Archive | July 2019

Knowledge And Thoughts

Did you ever think about where your thoughts come from? Like when you first wake up in the morning and sit on the edge of your bed, thoughts about all kinds of things start going through your mind. Have you ever sat there and wondered, why am I thinking about that? And why am I thinking about that now? I have.

Let me show you how thoughts and knowledge tie together.

Colossians 1:19-22 KJV  ” 19 For it pleased the Father that in him (Jesus Christ) should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”

Notice where the thoughts come from? Thoughts that God hates me, thoughts of God is angry with me because I did this terrible thing, or I did this or that. Those thoughts are put into your mind by people, by family, by friends and sadly, even by some preachers and even by the enemy Satan. But what does God say? Read it again, Colossians 1:19-22 above. Read it over and over again until it sinks down into your heart and mind.

Thoughts planted in to your mind can be true, they can be a lie and (like Satan did with Eve) they can be half truths.

If the thought is true, it can be backed up with other scripture verses. As my favorite Old Testament prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 28:9, 10 – ” Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

Notice the topic is knowledge?

So knowledge comes from comparing line upon line and precept upon precept. Remember, knowledge is knowing that you know something. The information you sought was investigated thoroughly and you experiment and test your theories, you ask questions and you
come to a conclusion. When others test your information and come up with the same results you did, then they say you have knowledge in this field.

Some people devote their whole life to specific things. At the end of their life, you would assume they are very knowledgeable of that topic plus they have a lot of experience with their topic of choice.

The reason people get messed up with scripture doctrine is someone plants a thought in their mind. Most people never investigate or research that thought from scripture. They never compare thought or idea (precept upon precept) with other scripture verses. The result? God tells us the results in Ephesians 4:14 ” That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”

The result is we end up with (58) different religious denominations that use (15) different Bibles.

But when you can take a thought and search it out from scripture (AV1611 King James) you will see God will show you the truth from his word. You notice what you were searching out begins to be explained to you, by God himself.

Once you have searched it out in scripture and in prayer, God gives you your answer. Then it is up to you to decide if you will believe God or reject what God shows you or believe the person who put that thought in to your mind. Once you make your decision you have acquired knowledge in that topic.

Now let me say, if you choose to believe the person who put that thought in your mind over believing God, you base your knowledge on flawed information.  An example.

For years people thought the world was flat and they based that teaching of a flat earth on information. But then one day Christopher Columbus sails and discovers other countries and proves when God’s word says the earth is a circle (round not flat) God was proven to be true and correct.

Isaiah 40: 21, 22 KJV ” Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:”

For years people had what they thought was accurate knowledge of the earth (it was flat) only to discover later that their knowledge was based on false information. Christopher Columbus believed God and the scriptures.

People have all kinds of thoughts about God, heaven, salvation and other topics. The question is, where are you getting your information from regarding these topics. Then, are you checking it out, precept upon precept, to make sure your knowledge lines up with the truth of God’s word.

Anyone with any real amount of scripture knowledge can make the word of God teach almost anything.  That is how false doctrine is perpetuated. But to obtain knowledge in the truth, you must search out the scriptures and tackle topics line upon line and precept upon precept. Until next time.

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Knowledge Provides Answers in Life

When you think about it, if you know how to handle issues in life, life can be easier. Knowing how to handle things is knowledge.

The world has knowledge of all kinds of things. People go to schools to obtain knowledge of things in this world so they can get a job in a field of interest to them. The world has figured out ways to get people to pay tens of thousands of dollars to acquire knowledge, from this world, on a variety of topics; It is called college degrees.

The world even programs computers and puts these tiny computers into a box. The world builds a computer frame that appeals to the eyes of humans.  Today, we call it Artificial Intelligence or AI.

But God offers knowledge too. And God does not charge mankind tens of thousands of dollars for his knowledge, God gives it freely in his word. And you get to choose if you want to pay tens of thousands of dollars for man’s knowledge or if you want to believe God and follow God’s knowledge.

You see, before Adam and Eve sinned, God spoke or communed with them (Genesis 2). Check this out.

In Genesis 1:26,27 God creates man in God’s own image. And in Genesis 2:7 we learn, from God, that God created mankind with a body (made from the dust of the earth), a soul (mind, will and emotions) and a spirit (the breath of life God breathed into man). And God spoke with Adam and Eve, Genesis 1:27-31.

We see in Genesis chapter one an overview and details are provided in chapters two and three of the events from chapter one. (Shows a pattern God uses. Say what happens then provide details in the following chapters.)

So Genesis one, God is communing with Adam and Eve. Genesis chapter two provides details of chapter one. Then Genesis chapter three, Satan is introduced to us.

We learn from God, that Satan is subtil. Sneaky. And what does Satan do? Tries to get Eve to doubt what God says. Paul the apostle says Satan does the same thing today. 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 KJV
” But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Satan uses the same tactics today. When God says who we, believers, are in Christ,  Satan tries to get us to doubt what God says. God says believers are justified, redeemed, sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Satan tries to get believers to doubt who they are in Christ, and Satan tries to deceive people. That is why there are believers who think they must keep their salvation by being good and doing good works.

Salvation was never based on how good we are. Salvation is based on the blood of Jesus Christ at the cross paying for all of mankind’s sin once for all. Salvation is based on what we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth.

So if Satan can get believers to doubt what God says about believers, Satan succeeds at weakening the effectiveness of the church.

Just like the Garden of Eden when Satan caused Eve to doubt what God said about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan tries to get people to doubt what God says about going to heaven. Doubt heaven and hell. Doubt a day of judgment. Doubt creation. Doubt healing and prosperity. Doubt God’s love for us. Doubt we are more than conquerors through Christ.

When you look at who you are in Christ, justified, redeemed, saved, sealed, and many other “things”, you see people who doubt what God’s word says about them, these people are trying to be good enough for God to accept them. Our Salvation was never based on our “good” works but on Christ’s work so what makes these people doubt that? Satan blinds their mind to truth.

When God says one thing about you and your life and you see something opposite happening in your life, you have a choice to make. Do you believe God and what he says about you or not? That is what the book of Job is all about. Job chose to believe God no matter what happened in his life. And Job chose to watch his mouth, be careful of the words he spoke. Remember when Job told his wife you speak as a foolish person when she wanted Job to blame God for their troubles?

Knowledge brings hope. Paul put it this way:

Romans 5:3-5 KJV ” And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Experience means you have knowledge of something. And when you see how Satan works, by causing you to doubt what God says about you, about a problem, about an issue, if Satan can cause you to doubt God about anything God’s word says, then Satan has deceived you just like he deceived Eve.

So what do we do? You have to look at areas of your life where you need answers. Then using a concordance, look up the key words of your question. Then write down the scriptures from your concordance and look them up in a King James Bible. God will give you your answers. Then it is up to you to choose to believe God or choose what you see happening in your life. Then do as Jesus did, speak God’s word to your question. You have to believe God and what he says, in your heart, and confess your belief in his word, speaking his word out loud with your mouth and you will see change. It may take a month, a day or thirteen years like it did with Joseph, but it will happen. How do I know it will happen? Because God’s word says God can not lie. So I believe what God says.

Ephesians 6: 12, 13 –
” For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Until next time.

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