Food For Thought
Called Out Of Darkness
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
John 10:29 My Father, who gave [them to] me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
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Navigating the Terrain
In the current time, we see how choices have been steered from lies. Lies that bear discontent toward others. Unfairness that has planted seeds of hatred and misunderstanding. There is no benefit or interest in mankind’s wellbeing in this way.
We are trying to read the terrain and asking how to navigate our lives to a normal regiment of a familiar schedule.
Without God, we will remain lost.
He sent His only Son out of love to show us how we are to navigate our own lives and how to inform others both the lost and saved.
So, what is normal? Choosing not to live in and be reliant on technocratic agendas? Public servants who lead to disgrace.
Genesis 12:17
[17]And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
You cannot politicize God's word.
God is not political.
God does not need our justification.
Daniel 5:23-28
[23]But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
[24]Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
[25]And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
[26]This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
[27]TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
[28]PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Everything has been foretold.
We hear the divisiveness of questions, 'Who can we blame?'
'Who is responsible?'
And we hear divisive statements,
'This is happening because.....'
Judges 5:16
[16]Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
While we search to control the “all knowing” answer to the plagues of man. There are more people led to destruction and misunderstanding. Closing churches, rumors of the arming terrorist, a country facing civil divisions. Look at the culprit! Keeping people in fear, as some are aware, is a form of control.
But the type of fear.. The culprit is of man's way. When you take away those senses of security of the people you will face the inherent evil that exists in our heart.
Matthew 5:37
[37]But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Psalms 141:4
[4]Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
Ecclesiastes 8:11-13
[11]Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
[12]Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
[13]But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
Throughout history we have seen the results of mankind sharing counsel with spiritual entities, possessions.
Parts of historical documents are blurred by it, not knowing if a king or a god reigned.
Exodus 1:5-8
[5]And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
[6]And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
[7]And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
[8]Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
How could any human not recall Joseph unless you're not human. Because it was not from human origin.
King David remembers it.
Psalms 135:5-12
[5]For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
[6]Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
[7]He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
[8]Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
[9]Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
[10]Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;
[11]Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
[12]And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.
The fear of God is replaced with head knowledge and there is a lack of fear due false prophets and antichrist doctrines.
Genesis 11:3
[3]And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
Mark 13:21-23 [21]And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here he is!' Do not believe it. 'For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
Be on your gaurd: I have told you all things beforehand."
The question then is what?
A goal?
No. That's illusion.
Like having an alphabet with all the letters except J.
Ezra 7:21-22
[21]And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,
[22]Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
We live in a time where history will repeat that of which we have only read about.
We are blessed to be living in this time God has put us and we are all here for a reason.
Just as when you gaze around and see the beauty around you, in nature. People are the same as each are different from one another.
It comes back to the heart.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
[9]The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
[10]I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Hebrews 3:12-16
[12]Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
[13]But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
[14]For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
[15]While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
[16]For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
Is it about excess? Is it access?
It is not about a certain country. How much
more provocation of the Lord do we need before a person is repented?
Titus 3:13-14
[13]Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.
[14]And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
You cannot lie to God. You cannot deny Jesus Christ.
Blessings.
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PICKING ON RESPECT
Today I will pick on the word “respect.”
We don’t live respectfully towards one another. It’s easy to see that.
In ancient Bible time there were community laws and this word “respect” actually has many meanings. We do not live in a communalism society with what was called
‘Community Laws’ in a time when people in a society helped each other on a daily basis.
When was the last time you stopped to help a fellow motorist change a tire, that doesn’t happen in modern time. Today the word has a meaning of self for it, being fearless,being shameless and always striving for self promotion are ways it is defined.
A fearlessness of God, shameless of God’s work, His son Jesus Christ and the salvation that Jesus promises everyone.
Today this word has some twisted dimensional and very belittling meanings, here are current definitions.
To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem or admire-
People demand respect as entitlement and acceptance.
Now we see how this word is being used in genders and gender equality. To respect even though one makes an unnatural choice. That has nothing to do with respect.
The ‘battle of the sexes’ is another degrading of the word respect.
Who started that battle?
The words “esteem or admire” implies want and need, again not exactly used for ego building as it is today. But “want and need” does remind us how important the roles of a woman are to a man and the roles of a man to a woman.
To avoid interfering with or intruding upon-
Is that “personal space?” Or rather to say it is an approval to not discipline or guide another from destructive choices. Intruding upon your time of self to make destructive choices.
My parents would never knock before entering my room and at times even the bathroom. Would that be intruding? No, not exactly.
To avoid violating.
Respect has feelings and we shame a person by public humiliation as if were a persons character. Is that violating?
Redefine yourself to whatever but be sure no one can share wisdom or advice to help you from destructive choices. Almost belittling.
In factual sense the word respect is defined many times in the Bible here are a few verses.
Romans 2:11
For there is no respect of persons with God.
From Vines dictionary,
A — 1: μέρος
(Strong’s #3313 — Noun Neuter — meros — mer’-os )
“a part,” has occasionally the meaning of “a class” or category,” and, used in the dative case with en, “in,” signifies “in respect of,” 2 Corinthians 3:10 , “in (this) respect;” 2 Corinthians 9:3 , RV, AV, “in (this) behalf;” Colossians 2:16 , “in respect of (a feast day).”
Colossians 2:16-17
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
B — 1: ἀποβλέπω
(Strong’s #578 — Verb — apoblepo — ap-ob-lep’-o )
“to look away from all else at one object” (apo, “from”), hence, “to look steadfastly,” is translated “he had respect” in Hebrews 11:26 , AV (RV, “looked”). See LOOK.
B — 2: ἐπιβλέπω
(Strong’s #1914 — Verb — epiblepo — ep-ee-blep’-o )
“to look upon” (epi), is translated “have respect” in James 2:3 (RV “regard”); see LOOK , No. 6.
Notes: (1) The following prepositions are translated “in respect of:” peri, “concerning,” in John 16:8 , RV; epi, “upon, over,” in Hebrews 11:4 , RV; marg., “over (his gifts);” kata, “in regard to,” in Philippians 4:11 . (2) For “respect of persons” and “respecter of persons” see PERSON.
Philippians 4:11
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.
Of persons,
(Strong’s #4381 — Noun Masculine — prosoplemptes — pros-o-pol-ape’-tace )
denotes “a respecter of persons” (prosopon, “a face” or “person,” lambano, “to lay hold of”), Acts 10:34 .
Acts 10:34-35
34 Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Today people feel and look to be respected from all types of ways and things done that are completely opposite than what it means and how the word respect is a part of our daily lives. But, is it seen?