We recently heard of a young woman we’ll call Katie. She is in her early 20s and a single mom. She has two sons by two different fathers. She lives alone and struggles to put food on the table and a roof over their head. She is also a repeated victim of domestic violence.
Katie is seeking an answer to an odd question. She asked if there was a church that would “allow” her to attend. When asked her why she thought some churches would not 'allow' her to attend she said she had never been baptized, knew any scripture and she could not afford to pay the “ten percent dues.” Then, when asked why she thinks baptism, verse memorization and tithing are required to 'attend' a church her reply was “That’s what I heard.” OUR HEARTS BLOKE WHEN WE HEARD THIS STORY ARE YOU LIKE KATIE? ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR REAL LOVE? DO YOU FEEL LOST, ALONE AND NEEDING HELP? We have learned a lot about the lost and the communities of faith in our own home town, because we have walked in very similar shoes. You see, Katie is like any one of you, or someone you know. She could have grown up in your town, or ours. She might have even went to high school with our grand kids. Everything Katie knew about faith and communities of faith she learned second hand or from overhearing others talk. Katie did not know what salvation was and that she could have eternal life. She did not know that Jesus died on a cross for her. She did not know that Jesus rose from the dead and lives today. She had never heard about Moses, Abraham, David, Peter or Paul. She did not know what the Lord's Supper is. Nor did she know the about Advent, Lent, Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day or their true origins, . She could not name an apostle or a book of the Bible. As troubling as this is, what is more disturbing is what she thought she knew. She thought/knew that “some” churches hate gay as well as divorced people, women, minorities and immigrants, and 'bastard' children. She thought/knew that 'some' churches require ten percent of her income to attend and others would not let her ever speak because she is a woman. She thought it was only a matter of 'calling out' His name and bad things would stop happening. How could this be? How could she have this perverted view of the body of Christ?. How could this be? It’s simple: The world does a great job of lying and manipulating, and the Body of Christ is not doing a very good job of telling the 'GOOD NEWS'! We live in a town of about 245,255 people, not including Sparks, Sun Valley or Stead. In this town there are well more than 50 'churches'. At least that is how many I counted in the phone book before I gave up. And Katie said she did not know one believer. No one had ever told her about Jesus and His saving grace. She did not have a single positive impression or anecdote of the body of Christ all the while surrounded by people and churches where “everyone is welcome” and who say they love Jesus. I think we are all pretty familiar with how the world is “lying well.” But why is the Church “telling the truth badly”? If Katie lived in your town (and there are Katie's in every town), how would your church and Katie connect? How is your church “reaching out” to Katie? How is your church living the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all people? Sitting alone in her apartment, lonely and scared, how would your church let Katie know she is loved? How do we solve it? Look at all of the ways your church uses for communication and connection. Which ones are designed to reach and connect with Katie? If she is not on your mailing list, how would she read your newsletter? If she did not attend a worship service, how would she see your church bulletin? Hear the announcements? Meet the people at your connection center? If Katie did show up, how would you know? Whose job was it this past Sunday to reach out and connect with Katie? If Katie did not make the first move (assuming she knew what move to make), how would your church find Katie and connect with her? For most churches in America, the answer to the above questions is “We wouldn’t.” The truth is most churches quit reaching out years ago and don’t even know it. How can that be true? As much as we might hate to admit it, the odds are pretty good that there is a Katie living in the neighborhood around your church. She can see your church from her front door or she drives right by it on the way to the store. She is desperate and your church can help her if you will just reach out to her. Katie needs to connect with the body of Christ now. So reach out to her now, AS WE HAVE WITH THIS SITE, BY HANDING OUT INVITES, BY ACTUALLY ACTING ON THE GREAT COMMISSION!!!! Jesus promised to be with us as we go and make disciples of all people. He promised us and He empowered us. We have to make the first move. We have to reach out first. We have to find YOU, Katie. We have to go. We have to do something and we have to do it first. I implore ALL Bible believing congregations to do something. Do anything. Katie... Jesus promised if the Church would make the first move to “Go and make disciples of all people,” He would go with us; always and forever. He never promised an easy road! But He did promise to help us carry the load! We're reaching out to Katie today. We're here! (We’ll start with ours). What about you? Either you are a 'Katie' or you need to help one! Either way... we are here for your!
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With fear and trembling we must each work out our own salvation, per Philippians 2:12.
The written and video information we share here are to help you understand and gain Biblical knowledge of what is expected of you and awaiting you depending on your choices as one with free will. We strive help you live by your convictions which are based on knowledge that becomes belief that brings about an action, whether positive or negative. In 1st Thessalonians 5:19-21 we read: 19 'Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit. 20 Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning]. But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good.' Then we learn in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11: 'For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication!' Yes! With conviction you will find the strength to act on your faith once you believe the knowledge you receive. This is Why We are Pilgrim Watchmen!!! O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not turn from thy wicked ways; yea... ye shall die in your iniquity. 1 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever hearth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Do you call yourself a Christian? Are you looking for meat, information, or just curious? We offer Christ, the Truth and the Way... You have free will to listen... and chose this day whom you will serve! WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH LONGER WE WILL BE PERMITTED TO HAVE THIS SITE. THERE IS NO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ANY MORE. WE DO NOT ABIDE WITH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND THUS MAY BE CONSIDERED HATE MONGERS, BUT WE HATE NO ONE, AND FOLLOW ONLY CHRIST (ACTS 5:29). MANY SITES LIKE OURS ARE DISAPPEARING FROM SOCIAL MEDIA, YOUTUBE, AND WEB-HOSTING SITES. Here is some food for thought: If you were thinking about starting a new career the smart thing to do would be to learn all about it before you made your big decision. What are the rewards and the pit-falls? Are there positive or negative game-changers? Wouldn't you want to know that right up front before investing anything into it? Just as you are one of a kind so is every town, job, restaurant and congregation. The same is true of embarking on a spiritual or religious change. Let's say you are thinking of being a doctor. What kind? There are 100's of types of doctors. There are 1000's of different types of churches that all believe in Jesus, all believe in the Bible, but every one of them are different in some way. Many of the differences do not align with the teachings in the Bible. Many use other books than the Bible. Many say 'times have changed' and some of the sins are no longer sins. There are costs and consequences in everything we do. There are costs to following Christ and Jesus said to count that cost before deciding to follow Him. You may be one of those that thinks the times have changed since Jesus made His sacrifice for mankind... but... God has not... and will not... and you may need to study more to learn what her expects of us... and not rely on the person standing in front of you... but actually read it for yourself in the bible... STUDY TO SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED... 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 You will need a solid understanding on several topics. You will need to know the pluses and minuses of following Jesus. Where do you learn about Him, God and the Holy Spirit? What is Salvation? What cost did Christ pay for our salvation? If salvation is free, what, why and how do we bear our own cross, what works must we do, and how do they determine our 'judgment' in order to follow Christ? What is Baptism and is it required for the removal of our sins? What comes after we breath our last breath? All of these questions and more will be covered step by step, line upon line, if you choose to dig into THE BIBLE... or this site and learn what the Bible says, uncompromised or excused... or how the ruler of this present system wants to keep the population ignorant, and how your life can change for the better, as a child of God. Now is your season of learning. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT MATTERS AT THIS POINT IS YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL! IF YOU ARE CONCERNED WITH SURVIVING THE COMING SHTF, TEOTWAWKI, EMPCOE, UNDERGROUND BASES, CELEBRITY CLONING, WHICH POLITICAL PARTY YOU BELONG TO, TRUMP’S WALL, BREAKAWAY CIVILIZATIONS, ZERO-POINT FIELD TECHNOLOGY, A GLOBAL EARTH, WALKS ON THE MOON, BITCOIN, GAY RIGHTS, WHO’S LIVES MATTER, SOUL/CONSCIOUSNESS TRANSFER, TRAUMA-BASED MIND-CONTROL, GENETIC ENGINEERING, DNA ACTIVATION, TIME TRAVEL, PSYCHOLOGY AND CONSCIOUSNESS, THE UNVEILING AND THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY, WHETHER YOU ARE HOMELESS, OWN MANSIONS, OR SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN… IT ALL MEANS NOTHING IN THE GREATER SCHEME OF THINGS!!!! THE ONLY PLACE YOU WILL GET 100% CORRECT INFORMATION ON EXACTLY WHAT DESTRUCTION WILL OCCUR AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT, IS FOUND IN THE WORD OF GOD! Others may have a piece of it figured out, but no one on earth has a complete understanding! DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE ‘IN CROWD’? MEMBERSHIP REQUIRES THAT YOU REPENT FROM YOUR OLD WAYS, READ THE BIBLE, FOLLOW WHAT IT TELLS YOU TO DO IN THE NEW TESTAMENT… GET BAPTIZED… AND TEACH OTHERS TO DO THE SAME, and stay faithful 'till the end. If you can’t do that... then the coming state of this world surely will not give you comfort! Only The Truth You Have Denied Will Save You! On this website, you will learn the truth about centuries of deception that has plagued humanity. We started this site to be able to bring you the truth on a full time basis. It has led us to be what we'd call Pilgrims. WE WORK FOR NO ONE BUT THE FATHER AND PUBLISH NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. The 'church and political communities" are anything but the truth, for the most part. They offer platforms where people think they can find the truth, and are run by the same controllers who have deceived humanity for an eternity. It is written so in THE BOOK! It was a set up from ALMOST the very start by the most beautiful and cunning FALLEN ANGEL, SATAN. The only partnerships we have are with THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT, AND A FEW LIKE-MINDED BELIEVERS. If we promote, participate in, or are involved in any pagan holidays the Lord will not be our father... even those that look Biblical but were not sanctioned by Christ and taught by the apostles in the New Testament or we will lose our salvation! 2 CORINTHIANS 6:15-18 WARNING! The final trumpet may soon blow for you! We researched the truth that has been hidden, twisted, corrupted and watered down and present it in whole to you in a way that is blunt, straight-forward, to the point, concise and easy to understand. People just don't have time for 3-5 hour videos anymore. You may have the time… and we offer many from 10 minutes to 2 hours… and several documents too. Yes, we present a mix of written documents and many more videos, from many different preachers and teachers, so you may both read and 'hear' what God says on the topics we present. * * LEARN WHY YOU MUST REPENT RIGHT NOW * * * * * PLEASE REPENT RIGHT NOW * * * REPENT, BE BAPTIZED, AND START YOUR NEW LIVE RIGHT NOW! Whether it is the blue or red pill, summer or winter, this system has us all running most of time, trying to keep up with the Pastors, Politicians, and the Jones’s who are lying, cheating, thieves, adulteresses and perverts, in debt up to their eyebrows, expounding silly nonsense about what we need to do just to survive as they are slipping deeper in self made quick sand. The truths we will be divulging are priceless and we know that. Stick with us. You will definitely see why. Today I went through and cleared out all dead links and videos, and also made the menu alphabetized for easier searching.
Hope this helps you all. THE GIFT, GIFTS, AND FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Do you remember a few lessons back when we asked you to do your homework? That was so you would be ready for this lesson. Let's first look at the 'GIFT'. In Acts 2:38 Peter is recorded as saying "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost". The 'gift' of the Holy Ghost was to occur in conjunction with being baptized. In verse 39 Peter says, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." We see that the gift of the Holy Ghost was a promise. In Ephesians 1:13-14 we see the same Holy Spirit of promise mentioned by Peter on the day of Pentecost. We learn in Ephesians that the Holy Spirit of promise is the earnest or security deposit of our inheritance, given to those who believe, (Ephesians 1:13) and are obedient, as taught by Luke in: Acts 5:32, "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him". Paul further reinforces this in his letter to Titus where he says Jesus "saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost", (Titus 3:5). To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God". Baptism and the Holy Spirit are in conjunction with each other. Baptism is described in scripture as a burial into the death of Jesus, (Romans 6:4), and a resurrection to walk in newness of life. Newness of life is having a new life in place of the old, or, "born again". Jesus taught Nicodemus that, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God", (John 3:5). The rebirth of water and of the spirit is a simultaneous event that happens at one's baptism in water. "Born of water and of the Spirit" is the re-birth Jesus says must happen in order to "see the kingdom of God", (John 3:3). In John's first epistle he wrote, "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one", (1 John 5:8). So we see that the Spirit of God is a witness with the water and the blood of Christ. Therefore it can only be that at our baptism in water, for the remission of our sin, (Acts 2:38, 22:16), we come into contact with the cleansing blood of Christ that "washes us from our sins", (Revelation 1:5), and God sends the "Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). All three elements come together in one to bear our witness in earth. This why when Peter wrote concerning baptism in 1 Peter 3:21, he said it "doth also now save us". Now let us look at the 'GIFTS'. I Corinthians 12: 1-11 is talking to the disciples and apostles of the day: 1 Now concerning spiritual 'gifts', brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. Unfortunately, when the last disciples and apostles in the first century died, a few of those 'gifts' were done away with because the known world had the writings of the disciples and apostles, and the entire Old Testament, which were inspired by God. Some of these miraculous gifts we no longer needed. We see this in 1 Corinthians 13:8–10; 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For now know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When studying the Greek we learn that 'the perfect' is a thing not a human, so the only 'perfect' thing is the Word of God. Next, The Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 Shows us there is a difference: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. The 'Gifts' are tools for the believer to use while evangelizing and teaching others while the 'Fruit' are attitudes and behaviors that the believer is to learn to manifest, as they are the characteristics of Christ. Did your earlier homework match up with this study? Are you almost ready to receive these Gifts and the Fruit of the Spirit by getting the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by baptism? There is no 'assigned' homework. The New Birth, New Heart, New Life
We hear much today about the new birth. Many people say they are “born again Christians.” They do not seem to understand that one cannot be a Christian at all unless he has been born again. How can one be born again? That is, how does one become a Christian? What does the Bible say? The Bible speaks of the new birth in John 3:1-13. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus. Nicodemus was both a religious man and a good man. He knew that God had sent Jesus into the world because he had seen the miracles which Jesus did. Nicodemus was looking for the kingdom of God. Jesus knew what Nicodemus was thinking and answered by saying: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. “To see” the kingdom is to be a part of it and to enjoy its blessings. Nicodemus was a Jew. He had become a part of the kingdom of Israel by being born into a Jewish family. Probably he thought that Jesus’ kingdom would be an earthly kingdom also. But he was mistaken. The kingdom which Jesus came to establish was a spiritual kingdom. Jesus later told Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). When Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus promised to build His church. He then promised to give Peter the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:16-19). It is clear in these verses that Jesus uses the word church and kingdom to refer to the same thing. Many years later, the Apostle Paul reminded members of the church of Christ at Colossae that God had 'translated' us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13). Since the kingdom and the church are the same thing, then the way one gets into the church is the same way he gets into the kingdom. If one is in the kingdom, he is a member of the church. The church is not a building but the entire body of believers. Jesus further said to Nicodemus: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God! This means that there is only one way that one can enjoy the blessings of the kingdom and that is by being born again. Jesus said that one must be born of (1) water, (2) the Spirit. In a human birth two things are necessary: (1) the father who begets, (2) the seed is in the mother and brings forth human life. Jesus is using the example of physical birth into a human family to explain the spiritual birth into the kingdom of God which is God’s family. In the new birth, the Holy Spirit begets. The seed is the Word of God. Notice these words: Of His own will He bring us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures (James 1:18). Now, let us read a similar Scripture, Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. (1 Peter 1:22-23). The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). It is the Word which the Spirit uses to produce faith in the human heart. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17, KJV). When the Word of God is preached, the Holy Spirit by this means begets faith in the sinner’s heart. 1) the Holy Spirit is who begets, (2) the seed is the Word of God that brings forth a new life, a spiritual life. The old life passes away, dies in the waters of baptism. Thus, one may be said to be 'begotten' of the Spirit when he hears and believes the Word of God. That will make you a 'babe' in Christ upon baptism. The Holy Spirit cleans house, washes away your sins and moves into your life, helping transform you into a child of God that is born of spirit and water. But how is one born of the water? This is done by baptism. When one hears and believes the Word of God, he obeys the Word by being baptized in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). This baptism is a burial in water (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). It is for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). By baptism, the believer is put into the Lord’s body (1 Corinthians 12:13), which is the church (Colossians 1:18), the kingdom of God, and the spirit of Christ, God, the Holy Spirit, then indwells in the believer. We have seen that to be a Christian it is necessary to be 'born again'. If one has been born again, he is in the kingdom of God which is the church of Christ. This new birth of water and the Spirit takes place when the Spirit inspired Word begets faith in the human heart and the believer responds by being baptized for the remission of sins. Thus he is born of water and the Spirit and has thereby entered the kingdom. That is when your stony heart is renewed. Ezekiel 11:19-20 He foretold what God said it would be like to become an adopted child of His: 'And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God'. You will have a desire to serve God, follow Jesus, listen to the nudging of the Holy Spirit, and joyfully obey the Word of God. Your desires to continue in your old life will diminish. You will want to spend more time in the Word, around other believers, and share your new life experiences with everyone. Reader friend, what about you? Are you saved? Are you in the kingdom of God? Have you been born again of water and the Spirit? If not, then you do not have the hope of eternal life. Believe the Word, have faith, and as soon as this study is over be baptized that salvation may be yours: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned (Mark 16:15-16). It's time for homework again. First, click on the SITE MAP / MENU. Next click on VIDEOS OF WORSHIP MUSIC, FAMILY MOVIES, TOOLS & BIBLICAL TRAINING FOR ALL AGES which will take to the page with the same name. Next you go to SERMONS ON HIS WILL FOR YOUR LIFE, from there click on SALVATION. There are a few videos to watch. What Is Grace
Grace, “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense,” is His unmerited gift of salvation, and it is central to the gospel of Christ. Justice calls for the punishment of all men because “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But God, because of His love for mankind, chooses to be gracious and offer salvation to those who believe without physical evidence, which is called faith. Paul says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Thus, salvation is by grace through faith. The Greek word that New Testament writers chose to describe God’s unmerited favor is charis, which had as its root meaning that which is beautiful, lovely, attractive, and charming. It implies the idea of favor or special kindness shown to another. Graciousness is part of the inner beauty that should mark every Christian’s life. Paul said, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6), and “let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Paul had a deepened sense of grace because he had changed from being a persecutor of the church to becoming a preacher of the gospel. “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). As he faced imprisonment for his faith, he told the elders of the church at Ephesus, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul preached God’s grace because he understood that man was unable to earn God’s forgiveness by his own merit, since all men are sinners (Romans 3:23). Because of His gracious love, however, God acted and sent Christ to sacrifice Himself for mankind. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The cross of Christ, the world’s greatest display of love and grace, appeals to the heart of the penitent sinner. Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). Your homework is to watch 4 short videos: The Holy Spirit
What a great topic, and what a needed study! There is a great deal of interest in the Holy Spirit today, yet there is much confusion and misunderstanding on the subject. The only way to eliminate the confusion is to search the scriptures to see what the Bible really says. One basis for such confusion may be a faulty concept of the Holy Spirit. Many people use the name “Holy Ghost.” As fine a translation as is the King James Version of the Bible, this unfortunate designation apparently comes from a difficulty in understanding the term “spirit.” The Old English concept of a spirit was most closely associated with the idea of a ghostly kind of presence. Hence, the rendering “Holy Ghost.” Supposedly, a ghost is a mysterious, misty, vaporous presence kind of floating around through the air, normally just out of sight of the human eye. Again, it is unfortunate that anything like this concept has been attributed to the Holy Spirit. God is Spirit, completely Spirit, invisible to the human eye (John. 4:24). The Holy Spirit is identified as “the Spirit of God” and was there and involved in the creation of the world (Gen. 1:2). In writing to the Romans Paul spoke of “the Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9). God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit all identified as Spirit. Three personalities, one God (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 12:32; Rom. 3:30). It is somewhat difficult for us to fully grasp this reality. Yet we ourselves are created in the image of God in that we are created with a spirit. What we see as we look at each other is the physical body. But we understand that each of us has a soul within that is spiritual and eternal. While we cannot see the soul of a person, we can see the spiritual nature of a person in the way he or she lives their life. There is nothing ghostly about that. God does not have a physical body. He is totally Spirit. He manifested Himself to us in human form as Jesus Christ, the Son (1 Tim. 3:16). He manifested His presence to the Israelites in the wilderness in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21). The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the word of God whenever we read the Bible (2 Pet. 1:20-21), as He guided to the writers to write God’s very word ( 2 Tim. 3:16 ). Through our limited human faculties we can thus relate to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is not a ghost! God is Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is God. God’s word does not reveal all that we would wish on the Holy Spirit, but it is your homework assignment to dig deep into the scriptures and try to come to a reasonably thorough understanding as you learn that the Holy Spirit has 'Gifts' and 'Fruit' to help you in your Christian walk, once you are baptized. No 'assigned' Homework. Jesus Is God
“God” is a name which correctly applies only to the three Persons of the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16,17; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). All three of these Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are called “God” in the Scriptures (John 1:1; 3:16; Acts 5:3-4). Each one of them possesses all of the attributes of Deity. Many claim that Jesus is not God, and that the Bible does not teach that He is God. However, the Bible clearly teaches Jesus is one of the three Persons of the Godhead. The relationship of the Father and the Son clearly shows they are equal (Matthew 11:27; John 5:19-23; Revelation 2:18). The Jews who wanted to kill Jesus correctly understood this fact. They declared that Jesus said that, God was His Father, making Himself equal with God (John 5:18, KJV). Jesus did not deny what the Jews had said, but agreed with them. He pointed out that He was equal with the Father in work (v. 19), knowledge (v. 20), judgment (v. 22), and honor (v. 23). Common sense and reasoning tell us that a son has the same nature as his father. Jesus was God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16). He was not only a son in the sense that all faithful Christians are called sons (John 12:36), but He was unique in that He was God’s only begotten Son. He has a special unity with the Father and possesses the same nature as the Father. Paul wrote: [He] counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped (Philippians 2:5-6). He also wrote of Christ: for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). That Christ claimed to be God is also seen in His statement, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13). This statement is a claim that He is God. It is applied to Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament (Isaiah 41:4, 44:6; 48:12). In Isaiah 44:6, the point is made clear: Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God. The God of the Old Testament, Jehovah, claimed to be “the” (one) Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the very same claim Jesus made for Himself in the New Testament. There cannot be two firsts and two lasts! Therefore, the only reasonable and Scriptural conclusion which can be reached is that “Christ is one with God,” that He is God, beside whom is no other. God, the Father, and God, the Son, are the first and second Persons of the Godhead. There can be no doubt that Christ claimed to be God! The prophets of the Old Testament also claimed that Jesus is God. Isaiah, the prophet, wrote: they shall call his name Emmanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). Isaiah also foretold the coming of the Christ. He said: His name shall be called...Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6). This same name is given to Jehovah God in Jeremiah 32:18. He was also to be called Everlasting Father, which means “Father of Eternity” (Isaiah 9:6). The truth that Jesus Christ is God is a very important teaching of the Scriptures. We must believe it if we want to be saved: I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24). No 'assigned' Homework! THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
Men have different ideas about the existence of God. In this lesson we will see some wrong ideas about God, then give reasons why we believe in the one true God. Atheism The Atheist says, “I know God does not exist. I have proof.” This is a statement that the atheist cannot prove. An atheist would have to be everywhere at the same time to prove God does not exist. However, being everywhere at the same time is called omnipresence. Being everywhere at the same time is one of the characteristics of God. A person must be able to be everywhere at the same time to prove God does not exist. For example: If you were looking for your friend and heard that he was in America, you could come to America and visit some of the major cities looking for him. While you are in New York City, your friend could be in Chicago. If you then go to Chicago, you friend could have moved on to Dallas. By the time you made it to Dallas, your friend could have gone on to Los Angeles. You might travel around the whole country and never find your friend. But you would not be able to make the statement, “I know my friend is not in America.” To make that statement, you would have to be everywhere at the same time. So, a person would have to become God to prove God does not exist! But if a person was God, then God would exist! Atheists cannot prove their claims! Agnosticism The Agnostic says, There is not enough evidence to prove whether there is or is not a God. This is really what the atheist believes. There is much evidence to prove the existence of God. We will discuss this evidence later in this lesson. Deism The Deist says, “A Supreme Being created the universe, gave laws, then had no dealings with his creation.” He will admit the universe did not just happen. But, he claims that the God who created the universe does not care for his creation, and does not provide for the needs of man. Theism The theist believes that God created the universe, but does not believe that He is the God of the Old and New Testament, does not believe in Christ, the church, or the plan of salvation. This would include Jews and Moslems. Polytheist The polytheist believe like the Theism's but that there is more than one God. Buddhists, Hindus, and other eastern religions fit into this category. Christian The Christian theist believes in the one God of the universe, the God of the Old and New Testament who created the universe. This would include belief in Christ as the Son of God, the one church that was planned by God and established in the first century, as well as God’s plan for saving man. THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE When we talk about the existence of God we must also talk about the origin of the universe. From where did the universe come? It is a fact that the universe had a beginning. There are two possible explanations for the origin of the universe. It either came into existence by accident or it was created. Did the universe come about by accident? No, it did not. Things do not come into existence by accident. If I said the watch that I wear came into existence by accident, you would laugh. You would not believe it. Who Created The Universe? Since the universe did not come about by accident, it was created. Who created the universe? Man certainly does not have the power or ability to create the universe. How do we know? The nearest star is 4.3 light years away. Man does not have the ability to reach the nearest star in the universe. There are billions of stars in the universe. If man cannot reach the nearest star, how could he create the universe? The Bible emphasizes that God exists and He created the universe. In addition to the first two chapters of Genesis, note the following passages: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness; because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse (Romans 1:18-20). The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language; Their voice is not heard (Psalm 19:1-3). For every house is built by some one; but he that built all things is God (Hebrews 3:4). Design/Designer Because the universe has design, this means there was a designer. Clothes have a design because they have a designer. If they came about accidentally, there would be no design. However, because there is design, there has to be a designer. Cause/Effect If a ball rolls into the room, we would wonder who threw the ball into the room. The ball coming into the room is the effect. Whenever there is an effect, there must be a cause. The universe is the effect, so there must be a cause. The cause of the universe is Almighty God. Add to all of this the example of the human body. It could not have happened accidentally. Man was the creation of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Moral Argument What is the difference between humans and animals? Animals do not have any moral guidance in their lives. When was the last time you saw a dog arrested for stealing food from another dog? Was the dog sorry about it? There have been suggestions by some that animals have the same feelings and morals as humans. Some say that dolphins are smarter than humans, or cows show concern for a fellow cow who is stuck in a mud hole and cannot get out. Animals do not operate according to any ethical or moral code. Only human beings recognize the existence of morality and ethics. You may have animals discussing these things in animated and computer-enhanced movies, but not in real life! We have a law to obey today. It is the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25). It is the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). There are only two possible sources for the existence of morals and ethics. Either they evolved from man, or they came from a Supreme Being (God). Atheism says there is no ultimate standard of right and wrong. Instead they argue for situation ethics, relativism, etc. The only reasonable and logical explanation for morals and ethics in this world is the existence of an eternal God. ATTRIBUTES OF GOD The God of the universe does not have just one attribute. Some seem to think that God has only one attribute. People will say God is only a God of love, or only a vengeful God, etc. The Bible teaches there is just one God (Isaiah 44:6; 1 Corinthians 8:6). However, the Bible speaks of our one God having many attributes. He is all-powerful (Genesis 17:1); everywhere (Psalm 139:7-11); all-knowing (Hebrews 4:13); just (Psalm 89:14); eternal (Psalm 90:1-2); concerned for man (John 3:16); and He communicates with man (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). It is impossible to believe in Christ and not believe in God. Jesus tells us that God exists. He proved His words were true. We must believe in God to go to heaven (Hebrews 11:6). Your homework on this one is watching videos on two topics: Jesus and the Bible
Many people claiming to be Christians today that claim to believe in Jesus, and even praise His name, do not follow the Bible. Sometimes you will hear such people say, “Our faith is in a living Savior, not in a dead book!” Others will speak of their great love for the Lord, yet refuse to obey His plain commands in the Bible. Jesus spoke of such people when He said: And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). What was Jesus’ attitude toward the Bible? In Matthew 4:1-11, the temptation of Jesus by the Devil is recorded. Each time Jesus was tempted, He answered the temptation by saying, It is written. Then He quoted the passage from God’s Word which refuted the Devil. He overcame the Devil’s temptations by means of the Bible. The Psalmist said: Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11, KJV). In John, chapter 5, we read of Jesus healing a lame man on the sabbath. He told the man to take up his bed and walk. The Jewish rulers accused the man of breaking the sabbath. When they learned Jesus had told him to take up his bed, they wanted to kill Jesus. Jesus told the Jewish rulers: Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me (John 5:39). The Jews claimed to have great respect for the Old Testament. They correctly accepted it as the Word of God. But the very same Old Testament was filled with prophecies of the coming of Jesus, the Christ, and they rejected Him. They did not believe the teaching of their own Scriptures! In Luke 10:25-26, we read of a lawyer who asked Jesus the question: What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus replied, What is written in the law? how readest thou? Jesus respected the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures. He knew it was God’s law for the people of Israel. In Matthew 22:23-33 is recorded the account of the Sadducees’ clever attempt to trap Jesus with a question about marriage. They did not believe what the Old Testament taught about life after death. Jesus answered them from the Word of God after He told them what their problem was: Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. Many religious people are wrong today because they do not know what the Bible says, nor do they have respect for the power of God. In His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus spoke of the Old Testament Scriptures when He said: Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished (Matthew 5:17-18). The actual practice of the 'Law of Moses' was no longer required once Jesus met Calvary. However, not one jot or tittle, the written word, passed away, and is contained in the Bible as The Old Testament for all to see and learn the history of human-kind. One must pay attention to what the Word actually says. What many fail to understand is that when Christ uttered "It is finished" that meant that not only His work of atonement for us had been accomplished but also that the end of the Old Testament Law of Moses, Temple gatherings, sacrifices, circumcisions, all feasts (except for the Lord's Supper), all known Jewish traditions, had come to an end and the New Testament was in effect until His return. In fact the night before He was crucified He told His disciples the one and only way he wanted them to remember Him, not with feasting, merriment, exchange of presents, going into debt, decorating your homes, being flamboyant, making sacrifices or anything... just by sharing the simplicity of Lord's Supper with other believers. (Matthew 24:2, Luke 21:6, Amos 5:21-23, Isaiah 1:11-16, 1 Corinthians 11:24, John 4:21-24). Shortly before Jesus returned to Heaven, He explained to His disciples that all things must needs be fulfilled, which was why He had come, The prophets and apostles knew that what was told on the Old Testament were merely foreshadowings of thing to come, which were written in the law of Moses, and told by the prophets, and sung in the music of the psalms, all concerning Him. (Luke 24:44-45). The Old Testament was God’s Law for the Jews and it was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Today, we are privileged to live under His New Law, the New Covenant or New Testament (Hebrews 8:6-13). Jesus believed the Old Testament. He lived according to it. He was our example of how we are to live. He pointed men to its authority. He quoted from it many times. He fulfilled this Law and nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). The saying 'He nailed it' came from this very act. He finished the deed. The matter was closed. Today, we have the New Testament scriptures which have been sealed by the blood of Christ. This is Heaven’s revelation to mankind. The Apostle John wrote: but whoso keeps His word, in Him verily hath the love of God been perfected (1 John 2:5). Your homework is to learn more about Jesus: There is great way to Study the Bible
The Bible is a very big book. Actually, it is a library of 66 different books. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. These books are all joined together because they have one common theme. This theme is God’s plan to save men and women from their sins through Jesus Christ. The first 39 books, the Old Testament, tell us that “Christ is coming.” The first four books of the New Testament tell us that “Christ has come.” The last 23 books of the New Testament tell us that “Christ is coming again.” In order to understand the Bible properly, one needs to ask seven questions as he reads:
WHO IS SPEAKING? Everything in the Bible was written by men who were inspired by God. However, these inspired writers sometimes recorded by inspiration the words of evil men. Even the words of Satan are found in the Bible (See Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5; Matthew 4:3, 6, 9). These words are accurately recorded, but they are not recommended for us to follow today, or ever. If one asks, “Who is speaking?” it will help him to know whether the words he is reading are words he should obey. WHO IS SPOKEN TO? In Genesis 6:14, we have the following commandment of God: Make thee an ark of gopher wood.” Is it necessary for us today to build a ship out of gopher wood in order to please God? No, God does not want us to do this. This command was given to Noah. It was necessary for him to obey it in order to be saved from the great flood which God was going to send on all the world. But this command does not apply to us today. If we answer correctly, “Who is spoken to?” we will see this command was meant only for Noah. WHEN IS THE BIBLE WRITER SPEAKING? Is the writer speaking to people such as Abraham and Isaac who lived in the Patriarchal Age when God revealed His 'will' directly to the fathers? Or, is he speaking to the people of Israel who lived under the 'Law' God gave to Moses at Mt. Sinai? Or, is he speaking to people today who live under the 'Law of Christ', which is the New Testament? In the days of the 'Law of Moses' under which Israel lived, animal sacrifices, sabbath keeping, special feast days, instrumental music and choirs and a special priesthood were all a part of required worship (Exodus 20:8-11; Leviticus 23; 1 Chronicles 25; 2 Chronicles 29:25; Psalm 150). But Jesus fulfilled the Law, Psalms, and Prophets [the Old Testament] (Luke 24:44). He has taken it away (Colossians 2:14). Today, all men live under the 'Law of Christ', which is the New Testament (Hebrews 8:6-13). If we ask, “When is he speaking?” it will let us see that these Old Testament laws of worship are not for us. We must go to the New Testament to find how God wants us to worship Him today. WHAT TYPE OF LANGUAGE IS THE INSPIRED WRITER USING? All human languages have two types of speech: literal and figurative. Literal language is the type which is found in the historical books of the Bible such as Genesis and Exodus, the book of Acts, etc. It is fact. Literal words must be understood to have their actual meaning. In literal language, if a sheep is mentioned, it means a four legged animal which has wool on its back. Figurative language is different. Words are used to represent ideas or thoughts which are different from the actual meaning of the word. For example: a sheep or lamb may be spoken of, but an animal is not meant. It is being used to represent something else which has some of the qualities of a sheep or lamb. Jesus was a man. He is the Son of God. But in figurative language in the Bible, He is sometimes spoken of as a lamb. John the Baptist said of Jesus: Behold, the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) Lambs were used for sin offerings under the Law of Moses. John did not mean that Jesus was an actual lamb. But he meant that Jesus would be the offering for our sins. WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS OR CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THIS WRITING IS GIVEN? If we know the circumstances surrounding the writer at the time he writes, it will help us to understand what he is saying. For example: many people have great difficulty understanding the book of Revelation. But if we know the circumstances under which the book was given, it will help us to understand its message. The writer of Revelation was John, the apostle. He had been imprisoned by the Roman government on a rocky island called Patmos. This was done because he was a Christian. The heathen Roman government was persecuting the church of Christ near the end of the first century (about A.D. 95 to 100). Some of the things which were revealed to John were things which must shortly come to pass, while others have not yet happened (Revelation 1:1). The book of Revelation was intended to encourage those Christians who were being persecuted in the first century, as well as those persecuted now (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). Any time that Christians are persecuted, they can gain great encouragement from studying the book of Revelation. The Bible is God’s inspired Book. It is His revelation to mankind. But in order for us to understand the Bible, we must learn how to study it properly. We must rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). If we will ask these five simple questions, plus the two more that I alluded to earlier, as we study, we will find that we can indeed understand God’s Book! Yes, there are two more very important but simple questions to ask when studying the Word of God. To find these last two, amid the previous five, go to watch a short video on the importance of studying your Bible and the last two tools needed to 'Rightly Divide the Word'. These will surely help! Now that you have had a chance to view the videos on the Bible, this part should be relatively easy.
Science Proves the Bible The Bible begins with these words: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. There are many people in the world who do not believe that statement. Some say God does not exist, and therefore, the Bible cannot be His Word. Sometimes we are led to believe that all true scientists do not believe in God, or the Bible. However, this is not correct. True science is not opposed to the Bible. In fact, science, properly applied and understood, proves the Bible to be inspired. The Bible is not a science book. However, whenever it makes a statement relating to a a scientific principle or fact, it is completely accurate. Let us notice some examples of the harmony between science and the Bible. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1) This was written by Moses through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about 1500 B.C. In 1820 A.D. a man named Hubert Spencer gave the world five scientific principles by which man may study the unknown. They are time, force, energy, space, and matter. However, Moses, by inspiration, gave us those scientific principles in Genesis 1:1. In the beginning—time; God—force; “created—energy; the heavens—space; and the earth—matter. All of Spencer’s scientific principles are right there in Genesis 1:1. For many years man has estimated the number of stars in the heavens, and he has increased the estimate many times. Finally, in the 1900’s, man determined that the stars could not be counted. God’s book has always told us this fact. Notice Genesis 15:5. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. God was telling Abraham that just as the stars in the heavens cannot be numbered, Abraham’s descendants would be more than could be numbered. If man had paid attention to this verse, he would never have tried to count the stars! Another example of how science and the Bible agree relates to the blood in our bodies. Man now knows that blood is necessary for survival. If our bodies lose too much blood, we will die. However, man did not discover this principle until the 19th century. Before that time, blood-letting was practiced, and many died because draining blood from their bodies drained the very source of life. George Washington, the first President of the United States, is said to have died in this way. Moses, again writing by inspiration hundreds of years ago, told us something man did not know until much later. For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life (Leviticus 17:11). How could Moses have known about the life-giving qualities of blood unless God had revealed it to him? In the book of Job, the inspired writer in one verse reveals two scientific principles not known to man until much later. He stretches out the north over empty space, And hangs the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7). There is a place in the North where no stars exist, which cannot be seen with the naked eye. How did the writer of Job know this? Also, the same verse declares that God hangs the earth on nothing. We know this is true, but we have only known it for about 350 years. God’s inspired writer told us over 3,000 years ago that the earth is held in place by gravitational forces! When we come to the psalms, we find an interesting statement in Psalm 8:8. The passage mentions the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. The phrase 'the paths of the seas' caused a man named Matthew Fontaine Maury to begin a search which led to the discovery of ocean currents, the natural paths of the seas created by God. Maury concluded that if God’s Book said they were there, they must be there! He was right. The Bible is not a geography book or an archaeology book. However, whenever the Bible makes a statement relating to these sciences, it is completely accurate. Notice the Lord’s statement for example, in Luke 10:30. Jesus said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now, Jericho is northeast of Jerusalem, and normally we do not speak of going down when we refer to going north. We generally speak of going down south and up north, don’t we? Why did the Lord say the man went down from Jerusalem? It is because Jerusalem is some 2,500 feet (762 meters) above sea level. When one leaves Jerusalem in Palestine he goes down to go anywhere in the area. Therefore, our Lord’s statement is completely accurate, and is recorded accurately by inspiration. No, the Bible is not a geography book, but it is geographically accurate in every instance. Many archaeologists have explored the land of Palestine. Has any one of those scientists ever discovered anything which disproves the Bible? No. Many archaeological discoveries have confirmed the Biblical record. However, none has ever contradicted the Word of God. This ought to be very reassuring to those of us who believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. At the same time, it ought to convince the skeptic, the agnostic, and the atheist, that this Book is God’s Book. Therefore, not only does God exist, but He has revealed His 'Will' to man. Many other examples of the harmony between science and the Bible could be given. However, the ones we have examined, and the videos you have watched, are sufficient to show that the Bible is God’s Book. As the apostle Paul declared, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17, KJV). The Bible is accurate in matters of science, and it is accurate in the matter of salvation. The Bible tells us that to be saved we must believe in Jesus Christ. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24) However, the same Lord said, I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. (Luke 13:3). Jesus also spoke of confessing Him before men. Every one therefore who shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32-33). And Jesus declared, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieved shall be condemned (Mark 16:16). It is then that the Lord Himself adds us to the church of the New Testament, the one body of believers. If the Bible is accurate in matters of science, it is accurate in the matter of salvation. No 'assigned' homework. Let's begin with the Bible.
The Bible Is Inspired of God Paul wrote to Timothy: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, KJV). The Bible is the plenary, verbally inspired, infallible Word of God. What do these words mean? The word “inspired” means the Bible came from God, not man. The word “infallible” means the Bible cannot teach error. The word “plenary” means all parts of the Scriptures are inspired. The word “verbal” means the very words (not just the thoughts) were given by God to the writers. The Bible came either from God or else from man. Peter wrote: knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). People of every age have agreed the Bible is the Word of God. Paul plainly said that the words he spoke and wrote were the commandments of God: If any man thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:37). He wrote to the Thessalonians: And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Paul also wrote to the church at Ephesus that ...by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:3-4). Our Lord Jesus Christ also testified that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. He believed the Old Testament came from God: And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me (Luke 24:44). Even before the New Testament was written, Jesus said its message would be from God. He told His apostles: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come (John 16:13). Some people think the Bible is inspired in the same way that poetry is said to be inspired. They think the Bible writers were men of genius like Shakespeare or Confucius. If this is the case, then the Bible is just an ordinary book. But this is not the case! God not only gave the thoughts to the men who wrote the Bible, He also gave the words by which they expressed the thoughts: Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth (Jeremiah 1:9). Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak (Exodus 4:12). The Spirit of Jehovah spake by me, And his word was upon my tongue (2 Samuel 23:2). And if any man obeys not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed (2 Thessalonians 3:14). Because the very words of the Bible are inspired, Paul was able to make an argument based on the singular (Seed) and the plural (seeds): Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ (Galatians 3:16). We must not add to, take away from, or change the Word of God in any way (Deuteronomy 4:2: Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18-19). When the Hebrew words in which the Old Testament was first written, and the Greek words in which the New Testament was first written, are translated correctly, we have the Word of God in the language into which the translation has been made. The Bible is God’s inspired Book, which provides for all our spiritual needs: seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue (2 Peter 1:3). The Bible is also the Book by which we will be judged at the Last Day. Jesus said: He that rejects me, and receives not my sayings, hath one that judges him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day (John 12:48). Click the buttons below for your homework... 1. We have included a link to the Audio Bible in hopes to it being an asset to your studies. 2. We have included a link to videos on Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts as these portray the story of Jesus and how the church began, please watch them when there is no 'assigned' homework. 3. The final link is to videos that we request that you watch prior to your next study as they confirm the validity of the Bible and explain even more about the accuracy, and authentication of the Bible. Enjoy! Matthew 24:14 says... And 'this' gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Many have and will pass from this life prior to Christ's return... we are finally in age where prophecy is to be fulfilled... the Internet allows us to preach 'this' gospel of the Kingdom in all the world for a witness unto all nations... because the end is not far off. We pray that the teachings found here, both milk and strong meat which many will reject if they do not take the time to study the Word, will draw you closer to our Father and allow you to see the truth of His Word which will help your testimony shine as a light in this dark world! We strive to help believers that are thirsting for truth to see what the Word of God says and help eliminate misconceptions. We are Homeward Bound Pilgrims, a modern day 'Voice in the (High) Desert' as John would say. Our sole purpose is to point people, YOU, to the message, rather than the messenger. Imagine you were just told you that you only had a sort time to live... where will you be when your life here on earth is over? God loves us and wants us to seek Him... hear & obey ALL that His Son taught. Christ told us that if we do not forgive others God will not forgive us in Matthew 6:15! We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to study His word to show ourselves approved! We are loved by the Creator of the universe and He desires a personal relationship with each of of. This is the longest session ever! It could be a small book all by itself. It has 13,889 words and depending on the font… covers 14 – 25 pages. You have my, our, permission(s) to copy this now and read it and refer to it later.
Before we share with you the unmistakable times when the Holy Spirit moved us, ministering angels came to help, or heavenly intervention took place in our lives, we want to thank and congratulate you on your efforts to ‘Discover the Mystery – and Hearken unto God. It was a labor of love to do the research and present the Mystery for you to benefit from this wonderful gift that God has for every Saint. May your future be more joyous, peaceful and blessed. The Holy Spirit makes you this offer; bear your cross, crucify the old man, take your place as a Child of God, and become an overcomer. Continue to work the ‘Mystery’, to disassociate with the id, and share the power and ability of the ‘Mystery’ with all Saints. The time is running out. We know not the hour when our savior returns. We send our love and prayers to you, our sibling in Christ. Learning to Discover the Mystery and Hearken unto God is a process that fully unfolds and yet melds together over time with practice, dedication, and patience into your everyday life. While it's certainly possible to make this journey alone, walking this narrow pilgrim’s path with a loving, supportive community can make the journey richer, easier, and even more rewarding. You are welcome to come to services if you are in our area, you will accomplish three things: You will find that we provide a safe, friendly, and supportive place where mature Saints can learn how to deepen their experience of the Holy Spirit by using the ‘Mystery’ in their lives. You’ll learn and grow in your own experience of hearing God's voice by worshiping and praying in person with others. You will learn to activate a beacon in your heart when you allow the Holy Spirit to express love, peace and open up to those who are seeking love and communication with God. We would love to hear from you, get your opinion on this course; ‘Discover the Mystery – Hearken unto God’. Please take the time to send us your thoughts. Now, in the next two dozen or so pages we present our combined testimonies of the major times we felt God, prior to learning and sharing the ‘Mystery’, that span 65 years. They are listed in no particular order. May they jog your memory and allow you to remember times when, like these, you were moved to action, protected, comforted, or blessed. 1 Samuel 3 – We have both had this happen many times. From the time Judy was about 5 years old up to and including just last month, at the age of 70, and Michael from his early 30s up until now, have been awaken by a voice of urgency that appeared to becoming from just outside the entrance to their bedrooms. It is loud enough to shake them from a deep sleep and yet upon rising, and searching the house, they never find anyone. However, within a few days of being called some sort of accident always seems to follow; someone will rear-end the car, the vehicle will get a flat, the car battery dies, one of us will fall or trip and get hurt, one of us will learn of the death of a loved one, or work related machinery will fail to work properly causing one or the other of us to be in a near death accident. Too many things like those incidents happen to call this anything but warnings from, possibly, our guardian angels or the Holy Spirit. It was only a few years ago that we learned about the bible story that mentioned how young Samuel the prophet also heard his name called repeatedly as he slept, only to learn it was the Lord. Psalm 37:24 - This happened to me. I had recently turned eighteen and was living with my grandparents because my father and I did not get along. Although I was nearly 6’3” I was more like my mother, reserved and quiet, while my father was loud and critical. His brother was exactly like him. He claimed to be a Christian because he was raised to go to church every Sunday and still did. The sad part was he never ever showed God’s love to anyone, not even to members of his immediate family. When my uncle offered me a job working for his company my grandmother talked me into taking it. The job was working as an apprentice carpenter in construction on high-rise buildings. Because I was young and inexperienced I wasn’t allowed to go over four floors high. It took me a while to learn the ropes. Sometimes I would forget to carry up my tools, or wear my hard hat or other simple innocent mistakes. My uncle seemed to take pleasure in every opportunity to start yelling at me in front of the entire crew. He called me names and belittled me. I was so humiliated by his treatment. He said he would make a man out of me by treating me that way. I was either on the third or fourth floor, using a nail gun to connect ¾ inch plywood, when I lost my balance. I fell. Fortunately, when I fell I landed one floor below me. My legs were spread apart and my body was at an angle. I ended up straddling a steel beam, hitting the upper inside of my right thigh. Everyone said I was one fortunate fellow, because I could have died. My uncle was in rare form, with no sympathy or respect; he tore into me verbally, like never before. I continued working for him for a few more months but my spirit finally could take no more. Until then, I had never been a quitter. Looking back, I see that I was bullied but my pride plus respect for my elders kept me from reacting in anger. It was God that was teaching me and preparing me to be a man after His own heart, and not after the fashion of men. Although I had no biblical training somehow I knew that it would be better to be angry and not sin, to honor my elders, and I bridled my tongue. (Read aloud Ephesians 4:26, 1 Timothy 5:1-2, James 3:8) [Here I am inserting a bit of biblical trivia: While I was dating Judy we took a college bible course and we both learned so much. Something that has always made us giggle is that the bible has two words for patience. 1. Makrothumia is a Greek word (Strong's #3115) often translated in the Authorized Version as 'long-suffering' or 'patient'. In English long-suffering which is tending to fall out of use, but the dictionary definition is 'bearing problems or annoying behavior of others patiently'. A trait I have always had, as proven by the incident above, but it is not one of Judy’s strong points. 2. Hupomone, the other word for patience, (Strong's #5281) is also a Greek and comes from two words – hupo – meaning under and –mone – meaning abiding, remaining steadfast under trial with things especially. This is where Judy shines, and I must work at. We are both blessed with patience, just different types of it!] I thank God because He gave me an understanding about how to communicate without retaliation and that He never gave up calling me, protecting me, loving me. Psalm 91:11 – We were together when this happen. In 2011 Judy took early Social Security retirement and we celebrated by traveling to see the mighty work of God in the Grand Canyon. Neither of us had ever gone to see it before. We were on windy mountain Highway 4, in our 2003 Volkswagen Beetle, heading back to Reno, Nevada, when I suddenly felt a strong need to pray for the car. We were hundreds of miles from home, on a desolate stretch of road, at sunset. I had no reason to pray. The car was not acting strange or making any sounds. In fact, Judy thought it was an odd request but joined me in prayer as I asked our heavenly Father, in Jesus name, to send His angels to surround our car and get us back home safely and to a trusted mechanic. Several hours later we made it home and the next morning we went directly to the Volkswagen dealership maintenance guys to have the car get a once-over. We were both standing next to the car when it was raised into the air. As the head mechanic reached out his hand, the front axle fell into it. We turned to each other, wide eyed and mouths a gasp. We knew it had happened again, our guardian angels carried us. 1 Corinthians 15:51 – This happened to me. When I was in my late teens i was living with my maternal grandparents. On this particular day my Christian grandmother could not drive my grandfather to work because she was too sick. She woke me up out of a sound sleep and insisted that I be the one to take my grandfather to work at his dental office. I begged my grandmother not to make me drive because I was too sleepy. Grandfather got to work safely enough but on the return trip I fell asleep at the wheel, the car rolled over 3 times, and I escaped with only a tiny scratch on the bag-line below my eye. The roof of the car was upside down and on the ground, only inches from the seat above my body. I managed to crawl my way out. A Police Officer arrived only moments after the accident. Upon seeing me exit the car, the officer told me “You should be dead, son, Somebody up there is watching out for you!” One amazing fact is that even though the accident happened during the morning commute there were no other vehicles in the vicinity when I fell asleep and the car went out of control. However, all that I could say repeatedly was “Oh my, look at my car, my grandmother is going to kill me! She was mighty upset but when she heard what the Officer said to me, she threw threw arms around me, hugged me harder than she ever had, and started praying. Psalm 150:1-6 - We were together when this happen. Winters had been mild for a few years, an occasional rain or a few flakes of snow were all we were experiencing. Our 1995 GMC Safari van did not have a working hearer fan. This meant that the defroster did not work and there was no heat in the cab so we rarely went anywhere, especially at night in winter, if it did rain or snow. As life would have it, in mid-February, on a clear Sunday night, we went to the evening services at a local church. Surprising to all in attendance, when the service was over, we all found our vehicles covered in snow and half covering the tires. From past experience we knew that this storm was only starting to dump its treasures. Generally we would have gone to a nearby coffee shop with a few other members of the congregation to fellowship but decided to head straight home. Home was only 15 minutes away under clear skies, but home was also 1,000 feet higher elevation form where we were. We knew that when the valley got six inches of snow we got a foot, and with over a foot already on the valley floor … there was no telling how much snow we already had in our driveway. We climbed into the van and headed home. The surface streets were already dotted with stalled cars and fender benders. I decided to take the freeway. Unfortunately the on ramp had quite an incline and three cars had already slid off the shoulder, hazard lights on and appeared to be waiting for tow trucks. We too, began so loose traction but instead of heading off the shoulder we were going up the ramp at 90 degrees, passing everyone, even a highway patrolman. It was at that time that Judy began to pray as her phone fell off of the console and right into her lap. She turned on her phone, and staring right in her face was the site that gave a long list of lyrics to classic gospel songs that she had used during services earlier. She began singing very loudly, one song after another, and I joined right in with ‘Jesus Loves Me’. Next we sang ‘Sweet Chariot’ as we made it up the ramp and fortunately there was no oncoming traffic to fear as we straightened out and entered the slow lane. More cars were on the side of the freeway, mostly abandoned. We each rolled down the door windows a bit to help the front window clear up from the warmth of our breath as we sang that was causing condensation. That did not help very much. We sang ‘Mansion Over the Hilltop’ as loud as possible, as Judy tapped out the beat on the dash. Folks with jeeps and hummers sped past us only to lose control, hydroplane, and swerve off the road moments later. When we approached our exit we could see that it and the side roads had not been plowed. A two foot wall of snow was being plowed through as we sang ‘Deep and Wide’. Two stop signs and 4 turns more found in our neighborhood. We live in an elaborate cul-de-sac with two entrances. Upon approaching the first entrance the van hit black ice and began to slide, hitting into a 4 foot high gravel and snow embankment. Because of the slant of the road our van gently and slowly rotated to the left so much that I was able to head back out of that entrance, looped around into the second entrance, and made it safe and sound into our driveway, with no damage to us, the gravel embankment or the van, shouting out the last tune of the night; ‘Victory in Jesus’! Hebrews 13:2- We were together when this happen. It was nearly 11 pm and we were on our way home from visiting my mother in the convalescent home. We felt the car lunge as the front right tire blew out. There was no loud pop like there normally would be with a flat, not even a hiss or whistle. We coasted into the parking lot of a 24 hour corner convenience store and pulled into a wide area in the back. There were no other vehicles in the parking lot. We had a spare tire but it was chained under the van and we did not have a lug wrench to get it down. This occurred a few years before we had cell phones, we had no money for the pay phone but that didn’t matter because we didn’t have towing service or any friends in the area to call. I left Judy safely locked in the van as I went into the store to see if any employees had a lug wrench that we could borrow. The only person working there was a young female clerk that told me she walked a mile to and from work every day because she did not own a vehicle. I took me all of 30 seconds as I hurried back to the van, climbed in, reached over and took Judy’s hand and said ‘Let’s pray’. We closed our eyes. Not one word had yet come forth from either of us when suddenly there was a tap on the driver’s window. Startled we jumped, turned toward the sound and saw a young man standing there with a huge lug wrench lying over his right shoulder. ‘Do you need some help’ the man asked’. We were confused. No one knew we were in need of a lug wrench. There was no way that clerk had time to make any call and have someone arrive to help us in less than 30 seconds. I motioned for Judy to join me outside as I opened the door to talk to this stranger. He was clean shaven, stood about six foot high, and wore a white tee shirt and jeans. After exchanging pleasantries he crawled under the van, removed the tire and asked if he could change the tire for us. We were so flabbergasted by his sudden appearance and the speed in which he dislodged our tire that we actually thanked him for his help, offered him $10, and said we’d do the rest ourselves. In the 15 seconds it took Judy to reach for her purse to get the money and Michael to pull the jack out of the back of the van… the young man was gone. He vanished. We had just entertained an angel unaware. Psalm 34:4. This happened to Judy. She was the only passenger, riding in the front seat, on her way to out to visit friends for the evening. The driver was out of sorts because they were running late due to the fact that the car wasn’t running right. It started okay but then it would act sluggish and stall out. It did this several times for nearly a mile. They suddenly realized they had taken a wrong turn and were lost in a notoriously dangerous part of town. They were approaching a school on the right, about a block ahead of them with several people standing around on the sidewalk, when the car died again. In the twilight they could make out that many of the people in the crowd were tossing or juggling things into the air. The driver tried frantically to get the car started again as the crowd began to slowly approach them. Knowing that the driver was not a Christian, Judy closed her eyes as she began to silently pray and sing hymns. When an ominous thud hit the car it shocked Judy into instantly sing ‘Jesus Loves the Little Children’ at the top of her voice. Sever more thuds were felt as the inhabitants of the car realized that the crowd was throwing rocks at them. Judy did not stop sing. The driver was screaming at the car ‘Start! Start already’. The instant the engine turned over the driver slammed on the gas pedal and the car lunged forward. As they sped away, one rock the size of a softball exploded through the front passenger window grazed Judy’s neck and landed in the backseat. The right side of Judy’s face, neck and her t shoulder were riddled with bits of glass as she sang all the louder. If the car had not started, or they were any slower, Judy might have been killed by the force of that rock if it had hit her temple. That was the last time she spent any time with the driver, went to visit those friends that were expecting her, or ventured anywhere near that neighborhood. Jesus does love His little children. Isaiah 54:17- No weapon forged against her prevailed – This happened to Judy. I do not believe there is a woman out there that does not like to be wooed, romanced, spoiled, pampered, and made to feel needed, wanted, appreciated, and pretty. Judy was at her lowest point emotionally, physically, financially, and spiritually when she met someone who gave her all of that, in the beginning. They only knew each other two weeks when they began to live together and over the next 10 years her hero became her darkest nightmare. She gradually was reduced to a puppet, willing to do as told in exchange for a few crumbs of kindness. She cooked for, dressed for, talked when permitted, performed on demand, and lived only to be bring pleasure to the monster, Ally. The changes happened slowly like cooking a frog. She was alone in the world. Her job, as she was paid by Social Security, was to be His care provider, 24 hour a day. She had no contact with family, friends, doctors, or anyone. Judy, who was 25 years old, 5’3” and weighed 120 pounds, was standing over the stove one spring afternoon making cabbage stew hoping to lose a few pounds in response to being calmed a fat hog. It was then that Ally, age 29, 5’ 7”and 160 pounds and able to bench press 165 pounds, entered the kitchen, machete in hand, screaming at Judy to stand still while he kills her. He raised the machete over his head and began to run the space of 20 feet toward her. Judy calmly said ‘I forgive you and I pray that God does’. It was then that Judy forgot about cabbage stew, being fat, or pleasing Ally. Her mind went blank. She froze where she stood. In the next few seconds everything switched to ultra slow motion. With that she raised both arms up and covered most of her face. She peered from between her forearms as she watched Ally draw close and closer, and then suddenly everything went out of control. Judy could see that Ally was still coming her way when she felt her wrists being smashed as she was shoved to the floor. Then when Ally was within inches of Judy the machete appeared to be knocked from Ally’s grip and flew half way into the kitchen door jamb behind him, 20 feet away. The arm that was holding the machete was twisted behind his back as he literally was lifted three feet off of the floor and thrown to the left across the kitchen table. There they laid for several minutes staring in silent shock at one another. Judy did not move as Ally pulled himself off of the table and left the way he had entered. Judy culled into a fetal position and stayed there rocking and crying for what seemed like an hour, afraid to move. As the evening passed the swelling in Judy’s wrists showed evidence that a pair of very large, very strong hands had moved her. Similar marks were on Ally, not counting the bruised ribs he received from flying onto the table. They both knew there were no other visible people in that kitchen except for them. Freedom came to Judy that day, and a revelation that she might not have thought much of herself, Jesus thought she was worthy of His love, enough to die for her.. Acts 2:17 – A prophecy fulfilled - We were together when this happen. We were living with my best friend, my matron of Honor, in central California when some friends of a friend from church told us sold us on Amway. Unfortunately it was a mixed blessing, our team and sponsors were in Reno Nevada. I say unfortunately because every month we had to drive over the mountain in rain, shine, snow or fog. Judy was a stay at home wife and I was earning just a wink more than minimal wage. We didn’t gamble or rent a room, just attended the two hour meetings that were either at 2 pm or 7 pm on Saturdays and then headed the two and a half hours back over the mountains so we could get a decent night sleep and attend church services the next morning. We did this for a couple of years, never making any real money, but managed to entice a few friends and strangers to climb on the band wagon with us. It was when we were returning from one of these meetings that I suddenly got super excited and had to pull the car to the side of the road. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The week before, at church, the entire congregation asked God to please show each of us individually what we were called to do or where we were called to go. By the time I went to bed that night I had completely forgot about that morning’s church service or even what I had for lunch that day. That night I had a very vivid dream about seeing a mountain range and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I should be living on that side of those mountains. Of course, like most people, I forgot the dream as soon as I woke up. The rest of the week was business as usual. There they were before me. The sky, the weather, the mountains, everything was exactly as it had been in my dream and I was standing there looking at it in total amazement. I was almost jumping up and down, telling Judy ‘This is it; this is where we are supposed to live! We need to move here as soon and possible’! We realized that God used our involvement with Amway to show us where our riches were to be stored; Matthew 6:19-24 I explained my dream to her, showed her the mountains, and my sweet wife instantly said ‘Let’ start making plans as soon as we get home’! That happened in mid-November. Every two weeks, on payday, we would load up more of our possessions, as much as we could into our small Mazda car, and drive them over the hill to Reno, put them in storage, have lunch, refill the gas tank, pick up a local paper and another local publication called the ‘Big Penny’ and drive home again. Between those trips we would study Reno’s local paper for job opportunities, housing, and see about the cost of groceries. We learned that Nevada had no State tax and that the sales tax was 2% lower that where we lived. We soon learned that although the branch of Amway we had joined did teach you about the benefits of their amazing yet overpriced items, how to get out of debt, follow God, and work hard for your dream, we eventually came to the full knowledge that we cannot serve two masters and left Amway behind. Matthew 6:24 Then while looking in the ‘Big Penny’ we knew one of the reasons we were to come to Reno. We could buy our own home, a mobile home, for as little as $1,000 down and have lower home payments than rent payments would be. We decided that we would use my 401k as a down payment and began looking for a home to buy right away. Within six weeks of both living in Reno we had a mortgage on a cute little two bedroom single-wide mobile home. That home was paid off in just two years and provided us with nearly 17 years of happiness. Learned that the main reason we were to move to Reno was for our eternal salvation. It was during the first few years living in Reno that we started really reading our bible and learning the differences of belief between denominations, non-denominations and how none of them actually fully taught what the bible advocates. Every one of them quoted scripture but were unwilling to stand by it. They all preached varying degrees of importance as it related to the commandments, the Lord’s Supper, tithing, and baptism. There were pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation and post-tribulation beliefs. The ‘faith only’ folks denied the importance of full immersion baptism even when confronted with bible verse 1 Peter 3:18-22. None of them preached about the traditions of men or on the conditional promises. All of the churches were unwilling to forsake the traditions of men and tried to talk their way around it when shown Colossians 2:8, Mark 7:8, and especially 1 Corinthians 6:15-18 where God days to stop being like the heathen or He will not be our father! These churches broke our hearts but not our spirits. Instead for turning away from God, our convictions grew stronger. Many would say we are into legalism but we say we are only walking on a narrower path of the pilgrim that is homeward bound. Most believed that a simple prayer would save them yet there is not one instance or example of any such prayer or occurrence in the bible. They all ask for money as tithes but when the Bible mentions tithing it refers to food. The Bible states that the ‘store houses’ need to be filled with different types of grain and spices, not money. Matthew 23:23 The law of the land cannot change the law of God. The Bible says that homosexuality is an abomination but many churches have ordained then. We have come out from among those that do not preach the whole truth. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing and will kill, steal and destroy. John 10:10, Matthew 7:15-23. God sent us into this literal and spiritual dessert to learn the word of God, to get clothed in the righteousness of Christ, discern the truth, come out from among the daughters of the harlot and share the ‘Mystery’, the blessings of hearkening unto God! John 8:32. Exodus 23:20- An angel ahead of you to guard you. We were together when this happen. We were on our way home from the grocery store like any other day. When the thought crossed Judy’s mind to pull to the right suddenly and she did so, but not quite fast or far enough. I was startled and immediate asked her why she did that… when, before I could say anything else, a car came squealing up behind us, Latino music blaring from their radio, and hit our left rear bumper so hard it threw the car within three inches of a tree that was 6 feet ahead of us. The impact shoved the bumper into the tire but did not puncture it. We were shaken but not hurt at all. Unfortunately we could not move the car one inch. Judy stayed with the car as I walked to the nearest pay phone, yes, it was that long ago. I called a friend that had a tow truck and pulley, that lived on a ranch. He came right away, took us and our car to his place, re-positioned the bumper and all was fine except, from that day on we drove with a pillow wedged into the side of the trunk where it no longer closed all of the way. We were to learn that our car was on a recall list because when hit directly from the rear the cars blew up on impact, killing all passengers. What made Judy suddenly pull over; women’s intuition, a word from the Holy Spirit, a whisper from her guardian angel? The one thing that we are sure of is that God had a hand in it! That was the same car that latter helped us move to Reno. Psalm 91:4 Under His wings we found refuge - We were together when this happen, kind of. Well, let me explain. The night before this incident Judy had given a perfume party with the new business that she had just started using a loan from her 401k for financing. All of her supplies, order sheets, and demos were in our living room waiting for her to process the when she came home from work the next day. That was never to happen. Judy and I both worked swing shift. We only had one car. Judy dropping me off where I was lead custodian at a manufacturing plant that built slot machines then headed straight to work at a call center for a major bank. Half way through my shift one of the security guys, that always teased everyone, came up to me and handed me a sheet of paper and told me to call the number written there because our house was on fire. I tossed it back to him and told him to try that on someone else. The look on his face then changed. I instantly knew this was not a joke. The number on the paper was to the fire chief that confirmed the truth; the place we called home for the past 17 or so years was gone. I will never forget the feeling of the Holy Spirit encompassing me. I was fine. I knew God was in charge no matter what. I just felt like I was told ‘You’ll be fine! Have faith in God. Everything will work out.’ I placed a call to Judy and told her that there was a problem at the house. She thought I meant that we had a break in. When I told her that the house was on fire she gasped… and said she would be right over to pick me up. When she arrived I told her everything I knew. We only lived a couple of blocks from the freeway and our hope increased as we got closer and didn’t see any smoke. There was no smoke because the fire practically was out. We lost 95% of everything we owned. As we drove down our street we could see the fire truck and dozens of people and fireman mulling around. The majority of our living room was gently smoldering in our two car driveway. Our full grown 7’ lilac tree was chopped down, our tiny garden was trampled. On the opposite side of the house there was a huge 6’ x 9’ gaping hole into the living room where the fire had started. Our surge protector quit protecting. We had no homeowners insurance because our home was so old no one would insure it. Everything had to go to the dump because of smoke damage. I kept saying to Judy “Have faith, trust God, He has this, remember He always has a plan for us.” She would say okay and then a few moments later she would say, we’re home now and don’t even have a shopping cart. At least we can sleep in the car. Then the managers of park approached us once the crowed cleared out. They wanted to help us and not see us leave. We were the only home out of 300 that had never been late on payments and kept our yard and kept property in good order from the moment we arrived. We arranged to meet with them in two days because neighbors let us sleep in their spare from for the night and Red Cross got a motel for two more nights. When we did meet with the managers they offered us a newer double-wide mobile, with nothing down, for ten years at 10% interest only one street over for the home that burned. We took it. Judy is only 5’ tall but I am 6’5”. For over 30 years I had slept with my feet hanging a foot or more over the end of the bed. Our new home has a very large master bedroom. You guessed it! The first thing I went and bought was a king size bed! Both of our employers got us gift cards for local stores, co-workers gave us pots, pans, dishes, towels, and king size bedding. The Fire department gave us a check too. Some friends even bought us complete living room furniture including lamps and a rug. Within three days we were in our new 2 bedroom 2 bath home with a built in hutch, laundry room, island stove, and perfect floor plan. God arranged for it to be completely furnished and color coordinated. There was enough parking for five cars to come to bible studies, a huge 1/25 acre for gardening, and shade in the back yard for us to relax during hot August days, we knew it was all from God. That week we signed over our old house as the down payment and the managers gave us 5 days to empty our possessions before they would demolish it per the safety inspectors. Five friends and a few strangers showed up and for three days we filled garbage bag after garbage bag and made multiple trips to the dump. The only item we were able to retrieve from this home was a tapestry that said; ‘As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord, Joshua 24:15.’ We had planned to live in that old home another ten years as we saved up the rest of our 401k’s for a double-wide. God decided that we shouldn’t have to wait that long. A month later we had a huge house warming. We invited all of our friends, co-workers and even the fire department showed up in their big shiny red fire truck for a barbecue, as a way to thank them all. Of course I had everyone join us in a prayer to give thanks and praises to God, for them, the home, and His blessings on all. Romans 13:7-8 & Romans 8:28-29 – When one door shuts - We were together when this happen, kind of. I had worked my way up to Senior Lead at a Fortune 500 manufacturing plant for ten years. I really loved my job. The crews I managed were hard workers. Those in upper management were, for the most part, reasonable and fair. Then things started changing in high places over a three year period. The company lost its Fortune 500 status; VP’s, engineers, and managers were quitting left and right. Bonuses and perks that had been given to employees since the company first started 20 years prior were slashed or completely eliminated. Rumors were flying for months that several departments were going to be shut down, mine was one of those. First my immediate supervisor was fired for embezzling. Then her replacement was walked off of the premises without even being able to enter his office, the cause; stealing equipment, supplies and more on the very day they eliminated the whole custodian department for restricting. I found myself unemployed. They had us sign papers for severance pay, closing our 401ks, scheduled us for offsite retaining for job interviews, and lots of other paperwork. Everyone around me that lost their jobs were crying and moaning. I was laughing and excited. I knew when God closed one door He always had a better plan. No one could get over the fact that I was not least upset! Judy had taken an early retirement a few months earlier and there was nothing stopping us from taking a month long vacation. We had never been to the Grand Canyon to see the effects of His mighty flood, or to Fremont Street in Las Vegas and friends that lived there or Nevada’s most famous retirement town of Bolder City. We could also swing over into California and visit friends and family that we had not seen in years. This was the perfect time. All of the money came in the mail. We went straight to the bank and got a cashier’s check in the amount of the outstanding balance on our doublewide mobile home mortgage, plus six months of advance lot space. Boy, were they ever surprised to get that check, in person, in one lump sum, eight years early! We also sent the phone, the power, and ‘Flo’ six months’ worth of advance payments and still had a nice bankroll for the vacation and a nest egg to hold us over. The funny thing is, I expected to find another job within weeks after our trip, but weeks turned into months and just as our six month grace period ran out… I landed another custodian job. We continue to Praise God because our Father really does take care of us. By the way, if you have never been to see what God did to the Grand Canyon, do so the first chance you get because it is more amazing flying over and through it than to see it on postcards or in the movies! (John 1:3.) Hebrews 2:6-13 – Who’s driving tonight? – This happened to Judy. Judy had already retired. Her days were mostly filled with thoughts and activities of bible studies, gardening and taking care of the house, and once in a while she thought about me. On this night, time somehow got away from her. The house was cleaned, the dinner was on low in the oven, all the dishes were washed and the table was set. But she wasn’t aware of the time or that the weather had changed. It was 11:15 pm, on a very showy night in February and Judy had only had fifteen minutes until I was to get off work. She was not dressed for the commute. She threw on warmer clothes and a coat over her house clothes, grabbed her purse and keys and ran for the van, falling twice in the six inch snow drift that blanketed the driveway, wrenching her right wrist. The car was so cold it did not want to start. She looked at her thumb watch; she was not going to make it on time. Frustrated, she went back into the house to call me. This was pre-cell phones. I told her to try starting the car again and if it did not start to call me back. I told her if I did not hear from her in a few moments I would get a ride home. She climbed into the car, sent up a prayer for the ignition to engage and for traveling mercies to and from my work. The car jumped into action and Judy shouted out praises to God. She made it to the first stop sign and notice there was an accident at the freeway on ramp. She instantly knew that God had protected her from being in this situation and she sent up more praises to God along with a whole lot of thanks. She wanted to continue forward, knowing another freeway ramp was only a mile in front of her, but remembered that I had warned her of that treacherous section of road, with no guard rail along the passenger side which dropped off into a deep ravine. She could see that road was recently plowed, leaned on her own understanding, proceeded to take that road anyway, and then it happened. She had the only vehicle on that stretch of road when she hit black ice. The car started hydroplaning straight for the ravine. The steering wheel did not respond to her, it just froze. Judy closed her eyes, and prayed for God’s mercy, as she wiped the tears away that had streamed down her face. In the next second, with her hands still on her face, her eyes flew wide open. The horn started to blare as the car lunged to the middle of the street. Shocked she grabbed the steering wheel as the car rolled forward to safety. Once we made it back home, and were having that delicious dinner, she told me of the events that had happened. That night she was protected by God and her angels again, not once but twice, or even more that we were not aware of. Praises and thanks to our Father for His protection and love. Isaiah 34:16. - Not one will lack her mate. We were not together when these things happen. This is a two-fold testimony. I lived in the bay area and my life was in the dumps. I was tired of partying, having a chain of women. I began to physically fight with and verbally abuse the woman I was with one I was with whenever I got drunk or stoned. I found her barely tolerable when I was sober. She was a needy-Nelly and it wasn’t working. I had a good work ethic but on the weekends I had no ethics. I was not raise in a Christian family but was studying with the Jehovah Witnesses for three years. I thought all religions that mentioned Jesus were the same. I was tired of my life and needed a fresh start. One night, sitting all alone in my living-room I cried out to God about my situation. I wanted someone that would care about me. I wanted to be loved and respected. She needed to smart, talented, funny, and faithful. Then I said her name had to have four letters, like mine, Mike. It could be Judy, Sara, or Lacy. The next day, in mid June, I packed up my belongings and headed to Marysville with needy-Nelly but it did not last long. Fortunately I was near my parents, drove taxi covering both Yuba and Sutter counties, and waited. Looking back, and knowing both of our histories, it is easy to see how God orchestrated my requests. The night was hot and sticky in the Sacramento valley, but no more so than any other August night. Judy led a simple yet happy life. Both sets of her grandparents were Protestant preachers. After her mother’s first of six marriages she had given up on God, but she always made sure that Judy and her siblings went to church every Sunday. Judy was on her 4th marriage, praying this one would be the one to go the distance. She thought that she and her most recent spouse were content in their marriage, with three dogs, and a few close friends from church and couple of non-profit organizations that they belonged to. That night Judy’s spouse went alone to another fundraiser dinner while he insisted she attend the church function, alone. Those nights with conflicting obligations were taking up too many of their nights she thought. Their calendar was filled with as many of them as there were opportunities to worship God, go witnessing or choir practice, or a movie. They seemed to be torn apart by their priorities. As she dressed for bed she decided she would make time this week for them to talk about this and see if there could be some sort of compromise. She locked all the doors, closed all the windows, and turned on the fan in the bedroom. It was 11:30 and she was tired of waiting for him to come home. She said her prayers and drifted off to sleep. “What? Who’s there?” she cried out as she jumped out of bed to the sound of glass crashing. There was the smell of cigarette smoke and neither of them smoked. Next came someone cursing as they stumbled into furniture, and then the beam from a flashlight was right in her face. The flashlight fell to the floor as two strong hands wrapped around her throat and Judy was suddenly gasping for air. As one hand loosened its grip Judy thought she was going to be okay but just as fast the hand became a fist and slugged her in the left temple. Judy fell back side-ways across the bed as the intruder ripped her nightgown. Then the intruder began the clawing and biting of Judy’s torso, legs, face, arms, and her entire body like a wild animal. Judy was already hitting, kicking, and screaming in self defense when the blood began to flow from her torn flesh. At that exact moment her radio-alarm clock went off. They both jumped backwards. It was set for her to give a friend with a wake-up call. That call was never made. The radio-alarm clock started blaring out a sermon from a Christian radio station about ‘No weapon formed against you will prosper” from Isaiah 54:17. This could not be a coincidence. Then the intruder mumbled something about ‘goody-two-shoes’ and ‘your angels ain’t funny’. Just as suddenly as the intruder appeared, they were back at the front door yelling, “Not everybody loves your Jesus, or is honest, especially your ex! This is only a taste of what lies ahead if you cause any trouble.” Then Judy was alone. Sitting in the middle of the bed trembling, she could not comprehend why the intruder was there, why she was attacked, or what in the world they meant as they left. What would her ex-husband have to do with this? He was dead! The only person that ever called her ‘goody-two-shoes’ was her current spouse when he came home drunk after one of his meetings. No, this was too dark to even think about. She sat there in fetal position against the head of the four-poster bed until sunrise, afraid to go check the front door in case the intruder way lying in wait. She drifted off to sleep from exhaustion. The terror returned the moment Judy opened her eyes and her sore battered body tried to move. On her night stand there was a note that was not there when she crawled into bed the night before, nor when the radio alarm scared the intruder away. It informed her that her spouse of ten years, her sole source of support, was calling it quits, out of the blue. He admitted to having a long standing affair on the nights he told her he was at meetings, had emptied their joint account, and was not returning. The front door was wide open, the living-room window was smashed in with a bottle of Jim Beam with its remains stinking up the place, the chair by the hutch was knocked over, and magazines that were on the coffee table now were all over the floor. Judy was dumbfounded. The attacker came on his orders. She had loved him, trusted him, and never thought this was possible. She was left with a rented home with rent due in two days, a full two bedroom house of furniture, three dogs to feed or find homes for, a car with only a half a tank of gas, a couple of days of food in the cabinets, and only seventeen cents in her purse. To say she was in shock and disbelief is mild, but she was not without hope. After praying for God to get her through this day, she made a few calls. She did not want to stay in that house one more night. There was nothing to say for. She knew it was time to move on, as fast as she could, her spouse already had. By lunch time she had talked with a few friends that would take her in. She had employable skills and was promised a job come Monday at a friend’s drapery factory. She passed on that offer because the drapery owner was one of her spouses’ best friends. Several other people promised to take assorted pieces of furniture and two of the dogs within the next two days. Later that afternoon she had taken a drive to Soda Springs, to clear her head and talk to God. While sitting out on the grass overlooking the valley, she took out her bible, read, prayed and sang songs to God. There was a blank page in the back of her bible and she decided to write God a note: Dear Lord, as you know another chapter of my life is over. Please do not be in a rush to send me my next relationship. When you do, I would like him to be tall, dark and handsome. He needs to have money in the bank, be of royal lineage, riding on a white horse but not be a cowboy! She closed her bible, drove back to town, and began a new life. By late October 1984 she had met a woman social worker at the wedding of a mutual friend who offered her sanctuary, in Yuba City. It took Judy a few months to get on her feet, learn the lay of the town, and find a job. The job was swing-shift supervisor at the Marysville Greyhound bus depot. She sold tickets and helped process transactions within the small Western Union booth. She had stopped going to church out of fear. She turned down almost everyone that asked her for a date. Those she did date, was only once. She became a campfire leader to fill her off work hours. We met one evening shortly after she started working at Greyhound when I went by the depot to see if anyone on the last bus needed a taxi ride home. She had the most amazing green eyes. I did not realize they were colored contacts. Time after time I would sit across the lobby watching her work. I finally mustered enough courage to ask her out. I got my ‘Judy’… and she got me. Although we started dating in 1987, became engaged in 1998, and had a huge church wedding on April 13th, a Good Friday in 1990 with a full moon, renewed our vows on our 25th anniversary, we both agree that we still need a lot more time together. Did God grant her the prayers she wrote in the back of her bible all of those years ago? Let’s see! Please do not be in a rush to send me my next relationship. Judy was single for three years before we met and we took three more years getting to know each other before we got married. All of her previous weddings happened in less than three months of meeting her mates, and lasted, in order: 1 year two months, 8 months, four months, six months, and nearly 10 years, with only three weeks to six months between moving in with each one. The period after her 10 year marriage ended until we were married was six years. Happily, she definitely did not rush into marriage with me. I would like him to be tall, dark and handsome. I was 6’5” when we met, with dark brown hair, and after dating for two years, when she saw me clean shaven and wearing my security officer’s uniform she melted. That was the day I proposed and she agreed to marry me, as long as we had a one year engagement, which we did. He needs to have money in the bank. I had a bank savings account with a $2.47 balance. While dating I started working for Gottschalks Department Store and enrolled in their 401k program. By the time we got married we had enough in the account for a down payment on a home. That was better than money in the bank at that time. He must be of royal lineage. I accepted the Lord as my savior and was baptized while we were dating, making me a son of the Most High, a Prince to the King of Kings. He must ride up on a white horse. I owned a light baby blue 1971 Ford Pinto that the paint was so faded that it looked white to everyone. He must not be a cowboy. I am defiantly NOT a cowboy. I am not a horse lover. I’ve worn New Balance shoes for over forty years. I’ve never owned a cowboy hat until the summer of 2012. I hate plaid shirts, Pendletons, kerchiefs, and bandannas. I think a bolo looks silly, bulls are scary, rodeos are only good for cotton candy, corn dogs and rides, and snuff is disgusting. I would have to say a resounding YES! Her prayers were answered too. Although she giggles every time anyone who asks about this, if you are going to write your own list for God about your requirements for a mate, you need to be specific… be very, very exact as to certain details: the amount of money in the bank, the type of royal lineage, and the horse needs to keep running. Plus she says you may not be as blessed as she was because she also got someone who was gentle, understanding, kind, patient, sensitive, hard worker, with some similar interests, but a lot more opposites, which do attract, and makes life interesting and that is a good thing and a wonderful blessing, too. Our 30th wedding anniversary = 2020. God is Good! Isaiah 53:5 - Trip the life fantastic - This happened to me. Honesty is always the best policy, but can be hard on the pocket book. Here’s why. One snowy winter Monday, shortly after Judy retired but before her Social Security checks started to arrive, we over slept. The power had gone out in the night. I was literally running late to work. As I got dressed she made me several sandwiches, some for breakfast when I got there and the rest for lunch, so I could brown bag it. We kissed at the door and flew down the stairs. It was only five steps, but my right steel toed work boot froze to the top step as my left leg extended and slammed on all five steps all the way to the bottom, jerking my torso up and down on the top step, with my right steel toed wok boot tucked directly under my right …. HIP! Yes I screamed! I very slowly got up. I dusted the snow off of me, kissed Judy good by again, limped to the car, and drove to work. My supervisor was sitting at her desk when she saw me limping in, carrying my snow soaked brown bag, and asked what happened. I slid into the chair next to her just to get off of my feet. I was hurting so bad but did not want to miss any work. I told her the truth. She told me not to repeat the truth to anyone and she would fill out an accident report for me saying she saw me fall right there at work, after I clocked in. She ran her hand gently across my knee and started up my thigh when I moved her hand off of my body. I was stunned for a few seconds. Then I realized she had ulterior motives. I jumped to my feet. I told her no thanks but she decided if I wasn’t going to play along with her, I should go to the doctors and not come back until I got a release. I was furious, but maintained myself. I thought ‘be angry and sin not’, over and over as I tuned and left the building. I headed straight to urgent care. They sent me to the nearest hospital emergency room for x-rays. Nothing was broken but I had ripped my tendon and ligaments. I was fitted with brace, had to be off of work for six weeks, do physical therapy three times during each of those weeks, and pay for it all myself. When I returned to work I told Human Resources what had happened between my boss and I and they acted like I made it up. That was embarrassing and humiliating. Remembering what it was like during the six weeks of recuperation, and the first few weeks back at work, Judy was my greatest cheer leader. Human Resources told her of my complaint, which she denied, but that made working with her all the harder when she started piling extra work on me, in hopes to break my spirit. However, Judy and I had bible studies, prayed and sang praise to God. We kept asking God to have His will with my boss and give me the strength to endure. Within months Human Resources discovered that she had illegally doctored several male employees time cards, gave them paid days off, and gave a few of them unwarranted refunds, equipment, issued others unapproved bonuses, and was having inappropriate relations with several employees, on and off the clock. She was escorted off of the property and was never heard of again. Vengeance is the Lords! (Romans 12:19) Mark 11:24. – Five Different Cars - We were together when these happened. Let me tell you about car number one. Within three years of moving to Reno we traded in our small rear wheel drive car with a horrible oil leak for one bad car after another, which we purchased from a pot lot in Sun Valley, which would each break down within four weeks to a year. The balance remaining on each dead car was added to the next one purchased. After about the fourth time, we never went back. We paid off the last dead car and rode buses to work. In 1998 we asked God to please provide us with transportation that we could afford. Within a week of that prayer Judy’s best friend, her Matron of Honor, with no prior knowledge of our situation, called to tell us that she had a car for us, no strings attached, but that we had to come and get it. She could not afford the time off work to bring it to us and have us take her back home. I could not take off work for both of us to go. Judy had to take Greyhound alone. It was mid November and the first big storm of the season was due to hit that week end. She made it there fine. She decided to stay a day or two to visit and pray with her friend who was having horrible migraines. I was worried about her driving back in two days in the snow and the freezing cold, so over the phone we asked God to make His way known as to what Judy should do. God moved mightily! The storm came sooner than expected and all roads were closed coming and going over the pass for six days. To this very day Judy cannot think about how wonderful it was to spend that time with her dearest friend, without crying and thanking God. I will tell you why in a bit. When the roads finally opened and Judy was able to drive our car home, the roads were scraped, the winds were mild, and instrumental gospel music CD that her friend also gave her played from the dashboard CD player all the way home over those mountains. The car may be long gone but that CD still gets played on a regular basis, sending love to our Savior. Now for the story about car number two. Car number one ran for quite a while and we were able to buy one or two others after it. Unfortunately, we were nursing the car we had. Judy was relegated to take buses because there were no buses running at the time of night when I got off of work. Judy had just landed a job in a call center for a nationally known bank. The walking before, in between, and after the two bus rides it took her to get to work hurt her back so much, and her breathing was bad. At first the doctors diagnosed her with OPCD and arthritis, only to discover that she had a hiatal hernia and spinal stinosis. The back pain was gone by the time she got off work, only to go through it all over again just to get home in the evening. She used pain creams, over the counter meds, and herbal remedies to try and minimize the pain. However she needed surgery for her hernia. She suffered terribly, so much so that she occasionally had to call in to work sick because she could not endure it. 2007 was a hard year for Judy. I knew that it would be great if Judy could get the time off to go visit her friend that gave us car number one. I had Judy call her to see if she would be open for a visit that weekend. She wasn’t home. The stranger that answered the phone informed Judy that her friend was in the hospital having some tests and should be out in a day or two. Judy decided to call back after she figured that her friend was home again. Judy never made that call. The very next day that stranger called Judy back to tell her that her friend had died of brain cancer during the night. Judy had no idea she was that sick. She thought it was only migraines because that was what her friend had told her was wrong. We took the time to attend the small funeral and headed back home. Weeks passed with many tears. Out of the blue her friend’s brother called to say that there were a couple of joint savings accounts with Judy’s name on them totaling nearly $37,000. With the funds Judy insisted we get out of debt, buy new clothes, get another car, but use the money to totally pay it off, and take a vacation to see a few friends of her late friend for closure. That is how we got ‘Baby Blue’, our 2003 Beetle Volkswagen, with only 32,000 miles, and ran for 7 years. We were praising God that Judy no longer had to ride the buses to work, we owed no man anything, we no longer dressed like hobos but not like the ‘Jones's’ either. The blessing of the vacation with old acquaintances and friends was mixed with joyous tears and bitter sorrow. Now for the story about car number three. We had been worshiping with a local body of believers for about two years when in 2014 our ‘Baby Blue’ Volkswagen died. The shops wanted $6,000 to replace the engine. We did not have any savings and the fact is we had to go to food ministries and eat from our garden just to get by. I was unemployed with MRSA, and Judy’s Social Security check was only a little over $500 which covered our rent space. By the grace of God different members of the congregation took turns blessing us with the funds to keep a roof over our heads by giving us cash to pay for our internet service, our phones, utilities, gas and car insurance, laundry soap, and hygiene needs. One couple, leaders in the congregation, came over to talk one afternoon. They were willing to give us $2500 to put toward buying another vehicle if we would be willing to sell ‘Baby Blue’ and give them the funds from the sale. We placed an ad in Craig’s List, sold the car for $600, gave that couple the funds, and within two days we were praising God every time we went riding around in our 1995 GMC van. Now for the story about car number four. The Wednesday night news was predicting an unusually severe winter coming for 2017. The GMC van was rear wheel drive, with no defrost/heater fan so the windshield steamed up every time we drove in the cold of winter. Unfortunately, on the north end of town where we lived, in the foot hills at 5,500 feet, winters last about eight months. The same day we heard that weather prediction we saw a nice car with a sign: For Sale $2000 OBO, front wheel drive, good gas mileage. At that instant I told Judy that if God wanted us to have another car for winter He would do it again. We stared praying right then and there, praising and thanking God for his will to be done. Sunday came and after services one of the regular members of the congregation hurriedly followed us out into the parking lot. He urgently motioned for me to come over to his car and upon arriving next to him; he asked me what I thought of it. It was a fire engine red two door, front wheel drive 2000 Alero. Except for the color, It was identical to the car we had seen on Wednesday. There were no dents in this car either, but the interior was a bit ragged. I asked him if he liked the way it ran and he informed me that maybe I should take a spin behind the wheel for myself. I tried to beg off; relating that my wife was hurting and needed to get home to take her medicine. Then he really pushed, telling me that the car was ours if we wanted it, for free. He informed us that he had too many cars and this was the one he wanted to give to someone in the congregation, us. Again he asked me what I thought of it. Judy and I looked at each other. I inquired as to how much he wanted for the car and that is when He smiled real big. “NOTHING”, he replied. He only wanted me to drive him home so that he could sign over the title of the car to us. Judy drove herself home in the van and I came home shortly, knowing and declaring, nothing is impossible with God! That Alero drove all over town without a single problem that winter. Now you will need to actually ask us about car number five. Romans 8:28. -MRSA - This happened to Michael. During the last week of February, 2012 a near tragedy struck us again. While emptying trash, on the job as a custodian at a local care facility I received a tiny ‘1/16 inch’ cut on the largest knuckle of my baby finger on the right hand within minutes I put a band-aid on it and continued working without another thought. Unfortunately, like most of you, I did not consider this tiny cut an injury bad enough to report to my supervisor or make an accident report, and just went on working. Mistake #1. Three days later a blistery rash appeared around the tiny cut. Because we had no insurance I tried to treat it myself. Mistake #2. One week after the injury, unrelated to the injury, my supervisor had a talk with me. . I was an on-call part time employee that hoped to make this a full time job. She informed me that census was down and they had to reduce hours throughout the facility by 50%… that left me unemployed once again. When I came home from work that night and removed the bandage… there were about 3-dozen tiny little blisters around the cut. We washed it with soap and then peroxide, and put on a new bandage. The next morning those little blisters covered my entire knuckle down to the web of my palm. We no jobs, no insurance, could not claim workmen’s comp because I had failed to report my injury. Judy wanted me to go to the doctors. With money an issue I was determined to continue to self-medicate and sent Judy to the internet to find out how to treat this problem that I believed was some kind of staph infection. Mistake #3. Research results were obviously non-conclusive:
We were more confused than ever! So what did we do? We tried it all, rotating the treatments, all to no avail because the infection was spreading at an alarming rate. Mistake #4. By the 10th day Judy was freaking. My finger had gotten so bad she thought it looked like some hideous part of the ‘CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON’! By that evening my hand had swollen to nearly twice its size, the infection was dripping a yellowy, watery, tea-like fluid constantly and the tissue on my finger had turned shades of green and gray. Judy could no longer take it. She insisted that we go to the emergency room right then, no matter the fact that it was midnight! Fortunately this time I did not argue. When we arrived at the emergency room, most of the swelling had reduced and my prayers grew stronger. At check in I had to sign the admittance forms… with my other hand. After waiting nearly seven hours, we were able to get a room in the ER. Another two hours passed as they performed blood tests, took cultures of the infection, ran x-rays and an EKG. The ER doctor told Judy that if she and I had waited a few more hours to bring me in – a few hours, not a day – chances were that I would have been dead. My heart and lungs were weakened and my blood pressure was dangerously low; although my faith was strong and my spirits high, I was one very, very sick man. We sat in that room in the ER and watched, as the infection got worse. I was finally assigned a bed in the hospital where they hooked me up to an IV and every three hours changed the antibiotic… giving me a cocktail of sorts… because they had no idea how to treat the infection until all of the tests results were in. They wrapped the hand and spoke a few platitudes and that was all that they could do. They did nothing else for me for the next 3 days. That is when Judy developed symptoms on her right cheek. We prayed over her face and my situation before she went down to the ER only to be told that the ER can’t help everyone… the rash must get as big as a nickel and be draining in order to get a culture. They just told her to go away and come back if it got worse. (For that we received a $600 bill in the mail.) She returned to my bedside in the hospital, reported the situation and then immediately started wiping it with germicidal wipes followed with tea tree oil and left it uncovered. Three days later, to her relief and mine, her symptoms were gone! Praise The Lord! Finally a doctor informed Judy that they needed to do surgery ASAP. I was asleep... when they informed her that they may need to amputate my hand and half way to my elbow, but she emphatically told them NO! The expenses just keep growing and that old devil was starting to like a victor. I underwent major surgery on my right hand, two days in a row… both times my blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen were both extremely low for several hours. They considered moving me ICU but by the Grace of God I rallied. The first time they came to change the bandages after surgery the room was dim, making picture taking nearly impossible. On the 5th day in the hospital we finally got the results from the culture that was taken in the OR the night I was admitted and focused my IV’s on Vancomycin. It was only then that we heard the term MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). By this time the flesh eating contagion had spread to the crook in both elbows, under both armpits, and on the top of thumb on my left hand. ‘Doctor Torture’ (as I rightly refer to him), finally looked at the spread of infection on the left hand and when he did… without warning or a pain shot… he turned his attention back to my right hand, silently put on a pair of gloves and started 'RIPPING' the flesh off of my new puss filled blisters that had developed after surgery. I was released from the hospital a few hours later to go home. The hospital staff had to arrange with the Wound Care Clinic and IV Infusion Center to accept me. We began asking for help. After three consecutive days at the Wound Care Clinic we were told that no treatment would be given to the areas on Michael's body where the infection was spreading because they only treat the parts of the body that had surgery. Judy had to become my wound care provider (Saving us $750 per visit to change one bandage). Both the wound care and Infusion center wanted me to go back to ER… those medical folks were sure that I would lose his life or at the very least body parts because it was so bad. My medical expenses were growing as fast as my infection was spreading. These accumulating medical bills, food, utilities, gas for the car to get IV Infusions 7 days a week for 28 days, rehab, special medical supplies to care for the wounds once I has returned home, emotional and spiritual needs and support, so that we could both move forward with some kind of promise. This was very expensive. The day wound care refused to help care for the entire infection it was as if lights turned on in our minds at the exact same instant... We wasted no time in driving to a local health food store that was also the place that a Naturopathic Doctor was was practicing. Praise the Lord that we found the shop open and the doctor in. The Lord brought the health food store to our minds. After a mere $20 consultation with the doctor and picking up the $53 2-ounce jar of topical salve and a $25 2- ounce jar of pure Emu Oil that he recommended we mix together… we headed home and followed his advice to the letter. With in two days the boils started to dry up, the draining stopped. The swelling went down after another 2 weeks (3 inches from my upper right arm). Tiny red pinpricks of the infection kept trying to come back but with the ND’s treatments it slowly recedes and is kept at bay… reducing the problem, shrinking the area of infection, stopping the pain and itching, all the while returning healthy tissues where the MRSA had eaten away at me. By following the ND and MD doctors suggestions for me to return to the hospital daily for a full 30 days of IV infusions cost me $6500 per day, totaling to a whopping $195,000. That amount was for those infusions alone, not counting my wonderful surgeries, bills from the surgeon, anesthesiologist, or the room charges from the hospital. The 57 stitches came out on the 12th day after surgery… (This visit and the procedure to remove those stitches added additional costs) and then I developed a reaction to the tape they used and which gave the infection a new foothold. However, within 4 days of applying that topical salve, that flare up was gone. What still remained, from what I thought at first to be 'spider bites' and aggravated by the MRSA battle was the constant insane itching like with MRSA, or shingles, on my back that we now know was Morgellon, and so I decided to try the salve on my back, although persistent, it too eventually eased up and gave way to the topical salve. Half way through intensely battling Morgellon we ran out of the last jar of salve. That ND had closed up shop and retired, going back to his home town in India. His products were no longer available. Now what? When most people are in shock their brains either dummy down, go into advanced memory projection or like in Judy's case just take time to move emotions aside in order to function. Six years prior she had graduated from an Australian Institution that offered online homeopathic, herbal, and naturopathic courses that awarded her the tiles and certificates of 'Naturopathic Doctor' and 'Doctorate of Homeopathic Medicine', but she had never thought that she would ever need the information for herself or a loved one. She never pursued her dreams in that field once her certificates burned in our house fire. She used the ingredient information found on the side of the last topical salve jar that we had purchased at the health food store before it closed, and after doing the research, recreated that concoction to the best of her ability, and the new salve worked just as well as the original. It was this new salve that we believe helped me eventually kick not only the MRSA but also the Morgellon to the curb. In 2017 Judy used the topical salve when she came down with her first case of eczema and a horrific case of athlete’s foot. Her friend of nearly 30 years used it to help soothe the redness, pain and swelling in scars from open heart surgery. They are both happy campers now! We are certain that if it had not been for the Lord, faithful praying Saints, the hospitals’ surgeon, that ND herbal doctor that has returned to his birth country, the knowledgeable staff at the health food store that unfortunately has long since closed, and the items purchased there, I would be dead, disfigured or disabled for life. I may have scars and Judy may feel the regret of turning to the allopathic side for healing, followed by peace because of turning back to the healing provided in nature, but our faith is strong and so are their bodies, now, in this regard anyway. WE cannot say that we have developed an ‘Herbal Cure’… but if this is not… then it is a super close answer that helps one live with many of the associated symptoms. We believe it has been an answer from God, and you may too… They are sharing this information… as a gift from God. Most people are like us, to the extent that they do not want to waste good time and money going to a doctor or seeking a cure, thinking that their bodies will just magically heal themselves. So many times as soon as the symptoms were gone I stopped applying the salve. We cannot see what lies below the skin awaiting a chance to resurface. The salve can penetrate up to seven layers deep. I would stop applying the salve too soon; it would resurface because there was nothing to stop it. This happened time and time again because I was not persistent long enough. We finally understood the problem and applied the salve daily whether or not there were symptoms for over a month and that finally did the trick. As of April 8, 2016 I was totally healed. I expect this full recovery from my brush with MRSA and Morgellon to last but was left devastated by huge medical bills that we are still trying to pay, topping over $750,000 and surgical scars. If you desire more info about the salve, the ingredients, see pictures of my hand, or purchase some salve for yourself, we have a website; https://mrsa-morgellon-magic.weebly.com. We are faithful stewards of our money, I cherish my scars because they show me how frail life is, and I am blessed. We are blessed to be around to tell you, to tell everyone we can, that God is real; God loves you, and me, and wants relationships with each of us. * * * In Closing * * * If you will take a good hard look at the times you may have been spared in a near death situation, you just might find that God and His angels have been watching over you because you are one of His elect. Take this course over and over as often as needed to help you establish a real relationship with Jesus. Visit our church website often for solid biblical instructions, videos, sermons, and family entertainment: https://homeward-bound-pilgrims.weebly.com May God bless and keep you. Michael & Judy Peck Session 19–When the going gets rough.
Where do you turn when you have troubles with work, with people, with things, an addiction, a bad habit, any currant negative situation? Who do you turn to? Is God the first one on your list or, like 95% of Christians, is He the last person you go to out of desperation? I know you thought we would never talk about Adam and Eve one last time, but here we go… when they realized the error of their ways they hid, and then they diverted the blame to someone else, anything but be accountable for their own bad choices. We’ve been reading in the book in Job. And wow, Job used the word “trouble” frequently! He definitely had reason to do so. He lost everything he had and his wife wanted him to curse God and die. Things had gotten that bad! While Job is well-known for his trust in God, for a few chapters, he boldly asks the big question to God that we all ask when we just don’t understand. Why? We’ve all experienced our share of asking God why. Be encouraged; we may not understand why now, but someday we will. He is our Father and we need to know that. If we want to live in house we must obey His rules. We alone can decide not to obey and accept the alternative or repent. (Read John 14:15, John 10:27-30, Galatians 5:13-14, 2 John 1:6, Romans 2:6-8) Until then, claim His Word. As you may not know, there are many conditional promises that require your action and obedience in order to receive them. God always keeps His unconditional promises. We have written out a few of each here for you. Psalm 20:1. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Psalm 9:9. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 62:8. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Isaiah 26:4. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 86:7. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me. Psalm 37:5. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. John 14:27. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Matthew 6:14-15. Jesus said: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 17:20. Jesus said: "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 21:22. Jesus said: "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Luke 17:6. Jesus said: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." John 8:31. Jesus said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." John 8:51. Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." John 11:40. Jesus said: "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" John 13:35. Jesus said: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 14:15. Jesus said: "If you love me, you will obey what I command." It is one thing to ‘say’ you are a Christian, a Saint, a Child of God, it is another to walk the walk. You need to know how to walk that walk. You need to know where you may be needing help. This point is really quite practical. His presence comes in increasing measure as we practice these sessions, in private and in our worship. Beyond the songs and sermons are rich discoveries awaiting the faithful. The glory of God will begin to fill the air. At times this happens with explainable external manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Other times it's just a magnificent awareness that He is with you. For those of you tempted to point out the fact that He is always with us, I do understand and believe that, but more importantly, it lets me know that you do. There are wondrous times when the increased manifestation of His presence upon us is beyond reason. It heightens our emotions and sweetens our day. Please dwell in it Do not interrupt it. Of course this cannot be an excuse to skip the privilege of teaching the gospel. We need things we don't understand, can't control and can't explain. This is what life is when following Jesus. There are times when His presence comes with a specific purpose that must be discovered and obeyed. "And the power of the Lord was present to heal" (Luke 5:17). Our responsibility as leaders, as Saints, is to find out why He is present. While it may be challenging, it is not difficult once you have mastered the ‘mystery’. We may share similar personal routines: I send out love and then seek, thank, question, and even cry to God in private but after I send out love I allow the Holy Spirit to take the first step in public. When the breakthrough I desire does not happen, I trust that the Holy Spirit has reasons that I cannot comprehend. The ‘mystery’ truly is an ongoing encounter with the presence that enables us to live like Jesus did. Exercise 19 – On this your next to last exercise remember to begin by extending love. Then, when you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, surrender your expectations and agenda. Be willing to accept whatever He says. Ask one question about where you may have trouble at work, with a certain person or group of people, anything that is troubling you, an addiction, a bad habit, and any currant negative situation that you doing or causing or that someone else is doing or causing and you need to handle with the love of Christ. As you ask God to have the Holy Spirit work on a difficult situation be ready to accept the challenge. We encourage you to remain surrendered to His will, without complicating it with your agenda or expectations. Praise God for the ability to have the Holy Spirit as your personal body guard, supporter, and confidant. Session 20 – Live the mystery.
We have reached the end of actual sessions in this course. By now you know that the Holy Spirit does dwell within you. He has shown you time and again that He loves you. Even so, you must use this 'mystery' 24/7 for yourself and others. Christ lived as an open invitation for all to seek the Father. You must too. This adds a wonderful opportunity to the possible effect on every believer who desires to live as Jesus did. The Holy Spirit is accessible by to all Saints. Continually using this ‘mystery’ to communicate with the triune God will be a blessing, pressed down, running over, and shaken together for you and your loved ones. It takes time. The more you spend time with God in this manner the more you will get out of it. The sweeter your relationship with Him will be. All of us want to finish well. But so many will not. Some will never hear the Master say ‘Well done good and faithful servant but instead will be turned away from the wedding feast having never known the Him. (Read Matthew 25:23, Matthew 7:21-23) Why? We must remember that our role in using this ‘mystery’ is not our reward. It is merely a tool to do the work that He has been planned for us to do. Jesus is our reward. Some roles will begin and they will end. We must stay the race. The only way for us to end the race well is if in our heart Jesus has increased and we have decreased. In answer to ‘Why’ some will be turned away from the Kingdom… is because no one ever witnessed to them so they never accepted Christ, were never baptized, and never had a relationship with Him. What will happen to your id at the thought of Jesus closing doors that you never wanted closed? How much do you long to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that things, places, and people of this world no longer hold first place in your life because Jesus holds that spot? How well are you prepared to take your last breath? What if He calls you home tonight? What if your term of Ambassadorship is over? Have you shared the gospel lately? When was the last time you witnessed or shared your testimony? Have you trained a replacement? Have you even thought of one? The work we do here is not about us. Here, in this world, the wedding is all about the Bride, her dress, her hair, her everything, as Satan would have it. Thankfully, as one of His brides, the wedding is not about us. It’s about Him. We never want to compete with the Bridegroom. We want to do the Bridegrooms bidding, joyfully! To discover the ‘Mystery’ and Hearken unto God is a gift and a privilege of the Saints, His Brides, in preparation for a relationship that will be an eternity of love. Then, because as we said in session 1, time is running out, find someone to share this ‘mystery’ with. Practice it together. Pray together. Praise God together. Then encourage them to share it too! We’ve learned that by having a session every morning when we first wake up, our day is opened to the Holy Spirit as it plays out. As we share this ‘mystery’ with another our joy grows in watching as the Holy Spirit becomes real in their life and the relationship with Jesus explodes. Your final exercise is twofold:
We pray that this course has enriched your spiritual life and that you and yours will be mightily blessed. Thank you for taking this time to ‘Discover the ‘Mystery’ – and – will Hearken unto God’. If you should like to read Session 21, our testimonies about God’s mighty hand in protecting and guiding us throughout our lives, continue reading. Session 18 – Desiring More of God #4
This is the last time we will ask “How do we remain in Jesus in the midst of the busyness of this world?” We asked our Father for help from the Holy Spirit to remind us throughout the courses of the day to stay intentionally plugged into God, then to bring people to mind and after that to remind us to remain plugged in to God by being reminded to read His word. We haven’t spoken about the id in a few sessions. Now is the time. The id loves this world, cursing, polluting the temple with drinking, drugs, smoking, graffiti, gluttony, laziness, blaspheming, dressing immodest, flirting, lust, having adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, abortion, cheating, hating, coveting, being vindictive, envying, lying, stealing, gossiping, celebrating traditions of men, and craving vanity, greed, money, power, and position. Every one of us has weaknesses. We can each find at least one of ours in the list above. We are humans and must constantly fight the thoughts of sin or they will turn into actions. Some of you may not realize what the bible has to say about some of the items on that list above. This is not our list, but it is our responsibility to expose the list of the most common sins known to humankind. The fact that the courts of our country and many others have made some of these legal does not mean that God has changed His stand on these sins. "Be in the world, but not of the world" is a phrase that's heard a lot in Christian subculture. It refers to what Jesus said as recorded by one of His close friends in John 15:19 and John 17:14-16. Read those passages. This concept is also talked about later in the New Testament by the famous convert Paul (Read what he had to say here; 2 Corinthians 6:15-18, 1 Corinthians 6:15-18, Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:1). Who rules the world? As a Saint doing this course you know the answer is Satan. But our id tells us that no one rules over us. We have free will and make our own way in this world. To a small degree that is a true statement too. When the word "world" is used in the New Testament, it's a translation of the Greek word cosmos. (No, we're not getting all astrological on you.) "Cosmos" most often refers to the planet earth and its human inhabitants who live their lives with their backs turned toward God. Satan is the Prince of this "cosmos." Read to see where even Jesus called him that in John 12:31 and again in John 16:11. The Apostle John mentions that the "whole world is under the control of the evil one" as you can read in 1 John 5:19. So if we are spared by the ‘mystery’ and aren't ruled by Satan and sin anymore, that's great, many are finding this so, but we still live here! Yeah. Not so great. But Jesus has given us freedom from that evil, remember? We may be physically present ("in the world"), but thanks to the Holy Spirit we don't have to be a part of its values (Read John 17:14-16). Because we are Saints with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we're set apart from the wickedness of the cosmos as we seek to live a holy, righteous life. That is one reason we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that and upon baptism we were sealed in righteousness for the day of redemption. (Read Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 4:30, Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21, Romans 6:4) Before you start worrying about measuring up, stop and listen (or read, rather). Believing in Jesus doesn't mean that you will ever automatically stop sinning unless that is God’s plan for you. Most of us are not that fortunate. Sorry, breaking bad habits is a personal work that most of us need to do with the help of the Holy Spirit. God didn't design humans to be robots with no ability to choose. We can still make our own decisions, good and bad. But with Christ, we don't have to be a slave to those bad choices—we have the power to choose NOT to do the sinful stuff the world loves. That is called crucifying the flesh. The id would drag you to the darkness. We can choose not to keep company with those that perpetuate the corrupt darkness, in reality or in our minds, that the world wants to shove into our eyes and ears. We have the freedom to choose Jesus now (Read Romans 12:1-2). It's a daily thing, an intentional commitment for you to remember that you have power in Christ (Read it here; 2 Corinthians 12:9)—you're not alone. We each chose to accept the invitation or not. Just as President Trump is putting up a wall to keep illegal aliens out of America, without the seal of redemption no one will be able to scale the walls of heaven and enter the Kingdom of God. You are a representative of another kingdom, if fact you are royalty! With that said we don't want to get all self-righteous, either. We are more like a pilgrim, a visitor on a visa, who is an Ambassador for Christ's Kingdom, visiting a world that is not our home, showing people how amazing our real home-world is, and inviting them to come back with us. We're lights of hope to those who are stumbling around in spiritual darkness. How do we shine like hope? We shine by shutting down our id and living a ‘called out’ life. Live your life in such a way that those who don't believe can see that there is something you have that is good and wonderful—something different, something they'll be curious about, something they'll want for themselves, too. The world's values are not the things Jesus values. The world's pleasures are not the pleasures of an Ambassador of Christ, tempting as they may be. Personal pleasure is no longer our goal in life as would be the case with the id, as it once was, but rather the worship of God and living our lives as light in the dark, showing others that the id is a dead end. Finding the Joy of Christ, growing in grace and knowledge, and having a peace that passes all understanding are worth far more than anything that can be obtained here on earth. Exercise 18 - Repeat session 8 again, extending love. Then, when you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit ask one of the following questions or one of your own that is similar; Father, in Jesus name, please send the Holy Spirit to help me resist my id and live righteous for you daily. Father, in Jesus name, please have the Holy Spirit inject thoughts of you, blocking worldly desires daily. Father, in Jesus name, please have the Holy Spirit remind me who I am in you so I may hearken when you call and resist the temptations of the flesh and worldly desires. Be sure to verify and test any answer with the Bible. You have just asked God to have the Holy Spirit make you aware to resist worldly thoughts and desires and may input positive thoughts, images, feelings, messages to encourage you to remain in Him through His word. Praise God for the ability to have the Holy Spirit as your personal guidance councilor. Remember to live, think, and act like an Ambassador for Christ's Kingdom, for you are God’s child. Session 16 – Desiring More of God #2
So you were asked “How do we remain in Jesus in the midst of the busyness of this world?” We asked our Father for help from the Holy Spirit to remind us throughout the courses of the day to stay intentionally plugged into God. This should help our physical, emotional and spiritual health. In this session we will be asking for the help of the Holy Spirit in another way to keep us connected. Koinonia is a Greek word that means “community, communion, joint participation, sharing and intimacy.” It’s essential for us to regularly have times of koinonia with God and with other believers. Sometimes it’s difficult to feel that God really is with us. Yet, as a follower of Jesus, God’s Spirit is living inside of us. He’s that close! Be intentional about talking to God throughout the day, just like He is sitting right next to you, because He’s right there! Think about Him. Pray and ask for what you need. Praise Him. Spend time encouraging other believers and being encouraged every day in person. Or send a text. Pray for your friends. Write a quick note on Facebook. Even short words of encouragement to others have a huge impact! Exercise 16- Repeat session 8 extending love once again. Then, when you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit ask Him one of the following questions or one of your own that is similar. Father, in Jesus name, please send the Holy Spirit to remind me of someone to pray for or contact daily. Father, in Jesus name, please have the Holy Spirit inject thoughts of people that need your love so I may work. Father, in Jesus name, please have the Holy Spirit remind me throughout each day to share your love. Again, don’t try to hear words. You may not hear, see, or feel anything at this time, or you may. If you do, be sure to verify and test the answer with the Bible. Be aware that you have just asked God to have the Holy Spirit interject thoughts, images, feelings, messages from various people that will remind you to pray for, witness to, or contact them. Pause when this happens. Thank the Holy Spirit, and as soon as possible take the appropriate recommended action, hearkening unto the Lord. Session 15 – Desiring More of God #1.
As children of God, our triune Creator can speak to us anytime. We have to stay connected to hear Him. Doing your exercises for a few moments daily is not enough. You need to develop a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit. All forms of hearing are important. If you only hearken to God when you do these exercises or read your Bible, what happens the rest of the time? You are a Saint 24/7. You have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit 24/7. Jesus was both man and God 24/7. You can do this. You were made in His image. Go to Him often, times without number, daily. You think of it as practicing your course exercises but actually it is using this ‘Mystery’ to draw closer to Him, as often as possible. We need to always stay aligned with the Holy Spirit. What we do between meals and crawling into bed late at night matters a lot. If a person starts his day praying and meditating on the word of God, sending love to every thought, and after doing that he left thinking his fellowship continues when he returns to his secret place, then that person might become a victim of the devil if he is not allowing himself to be led by the Holy Spirit every moment. Our fellowship with God should be consistent (Read John 15:4). Continuous fellowship with God helps to keep us aligned and enable us to bear good fruit (do the will of God). Don’t you love it when you’re reading the Bible and a verse just jumps out to you? That is one way God speaks to us! Yesterday I started reading through the short but often challenging 1 John and throughout the day I kept coming back to this verse: “I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God lives in you and you have overcome the evil one.” (That was 1 John 2:14) Jesus, the Word, by His death, burial and resurrection, has already overcome the Evil One (Satan). As God’s children we, too, have overcome the Evil One because we are under Jesus’ authority and have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But sometimes it’s easy to let the lies of the enemy slip in—and to believe them. We find that our minds get stressed, perplexed, confused, short tempered, and depressed most common when we aren’t continually grounding ourselves in Jesus; when we aren’t remaining in Him. What does it mean to “Remain”? In John 15:4-5 Jesus says, “Remain (live, abide, stay) in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The Greek word for “remain” in this verse is “meno” and translates “to remain, abide, stay, and wait.” Just like the branch that stays connected to the healthy vine will bear grapes, in order to thrive and bear spiritual fruit we must remain closely connected to Jesus, the Vine, receiving the nutrients of His life-giving Holy Spirit. This is how we must fellowship with Him. We must remain in Him. When a flower is cut from the rest of the plant, and no longer is being nourished by the roots, after a period of time it dies. Placing it in a vase of water only extends the inevitable. Separation from God is death. By continuing to live daily under your own power and not including God, the Holy Spirit to lead, advise, assist, and abide with you every moment, 24/7, is deciding to live separate from God. If you live with someone, parents, children, a mate, or roommate, how many timed during your day, when they are not around, do you think about them and their needs? If the relationship is close then you probably think about them a lot, you may even stop to talk or text them one or more times a day. It should even be more than that with God. So, how do we remain in Jesus while trying to hold down a job, raise a family, deal with health, finances, mental stability, spiritual issues, personal problems, stress, and well, basically, live in this ungodly world? The answer is simple to say but sometimes a challenge to do: we must be intentional! Our very existence, our physical, emotional and spiritual health depends on our remaining connected to God through the Holy Spirit. This is the biggest part of the ‘mystery’. Over the remaining sessions we will be asking the Holy Spirit to show us ways, and continue to remind us how to remain always ready to hearken to God and share that fact with others. (It is vital that you read 2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Peter 3:15, 1 Peter 2:1-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Acts 1:8, Luke 12:40, Matthew 24:42) Exercise 15 – By now you must realize that you need to begin every contact with the Holy Spirit with love, because He is love! Then, when you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit ask Him one of the following questions or one of your own that is similar. Father, in Jesus name, please send the Holy Spirit to remind me to abide, so I can listen to and obey you, often. Father, in Jesus name, please have the Holy Spirit inject His presence daily so I may hearken unto you. Father, in Jesus name, please have the Holy Spirit remind me throughout each and every day to remain in you. Again we stress... Don’t try to hear words. You may not hear, see, or feel anything at this time, or you may. If you do, be sure to verify and test the answer with the Bible. Be aware that you have just asked God to have the Holy Spirit interject thoughts, images, feelings, messages from various people and things that will remind you to pray, thank God, bless thoughts, or witness to people. No matter how you are reminded, you must act upon the information, no excuses! (Read James 1:22) Thank the Holy Spirit, hearkening unto the Lord. Session 14 – Asking Specifically
Today we will ask another question of the Holy Spirit. He will join with you, so be sure to ask your question from your heart. What do we mean? For example there are many ways to ask the same basic question but also many ways to be specific in the request. Father, in Jesus name I’m asking the Holy Spirit, should I eat lunch at the Mexican cafe today or the Russian one? Father, in Jesus name I’m asking the Holy Spirit, would I benefit more if I eat lunch at the Mexican cafe today or the Russian one? Father, in Jesus name I’m asking the Holy Spirit, would it be in my greater good to eat lunch at the Mexican cafe today or the Russian one? Father, in Jesus name I’m asking the Holy Spirit, would it be in your will for me to testify as I eat lunch at the Mexican cafe today or the Russian one? Father, in Jesus name I’m asking the Holy Spirit, would it align with the will of God to eat lunch at the Mexican cafe today or the Russian one? Do you get the point? Your intent must be included in the question. The answer may come from any direction, any of those previously mentioned in other sessions. The Holy Spirit is always going to answer your specific questions to aid you in achieving your goal as it aligns with the will of God. (Read Deuteronomy 4:29, Acts 17:27, 1 Chronicles 16:11.) You will never get an answer that does not line up with scripture. Test it out. God, Christ and the Holy Spirit, which are one, do not disagree, ever! Because they see you clothed in Christ, as a child of God, they will instruct you as such. Once you begin to communicate with the Holy Spirit on a regular basis your id begins to shrink, your ‘newness in Christ expands’ and His work shines, filled with glory and agape love. He will begin to speak audibly, through your mind at first, once He finds you ready… but probably not yet, you are not quite prepared for that yet, almost. Be open this time to receiving the answers in whatever ways are for your highest good. Jesus never talked down to His disciples as if they were beneath Him. He loved them as friends and brothers, the same way He loves you. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman, quiet and kind. Eventually He will send you the answers in various new ways to open your heart and mind. He starts with sounds and feelings, then as you get stronger, generally after this course is over, as you grow in grace and wisdom, continuing to work on the ‘Mystery’ and in your abilities He will speak through others, movies, songs, books, the internet, birds, clouds, honestly every way imaginable. For now just be ready to get your answer in whatever way the Holy Spirit decides to move. Exercise 14 – Remember to begin extending love once again. Then, when you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit ask Him a question, only this time ask the Holy Spirit what would be the greater good for you in a specific decision you need to make. Don’t try to hear words. Be sure to verify and test the answer. This will help assure that you are on the right path. Session 13 –Ask and you shall receive. This session will be a bit different and much longer. With this session you are entering your last week of the course. Looking back over previous sessions, do you believe you have a solid relationship with the Holy Spirit at this point, or do you feel you need to go back and start from session 8 again? Continue forward if you feel confidant or advance to the *** in the left margin if you have gone back and repeated sessions 8 – 12 … but please do not rush forward if you are not sure. Remember that everyone grows in grace and knowledge at a speed pre-set by God when He created you! This is not grade school. You need not feel bad or unworthy by taking a refresher, or two or ten! Knowing that you are diligently seeking His righteousness has its own rewards! You are being like the Bereans, studying to prove the word is true. No one is grading you. The journey so far has been about laying a foundation. Grade School lays the foundation for a lot of different subjects. This course is laying a foundation to a relationship that will last for eternity. What can be more important? Ask yourself, seriously, is your foundation solid? You are more than likely a bit overwhelmed by all of the supportive scripture. We want you to know that seeking God, learning how to see and hear Him in many ways is as important for you learn as they are for the work that God has planned for your future. Up until now, if you have been a typical Christian, most of your prayers, if you prayed at all, were occasionally over meals, sometimes at bed time, and almost always when you needed God to help you with a problem. We are not putting you down. We know that is how you were trained. We all were. This concept, this way of communicating with the Holy Spirit is not new. It has not been taught in this format before that is all. School teachers go to school, college, and university, to learn certain subjects and to learn how to teach those subjects in a school setting. You cannot teach a thing that was not taught to you. You are God’s child, being trained in the way you should go. When the course is over, and others are asking for someone to teach them, you will be equipped to point them to this foundational course. You will be able to say… “Here I am, send me”! (Read Isaiah 6:8) You are and will be blessed by taking this free course and will see the results when you can use ‘Mystery’ in every area of your life and be able to share your new knowledge with others (Read Matthew 28:18-20). God desires very much to be more than just your friend. Our relationship with God is the most personal relationship we can ever have. God is a jealous God; we are not to let anyone or anything comes between God and us. (Read 1 Timothy 2:5) “For there is one God, one Mediator, between God and men: Christ Jesus”. We are to be in Christ as Christ is in God, it is the Holy Spirit that unifies us together. God has given us His Holy Spirit to counsel, teach, and comfort us. Jesus said in (John 14:26) “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. Through baptism the Holy Spirit is yours, residing in you, and your name is written in the Book of Life, unless you are an unrepentant sinner. Remember too that it is God’s will for you to ‘hearken’ unto Him. What are your motives for wanting this? Is it to draw closer to Him, to do his will, to be His ambassador? If you are absolutely certain you have no ulterior motives, are willing to comply when he calls you to action, and will put your id aside for the glory of God, be also sure that He will provide a way for you be renewed, to resist temptation, and be safe in His hands. (Now read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and 1 Corinthians 10:31). Ask Him to bless you in this endeavor to bring the results that will change your life into the reflection of Him, if it be His will. Unfortunately not everyone taking this course is doing so to draw closer to God. Some want to pick this course apart and are misguided by the wrong spirits. If this is you take a look at what James 4:2-3 has to say to you… ‘You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures’. However, for truth seeking Saints 1 John 5:14-15 has this to share: ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask… we know that we have what we asked of Him. The catch there was twofold; ‘IF’ and ‘according to His will’. First we must actually ask for whatever it is that we want or need. He knows what we our need and will take care of those needs. (Read Philippians 4:19) Our wants on the other hand are another matter. In Matthew 6:31-33 we are instructed: So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’. And in Psalm 14:2 ‘The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God’. Attending services regularly, tithing a part of your money, helping others, praying and witnessing are all wonderful… but are you really in a personal relationship with our creator, our Father? That is what this course is all about. You must live every moment of your life in the Spirit because that is what others will see and know; that your walk is real. That walk, that foundation, that relationship is what you are building here in this course. That is the ‘Mystery”! Pew warmers and heathens will never understand unless we share His love with them. Even though the Holy Spirit knows everything about you even before you have a thought or utter a word, there is something about the Holy Spirit you do not know. He sees you as God does, without a spot or wrinkle (Read Ephesians 5:25-27). You are a joint heir with Christ (Read Romans 8:16-17). You are clothed in Christ (Read Romans 13:14). Your sins have been washed away (Read Acts 22:16). Now you need to start living like it! Again we ask you, is your foundation firm? Do you believe you have a solid relationship with the Holy Spirit at this point, or do you feel you need to go back and start from session 8 again? *** Continue forward if you feel confidant or if you have gone back and repeated sessions 8 – 12 … but please do not rush forward if you are not sure. Knowing these things, it is now time to go a little deeper into the training. Before this course you probably have not had many if any times when the Holy Spirit spoke to you as a teacher in your everyday life as He did with the apostles, even Paul, but it is possible that you remember times when He has comforted or protected you. We know that He has many ways to help you. We will help you to fine tune your ‘Holy Spirit Antenna’, so to speak, so you may hearken unto God. Exercise 13 – Always repeat sessions 8 by asking God, in Jesus name, as you send love out to your thoughts, for the Holy Spirit to come freely to you each time you desire and for Him to share what He feels like. When you get that feeling ask a simple question or one of these: Father, in Jesus name, allow me to ask the Holy Spirit, what would He like to tell me now? Father, in Jesus name, allow me to ask the Holy Spirit, is there something I need to work on? Father, in Jesus name, allow me to ask the Holy Spirit, can you share with me about agape love? Then just sit back, wait, eyes closed, and listen. Be open to all the ways that the Holy Spirit may communicate with you. Linger there. Silently listen, feel, and smell, whatever comes into your thoughts. What do you hear, think, feel, or smell that could possibly be an answer to your question. Once you know in your heart of hearts that the Holy Spirit did answer you, rejoice with unrestricted love! Thank the Holy Spirit, thank the Lord, and praise Jesus. Allow this experience to consume you. To be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit is no small thing! As the feelings and emotions begin to fade open your eyes and give the Holy Spirit a big hug. If you asked to learn something, or work on something… then your work is cut out for you. Focus on that. Spend as much time as you can dedicating yourself to that matter. If you asked about agape love… think of as many ways that you personally can express that love to others, then act on it often! If you believe there was nothing imparted to you, wait. The Holy Spirit is not in a rush… in fact… at this point in your journey silence may be your answer. He could be telling you that He has nothing to tell you yet, or that you are not ready for what it is He wants to relate to you, or that agape love is so much more than words can relate. In that case we urge you to stop this session after about 10 minutes, get a drink of water, look at the clouds, walk around a few moments and then start over with this exercise. After three attempts stop for the day and work on this again, day after day, until you have a breakthrough. Some people take up to a week or so… for others it happens instantly. There is no perfect timing other than what is perfect for you. You may need to wait upon the Lord. You may need more time in loving prayer, thankful fellowship, and even quiet self-preparation. Sometimes the waiting makes the event even more than words can express. What effort you put into a thing is proportionate to what you will receive from it; pressed down, shaken together and running over! (Read Luke 6:38) Session 12 –Hearkening to More Fruit
As you perfect your ability to master the ‘Mystery’ through repetition, including this and all of these exercises, you will be able to relate to the Holy Spirit in clear precise ways. You will be able to use this ability to know when the Holy Spirit is assisting you, in every matter. You will become one with His Fruit in every experience, thoughts, emotions, relationships with others, as a way of being… with all of creation. Taste the Lord and know that He is good (Psalm 34:8-9). Invite the Holy Spirit to expand your awareness of Him; be challenged to love God and everything in a new way… as you become more Christ-like with love. Open your heart to new situations and obstacles that were once challenging so the Holy Spirit will be able to manifest more clearly to you. Overcome the Id. Become an Ambassador for God (Read Ephesians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Luke 14:23). Exercise 12- You will repeat session 8 and 11, once again extending love to your thoughts. Ask our Father to ask the Holy Spirit to allow you to experience what He feels like as often as you think about it. To strengthen this new ability, repeat this exercise often. However, you may, should you desire, ask for the Holy Spirit to let you ‘see’ this fruit. It may appear as a bright light because in John 8:12 it tells us that; “Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”, or a cloud that engulfs you and everything around you as the one that guided Moses through the dessert (Read Exodus 13:21). Whatever sensation is presented to you, become one with it; find joy and peace in it. This time go for at least 10 minutes or longer if you want. Why? Because the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy you and anything you do that has to do with God (Read out loud John 10:10)! You are becoming a new creation in Christ (Read out loud any version of 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Galatians 2:20). Jesus knows our human weaknesses. God wants us to spend as much time as we can, even in increments, just to commune with us. Trusting and leaning on the Holy Spirit is one ability we have as Saints to do that. Do your exercise now, be filled and blessed with the essence of the Holy Spirit, be it love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Session 11 – Hearkening to the Fruit of the Holy Spirit
We will continue to encourage you to refresh each physical and emotional exercise by connection with the previous exercises as they all build on one another. Take the time multiple times each day to repeat these sessions. Repeat the course as often as you feel the need. You may do them separately one after another immediately, but the results may not be as dramatic or as impactful as if you allowed time to pass between each exercise. You may find that if you allow a half an hour to a full day or week between sessions you may contemplate the results of each session, digesting the truth. Everyone has a friend or acquaintance that we know so well that we can tell by their voice or body language when they are happy, sad, angry, scared, worried or tired. You just know. Soon you will know when the Holy Spirit is sharing His feelings with you in much the same way. So far you have been making the initial contact in every session, requesting our Father to send the Holy Spirit to you so that you may begin to build this relationship. All you will need to do is be still and know that you are in the presence of God (Psalm 46:10). We need to spend quiet time with God. Prayers are wonderful but not if all you are doing is giving God a list of you complaints and wishes. How would you feel if that is the only way your parents, your boss, your teachers, your mate, or children treated you? Griping, grumbling, begging and pleading get old. God wants us to learn better ways to communicate with everyone, including Him. The ‘fruit’ of the Holy Spirit is unmistakable when you are finally able to recognize it, to hearken to it, and live it. In this session we will be exploring the emotional and physical attributes and attitudes of the Holy Spirit, known as the ‘Fruit’ of the Holy Spirit. The fruit is found in Galatians 5:22–23: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.’ Why? Because there is no id involved, no self-idolatry, no greed, no self-love, no self-promotion, no negative proud-filled self at all. Now read Galatians 5:22–24, any version, out loud and pay attention to verse 24. Each time you do this exercise there is a very good chance that you will feel a different ‘Fruit’ of the spirit or a different intensity of that fruit. Remember to address all prayers to the Father, and that whatever you ask for do it in the name of Jesus, according to His will. (Now read 1 John 5:14, John 9:31, Peter 3:12, Matthew 6:6, Romans 8:26, John 16:23-24, Matthew 21:22, John 15:7.) Exercise 11- When you start, repeat lesson 8, giving love to every thought, then ask the Lord, in Jesus name to please request of the Holy Spirit to present itself to you through one of the fruits listed above. Whichever one immediately pops up… whether softly or powerfully, embrace it, wallow in it, and sink deeply into the emotion, the intensity, any fragrance, tingling, and a breeze, warm or cold, with laughter or tears. Be hyper aware of the very first thing that you experience after asking for this. You may not know the name of the ‘Fruit’ you are experiencing at the moment but you will in time as it becomes more familiar. You may recognize it instantly as an old familiar friend that you have missed for a long time. Open your heart to it, feel it every way possible, and simply be there thanking the Holy Spirit for this chance to share and learn. Accept it, extend love to this feeling and allow your heart to fully become one with this attribute. This may become overwhelming to the point of joyous tears in a matter of moments or a sweet sensation that lasts 5 to 30 minutes. Do not squelch the Holy Spirit. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19, any version, out loud, now. Allow the feelings to gently slip away. Feel the peace and love that passes all understanding (Read Philippians 4:7 and Ephesians 3:14-21 out loud). End this exercise with a thankful prayer to God (in Jesus name) for this blessing. Begin your exercise now. When done… Continue to repeat your exercises as often as you can throughout each day. You have the ears of the child of God to hear. You have the feelings of Christ to express all levels and types of a Holy Love. You are His Child, and you will now begin to act like it from the inside out. Give God praise, thanks and all the glory. Session 10 – Deeply love yourself
You must love yourself, your shortcomings, failures, body, your physical condition, emotional baggage, financial situation, your past and be open to whatever plans God has for your future. You must love and accept you, deeply. How else can you love others as yourself? We are to be holy as He is holy. He is love, and we are to be also. All thoughts are equal to the Holy Spirit. However to the id, our fleshly self, some thoughts are given more negative power than others. They stir up more negative emotions than others. Proverbs 14:30 addresses the results of bitter feelings, but jealousy, envy, pain, mistrust, deception, are also but a few feelings that we must harness and release. Now read Proverbs 14:30 in KJV out loud. Whether they are your thoughts or those around you with a negative influence or ones that have a hold over you, they can be defused by allowing God, the Holy Spirit, and Love to be the medicine that heals you in all of these areas. Most of us have given these strong thoughts such a stronghold as a way of survival, as part of our personal identity. This step may take a little longer, 10 – 60 minutes and as such needs to be addressed a little slower. The Holy Spirit is never in a rush! He will never rip off a band-aid and cause pain intentionally but He will expose them. If the emotions are not 100% defused it may be because you have only peeled away one layer of it like an onion… and the pain is still there, raw and vulnerable. Whether it is a childhood trauma that you have been carrying or a resent one… give yourself enough love to continue working in this area with the love of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and you. Core issues may take days, weeks, or months depending on how deep they go and how much time and effort you are willing to dedicate to overcoming them. Sometimes our feelings can mutate from anger, to sadness, to fear, to hostility, or anywhere on the emotional scale. This will cause us to continue to work on these altered emotions. Continue to work through this… the sweet victory of the healing you will be more living in the spirit rather than in the id. Yes… a very sweet victory. You will be who you really want to be, the person God created you to be! Developing this new way to face your emotions can truly transform your life. You will be a new creation in Christ, the one promised you in scripture. Some folks do not realize that when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray that He instructed them to address all prayers to the Father, and that whatever they asked for should be done in His name. Exercise 10–Repeat session 8 and then ask the Lord, in Jesus name, to allow the Holy Spirit to give you an unresolved emotion to work on. It may come bounding into your mind loud and terrifying because that is how you remember it or it may come softly with gently weeping. If one pops up that you do not want to deal with… push on and deal with it any way… God knows best. Open your heart to it, embrace it, feel it every way possible, and simply be there thanking the Holy Spirit for this chance to heal. Accept it, extend love to this feeling and allow your heart to build it into love, unconditional love. Do not succumb to it… do not identify with it, or become it, step back, shine the love of God into that corner. Stop your session, love yourself, and continue later. Be patient, you can do this. The love of God has you. Blessings are in your near future, pressed down, shaken together and running over. Continue to repeat exercise 8 as often as you can. You have ears to hear, hear what the Holy Spirit is wanting to help you overcome. Lean back now, take a nice slow deep breath, and begin this exercise. |
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Michael & Judy Peck Archives
February 2020
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