In Search of a Feel Good

I love to sit back and watch people. I suppose I am what you call an ‘Armchair Psychiatrist’. I love to ponder and analyze why people do what they do.


Thankfully I had been a scholar of the bible long before psychiatry. I learned, to my surprise, that in all of my psychiatry courses those thoughts and theories were already documented in the bible. I kept proclaiming to myself as I would read my text – that’s in the bible! Solomon was truly correct in stating that there was nothing new under the sun.


So when I look at people today and see the things that they do I have simply narrowed down their behavior to one simple thing. They are in search of a ‘Feel Good’. Our background, social class, economic status, age, gender, etc. will all play a factor into what it is that we pursue to achieve that one thing, but we all pursue it in some way or another. And, not just once, but repeatedly. Sometimes consciously and sometimes, many times, unconsciously.

Another thing that I have noticed through the years is that, in this microwave society, our insistence on getting that ‘Feel Good’ has grown more impatient.


Through the decades, first the 60’s then 70’s and 80’s society has turned the focus to self and self gratification. Through the years it has become the status quo to seek pleasure and self gratification and nothing that is even questioned any longer.


I’ve watched some very close people in my life unconsciously in search of a ‘Feel Good’ by trying to return to a place and a time in their childhood. Their memories of that place and time were so happy and fun that they continually try to revisit that place to regain that feeling. But it is never the same. Then the disappointment sets in and rational talk ensues. What did you expect?


Of course there is the obvious. The drugs and alcohol, the shopping and buying, the extreme sports and the high of a victory and rush of adrenaline. New this and new that. New people, places and things. It is all about being in search of a ‘Feel Good’. 


Now where am I going with all of this you might ask. Is it wrong to feel good? No! Absolutely not! In fact in John 10:10 Jesus himself said:


John 10:10
Amplified Bible (AMP)
10The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT


So what is the problem here? The way and the means by which we seek to achieve life enjoyment.


Here is the bottom line – happiness is gained from the external and is always temporary. It comes, gives us pleasure and then is gone leaving a diminishing afterglow that usually quickly fades. Then we are back in pursuit of another ‘Feel Good’.


We often chide our children when they say, “I’m bored” but then how often do we ourselves become bored with our latest ‘whatever’?


A new car is great, for awhile. A new home is great, for awhile. A new girlfriend is great for awhile. A new job is great, for awhile. A new experience is great, for awhile.  That bag of cookies is great, for awhile. You see the pattern.


There is nothing at all wrong with the things I mentioned above and yes they can and many times do make our lives so much easier and much more pleasurable. But so often we are quickly discontent once we have the very thing we just knew would bring us pleasure. So we are off to the next one.


So what is the solution? How do we find contentment with life beyond the external?


This is something many churches and preachers talk about in sermons. Be content. Paul stated in Philippians 4:


Philippians 4:11-12
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.


12I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT


And when we hear those words of Paul we become determined to BE content. We attempt to force ourselves, no matter what happens to BE content. It is hard and we fail and we beat ourselves up about it and resign ourselves to hopefully someday be like Paul who was obviously a super-Christian.


We also begin to feel guilty for seeking things that do bring us pleasure. We often decide that denying ourselves those things will punish us, in a sense, for not being content to live without them. We as Christians have developed some very dysfunctional behaviors in an effort to be pleasing to Christ.


But there is a way. The way Paul was able to easily say he was content in all situations. Not because he determined to BE content, but because one day he discovered that he WAS content no matter what happened.


I’ve been talking a lot recently about transformation from the inside out. Actually the only way transformation takes place is from the inside out.


Contentment comes from the inside out. It is not something that you can force upon yourself because you decide to. It comes from the peace that passes all understanding. It comes from the giver of peace – the Holy Spirit.


Galatians 5:22-23
Amplified Bible (AMP)
22But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,


23Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT


When we begin to spend time with the Father and allow the Holy Spirit to direct us and guide us. We will begin to transform. When we become good ground, good fruit – Holy Spirit fruit - will grow within us.


Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit. Many people confuse joy (gladness) for happiness, but they are not the same. The joy that resides within from the Holy Spirit is eternal and doesn’t fade with time or with things coming and going.


When you begin to be a seeker of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, from the Holy Spirit, you will find that you will never be in search of a ‘Feel Good’ again.

DAY JOB LINKS...
Dreams Do Come True and Dragonfly In Amber Designs

GIGO

I remember many years ago when I was studying computer science, first in vo-tech in the 70’s then in college in the 80’s, there was a term that was frequently used. It sounded funny, and we began to toss it around quite flippantly, but nevertheless one that is true and was birthed out of truth. The irony of that term is that it is pretty much universal, not just for computers. That term is GIGO or Garbage In Garbage Out.

Through the years I’ve come to realize this is critically true of us as humans. From the moment a baby is born, they are learning.

They are taking in information which will develop them into the person they will become. The better the information they take in, the better person they will grow to be.

They take in information through their eyes, ears and touch. The first years of a baby’s life are massive sequences of data input and storage. Each progressive step is built on the previous step. Much, if not most, of what a child learns is not taught to the child directly, but indirectly as they perceive the world around them.

We are still the same today. It is probably safe to say however, that our learning process slows with time. We stop receiving new experiences or become set in our thoughts and ideals and refuse to receive or accept information that is new to us. We develop biased opinions over time which influences every thought or piece of knowledge that we receive.

Right now I am still studying the parable of the sower. God keeps impressing on me that there is much more to see in that parable than we have every dreamed. Today this particular scripture stood out to me.

Luke 8:18
¹⁸Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and ^[e]guesses and ^[f]supposes that he has will be taken away. Amplified Bible CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

The word ‘how’ really stuck out to me. Not be careful ‘that’ we listen, but ‘how’. As I meditated on this reading the definitions of the Greek root words I began to see this as further confirmation that we must listen to the Word with acceptance and not resistance as I spoke about in the recent blog Good Ground.

There is a strong warning in this verse. To gain spiritual knowledge you must accept that whatever the Word says is truth and determine to receive that truth with an open mind. If you do this, you will gain more spiritual knowledge. The spiritual knowledge needed to produce a good output in your life.

If you don’t; if you close off your mind and heart to aspects of the bible, picking and choosing what you decide to believe and manipulate the interpretation based on pre-disposed ideas, you will lose even that spiritual knowledge that you think you already have.

We must feed on the truth of the Word and not on false, partially correct or out of context teachings. They will produce toxic results and will not transform our lives the way Christ intended. So how then do we know if what we are hearing is delivered to us with the correct interpretation and not with a pre-disposed bias?

Hebrews 8:10-11
¹⁰For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

¹¹And it will nevermore be necessary for each one to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen or each one his brother, saying, Know (perceive, have knowledge of, and get acquainted by experience with) the Lord, for all will know Me, from the smallest to the greatest of them. Amplified Bible CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

It is good to listen to preachers and teachers of the Word, but the most important thing you can do is read the Word for yourself. Read it with an open mind and ask with sincerity for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the true interpretation of the Word. Don't read it with a preconceived notion or thought, but fresh and new as the Spirit reveals it to you and then accept it as it is.

That is one of the main services of the Holy Spirit to us; to reveal to us the truth in the Word. If you ask with a genuine heart to learn and know the truth, then you are developing good ground and this is HOW you listen, by listening not to men only, but to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you the truth with an open mind.

And with this truth, with this revelation comes the power to transform, to change. Not by your own might, but by the Spirit.

DAY JOB LINKS...
Dreams Do Come True and Dragonfly In Amber Designs

I Want It All

Have you ever seen a movie or TV show where there was a person at a party standing at the buffet table and they were sneaking food and putting it in their pocket? They were hungry and had experienced hunger often and wanted to make sure that when they were hungry later they would have something to eat.

They are usually embarrassed and afraid that someone would see them. Their eyes shift around watching to see if someone is looking at them. They don’t want anyone to laugh at them or scold them for their hunger.

Sometimes someone does see them and there is usually that classic look of disdain on that persons face. There is judgment and scorn. They are immediately categorizing that person in their mind as a ‘needy’ person. Someone to be looked down upon.



This scenario came to mind to me today as I was praying. I wasn’t praying about a buffet or even someone who was hungry. I was praying about the promises of God for our lives.

I see a lot of people in this world who have come to the party, with the buffet Christ has laid out before them. They have come to the party and they know the buffet table is there and will eat a bit here and there but there is no hurry because the night is young and there is plenty of time to feast – later. There are more important things to do right now.

There are those who have come to the party and they are hungry, but don’t want to be greedy and are fearful of what others will say so they get dainty little bites, just enough to be acceptable, but not too much as to bring ridicule.

Of course there is that occasional person which I described in the beginning that is truly hungry and has experienced hunger and eats heartily and takes more for later too, but they are always looking over their shoulder to see who is watching, afraid.

How does this relate spiritually you say?

Well there are those who come to the party and think that they have all the time in the world to feast on the things of God. They are there and feel that for now that is good enough. There is always time to eat when they choose to eat. So, they laugh and party and have a good time with no urgency to eat of the things of God.

Then there are those that want to eat; they want to know a little bit. They have some hunger, but see others watching them and in an effort to not appear like a radical or Jesus freak they take timidly. They take just enough to abate the hunger and be proper, but no more.

Also in that same category are those who are very picky about what they choose at that huge buffet table. They look and they scrutinize and they examine trying to decide what will set well with them. They don’t pick things that are new to them. They don’t pick things that they were taught to never eat. They don’t take things that might affect the way they will look. They don’t pick things that are against the ‘rules’.

As for the first example, well they are truly hungry and need to eat, so they eat ravishingly while socking away more for later. But there is fear that the others will find out that they are so hungry. They see the looks and stares and then they finally stop and walk away from the table ashamed to be so needy.

As I was thinking about this I came to the realization of where I am at today and have been for the past year.

I want to walk boldly into that room, fold up the edges of the tablecloth and slinging the whole mess over my shoulder and walk out with it. In other words, I want it all and I don’t care what others say or think.

I look at that spiritual buffet table as the promises of God that Jesus died on the cross to give me. If I just come to the party with no urgency to partake of them then doesn’t that diminish the cost of them saying they weren’t worth all that much?

If I come to the party and then daintily pick and choose as to not appear a radical, doesn’t that say that I care more about what others think than the gifts Jesus has laid out before me?

And if I purview the table with critical eyes only choosing what promises that my parents chose or what promises that my friends agree are appropriate, then aren’t I saying that only some of Jesus’ gifts are worthy of me? And what if I pick and choose only because I don’t feel that I was good enough to get all I wanted.

So then, if I come to the party hungry with a long time hunger and I need to feast on His gifts, but am fearful that I’ll be stopped because I am doing wrong, doesn’t that say that I haven’t entirely bought into the belief that God is good and He has my best interest at heart?

Jesus paid a high price for an endless buffet of gifts. His journey to the cross had many stops along the way as did His resurrection. Each step was deliberate and a high price was paid, not just for my sin debt, but for my healing, emotional well being and for an entire life of peace, rest, comfort, health and prosperity.

Jesus said:

John 10:10
¹⁰The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). Amplified Bible CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

He didn’t just come for your spiritual salvation, but for you to have and enjoy your life in abundance until it overflows. Can you say that describes your life in Christ? Then come to the buffet and eat of it all until you are full.

As for me, I want every single thing that Jesus died to give me. I do not want to leave one single thing on the table. My hunger for all thing of God has come to a feverish pitch over this last year. I am hungry. I am famished and I intend to feast on the things of God until I am full.

This last year I’ve studied and researched and communed with the Father like never before. Such sweet hunger.

In my life, I don’t want Jesus’ life to have been in vain. I WANT IT ALL.

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DAY JOB LINKS...
Dreams Do Come True and Dragonfly In Amber Designs

Good Ground

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I grew up on a farm. We didn’t just live on a farm; my daddy was actually a farmer who grew crops on the farm. So I know a little bit about ground. Both good ground and bad ground.

I would say that most of his work consisted of preparing the ground to receive the seeds. He did everything he could do to make that ground, good ground. If he did a good job and was successful in creating good ground, then when the seeds were planted the crop would grow well with minimum effort and the harvest would be abundant.

We have all tried to grow something of our own, whether it was a small flower garden, vegetable garden or even grass seed in a paper cup to make it look like hair. So, we have all had our own experience with good or bad ground.

I like hydrangeas. They are pretty hardy for the most part and will grow in about any kind of soil given the right light and water. But one of the coolest things about them is that they will tell you when they bloom what kind of soil they are in. If they are in acidic soil the blooms will be blue, neutral soils produce very pale cream petals, and alkaline soils result in pink or purple. Now this is the same plant but when planted in different soil produces different results.

For years I’ve read the parable of the sower. It is in 3 of the 4 gospels which tells me it must be a very important principle for us to learn. I’ve heard dozens of teachings and sermons on this parable through the years. But most have been about whether we are the path or in the thorns. We try to evaluate ourselves to see which example most describes us. We all hopefully want to be good ground or soil.

Mark 4:1-12
1 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, 3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.” CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

But I began wondering awhile back, just what constitutes good soil for the gospel? I began to read every account of this parable and Jesus’ explanation in every translation that I could find. Then I found what I felt to be the most accurate usage of words. It was Mark 4:20 where Jesus explains the parable to the disciples. The translation is from the New International Version but many versions have almost the exact same wording.

Mark 4:13-20
¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” All emphasis mine. CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

In the King James the word, accept is instead received, but in the Greek that word is paradechontai which means accept.

I began to ponder and meditate on this prayerfully. Every Sunday there are thousands of people attending a church service, even millions worldwide. They are there listening receiving the word, but they walk out the way they came in, unchanged.

I’ve come in contact with so many people who you begin talking to or sharing something in the word of God with and they shut down, clam up and begin to resist what you are sharing. I’m not just talking about non-Christians, but people who have professed to be a Christian for years. They don’t accept what you or the Word is saying.

They begin shaking their head and resist what you have to say no matter what scriptures you are showing them. They are un-teachable. Their grandmother always said… their church’s doctrine believes… that is not what they experienced… and the list goes on.

There is not one person on the face of the earth who knows everything there is to know about the Word of God. No matter how long or hard you have studied, God will continually unveil another layer, another truth that you did not previously see.

So what is good ground for the Word? Those who hear the Word and ACCEPT it no matter what doctrine it goes against, no matter who taught you different, no matter what your experience has been.

I believe that the spiritual fruit I’ve harvested in my life, the 30, 60 and 100 hundred fold has been because I’ve had an open mind to be teachable and a hunger for the truth no matter how unpopular it may be or how hard to swallow. I’m still learning each and every day. I still hear His voice clarifying and teaching as I read His word.

Our lives WILL reflect how we have accepted the Word in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But for these fruits to grow in our lives the Word must be planted in good ground receiving and accepting the Word of God. It is by no accident that these traits are called fruit. Fruit that must be planted and grown in good ground.

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

Many times we ourselves try to exhibit these traits. Because we know this is how we should be, but it is a constant struggle to be the way we know we should be. But it is only through hearing the Word, receiving and accepting the Word that these traits will take root in that good ground and begin to grow on their own. That is true transformation. That is when it becomes our true character.

When push comes to shove our true nature will be revealed. Just like the hydrangea, the kind of ground we are will be revealed by the fruits or blossoms of our plants. If we are just trying to exhibit these traits, when the trials of life or adversity come, our true untransformed self will be revealed. We just can’t keep the façade up under pressure.

God does not want us to try to exhibit these traits. He wants us to be good ground accepting the Word so that it can take root in our lives and grow and flourish producing a progressive harvest of 30 then 60 then 100 fold. He wants us to be transformed by the washing of the water of the Word.

John 15:1-8
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL CONTEXT

If God says it, accept and believe it willingly at face value with no pre-conceived notions, doctrines or prejudices. Study with a sincere desire to know the truth and He will reveal its truth and that truth will transform your life.

DAY JOB LINKS...
Dreams Do Come True and Dragonfly In Amber Designs

God's Validation part 3

God is Omniscient

God is omniscient[1] which means He knows all. This is an ‘all’ that is incomprehensible to us. From the beginning to the end, He already knows it. He knows the core of our very being and our every thought. He knows us as our creator.



For example, if you have ever made something such as a flower arrangement, built a cabinet, sewed a garment or even cooked a meal, then you created that item. You know what materials you used to create it, how much of what you put into it and exactly where and when you put it. You know that item. Now magnify that in comparison to how God knows His creation. Not only does he know the materials and parts, but he knows beyond the particles that make up the atoms that make up the materials, which He also made.

Because He knows all, He can be truly just. Because He knows all, He can be truly merciful. Because He knows all, He can be truly gracious. It may seem that there is a great inequity throughout the world. It appears that some receive justice and others don’t. It appears that some receive mercy and others don’t. The same is true with grace. But what we see and what is true, or what God sees and knows, is far beyond what we see and know.

How many times have you done something to someone what you felt was just and then you learned more about the situation later and you saw that your treatment of them was not just and in total error? With God, who sees and knows it all, His intervention is just.

How often have we not been merciful until we knew the hardness of their situation, at which point we felt sorry for them and merciful towards them. But God, who is omniscient, is capable of absolute mercy.

It is because His justice, mercy and grace are absolute that we needed a redeemer, a rescuer, a savior.

Scriptures on God's Omniscience

1) Psalm 147:4,5
⁴ He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.

2) Acts 15:18¹⁸ things known from long ago.

3) Psalm 33:13¹³ From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;

4) Romans 4:17
¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[a] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

5) Isaiah 46:10
¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’

6) I Samuel 23:5-14 ⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. ⁶ (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
Saul Pursues David
⁷ Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.” ⁸ And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
⁹ When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” ¹⁰ David said, “LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. ¹¹ Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant.”
And the LORD said, “He will.”
¹² Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?”
And the LORD said, “They will.”
¹³ So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
¹⁴ David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.
and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

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[1] 1. all-knowing: knowing or seeming to know everything



Nancy Jackson, daydreamer extraordinaire
DAY JOB LINKS...
Dreams Do Come True
Dragonfly In Amber Designs

God's Validation part 2

God is Omnipotent

God is omnipotent[1]. He is universal in His power and authority.



Establishing God’s authority is the pinnacle on which all else balances. We must establish that God truly is the highest authority and that no other authority can be established but by Him and through Him. In Romans 13:1 it reads:

Romans 13:1 ¹ Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

By establishing within ourselves that God is the sovereign authority then we have a firm foundation within ourselves to build upon. Then if He is the supreme authority then His word must also be the supreme authority as well.

We must settle within ourselves that the word of God is true and that no other teaching or written document can contradict or eradicate it. In other words, what the bible says is absolute.

Where conflict often arises is that man seems to have determined that there can be many interpretations to the bible and that any or all can be correct. But this is not true. The bible is exact and must be read and studied in context.

Any document can be misunderstood if you take one sentence from it and attempt to apply it to another scenario other than the one for with it was intended.

Many times there is a gap in language and culture. To fully understand the bible you must understand that the culture of the times, whether the earliest during Genesis or the latest during the writing of the Epistles, the culture is vastly different from what we know today.

The language is also very different. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The Jewish nation was Hebrew and spoke Hebrew even until this day. The New Testament was translated into Greek or Aramaic. The Jews of that time still spoke Hebrew, but could also speak Aramaic because they were under Roman rule.

You could compare it to our multi-cultural society here in America where it is not uncommon for people of a specific nationality to speak their native tongue but to be able to function in the American society they must also speak the English language.

It is important to understand this because the Hebrew and Greek languages are very different and even more so is our current English language. Many times when translating from one language to another the closest word is used even if it is not exact.

For instance one that we can commonly compare this to is the word love. In the English language that one word is commonly and broadly used to refer to many things. But in the Greek, there are several different words for what he consider, love. So you can see where the challenge comes in to provide an accurate interpretation of the gospel.

Through the years the scholars who have translated the bible have done a very good job in keeping with the original Hebrew and Greek. I believe this is the case because I believe that God closely guards His word and provides a strong warning that nothing be tampered with so that it conveys a different message other than the one He intended.

Even with the best of translations to fully grasp the depth of the meaning it is necessary to dig deeper into the original language. Many times it is necessary not just understand, but to see beyond mere human understanding.

Let’s compare for a moment a simple example of terms. In Revelation 22:13 Jesus appears to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos where he had been exiled. Since Revelation is in the New Testament it was translated into Greek.

Therefore Revelation 22:13 reads:

Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

The first letter of the Greek alphabet is Alpha. The last letter of the Greek alphabet is Omega. The scripture further explains that He is the First and the Last and the Beginning and the End.



Jesus was not just arbitrarily making a statement. He was referring explicitly to Isaiah 41:4, 44:6 and 48:12 where Jehovah God was stating that He was the beginning and the end. Jesus intention was to state that His deity here was the same as God or that He was God.

Jesus was a Jew and to believe that He spoke Hebrew to His fellow Jews is certain. It isn’t a stretch to believe that a Jew would speak their native tongue to another Jew.

So what Jesus would have been saying to John would have been more accurately:

I am the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Aleph being the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Tav being the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Why is this important to tie this translation together?


First of all because it is important to show how different languages are translated. It is imperative that you know the true meaning of the scriptures as they were originally meant to be. We cannot all be Hebrew and Greek scholars, but it is important to take study deeper from time to time to verify that you are interpreting it correctly.

If you ever feel that what you are reading is contradictory to the context or to other scriptures, then it would be good to stop at that point and see what the reading is in the original text. It is good to also read commentaries from Greek and Hebrew bible scholars, but keep in mind that you should take the knowledge in but let the Holy Spirit within you make the final interpretation.

Second of all it is important because every letter and word in the bible is intentional and on purpose. Many times in the original Hebrew Old Testament the letters Aleph Tav are inserted seemingly random in a sentence and are left un-translated. This is literally the signature of Jesus in the Old Testament.

All Hebrew letters are also depicted in picture form. When you ask a Hebrew scholar, who does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, what these two letters mean when they are shown together in the scriptures they will tell you it is a picture of an open window that points to something. When they are asked what it is pointing to, they do not know what.

Let’s look at

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In the Hebrew the letters Aleph Tav are inserted and left un-translated like this. In the beginning God (Aleph Tav) created the heavens and the earth.

In tying all this together we can confirm the deity of Jesus as God and the true Messiah. But we can also see the importance of genuine study and accurate interpretation of the scriptures.

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[1] 1. all-powerful: possessing complete, unlimited, or universal power and authority.

Nancy Jackson, daydreamer extraordinaire
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God's Validation

This is a 3-part blog. For the next 3 weeks I want to write a study on the Omnipresence, Omniscience and Omnipotence of God. Those of who BELIEVE, know we believe. But sometimes we come across someone who doesn't believe. I know in the past I've struggled at times to 'validate God' to them. I know I believe but how do I convey to them, in a concrete manner that what I believe is valid. SO, I studied and here is what I found.

God is Omnipresent

God is omnipresent[1]. He exists outside of time. He is still in the past, here in the now and already ahead in the future. He is not running back and forth throughout time, He exists throughout all time.

So knowing this, we can also know that He already knew and does know all events throughout all time. He knows what events will take place and why.

He has given man a free will to make our own choices, but He already knows what we will choose, when we will choose it and why.

Having this complete knowledge He has orchestrated key events to unfold at certain times.

Knowing all events, past, present and future, He chose to show the authors of the bible glimpses of many of those happenings precisely as they will happen and many times when. We call this foretelling of events, prophecy.

There have been many throughout history who have claimed a psychic ability to foretell the future, but the only prophecy that has a 100% accuracy rate are the prophecies in the bible.

God uses prophecy to validate His word and forewarn man to coming events. Most of the bible is prophetic.

For instance the prophecy of the coming Messiah, or Jesus, was prophesied about more than 300 times and all of them were fulfilled exactly in the 1^st century AD.

To validate with certainty that Jesus was the Messiah lets discuss the probability of if only the 8 simplest prophesies regarding the Messiah.

1) Micah 5:2 – the Messiah would be from Bethlehem.

2) Zechariah 9:9 – The triumphant entry into Jerusalem prior to crucifixion.

3) Zechariah 11:12 – Betrayal for 30 pieces of silver.

4) Zechariah 11:13 – The casting away of the 30 pieces of silver.

5) Zechariah 13:6 – The wounds of unbelief after resurrection, referring to Thomas.

6) Isaiah 53:7 – Not opening his mouth to defend himself.

7) Isaiah 53:9 – Died among the wicked, but buried among the rich.

8) Psalms 22:16 – Piercing of the hands and feet.

These prophesies were not events that routinely or normally happened. Many were out of the norm for the time period or customs of the day making them stand out even more. How much more unlikely that they would all 8 happen to one man, much less over 300!

The validation of Jesus as the Messiah is certain. These prophesies are exact because God was there already as they were happening and could relay them exactly as they would occur.

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[1] 1. always present everywhere: continuously and simultaneously present throughout the whole of creation 2.found everywhere: present or seemingly present all the time or everywhere.

Nancy Jackson, daydreamer extraordinaire
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My Life As A Pot

I’ve been writing a lot lately about God’s love for us and how we should reject condemnation because it is never from God. It is always from the enemy or our own insecurities. This type of writing is encouraging and uplifting and causes us to move closer to the Lord.

Some of my posts have talked about being yoked with Him and letting Him lead and guide you through life which removes so much of the stress regarding bad choices and wrong decisions. How wonderfully freeing this is!

It has all seemed like such a wonderful message. A true feel good message. It is a message I am clinging to and more than grateful for. If you had known me and the path I have taken, you would understand much more my eternal gratitude for this message.

But I want to talk about something else today. I had another blog on being yoked planned, but couldn't excape the strong feeling that this is what I needed to write for today. My prayer is to keep it blog length. It will be a challenge because the period of time I want to talk to you about in my life, is packed beyond belief with life truths that I could write an entire book about and maybe someday will, should God deem it beneficial to others. So I am warning you now, this may be a longer than normal blog. But bear with me. I believe that you will be blessed.

I want to try and set up one pinpoint in time and hopefully if you are going through a very difficult time right now and have difficulty trusting God to lead you, this will help you.

I’ve been married more than once. My husband now, Rick, is my sweetheart. I love him so very much and he is such a wonderful man. I thank God for him every single day. I truly do. I am very thankful that life has led me to him. I wouldn’t change a thing.

But several years ago before I met Rick, I was married to someone else. Before I married this man I was conscious of making wrong choices and was terribly fearful of making them. When I met the man I just referred to I prayed diligently daily asking God if this was a relationship I should be in or not. I did not want to be in a relationship that I had chosen and was not God’s will. I knew how horribly that could/would turn out.

So I prayed, and prayed and prayed some more. We dated. He prayed. We counseled with pastors at the church and got the green light. They all knew us well. We were so in love and were best friends.

A hiccup on my career road led us to move to Arizona. It was not a popular decision for my friends and family, but I loved living there and do not regret the move. I still today feel like I am coming home every time I go back there.

I loved our life there. I loved our life together there. But one day because of several extenuating circumstances we decided to start migrating back towards Oklahoma. A decision was made that he would move back before me, go to work and then I would job hunt long distance and then move back, too.

So we separated by distance for a time to achieve a goal. Did we pray about the decision or did we just reason it out and act? I don’t know. What would I do different looking back on it? I don’t know.

But not long after that he left me. He suddenly and abruptly ended our marriage. We were so in love and then, it was over and done and I was left reeling. There was no warning, no preparation or opportunity to build up anger that would help buffer the pain. There was only pain.

So,

My husband whom I loved dearly just up and left me.

My job ended and I was laid off.

I began to suffer physically, literally hemorrhaging on a daily basis.

The church I moved back home to, suggested that I ‘take some time’ and not volunteer while allowing him to continue to do so.

The person who had been my best girlfriend for years would no longer speak to me.

I know there were also other things that I just prefer to not mention right now. The items listed above were enough. I felt I had no one, no money, no health and no purpose.

But the one thing I did know, without a doubt, was that I had the Father and His loving son Jesus and the comforter – the Holy Spirit. I literally clung to the trinity daily. Each day I would spend hours with Him and He would talk to me. I believe I heard His voice more during that period of time than ever before or since.

The hardest part of the entire ordeal for me was that I had prayed before marrying this man and had asked God if I should do it. I felt so good about the decision because God confirmed it on so many levels to me. I was convinced that that marriage would not only succeed, but flourish. After all, it had God’s stamp of approval all over it.

So why did it end and why was I hurting so badly? Why oh why? I cannot describe the pain I felt. I am sure each one of you reading this can relate to a point in your own life when you have felt pain on this level.

I struggled with feelings of betrayal from God. Why would He tell me to go ahead, knowing that it would come to this, knowing that he would leave me and I would have to suffer like this? I really did not understand.

I am a survivor. I’m a shake the dust off of my feet kind of girl. So, I pulled up my big girl panties and proceeded to get on with my life. You don’t want me, fine! I’ll be better than fine without you. Then God said, “I want you to pray for your marriage.”

I groaned and we had an argument. I didn’t want to think about him much less pray for our marriage. That would take love, forgiveness and effort, none of which I was willing to muster up at that time.

I try to be an obedient child to Father God and I truly did love my husband so I agreed to pray for our marriage. I once again had hope. If God was asking me to pray for our marriage, then certainly that marriage would be restored, right? So I dove in with both feet believing and praying.

Then one morning God said, “Just pray for him personally, not your marriage”. My reasoning was that if I prayed for him then the marriage would naturally be restored, right?

What I found was that praying for him kept my emotions raw. There was no healing or moving on. Praying for him fervently in the manner we are called to pray kept the deep love I had for him alive, and the pain even more alive. The raw pain I felt when he first left was experienced over and over on an almost daily basis.

During the whole process of the divorce he kept making unreasonable demands on me. I was asked to pay him $250 a month for two years even though I was the one who had supported us while we were married. He had worked some, but finding a job in Arizona was difficult for him. I understood that, but not him asking me for money.

I went into fight mode. Then God said, “Agree to pay it.” I said, “But it is wrong”! God said, “Let him do you wrong”.

I was in the worst nightmare you could imagine. I could NOT get my head around it all. I am not an advocate of allowing your bible to fall open to get a word from the Lord, but this particular morning it just happened to fall open to this…

1 Corinthians 6:7 (Amplified Bible)

⁷ Why, the very fact of your having lawsuits with one another at all is a defect (a defeat, an evidence of positive moral loss for you). Why not rather let yourselves suffer wrong and be deprived of what is your due? Why not rather be cheated (defrauded and robbed)? CLICK HERE TO READ IN CONTEXT

So I agreed to pay up even though I had no job at the time. It just seemed that insult kept adding to injury. As I said, to list everything would take pages. But let me get to the point.

One day during the midst of all of this I was out back on my deck. I still remember it vividly. It was several months into this ordeal and was about sundown. I remember the intense pain I was still feeling. It was almost debilitating. I was literally doubling over in physical pain.

I asked God, “When will it stop? When will it be over? I feel like I can’t endure this any longer! Where are you? Please make it stop”! I was begging and crying out to God.

This is what God said so clearly. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but nevertheless profound.

“You are like a pot being fired in a kiln. I know you have been through the fire many times, and this feels like the worst, but the more precious a pot is to be, the more firings it must go through. And just like the potter, I will not remove you before it is time. But know that I am here standing right outside the kiln and I will not leave you.”

He then began to flood my heart and mind with all the things I knew about pottery and clay and firing and porcelain versus standard clay pots. I knew I wanted to be porcelain, precious, and that took going through the fire many many times. You see I loved my Father God and I wanted to be His workmanship, the finest workmanship. So I submitted myself to Him while hoping this would be the last firing.

Then something happened to break through the pain. A thought – 'So, my life as a pot!' I smiled. I almost chuckled. But the pain eased and once again I was at peace.

When we yoke ourselves to Jesus, He will take us on the path we should go on. That doesn’t mean there will never be pain. We all experience pain. Even if you decide to choose your own path, you will not avoid the pain that life provides. But if you yoke yourself with Jesus the pain you experience will have a purpose.

Porcelain Vase

The time period I have described above lasted for about two full years and our marriage was never reconciled. It was the most painful journey I have ever been on, but through that time I wasn’t just fired like a porcelain pot, I was forged like steel. The strength that God forged in me during that time is priceless – precious. I would do it all over again, yet pray to God that I never have to.

Still, I know that pain will come, but I believe being yoked with Jesus will guide us away from the meaningless pain of our own silly decisions and blinded sight, into life experiences where the pain will shape us. I don’t believe all pain is the firing kiln. I believe a lot of the pain we experience is avoidable, from wrong decisions or disobedience, from wanting to go our own way. Being in control of our own path usually leads us into unnecessary pain rather than away from it.

So if you are going through pain today, ask the Father to send the Comforter. If you are in pain from your own poor choices, ask Him to deliver you out. He will. If you are in pain from being in the kiln, seek Him to show you how to let the pain fire you properly and forge you into steel.

If you need prayer today because you are in pain, please email me. I will pray for you. I will stand with you.

Nancy Jackson, daydreamer extraordinaire
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Go and Sin No More

John 8:10-11
10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” Click to read in full context

This is a beautiful story of a woman caught in the act of adultery receiving no condemnation from Jesus.

But I think that this message of freedom from condemnation has turned into a precept of the church that ultimately brings more condemnation than we could have ever dreamed.

First of all, before I explain my statement above, let’s think about the time period here. Jesus had come; He was here on the earth working in His ministry. But He had not yet died on the cross. So, the Levitical and Rabbinical laws were still in effect.

When the men brought the woman to Jesus to gain agreement in stoning her, they already knew that they had full right to do so under the Law. Breaking any of the Law at any time brought about severe punishment. Remember, it was a law that was literally impossible to keep. Failure was a certainty.

Jesus was the only one at that time who had the power to forgive sins. We may never know what He wrote in the sand, but it was powerful enough for the men to drop their stones and walk away.

Then he turns to the woman and says that He does not condemn her. Wow, that is the love and forgiveness of our Jesus. Then He said, “Go and sin no more”.

We have used this story as one of the foundational pillars of the church. “You are forgiven, NOW go and sin no more.”

If you are a true believer and follower of Christ, I’ll just wager that you have struggled with this very thing. Not the forgiveness part, but the ‘sin no more’ part. Unfortunately when we DO sin again, we feel condemned because we were instructed to ‘sin no more’. It is a cycle that continually repeats itself.

Well, let’s just talk about this a little more.

Remember that when this situation happened EVERYONE was still under the law. It was a time when a sacrifice was still needed to temporarily cover your sin. God’s holiness cannot leave sin unpunished.

When Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more, He did desire that she sin no more. He did not want her to be condemned and therefore stoned to death. Because under the law, should she be caught committing adultery again, she would be put to death by stoning.

Do you think that she walked away from there and never committed any kind of sin again? Now keep in mind that sin was defined by the law and there were thousands of laws to be kept. No, I believe it was impossible for her to not sin again, but I do believe that she never committed adultery again.

What we have envisioned when reading this passage or hearing this word taught was the ideal that once we are forgiven, we are to go and never sin again. This has put a huge weight of condemnation on the body of Christ that was never meant to be there.

If all that needed to be done to eliminate sin was for Jesus to tell someone, go and sin no more, then there would have been no need for Him to have died on the cross. But He HAD to die on the cross, because we cannot eliminate sin from our lives by sheer will and a desire to not sin.

Jesus freed this woman from condemnation; He never meant to place a burden on her that she could not resolve, thus further condemning her.

John 3:17
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Click to read in full context

Jesus was sent to free us from condemnation forever! He came so that when we DO sin, and we will, we will not be condemned.

As I mentioned above, God is a holy and pure God and must punish sin. But His desire was to have a people who were completely free from the punishment of that sin. Being free from condemnation, we can approach Him freely and in that freedom there is power to do that which He has called us to do.

So what was the answer to be? To provide the perfect sacrifice, once and for all, receiving the full punishment of all sins committed, past, present and future! When we sin, and we will, the punishment has already been administered. We can go free, knowing that we will not be condemned and punished.

Now some might say that this freedom will cause us to sin even more! But in fact the opposite is true. When we continually focus on sinning, or rather not sinning, it creates in us an even stronger desire to sin. We then feel condemned and it is a continual struggle that Jesus truly died to set us free from.

To bring this thought closer to home and make it real to you, what do you struggle with or consider to be sin in your life? Do you desire to lose weight and feel that your overeating is sin? Do you battle with constantly trying to ‘be good’? You work hard to do right, eat right, so that you will be right. But the end result is always the same fatigue and a feeling of failure. The more you focus on it, but harder it becomes to do what you feel is right. It is a cycle of self condemnation that must be broken.

You could replace that scenario above with a host of others such as gossip, alcoholism, lying, and on and on and on. The harder you try to do right, the less right you do.

BUT, there is good news! When we realize we really are truly free from the condemnation or punishment of sin, it does not create in us a desire to just go out and sin, but an overwhelming love for the Father who sent His only son Jesus. That type of pure love and acceptance give us the power (grace) to not sin. Not from our own power or effort, but from the grace that is continually flowing from Him through us.

His grace is sufficient. We can’t conjure it up. We can’t make it happen. But by clinging to the one who IS grace and focusing on Him, grace will automatically flow from Him through you. There is NOW no condemnation.

Romans 8:1
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Click to read in full context

That is why Paul said in regards to his ‘thorn in the flesh’, His grace truly is sufficient. Sufficient to overpower any thorn without condemnation.

2 Corinthians 12:9
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Click to read in full context

So when you tell yourself to break free from your stronghold of sin, don’t tell yourself, I’ll just work harder and be stronger. Tell yourself, you are forgiven and not condemned. Feel the power of freedom and forgiveness and watch that stronghold melt away.

Nancy Jackson, daydreamer extraordinaire DAY JOB LINKS... Dreams Do Come True Dragonfly In Amber Designs