#Jeremiah 29:13 if you search Me with all your heart you will find Me etc | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

humblesweetpotato · 4 years

Text

Backsliding begins subtly

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. - Proverbs 4:23

Earlier today we were discussing how would the Church of Pergamos look like today. How do you think the church moved that direction? How does compromise begin? How does backsliding begin?

We primarily focused on Solomon. He first wanted to expand His kingdom. Then he moved on to marrying pagan girls. Finally he took on their gods.

A flurry of past messages i’ve heard before flashed through my mind on the topic of Solomon’s compromise.

Before King Solomon became king of Israel, his father King David had one wish for him:

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. - 1 Chronicles 28:9

But when King Solomon was granted one wish from God, despite knowing what his father’s wish for him was, King Solomon asked for this:

Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? - 2 Chronicles 1:10

Definitely this was not a bad request. Based on the tone of God’s response to King Solomon’s request, seems that God was in approval. It was a good thing to ask for. And it was with the right motives as well. In asking for wisdom and knowledge, it was not to gain honour or riches or power, rather it was for the purpose of ruling the kingdom of Israel well.

Except that on closer inspection. King Solomon could have asked from God the one thing that King David had desired – for King Solomon to have a close relationship with God.

King Solomon was first focused on how he ruled the kingdom, and worldly natural wisdom, rather than his own secret life with God. Whereas King David was first and foremost concerned with his son’s walk with God, and thereafter his son’s job of ruling the kingdom and building the house of God.

We should always first take care of our spiritual life, before service.

And that quickly brought me to the life of Daniel. I was just thinking that Daniel was too, successful in politics (prolly more than King Solomon) and relatively well to do (being in the king’s court). But his first purpose in life was this:

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. - Daniel 1:8

Daniel was first concerned that he will be holy and not offend God. He wasn’t so much concerned how he would fare in terms of his work etc.

It just dawned upon me that straying away from God simply starts from not focusing first on your secret life with God. Letting good things (which were actually still good and sought after with clean motives) draw you away from the best things.

And then voila, God gets further and further and you start to use unholy measures to seek the “good things”, which have now become evil. But coz you have habitually slacked to first take care of your spiritual life, your conscience is slowly seared with a hot iron, and a lot of things don’t even seem “that wrong” anymore.

This is how the devil subtly turns our heart away from the Lord. Just a little first, little by little, so that you wouldn’t even notice.

If a frog was residing in cold water which suddenly became hot. The frog will be aware of it and jump out of the hot water immediately. But if the cold water gradually became warm, then hot, the cold blooded frog won’t even notice it. By the time the frog realised that he couldn’t move, he was probably well cooked (in sin) and too late (almost ded).

Lot first set his tent pitched towards Sodom. He might have thought he’ll just look upon the nice things there, and continue to be safe within Uncle Abraham’s land. But a few chapters later he was dwelling in Sodom.

Backsliding, hardening of the conscience, is a long spectrum, but it heads one way fast and takes forever to get back the other side.

It first begins with not setting your heart upon the Lord (as instructed in Matthew 6:33). Then seeking the good things instead of the best things, not choosing the one thing needful. The devil will then have wordly things set before your eyes when your heart is already stale to your first love.

By then it’s much easier for your eyes to set upon the worldly things. Then you pitch your tent towards it, then your heart is set on it. And finally it moves there.

It first begins with not guarding your heart to prevent it from becoming cold. And then it will be much easier for the thorns of worldliness to take root in the cold soil of your heart and blossom there.

+++

But take heart! God didn’t leave us with no remedy to this. God says repent. Purpose in your heart that you’ll not defile against the Lord. And seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13

#king solomon #bible #bible lessons #life lessons #backsliding #sin

1 note · View note

truth-07 · 2 years

Text

WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING FOR?

WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING FOR, ARE YOU SEEKING IN THE RIGHT PLACE?

Maybe you are seeking to fill the gap in your soul and heart, with drugs, alcohol, parties, relationships, gym, technology, money, work, etc. However, is not sufficient. Because, when the effect of all these things goes, you are back in the same state as before, sad and empty, continuing in this sick cycle that is not able to make you happy, and give you peace. Maybe you thought many times that is no hope for you, and you never will be filled, and all your life you are seeking for answers. I want to say to you, that your search ends here because I AM THE ANSWER. When you are walking throughout this world without a direction, when you are crying in your bed, when you smoke, drink, and put a syringe in your vain, when you are looking for someone to love you, and give you some happiness, when you seek answers in religion, when you are seeking for people's approval, when you go to the parties, when you play your games, when you have sex just for fun, when you go to a psychologist searching for a cure, just for a temporary feeling of well being and happiness, IT IS ME THAT YOU SEEK! Only I can fill your heart and soul, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” I am the bread of life and water of life, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” I am the food and water for your sick soul, I’ve not created you to live as a loser, wandering from side to side, I’ve created you to be by my side, and have life in abundance because “I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” I want to give you the true freedom, because freedom is to be completely free to live, not a freedom that makes your soul stay in a prison, as a slave, making things that are destroying you more and more, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If I set you free, you will be completely free! I want to take care of you, wash your soul from your sins, and make you a new person, free, happy, with peace of mind and soul, “my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” I want to heal your soul and heart wounds, rescue you from the darkness to my light, because “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Even if you feel dead, I will make you alive again, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live "I love you so much that I’ve died for you, and I paid death’s price just to save you and whole humanity. Unfortunately, people are so blind that can't see me and believe in me. Maybe you don’t believe that I exist, but “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Come my darling, come, as you are... I am waiting anxiously for your voice to call me because I want to save and change your life forever! I am the true salvation, not a religion, I am the true life and the true God!

With love, Jesus

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Click here for more: https://peacewithgod.net/

#depressing post #depressing memes #lgbtq #drugs #cigarette #drink #heartbroken #heartbreak #tvshow #love #anxienty #anxious #anime #freedom #darkness #music

0 notes

destinyimage · 3 years

Text

Prophetic Numbers: Why Do I Keep Seeing Numbers?

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

So, from a Bible-based perspective, what does “seeing numbers” mean? You or a friend may have said, “I’m seeing the same number everywhere!” And wondered what on earth this could mean?

First it means that God is speaking. Numbers are just another form of God’s communication, or a language if you will. The key is interpreting what God is saying through seeing repetitive number sequences such as 911, 1111, 2222, 818, 333, etc. As we talk about this, it’s important to remember that numbers are just another way the King’s prophetic voice is getting people’s attention today. It’s also a very common way!

My Seeing-Numbers Journey

I’ve been “seeing” numbers for about 15 years now. Both my husband and I had this phenomena start to happen to us at the same time. At first we thought it was just a coincidence, but as it continued to happen with ridiculous consistency and in random repetitious ways that were beyond the realms of coincidence, we started to realize that God must be talking! Even if we didn’t understand what the heck He was saying, we did know that God had gotten our attention.

It started for us with seeing 1234 over and over and over. I would see this number everywhere throughout the day and night. For instance, I would consistently wake up in the night and it would be 12:34 a.m., check the time during the day and it would be 12:34 p.m., buy something random and it would cost $12:34, or see a sign or a car license plate with 1234 written on it. The numbers 1234 seemed to be chasing me down and suddenly appearing to me everywhere I looked.

Increasingly, we were both seeing 1234 highlighted every day in multiple different ways and it became a common, everyday experience. It was so common that it was getting ridiculous. We were also in a really hard season, so we were desperate to discover what this meant, and what God was saying to us.

One day as we saw “1234,” through a friend we heard God say a very simple phrase that resonated deeply and brought instant peace. It was so simple, and yet so profound. We heard, “I’m lining everything up for you, as easy as ABC 1234.” It almost seemed too simple, especially after many months of seeking God and the frustration of not understanding why we were seeing these numbers constantly. In the middle of all the transition and battles we were facing, I suddenly knew God was saying, through the simplicity of constantly seeing 1234, “I’m lining everything up for you, Jodie. You can trust Me.” Or, in other words, alignment.

God later led me to Luke 12:34 (NKJV): “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This spoke deeply to me that when our treasure is in God, He will be found in the midst of our search for Him. This brought great peace and confirmation. God was saying to me, “When your heart is set on seeking Me, Jodie, it is Me you will find, and I am your treasure.”

/*<![CDATA[*/ (function () { var scriptURL = 'https://sdks.shopifycdn.com/buy-button/latest/buy-button-storefront.min.js'; if (window.ShopifyBuy) { if (window.ShopifyBuy.UI) { ShopifyBuyInit(); } else { loadScript(); } } else { loadScript(); } function loadScript() { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.async = true; script.src = scriptURL; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(script); script.onload = ShopifyBuyInit; } function ShopifyBuyInit() { var client = ShopifyBuy.buildClient({ domain: 'nori-media-group.myshopify.com', storefrontAccessToken: 'd4019987e189be3ec0cf97ea37531adb', }); ShopifyBuy.UI.onReady(client).then(function (ui) { ui.createComponent('product', { id: '6993806164152', node: document.getElementById('product-component-1647361005964'), moneyFormat: '%24%7B%7Bamount%7D%7D', options: { "product": { "styles": { "product": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "max-width": "calc(25% - 20px)", "margin-left": "20px", "margin-bottom": "50px" } }, "title": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "color": "#000000" }, "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "padding-left": "26px", "padding-right": "26px" }, "price": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "color": "#444444" }, "compareAt": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "color": "#444444" }, "unitPrice": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "color": "#444444" }, "description": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" } }, "contents": { "button": false, "buttonWithQuantity": true }, "text": { "button": "Add to cart" }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto", "Droid Sans" ] }, "productSet": { "styles": { "products": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "margin-left": "-20px" } } } }, "modalProduct": { "contents": { "img": false, "imgWithCarousel": true, "button": false, "buttonWithQuantity": true }, "styles": { "product": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "max-width": "100%", "margin-left": "0px", "margin-bottom": "0px" } }, "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "padding-left": "26px", "padding-right": "26px" }, "title": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", "font-size": "26px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "price": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "18px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "compareAt": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "unitPrice": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "description": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "14px", "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto", "Droid Sans" ] }, "option": { "styles": { "label": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" }, "select": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" } }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto" ] }, "cart": { "styles": { "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" } }, "title": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "header": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "lineItems": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "subtotalText": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "subtotal": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "notice": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "currency": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "close": { "color": "#4c4c4c", ":hover": { "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "empty": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "noteDescription": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountText": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountIcon": { "fill": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountAmount": { "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "text": { "title": "Checkout powered by Faith & Flame" }, "googleFonts": [ "Droid Sans" ] }, "toggle": { "styles": { "toggle": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", "background-color": "#ffb400", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" } } }, "googleFonts": [ "Droid Sans" ] }, "lineItem": { "styles": { "variantTitle": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "title": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "price": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "fullPrice": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discount": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountIcon": { "fill": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantity": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityIncrement": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityDecrement": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityInput": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" } } } }, }); }); } })(); /*]]>*/

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” I love how God wants to be found. In other words, I could trust that when I was seeking after God’s heart, it is God I will find, even if His voice comes in a creative, unusual way—like seeing numbers. God was answering my heart’s desire to hear from Him through four simple numbers.

From then on, every day in that really challenging season when I would see 1234 again, it became a kiss from Heaven that immediately brought peace and reminded me that I can trust God to lead me and line everything up, even when things seemed out of control. A simple number became a prophetic word from God.

Not long after, I was in the hospital facing an extreme health battle, and at several pivotal moments I would see 1234. One night when I had been really worried and in pain, I awoke suddenly in the hospital room and checked the time—it was 12:34 a.m. I can’t begin to tell you how much hope this gave me. I knew how to hear God; I had taught on hearing God’s voice for many years, but in those moments when I saw 1234, it was no longer just a random coincidence or a holy frustration, it became a kiss from Heaven and a promise to hold on to.

1111 Was Chasing Me Down

Well, if I thought that was the end of that, I was wrong. I continued seeing 1234 and then all of a sudden my husband and I started seeing 1111 everywhere, I mean everywhere! It really was getting crazy, and no one we knew was having the same experience, so I was left with the same desperate prayer again, “God, what are You doing and saying?”

I’m vastly cutting this journey short, but the frustration of not knowing what God was saying caused me to constantly pray for understanding. I knew it was strange, but I also knew it was God. It seemed as if 1111 was chasing me down.

Because God had spoken so clearly about seeing 1234 and it became such a confirming word to us, and still is, I knew that seeing 1111 was also a timely word, and God would lead me.

John 11:11 Marked Me

God said “John 11:11” to both my husband and me at the same time. At the time, I had no idea what that Scripture said, so I quickly opened my Bible and read it—I couldn’t contain my excitement:

After he had said this, he [Jesus] went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up” (John 11:11 NIV).

This story is about Jesus, resurrection life and awakening! Jesus spoke to His dead friend Lazarus, and he came back to life. I knew God was saying, “It’s time to wake up.” John 11:11 has since marked my life and ministry. This one prophetic word from God, through simple numbers, has imparted wild faith for revival and resurrection power. Every fiber of my being came alive as I read John 11:11. The numbers 1111 became a signpost, pointing to Jesus who is our resurrection, and speaking to me about revival, and saying “time to wake up.” Resurrection power is still available to call the dead places in our lives, families and nations back to life. God was reminding me, I’m the God of Lazarus still!

Every time I saw 1111 from then on, I knew God was reiterating the message, “Wake up!” It’s a season of awakening. Call the dead things back to life. Decree to Lazarus situations in the grave to “Come forth” (John 11:43 NKJV). Speak over medical situations, families, cities, nations and prophetic destinies in the grave to “Come forth!” This became a deeply personal message of faith for me, as there were areas in my body that needed to come back to life. And it was also a confirming word to my husband and me to keep decreeing revival in the nations.

Later, God added more detail, but John 11:11 has become a life message of faith for revival and resurrection power. We minister this message all around the world.

Let me encourage you that many who see 1111 in particular are being led to Jesus through this unusual, but actually very common, way God is speaking—and not just Christians.

I spoke with a pastor of a large church recently who had been seeing 1111 for years and had been seeking its meaning. As he was pressing in for revival and souls, he was filled with such fire as I spoke John 11:11 over him and decreed an army of people marked by the power of speaking for Lazarus-style comebacks to those who needed salvation and restoration of their promises. Faith arose in him for revival in his people and city,

I also spoke to a young dad who was very often seeing 11:11 and sadly thought it was the time he would die, as he had read something about this on the Internet. He was not walking with God, but knew that he knew he was “seeing 1111.” As I shared what God was saying and that it was his own personal wake-up call from God to come back to the Lord, the man’s heart softened as he realized God was personally calling him to return to his heavenly Father’s heart. This is also a great example of why the Internet needs godly content explaining this phenomena. Thousands and thousands of unbelievers are looking for the answer to what it means that they are suddenly being chased down by seeing the same number over and over. God is getting their attention, that’s for sure.

While I have many minister friends who are fluent in the Hebrew numerical meaning of numbers in the Bible—and I love reading their books and learning from them—this was not my journey of discovering what these numbers meant. For me, it’s been about childlike hunger to work out what I was seeing, and the joy of discovery in the search.

Even though I now know a little about studying the meaning of the Hebrew root and biblical meaning of numbers throughout the Scriptures, to be completely honest, when I first started seeing numbers, I didn’t even know there was a Hebrew root! All I knew was God is real; He speaks, and I was hungry to know what He was saying to me. The simplicity of asking God what He is saying and recognizing His voice through seeing numbers—or in any other circumstance you need wisdom—is what I want to impart to you through sharing this truth, this hope! All believers are qualified to understand God’s prophetic voice if we are filled with the Holy Spirit— even if how He is speaking to us is unusual.

If you’ve been seeing numbers, you can find a number sequence guide in my new book as well as read an original article called “What does 1111, 2222, 333, 911, 747 and other numbers mean?” I hope these resources help stir you to hear what God is saying to you through numbers!

/*<![CDATA[*/ (function () { var scriptURL = 'https://sdks.shopifycdn.com/buy-button/latest/buy-button-storefront.min.js'; if (window.ShopifyBuy) { if (window.ShopifyBuy.UI) { ShopifyBuyInit(); } else { loadScript(); } } else { loadScript(); } function loadScript() { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.async = true; script.src = scriptURL; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(script); script.onload = ShopifyBuyInit; } function ShopifyBuyInit() { var client = ShopifyBuy.buildClient({ domain: 'nori-media-group.myshopify.com', storefrontAccessToken: 'd4019987e189be3ec0cf97ea37531adb', }); ShopifyBuy.UI.onReady(client).then(function (ui) { ui.createComponent('product', { id: '6993806164152', node: document.getElementById('product-component-1647361051354'), moneyFormat: '%24%7B%7Bamount%7D%7D', options: { "product": { "styles": { "product": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "max-width": "100%", "margin-left": "0", "margin-bottom": "50px" }, "text-align": "left" }, "title": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "26px", "color": "#000000" }, "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "padding-left": "26px", "padding-right": "26px" }, "price": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "18px", "color": "#444444" }, "compareAt": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#444444" }, "unitPrice": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#444444" }, "description": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" } }, "layout": "horizontal", "contents": { "img": false, "imgWithCarousel": true, "button": false, "buttonWithQuantity": true, "description": true }, "width": "100%", "text": { "button": "Add to cart" }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto", "Droid Sans" ] }, "productSet": { "styles": { "products": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "margin-left": "-20px" } } } }, "modalProduct": { "contents": { "img": false, "imgWithCarousel": true, "button": false, "buttonWithQuantity": true }, "styles": { "product": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "max-width": "100%", "margin-left": "0px", "margin-bottom": "0px" } }, "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "padding-left": "26px", "padding-right": "26px" }, "title": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", "font-size": "26px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "price": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "18px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "compareAt": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "unitPrice": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "description": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "14px", "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto", "Droid Sans" ] }, "option": { "styles": { "label": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" }, "select": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" } }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto" ] }, "cart": { "styles": { "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" } }, "title": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "header": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "lineItems": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "subtotalText": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "subtotal": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "notice": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "currency": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "close": { "color": "#4c4c4c", ":hover": { "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "empty": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "noteDescription": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountText": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountIcon": { "fill": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountAmount": { "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "text": { "title": "Checkout powered by Faith & Flame" }, "googleFonts": [ "Droid Sans" ] }, "toggle": { "styles": { "toggle": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", "background-color": "#ffb400", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" } } }, "googleFonts": [ "Droid Sans" ] }, "lineItem": { "styles": { "variantTitle": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "title": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "price": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "fullPrice": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discount": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountIcon": { "fill": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantity": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityIncrement": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityDecrement": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityInput": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" } } } }, }); }); } })(); /*]]>*/

0 notes

madewithonerib · 4 years

Text

RE: Geneva: Miles Coverdale & John Knox, English Baptist [1557] | Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, & not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Matthew Henry, Nonconformist [1662-1714] | Jeremiah 29:8-19

Let men beware how they call those prophets whom they choose after their own fancies, & how they consider their fancies & dreams to be revelations from GOD.

False prophets flatter people in their sins, because they love to be flattered; & they speak smoothly to their prophets, that their prophets may speak smoothly to them.

GOD promises that they should return after 70 years were accomplished. By this it appears, that the 70 years of the captivity are not to be reckoned from the last captivity, but the 1st.

It will be the bringing to pass of GOD's good word to them.

This shall form GOD's purposes.

We often do not know our own minds, but the LORD is never at an uncertainty.

We are sometimes ready to fear that GOD's designs are all against us; but as to HIS own people, even that which seems evil, is for good.

HE will give them, not the expectations of their fears, or the expectations of their fancies, but the expectations of their faith; the end HE has promised, which will be the best for them.

When the LORD pours out an especial spirit of prayer, it is a good sign that HE is coming toward us in mercy.

Promises are given to quicken & encourage prayer.

HE never said, Seek you ME in vain.

Those who remained at Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed, notwithstanding what the false prophets said to the contrary.

The reason has often been given, & it justifies the eternal ruin of impenitent sinners;

Because they have not hearkened to MY words; I called, but they refused.

Charles John Ellicott, Theologian [1749–1905] | Jeremiah 29:11

[11] For I know the thoughts . . .—The word used for “saith the LORD” implies that the gracious promise came to the prophet’s soul as an oracle from heaven. In the “thoughts” of GOD there is, perhaps, a reference to what had been said before of the Babylonian exiles in Jeremiah 24:6. To give you an expected end.—Better, to give you a future [that which is to be hereafter] & a hope. This is the literal rendering of the words, & it is far more expressive than that of the English version. An “expected end” may be one from which we shrink in fear or dislike. Each word, in the amended translation, has its full meaning. The “future” tells them that their history as a people is not yet over; the “hope” that there is a better time in store for them. To wait for that future, instead of trusting in delusive assurances of immediate release, was the true wisdom of the exiles.

Albert Barnes, American Theologian [1798-1870] | Jeremiah 29:11

An expected end—Rather, a future & a hope. The nation shall not come to an end; the exile shall be followed by a restoration.

Joseph Exell & Henry Spence-Jones, Anglican [1897] | Jeremiah 29:11

v. 11.—For I knew the thoughts, etc.; i.e. though 7ty years must pass over you in exile, yet do not apprehend that I have forgotten you, for I know full well what my purpose is towards you—a purpose of restoring to you "peace" & prosperity. An expected end; rather, a future & a hope; i.e. a hopeful future [comp. Jeremiah 31:17, "There is a hope for YOUR future"]. That unexpectant apathy which is the terrible accompaniment of so much worldly sorrow was not to be an ingredient in the lot of the Jews.

Keil & Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the OT

At Jeremiah 29:4 the contents of the letter begin. Jeremiah warns the people to prepare for a lengthened sojourn in Babylonia, & exhorts them to settle down there. Jeremiah 29:5. "Build houses & dwell [therein], & plant gardens & eat the fruit of them. Jeremiah 29:6. Take wives & beget sons & daughters, & take for your sons wives & give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons & daughters; & increase there & not diminish. Jeremiah 29:7. And seek the safety of the city whither I have carried you captive, & pray for it to Jahveh, & in its safety shall be safety to you." The imperatives "increase & not diminish" give the consequence of what has been said just before. "The city whither I have carried you captive" is not precisely Babylon, but every place whither separate companies of the exiles have been transported. And pray for the city whither you are come, because in this you further your own welfare, instead of looking for advantage to yourselves from the fall of the Chaldean empire, from the calamity of your heathen fellow-citizens.—With this is suitably joined immediately the warning against putting trust in the delusive hopes held out by the false prophets. "For thus saith Jahve of hosts, the GOD of Israel: Let not your prophets, that are in the midst of you, & your soothsayers, deceive you, & hearken not to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed; for falsely they prophesy to you in my name; I have not sent them, saith Jahveh." ?????? is somewhat singular, since we have no other example of the Hiph. of ??? in its sig. dream [in Isaiah 38:16 the Hiph. of the same root means to preserve in good health]; but the Hiph. may here express the people's spontaneity in the matter of dreams: which you cause to be dreamed for you [Hitz.]. Thus there would be no need to alter the reading into ?????; a precedent for the defective spelling being found in ??????, 2 Chronicles 28:23. What the false prophets gave out is not expressly intimated, but may be gathered from the context Jeremiah 29:10, namely, that the yoke of Babylon would soon be broken & captivity come to an end.—This warning is justified in Jeremiah 29:10-14, where GOD's decree is set forth. The deliverance will not come about till after 7ty years; but then the LORD will fulfil to HIS people HIS promise of grace. Jeremiah 29:10. "For thus saith Jahveh: When as 7ty years are fulfilled for Babylon, I will visit you, & perform to you my good word, to bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jahveh, thoughts of peace & not for evil, to give you [a] destiny & hope. Jeremiah 29:12. And you will call upon me, & go & pray unto me, & I will hear you. Jeremiah 29:13. And you will seek me, & find me, if you search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:14. And I will let myself be found of you, saith Jahve, & will turn your captivity, & gather you out of all the peoples & from all the places whither I have driven you, saith Jahveh, & will bring you again to the place whence I have carried you away."—??? ????, according to the measure of the fulfilment of 7ty years for Babel. These words point back to Jeremiah 25:11., & we must reckon from the date of that prediction. ???? c. accus. sig. to visit in a good sense, to look favourably on one & take his part. "MY good word" is expounded by the following infinitive clause. Jeremiah 29:11. "I know my thoughts" is not to be taken, as by Jerome, J. D. Mich., etc., as in contrast with the false prophets: I know, but they do not. This antithesis is not in keeping with what follows. The meaning is rather: Although I appoint so long a term for the fulfilment of the plan of redemption, yet fear not that I have utterly rejected you; I know well what my design is in your regard. MY thoughts toward you are thoughts of GOD, not of evil. Although now I inflict lengthened sufferings on you, yet this chastisement but serves to bring about your welfare in the future [Chr. B. Mich., Graf, etc.].—To give you ?????, lit., last, i.e., issue or future, & hope. For this sig. cf. Job 8:7; Proverbs 5:4, etc. This future destiny & hope can, however, only be realized if by the sorrows of exile you permit yourselves to be brought to a knowledge of your sins, & return penitent to me. Then you will call on me & pray, & I will hear you. "And you will go," Jeremiah 29:12, is not the apodosis to "ye will call," since there is no further explanation of it, & since the simple ??? can neither mean to go away satisfied nor to have success. "Go" must be taken with what follows: go to the place of prayer [Ew., Umbr., Gr. Ng.]. In Jeremiah 29:13 ??? is to be repeated after "find." Jeremiah 29:12 & Jeremiah 29:13 are a renewal of the promise, Deuteronomy 4:29-30; & Jeremiah 29:14 is a brief summary of the promise, Deuteronomy 30:3-5, whence is taken the graphic expression ????? ?????????; see on that passage.—Thereafter in

Fausset & Brown, Free Church of Scotland [1871] | Jeremiah 29:11

11. I know—I alone; not the false prophets who know nothing of MY purposes, though they pretend to know. thoughts … I think—[Isa 55:9]. Glancing at the Jews who had no "thoughts of peace," but only of "evil" [misfortune], because they could not conceive how deliverance could come to them. The moral malady of man is 2fold—at one time vain confidence; then, when that is disappointed, despair. So the Jews 1st laughed at GOD's threats, confident that they should speedily return; then, when cast down from that confidence, they sank in inconsolable despondency.

expected end—literally, "end & expectation," that is, an end, & that such an end as you wish for. Two nouns joined by "and," standing for a noun & adjective. So in Jer 36:27, "the roll & the words," that is, the roll of words; Ge 3:16, "sorrow & conception," that is, sorrow in conception. Compare Pr 23:18, where, as here "end" means "a happy issue."

Cambridge: John JS Perowne, Anglican Bishop [1882] | Jeremiah 29:11

11. For I know] an assurance on YHWH’s part that HE forgets them not, even though they be far from their proper land.

the thoughts that I think] i.e. MY purposes.

hope in your latter end] For mg. a latter end & hope cp. Proverbs 23:18; Proverbs 24:14; Proverbs 24:20.

John Gills, English Baptist [1748] | Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD—The purposes & resolutions of his heart concerning their welfare, particularly the restoration of them to their own land; these were within him, & known to him, & him only; they were remembered by him, & continued with him, as the "thoughts of his heart are to all generations"; & so would not fail of being performed; men think & forget what they have thought of, & so it comes to nothing; but thus it is not with GOD; he has taken up many thoughts in a way of love, grace, & mercy, concerning sinful men; about their election in CHRIST; a provision of all spiritual blessings for them; redemption & salvation by CHRIST; their effectual calling, adoption, & eternal life: thoughts of peace, & not of evil: or "for evil" [t]; these thoughts were concerning the temporal peace & prosperity of the Jews in Babylon, & not of anything to their hurt; yea, even their captivity was for their good, Jeremiah 24:5; & thoughts concerning HIS Spiritual Israel, their peace & reconciliation with GOD, & the manner of bringing it about, by the blood, sufferings, & death of his Son in human nature, with whom he consulted & agreed about this matter; & concerning their inward spiritual peace of mind & conscience now, & their eternal peace hereafter: nor does he ever think of evil for them; whatever evil he thinks towards others, angels or men, he thinks none towards them; & whatever evil befalls them, he means it for good, & it does work for good unto them; he cannot think otherwise concerning them, consistent with his everlasting & unchangeable love to them; since he has designed so much good for them, does so much to them, & has so much to bestow upon them. The issue of all which is,

to give you an expected end; a very desirable one; such as they wished & hoped to have, & expected; such as would put an end to all their troubles, & put them into the enjoyment of all good things promised & waited for. This, in the mystical sense, may have reference to the Messiah, in whom all GOD's thoughts of peace, concerning his special people, issue; he is the Alpha & Omega, the beginning & the end, of all things, Revelation 1:8; of all things in creation; of the SCRIPTURES, promises & prophecies of it: "the end of the law for righteousness", Romans 10:4, the fulfilling end of it, by his obedience, & sufferings, & death; & who was to come, & did come, at the end of the Jewish world, at the end of their civil & ecclesiastical state: he was long promised & prophesied of & was much waited for & expected, by the saints before the flood; from thence to Moses; from Moses to David; from David to the Babylonian captivity; from thence to the times of his coming, when there was a general expectation of him; & expected end was then given, as an instance of grace & good will to men. It may also be applied to salvation by CHRIST; the end of all GOD's gracious purposes & designs; the end of the covenant of grace, the provisions, blessings, & promises of it; the end of CHRIST's coming into the world, & of his obedience & death; the end of his prayers & preparations now in heaven; & the end of the faith of the saints on earth: this is an end hoped, waited for, & expected by faith; & for which there is good reason; since it is wrought out, prepared, & promised; saints are heirs of it; & now it is nearer than when they believed; & will be bestowed as a free grace gift, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD; & will be enjoyed as the issue & result of GOD's eternal thoughts of peace concerning them. Some render it, "an expected reward" [u]; which is given at the end of the work: others, "posterity & hope" [w]; a numerous posterity, & hope & expectation of good things from the LORD, promised in the days of the Messiah.

[t] "et non in malum", Montanus, Cocceius, Schmidt. [u] "mercedem et quidem expectatam", Piscator; so Ben Melech. [w] "Posteritatem et spem", Schmidt.

0 notes

skystonedclouds · 4 years

Note

how do you know God exists?

Dear Anon,

Right now there’s not one concrete evidence for God (in terms of wordily evidence). There are many apologetics that when combined convince people a high probability of the existence of God. Then there’s subjective experiences with the supernatural (angels, demons, etc). This one is harder because every religion has some kind of experience. I would say any experience with non-Christian religions are demonic.

There’s not ONE thing I can point to as the ultimate evidence. At least not one we humans can understand with sinful hearts.

You may say “God can show Himself to me and to anyone”. God is sort of hiding from you and many others understanding. In that He has not “opened your spiritual eyes” to be able to comprehend.

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out

Matthew 11:25-26 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

All designed so that you may seek Him on your own with your own journey. God calls us to seek Him. Maybe this anon post is your way to begin that search.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

It does take what is called “a leap of faith” which sometimes comes before the trusting part. Sometimes this is called “the benefit of the doubt”.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

youtube

God bless.

0 notes

schrodingers-blursed-kitty · 7 years

Text

Encouragement

Jeremiah 29:4-14 (NRSVCE)

4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,[a] 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.

10 For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14 I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

----

I don’t remember exactly where I first heard this passage (It may have been one of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s homilies), but it really made an impression on me. For some context, this was a letter from Jeremiah to the Jews exiled to Babylon. Having been removed from the land promised to them, their future was incredibly uncertain and looked hopeless. But God told them to focus and cultivate the present moment, going about life as best as they could, and to have hope and trust in Him for the future, that they will return to the land promised to them. And indeed they did.

Likewise, this can be applied on a personal level, as I have felt in my life. Oftentimes, I obsess over knowing when I will find a spouse, or if I will get a job in my field, etc. etc., and I know that many of you probably feel the same about many of the worries of your life. This obsessing and worry can detract from the present moment, where God calls us to focus and be present to give the gift of self to those around us. God will take care of the future. In the meantime, seek Him in the present moment and give the gift of self to those around you

#catholic #christian #my posts #feel free to reblog

1 note · View note

eandhparham · 7 years

Text

My Spiritual Journey with Money

Ok so this is a sore subject for many as it was for me at one time.

I want to be rich! I want to travel! I want to live debt free! I want my business to flourish!

But for some reason I felt selfish and wrong for wanting all of that.

In reality, we all want those things one way or another.

So I had to dig down deep and see why am I feeling them negative emotions. Is it just in my head? Where did I get them emotions from? Is it really true? How does God feel about it?

As you can see I had a lot of questions. So I got to work and here’s the start of an awesome journey for me!

I started my business in October of 2014. In doing this I also started taking courses on mindset that conflicted with my former beliefs about money, wealth, prosperity, and living in abundance.

We all heard that phrase “for the love of money is the root of all evil.” I also was taught in church that God wanted us to be poor and that for us to want to be rich is not of God.

So I struggled with this and in my business because I love God and I want to please him and I surely don’t want to upset him. So I asked different pastors and others in the church what they thought.

While some said that God wants us to live in abundance a staggering 90% said that he doesn’t!

Then I got to thinking, we are all wrong then for wanting a nicer house, a pay raise, a better job? No that cannot be? Or can it?

I then decided that the only way I will get the answers is to seek God myself. ( Great lesson too because I found out a lot more than I thought I would! )

Note :

Lesson #1

Seek the truth for yourself. Pray and ask God to show you and read for yourself! Oh and one more thing: A lot of the times when people tell you what they believe to be true and it’s not it is not because they are against you. They may actually believe it to be true.

But anyway…

I felt like I shouldn’t keep it all to myself so here it is:

So this journey took me a while and a lot of going back and forth.

You see “Money” is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible! Jesus talked more about money than he did about heaven and hell! That was shocking for me. Made me have even more questions!

So I narrowed down my search and decided to dissect the all time favorite verse and research about what God says about abundance, wealth, and prosperity.

Here’s what I’ve learned about Money being evil:

1 Timothy 6:10 (NKJV) says:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Now I had a better understanding of that scripture. It says the love of money. Which brought up another question which I will address later.

But it also says “a” meaning not “the.” So it is not all the roots of all the evil.

It also states that “some” have strayed not all.

I then started thinking, what does the love of money actually mean? I mean you don’t actually love the $20 dollar bill in your hand?!

Money is the currency of human resources. We use money to put a roof over our heads and food in our bellies to stay alive. So the heart that loves money is a heart that puts its hopes, and pursues its pleasures, and puts its trust in what human resources can offer.

So the love of money is actually the same as faith in money or belief that money will meet your needs and make you happy.

<<———————————————————————————————>>

Considering that their was a lot of scriptures on money, I decided to push my focus on what God says about wealth, prosperity, and abundance.

So here’s what I found on wealth, prosperity, and abundance:

Ecclesiastes 5:19:

“Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.”

So God does give wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them and to be happy! ( Sorry that’s how I replay it in my head )

Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God has a plan to prosper us/people! (got excited there for a minute)

I know just like my mom would say, “But did you read the whole chapter to see what he is talking about?”

Actually God was talking to all the people who was help captive by Nebuchadnezzar, priests, prophets, etc.

But it does show that he does want people to prosper!

Maybe not all so hold tight!

Which led me to my next lesson I learned:

Lesson #2

A lot of the times people take scriptures out of the Bible and they think that means it is for everyone. (Like the above scripture wasn’t God telling you that but he was telling the people that came out of captivity.)

Actually it was written in a letter but anyway please note that I am not saying that God doesn’t want them things for you too. I mean I accept it :)

<<————————————————————————————————————————————————————>>

Ok so what next?!?!

Then I remembered the book of Proverbs and how I was told to read it and it would show me how God wanted me to live. So I dove right in and here’s what I found:

Rich and Poor

Proverbs 10:15

The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

Proverbs 13:7

Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor.

Proverbs 13:8

The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened.

Proverbs 13:23

A poor person’s farm may produce much food, but injustice sweeps it all away.

Proverbs 14:20

The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many “friends.”

Proverbs 17:5

Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.

Proverbs 18:11

The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.

Proverbs 18:23

The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.

Proverbs 19:7

The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.

Proverbs 21:17

Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

Proverbs 22:2

The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both.

Proverbs 28:3

A poor person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops.

Proverbs 28:6

Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich.

Proverbs 28:11

Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.

<<———————————————————————————————————————————————————–>>

The conclusion I received from all them scriptures is this:

God wants us to be rich. He is the one who blesses us with riches. God don’t want us to be boastful and arrogant due to our riches.

Also that is it very important to read every word of them scriptures.

I also get that we need to be generous to the poor. (I’m not talking about the lazy, I said poor.)

<<—————————————————————————————————————————————————–>>

Finally the overall conclusion I received from my own studies (both Biblical and Non-Biblical) is this:

It’s ok to be rich and work towards wealth as long as you don’t become greedy or go about it in a deceitful way.

It’s not ok to think it’s ok to stay poor when you aren’t disabled or elderly. You then become a burden to society which in itself has a lot consequences.

They have good and bad rich people just like they have good and bad poor people. It isn’t all bad or all good.

The main reasons we think rich people are bad/snobby/mean is because of the following:

Movies where all the bad people are rich. That’s about 99.9% of them. So if we are pick up that in our subconscious, what else are we picking up?!?!

Society drilling it in our heads. (You see you are more controllable when you are poor. Just something to think about.)

Your own money story. (Yea that one hurt me too.)

What you was taught as a child about money.

What we were taught in church. Yep there too as to why I wrote this blog in the first place.

<<—————————————————————————————————————————————————————>>

So if you still think it is bad to want to be rich look at it this way:

If all the rich people are still bad in your mind, why don’t you do something about it! Meaning why don’t you work at becoming rich and get your good friends to do so also? So that you offset the bad.

Think about all the good you can do if you are rich! You can pay more in tithes and offering, help the needy, etc.

You see for years I struggled with this and now I feel set free! I am so happy I learned this for myself and because of it my business and finances has flourished!

Use this as motivation and do something towards your dreams!

Comment below with your take of this subject, my findings, anything that you would like to add, etc.

Also if you thought this was useful please share with your friends and family!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope this helped you in your search as it did for me.

Also, check out my Money Mindset Course designed for you to attract wealth and live in abundance!

Love and Blessings,

#money mindset #money #mindset #mindset coach #success #success mindset #money and the Bible #money in the Bible #prosperity in the Bible #what does the Bible say about money #for the love of money #wealth #how does God feel about rich people #what the Bible says about the rich

2 notes · View notes

faithfulnews · 5 years

Text

What to Do in Difficult and Trying Times

Some of the most impactful spiritual lessons I have ever learned when I’ve faced challenging and difficult times is when I have continually and consistently applied, these five simple truths listed here. I have found that these truth lessons about who Jesus is really do win the argument in the negative situations I may be facing. I have also found that most, if not all, challenges I face have an underlying goal—to skew my perception of God’s righteousness, faithfulness, and love. But when I practice what I have learned, I find strength and renewed hope. And I believe it is this power that will carry me to the end.

We all have been told that reading the Scriptures and applying due diligence to the study and application of God’s Word in our everyday lives will move us into joy and fulfillment. I bet if I asked you if you could be like the Apostle Paul as he described himself in his letter to Timothy, you would agree that yes, that would be amazing. We all would. What did he write? Glad you asked. He wrote,

I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. (2 Timothy 1:11–12 NIV)

When we love and serve God, it is natural to desire to be anointed and appointed to herald His message—the message of a God who causes us to triumph over all. But then, at the first sign of trouble, for most of us, our faith often trembles, our focus gets diverted, and the issues we face start to overtake us. We try but typically fail at heralding triumph. I confess that I have been quick to forget who I am in Christ, what He says about Himself, His faithfulness, and His power to rescue me. Yes, failed (and miserably) at that. But as I grow in my spiritual walk, I find a go-to remedy—a balm of truths to remember when I face trials and difficulty. And it has made all the difference.

These five simple truth-filled lessons have changed my perspective of the problems I may be facing, aided me in how to pray when my faith is challenged, shaped my faith, and solidified my walk during hard and difficult seasons. I have come to know in whom I have believed in a new and powerful way. And yes, I am learning to say as Paul said, convincingly, that God “is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him.”

Before you glance down and assume you have read all this before, before you tap the delete button or, as in some social media cases, swipe left to remove this blog from your screen, I urge you take a moment to read and ponder. Allow the Holy Spirit to breathe life upon what you might otherwise consider “just another blog full of insipid platitudes.” I promise this is in no way a trite A-B-C or 1-2-3 method or solution. I realize that some of you who are reading this may be struggling with extremely difficult or painful situations. And this is in no way intending to minimize sorrow or pain. These suggestions or lessons listed here may not solve your problems or make them disappear; they will, if allowed, anchor you to the God of hope. And hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5).

Lesson 1 You Are Never Alone

Have you ever wondered why the Lord says, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) but does also say, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13)? I have.

If He will never leave me, why must I seek Him—especially in a difficult and trying time when I need Him most? Scriptures say He is a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). I have asked what does “present help” look like. Here is what I have learned and applied in my prayer life and has made the difference: He promises to be near to the brokenhearted and the one crushed in spirit. God completely understands our prayers of desperation, our cries for relief. He hears, and He feels compassion towards us—”for we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15).

However, I’d like to suggest that in our trials and difficult seasons perhaps there is an opportunity for us to seek Him and ask: “Lord, how are You revealing Yourself to me in this situation I’m facing? How are You being glorified in this trial?” I’d like to also suggest considering Jeremiah 29:13 in context, with the before and after scriptures. Verse 11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” He has thoughts about each and every one of us, our situations, our future. And they are good, full of peace, and intended to give us hope. When we cannot see during our difficult challenges is when we most need God to share His purposes with us. Verses 12–14 continue, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, says the Lord.” We have this promise of “finding Him” right in those moments when we can’t see how He could possibly be glorified in what we are facing.

Many would say, “But I am seeking Him; I am praying for a miracle, for deliverance, for provision, for healing, etc.” I say to continue to do so but in addition to try these aforementioned questions. You will find Him in a way that will encourage, strengthen, and empower you to move forward.

Lesson 2 Remember What You Know

Psalm 77 portrays precisely the conflict of the psalmist’s heart as he faced trial and tribulation. When his circumstances threaten to convince him that God has forgotten him, the psalmist articulates exactly what each one of us does in our propensity to forget God’s goodness and miracles. It’s as though the Psalm conveys that the real battle is to obliterate God’s righteous goodness from our memory forever.

But wait! There’s more. The Psalmist makes a choice in verse 11: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago” (NIV). And by the time he finishes writing, not only has he encouraged himself through remembrance of the Lord’s great goodness but he is now exalting the magnificent power of our God!

Another example of this is found in the book of Exodus chapters 14–16. In just a few chapters, we see the Israelites delivered from slavery, brought through the Red Sea, and before you know it, they are grumbling about not having food to eat! The Israelites used to build altars of memorial. We write it down. Yes, the best way of remembering God’s faithfulness is to record it, write it down, refer to it, and share it with others.

Let us not forget. May we be people who fight against every difficulty with the God-given gift of remembering.

My friend, we have to figuratively park in the camp of past memorials where the goodness of God was manifested on our behalf—how He healed, provided for, kept, and sustained us. In trying and testing times it can be easy for our attention and focus to be removed off of God and unto the problem we face. We can be overcome by the distractions of the issues. I’ll admit I am likely first in line when it comes to being completely centered on Jesus but in challenging times. However, I hold on to this truth. I force myself, strain if need be, to see that my mind and heart remember Him. And it works!

Lesson 3 Choose Gratitude

It has been said (tweeted and posted) that to be thankful is to be grateful, and to be grateful is to be happy. But I submit to you that the Scriptures foretold this truth long ago. Because it is just that. Truth. “All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast” is what we read in Proverbs 15:15 (NASB). Consider the value of this scripture. It plainly lays out the difference between a miserable life and a wonderful life. We can choose the negative, bad feelings and live afflicted by them, or we can consider that a continual feast is an option, one that is within the reach of every believer.

When the Scriptures say in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,” I believe it talks about God imparting to us the thankful, grateful, and cheerful attributes of His own nature. You see, when we choose gratefulness and express it in our worship, the happiness and kindness of our happy God are measured to us and become our portion. We can have as many helpings as we desire.

And this joyful feast satisfies us and sustains us in hardship. It is served right before the eyes of our enemy, and he can do nothing about it—except hate it and retreat far away for it renders him useless and of no effect in our lives.

Lesson 4 Pray for Others

There is an excellent example in Scriptures of what we often call “intercessory prayer”—praying for someone other than ourselves. We find this example in the life of Job when the Lord restores the fortunes of Job after he prays for his friends (see Job 42:7–10 RSV).

One thing we see in that passage is the example of a man interceding on behalf of his friends and God taking it very seriously. But the most significant of all is that Job was not yet healed nor restored when he prayed. This passage is helpful in understanding the power of intercession for others and is setting an example for us to take during our own hardships.

I have experienced times when I have been under tremendous pressure, depressed, overwhelmed, exhausted and someone prayed for me. This steadied me, strengthened me, upheld me, and enabled me. Likewise, there have been times when I have been privileged to pray for others who were in need. And when I have done this, I have found it to be like a medicine for my own soul, because praying for others has been an effectual tool that has kept me from being focused on myself.

What could transpire if we all took the same posture as Job? Job’s actions of praying for his friends in this story are remarkable—to not only be able to take his focus off of himself but to do it in humility, willingly, and obediently is a tried and true lesson for all of us indeed.

Lesson 5 Proclaim It on the Rooftops

I don’t know much, but one thing I do know: I was blind and now I see (John 9:25, paraphrased). In other words, I don’t care what you think, I don’t care what you believe, this is the irrefutable truth: I was blind and now I see, and Jesus Christ the Son of God is responsible for it! This man was facing the rage of the leaders of that day. He knew not what would ensue, yet he was sure of one thing: the way the miracle-working power of God had affected his life.

Talk about the Lord’s goodness with others. Share His Word, His promises, His miracles; the ones He has done for you, the ones you read about, the ones He has done for others, and the ones you are believing Him for! Talk about them, write about them, sing about them, shout them aloud—but whatever you do, make them known (Deuteronomy 11:18–20, paraphrased).

And lastly, because we overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of [our] testimony” (Revelation 12:11), I believe the greatest battle we face in difficult and trying times is trying to avoid accusing God and living offended. Accusation and offense draw us away from Him. Perhaps practicing these simple steps in prayer and conversation might help us find our safe place hidden in God, under the shadow of His wings.

Hold on. Stay steady. Don’t quit. God is for you. May you find His grace to help in your time of trouble (Hebrews 4:16). May you experience God granting you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner man (Ephesians 3:16).

What are you currently experiencing that could use one of these five lessons?

The latest book from author Daniel Hoogteijling can be used to help you walk through life’s tougher moments knowing you’re loved by God and that He has hope and an answer for the challenges you face.

Go to the article

#alone #challenges #confidence #confidence-in-love #deuteronomy-11

0 notes

hiddenwithchristingod-blog1 · 6 years

Text

False Prophets

The bible warns us about false teachers. For many christians and even non-christians when false teachers are discussed Joel Osteen is usually likely to be listed off. However, there are some people out there who don’t know anything of the bible but are so hungry for “prosperity” and “blessing” that they fall into any deception the devil has displayed for them to feel good/ convinced that they can reach a certain “status” or “income” or “glorified life” through their contribution and participation in the church and its doctrines. Taking into consideration again that not everyone falls into this deception, it does not prevent those that are aware in one area from falling into another area of deception. The devil knows that not everyone is ignorant and naive in the same way so where one person can fall into one deception the other person may not. Some people are aware enough to realize that God is not only about blessing and prosperity which is great but remember the devil has deceptions for all sorts of people. He knows that he needs to plan accordingly to each individual because each person thinks differently, acts differently, and perceives differently from one another. He tailors to what he knows about the person, which a lot of the time is more than they know about themselves (the devil is not stupid). If someone is more knowledgeable of God’s word he is going to come in at a different angle that is not so obvious to them. He is going to subtly slip in a lie to add to the truth but that little lie that drops into the truth corrupts the whole solution. One drop of poison pollutes the whole bottle. If the devil is well versed as we see when Jesus is tempted by him in the wilderness think of how many pastors he uses and manipulates that appear to be genuine followers of Christ; well versed and knowledgeable of the scriptures, clean and sharp on the outside but they are really just spewing out truth-twisted words that were prompted by the devil. People are puppets unfortunately, and puppets will puppet other puppets. This is what is seen in the church. Many pastors like to appeal to others because they care too much for their status. A lot of pastors are only pastors for their own gain whether it’s earning them a good dollar or making them feel like they are a good person but regardless behind it all they are lost. What’s worse is the mass amounts of people that willingly make themselves vulnerable and give themselves away to these pastors who are lost. Luke 6:39 - “And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” This is why pastors are held more accountable because they have many ears that hear their words and the more people they lead astray the more blood they have on their hands. So why are so many people being led to deception? How is it fair if they are led astray by someone else? Well the problem is that these people are being led by someone else and not the Holy Spirit. If you are carnal and idle and rely on the pastor to give you weekly feedings of the bible to get the job done you are doing it to yourself. Why don’t you take the time to listen to the Holy Spirit and read the word of God throughout the week and do bible studies on your own to really grow your faith and show yourself approved. Why do you go to your pastor or your church and look to them to approve you? Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of your pastor? Your church? Last time I checked that’s not what that verse says, it says God, so why are people living this way? Well, just as I said; carnality and idleness. Pick up the bible, cancel out the voices of man, and listen to the Spirit of God speaking to you because no pastor is going to save your life for you. This is your soul, don’t leave it in the hands of a pastor or a church. Why are you loosely opening yourself to doctrines of devils and pursuing salvation through man because it’s not going to happen. These are the ones who are truly self-righteous: the ones who disobey and ignore God’s word and try to gain favour/approval by attending/being involved with a church, announcing religious family background (justifying themselves through their bloodline), doing “good” works/ being “good” in the sight of man, practicing religious (vain) traditions, etc. If you don’t give your heart over to God and surrender your life completely, no “good” deed will do anything for you because it will come from a place of self-righteousness and it will come from a place of not knowing God. If you want to be confident that this is not you then seek the Lord diligently, hunger for his presence, have faith and pray without ceasing, and search after Him with all your heart. Don’t seek the doings of the lists previously mentioned just seek the Lord and His Spirit to guide you and do this all on your own!

~Jeremiah 29:13 - “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

0 notes

kingdomshiftersministries · 7 years

Photo

Nugget from my new book "Feasting In His Presence:" We fear being vulnerable because it leaves us susceptible to being hurt, wounded, attacked, criticized, tempted, etc. We tend to be offensive in our effort to avoid pain and trials, yet this causes defensive walls and blockages in our relationship with God. God is going to tell you the truth about yourself. But it is never to tear you down. It is always to strip you of everything that is preventing you from being the greatest you possible and from operating in your fullest potential. Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Thoughts in this passage of scripture means “devices, purpose, plans, inventions.” You can be vulnerable with God. God has greatness in store for you and an expected end that is for your good and for his glory. Decreeing that you surrender inside the presence of God and allow him to deliver, heal, refresh, empower, and consume you! #SHIFT

#shift

0 notes

destinyuhva-blog · 7 years

Text

OM Namah Shivaya

From Yogananda:

All life are molecules, molecules are made from atoms, atoms are made from electrons, and electrons are made from "lifetrons," which is Prana, which are billions of specs of energy. With the 3rd eye in meditation, the Ajna Chakra center, the Kutastha http://www.chakras.info/opening-third-eye/ https://grahamhancock.com/cassaror2/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4eRhFp8fLQ http://www.sanatanamitra.com/2012/08/19/the-spiritual-eye-in-kriya-yoga/

you can see the human body as a mass of scintillating specks of light, and when in the alpha state meditating or falling asleep, you can see Astral balls of light all over around you which are souls. All life is energy emanating from your 27k billions of cells. Only through delusion, Maya, of this world do we see the body as solid flesh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6yOvqxMOvs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8AjoUb8Tq8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YckgH_T8BUA

In reality it is not matter, but pulsating energy. (Remember Yogananda wrote this in 1920s!) Yogis India, Upanishads, Egyptians, Tibetians, etc. all knew all wrote of, scientists should of looked there they would have saved years and years of research. The 'flesh' is nothing more than the physical manifestation of the 5 vibratory elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. We can register the consciousness of God in our bodies because the power of Cosmic Energy that sustains Universes is vibrating in our bodies also. Cosmic Energy is one aspect of God and we are made in His image physically besides mentally.

Man has the innate power of Cosmic Consciousness though few develop it. Man also has will whereby like the Creator we can create worlds simultaneously but few develop that power which is within us. God has consciousness, reason, feelings, love, and man has too from God. In God consciousness we have omniscience and omnipresence able to think we are the North Star or on Mars. In thought there is no gulf between us and anything else. God through Cosmic Consciousness is aware of every atom of Creation.

"He Who Knows Brahma is Brahma Himself." Bhagavad Gita

"I and My Father Are One" Jesus the Christ

We will never find satisfaction in anything material until we obtain contentment with God. We cannot truly express ourselves until we learn to manifest His presence. All of Creation has been designed by God as a test for man. The whole secret of the game of the Universe is we are to freely come to God.

"And Ye Shall Seek Me and Find Me When Ye Shall Search

for Me With All Your Heart" Jeremiah 29:13

"Behold I Stand at the Door Knocking, If Any Man Hear

My Voice and Open the Door, I Will Come to Him and

Sup With Him and He With Me" Revelation 3:20

There is complete control of matter when one is advanced spiritually, with just a thought every cell in your body could be changed, every obstacle moved. (Ernest Holmes explains how in "Science of Mind" this can truly change lives) http://www.brainybetty.com/2007Motivation/Ernest%20Holmes%20-%20The%20Science%20of%20Mind.pdf The whole Universe is the body of God.

"He Who Perceives Me Everywhere and Beholds Everything in Me Never Loses Sight of Me, Nor do I Ever Lose Sight of Him" Bhagavad Gita VI:30

Do not cater to your likes or dislikes. Curb your desires. Do not have preferences. The one true path in Buddhism also is make your heaven within you. Be in the world but not of it. Stay free of attachment.

From Edgar Cayce:

1) There is only one mind. A Universal Mind we are all a part of, and is within us. It is like the air we breathe and share with each other. We have separate lungs, but the air is universal.

2) This Universal Mind we all have remembers and knows all of mankind for all eternity. It is also the Akashic Records or Hall of Records. All of humanity is in it, and all experience.

3) Between this Universal Mind we have (Jung called it the Collective Unconscious) is the Subconscious Mind. (This becomes very interesting!) We each have our own portion of the Subconscious Mind but there are no boundaries of this Subconscious Mind, all Subconscious Minds of BOTH THE LIVING AND THE DEAD ARE IN CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER. (THINK ON THAT!).

4) The Conscious Mind we use to communicate with the world is only the tip of the our whole mind. It has a very sharp boundary, and channels the sensory information outside of us. The Subconscious Mind channels the telepathic thoughts and experiences. The Superconscious Mind is clairvoyance, clairaudience, the universal knowledge and equals the oneness with life=God.

Intuition is the universal knowledge from all the channels. You can use imagination as it's vehicle of expression is through visions, symbols, fantasy, daydreams, and dreams. It can use emotions, feelings, thoughts, and it speaks through urges, promptings, thoughts through man's voice. Cayce said think of it as a funnel, the point of the funnel is tiny our consciousness to the world but our real consciousness is back of it. When you feel deep emotion, attraction, love, meet someone you 'know,' déjà vu, you are taping into the Universal Mind where you know them, know the experiences, the person.

You also tap into the dead, there is no death, just another home where your same energy is in a new form. Always around us, and we are always around them. They are speaking to us constantly, through the Universal Mind, Subconscious Mind, and we can listen through meditation. Cayce said everybody is a channel they just don't know it. Mediums know how to listen, but the same thing is available to all of us. The dead do not call themselves dead, they never 'died' they are always alive. They no longer have the delusion we live under of time, space, aging, and death.

"Zen's Great Secret is the True Prize" Cayce

which is we are all one with God.

Scientists believed atoms had space between them and it made up the world, which required a chain reaction of one atom bumping into another to transmit an effect on space. Modern physics astounded when at close range they saw atoms evaporate! They are energy (see Yogananda). An atom is not a "thing" it is an EVENT. Also they have instanteous connection with one another, AS IF THERE WAS NO TIME OR SPACE! It holds true as well for our minds which observe them. Atomic energy responds to the mind of the observer. MIND AND MATTER ARE A UNIVERSAL WHOLE, WE ARE ONE. Cayce discussed this long before modern science ever discovered this, he called it ONENESS.

There is one spirit that unites all of creation, and permeates all. It holds the stars, moon, and planets, it holds us and everything we see. Through delusion (Maya) we see ourselves as separate but the reality is there is one spirit connecting all of creation.

What happens to one of us touches all of us. God created human souls out of the Creator's own being, and each soul is a projection of God, as each thought we have is a projection of our minds. Yogananda 1920 said our bodies and our minds are a reflection of God. A miniature universe. Cayce said think of it as a drop of water from the ocean, each drop has the entire ocean in it. Within each of us is the entire intimate knowledge of all creation, of everyone, and of everything. We are a miniature model of the universe. Science today agrees, we are holonomic, like a laser hologram.

Being psychic is an inherent natural attribute of each soul. We can draw on the Universal Mind whenever we want to.

"The Divine is Within Self. Hear the Voice Within Not the Temptation From Without" Cayce 5018-1

Dreams and daydreams are our creative power. (Course in Miracles was written channeled from the Universal Mind also) Revelation, other books of the Bible from the Universal MInd, Moses, Solomon, Samuel, Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, St. Paul on the Road to Damascus, Holy Spirit descends followers of Jesus, St. Therea of Avila "Interior Castle," St. John of the Cross "Ascent of Mount Carmel," "Dark Night of the Soul," Egyptian Book of the Dead, Tibetan Book of the Dead, Chinese Ouija Board 2000 years ago, Greek Oracles, all channeled, all communicating with the Universal Mind and SubConscious Mind. Madame Blavatsky with Theosophy Universal Mind. Dark Ages, witchcraft and mystics kept the knowledge while theology blocked it.

Om is the sound of the universe, the Word of Creation.

"In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was Made Flesh" John 1:1

God spoke OM, all of life is OM. Just as God created us with The Word, we create all by our words. Use meditation, prayer, daydreams, to tap into Universal Mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHyZjtlMrxQ

0 notes

shellbell1974 · 7 years

Text

Your real inner longings

We all desire that inner peace within ourselves. We all want to feel accepted, and loved. We can find ourselves looking for acceptance within our friends, and co-workers, social media, etc. Anytime you have to compromise yourself- that is what you believe in, for something you're not willing to do, but you do it anyway to just please that friend, that's not a real friendship! No real friend will ever steer his/her friends in the wrong direction. Besides, trying to please people over GOD, will always leave you feeling empty! Pleasing people over GOD will always make you search for more!.. Take social media for example, (which I am no longer on it and for several reasons), but social media sites, you can have just so many "friends" but how many of these "so called friends" off of your list of 500 + can you really say are your indeed real true friends? Just call out to that list when you're in real trouble, and you'll see just how many from that list will be there for you! In fact that's when you can really tell right away who are your real friends, just have some trouble come up, and see who's left. Social media portrays a false identity of people. It paints a picture that everyone's life is just so perfect. We know that for sure is not the truth, but they sure want you to believe that, and if you do, you'll drive yourself crazy and others around you to get that perfect life, but guess what though, you're never going to get that here! So good luck with that!.. Only real peace and freedom is found in JESUS. JESUS loves us unconditionally. Thank you JESUS that you love us and you don't want a thing from us except our love and loyalty to YOU OUR LORD. Everything else we run to will still leave us searching for more. GOD loves it for us to search for HIM with all of our hearts. When we seek HIM out with all of our hearts, we will find HIM. (Jeremiah 29:13) We who belong to JESUS have a secure identity. We may not have this "perfect life" but no one else does either. If you want to experience real freedom without having to worry about pleasing someone else, or get that approval, and always having to work so hard to get so little in return: JESUS said "take my yoke upon you and LEARN from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls". (Matthew 11:29) Real freedom is being allowed to just be able to be yourself. I can be klutz, and it's okay too, and JESUS still accepts me just exactly as I am. HE lets me know though when I am out of line, or have done something that I need to repent for. JESUS loves you just exactly as you are too. HE accepts you right where you are at, right now in your life. HIS arms are wide opened. HE will take you in, and give you love you like you have never ever have known. That kinda of freedom and peace will never be found here in any human, or in anything. No amount of money can buy it either! No social media can touch it too! I am free indeed, and I do not need the approval of anyone, but just JESUS!!!!! I DO NOT NEED, OR WANT RELIGION, JUST GIVE ME JESUS!!!! Cry out to HIM for anything that you want to be free from, and let HIM have it. Once you are freed, YOU ARE FREE INDEED!!! There's nothing like it either! Good day to all ❤️ Shellie Maheu

0 notes

beeknowntohim-blog · 8 years

Text

"Relational Centeredness"

Research wasn’t exactly my strong suit in high school, but in my early 20s, I developed a hunger for learning new things. Fast forward several years and it has become so much deeper of a search than I could have ever imagined, and now while I continue seeking out every aspect of the truth, paired with the life experiences that have expanded that search, I am also learning to ask the right questions; core value questions. Sometimes we’re given others to help us with certain topics – mentors who don’t necessarily give us the answer, but stretch ourselves to the understanding that the answers are within our own grasp. Let me ask, what is your “teachability” index: Who are you listening to? What are their fruits? What is their skill level? Are they willing to let you learn from them? Do they have your best interest at heart? I often see information online that is posted regarding this faith and I’m struck by how similar we are coming into it. If we have integrated in from another faith, we inevitably go through what looks like stages of grief: anger, sadness, denial, and even panic seeing others stuck behind the veil. The chronology of my own writings reveal the stages I was at in my transition and growth. It all feels like you’ve come out of a dream though, seeing the entire canvas of scripture – in awe! So many things that are vital to growth had previously been drowned in a sea of religion; truth has been trampled on and scriptures edited and twisted. For all the chaos, mistakes, heartache, and backsliding a few decades of religion had brought me, my newfound faith brought the realization of just how simple and easy a faith walk with Yeshua really is; we sometimes make it hard though. While I have come to an understanding of what I believe His Spirit gave to me to be His true name, to others, it may have been different. Perhaps His name is pronounced differently based on the dialect of whatever tribe you belong to or have been grafted in to, but regardless, to harp on it is a source of contention and (1) “if at all possible, live in peace.” At the same time, His name is just as important as His character. Hebrew language is much more complex and emotional than Greek and we’re uncovering just how much was lost in translation. As such, I realize that the character of Yeshua, so often portrayed as soft-spoken and a weakly interacting individual, (2) had a following of thousands and while we see Him (3) weep at the death of Lazarus, have (4) compassion on many to heal them, and (5) feed thousands, it is also easily found in scripture of Him calling others (6) “hypocrite”, (7) “vipers”, (8) “fools”, and even (9) “Satan”. Father revealed to me that the Bible wasn’t written for the world. The narrative of scripture was intended for His people and for those of His who are lost (backsliding). Yeshua Himself stated that He (10) came not for the world but for the lost sheep. The (11) tares, (12) goats, and the (13) “world who hated Him first” are not those that the scriptures were written to. Anyone (14) CAN be saved, but He doesn’t force the (15) gift on anyone. He (16) chose (meaning there’s a choice to be had) and (17) will have mercy on those whom He will have mercy on (meaning some won’t). While the world has the misconception that all are saved cart blanche because (18) “God so loved the world”, it is those who believe and (19) “Hear and Obey” that are saved. It is in that misconception that you see the world cherry picking scriptures to try and guilt those in churches into a place of acceptance of sin through the (20) misinterpreted “judge not” agenda. And we see now from the outside how the churches are compromising their values instead of (21) properly correcting one’s neighbor. When I (22) came out of the worldly celebrations and into the (23) feasts of YaHWeH (God), the beautiful picture of prophesies fulfilled came into view. We see the entire backdrop of scripture paint a masterpiece of the (24) Lamb of God through the Passover, First Fruits, and even Sukkot (which technically is said to have not been fulfilled – as well as two other feasts - but is reflected in the miracle of Yeshua’s birth). We see the New Testament not as a replacement, but as a compass always pointing north (25) back to Torah. Each step along the way, Father was pruning away the unfruitful areas of my life, sweeping out the dirt, shedding light on new truths and bringing clarity while removing the denominational lenses that had been so prevalent before. I realized that there is so much ambiguity to what Sabbath means to each person; we know what is mentioned, but there’s so much that isn’t and when you research the original Hebrew words, new revelations joyfully spring forth. When Father showed me that He wanted (26) His Spirit to teach and grow my faith, a new understanding of assembly was shown; (27) I am of HIS flock and I know HIS voice. The definitions of all His names have taken on new meanings when you read that He is the (28) “great physician” and worldly medications are (29) “Pharmakeia” and when paired with (30) clean eating, the reasons behind His perfect and symbiotic system reveal themselves flawlessly. A large part of the puzzle was seen when I started praying for the revelation of what love looks like and what it feels like. The facets of His love are too numerous to count. The permissions to (31) express my emotions in a healthy way, within the permeating safety of His Spirit, (32) the Comforter, gave new perspective to His desire to be an integral part of every aspect of my life. For me, it seemed that if I stifled my emotions within the (33) new creation that I have become, then I was stifling His Ruach HaKodesh that (34) resides within me – His temple. Religions with their buildings and traditions mask the authenticity of faith and lack the daily interaction and communication with Yeshua our Brother which keeps us centered with Yeshua. We seem determined to hammer out the fact that love is an action (35) and not a feeling, but we’re missing the fact that there are emotions there that we’re wired to express that seems to be quenched in the midst of it all. (36) Compassion and empathy and kindness are not to be forgotten. While we are to be helping each other grow with the understanding that this community is there to help keep each other accountable, we have to understand that this is exactly why it is the Holy Spirit has been tasked to be our teacher because He knows where we are at in this walk and what we need. I realized that when the Holy Spirit, the Comforter began to teach me, then the rituals, added mysticism, denominational creeds, and others’ interpretations that are not authentic to a committed and genuine relationship with Yeshua, began to fall away allowing me to be (37) centered with Father and into a place of true freedom. The understanding of this faith that it is not a religion lead me to the understanding that when we’re stuck in tradition, we put another man behind a pulpit who has no idea where each individual is in their walk or what each individual needs. When we end up putting others on a pedestal, we run the risk of breaking commands; of putting (38) another god before HIM. When we listen to someone else tell us what scripture says, we miss out on what He’s trying to tell us (39) directly – as intended. We’re locked into a pattern of obligation to tradition and religion, instead of the understanding that Yeshua is not only our King, but our (40) blood brother and (41) friend. The relationship, the daily interaction with our Brother Yeshua and YaHWeH our Father is how we find that “relational centeredness” that fits the entire picture of His love into our purview. All the other aspects of this walk become second nature and He lets us know how to interact with others who are at different places in their walk; calendar, Seder, pronunciation of His name, etc. Finding that forgiveness is a (42) process, it also gives me permission to forgive myself because I’m not “there” yet, but always (43) “getting there” and the fact that His Ruach HaKodesh is growing me, is a fantastic place to be. When we (44) “still” our lives and listen, we’ll hear (45) His voice. When we (46) “stay in Him”, then “He’ll stay in us”. We were made in (47) His image and in His likeness. (48) Obedience without relationship is a burden. Yeshua is in the (49) business of restoration; restoring our relationship with Father – no one comes to the Father except through Yeshua. The key is that it isn’t just about obedience because, of course, that is part of our obligation, but it’s also about (50) listening; “HEAR and obey” – relationship. Three mentors that I have in my life right now are ones that always ask the right questions first, “What has Father told you?” “What does scripture say?” and “Have you asked Father to show you?” They gently guide me – asking, not telling - to the conclusion that lines up with scripture – and IN CONTEXT – as it should be and that’s the healthy kind of mentorship that, like Yeshua and the New Testament, points us to the Father and a “relational centeredness” with Him. When we are in covenant with Father, (51) nothing can separate us from Him; (52) He who never changes.

1.) Romans 12:18

2.) Luke 5:1-3

3.) John 11:35

4.) Matthew 9:36, 14:14

5.)Matthew 14:13-21, 15:29-39, Mark 8:1-8

6.) Matthew 6:2, 23:13-15,23,25,27,29 Luke 13:15

7.) Matthew 23:33

8.)Matthew 23:19

9.) Matthew 16:23

10.) Matthew 15:24

11.) Matthew 13:24-30

12.) Matthew 25:31-46

13.) Proverbs 8:36, John 14:17, 15:18-27, 1 Corinthians 16:22, 1 John 2:15

14.) Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13

15.) John 4:10, Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 9:15

16.)John 6:37, 17:7-26

17.) Exodus 33:19, Romans 9:15, 18

18.) John 3:16

19.) Psalm 103:13-14, Isaiah 10:22, Jeremiah 31:1, Matthew 7:22-23, Romans 9:27

20.) Strongs 2919 to condemn

21.) Ezekiel 3:18-21, 33:8-20, Matthew 7:5, 18:15-17, Galations 6:1, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, 6:3-5, Wisdom of Solomon 3:8, Revelation 5:10

22.) Isaiah 1:14, Jeremiah 10:1-4, Amos 5:21, Matthew 15:8-9, Ephesians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 10:20-21, 1 Thessalonians 5:22

23.) Leviticus 23, Isaiah 66:23-24, Jeremiah 31:36, Psalm 119:77, Matthew 5:17-18, 12:50, John 5:46

24.) John 1:29, 1 Corinthians 15:20,23

25.) Yeshua said, “It is written” 63 times

26.) Isaiah 59:20-21, Jeremiah 31:33-34, Ezekiel 36:27, Matthew 23:8-10, John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, Hebrews 8:10-11, 1 John 2:27

27.) Jeremiah 3:14-15, John 10:27

28.) Psalm 103:3, Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24 (31 references can be found in scripture to Yeshua healing) John 14:12-14

29.) Strongs 5331 pharmakeia “magic, sorcery, enchantment” where we get our word “pharmaceuticals” Exodus 7:11, 8:18, Isaiah 47:9, Galatians 5:20, Revelation 18:23

30.) Leviticus 3:17, Leviticus 7:23-24, Leviticus 11, 2 Corinthians 6:17

31.) Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:26-27,30-32

32.) Isaiah 51:3,12, 66:13, John 14:16-18,26, 15:26, 16:7-8

33.) Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:10

34.) 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:18-20

35.) John 14:15,21,23-24, 15:10,14, 1 John 2:4

36.) Exodus 34:6, 2 Chronicles 30:9, Psalm 86:15, 145:8-9, Isaiah 49:13, Joel 2:13, Nehemiah 9:17, Lamentations 3:22, Zechariah 7:9, Luke 3:36, Ephesians 4:32, 2 Corinthians 1:3, Colossians 3:12-13, James 5:11

37.) Psalm 119:165

38.) Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 5:7, Matthew 4:10, 5:17, 6:24, 1 Corinthians 8:4

39.) God spoke directly to Adam & Eve, Cain, Noah (and his sons), Enoch, Job (and his friends), Abimelech, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Samuel, David, Nathan, Solomon, Jehu, Elijah, Isaiah, Ahaz, Manasseh (and his people), Jonah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Haggai, Zechariah, the people in the wilderness at Mt. Sinai, the people at Yeshua’s baptism, Paul, and 2 Peter 1:21, Hebrews 1:1, and more.

40.) Psalm 22:22, Matthew 12:49-50, Romans 8:15,17, Colossians 3:24, Hebrews 2:17 God is the Father of Yeshua; we call Him Father also

41.) 2 Chronicles 20:7, John 15:13-15, James 2:23

42.) Matthew 6:12,14-15, 18:21, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13

43.) Deuteronomy 6:5-7, 11:1,13-28, Matthew 6:33, 2 Timothy 2:15, Colossians 4:6, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:17,21,24

44.) Psalm 46:10

45.) 1 Kings 19:11-12, 1 Samuel 3:4-10,19

46.) John 14:20, 23, John 15:1-17, John 17:11, 21-23, 26, 1 Thessalonians 5:10

47.) Genesis 1:26-27

48.) Genesis 4:4, 2 Corinthians 9:7, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

49.) Psalm 119:1, Psalm 119:142, Deuteronomy 32:46-47, John 1:14, John 14:6, 2 Corinthians 5:18

50.) Exodus 24:7, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:37-40, Luke 11:28, James 1:22

51.) Deuteronomy 31:5-6, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 13:5

52.) Malachi 3:6-7, Hebrews 13:8

0 notes