pretty much, I am a free spirit locked up in a room.
the key is in my hand
but guilt is weighing my arm down
making it impossible to lift to unlock the door.
gonna go with the float....
let the guilt draw me down to the floor
flattening me.
and then...
seep under the door.
ah. I am free.
!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The Awakening
A time comes in your life when you finally get it... when in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out: ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening.
You realize that its time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the real world there aren't always fairy-tale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you, and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.
You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate, or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself, and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop bitching and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you,) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say, that not everyone will always be there for you, and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself, and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties, and in the process a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness.
You realize that much of the way you view yourself and the world around you is as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche. You begin to sift through all the crap you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look, how much you should weigh, what you should wear, where you should shop, what you should drive, how and where you should live, what you should do for a living, who you should sleep with, who you should marry, what you should expect of a marriage, the importance of having and raising children, or what you owe your parents.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are, what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with, and in the process you learn to go with your instincts. You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing. You stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.
Your learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything, that it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and you learn the importance of setting boundaries and of learning to say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.
Then you learn about love: Romantic love and familiar love. You learn how to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship. You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more loveable or important because of the man or woman on your arm or the child that bears your name. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with love.
And you learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms. And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely. And you look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you "stack up." You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK and you learn that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things that you want and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands.
You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you decide you won't settle for less. And you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you to glorify you with his or her touch... and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect. And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.
You learn that for the most part, in life, you get what you believe you deserve..and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help.
You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time: FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears, because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes "bad" things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers. It's just life happening. And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state: the ego.
You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.
Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise never to betray yourself and never, ever to settle for less than your heart's desire. And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.
Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.
Author Unknown
You realize that its time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the real world there aren't always fairy-tale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you, and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.
You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate, or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself, and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop bitching and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you,) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say, that not everyone will always be there for you, and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself, and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties, and in the process a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness.
You realize that much of the way you view yourself and the world around you is as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche. You begin to sift through all the crap you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look, how much you should weigh, what you should wear, where you should shop, what you should drive, how and where you should live, what you should do for a living, who you should sleep with, who you should marry, what you should expect of a marriage, the importance of having and raising children, or what you owe your parents.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are, what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with, and in the process you learn to go with your instincts. You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing. You stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.
Your learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything, that it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and you learn the importance of setting boundaries and of learning to say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.
Then you learn about love: Romantic love and familiar love. You learn how to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship. You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more loveable or important because of the man or woman on your arm or the child that bears your name. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with love.
And you learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms. And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely. And you look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you "stack up." You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK and you learn that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things that you want and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands.
You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you decide you won't settle for less. And you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you to glorify you with his or her touch... and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect. And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.
You learn that for the most part, in life, you get what you believe you deserve..and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help.
You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time: FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears, because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes "bad" things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers. It's just life happening. And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state: the ego.
You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.
Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise never to betray yourself and never, ever to settle for less than your heart's desire. And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.
Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.
Author Unknown
Saturday, November 20, 2010
A Curse Lifted- Peace received.
The Curse of God- upon a woman:
"and your desire shall be towards your husband, your pain in childbirth shall be increased and in sorrows shall be mutiplied".
Sounds horrible. It IS. And what is worse, 'MAN' holds us to it. But guess what, JUST BECAUSE there is a curse, doesn't mean that you have to have it upon your head and your life forever.
YOU can refuse it. It holds no power over you if you don't let it.
It is a curse for the woman do all that she does FOR her husband. But the truth of the matter is SHE is the one who stays there.... she CHOOSES to stay there because she doesn't know what else to do. She doesn't know SHE has the power to overcome such a curse. She feels bound by her husband's authority and doesn't TAKE for herself what already belongs to her. The husband especially wants her there because of what HE stands to lose if she seperates herself from her curse.... how can you expect ANY different? WHO WOULDN'T want a person at their beck and call. He stands to lose the ONE person he feels the "freedom" to control- - in accordance to man's law, his interpretation of 'Biblical' law and to his ignorant view of his wife.
BLESSED is the MAN who gives himself over to loving his wife as Christ loved the church. Who blesses her, supports her, walks beside her, LIFTS her, who uses his strength for her betterment, who KNOWS the desires of her heart and yearns to give them to her..... in loving HER in this way, what he will receive is greater than what he could ever imagine!!
CURSED is the woman who doesn't CHOOSE to live her life unbound by such oppression.
A man will choose no differently if the WOMAN chooses no differently. The WIFE needs to show him, she needs to teach him, because his view is ignorant. I don't say that with any disrespect.... it's been centuries in the making. Which is why we need to search out the TRUTH of this matter.
ANYone can rise ABOVE a curse. ANYone can choose to refuse it and live their live without a curse. A curse has NO POWER unless the person it's been given to LET'S IT. In regards to the curse of the woman, she can rise above it. "Her desire shall be to her husband" .... a curse. That is oppressive, binding. That her heart is turned towards her husband is not a BAD thing. Woman was created to be a "help meet, a completer" for man. 'Woman' was created as a strong, capable being; creative and gifted/skilled with vision and then given the perserverance to REACH the potential of the vision for her family, children, home. A man BUCKS against that. His EGO bucks against that. He is destroying his strength when he does so.
A woman was created to stand on her OWN feet. She SHOULD do so. Our daughters should be taught this!! A woman should DO and pursue what she wants-- with or without a husband/man.
The CURSE is she does everything FOR the man.
WHY SETTLE FOR THAT CURSE??! She needs to do it for HER self.
In God, we are all equal. ALL !! There's no discrimination by Him- Men, women, children,race ... none of it matters to God. We are created as EQUAL BEINGS. We are ALL HIS CHILDREN. So that being a foundational truth, then you are His child. I am His child. And taking that truth and attaching it to another Truth, God IS Good. He is PERFECT. He is a good, perfect Father who wants healing, health and growth for us, then a good and loving Father would not want His child to suffer and be BOUND by a curse.
I have gone before my GOOD, loving, perfect Father and have asked Him to remove that curse that was placed upon woman from me. In His goodness and love, He DID. Praise to my good, loving,merciful, holy Creator! :) It is lifted. I am FREE from that curse that was placed upon my kind those thousands of years ago.
It's done because He CAN DO that. It is His WILL that I have such freedom- given of Him. He cannot/will not change the 'nature of man'. Man was created with such a free-will nature. So man will ALWAYS seek to destroy, control and serve his own ego- but I don't have to RECEIVE such into my spirit!
And my flesh can RISE above it-- if there is a WILL, there is a way.
In my being released from the curse, what/where will my free-will take me?
My free-will lets ME choose. NO other being can prevent me unless I 'let' them.
FIRST STEPS:
1. I can CHOOSE what I want, for ME. :) If a husband tried to control or has a problem with it, it is exactly that... HIS problem.
Submission is GIVEN , not TAKEN. If it is TAKEN, it is FORCE.
2. I don't have to LET anything he does or says move me or force me from my goal. It is simply an obstacle- the Spirit of God can give me guidance to move around it.
3. No matter what, if I seek God's will and let the fruits of the Spirit be my guide, I can DO what I want (ie, follow the desires of my heart, because I am no longer bound by any curse! yea!!!!). Did you hear that? We can DO what WE want and GOD will provide. God provides for HIS own and I/YOU are HIS :) Let me give you this 'gift' that I received that you also may receive it for yourself >> He owns you -- not as a possession but because you were HIS all along- you were His heart. You are a PIECE of HIM.
In searching out the deepest, darkest corners of your heart and KNOWING who YOU are,then can you begin to know who God is. In knowing YOUR HEART, then you can know GOD heart. In knowing your pain, your weaknesses and strengths; in knowing your warts and your beauty- THEN you can TRULY KNOW God. And in knowing all of that, knowing the TRUTH, of not only who you are but who HE is, you will become free- of bondage and curse.
The TRUTH is> "you" are His heart ... His heart is all good and holy. That IS you - as you were CREATED.
Embrace that.
NOW LIVE like it.
Curse lifted.
Healing given.
Personal Growth
God's grace performed in you = Peace
In sharing that, our world WILL see heaven on earth :)
"and your desire shall be towards your husband, your pain in childbirth shall be increased and in sorrows shall be mutiplied".
Sounds horrible. It IS. And what is worse, 'MAN' holds us to it. But guess what, JUST BECAUSE there is a curse, doesn't mean that you have to have it upon your head and your life forever.
YOU can refuse it. It holds no power over you if you don't let it.
It is a curse for the woman do all that she does FOR her husband. But the truth of the matter is SHE is the one who stays there.... she CHOOSES to stay there because she doesn't know what else to do. She doesn't know SHE has the power to overcome such a curse. She feels bound by her husband's authority and doesn't TAKE for herself what already belongs to her. The husband especially wants her there because of what HE stands to lose if she seperates herself from her curse.... how can you expect ANY different? WHO WOULDN'T want a person at their beck and call. He stands to lose the ONE person he feels the "freedom" to control- - in accordance to man's law, his interpretation of 'Biblical' law and to his ignorant view of his wife.
BLESSED is the MAN who gives himself over to loving his wife as Christ loved the church. Who blesses her, supports her, walks beside her, LIFTS her, who uses his strength for her betterment, who KNOWS the desires of her heart and yearns to give them to her..... in loving HER in this way, what he will receive is greater than what he could ever imagine!!
CURSED is the woman who doesn't CHOOSE to live her life unbound by such oppression.
A man will choose no differently if the WOMAN chooses no differently. The WIFE needs to show him, she needs to teach him, because his view is ignorant. I don't say that with any disrespect.... it's been centuries in the making. Which is why we need to search out the TRUTH of this matter.
ANYone can rise ABOVE a curse. ANYone can choose to refuse it and live their live without a curse. A curse has NO POWER unless the person it's been given to LET'S IT. In regards to the curse of the woman, she can rise above it. "Her desire shall be to her husband" .... a curse. That is oppressive, binding. That her heart is turned towards her husband is not a BAD thing. Woman was created to be a "help meet, a completer" for man. 'Woman' was created as a strong, capable being; creative and gifted/skilled with vision and then given the perserverance to REACH the potential of the vision for her family, children, home. A man BUCKS against that. His EGO bucks against that. He is destroying his strength when he does so.
A woman was created to stand on her OWN feet. She SHOULD do so. Our daughters should be taught this!! A woman should DO and pursue what she wants-- with or without a husband/man.
The CURSE is she does everything FOR the man.
WHY SETTLE FOR THAT CURSE??! She needs to do it for HER self.
In God, we are all equal. ALL !! There's no discrimination by Him- Men, women, children,race ... none of it matters to God. We are created as EQUAL BEINGS. We are ALL HIS CHILDREN. So that being a foundational truth, then you are His child. I am His child. And taking that truth and attaching it to another Truth, God IS Good. He is PERFECT. He is a good, perfect Father who wants healing, health and growth for us, then a good and loving Father would not want His child to suffer and be BOUND by a curse.
I have gone before my GOOD, loving, perfect Father and have asked Him to remove that curse that was placed upon woman from me. In His goodness and love, He DID. Praise to my good, loving,merciful, holy Creator! :) It is lifted. I am FREE from that curse that was placed upon my kind those thousands of years ago.
It's done because He CAN DO that. It is His WILL that I have such freedom- given of Him. He cannot/will not change the 'nature of man'. Man was created with such a free-will nature. So man will ALWAYS seek to destroy, control and serve his own ego- but I don't have to RECEIVE such into my spirit!
And my flesh can RISE above it-- if there is a WILL, there is a way.
In my being released from the curse, what/where will my free-will take me?
My free-will lets ME choose. NO other being can prevent me unless I 'let' them.
FIRST STEPS:
1. I can CHOOSE what I want, for ME. :) If a husband tried to control or has a problem with it, it is exactly that... HIS problem.
Submission is GIVEN , not TAKEN. If it is TAKEN, it is FORCE.
2. I don't have to LET anything he does or says move me or force me from my goal. It is simply an obstacle- the Spirit of God can give me guidance to move around it.
3. No matter what, if I seek God's will and let the fruits of the Spirit be my guide, I can DO what I want (ie, follow the desires of my heart, because I am no longer bound by any curse! yea!!!!). Did you hear that? We can DO what WE want and GOD will provide. God provides for HIS own and I/YOU are HIS :) Let me give you this 'gift' that I received that you also may receive it for yourself >> He owns you -- not as a possession but because you were HIS all along- you were His heart. You are a PIECE of HIM.
In searching out the deepest, darkest corners of your heart and KNOWING who YOU are,then can you begin to know who God is. In knowing YOUR HEART, then you can know GOD heart. In knowing your pain, your weaknesses and strengths; in knowing your warts and your beauty- THEN you can TRULY KNOW God. And in knowing all of that, knowing the TRUTH, of not only who you are but who HE is, you will become free- of bondage and curse.
The TRUTH is> "you" are His heart ... His heart is all good and holy. That IS you - as you were CREATED.
Embrace that.
NOW LIVE like it.
Curse lifted.
Healing given.
Personal Growth
God's grace performed in you = Peace
In sharing that, our world WILL see heaven on earth :)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
What do you NEED? Give and it shall be GIVEN YOU.
A few thoughts~~
1. What is IN you is what comes OUT.
2. Give and it shall be GIVEN YOU.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. When you are in a weakened, undisciplined moment, WHAT is WITHIN you is what COMES OUT.
When you have a "negative response" (anger, intolerance, disrespect, etc.) or an emotional outburst (fear, insecurity, helplessness, hopelessness, etc.), it may be embarrassing or frustrating to face, but God is working to DO a work IN you. When you really LOOK at how you behaved, it is revealing something about what IS inside of you. HE is looking to refine you as gold, drawing the dross to the top. And for our sake, the sooner it comes out the better!
I 've noticed for myself, whenever my prayer is "Lord, empty ME out and FILL me with YOU!" and "If there be any wicked way within me, show me", then I'd better watch out becasue usually some big 'event" is going to occur-- marital discord, strife with my children, a fight with my neighbor OR a complete stranger.... and it takes me completely off guard and I feel like I got hit between the eyes with a brick or peirced through my heart! It's true-- I DID. Through that "event", the Lord is WORKING to break through to my heart so it is OPEN for HIS indwelling.
What I am learning: WHEN "bad/sad/mad stuff" spills out of you, refill yourself with LOVE and the other fruits of the Spirit of God. If you don't give 'evil' for 'evil' and instead give "good" for "evil" then you will be productive and will be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
When you SEE what comes out of you, explore it by getting down to the baseline of the emotion that's coming out in physical, mental or spiritual manifestations. Then COUNTER it with it's productive COUNTERPART.
RESIST (your self-centered ego) and Satan('s tools and lies) will flee.
When you can recognize what is coming out, consider it's counterbalance:
rejection - acceptance
fear - (no fear) hope
sorrow - joy
pain - happiness (joy related)
anger - peace
hurt - healing
control - freedom
insecurity - security/trust
hate - love
disrespect - respect
unworthiness- worth/value
(these are just SOME of the negative ones) So if you recognize these 'issues' (that which comes forth) of the heart, and you CHOOSE to GIVE that emotional 'need' to the Lord, and then GIVE to 1. yourself and 2. others the COUNTERBALANCE THEN Jesus' promise will occur, "GIVE and it SHALL be GIVEN YOU."
So WHAT is it that your heart WANTS/NEEDS? GIVE that.
What is it that your spouse or children need? GIVE that to them. If it appears a superficial or materialistic need, the baseline is usually a feeling of acceptance and worthiness. GIVE that.
How you treat others IS what YOU, yourself need the most. If you can turn from treating another with _______ (ie, intolerance) then GIVE them tolerance and patience. That is what you eventually WILL receive because that will BECOME what IS within you. Such pure, good fruits of the Spirit will bring health and healing to YOUR spirit and the intolerance or hate will no longer be what bubbles out from your heart's depth. It may not be that you GET it from the other person but you'll
get it from WITHIN, which is from GOD'S SPIRIT! It is manifested in YOU, not in a selfish, negative way but in a way that allows your SELF to be emptied out so your deepest need can be met.
God your Creator and Father KNOWS what your deepest need is~ He fashioned you with that empty spot and only your DRIVE to fill it is what He planned to use to drive you to Himself and His heart. It is not in punishment that He gave you that need but so that your greatest need will be your greatest healing ~~ Your greatest emptiness is for His abundant, overflowing presence within you.... His sacred, precious vessel.
Is your drive, your search for what you need productive or distructive? GIVE yourself goodness, give others goodness and it SHALL be given you the desire of your heart!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May God's Spirit burn within you and focus your efforts on what is TRUE and what is pure, that your deepest need may be filled and you experience complete healing in Him, your Father. Amen.
1. What is IN you is what comes OUT.
2. Give and it shall be GIVEN YOU.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. When you are in a weakened, undisciplined moment, WHAT is WITHIN you is what COMES OUT.
When you have a "negative response" (anger, intolerance, disrespect, etc.) or an emotional outburst (fear, insecurity, helplessness, hopelessness, etc.), it may be embarrassing or frustrating to face, but God is working to DO a work IN you. When you really LOOK at how you behaved, it is revealing something about what IS inside of you. HE is looking to refine you as gold, drawing the dross to the top. And for our sake, the sooner it comes out the better!
I 've noticed for myself, whenever my prayer is "Lord, empty ME out and FILL me with YOU!" and "If there be any wicked way within me, show me", then I'd better watch out becasue usually some big 'event" is going to occur-- marital discord, strife with my children, a fight with my neighbor OR a complete stranger.... and it takes me completely off guard and I feel like I got hit between the eyes with a brick or peirced through my heart! It's true-- I DID. Through that "event", the Lord is WORKING to break through to my heart so it is OPEN for HIS indwelling.
What I am learning: WHEN "bad/sad/mad stuff" spills out of you, refill yourself with LOVE and the other fruits of the Spirit of God. If you don't give 'evil' for 'evil' and instead give "good" for "evil" then you will be productive and will be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
When you SEE what comes out of you, explore it by getting down to the baseline of the emotion that's coming out in physical, mental or spiritual manifestations. Then COUNTER it with it's productive COUNTERPART.
RESIST (your self-centered ego) and Satan('s tools and lies) will flee.
When you can recognize what is coming out, consider it's counterbalance:
rejection - acceptance
fear - (no fear) hope
sorrow - joy
pain - happiness (joy related)
anger - peace
hurt - healing
control - freedom
insecurity - security/trust
hate - love
disrespect - respect
unworthiness- worth/value
(these are just SOME of the negative ones) So if you recognize these 'issues' (that which comes forth) of the heart, and you CHOOSE to GIVE that emotional 'need' to the Lord, and then GIVE to 1. yourself and 2. others the COUNTERBALANCE THEN Jesus' promise will occur, "GIVE and it SHALL be GIVEN YOU."
So WHAT is it that your heart WANTS/NEEDS? GIVE that.
What is it that your spouse or children need? GIVE that to them. If it appears a superficial or materialistic need, the baseline is usually a feeling of acceptance and worthiness. GIVE that.
How you treat others IS what YOU, yourself need the most. If you can turn from treating another with _______ (ie, intolerance) then GIVE them tolerance and patience. That is what you eventually WILL receive because that will BECOME what IS within you. Such pure, good fruits of the Spirit will bring health and healing to YOUR spirit and the intolerance or hate will no longer be what bubbles out from your heart's depth. It may not be that you GET it from the other person but you'll
get it from WITHIN, which is from GOD'S SPIRIT! It is manifested in YOU, not in a selfish, negative way but in a way that allows your SELF to be emptied out so your deepest need can be met.
God your Creator and Father KNOWS what your deepest need is~ He fashioned you with that empty spot and only your DRIVE to fill it is what He planned to use to drive you to Himself and His heart. It is not in punishment that He gave you that need but so that your greatest need will be your greatest healing ~~ Your greatest emptiness is for His abundant, overflowing presence within you.... His sacred, precious vessel.
Is your drive, your search for what you need productive or distructive? GIVE yourself goodness, give others goodness and it SHALL be given you the desire of your heart!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May God's Spirit burn within you and focus your efforts on what is TRUE and what is pure, that your deepest need may be filled and you experience complete healing in Him, your Father. Amen.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Becca
she stands as a single flower amid a shadowed garden
exuding a delicacy
smiling wistfully....
receiving the Sun's kiss upon her cheek
Gentleness
Grace
a gift given the world
a Sacred secret mingles with deep knowledge
bringing her to the gate of There.
Her strength recognized yet not fully revealed
will carry her to her destiny
peace amidst pain
joy amidst sorrow
shimmerings of her spirit
pouring forth from her heart
out of her eyes
takes you and embraces you into her soul.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
My Saviour~My Peace
Such Darkness threatens my very existance.
No subtle pricking or pushing
but a deluge seeking to permeate
my existance, my very life.
Words of Jesus plainly spoken
“RESIST - he will flee”.
Prayers of grace, prayers of love,
words of promise recalled, push the Darkness,
the Spirit of Discord from
yielding it’s resonance within
my soul.
My mind must discipline in tactical warfare.
It IS a battle.
My heart must remain soft that the Spirit of God may have a womb
in which to grow.
Offense, so grievious, it leaves me numb.
“Whatsoever things are PURE;
Whatsoever things are HONEST;
WHATSOEVER things are LOVELY,
ALL that is good, THINK on it.”
Refocus to that direction.
Re-center to that thought.
It is true North.
It is your/my/OUR compass
leading to Peace….
To the place where my heart yearns for.
To the place of my Creator-
My Father.
When I lose my discipline, when I take my eyes off the Light and
turn them inward,
all I see is
that which was defiled.
A reaction, recoiling, yields such a response borne of pain.
It takes my breath;
it longs to take
my life.
Altho’ the lies are screaming in my ears
and I feel hopelessness binding my arms,
my feet, my tongue,
I turn my eyes.
I look to what is true.
Altho’ I am blinded by filth, rage,
darkness,
I know He is there.
Not simply waiting.
But fighting; standing firm; constant.
I cry out to him, tho’ no sound comes forth.
Then my mind remembers. My heart
refuses the Darkness.
A light flashes, sparking the memory.
It illuminates the page of words written
so long ago.
Spoken with action.
Life, giving force -
LIVING WORDS.
He IS Life. His are living words.
He is the living Word.
A plan. A purpose.
The beginning and the end.
It is the beginning of Him and the end of me.
The end of me in darkness, now illuminated
by HIS LIGHT.
I am bathed from head to toe in His glory.
My salvation.
My heart speaks. My tongue is loosed.
My entire being proclaims words I have heard.
Words, promises. Truth.
HIS words of life.
“Whatsoever things are good-
think on THESE things.
Such goodness takes me to the presence of God.
I curl at His feet, absorbing His essence.
His glory.
It fills me. It nurtures me.
I am healed.
The darkness is still there.
But the Dark One has left. His power
is only a threat, bravado, null.
When that which seeks to destroy,
casts his stench,
suffocation and smell of death are blown-
as far as the east is from the west,
by that which is WITHIN me.
I emit- I spew forth a never-ending stream
of HIS righteousness,
His love- my peace.
Camille Walker
July 28, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
As a former attendee of a LEGALISTIC "Christian" Church and College
the way I see it.......
We are all on our individual journeys and ANYTHING that happens to us comes through the hands of God first. Because I BELIEVE that, I can accept good and bad, anything bad encourages me to draw closer to God and makes me stronger. Anything good, blesses me and I am grateful.
I can look at ANY church or any person that hurts me with their harshness or messed up mentality and attitudes and realize that I can 'LIVE out Jesus' to them because I realize that they are ALSO in their journey and just haven't LEARNED the correct expression of" love and truth" yet. Iit is (partly) MY job, as a follower of Christ, to exemplify it. They will learn MORE by experiencing 'love and truth" than by any other way.
On the other side of the coin, any hurt they inflict upon ME also helps ME to be better, stronger. It's NOT FUN but it sure allows for greater growth which is so important.
When a person stops growing, the hurt they inflict upon themselves is pretty much enough to destroy themselves.... that is Satan's favorite, secret weapon, to destroy a person from the inside out. :(
The "Church" of God needs to be firm, strong and stand up for righteousness in LOVE and TRUTH..... how much more effective we willl be. And it's happening. I see it. People are getting it together and choosing to live in accordance to Jesus' "spiritual kingdom rules" :) I'm so happy I'm not alone in my journey in trying to live out "truth in love". But even if I was, I would still do it. Because I KNOW it's TRUE and that it has endless value. And I SO appreciate others as they forgive my shortcomings and ignorance. It's a merciful dynamic.
I think it's important to recognize that "Christian" churches ARE important, no matter what, no matter which denomination.Some MAY be screwed up and focus on things that are ridiculous BUT if it draws people to the Almighty God, in their continual search to grow and know MORE about God, they WILL FIND the greater truth. .... which is God's heart - HIS truth.
The journey can be hard though- but He has provided ALL that we need to get to His presence.
Seek the TRUTH -- you WILL find it.
Follow what His spirit reveals to you.
Stay the course.
Grant mercy.
It's a hard fight but definitely WORTH every step :)
Semper fidelis~
P.S. It IS fun to recount stories of our more "immature" days though :) It reaffirms that we HAVE grown up a little.... I laugh at the stories now... we ALL have them and for the most part share them in good humor (tho' some in flabbergasted disbelief!)
I think this discussion board is good..... to come together to "spill it out " Especially if certain events are still causing pain or bitterness. The goal is for a person to gain encouragement- to be allowed to get the 'crap' out -so they can be healthier and grow stronger.
I have a pair of coulottes - as a momento....when I have something bad and want to purge it from my system, I wear them and it works like Syrup of Ipecac.
-- THAT's WHAT I'm talking about!!!!! :)
thus ends my preaching for today. :)
We are all on our individual journeys and ANYTHING that happens to us comes through the hands of God first. Because I BELIEVE that, I can accept good and bad, anything bad encourages me to draw closer to God and makes me stronger. Anything good, blesses me and I am grateful.
I can look at ANY church or any person that hurts me with their harshness or messed up mentality and attitudes and realize that I can 'LIVE out Jesus' to them because I realize that they are ALSO in their journey and just haven't LEARNED the correct expression of" love and truth" yet. Iit is (partly) MY job, as a follower of Christ, to exemplify it. They will learn MORE by experiencing 'love and truth" than by any other way.
On the other side of the coin, any hurt they inflict upon ME also helps ME to be better, stronger. It's NOT FUN but it sure allows for greater growth which is so important.
When a person stops growing, the hurt they inflict upon themselves is pretty much enough to destroy themselves.... that is Satan's favorite, secret weapon, to destroy a person from the inside out. :(
The "Church" of God needs to be firm, strong and stand up for righteousness in LOVE and TRUTH..... how much more effective we willl be. And it's happening. I see it. People are getting it together and choosing to live in accordance to Jesus' "spiritual kingdom rules" :) I'm so happy I'm not alone in my journey in trying to live out "truth in love". But even if I was, I would still do it. Because I KNOW it's TRUE and that it has endless value. And I SO appreciate others as they forgive my shortcomings and ignorance. It's a merciful dynamic.
I think it's important to recognize that "Christian" churches ARE important, no matter what, no matter which denomination.Some MAY be screwed up and focus on things that are ridiculous BUT if it draws people to the Almighty God, in their continual search to grow and know MORE about God, they WILL FIND the greater truth. .... which is God's heart - HIS truth.
The journey can be hard though- but He has provided ALL that we need to get to His presence.
Seek the TRUTH -- you WILL find it.
Follow what His spirit reveals to you.
Stay the course.
Grant mercy.
It's a hard fight but definitely WORTH every step :)
Semper fidelis~
P.S. It IS fun to recount stories of our more "immature" days though :) It reaffirms that we HAVE grown up a little.... I laugh at the stories now... we ALL have them and for the most part share them in good humor (tho' some in flabbergasted disbelief!)
I think this discussion board is good..... to come together to "spill it out " Especially if certain events are still causing pain or bitterness. The goal is for a person to gain encouragement- to be allowed to get the 'crap' out -so they can be healthier and grow stronger.
I have a pair of coulottes - as a momento....when I have something bad and want to purge it from my system, I wear them and it works like Syrup of Ipecac.
-- THAT's WHAT I'm talking about!!!!! :)
thus ends my preaching for today. :)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
RESIST Satan and he WILL FLEE--Jesus' temptations and victory
Considering Jesus' fasting for 40 days.
Jesus is tempted in like manner such as we are.
Jesus went into the wilderness, away from the crowds and all people, away from the comforts of home and the conveniences of town. He 'retreated' " away from it all" to pursue physical cleansing and spiritual strength that can ONLY come when a person resists "lusts of their flesh" and the unhealthy yearnings of our spirit.
The things that Satan tempted him with when he was in a weakend state, food, depression, and power, are the very things the WE suffer from and usually give in to.
Satan seeks to affect the place where we are weakest.
The first area Satan tempted him in was with FOOD. Jesus was NOT going to give in to that tempatation of the flesh. He KNEW the spiritual power he would gain through his physical purification and cleansing. He also knew the physical strength and health he would gain. To NOT be dictated by our flesh saves us (and those we love and share our lives with) much pain and suffering. It strengthens and disciplines us when we don't GIVE in to that which our body craves.... good food, junk food, sex, drugs, physical pleasures, comforts and entertainments... all the things that we have weaknesses for - do they dictate our actions/our life?? NOT ALL of those things we enjoy are BAD but he gave them ALL up for a greater gain. HE LED HIS FLESH, he did not let his flesh rule him. Would that we chose that- how much better our life would be!
I know from experience the things the body goes through during a time of fasting. I've fasted a few times. Usually it's been for physical health. The last time was for spiritual growth and strength. I truly gained that. God revealed Himself to me in some amazing ways. But when a person goes through the fasting many things occur in the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. It DRAWS OUT the toxins in each of those areas.... it isn't comfortable and usually stirs negative things up within you. That's the purpose-cleansing and detoxification. It's important to understand and be prepared for that.
The first thing that gets stirred up is in your flesh- your body CRAVES food. That can get ugly- what a person DOES when they're hungry; how a person behaves when they WANT food and every cell is fighting to be fed. It's difficult. But to resist and look ahead towards the benefits- you CAN have victory over your flesh. The initial brain fog and fatigue you suffer is difficult but the strength and mental clarity that occurs afterwards is worth every ounce of suffering. Jesus knew that. It was important to prepare his flesh and mind, to clean out his body and clear his brain, to prepare himself for the weeks ahead that would lead to his crucifiction.
Secondly when you fast, Satan attacks your emotions. Things upset you easily, because your physical state is weakened. Often during this phase, things that you haven't thought of for YEARS come out to bother you. It is good for that to happen- they NEED to come out -- for your emotional health. You cry, you may be angry, you get depressed. You feel worthless. That's where Satan struck next with Jesus.... Jesus was feeling weak, and his mind and body were fatigued. He felt "bad". How many times has that happened to you- the thought of ending it all? Jesus FELT that.... he was tempted to just jump off a cliff. No one would've known and he would've been taken to heaven. HE knew his FUTURE- he was SOON to face those that despised him and were going to torture and KILL him. How easy it could've been to take his OWN LIFE, on his OWN TERMS. He could've still had victory over "death" but the fact that his death needed to be PUBLIC so that it could touch millions over centuries was the plan of God the Father. Satan told him, "Just jump what will it matter?". That was a lie. "It will be BETTER to just END your life Jesus. You are worthless here; EVERYONE HATES YOU; they don't appreciate you; what do you think you're DOING?? you are only ONE person and you can't CHANGE the world? Come on- just jump and God's angels will carry you to heaven and there your problems will be over!" Lies we have ALL heard in our minds. Suicide is never, never the answer and never fullfills God's purpose of HOPE within you or for the others that your life/death affects.
Jesus fought those LIES with TRUTH. He resisted. The resisting gave him power- he clung to what he KNEW about God and God's promises. He focused his EYES ON THEM..... he turned his heart towards the truth.... there WERE people that loved him; he had EXCEEDING value to his Creator; God had a wonderful and unique purpose for his life (as He does for EVERY person that He's ever created); one CAN make a difference; things are never HOPELESS. Those ARE GOD's promises!! Jesus focused on the beauty of the gifts of God..... His creation, the complexities of his body, he allowed the gifts of the earth to minister to him, the fresh air, the song of the birds, the water to refresh, all the wonderful miracles of creation, of heaven and earth. He focused on those. THAT would serve us well in our dark times to do the same rather than focus on our misery.
When you have victory over such things as physical discipline and spiritual victory, pride can attach itself to your spirit... You're GOOD. your're STRONG. You RESISTED physical and emotional urges. Pride is a cancer in our spirirt. It grows and destroys if you don't recognize WHERE your strength comes from. It comes from Immanuel...... from God Almighty's spirit within you. It is NOT of yourself- it is of GOD. Jesus WAS victorious and he was proud of himself, grateful. Being proud isn't wrong when you recognize who should be praised for giving you strength.
Satan knew that. If he could slip him up there- Jesus HAD power. Not only that, he had the LOVE for the people that would motivated him. He loved them to the point that he would give his all. ALL of that makes a powerful LEADER. He could've given the people of Israel exactly what they wanted- a STRONG, powerful Leader that would make them proud and they would willingly follow. Satan moved towards that avenue in his last temptation of Jesus.
But Jesus knew his power was in his meekness. He "stood down" even though he had power. What God purposed for his life and death would span until the end of time. Had Jesus ruled during his life time, his glory would've been limited. Once his life on earth was over, his fame would've died out- as in the others who's names mesh together in history. He was meek- that was his fame. He didn't fight the Jewish rulers, he submitted. His submission to Ceasar and MAN's AUTHORITY was the very thing that allowed him to rise to everlasting fame that has been spoken of for over 2000 years now. He resisted Satan's attempts to RISE UP according to his "rank". HE WAS the SON of GOD. How's THAT for rank?? What he COULD've done, he purposed in heart NOT to do. He submitted even though he had the highest Authority. It was the plan of the Father that he obeyed.
So what did Satan do THEN? He left. He had NO POWER over Jesus, because Jesus CHOSE to look beyond his flesh, beyond himself and look ahead to God's purpose. In doing so, he would receive God's power. He CHOSE to listen to GOD's promises. He chose God's presence and recognized in EVERYTHING he suffered or had victory over, it glorified God. THAT was his purpose. That is OUR purpose. We glorify him because HE loves US and performs in us His good works. We glorify Him when we submit our flesh and yeild our spirits to Him. We glorify Him when we have had victory and then reflect praise back to Him. He deserves the glory and honor.
Jesus DID it. He battled and fought then had victory over the temptations in his flesh, emotions and spirit. :) We CAN be victorious in the those areas also! Place God's words and promises before you and "RESIST. Satan will FLEE." that's the key in fighting Satan. It is Jesus example to us.
You CAN do this!! GO FOR IT with God's promises and strength!!!
Jesus is tempted in like manner such as we are.
Jesus went into the wilderness, away from the crowds and all people, away from the comforts of home and the conveniences of town. He 'retreated' " away from it all" to pursue physical cleansing and spiritual strength that can ONLY come when a person resists "lusts of their flesh" and the unhealthy yearnings of our spirit.
The things that Satan tempted him with when he was in a weakend state, food, depression, and power, are the very things the WE suffer from and usually give in to.
Satan seeks to affect the place where we are weakest.
The first area Satan tempted him in was with FOOD. Jesus was NOT going to give in to that tempatation of the flesh. He KNEW the spiritual power he would gain through his physical purification and cleansing. He also knew the physical strength and health he would gain. To NOT be dictated by our flesh saves us (and those we love and share our lives with) much pain and suffering. It strengthens and disciplines us when we don't GIVE in to that which our body craves.... good food, junk food, sex, drugs, physical pleasures, comforts and entertainments... all the things that we have weaknesses for - do they dictate our actions/our life?? NOT ALL of those things we enjoy are BAD but he gave them ALL up for a greater gain. HE LED HIS FLESH, he did not let his flesh rule him. Would that we chose that- how much better our life would be!
I know from experience the things the body goes through during a time of fasting. I've fasted a few times. Usually it's been for physical health. The last time was for spiritual growth and strength. I truly gained that. God revealed Himself to me in some amazing ways. But when a person goes through the fasting many things occur in the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. It DRAWS OUT the toxins in each of those areas.... it isn't comfortable and usually stirs negative things up within you. That's the purpose-cleansing and detoxification. It's important to understand and be prepared for that.
The first thing that gets stirred up is in your flesh- your body CRAVES food. That can get ugly- what a person DOES when they're hungry; how a person behaves when they WANT food and every cell is fighting to be fed. It's difficult. But to resist and look ahead towards the benefits- you CAN have victory over your flesh. The initial brain fog and fatigue you suffer is difficult but the strength and mental clarity that occurs afterwards is worth every ounce of suffering. Jesus knew that. It was important to prepare his flesh and mind, to clean out his body and clear his brain, to prepare himself for the weeks ahead that would lead to his crucifiction.
Secondly when you fast, Satan attacks your emotions. Things upset you easily, because your physical state is weakened. Often during this phase, things that you haven't thought of for YEARS come out to bother you. It is good for that to happen- they NEED to come out -- for your emotional health. You cry, you may be angry, you get depressed. You feel worthless. That's where Satan struck next with Jesus.... Jesus was feeling weak, and his mind and body were fatigued. He felt "bad". How many times has that happened to you- the thought of ending it all? Jesus FELT that.... he was tempted to just jump off a cliff. No one would've known and he would've been taken to heaven. HE knew his FUTURE- he was SOON to face those that despised him and were going to torture and KILL him. How easy it could've been to take his OWN LIFE, on his OWN TERMS. He could've still had victory over "death" but the fact that his death needed to be PUBLIC so that it could touch millions over centuries was the plan of God the Father. Satan told him, "Just jump what will it matter?". That was a lie. "It will be BETTER to just END your life Jesus. You are worthless here; EVERYONE HATES YOU; they don't appreciate you; what do you think you're DOING?? you are only ONE person and you can't CHANGE the world? Come on- just jump and God's angels will carry you to heaven and there your problems will be over!" Lies we have ALL heard in our minds. Suicide is never, never the answer and never fullfills God's purpose of HOPE within you or for the others that your life/death affects.
Jesus fought those LIES with TRUTH. He resisted. The resisting gave him power- he clung to what he KNEW about God and God's promises. He focused his EYES ON THEM..... he turned his heart towards the truth.... there WERE people that loved him; he had EXCEEDING value to his Creator; God had a wonderful and unique purpose for his life (as He does for EVERY person that He's ever created); one CAN make a difference; things are never HOPELESS. Those ARE GOD's promises!! Jesus focused on the beauty of the gifts of God..... His creation, the complexities of his body, he allowed the gifts of the earth to minister to him, the fresh air, the song of the birds, the water to refresh, all the wonderful miracles of creation, of heaven and earth. He focused on those. THAT would serve us well in our dark times to do the same rather than focus on our misery.
When you have victory over such things as physical discipline and spiritual victory, pride can attach itself to your spirit... You're GOOD. your're STRONG. You RESISTED physical and emotional urges. Pride is a cancer in our spirirt. It grows and destroys if you don't recognize WHERE your strength comes from. It comes from Immanuel...... from God Almighty's spirit within you. It is NOT of yourself- it is of GOD. Jesus WAS victorious and he was proud of himself, grateful. Being proud isn't wrong when you recognize who should be praised for giving you strength.
Satan knew that. If he could slip him up there- Jesus HAD power. Not only that, he had the LOVE for the people that would motivated him. He loved them to the point that he would give his all. ALL of that makes a powerful LEADER. He could've given the people of Israel exactly what they wanted- a STRONG, powerful Leader that would make them proud and they would willingly follow. Satan moved towards that avenue in his last temptation of Jesus.
But Jesus knew his power was in his meekness. He "stood down" even though he had power. What God purposed for his life and death would span until the end of time. Had Jesus ruled during his life time, his glory would've been limited. Once his life on earth was over, his fame would've died out- as in the others who's names mesh together in history. He was meek- that was his fame. He didn't fight the Jewish rulers, he submitted. His submission to Ceasar and MAN's AUTHORITY was the very thing that allowed him to rise to everlasting fame that has been spoken of for over 2000 years now. He resisted Satan's attempts to RISE UP according to his "rank". HE WAS the SON of GOD. How's THAT for rank?? What he COULD've done, he purposed in heart NOT to do. He submitted even though he had the highest Authority. It was the plan of the Father that he obeyed.
So what did Satan do THEN? He left. He had NO POWER over Jesus, because Jesus CHOSE to look beyond his flesh, beyond himself and look ahead to God's purpose. In doing so, he would receive God's power. He CHOSE to listen to GOD's promises. He chose God's presence and recognized in EVERYTHING he suffered or had victory over, it glorified God. THAT was his purpose. That is OUR purpose. We glorify him because HE loves US and performs in us His good works. We glorify Him when we submit our flesh and yeild our spirits to Him. We glorify Him when we have had victory and then reflect praise back to Him. He deserves the glory and honor.
Jesus DID it. He battled and fought then had victory over the temptations in his flesh, emotions and spirit. :) We CAN be victorious in the those areas also! Place God's words and promises before you and "RESIST. Satan will FLEE." that's the key in fighting Satan. It is Jesus example to us.
You CAN do this!! GO FOR IT with God's promises and strength!!!
Friday, February 19, 2010
HEARING GOD's voice
http://www.hannahscupboard.com/hear-gods-voice.html
Hear God's Voice
Hear God's Voice: Tuning into God's Frequency
God is really speaking to us all the time. He created us so he could fellowship with us and enjoy our company. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden they enjoyed deep, intimate communion with God - until they sinned. Sin caused God's voice to go "out of tune" for them and for all of us ever since. But that is not God's desire; he would like to restore our "hearing" so we can have deep fellowship with him once again.
You know what a radio is like that is out of tune. Maybe when you turn it on there is nothing there except static. Maybe you can hear two or three stations at the same time. Or sometimes the signal is weak as you travel out of range of the station you want. A digital dial allows for more precision but when you have a manual dial you may have to fiddle back and forth for quite awhile to get your channel to come in strong and clear.
God's voice like a radio
Trying to hear God's voice is something like that radio. The signal is out there and it is strong and clear but you have to tune into it. You also have to tune out all the other signals or you will be listening to chaos and confusion. While there may be hundreds of choices in radio stations, within yourself there are three possible voices you can tune into: God's voice, your own voice, or Satan's voice from the demonic realm. It is of course very important to be able to tell the difference.
The truth is: you CAN tell the difference but it may take some fine tuning. Jesus said; "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:2-5)
Why is it that the sheep are able to so accurately know the voice of the shepherd? Because they have spent so much time with him. And the voice of strangers? They can tell that it is NOT the shepherd's voice. I understand that the way US Treasury workers learn how to identify counterfeit bills is by working with real ones. After a time of seeing and feeling the genuine, the counterfeit just doesn't seem right. We want to get to that place with God's voice. So let's begin.
The Bible is the Word of God
The Bible is the place to start "hanging out with God" in order to become familiar with his voice. He isn't going to say anything to you that is different or at odds with what he has said in his Word. The more you read the Word of God, the more you begin to see how God thinks and feels and speaks. I think a particularly good way to do this is to pick one of the gospels such as Luke and read just that one book over and over. Somehow it begins to saturate you after a while and the person of Jesus becomes particularly real. You start to feel like you are right there next to him and you can almost anticipate how he will speak and react.
If the Bible is your standard and you do not veer off to the right or the left from what it says, there are then many other ways that God speaks to us today. As you read the Bible you will notice some of the ways God communicated with the men and woman of past times. Since "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) you can count on it that he is still speaking by these various methods in our own day.
Hearing through dreams etc.
Dreams and visions, prophecy, circumstances, quiet impressions, quickening of a Bible passage, confirmation through godly people, an audible voice, burdens to pray a certain way, divine signs, through people with spiritual authority over us, through a persistent nudging - people hear from God in all these ways and more. If you are not used to any of this it may take you some time to become attuned to his voice and his ways of speaking to you. Pray for God's help which he will generously give. Time and experience will make you proficient. Be patient with yourself and realize that you will "miss it" sometimes and not hear accurately. That's not all bad because you learn that way too - you learn what is NOT the voice of God through your mistakes.
My own story
But how can you distinguish between God's voice, your own human voice, and the voice of the enemy? Let me share a small story from my own life which taught me a lot about how to tell the difference. I was living in an apartment with my grade school aged daughters and at that time I had no way to buy a house. So when I met a man through business who was building houses under a certain government regulation which did not require a down payment I got excited. I thought; could this be for me? Maybe God had me meet this man so I could take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
Everything went so well at first. All the details were sliding perfectly into place and I got even more excited. I found a beautiful available lot to build on, I chose a suitable floor plan, the price was right, and the mortgage payment was easily doable. Finally I was sitting in front of the builder ready to sign the contract. As we went through the eligibility requirements it suddenly struck me that there was a provision I didn't meet. I also realized that there was no way that either the builder, the government or the mortgage lender would have any way of knowing that. It wasn't an out and out lie; it was more like just withholding information. It seemed a small matter. I signed the contract.
I had a vague uneasiness for the rest of the afternoon but the overwhelming feeling was that God had just done a fabulous miracle for me. My mind was dancing with the joy of owning this house and I was already decorating rooms and planning a garden in my imagination. The uneasy feeling was a shadow that might as well get lost because I was now in a legally binding contract.
I went to bed that night but woke up somewhere in the middle - in misery. The weight of the deception was so heavy I could hardly stand it. It was unbearable. The truth poured in all around me and I felt totally grief stricken that I had really lied; I had cared more about owning a house than owning integrity. I didn't try to pretend anymore that this was a small matter and I begged God to forgive me. I didn't know what to do or how to get out of this. Nothing else made sense except calling the builder in the morning but that was going to be quite embarrassing. However, that would be better than living with this horrible guilt so that was my plan.
The night dragged by even after I resolved to make things right. Once I knew what I had to do I just wanted to do it as fast as possible. Finally the morning arrived and I reached the builder and told him the truth. He paused for a moment on the phone - thinking things over- and then agreed to tear up the contract as if I had never signed it and just forget the whole thing. Relief flooded me. Peace returned to my heart and I determined I would never let such a thing happen to me again.
Conflicting voices
The voice of God, my own voice, and the voice of Satan all played into this incident in my life. It was my own voice that said meeting this man was from God and that God was providing a way for me to get a house. We all have preferences and plans and dreams and it is natural to read into those things what we really want to hear. There was nothing wrong with seeing it that way at first because God sometimes does work that way.
Satan's voice came in at the point that I saw I would have to lie to get the house. He used my human desire against me and said this was no big deal - couldn't even be considered a real lie, could it? Just sign the contract. God wants you to have this house, doesn't he? Look how all these things fell into place; that must have been God's doing; you couldn't have arranged all this on you own.
The uneasy feeling I had all afternoon was also my own voice - it was that built in conscious that God graciously gives every one of us to help us navigate right and wrong. But of course I was insistent on drowning it out with how happy I was to be getting a new house.
God's voice came in the middle of the night. Not really like a voice, it was more the sense of separation from him and the absence of peace. How could I stand to have his fellowship withdrawn? But he made me feel it to a very deep degree. It was almost a physical heaviness and I will never forget it. I would not like to ever hear God's voice again in that same way. I should mention too that when the incident was over I felt totally free with not one bit of condemnation ever since. That's another way to tell if something is from God. When it's over, it's over! No ugly guilt showing up later to make you feel bad again.
All the various methods that God uses to speak to each one of us today are not nearly as important as discerning whether it is really God speaking rather than ourselves or Satan. Yes, God still sometimes speaks to people in an audible voice but you better be able to tell that it is really him. There are those in jail cells right now who killed someone because they said a voice told them to do it. In some cases, the cost of being wrong can be quite high.
Hearing God's Voice
As you evaluate the various voices that are coming at you all the time, remember that God loves you. He is always on your side, encouraging you, smiling at you, guiding you in a good path and drawing you closer to himself. You can expect loving communication from him. His voice and his direction will never propose sin and will never contradict his Word. When something comes from God it will bear good fruit. The final outcome will be right and will feel right. When making a major decision, it is a good rule of thumb to make the decision and then let it rest for 24 hours before acting on it to see if God's peace confirms it. If you feel uneasy or agitated, back away.
Knowing your own voice
Your own voice will bring you a mixed bag. Some of it will be positive and worthwhile and some negative and worthless. You are partially the product of your past experiences and how you see yourself will often determine how your own voice comes up inside you. Each of us has a streak of selfishness. We need to be suspicious when we want things to turn out a certain way more than we want God's way in our life. Make sure God is sitting on the throne of your life instead of yourself or you will fall for your own voice time after time.
Satan's voice deceives
Satan is the robber, the destroyer, the discourager, the liar. His main method of snaring us is deception. Sometimes Satan can make something rotten appear good for a time. Pray and examine the issue deeply and ask God to reveal any deception. Proceed slowly. A feeling of pressure to do something NOW should be a red flag. Ask yourself if you would mind people knowing about this. Do you feel okay to tell your children? Is it something you will later be proud of or ashamed? If you feel like hiding what you are doing, Satan is no doubt somehow involved.
We do not need to wonder if God's voice is speaking to us. Jesus made it very clear that we would be able to know his voice and also know the voice of a stranger. He had great confidence that we could tell the difference. Stick close to the Shepherd. If you are off in the far side of the pen or hanging out by the door of the sheepfold running in and out, turn around and hot foot it over to his side. Nudge your way in and keep your eyes on him; listen to every word he says until you know his voice better than your own. Tune into his frequency until it is loud and clear.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Hand Signs
I was studying The Church of the East on Wikipedia this morning and came across a portrait of Jesus Christ. I noticed his hand was raised in a gesture with the fore-finger highest, middle finger slightly lower and the ring and pinkie fingers held against the palm by the thumb.
I wondered if the artist had a purpose and the gesture was significant. I have heard that it was a sign of "Peace" but in my jumping from one wikipedia site to another, I found a few interesting things. I'll just randomly enter what I found.
Benediction and blessing. The benediction gesture is a raised right hand with the ring and little finger fingers touching the palm, while the middle and index fingers remain raised. Taken from Ancient Roman iconography for speaking and often called the benediction gesture, is used by the Christian clergy to perform blessings with the sign of the cross; however Christians keep the thumb raised — the three raised fingers (index, middle, and thumb) are frequently allegorically interpreted as representing the three Persons of the Holy Trinity.
NEXT, I saw the:
Bellamy salute was used in conjunction with the American Pledge of Allegiance prior to World War II. So of course I had to check out that link.
The Bellamy salute is the hand gesture described by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931) to accompany the American Pledge of Allegiance, which he had authored. During the period when it was used with the Pledge of Allegiance, it was sometimes known as the "flag salute". It was first demonstrated on October 12, 1892 according to Bellamy's published instructions for the "National School Celebration of Columbus Day":
At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute -- right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” At the words, “to my Flag,” the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.
The inventor of the saluting gesture was James B. Upham, junior partner and editor of the The Youth's Companion.[1] Bellamy recalled Upham, upon reading the pledge, came into the posture of the salute, snapped his heels together, and said "Now up there is the flag; I come to salute; as I say 'I pledge allegiance to my flag,' I stretch out my right hand and keep it raised while I say the stirring words that follow."[1]
The initial civilian salute was replaced with a hand-on-heart gesture, followed by the extension of the arm as described by Bellamy.
In the 1920s, Italian fascists adopted the Roman salute to symbolise their claim to have revitalised Italy on the model of ancient Rome. This was quickly copied by the German Nazis, creating the Nazi salute. The similarity to the Bellamy salute led to confusion, especially during World War II. From 1939 until the attack on Pearl Harbor, detractors of Americans who argued against intervention in World War II produced propaganda using the salute to lessen those Americans' reputations. Among the anti-interventionist Americans was aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh. Supporters of Lindbergh's views would claim that Lindbergh did not support Adolf Hitler, and that pictures of him appearing to do the Nazi salute were actually pictures of him using the Bellamy salute. In his Pulitzer prize winning biography Lindbergh, author A. Scott Berg explains that interventionist propagandists would photograph Lindbergh and other isolationists using this salute from an angle that left out the American flag, so it would be indistinguishable from the Hitler salute to observers.
In order to prevent further confusion or controversy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted the hand-over-the-heart gesture as the salute to be rendered by civilians during the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem in the United States, instead of the Bellamy salute.[2] This was done when Congress officially amended the Flag Code on 22 December 1942.[3][4]
That brings us to another Salute :)
The Vulcan salute first appeared in 1967 on the Star Trek second season opening episode, "Amok Time".
In his autobiography I Am Not Spock, Nimoy wrote that he based it on the Priestly Blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same position, representing the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin here stands for Shaddai, meaning "Almighty (God)". Nimoy wrote that when he was a child, his grandfather took him to an Orthodox synagogue. There he saw the blessing performed and was very impressed by it.[1]
The accompanying spoken blessing, "Live long and prosper" (Dif-tor heh smusma in Vulcan language as spoken in Star Trek: The Motion Picture) also appeared for the first time in "Amok Time", scripted by Theodore Sturgeon.[2] The less-known reply is "Peace and long life." This format is similar to common Middle Eastern greetings (Shalom aleichem in Hebrew and Salaam alaykum in Arabic), meaning "peace be upon you", and its reply, "upon you be peace". Egyptology specialists have found that the Ancient Egyptians used a phrase which, when translated, is an almost perfect representation the phrase, read as "May he live long, prosper, and be in health."
Blessing gesture that was the inspiration for the Vulcan salute.
So THAT's what I LEARNED today!!!!
Aramaic Scriptures offers the BEST Biblical translation
Jesus Christ taught his Good News of the Kingdom of God almost two thousand years ago. Jesus was born and raised a Jew and lived most of his life in the land we now know as the Holy Land. The life of Jesus is the most important life ever lived. His words are the most important words ever spoken. According to the Bible, Jesus spoke a language that is now called Aramaic. This is a very special and important language. Thousands of years ago Aramaic was the most commonly spoken in the world. Now it is still spoken by the Assyrian Christians of Iraq and Iran and in the certain other isolated Christian villages in the Middle East. Aramaic is similar to Hebrew and Arabic but it is a distinct language.
Hebrew and Aramaic both evolved out of an earlier language, called Proto-Semitic, that is now extinct. They both evolved separately. Sometimes people get confused about Aramaic and think it is Arabic or Armenian because the names of these languages sound alike. In reality these languages are totally different. We shouldn’t confuse languages because the names of these different languages sounds alike. You may ask, “ If Aramaic is so important then why haven’t I heard of it before?. Well, you have heard of Aramaic, or at least heard Aramaic words if you go to church often or have read the Bible. Words such as “ Abba, Father” "Maranatha" and "Golgotha" are Aramaic. Actually, Thomas, Magdalane, and Barabas are Aramaic names. Also, if you have seen Mel Gibson’s movie “ The Passion of the Christ” you have been exposed to Aramaic since most of the Film is in Aramaic language.
Some people mistakenly assume that Jesus spoke Hebrew, Greek or perhaps even Latin but the Bible says Jesus spoke Aramaic. You might wonder why this is important. Why does it matter what language Jesus spoke? Well, it is important for many reasons. First, historians are on a quest for historical Jesus. If we want to know and understand Christ the man we need to get basic facts about his life. One of these basic facts is his mother tongue.
Another reason that this is important is that sometimes things get lost in translation. Sometimes certain nuances get lost when sayings are transmitted from one language into another. By going back to the Aramaic we can see the words as Jesus originally uttered them. Also, the Bible presents Jesus speaking Aramaic. If Jesus spoke some other language then that would mean that the Bible not a reliable testimony of the life of Jesus Christ. However, archaeological discoveries have confirmed the historical reliability of the New Testament. The Bible specially states that Jesus spoke Aramaic in the Acts of the Apostles. Judas Iscariot committed suicide for his betrayal of Jesus. The place where her died was called Aqel Dema, which is Aramaic and not Hebrew, for “ Field of Blood”. Luke the author of the Acts of Apostles, says in Acts 1:19 “ Every one in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their common language Aqel Dema, that is Field of Blood”. Here Luke says that Aramaic was the common spoken language of the people of the Holy Land at the time of Christ. Luke actually lived in the Holy Land and knew the Apostles personally. Luke is first hand testimony and a reliable source. If you want to see Aramaic in the New Testament and look up these passages:
In the Gospel of Mark 15:34, we find Jesus Christ on the cross of the Golgotha suffering for the sins of all world. “ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried in a laud voice Eloi Eloi Lamana Sabachthani?” which means “ My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” There is no doubt that these words spoken by Jesus from the cross are Aramaic. The question is, for those who refuse to believe what the Bible clearly teaches about Christ speaking Aramaic, why would Jesus speak some other language than his mother tongue, when he is crying out to God in anguish and agony? Jesus spoke these words shortly before he died. Many have been confused at the meaning of these words. Some people wrongly believe that Jesus cried these words in despair as he neared death and realized that his messianic hope was false. The reason why Jesus said this is because he was fulfilling prophecy that the Messiah had to die and rise again. When Jesus said “ My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?. He was quoting Psalm 22 from the cross. This prophetic Psalm was written 1000 years before the birth of our Lord. It perfectly describes everything Christ endured on our behalf upon the cross.
When comparing Psalm 22 with the story of Jesus crucification, amazing parallels appear. Jesus is mocked for his trust in God Psalm 22: 6-8 and Mark 15: 29-32Jesus suffers thirst Psalm 22: 15 and John 19: 28-29aJesus hands and feet are pierced Psalm 22:16 and Luke 23:33Roman soldiers took Christ’s clothes, divided them up and gambled for them Psalm 22:18 and Mathew 27:35
We also have verses of Scripture when Jesus was quoted as speaking Aramaic in the New Testament:
Mark 7: 34 “ Ethpatha” which is “ Be opened”.
Mark 5:41 “ Talitha Koumi” which is translated “ little girl, I say to you get up”.
A man named Eusebius is known as “ The Father of Church History”. He wrote his “History of the Church” around the year 325 AD. He studied many ancient writings that we no longer possess, written by those who lived nearest to the apostles, such as Papias, who personally knew some of the elderly apostles. Also Hegissipus, a Christian Jew who wrote accounts of the Apostles (especially of James the just, the Brother of Jesus). In his book Demonstration of the Gospel, Eusebius describes the twelve Apostles as “ quite common men, and barbarians [non-Greeks] with no knowledge of any tongue but Aramaic. Greek was never the language of Palestine. Even though a number of Jews had tried to learn the language of Greeks, hardly any one of them succeeded.
Josephus wrote ( 42 AD) “ I have also taken a great deal of pains to obtain the learning of Greeks, and understand the elements of the Greek language; although I have to accustomed myself to speak our own tongue, that I cannot pronounce Greek with sufficient exactness. For our nation dose not encourage those that learn the language of many nations”. Indeed the teaching of Greek was forbidden by Jewish Rabbis. It was said that it was better for a man to give his child meat of swine than to teach him the language of the Greeks.
The Aramaic scriptures are considered a Peshitta Bible. The term Peshitta means straight, simple, sincere and true, that is, the original. This name was given to the ancient authoritative text to distinguish it from Bible revisions and translation which were introduced into of the churches of the East, after the division at Ephesus and Chalcedon in 431 and 451 AD respectively. This ancient Peshitta is still the only authoritative Bible text of the Old and New Testament for all the Churches of Syriac tradition in the Near East and India. This is because this text was in use for 400 years before the Christian Church was divided into several sects. The Peshitta Old Testament contains what is known as the Books of the Apocrypha, which have been handed down in the Peshitta manuscripts together with the Books of Prophets, and since these Apocryphal books are included in the text they are looked upon as a sacred literature, even though they are not commonly used as the others.
Peshitta text should not be confused with 5th century Bible revisions in Aramaic and new versions which were made from Greek. None of these "new" revisions and versions, made by some bishops in the 5th century, has ever been accepted by the church of the East. More over, these bishops who left their church and joined the Greek church, produced these versions for theological reasons so that their doctrine might agree with the doctrine of the Byzantine Church (which was a powerful Imperial sect). Those versions were expelled by the Patriarch of the East and their works were condemned.
Had the Peshitta been made by order of one of the rival Churches, the others would have rejected it. But since all Christians, even Muslems, in the Middle East accept and revere the Peshitta text, it proves beyond a doubt that it was in use many centuries before the division of the church.
Mar Eshai Shimun ( Assassinated 1975), the Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East, in his letter dated April 5, 1957, addressed the publishers of the English translation of Peshitta is saying:” With the reference to your letter concerning Lamsa’s translation of the Aramaic Bible, and the originality of the Peshitta text, as the Patriarch and the Head of the Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East we wish to state, that the Church of the East received the scriptures from the hands of the blessed Apostles themselves in the Aramaic original, the language spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and that the Peshitta is the text of the Church of the East which has come down from the Biblical times without any change or revision”.
The originality of the Peshitta text is strongly supported by early evidence. Aphraates quoted it. St. Ephraim wrote a commentary on it, and the doctrine of Addai placed it at the apostolic times.
They are the original Biblical Manuscripts. A very large number of syriac biblical manuscripts survive. The manuscripts vary in size, from the enormous pandects containing the whole OT or whole NT (very rarely both together), to miniature manuscripts written in a tiny script containing single book, or small group of books.
The four earliest manuscripts containing the complete Peshitta Bible (Old and New Testaments) are: The codex Ambrosianus, in the Ambrosian Library, Milan, Italy. In the Paris Bibliotheque Nationale, Syriac ms 341, this is written in Estrangelo script belonging to the 8 century, and it contains some illustrations. At Cambridge, University Library, this is written in Estrangelo script which can be dated to the 12 century, it also contains some illustrations in the form of small portraits of biblical persons. This manuscript has important connections with India. For it was once in Kerala. Although it was written in north Iraq. The manuscript was taken to India, perhaps some time in 18 century.
The first printed edition of the Syriac New Testament was published by Johann Widmanstetter in 1555 at Vienna. In the work of preparing the edition Widmanstetter had been assisted by Syrian Orthodox priest, Moses of Mardin, who spent some time in Europe acting as teacher of Syriac to various scholars. The text of this edition was often reprinted, some times in Hebrew characters.
For the Peshitta Old Testament the earliest printed editions were of the Psalter, the first was prepared by Martin Trostius in 1662, to followed by two other editions both of which were published in 1625 in Leiden prepared by Thomas Erpenius, and the other in Paris prepared by Gabriel Sionita.
Another edition of Peshitta using the East Syriac manuscripts was published by the Domanican Fathers at Mosul 1887 – 1889 in three volumes, prepared by Clement Joseph David, Syrian Catholic Bishop of Damascus and George Abdisho Khayat Chaldean Bishop of Amid.The Beirut edition of the Peshitta (1952) is largely based on the Mosul edition.
There are several Aramaic to English translations available on the web. http://www.v-a.com/bible/
(BLOGGER'S NOTE:
ALL of the previous information was copied from the listed site http://www.v-a.com/bible/ and is credited to the Author, Vic Alexander.)
Hebrew and Aramaic both evolved out of an earlier language, called Proto-Semitic, that is now extinct. They both evolved separately. Sometimes people get confused about Aramaic and think it is Arabic or Armenian because the names of these languages sound alike. In reality these languages are totally different. We shouldn’t confuse languages because the names of these different languages sounds alike. You may ask, “ If Aramaic is so important then why haven’t I heard of it before?. Well, you have heard of Aramaic, or at least heard Aramaic words if you go to church often or have read the Bible. Words such as “ Abba, Father” "Maranatha" and "Golgotha" are Aramaic. Actually, Thomas, Magdalane, and Barabas are Aramaic names. Also, if you have seen Mel Gibson’s movie “ The Passion of the Christ” you have been exposed to Aramaic since most of the Film is in Aramaic language.
Some people mistakenly assume that Jesus spoke Hebrew, Greek or perhaps even Latin but the Bible says Jesus spoke Aramaic. You might wonder why this is important. Why does it matter what language Jesus spoke? Well, it is important for many reasons. First, historians are on a quest for historical Jesus. If we want to know and understand Christ the man we need to get basic facts about his life. One of these basic facts is his mother tongue.
Another reason that this is important is that sometimes things get lost in translation. Sometimes certain nuances get lost when sayings are transmitted from one language into another. By going back to the Aramaic we can see the words as Jesus originally uttered them. Also, the Bible presents Jesus speaking Aramaic. If Jesus spoke some other language then that would mean that the Bible not a reliable testimony of the life of Jesus Christ. However, archaeological discoveries have confirmed the historical reliability of the New Testament. The Bible specially states that Jesus spoke Aramaic in the Acts of the Apostles. Judas Iscariot committed suicide for his betrayal of Jesus. The place where her died was called Aqel Dema, which is Aramaic and not Hebrew, for “ Field of Blood”. Luke the author of the Acts of Apostles, says in Acts 1:19 “ Every one in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their common language Aqel Dema, that is Field of Blood”. Here Luke says that Aramaic was the common spoken language of the people of the Holy Land at the time of Christ. Luke actually lived in the Holy Land and knew the Apostles personally. Luke is first hand testimony and a reliable source. If you want to see Aramaic in the New Testament and look up these passages:
In the Gospel of Mark 15:34, we find Jesus Christ on the cross of the Golgotha suffering for the sins of all world. “ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried in a laud voice Eloi Eloi Lamana Sabachthani?” which means “ My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” There is no doubt that these words spoken by Jesus from the cross are Aramaic. The question is, for those who refuse to believe what the Bible clearly teaches about Christ speaking Aramaic, why would Jesus speak some other language than his mother tongue, when he is crying out to God in anguish and agony? Jesus spoke these words shortly before he died. Many have been confused at the meaning of these words. Some people wrongly believe that Jesus cried these words in despair as he neared death and realized that his messianic hope was false. The reason why Jesus said this is because he was fulfilling prophecy that the Messiah had to die and rise again. When Jesus said “ My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?. He was quoting Psalm 22 from the cross. This prophetic Psalm was written 1000 years before the birth of our Lord. It perfectly describes everything Christ endured on our behalf upon the cross.
When comparing Psalm 22 with the story of Jesus crucification, amazing parallels appear. Jesus is mocked for his trust in God Psalm 22: 6-8 and Mark 15: 29-32Jesus suffers thirst Psalm 22: 15 and John 19: 28-29aJesus hands and feet are pierced Psalm 22:16 and Luke 23:33Roman soldiers took Christ’s clothes, divided them up and gambled for them Psalm 22:18 and Mathew 27:35
We also have verses of Scripture when Jesus was quoted as speaking Aramaic in the New Testament:
Mark 7: 34 “ Ethpatha” which is “ Be opened”.
Mark 5:41 “ Talitha Koumi” which is translated “ little girl, I say to you get up”.
A man named Eusebius is known as “ The Father of Church History”. He wrote his “History of the Church” around the year 325 AD. He studied many ancient writings that we no longer possess, written by those who lived nearest to the apostles, such as Papias, who personally knew some of the elderly apostles. Also Hegissipus, a Christian Jew who wrote accounts of the Apostles (especially of James the just, the Brother of Jesus). In his book Demonstration of the Gospel, Eusebius describes the twelve Apostles as “ quite common men, and barbarians [non-Greeks] with no knowledge of any tongue but Aramaic. Greek was never the language of Palestine. Even though a number of Jews had tried to learn the language of Greeks, hardly any one of them succeeded.
Josephus wrote ( 42 AD) “ I have also taken a great deal of pains to obtain the learning of Greeks, and understand the elements of the Greek language; although I have to accustomed myself to speak our own tongue, that I cannot pronounce Greek with sufficient exactness. For our nation dose not encourage those that learn the language of many nations”. Indeed the teaching of Greek was forbidden by Jewish Rabbis. It was said that it was better for a man to give his child meat of swine than to teach him the language of the Greeks.
The Aramaic scriptures are considered a Peshitta Bible. The term Peshitta means straight, simple, sincere and true, that is, the original. This name was given to the ancient authoritative text to distinguish it from Bible revisions and translation which were introduced into of the churches of the East, after the division at Ephesus and Chalcedon in 431 and 451 AD respectively. This ancient Peshitta is still the only authoritative Bible text of the Old and New Testament for all the Churches of Syriac tradition in the Near East and India. This is because this text was in use for 400 years before the Christian Church was divided into several sects. The Peshitta Old Testament contains what is known as the Books of the Apocrypha, which have been handed down in the Peshitta manuscripts together with the Books of Prophets, and since these Apocryphal books are included in the text they are looked upon as a sacred literature, even though they are not commonly used as the others.
Peshitta text should not be confused with 5th century Bible revisions in Aramaic and new versions which were made from Greek. None of these "new" revisions and versions, made by some bishops in the 5th century, has ever been accepted by the church of the East. More over, these bishops who left their church and joined the Greek church, produced these versions for theological reasons so that their doctrine might agree with the doctrine of the Byzantine Church (which was a powerful Imperial sect). Those versions were expelled by the Patriarch of the East and their works were condemned.
Had the Peshitta been made by order of one of the rival Churches, the others would have rejected it. But since all Christians, even Muslems, in the Middle East accept and revere the Peshitta text, it proves beyond a doubt that it was in use many centuries before the division of the church.
Mar Eshai Shimun ( Assassinated 1975), the Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East, in his letter dated April 5, 1957, addressed the publishers of the English translation of Peshitta is saying:” With the reference to your letter concerning Lamsa’s translation of the Aramaic Bible, and the originality of the Peshitta text, as the Patriarch and the Head of the Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East we wish to state, that the Church of the East received the scriptures from the hands of the blessed Apostles themselves in the Aramaic original, the language spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and that the Peshitta is the text of the Church of the East which has come down from the Biblical times without any change or revision”.
The originality of the Peshitta text is strongly supported by early evidence. Aphraates quoted it. St. Ephraim wrote a commentary on it, and the doctrine of Addai placed it at the apostolic times.
They are the original Biblical Manuscripts. A very large number of syriac biblical manuscripts survive. The manuscripts vary in size, from the enormous pandects containing the whole OT or whole NT (very rarely both together), to miniature manuscripts written in a tiny script containing single book, or small group of books.
The four earliest manuscripts containing the complete Peshitta Bible (Old and New Testaments) are: The codex Ambrosianus, in the Ambrosian Library, Milan, Italy. In the Paris Bibliotheque Nationale, Syriac ms 341, this is written in Estrangelo script belonging to the 8 century, and it contains some illustrations. At Cambridge, University Library, this is written in Estrangelo script which can be dated to the 12 century, it also contains some illustrations in the form of small portraits of biblical persons. This manuscript has important connections with India. For it was once in Kerala. Although it was written in north Iraq. The manuscript was taken to India, perhaps some time in 18 century.
The first printed edition of the Syriac New Testament was published by Johann Widmanstetter in 1555 at Vienna. In the work of preparing the edition Widmanstetter had been assisted by Syrian Orthodox priest, Moses of Mardin, who spent some time in Europe acting as teacher of Syriac to various scholars. The text of this edition was often reprinted, some times in Hebrew characters.
For the Peshitta Old Testament the earliest printed editions were of the Psalter, the first was prepared by Martin Trostius in 1662, to followed by two other editions both of which were published in 1625 in Leiden prepared by Thomas Erpenius, and the other in Paris prepared by Gabriel Sionita.
Another edition of Peshitta using the East Syriac manuscripts was published by the Domanican Fathers at Mosul 1887 – 1889 in three volumes, prepared by Clement Joseph David, Syrian Catholic Bishop of Damascus and George Abdisho Khayat Chaldean Bishop of Amid.The Beirut edition of the Peshitta (1952) is largely based on the Mosul edition.
There are several Aramaic to English translations available on the web. http://www.v-a.com/bible/
(BLOGGER'S NOTE:
ALL of the previous information was copied from the listed site http://www.v-a.com/bible/ and is credited to the Author, Vic Alexander.)
Friday, January 29, 2010
God's Trinity+God's Image=Man's Trinity
My response to the articles written on http://www.v-a.com/bible/
(A disclaimer before you read- forgive any grammatical or typing errors ..... I haven't time to edit and correct but hope my points can be understood)
I thoroughly appreciate your writings and feel you speak truth. One thing I'd like to help you with is your understanding of "praying through Jesus" according to your Jan 16 entry... I have a greater understanding of that I believe. It would be far easier to explain it verbally but I'll try to write it. Bear with me as I TRY to explain......
If you can, picture theTrinity as we - as a living human "being"- is.
God the Father is a SPIRIT "Being", just as we have a "spirit". It is unseen though is CAN be recognized as a "brightness" or "light"
Jesus the Son of God is the physical body which was "God the Father" clothed in "flesh". He was Immanuel- God with Us.
The Spirit of God is what enters INTO our spirit.... That 'portion" of God is "emotion" based... it is recognized by 'feelings' and tends to be expressed and manifest through 'actions' and "words" . Jesus said I will send to you "A COMFORTER", the SPIRIT that is OF GOD and IS GOD can JOIN with OUR spirit to comfort, nuture, love, give peace, give joy, have faith, give hope, express truth--- it is a very vital LIFE force. Sadly without it, man will destroy himself.
That is the TRINITY "Image" of God.
Next thought--
Consider our lives as a human "Being". God created us in HIS image with a spiritual, physical AND emotional "Being" all encompassed together. We could not live without ALL 3 of those things residing together in our flesh.
Even, for example, if a person were in a coma, their spirit still resides within their physical body (so they are considered "alive") but they are not "living" because they can't EXPRESS themselves and cannot "live" life as it is meant to be lived. When the SPIRIT departs from the physical body, it is EVIDENT it is gone. Our flesh looks like a 'shell' and sometimes the body seems almost unrecognizable as to who they WERE becasue their spirit has departed.
The NewTestament says the BODY was created FOR God, and GOD for the BODY. We are like a vessel.... we have a "place" within our SPIRIT where God can enter into us and abide... like a vase of sorts. The vase is HALF filled with dirty water (which is our spirit that is filled with darkness because of sin) and the Spirit of God pours Himself into OUR SPIRIT , intermingling with us. It was the way we were created. And the MORE of HIM that is within us, the "cleaner" or "Holier" we become.
Jesus was the epitomy of a PURE and holy human, as Adam had been created. But he had the limitations brought on by sin since he was born of a woman. Jesus was GOD clothed in flesh- He is God but He, being in HUMAN form is lower than God the Father-- BECAUSE He was in corruptable flesh. He lived as holy as a human could- and he did it perfectly. He TAUGHT how to live that way. (NOTE* STUDY the NAZARENE sect into which he was born_ an interesting topic! essene.com ) Jesus said He IS the "WAY" , the 'direction' --- NOT the END. It doesn't STOP with Jesus. Jesus' WHOLE goal as a human was to DIRECT mankind TO God the Father. Jesus never said "worship ME or GLORIFY ME". Everything he did was all directed towards glorifying the FATHER God. There was a time when he accepted honor and allowed Himself to be ministered to and in a sense received attentions and gratitude. He WAS worthy and He received it with humility but ultimately He deflected all praise and glory BACK to Father God.
He is the WAY. He is Truth. In him is LIFE. But it is because God's SPIRIT "Being" resided in His spirit within His flesh.
You are so right about pursuing the scriptures in the way that you do. I am happy and grateful that you are speaking out and sharing this!!!!!!!! To refer others, to search the OLDEST scriptures that there is, would of course, direct them to "teachings' that are MORE True. Teachings that have not been ignored or watered down or misinterrpreted by a 'man' who hasn't yielded himself fully. The BEST way that I can recommend that a person GAIN what God wants him to have, is to fast. and pray and SEARCH scriptures and most importantly open themselves to God's SPIRIT . Then when they HAVE His spirit, BE STILL and LISTEN what He is saying. But that takes a spiritual AND physical discipline most people cannot perform unless they have GREAT determination. I wanted that. I sought for truth. I asked. I searched. I DID a fast, and sought God through prayer, I practiced "being still" so I could HEAR Him ..... I had DETERMINED I would DO what it was that Jesus showed to his disciples- those closest to him.... trust me when I say it took WORK- I am a mother of 5 children with a husband who travels for a living! :) But God is faithful .... in my devotion, I received!! I am filled with awe and truly have a glimpse of God Almighty.
A brief run down on what I found.... The Lord God has show me so much and I "understand" that as you also do.... I can tell by your writings. I'm gratetful to have found your web-page! :) I think I could help you to learn a little more about the Spirit of God... the Holy Spirit (as man commonly refers to it as). It will help you gain a greater understanding of JESUS and WHAT He taught- HOW He lived.
I have found some very enlightening info that was translated by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely. It has to do with the Essene's and their writings and life style. There are ancient truths there that have been passed down from Enoch, Moses, the Preists of Zadok and Levi, etc. It is believed that David, John the Baptist and Jesus were Essenes. It's unbelievable. It can open your understanding to the scriptures in an amazing way.... who Jesus in the flesh WAS and what he taught. And also it will help you know the MIND and heart of God in an unbelievable way. When you read them, don't let the concept of the "Earthly Mother" firghten you. My even writing that phrase now, will make you stand back and say "huh??!" .... consider, these are documents thousand's of years old. The "Church" has chosen to keep them quiet because of the nature of them but think on a MUCH broader SCALE... God the (Heavenly) FATHER, Jesus the SON (who lived here on earth yet was spiritually connected to 'heaven'), The Earthly MOTHER (That portion of God created LIFE ,and the EARTH MANIFESTS that Spirit which nourishes and sustains life.) That "FAMILY " trinity brings everything FULL CIRCLE.... it makes so much sense.
You spoke of CHRISTIAN religons.... The Essene teachings broaden the religons of mankind so much further!! You can SEE how even the NON-Christian 'religons" have a PORTION of the truth, but they are missing THE MOST IMPORTANT Element... acceptance of the Supreme God Almighty. The only true Creator God. The Modern day church also is missing certian elements of God.... man has made a mess of things once again. BUT we STILL need to appreciate it and join with them. God WILL fullfill His purpose and there is ALWAYS Hope- Jesus proclaimed it.... God's Spirit IS hope, peace, love, truth, joy... we can overcome the mess if we JUST KEEP the faith and LIVE OUT the truth, IN our churches and outside of the churches.
A note about the Essene teachings- ALL the rituals they performed was SPECIFICALLY to purify themselves (physically and spiritually) to be "clean enough" so the SPIRIT of God COULD intermingle within their spirit. When Jesus came, He made it so man did not have to DO ALL of that "purification" process. He GAVE us His Spirit when we accepted HIM as God-Messiah. SO those rituals were no longer 'necessary". Jesus CHANGED how things needed to be done. He SIMPLIFIED God's entrance into our Beings. It was the new PROMISE (covenant, testament) that was sealed by His shed blood and was firmly and completely established by His resurrection.
The benefits of the rituals STILL are important but most people cannot pursue such purity because of how corrupt we and our world is today. BUT - we can STILL try (as well as we can)... and when we DO, our Spirit can be filled with God's spirit in a far greater way. THAT is how I learned these things. Jews in Jesus' day and today prefer rituals ... they can not accept that Jesus' kingdom was a SPIRITUAL kingdom-- they are so SET on having someone to LEAD them in the FLESH towards earthly superiority. They have SO MUCH, if they could just SEE what it is that they were given...
I gave you a LOT of truth in a SHORT email :) TRUST me when I say there is so much MORE... but this is the NUTSHELL- FIRE HOSE version.
A word of advice-- ALL of this is so deep- you can get overwhelmed with the concepts and delve to some extreme depths searching for truth. MOST IMPORTANT- We have a job, here and now. To LIVE OUT the truth. To reflect God's spirit that is within us. People cannot comprehend such "DEPTH" often times, so we need to 'meet them" at the level that they can understand. We need to live out God's Truth and express JOY and SHOW the wonderful Peace, Love and hope that radiates and manifests itself in word and deed to ALL creation- to man, earth, and all creatures. THAt is what we are to do to carry out Christ's work. We are His "living" word. :) An AWESOME priviledge!
God is a WONDERFUL God! He created the earth FOR us- to nuture us and sustain us- to provide all things for us physically. The rest we get from HIM. :) It is the WAY we were created- to be a vessel that allows Him to reside within and perform His work. We are intruments of His peace and truth :) . When we understand such wisdom, it makes "living" our lives SOMEWHAT easier- because we KNOW our purpose.
Sincerely written with God's love and truth,
Camille Walker
Rockford IL USA
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