Tag: Trust

Fear of God: The Beginning of Wisdom

Does it seem like not many people have the “fear of God” in our world to you? People are living with the belief of “my truth” – which is a deception, a lie. “Truth” is being distorted like never before, in the past, we referred to this as “delusional or insane.” People need help and Truth. But what is Truth? Truth is the Word of God. What is the Word of God? (Read these passages to comprehend what the Bible states). The Word of God is Jesus. (John 1:1) The Word of God is found in scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16) If you seek Him, you will find Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29) Jesus is “the Truth.” (John 14:6)

WHY SHOULD I TRUST THE BIBLE?

It contains documented historical accounts from multiple eye witnesses (40 authors) over a significant span of time, all with a consistent story and message. It contains prophecies told by 17 different prophets, which came true later in history, yet some remain to be fulfilled to this day! (Read it and you will discover this for yourself!) The oldest book, Job, reflects the cultural and historical settings found in Genesis Chapters 12-50 (written ~1446 – 1406 BC); therefore it is believed to have been written in the second millenium BC (~2000 BC) around the time of Abraham (~2166 – 1991 BC). The last book of the Bible (Revelation) was written by the apostle/disciple, John (~90-96 AD). So in total, the scripture spans approximately 2,100 years with virtually no change as proven when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient manuscripts that were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves near Khirbet Qumran, on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea. They are approximately two thousand years old, dating from the third century BCE to the first century CE.

The Israel Museum

Lack of the “fear of God” isn’t something new though, it has been present throughout the history of the Bible. However, the lack of “fear of God” had deadly consequences as given by example from the authors of the books of the Bible. We can learn from other’s experiences and if we take action, we won’t suffer the same consequences they did. This is how Paul described people who don’t fear God (Romans 3:11-18):

  • As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
  • there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
  • All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
  • “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
  • “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
  • “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
  • ruin and misery mark their ways,
  • and the way of peace they do not know.”
  • “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

When I first read the Bible in 2019, there were verses that put the “Fear of God” in me. I believed, after reading the Bible, and knew I needed to change my way of living life because of the future consequences that would affect me, if I did not change. These are the verses that still come to mind, when I think of “Why fear God?” four years later:

WHY FEAR GOD?

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 3:23

Some people make up their own version of God and lie to themselves claiming they are good, but Jesus said (and this is affirmed by other authors throughout scripture):

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

Mark 10:18

WHO WILL NOT BE IN GOD’S KINGDOM?

There are repetitive verses describing those who WILL NOT be in the kingdom of God, as follows:

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, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (Paul)

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. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

Ephesians 5: 5-7 (Paul)

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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.

Galatians 5:19-21 (Paul)

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 (Jesus)

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Revelation 22:5 (Jesus)

SOME WHO CALL THEMSELVES “CHRISTIANS” WILL BE SUPRISED:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:21-23 (Jesus)

IT’S IMPORTANT TO COMPREHEND WHAT “BELIEVE” MEANS (We know demons will not be in God’s kingdom yet they “believe”):

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

James 2:18-20

AT A CERTAIN POINT OF CONTINUAL REJECTION, GOD ALLOWS PEOPLE TO HAVE THEIR WAY:

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Romans 1:28 (Paul)

DOES GOD BLOT OUT NAMES FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE?

It appears so, check out this link, searching “blot” in scripture: (Blot)

The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

Revelation 3:5 (Jesus)

So who is the “victorius”? From that chapter, it appears to be “Christians” who have NOT “backslid,” “transgressed” or gone back into a sinful lifestyle. When a white robe is given, symbolically this is the covering of Jesus, but if a person “soils” their white robe, they are NOT part of the “victorious.” Jesus says: “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” he says: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” and he also says: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” He gives a warning if they don’t repent, they are about to die! This scripture is why I personally don’t believe the doctrine of “once saved, always saved”- we need to remain “in Christ”- Jesus warns so many times about “falling asleep,” being “unprepared.” “What you have received” seems to reference “the Holy Spirit” and “heard” seems to reference the gospel message. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins Jesus emphasizes “being prepared”, oil is symbolic of annointing, of having the Holy Spirit. Remember that Jesus said unless we are “born again” (a new creation, born of the Spirit) we will not see God’s kingdom. This is important to know for those who claim to be “Christians,” but truly aren’t- there’s curently time to “wake up” and get right with God.

THE RETURN OF JESUS

The return of Jesus is referred to as “the day of the Lord”; there are many references to it throughout muliple authors of the Bible, click here to read the verses/references. It will be filled with God’s just wrath against all who choose evil and have rejected God.

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION ?

Repent (Reject Sin/Ask for forgiveness), show your Belief by your actions/how you live, receive the Holy Spirit from God through Jesus (the Holy Spirit transforms/changes us to become obedient to God). Repentance is required for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus did the rest. Repentance is what we do to prepare, and Jesus will give us the Holy Spirit when we are sincere, because we need to be “born of the spirit” to enter the kingdom of God. (John 3)

and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Luke 24:47 (Jesus)

EVIDENCE OF BEING SAVED- “A NEW CREATION”

Many people “identify as Christians” but may not be saved, or true Christians. Unfortunately these people turn others away from Christianity by how they live, because they are not a living example, their life has not changed and they may not understand what it truly means to be a Christian. If a person is truly saved/in Christ, these are characteristics that others will see:

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. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5: 22-24 (Paul)

If a person is NOT SAVED, these are characteristics that others will see:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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.

Galatians 5:19-21 (Paul)

THE BENEFITS OF REPENTANCE/RECONCILIATION WITH GOD:

WE HAVE GOD’S PROTECTION:

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.

1 John 5:18 (John)

WE (WHO ARE NOT JEWISH) WILL HAVE A SHARED INHERITANCE WITH THE REMNANT OF THE JEWS

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (Paul)

and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 1:12 (Paul)

since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:24 (Paul)

Next you might ask “as a reward for what?” the answer is in the verses prior to this quote: living in a Christian household (wives, husbands, children)

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 9:15

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5

WE BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

John 1:12

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Romans 8:14 (Paul)

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

Romans 8:19 (Paul)

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

Galatians 3:26 (Paul)

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Phillippians 2: 12-16

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[fn] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

1 John 3:1-10

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:1-5

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

1 John 5:18-19

GOD HEARS OUR PRAYERS AND ANSWERS THEM IF THEY ARE IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS WILL

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

Daniel 10:12

So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

Genesis 19:29

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

1 John 5:14

WE WILL RECEIVE BLESSINGS : ( CLICK HERE: BLESSED IS) and (CLICK HERE: BLESSED ARE)

“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

Revelation 22:7 (Jesus)

If you find this helpful, please share this with someone else. I know these verses are hard to handle, but they are truth so if someone is not right with God or prepared but decides to change that, that’s one more person living in God’s kingdom, one more eternal friend or brother/sister. It’s not too late if someone is reading or hearing this today; do it today- don’t delay. This is meant to be received in love, for the good of those who read this and take action.

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Discernment vs. Deception: Good vs. Evil

We are in a deception transition period from what I see happening in the world where good and evil are mixed up, creating confusion about right and wrong. Our warning about this came almost 2,000 years ago, if we don’t express and support the truth, soon the younger generations will have a difficult time identifying good from evil. This is what we were told:

Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:32 (Paul)

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Romans 1:28 (Paul)

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people….They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.

2 Timothy 3:1-9

We are seeing truth distorted on a continuous basis and anyone speaking against the lies is called “the enemy” and is publicly “shamed”. There is a tremendous pressure for all to “comply” with this new “untruth/lie” deceivingly packaged as “compassion and love” – a strong deception, but “marketed” as something opposite, completely confusing many. There are many opinions, but there will only be Truth remaining in the end.

HOW TO AVOID DECEPTION- WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Know the messenger! Don’t trust anyone you don’t know very well. Find out who they truly are. They may be charming, convincing, appealing, etc. BUT:

Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts.

Proverbs 26:25

So what are 7 abominations? Possibly the 7 things God hates:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty (proud) eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood (murder), a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Proverbs 6:16-19

If the following surrounds their life, do NOT trust them:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery (intoxication), idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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.

Galations 5:19-21

WHO TO TRUST – WHAT TO LOOK FOR

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galations 5:14

God is love. When a person has God’s spirit (Love) residing within them, you will notice the following surrounding their life:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

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

Knowing this information, we can “test” the messenger and know if this is a trustworthy or untrustworthy source of information, despite the delivery of the message.

If we want to be known as “good” we should remember that Jesus said there is no one “good” but God, however, God is kind and compassionate and with our “surrender” to Him, Jesus said if we ask, he will send the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) who, once we are open to receiving the Holy Spirit, will begin to work within us. The Holy Spirit provides wisdom, guidance, protection, understanding of truth, peace, gifts (Romans 12:6-8) (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), power, love, discipline, and God’s eternal seal placed on us for our resurrection, redemption at the time of Jesus’ return.

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[a] his Spirit who lives in you.

Romans 8:11

USE IT OR LOSE IT!

So remember these verses and use them to evaluate people better knowing who is trustworthy, use it to make future critical decisions in life, and most importantly, get to know Jesus through scripture (read the Gospel of John) If you believe what John writes about Jesus, what Jesus said, pray and ask Jesus for the Holy Spirit to come to you; we all need the Holy Spirit for all the reasons mentioned above.

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Trust, Questions and Freedom

I was living life like a trusting child, in somewhat of a carefree way until the years 2020 and 2021 happened when I began noticing contradictions that made me question what I was hearing. You know what I’m talking about, the really obvious type of (let’s just call it what it is) LIES: when actions don’t match the words we hear. When what I observed didn’t support what I was hearing. I didn’t want to accept what I was observing; my trust was broken. This wasn’t just one aspect of my life where my trust was broken, it was in the world, in business, in relationships, and it was all happening at the same time.

When trust was broken in a majority of the areas of life that “supported” me, where did I turn? God. I turned to God even more than I ever have in my life. I prayed, read the bible and studied the bible and it distracted me from the harsh realities I was facing. I’m a curious person and I love to explore, as in travel, but also in exploring thoughts and ideas of others. So I explored. I started seeing that some things I was taught in religion didn’t line up with what I was reading in the Bible. The timing of this was ironic, because this meant another area of “trust” was broken: the religion I was taught growing up. I just wanted the TRUTH to be found SOMEWHERE! This caused me to want to separate from others and look deeper into these findings: What is the Truth? Where can it be found? I trusted God, and I still do. After reading the complete Bible, most of the questions I had were answered, and it made sense of all these nonsensical things happening in my life. I felt compelled to share what I discovered in the bible and I did.

Click here if you want to explore more about the Bible being trustworthy/true.

From the secular aspect of the world and what’s happening today, the Bible gives clarity to this too; it’s all in there. Many things happening in world events right now were foretold in the Bible. If I hadn’t studied the Bible, I wouldn’t be aware of this. Our freedom is under attack, there are those who seek power and dominance and the only way for them to achieve this is through forced control because if given the choice, not everyone will choose to submit. Many people are seeing this and becoming vocal about it, and something that I understand from the Bible comes to mind: God created each of us with a purpose: to fulfill His will. People are using their skills and talents to resist this forced control and I thank God for each and every one of you! May God be with you in this effort.

While freedom remains, to some degree, despite some censorship, all of us have the freedom of choice. Our choice comes with consequences and we individually weigh the choice and consequences when making a decision. I believe “choice” remains because God is the one who gave all people that freedom from the very beginning. I believe we are at a critical moment in time right now and while I currently have the freedom of speech, I want to share some thoughts with you, some things I hope you think about as an individual: don’t automatically believe my words, investigate this, don’t automatically believe what you’ve been taught, investigate it, then arrive at your own conclusion, because not everyone will arrive at the same conclusion and that is the way God allows it: a personal CHOICE! Freedom.

As I mentioned earlier, I found some of the things I was taught growing up that didn’t match up with the Bible and that destroyed my trust in the religion. Why did I choose what I read in the Bible over what I was taught? Because what I found in the Bible was consistent and answered questions I had. My former religion was “Christian” based so the bible was an acceptable means of seeking information and I believe the Bible to be a “God inspired” source for the truth. I chose what I believe is “God inspired” information over the information that was man made religious traditions from my former religion. But this isn’t where I stopped. I had more curiosity, I had friendships throughout my life with people who are Jewish and Muslim, and I would describe them as “good” people, from a secular viewpoint. Although I know that no one can really be labeled “good” other than God, so I use that term only to attempt to describe what most people think of as good: kind people who act in loving ways.

So my “exploring” inclination led me to “take a peak” into both faiths and see what is similar and what is different. I say “take a peak”, because I am not an expert in any religion, I was just curious. After all this broken trust happened in my life, I wanted to see what those faiths were all about and why people believed in them compared to any other belief. I think many people believe what they were taught to believe as they grew up, from those who cared for them. Caring people do have an influence on the lives of others.

The foundation of the beliefs in each faith are:

Jewish faith- source: The Torah: The Torah (law of Moses) includes the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, named: Genesis (written approximately 1446-1406 BC) , Exodus (written approximately 1440 BC), Leviticus (written approximately 1440 BC), Numbers (written approximately 1406 BC) and Deuteronomy (written approximately 1406 BC). But there are also “sacred writings”, the scripture that is part of the historical Jewish belief (The Nevi’Im, and Ketuvim).

Christian faith- source: The Bible: The five books of the Torah are incorporated into what is called the Old Testament of the Bible. The Jewish scripture found in the TaNaKh (link to a summary) are also included in the Old Testament of the Bible. So Jewish faith is the foundation of the Christian Bible and this scripture found in the Bible was written approximately starting in 1446 BC. In addition to these scriptures found in the Old Testament, the Bible adds the New Testament books which include the life of Jesus (the Gospel), teachings, the followers of Jesus and more prophesy in the book of Revelation written in the 1st century, around 90 AD (the prophecies do not contradict the prophets of the Old Testament, but provide more detail and insight regarding the events to take place).

Muslim faith – source: The Quran (a prophetic revelation and doctrine established by Muhammed written in the 7th century/600 AD) and Hadiths which became the basis for the Islamic religion.

Belief Similarities

I’ll start with belief similarities (from my research) that Christian, Jewish and Muslim people share:

  1. We all believe in the same Creator: “God” “Hashem” “Allah”
  2. We all believe that the way we live our life matters
  3. Jesus lived on earth and taught people
  4. All good things come from God
  5. There is only one God
  6. There is a Messiah who will come (but the roles of the Messiah in the beliefs are different)
  7. There is a Judgement Day when the Messiah returns

But there are differences:

  1. The Trinity: Christians believe in one God, but three persons making up that one God, or the “Godhead” as I’ve heard this referred to: God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (called “The Trinity”) – this is definitely a challenging concept to comprehend and for me, the clearest way I came up with so far to explain this is to give an example of something material that we know for a concept to hopefully make the understanding clearer. If you’ve seen a 3-in 1 winter coat this is something can function independently yet is part of the (1) coat. For example the first layer may be a light, fleece jacket, the next layer might be a down insulated layer, and the third layer might be a waterproof outer shell. Each jacket on it’s own has a function, but together they are one. If you have trouble visualizing this here’s a video clip of a 3 in one jacket, not exactly the one I described but for concept. (Neither Jewish or Muslims believe in the Trinity) Click here if you want to explore a study on the Trinity belief.
  2. Jesus: Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God (part of the Trinity/Godhead), the Messiah, Jesus was without sin, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to a virgin mother (Mary), he came to earth to save people (and if someone does not believe this, they will not be in eternity with God), was crucified, died, was buried and rose from the dead, interacted with people after the resurrection, then ascended into Heaven, but sent the Holy Spirit to be present after he left the earth. Jesus will return to the earth and will be visible to everyone when he returns, arriving in the clouds (the same way he departed when he ascended into the clouds in front of witnesses). Jewish people do not believe Jesus was the Messiah because he didn’t complete all the prophecies/finish what was prophesized when he was on earth. The Jewish people are waiting for the Messiah to arrive. Muslim people believe that Jesus was a prophet and a good person, believe that his mother was a virgin, but do not believe that Jesus died on the cross. The three differing beliefs about Jesus is the greatest difference and a critical one because it has consequences for every person. So which belief is the truth? That is for you to decide, and worth investigating. Click here if you want to explore study information on the Nature of Jesus.
  3. Eternity/the Afterlife: Christians believe the only reason we will be able to enter into eternity or the after life is through Jesus who came to earth for God’s purpose. Jesus’ purpose (God’s will) was to reveal God in human form to people, teach people about the spiritual realm (things unknown to people), fulfill the prophecies about the Messiah, and to most importantly become the sacrifice required to save ALL people. Our “good works” are not enough to be as holy as needed to be in the presence of God. We are not perfect beings, nor will we ever be, but God wants us to be with Him, so he sent Jesus to bridge that gap of our imperfection. From what I’ve found, I don’t think the afterlife is very clear, certain or described in the Jewish faith. What I’ve found in the Muslim faith is that there will be an afterlife. Click here if you want to explore information on the afterlife belief.
  4. The Messiah: Christians believe the Messiah is Jesus and there will be a second coming of the Messiah in the future and judgement follows his return. Jewish people believe the Messiah has not come yet, but will come in the future. Muslims believe that Jesus will return (but don’t believe he died on the cross, instead he was rescued by God and taken up) and when Jesus returns, he will “follow” the Mahdi. Very different beliefs. Click here if you want to understand why Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah.
  5. The Anti-Christ: Christians believe there will be a deception near the end of the world (during a 7 year time period) and the Anti-Christ (along with the help of a false prophet) will deceive many people (even some Christians) and will be able to take control of them, thereby causing those people to lose the opportunity of the afterlife with God, but not only lose that, but suffer the consequences of allowing the deceivers to take control, from submitting to them instead of God and therefore will be sent to eternal hell. The Jewish people don’t acknowledge this. The Muslims believe there will be an Anti-Christ at the end also. Click here if you are curious about the AntiChrist.

For those who believe God exists, but if you are unsure about any further beliefs, it is important to pray directly to God and ask for the truth to be clear to you, ask for wisdom in regard to these various beliefs. I think all who believe in God know that God will respond if we genuinely seek him.

The belief you choose should always be your choice, no one should “force” anything on you, but it is worth your time to research what you believe. It’s never a good situation if you are forced to decide this “on the spot” and you haven’t had time to fully think through this. Take the time this winter to reflect and research.

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Eyes Opened after Looking Back

The end of the year is a logical time to reflect on life: What did we learn? Do we notice a pattern? What good happened? What are we grateful for? What do we want to change? What will our goals be heading into the New Year?

If you’ve read any of my prior blogs, you will understand this: our lives have a purpose, we are where we are for a reason. Do you know your purpose? Do you know the reason your life is the way it is right now?

I went through most of my life not thinking about this until my life was “shaken” in 2015 by an untimely death. That caused me to question everything in life: purpose, reasons, etc. I had no answers, only questions. I was confused about life and wanted answers, started searching. It led me to evaluating and making significant changes in life, taking action, but without knowing my purpose or the answers to the “reason.” I was lost, but moving, aimlessly, seeking, wanting life to be better but not knowing how to make it better.

2016 was continued seeking, transitioning to a “changed life.” I began praying more than I ever did in the past and in 2017 “surrendered” my life to Jesus, wanting his guidance. I was lost, I needed guidance, I didn’t have the answers, but I knew my way of doing things wasn’t effective; it was lacking. 2017 was a year of mild turbulence: ups and downs and I was wondering why since I surrendered but I kept my trust in God. 2018 seemed to be the turning point, everything seemed to be falling in place and I was grateful. 2019 brought a noticeable “dark cloud” into my life but I still trusted in God and went to Him for answers. I was led to the Bible and read it front to back for the first time and it literally made me want to change my life even more. My eyes were opened. I realized I was not living as God wanted me to. I decided to try to live better. I was hopeful heading into 2020. (LOL) I don’t need to explain 2020 to anyone; I think we all had the same year! But that’s when I “woke up” I realized what was happening in the world. I continued to go to God for answers to my questions and He revealed the answers in the Bible. It was amazing to experience this “communication” from God through prayer and the Bible.

2021 in summary was probably the worst year I’ve experienced in life, but not in every way: God was all I had to help me through it and He did. God is truly all I needed. When the Bible says God is faithful, God provides, God protects – all that is true. Throughout these past 6 years, I’ve learned to fully trust God. I’ve learned the answers to most of my questions (through the Bible). I have a different outlook on 2022, than I have in past years. In past years I looked forward to the hope of a better year. I don’t have that outlook this time. I don’t expect a better year. I actually expect a more challenging year, but I have all I need: God.

I have a mindset very different from a few years ago. I foresee the years ahead as getting tougher, but I KNOW (not just guess) this is only a transition to the greatest years of all time ahead, and I look forward to that with much anticipation. This is a time for endurance and perseverance. I don’t yet know how many future years ahead, but my intuition is that it won’t be too far away. Stay strong, stay connected with God and we will make it through.

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Should We Trust our Feelings?

Should we trust our feelings? My guess is anyone reading that question will have a number of reactions, such as: “YES!!!!“or “NOOO!!!!” or “I have no idea; I’m confused, help!” So what is the Truth? How do we know which answer is the correct one? These answers are provided below.

  1. Should we always trust our feelings? The Truth is NO.

2. Are there times we should trust our feelings? YES. Then, when? See below.

3. What if we are confused? How can we determine the correct answer? See below.

When Trusting your Feelings is Wrong:

Let’s be honest. Since the day we were born, we started out selfish, self-centered, right? All of us were born that way. If and when we grow and mature (emotionally, not in years), we become less self centered/selfish, but it takes intention and effort to grow and mature, it doesn’t come naturally, just like growth in anything else (such as working out, eating healthy, growing a business, relationships) : “no pain, no gain.”

So a simple question to ask ourselves is: Is my feeling motivated by self-centeredness, selfishness? If the answer to this is “yes” then trusting your feelings is wrong. Spend time being honest with yourself about the answer to this question. Don’t lie to yourself, be honest.

When Trusting your Feelings is Right:

With the same question above, we can know if trusting our feelings is right. Is my feeling motivated by selflessness, driven by loving , contributing to or helping others? If the answer to this is “yes” then trusting your feelings is right.

What if the motivation behind the feeling is selfless, driven by love, contribution or helping others but FEAR is holding me back? Fear can a blocker to something good or it can be something that protects us. If the reason behind the fear has to do with a life or death situation then trust your fear! But if not, do not let fear guide you, it is BLOCKING YOU from growth. Say you are motivated for the right reasons and you don’t submit to fear, you proceed, then something doesn’t work out as you planned? That was still the right thing to do because it is growth. We grow when we go through tough times, we come out better! As many say: if we’re not growing, we’re dying! We can’t be doing neither, think about it. Don’t let the wrong kind of fear hold you back.

When your Feelings are Confusing you:

This is the hardest one! Confusion is telling us to: WAIT, HAVE PATIENCE, but most of all PRAY! If the answer isn’t clear after reading the above testing question to know if trusting our feelings is wrong or right, then our situation is more complicated (based on the bible, confusion occurs when unrepentant sin in involved) and we need may need forgiveness and guidance from God. Waiting does not mean do nothing, it means slow down, pause, be patient but take action in prayer right away. Talk to God about it from the deepest most honest, vulnerable part of ourselves. This is between you/me and God alone, no one else. God will give us clarity eventually. But don’t “do nothing” during this time of “waiting and patience” pray about it often until clarity is received, not “a feeling,” but unquestionable clarity. Confusion is due to sin, according to the Bible. So where do we get this clarity? From God’s word, the bible. This is the coolest, most awesome thing to discover! It seriously has all the answers to the complicated questions and it is the truth.

I wasn’t taught to go to the bible for answers to questions until recently. I didn’t use it as a resource (ever) quite honestly, but once I discovered this, I am so thankful because it answers so many questions. Today, there is no excuse for not having this resource, if you have access to the internet. Some of the bible is hard to understand the first time reading. To truly know the meaning behind a quote you see, you need to read it in context so you get the full understanding. Even when you do that for the first time, there may be questions. This is where other people can help. Not necessarily by giving their interpretation of the bible, but by directing us to other passages that answer our questions. Be VERY cautious of people who interpret the Bible, don’t take their word, but ask questions, pray about it, then you will know. There are many people today who give their opinions, don’t trust “opinions” only trust facts. Facts are found by reading the bible and through prayer. Many people are misguided but can be convincing so they will give us the wrong information and lead us down a path of destruction. Sometimes people truly have good intentions, but are still not correct. Look for answers in the bible and through prayer.

I hope considering these simple questions helps. I’ve added resources and references next:

RESOURCES

A few different FREE online bible resources (check them out to see what you like best):

Selfishness “Wisdom” from the Bible:

THE “RIGHT” FEELINGS TO FOLLOW ARE MOTIVATED BY SELFLESSNESS AND LOVE- FROM THE BIBLE:

FEAR ADDRESSED IN THE BIBLE:

HOW TO DEAL WITH CONFUSION AND TIMES OF CONFUSION (CAUSED BY SIN) – FROM THE BIBLE:

FIRST SEEK GOD – FROM THE BIBLE:

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Churches, Christians, Depression & the Truth

Ever think some events happen for a reason? Several months ago, maybe a year ago, I came across someone through social media who challenged my belief in God and the Bible. Having read the Bible for the first time a year ago, I’m obviously not a biblical scholar, but I knew of resources with scripture that could “prove” the Bible is truth, outside simple logic (from understanding the purpose of the Bible). That person believed the Bible was created for manipulating and controlling a population (which doesn’t make sense because if that was the purpose, then there wouldn’t have been killings of Believers in the Bible). This person rejected what I sent because the person wasn’t open to exploring and understanding the Bible (being spiritually blind is talked about in the Bible), but their mind was so strongly convinced of this mis-information, it puzzled me. Their belief was SO strong against the Bible, it didn’t make sense to continue the conversation for very long, Faith is a choice: believe or don’t believe, but there are consequences for either choice.

From the Church to Atheism

It turned out this person had multiple negative experiences in their church, so they left the church and things weren’t going well in their life, but since they left the church they said “life is so much easier.” (This makes sense too when you understand spiritual warfare). When I first came across this person, they were promoting atheism after formerly being in some kind of a church. Finding that out was very sad to me because I know the truth found in the Bible (and if they would only consider it, it would BENEFIT them), but they had so much resistance due to their experience, they weren’t open to even viewing those resources. They didn’t believe what was written in the Bible. I see that with many people lately: strong resistance to biblical information and truth. (Is this part of spiritual warfare?)

Lack of Trust

The unfortunate reason many give is “a church experience” which I completely understand, having had that experience myself. Most often the reason given involves lack of trust. Lack of trust is what holds people back from numerous experiences in life, for good reasons too: based on experiences, but it’s not good when it holds people back from something GOOD. That needs to change. This is one of the reasons why I believe it is so important to read the bible individually. Each of us needs to know what’s in the bible so that we are not misled by anyone distorting the information in the Bible. Reading the Bible isn’t a quick read, so if you hear someone say something, look it up, read the entire chapter or the book if necessary so it’s not taken out of context, that way you’ll eventually get through some of the Bible, a little at a time. A little is better than none.

Christians

Christians also turn people away if there is a negative interaction. I’ve seen this first hand from both sides too! Meaning I’ve been just as bad as a Christian of not having a good interaction with those closest to me. So I’d like to explain what happened in my experiences. BEING PURSUED: A person who has never read the Bible may not fully understand a scripture quote, so the scripture doesn’t seem relevant to that person, there is more needed context in the Bible before the quote is clearly understood. (That was my experience) Or maybe the person simply has no interest because they don’t understand the Bible’s purpose, so they are not ready to hear it? Or they are afraid there are too many rules they may need to abide by (I think this is many people) PURSUING: From a “newly” Christian’s perspective, when I found out the purpose of the Bible, I especially wanted to tell those closest to me, and I felt an urgency too. I’ve finally realized I have this internal drive to “protect” people. Most ‘person to person” contact about Christianity isn’t from a selfish, self-serving or self-centered motivation, it is because the person truly cares about the other person, but needs to learn a more successful way of communicating.

Depression/Anxiety

This is something I haven’t seen very often mentioned, but something people should know. Depression, anxiety or sadness can bring us to God, but it can also separate us from God. Often when we seek God, it’s a response to something bad that’s happened in our lives. We look to God to “fix it” for us, as the last resource. In reality, God should be our first resource, but initially He is often the last resource in a time of hardship. Reaching out to God (through prayer) is the best solution because He certainly has the ability to “fix” it for us. But we have to remember: He’s not a “vending machine” or a “genie” there to “grant our wishes” either. He wants a relationship with us first and foremost. Think about how we feel when someone just wants to take from us but never wants to give, it makes sense when looking at it from that perspective, doesn’t it? Depression/Anxiety/Sadness can also separate us from God if we are angry with everyone and God. Identifying the underlying source of the anxiety is the most important part in dealing with it. (see image)

Based on my personal experience, I thought if I simply surrendered to God everything would get better, but it didn’t, it started getting worse. I didn’t consider, or know about, the underlying sources of anxiety when it happened unfortunately or I could have dealt with it much more quickly. Little by little parts of this information was revealed as I was studying/reading the Bible. Ironically, my first start to reading the Bible, I opened the Bible to a random page and decided I would start there. It was the book of Job- and it explained a little bit about the spiritual warfare. What better time is it for something evil to “hit” a person then when the person is first surrendering to Jesus, right? That could easily turn a person away from God. The book of Job is good in understanding this because it showed these bad things can be a “test” of faith. Also the Bible often tells us there is a battle for our minds, so negative thoughts, fears, anger, sin, depression can be present to try to separate us from God. Please understand this so if it happens to you reject those “attacks” and pray to God to overcome them.

The Truth

Each of us was created by God, out of love. No person is accidently created; God is the Giver of Life and intentional in giving life to a person. God wants us to seek Him and communicate with Him through prayers, building a relationship. Once we have a relationship with God, He also wants us to help others. God has a purpose for each person He creates, each of us is valuable to God, it may take us awhile to figure out our purpose, but that’s just part of the growth process. The Bible is a resource, a guidebook for life, with the “secret” to eternal life for those who read it and take action. Eternity is not just about life, it can also be eternal pain, if we don’t choose to have a relationship with God. The Bible reveals some aspects of the spiritual realm. It contains thousands of prophecies that happened already, but also has prophecies regarding the future. A “Believer” is more than someone who simply believes Jesus, the Son of God existed, died for us, rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven after His physical death so that we could have eternal life with God. “Believer” means someone who understands that and out of immense gratitude decides to live in a godly way, choosing Jesus as the role model of how to live. The Bible is a resource showing us how Jesus lived and what He taught. The Bible is wisdom and essential for every single person.

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