Past The Surface – Page 8 – Past the Surface

How Thankful Are You

“How Thankful Are You” is a question of how deep inside yourself does the thankfulness come from? Subconsciously, we all have several levels inside ourselves. Today, the play on words draw out those levels with the actions of a person. It is a hearing of their words, but seeing their actions are very different. A “you will know them by their fruits” ^{Luke 7:20} is very true to this day. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” ^{Luke 7:21} Saying and doing reveal the true thankfulness.

Thankfulness comes from an assessment. Assessment comes from making a judgment or a conclusion to something. You have valuated something deeming it a status of your choosing. This is where the “how deep” your thoughts and feelings about it is born. This determines how much you will wrap your mind, heart, and soul around it. “How Thankful Are You” is a choice only you can make. We see people every day showing their fruits in this category of thankful or unthankful.

All of us meaning all of mankind have different levels inside ourselves. There are many levels, but a basic of four umbrella type categories. We have a surface level like the old saying of “in one ear and out the other“, which basically I heard, but don’t care about it right now level. This would be equivalent to a seed landing on the hard road side shoulder surface.

Going below the surface, we have a “not sure level“. It was exciting to hear and sounded good, but a reluctance to fully research into it with the intensity of really knowing why it sounded good. We take it inside ourselves in a shallow place of acceptance without the deep rooted of why it made us so happy. It is less than half way deep into our lives. This would be like a seed making it past the surface of the road shoulder into the rocks at the edge of the roadway.

The third umbrella level category inside of us is the “uncommitted level“. We have taken something inside ourselves believing it is good for us, but the challenges of this life causes us to let go due to the pressures of the outside world choking the non commitment. This is the half way level down into ourselves of the almost keeping it for the rest of our lives. This is the seed that made it past the surface of the roadside, past the rocks, and over into the brush beside the highway.

The last umbrella type level category is the “I heard it“, “it sounds good“, “I want it“, and “I am going to keep it“. This particular thing got my complete attention. The connection linked to all the parts of my mind, heart, and soul. This is not a game. It is the real thing and I want it to never go away. This is the seed making it past the roadside shoulder surface, the rocks, the brush, and into the good soil level where water easily feeds the necessary nutrients a seed would need to grow into a very prosperous and fruitful seed of life.

The “How Thankful Are You” is in one of these levels. The way side surface, the shallow between rock surface, the mangled thicket brush area, or in the receptive, open, and willing to change good soil area. One level has a don’t care and no stick ability to it. The next level down has a happy to have it, but not really sure if it is necessary when challenged. The third level down has some meaning, but the pressure of other things in this world become distractive to what really matters. The deepest and final level inside locks onto it with a thankfulness and appreciation of never letting go it no matter what this world throws at us.

PRACTICE THANKFULNESS

The practice of “Thankfulness” comes from observance and remembrance. We all can remember times that things could have turned out for the worst. As an example, I was using a long screwdriver to loosen something with an upward pull on the object. The screwdriver slipped and I was pulling so hard that it came at me so fast the tip of the screwdriver hit me in the top of my left eyebrow. The thoughts of “Thankfulness” suddenly came flooding in of what if it hit me directly in the left eye? I would be blind today in the left eye because of the sheer force the tip of the screwdriver hit my eyebrow cutting a gap in the skin.

You can think many things that have happened to yourself that could have been worse, but they were not. Some were at the level of a non life threatening event and some were at the possible death threatening event. This is where the level of “Thankfulness” comes from. Your consideration of where your life would be if it were not for graceful moments of mercy intervening from the worse. There is always worse things and situations around you.

Have you ever allowed your mind to slow down looking through your eyes, hearing with your ears, tasting with your tongue, feeling with your hands, and breathing the air into your lungs along with feeling the beat of your heart? Why wait on something awful like a heart attack to do these things? Seeing someone who is blind not knowing the colors of the blue sky, pink flowers, and the softness of the morning or setting sun’s light. Hearing the sounds of birds singing, the gentle trickling sound of a creek, or the calming lapping sounds of the ocean waves that a deaf person could never enjoy. “How Thankful Are You“?

The physical list of things can go on and on from walking, running, swimming, etc. This is all one of the dual categories of ourselves we need to consider of being “Thankful” for. All of us have a physical side and spiritual side. You and I are made of our fleshly body with our spirit being the power of life inside our body. We can be thankful for the physical things, but what about the spiritual things? What level is your “Thankfulness” for your spirit healthiness?

SPIRITUAL HAPPINESS

Are you spiritually healthy and happy? We think of physical healthiness and happiness as the ability to use our bodies easily with daily tasks. What is spiritual healthiness and happiness? What is the spiritual side of us? It is basically the spiritual power of life circulating in the physical brain firing off collected organized thoughts, a force of a will being the heart of all actions, and the breathe power of eternal life from God making an individual and unique soul.

“How Thankful Are You” in your spirit? What you have in your spirit is what comes to the surface of your body and what is hidden in your spirit will be revealed in time. “Thankfulness” in your spirit is seeing the condition of yourself and others in the true light of truth adjusting for the better pathway to go.

If we see ourselves and others in truth then the doing better in life for ourselves and others will bring a wholeness and happiness we have not seen before. We think leaders are healthy and happy people to be where they are in life. Whether they are military commanders, presidents, preachers, teachers, and other leading type positions. No one is truly healthy or happy if they are imbalanced and the spirit of a person is the true core that happiness emulates from.

SEEING YOURSELF AND OTHERS

Here is one example of where Jesus visited a religious leader’s house for a meal and they received more than a physical feeding. While they were sitting down a woman of the city well known to be a sinner came in crying tears upon Jesus dust covered feet, wiping his feet clean with her hair, kissed his feet, and anointed his feet with ointment. Visualize and let that soak in and ask yourself, what level of “Thankfulness” do you think she was on? Was it the surface, the rocks, the brush, or the good soil? The first three levels have a weakness to them and what she did came from a strong place inside her.

The religious leader thought inside his spirit if Jesus, if he was a prophet he would know what manner of a woman this was touching him. What level is he on? Jesus was known for healing, forgiving, loving the rejected, and seeking to save those who are lost. She went straight to Jesus and not the religious leader. This could be a clue of what she was wanting from the depths of her heart. What level of “Thankfulness” did this religious leader have in his heart.? Was it the surface, the rocks, the brush, or the good soil?

Jesus wanted the religious leader, the woman, and all of us to see with perception and with the understanding the levels they both were on. Jesus laid out an example to reveal the levels of love and repentance, which brings happiness. Here is what Jesus said, there were two people who owed a debt to this one person. One person owed 500 and the other owed 50. Neither one had the money to pay their debt. The man forgave both of them their debts, the 500 and the 50. Imagine walking away right now and all you owe is completely gone free from any more monthly payments. Wow!

Jesus asked the religious leader a question, “…which of them will love him most? “^{Luke 7:42} What level of love and happiness do you think each one of these debtors were on? What level do you think the religious leader was speaking from when he answered Jesus? The religious leader said, “…I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.” The “…I suppose” suggests the religious leader was speaking from the level of the brush feeling the pressure of answering at the level his fellow religious leaders would want him to answer, but Jesus left him with only one simple conclusion.

here are the different levels between the woman and the religious leader. Jesus said, “…Simon, Seest thou this woman?” I came into your house you offered no water to wash my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears. The answer is yes. She dried my feet with her hair. The answer is yes. You gave me no tradition welcome to your home kiss. She continually kissed my feet. The answer is yes. You did not anoint my head with oil as your guest, but this woman anointed my feet. The answer is yes.

Here is the level this woman was on being revealed as a woman of many sins are forgiven because of the level of her love and repentance. It is clear from the strong level of the good soil that is workable she did these things and from the absent mindedness of wayside thoughts the religious leader did nothing. The depth of your love will equal the depth of your forgiveness. If you have a little depth of repentance then you will be forgiven little placing you in the three weakest levels.

Her spiritual level of believing in Jesus was so deep into her core that her actions revealed I am unworthy to be higher than your feet Jesus and the religious leader revealed his level of looking Jesus in the face with no regard of treating him as how a guest should treated. She had four yes’s and the religious leader had zero. Her four yes’s equaled forgiveness and his equaled zero with the potential of him seeing the light of truth about himself. You can read this whole event in Luke chapter seven verse thirty-six through verse fifty.

“How Thankful Are You” in your spirit? Have you approached Jesus with your spiritual life? The world cannot bring you the spiritual true happiness because temporary cannot satisfy eternal. Your spirit is eternal and needs eternal to make it truly happy. The earth can make your earthly body happy, but in the process make your spirit extremely sad. The body can gain the whole world, but lose your soul. It comes down to simply earth for earth and Spirit for spirit.

UNLOCKING SPIRITUAL HAPPINESS

Jesus is offering you a chance to see your spiritual level. If you have no level of relationship or if you have a religious level of relationship. Jesus can show you what level you are on and reveal how much closer to him you can become. Spiritual happiness can be balanced by the guidance of the Holy Spirit of all spirits through the Lord Jesus Christ just like the woman discovered her forgiveness by depths of her love, faith, and commitment mixed in her good soil.

Jesus gave to all who were on the zero wayside level the steps and path to begin their salvation relationship start for the good soil level. He told all of us through Peter to “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.“^{Acts 2:38}

Repenting, like the woman starts the action of the spiritual “I’m sorry for my sins” with the physical obedience of being submerged completely in water baptism in the name of Jesus washing away all your sins and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with the power of God speaking with your voice in another language praising God as a sign to you of receiving His Spirit. This fulfills the born again of water and of the Spirit ^{John 3}

Interesting Side Thought: the woman from a repentant heart wept tears like unto water, with her hair wiped away the dirt like unto wiping away sins, kissed and anointed his feet like unto the mouth speaking anointed words as God gives them. In Acts two verse thirty-eight it says, we are to repent, be baptized in water in Jesus name, wiping away all our sins, receiving the gift of the anointed Holy Ghost speaking with a language God gives us as a sign. A neat parallel from a person who really means business.

If you are at the level of Apollos Jesus has a deeper path for you to follow. Apollos only had the depth of John the Baptist teachings. He was a smart man and very strong in the scriptures knowing only the teachings of John the Baptist. Aquila and Priscilla had heard him speaking and they took him aside and told him the way of God more perfectly of Jesus name baptism and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. ^{Acts 18:24-28}

Another group of people were found only knowing the Baptist doctrine of John and apostle Paul asked them about receiving the Holy Ghost and they had not heard about it. He asked, what were they baptized and they said unto John’s baptism. Paul explained that was a baptism unto repentance, which is not the washing away of sins in Jesus name, and that they should believe on him after John, Jesus Christ. When they heard this they went into a deeper level of truth being baptized in Jesus name and when apostle Paul laid his hands upon them praying the power of the Holy Ghost came upon them speaking the praises of God in a language they did not know as a sign of proof to them they had received God’s Holy Spirit. ^{Acts 19:1-7}

HOW THANKFUL ARE YOU

Surface, rocks, brush, and good soil are the levels our spirit will live this life through our bodies storing up the choices we have made to be brought back before us when we face God after this life. The level of “Thankfulness” will have the spiritual strength of the woman crying, using her hair as a towel, kissing Jesus feet, and anointing him with a praise and prayerful fellowship filled life or the empty religious leader going through the physical motions of an outward falseness of a happy life.

I am thankful to know and have followed God and the Bible into a more perfect balanced spiritual life than what I was trying to achieve through the world. I am thankful to God to have the physical ability to walk, talk, see, hear, and do daily tasks. We have a sad and dying world of people all around us physically and spiritually. We are far more blessed than we really realize and the slowing down to count our many blessings is the only way to answer the question “How Thankful Are You?“

With Him

We all want someone to love us for ourselves accepting and believing in us. Living this life we have many people outside our bodies that have no clue what is going on inside our minds and behind our eyes. Our face may show one thing, but our spirit is completely different. No human living human being can be inside with our spirit seeing us as we truly are.

No matter how much our body feels companionship our spirit has no one inside with it when we are born into this world. Our thoughts are alone. Our feelings are somewhat comprehended, completely misunderstood or made fun of like they mean nothing. Unfortunately, as we grow up there are things that try to partnership with our spirit using our bodies for it’s selfish purpose, but never truly satisfying the lonely hole we feel in our spirit.

We are born as babies with a hungry body and a hungry spirit. The deception is when our body is somewhat satisfied the hunger of our spirit either falls asleep content with the body’s satisfaction, becomes forgotten or overlooked. Food, drink, and pleasures override and mask our lonely spirit. No matter how much of the physical things of this world we partake in our spirit is still lonely. Our spirit is continually a spectator on this one sided ride.

It makes perfect sense for the things of this world satisfying the hunger of our body made of this world. The hunger of the body is earth feeding earth, but our spirit is eternal and it needs eternal feeding eternal. As I said earlier there are things in the eternal realm that tries to partnership with our spirit on eternal lies that do not completely satisfy our spirit, but a false sense of hope through the body and the things of this world. Eternal evil feeds a never ending hunger for more eternal evil through our temporary body, whereas eternal good fulfills and satisfies the hunger of our spirit prepares us to leave this temporary body.

This is where “With Him” comes into play. Before Him, I could not get enough of the things of this world to make my spirit happy. My body was happy most of the time, but something was still missing. The alcohol could not reach it. The cigarettes could not reach it. The other misbehaviors could not reach it. Emptiness was still there and growing to a point of madness of “how do I get satisfied“. It became a driving thirst from the beginning never forgetting that first.

Growing up, I was made to go to church and my body was there doing its time, but my spirit was elsewhere. I am thankful now my body was there and my spirit heard there was a God, but I was still under the deception of feeding my body was feeding my spirit. You can try to make your body as happy as possible, but that happiness does not have the eternal substance to feed or satisfy your spirit. Your body sitting in church while your spirit is elsewhere will not feed your spirit completely.

One morning my body was sitting in church and my spirit was so burned out on trying to satisfy my life a still small voice whispered in my mind “you have tried everything else why not try Me?” My spirit starting thinking and I had to agree. I have tried so many other things that I believed we good things, but left me wanting more in a bad way. I replied back, “okay, I will give you a try.“

I went down to the front to the altar and the pastor knelt down with me having his arm over my shoulder and he started praying. He stops praying, looks at me, and said, “Did you pray this prayer with me?” I looked at him and said, “I did” and I lied right there in the altar because I did not know I was suppose to repeat what he said to receive salvation from God. This was the best thing could ever have happened to me.

As the pastor started speaking to the congregation about this lost soul coming forth to be saved I stayed knelt down at the altar and poured the rawness of my heart out to God asking Him to help me with the hunger of my spirit. They were my raw words of repentance without any pretty sentence structure or form. My spirit to His Spirit unrehearsed or planned out.

Why I said, “This was the best thing could ever have happened to me” was because many churches today have put together a man made structured sentence that the body can repeat someone else’s words while our spirit just listens to the body’s vocal chords repeating said words, which our spirit could be disconnected and letting the body go through the motions. When I out of desperation poured my heart out to God because of my sinful condition and I lied in the altar my spirit was totally involved bypassing the body reaching out for the eternal to help my eternal.

My relationship “With Him” started out from my raw spirit directly speaking to His pure Holy Spirit. Having the body to repeat words of salvation has no more power than the body drinking water when you are thirsty because you have only reached the level of satisfaction for the body and not the spirit. Your spirit just listened to the body speaking just like it would watch as the body was drinking. I hope you are seeing the separate dual nature within yourself – body and spirit.

My personal raw relationship “With Him” was a blunt, up-front asking and receiving from His Bible and Spirit. When I learned I was not doing something in His Bible He liked I asked why, he explained, and I started practicing it. “With Him” became a life of wisdom and good understandings that I did not gain from trying to feed my spirit through the actions of my body. The lessons through the body experimenting can be some very hard lessons affecting yourself and others for life.

I was now on a path of feeding my body the things it needed from earth to earth and feeding my spirit from eternal to eternal “With Him“. He said, he would lead me and guide into all truth (Jn 16:13) and it was truth that made my spirit complete. I was drinking and eating the things the body needed while I had learned what food and drink my spirit needed. No longer was my spirit watching the body get its happiness, but now my spirit was finding its eternal happiness daily “With Him“.

Actually, things have reversed. The body wants to party with different things, but the wisdom of the spirit sees the temporary fix will not match the eternal fix. The body hates the spirit because it will not allow it to dominate with selfish going nowhere pleasures that do not benefit the place of eternity the spirit will go one day. Another words the body hates that the spirit has become smarter and wiser to it’s ways.

I had lived somewhat a hard life of lying people and now I have clung to His Bible and His Spirit as the only one I would trust completely. It is funny walking “With Him” He told me that I had to learn to love people again and I did slowly. As time passed I would meet people would challenge me with questions about God and His Bible of which I became a student of the Bible and God as my teacher believing only Him when He connected to all scriptures satisfying it was not twisted or taken out of context by man, which happens a lot and it all started with the devil in the beginning of time.

“With Him” as my personal best friend, teacher, and the go-to for eternal food for my spirit life was now full of satisfaction. No longer did the body dominate or deceive my spirit into thinking it was taking care of all my needs. I was having fun spending time “With Him” finding out what He hates, what He loves, and how He thought about things just like you would spend time with person in your body. As I discovered things about Him He started showing me things I did not see about myself, which was awesome if you want to improve yourself in a balance of life way.

One day a person at work asked me, did I know that no one was ever baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? (Mtt. 28:19) I told him I had not heard that and he proceeded to say there is no record in the Bible using Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in water baptism. Well, the church that I had lied at the altar, repenting, and praying a raw prayer to God was where I was baptized in water with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost being pronounced over me as I went under water for the purpose of a public confession of Christ.

You know what I did after hearing this? I went home and the next few days of researching “With Him“, talking to Him, and desiring to walk in complete truth “With Him“. I found more scriptures of Jesus name baptism and none for Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I used every tool of researching the Bible. Walking “With Him” was my everything in feeding His eternal with my eternal. I accepted to be rebaptized in Jesus name based completely (key word) on the scriptures and God. Not throwing off on the man that told me, but just like at the altar I wanted it to be personal and directly between God and me. You always want your foundation to be between you and God because all of us are prone to fall short and possibly fail.

I will skip forward a little bit to later on when God explained more deeply about water baptism in Jesus name. This is why “With Him” life is so complete and beautiful. He told me the power of the blood was in the name of Jesus. The blood is not in Father or Holy Ghost and “…a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have“, Jesus said (Luke 24:39). Jesus had the body and the blood to save us from our sins through the shedding of blood and going through the process of death in his body. Isn’t that a cool understanding? In the name of Jesus comes all things to forgive, save, redeem, and sweet fellowship.

Obeying water baptism in Jesus name, having that name pronounced over me as I went under the water, I cannot explain the freedom and cleanliness I spiritually felt. It was like chains and bondage fell off of me. This made walking “With Him” even stronger in my spirit to be fed only scriptural truth. When I was baptized in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for the reason of a public confession my spirit was just watching my body go through the motion and get wet. When I was baptized in Jesus name my body got wet, but my spirit felt a power of forgiveness that I cannot put into words glorious enough to explain it for the Bible purpose of washing away my sins.

This same person asked me about receiving the Holy Ghost like the apostles did in Acts chapter two. I told him I was not worthy enough like the apostles and I thought it was for them only. He told me it was a promise to all of us today to receive like they did. Of course, you know I listened to his words, but I went home for the next several days researching “With Him“, talking to Him, and desiring to walk in complete truth “With Him” and not the words of man. You may not know, but the apostles received the Holy Ghost and as a prophecy God given sign to themselves that they had received the Holy Ghost they spoke in a language/tongue they had not learned in the body praising and glorifying God. People of other nations heard them speaking praises of God in their homeland language/tongue.

Looking backwards at the time when I was in the altar praying the raw prayer while the pastor was telling the people how I was saved and had received automatically the Holy Spirit. I have to admit one hundred percent honestly, I did not have any change in my spirit other than the nervousness in my body standing before a church crowd of people. At that time my spirit poured words out of my body’s mouth of repentance, but feeling nothing in my spirit other than a feeling relief, but this was the start of my journey with walking “With Him“.

Back to what the man had said about the gift of the Holy Ghost. I searched the Bible from beginning to end “With Him” and found no where God stopped pouring out His Spirit in the way He did upon the apostles. I actually found it was a promise to all generations and an earnest inheritance from God to whomsoever wanted this experience. “With Him” I was always open to whatever He wanted in my life. My prayers changed towards God saying, “if You want me to have it then I want it“. The real truth is God wanted me to have His Spirit inside with my spirit more than I wanted it. He is the best roommate a body could ever have dwelling inside this temporary apartment of flesh.

Many months had passed and then one night I was praying in the altar at a church that believed in Jesus name baptism and the infilling of the power of the Holy Ghost. I was telling God the same thing “if You want me to have it then I want it“. I absolutely refused man to be a part of my walk “With Him“. If I was going to receive the power of the Holy Ghost is not going to be by a man made cheer leading and pumped up pep talk. This was a personal prayer between me and God only and if He wanted it then I wanted it.

As I was praying my spirit started feeling another powerful and Holy Spirit presence. I knew it was not the devil or an evil spirit because I was talking to Jesus that causes devils to flee. My spirit felt engulfed with this Holy presence. A powerful flowing feeling was inside my spirit and I could tell it was not anything my body could create or mimic. It was not earthly to earthly body feeling, but an eternal flowing Spirit to my spirit like substance giving drink to my eternal spirit inside.

By this time my body was physically feeling the power of this Holy Spirit on the outside flowing upward on the inside through my spirit reaching my vocal cords as an anointing language came out right when I was saying in English “I love you, Jesus” and it turned into a language my body’s ears had never heard before while my spirit knew without question it was praising and glorifying God. There was absolutely no presence of any evil anywhere near me or even in me. It was just like the apostles and the people in the Bible. Simply, a glory from eternal to eternal born again of the Spirit experience. I was more “With Him” in a oneness way that no other religion teaches.

Wow, the “With Him” took on a whole new level of fellowship. Baptized in His name and filled with His Holy Spirit turned on the Spirit to spirit feeding of my soul with complete satisfaction. Understandings were leaping out at me from His word when I read it, listen to it, or He simply drops a thought into my mind that takes me on a path of wisdom I would not normally have had through the body. Baptized into Jesus body and receiving his Spirit is a true oneness of salvation God intended.

Everything looks different now. I am seeing slowly as I can wrap my spirit around it how “With Him” being everywhere at once, having all knowledge, and all power sustains everything and without Him nothing would stand. “With Him” I watch and listen to His birds sing. “With Him” my eyes behold the beauty of the earth He gave us. “With Him” the breathe my body breathes is His grace and mercy. “With Him” swimming in water is the substance He gave us to enjoy and live by.

I see you as His daughter or as His son He wanted to be here hoping you would find Him and walk “With Him“. Hoping you would be like me and many others discovering that no matter what you feed the body it will never feed your spirit. Earth cannot feed spirit and spirit cannot feed earth. You and I are His children and He loves us more than we fathom.

Now, I hunger more than ever before to see Him and walk “With Him“. We are living in a time when people seem to be always learning, but never able to come to the truth sitting right in front of them. These people are sneaking their ideas into your body corrupting your spirit’s understanding and leading you away with lies, sins, and lusts that only feed the body and not your spirit. People are pretending to be good, righteous, and an outward appearance of godliness claiming to be of power, but plainly denying the real power and that is God. Man’s flesh is on a rampage to destroy true spiritual wisdom.

They love their own body pleasures more than the hunger of their spirit for God. They look down on us thinking themselves to better when it is a lie of the body. They are doing whatever it takes to feed their bodies to the point betraying others, despising anyone who is good, violent for any other opinions, out of control, lying accusations, going back on promises, cold heartedness, nothing is sacred, ungrateful, rising against parents, revilers of truth, prideful, arrogant, wanting other people’s things, and narcissists loving only themselves of which the Bible warns us of these things coming in the last days (2 Tim. 3:1-7). They are here right now pushing you as hard as they can from seeing you can only feed eternal with eternal.

A walk “With Him” is crucial right now. You body will lie to the spirit of your mind with earthly things that will not save you when you face the death of your temporary body. Eat, drink, and fight all you want in the body, but earth will never satisfy eternal. Your eternal spirit can only be satisfied with the goodness of the eternal things of God. Go “With Him“, Jesus, into the day by day feeding of your soul with eternal to eternal while you have breathe in your body. The day your body and spirit separate by a fleshly death going into the eternal existence will be a judgment of what you did in words and deeds here on earth. One is a pathway of truth “With Him” and the other is a pathway you can read about in Second Timothy chapter three starting at verse one through seven taking you to an eternal place of torment meant for the devil and his angels, but not you.

WITH HIM

Acts 2:38“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.“

³⁹“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.“

WITHOUT HIM

2Timothy 3:3 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.“

²“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankfu, unholy,“

³“Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,“

⁴“Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;“

⁵“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.“

⁶“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,“

⁷“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.“

I’m Sorry Lord

I should have done more for you. You were my friend when no one else cared about me. You heard me when no one else would listen. You reached out to me when I was all alone. You stayed with me when everyone else left. You deserve more from me. All I wanted to do was to spend the life you had given for you to reach others through me. I’m sorry Lord.

Why did you love someone like me so long ago and how can you love me now when I have fallen so short? What have I really done for you and the second chance in life you have given me? In my brokenness and sadness I say, “I’m sorry Lord“.

You gave me the warmth of your love when the coldness of my heart, numbness of my mind, and my empty lost soul had given up. I thought I knew joy until the happiness of your Spirit accepted me when no else did. You saw me clearly for who I was and still reached out to me with a gentle patience I cannot describe. You deserve so much more than what I have given.

All these years of walking through each day step by step and second by second I wanted it all for you. You have changed my life in a way I could never pay you back in any lifetime, but I should have done more. I want to do more. I’m sorry Lord.

You poured your goodness in me replacing the evil that was in my heart. You chipped away at the hard unbelief of thoughts I had towards people in this life restoring a living faith in me. If I can be saved so can they. You have been a friend like no other and all I wanted was for others to find out how wonderful you are.

You have taught me so many wondrous things that I felt like I did not deserve. I asked to know and you gave me understanding. Every time I came after you even though it was not in the time I wanted it you still allowed me to find you. When all the doors of life seemed to be closed you were waiting for me just to knock on your door ready to answer me.

I wish I could give you more. No one knows what a beautiful change you brought into my spirit. When you gave me a second chance moving your spirit inside with my spirit I knew I could have no greater roommate than you. My heart breaks to think about how much you have done for me and what little I have done for you. I’m sorry Lord.

I wanted to spend the time of my life giving others you whether in your words, in your touch, or the glow of your peaceful presence. We can spend money and get more money back, but we cannot spend time and get more time back. I’m sorry Lord for the time spent not doing for you to others as you have done for me.

I love you, Lord. Where would I be today without you? Jail, hooked on drugs, a man full of hatred, violent, cruel, and lost to wasting a life you had given me? How many times should I have been dead, crippled, or blind? You gave me mercy when no one else would.

I’m sorry Lord for all the bad decisions that cost me a lifetime of sorrow. My ignorance cost me precious time and yet you still hold me together in the toughest times. I don’t know what I would do without you, Lord. There is no where else to go, but you. Nothing compares to you. There is no drug, no alcohol, no escape, or any other substance that compares to your deep touch in my spirit.

Thank you for walking with me while the chains of this life wears me down. I have tried so many times to reach out to others, but it is like I am ghost and a whispering wind passing briefly by those around me, unheard, and unseen. I’m sorry Lord for whatever I have done.

You have been the sunshine in the dark dreary days in my spirit driving away the pouring down rain of sorrow. I’m sorry Lord to be stuck in a place I cannot do more for you. Help me live a life well spent in you. You are my hope and my salvation. Time will be no more for all of us and we don’t know it.

As time ticks by and the days come and go help me to walk freshly with you driving the dullness of life away. Speak to me daily, walk with me daily, and help me not to sleep the sleep of death. I’m sorry Lord for having a past less filled with your works, a present day longing to do more, and a tomorrow of regret of knowing I should have done more. I’m sorry Lord.

When we first came together I wanted to treat you more alive than people gave you credit in your word and in your spirit. Someone told me I could receive the power of your living spirit like they did in the Bible days. I did not feel worthy and thought that was only for the apostles back then, but I had a wide open relationship with you willing to ask, seek, and knock if it were your will. You would be the one deciding if I should receive it.

By no power of mankind, I felt the power of your Holy Spirit come upon me as I was releasing my faith and words of love filled with praise that you would love someone like me. Your Holy Spirit was so strong upon my spirit that I could feel you joining as one in my voice changing the utterance into a language of praise I could have never learned or done on my own. It was your way of giving me a sign that you had accepted me beyond my feelings of unworthiness.

You decided to give someone like me the same experience as the apostles did. I knew I would never be the same. I completed what your word said and was baptized totally under water with your name Jesus washing away all my sins. All my sins were forgiven and I could not explain how clean I felt in my spirit. What a glorious day that will forever be in my mind.

You are the best roommate a body could ever have sharing life in the fellowship of your spirit with mine. All that you have done for me all these many years. All the understandings you have given me. I want everyone to know you. I wish I could give you more. I’m sorry Lord to be a vessel trapped in a routine of life not in a full time manner of sharing you to all the world. Help me salvage my spirit in this ticking away of a fleshy vessel.

I love you, Lord. I would not want to count down the days of my life with anyone else than you as my roommate with my soul. Others will let me down and I will let others down, but you will always hold us up. Life is not true life unless it is with you guiding each day. I would be so very lonely if I did not have you.

My words maybe like a whisper in the wind, my presence maybe a fading vapor, and my touch maybe a forgotten memory, but you hear me, see me, and remember me. How your love for me deserves the best I can give while the shortcoming of that goal causes me to say, “I’m sorry Lord”.

I hope and pray someone Lord will step through the door of your word believing in you being born again of your named water baptism and in receiving your named Spirit experiencing the second chance birth you have provided to us all. God is alive in His word and in our present day fulfilling those words if we will humbly open up to Him.

³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

³⁹For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. He is calling you.

Time is spending your precious life away every second what are you doing inside those seconds to make your existence valuable? Let God spend your seconds with you cultivating them into a glorious timeless light of His love. Don’t let the “I’m sorry Lord” be the words you speak when you face Him in the judgment seat in eternity.

Thank you very much for spending your precious time reading these words. I hope they will turn into golden moments for you.

What Are You Building?

Building is something every born human being does in this world. None of us can stop ourselves from building everyday. We only stop building when we cease to exist in this life. When God spoke this into my thoughts while listening to His word. I asked myself a past, present, and future questions. “What have I built?” What can you think of you’ve built? “What buildings are in my past?” What past event stands tall in your mind? “Are they still standing or have they fallen?” Do people remember or not, God does. “What am I building?” What are you building today? “What building am I standing in right now?” How do you feel about yourself? “What kind of building(s) do I want to build after God has spoken to me?” What would you like to see in the future of your life?

Building is basically something being constructed, assembled, and/or joining things together. “In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1). He took something that was formless and void making it into solid, purposeful, and functional. It started out empty, but then was built into existence with a purpose. You were empty as a baby, but now you have filled your life with many things.

In the beginning of you as a baby, the spirit part of you (mind, heart, and soul) and your body started building right away. Your empty and void mind started building. Your mind caught onto actions brought attention like crying and you were fed. Your mind stored sounds associated with objects like “mama“, “dada” building a vocabulary in your mind. You started building right away. Your mind started building a language center structure stored with your language.

The more you grew the more you built on a daily basis. You did not stop growing or building. The more mobile you became the more building you did in the baby cit of your mind. Your body and mind started building together every day. The childhood days were the building blocks for the path of personality you chose to walk. You chose to build a life with characteristics of certain things like being quiet, loud, obnoxious, instigator, trouble maker, obedient, evil, or good. I am sure your mind popped up with a sister, a brother, a family member, or other people in your childhood life who either fit one of these or contributed to your buildings in your life.

YOU HAVE STARTED A CITY

By now you are seeing the buildings all of us are doing everyday. It is not building necessarily a physical building, but a building inside ourselves. Some people build a huge building focused on certain things. Some have cities full of buildings of knowledge in sports statistics to name one. If I was able to walk through the city of your mind what would be the names on the buildings of knowledge you have built up over your lifetime?

I know I would see signs on the front of short buildings, unfinished buildings, tall buildings, very clean buildings, not so clean buildings, empty lots, and possibly some forbidden buildings as I walk along. Some people would have signs that read basketball, football, baseball, soccer with tall buildings of knowledge for their teams, players, and statistics. The height of the buildings would determine how much you have spent building it in your life storing what you have focused yourself upon.

As a young person you started building methods of creating relationships. As you got older you tried to build a career possibly marrying someone and doing other things to further that career you wanted to build. You wanted a certain thing and you focused all your building abilities to attain that certain object or goal. The city of your mind became the totality of what you think.

If you married your building turned into providing for the home and not just for yourself or did you? You possibly changed your mindset to building all around your children and their children forgetting other things. You have been building within yourself since you were born to this day and you will take what you have done and said before God. Would you want or allow anyone to walk through the city of your mind freely? How do you feel about someone walking through your mind?

Of course, all things inside our minds would be completely naked and opened to whomever would dare to allow to walk the city streets of our minds. We are all safe from another person visiting the cities of our minds, except for one. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” speaking about God in Hebrews 4:12, 13. All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of God.

WHAT CITY ARE YOU?

“What have you built?” Walking through the spiritual city of your mind “What buildings would be seen?” Would it be a city with an underground subway dedicated to sex, getting off the train to see a buildings of deception, further down another building idolizing a person, place, or thing? Would there be a building of jealousy? Buildings of alcohol bars for getting drunk to get stress relief? An arena focused on fighting, stirring up strife, and causing chaos? A stadium for venting your anger? If this is your city the mayor of it is your fleshly body governing what you build inside the zones of your mind. (Gal. 5:19-21).

Another kind of city that some people who walk among us could answer the “What have you built” question with I stopped building a long time ago and turned the city of my mind over to the builder and Maker of Jesus Christ God manifested in the flesh. With God’s help I tore down the building of hatred towards people and replaced it with a building learning to love once again by God’s grace. The Holy Spirit of God took a bulldozer to the building of depression and started a building of joy as it’s foundation. The subway system was overhauled and replaced with following a path of peace throughout the city of my mind. A building of Godly understanding was built. So, I could go inside seeking knowledge practicing longsuffering and not trying to drown them away in drinking or in drugs. Shops of goodness were going up everywhere in the city with faith in a better tomorrow filling the streets with kindness and temperance. The city of my mind was set free with a Mayor I could call upon to help with bad occupants trying to move in. A city inside my mind that needs no law as long as God is the Mayor forever (Gal. 5:22, 23).

LET GO OF STRESSFUL BUILDING

There was a man born into a blessed family. His mind was blessed by the teaching of his father and of God. The city of his mind was overflowing with wisdom. Under the same sun we have today he focused his mind on building things. He built physical houses, planted vineyards, gardens, orchards, all kind of fruit trees, made pools of water, obtained servants/maids, had servant’s children taken care of, great wealth, greatest of cattle in all the land, gold, silver, treasures, singers, all kinds of musical instruments. He became greater than all the people in Jerusalem and even the ones before him. (Eccl.2:4-10).

He looked at all he had physically built and hated it. What? Hated it? He saw all that he had physically built would be left to another person after he died. He saw the reality in his mind that no one would know the person after him would be wise or a fool with what he had physically built. A wise or fool will have your things. He saw this was going to happen whether he liked or not because death will remove him from this world. Nothing of this world goes with us. Another person will take all his physical things and become a good or bad ruler over them and there was nothing he could do about that (Eccl. 2:18, 19).

He was the wisest man in all the world at that time and he hated what he had physically built calling it vanity and vexation of spirit. Solomon saw something we need to see today. He and all of us are building things that someone else will inherit. We stress ourselves out over the physical things of this world. Every one wants to live a nice life, but fighting and stressing ourselves to an early worrisome death is vanity and vexation of spirit on the city of our minds, hearts, and souls. There is another type of building we should be more focused on no matter if we are rich, middle, or poor.

Solomon had physically everything. The rich man Jesus talked about had everything, but in the end death took the rich man and the poor man from this world. The rich man left behind all the physical land, vehicles, money, and wealth was given to someone else. “What Are You Building?” You can stress yourself to death about building physical things, but time and chance will happen to all of us no matter if we are the fastest person, the strongest person, the wisest person, the smartest person in finances, or a person of great abilities death will come and remove you from this world (Eccl. 9:11). “What Are You Building” that God will judge in the end that will save your soul?

This is why Solomon, the wisest man of his time, said “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Eccl. 1:14). We all know this does not mean to stop working the physical goals in this life, but to remember there is another building we must do inside the city of our minds, hearts, and souls that death will never remove us from. Solomon saw “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?…” (Matt. 16:26). Not the buildings on the outside that perishes, but the buildings you have stored your life in the city of yourmind, heart, and soul.

BUILDING WHAT REALLY COUNTS

All the clothes and possibly shoes you are wearing right now as you read these words will be taken from you after you die and be dispersed to wherever and whomever. The vehicle you may love outside your place will be driven by someone else. All the money you worked for in getting the big screen TV will be removed and given to someone else when death takes your body. There is nothing wrong with the things you have physically. In fact, Solomon said, “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.” (Eccl. 2:24). It is okay to enjoy the physical things in this world, but not to put absolute stock into them as what will be payment enough for your soul.

The city of your mind does not belong to the earth that passes away, but unto God for which your mind will never pass away. Your mind, heart, and soul will live forever beyond the physical things of this world. Solomon is out there looking back us knowing he told us building the things in this world is temporary and someone else whether wise or a fool will control it, but will never control the city that you build inside your spirit. Solomon left us a conclusion that covers everything. He said, “…Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” This also ties into what Jesus said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The “…might know…” is the building knowledge inside your mind, heart, and soul. Solomon knew God was not interested in the earthly things built, but will judge the intent and thoughts behind the work you did bringing into every secret thing no matter if it was for good or for evil (Eccl. 13:13, 14).

Nothing you physically have will go with you. What you leave behind will be for the next group of people to do whatever they want regardless of how you feel. All your words and actions that are stored in your spirit will be what goes with you. God will walk the streets of the city of your mind judging each building that you stored things there from this life. Will He find buildings of His words and His will been done or will he find buildings stored with selfishness, deceit, and many other sins? While you are alive you can rebuild the city of your mind by the guidance and the grace of God along with receiving the things of this world.

REBUILD YOUR CITY

Do you want to rebuild the city of your mind, heart, and soul so when God walks through it the shame will not be as great? God the Builder and Maker of the knowledge of good has to move inside the city of your mind, heart, and soul to start the building process. God calls it a “…born again…” from the washing away of all sins in a baptism fully immersed in water and the powering up with the newness of spirit in your spirit. This is the only way to fix the bad or evil things built inside your mind that you and others have built in times past. How much have you accumulated of bad or evil things in your mind, heart, and soul? Would you like to experience the freedom God will give you? You will never be that same old person as before.

SALVATION BUILDING CODE

‘Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38).

Phase one to start the rebuilding process is to surrender to God, the Master Builder, with a determined and made up mind to completely turn away all the sins of the past. Separate and cut off the blueprints of sins past. Phase two is to take your body that contains the eternal city of your mind, heart, and soul down under water immersed in Jesus name applying the blood of forgiveness that is the all powerful name (Acts4:12) releasing the power of God’s forgiveness washing away all sins. Jesus name washes the whole spiritual city within you. Phase three is to revive the power of your spirit with the power of God’s Holy Spirit rejuvenating and quickening a fresh new start as God the Re-modeler of your mind, heart, and soul. A pure supply of God’s Holy Spirit currents in your spirit city. God said there will be a sign to let you know your spirit has been renewed and revived as a new creature in Christ by hearing words come out of your mouth guided by His Holy Spirit. A celebration you and the whole city will know removing all doubts.

BUILDING A HOUSE OF PRAYER

Once the Holy Spirit moves inside of us we need to make Him the overseer of the city of our thoughts daily because our flesh will want our minds, hearts, and souls totally focused on building things that will perish with this world. The flesh wants a city of lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. The flesh wants the love of money to take over the city. The flesh wants a city of thoughts to be selfish, boastful, arrogance, and chaos filling the streets and buildings (2 Tim. 1-5). The flesh wants to live selfishly of this world considering what only benefits itself.

Our born again package comes with the Holy Spirit of God guiding us into all truth and even showing us things to come (Jn. 17:3). This guidance will com from fellowship, which is what prayer is between us and God. How do we pray? Prayer is simply talking with God and a good example to learn from is what Jesus said, ⁹“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” ¹⁰“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” ¹¹“Give us this day our daily bread.” ¹²“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” ¹³“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Mtt. 6:9-12).

This is a building spiritual city of prayer. This is a daily working prayer. It is an action prayer. It is a start to building a Holy Spirit governing house of prayer inside your mind, heart, and soul. “…Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” to start the day thankful you know the name that has the power to forgive, heal, and power over evil things. A loving reverence of the Father giving us His name that is above all names. It is a mental and spiritual in action with God’s Holy Spirit in your life.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” is an action statement for us to try to do the will of God daily inside our own hearts and to those around us that God directs us. “Give us this day our daily bread.” ties into what Jesus said, “…man shall not live by bread alone…” (Luke 4:4) and what Solomon said, “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour…” (Eccl. 2:24). We have the spiritual bread for the soul and bread of the labor of our hands in a prayer for God to provide and for us to enjoy.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” this also a practicing action for us to seek God’s forgiveness when we fall short, but at the same time to have forgiveness for others. Inside the city of our thoughts in God should be a place built by us receiving forgiveness, but also give out forgiveness. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” is a help and mercy call upon God because Jesus had already been lead into the wilderness facing evil and being delivered in our place. We don’t need to go there and he world will try to trick us.

“…For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Inside our minds we want the buildings to be full of God’s praise, His trusted will to be done, eating the bread He provides, welcoming forgiveness, lead away from temptations, allowing a way of escape from evil, and let it be for His kingdom, His power, and His glory for ever, of which we will see and go to after this life.

Walking the streets of your mind what kind of buildings line the streets? Today, what types of places have you added to your mind – anger, jealousy, etc.? Knowing everything you have will be someone else’s and you can only take with you the things inside you mind, heart, and soul “What are you going to build ?” I am glad God moved into my city of thoughts to help sort out the evil tragedies and events of this life keeping them in perspective that they cannot follow me when i leave this world in Jesus name. May God bless you and become the Mayor of the city of your mind, heart, and soul.

Where Are You?

When evil intentions grow among the population something tragic comes along to purge it. The purge can happen on a small scale to an unbelievable cosmic size.

In heaven we read Satan and his followers had accepted evil intentions towards God and the purging came upon them like lightning striking them down. There is nothing slow about lightning and it strikes quickly before we can move.

For Christians the evil intentions of the Tower of Babel in the history of the Bible were not killed, but confounded by speaking different tongues. They dispersed because they could not understand each other. We have apps to translate languages today and we still are not understanding the ramifications that evil intentions bring.

Pharaoh of Egypt inflicted the people and a great purge fell on them brining death. There is a great inflicting upon good people today, which will push for something to give way and that will bring a purge out of the control of man. Was Covid a mistake? Did it get out of control from mankind?

In the Bible Sodom and Gomorrah with the evil intentions of the men of the city that wanted to rape the two angel men from God brought a great purging falling upon the cities bringing forth death. Evil intentions and sin cannot build anything to stand forever, but has the curse of always being purged and fallen.

The Bible and world history is full of evil intentions growing to a certain point and a great purging comes along. The homes and cities were far apart, but today technology has brought together the possible unity of evil intentions, which will bring a unity of purging.

The world is becoming so focused on itself with evil intentions against God, each other, and that which is good that they are going to be blindsided by a great purge from the heavens that they are ignoring. Good cannot be evil and evil cannot be good. They will always be separated by the timing God chooses.

Repeatedly, evil intentions brings a great purge of tragedy because of the abundance and overflowing in the heart of mankind. How many times in history when people repented did God turn things around and good once again flowed in the community tolerating reduced specks of evil?

The world is not looking up for the sudden strike of tragedy like a thief brings to their home unexpectedly. The people of today will see the heavens open up and the earth beneath them bring another purge if they do not stop their evil intentions and ask God to forgive them.

The news today and every day should make Christians want to pray like never before and the unsaved to repent as quickly as they can leaving the sins far behind them before the purging falls on back of their heals.

There is an overwhelming feeding of the flesh all around the world of evil intentions that the feeding of the spirit of mankind is becoming so corrupt that God will not tolerate it much longer. Your spirit is number one with God while your flesh will fade away into the dust of the earth your spirit will live forever in a good place or a bad place. God wants you with Him.

He is a loving and Heavenly Father that will will separate with a great purge for the sake of His Children whether it is by speech, great wonders, or separating body from spirit.

Separation of body and spirit is going to happen now or later, but the question is when that sudden purge happens will your spirit be ready for heaven or the place where all evil intentions go to be painfully on fire forever.

This is the day the Lord hath made for you while reading this to decide the condition of your spirit before the sudden purge happens. We no longer the the luxury of writing off people as crazy about the end time of days of evil for they are here and growing bigger every day.

Have you obeyed God’s word and been born again? Have you repented, been baptized in Jesus name applying the blood of forgiveness that is in that name only, washing away all your sins, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost speaking in the language God gives you as a sign of redemption and the power of His Spirit is in you? (Acts 2:38)

Truly feeding your spirit of good things comes from God’s Spirit, His word, and a prayer life of fellowship. This all keeps you ready for the great purge that will fall upon your area and the world. It is coming and it will come suddenly. It may seem to be slow for now, but they are signs giving us some extra time of mercy – only.

Don’t sleep the sleep of death having a mind locked onto this world only for the suddenness of your spirit realizing you have passed and was not ready. The terror will strike you at the core of your eternal being with indescribable realization of the pain and the sufferings that will never go away.

All of my writings have been to reach you and lift up closer to God. I can live no better life than to see you saved and in Fellowship with God daily, but this ready is a “better get ready” message to you and a reminder to me to stay prayed up and ready for we know not the day nor the hour in which it will come.

Find your way everyday to fellowship with God thinking on good things guarding against the smooth talking lies of the world. May God shower you with the richness of His divine Holy Spirit.