Tag: POSITIVITY

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

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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From Feeling Unloved to Experiencing Love

Life is full of lessons: we learn something (good or bad) from each experience. Hindsight often makes the lesson clear. I’ve gone from not feeling loved to experiencing love, but before you “exit” from this story – this is for everyone’s benefit, so keep reading. If it happened for me; it WILL happen for you too, if you seek “Love”.

Before we seek the experience of love, we need to know what love is and what it is not or we will be searching for something “unknown.” And how hard is that!? Finding something we truthfully don’t comprehend or only understand from what’s been defined as “love” by the world surrounding us will leave us in a bad place. I’ve found the world (secular) view to be deceptive, it keeps us “unsatisfied” in experiencing love. I’ll give some contrasting comparisons to prove this (the message the world gives us = lies vs. the truth):

LOVE IS FOUND THROUGH MONEY VS. THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.

The lie: The world view tells us if we accumulate money then we will be satisfied, so people seek money to satisfy themselves. But does that eliminate the drama in people’s lives? Not at all. People with money have drama and unsatisfaction just as much as those who don’t. In fact people with money are targets for “parasite people” – ones that will use whatever means they have to “life off” the person with money, definitely not love, but being someone gets used for their money.

The truth: Loving money will cause people to do evil: lying, cheating, manipulating, deceiving, harming others to get money. Love isn’t obtained through money. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) God is love. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

NUMB THE PAIN OF FEELING UNLOVED: ALCOHOL/DRUGS WILL MAKE US HAPPY VS. NOT HAVING A SOBER MIND WILL INFLICT MORE PAIN.

The lie: The world view associates “fun, happiness” with drinking but doesn’t mention the side effects of excessive drinking: headaches, vomiting, embarrasing moments, bad moral decisions, addictions, unhealthy unattractive physical condition, physical and mental disabilities as a result of drinking. While drinking may numb the pain temporarily, it causes more pain later and it doesn’t solve the problem, but creates more problems.

The truth: Alcohol in moderation is okay, and no alcohol at all is even better. “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) and “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” (1 Peter 4:7)

GET RID OF “HIM OR HER” VS. LOVE NEVER LETTING GO.

The lie: The world view tells us to dispose of anything we don’t want: ie. pregnancies, children, people in general, and recently elderly people- we are seeing this in Canada. While there are good reasons to let go of unhealthy, harmful people in our lives, “getting rid of someone” certainly doesn’t apply to children or people because we simply don’t want the responsibility for, or “tire” of them, or because once they “did something for us” but now it’s “don’t feel anything for them” so get rid of him or her and eliminate that responsiblity. This is a lie that will destroy us and our world.

The truth: Love never lets go. We see this in God’s character: He doesn’t let go, He keeps pursuing, He continues to love us despite our ways that don’t please Him. We are valuable to God, so valuable that He sent His Son, Jesus to rescue us, to die for us, to pay for us, to save us from the grip or slavery that evil has on us. Evil will take us to a place of eternal unsatisfaction and torture, but deceives us with mottos such as “Care Diem!” Live for the day- in a reckless way that won’t allow us to receive the good things God has prepared for us. It’s a great deception: short-term thinking, not looking at how the way we live and what we choose having eternal consequences. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) God showed us the greatest love possible.

COSMETIC SURGERY WILL BRING LOVE VS. WE ARE VALUABLE AS WE WERE CREATED.

The lie: changing the outward appearance does not bring love! It won’t make someone love us more. There are many attractive people whose partner cheated on them. The world view today encourages extreme changes (man into woman and vice versa) and it seems these people inwardly just want to be loved by someone. They are hurt, unloved and seeking love they do not know.

The truth: We are valuable as we are, as God made us. God made us in the image of Him! We are so valuable to God that He sent His one and only son to die for us to make it possible for us to be with God in eternity. Our outward appearance will not be perfected (glorified) until the day Jesus returns and we are raised to be with God.  “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep (die), but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15).  Mankind was damaged, corrupted by evil, so we don’t need to place so much emphasis on our outward appearance, we are in temporary bodies that will be changed. What is inside us is more valuable than the outside appearance. Even if someone is considered beautiful or attractive today, with enough time, that physical beauty will change, age, die and decompose. The body we have is temporary but what is inside is valuable and remains forever.

BUYING LOVE VS. ACCEPTING PRESENT LOVE.

The lie: This relates to money, the world view tells us if we have money we can “buy love”- but that’s a fake love if we can “buy it”, so is a “fake love” satisfying in the end? Just like everything: it’s temporary and won’t be satisfying long term. Anyone who chooses this is being “short-sighted” not seeing long term reality.

The truth: God’s love is present- always. He is merciful, forgiving, loving, and patient with us. When we personally experience God’s love, it will change us. This is the only love we need to seek. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

(Matthew 7 – the words of Jesus)

DEMANDING LOVE VS. PATIENCE IN LOVE.

The lie: The world view shows us that we can demand love and therefore receive it. What a joke, although it’s not funny, but ridiculous, but some people believe this; those who are sadly deceived. They will find out this is a lie. We can’t “force” someone to love us, either they will or they won’t. So if we find out they don’t, let them go, they were not meant for us.

The truth: God is patient with us and loves us. He pursues us but also waits for us to get to know Him. We learn how to love from God (alone) through scripture. The characteristics of love are important to recognize especially because God is love, so the following describes the character of God:

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. “(1 Corinthians 13)

FIND A RICH PARTNER VS. GENEROUS GIFTS ARE ALREADY PRESENT.

The lie: The world view slang calls it “a sugar daddy” or “sugar momma” and some single people search for this as their most important criteria due to their love of money. They won’t be satisfied, they still will want something “more.” Mankind is imperfect and will never be the ultimate provider.

The truth: God gives great gifts to those who love and obey Him. He is the supplier, provider of all things, so we won’t find anyone greater. If we love God, He will provide all we need in life. “13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. (Deuteromomy 11)

and

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)

and

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.(2 Corinthians 9:8)

COMPARISON/ENVY/JEALOUSY VS. CONFIDENCE.

The lie: The world promotes beauty, luxurious material things making us feel if we don’t have them we won’t experience happiness. This subliminal message causes people to compare, envy and be jealous of others.

The truth: When we comprehend our value to God we will have confidence in our value, our worth. Jesus described it this way: 12 “What do you think? If a man (symbolic of God) owns a hundred sheep (symbolic of people), and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.(Matthew 18) We are important and valuable to God. Jesus wouldn’t have died on the cross to redeem us if this wasn’t true.

LOVE CHOICES: THE “TROPHY” PARTNER VS. GOOD MORAL CHARACTER.

The lie: The world emphasises beauty rather than moral character.

The truth: Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthian 15:33) This happened to many people throughout scripture, it led people to their physical and often eternal destruction (Samson, Solomon, Ahab and others).

SEEK REVENGE FOR WRONG DOING VS. LET IT GO.

The lie: The world loves vengence and seeks it, but doesn’t seem to know right from wrong. What some think “is right” is wrong in the opinion of others. If there is only one truth; which is correct? On whose opinion do we rely?

The truth: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3) and “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

UNFORGIVENESS VS. FORGIVENESS.

The lie: We can’t forgive some people.

The truth: “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15) and “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37) God forgives! If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) and Micah the prophet tells us:
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.“(Micah 7:18)

UNSAFE LOVE VS. PROTECTION IN LOVE.

The lie: The world relies on mankind, nations, alliances for protection.

The truth: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” (Psalm 118:8)

LOVE LIES VS. TRUTH/TRUST.

The lie: The world tells us that “my truth” is truth.

The truth: “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) Truth is found in love. “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6) “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)

DESTROYING VS. BUILDING UP (HOPE).

The lie: There is no hope.

The truth: Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. (Job 8:13)For what hope have the godless when they are cut off, when God takes away their life? (Job 27:8) But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.(Psalm 9:18) For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.(Psalm 37:9) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; (Lamentations 3:25) And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5) For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:4) in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,(Titus 1:2) Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

ABANDONMENT VS. STAYING.

The lie: The world tells us if someone or something isn’t serving you, leave it.

The truth: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galations 5:13) “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,”(Ephesians 6:7) “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”(Luke 4:8)

LOVE FAILS VS. SUCCESS IN LOVE.

The lie: The world tells us: most marriages end in divorce, and those who stay married are unhappy, so stay single and have sex with whomever you want.

The truth: The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”(Genesis 2:18) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? …(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”(Proverbs 27:17) He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. (Proverbs 18:22) Marriage CAN be good, but getting married to the wrong person (an ungodly person) is not God’s intention:” Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthian 15:33) “No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.”(Deuteronomy 23:2)– the forbidden people are the ones who are idolatrous and don’t serve God. “He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.”(2 Kings 8:27) “Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’” (Ezra 9:2) “Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.” (Nehemiah 13:26) “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”(Hebrews 13:4) “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.”(Revelation 21:8), “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”(Revelation 22:15) This is where each person’s decision has consequences which can be good or bad.

SELF-LOVE VS. LESS-SELF/ SELFLESS LOVE.

The lie: The self-love the world values: having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness, taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing anything to take care of others, promoting selfishness, conceitedness, egotism, narcissism, et al.

The truth: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”(Deuteronomy 6:5) Our focus should be on God, His will, not ours. Jesus showed us by his example when he knew the upcoming crucifixion he was facing and asked God if there was any other way to do this, but then surrendered saying “not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:41-43) Love is selfless not selfish.

All these lies we hear from world views keep us “unsatisfied,” continually seeking “false love,” or giving up on love completely as a result interactions with ungodly people, and from not knowing the truth, when we define love from a worldly view. God is Love. God loves us. God is all we need and when we feel like we have nothing because of what the world says, this is important to remember. God is a loving Father, a provider, a comforter, a gift giver, compassionate, generous, merciful, forgiving, a protector, a refuge; everything good comes from God. He pursues us, we are valuable to Him, He sent His son Jesus to save us. He knows the number of hairs on our head- intimately knowing us better and more completely than anyone else does or ever did and He loves us continually. God has unimaginable good plans for our future, for those who seek Him, and love Him in return. The evil in the world tries to overcome the goodness of God, but remember the words of Jesus:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

“… Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

Mark 10:18

Knowing God is knowing Love!

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Growing Our Faith

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17

I found this statement to be true -personally. I knew of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit since I was a child, emphasizing the word knew “of” because I didn’t “personally know God”- just was taught about Him, but that all changed as I studied the Bible. No longer was God some mysterious being, Jesus some historical figure of the past or the Holy Spirit (a “mystery” to me) but I started to understand God’s character, thoughts (in more detail than “love your neighbor”), things He hates, what He loves, and what His will is for all of us: to be with Him in eternity. Thankfully, He went through extraordinary means for us (meaning Jesus on the cross) and for me personally that my “eyes finally opened” as a result of studing scripture, I finally know God personally. It didn’t happen from anyone “teaching” me anything, it happened when I started seeking to know Him to understand what’s in the Bible and studying scripture. There are several true statements about seeking too, some are:

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Isaiah 55:6

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33 (Jesus said this)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7 (Jesus said this)

My way of thinking drastically changed (in a positive way) as I studied and I realized “truths” about many questions I had. My faith grew and I believed deeper. I have a solid faith now. Before I had some questions, but those were answered by studying scripture. Due to the impact scripture had on me, I began to share what I was learning on this website, on Instagram, and in a podcast.

Spotify Podcast Link

I’m currently working on a Bible Study Podcast covering the Book of John, reading and discussing a chapter per day (when I can). I chose this one because John was one of the first disciples and he expressed in his writings that he thought he was closest to Jesus (like a best friend), so I’m interested in his insight. He was also the one who wrote the book of Revelation, which I’ve learned so much from; he expands on what the prophets of Israel: Daniel, Zechariah and Ezekiel taught. If you want to grow your faith, try listening to this podcast and see if studying scripture affects you the way it did me?

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Truth

When we know the Truth and accept it, the truth will set us free.  This is the truth:

  1. We were planned, not an accident, not by chance, but intentionally created by God out of His love. God controls all life.
  2. We have a purpose to fulfill on earth given to us by God.
  3. There is a future kingdom coming.  A new earth. We are on the testing grounds right now.
  4. Our actions will be judged by Jesus, son of God who will be given this authority to judge and rule the earth.
  5. Circumventing Jesus won’t turn out well.
  6. Our actions matter at judgement but won’t get us into eternity. Obedience to God’s commands is the basis for judgement.
  7. Repentance is significantly important – there are actions that will prevent us from being in God’s kingdom if we don’t change our ways.
  8. Jesus bridges the gap, made the way for us.
  9. We need the Holy Spirit indwelling to have immortal eternal life and be a part of God’s new Kingdom which is coming.  The Holy Spirit comes from God through Jesus.
  10. God loves us and wants us with Him in His future Kingdom.
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