was to be born again.

Nicodemus asked Him the same question you or I might ask: How can a man be born again? Can he enter into his mother’s womb again? Jesus explained to Nicodemus that the new birth He was talking about was not physical but spiritual. It was the beginning of a new life in a new kingdom.
Jesus answered, “Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.”
– John 3:5-7
The way back to God is to acknowledge our need of a Savior and to accept Jesus Christ

The term “born again” is one of the most used phrases among present-day Christians. Yet, if asked what the term born again means, most church members could not give a clear explanation. The importance of this subject is shown in what Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus is saying that to be born again is to be saved. Being born again is the plan of salvation that Jesus authored at Calvary. It is imperative that we understand what is required for us to be born again!

All agree that when Jesus went to the cross, He brought in the means of salvation for everyone who will accept it. But what really happened at Calvary? What can it do for me? How do I accept what was done there in my own personal life?

At Calvary, there were three steps to the work of Christ: death, burial, and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-4). It is very easy to see that these three steps make up the act of being born again spoken of by Jesus (John 3:1-5); to die, to be buried, and to rise again—that is to be born again. So we see that Jesus, through His death, burial, and resurrection, bought for us the plan of being born again spoken of in John 3:3, whereby we receive salvation.

The fact that Jesus purchased a plan of salvation for us is the greatest news the world has ever received. The thing we must understand is that not only was it necessary for Jesus to do something, but also it is absolutely essential for us to act upon what He did. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

The phrase “born again” literally means “born from above.” Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart—a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12, 13 indicates that being “born again” also carries the idea of “becoming children of God” through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.

The question logically comes, “Why does a person need to be born again?” The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (NKJV). To the Romans he wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sinners are spiritually “dead”; when they receive spiritual life through faith in Christ, the Bible likens it to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.

How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” When one is saved, he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means to be “born again.” “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today? “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

Being born into a Catholic home, the term was really never used much. Of course I wondered why. Was this solely a “‘believers church thing”? I can be more specific. If ones ‘true’ relationship starts with the knowledge of Christ, whate

Heaven on Earth? No way!!! We can hope AND wish that it is Heaven-esque, but we are going somewhere.
Alleluia! We are headed to a place that is problem free for eternity! That is hard to understand, to grasp but it is fact. I have shared with you. If and when you think of it; this is a minuscule part of our existence. Man has really not been here for so long. We learn that the earth is a million plus years old. Amazingly, we were created as ‘garden caregiver’s’ of the World. There IS the fruit of Life. We have gone in search of that: https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/stairway_heaven/stairway01.htm

I have written at length on this. But importantly (the point is) the an else in heaven were created by God. The gift of life means ‘No cessation’!
I realize that I give Lucifer too much ‘attention’. In The Word he being one of the head angels is spoken about rarely in The Word of God. First he was, he aspired to be more than he was created for. Being given of the fruit of life, he lives for always.

Questions arise. If God knew there was the ‘possibility’ of turning, why create him. So many answers spring up to this question. Yes, it is very possible that God new what ‘could’ have happened. Let us take a brief look at Adam and Eve. Not ‘aged’, they were placed here to ‘oversee’ the Earth. Yes, prior to this Lucifer was sent from Heaven with his minions (the angels who sided with him in his proposed ‘rebellion’- what we now refer to as ‘demons’. Fallen angels.) There was the ‘possibility’ that Lucifer would turn against the source of existence. We have much the same on Earth with military coups, take overs etc.

To be specific, he was asked to leave Heaven. He actually was described as being there on occasion. Meaning the Heavenly realm is similar to what we know. Why the ‘wall’ around heaven that we have read about? This comes to a heightened meaning if and when we truly read The Word with understanding. The Heaven and the Earth will pass away in a great heat that has never been seen before and in its place a new heaven and a new Earth.

More impressive is I have read on this, no walls, no barriers. God ‘lives’ with the occupants. It is amazing! Given a brief glimpse. It is clear what will be. I am moved to ensure that all is in His will.

Do I or anyone say that we are ‘problem free’? I should actually say ‘sin free’. There is learning, we are understood to have ‘deficiencied’ lack.

In writing of the life of Adam and Eve, all the ‘mistakes’, learning points were not discussed in The Word. The HUGE mistake was and is discussed. It changed ALL.

This will be again, as spoken and shown to individuals that had a peek at what ‘shall’ be, we are left wondering how they had the ‘vision’ experience. One such example is 2 Corinthians 12:2-4. We can imagine that just where this is, is hard to understand. Very possibly the ‘sky’ above is described in the original ‘speak’ as the ‘first heaven’ such as “birds flew in the heavens.” The ‘second heaven’ would be outer space. This would leave Heaven- The place God is as the ‘third Heaven.’

Now, all these things will pass away at which time a ‘new Heaven and a new Earth’ will be. Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Revelations 21:1-2

So, again we are here but for a fleeting moment. What we need to do is be prepared for ‘always’, which by His grace is The place we want to be.

I have heard so many arguments against what I hope for. It is awesomely fine, rather than frown, I smile and I am warmed through. Each individual has their plan to make.

Again, I will point out God left Adam and Eve to ‘man’ the Earth as He would return to Heaven which I believe is ‘parallel’ to Earth. Nothing goes ‘unseen’. How this is, points to our world/our existence. Profound enough is “memory”, we actually remember what we think AND plan to do AND do! This is known to God.

To place it simply, when Jesus first came to earth, the Angels celebrated. Had to be quieted down. Imagine, there was such a party in Heaven that the Angel celebration that occurred in that parallel plane was observed by individuals here on Earth, that were not ‘too busy’ with everyday ‘demands’ of life. I will state that when there is a message that is coming for you, It is delivered! What is meant to be-IS!!!

So, we have but a brief moment in the ‘day-less’ calendar of ‘time’. So, we are here but for a moment, our ‘difficulties’ are ‘lessons’ made extremely ‘doable’ for the fact that God holds our hand and guides, leads and Loves.

In difficulty, learn to give thanks. You know why? So many reason, so many…
1) You are here to experience them. Meaning you have life.
2) Learning to lean on Jesus is a lesson that needs
to teach us how to be.
3) We learn what to do and what not to do. Will we be in a place that we will apply our lessons
4) We have been given the choice to cast it all upon The LORD. We do not need to hold on to it. I share: Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22

So, by His grace our lives are a testimony to tell. Be blessed.

If you fall, get up. Feet and legs are made for walking! Even a wheelchair bound individual- rise up and shine.

Keep truckin’

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.
Micah 7:8

The downfall of a man is not the end of his life. The bend on a road isn’t automatically the end of the road. Your fall is not the end of your journey. Your fall in business, the ministry and Christian life is not the end. You will rise and shine again. Failure is the other side of the success coin. It is part of success. To rise again, note these valuable nuggets.

One, discover your mistakes. Micah 7:8 confesses, when I fall, …when I sit in darkness. Discover from the height, and why, you have fallen, and repent. There is no man without mistakes. You see a man who claims he has never fallen before, then you see that man who has never tried any good venture. The great King David fell, but quickly repented, and God restored him.

Two, recharge yourself (cf. Prov 24:16). You still have the hope of rising again. Repackage yourself and your strategy, in preparation for a relaunch. Add the necessary ‘extra’ to ‘ordinary’ to become extraordinary. Take the bull by the horn. Take a bold step to start again. Never be afraid to restart. Even if you fail, that is part of your achievements. Learn from your past mistakes as you start afresh. Never you fear failure; fear is opposite of faith, and a sin against God.

In conclusion, your downfall is not your end. You can rise and shine at the mountain top, if you choose to do the right things in God. Follow God’s leading.

PRAYER POINTS:
1. Lord, turn every mistake I have ever made in life, to miracles, by Your transforming Power.
2. Lord, release upon me the abundant grace to fulfil my destiny. Lord use me as you will.
3. Lord, visit Your Church and our land with the revival of Your Word, that would shake off every ungodly element from among us.