You’re Invited!

The most valuable conversation I will have with you is to let you know: “You’re Invited!” Maybe we didn’t have that conversation because of lack of time, not being in a conducive environment, or simply my hesitation? No matter what the reason is, I’m glad you’re here reading this now. Reflecting on the past 9 years of my life, I realize now, God employs willing people to reach others and “coincidences” are not truly coincidences, but rather moments God allows at times in our life, when we need it most, to draw us to Him and to “wake us up” out of our sleep. I’m thankful for Andy, Michelle and Chris who impacted my life and “woke me up.” And if you are reading this now, I believe: it’s no coincidence!

YOUR INVITATION TO BELIEVE

I became aware of this, so this applies to me as well, but I chose to write “you” because this is written for you: “Your Invitation.” God wants you to know He is real. He witnesses everything happening in your life (the good and the bad) and both rewards and justice will prevail before you enter this Kingdom Jesus has been preparing for you. God created you to live eternally in His Kingdom, but unfortunately God’s enemy introduced evil to separate you from God and keep you out of His eternal kingdom. Most importantly know this: God is defined as Love and God truly loves you and wants you to live in His Kingdom. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son: Jesus/Yeshua to make it possible for you to be in God’s Kingdom. Jesus accomplished this task and this is how you have the opportunity to live within God’s future coming Kingdom on earth. God is well aware of His enemy’s deception, manipulation and trickery affecting you to convince you this is not reality. The enemy does that to everyone, so God sends people as messengers to reach others before it is too late. (Understand, there are no coincidences when you meet someone who shares this with you.)

GOD’S KINGDOM

Let me tell you about God’s future Kingdom; this is where “You’re Invited!” It will be here, on earth, not “up there somewhere,” and not the current earth as we know it. Before His Kingdom comes down to earth, there will be a separation of those who received this invitation and prepared and those who refused or ignored the invitation and will not be admitted into God’s Kingdom. It is an invitation available to ALL (thank God!), but what we do after receiving the invitation determines if we are admitted or turned away from entering the Kingdom.

EVERYTHING will be new! We will physically (in new eternal bodies) be living with God. Death will no longer be something we experience, nor crying, nor sadness. We will “inherit” this Kingdom and be considered a child of God. The physical attributes of God’s Kingdom are beyond what our imagination can comprehend, but one of the original followers of Jesus/Yeshua, John, saw a glimpse of it when Jesus visited him (after Jesus had died and risen from the dead). John was told by Jesus to make this known to others. The city itself (the New Jerusalem) will be like a cube: The city is 1,400 miles (2,200 km) in width, length and height! Not anything like what we see today on the earth today: Jerusalem will be as tall as it is wide! The brilliance of the materials God builds this Kingdom with are described by John like various precious stones and jewels, with 12 gates, each made of an enormous pearl, each having a name of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The wall surrounding the city is 200 feet (65 meters thick) made of jasper (if you click on the link and read about jasper, notice that in ancient days it had a translucency- can you imagine that?) The city is made of pure gold (God makes everything so beautiful!). Each foundation of the city has a name of one of the 12 disciples. I’m not sure if my understanding is accurate, but if the city is approximately 1400 miles tall, then each level will be approximately 117 miles tall! The 12 foundations are described as follows:

“19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[a] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.” Revelation 21:19-21

There will be true peace and safety in God’s Kingdom because nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in Jesus’ Book of Life.’

A river is described flowing down the center of the “great street” from God’s throne. On each side of the crystal clear river water is “the tree of life,” scripture says, there are 12 crops of fruit that come from this tree every month and the leaves of the tree are for “healing the nations.”

HOW TO ENTER GOD’S KINGDOM

Many people are confused (I believe it’s due to the enemy’s influence) about how to KNOW that you will be accepted for entry into God’s Kingdom. Jesus told us very clearly:

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 (one of Jesus’ followers documented Jesus saying this in the gospel)

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:14-15 (a friend of Peter, one of Jesus’ followers documented Jesus saying this in the gospel)

“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3 (a Doctor who interiewed hundeds of witnesses documented Jesus saying this in the gospel)

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (one of Jesus’ followers documented Jesus saying this in the gospel)

“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

UNDERSTAND WHAT KEEPS A PERSON FROM ENTERING GOD’S KINGDOM

This section will be tough to accept for most people (this is the humbling part, where we see things listed here that apply to our own lives)! But this is SO IMPORTANT because if we don’t deal with this, it will have eternal consequences and keep us from enjoying what others will: the Kingdom of God. It is possible for every person reading this to overcome ANY of these things (with the help of the Holy Spirit). Jesus acknowledges this is like carrying a cross for us, but said:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24

But Jesus also offers help in overcoming these things that affect or have affected many of us at some point in our lives: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another (advocate, intercessor, comforter) (aka the Holy Spirit) to help you and be with you forever”—John 14:16

Warning: here’s the tough part to hear, but better to know the truth now than to suffer the outcome on Judgement Day!

9 “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men[a] 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”  (Paul warns the Corinthians of this: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

19 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Paul warns the Galatians of this: Galatians 5:19-21)

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Jesus said this to John to warn “the churches” of this in Revelation 21:8)

“Outside are the dogs (this was a word used for a man of impure mind, an impudent man, a male prostitute) those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Jesus said this to John to warn “the churches” of this in Revelation 22:15)

RESPONDING TO YOUR INVITATION

(Again, this applies to me to also, but because this is “your invitation” I will write this stating “you” in place of “me” or “us.”) Fully accepting this requires you to humble yourself and admit: You are not perfect and even when you try, you still mess up but that doesn’t mean you can’t enter God’s Kingdom because God made a way for you. The way is through Jesus, the sacrifice he made for you on the cross when he defeated death and rose from the dead and then appeared to hundreds of people; scripture tells of a crowd of 500 that saw him after death. There were many witnesses to this. To understand how the death of Jesus makes it possible for you to be in God’s kingdom, it’s important to understand the meaning behind the animal sacrifices that the Israelites made. There is a law of death as a result of sin, but God allowed a “substitute” life taken to preserve another, and He allowed animals to be used for that, but God didn’t like these “sacrifices” and they were only a temporary solution, until Jesus arrived and became the final living sacrifice for ALL mankind so that animal sacrifices are no longer required. It’s helpful to understand Passover and how that event symbolically represented what Jesus would do for all mankind: the protection by his blood from his death on the cross and resurrection thereafter. You need the understanding of how truly important what Jesus did is for you. If Jesus hadn’t done that, you could never live in God’s presence (because of sin) and would be eternally outside God’s Kingdom. Understanding that your natural inclination is towards sin, and if you keep choosing sin, you will not be allowed to enter God’s Kingdom, but there’s help available. Sometimes a person gets so deep into a sinful life that it seems impossible to get out of it, and that is true, if you only rely on your own abilities. This is where your “surrender” comes in: by talking to God acknowledging that you need His help. When you are sincere: asking for forgiveness for what you’ve done and seeking God’s help to avoid it in the future (true repentance) Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to you to help you each day.

All this information is important, but sometimes the details clutter up the steps: What do I need to do? Hopefully this is simple enough:

  1. Believe what is written in the Bible about God the Father, His only Son (Jesus/Yeshua), the Holy Spirit (that God loves you so much that He sent His son, Jesus, who made it possible for you to be in God’s Kingdom by his death on the cross and resurrection afterwards and in receiving the Holy Spirit you are “born again,” evidence of the Holy Spirit is a changed life when you can see these qualities in the way you live and interact with others: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) –This is found in Galatians, Chapter 5.
  2. Repent – ask God for forgiveness of past sins, willfully deciding to give them up in the future (Baptism is a public action indicating a personal commitment to God- a turning towards God and away from a sinful life, putting sin to death)
  3. Receive the Holy Spirit, become “born again,”a “new creation,” “a changed life”- in addition to these qualities of someone truly born again: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; the Holy Spirit will also give special gifts to people (IMPORTANT: not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of others), the possible gifts are: wisdom, knowledge, faith, ability to heal others, to do miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues (a spiritual language), and interpretation of tongues. The Holy Spirit determines what gifts are given and gives them as he chooses. Not everyone receives the same gifts. (This is found in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12 ) But despite having one or more “gifts” of the Spirit, if we don’t show LOVE with that gift, it looses its effectiveness and doesn’t benefit others and that is the reason a person is given the gift!

God is Love and Love is the greatest of all, it’s important to know the truth about what love is (again, God’s enemy has caused confusion and deception for us and made us equate or confuse “lust” with “love”) They are different. To identify “Love” look for these qualities or characteristics in a person: patience, kindness, not envious of others, nor boastful, nor proud, nor rude, not demanding their own way, not irritable, not keeping records of being wronged, rejoicing when truth wins over injustice, never giving up, never loosing faith, always remaining hopeful, and enduring through every circumstance. (That is the true definition of Love.) (This is found in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13)

RSVP

Now that you’ve been invited, please respond to God. Then share this invitation with others if you’ve RSVP’d to be in God’s Kingdom!

by Categories: bible prophecy, bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Healing, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, Sex, spiritual warfare, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Revelation Timeline (Commentary/Subject to Change!)

I started writing about the book of Revelation in February 2022 but stopped after the first sentence, then woke up this morning thinking it’s time to complete this. If you found my podcast, on Spotify or Apple (episodes 201 – 215), you will know I just completed a chapter by chapter reading and discussion on the book of Revelation, so I won’t go chapter by chapter here. This will be a summarization of the events.

My interest in Bible Prophecy (eschatology) started in 2020 when we had that global “pandemic” event, I felt there was a greater signficance, maybe a wake up call, a warning perhaps, and I believe it was, three years later (2023) because of the continuation of global events such as lawlessness, floods, hail, earthquakes, fires, etc. While all these events have been present as long as we can remember, there has been an increase in the intensity of these events since I started paying attention to them, search for yourself. This thought aligns with “Climate Change” focus (which I believe as a focus distracts us from what this really is: a warning from God).

Why is God warning us? I believe He is warning all mankind: there is prophecy written about thousands of years ago which remains yet to be fulfilled, and I believe it’s coming sooner than most people think: the return of Jesus Christ, which will bring about judgement on mankind: believers and unbelievers. I noticed that God often repeats things 3 times, or multiple times, when He wants us to pay attention to something in scripture. I say “God” repeats because I believe that the spirit of God inspired the 40+ authors who wrote what we refer to as “the Bible” telling a consistent message over thousands of years through prophets (in dreams and visions) and through the symbolism of actual events in history giving us a preview of what is to come.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 111:10

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

In 2020 when I started seeking to understand, it was so confusing, and I found so many opinions on the sequence, the timing of these events. While, I’m still not certain about the timing of events, I’ve prepared a “Timeline” based on what I found in scripture, but what I think is most important, is our preparation, becoming “Born Again,” (click this link to read more on what this means), I didn’t make a podcast of this post, but plan to soon. Jesus said:

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

John 3:5

The “preparation” is the most important part and once we are prepared, “Born Again,” we will have no fear of the future events because we will have made an alliance, promise, commitment, covenant with God and He sees us as “His Children” whom He protects, shelters and works all things for the good of those who love Him and keep His commands.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9 (written by Moses)

Then I said: “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Nehemiah 1:5 (written by Nehemiah the prophet)

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Daniel 9:4 (written by Daniel the prophet)

And before anyone claims, the commandments no longer apply , that was the Old Testament, please remember these quotes from the New Testament:

“If you love me, keep my commands.

John 14:15 (the words of Jesus as documented by John)

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

John 14:23 (the words of Jesus as documented by John)

Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

John 14: 24 (the words of Jesus as documented by John)

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Luke 11:28 (the words of Jesus as documented by Luke)

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 6:16 (Paul’s words: we are either obedient to evil spiritual forces or obedient to God)

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 Peter 4:17 (Peter’s words)

So because of all this written above, especially for those who want to “wait until the last minute” to prepare- we may be “at the last minute”- seriously, take a look at what prophecy indicates, then compare this to world events. Knowing prophecy is for our benefit, it will happen, Jesus explains the sequence of events in the chapters of Matthew 24 (the signs) and Matthew 25 (preparation and judgement)

After studying the Book of Revelation, I put together this “End Time Timeline” dated 10/2023- no dates, just what I discovered while reading scripture and this is slightly different from what I’ve heard from other people, the events may not be in this order, but this is the best I could put together from my current understanding of scripture. (It will change, if scripture provides clear evidence that this order of events is not correct.) This is a timeline based on what I found in scripture only, not what others teach. I am seeking the truth, only found in scripture. When we have differing opinions, it’s because we are not fully understanding the word of God. So I welcome anyone who has scripture to support a variation of this timeline because I only want to know the truth, to understand. I’m providing a link to the PDF timeline document for you to reference, download, mark up as you read scripture. Please share any clarifications (with scripture references) that you find relative to the timeline after reviewing, if you find evidence for something different and I will update the document. Hopefully this document will be helpful in recognizing where we are today using this timeline as we watch and experience world events.

endtime-timeline-2023-10Download

As I read the Bible, I found many references to “End Times” throughout scripture, and while many scholars often quote from various places in the Bible, I didn’t have a consolidated reference, so I’m going to do that for you: reference various parts of scripture that you will want to familiarize yourself with if you want more detail. Scripture interprets scripture, gives clarity, and provides detail. There is something that scholars also know: while some events occurred in the past, they were not a complete fulfillment of scripture, but they were a “preview” or a “foreshadowing” of future events, please keep this in mind and pray, asking God for wisdom, discernment and clarification if it is not clear and I believe He will give it to “His Children” who ask for this.

PLEASE SCROLL PAST THESE REFERENCE LINKS FOR AN IMPORTANT FINAL SUMMARY/ACTION PLAN

REFERENCES (with links for further reading):

  • MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO ARE DISTANT FROM GOD
  • Isaiah 30
  • SPECIFIC MESSAGES RE: ISLANDS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
  • Isaiah 11:11,

ACTION PLAN

The only preparation we need is to be “born again” as Jesus said in John Chapter 3. The normal reaction after hearing of the events described in the Book of Revelation is fear, but the spirit of fear this isn’t the spirit God wants us to keep, this is what we have when we DON’T have God’s spirit. If we have the Holy Spirit (we are born again, born of the spirit, a new creation), then we have nothing to fear because God provides EVERYTHING we will need- have faith and trust in Him. Faith comes from reading scripture (the Bible) seeing the repeated history of God’s character, His personality, who He is. Then when we KNOW God personally, from what is written in the bible and from our communication with Him, talking to Him through our prayers. Receiving the Holy Spirit isn’t some long drawn out process, the moment we are sincere in belief, wanting to change our ungodly ways, asking God for forgiveness, with a sincere “surrender” of my will to God’s will (obedience to God), asking Jesus for the Holy Spirit, we will receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will begin to work in our life, we will begin to change (this part is a slower, more gradual process) but when we are sincere and our “hearts turn towards God”- God is merciful, loving, forgiving and restores us.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7
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Avoiding Deception and Manipulation

Valuable information is found in scripture and if we learn and apply this, it will keep us from being deceived or manipulated. The tool to know if a person is a deceiver or manipulator is found in Galatians 5, a letter Paul wrote to the Galatians around 50 AD (about 20 years after Jesus was crucified to put this in historical context).

Pay attention to the descriptive qualities of a person to know if they are truly guided by the Holy Spirit or as scripture states still under the bondage of the evil one who opposes God. There are some who may call themselves Christians but when we look at the description of a person’s character of one who is “in Christ,” a true “Believer”- these traits will be seen if the person is guided by the Holy Spirit. If none of these traits are seen in a person, that person is a liar about being a Christian (so stay away from them, do not trust them), if some of the traits are seen that person may be a new Christian in process a “baby Christian,” so still be cautious, but a mature Christian will show these traits consistently, more often than not, with occasional “mistakes,” this person is more trustworthy, but not still not perfect, because no one will be perfected until Jesus returns. The fruit of the Spirit is what can be seen in someone truly being guided by the Holy Spirit. Here are the verses:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

There are definitions of the 9 characteristics:

  1. Love: agapē (ἀγάπη– Greek word): Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…1 Corinthians 13:4-8
  2. Joy: chara (χαρά– Greek word): cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight
  3. Peace: eirēnē (εἰρήνη – Greek word): by implication, prosperity:—one, peace, quietness, rest,
  4. Patience: makrothymia (μακροθυμία – Greek word): forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude:—longsuffering, patience.
  5. Kindness: chrēstotēs (χρηστότης– Greek word): usefulness, i.e. morally, excellence (in character or demeanor):—gentleness, good(-ness), kindness.
  6. Goodness: agathōsynē (ἀγαθωσύνη – Greek word): i.e. virtue or beneficence
  7. Faithfulness: pistis (πίστις– Greek word): persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:—assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
  8. Gentleness: prautēs (πραΰτης– Greek word): gentleness, by implication, humility:—meekness.
  9. Self-Control: egkrateia (ἐγκράτεια – Greek word): (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites)

Not only is this a good checklist when encountering others and determining how trusting we should be with them, but this is equally as important as a checklist for us. Do we exhibit these qualities? Do we need more help from the Holy Spirit in certain areas? Jesus said to his disciples:

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 14:12-14

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

John 14:15-17

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

John 3:5

And Paul warns us:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

We are told we live in a spiritual world, where the unseen is present and influencing events in our daily lives and we may even interact with angels unknowingly:

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:17

Knowing what to look for (the traits of a person guided by the Holy Spirit) helps us avoid deception and manipulation. Don’t be swayed by emotion, use scriptural knowledge and overcome.

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Suicide – the Biblical Response

Today I listened to a popular Christian author’s video on whether or not a person “will go to heaven if they commit suicide” and I was highly disappointed and disturbed by the supposedly “Christian” response, so much that it inspired me to write this.

We are valuable to God. Truly understand that we were created by a loving God who “delights” in us, designed us and has a special purpose in mind for each of us, in this life, and no one else can fulfill it, because each of us is unique, unlike any other. God loves us and wants to experience life with us.

Trouble is real, but we are never alone. God is present 24/7 and available. Jesus tells us in scripture that in this world we will experience trouble, but Jesus has overcome the world. We are not alone when we experience terrible things, even Jesus did when he was here on earth, he experienced betrayal, beatings, abandonment, ridicule, mockery, and more. Many of Jesus’ disciples experienced imprisonment, beatings, etc. But all of this trouble is TEMPORARY. Keep the temporary part in mind; it is truth. And know that God is available to call upon and help us through it.

Negative thoughts are spiritual warfare. Know what is behind these lies: evil spiritual forces wanting to separate us from God. If we know who the enemy is, we can fight the battle when Jesus is with us, on our side. There is nothing impossible. The enemy’s plan is to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus gives life.

God is forgiving. There is no need to hang on to shame or guilt (we all mess up; God is aware), but God is merciful and forgiving; He simply wants us to ask for forgiveness (with the intention of changing) and we will be reconciled with Him.

Loss. God promises to restore our broken world in the future. A loss today does not mean forever. He designed us to be immortal beings, but we have to wait for Jesus to return before we receive these supernatural bodies. God will restore everything; trust Him. He is the only one who is good and can be trusted.

God’s laws. God gave us commands to live by and Jesus said if we love Him, obey his commands. This is how we show God love. God told us we shall not kill. When Jesus gave his talk about “murder” he told the people that having a dispute with a brother was the same in God’s eyes as murder. If an argument is equated to murder in God’s eyes; then wouldn’t ending a life (any life) also be murder? If we did that it certainly wouldn’t show God, our Creator, that we love Him by destroying something He cared to create. Remember He loved us first, that is why He made us: out of Love!

Depression. God can turn bad to good, turn it over to Him, ask for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, courage, self-control, guidance, strength, endurance and patience. This request is for supernatural things; don’t doubt the power of the Holy Spirit, it is real. Have faith. Ask for this.

If or when thoughts of suicide come to mind, know that this is NOT God’s will for us. God chooses life always. God is light. God is love. Jesus came to save the sinners (all of us). People from the Old Testament were saved by faith. Faith is shown by our actions. If we have faith, if we believe in Jesus, we will TRUST Jesus and put everything in his hands. Suicide is irreversible, there is no changing our mind after it’s done, there is no opportunity to ask for forgiveness once it’s done. Jesus once said what good is it to have everything in the world but then lose our soul? Our soul is the most valuable thing we have. No one can take it from us. We choose who we give it to: God or Satan. God has an indescribable incredible reward waiting for those who choose Him, life.

As a Christian we look to Jesus as the example. Jesus himself was tempted by Satan:

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”

When the question “Will a person go to heaven if they commit suicide?” is asked, remember this: Don’t test God!

Matthew 4:5-7

This is the verse that Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament:

16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

Deuteronomy 6:16-19

If you want confidence about “going to Heaven,” choose life- always! God has better plans, Trust Him.

Do not worry. We can’t change the past, but we can affect the present in a positive way with God’s love and guidance.

by Categories: bible study, FAITH, God, suicide, WellnessTags: , , , , 1 Comment

2026- What’s Your Word Heading into this Year?

Continuing the “Tradition” that began in 2022 with a Bible Study group of friends, I’m adding my word for 2026 to this list from prior years:

2026 Word: Christ

If you’ve been following my website or my podcast, you’ll know that I’ve been studying and learning from the Bible for the past 7 years. It truly changed my life: it awakened me to the truth and reality we all will face at some point in our lives so I decided to prepare now, not leave it to “chance” or wait until “time was up.” This is too important: it’s where I’ll end up forever, eternally. I’m so glad I became focused now because life is different, more peaceful, anxiety about the future gone, confidence and courage have increased, I’m enjoying and simply content living in the moment, rather than focusing on “what’s the next thing.” Just like anything requiring discipline: “if you don’t use it, you will lose it.” If I don’t intentionally focus on keeping the relationship with God, it will end up going away, and distractions will creep in affecting my priorities. Maintaining any relationship requires intentional focus. The podcast has become “my accountability” to “stay in the word” with the goal of a daily podcast: Link to Podcast My word for 2026 is “Christ.” I want to keep focused on Christ, “remaining in Christ” this year, even more so because of dream I had in 2021 where the year “2026” was shown: (Podcast Episode #88) I’ll reflect and see what happens once we arrive in the year 2027!

Here are some verses from the Bible telling us why it is important to “remain “in Christ:”:

But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. Hebrews 3:6

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. 1 John 2:27

And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. 1 John 2:28

These were my words for prior years:

2025 Word: rûaḥ, רוּחַ (Hebrew)

I love what this word represents to me: “wind,” the freedom in Christ, when a person is guided by the Holy Spirit, we truly don’t know what comes next; it is the Holy Spirit who guides us:

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

I don’t know what lies ahead, but knowing that the Holy Spirit will guide me is a true blessing and also promises somewhat of an adventure: navigating the unknown.

I found this word studying the Old Testament, it’s found (378 times– click this for the definition and all the verses) throughout the Old Testament (From Genesis to Malachi) and is the Breath of Life, the Holy Spirit, the “wind” from God. The New Testament word corresponding to this is pneuma (Strongs G4151). The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead can reside within us, when we surrender our will to God’s will.

This year ahead, I truly want to be led by the Holy Spirit, submitting to God’s will. And starting off this year, as it frequently seems to happen with me: “coincidences occur” – I have been praying for God (the Holy Spirit) to guide me for awhile now, since 2017 and it’s been a slow but steady “spiritually refining” process thinking about this in hindsight and knowing that there’s still more work to be done within me, but progress is happening, thankfully. My life has been changing. I chose this word for 2025 and ironically on New Year’s Eve, someone asked me: “What are your goals for 2025?” My response was “Ruah” and then I had to explain that. I think God makes these things happen! The person who asked me this question was someone I didn’t know, but he told me, he had recently given his life to Christ! Wow was my reaction to finding that out! Then another study group I joined in the Fall of 2024 chose “The Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5) as the first study for 2025. See what I mean? God makes things happen, it’s not a coincidence and this is just the beginning, the first month of 2025!

2024 Word: Love

What gets thrown at us in life and happens in this world can make “doing everything out of love” challenging, but this is important for those who claim to be Christians. I’ll be honest, I feel like 2024 may be a rough year ahead. It would be wonderful if I’m wrong, and I hope I am! But if these bible prophecy events keep moving forward like they have been, that’s going to be the reality; we’re not going to stop what God has foretold. I also know that what we focus on becomes our reality so my focus this year is love. I wish I could fast forward and get to the end of this year right now, honestly if I could fast forward to 2026 that would be even better!

In hindsight: 2024 was a year of more change (which is rough): letting go of more in my life, turning it over to God and finding joy in new beginnings, evaluating what is “good” and how I need to spend my time and truly focusing on being loving towards others. “Do everything in love.“ 1 Corinthians 16:14.

In regards to Bible prophecy: current events still seem to be lining up with biblical prophecy, but maybe they have for sometime and I simply was unaware prior to 2020? Again, whatever is God’s will, will happen, so the most important part is to be led by the Holy Spirit, which maybe why I chose “Ruah” for 2025?

2023 Words: Trust and Obey

Many things in life “don’t make sense” to us, so this is when I need to “Trust and Obey” God. Ironically this was the first faith post I made: Trust and Obey –  I struggled/still struggle with this sometimes, but it’s getting easier! I guess God is making sure I comprehend this, because those words came back to me from 2017- 6 years later! Now, I trust God always, despite the circumstances, I know how it all will ultimately end, so I have peace in knowing what life holds in the future. We just need to get through the “tests and trials” until then. Often when I choose to obey (especially when I don’t want to), some “reward” seems to happen afterwards. I thank God for that when it happens because it is encouraging.

2022 Word: Joy

After the experiences of the prior years, I wanted Joy! I chose the word: ”Joy.” Looking back, God brought joy into my life through a supportive, Christ focused group of friends from this new Bible Study group that I unexpectedly joined in October of 2021. I think God may have had something to do with that too. I continued exploring God’s word through scripture and how it relates to living life (posts 39- 66). I often was inspired to write in the morning just as I wake up from a thought that didn’t seem to leave or from a prior conversation I had with someone. As much as I wanted “joy” to be my entire focus, I couldn’t ignore what I found through Bible Prophecy and it, weighed heavily on me. Too many world events were/are lining up with Bible Prophecy and many people (just like me) didn’t even have this “on the radar.” I didn’t come from a religion that focused on this, so this was all new to me, I only discovered it after reading the Bible. This is why it is so important to know what’s in the Bible: so we’re not blindsided by reality when it happens. There is nothing to fear (if we are “spiritually” prepared in advance- meaning “born again”).

2021 Word: Death

Even though I didn’t have a word for this year, in hindsight, this reflected reality: my 14 month old nephew suddenly died, the mother of my son’s best friend died suddenly, and my dog suddenly died within a span of 4 months. Not only that, but the closest person to me unexpectedly rejected me in a humiliating public way at the time when I needed support the most. (When it rains, it pours!) But only days later, I was asked to go with a friend to this Bible Study group (See what I mean? No coincidences, God provides.) It was a tough year. All the death made me question, what happens after death, for real? I realized I didn’t have a clear biblically based understanding- only what I had been told throughout life. I plan to write about this later because I think others might have this question too. Ironically- in hindsight, after all this “death” surrounded me, late summer when I was on my phone an email came through with something to the effect of “last notice to sign up for baptism”- I felt like it was time I committed and did this, so I signed up and was Baptized on September 12, 2021. Baptism is symbolic of the death of our sinful past and rebirth, a new life, “born again”- it was both symbolic and literal for me. I wrote (posts 22 – 38) during this year. I didn’t post about the dreams I started having the night of my Baptism, I was confused by them at the beginning, but the “name of Jesus” was featured heavily and sometimes verses from scripture and the dreams involved various people in my life: friends, family and former business colleagues. I know there is significance to these specific dreams because I would see something specific from my dream, that day, weeks or months later as I was going about the day- completely unexpected when it would occur, but I would immediately recall: I dreamt that! It still continues but I often don’t have the understanding of the symbolism until I see it happen. It’s hard to explain this to anyone, unless you experience this, you won’t understand, but it heavily contributed to the faith and belief I have in Jesus. Even though my word for 2021 would have been Death, it was changed to Life. Death is no longer permanent because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, death is a transition, a going to sleep because those who believe and turn away from sin will be changed and become immortal when Jesus returns. Jesus said that unless we are “born again” we will not see the kingdom of God. (John Chapter 3)

2020 Words: ”Wake Up”

2020 was a year of isolation for most of us in the world, and as a result, I had more time to explore the Bible. I had so many questions about life, I was seeking TRUTH, in January 2020, I wrote about Love, but abruptly by March 2020, I felt we were experiencing a “Wake Up Call” from God, collectively as the world, but also personally in my life, I reflected on many aspects of life this year (Posts #10-21) but what impacted me most was Bible Prophecy: facing judgement and end times/the last days prophecies.

2019 Words: ”Being Called” (Making God my Priority)

2019 was the year I decided to make God my priority (my last summary post for 2019) after reading the Bible for the first time. I didn’t have “a word” for that year but looking back, it would have been: “Being Called” – this was my 3rd “faith” related post on this website: see “Being Called” link in August 2019. 

I pray for all who read or share this with someone they care about: May God’s love for you be known and may you be led by the Holy Spirit this year! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

by Categories: bible prophecy, bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, Following Passions, FRIENDSHIP, GOALS, God, HAPPINESS, Healing, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, Parents, prayer, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Bible Condones Slavery???

This statement, not a question, came up recently in a Bible Study and my first response was: it talks about slavery (yes) but it doesn’t condone slavery! And after an exchange of comments about this, it was decided that we would meet again and bring verses from scripture to support the statements. So then when I looked this up, I was surprised to find something I didn’t expect or recall:

“ ‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. Leviticus 25:44 NIV

But before anyone gets excited about this “proof”, let’s take a deeper dive into scripture. These are the kinds of “one lines” that are often used out of context and misapplied to support something that is NOT true and does not represent God! I’ve been studying the bible for the past six years on a regular basis and just hearing that first statement, I knew this did not represent the true God I’ve come to know through reading scripture because: God is Love. (1 John 4:8) God REMOVES the bondage of slavery (link for scripture), God GIVES freedom (link for scripture). So how do we explain this statement found in Leviticus truthfully?

Let’s start with searching the word to see all the verses containing this word in Hebrew (because Hebrew was the the original version of the Old Testament.) So right away, I noticed something: the word for for slave: “ebed” (link to scripture) also means “servant” – so now the word choice depends on the translator! This gets more interesting: In the New King James Version, “slave” is used 33 times, but in the New International Version, “slave” is used 94 times, then in the 1995 North American Standard Bible (NASB) version it occurs 101 times and in the 2020 NASB version it occurs 180 times! How can that be? Why is that? Are you seeing a “trend” with time?! “Slave” and “Servant” have different meanings, here is the Google distinction:

The main difference is that slaves are considered property and are forced to work without freedom or rights, while servants are employees who are compensated and retain personal rights, including the ability to quit. Slaves are owned, have no choice in their labor, and their condition is typically for life, whereas servants have a contract and are free to leave their employment. 

Using this distinction “servants are employees” and “slaves are considered property”- Let’s keep exploring this! The Bible says more about “property” so this needs to be discussed:

You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. Leviticus 25: 45-46 NIV

These are laws given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. God has a purpose in what He says and sometimes we don’t understand with our limited capacity and knowledge. But we know this about God: He acts without favoritism (link for scripture). There is something more to understand here. If God doesn’t have favorites, and He doesn’t, then why does He allow Israel to have foreign/other nations as servants and identified as property?

“Because the Israelites are my (God’s) servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.” Leviticus 25:42

God reacts the same way about His land:

“ ‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine (God’s) and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.” Leviticus 25:24-25

Think about this law too; a foreigner can buy an Israelite:

“ ‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives may redeem them: An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves.They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker for that number of years.If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly. They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly.“ ‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

God chose Israel (scripture link) and God is faithful (scripture link) to His covenants; God does not break a covenant. (scripture link) God established the laws (scripture link, another link) and God is just (scripture link).

In the Bible, “slave” isn’t the same as what America understands and experienced with “slavery.” In the Bible, a “slave” WILLINGLY sold themselves to their “Master”, they were not forced to do this. The Bible explicitly describes this:

“If someone is caught kidnapping (considered stealing) a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.” Deuteronomy 24:7

Kidnapping is stealing and stealing is evil. The way the Bible describes this process is that a person who is poor can willingly “sell themselves” as a servant, if they are Hebrew, they would be released from their obligation after the 6th year. (Interesting prophetic significance by the way). When a foreigner buys an Israelite, one of their relatives may redeem them (Jesus is the “kinsman” redeemer), or if they prosper, they can pay the price and redeem themselves! Think about this a person who sold his or herself may PROSPER and redeem themselves?! Does that sound like the slavery that America had in its history? (Not from what I’ve heard).

“Slaves were kidnapped in America in two main ways: the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which forcibly brought millions of kidnapped Africans to the Americas, and domestic kidnapping, which targeted free Black people and escaped slaves within the United States. Both methods involved abduction, coercion, and trickery to force people into a life of enslavement and were central to the institution of slavery in the Americas.”

I believe we are foolish or ignorant when we apply American cultural understanding and application to something that existed thousands of years before America did and was geographically located in the Middle East. It truly doesn’t make sense and isn’t applicable, nor the same, the way I understand and see it referenced in the Bible. As I studied this further, something surprising happened again: I recognized the prophetic symbolic beauty in the final redemption that Jesus did for all of us!

The more I study God’s word, the more I see His love. I see literal events recorded in biblical history that had symbolic prophetic implications. I’ll give you an example, (read Exodus 12:43-51) for the literal event, now I’ll tell you the prophetic symbology I see: The Passover (this event was part of the freedom from slavery in Egypt for the Israelites)- those who prepared were “passed over” by the Angel of Death and their first born did not die! This was one of the “plagues” that came upon Egypt before they agreed to release the Israelites so they could worship their God, the one and only true God. Some of the significant details of the Passover meal: a lamb was sacrificed (symbolically in the Bible, Jesus is the Lamb- He died on the cross for atonement of ALL sin, for ALL people), the blood of the sacrificed lamb during what is now recognized as “Passover” was placed on the door frame- this is why the angel “passed over” them- they had a sign, a protection obtained through the blood of the lamb, similar for us today, we are protected by the blood of the “Lamb” (Jesus) and will overcome death, have eternal life through Him. Jesus was literally crucified during the Passover Holiday. All this symbolism from the early BC scripture foretells of Jesus and his rescue from slavery in a future literal and spiritual fulfillment. Notice in verse 46 “do not break any bones”- Jesus’ bones on the cross where not broken (John 19:36 link). So these events were literal, but they were also symbolic and prophetic of what was to come!

Notice also the “slave” “you have bought” is allowed to eat the Passover meal (after he is circumcised). Literal and symbolic because God is looking for a “circumcised heart”- a person who desires Him, who loves Him back, a person devoted to Him, a person who recognizes His goodness, His love and wants to belong to His family, God’s family. The “slave” is now “family”! Foreigners get to do this too, as long as they are circumcised. Circumcision is literal and symbolic of the covenant between God and people who want to be “family” (scripture link). As time went on, God revealed that its not the flesh circumcision that He truly wants, but the metaphor of a person’s “circumcised heart” in undivided love towards God.

“A “circumcised heart” means to have a heart that is inwardly clean and devoted to God, removing stubbornness and sin to become truly faithful. It’s a spiritual concept that contrasts with the physical circumcision ceremony, symbolizing an internal transformation rather than an external ritual. This inner change involves humility, faith, and a willingness to obey God completely.”

Let’s talk more about “racism” for a moment. This is another significant fact I observed in the Bible: there is no racism! There are God’s people and foreigners (who worship other gods) but race is never mentioned! (This again is spiritual warfare in my thoughts: the enemy seeks to divide and destroy us by misapplying, misquoting scripture.) The enemy knows: A kingdom divided cannot stand (scripture link). The thief (the enemy) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ( John 10:10 ) Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Let’s talk more about “slave” and “servant” because this part will speak to ALL of us despite our cultural heritage. Using the NIV version the word and searching the word “ebed” again, there are 803 times this Hebrew word is used in the Old Testament. Next let’s look at “slave” in the New Testament (Greek), used 31 times in the New Testament NIV version (here’s the link) these are worth reading, as all scripture is worth reading because All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Now, let’s look deeper at the word “slave” in Greek: doulos – this has the same description as “ebed” in the Old Testament and is referenced 126 times in the MGNT Greek (here’s the link) read these too because this is how we gain spiritual insight into words of scripture! All of us, if we call ourselves a “Christian” are doulos to the Master (Christ, the Messiah, Jesus). Jesus is King, we are servants/doulos.

True Christians hope to hear this from Jesus when He returns: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21

We all need to remember this: Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. John 8:34. Pay attention to the next verses: “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family (God’s family), but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Read what Peter says about being set free by Jesus (scripture link) starting in Acts 2:14 through the end of the chapter.

Paul explains this also in Romans Chapter 6 (scripture link). Reflect on this often, this is our salvation, our freedom and is so important for all of us!

We were bought at a price! (1 Corinthians 7:23) While we were “slaves”/sinners, Christ died for us. When we become a child of God: “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” (Galatians 4).

Remember this too, how Jesus came to serve, he came as a “servant” (Philippians 2) and a servant (we) are not greater than the Master (God). Our call is to “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” (1 Peter 2)

In reality, we all have the choice: do we want to remain “a slave to sin” or will we humble ourselves and choose to be that “slave/servant with the promise of being called a son or daughter of God and heir” in God’s future Kingdom? God is love. Read and remember all this scripture linked to this article. Remember who God has called us to be. God wants us in His family, but He doesn’t force us, just like the “servant/slave”, “ebed” in the Old Testament, will we “sell ourselves” to God and serve Him so that we become a part of His family in eternity?

“For you know that God paid a ransom (bought us) to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors (Adam and Eve). And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver (Jesus’ life on the cross was the payment).” (1 Peter 1 link) Remember who God is as revealed through scripture and remember who God created you to be: His child and LOVED by Him!

If you found this helpful, please share this with others, we don’t want misrepresented scripture keeping people from knowing God, loving Him and their inheritance as a child of God!

by Categories: American, bible prophecy, bible study, God, Healing, Improvement, Love, Make It Count, priorities, spiritual warfare, USATags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

What is Grace?

This website has been a “journal” for me, documenting my discovering the Truth, as I learn from scripture or as I am inspired, I often write. Today I’m sharing something I learned yesterday after listening to an excellent video podcast, shared at the end of this post. I say “excellent” because it has literally been years of me questioning “grace” and no one has been able to give me an explanation that gave me peace until now, John Bevere finally did! After listening to that video, I decided to look deeper into scripture to confirm this understanding.

The word “Grace” is so often used in churches relating to salvation, and that’s a great thing! However, this word became “offensive” to me quite honestly because of the context I often heard expressed from so many people saying: “I’m a sinner, thank God for grace!” As if saying: “I have no power, sin rules me, so thank God for grace.” I’d hear: “Thank God I don’t need to worry about how I live life – I’ve been saved, all I need to do is trust in His grace!” Most people would embrace hearing that, right? So why did this give me such an appalling reaction? It concerned me: why do I feel this way? Why do I have this reaction?

I talked to others about “grace”/salvation and received the following reactions from Pastors and others who were “Christian” longer than me, about this: I was ignored when I brought up “repentance” and being “born again,” I was told “don’t be legalistic,” I was reminded of “God’s love” and was questioned if I knew God’s love. I know God’s love because I experience it often, but this “grace” usage among some “Christians” still disturbed me and no one was giving me an answer that gave me peace, I still had this unsettling feeling and wondered what is wrong with me? I knew “grace” was good, but why was I still so disturbed by people’s use of the word?

I realize now that I didn’t fully understand “grace” (until yesterday after that video) and I believe some people who use that word today may not understand “grace” either, so of course I want to share this with others, because it is important! They say we are saved by “grace,” not by “our works.” I believe this statement, so I focused on what does “works” mean? I would pose the question: certainly it does not negate the 10 Commandments? but as soon as I would say that, I was told: “You’re being legalistic.” Then I would respond, but Jesus said:

17 “Do not think I have come to get rid of what is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do this. Instead, I have come to fulfill what is written. 18 What I’m about to tell you is true. Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter disappears from the Law. Not even the smallest mark of a pen will disappear from the Law until everything is completed. Matthew 5

Instead of emphasizing the “works” part, maybe it’s the “not of yourselves” part that would help me comprehend “grace”?

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that NOT OF YOURSELVES; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2

Most Christians believe we are saved by “grace” and that grace is a result of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection thereafter, but then I question: Why did Jesus say WE must be “born again”? That’s US doing something (it’s not “Jesus plus Nothing”).

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3

To me, this seems to require one more step than Jesus’ death on the cross, ie. why didn’t Jesus say something like this to Nicodemus? … you don’t need to do anything but believe in me. But that’s not what Jesus said, Jesus said he must be “Born Again.” Reflect on that for a minute and read John 3 in context. I hear many “Christians” say: “if you believe you will be saved”, but I remember this (and know demons won’t be in God’s kingdom):

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? James 2

This has been a long debated topic: “faith” vs “works” – and I believe we are not saved by “works” but works DO become part of the life of someone who is saved. We are saved (and healed/restored) by “faith.”

16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Acts 3

So what comes THROUGH Jesus? In the name of Jesus? Healing and Restoration, of course as shown in scripture, but what is the source?

Jesus Promises Another Helper

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  John 14

So there is a “process”: Love Jesus, set our mind to keep God’s commands and Jesus will ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to us – this is how salvation is not of OUR “works” and is a “GIFT” from God, this is the POWER to overcome sin, as the Holy Spirit works within us, we become “a new creation,” “born again.” Jesus made it possible for us (by his death on the cross), but then we need to take the next step and become a new creation through Jesus!

14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6

See, we CAN overcome sin by the POWER of the Holy Spirit, but not alone by ourselves! We NEED the Holy Spirit!

While “Grace” (“Charis” in Greek) is not entirely interchangeable with “the Holy Spirit” (Hagios Pneuma) there is a connection because it is the POWER ( a derivative of the Holy Spirit), not the actual Holy Spirit that seems to be “Grace”. Here is the Biblical outline definition of the Greek word “Charis” found in the New Testament:

Outline of Biblical Usage 

  1. grace
    1. that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
  2. good will, loving-kindness, favour
    1. of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
  3. what is due to grace
    1. the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
    2. the token or proof of grace, benefit
      1. a gift of grace
      2. benefit, bounty
  4. thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward

Notice these qualities in bold-typeface above are also identified as “the fruit” of the Spirit below:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Galatians 5

Notice also that the Holy Spirit gives us self-control (this is what we need to overcome many sins). Therefore, it seems obvious to me now that “Grace” is when we receive the Holy Spirit, when we become “Born Again” and just like scripture says, “Grace” does not give us a license to continue sinning, but to OVERCOME it.

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Hebrews 10

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. Ephesians 5

That’s probably why scripture tells us: “be filled with the Holy Spirit” so we can overcome all those things that will keep us from inheriting the Kingdom of God! It all starts to make sense! Substituting the words “Power of the Holy Spirit” for “Grace” helps clarify “Grace” that comes as a result of the Holy Spirit of God through Jesus Christ. Below is a link to (3) pages of “grace” references found in the New Testament, try substituting “Grace” with the words “Power of the Holy Spirit” and see what you think.

Example: 9 But he said to me, “My grace (Power of the Holy Spirit) is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Link: https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=grace&t=NKJV&csr=9#s=s_primary_0_1

Here is the video I listened to that finally gave me the understanding that “Grace” is the “Power of the Holy Spirit” from God the Father, through Jesus:

The photo for this post “Come as You Are” seemed appropriate because that’s how we are when we respond to God’s calling, but we will not remain “the same”, once we receive “Grace”- thanks be to God! A true Gift!

If you haven’t received the Holy Spirit, pray to God, in Jesus’ name, asking for forgiveness of past sins and the help of the Holy Spirit to become a new creation and live in peace with God according to His will.

Knowing “Grace” is the power of the Holy Spirit, I can confidently state: We are saved by Grace and no longer have that uncomfortable feeling stating this! Thankfully I finally understand what “Grace” is!

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2025- What’s Your Word Heading into this Year?

Continuing this “Tradition” that started a few years ago (in 2022) with a group of friends via a Bible Study, I’ll add my word for 2025 and add to my prior year’s words:

2025 Word: rûaḥ, רוּחַ (Hebrew)

I love what this word represents to me: “wind,” the freedom in Christ, when a person is guided by the Holy Spirit, we truly don’t know what comes next; it is the Holy Spirit who guides us:

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

I don’t know what lies ahead, but knowing that the Holy Spirit will guide me is a true blessing and also promises somewhat of an adventure: navigating the unknown.

I found this word studying the Old Testament, it’s found (378 times– click this for the definition and all the verses) throughout the Old Testament (From Genesis to Malachi) and is the Breath of Life, the Holy Spirit, the “wind” from God. The New Testament word corresponding to this is pneuma (Strongs G4151). The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead can reside within us, when we surrender our will to God’s will.

This year ahead, I truly want to be led by the Holy Spirit, submitting to God’s will. And starting off this year, as it frequently seems to happen with me: “coincidences occur” – I have been praying for God (the Holy Spirit) to guide me for awhile now, since 2017 and it’s been a slow but steady “spiritually refining” process thinking about this in hindsight and knowing that there’s still more work to be done within me, but progress is happening, thankfully. My life has been changing. I chose this word for 2025 and ironically on New Year’s Eve, someone asked me: “What are your goals for 2025?” My response was “Ruah” and then I had to explain that. I think God makes these things happen! The person who asked me this question was someone I didn’t know, but he told me, he had recently given his life to Christ! Wow was my reaction to finding that out! Then another study group I joined in the Fall of 2024 chose “The Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5) as the first study for 2025. See what I mean? God makes things happen, it’s not a coincidence and this is just the beginning, the first month of 2025!

These were my words for prior years:

2024 Word: Love

What gets thrown at us in life and happens in this world can make “doing everything out of love” challenging, but this is important for those who claim to be Christians. I’ll be honest, I feel like 2024 may be a rough year ahead. It would be wonderful if I’m wrong, and I hope I am! But if these bible prophecy events keep moving forward like they have been, that’s going to be the reality; we’re not going to stop what God has foretold. I also know that what we focus on becomes our reality so my focus this year is love. I wish I could fast forward and get to the end of this year right now, honestly if I could fast forward to 2026 that would be even better!

In hindsight: 2024 was a year of more change (which is rough): letting go of more in my life, turning it over to God and finding joy in new beginnings, evaluating what is “good” and how I need to spend my time and truly focusing on being loving towards others. “Do everything in love.“ 1 Corinthians 16:14.

In regards to Bible prophecy: current events still seem to be lining up with biblical prophecy, but maybe they have for sometime and I simply was unaware prior to 2020? Again, whatever is God’s will, will happen, so the most important part is to be led by the Holy Spirit, which maybe why I chose “Ruah” for 2025?

2023 Words: Trust and Obey

Many things in life “don’t make sense” to us, so this is when I need to “Trust and Obey” God. Ironically this was the first faith post I made: Trust and Obey –  I struggled/still struggle with this sometimes, but it’s getting easier! I guess God is making sure I comprehend this, because those words came back to me from 2017- 6 years later! Now, I trust God always, despite the circumstances, I know how it all will ultimately end, so I have peace in knowing what life holds in the future. We just need to get through the “tests and trials” until then. Often when I choose to obey (especially when I don’t want to), some “reward” seems to happen afterwards. I thank God for that when it happens because it is encouraging.

2022 Word: Joy

After the experiences of the prior years, I wanted Joy! I chose the word: ”Joy.” Looking back, God brought joy into my life through a supportive, Christ focused group of friends from this new Bible Study group that I unexpectedly joined in October of 2021. I think God may have had something to do with that too. I continued exploring God’s word through scripture and how it relates to living life (posts 39- 66). I often was inspired to write in the morning just as I wake up from a thought that didn’t seem to leave or from a prior conversation I had with someone. As much as I wanted “joy” to be my entire focus, I couldn’t ignore what I found through Bible Prophecy and it, weighed heavily on me. Too many world events were/are lining up with Bible Prophecy and many people (just like me) didn’t even have this “on the radar.” I didn’t come from a religion that focused on this, so this was all new to me, I only discovered it after reading the Bible. This is why it is so important to know what’s in the Bible: so we’re not blindsided by reality when it happens. There is nothing to fear (if we are “spiritually” prepared in advance- meaning “born again”).

2021 Word: Death

Even though I didn’t have a word for this year, in hindsight, this reflected reality: my 14 month old nephew suddenly died, the mother of my son’s best friend died suddenly, and my dog suddenly died within a span of 4 months. Not only that, but the closest person to me unexpectedly rejected me in a humiliating public way at the time when I needed support the most. (When it rains, it pours!) But only days later, I was asked to go with a friend to this Bible Study group (See what I mean? No coincidences, God provides.) It was a tough year. All the death made me question, what happens after death, for real? I realized I didn’t have a clear biblically based understanding- only what I had been told throughout life. I plan to write about this later because I think others might have this question too. Ironically- in hindsight, after all this “death” surrounded me, late summer when I was on my phone an email came through with something to the effect of “last notice to sign up for baptism”- I felt like it was time I committed and did this, so I signed up and was Baptized on September 12, 2021. Baptism is symbolic of the death of our sinful past and rebirth, a new life, “born again”- it was both symbolic and literal for me. I wrote (posts 22 – 38) during this year. I didn’t post about the dreams I started having the night of my Baptism, I was confused by them at the beginning, but the “name of Jesus” was featured heavily and sometimes verses from scripture and the dreams involved various people in my life: friends, family and former business colleagues. I know there is significance to these specific dreams because I would see something specific from my dream, that day, weeks or months later as I was going about the day- completely unexpected when it would occur, but I would immediately recall: I dreamt that! It still continues but I often don’t have the understanding of the symbolism until I see it happen. It’s hard to explain this to anyone, unless you experience this, you won’t understand, but it heavily contributed to the faith and belief I have in Jesus. Even though my word for 2021 would have been Death, it was changed to Life. Death is no longer permanent because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, death is a transition, a going to sleep because those who believe and turn away from sin will be changed and become immortal when Jesus returns. Jesus said that unless we are “born again” we will not see the kingdom of God. (John Chapter 3)

2020 Words: ”Wake Up”

2020 was a year of isolation for most of us in the world, and as a result, I had more time to explore the Bible. I had so many questions about life, I was seeking TRUTH, in January 2020, I wrote about Love, but abruptly by March 2020, I felt we were experiencing a “Wake Up Call” from God, collectively as the world, but also personally in my life, I reflected on many aspects of life this year (Posts #10-21) but what impacted me most was Bible Prophecy: facing judgement and end times/the last days prophecies.

2019 Words: ”Being Called” (Making God my Priority)

2019 was the year I decided to make God my priority (my last summary post for 2019) after reading the Bible for the first time. I didn’t have “a word” for that year but looking back, it would have been: “Being Called” – this was my 3rd “faith” related post on this website: see “Being Called” link in August 2019. 

I pray for all who read or share this with someone they care about: May God’s love for you be known and may you be led by the Holy Spirit this year! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

by Categories: bible prophecy, bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, Following Passions, FRIENDSHIP, GOALS, God, HAPPINESS, Healing, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, Parents, prayer, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Surrender? (Next Steps/Resources)

I should probably explain “Surrender.”

YOUR LIFE IS NOT WHAT YOU WANTED OR EXPECTED

First you realize your life isn’t happening the way you anticipated: you’ve been “let down,” or you’ve let others down, there’s a feeling of pain, suffering, disappointment, hurt, guilt, shame, or lack of enjoyment in life and you simply want those feelings to “go away!” You tried to solve this by: escaping from reality (numbing through alcohol or drugs), keeping busy with work so there is no extra time, moving from place to place to try a new venue, accumulating wealth or material things, avoiding people in general, isolation, or having shallow relationships with people to keep from being hurt, going from one relationship to another hoping to solve the problem, making plans to fill every moment of your day so there is no extra time, health and fitness focus (while this is good, excessively done it can be “an escape”) or travel (exploring the world), doing something to “keep busy” all the time. While some of these things are not necessarily “bad,” when they are done in excess, they keep you “busy,” keep you busy from “healing” because you are avoiding the real underlying problem. I say this from my own personal experience. Ultimately, feeling like this is the result of a distant relationship with God. Maybe you know “of” Him, you may have the “head” knowledge but you are not close to Him (you don’t “trust/love/obey” Him); you haven’t “surrendered” or received the Holy Spirit yet. You have this longing for something that remains unfulfilled. After you’ve tried some, or all of the things mentioned above, there remains an emptiness, a loneliness and you don’t know what else to do so you may ask yourself: “Is this all there is to life?” “Is this what life is like forever?”

SURRENDER

If you are fortunate, sometime during this process (above), you hear about “surrendering” it all to God (either through a church or a friend, or maybe even someone online) asking God for forgiveness of your sin, trusting in what Jesus did for you on the cross (enabling you to have access to God’s kingdom; the only way) and asking for the Holy Spirit to guide your life so you don’t go back to sin, but continue seeking God AND can enter God’s Kingdom. Since nothing else was solving the “emptiness” you feel, you decide to give it a try so you say a “surrender prayer.” But then what?

If you’re simply repeating words someone told you to say; if it’s not heartfelt, please understand these are not “magical words” so don’t expect anything to change.

But, the good news is if you understood what you were asking, affirming and requesting and were sincere when you prayed to God, it will happen (eventually) because God will guide you, but this still involves your participation. This isn’t an instantaneous event. There’s a lot to get to know about God. When you form a relationship with someone, you don’t truly know them instantaneously; it takes time. The same is true with God; He reveals more as you seek Him.

NEXT STEPS

PRAY: Pray as often as possible. The Bible actually says “pray without ceasing.” This is our communication with God. How can you grow a relationship with someone or know someone if you rarely talk to them? (You won’t truly know a friend (God), you’ll end up distant from a friend (God)- you’ll end up where you started: unfulfilled.) Pray before you go to bed; thank God for the good things that happened that day, ask Him for help with the trouble. In the morning, ask Him to guide. And throughout the day, instead of going to anyone else, talk to God about it first.

READ THE BIBLE: So how do you get to know God more? The best way is through reading and studying the Bible (daily) because it is the Holy Spirit inspired word of God. Try a chapter a day, make a plan, read a little bit every day- directly from the bible. Get to know how the bible is organized: “The Bible is a library, not a book.” Here is a video to watch about this: YouTube video link If you don’t have a Bible yet, download a free one at this YouVersion Bible App If you want to get really deep into studying the Bible use this website: BlueLetterBible link If you want a hard copy study bible, this is an excellent resource because it features the most often asked questions and answers: hard copy Bible link Many people start with devotionals or books written by Christian Authors and while those are good and have a place and a purpose, they are a further step away from the Holy Spirit’s inspired words found only in the Bible. There is something supernatural that comes from reading the actual Bible. The Holy Spirit will enlighten a person with wisdom and understanding the more often you are actually reading the Word of God (the Bible). Think about this: how diluted do you want the content to be? If you’re going to read something, get as close to the original source as possible: the Bible. You will miss out on so much if you don’t read the actual Bible.

FIND A CHURCH: There are many changes happening in churches today unfortunately, some are not adhering to the Bible teachings; they want to please everyone so they selectively choose the truth found in scripture to suit what the people want to hear and they omit parts that people don’t want to hear. The Bible warns us about this: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3 Because of this, I believe it is most important to read the Bible first and know what the Bible says. If you go to a church, pay attention to this: are they reading directly from scripture and speaking from scripture? Double check what they say with the Bible because I’ve come across churches that are doing what 2 Timothy 4:3 mentions. During the past 5 years (after reading the entire bible in 2019) I have been continually seeking God, so I made a playlist of videos I watched or listened to that align with what the Bible teaches. This is a resource/playlist of videos that I still add to as I listen and find something “helpful” and in agreement with the bible. Listening to these will keep you busy, filling your mind with God for “years!” (Here’s the YouTube Playlist link: Seeking God; Biblical Knowledge Resources) Joining an online church might be the best solution if you don’t find a church nearby teaching truth. I’m hesitant to recommend a church not knowing if their teaching has changed since I last watched online. Within the playlist link, there are several different churches’ videos, so you will find some churches through the videos in that link. Those are the specific teachings that align with the Bible.

SEEK OUT GODLY FRIENDS: Join a bible based study group, get to know other people who want a relationship with God. As I said before, especially if you are new to reading the bible, find a study group who uses the Bible so you can grow in faith. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17 Besides studying the word of God, the friends you make as you do this will be a source of strength, support, encouragement and celebrations.

RESOURCE- BOOK RECOMMENDATION: First and most importantly, read the Bible, but there are some helpful books that pull together numerous sections of the Bible, aggregating information on a specific topic (from the 40 different authors who wrote the books found in the Bible and inspired from the same Spirit) so these types of books (outside of the Bible) are helpful bringing together the “hidden gems” you will find throughout while reading the Bible.

Because receiving the Holy Spirit (after you believe) is necessary to be in God’s Kingdom, this following book is worth reading and is an excellent resource to better understand “receiving the Holy Spirit” and more. Remember: Jesus answered (Nicodemus), “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5.

“Who is the Holy Spirit?” Experiencing God’s power by Nancy Taylor & Philip Ryken (click here to buy this book on Amazon)

These “next steps” are what I found when I was seeking, I didn’t have a mentor guiding me to this, so that is what I mean when I said that “God will (eventually) lead you to these things” like He did me, but I also think because I didn’t have a mentor may be why it took me so many years from initially seeking to receiving the Holy Spirit (5 years!) I may have received the Holy Spirit sooner if I had done these “next steps” more quickly? It took me 3 years after I surrendered (although I realize now, I hadn’t 100% surrendered at that time) to actually read the Bible, and then another 2 years after that before I saw evidence of having received the Holy Spirit. This was when I fully surrendered, 100%, and was baptized in 2021. There is a significant difference in me today compared to me in 2017 and the Holy Spirit is the only one who made this happen! Take the next steps to make this happen in 2025 if you haven’t already; it will be worth it!

by Categories: bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, FRIENDSHIP, GOALS, God, HAPPINESS, Healing, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, prayer, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, TRAVEL, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Time, Talent and Treasure (2025 Goal Setting)

There are only a few more days of 2024, then the calendar rolls to 2025. So what will next year be like? What’s in store? And most importantly it’s time to think about: what can I do with what I’ve been given? How will I make what I have grow?

TIME

Time is limited here on earth, there is a “time for everything”, time is a God given “resource” that isn’t replenished, once it passes, it’s gone; so how we spend our time is important. The Book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon was given both great wisdom and wealth and wrote about “time.” His conclusion is this:

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil. – Ecclesiastes 12:13 written ~970-930 BC

The Book of Ecclesiastes has valuable insights we can apply to our own life, it’s a quick read, only 12 brief chapters. Here is a link to chapter 1: Ecclesiastes 1

Jesus reminded his disciple, John, of this “reward” in the vision when Jesus appeared to him on the island of Patmos after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus said:

“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”- Revelation 22:12-13 written ~90 – 96 AD

Every year of life we are given by God has a purpose; seek Him (pray to God) to understand the purpose He has for us; don’t waste time while living because we will be rewarded according to what we have done. God gave us free will to choose what we want to do with our time, but the wisdom is knowing that God ultimately gives us: what we choose. He allows us to choose evil rather than good, or good rather than evil, and one day we will get the “reward” for this (good or bad). So be intentional with choices; understand what the future holds and plan for this today.

TALENT

Each of us is created uniquely and gifted by God with a distinct personality, talent, ability, skill, etc. How are we using that talent we’ve been given (for God’s kingdom ultimately)? If we CHOOSE (of our own free will) to ask God for the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will start to change us so that we love what God loves and hate what God hates. (Yes God actually hates 7 things: here’s the list.) Once we willingly agree to “surrender” to God’s will (here is the surrender prayer Jesus taught), if we ask for the Holy Spirit, we will receive. The Holy Spirit gives us “gifts” as He determines what we are ready for, so these are God given spiritual talents. We know from Paul that these spiritual talents (gifts) are given for the following reason:

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. – 1 Corinthians 12:7

In other words, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of others.

The Use of Spiritual Gifts

1Now about the spiritual gifts [the special endowments given by the Holy Spirit], brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were led off after speechless idols; however you were led off [whether by impulse or habit]. 3Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is [my] Lord,” except by [the power and influence of] the Holy Spirit.

4Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers]. 5And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served]. 6And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them]. 7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good. 8To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit; 9to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit; 10and to another the working of [a]miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues. 11All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.

12For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so [b]it is with Christ. 13For by one [Holy] Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [spiritually transformed–united together] whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit [since the same Holy Spirit fills each life].

14For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs]. 15If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body? 16If the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body? 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole [body] were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But now [as things really are], God has placed and arranged the parts in the body, each one of them, just as He willed and saw fit [with the best balance of function]. 19If they all were a single organ, where would [the rest of] the body be? 20But now [as things really are] there are many parts [different limbs and organs], but a single body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22But quite the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [absolutely] necessary; 23and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honor; and our less presentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24while our more presentable parts do not require it. But God has combined the [whole] body, giving greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25so that there would be no division or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. 26And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.

27Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function]. 28So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a new message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of [unknown] tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31But earnestly desire and strive for the greater gifts [if acquiring them is going to be your goal].

And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love].

[a] 10 I.e. wonderful events or occurrences beyond human capability which manifest the supernatural power of God and fulfill His purpose.
[b] 12 Lit is Christ. – 1 Corinthians 12 (Amplified Version)

Jesus told this story also:

Parable of the Talents

14“For it is just like a man who was about to take a journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his possessions. 15To one he gave five [b]talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and then he went on his journey. 16The one who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he [made a profit and] gained five more. 17Likewise the one who had two [made a profit and] gained two more. 18But the one who had received the one went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19“Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20And the one who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted to me five talents. See, I have [made a profit and] gained five more talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’

22“Also the one who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have [made a profit and] gained two more talents.’ 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’

24“The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25So I was afraid [to lose the talent], and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is your own.’

26“But his master answered him, ‘You wicked, lazy servant, you knew that I reap [the harvest] where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter seed. 27Then you ought to have put my money with the bankers, and at my return I would have received my money back with interest. 28So take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29“For to everyone who has [and values his blessings and gifts from God, and has used them wisely], more will be given, and [he will be richly supplied so that] he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have [because he has ignored or disregarded his blessings and gifts from God], even what he does have will be taken away. 30And throw out the worthless servant into the outer darkness; in that place [of grief and torment] there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger]. Matthew 25 (Amplified version)

TREASURE

God gives wealth to some, He gave it to Solomon, He gave it Job, but just like “talents” and other gifts of the Holy Spirit, wealth is a resource, to be used for the benefit of others. When we have a healthy relationship with wealth, it will be used for the good of others. But if we love wealth more than God, it will lead us into evil. (For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Not money itself, but the love of it more than God. Here is a link to this topic in scripture.) This truth is the same for the gifts of the Spirit: if we don’t use the gifts properly for others and use it selfishly for our own benefit, it will lead us into evil. Gifts and wealth are “resources” to be used for a purpose and nothing more than that. Job is aware of this when he says:

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will return.

The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing. – Job 1: 20-22

This first chapter of the Book of Job is insightful: (link)

Jesus gave this example:

The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it. Matthew 13: 44-46

Reading these verses again today, this stood out: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Treasure (when we discover it, we will give all we have to keep it) but also The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Merchant (a person) looking for “fine pearls” – God’s children (believers) are the “fine pearls” and Jesus is like the Merchant who gave his life (all he had) to “purchase” us (by Jesus’ death on the cross) from evil.

No greater love is this than for someone to give his life for another. – 1 John 15:13

God is looking for believers who love Him back. Jesus said this:

Treasures in Heaven
(Luke 12:32–34)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus also said this:

I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:9-13

As we roll into 2025: What are your plans for the Time, Talents and Treasure God has given you?

I pray for abundant blessings to you, from God, for all who read and take this post to heart truly seek God’s will and purpose! Happy New Year!

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