This post is to Christians in these difficult times and situations. I hope it helps you. I’ve been through more than most and have come through insurmountable circumstances into a spacious place in God where I had mostly Peace and Joy
for 10 months in 2012.
There are a few bible verses I will address that can cause confusion and cast doubts in the minds of Christians sometimes in relation to God's Nature toward us.......especially if the enemy is playing on our mind with them......that will
be addressed.
I thought I had “arrived” – as the saying goes – that my life and experience would be like that from then on. But that was a holiday, so to speak, where I could unwind and really enjoy my God. I took a detour – as we often do – and things were not quite the same and I got busy making multiple websites for people to enjoy and enjoyed my own experience less because I had less time to enjoy His Presence – that’s where the PEACE and JOY IS!
Yes really, and how quick we are to move out of His Presence in prayer often, when He would like us to linger there and soak it up – we can experience a sense of His Joy, His Peace, His Comfort or His Love this way…….His Guidance or Inspiration. Why is it that we are restless and move onto something else so quickly…..or….we are too busy but we’re not so busy to engage in an interest, whatever?
Friends, the apostle Paul did not say that he had “arrived” at any time and he did mention a “Race” we have to run in God. Peter did mention that we could go through trying times, followed by the Restoring Hand of God. I’ve experienced that. He restores and strengthens you and lifts you to a new level in your walk with Him. It takes on a different expression with each person. For me it was Joy and Peace. For someone else, it could be Overcoming Victory……for another Healing or Provision……or walking in Revelation Knowledge.
So it is’nt to say you get to a place where everything is just wonderful from then on but you do have a new strength you did not have before and for many, that they have developed new character. We would not want our kids to stay in elementary school would we?
Of-course not, we want them to go on, develop new skills and be equipped to live in the world, ready for challenges. Note: that should not all come from the education department.
We are God’s sons and daughters, He wants us to grow. Some spit the dummy and fret.
Problems are meant to be overcome in God – He should be our strength and inspiration for doing so. The thing often is that we look at the problem instead of The Lord……we may even pray like someone in the world does ie “God take my problem away”. Two things here, we have taken ownership of the problem and we have not applied the Word of God to it in some way and looked to Him for the victory. We found the problem uncomfortable and wanted immediate relief – that is not to say we should put up with things but He is wanting to see a change in how we handle things often. Some of us refuse to grow and others could respond more appropriately if we knew that The Lord doesn’t just take everything away and give us a dream existence.
That was meant kindly when I say that because many of us were given false promises, so to speak, like “come to Jesus and He will make everything just right” and after the fresh new experience of finding Him wears off, we simply find that it just simply isn’t true – He is not a Santa Christ, He is Jesus Christ. He is not only our Savior, He is our Lord and Savior who wants to relate with us as both of these. Confusion has set in saying “He is not all that He promised to be”. But wait a minute, someone did you a wrong turn and it wasn’t Jesus because He was falsely represented. That is called Social Gospel and it’s very misleading.
How dare they give you a wrong impression and neglect to spiritually feed you with things in God’s Word that are essential to know in this journey you have commenced. It’s like giving you a product without instructions or a car without a roadmap – at some-time along the way that is sure to lead to frustration. Many of God’s kids have been disillusioned because of Social Gospel or negligent shepherds – too busy with fancy sermons and programs, giving little or no attention to the needs of new Christians.
Now the disciples in the Gospels followed the Lord and called Him Teacher and we would be wise to do the same – to look to Him as One who teaches us things in life and His Word, not only a Savior. If we could do that, then we would also have a better grasp of what it means for Him to be our Savior. Otherwise, we have little experiential knowledge of Him as being our Lord and Savior.
I FELT THAT I MUST ADDRESS THOSE THINGS BEFORE THE SERIOUS THINGS THAT MANY CHRISTIANS ARE EXPERIENCING IN RECENT TIMES. I DON’T KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS BUT I KNOW SOME OF THEM AND WILL ADD SOME WRITINGS BY OTHERS TO COMPLEMENT MINE AND MAKE FOR BALANCE. SHALL WE GO?
From Living for Jesus Alone website
"Have you ever felt like you’re struggling all alone in your current circumstances, regardless of how hard you’ve tried and prayed? Have you felt quite disappointed by God in the sense that He has let you down time after time?
Have you ever been frustrated with God or discouraged because of what He allows to happen or didn’t make happen?
I’m sure that you can relate to most of those questions above, perhaps all of them. One thing that needs to be really stressed on is that there’s a big distinction between what our human feelings would want us to believe and what the Word of God is intended to make us believe. With this in mind, our human feelings can be very misleading and disheartening.
As human beings, no matter how hard we may try to study His Word, to depend on it and be guided by it, no matter how mature we are in Him__ when serious situations occur, our faith is sometimes challenged. In fact, our faith in God doesn’t eliminate doubt, worry, panic and fear, but what it does is to empower us to overcome them.
There’s a strong bond between reality and how we feel as human beings.Reality plays an overwhelming role in determining our reaction to whatever problems we’re facing in life. And reality also has a significant influence on our conception about life’s issues. That’s the reason why it’s so easy for us to allow reality to influence our faith in God in an immense way.
Try not to let reality find its way in us through your feelings with bad beliefs that are based on fear, doubt, desperation, unbelief, exasperation, and worry.
Keep in mind, faith always defies human feelings and reality. We’re not supposed to deny reality; however, we need to understand that it has absolutely no bearing on what God is able to do, what He’s willing to do, and what He’s about to do if we trust Him."
When circumstances arise, try not to let yourself get to the state of overwhelm before you do something. Nip things in the bud, in the area of your feelings before they overpower you.
Even the enemy relies heavily on our feelings to make his tactics work, so we should not trust in our feelings but more so on God’s Word and how He can take charge of circumstances through us or independent of us if necessary, when our faith is directed to Him. Remember the car principle: our faith should be in ‘drive’ not ‘reverse’. Fear, frustration and confusion are reverse……..confidence or trust in God is directing our faith……or giving our faith a direction to go in before confusion sets in…….or shifting gear if we are upset by something. If you have been in a situation for some-time, faith is a light switch, so pray-read His Word and switch it on. Remember, if your thoughts have become accustomed to a situation, you will need to change your mind-set to do that – prayer reading the scriptures is the best way of handling our mindsets, then we can switch our faith on…….hey?
Also, be alert as we’re told in scripture to do because the enemy can hit us with a sense of overwhelm so we feel paralysed (in fear or depression) and unable to do something (about the situation or moving on in God. His greatest weapons are fear, depression, confusion and distraction, generally – he knows that he can distract us from the purposes of God with fear, depression or confusion……..even something that appeals to us, so we need to be aware of these things. Ignorance is not bliss when you find months or years later you missed God’s Best for those months or years when one interest (whatever) has had our attention one after the other.
Now in saying these things, I do not want to make you conscious of the enemy in your thinking but wiser than we are when ignorant of these tactics. If we are aware of a manufacturer’s marketing ploys we don’t fall for them. If someone bad knocked on our door, we would not let them in, would we? Yes, we don’t have to, so don’t be intimidated, be God conscious and keep your mind in tune with Him and you have nothing to fear……keep praise on your lips and let nothing get you down but keep rejoicing – it’s like placing a “No Knocking” notice on your front door.
God consciousness is so important in every area of our lives. Years ago, I was quite peaceful and happy in God until I had a medically induced illness and then I found that a few pastors actually made me enemy-conscious. Well that was the last thing I needed that served to make matters worse – because things became amplified in my mind – and they were godly men. It would have been far better to in-still some “Christ in Me” consciousness into me because that’s what we need when we are ill – we feel that our mind or body have been taken over, so to speak, because we do not have the freedom we once experienced.
That’s when we need to employ all the “Freedom in Christ” consciousness we can in our spirit rather than letting what ails us sit on top of it. That can so easily occur but don’t let it. Look Up in your spirit. Take heart!
Is He a God of LIGHT or Darkness?
2 Corinthians 1:8-11The Message (MSG)
"We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength to get out of it, we were made to trust God totally — He is the God who raises the dead! And he did it, He rescued us. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part."
THE FOLLOWING VERSE NEEDS CORRECTING, I WILL SHOW YOU WHY
AND A FEW OTHER VERSES ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL.
MANY CHRISTIANS ARE TRIPPING OVER THEM.
Isaiah 45:7Living Bible (TLB)
I form the light and make the dark. I send good times and bad. I am he who does
these things.
Isaiah 45:7King James Version (KJV)
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
Maker: The Originator
Creator: Shape, Mould, Turn Into
Verb: form (an object) out of malleable material.
shape, form, fashion, model, work, construct, design, sculpture, frame
To make something, usually for a specific function.
shape, form, or improve a material
To create simply means to make or bring into existence. Bakers create cakes, ants create problems at picnics, and you probably created a few imaginary friends when you were little.
Similar to conceive and spawn and the exact opposite of destroy, create is a word that often implies a little bit of imagination. In fact, it takes a lot of creativity to create something spectacular; that is, unless you're a robot, and then your creations occur automatically. Or Mother Nature, where creation just happens naturally: Birds create nests, the tides create waves, and snowstorms create days off from school.
To bring into existence
“The company was created 25 years ago”
“He created a new movement in painting”
make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation
establish or create through painstaking effort
give form to, according to a plan
Verb: make or cause to be or to become.
form or produce anew
create anew
bring into existence
bring into being
create with or from words
create the design for; create or execute in an artistic or highly skilled manner
take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of
produce
cause to arise
make by shaping or bringing together constituents
build again
Many Christians have read this verse in their Bible (KJV) and been disturbed.
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."
These words were spoken in an era when God recompensed His people by bringing calamities on their foes. This verse actually contrasts opposites. Darkness is the opposite of light. However, evil is not the opposite of peace. The Hebrew word translated "peace" is Shâlôm, which has many meanings, mostly related to the well-being of individuals. Râ‛âh, the Hebrew word translated "evil" in the KJV often refers to adversity or calamity. There are two forms of the word. Strong's H7451a most often refers to moral evil, whereas Strong's H7451b (the form used here) most often refers to calamity or distress. Obviously, "calamity" is a better antonym of "peace" than "evil."
The Lord most certainly does not deal with His Children that way.
Generational Sins or God’s Mercy?
From Voice Of One Crying.com
There is a teaching prominent in religious circles based mostly on a shamefully ignorant view of a phrase found in Exodus 34:7 and repeated in Numbers 14:18. The phrase goes something like this: "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." The teaching is that some people are the victims of "generational curses" placed on them through no fault of their own, but by the wrong actions of preceding generations.
To fully understand the phrase quoted above, we’ll need to look at Exodus 34:5-9 in some detail. But first the context of this passage must be established. God had just given Moses the ten commandments; while Moses was up on the mountain with God the people were worshipping a golden calf; Moses got angry and smashed the tablets; God told him to hew two more out of stone and meet Him back on the mountain; this brings us to verse 5.
To fully understand what happens in verse 7 (the verse most likely used to promote the misconception of generational sins) take a close look at what happens in verses 5 and 6. In verse 5 the Lord descends in a cloud and stands with Moses on the mountain and proclaims His name. In verse 6 we see what names He proclaims for Himself. They are "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth."
This brings us to verse 7 where the Lord continues to describe Himself, "Keeping mercy for thousands". "Keeping" is natsar, meaning to guard, maintain or protect out of a sense of responsibility. "Mercy" is checed, meaning kindness or benevolence (coming to the aid of those in need). Checed always emphasizes the idea of covenant relationship. And when checed and natsar are used together it is always to illustrate the principle of covenant responsibility! This is God’s own description of His attitude towards His people - He has obligated Himself to be merciful (see Micah 7:18 which says that God "delights" in being merciful). He continues: "forgiving iniquity (avown - immorality) and transgression (pesha - rebellion) and sin" (chattah - habitual sin, committed over and over again).
Then comes the all-important phrase "and that will by no means clear the guilty". Notice "the guilty" is in italics in the King James Version, indicating that these words are not found in the original text (and indeed should not be). The translators added these supposedly to clarify the meaning. The word "clear" in this sentence is naqah, and means, "to be clear of an obligation or responsibility". By removing "the guilty" from the text, the meaning becomes evident: "God will by no means ever clear or release Himself from His covenant responsibility to maintain His mercy by continuing to forgive immorality, rebellion and habitual sins that are repeated over and over again!" This is one of the many verses in scripture that illustrate the principle regarding God’s mercy. The principle is this: God’s character demands that His mercy always outweigh His justice. In other words, God is always willing to give us what we need, instead of what we deserve. And I’m glad of that are you?
Verse 7 continues, "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." The word "visiting" is paqad, meaning to visit, to look after, or to care for. Because the words "the guilty" were added to this text, it is assumed that paqad has a negative meaning; but, get this, it is actually intended to be a positive promise. Spiros Zodiates in his Lexicon of Old Testament words says of paqad, "it’s true meaning is an action taken on the part of God which produces a beneficial result for His people." Compare Ruth 1:6;
I Samuel 2:21; and Jeremiah 29:10.
As for the phrase "children, and children’s children, unto the third to the fourth generation", this is an idiom or word picture used several times in scripture to illustrate how long a parent’s wrong example will affect the family. Here, God is actually promising to forgive iniquity in each succeeding generation. He knows that every generation is going to have problems with sin and His promise is that His mercy will be available for all generations (Luke 1:50).
To further confirm the fact that God was actually offering His mercy to Israel, look at Moses’ response in verses 8 and 9. In verse 8 he hurried to bow his head down towards the ground and worship the Lord in thanksgiving when he recognized the Lord’s heart of compassion. In verse 9 Moses responds to the Lord’s offer of mercy by saying: "since I have found favor and loving-kindness in Your sight, please Lord, be our God and dwell in the midst of us, even though we are a stubborn people: forgive us of our rebellion and iniquity and allow us to be Your possession forever."
It was established in the Law that children would not be punished for the sins of their father (Deuteronomy 24:16, comp. II Kings 14:6). The idea of generational sin does not come from a scriptural foundation, but from a world viewpoint.
Colossians 2:8 describes the process by which the world develops wrong ideas with these three terms: philosophy (a wrong idea that has no basis in truth), vain deceit (false reasoning to support the idea) and traditions of men (wide acceptance of the wrong idea and false reasoning to support it). This process has only one purpose:
to take away personal responsibility, create bondage to sin and deceive people regarding the nature of God.
Copyright 2001 © Community Fellowship.
The reproduction and non-commercial use of this material is permitted.
We are told in Scripture that He can “strike terror in the hearts of His Foes”
Not His Children. And the verse mostly speaks about Unseen Enemies
(Powers of Darkness). This is a Grace Dispensation
(towards people) since Calvary.
At the same time, the Cross of Jesus should not be trodden under foot by wilful repetitive sin.
_____________________
It is my personal belief that the curses mentioned in Genesis 2 after
Adam and Eve sinned and those mentioned in Deuteronomy where The Lord says
"This day, I set before you Blessings and Curses. Choose who you will serve."
That He was prophesying on both of those occasions - how Adam (and the human race) would be affected by the wrong decision and Israel as well - God being the author
of Goodness and Blessings........and the Enemy is the author of Evil.
I'm not sure how to establish this however most of us know that early in Christian history, the Church went through a stage of apostasy where error came in and the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church had sole custody of the Bible. It was translated into the Latin Vulgate before it was eventually released to Christians.
I do know that Cindy Jacobs, a prophetic teacher, made a discovery about 30 years ago that the original translation of the Bible said "Brothers and Sisters" where translations say "Brethren" and there were a few other things she discovered in relation to women in scripture. We do need to remember that the Latin Vulgate was written by priests who had sworn an oath of celibacy not to marry women and that the Enemy has targeted women in different ways since Eve in the Garden. We see a classic example in the Middle East.
We must remember that the priests were not Born Again - to have spiritual understanding of what they were reading to interpret some verses where the Holy Spirit is needed to interpret correctly.
I have also been informed that the Greek Orthodox Church has practised much care in their interpretation of Scripture. And also that the Original language Greeks used is very different to the Greek that has been in use for some centuries.
Most translations show that the Word of God has been kept well through the centuries.
If you go to a site called www.biblehub.com multi-translations validate that we can trust in the authenticity of certain translations we read. Most Scripture is intact, however there are certain errors which have been made. They are a minority but they are so important!
For example, in Mathew 24:28 where Christ is speaking in relation to His Coming,
most translations have 'vultures' etc in that verse, however this is a correct translation
of that verse:
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Wherever the (His) body will be, there will the eagles be gathered.
If you read the previous verse, it will establish that:
Aramaic Bible in Plain English For just as lightning goes out from The East and appears unto The West, so will the coming of The Son of Man be.
What am I saying here? I do think it is possible that some 'human errors' by men who did not have the Holy Spirit resident in them for spiritual understanding, definitely seem to be so. And I also think it is very likely that the Enemy who hates our God and His Children has sought to plant doubts in our hearts and minds (through interpretation of certain verses) about the Nature of God: HIS TRUE NATURE.
For instance, how do you account for the horrendous difference brought to light
through the original Hebrew for Exodus 34:7 and repeated in Numbers 14:18 expounded above?
There is a pressing need for True Translations in this Day and Age that rightly present ALL Scripture to us........especially when it comes to God's Holy Nature.
And in fact, I heard it explained once that God's Holiness speaks of Wholeness,
not only what we understand to be Holy.
This is most certainly true with the Hebrew word for PEACE in the OT (old testament)
which is SHALOM. That means Wholeness; nothing missing, nothing broken.
Yes, Scripture tells us that our God is a GOOD GOD. Even to the extent that one of the Psalms repeats in most of it's verses "The Steadfast Love of The Lord Endures Forever" and another one says "The Lord is GOOD and Steadfast is HIS LOVE. Let the Redeemed Say SO"
In Matthew 10:29 where it says "What is the price of two sparrows--one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it." (NLT)
A preacher/Teacher of God's Word said once that according to the Original Greek,
(not the language that Greeks have been speaking for centuries now) that particular verse is actually referring to something totally different. He said that it is speaking in reference to sparrows alighting on the ground: hopping happily upon it.
Sounds so different, doesn't it? Just picture this: The same God who knows the number of hairs we have on our head (daily) takes Joy in His Creation from moment to moment.
Reminds me of Psalm 139:17 where The Lord says
New American Standard 1977 How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Contemporary English Version
Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine.
A Christian man prayed prophetically over me years ago when I was very disturbed
on one occasion:"...............You are interested in the activities of our day.............."
He knew nothing about the situation I was concerned about and this started to
introduce a new way of thinking to me I was in much need of at that time.
_____________________
"What have you been through?" You ask me. Some things that would curl your hair if
I told you, but I don't see any profit in that. They were enough to curl my hair, believe me, and I did not get pass them overnight or preacher's altar-calls.
Some of us have had our impression of God's nature affected adversely - mine was wrecked at one time, and don't judge me for that unless you want to prove your faith stronger with the same circumstances. Not one good Christian friend who has been close enough for me to mention a few things to has sought to swap places with me,
that's for sure, and I've had a few close friends I would not swap places with either.
This much, I can tell you__ we need our Faith Healed when we have
been through damaging or daunting experiences. Because that's what they are designed by the Evil One to do__ to shamelessly change our IMAGE OF GOD
so we don't Trust His Nature anymore.
I've learnt to watch that area of my Christian Walk now because every so often
the Enemy can cause us to think thoughts that baffle us and throw a chink in our armor
if we are not careful. How can we hold up the Shield of Faith if we are not sure of
the Nature of our God?
Through the Grace of God, I decided to give the "unanswered questions" to Him on one occasion after a full on battle with principalities that was intended to wipe me off the face of the earth. The Lord intervened and a healing work commenced in me. Another time I decided to give Him a Sacrifice of Praise and Instantly, not a trace of trauma was found in me that was insidiously schemed against me (full impact) over a few weeks duration. So I know what I'm talking about.
__________________
Go with the GOOD REPORT found in His Word, that's what it's there for.
Psalms says "He exalts His Word above His Name" YES even above His Name!
Knowing how much emphasis Scripture places on HIS NAME that's amazing isn't it?
Do you know why? The Original Hebrew word for "Word" there is PROMISES!
I will be writing an article on REWARDS soon. This has been on my heart to do so for some months, I knew I would be. You should read it. This will be worth your time.
The Lord gave me a few promises prophetically at difficult times through the years.
Some, I am waiting for the fulfilment of but a few of them have remarkably come to .pass in no small way. In other words, The Lord did exactly what He said He would do but it exceeded my expectations because I did not know how He was going to do them previously, even though He gave me a few prophetic words that were leading up to them and at those times He spoke to me, I interpreted them to mean shortly after or separately in relation to what I was experiencing at those times that were Not good to put it mildly.
And some prophecies can actually come to pass sooner when certain Principles of
His Word are put into practice constantly and that which the Holy Spirit instructs us to do personally - He is not meant to be limited to praying in other languages - oh no!
We are told by God that we have "the more sure word of prophecy" in Scripture
and also "not to despise prophecy".........if I had my time over again I would choose to have Scripture in such a way that I would be keen to act on that on a regular basis rather than wait for fulfilment of certain prophecies or even forget that I had them.
Please Note: We can quickly learn contempt for prophecy when given through an immature prophet (speaking some content from their thoughts) or a money grabbing Televangelist who takes The Lord's Name in vain. Even seasoned prophets can make a mistake, that's why we (all) have the "more sure word of prophecy" within
our reach. Hey?
Some Televangelists were once servants of God, now serving the Enemy.
How else do you explain one of them saying to "give this sum of money (they tell you how much) and The Lord will give you those things you want the most (they list a few for you that will bring the best results to their pockets)" Yes, that is the most common and one was repeated to me from Jamaica last year "if you give this amount, you can ask for your neighbor's house and He will give it to you." Talk about coveting! And we know what Scripture has to say about that kind of thing, don't we? The Lord rebuke them, and He will when He comes if not sooner.
All these false promises are actually very seductive in nature - just like in the Garden of Eden - and are serving to disillusion many of God's children across the world. Mostly in USA but not limited to there. JESUS calls these preachers HIRELINGS. Many have left the Faith because of them. I'm talking about good living Christians (lots of them) because they placed their trust in God through words like those at a time when they were vulnerable in some way and could have had better results trusting in Scriptures (not twisted) in the simplicity of seeking The Lord themselves.
The Enemy works at discrediting God's Nature, like he did in the Garden of Eden.
He works overtime, so to speak, with the TV News Program and events around us.
He hates God and His Children.
I think the main ploy of the Enemy is still to 'Question our Trust in God'
like he did with Adam and Eve and we should ALL Press In to Know Our God
more at this time, not less, when so many are making comments like things
have never been so bad, so challenging etc
Friends, take time - and invest time - to soak yourselves in Scripture and
"build yourselves up in your most Holy Faith&q
As some of us are aware, there is a real change that is taking
place in people's vocabulary and ways of communicating
that has been of considerable concern to me last year.
Some trends you may not have noticed yet - we all should know.
That's wicked, I like it!
(That's really good, I like it.)
What makes this recipe insanely good?
(What makes this recipe so delicious, it's so good?)
I've been crazy, I'm going really crazy.
(I've been really busy, I'm getting so busy, I've little time for anything.)
Someone reaches the end of a busy day and says “I'm wrecked!”
Really? Do you know what you're speaking over yourself?
You should try this recipe, it’s damn delicious!
(You should try this recipe, it’s really delicious!)
Damn has to do with damnation, there’s nothing good about that.
How do you Score?
What do we see here? A word to make something bad sound good in the English Language! Westerners are doing this in USA and UK, especially in Australia. I’m not sure about other language speaking countries. I’m certain that TV (Television) is used to promote it to a large extent and the youth are leading the way with it, bringing it to different age groups often at home because one hears this change of language a lot or feels compelled to use it or go along with it to keep acceptance with the young. Before we know it, our vocabulary has changed,
if we are not careful.
I’m speaking about a tendency to talk about or describe (something) in a way that makes it seem more pleasant or acceptable than it is and also Good things made out to sound bad. There is a certain peer pressure at times, to shun what is Good rather than Evil. It’s concerning I know and it does not only target the young but mostly – they are quick to catch on and spread it.
This is Changing the use of words — usually to the point that the modern meaning is
‘radically different’ from the original use. Yes, it’s change of a word's sense and concept to the opposite, e.g., bad in the slang sense of "good".
Word changes are increasing and often origins are forgotten. So what words
from long ago carry a very different meaning today? Here are some:
“Bad,” said Nancye Hernsmith.
“Bad” used to describe someone who had done something wrong OR something that was poor in quality. Today, it also means “good” or “great” when used as slang.
(And “breaking bad” means to challenge conventions and defy authority.)
“Sick... now is a good thing,” said Angel Matuszak Novie.
“Sick” used to mean ill. Today, it also means something is really amazing.
As you can see, it’s twisted and distorted, to the point that when you hear it for
the first time you wonder what someone is talking about or where did that come from!?
Both words here are used to praise Evil……….part of our vocabulary is being hijacked, you could say, to mean something it’s not. It took place 2-3 centuries ago and it’s taking place again!
When you look at God’s Word, this is important because The Lord places such an importance on the words of our mouths. Several Scriptures speak about that.
Part of the same Phenomena This is also Prevalent
Sugar-coating is a term that could be used -- if a book is "sugar-coating" teenage drinking, it is taking something negative and adding a superficial positive sheen. Merriam-Webster:to talk about or describe (something) in a way that makes it seem more pleasant or acceptable than it is.
Euphemism: A mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is
unpleasant or offensive.
Glamorizing is another -- to glamorize is to take something that is neutral, or maybe
negative, and imbue it with more of a glamorous aspect than it might deserve. Oxford:
Make (something) seem glamorous or desirable, especially spuriously so.
In other words, it’s false and misleading, it’s fabricated and fallacious and dangerous really, when you think how seriously people are taking to this phenomena. It's an attempt to shape the mindsets of men and women and young people. It’s a masquerade of Evil claiming to be good in a day where religion has really put a lot of people off. It’s almost as if people are going through a negative mixed-up healing process, rather than true healing – that is to know JESUS, He brings TRUE FREEDOM.
Sad to say, they have not seen this in the lives of Christians because if they did, many would run to rather than away from Christ. Like Israel, “(we have) made Him a by-word among the nations and they (say) where is (our) God?” So they are going for anything that sounds positive basically but it’s negative actually, full-bent. Some Christians can see clearly what’s going on but others are not very perceptive. We are supposed to know the difference between Good and Evil in a confused world__ we should not be compromising with our vocabularies or our actions, to fit in with Society around us.
The world won’t want our Christ as long as we speak and act like them.
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What people are caught up in is a form of whitewashing, justifying, condoning and excusing. In a sense, it glosses over sin and promotes it. With our mouths, we make known what we approve of and what we don’t. We also meet God’s approval in our speech or we don’t.
So you can be sure this is of paramount importance, we are speaking about here –
oh yes! “For God who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness has
shone in our hearts through Christ Jesus.”
We are called to be Children of the Day!
Yet many are asleep in the Light.
We are nearing the time of Christ’s Return and “once again there will be a distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous.”
The type of slang and glamorizing you are reading about in this article (and similar) belong out of our vocabulary with swearing and filthy language. I’ve met a number of Christians who think it’s ok to swear if they get angry and feel like it. I’m not judging anyone but His Word will when He Comes. “We will all stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ – at the End of Days – and give an account for what we do (and say) now.”
What we have among the young today in this generation is Euphemism: A mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive. "Merriam Webster" where they are encouraged to destigmatize: to remove associations of shame or disgrace from themselves or what is being presented to them.
That dulls the conscience (a faculty of our spirit) and is a definite glorification of evil. Bible said this would be “a wicked and perverse generation where we (are supposed to) Shine Out as Children of Light” among people in the world: Not to be look alike, speak alike, sin alike etc Mind you, the young are not the only ones being affected in the throws of this – you only have to hear some of the TV Variety Programs to know that and some of the conversations of people in their 40s – 60s in public places.
An accompanying phenomena I’ve noticed – and experienced – is exaggerated praise,
where someone will give you far more praise than is due for something and use extravagance in expressing how good you are/were at something. It’s not balanced, and it doesn’t feel right hearing it – I knew there was something wrong and couldn’t put my finger on it because this girl was a beautiful Christian with real values!
And now the Holy Spirit has led me to part of this discovery here in the same article as some excerpts above. I found the following:
Someone commented “there are a few other words that - at least in one of their meanings - specifically convey undeserved or excessive praise.” All definitions/links from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com. Example sentences are mine....
aggrandise: enhance the reputation of (someone) beyond what is justified by the facts - "the book aggrandised the reckless, wanton behaviour"
dignifies: Give an impressive name to (someone or something unworthy of it) - "the book dignifies drunkenness as some manifestation of personal freedom"
idealise: Regard or represent as perfect or better than in reality
Other comments are:
Talking it up – Dressing it up – Putting it in a good light
Exalting and Extenuating
Truthbending and Innocenting
Roseglassing – as in through rose-colored glasses
It’s really been in my heart about these things for sometime recently and I’ve had the go ahead to write about it after a week of provocation – things that have come up that cause distress to the Holy Spirit.
My brothers and sisters, doesn’t our Bible say not to grieve Him? Better to stop now than find out later, hey? No I am not perfect but “we do have this Treasure in earthen vessels (let’s) show that the excellence of the Power belongs to Him” by living like Him. If you feel inadequate to do that “the Word of The Lord is Perfect, converting the soul” that’s our mind, will and emotions. Our spirit is saved but it’s also as strong as the amount (or quality) of time we spend in His Word and His Presence. The Salvation of our Soul is a gradual process.
Friends, two provocations I had this last week came through two really nice people
I know who are what I consider to be godly Christians and I don’t say that lightly.
They really love The Lord!
The first person was really upset in no small way after several months of abuse on the work scene that literally affected the physical health of her feet and knees – they were aware she had needs in that area – I could say more in her defense. It isn’t the first time people have made use of her and she extended the Love of God in the face of all that. She also has a passion for hearing The Lord’s voice over man’s in her heart and life.
Three times, she used the B_____ word and apologized.
Believe me, she is the sweetest thing ever and takes her walk with Jesus
very seriously. Half of her upset was for dear elderly people she cannot help now
she loved so very dearly.
The second person is also a very dedicated full-on Christian who is passionate about God and her gifting and she uses it to the best of her ability to benefit everyone she can.
She enjoys her God and her work, always giving Him the praise and credit for her accomplishments that are remarkable!
She runs a recipe website and certain things in extension to that.
A few days ago, I was in shock when I noticed her use a term I’ve never heard before.
It was Vegan Food Porn.
I was completely baffled as to why she would use that term in her presentation Online.
A few days later, I checked the meaning for the last two words and found a confirmation of something the Spirit of God showed me after what I read, that it is a worldly term, accepted out there and she apparently thought it would be ok to use it.
Here’s what Google links said:
Food Porn: images that portray food in a very appetizing or aesthetically appealing way.
ie "I waste hours looking at food porn online"
Urban Dictionary says: Close-up images of juicy, delicious food in advertisements.
Wikipedia says: a glamorized visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, blogs cooking shows or other visual media.
You can find a short history of how that phenomena commenced in the link for the following article.
What 'Food Porn' Does to the Brain
What's the psychological appeal of looking at food that can't be tasted? HERE
We Are Called Not To Be Like The World
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In this article, can you see the need for Godly Thoughts and Speech, Godly Terms?
Lets meditate on His Words.
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
(Psalm 119:11)
Psalm 15:1-3
1 O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? 2
3 He does not slander with his tongue or does evil to his neighbor, or takes up a reproach against his friend.
James 3:1-4
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of the horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
Proverbs 8:6-8
6 "Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things. 7 "For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 "All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.
Turning from Evil 1 Peter 3:9-11
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.11 He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
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Just after the second incident that concerned me last week, The Lord said to me “You have addressed Preachers' blind spots in the Blog. How about Christians?” That leads me to this question He gave me for you, no matter how godly you may be. I ask myself as well and that is:
“WHAT IS YOUR EXCEPTION?”
What exception/exceptions do you make in your walk with God?
And How much do you love JESUS?
I am back to complete this post with some Scriptures that would be good to consider.
It’s amazing how often we read our Bible and what we miss.
Maybe this way they can “leap off the page for you.”
PS: There are also Bible Words that are losing their significance.
This has been on my heart for months like:
"This is so heaven/heavenly, I think I will have some more."
(The person obviously enjoyed something immensely.)
"It's good of you to do that for me, you really are a savior."
Christ Jesus is the Owner of that Title. Him alone.
Let's not forget that!
"This remedy is fantastic, it works miracles"
JESUS is the author of Miracles and the One who performs them. Praise Him!
"Hey you're awesome, that's very clever of you!"
Our God is an Awesome God who Reigns
in Wisdom, Power and Love.
"This is taking me forever OR don't take forever."
Try to find some other words please.
"Let me redeem this for you, it will take just a minute."
Excuse me, I know that is a bank term now however
Jesus paid a pretty Big Price to REDEEM US!
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He who loves purity of heart. And he
whose speech is gracious, the King is his friend.
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it (look after it) will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 4:24
Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Christian Standard Bible Proverbs 12:14
A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the work of a person's hands will reward him.
When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
Proverbs 21:23
The one who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his life from troubles.
Proverbs 12:14
Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.
Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of the King, and He loves him who speaks what is right.
Proverbs 16:13
The lips of the righteous are the pleasure of the King and He loves
the word of the upright.
Psalm 101:5
I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.
Proverbs 12:22
The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy.
Proverbs 12:22
Deceitful speech is reprehensible to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are His delight.
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his Salvation.
Psalm 51:4
Behold, You desire Truth in the inward parts. (our soul)
You teach me Wisdom in the inmost place. (our spirit)
Psalm 106:3 Blessed are they who keep His judgments and do His righteousness at all times.
Psalm 145:21
My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD. Let all flesh bless
His Holy Name forever and ever.
My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall Praise You with Joyful lips.
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are those who are pure in their hearts, for they shall see God.
IF THE LORD HAS ALL THIS AND MORE TO SAY ABOUT
THE WORDS WE SPEAK, THEY MUST BE
VERY IMPORTANT TO HIM.
The Lord is placing on my heart to write about His Faithfulness and Loving Mercies and give you some Scriptures in different translations. There was a very stressful time I went through years ago that I described as 'relentless' and for some time after that, I could not handle the word 'faithfulness'........I could think of the Love of God etc but the other baffled me - it was ouchy to think or hear it. For years previous, there was a favorite song Great is Your Faithfulness I can sing again!
Some years later now after The Lord wonderfully came through for me, I am comfortable with this expression again "the Faithfulness of God".......it is taking on new meaning for me through a rich treasury of scriptures on a website called Bible Hub.
My present circumstances are not exactly ideal, for there is good and not so good in my life at the moment. But to me, there are two phases of Faithfulness: one where you are resting your weight (of whatever) upon Him and trusting for the outcome and the other of-course is rejoicing in His Faithfulness when He comes into our situation and does something with it. But He wants us to see Him there with us beforehand - in a quiet place in the center of the storm, so to speak. Yes, He is our resting place in the midst of an unrestful situation.
We can be involved in one or the other. We can be fretful and upset ourselves in the situation that presents itself and is there for a time (often) or we can engage ourselves with the Peace of God in the midst of it, by drawing aside in
His Presence daily and seeing Him with us in the situation. In other words, we need to separate ourselves (spiritually speaking) from the situation instead of being at the mercy of it. Yes, it is much better. Ask Him to show you.
"I will not leave you or forsake you".... some of us think or feel that He has. "He is an ever-present help in situations". He wants us to draw on His Strength and rest in His ability. In this way we grow. Sometimes there is a little stretching in the growing process (like there is with children) and because He does not move straightaway, we get bewildered. That's why we need to relate closely with Him in those times.
"You don't know my situation!" you say. I would not like to tell you some of those I've been in - I could tell you, it would 'curl your hair' if I did. But I don't see any profit in that. It's far better to share some things from my observations looking back over those times; what The Lord has shown me; and I am seeing in scripture now.
At times through the years, I have been "Kept by the Power of God".
Sometimes when we are experiencing much stress or turmoil, our prayer time and devotion time can lessen or even diminish. The Lord wants me to tell you, that's when you want to press in not shy away - and He can "hide you in the cleft of the Rock'' (that is His Peace, His Strength in His Presence). "He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" - sometimes we stop too quickly when He is saying
"COME CLOSER".
Many years ago, I was about to experience something distressing and The Lord gave me a prophetic word of knowledge through a pastor saying "there is a hard time around the corner and when it comes to hide yourself in My Word". Not long after that, when I had forgotten this, something did come up I had not anticipated and I was emotionally shattered for a time there because I did not do what He said. If I had, I would have been stronger and recovered more quickly. It took me months to get over.
Consider This......
Have you ever seen those wise parents who do not spare their children everything
but they stand by to give guidance? They let the child make decisions and work things out, and when their guidance is indicated, they step in and support them in a situation?
Parents grow strong kids this way and make them smart, providing that child has a loving environment. This can also give them resilience and skills for life.
That's what our Father is like with us often but we don't recognize it. Maybe we would 'spit the dummy' if we did!? So often we complain about something and feel hard done by, wondering where He is - much as to say "where's my dad, my dad, where are you?"
And He's right there, standing behind us, but we can't see Him for the situation that has captured our view. In fact, it's like a fog and He's actually right in front of us, to give us that guidance, that support and lead us out of it or sustain us.
He is our Protector - We are His
I know we have enemies and real situations but I was speaking about that in a less threatening sense. We are in our Father's Care in all situations, whatever they may be.
Like I said, it would curl your hair if you knew some things I could tell you - so He does cover everything! The Protection and Keeping Power of God is all around us - different than I thought a few times - we need to know how to hold His hand in a storm and sometimes to come up a little higher in daddy's arm where we can feel embraced.
But how can He do that if we run off in the storm or sit on the ground - letting go of
His Hand because we are upset or things are disturbing around us?
And I do know what I'm talking about, because I have been misdiagnosed by the Medical Profession and experienced 2 Medically induced conditions and other situations. A few things through the years the Spirit of God tried to spare me from -
I did not realize and walked straight into them.
We need to develop a sensitivity to "His still small Voice" in our spirit and listen closely because often, that's where the Protection is - in the leading of His Spirit but we fail to recognize it if we are out of practice.
SO WE NEED TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM ON A REGULAR BASIS!
Jeremiah went through some hard times and he said these words:
…21This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have Hope. 22The LORD'S Loving Mercies indeed never cease, For His Compassions never fail. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your Faithfulness. (Lam 3)
YES, He is a God of Faithfulness we can anchor our HOPE on. And did you hear what this servant of God said? "His Compassion never fails". Let me give you some of those verses in other translations.
I love to read Parallel Versions and Cross References. It brings out the richness in His Words. Because the original Greek and Hebrew are richer languages, no version can express a verse in it's entirety. I also like to study the original Greek or Hebrew word in a verse too. ie there are several meanings to the word strength and you can more closely define it.
English Standard Version The Steadfast Love of The LORD never ceases; His Mercies never come to an end.
New American Standard Bible The LORD'S Loving-kindness indeed will never cease, For His Compassions never fail.
NET Bible The LORD's Loyal Kindness never ceases; His Compassions never end.
New Living Translation Great is His Faithfulness; His Mercies begin Afresh each morning.
Young's Literal Translation
New every morning, Abundant is Your Faithfulness.
NET Bible
They are fresh every morning; Your Faithfulness is Abundant!
I WILL PROVE THIS TO YOU. EACH MORNING THE SUN RISES, THE FLOWERS BLOOM AND THE BIRDS SING. ALSO, WHEN WE WAKE UP, WE HAVE NEW BABY BRAIN CELLS THAT HAVE GENERATED WHILE WE WERE SLEEPING. SO EVEN IF JUST FOR THESE REASONS (seemingly) HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING. WE WOULD DO WELL TO MEDITATE ON THESE SIMPLE BLESSINGS MORE OFTEN - IT WOULD UNCOMPLICATE SOME OF OUR PROBLEMS.
Each new morning, His Loving Mercies begin afresh. One version says they are not limited - so He is not short of finding ways to express this if we are receptive and looking for them.Focus is a wonderful thing, we can focus on His Loving-kindness in the midst of situations and they have far less impact. My sister sent me a card once with a verse in it "they looked to The Lord and their faces were not ashamed". When I read these words and meditated on them, things lifted. That's why Jesus said His Words are Spirit and they are Life. Praise God.
YES, THINGS WILL LIFT OFF YOU OR YOU WILL BE SUSTAINED
WHEN YOU FOCUS ON GOD OR PRESS INTO HIM.
Let us hold unswervingly to the Hope we profess, for He who promised is Faithful.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the Hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His Promise.
English Standard Version
Let us hold fast the confession of our Hope without wavering, for He who promised is Faithful.
Berean Study Bible Let us hold resolutely to the Hope we confess, for He who promised is Faithful.
NET Bible And let us hold unwaveringly to the Hope that we confess, for the One who made the Promise is Trustworthy.
The Lord be with your spirit and make you strong
The Lord turn your sorrow into Joy.
The Lord transform those sad days into glad days.
The Lord be your light in whatever situation.
The Lord bring you comfort like no other.
The Lord bring you out with shouts of Joy!
He will come through for you.
Remember this usually requires something on your part.
It did for me, I did not have to be as disheartened as I was.
Even in a time of great relentless stress, I found there were days
it kind of subsided when I came to Him in quietness and trust
purposefully singing songs of worship and praise to Him.
This is a simple act of will to do so and it helps
it really does.
I needed to do this more often and so do you.
GOD BLESS YOU!
TAGS: In the Storms Trust Him, Strength in Every Situation, Peace Be Still.