Mark 1:23 states “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit…” that unclean spirit in the man recognized Christ! And today we think we should love everybody in the church and trust them to be walking our walk. Just a thought
Tag: mental-health
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Divisions
Paul wrote “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” Which rang in my head when I look at our denominations today. Each denomination sees themselves as the ones having the truth of Christ. How do when we don’t agree— we are not of the same mind.
Then I look at other religions which do not know our truth/Christ and each has a united front. Do Muslims have denominations? Buddhist? Or any other religion? I admit I have to research that matter as I don’t see it. Anyone knows?
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Inner turmoil
At times I don’t think the LORD and I are on the same page. Things appear to fall apart one after another. I feel like I am drowning and faith is slipped from under me. I can’t see anything above where my help comes from, so I just sit—- engorged on every side by false evidence that appears so real. A whisper comes saying slow down. Thus a second wind is revived in me, I can choose to pick up my faith and continue my journey with my new bruises and old scabbed over scars and follow my LORD. I seek only to be in HIS presence, that’s all that matters, being in HIS presence. I am then alright.
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Gifts to the Body
continuation:
To recap: there are spiritual gift for the body that are given thru/by the Holy Spirit. There are differences of gifts, but only one Holy Spirit who gives them all. Now we had established that the gifts are given to individuals within a grouping. The first two gifts mentioned were 1) word of wisdom 2) word of knowledge.
The next gift is 3) the gift of faith— faith is the substance (physical matter, a specific kind of material with particular properties) of things hoped for, the evidence (“the information or objects that can help to prove a statement or fact”) of things not (yet) seen. So clearly the person with the gift of faith sees and has proof within themselves that makes them confident of what they see/know. To them it is as real as the things we physically see, feel, hear or touch. Let us not confuse this gifting with the clairvoyant worldly individual who claims or exhibits an ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact. Gifts can be perverted; “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (a subject for another day). It is important to recognize who is doing the administration of the gift, be it the Holy Spirit (gift of faith) or has it been hijacked by the demonic (clairvoyant)?
4) To another individual is given the gift of healing by the same Spirit. When we think of healing, we envision a cripple being able to walk again, blind eyes opened, and things of this nature. But healing is restoring someone to whole health, spirit, soul and body. The person with this gift is a benefit to the body because some people have to see that God’s people are endowed with such gifts to be able to believe. Some people only believe what they can see or touch. This then aids some to come into the faith.
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What Is Given to the Body
Well, I got my mini back, and I am glad that part of my journey is over. These next few posts we will be in I Corinthians 12. We are looking at the gifts within the body of Christ that Paul taught we should have and see working among us.
One of the important things Paul wants us to take away from this lesson is that we the believers are one, the unity of the body. Sadly, today we have so many divisions amongst ourselves that even the enemy is amused. To add to injury, we the sons of God have picked up the worldly position of looking out for number one. We are worshiping Him with our lips but our hearts are on getting that bag. All we hear now is how to use the word of God to get what “I” want.
These gifts are to edify the body of Christ, not for conjuring up material things, nor for one’s fame. Paul lets us know there is a range of gifts (diversities) all given by the Spirit of God; differences of managing them, and a wide range of operations. Paul emphasizes that in all these differences, they all originate from One God, One Lord and One Spirit.
The manifestation of the Spirit is evidenced by these gifts being seen working within the body. In a given group of people, the Spirit will give one (1) the ability to utter a word of wisdom —- “the supernatural gift that provides insight, guidance, and solutions to problems or dilemmas. while to another person (2)the word of knowledge—a supernatural revelation of facts or information.
continued in next post
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End of Our Dig
Still without my coop cuz several people had to be involved in repairing the recall. I praise God they all agree and are getting the job done. It has been great cuz it gave me reason to break out the motorcycle as a mode of travel. I love the breeze when riding! I know rambling, right?
Yesterday I penned how I hunger and thirst for the Lord. I had been feeling this way for a good minute. This morning, I woke up 3 times within the hour, each time I laid my head back to sleep such a peaceful and warm feeling went through me. The third time I “heard” that was the presence of God you experienced. Wow!
Anyway, let us wrap this mini “series” up. The last group we wrestle with the spiritual wickedness in high places. Although the popular belief is that Paul is talking about demons or fallen angels, I beg to differ. According to Peter, “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment:…” He does not say some of the fallen angels are loosed on the earth to cause havoc, they are all chained; thus are not in high places.
Place is defined in the dictionary as “identify or classify as being of a specified type or as holding a specified position in a sequence or hierarchy.” The hierarchy we see pertaining to the spiritual directly is the clergy hierarchy of the church. In Jesus’ day the spiritual wickedness was evident in the religious leaders–the Pharisees and Sadducees along with the scribes who conspired to have Jesus condemned to death. Today we suffer the same misfortune of having religious leaders in prominent positions (places) who are more interested in their being famous, fleecing Gods people for material gain while feeding them a false gospel. And like the Sadducees and Pharisees doing whatever it takes to keep their positions. These religious leaders are named among fornicators, adulterers, sextual abusers of young children –females as well as males, whoremongers, homosexuals, liars, thieves and all other ungodly behavior that you can think of –spiritual wickedness in high places. We as the sons of God must dethrone these who have willingly submitted themselves to be the enemy of the cross from these high places. You may argue that this last group is flesh and blood, but you have to realize we fight against the spirit they now walk in. They now walk in darkness and disobedience.
These none flesh and blood are whom we wrestle against day and night. Prayer vigils, prayer chains, and individual prayers are the way we fight the fight of faith. Now you see the enemy clearly and you are armed.
Problem: relying on men instead of the most Holy God.
Solution: read the Word of God for yourselves, search the scriptures for yourself to see if what you hear from “experts” matches what the bible says.
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Continue To Dig In
I so hunger and thirst for God! I can so identify with the Psalmist who penned ” my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” You have moments like that?
Continuing about the spirit world that Paul says we need to be aware of as they are the real forces we need to battle with instead of those we physically see. They are the influencers of behaviors that sometimes we scratch our heads about; even in ourselves.
Another group making up this “world” are the rulers of the darkness of this world. What is the darkness of this world? Darkness is where there is no light, thus where there is no God. We all have experienced in the natural that where there is no light, there is darkness and vise versa. As God is the light in us, we can then deduce that those without God are in darkness; they are children of the night, children of dark.
Colossians lets us know that we were delivered from the power of darkness and were translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. This is what Paul is speaking about when he says we fight against rulers of darkness. Ephesians also points out that we once “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” These are the ones the gospel is hid from, they don’t walk according to its ways. Corinthians lets us know that if the gospel is hid from anyone, it is to those that are lost because the god of this world has blinded their minds so they don’t believe, “lest the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them. They are in darkness and subjects of the rulers thereof. Demons (those with the ability to possess a person) and these rulers work hand in hand with the principalities and powers, working that which is evil.
Problem: we easily play with this when it is presented in entertainment form. Many who present this in entertainment form have used the bible as a place to get great ideas. Unfortunately, they pervert the whole concept. Read the word for yourself and go to the Holy Ghost for proper teachings. Compare anyone else with the word and what the Spirit of the Lord lead you to.
Solution: just read the bible for yourself with the aid of the Holy Ghost.
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Let’s Dig In 2
Put your helmet on, this is mind boggling; easily seen as childish imaginations. Truely own who you are—that blood washed, blood bought, son of the living God, victorious in every situation, more than a conqueror as we walk this part of this journey! Know that you are not of this world.
“Fear not: for they that are with us are more than they that be with them.” Mmmmh you are probably wondering where we see this. Remember when Elisha prayed to the Lord (evidence of the invisible world) to open the eyes (natural eyes to see in the spiritual realm) of his young man who then saw the chariots and horses of fire round about Elisha? But Elisha said “those that be with them” — who are they?
Paul admonished “For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities…”. The dictionary’s definition of a principality (also called a princedom) is “a type of monarchial state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity”. Since we are privied to live in such a tech society, AI has an overview of a biblical “definition” that states a principality as “hierarchical order of spiritual beings or authorities… understood to exert influence and rule over various aspects of human life and the world, including nations, institutions, and even individual lives.” Let reality hit you.
Each local, whether it be state, city, county, neighborhoods, even down to individuals, fight against a territory with an identified ruler, who wields authority. This is an organized, well thought out, and an undeniably devastating infestation. They are the beginning of your sorrows.
Problem: we know close to nothing about our enemy, but they know everything about us. We don’t even acknowledge their existence. Instead, our fight is to gain material possessions as we die by degrees.
Solution: read the Word of God for yourself asking the Holy Spirit to aluminate it for you.
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Let’s Dig In
I usually post in the mornings but today has been one distraction after another. My car had to go 2 hours away for a dealer to fix the “recall” issues on it. My poor servicer’s response to any question posed was “I have to find out for you”. Anyway, that was five hours spent to end up with “we have to have a project manager look at the car to determine what to do”. No use complaining right? I know, rambling again!
So let us look at what Paul says we must have or wear for the battle ever before us. Once you see that the real world is this unseen world, and every issue you have stems from here, you have to realize the weapons you have learned to use in the physical world will not work for you in this realm. Paul says to put on all of these—-not one, two or a few of these as gear. All of them must be on your person for your life’s duration.
The first piece of armor is the belt of truth. Truth will cover your loins (that is your region of sextual organs, the source of erotic or procreative power). What comes to mind here are the strong erotic sextual thoughts that land in the mind from time to time. Pornography, human trafficking, prostitution, adultery and fornication are only the tip of the iceberg used by the enemy to cripple our society. The enemy knows how human can be bound using sexuality. The word of God delves into what is clean and unclean sextually, so be fortified with that information.
The second piece consists of your preparation of the gospel of peace that you move in. Simply put, wherever you may go, always study and be prepared to speak the word. Season your speech with the word of God. At times it may be to inform, and at others it will be for your defense. Nothing is more powerful than the word of God, no matter what it looks like. Be prepared.
The third piece, the most important piece, is your shield made up of your faith. You will put out all fires ignited against you, all fiery darts (missiles)aimed to take your faith down. Know instead of ignore your weaknesses, your vulnerabilities. Face them. There is nothing worse than being hit on your blind side. The enemy is not playing patty cake with you– he has come to steal, kill and destroy. That is his end game.
Fourth, the helmet. A helmet is used to reduce the risk of serious injuries or death. Helmets absorb any impact when you are hit, they protect the brain from trauma. Yes, the snicky devil will traumatize you to stop you. How often do we hear these days how trauma has highjacked people’s lives. It even leaves some damaged beyond repair for life (mental well- being). So, what you think is paramount in the battlefield, you have to know who you are. Our salvation gave us a new identity. This is what we pull out to absorb the nonsense that is thrown at us to get us off balance; to manipulate us, or to make us delusional. Your identity has to be intact at all times, at all times know who you are!
Sixth is the one weapon we wield fiercely, our sword of the Spirit. What is this powerful weapon that is quick, powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart? The Word of God. It cuts those unseen enemies that dare attack you.
I had always wondered if speaking the word hit its target. I now see that it does every time, quick, power -filled, and sharply. These enemies hurt like I do – how satisfying!
From just the effort and admonition that Paul sees fit to prefix the identity of these enemies; we have to emphasize the importance of learning all we can about these enemies.
Next, we will look at who the principalities are and their function.
Problem: no armor on, or how is it on?
Solution: know each part, secure it on your person
See you on the next post!
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What is the real real
I’m struggling to write today. So much in the mind. Are there two realms(dimensions) in this life? I mean is there only this physical realm and its norms. Is there also a world that is not physically seen and experienced with the five senses? A world beyond praying and meditating; beyond the belief system of any religion; a world spirits occupy?
Paul speaks of such a world when he pens “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, (this physical world and all it contains), but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Who is Paul talking about. Are we so busy mining the word for what will enrich us in this world that we have become as those that have gained the whole world not seeing the danger of losing our very souls?
Why is the Church not teaching about those that Paul emphasized the fight to be with? Who are these principalities? What is their function/purpose? How do we wrestle with them?
Let’s take time to find answers concerning these that are not flesh and blood.
Problem: lack of knowledge. (it is said about us “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”)
Solution: put time into studying
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