Just Words – In Name Only

We see Paul the apostle writes to churches giving them instructions and teaching them the things God wants Paul to teach. But Paul also wrote to three specific people: Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Philemon was a run-away slave. Titus was one of Paul’s converts and Timothy was one of Paul’s converts.

Paul instructed Timothy on many things but he also tells Timothy about setting up churches properly. We see some “believers” turned away from Paul and Paul is reminding Timothy of the event in 2 Timothy 1:15-16 KJV  “This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
[16] The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:”

When you believe God and take a stand for him and his word, you too will discover people will turn away from you.

I heard a Fox News report yesterday that declared there are about 2 billion Christians in the world and the report continued stating of those 2 billion, about half are Catholics. We know the world now has about 7 billion people. According to the math, that means less than one third of the entire earth population professes to be Christian. And some of that third are Christian in name only.

In name only means there are people who say they are Christian. They name themselves as “Christian” but their life, their actions, their deeds do not line up with Christian teaching. An example of this is Barry Soetoro / aka Barack Obama.  Barry claimed he was a Christian when he ran for political office.

Yet, Barry dropped his “Christian” name and chose to use his Islamic name. Barry surrounded himself with people of the Muslim  brotherhood. Barry tried to take the land God gave Israel away from Israel by using the term ISIL the ( L ) identifying the Levant. (See our archives). Barry tried to interfere with Israel’s elections when Bibi was running for reelection. Barry sent money to support Bibi’s opponent. And Barry promoted the LGBT movement and instigated this Transgender bathroom event. Barry even lit the Whitehouse in gay pride colors. All of these deeds go against God, against what God’s word teaches.

Yet, there are a lot of “believers” out there that believe Barry is a “Christian”. And the blacks who support Barry based solely on the color of his skin show they are racist and bigoted.

You see, when Paul was instructing Timothy about setting up churches we see in 2 Timothy 3 Paul tells Timothy the purpose of scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
[17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

The purpose of Scripture is:
Doctrine
Reproof
Correction
Instruction in righteousness

Most Christian churches have focused on their doctrine, not scripture doctrine. And by their focusing on their church doctrine they have left out, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness.

Reproof is defined as blaming you to your face. Correction is correcting our thinking and our behaviour. And instruction in righteousness is teaching or informing, providing direction. Righteousness is defined as conforming your heart and life to God and his Divine laws.

People today are trying to conform to the world or to their church’s doctrine but not to God and his divine ways. Even “Christians” don’t want to hear what they do is wrong. Reprove a believer about Easter bunnies or candy and see the reaction you get, from “believers”. Or show from scripture where “lent” is not there. Or explain scriptures teach us Jesus was not born on Christmas. Show people they are free from the law through Jesus Christ but use not their liberty for an occasion for the flesh and see the reaction you get.

Paul tells Timothy – just as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses – these people (he mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:1-7) resist the truth. We have “believers” today who resist the truth. They do not want to hear “it” if “it” interferes with what they want to do. They do not want to hear it if it is not what their denomination teaches them.

Paul says 2 Timothy 3:8 KJV. “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”

Paul says their mind has been corrupted. Remember from our Critical Thinking series, the mind is how we process information. So the way these people process information has been corrupted. The result? A falling away. Another words, reprobate concerning the faith. Reprobate means abandoned. These people have decided by the way they are processing information in their mind, to do what they want to do, not what God’s word teaches them to do.

Friends, you need to decide if you are going to believe God and do what God says or if you are going to do what you want to do. I pray you make the right choice.

Critical Thinking Conclusion

Last time we looked at the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5. We said critical thinking requires us to dig deeper than what appears to be the answer. Digging deeper helps sort through different “doctrines”, different points of view, different conclusions.

People get messed up with life and understanding scripture because they put all the evidence to a question or problem together. They do not separate the evidence into categories. Even crime scene investigators separate evidence. They categorize outside evidence, inside evidence, scene evidence and other evidence such as receipts, cell phone pings, cameras and such. This helps the investigators put together a picture and helps them come to a fair conclusion. Imagine if some of the evidence is left out, could that alter their conclusion? Certainly.

So is it with scripture. If you are trying to understand what teaching or doctrine is for you today, you must separate the evidence. That is what “dispensational” teaching does. Dispensational’s root word is dispense. If we look for example, at 1 Corinthians 9:17 KJV
  “For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.” Then we reference out this verse we discover, as evidence, Galatians 2:7 KJV  “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;”

As we dig deeper into the evidence we discover God made specific promises or covenants with people. But God’s word tells us, this promise or covenant is for this group and that covenant or promise is for that group. An example of this is Deuteronomy 5:3 KJV  “The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.” And there are many other scripture examples of specific promises made to specific groups.

Paul revealed the covenant or promises made to the church. The church is believers in the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord as Paul laid out in 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. Jews and Gentiles, male and female. All those who by faith have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Not believed in but believed on.

Last time we were applying critical thinking skills to the fruit of the Spirit.
When we looked at the Holy Spirit and the “fruit” from Galatians 5, we needed to look deeper at what God is telling us. We said last time –  The Holy Spirit will produce these 9 fruit. Yes. But where? And how?

If I look at Galatians 5 from the top I notice some key points (evidence). Paul tells us we have liberty in Christ, freedom, verse 1. And if you think keeping the law justifies you, you are fallen from grace, verse 4. Another words, you don’t get it. You don’t understand. But then there is a key in verse 10.

Galatians 5:10 KJV  “I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.”

The key is the word ” minded “. The way you process the information. Remember, your brain is the tool but your mind is what processes what your toolbox has. Paul is saying the way you process the information . And to confirm this, look at verse 8 –

Galatians 5:8 KJV  “This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.”

Persuasion. Someone was trying to get the saints at Galatia to process information wrong. The information was about being justified by works of the law, deeds. That is the ground work or foundation of what Paul is about to explain about the Holy Spirit and the fruit. Paul prefaces his instructions in verse 13.

Galatians 5:13 KJV  “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Then Paul gives instructions – Galatians 5:16-26 KJV  “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
[17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
[18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
[19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these ; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
[21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
[23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
[24] And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
[25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
[26] Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

We clearly see the flesh relates to our physical body and our body, because of the sin nature, desires things against God. But the Spirit is “internal” inside us and not seen. But the Holy Spirit produces fruit inside us that is manifest by how we handle problems, situations and people.

The fruit of the Spirit affects the soul and spirit, not the flesh. Another words, the fruit of the Spirit is not about the way you act in your “flesh”. The fruit of the Spirit affects your soul and your spirit, not your flesh. Let me explain.

People look at the fruit of the Spirit and assume it is behaviour related. How they behave in their flesh. But that is not what the verses teach. I like to look at it like seeds. You see, once you get saved the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you, John 14:17 KJV  “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

And according to scripture, Paul tells the church in Galatians 5, the Holy Spirit has fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
[23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

So how do we get that fruit? Imagine looking at a fruit tree and seeing it loaded with fruit. How do you get the fruit? Yes you can pick the fruit, but then you have to eat the fruit. It is a two step process. Well the Holy Spirit has fruit. Critical thinking skills would ask, how do I get that fruit?  I am glad you asked.

Out of the 9 fruit mentioned, we will look at two and you can dig out the other seven. There are nine fruit we want: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. As a believer, how do we get this fruit? God tells us how in his word. We are going to look at getting the peace fruit and the faith fruit.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV  “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee : because he trusteth in thee.”
So how do you get the peace fruit? Keep your mind stayed on the Lord. So no matter the wars, rumors of wars, or whatever is going on in the world, keep your mind stayed on the Lord and you will have peace through it all. And when people ask you, how can you be so calm through this, you have an opportunity to be light and share your faith in Christ.

Romans 10:17 KJV  “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
So how do we get the fruit of faith? Yes, hearing the word of God.

These are only two examples. If you want to get the fruit of the Spirit, you have to take it. It is like a fruit tree with fruit. You have to take the fruit and then eat the fruit. If you want all 9 fruit, you need to use critical thinking skills and dig out how you get that fruit. Then you need to eat what you find and it will produce internally the fruit. Until next time.

Critical Thinking – Processing Information

The brain is like your tool box or like a file cabinet. As you go through life you store information in your tool box. You store your experiences in your tool box. Then when presented with a question or a problem, your mind ( your thinking process ) goes to your tool box searching for the proper tool to answer the question or solve the problem. But what if the tool needed is not there?

When we struggle with certain “sins” or are not sure about a teaching or “doctrine” it is because we have not found out how to process specific information relating to that “sin” or doctrine or issue. It is not that the information is incorrect (although it could be), but the information could be slanted, corrupted, biased or incomplete. But the answer is in how the information is processed and that is where critical thinking skills come in to play. Remember, the brain is the tool, a toolbox and the mind is what processes the information. The mind can not process the information correctly if the information is slanted, biased, wrong or corrupted. Paul the apostle addresses this in –

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 KJV  “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
[4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him .”

The serpent, Satan, subtilty (refinement and slyness), corrupted Eve’s mind. The way Eve processed information was corrupted. Eve knew what God said because of Adam. Yet, Eve chose to disobey. Eve processed the information differently even though she knew what God said. Why? Because the serpent refined what God said and twisted it and fed Eve’s toolbox wrong information. So Eve’s critical thinking (how she processed the information) was corrupted. The same happens today. We are fed information from the world. People twist information causing others to believe a lie.

We know Satan was in the Garden of Eden and we know he was around at the time of Jesus because he entered Judas Iscariot and Paul is talking about him to the church and he is around at the end in Revelation. Satan’s methods are the same, to corrupt the way you process information – another words, corrupt your mind.

We are all given the same information about God through his word. Yet some process that information differently, why? Critical thinking skills force you to focus. That means you can control your thoughts. You decide if you will entertain that thought.

People who have been “indoctrinated”  can not explain why they believe what they believe. They can not answers questions about their belief and they do not understand any evidence for or against what they believe, they just believe what was told to them from people, governments, government run schools, religious people and parents. They do not know critical thinking skills and sadly, many millennials have been indoctrinated.

People with critical thinking skills look at all the evidence – for and against a particular teaching. They research the issue and eventually come to a conclusion. And they can explain WHY they believe what they believe. But there is a danger here too. What if some evidence comes along that makes you question your conclusion? If you do not examine the evidence, you risk falling into “indoctrination”.

God’s wisdom is infinite. Mankind can never figure God out.  Believers risk having their “mind” corrupted if they close the door on God teaching them new things, through his word and the Holy Spirit. This is the warfare believers fight along with the world’s teachings.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV  “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
[4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
[5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

When believers have an issue or a sin they are trying to settle,  the key to settling the matter is their thought process, their mind. It is not the information itself, but how they are processing the information. And as Paul says in the above verses, the process is corrupted by:
Imaginations
Knowledge
Thoughts
Another words, what we think we know about something and how we process that information keeps us bound in “strong holds” , in lies, in sin, in wrong information. And it is Satan messing with your thought process because Satan wants to control your thought life so he can get you to fail, get you to get it wrong. Why? Because he is in a battle against God and if he can get God’s people to screw up he can accuse them. Psalm 143:3 KJV  “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.”

Your mind is how you process information. Your mind is part of your soul. There are over 95 verses on your mind in scripture and about 50 of them in the New Testament. Paul makes it very, very clear, it is in the mind where the battles are won or lost.

When a person really gets saved, their spirit man is made alive or quickened unto God (John 3:3-6) but it is their soul that gets saved 1 Peter 1:8-9 KJV
  “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
[9] Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

Leviticus 17:11 KJV  “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

Psalm 19:7 KJV. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”

Your soul includes your mind – the way you process information, information from the world and information from God. Until next time.

A Little Different – A Critical Thinking Quiz

Last time, in our post,  Is Passing The Torch Possible we looked at how Baby Boomers were the last generation taught “critical thinking” skills in public schools. We explained how Millennials have been indoctrinated into certain ideologies and not taught critical thinking skills. We also explained the methodology of “critical thinking”, not the skill.

Remember,  the methodology of “critical thinking ” is present both sides of an issue honestly and fairly. Students would have to think for themselves. They would have to weigh the evidence for each teaching and apply critical thinking skills to come to a conclusion and be able to present a compelling case for their conclusion.

What would be the best way to examine our beliefs? Our conclusions about specific issues? Yes, testing our critical thinking skills. We know the method to test our critical thinking skills – to examine both sides of an issue fairly and come to a conclusion and be able to present a compelling case for our conclusion. But how do we do this? Lots of people look at evidence and come to different conclusions, why?

Do you believe in evolution or creation and why? Do you believe in “global warming” and why? Why do 50% of all marriages end in divorce? Will God take everyone to heaven and why? Are you broke and why? Are you a good parent and why?

We have to ask ourselves why we believe what we believe. Have we been indoctrinated or can we make a compelling case, with evidence to support our belief? An example. Many people have been indoctrinated in to believing in “global warming” and people use for evidence, fossil fuels. They claim “greenhouse gases” increase. What is a greenhouse?  Oh wait, that is critical thinking.

Many claim these gases are methane. Do you know where methane comes from? Farting is a key. Cows and animals and humans expel methane when they fart. People claim these gases are causing our ocean temperatures to rise. One problem with that theory. Under the crust of the earth is molten lava. And those who measure temperatures  under the earth’s crust have been writing, the molten lava is warming up. So how is farting in the air warming hot lava under the crust of the earth? Volcanoes have erupted for hundreds of years, before automobiles.

And instead of looking at all the evidence, fairly and honestly so one could apply critical thinking skills, people are indoctrinated into ideologies, not facts. So governments set up laws against fossil fuels. But what about God and spiritual matters? How does critical thinking apply to God and the scriptures?

God created man from the dust of the ground, giving man an earthly body, Genesis 2:7 KJV  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

The breath of life is our “spirit man”, see our previous posts on the spirit man. And man became a living soul. What is your soul? Your mind, your will and your emotions. (Again, see our previous posts). And what ties these three together? What ties your spirit, your soul and your body together? The heart. If the heart is not working, you’re dead.
The heart is like the energy.

You can have a car but without a motor or energy to move the car, the car can not move. Look at a bicycle. What is the energy? Not the wheels. Just because a bicycle has wheels, it can not move until you have someone pedal. Because I am a musician, let me use a piano example.

You see, our soul, our mind, will and emotions, has a brain. Our soul has a mind and a brain. Our mind does the thinking. Our brain is what we think with. Our brain is the instrument or tool we use. So someone with brain damage means someone has a tool that has been damaged. Can they still use their damaged tool? Yes.

A piano is a tool. There are different kinds of pianos,  spinets  (36″-39″ tall), consoles (taller), grand pianos. The piano represents the tool, the brain. The piano player is the mind. The energy.

Scripture says, regarding the saved, true believers, 1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV  “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

We have the “mind” of Christ. Remember, the mind does the thinking, the brain is the tool to think with. The mind is the energy. The force. And what ties all of this together? The heart. So if the heart changes, the mind can change, whether for good or evil. And if the mind changes, the heart changes.
Don’t forget, it is the soul, the mind, will and emotions that go to heaven or hell.

Which brings me to a “critical thinking quiz”. Scripture tells us we are in a battle. We fight warfare. So here is a quiz. Using critical thinking skills, answer the quiz.

Who are we in a battle with?
Why are we in that battle?
How did we enter the battle?
How does our enemy attack us?
What specific area of our being is attacked and how is it attacked?
How do we fight back?
Can we win this battle?
What weapons do we use in this battle?
How often are we in this battle?

And use critical thinking skills. We will pick it up from here next time. Until next time.

A Point of No Return Part 2

Last time we said – Remember God told Adam in Genesis 2:16,17, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat? That meant even the tree of life. The only tree they could not eat from was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Unlike the tree of life which affects the spirit, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil affected the soul, the mind, will and emotions. The way they think. See the post A Point Of No Return

So taking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil did 3 things:

1) Changed their spirit – cut them off from God
2) Changed their emotions – now had fear
3) Changed their thinking – changed their thoughts. They no longer thought like God thinks.

They no longer thought like God thinks. When someone gets saved, born again, as Jesus explained in John 3:1-13, they are born again of the Spirit. Their spirit is made alive again unto God, just like in the garden of Eden before Adam sinned. But now, there is a catch. The catch is we remember our life and thoughts before we got saved. We also have a sinful body, our flesh and our flesh wants to sin. And Paul helps us by instructing us to renew our mind and think on specific things in Philippians 4:8 KJV  “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

And Paul also instructs us how to deal with our flesh, our body. 1 Corinthians 9:27 KJV  “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

You see, when someone gets truly saved, born again like Jesus said, our spirit is made alive unto God again. But our soul, our mind and thoughts, our will and our emotions has been educated and taught the world’s ways, not God’s. Solutions to problems many look for from the knowledge of the world and not from God’s word, which is truth.

So we wrestle with what we see, what we were taught and what we think compared to what God’s word says. That is why we are told to renew our mind.  Ephesians 4:22-24 KJV  “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
[23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
[24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Remember Adam told God, I was afraid because I was naked in Genesis 3:8-12. Before, Adam knew nothing of fear or shame or nakedness. Adam now had thoughts and emotions he had not had before. God did not give Adam these thoughts or emotions but Satan did by tricking them into thinking “they would be like gods” if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Genesis 3:5,6. What Satan did not tell them was they would now have fear, shame and thoughts and emotions that were contrary to God.

God even asked Adam, who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree I told you not to eat?

And because you and I were born after Adam and Eve sinned, we are born with a sin nature and our spirit man is dead unto God until we get born again. As Adam, we are born with a spirit, soul and body but our spirit man is dead unto God. Oh yes, we have the Spirit of God in us, the breath of life, but it needs to be revived towards God. Remember when Paul told Timothy from a child he has known the holy scriptures in 2 Timothy 3:15? God gives us his Spirit when we are in our mother’s womb, Jeremiah 1:5 KJV  “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Everyone is born with the light of God in them and King David understood that as we read in 2 Samuel 12:20-23. But when children get to an age of accountability, when they understand right from wrong, good and evil, they have knowledge of good and evil ( sounds like the tree in the garden ) these children must make a decision to believe God and follow him or not.

Paul was explaining the concept in Galatians 4:1-9 KJV  “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
[2] But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
[3] Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
[4] But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
[5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
[6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
[7] Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
[8] Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
[9] But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”

Paul relates the knowledge – soul thinking – and compares it to the new man – the spirit man revived. And the saved person’s spirit man no longer thinks like the world. The saved person does not look at things by what they think, or what the world teaches, soul living, but they now look at things by what God says in his word.

You see, the world has knowledge, education, training and thoughts but they are all based in and around the world, in the flesh, in this life. But the believer sees and knows what the world says, what the doctor says, what the counselor says, what the books teach but they filter everything through God’s word. And when God says something that contradicts what you see, hear and are being told, you have to decide who you will believe.

Jesus taught us how to put this into action in Matthew 4:1-11. When Satan was telling Jesus one thing Jesus spoke God’s word back to Satan. Some “believers” call this name it and claim it but that is not what this is. Let’s face it, in this world, in the flesh, it takes a spiritually grounded person to stand on the promises of God. When your situation says one thing and God’s word says something different, when everything around you shows you one thing but contradicts God’s word and what you are seeing does not line up, it takes spiritual grounding, faith to fight back.

Our spiritual warfare is focused on “the knowledge of good and evil”. It goes back to the garden when Satan tempted Eve causing Adam and Eve to have thoughts and emotions God never intended for them. Satan does the same thing today. Satan knows he can now access our thoughts since the fall of Adam. The battlefield truly is the mind, your thoughts and thought process. And what you put into your mind and your children’s mind is planting seeds that one day will grow into huge roots. It is better to dig up the roots when they are small because if you don’t, you may not be able to dig them up when they are full grown.

One footnote: The tree of life, mentioned in Genesis in the Garden of Eden? After the final judgment and the new heavenly Jerusalem, guess what is there? The tree of life. Revelation 22:1-2 KJV  “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
[2] In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Sorry this post is a little long but I wanted to finish the point. Until next time.

A Point Of No Return?

Stick with me for a minute as I may start slow but will finish strong.

It is the 3rd day of creation ( no coincidence the 3rd ). Genesis 1:11-13 KJV  “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
[12] And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
[13] And the evening and the morning were the third day.”

Notice “seeds in them“. God creates these before he creates the sun or moon. And 3 days later God creates man. Notice God calls man (singular) them ( plural ). Genesis 1:26 KJV
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

And we saw how God created man  in Genesis 2:7 KJV  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

God describes he created man –
1)  from the dust of ground – body / flesh
2) breathed into man the breath of life – spirit
3) and man became a living soul – ( mind, will and emotions)

At this point, man, Adam, his spirit is alive and connected to God. Adam has a fleshly body and Adam has a soul, thoughts, will and emotions. And everything is in sync with God.

Then God makes a garden in Eden and puts Adam there to care for the garden, Genesis 2:5. And God has trees in the garden. Genesis 2:9 is the first time we read of other trees in the garden. We read there are trees with seeds for food. Food for the body, the flesh. Then we read there is a tree of life in the garden. We know life is spirit related. Remember the breath of life from Genesis 2:7? And then we see a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge has to do with the mind, the way one thinks. It is the soul, the mind, will and emotions. Remember Genesis 2:7, man became a living “soul“.

So the trees in the garden were 3 types:
Trees with fruit and seeds for meat – food for the body.
The tree of life – spirit related.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil – soul related.

When Adam sinned, something happened. His spirit was cut off from God. Remember God said to Adam, where are you? Genesis 3:8,9 and notice Adam’s soul was also affected because now Adam had fear. Fear is an emotion. So when Adam sinned, his spirit was cut off from God and he was now experiencing fear. That is why people say when Adam sinned he died spiritually.

That is also why Jesus said you must be “born again”. Because everyone born after Adam was born like Adam after he sinned. Cain, Abel and Seth were all born to Adam and Eve after they sinned so the kids were born like their mom and dad.

When Jesus said ye must be born again, it is the spirit man that gets born again and the connection with God reestablished. The spirit man needs life. Remember when Jesus said,  John 6:63 KJV  “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

And when Jesus told Nicodemus ye must be born again to see the kingdom of God Jesus told him how to be born again, water and the Spirit. John 3:3-7. And Paul explains the water in Ephesians 5:26 KJV  “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” and Peter explains in 1 Peter 1:23 KJV  “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Notice the word of God is called seed. Sounds like the parable Jesus explained in Luke 8:9-15 in the parable of the sower, doesn’t it? Remember in the garden the trees had seeds?

Remember God told Adam in Genesis 2:16,17, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat? That meant even the tree of life. The only tree they could not eat from was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Unlike the tree of life which affects the spirit, the the tree of the knowledge of good and evil affected the soul, the mind, will and emotions. The way they think.

So the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would affect one’s thinking. The way one looks at something. The way one thinks, their thoughts. The way they thought about things. That tree would also affect their emotions. Remember fear came, Adam was afraid. The tree would also affect their will.

So taking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil did 3 things:

1) Changed their spirit – cut them off from God
2) Changed their emotions – now had fear
3) Changed their thinking – changed their thoughts. They no longer thought like God thinks.

And we will pick it up from here next time. Until next time.

Illusions

Are illusions real? What is an illusion? Is it a trick or is it real? Illusion is defined as deceptive appearance, false show, a way a person is deceived or his expectations disappointed. Mockery.

There are all kinds of illusions. Some are very good and others you can see how the deception works. When you think of it, magic is practicing deception. People create all kinds of illusions. They even create illusions about themselves and their job skills. Everything from a forged education, wealth, keeping up with “the Jones”, to spiritual matters and all the time these are illusions to deceive others of the truth. Even a ” little white lie ” is an illusion, deception.

Satan is the master deceiver. He speaks illusions all the time. Oh he may mix a little truth in there like he did with Eve but his purpose is to deceive. Why? He hates God so he wants to hurt, disrupt, destroy, steal and even kill if he can things God loves. John 10:10 KJV
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

So when mankind starts seeking God or truth, Satan starts creating illusions or strife or problems. And because man, in his natural state, looks at things with his eyes, what he thinks and his head, often man is deceived by the illusions. That is why we posted. ..

if you ask God for truth, he gives you his word, which is called seed in the parable of the sower. And where is that seed planted? In the heart of man – Luke 8:11-12 KJV  “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
[12] Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

When mankind repents and turns to God and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation, Satan can no longer hurt that person without God intervening and Job is the perfect example. But Satan still tries to disrupt the believer’s life. And because believers think and use processes they were taught from the world’s system, they do not understand why, as a Christian, things in their life do not improve. So I must repeat from the other post Illusions of Believers.

Remember the parable of the mustard seed? Luke 17:6 KJV “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

This explains that the world and Satan plant seeds in our heart. God also plants seeds of his word into our heart. And instead of thinking and acting from your head you have to use the word of God, through faith, to pluck up the bad seeds and water and nurture the good seeds.

And that is how you change your life. You see things in your life you want to change for God. You find the scripture relating to those areas in scripture. So in a Concordance you look up the word and copy the verses that apply to your situation. You then pray and ask God to help you. Then start quoting out loud those verses and by doing that, you are planting seeds of God’s promises (and God can not lie). By quoting out loud the scripture the seeds are going into your heart and life. When something tries to disrupt or confuse you, you, by faith, pluck it up (like the mustard seed example) .

We know we are not under the law that was given to Jews, to Israel, but now both Jews and Gentiles are under grace. So how do we apply God’s word now? Some churches or synagogues come up with a list of rules. Their dos and don’ts. But remember, God changes us from the inside out. God focuses on our spirit man. Why? In this flesh dwelleth no good thing. Romans 7:18.

Our flesh and mind (part of our soul) can be influenced by our environment, our experiences, by family and friends, in all areas of life.  People even have illusions of grandeur. Why? Because they do not know how or what to do to bring things to fruition. As I mentioned before but worth repeating – the Spirit of God lives in us (believers) and instructs our heart, not our head.  That’s why your head tells you one thing and your heart something else. A good example of this is a job. You may work a job where your head tells you good pay, benefits, promotion but your heart is some place else. And by not going with your heart, and God’s direction, you end up not living by faith and fulfilling your destiny.

Friends, if you love God, you love Jesus Christ and God’s word, Satan hates you. And Satan will use whatever illusions he can to deceive you. Which brings me to the experiment I mentioned earlier.

I had seen something on holograms. Holograms have been around for a while. They are on credit cards now and even on driver licenses. But there are other holograms where an illusion can be placed in mid air. How? A projector projects the image. A good example is Obi-Wan in Star Wars. More of a Star Trek fan myself.

I thought I would try the experiment of creating a hologram  (What a great project for school or for dad and the kids). I already have a 3D program I use to create people and some are in my posts on this blog. So I tried the clear plastic CD cases, cutting them to size, taping the sides together and setting the contraption on a projected 3D image from my computer. I failed. But the picture below I retrieved from the Internet to show a hologram. The photo is not mine.

But others have succeeded in projecting holograms and word is, Beyonce’ did a hologram performance. I am not a fan and did not check it out but I did find some unique holograms. Images today can be created with great quality in software. And a hologram created from a quality 3D image could fool most people. After all, the hologram is an illusion. And an illusion is deception. And Jesus said, Matthew 24:24 KJV
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

Which shows how important it is to know the word of God and plant seeds of the word of God into your heart and mouth. Happy Feast of Tabernacles.
Until next time.

Illusions of Believers / Mega Churches

Have you noticed the rise of “mega churches”? We have more and more people joining mega churches but our culture is decaying more and more, why?

Mega churches give the illusion of more people getting saved. But it is an illusion and how we can tell, is our culture. How do I know this? Because when we really get saved, God changes our heart. God changes us. And God changes us from the inside out. So when the church acts like the world and believers do the same thing as the heathen, where is the heart change?

You say yeah, but I thought I am under grace. Yes, you are. But what condition were you in when you came to Christ for salvation? Why would you want to go back or live the way you use to live when you were in a mess? When someone gets saved they ask God to forgive them and they have repentance. Repentance is turning and going the opposite direction. 180° the opposite direction. So why would you want to return to your mess?

Scripture says once we get saved God wants us to be changed – Romans 8:29 KJV  “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

How does that happen? Proverbs 4:23 KJV  “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

Everything to do with life comes out of the heart.

You see, once you get saved, really saved, God performs a circumcision of your heart – Romans 2:29 KJV  “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

And God instructs us in our heart, not our head. Let me say that again, the Spirit of God lives in us (believers) and instructs our heart, not our head.  That’s why your head tells you one thing and your heart something else. A good example of this is a job. You may work a job where your head tells you good pay, benefits, promotion but your heart is some place else. And by not going with your heart, and God’s direction, you end up not living by faith and fulfilling your destiny.

God designed things with seeds. God starts with creation and he puts seeds in everything. So if you ask God for an oak tree, he will give you an acorn. If you ask God for a baby, your husband plants the seed. Technically, seeds can grow most anywhere. Once the seed is planted it will bring forth after it’s kind.

Well if you ask God for truth, he gives you his word, which is called seed in the parable of the sower. And where is that seed planted? In the heart of man – Luke 8:11-12 KJV  “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
[12] Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

So if the word of God is not in your heart, your life does not change. That is why our culture is getting worse. People have said a prayer but their life has not changed because they have allowed things from the world into their heart and not the word of God.

When Jesus said it is said thou shalt not commit adultry, but I say whoever looks on a woman with lust has committed adultry in his heart. Why? Lust is a seed of adultry and when you look on a woman with lust you plant the seed in your heart.

Remember the parable of the mustard seed? Luke 17:6 KJV “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

This explains that the world and Satan plant seeds in our heart. And instead of thinking and acting from your head you have to use the word of God, through faith, to pluck up the bad seeds and water and nurture the good seeds.

And that is how you change your life. You see things in your life you want to change for God. You find the scripture relating to those areas in scripture. So in a Concordance you look up the word and copy the verses that apply to your situation. You then pray and ask God to help you. Then start quoting out loud those verses and by doing that, you are planting seeds of God’s promises (and God can not lie). By quoting out loud the scripture the seeds are going into your heart and life. When something tries to disrupt or confuse you, you, by faith, pluck it up (like the mustard seed example) .

People are looking for answers and they go to mega churches. Instead of mega churches explaining the heart change and repentance, they have learned to package everything as love and beauty,  fluff. And people continue in their sin and now, things are even worse. The only way your life will change is if you allow God to change your heart. Our culture gets worse because people are not taught truth of a changed heart.

2 Corinthians 3:3 KJV  “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

With God, it is all about your heart. Even salvation is a matter of the heart changing not the head.  “Romans 10:9-10 KJV  “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

So don’t think these mega churches are made up of true believers and don’t think just because you say a prayer you are saved. Has your heart changed?

Until next time.

Deal With Inner Hurt

Your body may be in one place but you are where your mind is. You can be 70 years old but if you are 40 in your mind, you will live like a 40 year old, not a 70 year old. The same is true if you have been abandoned, raped, cheated on, divorced, your mind tells you I am a failure as a husband or wife. In the case of sexual abuse or rape, your mind tells you – you are dirty. Those thoughts you carry with you throughout your life. So when you meet someone new and after time the same problems pop up, you convince yourself of things that are not true.

When people bring their thoughts, fears, failures and emotions from your past into a new place, a new job, a new relationship you can cause the new to be like your past. Another words, if you do not learn from history, history is bound to repeat itself. If you do not learn from your experiences you are bound to repeat them. So let us learn from God so we do not repeat the same mistakes and so we can heal and help others.

When the same “type” of problem seems to happen over and over again, to you, it is not that the problem happens over and over but you are carrying the problem with you. You have to deal with the problem. 

Someone who was sexually abused as a child or raped as a youngster has a hard time with relationships. Often they have been married and divorced several times, had relationships out of marriage and find committed relationships difficult. The question is, why?

Is it their portion in life? No. Was that in God’s plan for them? No. Did God make the abuse or rape happen to them? No. And what happens is the person grows up carrying the hurt, deep hurt in their soul (mind, will and emotions) with them through their life. They bury the pain and hurt inside them and that hurt and pain stays in them and alters all their relationships.

When a husband or wife is unfaithful, that inner hurt comes back. As many of my regular readers know, my father left my mother for many women. I watched my mother, who was sexually abused as a child, by her father, grow to believe all men were sex perverts. Although my mother remarried later in her life, it was not until she was 80 years old when, through Jesus Christ, she could forgive her father.

Was my mother a failure as a wife and mother? No. Did God make my mother go through that hurt? No. God does not make bad things happen, he walks us through the bad things, holding our hand. So my mom carried the hurt with her for years.

Until you deal with the problem, the hurt and pain inside you, you can not get free. People who have been sexually abused or raped, especially as a child, loose trust. Someone they trusted hurt them. Someone older and bigger than them, who they trusted as a grown up or family member, hurt them and hurt them deeply.

Often you see a change in someone’s actions or behaviour after they were abused or raped. As the person grows up, it is hard for them to trust people. No matter who the person is, they can not fully trust them. Jesus understood this when he helped Mary Madeline.

Regardless of where you are physically in your body, if your mind is in a state of anger, hurt, betrayal and you don’t trust people, you carry those emotions into all your relationships. But we are told by God to walk in the spirit not the flesh and not our mind. So when you are born again, God wipes the slate clean and you start afresh.
2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

It does not matter if it is a failed business, sexual abuse, rape, financial loss, mortgage foreclosure, abortion, abandoned, or anything, you have to take it to God and leave it with Jesus at the cross. Then learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Remember, you are not what your mind says you are and you are not your body, you are spirit. So live in the spirit.
Until next time.

Running From Thoughts

Last time we mentioned Elijah the prophet of God, lived at a time, a very wicked man ruled in the northern kingdom of Israel. The wicked man was Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel. Interestingly, God tells Elijah to go to Ahab and speak to him and God even tells Elijah where he will find Ahab.

1 Kings 21 and 22 go into depth about Ahab but God tells Elijah to tell Ahab God is going to bring evil on him because Ahab sold himself to work wickedness ( 1 Kings 21:21-29). God also tells him his wife, Jezebel, is going to be eaten by dogs. (Not an allegory but real dogs).

Three years go by and sure enough Ahab is killed ( 1 Kings 22:37-40). Ahab’s wicked reign lasted 22 years (1 Kings 16:29). Now Ahab is dead but Jezebel is still alive.

Then we read Elijah is taken up (raptured) to heaven and Elisha takes his place ( 2 Kings 2:1-15). And then we read that Jezebel is standing in a window and Jehu tells the eunuchs to throw her down. They throw Jezebel out the window and Jehu tramples her. They go in to eat and when they come out to take Jezebel’s body to bury it, there is nothing left of her body except her skull, feet and palms of her hands. Just like God told Elijah years before in 1 Kings 21:23. And Ahab’s 70 sons were all killed. Why? Because Ahab and Jezebel did so wickedly and they caused their family and nation to sin greatly against God. Sound like any leaders you know today?

Imagine when Elisha saw what God told his master Elijah, come to pass. God was very upset with Ahab and Jezebel. Scripture says God knew Jezebel stirred up Ahab to do wickedness in 1 Kings 21. Not only did Jezebel come against God and God’s people but she also stirred her husband up to do things against God.

Revelation 2:20 mentions Jezebel as we explained last time. Clearly, there are those who deliberately lie, misguide, teach and seduce people into their teachings, not the word of God. Many do it by selling themselves for profit. Example: Someone asks you to do a mailing or hand out coupons and they are willing to pay you so much money to do that. What do you do?

Some would say yes, okay. And set up the details. Others would say, what is the mailing / coupons and say okay, that’s not what I believe but I need a job. And then there are the Elijah(s) who say no, I am not promoting something that clearly goes against God, his word and what God says. So how did each of the three come up with their decision?

Do you make decisions based on what you know? Do you make decisions based on what you think? What you believe? Have you ever made a wrong decision? Most people live by what they think. They live where their mind is, where their body is. You are where your mind is. That’s why you can be on vacation and not have a good time. Your mind is at work or some place else.

People lay in bed trying to go to sleep and their mind is going 1000 miles an hour. Then you can’t get to sleep. Elijah saw Jezebel kill prophets of God ( 1 Kings 18:4 ). After that Elijah called God to send fire from heaven and God did ( 1 Kings 18).  Ahab tells Jezebel how Elijah killed all their (false) prophets in 1 Kings 19.   So when Jezebel “said” she was coming after Elijah, Elijah had a picture in his mind of what she was planning to do to him. So Elijah ran. He fled. Was she chasing him? No.

Was Jezebel’s threat real? Yes. But Elijah had fear based on what he saw in his mind. So God reassures Elijah in 1 Kings 19:3-21. God had called Elijah and God was protecting Elijah.  Friends, we live by images we have in our mind. We see pictures of people starving and hungry so we try to stock up food. We see poverty and those images are in our mind. People run from images. They have images in their mind so they run.

People run from images in their mind and not what is really happening. We run from the devil when God tells us he will protect us and no evil thing will hurt us.

Satan creates fear in our mind. Then we get pictures in our mind. Then we act on those images or pictures and not on the promises of God. When Israel was trapped at the Red Sea they were afraid. Just because you are afraid does not mean you are in danger. Israel did not know God intended to part the Red Sea. They saw they were trapped and they had pictures in their mind of being slaughtered by Pharaoh.

Jesus told us, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. And to comfort and strengthen us, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit. That’s why God tells believers, be anxious for nothing.

You can not let yesterday’s hurts paint pictures in your mind that makes you afraid to step out some place new with God. We will pick it up from here  next time.