Book of Enoch

Posted on 2023/02/14 by Jim

Of all books to delve into I have decided I would take a dive into the Book of Enoch. It was declared not worthy to be kept together with what is described as the Holy inspired Word of God. So far from my studies I’ve found that the Book of Revelation and the Epistle of Jude were near being excluded as well, because these two books of the Bible reference the Book of Enoch. Jesus is said to have quoted the Book of Enoch as well. So, what is the curiosity that I have for this study?

Enoch was a man of God and walk so closely with Him that God took him directly into the heavens.

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. – Gen 5:24

I have wondered for a long time about what is there to do in the immortal life after we shed this mortal body? It’s certainly not streets of gold, harps and wings. There is a whole tapestry of things going on in the after-life. Much of what is preached is aimed towards a less than rewarding knowledge of what we are being groomed for as God’s sons and daughters. The freewill part of us is the crux of it I believe. As we put on the Mind of Christ we lose all that we desire and replace it with all that God desires.

There are many questions answered in these studies. I am not basing my whole belief on what is said in just the Book of Enoch. I am also studying the works of a theologian named Michael Heiser. His books concerning the invisible realm are quite an eye-opener. These two studies have given me a topic with not just one, but two subjects that interlock with one another. It’s as thou I have a witness of one for the other.

I may or may not pursue this in writing what I find in this blog. Time will tell. What I will say is that what I’m seeing further solidifies my faith in God as to His purpose and reason for salvation. I’m reminded that this time in this mortal flesh is equated to being in military basic training. I was in that setting for eight weeks. By the time I finished I had lost my individual identity for that of the group. My part was to watch my brother’in-arms back. I was trained to forsake myself for the good of everyone else. I love God and His purpose and desire to be a part of what He is doing. All that I am and all that I do are being directed to this end.

Posted in Biblical teaching, Christian Mission, God's Calling, God's Guidance, Maturity, Military, Righteous alarm, Spiritual, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment

Absent

Posted on 2023/02/12 by Jim

I know. I’ve been absent for a while. My mind has been quiet. I get up every morning and tell God I love Him and He responds likewise. We talk during the day and He assures me all is well and to just follow Him.

I’ve been driving a school bus. Two runs daily. One for a middle school and the other is an elementary school run. I love my elementary kids. I keep an eye on them. I noticed one in particular that appeared sad. The first time I asked her if she was alright she replied she was tired. That’s not the response most little kids with come back with. I asked her why. She replied she had not felt well. The next day she still looked sad. I asked again and she said she was not sleeping well. Then the third day she said she was tired because her dog kept her awake and she was tired.

I inquired about her. A teacher said she knew her and that she had a lazy eye. I had not noticed because she always looked down. So the next time I asked her to look at me and it was true. I know how she feels since I have been dealing with a crossed eye. She likely needs to see an eye doctor, but I also noticed she needs to see a dentist for braces. It was then it dawned on me she likely has a lack of self-esteem. Buck teeth and a crossed eye can be hurtful. No other kids seem to really have interaction with her. I asked the teacher to look into what could be done for her as well as speaking to the SRO (Student Resource Officer) from the Sheriff’s Department. The latter is someone that is at every school for rapid response for situations requiring elevated instances.

I want this young girl’s problems to be addressed. As a Christian it is my calling to see she is given an opportunity to grow her self-esteem and conquer her sadness. If you as an individual and Christian (or not) should become involved with lifting up someone else from their issues to realize their worth.

My absence from blogging has to cease so I may write about life. My relationship with God is good. Someone of you that reads this needs to know sadness and defeat are not your portion in life. I saw a statement today that applies here.

Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.

Posted in Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, Common Sense, Follow God, God's Calling, God's Guidance, Human Touch, Respect for Life, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment

Check Yourself First

Posted on 2023/01/16 by Jim

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. – II Cor 13:5-9

Of late it has become imperative that my awareness of church people should be noted. I spent thirty

years under a ministry that wasn’t perfect (matured). Many times I would drive by the sheep shed (the building) I called home and think to myself why I am meeting there with the church (the people). There were so many contrary members there.

During my years there an elder and I sat one day talking about church people that had come and gone. We estimated that at the time of that conversation some six hundred people had passed through the doorway of our sheep shed. Now mind you the average number in the congregation was around 150 members.

Why so many, you ask? Something I found in the over-arching reason was that most came thinking they would get their ears full of knowledge without responsibility or action upon what they heard. Once they found out the church is actually a working, moving organism, not an organization they would move on once they found they were actually suppose to act upon their calling or supposed calling.

Secondly they would walk on was because they could not break themselves away from their old ways of thinking. I, myself, spent months before I came to this church researching the new and fascinating paradymn shift I encountered. All I had ever learned needed a revamping and reprioritizing. Lots of what I had learned before had to be discarded even. This shift didn’t occur overnight.

Then there was the undercurrent of discord that flowed from the people that didn’t agree. They spoke to undermine the integrity of the ministry that was there and was actually thriving in moving forward. Once I had settled my reprioritization and huge paradymn shift I wanted for all people to get the fresh understanding of what the Bible was really trying to teach the masses.

I’m not into inventing doctrine. I find that understanding the truth takes some real digging into scripture. Westernization of scripture is one of the leading causes of misunderstanding scripture. My first endeavor was to study the culture of that day. The culture of that time is definitely needed to properly interpret scripture. Then some words need to be defined on a more refined scale. Much of the English language is not able to properly translate the original text. It can literally take hours to properly interpret scripture in some instances. Well, that was before computers and the internet, so that is the reason for that statement. The internet has shortened the process considerably.

In those thirty years I witnessed men that still thought is okay to beat their wives. Some mishandled money by kiting checks or embezzling from the church. We had two prominent members that were homosexual. One was dismissed and the other dismissed himself. I even stumble myself and had to be corrected. I was guilty of mishandling a counseling situation that resulted in being threatened by a member. I saw ministry that thought they should be placed into positions they didn’t have right to assume and left. I actually know of a deacon that lost control of his mental state and left. I saw members that would “lay hands” on women that were praying at the altar. The person was physically escorted out of the building. I’ve heard vularities from the mouths of men that had come to lead music in a service. Folks. People are not perfect. Remember my definition of “perfect” is one that is fully matured. This doesn’t mean we don’t fall down. It means we do fall down, but we get up. Maturity comes with age whether spiritual or physical.

People in church are somewhere between their spiritual birth and their summation of life at the end. That said you must understand that all these people are working on issues they have in their lives that can cause another to stumble. What we must understand is that is we see them stumble we are to help them recover. We are responsible for their success in part because they are our kinsman. We are not to condemn them and cast them out without sincerely counseling them and helping them as they allow. They are not outcasts until they have repeatedly and without remorse continue to lay or fall down from their vices. Then they are release to the evil one for their own sin. The evil one will devour them or at most antagonize them relentlessly. This may be the only way to get them to reconcile themselves with God and come back to the fold.

If that happens it is our responsibility to welcome them back as did the Prodical that welcomed back his son that had squandered his inheritance in the world. We should mourn those that refuse discipline and correction. If we are guilty of going against God’s desires then we need to take stock of ourselves first.

Of late I have watched people walk away from my present church because they were hurt by another. This needs to stop. NOW! We should look at where we’ve come from first. If we would I’m sure we would stop offending others. That offence we create in others will cause our own salvation to be damaged.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian Mission, Common Sense, Ponderings | 1 Comment

Be God’s Vessel in the Earth

Posted on 2023/01/03 by Jim

I take stock of life in general daily. After stopping a moment to tell God that I love Him just for who He is, I look at things around me.

I got up this morning as usual to go out and take my kiddos to school in the middle and elementary age groups. As I traveled out I found myself robotically making my stops and counting the number of students that get on. It was good to see them. I have to say I’m blessed with a good group of a little over 40 total students in the morning. I will have somewhere closer to 60 in the afternoon. Their lives are precious yet I see the ways of this world forming and controlling them and that makes me sad. This is why I drive. I speak into their lives as I am allowed about how to behave and treat others.

Even with the above notation of my morning I am also talking with God all along the route. He and I had a good conversation this morning. I’m coming to realize He has softened the harsh reality of my mortality. Being seventy-two means I haven’t no way as many years ahead of me as I’ve had behind me. He has introduced me to something this past week that has given me insight into what goes on in the infinite. I’m still trying to wrap my thoughts around that. However it has created a greater understanding of what I have to look forward to when I cross through the veil from this body. It seems like I’m prepping for the hereafter. It gives me to wondering when that will be. To me it would seem like I should get my affairs in order, but God kind of rebuked me. He speaks of more time for me and to not dwell on dying as yet, but to indeed get my affairs more in line with keeping my wife safe after I’m gone. To some this may sound morbid, but in actuality we must all face that inevitability with a sober mind.

So, now I’m back home and feeling well. My body is not in distress and everything is in order. I believe God’s conversation with me and I look forward to having more to do and time to do it. I never consider taking my own life. That is not in question. I’ve always been an analyst by nature and put things in order so that I may understand what is happening.

I suppose the whole thing I’m getting at here is to say that all the drama that can be contrived needs to be settled. We don’t need to have aught with anyone. We need to forgive everyone. Make everything right with God every day. It is good to examine ourselves to see where we stand, but we need not dwell on it obsessively. In all reality we should be asking our Father what we can do in this world to make it better. How do we show the world who He is? We need to concentrate of putting on the mind of Christ in this earth and letting it become our conversation.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian Mission, Common Sense, God's Guidance, Mental Health | Leave a comment

God’s Counsel

Posted on 2022/12/25 by Jim

A quick note before I sign off for the day. In the world, it’s been a day for all to stop and give thought to a baby that was born. This baby grew up to be a man that was eventually despised and killed upon a cross.

Right now at this time, He is resting at the right hand of the Father awaiting His return to deal with humanity. He’s not just a baby anymore. He had to come in the form of human flesh and endure the hardships and temptations as well as the enjoyment that we encounter in our lives. I bow to his rule as I learn more about the workings of God.

As I’ve gotten older I have had revealed to me (as well as my wife) the purpose of God in the overarching path that God is taking us. Just this week I’ve learned much about the Nephilim (known better as the giants) of the Bible. I’ve gotten some understanding about the others mentioned in scripture.

 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. . . Gen 1:26

The “us” in the verse goes to a broader explanation. Michael Heiser explains.

“It’s like me going int a room of friends and saying, “Hey, let’s go get some pizza!” I’m the one speaking. A group is hearing what I say. Similarly, God comes to the divine council with an exciting announcement: “Let’s create humankind!”

But if God is speaking to his divine council here, does that suggest that humankind was created by more than one elohim? Was the creation of humankind a group project? Not at all. Back to my pizza illustration: If I am the one paying for the pizza–making the plan happen after announcing it–then I retain both the inspiration and the initiative for the entire project. That’s how Genesis 1:26 works.”

Elohim is not a singular name for God, but a term for a type of god-like beings. This can be further found to be those in God’s counsel. This has opened up a new understanding of God. The one and only true God over all things.

Oh, here I go on a rabbit trail again. I’ve perked someone’s interest, so all I can say is to search for yourself. I once had a new paradymn thrown at me and I spent months researching before I concluded I had been shown principles that run deeper than I’d ever imagined.

So to prolong this conversation I’m going to say that Jesus’ coming to earth and dying for us to end all other sacrifice was a part of a plan to make God’s promise or Word not come back void. You’ll have to see if I follow through with this thought.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, Follow God, God's direction, Ponderings | Leave a comment

2022

Posted on 2022/12/23 by Jim

As the year draws to a close I find myself sitting alone at four twenty in the morning wondering what became of this year. It has slipped by in such a manner that bewilders my senses So much has transpired. Becoming older has seemingly sped up on me.

The first of the year found me traveling to Kentucky to a tornado zone to assess and help people that had their lives devastated by a tornado. The people of Dawson Springs found their town had lost four hundred and fifty homes. They are completely gone. I walked and talked with several of the people and met a pastor that found himself in charge of the recovery efforts. The town officials eventually stifled efforts by attempting to restrict the rebuilding efforts to push out the low income towns people. I cannot understand the minds of men that create such division. The pastor had become frustrated with the restrictions. People from everywhere came to help rebuild, yet could not do all that could be done to put people back to some state of normalcy.

In the spring I found myself on a committee to put together a 4th of July event. It was to be a huge event with an expected crowd to exceed six thousand people. The event was plagued with bad weather and it had less that three thousand people show up.

Back during the planning stages of the event I found myself changing jobs back to driving a school bus. I helped finish out the last couple of month of the previous school year. I’m still driving a school bus and I find this is where I should be. I have a middle school and and elementary school I deliver and take home this year that are very good compared to my previous years. I’ve found it to be my way of ministering to the elementary kids especially. In that vein of thought I resigned my position as the director of the disaster relief organization I was working with for a year.

Even with those changes I was approached by another embryonic organization just forming. The thrust of their ministry is to help veterans that need counseling and likely a place to stay for a short period. I would be a chaplain among others that will be available to talk. It is still in the planning stage.

I also am still continuing in the visitation ministry of my church as a chaplain there as well. I am coordinating with the person in charge of our nursing home ministry to become available to that ministry as needed. We have a young crowd in our church so there are very few that require visitation due to the nature of older folks require.

My biggest accomplishment this year was getting my book published. It was released in August and out of the 200 I bought for my own use I sold over 100 within the first month. I still get curious buyers and some I just give my book away to them. My desire is solely to see that the need is filled for those having issues with suicide or are family members having to deal with the loss of a family member. This book became my life-long dream to give people something to read of value that can save a life. God has been extraordarily good to me in this endeavor. My publisher did a very good job of getting it done down to getting into the market on Amazon, Barnes n Noble and Walmart Books.

Just this week I’ve found some teaching on the big picture of the Bible by Michael Heiser. It has given me insight into the overall nature of God’s endeavors. It has once again reminded me of the nature of man vs God’s nature. It is a very eye-opening teaching. God really is a big God. I tell Him daily that I love Him.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my wife receiving her ministerial license this year as she was fully ordained into the ministry. She has worked hard to get to where she is. She is a wonder partner with and to me. She also has begun to teach in the ministry school and is in charge of an area of ministry in the church.

Of those of you that read this, I hope your year has been good to you and if not so good, just know God is in charge of your life and when you strive to follow Him no matter what transpires it will come to a positive end. God’s Word does not come back void.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian Mission, Dreams, Follow God, God's Calling, Ponderings | Leave a comment

The Mind of Christ – Infinite vs Finite

Posted on 2022/12/19 by Jim

I have begun a paradymn shift. It is unusual to say the least to think a new way from all one has learned all their lives to be true to them at that time.

Believing God created everything and everything that was created was by Him. Odd sentence, but true. All that He created has a set of immutable rules as to how it was created and if it changed it would no longer be what it was created to be. If whatever it is changes it becomes imperfect or not according to what its created intention was for. It would create chaos.

Everything God created is perfect. No matter what it is. Laws of Physics becomes the rule. In the infinite realm all things were created. Take for instance the story of creation. All that we see on this earth was created and on the first day I see it as the first day of time. I also take into consideration that time may have actually started when Adam and Eve fell from their appointed positions as overseers of this earthly realm. It’s debatable, I suppose.

I feel I’m losing perspective so let me refocus here. God put everything into motion. Again, deviating from that can only destroy itself as to whatever it is. My perspective of satan is that he was a purposely created being to counterbalance and test man. His taking on the form of a serpent in the garden tells us he had already obtained much power. Still he had limitations as we see in the Book of Job.

“Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job himself.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence. – Job 1:12

The battle for man is to change man’s heart and mind away from God. God allows this because He wants us to recognize Him for who He is and desire to be with Him of our own free will. God doesn’t want robots. The truest down-to-earth soul searching is done to prove a man of this. Job was sorely tested, yet he learned the want for God is far greater than allowing evil to pervade his life. The test was a life-or-death situation that we all face. If we accept God’s provision, we gain eternal life with Him. Otherwise, we die miserably under the rule of a despot named satan. Satan intends to destroy all of God’s creation. However, he does not know that all his power is self-destructing and cannot win under any circumstances.

The simple laws of math are far more powerful than we use to count change back at a cash register. Multiplication and Division are opposites. All that God does multiplies. All that the evil one does divides. Simple, eh? So it seems it is a statement that holds little value, yet it holds the entire universe together.

What I am now seeing is so far from what I knew. I feel I will not do justice to what was dropped into my spirit. I will attempt this subject anyway.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. – Romans 12:2

First we are charged by scripture to have a change of mind. In the above scripture it speaks of “renewing” our minds. The original language for renewing translates to the thought of renovation or a complete change for the better.

So I’m back to saying that God’s mind processes thought from the infinite. We process thought from the finite. We are encouraged to put on the mind of Christ. That is to say, we should no longer think from the finite realm. We should begin to think from the infinite realm where God is. The possibilities of existence will expand so much that we begin to understand the nature of the supernatural realm. If we are to understand God we have to draw closer to Him. In the drawing closer, our thought process has to change.

I believe in the verse in Romans 12:2 is a progression of stepping closer. He starts with his good will. The core definition of the word “good” is useful, or salutary. The word salutary is defined as wholesome; healthful; promoting health. God wants us to have good health. When are bodies line up with scripture our mind becomes clearer.

The “acceptable” will draws us a step closer after we recognize that we have divine health first, but now we are well-pleasing (especially to God). Understanding acceptability lets us know we can please God. The rendering or surrendering of our lives to God should show us we have a nature of well-being in the natural realm. It creates a sense of our knowing God is pleased with us.

A lot of what I’m attempting to say is a process that can be however long it takes to get to this last stage. I must digress for a moment to present another thought. These three stages can be described in speaking of the three stages of the life of humanity.

First there is the stage of childhood. The growth process starts our journey. We learn to do the things that helps us subsist in the natural realm. And as I’ve noted doing the right things will promote good health. What we do when we begin our walk through life determines a lot on how we grow and age into the next stages.

Then there is adulthood or the middle age where we apply the fundamentals of what we learned early on. All that we do in our middle years builds on the foundation of our childhood. But the process is refined as we age. Understanding life never stops. There is always more to learn. We are continually growing. We will likely see many shifts in our thinking as time progresses.

As we approach the end of the middle stage we hopefully have proven to God (more likely proven to ourselves) that we understand that we have pleased Him. Yet we still operate from the earthly realm of thought. It is said that in the fifth decade of life man (men and women) begin to explore the spiritual side of things. I feel that our minds begins the shift from the natural to the spirit. So here I am at the last of Romans 12:2.

The “perfect” will of God is consummate. It doesn’t mean what so many attribute to it. Perfection comes with time. Understanding God comes with time. The change from finite thought to infinite thinking comes with age. I’m not necessarily looking at how old the body gets in this whole scheme of things, but the comparison comes from using a full age of man. At any time of a person’s life this level of thinking can be found out.

As for me, I have thought from the earthly realm most of my life. Oh, I did start searching for my spiritual side when I hit my fifties. Then just the last year I’ve become aware of a yearning to know more about my Father. After all, I’m reaching the point that I have less life here in front of me that I had behind me. God has been kind enough to allow me to come to understand the “perfect” will of God.

The original Greek word of perfect is “complete” (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.) completeness:–of full age, man, perfect.

I have listed below different thoughts that comes straight from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

1) brought to its end, finished
2) wanting nothing necessary to completeness
3) perfect
4) that which is perfect
4a) consummate human integrity and virtue
4b) of men
4b1) full grown, adult, of full age, mature

So, I’ve rambled on a lot, but I will come to conclusion that obtaining the mind of Christ is a process that takes however long one goes through to the full grown, adult stage of maturity. Thinking from God’s perspective is a process. With that said I find way too many people struggle with their day to day issues and never focus on what God wants us to persue. If we stop for moment and reprioritize our thinking process towards shifting our thinking to how God thinks (putting on the mind of Christ) we will find all the chaotic situations around us fade away. Think like God from the infinite realm. Possibilites become more of a reality.

Don’t limit yourself to this finite realm of thinking. Surrender your life to Him and He will revolutionize your perspective of life and understanding.

Posted in Absolute(s), Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Common Sense, God's direction, God's Guidance | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Keep Going

Posted on 2022/12/16 by Jim

God has opened so many doors in the last twelve to thirteen years I’m amazed. Before that time I was seemingly on a constant downhill slide. That slide culimated in a crash for me whole life. It came to a skeeching halt. Darkness and silence were my only two friends. It seemed as though God had forsaken me.

Then came to my inbox an email from a woman I did not know, but she explained to me she grew up in my old home community back home. She had gone to school with my brother Danny and was referred to my blog by a classmate of hers that I knew back when I was in school in the sixties. So I replied and to make a long story short we exchanged emails a while and then we met. Out first in person meeting was astounding. We connected completely that day. Neither of us wanted to go home when the time came. We eventually became totally exclusive with one another.

From that time on it seemed God blessed me through all my problems. I got a new position at work that was not only a grade higher, but in fact two grades higher. I can’t go through all the things that changed, but nothing could cause me to look back. In spite of financial strains God met my needs and then some.

Shortly into our relationship God began placing a desire in both of us to attend church. We first went to a church that was mostly made of of local people that love God, but were not deep into the Word. Eventually we moved to a spirit-filled church. I was already a tongue-talking Pentecostal of a sort and my wife found it intriguig and was eventually finding it a part of her life as well. Then due to circumstances I won’t divulge God pushed us out to another church.

This “new” church was the third iteration of the ministry in the same building where I attending in it’s first iteration. Not long after we started attending there I was approached about being ordained as a licensed minister. I had been trained in the late 70’s and early 80’s for ministry and was ordained as a deacon/care pastor. So, God opened a new door for me. A day after I was ordained my wife (we were married by then) asked could she be what I was. This new church has a three year program to whit you become a fully-ordaine minister. The pastor allowed her to take the courses and she is now an ordained minister as well. In the mean time I was presented with an eighteen week course to become a certified Chaplain. I graduated from Aiden University this past July with certification.

Then after all my years of knowing God had told me I’d write a book I felt God overshadowing me with His Spirit to birth that book. Without hardly any issues I was approached by Trilogy Publish from TBN wanting to publish it for me. It is now on the market in Barnes n Noble, Amazon and Walmart book stores.

I would say I’ve reached all of my goals in life, but God tells me I have more. After a year with Emerge Ministries as a Chaplain I resigned, only to be approach upon leaving by another ministry that is starting up with their purchase of land and designing a building to help homeless and disabled veterans. I’ve been offered a place to help there counseling with veteran’s.

Still, more has been given to me besides being the Visitation Chaplain for our church, but I am looking at coming alongside the person in charge of the Nursing Home Ministry. I am looking for an inroad into a local nursing home to come on an as-needed basis to help the residents there. This will likely lead to other nursing homes in the area.

Now, at 72 years old, I have found my stride. I no longer concern myself with closing down shop and sitting at home waiting for God to call me home. He says I have more to do.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. – Matt 7:7-8

Never consider your time done till God says so. Seek Him. He will reward you with things to do that will bring joy to your heart.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Mission Work, More of God, Ponderings, Possibilities, Priorities, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment

The Question of Cheating

Posted on 2022/12/05 by Jim

The question arose by a friend asking which was worse. Was emotional involvement or having physical sex worse when it comes to cheating?

Emotions and hormones start the process. The act is the culmination of the thoughts being processed to the natural realm.

I taught my first son about the physical act, but I had to take a different tack with my younger son. I had to tell him that committing a physical act with another will tie their souls together. This is because it really does happen and that is why there is so much turmoil between a couple at some point if they find they are otherwise incompatible. Their souls have intertwined.

Cheating further complicates the matter when someone is in process of a relationship or married. The other significant other will likely “feel” something is wrong, yet not recognize it or will deny it because they don’t want to believe it. These instinctual feelings come from a troubled soul. Even if an act hasn’t occurred. So it starts in the soul. No act is required. The physical act itself is the culmination of all that transpired before it.

Posted in Biblical teaching, Cheating, Common Sense, Divorce, God's Guidance, Maturity, Mental Health, Ponderings | Leave a comment

Christian Bible Study

Posted on 2022/11/27 by Jim

Being a long-time student of the Bible I have to be vigilant still since I question all things. The KJV is foundational to me only because the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is keyed to it. I use it as a base to go back and study the original Hebrew and Greek words. I do use several versions of interpretations of scripture to get a fuller understanding at times so don’t think of me as narrow-minded.

I know of many texts that were written that were excluded from the Bible because it was not considered to be of the highest spiritual value, but still they are valuable in a well-rounded view of the eras in which scriptures were written about God. Some are of important value for their historical approach if nothing else.

I’m always intrigued by anything that purports to be of significant value, even if it is negative towards true spiritual values. The true history of an article is bound to be researched when it falls under my

scrutiny.

An article popped up on my news feed that a very old Bible text had been found purported to have “facts” that Jesus was not the Son of God and was not crucified (says Judas was). It also labels Jesus as a prophet much the same as Mohammed. It’s called the Gospel of Barnabas and is labeled apocryphal.

I skimmed the article so I did not catch any mention, which may have been, of it being in the Book of Islam, which it is. So of course, it’s unbelievable and it is being thrown out there to disprove the foundation of the New Testament. People who are unaware of the foundation of the New Testament will be totally taken in. Don’t be uninformed. Bible study is important. 

For your own spiritual growth it is your responsibility to dig for the gems that are hidden in the works that are presented to us. Just as diamonds, rubies and other gem stones have to be dug out of the earth so are we to dig out of the fleshly presentations of men to find the truth (or lies) and benefit or discard such that we find.

There is gold and then there’s fool’s gold. Be sure you know how to discern the difference.

Posted in Absolute(s), Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, Common Sense, Follow God, God's Guidance, Maturity, More of God | Leave a comment