Month: May 2017

What We have Done with God?

History has shown mankind is like their creator in taking an idea, materials, and putting them together creating a solid functional self-sustaining powered invention. Mankind has taken, is taking, and will take things in the future from this world forming a creation from their own minds because we are His children.

Have you ever been told to ‘put yourself in someone else’s shoes or situation‘ to try to see their side of the story, view, or perspective? This was my parent’s way of hinting to me to be slower on judging someone until you have all the facts. Have you heard the saying to ‘look before you leap‘? This was also a hint to make sure of what you are getting ready to jump into with both feet, which implies all of your weight and reputation behind it. I will admit I did not do this well in the beginning, but with time and a few hard knocks in life the practicing became automatic. When you imagine yourself in another person’s situation wondering what you would do in their place and the conclusion you would make defines the ‘What You Have Done’ with them.

Interesting thought came to me a long time ago about putting myself in other people’s situations and looking before leaping  that I was being equal to other areas in life. I was giving people chances of understanding even when they did not show the same courtesy to me. I found I was leaving someone out of this viewing things from their side. I was not trying to see from God’s point of view. I was not trying to put myself into His situation to see His side of the story. This opened up a whole new world of things. It is enlightening when you take the time to try to see from different angles. You gain a perspective with a more complete, wholesome, and rounded understanding. I started my journey with “What We Have Done with God” to try to see from His point of view and He gave me something far beyond than what I originally thought. God actually allows us to take Him and make our own decisions without stopping us. Are we judging God fairly? Are we taking His stuff and using them in the right way? Freedom of choice is stamped on all His earthly stuff He gave us.

BEGINNING

First, before we put ourselves in God’s so-to-speak shoes we must have an idea about Him just like we would for another person we are trying to understand. There are three main ingredients that have come to know define God as God. He is present everywhere at the same time (Omnipresent), all-knowing (Omniscient), and all-powerful (Omnipotent). He took areas of His Presences and made some things to be solid from His Spirit. He took His Knowledge and made the solid forms to have functions and purpose for their existence. He took His Power and gave the solid forms the ability to fulfill their functions. All three ingredients are in all creation His presences (solid forms, tangible), knowledge (function and purpose), and power (sustaining ability for purpose). John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. If we are going to put ourselves in God’s so-to-speak shoes to see from His side then we have to go with what we can see and touch. We are more on this side of the tangible things than understanding the things intangible.

This may be difficult to wrap our minds around, but as an example there was emptiness, darkness with no light in the beginning. God imagining the sun shining in the darkness of space is literally already there before He spoke it into existence. God said, “Let there be light” and the birth of the sun appeared in space with His solidness, His function, and His power. We have come to know the sun in outer space sends its warming light to us and the earth keeping us alive. The plan inside God’s Spirit was for the sun to become solid with a function and the power to do its job. The earth was made solid with a function and the power to do its job. The water, the dirt, the rocks, the grass, the plants, and the trees were made solid in His Spirit with the function of His Knowledge and His Power for them to sustain their purpose. All of these things have a bond beneath them the human eye cannot see. Scientist has found what God allowed them to find in molecules with atoms bonded together exchanging back and forth the solid things we see on the surface.

When we walk on dirt and grass we are walking on the material God turned from His Spirit into a created powered together solid functioning existence. It would not be there if it were not for God. His Spirit making things solid, functional, and the power to do its purpose is the key to “What We Have Done with God“.

All of creation is made of God’s everywhere existence, all-knowing set functional design, and His all-powerful presence in the physical output purpose. God’s Word presence, knowledge, and power were in solid form in the sun, moon, stars, grass, trees, fruits, animals, and in mankind. All these things are only solid back then and today because God put Himself into them with His presence, His knowledge, and His power. For an example if God extracted Himself totally from a rock taking away His Presence (physical/material form), Knowledge (reason/plan of existence), and Power (bonding molecules/atoms) the rock would lose its power to stay together, its knowledge of planned existence, and its solid presence back into nothingness. Wow, this can be mind-blowing, but this is an attempt to step into God’s world for us to see from His visible/invisible side.

THE SCALES

Now, let us slowly get into the good/evil side of creation and God being in all things. We are still trying to step over inside the so-to-speak shoes of God. Good/Evil and Light/Darkness are born from choices. All of creation at one time was purely good with no evil in them. God is freedom of choices. His choice for all of us was good and outside of that was up to the creation’s choices. God being good was the only active element in the beginning. The opposite of God was there, but it was not active. The angels and mankind would have to activate evil from their own choosing (What We Have Done with God). In God’s shoes He created angels with the intelligence of the freedom to choose good or evil. God created us in His image and likeness which automatically comes with the freedom of choice of good or evil. God made angels and mankind solid material from His Presence, put the planned functionality of His Knowledge upon them, and made them alive by His Power with the independent intelligence of freedom of choice compared to other creations. He gave us and angel’s solid form, functionality, and power to self exist, but a mind-set to choose freely whatever we desire. Being made of God’s material, functionality, and power to exist is separate from the choices we make from within the bodies He gave us. “What We Have Done with God” is taken His material and did with them as we pleased.

Now, looking back with the mindset of putting ourselves in God’s so-to-speak shoes is it God’s fault the angel Lucifer became the devil? Freedom of choice is having your own control over your destiny. The opposite of freedom of choice would be like a blade of grass with only a set function and no ability to choose otherwise. Today, we would think of a robot (not a TV robot) programmed with set parameters with no ability to detour from that set path of right or wrong. The angel Lucifer known as the morning star, the son of the dawn had a position high above all other angels. He was covered with every precious stone with settings and mountings made of gold on the day he was created. He was an anointed and ordained guardian cherub on the holy mount of God blameless in his ways from the day he was created until he made his choice. At this time the opposite of God (evil, disease, death, hell, and the grave) was locked away and not free to do as it pleases. Lucifer took the material, functionality, and power to exist of what God gave him looking upon himself with pride in his heart of his beautiful precious stones, settings and mounts of gold wanting more than what he already was (Ezek. 28:13-17). He was not the poorest of angels that rebelled out of complaint, but the richest of angels. He took his freedom of choice and said ‘I will‘ take heaven, put a throng above God, sit there over everyone, be above the tops of the clouds, and make myself like the Most High – God (Is. 14:12-14). What did Lucifer do with what God gave him? He took his solid body made of God’s presence, the functionality of God’s knowledge, and the abilities of God’s power to trade it with the choice of his heart and mind for the opposite of God to become God. What have we done with God?

When God made us He took His idea of a creation from His Knowledge to be made with a physical appearance of what His likeness and His image would look like in solid form. He took the dirt of the earth forming a physical body placing the function upon that body as like one of His children above all other creations giving it power by its own living spirit born from His breath. We have His solidness made in His image with the likeness of functionality of His Knowledge, and the living power of His breath. He gave complete responsibility and control over all the earth into our hands like as He has control over all things because we are His children.

Again, the freedom to choose would not exist unless there was an opposite of God. “What did We Do with God” in the Garden of Eden? Everything was good in the world, but one tree having the knowledge of good and evil. The opposite of God was once again trapped in one tree with the warning passed onto Adam and Eve what would happen in choosing to eat of that tree. Eve on the freedom of her choice reached out with her hand took the forbidden fruit raising it up to her mouth, took a bite, and then handed it to Adam who made the same choice as Eve. They took God’s goodness and released the opposite of God (evil, disease, death, hell, and the grave) onto themselves and the rest of the world. It is “What We Have Done with God” that has determined the good or evil outcomes. People want freedom and God has allowed those choices to be made freely.

If God is in all material can He be used for evil being a good God? All material in the beginning was only good. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is upon everything in the earth and the angels that freely chose the opposite of God. The lion did not eat the lamb until after what Adam and Eve did with God. Cain their first son did not know man’s death until he made the choice to kill his brother. It is not God Himself doing the evil, but “What We Have Done with God” has given us in solid form, functionality, and power.

If God is in all physical material then does that mean He is in the knife that was used to kill someone? God is in all material, but it is what we have done with Him – that material. Man took solid, programmed functioned, held together by His power stones/rocks of the earth and formed spears, knives, and swords. Man under the freedom of choice created the knife. The knife within itself (the material) is not evil, but what a person does with it chooses the side of good and evil. A knife in a skillful doctor could save a life and the same knife in the hands of someone evil could take a life.  God is in the material that makes up the knife. The material is still God and not bad within itself, but the action of our usage of the knife made it to bad on us. It is “What We Have Done with God” and not what God has done with us. He gave us everything we needed to be like Him, but our choice started the struggle to good like Him once again.

From the very beginning standing in God’s shoes He inserted a way we (mankind) could be saved after we failed Him and ourselves. We were not totally made of eternal material like the angels, but we have a side of us from the earth. The angels are totally made of eternal material, which means their choices are final. Our material half spirit substance and half earth substance God could pass the death penalty onto the earth side of us through the death of the man Jesus Christ applying his blood to our debt washing us clean and opening the in filling of the fire power of God’s Spirit inside with our spirit purifying for a life in eternity with God. All this is still under the choice of “What We Have Done with God“. We have once again a choice of good or evil because of what God did with Himself for our sake.

It is what we have done with God that determines the deciding factor of our good or bad upon our spirit. The responsibility is upon the driver of that material and not the material itself. It is not the material of the bullet that is evil, but the usage from the driver of that material determines the usage to be evil or good. Could it be people kill people? The bullet made of God’s particle material shaped into a bullet inside a gun. It is God’s material that makes up our body with given permission to us to drive it as we see fit. It is God’s earth that we take and make things from it with given permission to use it as we see fit. It is what we have done with our body (finger on the trigger), done with the gun (metals put together). The driver inside the body killed the other driver corrupting the spirit and not the material. The material remains the programmed function because it was the usage that put corruption or sin on the user? The earth will not be sent to heaven or hell for its actions, but the angels and people will be judged according to “What We Have Done with God“.

The guns, knives, swords, bombs, drugs, etc…are materials we have put together and used it for the purpose of good or evil. We are like our Father in that we have a mindset to think of ways to create using what is around us. The good or evil falls upon the shoulders of our inward spirit that is inside our bodies. It was our action that brought death and disease into this world, not God. If you are thinking in a blaming way, ‘but He allowed it‘ would be a ‘yes, He did‘ because we are not robots programmed without the freedom of choice. He made us His children free to choose like Him. It was not the material that is evil because all things are made of Him in the original state of goodness. This is why God after creating things would say, it is good. Our action brought the spirit of evil, death, and disease upon the usage of the material. We gave the devil control to use the material of this world for his bidding. The spirit of the lion was corrupted to eat the lamb, but not in the original physical state of the lion. The lion now has the evil nature upon its material that was made of God. It was never meant to kill. We were never meant to kill. Our nakedness was never meant to be divided into shame. Our material bodies and our spirit being were pure through and through.

Everything in this life is born with the potential acts of evil, disease, and death. In the beginning evil was contained in one tree and one group of fallen angels. Everywhere else was purity, peace, kindness, joy, and innocent love with no need or necessity of any laws, except for one law of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This one law kept evil locked in one place. With the freedom of choice Adam and Eve released and expanded the territory of death, hell, and the grave to the entire world. We are all coated with the potential of horrible sexual immoralities, diverse impurities and over indulgence; worship of false idols and witch crafts; all sorts of hatred, lovers of discord, destructive jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, always disagreeing, closed off from others, not happy with ourselves; drunkards, orgies, and anything else you can think of. Being born with the potential of evil on all things explains why our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but what is upon it from the rulers, authorities, the powers of darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12) we released from the one locked in place of the knowledge of good and evil. 

IT IS WHAT WE HAVE DONE WITH GOD IN THE MATERIAL THINGS HE GAVE US IN THIS WORLD. He is in the physical and in the spiritual. We got separated from Him in both the physical and the spiritual. Death had to be paid by one of them. God was willing to sacrifice the physical, but not our spirit. He came to save our spirit and not the world. The world and our old flesh will return to nothingness. He will give us a new body and a new world free from the control of evil. There will be no sorrow there. It all comes back to what we have done with what God gave us that puts the goodness or evil upon it. It is not God’s fault. The material does nothing of itself we have to animate it to make it good or evil. If you have made it this far I say, “God Bless You” for enduring the length of this writing. I have so much that He gives me that it is difficult to compress it into few words.

What Have I Done with You God and What You Have Given Me? You are very special in His eyes. Don’t throw yourself away or waste the things He has given you. Your life is important not to Him only, but the potential brothers and sisters lost around you. Hear His calling voice in the wind of change for your free will choice. Here am I Lord take this body and the driver within to be made into a pleasing vessel inside and out.

 

Nobody Knows

There is no human being in the past, present, or future that knows in one hundred percent details of what is going on deep down inside your mind, heart, and soul except for one who is no longer here physically. Right now as you are reading these words sitting in a chair, laying on the bed, waiting for the bus to arrive, or at the kitchen table only you know the thoughts and feelings you are having at this moment. If there are people around you your thoughts and feeling are not being broadcast for anyone and everyone to see.

If you should even attempt to concentrate to broadcast your thoughts and feelings they will still go unnoticed and unheard. How many times have you stared into someone’s face while they are talking and the thoughts you are having would get you into trouble if they were broadcast out loud instantly? Most people rely upon body language to try to see inside others practicing a guessing game at what thoughts and feelings you are having, but never truly seeing one hundred percent details of your mind, heart, and soul.

The brother or sister you fought with growing up hearing you say, “I hate you” did not truly see the entire inside your mind and heart. The words could have been spoken because they were leaving you behind and the intention was just one more time give me some last-minute attention before you go, instead of “I hate you” and “I wish you would die” intentions. They did not see the broken heart and the inside tears dripping from the thoughts you are leaving me all alone. They did not see the hole that pulled away from your heart as they walked away. The reality of how much they were a part of the love in your heart surprises even yourself increasing the sorrow of “I did not realize until now” they are leaving. Nobody sees the engulfing defeating pain of “It is too late now” and “there is no second chance“. They only see the outside of facial and body language with no clue to the depth of suffering occurring right before their eyes hidden inside of you. Your spirit is not broadcasting one hundred percent of what is truly going on the inside of your body only the outward physical actions are dropping hints.

A great majority of people don’t even see with understanding the outward hints of the facial or physical clues. On top of that a great majority of people just don’t care, which is one of the saddest things on earth. There is a beauty to seeing and connecting to the inward parts of a person that go beyond descriptive words anyone could ever speak outwardly. There is a world inside each person that has mountains, valleys, rivers, slums, cities, towns, schools, jails, court rooms, execution rooms, happy places, war-torn zones, tombstones, sunrise, sunsets, rain, snow, teddy bears, snakes, horses, dogs, cats, birds, lakes, oceans, caves, and many more things.

Night has come and everyone has done their routine before bed as you lay down and the lights go out. Nobody knows as you silently lay there on your pillow the small trickling thoughts start flowing down your little creek bed as the water increases to overflowing your banks, out your eyes, down your check silently dripping and soaking into your pillow in the covered darkness of night. Even if you have someone beside you there is no broadcasting out loud the pain and suffering you are silently enduring. The bombing thoughts of something you love that is going away explodes all around you feeling powerless to stop the bombs falling from the sky. In the silence of the night inside your mind and heart an entire war can be erupting with a deafening sound to a hearing ear the horrific sites you see and “Nobody knows“. You lay there in a fox hole hoping the morning when and if you wake up to everything will be changed.

Inside your mind, heart, and spirit is an unlimited world that ‘Nobody knows‘ truly exists. Your body walks by the cubicles at work, the doorways, through the warehouse, down the assembly lines, or the saw-tables with every person absent-minded of the spirit of suffering inside. They see an outward smile you have practiced and hear words of greetings you have perfected, but the dying lonely spirit inside goes unseen and unheard.

As you walk with one foot falling out front with the other foot swinging into place in front of the other creating a forward motion for the body while the mind is frozen into place with heart pounding shock. The thoughts will not come for the numbness has them locked up. The pressure from deep down below begins to push its way upward as they reach the outlet at the top spilling out over the bottom eye lid. To the outside world water flows downhill naturally, but the hidden inward world of a hurting soul the water flows upward pushing up, out, and then down onto the cheek beside the nose to the chin dripping its brokenness. Who can truly see inside the house of flesh the details for the reason of suffering? Who truly cares to know in all purity of intentions? You body begins to stumble as you walk being a reflection to the staggering soul within. You want to help them so bad, but there are no ideas only emptiness with tormenting sorrow for the nothingness that can be done. Everything around you is totally oblivious to what is happening on the inside and you find yourself in place wondering ‘how did I get here?‘

Everyone leaves the house hearing the last person shut the door “Nobody Knows” your back leans against the wall sliding down to sitting on the floor as your arms prop onto your knees with your hands catching your face with streaming tears pouring into your hands as a deep mourning cry begins to burst forth with an utterance and a language that cannot be translated. You fall forward crawling towards the bed, couch, or chair dripping the tears of heartache and wishes. You dedicated many years of your life to saving that someone finding with all your efforts, sacrifices, and denying of personal happiness they walk away from you straight into the fire you wished to save and protect them from the burning pain. The wall holds no record broadcasting the memory of your sorrow. The floor, bed, couch, or chair does not highlight or glow the dripping spots of your tears to the evidence of your hidden tormenting brokenness.

Inside your body there is a gathering around your heart “Nobody Knows“. They have come together to crush your spirit with the past, present, and the future. Loneliness joins hands with powerlessness, powerlessness locks hands with sadness, sadness joins regret-fullness,  regret-fullness joins with unfulfilled, unfulfilled with emptiness, nowhere to go and no answer in sight closes the circle around your heart starting the squeezing pressure of no tomorrow for you. ‘Why doesn’t someone truly see me?’, ‘Why does no one come to my help?’, ‘Why, am I so invisible?’

I am lonely with a loneliness physical gratification is not enough. The relationships that started quickly, a dream come true, a long time coming, too good to be true, played, and got together for the wrong reasons plagues the memories of a soul is something “Nobody Knows” the deep scars left inside the hidden spirit under our flesh. The physical plays only a band-aid part, but not the completeness of the cure. There is a hunger and thirst that goes far beyond the limits of this lonely house of flesh we live in.

Your spirit is inside your house of flesh. No one can truly look in through your windows seeing one hundred percent in details what your spirit is doing, thinking, or feeling on the inside. You can be shoulder to shoulder at a concert with someone thinking of dying inches away from your spirit and you would never know it. They could be sitting in the chair next to you with a broken heart of despair and you would never know it. They can be a well-known person in the public’s eye with a spirit of detrimental loneliness that you would never know. They can be handsome, beautiful, pretty, short, tall, and ugly by the world’s outward judgments, but inside “Nobody Knows” the true positive or negative form. They can be presidents, secretaries, doctors, lawyers, cashiers, nurses, carpenters, farmers, technologist, pastors, priests, choir members, coaches, husbands wives, roommates you see every day and yet “Nobody Knows” the suffering of their souls.

What do you live for? What is it you get up every morning to live for? What keeps you going on the outside though your insides are broken and torn? What holds you together? Do you think you will ever find complete happiness? Will the morning come that you wake up and all will be as you have dreamed it would be?

If deep down your answers to the above questions have a short coming to your expectations what can you do about it? Powerlessness may step up and say, ‘I cannot change others and the world I have tried them and on me‘. You are looking on the outside. Trusting people to be the hero that saves you at the end of the day is the fantasy you wish to see, but only fulfilled on make-believe shows. People will fail us because it is in all of our natures. Today you will not find many in this world that can walk by you and see the real you, stopping in the crowd, turning to you, and inviting you to eat with them (Lu. 19:2-6). You will not find someone who purposely goes out of their way to a spot you visit everyday just to meet you, talk to you, and try to help you (Jn. 4:4-42). You will not find many who will see through others trying to do you harm for their own selfish reasons using you, stand up for you, pointing the twisting of the law back at them, and after they leave offer you a hand up to go free because neither do they condemn you (Jn. 8:2-11). You will not find many in this world to accept you as you are and still want to keep company with you (Mtt. 9:10-13).

If finding that someone on the outside falls short what about doing something about the inside? Can you find something that will work on the inside that nobody on the outside could ever reach? We all at one point or another seek a physical existing partnership of someone who truly sees us with complete understanding and hears us with complete perception (they get us). Finding someone at your level of thinking, morals, and desires in completeness is almost near to zero chances. You may get close to finding that someone, but the majority of the world simply adapts to their situation with the outward facial/body expressions and rehearsed words of conversations. Another percentage of the world gives up and turns to substances that provide physical escapes through their flesh pushing those highs and lows upon their spirits.

You have a spirit door that leads to the inside of your body. You can open your spirit door and allow a roommate to move into the place where “Nobody Knows” the real you. As with all things you must be careful who you open your spirit door to. People cannot become one with your inside spirit literally. They can live with you with their physical body beside your physical body, but they will still not live inside your body where the real you hurts in the night-time crying tears silently into your pillow as they sleep. They may get accustomed your habits mimicking a oneness with your spirit, but still clueless to the details of your spirit. What we are looking for is beyond what this world can offer.

There are spiritual roommates that can live inside with us. I had many encounters of different kinds of spirit roommates. Some spirits wanted to live in a drug world, alcohol world, sexual world, players world, money world, power world, and many other types of worlds, but the conclusion of all of these pointed to one hundred percent satisfying the physical flesh side and leaving the spirit side to be thrown away and forgotten. I found one Spirit that did not push satisfying the flesh. The flesh is what everyone else sees and ignores the suffering of the spirit within. This one Spirit loved and adored the hidden spirit within that “Nobody Knows” or cares about other than to use it for their own gain. I started my research seeking this one Spirit. I found Him helping others no matter their status quo in life, outward beauty meant nothing to Him, and He willingly helped without demanding payment. I challenged Him with questions of the heart about love, hate, marriage, kindness, revenge, death, life, loneliness, sorrow, and whatever else came my way. I started to trust His answers because the results helped me sleep at night, wake up the next day happy, and pass through the day even when people did not care.

As time passed by I felt He was the Spirit roommate I wanted inside with mine automatically.  One day someone said some challenging things about my Spirit friend and His word. Of course, I nodded and smiled while inside I was thinking I will go home and see for myself if what they said holds true to what my Spirit roommate says. He said my friend was the same yesterday, today, and forever, which I found in Hebrews 13:8. I said to myself and my Spirit Friend ‘OK, that is true because it is in Your word and not twisted.‘ They told me that no one in the entire Bible was ever baptized in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This was still the same conversation that I had nodded and smiled. I found in Matthew 28:19 is where my Spirit friend had said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:..” OK, this was true what He said to His disciples of that day in the past, but now it was onto researching where they baptized people. I kept going because my Spirit friend was the most important friend of all because He knew exactly what I was suffering on the inside while the rest of the world turned away. I researched using all kinds of tools to find water baptism in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Again, I found what they told me was true that no one in the entire Bible record was baptized in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, but I did find several Bible recorded water baptisms in the name of Jesus Christ. This made me go “Hmm”. My best Spirit friend in His word only baptized in His name for the reason of applying His blood to wash away my sins, which made sense to me because you cannot kill the Father or the Holy Spirit. I only agreed with this because it completely matched my Spirit friend Jesus and I trusted Him more than people. The final part they told me was we can receive His Spirit like they did back then because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I researched and found my Spirit friend Jesus did not change in water baptism and the in filling of His Spirit because it was a promise to all generations (Acts 2:38, 39.

Now, it was on. I started asking my best Spirit friend Jesus if He wanted me to have His Spirit like they did back then when the cloven tongues of fire came upon them giving them words of praise in another language than their native language as a sign they had received His Spirit then I wanted it also. This open attitude towards my Spirit friend and His word allowed Him to truly and literally move inside my body with my spirit. I was glad to go down into water baptism with His name pronounced over me washing away my sins. I was glad to ask Him directly to fill me with His Spirit with the evidence to myself and those around me of a language He gives me at that moment praising Him. I know now His Spirit and my spirit are roommates inside this body. I will never be alone, cry alone, hurt alone, and walk alone ever again.

He has balanced me out from the inside that “Nobody Knows” except Him with a wisdom that blesses me and those around me who are hurting past the surface of their flesh. He knows and wants to help if we will allow Him. I cannot give you the words that I feel in my spirit that would express enough gratitude for Him loving me beyond me and wanting to be a part of my life. I encourage you get His Bible and challenge Him for answers of your heart that no one knows, but you and Him. He will show you how to handle fear, hate, envy, jealousy, loneliness, and any other unlimited questions you may have. He will drop His thoughts into your thoughts that will make you smile beyond any joy you have ever experienced in this world. Don’t be alone ever again. May God bless you.

Based On Words

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear “Based On Words“? ‘It is something someone has said’ or another possible first thought is ‘It is a he said she said’ proof of evidence angle. Also, one could possibly think of a person’s foundation of their belief is “Based On Words“. When you separate “Based On Words” you possibly see ‘Base‘ as a foundation or proof, ‘On‘ in this phrase could be seen as physically in contact with another referring to the top of something else, and ‘Words‘ as a form of communications. “Based On Words” put together could represent the proof is physically supported with words. Words are far more deep and powerful than most give credit.

The first thing that comes to mind is a situation where someone has believed someone else solely “Based On Words” without confirming the other side of the story making a final accusing judgment. I already feel the ‘Ouch!’ coming. This is where someone would open up the umbrella of misunderstanding after the fact of hearing the rest of the story with an apologetic tone or actually speak the words of ‘sorry’. Too late, the recording in our mind, heart, and soul has already locked it away along with the possible apology. Some people don’t wait for all the facts. They are just looking for an excuse to vent their anger, dislike, or frustration no matter the truth. This is sad for all of us, but even worse when no grows past it happening again. On the other side of someone believing someone else solely “Based On Words” when it is the truth can be painful at the moment, but after could be liberating. I personally hate deception and no matter the pain I have suffered once hearing the truth I was glad to be out from under the darkness. What is even worse is when you are in the darkness and everyone around you sees where you are and says nothing about it. This is another ‘Ouch!’ to our hearts, but gaining conscientiousness and wisdom converts the sour lemons into a lemonade we sip and drink calmly in the future.

Have you ever wondered about where do words come from or originate? This is a great question to think about because our daily lives are “Based On Words” more than we realize. Words were the connecting bridge of conscientiousness from baby sounds to clear expressions of desires. Yes, we physically interact with other physical objects and people all the time day and night, but all of this physical activity is driven by a non-physical being. Oh, no I have an alien living inside of me. Sorry, I had a moment to share a laugh with you. No, your spirit inside of you is not an alien from outer space, but it is the real you driving your physical body from within. This is really cool thing to grasp about the real you inside your body. Seeing yourself with understanding gives guidance through whatever good or bad times you may face in this life. We are already looking inside ourselves.  Where do words come from?

Your first thought may be the mind is where they come from. You are partly correct about the mind having its place with words, but not the origin. I think you will agree with this statement “Some people speak without thinking.” I automatically go to memories of the things in the past I had said without analyzing them for misunderstandings or deceptive implications. At this point the memories have returned the ‘Ouch!’ with a partner of ‘Sadness’ with others following. I next in line I see is ‘Regret’. I have the memory of the price I paid for those words after they left my lips. How does speaking without thinking occur? A clue of disconnection plays a part in this dilemma. We are getting closer to the origin of where “Based On Words” come from.

Something I must point out before heading to deep into the origin of our words is we all are storage units of flesh. Computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and so on have places inside them that store data in order to function and interact. Some people call them hard drives, media drives, flash drives, thumb drives, Blu Rays, DVDs, CD’s, diskettes, tape drives, floppy drives…etc that store information on them. Storage is important to technology and without it there would be almost no technology. What you store inside yourself has far more importance and will be read in the end by a higher level of reading than technology would ever possess. You and I are storage units with as much as diversity as and possibly more than technology. Wow, you almost lost me and what does this have to do with where “Based On Words” originate from.

I personally believe we are created in the image and likeness of the one true God and beside Him there is no other. We (mankind) are extremely to complicated in all areas of our being physically and spiritually to be an accident that just happened to come together. I believe this all intelligent God created your inmost being inside your mother’s womb in a fearful and wonderful creation (Ps. 139:13, 14). This is why I think you are beautifully and wonderfully made because of the God that is behind you in your creation. You have something to give to God and others no one else can give. God made you unique and not a Doppelganger or clone (similarities are not identical). From an endless God we all can reflect a tiny portion of Him without being two of the same kind. If we are created in God’s image and likeness then we have stored many things inside of us just like He has all things stored inside of Him. We are getting warmer on the origin of “Based On Words” location inside of us.

The mind stores the intellectual properties of that help to form things we take time to analyze, but remember some speak without thinking. We have a storage that goes past the mind giving purpose to the “Based On Words” that come out of our mouths. I wanted to say ‘purpose’ first because as soon as you read the word ‘heart’ emotions override most people’s thinking at the word ‘heart’. It is true our heart is the emotion center, but not totally by itself. One thing to keep from getting lost and confused is when you try to totally separate and disconnect our inward parts. You and I have many parts (mind, heart, soul, and strength) inside of us working together as one body just like God has many parts inside of Himself, but He too is working together as one with Himself and it is confusing to try to separate and disconnect Him from Himself or us from within ourselves. To keep it on track your mind, works with your heart, and your heart works with your soul with your strength backing the decisions. It is like a council board within us coming together.

As an example some try to separate /disconnect God as a Father into another part as God as a separate Son, and another part as God as a separate Holy Spirit because of a few references, plurality translations from an everywhere God. He is not separate and disconnected no more than we are within ourselves. It was Him in the beginning like as a Father of all creation, and later He came among us to save us as like a son of mankind paying our debt to sin, and He came back to us to live inside of each one of us in His Spirit form with our spirit form. He is not separated, disconnected or divided He just came to us in three different stages or titles in mankind’s history and future. I was born a son to my parents, later a husband to my wife, and later a father to my children. These are three different stages or titles of the one person – me. This is a revelation of many parts inside oneness that is absolutely breath-taking once you see it. God is Omnipresent with nothing outside of Him making all things and many parts inside of His oneness. He can speak and do things from heaven and earth all at the same time – multitasking. We can multitask just like Him within ourselves with limits, but not like the limits of other creations. We are created special children in His image and likeness. Titles are easy to understand stages we have attained in life.

Separating, disconnecting, and dividing our mind, heart, soul, and strength will only confuse you and destroys our team work from within. If you see the oneness you and I must have to possess inside ourselves for a balanced life. Then you will see how many people today with division inside themselves train-wreck in many different ways. Our heart is the storage unit and the birth place of our words. Our heart does have the emotional characteristic, but also the purpose characteristic. This explains the ‘Speaking without thinking’ part when the emotional abundance of the heart explodes words of anger, hate, love, lust, frustration and so on. Our heart is the storage of good and bad things in life. It is our purpose center of what we will do with the good things and bad things stored there. What is stored inside our heart has the power of already doing it before they are physically done. This can be good things or bad things already committed. Good things can be something you want to help someone else with or bad things can be looking upon a woman lustfully committing adultery with her inside the heart (Mtt. 5:28). We can also convert the sour lemons life handed to us into a sweet taste of lemonade or allow the bitter lemons to rot in our hearts. Our heart stores the data with a label of purpose we put on it with the conviction (firmly held belief or opinion) we have concluded upon it. Do you see the importance and the power of the origin of “Based On Words“?

God wanted us to know about our heart because the “Based On Words” will come out of us everyday upon our fellow mankind. This is so important to understand our every word because God said that we would be judged “Based On Words” we speak for our acquittal or for our condemnation (Mtt. 12:36, 37). There are to many people today who are divided in their hearts, minds, and souls. “Based On Words” they speak one thing out of their mouths, but their hearts of purpose and intent are far from them (Mtt. 15:8). These are the same people we struggle to work with everyday and they struggle inside themselves because of their division is setting them up for a fall. God got mad at some religious people claiming to be His representatives because “Based On Words” they were speaking sugar-coated good words outwardly all the while their storage room heart was full of deception and evil. God wanted them to make a decision. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him (Mtt. 12:34, 35; Lu. 6:45). This is a key place to see what God hates – division. He is not divided, but one in all things and as His children He does not want us to be divided. How much better would your life be if you were in complete oneness with yourself like God is with Himself?

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of this is the origin of words. The “Based On Words” comes out of our mouth by-passing or passing through our minds to our tongue speaking what intentions are stored in our hearts. The thing(s) we said that hurt our parents, loved ones, and others was something that was either brewing in our hearts or a desire we were holding back from being said until it erupted forth.

The tongue is seen by most as a small member when looking at the totality of person’s body. Most people look at the outward appearance first what is known as either ‘eye candy’ or ‘pleasing to the eyes’ before they even consider hearing the words from the spirit inside their body. Some people can be outwardly beautiful or handsome to look upon, but after having a conversation with them their attitude stains their outward beauty into a spirit stained memory in your heart. The hidden small tongue is the doorway to what is stored in the hidden heart and mind. How many of us have been deceived because of others taking advantage of their outward appearance learning to speak deceiving words to gain their selfish hidden desires of their heart through using us?

You may have heard the saying, “Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me“. This saying is pointing to the physical aspect only. The other side to it is the invisible battle of the words and your spirit. Words are not like a solid baseball bat to break someone’s bones physically, but they are like invisible poisonous injections into someone’s spirit. God wanted us to know that the tongue that speaks these words may be small in size, but no human being can tame the tongue (Ja. 3:8). A good size horse can be intimidating in its huge muscles, teeth, and hooves, but if you put a bit into the mouth where the tongue is you can make that huge horse obey you turning the whole animal in the direction you want to go. A huge ship in all of its large size fighting a strong wind is steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants it to go (Ja. 3:3, 4). The tongue is used “Based On Words” spoken on others determining if good or bad is imparted upon their eternal spirit side without physically harming the temporary flesh side from the storage room of their heart.

Our tongue can speak from the storehouse of our heart with a fire of evil corrupting the whole body setting into motion a path of fire throughout our life opening an invitation for hell to join itself with us making us a twofold child of the devil (Ja. 3:6; Mtt. 23:15).  This is a very powerful and scary understanding once you slow down to think how much inside damage a person can do with words alone. We have seen in the news how words influenced suicides, riots, fights, shootings, and other physical actions “Based On Words” alone. I understand why God does not speak idle talk for His every word comes true. He said, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Is. 55:11). What if every word that came out of our mouths came true? The ‘speaking without thinking’ would be the fire of evil upon our sister or brother in the heat of the moment, the death of our parents in the flash of anger, and the destruction of possibly every living thing. All of us are born with a nature for selfishness. How often with our fleshly nature would we speak good things from a little child to adulthood?

Wow, to think my every word spoken would come true brings automatic tears to my eyes for some of the hateful things I have said in the spur-of-the-moment. How many times have our words or someone else’s was like throwing gasoline on a low flamed fire igniting it into a blaze? A huge forest has the appearance of strength until a small spark ignites inside its borders then the forest is no match for the growing flames. I know our words do have the power to automatically come true, but our words from the storehouse of our heart will be what we are judged by. There are so many aspects and effects that “Based On Words” change your life, mine, and those around us every day and in a split second they are spoken.

For my words to change the origin from which they are born must be changed first. The origin of my words changed when I made God and His word my best friend. He brings a balance to a person that if followed this life would know no end to the abundance of life and joy unspeakable. I am a witness from a person who lived in darkness and spoke darkness to those around me. The first steps after the change would be to take the counsel of my heart to my best roommate God/His Word, then with my mind, and soul.  This is the only way to bring oneness together in your spirit because outside of this balance would be mixed up division of discord and confusion. I know you who have had the confusion inside yourself remember the battles of ‘why am I here?’, ‘what good am I?’, ‘what’s the point in living?’, ‘does anyone really care?’, and many other questions understand the division inside your mind, heart, and soul. In this state people don’t perceive or understand what they hear coming out of your mouth because they cannot see your heart.

The power of “Based On Words” has this stipulation from God that “…this should not be.” when it comes to speaking from our hearts with our tongue we say one thing and the intentions of our heart is another. Would you not love to have a pure conversation without the worry or doubt of where the person is coming from with the words they are filling your ears with? We wonder inside our minds ‘what do they want?’ or ‘what are they up to?’ when listening to their smooth talking words. People can with their tongue praise God claiming the Christian life and turn around cursing other human beings with the same tongue forgetting God made them also in His likeness. This is where I must share with you that it is not God’s fault, but man’s freedom of choice to be cotton candy with their words and bitter selfishness of the heart.

Using God for personal gain will only end in spirit tragedy, but on the on the other side with uniting with God for personal change will evolve into walking into the light of understanding. God asks us, ‘Can you pour fresh water and mix salt water together without changing the taste of the water?’ We know the answer is ‘No’ because the salt will change the fresh water into undesirable and undrinkable liquid. I remember the first visit to the ocean having only fresh water up to this point. I was thinking “Based On Words” that I had heard about the ocean saltness was over exaggerated and take a good taste of it and spitting it out as quickly as it touch my taste buds. This is what “…ought not to be…”  God was speaking about. The words coming from our hearts flowing out of our tongues cannot be fresh words and stinging words of hurt without corruption taking over our lives (Ja. 3:9-12). One will, not maybe, corrupt the other and a fall is coming. This mixed up concoction is not only deadly to the individual, but also to those that take in their words like seeds into their storage room.

I have traveled my share of the road of darkness and have lived to write to you as I do now. I had a friend that walked in darkness and came to the light with many physical scares. People were scared of him just by his outward appearance though inside he was filled with God’s Spirit and forgiven. They would shake my hand freely and hesitate to shake his because of his evil-looking face and eyes. Outside he was rough-looking, but stored in his heart was the beginning of a new person. He did not know how to speak regular English words without cursing. Curse words were a normal form of speech for him. I did not judge him because I understood there was more to him than “Based On Words” he spoke. Beginning a new walk with God is one step at a time and one word at a time. This is many years later today and the same man as I flow with better words that are one with a better heart because of the daily fellowship with God and His word.

We all stumble in many ways. If anyone can control and never be at fault in what they say at all times is counted perfect and able to keep their whole body in check (Ja. 3:2). This explains part of the reason why God fills us with His Spirit like He did in Acts 2 showing the people a symbol of tongues wrapped in fire above them coming down upon them, entering them, spiritually burning out the things stored in their hearts of evil, and coming back out of them with fresh pure words of the praises of freedom to God’s glory. This is a freedom “Based On Words” from God only to be personally experienced to truly see a spiritual world of wonder and spiritual acceptance no other human being can give you. If you want to be rock solid inside yourself with the oneness of mind, heart, and soul the world cannot break seek the Lord and His word without man’s interpretation. I encourage not “Based On Words” that I speak, but seek the one I did and forever be changed into a new person never to be alone again.

God bless you and thank for reading this to the end. May the words you have read be of spirit and of life to your soul.

Life’s Lemons

Naaman was a man who rose through the ranks in the army becoming a commander for his king. He was successful in bringing victories to his king and country. The king looked upon Naaman as a great man and was highly regarded. Naaman physically fought his way to the top. He became a man of authority telling other men to go there and they go, to come here and they come, to do this and they do it. Naaman was no longer a follower, but a leader that told others what to do. You could say he was close to the pinnacle in life. You cannot get much higher other than becoming the king yourself.

As this life can throw you a curve or put a wrinkle in your expected plans. Naaman contracted a fatal and horrible disease. All of his authority, fighting skills, and physical might had no power over the disease of death. His favoritism in the king’s sight and the highly regarded had no power over the disease of death that now resides inside his body. He is locked into a waiting around game of watching the disease takes it toll and then finally the death sting. There was no great plan that could be formed to defeat this enemy. This was a battle he found himself kneeling in the field with his head bowed low in defeat before the death commander of this disease. Naaman was on death row in the prison of no pardon.

Expectation has a good side to it, but there is a side to it that is not so good. We all can get our hopes high on things we expect to be a guarantee only to find out later that it can fall apart. We all like Naaman must practice our expectations with the possibility of factors out of our control can occur. The practice is taking the sour lemons of obstacles that life hands us and brainstorm over them converting them into something that can make us better. At this point Naaman has reached a dead-end with no other path before him to try.

Raiders from the same kingdom took captives from Israel. A young Israelite girl was placed in Naaman’s home as his wife’s servant. It is really cool to stop here and see that this Israelite girl was not a coincident, but God multitasking for a reason. If you are facing trouble start looking for what appears to be a coincident headed your way and let the tears flow when you realize God is multitasking just for you.  This was a terrible thing that happened to these Israelite parents in losing their daughter to raiders of this country. The depth of their heart-broken state is unfathomable to comprehend of their beautiful daughter has disappeared and possibly never seen again, but she was on a secret missionary mission from God. Rest assured God was multitasking for those parents. This girl went from a child under loving parents to a slave girl to strangers the next. Life handed her some sour lemons and there was a choice to be made on what to do with them. She had to adjust and adapt to her new environment using every ounce of her intelligence and wisdom.

The Israelite girl had to hear about Naaman’s dying situation. This is another cool place to stop and look at her because I can say she has already taken her lemons handed to her and crushed them into lemonade drinking them down into her system as a nutrient to her soul. If she had not crushed the lemons she would be still bitter towards Naaman and his household for slavery and would not have said a word about any cure for Naaman and watch him suffer and die. You and I have things taken from us and we are put into positions we can allow hatred to dominate us, but I see this girl converting the negativity in life back into positiveness inside her heart. Are you not tired of bad things controlling your days? Happiness can be stronger on the inside than the sadness you see on the outside.

After she heard about Naaman’s fatal disease the young Israelite girl knew that God had a man known to them as a prophet in Israel that could cure him. She took Naaman’s lemons into herself and began searching for an answer. She knew there was only one who can stand supremely over all things impossible with man and that was the God of Israel. I can see God looking upon this beautiful girl inside and out with a pride of love. In the midst of the garbage of life she has come forth as a bright red rose with the sweet-smelling savor of hope. Her thoughts of home remained unchanged faith and hope. She told her mistress, If only master Naaman could see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease. She spoke in wisdom implying if there were a connection with Israel he could go there and he would be healed. Naaman received word of what the servant girl had said and went to his master, the king, sharing her information. The king did not hesitate in agreeing for Naaman to go and added a personal letter with payment backing Naaman’s trip.

The picture of Naaman in the battle field bowing before the death commander of the disease has changed to Naaman standing and facing to fight one more time against his destined death. This strength to stand one more time came from a once a free daughter of Israel to a forced slave girl to another country. A slave girl’s spoken words to her mistress, the mistress to her husband, and then the husband to the king of that country about the God of Israel, the master of all masters. It was born from the free heart of a physically slave girl in submission, to the wife in submission, to the husband in submission, to the king in submission of the God of Israel. There is nothing standing in the way only submission to whatever it takes for Naaman to be cured and set free.

Naaman journey’s to Israel with horses, chariots, silver, gold, and ten sets of clothes packed away was not an easy trip. The day-to-day travel was far more tiring of that day than in ours. Before arriving at the house of the prophet of God the Israelite slave girl spoke of Naaman had already started imagining what all will take place for his healing to occur. We as mankind tend to create in our own minds the ways we think we should be saved creating traditional forms. We tend to bring God’s way of doing things down to our level of the way we think it should be done. We get carried away with our own thoughts not realizing our thoughts are lower than His thoughts because He is God and we are not. Naaman is a great reflection of all us of getting preconceived ideas of what God should do for us. We sometimes get lost in our way or the highway attitude when it comes to the spiritual side of life. If we truly want to be saved, healed, counseled, touched, blessed, changed…then we will be totally submissive to what God says to achieve our goals like Naaman wants his healing.

Naaman finally arrives pulling up to the house of the prophet of God with his servants, his horses and his chariots. The house door begins to open with Naaman looking steadfastly upon the face he thought he would see once it is fully opened. The person begins to speak to Naaman conveying he is only a messenger and not the Elisha the prophet himself. He tells Naaman this is what Elisha said to do for your healing to go wash yourself seven times in the river Jordan, your flesh will be restored, and you will be cleansed.

The plan of salvation for your healing is washing yourself in the river Jordan seven times and you will be free to live longer. Naaman you will stand in the battle field and the disease will kneel before you defeated by this battle plan given to you by God through his prophet. All you have to do is submit yourself to follow these words to assure your victory. You have traveled a long journey to win this fight. Everyone back home in your kingdom is supporting you for this victory. You are used to giving commands to others on how to win on the battlefield. You are given the command on what to do to win your personal fight. Men willingly follow your words to the letter. Are you willing to follow the words to whatever it takes to win your fight to the letter?

Naaman’s expectation he had built up in his mind exploded with anger at these words of washing seven times in the river Jordan. He shouted, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” Naaman had formed in his own mind how he would be saved and nothing less from that would be acceptable. The prophet did not come out personally was strike one to Naaman. Strike two was the prophet not calling out loud before all the name of the Lord his God and strike three was not waving his hand over the diseased area. This is how traditions in churches get started with men forming in their minds of how people would be saved and nothing less from what they are expecting will be accepted. Naaman is thinking this is how I have always seen it done and it shall be the same with me.

The words of the messenger shocked him into thinking well if that is all I need to do washing seven times in a river then why not deviate a little and do the washing in the best rivers of Israel? This is a true picture of our fleshly nature in mankind trying to get God to do things the way we expect Him to do them lowering His standard to ours. Naaman was furiously shouting, Couldn’t I wash in these other rivers and be cleansed? In this moment Naaman had completely forgot about that he was truly dying and he would live no more. In his absolute powerlessness against this disease weak mind he thought his expected plan of salvation was the only way it could be done and with it changing from what he expected he locked onto it cannot happen any other way. He left the house of the prophet of God in such a rage he was not going to submit at all to what was asked of him. He was locked into it is my way or the highway back home.

At this point I am looking to what happen to “submission”? I have experienced rock bottom in different areas in life from relationships, sickness, sins, deaths, and other things I will not bore you with. I cannot speak for you, but if I knew in a guaranteed way from God doing a certain thing would chase away darkness and open the warm sunshine of light upon me I would take it without complaining being grateful for the freedom and the relief. Naaman is dying and he is refusing the treatment because it did not match what he had in mind.

Naaman had some servants to make the trip with him to witness his healing. It is obvious by their words they cared for him because they spoke up to ask him a question about his refusal. They asked him in his moment of rage while riding away, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing would you not have done it? They knew Naaman was a fearless man and would tackle anything monumental in life. Naaman had their words in his mind in one side of the scales of reason and then they added to the other side of the scales “How much more, then, when he tells you, “Wash and be cleansed’!” In Naaman’s mind he had to agree that he would do something great if he was asked. Submission re-enters the picture of yes, I would do what I am told and why not just wash and be cleansed. Naaman unlocked himself from his man-made thinking of the traditional because he was willing to do something great beyond traditional methods and why not do something simple. He realize though this is a small thing to do it is still outside of the traditional and why would I not do it for the sake of saving my life from a horrible diseased death.

Naaman made his way to the river Jordan and dipped himself seven times as the man of God had told him. After the seventh dip he came up out of the water his flesh was restored and clean like as a young boy. His choice of God’s way made him brand new like a young boy instead of returning home locked into traditional way of thinking maintaining the death sentence in his body. His choice of trusting God’s way saved his life physically, but also saved his soul in meeting the one true God in the entire world. He trusted the words of a servant girl all the way to trusting the words of the God of Israel.

Naaman now with a born again second chance in life returns to the man of God proclaiming that he now knows that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Naaman has not only a new body free from the disease of death, but a new mind opened to seeing the one and true God. He continued to say that he would not offer any burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god, but the Lord and to please forgive him in bowing back in his home country in their temple because of his master’s bowing. (2 Kings 5:1-19).

Tradition is not God’s way of doing things. God’s way of doing things is a set living purpose for an absolute result. Tradition is man’s thinking of how God should do things that fits man’s mold. If Naaman had stayed with his way of thinking he would have died a horrible death, but by trusting God’s way he received restored and fresh skin as like a young boy. God’s chosen servants will say and do things that do not match mankind’s traditions, but will match God’s word perfectly. Man’s chosen servants to represent God will say and do things that pleases mankind’s traditions and ways of thinking. This is why broad is the way that leads to destruction and many enter through it (majority is doing it). Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it (Mtt. 7:13, 14). Religious organizations must be careful not choose the road of Naaman’s first way of thinking deceiving themselves and those that hear them, but the second choice to simply obey with trust God’s plan of redemption.

APOLLOS

Apollos was a well-educated and learned man of the knowledge of the scriptures. His mind was well equipped with keeping the scriptures in proper context. He was not a man who could easily tricked into man-made traditions based on connecting scriptures for their cause. Apollos was a man who had encountered what John preached about water baptism for repentance and the coming after him the savior from our sins.  Apollos took in John’s preaching finding his words matched with scriptures without controversy. Man’s traditions and teachings that do not match with God’s word will have conflict. Apollos was convinced of the absolute connection of truth in John’s preaching he also began to try to show people the same way John did to repent, be baptized and believe on the Lord Jesus.

Apollos was about to face a similar situation like Naaman did in the past. Apollos has set himself in a direction of what John preached and nothing else. For some unknown reason Apollos has missed out on the understanding and meaning of Jesus being crucified, buried, and resurrected on the third day. He was still preaching what John had said after Jesus went up in the sky disappearing into heaven in front of the disciples. He was still preaching John’s message after God poured out His spirit with the evidence of speaking another language they had not learned praising God and being baptized in Jesus name for the remission of their sins (Acts 2).

Apollos believed in repentance, water baptism, and in Jesus, but he did not know the rest of the story. This is where Apollos could lock onto John’s preaching as the only way to be saved like Naaman locked onto meeting the man of God, him calling on the name of his God, and waving his hand over the disease area for the healing to happen. We must take everything that people tells us to what we trust the most and that should be God Himself and His word.

Apollos was speaking boldly one day about Jesus being scriptural accurate and the baptism of repentance John when in the audience sat two people who knew the rest of the story. They invited Apollos to their home and began to tell him the part he had not heard about. They completed Apollos understanding of God’s way more perfectly. They knew nobody’s faith in Jesus was wasted, but that there is a way of God that is more perfect and adequate. They knew it was not a fault or failure of faith, but a few more pieces to the puzzle to make the picture complete (Acts 18:24-26).

Apollos is now facing what Naaman did with a choice of do I lock down to my way of thinking or do I open up to the possibility of God’s way is higher than my traditional way. We all will be in both of their shoes with different versions of life. We all will be handed the words that may not match our way of thinking, but did we come this far to turn our backs on the possible greatest thing we could ever experience because of our pride and preconceived ideas?

I will give you an example: I was baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mtt. 28:19) as a profession of my faith in God after a repeating a prayer from the pastor in the altar. I had someone tell me later in life that there is no record of anyone in the Bible of being baptized in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of professing faith in God. Of course this put me in the place of Naaman and Apollos with the ways I had always heard it was to be done. I could have gone into a rage like Naaman or use my intellect of Apollos and try to argue my way out, but I did neither. I told them I would look into it.

I went home to what I trusted over and above people’s words and search the Bible myself. I found it to be true no one in the entire Bible was baptized using the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit over them in water baptism for the profession of their faith. What I did find was people were baptized with Jesus name being said over them for the purpose of washing away their sins. The disciple baptized people in Jesus name for the remission of their sins. Wow! I kept studying and found that Jesus is the name of the Father because he said I have come in my Father’s name (Jn. 5:43). This made sense to me because I know no other name for Jesus, but to be Jesus so if he came in his Father’s name then Jesus must be the Father’s name. It was obvious Jesus was the name of the Son. I found also that Jesus is the name of the Holy Spirit because it comes to us in his name (Jn. 14:26). Water baptism is not for professing God publicly, but it was for applying the blood Jesus shed for us as the Lamb of God to wash away our sins. It made total sense to me and completely connected with the word of God from Old to New testament. You cannot kill the Father or the Holy Spirit, but you could the Son because the blood of forgiveness was in his body. I did this study alone with my friend the Bible and God.

Like Naaman’s servants asking him questions the Bible asked me questions of what am I to do now? As with Apollos lining up with the scriptures and what God’s word says what choice am I to make?  Do I turn away with rage or do I use my intellect to talk myself out of it?

I did like Naaman I went to the water in baptism and like Apollos accepting the way of God more perfectly scripturally and was baptized in Jesus name applying the blood of the Lamb of God washing away my sins and receiving the Holy Spirit like they did in Acts chapter two because God did not change the out poring of His Spirit as man’s tradition has diverted with his teachings. The lemons of the life of sin have been converted by the truth and power of God. I am a new creature in Christ like Naaman and Apollos.

I encourage you do not take my word for it. Go after God yourself and His word like Naaman went after the river Jordan himself obeying the words of a slave girl to the man of God. As Apollos take your well learned educated mind to the scriptures and find for yourself what He found when challenged with this different from traditional way.

Your Aura

Have you ever quietly watched someone that seems to stand out? There is something about them that is different from the others surrounding them. You know it has nothing to do with their physical appearance for there are many others who have equal or even better appearance than them. There is a presence about them almost like an invisible aura emulating from them that catches your spiritual eye. The presence has a depth in that person and their mannerism that draws your eyes to want to see more. You find yourself wondering where did this come from and how do they keep it so vibrant? I believe I have been given the answer.

There were two people who owed money to a certain money-lender. One owed him five hundred and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back. The stress of having no money to pay their debts was upon them both. One debt may have felt like a boulder crushing their back and the other a heavy rock in one hand. Nevertheless, being completely broke with no money has a defeating pressure upon a person’s mind, heart, and soul of bondage that mere words cannot convey the feelings of stress.

The lender knowing they did not have the ability to pay him back forgave them both of their debts. Which one of the two debtors will love the lender most?  One owed 500 and the other owed 50, which one would you believe to be the most thankful, grateful, and filled with love for the mercy shown them? If you have decided the one who had the bigger debt loved the lender most then you have judged correctly (Luke 7:41-43).

In this scene you have a Pharisee named Simon (highly religious person) that invited Jesus (God in flesh/Redeemer) into his house to sit together at the table and a woman (sin filled life sinner) from town at Jesus feet. Jesus could see that special something standing out from the others. He could see that something was different about her. It was not her physical beauty that stood apart. He could see that invisible aura emulating from her that caught his spiritual eye. Jesus saw the depth of her soul and her mannerism manifesting itself. In that moment Jesus wanted Simon to see more than her outward reputation of a sinful life. He wants all of us to see beyond outward appearances.

Simon, the Pharisee, quietly watching Jesus and the woman said inside himself “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” (:39) Simon’s observation of Jesus and the woman was not that something was different about them, but he was blind in his spiritual eyes to the invisible presence of the woman’s repentant heart and the allowance of Jesus to her giving. Simon had no idea of where this woman was coming from nor understand the why Jesus was allowing such behavior to continue. Simon’s conclusion and judgment on Jesus was him not being a true servant of God and the woman’s touch would make unclean whatever it comes in contact with.

The woman quietly saw something special within herself about Jesus. She knew Simon the Pharisee from all the years of her sinful life and the effort he made to helping her to come to nothing, a zero. She wanted that something Jesus had in her life that was beyond his physical appearance. Her spiritual eyes saw a man who had the fountain of forgiveness and mercy within him. She could not sit back any longer she wanted more. She knew she was entering a home that counted her as an enemy of sin.

Back to the scene of Simon the Pharisee and Jesus at the table with the woman at Jesus feet. I see them sitting there quietly observing one another with their own spiritual thoughts looking upon each other while the woman is pouring herself out. Jesus is the one that presented the story of a lender, the one with a great debt, and the other with a little debt. Jesus is the one who put the question out there of “Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” I believe everyone would agree with Simon’s answer of “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” (:43). This is Jesus/God extracting out of Simon to open and see with his spiritual eyes the truth of the aura on the woman and Jesus. God constantly wants us to see the invisible things in life. He doesn’t want us to miss them. They are to precious of a treasure to let slip by.

At this point Simon does not realize the lender is Jesus/God, the one with the greater debt is the sinful lived life woman, and the other with lesser debt was trying to live a righteous life was Simon himself. They both are in debt to sin with no way to pay. The only difference was one went farther into sin, stayed longer in sin, and cost her more than she wanted to pay in sin. Simon resisted going any farther, staying any longer, and costing him any more than he wanted to pay, yet he was still born into sin along with the woman.

Jesus the lender sitting between them saw their debt and wanted to forgive them both, but only one was ready to receive the forgiveness. She was that one that was standing out from the rest. She was the one that could shine the lighted path to God if only Simon could see her with the aura emulating her love towards God in-spite of her being a well-known sinner. She was not in darkness with her sin, but Simon was in his darkness of self-righteousness. Jesus is getting ready to open Simon’s blinded spiritual eyes to see the invisible that was hidden to him in plain sight.

As we continue I want you to keep score between Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman. Jesus turns toward the woman guiding Simon’s attention to her, “Do you see this woman?” Simon is thinking physically seeing this woman and Jesus is pointing out the sight of her spirit. Jesus said I came into your house from the dusty street in my sandals and Simon you did not give me water to wash my dusty dirty feet (Simon score 0). This woman having no water except for the tears of her repentant heart poured out of her eyes upon my dusty dirty feet washing them clean (Woman score 1). After her liquid tears of repentance and unworthiness washed my feet she had no towel to dry them. She took what she knows to be her glory before God (1 Cor. 11:15) and dried my feet with the hair of her head symbolizing she is on rock bottom of life (Woman score 2, Simon score 0). Simon when I entered your house as the custom of this day you did not greet me with a kiss (Simon score 0 for the third opportunity). The woman from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet. If I see this correctly this woman from the rock bottom soul of her life started kissing his feet from the entrance to the table. To me this would mean she was on her knees crawling beside each foot step Jesus took going forward towards the table. Wow! Her debt of sin was a boulder crushing her to the point of death. She considered her lips to be dirtier with sin than the dust and dirt of this world upon Jesus feet. Her crawling on her knees and kissing with her lips were conveying the aura of repentance (Woman score 3, Simon score 0). Jesus continued to point out to Simon that he did not pour oil on his head another expected custom of that day. This woman took an expensive jar of alabaster perfume and poured it upon my feet (Woman score 4, Simon score 0).

Simon your final score was zero and the woman’s final score was four. Jesus said, her many sins have been forgiven as her great love has shown, but whoever has been forgiven little loves little. The hidden power of her soul came gushing forth with compassionate repenting faith in that something she saw with her spiritual eyes upon Jesus past his physical appearance into the merciful God residing inside. She had the faith that she was at the feet of the very throne of God seeking for another chance knowing only God can forgive sins. Her four points ended with four-given (Luke 7:43-48, 50).

Simon invited Jesus to his home walking shoulder to shoulder and did nothing for Jesus from his entrance to his home to the table of food, but this woman feeling unworthy crawled from the entrance of Simon’s home continually kissing the feet of Jesus, crying enough tears to wash Jesus feet, with her hair drying Jesus feet, and then pouring a jar of perfume over Jesus feet. Simon still did not see with his spiritual eyes the truth of the condition of the woman’s soul or his. He thought he was safe and alright, but his smug righteous state of mind missed the truth that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Ro. 3:23) forming a false godliness making it almost impossible for him to come to the truth (2 Tim 3:5, 7). He was in debt to sin just like the woman. His little debt ended up being the size of a plank over his eyes narrowing his judgment of the woman’s debt in comparison to a spec size (Mtt. 7:3-5).

I have seen certain people sing, worship, pray, speak, walk, talk, and even stand silently that have an aura about them that emulates a life that was once on the rock bottom, but now there is a redemption of anointed light about them that makes one hunger to have that glow in your life. Jesus revealed how all of us can have that special glow beyond our physical appearance. The secret is the amount of love. The woman had a life overflowing with sin and Simon had a life with a smaller amount of sin. If Simon could take that woman’s attitude of great love he could turn his little sin into a gratefulness of redemption like the woman whose faith in the crumbs was enough of a full meal to her needs (Mtt. 15:27). It is not the size of your sin that makes you great. It is the size of your love towards the forgiveness of those sins that makes you great.

The sins in my past and failures of the present (not perfect) drives me to pray that others would see Jesus past my outward appearance, hear Him beyond the sound of my words, and feel Him beyond my physical touch. I no longer want to give the world my darkness, but to give His light. Seeing the power this woman’s heart moves me to tears challenging my love for the Lord and the desire to see that special fresh glow in others. May you find your way past what people say about you or the blindness that is lying to your heart that you are perfectly fine the way you are. What team do you want to be on, Simon the Pharisee (Zero) or the woman (four-given)?