Sometimes We Must Rewind

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I think it is safe to say that each and every one of us have certain events and or periods of our lives that we would like to keep swept under the rug forever. I know that this is certainly true of my own life. Many of us tend to use verses like Philippians 3:13 and attempt to "forget those things which are behind".

I would have to stand in agreement with the Apostle Paul, that great man of grit and grace, when he admonishes us to "keep our sights set on those things that lie before us and to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Dwelling on our past failures and shortcomings often becomes the very weight that slows us down.

But today I wanted to suggest to you that just like there are some things from our past that we should let drop in order to focus on the greater things which lie before us, likewise there are times when we should stop focusing on the problems that lie immediately before us and begin to recall all those times that God has been faithful in the past.

When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, the younger man was facing the biggest mountains of his life. Nero had become the emperor of the Roman Empire. Because of His tyrannical rule, believers were being persecuted and were even dying for their faith. In the midst of all the panic, Timothy was tempted to fear for his life and future. He must have wondered, Is God going to be faithful to me in this terrible hour?

Paul's writes:

"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. "
2 Timothy 1:5

Paul wanted to remind Timothy about something very important! God's faithfulness was a part of Timothy's family heritage. Because Timothy was dealing with great stress and difficulty, Paul took the opportunity to remind him that just as God had never failed his grandmother, or mother, neither would He abandon Timothy in this difficult hour.

Then Paul told him:

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands."
2 Timothy 1:6

The phrase, "I put thee in remembrance" is taken from the Greek word anamimnesko, a compound of the words ana and mimnesko. The word ana means again or to repeat something. The second part of the word, mimnesko, means to be reminded of something, such as memories. When these two words are put together as in this verse, it means to regather or recollect memories.

You see, there are certain memories we should never forget! For example, we should constantly hit the rewind button in our minds and replay the times that God has been faithful to us in the past - delivering us, healing us, and rescuing us time and time again. We should replay those scenes in our minds until we never forget His faithfulness to us!

Don't ever forget what God has already done for you, for those memories will stir you up and encourage you to face your present dilemma with faith. Just as God has always been faithful to you in the past, He will be faithful to you right now!

Never forget how:
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God has healed you.
God has delivered you.
God has saved you.
God has guided and directed you.
God has brought you through difficult trials.
God has provided for you during hard financial times.
God has protected you from the snare of the enemy.

These kinds of memories are powerful and will stir up your faith today!
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So the next time the devil tells you there is no way you'll ever survive what you're facing, take the time to get alone with the Lord. Then hit the rewind button, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you regather and recollect all those past events when God came through for you! As you replay those memories over and over in your mind, your faith will rise to a new level of confidence. You'll be able to look your problems right in the face and say, "God's record with me has always been faithfulness, and I know He'll be faithful to me now as well!"


"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. "
Psalms 103:1-5



Questions for you to consider:
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1. As you think about God's faithfulness in your life, how does it affect the way you perceive the problems you are dealing with right now?

2. What are some of the seemingly impossible situations you faced in the past that God delivered you from?

3. What steps can you take to trust God more fully to deliver you from your present situation as He has done for you in the past?
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I know that as a believer, you have experienced the delivering and rescuing power of God. I am talking about those moments when your situation looked completely hopeless - but suddenly God's amazing grace intervened and your situation miraculously changed. Can you think of moments like this in your past? Will you take a few minutes to reflect on those times? I am here today to remind you that His grace is always available to you, even right this very moment!

We serve a faithful God, Amen?

I love you brothers and sisters,
Michael


Note: Portions of this message were taken from "Sparkling Gems From The Greek" by Rick Renner

I am glad you did my friend. I have learned much from Andrew's teachings. There are many, many more available on almost every topic.

Thanks for taking the time to listen.

Want2B5ft,

First of all, I say bless your heart. We all know how difficult life can be at times and we empathize with you. But we also know that there is a greater truth than what we can see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. In other words, whatever trial or trials you may be experiencing right now may in fact appear to be reality, but they are not the ultimate reality. There is a greater truth.

So often we are completely focused on this physical realm. But there is an entire spiritual world that exists. In fact, the things that we can and do experience in this physical world were actually created by those things which we can’t see. And while those things may be unseen, that certainly doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Take the following verse for example:

Hebrews 11:3
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Another way of saying this is, “the spirit world is the greater reality”. Just as I previously stated.

So while I have great respect for those that offer their prayers for you, the greater reality is that what you or they are asking God for, He has already provided. Too often we are asking God to do something that He has already done. No matter how you slice that one, the bible calls this “unbelief”.

That may seem a little harsh and I certainly am not trying to condemn anyone, especially you. I say these things to enlighten you.

The apostle Paul prayed often for his brethren. But as you will see on the following verses Paul wasn’t praying that God would give them something that He had formerly withheld, yet he prayed that they would come to the understanding that everything that pertains to life and godliness was actually already theirs!

Ephesians 1:16-18
16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

See, Paul prayed. But he prayed that we might come to understand the vastness of all that had already been done!

Earlier in Ephesians 1 Paul writes the following. This is one of the verses that really changed my life once I got hold of it.
Ephesians 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

As we see here, we aren’t waiting on God’s blessings, He “hath”, past tense, blessed us with “all” spiritual blessings! And they exist right now, only in the spiritual realm!

Almost the entire book of Ephesians is written from this perspective. The perspective that we are not waiting on God to move on our behalf, yet that everything we need, including peace and strength, is already ours. While it exists in the spiritual realm, it’s still ours. And how do we get if to manifest into our physical reality? By faith!

One way we can use our faith to pull those spiritual blessings form the spiritual realm and into our physical realm, is by our words. With our words we speak life or death. Or in other words, we can speak faith or doubt.

The following verse illustrates how we can use our words to put our faith into action:

Philemon 1:6
“That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”

So our faith becomes effective by praying and asking God to bless us right? Wrong. Our faith becomes effective by communicating, or speaking and acknowledging every good thing which is already in us, in Christ Jesus, because He lives in us!

I say all this to tell you my sister that everything you need, is already dwelling on the inside of you. You have all things that pertain to life and godliness!

This prayer request asked for God to give you peace and strength. One way of defining our strength is by saying that God’s grace is our strength. His grace is sufficient. So having said all of the above, do you believe that we should pray and ask God to give you peace and strength? Haven’t those things really already been provided?

Well, yes, they have. Not only can we reach out and take them, but we can also cause those things to be multiplied unto us. And how do we do that, by simply coming to know God better. By nurturing our relationship with the Father and Son. It’s through knowledge of what has already been done!

2 Peter 1:2
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord”

My advice to you is to spend some serious time just thanking and praising God for all that He has already furnished in your life. And ask that He may open your eyes to fully comprehend how wide, how long, and how deep His love really is. That’s how peace comes. Not by asking Him for it, rather by thanking Him for it.

Isaiah 26:3
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

And finally, we each have a personal responsibility to keep ourselves in the love of God. It’s not a matter of whether He loves us or not. He does. And He certainly is never going to withhold that love. Yet we, through praying in the Holy Ghost, can keep ourselves in His love.

The bible says that when we pray in tongues, we give thanks well. And that’s what God really likes. He just appreciates it when you acknowledge all the good things He has already given you.

Jude 1
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

Sister, you can be as full of the love of God right now as you want to be!

So will I pray for you? Of course! God’s loves you so very, very much. And no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. So my prayer is that you would be able to reach right now, into the realm of the spirit, and pull forth anything which you are in need of. He knows your need even before you ask. The provisions have been made! Are you ready today to receive your inheritance?


-Michael

P.S. – Sorry for being so long-winded.

May your roots continue to grow down deep into the soil of His marvelous love!

Eve Had Second-Hand Word

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Most of us are quite familiar with the story that describes the temptation of Eve. We know how the devil used his tactics of deceit to get Eve to doubt what God had said. But what I aim to point out in this little blog is that Eve, didn't really know God's word. Eve was relying on second-hand information.

Here's a very familiar passage:

3:1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Genesis 3:1-3

What I ask you to pay particular attention to is Eve's reply to the serpent in verses 2 and 3. Eve said, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. "

Sounds like a legitimate response does it not? There's only one small problem that I notice here. God never said "neither shall ye touch it". Where in the world did she get that from?

Eve either made that up all on her own, or that's the way Adam had explained it to her. Either way, that's not exactly what God had spoken. The command not to touch the tree was never given, at least not to the best of my knowledge.

Here's the original command as given to Adam:

2:16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 2:17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 2:16-17

God didn't say, "neither shall ye touch it", Eve said that.

Now this may seem like it's not really a big deal. But I say that it is a great big deal. Anytime we add something to, or take away from the word of God, we have imparted traditions and doctrines of men and thereby made the word of God of no effect. Religion is famous for that.

I believe that the added or additional contingency about not touching the tree played a big part in why Eve eventually did eat of the tree. Take a close look at the following verse:

3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis 3:6

Eve got deceived in to thinking that eating of that tree would somehow make her more like God. The truth is that she was actually more like God before she ate of the tree than after. But the point I am trying to make is, that according to the way this verse is punctuated, what did eve do first before she ate of the tree? She touched it. She, "took of the fruit thereof".

It's very possible that Eve, having already been deceived, first reached out to touch the tree and when she realized that touching the fruit didn't kill her, she wrongfully assumed right there that God's word must not be true. The problem with that is the word she thought she had, wasn't really God's word.

Only after touching it, and continuing to live, then did she eat thereof. Had Eve known the truth, I am certain that the truth would have set her free.

6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.

If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:23

I am going to cut this blog off right here cause I already feel like I could write a few pages from this point. But hopefully you can see from this example why it is ever so important that we, as individuals, get into the bible and discover for ourselves what it says. Too often we just take someone else's interpretation. I am certainly not trying to condemn anyone here, that's for sure. Because I myself have been, and still am guilty of this to some extent. It's so much easier just to listen to some audio message or watch a few videos. Maybe read a daily devotional or live the entire week just based upon what our pastor said. We need to have God's true word written on our hearts.

Eve really didn't know what God's word said. Eve had a form of truth, but it wasn't the whole truth. Had she know the real truth, perhaps she would have been that much more reluctant to to finally eat of the forbidden fruit.

Don't take man's word as basis for your doctrinal truths. Please, take some time today and every day to let the Word of God speak directly to you.

7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Mark 7:13


In love,
Michael

Spirit, Soul & Body


This is a re-post of a blog I previously wrote on mychurch.org


For several months now I have been wanting to blog about this topic of Spirit, Soul, and Body. The truths that I have discovered while meditating on this teaching have revolutionalized my life. There is so very much to say on this topic, that I honestly feel like I can't get everything out in one blog. I can say that I have much more to learn in this area. I am going to make an attempt to present at least the basic concepts here, but more than likely, this blog is going to have to develop over time. Sometimes it is difficult for me to pull what I know to be spiritual truth into my soulish realm, and then pull it even further into the physical realm so that my fingers are able to put this into words.

I understand too that there are many people who believe that this is some new-age teaching. I have to blatantly disagree. There is a plethora of scripture that have set the foundation for this teaching. A few of them I will present here within. Some may have to be added later as the this revelation becomes more clear to the three of me.

At the end of this blog I am going to also post links to an Audio series that contains over 4 hours of teachings on this very topic. I strongly encourage you to take the time to listen to this series. This understanding has changed my life. I know that 4 hours of teachings sounds like a lot of time, but I cannot emphasize enough how much I have grown from learning this. It's has opened up a door for me to be able to have an even greater knowledge of who the Father is and how much He loves us. I also want to say that these audio messages are not dry, or boring. It's not hard to listen to. At the very least, listen to the first message of this series. I almost guarantee you will then want to hear the rest.


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5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23


4:12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12

These two verses alone make it very clear that we are composed of three parts. We are a spirit, we have a soul (mind, will, emotions, and conscience, or personality), and we live in a body.

Our spirit, is the very core of who we are. Our spirit is the part of us that is going to live forever. Our spirit is the part of us that got born-again the moment we made Jesus our Lord.

We are able to feel both our body and our soul. We can immediately take an inventory of either one. We know if we are feeling depressed, happy, angry, or any other emotion, in our soulish realm. And in our bodies we know whether we have pain, or a headache, or we are tired, maybe our adrenaline is pumping or maybe we can feel the sunshine warming our skin. However, your spirit cannot be accessed in any natural way.

Jesus said:
3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:6

What He is telling us is that there is no direct connection between the two. They are inter-related, but not directly related. That which is spirit is spirit and that which is flesh is flesh. You cannot contact your spirit through your emotions or your physical body.

If you don't understand this then it becomes very hard to understand when the bible tells you that you have the same power that raised Christ from the dead. We try to grab hold of this truth in our senses but without knowing that this power lies in the spirit realm it's almost impossible to fathom.

What about when the bible tells you that all things have become new?

5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17


What old things passed away? What exactly became new? Our physical bodies certainly didn't become new. If you were fat or out of shape or sick the day you got saved, then you are still going to be fat, out of shape and could possibly still be sick the day after you got saved. Likewise, our soulish realm didn't immediately become new either. If you were stupid, or discouraged or lonely the day you got saved, it's quite probable that you could still be stupid, discouraged and lonely the day after you got saved. So what became new then? The answer is your spirit!

Your spirit became brand spanking new! The old sin nature that was inside of you, because you were a child of the devil, got put to death and the same spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead took up residency. Your spirit is the part of you that got born again! Praise God!


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All things in your spiritual realm are brand new! Isn't that awesome?

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So how then, you might ask, are we able to unlock the spiritual realm so that we can experience who we are and what we have in Christ? Since the spirit realm cannot be naturally seen or felt, the only way to perceive spiritual truth is through the Bible. You have to simply take God's Word and believe it!

Jesus said:


6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.
John 6:63

If you want to know what your spirit is like, you must find out from the Word. You cannot just go by your emotions or some other type of perception. God's Word is spirit, and it is life!

You have never seen your spirit! So how do you know what your spirit looks like? By looking into the spiritual mirror. The perfect law of liberty!

1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 1:24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 1:25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 1:23-25

God's Word is an exact replica of who you are in the spirit. You have to look into the Word and trust that what you are seeing is a perfect reflection, or a mirror-image of your born again spirit. You are what God's Word says you are.

Look at this verse:

6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:17

Your spirit got joined to the Lord the moment you got born again. You now have raising from the dead power living on the inside of you. This is the way and the reason that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. It is not from some outside source. You are not waiting for the Lord to reach down and give you strength. You and He are joined as one spirit. The power for everything you need in this life, and the power to perform the super-natural is already contained within you!


4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:17

Without the knowledge of the fact that you and Christ are joined as one spirit, this verse becomes very hard to understand. This is talking about Jesus. And it says that as He is, so are we, in this world. Not that we will someday be like Him, but we ARE like Him. Present tense. Right now!


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Our spirit is joined with the Lord. That just rocks my world!

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One third of our salvation is complete. Our spirit is as saved as it will ever be. Your spirit is the exact same today as it will be a million years from now. We are no longer waiting on the salvation of our spirit, that part is a done deal!

This is important, extremely important. It is for this very reason that we are able to come boldly into the presence of the Father, even if we have sinned in our physical and or emotional realms.


4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24

God is Spirit. God operates in the realm of the spirit. When God looks at you He sees that born again Spirit. You are righteous and truly holy in His eyes, regardless of what you may be experiencing in your soulish or physical realm. Your spirit doesn't just become holy through your good works, or by your own thoughts, it was created that way!


4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Ephesians 4:24

The new man? What is this saying? Remember 2 Corinthians 5:17? The new man is that born again spirit part of you. The part of you that is brand new. You didn't make it new. It was created that way! There is nothing you can do to change that!

This is another very powerful truth. If you were not the one who made your own spirit righteous and holy, because it was created that way, then likewise, nothing you can do can make your spirit unrighteous, or unholy. That's a powerful truth. You really need to get hold of that. You spirit is not only born again, but it has been sealed, forever!


4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30

This verse is not talking about sealed as in with some sort of stamp of approval. It is saying that your spirit has been sealed, as in vacuum packed. Nothing you do in the physical or emotional realms can touch it. Your spirit has been born again! It was created in righteousness and true holiness!


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You now have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of you!

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Therefore, you have everything you need already within you. You lack nothing. You are not waiting on God to reach down and touch you from the outside. Everything that pertains to life and Godliness is within you!


1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2 Peter 1:3

Notice here that He hath given. Past tense. It's already done. Not some things, ALL things! Every spiritual blessing is already yours!

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:
Ephesians 1:3

You are one blessed individual. God has given unto you all things. He has commanded a financial blessing, He has healed every sickness, He has blessed your relationships. He has delivered you from the evils of this present world. It's a done deal! The spirit part of you has been made perfect, forever!


10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14


12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Hebrews 12:23

God sees you as perfect if you are truly a born again believer and follower or Jesus. That is powerful! Extremely powerful!

Wow. I really have so much to share that I don't think I can say it all in one blog. But I realize that I have hardly even talked about the other two realms, our soul, and our bodies. One of the reasons is because we are commanded to be spiritually minded. Being spiritually minded is life and it is peace. That's the whole purpose of this blog really. I am trying to encourage you to realize that there is so much more to this life than what we can see, smell, touch, hear, and taste. Those are in the carnal realm. And not everything that is carnal is sin, but all sin is carnal. Carnal just means of the five senses, or fleshly. In other words, your soulish and physical realms. We are to walk according to the spirit.


8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:6

If we are not experiencing the abundant life that Jesus came to give, and or we are not experiencing that peace that surpasses understanding, then according to this verse it is only because we are carnally minded. That doesn't mean that we are sinning necessarily, it just means that we are focused more on what we can see, hear, smell, touch and feel, rather that who we are in Christ. Brand new creations.

So then, the key to this Christian walk is to be able to pull that which we ALREADY have, from our born again spirit and into the soulish realm. We have to renew our minds to the truth and that truth is revealed us from the Word.


12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2

The word that was translated as "transformed" here was the Greek word metamorphoo. It's where we get the word metamorphosis. That's a very powerful word. Metamorphosis is the word used to describe how a catapiller becomes a butterfly. You can completely transform your mind and train it to come in-line with your spirit. This is also very powerful. You have the mind of Christ within you, and the more you meditate and absorb the very Word of God, the more you are able to release this power from within. All wisdom, all knowledge, the very mind of Christ dwells within you!


2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16

That to me is just awesome. We have the mind of Christ. We can begin to think like Him, act like Him, be like Him. We are no longer only human.



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One-third of us is wall-wall Holy Ghost! That's amazing!

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Your life is going to go the way of your most dominant thoughts. It is extremely important that we as believers, get our own minds in line with Christ's mind. Our thoughts are what control us.
23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart [is] not with thee.
Proverbs 23:7


So then again, how does this affect our soul? Well, renewing our mind and walking in the spirit allow us to operate in all of the fruits of the spirit. These fruits are where the manifestation into the soulish and physical realms occur.

5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23


These are the fruits of the spirit, that are where? Out there in the heavenlies somewhere? No. These are the fruits of the spirit that are already within you! They are always available. You can reach right down into your very own spirit realm and pull these out at any given time. Or better yet, all the time! Renewing your mind, our soul, is the key. Your emotions, desires, thoughts, feelings, habits, actions, and just about everything else has the ability to become completely transformed, a spiritual butterfly, if you will.

And our bodies? Well, these are really just our earth-suits. These are our houses for our spirits and our souls. Our bodies are going to react according to which one we let dominate it. When we are dominated entirely by our soulish realm, or I should say the un-renewed soulish realm, then we are often led according to the desires of the flesh. We over-eat. We sleep to much or too little. We don't take care of ourselves, or heaven forbid, fall into some form of fornication. However, when we walk according to who we are in the Spirit, then we are able to release healing into our bodies. We suddenly have a desire to be healthy and to get plenty of rest. We begin to exercise and protect the temple.

See, when our minds come in-line with our spirit, then it's two against one. The body is going to tag along with which ever one is the most dominant. This is the key to healing! Understanding that you have raising from the dead power already living inside of you then meditating on that to the point where you see yourself already healed. You can command your body to react accordingly. That's awesome!

I encourage you to spend a little time contemplating the diagram that I posted at the top of this blog. I think it does a pretty good job of depicting the message that I am attempting to relay. It indicates that how we can let things into our souls through the things of the world. What we see, hear, smell, touch, and feel are always trying to come in. That's not always a bad thing. But we have to carefully monitor those things. The cares of this world will always be trying to dominate your thoughts and drown out the spiritual truth that you are now, the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. But on the contrary, you can also begin to dig down deep into the very core of who you are and pull or draw the gifts, the fruits, the thoughts and the power of God Almighty from within you and allow those to become the driving force of your soul. This is the very key to victory in this Christian walk!

You will begin to walk and talk like Christ. You can lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. You can cast out demons, and you may, just may even begin to speak with new tongues!

16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:17-18

Wow. There is just too much for me to share on this topic in just one blog. I could speak on this for a week right now.

Below I am posting the links to the audio series that I first mentioned. I cannot emphasize enough how much this knowledge has changed my life. The teaching comes from Andrew Wommack. I have listened to it over and over and over gain. And I will continue to listen to it. It feeds me. It has fed me to the point where it is no longer just Andrew's message. It is now my message. God has given it to me. It has become one of my life messages and I am going to keep learning, and adding to it, and fine-tuning it to the point where I can take this message and give it to someone else. It's powerful.

Again I say, take the time to listen. You will not be disappointed. I tell you these things in love straight from the Father. He wants you to know who you are in Christ!

For those who are unfamiliar with MP3 files, I would suggest right-clicking on these links, then choosing "save target as". You will then be prompted for a location on your hard drive to store them. After that, they will open in Media Player, your IPOD, or some other device. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL POST: http://www.mychurch.org/blog/240685/Spirit-Soul--Body

AUDIO SERIES: http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1027

I love you brothers and sisters,
Michael

Spirit, Soul & Body


This is a re-post of a blog I previously wrote on mychurch.org


For several months now I have been wanting to blog about this topic of Spirit, Soul, and Body. The truths that I have discovered while meditating on this teaching have revolutionalized my life. There is so very much to say on this topic, that I honestly feel like I can't get everything out in one blog. I can say that I have much more to learn in this area. I am going to make an attempt to present at least the basic concepts here, but more than likely, this blog is going to have to develop over time. Sometimes it is difficult for me to pull what I know to be spiritual truth into my soulish realm, and then pull it even further into the physical realm so that my fingers are able to put this into words.

I understand too that there are many people who believe that this is some new-age teaching. I have to blatantly disagree. There is a plethora of scripture that have set the foundation for this teaching. A few of them I will present here within. Some may have to be added later as the this revelation becomes more clear to the three of me.

At the end of this blog I am going to also post links to an Audio series that contains over 4 hours of teachings on this very topic. I strongly encourage you to take the time to listen to this series. This understanding has changed my life. I know that 4 hours of teachings sounds like a lot of time, but I cannot emphasize enough how much I have grown from learning this. It's has opened up a door for me to be able to have an even greater knowledge of who the Father is and how much He loves us. I also want to say that these audio messages are not dry, or boring. It's not hard to listen to. At the very least, listen to the first message of this series. I almost guarantee you will then want to hear the rest.


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5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23


4:12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12

These two verses alone make it very clear that we are composed of three parts. We are a spirit, we have a soul (mind, will, emotions, and conscience, or personality), and we live in a body.

Our spirit, is the very core of who we are. Our spirit is the part of us that is going to live forever. Our spirit is the part of us that got born-again the moment we made Jesus our Lord.

We are able to feel both our body and our soul. We can immediately take an inventory of either one. We know if we are feeling depressed, happy, angry, or any other emotion, in our soulish realm. And in our bodies we know whether we have pain, or a headache, or we are tired, maybe our adrenaline is pumping or maybe we can feel the sunshine warming our skin. However, your spirit cannot be accessed in any natural way.

Jesus said:
3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:6

What He is telling us is that there is no direct connection between the two. They are inter-related, but not directly related. That which is spirit is spirit and that which is flesh is flesh. You cannot contact your spirit through your emotions or your physical body.

If you don't understand this then it becomes very hard to understand when the bible tells you that you have the same power that raised Christ from the dead. We try to grab hold of this truth in our senses but without knowing that this power lies in the spirit realm it's almost impossible to fathom.

What about when the bible tells you that all things have become new?

5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17


What old things passed away? What exactly became new? Our physical bodies certainly didn't become new. If you were fat or out of shape or sick the day you got saved, then you are still going to be fat, out of shape and could possibly still be sick the day after you got saved. Likewise, our soulish realm didn't immediately become new either. If you were stupid, or discouraged or lonely the day you got saved, it's quite probable that you could still be stupid, discouraged and lonely the day after you got saved. So what became new then? The answer is your spirit!

Your spirit became brand spanking new! The old sin nature that was inside of you, because you were a child of the devil, got put to death and the same spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead took up residency. Your spirit is the part of you that got born again! Praise God!


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All things in your spiritual realm are brand new! Isn't that awesome?

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So how then, you might ask, are we able to unlock the spiritual realm so that we can experience who we are and what we have in Christ? Since the spirit realm cannot be naturally seen or felt, the only way to perceive spiritual truth is through the Bible. You have to simply take God's Word and believe it!

Jesus said:


6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.
John 6:63

If you want to know what your spirit is like, you must find out from the Word. You cannot just go by your emotions or some other type of perception. God's Word is spirit, and it is life!

You have never seen your spirit! So how do you know what your spirit looks like? By looking into the spiritual mirror. The perfect law of liberty!

1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 1:24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 1:25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 1:23-25

God's Word is an exact replica of who you are in the spirit. You have to look into the Word and trust that what you are seeing is a perfect reflection, or a mirror-image of your born again spirit. You are what God's Word says you are.

Look at this verse:

6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:17

Your spirit got joined to the Lord the moment you got born again. You now have raising from the dead power living on the inside of you. This is the way and the reason that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. It is not from some outside source. You are not waiting for the Lord to reach down and give you strength. You and He are joined as one spirit. The power for everything you need in this life, and the power to perform the super-natural is already contained within you!


4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:17

Without the knowledge of the fact that you and Christ are joined as one spirit, this verse becomes very hard to understand. This is talking about Jesus. And it says that as He is, so are we, in this world. Not that we will someday be like Him, but we ARE like Him. Present tense. Right now!


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Our spirit is joined with the Lord. That just rocks my world!

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One third of our salvation is complete. Our spirit is as saved as it will ever be. Your spirit is the exact same today as it will be a million years from now. We are no longer waiting on the salvation of our spirit, that part is a done deal!

This is important, extremely important. It is for this very reason that we are able to come boldly into the presence of the Father, even if we have sinned in our physical and or emotional realms.


4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24

God is Spirit. God operates in the realm of the spirit. When God looks at you He sees that born again Spirit. You are righteous and truly holy in His eyes, regardless of what you may be experiencing in your soulish or physical realm. Your spirit doesn't just become holy through your good works, or by your own thoughts, it was created that way!


4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Ephesians 4:24

The new man? What is this saying? Remember 2 Corinthians 5:17? The new man is that born again spirit part of you. The part of you that is brand new. You didn't make it new. It was created that way! There is nothing you can do to change that!

This is another very powerful truth. If you were not the one who made your own spirit righteous and holy, because it was created that way, then likewise, nothing you can do can make your spirit unrighteous, or unholy. That's a powerful truth. You really need to get hold of that. You spirit is not only born again, but it has been sealed, forever!


4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30

This verse is not talking about sealed as in with some sort of stamp of approval. It is saying that your spirit has been sealed, as in vacuum packed. Nothing you do in the physical or emotional realms can touch it. Your spirit has been born again! It was created in righteousness and true holiness!


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You now have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of you!

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Therefore, you have everything you need already within you. You lack nothing. You are not waiting on God to reach down and touch you from the outside. Everything that pertains to life and Godliness is within you!


1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2 Peter 1:3

Notice here that He hath given. Past tense. It's already done. Not some things, ALL things! Every spiritual blessing is already yours!

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:
Ephesians 1:3

You are one blessed individual. God has given unto you all things. He has commanded a financial blessing, He has healed every sickness, He has blessed your relationships. He has delivered you from the evils of this present world. It's a done deal! The spirit part of you has been made perfect, forever!


10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14


12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Hebrews 12:23

God sees you as perfect if you are truly a born again believer and follower or Jesus. That is powerful! Extremely powerful!

Wow. I really have so much to share that I don't think I can say it all in one blog. But I realize that I have hardly even talked about the other two realms, our soul, and our bodies. One of the reasons is because we are commanded to be spiritually minded. Being spiritually minded is life and it is peace. That's the whole purpose of this blog really. I am trying to encourage you to realize that there is so much more to this life than what we can see, smell, touch, hear, and taste. Those are in the carnal realm. And not everything that is carnal is sin, but all sin is carnal. Carnal just means of the five senses, or fleshly. In other words, your soulish and physical realms. We are to walk according to the spirit.


8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:6

If we are not experiencing the abundant life that Jesus came to give, and or we are not experiencing that peace that surpasses understanding, then according to this verse it is only because we are carnally minded. That doesn't mean that we are sinning necessarily, it just means that we are focused more on what we can see, hear, smell, touch and feel, rather that who we are in Christ. Brand new creations.

So then, the key to this Christian walk is to be able to pull that which we ALREADY have, from our born again spirit and into the soulish realm. We have to renew our minds to the truth and that truth is revealed us from the Word.


12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2

The word that was translated as "transformed" here was the Greek word metamorphoo. It's where we get the word metamorphosis. That's a very powerful word. Metamorphosis is the word used to describe how a catapiller becomes a butterfly. You can completely transform your mind and train it to come in-line with your spirit. This is also very powerful. You have the mind of Christ within you, and the more you meditate and absorb the very Word of God, the more you are able to release this power from within. All wisdom, all knowledge, the very mind of Christ dwells within you!


2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16

That to me is just awesome. We have the mind of Christ. We can begin to think like Him, act like Him, be like Him. We are no longer only human.



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One-third of us is wall-wall Holy Ghost! That's amazing!

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Your life is going to go the way of your most dominant thoughts. It is extremely important that we as believers, get our own minds in line with Christ's mind. Our thoughts are what control us.
23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart [is] not with thee.
Proverbs 23:7


So then again, how does this affect our soul? Well, renewing our mind and walking in the spirit allow us to operate in all of the fruits of the spirit. These fruits are where the manifestation into the soulish and physical realms occur.

5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23


These are the fruits of the spirit, that are where? Out there in the heavenlies somewhere? No. These are the fruits of the spirit that are already within you! They are always available. You can reach right down into your very own spirit realm and pull these out at any given time. Or better yet, all the time! Renewing your mind, our soul, is the key. Your emotions, desires, thoughts, feelings, habits, actions, and just about everything else has the ability to become completely transformed, a spiritual butterfly, if you will.

And our bodies? Well, these are really just our earth-suits. These are our houses for our spirits and our souls. Our bodies are going to react according to which one we let dominate it. When we are dominated entirely by our soulish realm, or I should say the un-renewed soulish realm, then we are often led according to the desires of the flesh. We over-eat. We sleep to much or too little. We don't take care of ourselves, or heaven forbid, fall into some form of fornication. However, when we walk according to who we are in the Spirit, then we are able to release healing into our bodies. We suddenly have a desire to be healthy and to get plenty of rest. We begin to exercise and protect the temple.

See, when our minds come in-line with our spirit, then it's two against one. The body is going to tag along with which ever one is the most dominant. This is the key to healing! Understanding that you have raising from the dead power already living inside of you then meditating on that to the point where you see yourself already healed. You can command your body to react accordingly. That's awesome!

I encourage you to spend a little time contemplating the diagram that I posted at the top of this blog. I think it does a pretty good job of depicting the message that I am attempting to relay. It indicates that how we can let things into our souls through the things of the world. What we see, hear, smell, touch, and feel are always trying to come in. That's not always a bad thing. But we have to carefully monitor those things. The cares of this world will always be trying to dominate your thoughts and drown out the spiritual truth that you are now, the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. But on the contrary, you can also begin to dig down deep into the very core of who you are and pull or draw the gifts, the fruits, the thoughts and the power of God Almighty from within you and allow those to become the driving force of your soul. This is the very key to victory in this Christian walk!

You will begin to walk and talk like Christ. You can lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. You can cast out demons, and you may, just may even begin to speak with new tongues!

16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:17-18

Wow. There is just too much for me to share on this topic in just one blog. I could speak on this for a week right now.

Below I am posting the links to the audio series that I first mentioned. I cannot emphasize enough how much this knowledge has changed my life. The teaching comes from Andrew Wommack. I have listened to it over and over and over gain. And I will continue to listen to it. It feeds me. It has fed me to the point where it is no longer just Andrew's message. It is now my message. God has given it to me. It has become one of my life messages and I am going to keep learning, and adding to it, and fine-tuning it to the point where I can take this message and give it to someone else. It's powerful.

Again I say, take the time to listen. You will not be disappointed. I tell you these things in love straight from the Father. He wants you to know who you are in Christ!

For those who are unfamiliar with MP3 files, I would suggest right-clicking on these links, then choosing "save target as". You will then be prompted for a location on your hard drive to store them. After that, they will open in Media Player, your IPOD, or some other device. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL POST: http://www.mychurch.org/blog/240685/Spirit-Soul--Body

AUDIO SERIES: http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1027

I love you brothers and sisters,
Michael

Whether you realize it or not, the room you are sitting in right this very moment is filled with all sorts of signals. There are wireless telephone signals, wireless internet signals, television signals, and radio signals just to name a few. Just because you cannot see them or hear them does not mean that they are not there. These signals are surrounding you. There are hundreds if not thousands of phone conversations taking place in the airways that surround your body right now. There are different songs and talk shows broadcasting right in your room, right this very second. There are television programs of all sorts, and millions of people exchanging information via the internet.

Can you see and or hear all of these signals? Of course not. Not unless you have some sort of receiver turned on and tuned in.

Through all that "busy-ness" there is also another very important signal. It's the Holy Spirit of God. God's voice if you will. It is the parent signal, and unless you tune out all of the secondary signals, you are liable to miss it.

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God never stops transmitting!

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Think about this. If you were to go to your television right now and turn it on, and it was pre-tuned to a station, and if your television was working properly, you would immediately begin seeing and hearing whatever that station happens to be broadcasting at that moment. Let me ask you, did the station begin broadcasting that signal at the moment you turned on the TV? Of course not. They were broadcasting that program the entire time. You just had to turn on your receiver to be able to put eyes and ears to something that already existed. Your television isn't producing television programs, it merely receives and relays them.

Likewise it is with God. God's is pouring out His Spirit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. He never stops. If you are not hearing from God it is not because He is not speaking to you. God always speaks to you. God wants to bless you. God wants to fill your heart with love. God wants to heal you. God wants to see everyone saved. God wants revival more than we could ever want it. He's always available. He never closes. He never sleeps. And most importantly, he doesn't withdraw from you just because you haven't been living holy enough, or paying all your tithes, or praying an hour a day.


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So again I ask, is God silent? Never!

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If you want to begin to hear more from God, my suggestion would be to turn off some of those signals that you are currently receiving, and get turned on and tuned in to the master signal, The Holy Spirit of God!



Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10

-Michael

Thanks!

That's a cool little program. Very quick and simple to use. Normally I uses biblegateway but this will definitely come in handy.

I recently installed Bible Works 8 and that program is awesome. It has all the Greek and Hebrew languages with explanations and a ton of references. It's a little on the complex side though.

Vain Imaginations


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Yesterday I wrote a blog entitled, "The WORD is Worth 1,000 Pictures" and in that blog I talked about the power of our imaginations. We operate, whether realizing it or not, based upon the mental pictures we paint with our thoughts.

In Chapter 1 of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul lays out some very sound reasons why our imaginations can actually begin to work against us rather than for us, or better said, against the ways of God rather than in agreement with His master plan.

First, Paul writes:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse"
ROMANS 1:18-20


What I see from these verses is that God has placed, or created, within every living creature an intuitive knowledge of right and wrong. When it talks about His wrath "is" revealed I believe it could be said that His wrath "has been" revealed for God "hath" shown it to them. People know when they are outside of God's way of life, there are no excuses.

But Paul goes on immediately after this and begins to list out, what I believe, is a set of progressive steps people can take that can lead to being turned over to a reprobate heart. In other words, steps that cause our own separation from God, not Him separating from us.

In verse 21 he describes what I consider to be four very crucial elements:

Because that, when they knew God,

(1) they glorified him not as God,
(2)neither were thankful;
(3) but became vain in their imaginations, and
(4) their foolish heart was darkened.
ROMANS 1:21


In connection with yesterday's blog, I want to talk for just a moment about No. 3, becoming vain in our imaginations. I found several dictionary definitions of the word vain that speak to my heart.

To list a few:
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excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited

ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile

not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless:

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance; "a conceited fool"; "an attitude of self-conceited arrogance"; "an egotistical disregard of others"; "so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty"; "growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary";

naving no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying

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Ouch! I have got to say that at times, I see myself in some of those definitions. Quite often I am painting the wrong picture with my mind. But here's the point that I am trying to make through all of this. I believe, we cannot get to step No. 3, becoming vain in our imaginations, unless we have first committed the critical errors as shown in steps No. 1 and 2.

When we fail to glorify, or magnify God, and place the utmost value on Him, then inevitably, we will begin to fail to give thanks. We live in a world that is predominately thankless and according to this verse, that all started when they, or we, began failing in our glorification of God. In Timothy we read where a lack of thanks is one of top signs of the end of time, or the last days. We enter into the very gates of God with thanksgiving, and we enter His courts with praise. I guarantee when the former, glorifying God, really and truly becomes our primary focus, then the latter, having an attitude of thanks, will become virtually automatic.

Likewise, when we have failed to do the positive aspect of either of steps No.1 and 2, then, it is inevitable that we begin to become vain in our imaginations, No.3. A lack of praise and a lack of thankfulness are the first two signs that we are: (pick any definition of vanity from above), ouch!

As I mentioned yesterday, God's creativity will extend as far as your imagination will allow. But is it so very, very important that the pictures we paint, step No. 3, are a result of our obedience to the positive aspect of steps No. 1, and 2. It is then, and only then, that our thoughts begin to come in line with His will, His plan, and His loving perfection.

In closing, I would like to exhort you in the way of pointing you back to these ever-so-critical keys to remaining full of God which Paul has eloquently documented for us. I can assure you that no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, no matter how far you may have drifted away, the keys to drawing yourself back closer to His presence are listed right here. God loves you immensely and He is never the one who withdraws from us.

I encourage you to go back to step No. 1 and begin from there. Glorify, magnify and praise His Holy name. Then begin to thank him for all He is, and has done, is doing, and for the things He shall do. Then you will begin to think thoughts that are in accordance with His will and as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

In love,
Michael

Vain Imaginations


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday I wrote a blog entitled, "The WORD is Worth 1,000 Pictures" and in that blog I talked about the power of our imaginations. We operate, whether realizing it or not, based upon the mental pictures we paint with our thoughts.

In Chapter 1 of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul lays out some very sound reasons why our imaginations can actually begin to work against us rather than for us, or better said, against the ways of God rather than in agreement with His master plan.

First, Paul writes:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse"
ROMANS 1:18-20


What I see from these verses is that God has placed, or created, within every living creature an intuitive knowledge of right and wrong. When it talks about His wrath "is" revealed I believe it could be said that His wrath "has been" revealed for God "hath" shown it to them. People know when they are outside of God's way of life, there are no excuses.

But Paul goes on immediately after this and begins to list out, what I believe, is a set of progressive steps people can take that can lead to being turned over to a reprobate heart. In other words, steps that cause our own separation from God, not Him separating from us.

In verse 21 he describes what I consider to be four very crucial elements:

Because that, when they knew God,

(1) they glorified him not as God,
(2)neither were thankful;
(3) but became vain in their imaginations, and
(4) their foolish heart was darkened.
ROMANS 1:21


In connection with yesterday's blog, I want to talk for just a moment about No. 3, becoming vain in our imaginations. I found several dictionary definitions of the word vain that speak to my heart.

To list a few:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited

ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile

not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless:

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance; "a conceited fool"; "an attitude of self-conceited arrogance"; "an egotistical disregard of others"; "so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty"; "growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary";

naving no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ouch! I have got to say that at times, I see myself in some of those definitions. Quite often I am painting the wrong picture with my mind. But here's the point that I am trying to make through all of this. I believe, we cannot get to step No. 3, becoming vain in our imaginations, unless we have first committed the critical errors as shown in steps No. 1 and 2.

When we fail to glorify, or magnify God, and place the utmost value on Him, then inevitably, we will begin to fail to give thanks. We live in a world that is predominately thankless and according to this verse, that all started when they, or we, began failing in our glorification of God. In Timothy we read where a lack of thanks is one of top signs of the end of time, or the last days. We enter into the very gates of God with thanksgiving, and we enter His courts with praise. I guarantee when the former, glorifying God, really and truly becomes our primary focus, then the latter, having an attitude of thanks, will become virtually automatic.

Likewise, when we have failed to do the positive aspect of either of steps No.1 and 2, then, it is inevitable that we begin to become vain in our imaginations, No.3. A lack of praise and a lack of thankfulness are the first two signs that we are: (pick any definition of vanity from above), ouch!

As I mentioned yesterday, God's creativity will extend as far as your imagination will allow. But is it so very, very important that the pictures we paint, step No. 3, are a result of our obedience to the positive aspect of steps No. 1, and 2. It is then, and only then, that our thoughts begin to come in line with His will, His plan, and His loving perfection.

In closing, I would like to exhort you in the way of pointing you back to these ever-so-critical keys to remaining full of God which Paul has eloquently documented for us. I can assure you that no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, no matter how far you may have drifted away, the keys to drawing yourself back closer to His presence are listed right here. God loves you immensely and He is never the one who withdraws from us.

I encourage you to go back to step No. 1 and begin from there. Glorify, magnify and praise His Holy name. Then begin to thank him for all He is, and has done, is doing, and for the things He shall do. Then you will begin to think thoughts that are in accordance with His will and as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

In love,
Michael

Hello everyone!

I am currently living in Atlanta and have never been to Colorado. However, I am strongly considering enrolloing in a three-year bible college in Colorado Springs.

I was hoping that some of you who are familiar with that area would tell me some of things that you like or dislike.

Anything you have to share would be appreciated.

Michael

The WORD is Worth 1,000 Pictures

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he......
Proverbs 23:7

Imagination is a powerful force. Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly operating in the power of our imaginations. In other words, we think in the pictures.

I believe we actually have at least three sets of eyes. We have these outward physical eyes that allow us to see things that are in the physical realm. Additionally, we have these spiritual eyes that allow us to see glimpses of the heavenly realm, or through the Eyes of Our Heart. And then we have this internal set of eyes that is forever painting elaborate mental pictures, deep within our minds. It is with these eyes, in my opinion, that our lives go in the direction in which they do.

If I were come to your city and stop you on the street for directions, you would visualize, in your mind, the steps required for me to reach my desired destination. You would see, internally, each of the turns and roads required to get me there. You would not have this information instantly available. You could not immediately recite the directions without thought. You would have to dig into the internal photo album of your brain and bring to the forefront the picture, or map if you will, in accordance with your previous travels.

Thankfully, we have the ability, or the choice, to decide or control which pictures we keep on display. I know in my own life, there are some really dark photographs from a former life, that I have chosen to obliterate. Maybe I shouldn't use the word obliterate, because in actuality, they still remain, but I have chosen to no longer view those photos. They remain locked up and tucked away in an old unlabeled box way back in the corner of my attic. Covered with dust and worn by the elements, may they forever lay dormant, never used to give faulty directions again.

Occasionally, the enemy will start flipping through my photo album in an attempt to duplicate or replicate a picture of who I used to be. But I have come to realize that he, and the dark-toned brushes of his deception, are precisely that, deception. Sex, lies, and videotape. That's old news. I can't imagine following that worn out blueprint any longer.

One of the words that was used to translate imagination in the Old Testament is conceived. Our ear-gates and eye-gates are two major avenues of conception in our lives. From these venues come many of the internal slide shows which constantly play over and over again in our minds. While we cannot stop the reels from turning, we can however choose the film. We can grab the real reel, so to speak.

Our lives are going to go the direction of our most dominant thoughts. We are the cartographers that layout the navigational guidelines for this journey called life. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. We cannot go anywhere in the natural that we have not first been in the mind. If we can see it, then we can be it.

That sin that so easily besets you, and those weights that continue to slow you down, they didn't just come upon you like a seizure. You've just been watching the wrong movie. James put it like this:

"Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
James 1:15

Thoughts produce actions. As a man thinketh so is he. I guess you could say that in accordance with your internal eyes, or as a result of the photos you see, there you are and there you go. Life achieved from thoughts perceived.

But how many of you know that our God is far greater than any Hollywood producer will ever be. He is the Master Artist. He always colors between the lines. God has created for us, in His Word, a powerpoint presentation like no other in history. He has composed multiutdes of extraordinary, full color, and high resolution images and put them on his FTP site, available for all to download, free of charge.

If we load these images up in a slide show and watch them over and over again. Soon we will be able to impersonate Him. We can take on His expressions. We can quote lines from His movie. We can call all of our friends and tell them about some of our favorite scenes. We can even imagine what it would be like to have a role in the movie. We may even be called in for an audition. And, we can definitely pull up the map with our internal eyes and give impeccable directions to those that are lost, amen?

In closing, I would just like to encourage you to consider the pictures that are running through your mind today. What is it that is directing your life? Is it thoughts of who you were once were? Is it thoughts of all the things you are not, especially when you look in the mirror? Is it sex, lies, and videotape from days long since gone by?

Or, is it that you are seeing in the spirit that you are the very righteousness of God in Christ Jesus? Can you see yourself seated with Christ in the spirit realm? Can you see that you have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing? Can you see yourself healed? Can you see yourself as a conqueror, no, more than a conqueror? Can you see that you have been sanctified, set apart, filled with the Holy Ghost, and that all things have been made new?

There is one very consistent picture painted over and over again throughout the scriptures. The love of God. And that is a picture of an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, and all-mighty God with His arms reached out and ready to embrace you. God's love for you is immeasurable. Get a picture of that. Paint your own picture of that. Use lots of colors and textures. Be creative. Be imaginative. Recreate the masterpiece.

And when you do, save that all important digital image using the greatest number of pixels possible, only limited by the amount of room you make available. And then, gather up some of the highest quality print paper you can find, load a brand new cartridge in to your high-tech printer, and print that bad boy out. Once printed, I recommend using thumb tacks, super-glue, and duct tape to permanently affix that image to the inside of your forehead.

After that, when the devil tries to find that old box of pics in the corner of your attic, and when things in this world begin to get you down, just simply look up, on the inside, and absorb the beauty of who God says you are, and what God says you have. God's creativity will extend as far as your imagination will allow. But don't stop there. God's love is the big picture, and that one picture is all you need to be forever entertained and sustained. And, as there is no limit to His love, likewise His love is not the limit. There is always more yet to be seen.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The WORD is Worth 1,000 Pictures

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


What is it that you want to see?

And that's a wrap! Now, on with the show!

In love,
Michael


(Please see my follow-up blog entitled, "Vain Imaginations")

The WORD is Worth 1,000 Pictures

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he......
Proverbs 23:7

Imagination is a powerful force. Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly operating in the power of our imaginations. In other words, we think in the pictures.

I believe we actually have at least three sets of eyes. We have these outward physical eyes that allow us to see things that are in the physical realm. Additionally, we have these spiritual eyes that allow us to see glimpses of the heavenly realm, or through the Eyes of Our Heart. And then we have this internal set of eyes that is forever painting elaborate mental pictures, deep within our minds. It is with these eyes, in my opinion, that our lives go in the direction in which they do.

If I were come to your city and stop you on the street for directions, you would visualize, in your mind, the steps required for me to reach my desired destination. You would see, internally, each of the turns and roads required to get me there. You would not have this information instantly available. You could not immediately recite the directions without thought. You would have to dig into the internal photo album of your brain and bring to the forefront the picture, or map if you will, in accordance with your previous travels.

Thankfully, we have the ability, or the choice, to decide or control which pictures we keep on display. I know in my own life, there are some really dark photographs from a former life, that I have chosen to obliterate. Maybe I shouldn't use the word obliterate, because in actuality, they still remain, but I have chosen to no longer view those photos. They remain locked up and tucked away in an old unlabeled box way back in the corner of my attic. Covered with dust and worn by the elements, may they forever lay dormant, never used to give faulty directions again.

Occasionally, the enemy will start flipping through my photo album in an attempt to duplicate or replicate a picture of who I used to be. But I have come to realize that he, and the dark-toned brushes of his deception, are precisely that, deception. Sex, lies, and videotape. That's old news. I can't imagine following that worn out blueprint any longer.

One of the words that was used to translate imagination in the Old Testament is conceived. Our ear-gates and eye-gates are two major avenues of conception in our lives. From these venues come many of the internal slide shows which constantly play over and over again in our minds. While we cannot stop the reels from turning, we can however choose the film. We can grab the real reel, so to speak.

Our lives are going to go the direction of our most dominant thoughts. We are the cartographers that layout the navigational guidelines for this journey called life. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. We cannot go anywhere in the natural that we have not first been in the mind. If we can see it, then we can be it.

That sin that so easily besets you, and those weights that continue to slow you down, they didn't just come upon you like a seizure. You've just been watching the wrong movie. James put it like this:

"Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
James 1:15

Thoughts produce actions. As a man thinketh so is he. I guess you could say that in accordance with your internal eyes, or as a result of the photos you see, there you are and there you go. Life achieved from thoughts perceived.

But how many of you know that our God is far greater than any Hollywood producer will ever be. He is the Master Artist. He always colors between the lines. God has created for us, in His Word, a powerpoint presentation like no other in history. He has composed multiutdes of extraordinary, full color, and high resolution images and put them on his FTP site, available for all to download, free of charge.

If we load these images up in a slide show and watch them over and over again. Soon we will be able to impersonate Him. We can take on His expressions. We can quote lines from His movie. We can call all of our friends and tell them about some of our favorite scenes. We can even imagine what it would be like to have a role in the movie. We may even be called in for an audition. And, we can definitely pull up the map with our internal eyes and give impeccable directions to those that are lost, amen?

In closing, I would just like to encourage you to consider the pictures that are running through your mind today. What is it that is directing your life? Is it thoughts of who you were once were? Is it thoughts of all the things you are not, especially when you look in the mirror? Is it sex, lies, and videotape from days long since gone by?

Or, is it that you are seeing in the spirit that you are the very righteousness of God in Christ Jesus? Can you see yourself seated with Christ in the spirit realm? Can you see that you have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing? Can you see yourself healed? Can you see yourself as a conqueror, no, more than a conqueror? Can you see that you have been sanctified, set apart, filled with the Holy Ghost, and that all things have been made new?

There is one very consistent picture painted over and over again throughout the scriptures. The love of God. And that is a picture of an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, and all-mighty God with His arms reached out and ready to embrace you. God's love for you is immeasurable. Get a picture of that. Paint your own picture of that. Use lots of colors and textures. Be creative. Be imaginative. Recreate the masterpiece.

And when you do, save that all important digital image using the greatest number of pixels possible, only limited by the amount of room you make available. And then, gather up some of the highest quality print paper you can find, load a brand new cartridge in to your high-tech printer, and print that bad boy out. Once printed, I recommend using thumb tacks, super-glue, and duct tape to permanently affix that image to the inside of your forehead.

After that, when the devil tries to find that old box of pics in the corner of your attic, and when things in this world begin to get you down, just simply look up, on the inside, and absorb the beauty of who God says you are, and what God says you have. God's creativity will extend as far as your imagination will allow. But don't stop there. God's love is the big picture, and that one picture is all you need to be forever entertained and sustained. And, as there is no limit to His love, likewise His love is not the limit. There is always more yet to be seen.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The WORD is Worth 1,000 Pictures

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


What is it that you want to see?

And that's a wrap! Now, on with the show!

In love,
Michael


(Please see my follow-up blog entitled, "Vain Imaginations")

I believe you can smoke and still go to heaven. In fact, you'll probably get there quicker!

Romans 6 is a powerful chapter indeed. In verse 16 Paul makes his point real clear as to why we don't live in sin any longer.

In fact, the whole book of Romans just rocks!

Paul knew that people were going to question his teachings about grace. Four separate times he presupposed that the question would arise so he went ahead and addressed it by saying, "What then, shal we continue living is sin? And his answer was always, God forbid!

So the way I see it is that if people aren't asking us that same question, then we aren't preaching the Gospel, good news, the same way Paul did.

Let me also say that my points from above don't by any means give us a license to keep on sinning. We are supposed to be dead to sin.

Sin hurts us, it hurts other people, and it opens up a huge door for the devil to tamper with us. And you know that if we give the devil even an inch he's going to eat our lunch and pop the bag!

I can relate to where you are coming from. Too many times I have done the very same thing.

But know that you have already been forgiven. All of your sins, past, present, and future have been forgiven.

It's often very hard for most of the body of Christ to believe, but God is no longer imputing or counting our sins against us. In fact, we are not to even have a consciousness of sin any longer.

Jesus laid this out so eloquently in John Chapter 16. He said:

8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9Of sin, because they believe not on me;

The word “reprove”, in verse 8 means basically the same thing as reprimand. But notice that He says of “sin”, singular, meaning the old sin nature that we had before we accepted Him into our hearts. Not “sins” as in our individual acts of sin.

He makes that quite clear in verse 9 as he describes what that one sin is; not believing in Him!

People don’t go to hell for drinking, or lying, or stealing, or committing adultery, or even murder. People go to hell for not believing Jesus.

All of our “sins” have been forgiven, not only the sins of the believer, but the sins of the whole world. Of course that doesn’t mean everyone is saved. But the ones that aren’t or don’t become saved, are going to go to hell even though their sins have been forgiven. They just never accepted the payment!

1 John 2:2 (King James Version)
2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Paul also exemplifies this truth many times. The following verses in 2 Corinthians 5 helped change my life:

17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

These verses are so powerful. Verse 18 makes it so clear that we have been, as in past tense, reconciled to God. And then in verse 19 we know that our sins, or trespasses, are no longer being imputed towards us.

Imputed is an old accounting term which basically means “counted against”, or “held record of”. Our individual acts of sin are no longer being counted against us!

Paul says this again in Romans 5:

13For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

That which is old, the law, has been done away with. And as Paul points out, when there is no law, sin is no longer imputed! That’s awesome!

There was 430 years between the time when God made His promises to Abraham and when He gave the law to Moses. Before that time, when there was no law. Sins were also not imputed. Even the very first murderer was protected and allowed to live. His sin was not imputed either.

So in a sense, you could say that we are still under the old covenant.. Not the Law of Moses, but the even older one, which is the law of faith.

Genesis 15:6 (King James Version)
6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

My point sister is that God is not mad at you. He sees your heart. I am sure that it does discourage Him when we seek comfort from anything other than Him. But rest easy my sister, He wants nothing more than to shower you with His love right this very moment.


1 Samuel 16:7 (King James Version)
……..for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.


Go jump up in His lap and give Him a great big kiss! He’s waiting!

An Open Book Test

Life is about the choices we make. Each one of us daily faces a series of choices. We can choose to be happy. We can choose to be filled with joy. We can choose to have life abundantly.

Likewise, we can can make choices that have a negative effect on our lives. We can choose to be angry. We can choose to live in fear. We can choose to hold on to unforgiveness.

God gave us a free will. He also gave us authority over this earthly realm. I disagree with those that say that nothing happens that God doesn't cause to happen, or at least permit to happen. I disagree that God is 100% sovereign and nothing happens outside of His will. God gave us choices to make.

God's will does not automatically come to pass. I think the following two verses make this pretty clear:

"The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."
2 Peter 3:9 NLT

This verse makes it very clear that it is God's will that not even one person should perish. God's desire is that all would come to repentance and experience Eternal Life.

But Jesus said:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way."
Matthew 7:13 NLT

Here again, we see choice. We see that the decisions we make can either go against the will of God, or they can be in line with the will of God. God is not going to make these decisions for us. He gave us the choice.


“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLT


I love this passage. It's like God is giving us a quiz here. He says,

"Choose "A" - Life and Blessings or

"Choose "B" - Death and Curses

Then he even gives us the answer to this little quiz. He says "Choose Life"! It's like he whispers to us, (hint) A's the answer!


Well, there's my little contribution to blog world for today. Granted, it's not the best blog I've ever written. Nor is it the greatest revelation God has ever given me. But it is a powerful reminder that we have, each day, choices to make. God told us to have dominion. He commanded us to rule over this earth. He gave us His Spirit and all of the power associated therewith and told us to take authority over everything that hinders us.

So today, I present this little quiz to you my friends. What choice do you make for today?

A - Life and Blessings

or

B - Death and Curses


"For to be carnally minded ("B") is death; but to be spiritually minded ("A") is life and peace."
Romans 8:6


In love,
Michael


(The answer is "A")

An Open Book Test

Life is about the choices we make. Each one of us daily faces a series of choices. We can choose to be happy. We can choose to be filled with joy. We can choose to have life abundantly.

Likewise, we can can make choices that have a negative effect on our lives. We can choose to be angry. We can choose to live in fear. We can choose to hold on to unforgiveness.

God gave us a free will. He also gave us authority over this earthly realm. I disagree with those that say that nothing happens that God doesn't cause to happen, or at least permit to happen. I disagree that God is 100% sovereign and nothing happens outside of His will. God gave us choices to make.

God's will does not automatically come to pass. I think the following two verses make this pretty clear:

"The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."
2 Peter 3:9 NLT

This verse makes it very clear that it is God's will that not even one person should perish. God's desire is that all would come to repentance and experience Eternal Life.

But Jesus said:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way."
Matthew 7:13 NLT

Here again, we see choice. We see that the decisions we make can either go against the will of God, or they can be in line with the will of God. God is not going to make these decisions for us. He gave us the choice.


“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLT


I love this passage. It's like God is giving us a quiz here. He says,

"Choose "A" - Life and Blessings or

"Choose "B" - Death and Curses

Then he even gives us the answer to this little quiz. He says "Choose Life"! It's like he whispers to us, (hint) A's the answer!


Well, there's my little contribution to blog world for today. Granted, it's not the best blog I've ever written. Nor is it the greatest revelation God has ever given me. But it is a powerful reminder that we have, each day, choices to make. God told us to have dominion. He commanded us to rule over this earth. He gave us His Spirit and all of the power associated therewith and told us to take authority over everything that hinders us.

So today, I present this little quiz to you my friends. What choice do you make for today?

A - Life and Blessings

or

B - Death and Curses


"For to be carnally minded ("B") is death; but to be spiritually minded ("A") is life and peace."
Romans 8:6


In love,
Michael


(The answer is "A")

Consider Job's End

I write this little blog today for the purposes of offering some comfort to those of you have lost loved ones, specifically children, before their God appointed time.

Many of us are familiar with the story of Job. Job suffered through some tremendous trials, yet never once turned his heart away from the Lord. It is so easy for us to relate our lives, the trials and afflictions, to those that Job so faithfully endured. However, as we think upon the many hardships which did in fact come upon him, the scripture encourages us to not think only of the beginning or the middle of Job's life, but to consider above all those things, Job's end.


"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
James 5:11

We see that through all of the painful losses that Job endured, the Lord to him remained faithful.

"And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. "
Job 42:10

For the purposes of this discussion, I ask that you pay particular attention to that last statement. "the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."

Let's take a look at some of the possessions Job held prior to this testing period he endured.


"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

His substance also was seven thousand sheep,

and three thousand camels,

and five hundred yoke of oxen,

and five hundred she asses,

and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. "
Job 1:1-3


As the story goes, Job, because of the trials brought unto him from the devil, lost everything you see in the above list, and suffered much, much more. But as we can see in verse 10 above, most of these things were restored at Job's end to the extent that they now doubled what they once were.

Verse 12 speaks of this as such:


"So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:

for he had fourteen thousand sheep,

and six thousand camels,

and a thousand yoke of oxen,

and a thousand she asses. "
Job 42:12


As you can see, Job's possessions were indeed double what they they had originally been. But notice how above I said that most of what Job had was restored to twice as much as he originally had. Let's not forget that Job also lost his children.

The truth, and the point that I am trying to make here today, can be revealed by what follows in verse 13:

"He had also seven sons and three daughters. "
Job 42:13


But didn't the Lord promise Job that he would have twice as much as he did before? Didn't Job originally have seven sons and three daughters?

The answer to to both of those questions is a resounding, yes! You see, Job didn't lose his first set of children forever, only on a temporal basis. Scripturally speaking they were not dead, but merely sleepeth. So therefore, the addition of seven more sons and three daughters as depicted in verse 13, only leads to confirm that Job's children were in fact doubled. Job would be spending eternity, the timeless and wonderful eternity, with all of his children. All fourteen sons and all six daughters. Family restoration is one of God's forte's!

My friends, I offer these truths from the word of God today so that you may be comforted during those times when loved ones in Christ, that have gone on to be with the Lord, seem to be forever absent from your life. In the twinkling of an eye, like the wisp of the wind, you shall be with them again. God's promises are as true to you as they were long ago to our brother Job. Remain faithful in Him because He is a faithful God!


"For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.

First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.

Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

Then we will be with the Lord forever.

So encourage each other with these words."

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 NLT



In love,

Michael

*** See the original version here: http://www.mychurch.org/blog/371441/Consider-Jobs-End