Tag: wellness

  • Do You Have one of these Gifts?

    Do You Have one of these Gifts?

    All of us in the body of Christ have been commissioned to go and tell the world about Christ. He gave us the Holy Ghost to accomplish this command. The Holy Ghost enables and equips us to not only tell about our Savior, but to do works even greater than Christ did. Most important these gifts benefit the whole body. How?

    The Holy Spirit gives within the body several gifts. We have looked at the gift of word of wisdom, gift of word of knowledge, gifts of healing, the gift of working of miracles, and the gift of prophecy– discussed in previous posts. 7) To another the Spirit gives the gift of discerning of spirits. How this is so needed in the churches making up the body of Christ. Let us begin by defining the term discerning–“someone with keen insight and good judgement, particularly when it comes to making careful assessments of quality or details. They can distinguish subtle differences and are able to evaluate things with a critical eye, often recognizing the nuances that others might miss.” In discerning spirits, the individual with this gift can easily see what spirit (disembodied entities) is operating on those around him/her. This person can accurately tell if the spirit of God is the one interacting within the group or if it is demonic spirits come to disrupt or misled. If people possessing this gift would rise up and be the voice when wolves in sheep’s clothing are at the pulpit and shut them down, my belief is that less people genuinely seeking the kingdom of God, would be misled.

    To another individual the Spirit gives divers kinds of tongues. Now this is a very debatable definition that I am going to give about tongue, but if you search in the bible, it is very evident that tongues is a language spoken is some part of the world, not babblings as we see in today’s church. My favorite verses to show this state “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Thus, the tongues spoken in church are a real language that the speaker does not know or has learned, but someone in the congregation will fully understand every word, thus interpret what was said. I must add that this is given by the Holy Ghost and perfected by the Holy Ghost; no man can teach another how to speak in tongues; teaching tongues is not in the bible. Am I then disputing the babblings that we hear? These may be for private use between the creature and creator; the ones heard in church can only be pure languages of a people in the earth.

    Problem: giving clergy powers that are not theirs. They cannot give you a calling on anyone, they can hand you the right hand of fellowship and pray over you and send you on your way once they recognize the call of God on your life.

    Solution: read the Word of God for yourself asking the Holy Ghost to make it clear to you. You cannot go wrong if the Holy Ghost is your teacher.

  • Gifts to the Body

    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.

  • End of Our Dig

    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.

  • Let’s Dig In 3

    Let’s Dig In 3

    Oooooooh, I got a nugget! I always wondered why God was good with Able’s offering but not Cain’s. Surely just because Cain brought grain and Able blood sacrifice was not the reason one was good and the other not. I John 3:12 says of Cain, “Because his works were evil….” My thinking is that Cain was always evil thus his capability of killing his own flesh and blood. I know rambling again….

    We fight against principalities (established territories-Let’s Dig In 2), and against powers…… Again, let us look at the definition of the word powers so we are all on the same page. The definition of power is the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or influence the course of events.

    The principalities have a ruler that then has influencers– those that are able to direct courses of events within the territory; those that have the ability to influence behaviors of others.

    An example of what I am understanding here is that over my city sits a principality. The principality monitors all that occurs in the city, especially the houses of worship. The ruler and influencers know each person in our territory, our strengths, our weakness, our relationships even our assignments on this earth.

    Doesn’t this remind you of the sci-fi movies/cartoons showing a dual world that parallels this world with some individuals able to teleport or use a portal to go in and out of both worlds. The one example we all know about is satan’s travels. He presents himself with the sons of God before God in heaven (spiritual realm); we see satan appearing to Jesus for the temptations in the wilderness (here on earth).

    Don’t mistake these beings for demons. Satan did not cloth himself in a human body to approach Christ. Satan is not a demon, he is a created being that was kicked out of heaven with the “body” that he ran around in.

    Examples of demons: the account where the seven sons of Sceva (chief of the priests) called those men they knew were exorcists with evil spirits in them and said, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth”. “And the evil spirit answered, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” Demons possess people and are under the rule of the principalities and powers; they are generally on assignment here on earth, they do not reside in the territory with the principalities.

    Problem: we think this is just someone’s imagination put into theatre, not thinking where they got the ideas.

    Solution: read the bible asking the Holy Spirit to reveal unknown things that the heavenly father said were ours to know.

  • What is the real real

    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

  • U distinct?

    U distinct?

    For those in life who find themselves meandering, faltering, falling even in this life—the why must be constant. Forever changing your persona to try and fit so you could enjoy life or at least walk it in peace.

    Could the base line, or at least the foundation needed be identifying your identity? When it is just you, alone— who are you?

    For the one naming the name of Christ the answer should be simple –“I have been crucified with Christ…” Feelings produced by trying to mirror this world and fit in no longer drive, thus you enter into the realm of “nevertheless I live; yet not I”. Have you died to self? Are your ambitions, desires, thoughts and goals relinquished? Have you now donned a new life with a new perspective? Can you say Christ now lives in you? Is the life you now live in your flesh you live by the faith of the Son of God?

    Years ago, there was a saying “what would Jesus do?” Does that ever cross your mind when you are doing what you are doing? Does you get that nagging annoying feeling telling you not to engage in what you are about to do, or even doing?

    Today it seems as if we name the name of Christ, and it ends there. Our identity is tied to this present world. We chase after the material things, and pleasures of this world to solidify our identity based on this world, fully agreeing and supporting the standards of this world. Our leaders in the church that we aspire to be like and assimilate constantly attribute their worldly possessions as evidence of being in the center of God’s will (no wonder the “sheep” have gone astray).

    Well I’m rambling now. But each day you arise, and that spirit of meandering, wondering deep inside who you are; what you are on this earth for— let it know you are secure in your identity. Let it know Christ resides in you — spirit, soul and body. The person the antag onist knew no longer exists. Resist that feeling (devil)and it will flee.

    Problem: not knowing who you are or whose you are.

    Solution: read a piece of freedom (Bible), familiarize yourself with it (bible content) , assimilate (copy) and walk in its ways. Your identity is firm. Are you perfect? No, just changed. New perspectives and goals.