Hello my friends… I believe God is inspiring these shows and this message from yesterday mornings Live Stream is revolutionary. As Paul reasoned with those set in their religious falsities so I too am here to reason with you. Enjoy and be amazed at what brought us to this lesson today. please help by Liking, Commenting, Sharing and Subscribing.
forgiveness
The Battle of Badr and the Flock of Christ!
Jesus once asked, “Who is my Mother and Brother?” He did this to underscore the spiritual reality of our soul. Who created us? Who Loves Us? Who do we show our devotion to?
Recently we have heard of massive produce shortages. Thousands of Cows dying in the heat in Kansas (we aren’t in Kansas anymore ;)) and almost 16000 sheep drowning in the Red Sea.
This following video I shared on YouTube will highlight some amazing points. Don’t be caught unaware. Enjoy this video because we are all going somewhere… To the Kingdom of God. Please do like, subscribe, comment and share. And check out the links in the video for new merch, and links to all my socials and novel. Much love Jacob
Has Jehu Arrived? Pluto Returns
Is This Important Video About To Come True? Read this, Revisit this Video and Get Excited! #PlutoReturn #WaterTiger #Jehu
It deals with more than just #Pluto Returning to the United States – the spiritual equivalent of the Anti Christ Or Devil RETURNING to bring us to the Anniversary of Civil War… as spooky as it seems, it is also about a Hero Rising.
I believe that Major Shakeup I’ve been talking about for awhile is right at the door, which is exciting because God is acting and God will not fail us.
If God be For Us Who Can Be Against Us?
So regardless of whether or not HADES, Greek Aïdes (“the Unseen”), also called Pluto or Pluton (“the Wealthy One” or “the Giver of Wealth”), in ancient Greek religion, god of the underworld, Returns today. God is on the move.
God hears the cries of his people and as God sent Elisha to two men anointed to deal with the absolute wicked corruption in the world. I believe God is now doing the same.
Back then, one of them was named Jehu. A man who most likely ran in the same circles as those corrupted rulers in the land.
God told his Prophet to Annoint Jehu as King to deal with it all. And God’s WITNESS does so.
2 KINGS 9 – Elisha the prophet called one of the men from the group of prophets[a] and said to him, “Get ready and take this small bottle of oil in your hand. Go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you arrive, find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Then go in and make him get up from among his brothers. Take him to an inner room. 3 Take the small bottle of oil and pour the oil on Jehu’s head. Say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you to be the new king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run away. Don’t wait!”
This morning I felt very impressed to reach out and do the same for @Rand Paul … for whatever reason I feel like saying … Hey Rand what if you are one of Gods men on the inside.
If you feel like you are led to bring back Justice, and Honor, and Respect, and Compassion, and above all else The Worship of our God, who John called Love, then perhaps you should.
Now, just as The Prophet that gave that message to Jehu ran, so will I.
We will see how this post ages, but I feel like People should watch this video again, it will put your hearts to rest while preparing you for perhaps what’s to come.
I will close by reminding you what the Name RAND means … Rand means WOLF SHIELD!
I have a feeling we will be seeing big things here.
Enjoy, please do Like, Comment, Subscribe and Share, Jacob
POWER OF FORGIVENESS
POWER OF FORGIVENESS
We all know the story of the woman caught in adultery. She was a woman who (we are told) had an affair and was caught. She was then brought before Jesus in the Temple by a group of men who wanted to stone her to death. Jesus proceeds to write in the ground as they tempt him by asking what they should do to her. Jesus doesn’t fall into their trap by saying “You cannot throw a stone”, or by saying, “Well get to it”. No, what Jesus does is so much more profound and powerful. He says, “let those without sin cast the first stone.”
On a simple level, Jesus is pointing out that we all fall short. That we all have made mistakes and that no one is greater than another so as to punish them.
After his bold and wise statement the woman’s accusers are convicted by his words and they leave. Now this is where the story get’s interesting. After the accusers leave, Jesus says to the “adulterous women”, “Who is left to condemn you?” . The woman, to her surprise, finds all had gone. She realized there was no one who could condemn her.
When one LEARNS THIS LESSON… that NO ONE is CONDEMNING YOU… then you are FREE to go about your life and SIN NO MORE! – Simply put, the shame we feel each and every day keeps us in a constant state of suffering. This shame, a majority of the time is self-imposed. Of course, we were first conditioned to believe we were no good. Religion, society, our parents did a great job of this. Ignorantly using shame and fear to manipulate us to behave a certain way. Saying things like, “Good boys and girls dress a certain way or act a certain way. Good boys and girls just do what they are told and never question authority.” These examples are nothing compared to how religion convinced us all that our creator hates us so, that we are no good the way we are, because we were so very bad for simply being born…
However, in the story of the adulterous woman the TRUTH is made beautifully clear… THERE IS NO ONE LEFT TO CONDEMN YOU… No one is there to truly tear you down for your self imposed, ill informed, short comings. Once we realize that we can stop hiding and running from the fear that others think we are no good we can finally go and LIVE our life without SIN (foolish, fear inspired thoughts).
Now in the scriptures there is a whole lot of talk about sin. Most don’t truly understand what this “sin” is. Sin means to MISS the MARK (truth). It is foolish thinking. Sin is simply not knowing any better. Which is why Jesus said on that cross, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. (Proverbs 24:9 KJV)
In truth, to take this story of the adulterous woman solely as a historical event, one would be sinning. Because, these stories we find are meant to be taken spiritually. It is the spirit of the story that gives us life/enlightenment/wisdom.
“WISDOM IS A TREE OF LIFE… IN ALL YOUR GETTING… GET WISDOM!”
So every part of the adulterous woman story has a deeper meaning. The woman, the stones, Jesus, the accusers, everything means so, so much more.
Today we are going to look at this story in a new light and see how it applies to our life. Because when the veil is taken away from this story we will find that we are both the victim and those who condemn, both the accused and the one who provides salvation.
The wonderful thing about these stories we find in scripture is they can be taken so many different ways. And it is peeling back the layers of these that seem to be literal, and historical, stories that we find the true blessing of what was written so many years ago.
If you have been to my site before I shouldn’t have to remind you that the Kingdom of Heaven is a mystery, that Jesus ONLY spoke in parables/allegory to the masses, and that God opens his mouth in dark sayings and parable. Which is a poetic way of saying, there is more to the scriptures than meets the natural eye.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV)
Our waking life is also a mystery that we will, and must, uncover. The scriptures are the same. Some understand higher things and some cannot, so for those that are not yet ready to be told plainly, the scriptures are written symbolically to help gradually lead everyone where they need to go.
Mark 4:11
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
So while the story of the adulterous story may seem cut and dry, there is a lot more hidden within it’s verses. As I stated earlier, we are after the “Spirit” of the story here on “Jacobs’s Ladder”.
My passion is to share what these parables mean so we can apply this wisdom to our lives. And for those who are not ready, the allegory reveals sealed up until the appointed time.
Matthew 13:13
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
In short, private interpretation just doesn’t cut it. It is the inspiration of the LORD, which literally means “the Existing One, or The One Who Exists”, that helps us to see what these allegories really mean. This “LORD/Existing One” is the CHRIST within you, which is the POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD… which is YOUR LIFE! This is where the revelation comes from… WITHIN.
The Kingdom of God is within us, and from the throne of glory we receive the deeper meaning of these stories. You see this inspiration and revelation cannot come from others, it can only come from WITHIN YOU! Even if someone had the truth and tried sharing it with you, if YOU weren’t ready to receive it, you wouldn’t be able too, regardless of how much evidence was presented.
This is why one must not simply take the word of others, one must seek and they will find. When you do HUNT FOR THIS TREASURE HIDDEN IN YOUR EARTHEN VESSEL eventually you will have what it is you are looking for.
The scriptures state, that the truth is poured out for those who seek it. We see many asking God to increase their wisdom, faith, and understanding. We see Solomon asking for wisdom, and we always see these gentle souls finding what it is they looked for to begin with.
Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
The GREAT TEACHER is within you, this teacher is ONE with you, this teacher is YOUR LIFE, your hope, and your great salvation. DAILY, within you this great TEACHER/LORD/One who truly exists is teaching you (the you, you think you are).
Matthew 26:55
I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
The power and wisdom of God is within us all, teaching us daily. Sadly we have been conditioned to listen to the god of this world (our egotistical carnal minds/enemy/devil) instead of the TRUTH which sets us free.
So if you seek TRUTH, and GOD IS SPIRIT AND TRUTH AND LOVE… If you seek these things, they will be added to you. Now if truth be told, it works the opposite way to. If you focus on misery you will find it. Whatever a person seeks they will find. If you seek truth, hope, faith and love you will be blessed with these things. If you seek ego, riches, lust, etc… you will find these things as well.
Proverbs 11:27
He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
The reason I am writing this is because lately I have been looking back at some of my writing and videos from the past few years. Some of what I saw and read I loved and some of what I saw and read, just didn’t sound like me at all anymore. We all indeed grow spiritually. And I have grown much in the last couple of years. I find today I am more humble and forgiving than I have been. I think higher of others than I have before and I truly want to walk in peace with everyone. My fundamental beliefs haven’t changed, but my attitude sure has.
There was a time that I would hold onto the pain others caused me. Intellectually I understood people who do harm “know not what they do”. But I was hurt, abused, mocked, and because of this instead of taking the high road I found myself deep within wanting to strike back. Instead of entering the straight gate of peace and righteousness (right thinking) I followed the broad road, one paved with thoughts of revenge and justice. Basically, I wanted to put these critics in their place and in seeking this, I found only pain.
And if we are honest with ourselves. When people hurt us and we in turn strike back to hurt them… we are no better.
This is why we must NOT JUDGE… We must LOVE… we must LAY DOWN OUR STONES!
Today, I am in a different place. I haven’t exactly mastered the art of forgiveness but each day I get a little better and my patience and compassion for even those who hurt me has increased. Today, I don’t feel like I should be standing in judgment over anyone. Sure I don’t understand why some people feel the need to hurt others, but just because I don’t understand their actions doesn’t give me the right to take any of it personally. The truth is when we do this, the only person we hurt is ourselves.
There is a famous saying, the author escapes me… “Other people’s opinions are none of my business”
Now, I have written in the past about what it really means to truly forgive. And how in your forgiveness you are forgiven as well. I have written about what, “forgive and you will be forgiven”, really means before. So let me take a moment and remind you all. The word “Forgive” means to “release a debt”. To forgive is LETTING GO.
To forgive doesn’t mean you pretend to like people who hurt you all the while condemning them in your heart, to forgive means you don’t look to past behavior. To forgive means you LET IT GO! You don’t hold any past offence against anyone, and in so doing your heart is free from the weight of carrying that burden of being upset at these people all the time.
Think about how much of your time is spent living and reliving moments where people have hurt you. It is a torment that is unlike any other. Think how much better it would be if you just let it all go.
Sure that sounds all well and good, right? But it is one thing to say this and understand it, but it is a whole other thing completely to walk this out in your daily life.
I know this well because when looking back at some of my past essays I can easily see how very hard it was for me to forgive. I was like those men chasing that woman down with stones in their hands. I saw people who had done me and others wrong and I wanted justice. And when I threw those stones in my heart , and I cursed them, and I allowed these stones to fly… you know what I found?… I found that in so doing it didn’t make me feel better at all.
In fact, being angry at others for hurting me brought me more pain and suffering than the offence itself.
Here is the reason why… because not only could I not let go of being angry at them but now I had to deal with my own inadequacy of being able to do so. The only thing worse than this is when I allowed my anger to build to a point where I lash out and make my feelings known.
“Words are like toothpaste, once it’s out, IT’S OUT AND CAN’T BE PUT BACK IN!”
And every time I let those STONES fly, the shame of doing this hung heavier around my neck than the anger before it, and that is not living people.
When we don’t let go of past offences not only are we plagued by the actions and words of those who hurt us, but then we are tempted to strike back which opens us up to a whole new, and terrible, world of suffering. This is why it is of utmost importance that we all learn the great lesson of forgiveness. Without it we will NEVER know the peace that we are all hoping to find.
The first step to overcoming any addiction is to recognize that you have a problem with that addiction!
Believe me when I say not being able to truly forgive is something we are all terribly addicted to. This never brings out the best in us, it always brings out the worst. It never leads to life, it always leads to death (ignorant suffering/hell).
Matthew 7:13
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat
How can anyone truly love their life if they don’t love who they are and have the ability to love others? This is the straight gate!
Without forgiveness it is impossible to enjoy life, it impossible to live at peace with others, and impossible to be at peace within yourself. You will always have someone to be angry with, and you will always have part of yourself that you cannot stand.
If we could forgive we would have no ill will toward anyone. If we could forgive our relationships would thrive, our families would know the pure joy of love, and we would begin to have an excitement in our lives that we never knew before.
Forgiveness is the key to our salvation. Look at the example of the crucifixion. At Golgotha (the place of the skull) we see Jesus (Salvation) crosses over from death to life. And what is the declaration he makes first?
Luke 23
34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
These are the first words he speaks after being placed on the cross. He chose forgiveness and because of this was allowed to give up the ghost of his previous suffering and enter into true rest.
The ability to forgive what many would consider unforgivable is the very thing that has to be done by us all if we ever want to cross over from the death of our carnal minds into the life of Christ (power and wisdom of God).
We must lay down our stones (judgment and condemnation). We must stop seeing ourselves as right in our own eyes and others as wrong. Truly, we have all fallen short. The longer we elevate ourselves at the expense of others the longer we will suffer. The longer we repay hate for hate the more we will reap it in return. The longer we hate ourselves the longer we suffer, the instant we enter into forgiveness we are set free.
Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap
If you continue to “sow to the flesh” you will reap corruption (corrupt thinking). The longer you fuel the fires of anger toward those who have done you wrong the longer you will be plagued by the suffering that comes with it. However, the more you take your thoughts of anger captive and cast them away, the more treasure you store up for yourself and the more peace you will find within.
The longer you hate yourself and others, the more miserable your life will be. But I promise you the more you forgive others and yourself, the more joy you will find.
The problem is we have been conditioned away from forgiveness. Today people point fingers every which way, towards those that hurt them, towards those act or look different, towards those who think different and believe different. And we are ALL guilty of this, our guilt causes our suffering. Which is why we must LET IT GO!
The greater your capacity to forgive is, the more grateful you become in life. This is pictured beautifully in the story of the woman with the alabaster box.
Luke 7:47
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
The more you are able to forgive others and yourself, the more love you have. The more you love the more you forgive, the more you forgive the more you truly begin to live.
Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord
We need to change our thinking. We need to forgive BECAUSE it is the only way to freedom. We need to take a good long look at ourselves in the mirror and say, forgive me for the times I could not forgive. We need to pray that we will be ale to forgive and force ourselves to take the higher road. It may be hard at first but soon the high road will become our only road and it will no longer seem as work, because we know in so doing we find everlasting life and peace!
I want to be a light in this world and it would be easy when I am mistreated for me to want to lash out and seek justice for myself. But the instant I do this, that light goes out and I live in darkness and pain because I allowed it. Time has taught me, that when I take revenge into my own hands I am inviting more suffering into my life.
Romans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord
Time has also taught me that when I refuse to give in to that wicked egotistic carnal mind of mine that I find strength to overcome it. When we resist the urge to hold others accountable for our current emotional state, we find that urge leave us.
James 4:6-8
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
God is love and we cannot know love when we choose the pride of anger instead. God resists the proud, which means when you act out of your anger toward others it will NEVER bring you a positive and peaceful end. But if you are humble and you forgive and trust God, the urge to do harm, the urge to condemn others and yourself will flee! It will leave you so you can know the peace that you allowed to be stolen from you to begin with, because you didn’t first forgive.
With all of that being said, I want to open your eyes to perhaps seeing the parable of the adulterous woman in a new light.
JOHN 8
2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
Notice this scene takes place in the morning. The SUN (son/truth) hadn’t fully risen, it had just risen. WITHIN the temple Jesus (the way, truth, life) was teaching. Look at the Temple as YOUR SOUL, and Jesus as the Spirit of God within you that is teaching you daily. (The SON just rose and began to teach)
3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
You see, even though the TRUTH of God was being taught within the Temple (you), the religious mind of condemnation is also at work trying to find a part of you that can be condemned.
Have you ever tried to just sit and clear your mind. The instant you, all of these terrible thoughts and memories flood your mind. Next thing you know, instead of enjoying that peace you are occupied by these negative thoughts. This is exactly what this story is teaching us. That even when we are seeking the TRUTH, the enemy of our carnal mind is at work to distract us and tempt us to do wrong.
Adultery and Prostitution in scripture is always a symbol of cheating on God, or leaving God for the ways and thoughts of this world. A cheating spouse is the perfect picture of mankind’s soul who leaves the husband of truth for another.
Jeremiah 3:8
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also
Within us our carnal minds are always at work trying to usurp power and control over love. The carnal mind is that voice of the adulterous woman, the harlot of Babylon, trying to get us all drunk and lead us into the bondage of sin (ignorance and suffering/ missing the mark of our true life.)
Just like the pharisees and scribes were on the look out for anyone to fall short of the law, within us our carnal minds are always pointing out people who do wrong and then try to convince us that they need to be punished.
Our carnal minds are so good at condemnation that this snake will convince you to lash out and then after it gets what it wants, it will then bring you before the truth and condemn YOU for your actions. The enemy is indeed a roaming lion seeking whom it may devour.
But Jesus didn’t take the bait as so many of us would have. He refused to go along with the thought of condemnation. And if he did, he would be the next one on the chopping block. As that is exactly what the Pharisees and Scribes wanted.
But Jesus walked in forgiveness which makes it impossible to condemn another, much less someone who did not offend him personally. Jesus understood as we should, that people don’t do bad things because they know better. They do bad things because they “Know not what they do.”
6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
Now look at the wonderful symbolism here. The Pharisees and Scribes tempted Jesus to condemn the woman so that they could in return ACCUSE HIM! This is exactly how our carnal minds act. They pump us up with thoughts of revenge, only to make our lives harder and to condemn us all the more when we go along for that pernicious ride.
Now how did Jesus handle this? … He stooped down. The TRUTH always has to come down to the level at which the people are able to grasp it. He didn’t stand above them saying how wrong they were. He took a submissive position so they would hear him. No one will listen to another if that person comes across as a cocky know it all.
Jesus came down to their level, and when he was there, that is when he began to teach them. By placing his finger (authority of truth and love) on the ground (their souls)… The symbolism of placing a finger on the ground to write is wonderful.
7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
These simple words have such authority. Which is why we see Jesus LIFTING UP HIMSELF. This is a picture of the TRUTH being raised within those who did not know better.
Simply saying, “he that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” speaks to us all. Not only does it say we all make mistakes and should forgive, but it gives us the freedom to forgive ourselves for our actions… because we all make mistakes.
When you realize that we all make mistakes because we do not know better it is so much easier to forgive those who do us wrong. We cannot stand above others in judgment when they do wrong, because we have done wrong too. And when we learn this we begin to see ourselves walking it out in our own lives.
8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When we see that we are no better than others we begin to act that way. We begin to see that we are all in this together, what we do to one we do to ourselves and in learning this we begin to make better choices.
10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
When the TRUTH of God is lifted up WITHIN US, we understand there is never anyone who can truly condemn us, accuse us, or hurt us. In addition, by knowing this, we learn that we no longer have to condemn, accuse, or hurt anyone in return… Much less ourselves.
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. 12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
We are forgiven people so we must forgive! We all have made mistakes, we all have, but it is time to let it all go. It is time for us to forgive those who have done us harm and forgive ourselves for the harm we have done.
Our sins are forgiven, and when you know this… THERE IS NO ONE THAT CAN CONDEMN YOU ANYMORE.
I may have made mistakes in the past and rushed to judgment because of things that were done to me, but I can let that go… because back then I knew no better. And now I know better, I will take it one day at a time, and pray that I walk in forgiveness always, because without it I will never truly find peace. And neither will you.
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Jacob Answers (The Unforgiveable Sin)
This week I put a line in the water to see what type of discussion could be caught. I received a bunch of wonderful comments and emails with a variety of topics, some I tried to answer as replies, others I responded personally to, but the one I really felt that many could benefit from was a question that came from Ricky Ramos about the unforgivable sin. Here is his question.
Hello, Jacob. I was here before asking you what do you believe is the unpardonable sin. I am interested in your answer because I have been reading about this a lot and havent really gotten an answer that satisfies me. – Ricky Ramos Apr 27, 10:29 pm
What a great question and as Ricky stated, many times I have heard people try to explain this one to me and, like Ricky, I never got an answer that made any sense at all. Just more fear poured upon fear. Well, it’s time we put an end to that. So, let’s tak a look at one of the scriptures that states this.
Matthew 12:32
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Let me start by stating why this is such an important scripture to understand.
We all know by now, HOPEFULLY, that the LETTER (that is, the literal understanding of scripture) KILLS, and the SPIRIT of the scripture gives life.
Time and time again we have seen people twisting and turning the scriptures to mean all sorts of things and to further all sorts of agendas. The scripture that has Ricky asking questions has been used to further the belief in infinite torture, which is the commonly held belief of a literal place called “Hell” that our God of Love supposedly created to send those he created ignorant of him to begin with. SILLY RIGHT?
Now, of course I am not about to go into a deep explanation as to why there is no such place. I have written extensively about this in the past, see my article “Hell Revealed”, or “The Lake of Fire Revealed” for more information about the topic. Hopefully you have been coming to this site long enough to know that the HELL that is written about in scripture is another world for “the place of the dead, the hidden place, the grave, Sheol” etc… meaning it is another word for “Ignorant Suffering”, remember people only the TRUTH sets people free, the lies and cares of this world cause nothing but misery, weeping and gnashing of teeth.
That being said, I’m sure you can see how people can take the scripture in question, that states THERE IS AN UNFORGIVEABLE SIN, and extrapolate that this is evidence that God would torture his ignorant creation endlessly, instead of teaching them, correcting them, guiding them, and saving them from their ignorance AS SCRIPTURE STATES. 🙂
Personally, I can’t see how anyone could deduce that there is anything we could possibly do that would move God to completely give up on us for. Sure we will REAP what we SOW, we will be corrected for what we do wrong, but God give up on us? NEVER!
Psalm 94:14
For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance!
No, there is NOTHING that can seperate us from the LOVE OF GOD! Let me get this first very important point out-of-the-way… There is NOTHING that can seperate us from God!
Romans 8
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Can anything seperate us from the love of God through Christ? The answer once again is, NO!
Romans 8
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So is it EVER POSSIBLE that God would give up on us? The answer is always, NO, it would be IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP ON US!
Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Nothing is impossible for God. God can do all things!
But it is however IMPOSSIBLE for anyone, or anything to thwart God’s will. Meaning what God wants God gets!
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Isaiah 43:13
Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”
Daniel 4:35
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”
I hope you can see that God’s will WILL be done, regardless. EVEN IF WE DON’T BELIEVE… NOTHING CAN STOP GOD’S WILL!
God doesn’t need US to do anything, say anything, be anything, or believe anything, it is GOD that does the work. YES, he creates the good and the seemingly bad. God does it all! GOD IS IN CONTROL, ALWAYS AND FOREVER! So what God wants God gets… The reason for this is wonderful… And those who have “ears to hear this will”.
2 Timothy 2:13
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
So even our UNBELIEF can’t stop God’s will. Now why am I making this point?
The answer you will understand the moment you UNDERSTAND what GOD’S WILL is.
You see it is God’s will to have all of mankind saved.
1 Timothy 2:4
Who WILL have ALL men (mankind) to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Now this is REALLY GOOD NEWS (the gospel). No matter what we have done, no matter where we have gone, no matter what we believe and don’t believe, EVENTUALLY all will be saved from their ignorance, and ALL will come to the KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH AND THE STATURE OF THE PERFECT MAN (CHRIST).
So with that being said, HOW COULD ANYONE EVER STATE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO THAT WOULD BE BEYOND GOD’S GRACE AND EVER STRETCHED HAND? The answer is simple, ignorance.
People are just ignorant. Now Ricky, when I explain this to you, you and many other may just clock yourselves in the head with the palm of your hand like someone in a V-8 commercial.
This explanation, I hope, will clear up SO MUCH for SO MANY when it comes to this scripture that has so many scared that they may have ignorantly sinned against the Holy Spirit for which there is NO FORGIVENESS… dun dun dunnnnnn!
Let’s start by DEFINING what FORGIVENESS is.
According to Mirriam Webster, this is the definition:
FORGIVENESS:
a: to give up resentment of or claim to requital for b: to grant relief from payment of
Let me put it plain for you. Say you owe me twenty dollars and can’t pay me back. To FORGIVE you of that debt would mean I say, HEY DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT, YOU OWE ME NOTHING.
Forgiveness means YOU DO SOMETHING for which a penalty should be paid and it IS NOT paid but the debt is forgiven!
Let me write that again, to FORGIVE means if someone wrongs you, borrows from you, or does something that need repair or repayment, the person who has done the wrong, or borrowing is simply FORGIVEN of any offense, debt, or error on their part. They aren’t punished, they aren’t held accountable, they aren’t guilty, they don’t need to make amends, they don’t need to make small payments monthly until it is paid back.
TO FORGIVE means to COMPLETELY RELEASE someone from any type of debt, be that a monetary debt, offence, or error.
Okay, hopefully you understand what FORGIVENESS means now.
NOW, you may be able to see why this scripture that has so many people upset and worried is really nothing at all to be upset and worried about. Because if truth be told, we are CONSTANTLY SINNING AGAINST the holy spirit, for which there is no forgiveness. Which means, we are corrected! THAT’S IT!
We aren’t forgiven (RELEASED from our mistake or debt) because if God simply allowed us to do wrong without having us reap what we have sown WE WOULD NEVER LEARN and COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.
You see, God cannot simply FORGIVE us (release completely) from our wrong doings, otherwise how else would be learn from them?
It is not a bad or terrible thing to NOT BE FORGIVEN for sinning (being in error, missing the point, missing the mark, missing the truth).
Let’s say that we grew up to believe that if someone stole from us, that it was God’s will to cut of that person’s hand, that would be a SIN against the HOLY SPIRIT (WHICH IS TRUTH AND LOVE AND LIFE). Meaning, it is NOT God’s will for us to hurt those who hurt us, it is God’s will for us to LOVE and FORGIVE even our enemies.
Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
To believe that you must someone hate, condemn, or hurt those who hurt you is SINNING AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT. To put it plainly, you missed the mark, you missed the TRUTH that we must LOVE! In addition, if God was to simply forgive you of that error, you would never learn. SO, there is NO FORGIVENESS for such an act. Now does that mean God condemns you to a place of endless torture? OF COURSE NOT! There is no such thing.
However, it does mean, God will repay the offender by having them reap what they sow. God will correct that offender by allowing the same thing to happen to them whether in this world, or the next.
Matthew 12:32
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
If the words coming out of our mouth are contrary to the TRUTH, it is unforgivable. Meaning, God will correct us and put the right words in our mouth. If our actions are contrary to God’s truth and love, God will correct us. It is unforgivable. AND THAT IS A GOOD THING! Because if we were just allowed to get away with anything and everything, we would NEVER come to the TRUTH and we would be forever lost. Meaning we would never enter the Promise Land of Righteousness, Peace, Joy, and Power in the Holy Ghost.
Just like the child who need to get burned a couple of times before he or she stops touching that hot stove, God corrects us of our ignorance by allowing us to simply reap what we sow. SO WE DON’T HURT OURSELVES FURTHER WITH OUR IGNORANT BEHAVIOR.
Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
If you do foolish things, you will reap those things. If you do right and your actions are pure and there is love in your heart you will reap peace in return.
8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Anyone that teaches that GOD GIVES UP ON US, is in fact SINNING against the HOLY SPIRIT themselves.
And yes for that there is no forgiveness. Meaning, God will have to correct a person that thinks that God will give up them, because THAT IS NOT TRUE, it is error, it is SIN. And it is a horrible place to be spiritually. It is a foolish thought.
Let’s reason… If God gives up on us then we have permission to give up on others. If God wants people to suffer, then it gives us permission to the do the same. THAT IS SIN (foolish thinking). No God is LOVE and love it patient, gentle, kind, it doesn’t seek to strive, it does not HOLD ACCOUNTS and it NEVER CASTS OFF! But love also CORRECTS. Which is why, we are set STRAIGHT when we are riding our High Horse in error as Paul was. We need to be corrected of our SIN (foolish thinking)
Proverbs 24:9
The thought of foolishness is sin
If God simply FORGAVE us for not knowing the truth, and living the truth, then we would never know the TRUTH. And we would be forever lost.
If God didn’t CORRECT us for every error and allowed us to continue on the path of evil (ignorance) then God never loved us to begin with.
But since GOD IS LOVE, God WILL correct us, he can’t allow us to get away with being ignorant. God corrects those he loves.
Hebrews 12:
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
We have long attributed believed forgiveness with how a person feel’s about us.
When a child does wrong, their parents punish them and then when the punishment is over the parent says, “Are you sorry?” And when the child says they are, the parent says, “I forgive you.”
However, THAT is NOT forgiveness, as we now know.
FORGIVESS would be for that parent to simply allow the child to do wrong and not hold him or her accountable. And if we, as parents, did such a thing… we would not be considered good parents. Because we know better than our children. Our children are ignorant of many things that we understand through experience. So when they do wrong we HAVE to correct them so they won’t make those same mistakes again and can go on to live a full, joy filled life. GOD IS NO DIFFERENT!
We can sin again the SON OF MAN (Which is our sense of being/ego) but we CANNOT sin against the HOLY SPIRIT, which is truth. We cannot be ignorant of the TRUTH, we MUST be corrected for this. AND THAT IS ALSO GREAT NEWS! Because through our correction comes the great Glory of what we become when all is said and done.
Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
As is written in Mark, the reason there is no forgiveness for Blaspheming or Sinning against the Holy Ghost is because the person is in danger of a period of time where they are corrected (judged) so they can be separated from their ignorance instead of being separated from the TRUTH in their own imagination. This is what “eternal damnation” means, it is an undefined period of time (aionos) of separation/judgment. It does NOT MEAN that since the ignorant person is ignorant that God will send them to a place of endless torture, it just means that God MUST correct them. And thank God for that.
So Ricky, I sure hope this has given you an answer that satisfies your question. I hope you now know what forgiveness is, and why correction and guidance is so important.
Most importantly, I hope that everyone reading this essay is left with a feeling of peace, knowing that no matter where they are, no matter what they are going through, everything is working together for their Good.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God loves us so much that he won’t forgive us when we are ignorant of him, he will correct us and bring us to the truth and perfect stature of his son (child) and we can finally believe in the name (NATURE) that is above ALL NAMES (NATURES) so we can finally be FORGIVEN (released) from the ignorance that once haunted us for so long.
(If you like this essay, please feel free to share, and don’t forget to subscribe by clicking the link on the top left portion of the screen. I want to thank those who support this blog personally, I can’t tell you all how much that means to me.)
Until next time, LIVE, LAUGH, AND LOVE! BE THAT LIGHT AND DIFFERENCE!
Jacob
http://www.JacobIsrael.org
ADVERSARIES FOR OUR GOOD!
ADVERSARIES FOR OUR GOOD! SAY WHAT?
If you’re married like me, I’m sure you’ve had your share of extended family spats. Who doesn’t right? What’s that expression, “You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your families… nose?” Or something like that.
In any event, why does it seem, that families, who should be the most supportive and loving, usually cause the most pain and suffering. Well, this is the reason for this essay.
You see, Christ did say, he came to cause division. Dividing us from our CARNAL EGO so where two (Ego and Christ) once stood, now there is only ONE IN CHRIST! Well the truth is whatever is within is without, and vice versa. So while a work is being done within you, to separate you from parts of you which are “Names written in the book of life” (Which literally means NATURES NOT ROOTED IN CHRIST)… So while these “natures” in you, like pride, ego, hate, prejudice, lies, are being rooted out in your waking life you will see some separation as well. In fact, if you don’t have opposition or people who are coming against you in some way, you probably aren’t as far along spiritually as you may think. Scripture states many things about this, which we can take both allegorically and literally.
Luke 12:53
The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Now granted, I see this above scripture allegorically and spiritually. But, as I said, whatever is within is also without, people. God uses our lives, our victories, defeats, our joys, and our sufferings, to teach us. God knows, he is doing such with me.
It seems persecution and tribulation has been a better teacher than the warm embrace of love and fluffy pillows. God did chose the furnace of affliction to try us in after all. And in Hebrews it is written, that “he learned obedience through the things he suffered.” – In fact there really is no other way around it, because as carnal ego animals we don’t follow that Shepherd, the sheep dog needs to keep us in line.
Acts 14:22
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
As much as it stinks as a pair of dirty socks, making mistakes and paying the price really is a better teacher than anything else I have experienced in the world.
Forgiveness is one of the most important lessons we must learn. To do this, we must feel the sting of betrayal. This is so we will learn to find peace within and not outside of ourselves. If we want everyone to like us, then we are looking for “Life” in temporary things and that just won’t cut the mustard when the rubber meets the road. Because Carnal Mankind and it’s strength and friendships will fail you every step of the way. So to avoid us putting our faith in THE CREATION, as many idolators love to do, God makes sure you don’t find that acceptance and peace you so desperately crave from those OUTSIDE OF YOU. (Of course that isn’t to say, you won’t have loved ones, wives, husbands, children, and family members that accept you… but for many I have found even that is not the case)
Here is the reason, the TEMPORAL WORLD is the problem, the world WITHIN (the kingdom of God) is the solution. When a turtle is threatened it retreats into its shell, when we are attacked we retreat within as well. GOD HELP US, we pray.
You will find, if you change your thoughts, your world will Change.
Today, everyone, including myself, is worried about what everyone else thinks or says, this is why we SUFFER. Which is why I am here for yet another eye-opening rant about the tests God places in our lives, especially my own.
2 Corinthians 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
We need to stop looking for approval and acceptance from anyone or any system outside of us, and start looking for God and His peace within (Note to Jacob: DO THIS!)
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The people who have been causing my wife and I a good deal of pain of late, are like the Pharisees who were so concerned with the outside appearance of things. On the outside they seemed to have it all right?
WRONG!
Like the Pharisees, they are hurting, they are sad, they are alone and feel empty. I know this by their actions toward us. They believe the more they have, purchase, or own, the more they build, conquer, rule over others or put down, that they will feel better about themselves and find peace. They believe the more they tear down those who are happy, they will feel better about themselves. So they shine up the outside of their lives, while the inside is a cold and bitter, broken, place. These poor people.
Matthew 23:25
You make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
You’ll also find those who put their faith in external things, hate those who put their faith in the internal/eternal things, like Me.
People hate what they don’t understand. A man who believes in God is hated by the one who wishes he had such passion and faith, but is bankrupt and empty. “The fool says in his heart there is no God”, and then he acts out of his lack by propping himself up as if he is somehow better for the way he lives, and for what he believes. He (and I use the word he to represent carnal mankind) will mock those of the faith and then find others to do the same. Nothing makes a sad a lonely miserable person feel better than “yes men and women”. The reason is, deep down they know their behavior is deplorable, but if those around them agree it is okay, then they feel are empowered and begin to believe perhaps they are just and right in their terrible actions toward people who believe differently from them. This is no different from bullies picking on kids who are smaller and weaker, or nerdier than them, the bullies actions always stem from their overwhelming feeling of lack and their need for approval from others.
But no matter how many broken, hurting, angry people surround these “bullies”, they will still be sadly alone. And when it all comes to the end, they will have nothing but a life of mockery and hate to look on, they will only have memories of haunting them of those they tore down as opposed to joyful memories of those they built up and encouraged.
If they learned that peace is only found within, and not without, then they would have what WE have, (which they so desperately want and yet hate) And they would no longer feel the need to attack us and tear us down.
Matthew 23:26
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is WITHIN the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
So something needs to be done so these people can come to this understanding. And there is no better teacher than TRIBULATION. Through much suffering we enter the kingdom. As a woman travails in birth with her child, the pangs of birth DRIVE HER TO DELIVERY. This happens for us all.
For the moment, many, including myself are enduring the attacks of these sad people, but I assure you this will be for our good. And when we learn, what it is we are meant to learn, then they will have to reap what they have sown as well.
If God didn’t allow us to suffer we would be addicted to our natural Form and the temporal world forever. This is why there is a FIERY SWORD at the garden’s entrance KEEPING US FROM ENTERING eternal life without DYING TO OUR CARNAL (EGO) the Dead Man called ADAM. We must go through the FIRE (a cleansing process) to enter the Kingdom (which is peace, righteousness, and power in the holy spirit)
This is why Christ had to come to divide father against son, etc… You see, God will tear you from your earthly attachments until you learn these great and nobles truths of the Kingdom. But just like Job your future state will make your former state pale in comparison.
What better way to learn to forgive a betrayer, or the meat-head (carnal) enemies that come along, and step on our feelings, then to have one’s own enemy COME from ones own home. (Which I know is also symbolic of our mind and soul)
But we MUST remember the ONLY ENEMY there is are the lies and negative thoughts we have about others and ourselves. It is seeing duality and division, instead of unity and knowing peace.
So, there will be enemies in this world for us to overcome. Without us and Within Us. Now as much as I know this will pain people to read this, I must be true to what I know to be true. So forgive me for sharing what I believe will help you. GOD is the One responsible for sending these enemies our way. He does this to humble us and prepare us for what is to come. Sometimes we deserve it. Sometimes we need it. Sometimes we should just ZIP OUR LIP and learn from it.
We need to stop worrying and allowing these painful situations to race over again and again in our mind. Because these situations, I promise you, are there for our spiritual advancement.
1 Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Most Religious leaders leave out this precious scripture, where we see the disciples saying, “Hey put this meat-head into the DEVIL’S HANDS, he’ll destroy the fleshy sin (foolish thinking) that is keeping him from the truth and his SPIRIT will be saved because of it.”
WHAT JACOB? The Devil saves? — Well, if not for a great purpose, God would not create the destroyer to destroy, would he?
Our suffering helps set us free. And when we see this we are free indeed.
When we realize our enemies are “unknowingly” doing the will of God to better our spiritual growth and helping enter into the Kingdom of Peace, we will rejoice!
Amos 3: 6
Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
God is preparing us as a trainer prepares an athlete before a big meet. The weights need to be added on to strengthen us for the fight to come. The stronger we get spiritually, the more resistance we will meet spiritually. (In the natural as well)
God did the same with Joseph, Jacob, David, Moses, Jesus, Paul, the list goes on and on. He even turned a Donkey against Baalam, a donkey was his adversary…. SIDE NOTE: A donkey is a symbol of a BEAST OF BURDEN, and there is none greater than the CARNAL MAN. The goods news is, CHRIST rides that Carnal Man into Jerusalem (which means “Teaching of Peace”) Carnal Man is the beast that the Child of God died for and is entombed within.
But the ELDER (CARNAL MAN) will serve the Younger (CHRIST IN YOU)
But even the Stubborn “Ass” that stood in the dumb prophet Balaam’s way, was motivated by God’s angel.
God is God people, He is behind it all. The sooner we learn from our sufferings, the sooner we can move forward and stop writing long blog’s about how mean these (adversaries for our good) are… Oh wait a minute, that’s me I’m talking about! DOH!
If resistance is the only way we become physically strong. Is it SO hard to believe spiritual resistance is the only way we become spiritually strong?
Yes, while we are under attack we do feel weak and helpless and it sucks big green eggs… (Not that I have ever seen a green egg, but if you mix that with some green ham I bet that would rock! Or at least I’ve been told by Sam “I AM” now there was a Dr. Seuss character who understood who he was.:))
Suffering is a good thing. Just look at the Butterfly after its long fight in the death of its cocoon. I think he would say it was worth the fight when flying high above the pain of his past. And guess what, without that fight to break free from that terrible cocoon, he or she (do butterflies even have a sex?:)) the butterfly would die. It cannot fly without the fight.
In our weakness we FINALLY allow God to be strong. And when God is our Strength we finally know Joy. “The Joy of the Lord is our Strength!”
It is when we scream, “I can’t do it anymore! I give up! I stink like an old mans shoe!” It is when we are the most broken that we are given the opportunity to be made whole again.
We must come to the conclusion that our CARNAL NATURE (ADAM/EGO) is vain and can profit us no longer. If we act as an animals act we inherit flees. If we act as the Child of God we inherit His Kingdom!
We must say, “I hate this world, I hate who I am, I hate my life (ego)!” You see people, where you may believe you are losing the fight, I see God frustrating you to GIVE UP THE FIGHT… And when you do, VICTORY IS MINE, SAYETH THE LORD!
John 12:25
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
But to get you to this point, sometimes, we need a Pharaoh or two to enslave us, torment us, and test us until we are READY AND WILLING to stand up and REST so we can allow God to set us free.
We all know that carnal man is always concocting devious plans, scenarios, and words to say, things to do, to show those bullies just what we think of them! … But that is not the voice of truth. That STRANGE WOMAN’S VOICE in our head (See my article; Strange woman), It is the voice of fear, hurt, worry and anger, it is the voice of lies, and Carnal Man’s Ego is the Father of all lies.
If I were to pick up a rock or stone and throw it at one who has stoned me first, guess what, I am no better than them and I better duck because another stone will be coming at me soon after.
This is what we wrestle against, not flesh and Blood, not mean people, but the NEGATIVE THOUGHTS (demons/principalities/powers within) that plague our mind, trying to get us to roll up our sleeves and GET READY TO RUMBLE!
Some would think even those who have so much monetarily, would be at peace and show more compassion and charity. But most don’t. Sadly, it is even worse with those who have made their money off a congregation. They really feel self-important, they look at their carnal man-made palace of a church and say, God has blessed me. But truly we know the blessed are those who GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO KNOW GOD! They don’t store up literal money and treasure, they store of wheat (wisdom/truth) so when the famine is in the land they can be like Joseph was in Egypt, a great Savior.
Now what about Justice Jacob? Well trust me when I say, whatever anyone does to you, they will receive it in return. I don’t know how, or when, I just know….
God is not mocked, whatever a man sows he shall also reap
Many don’t believe this. Because many don’t truly believe in God. But these words are a herald of sorts for them all.
“For soon, it will all come crumbling down around them, and in that day they will know they have done evil in the land.”
Sometimes family members or loved ones can take their abuses too far, this is something I am very familiar with. It can be abuse, physical, sexual, emotional, it doesn’t matter it is all very painful and hard to get over, but I promise you ALL WE HAVE ENDURED IN THE DARK OF NIGHT is setting us up to RULE WITH THE LIGHT in our lives!
So, instead of retaliating or trying to hurt them in return, as crazy as this sounds, WE MUST CHOOSE TO THANK GOD FOR THEM! I pray things will get better for them, I want restoration for them, not the division I see… Because let’s be real, their house is already DIVIDED and a house divided against itself cannot stand. News flash OURS IS STANDING STRONGER THAN BEFORE because it has been, and continues to be built upon the tried and tested stones of persecution!
So instead of bringing down the wrath of Jacob with the ugly truth about our adversaries, I prayed for them instead. As we don’t want other to cause suffering in our lives, it is not my desire to cause suffering in theirs.
You see, sometimes your life, who you are, will drive people bonkers. They don’t have what you have so they want to hurt it, tear it apart. How sad is that? The problem is they want what you have and can’t find it (Peace, Love, Life).
Deep down, our adversaries want to have a home filled with love, faith in something, they want their life to have meaning. They want what they cannot find, because the only way to find it is to first see how very wrong the egotistical death they are living is. They MUST lose their life/death to save their LIFE/CHRIST.
Here is an interesting side note: The third greatest reason for divorce is the interference of family members or third parties… People, Meat-head people, if you allow them, will destroy your marriage if you don’t recognize their attacks are actually there to bring you and your wife/husband closer together. You can’t let anything come between you and your beloved, as you shouldn’t let anything come between you and God.
If only more marriages that were struggling could realize, it is not the good times that proves a man and woman’s love, it is getting through the bad times, that proves their love. It is standing together, forgiving each other, looking to the moment and not behind, taking each others hand and saying, “I love you baby, and you are so darn HOT!” – Well that’s what I say at least.
Our present suffering will end (I PROMISE), but this suffering is the glue that brings families closer together, and our souls closer to Gods spirit. Two separate objects don’t want to become one naturally. It takes the brute force of the hammer, the piercing of the nail, the torment and splintering of the wood, to have two pieces of wood joined into one. Where two come together, there is always a torment of sorts that changes the two into one.
Here is what our “adversaries for our spiritual growth” don’t understand.
Even those in our own families, extended families, neighbors, employees at work, whoever it is who hurts us, tear us down, and attacks us, when these individuals are doing everything in their power to break up a marriage they are unknowingly strengthening the spirit of a marriage. When people come against us, attack us, mock us, they are unknowingly strengthening our spirit. And one day, we will be as Jesus saying “Forgive them for they know not what they do” – Then we will rise above our situation, and never return to allow our enemies to hurt us again. But FIRST we MUST learn this lesson, our adversaries are IGNORANT and they are THERE to help us.
Now this reasoning doesn’t make much sense to a person at first. They say, God would never want us to suffer. God would never allow hard times in our lives.
1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
They don’t believe God is in anything that hurts. Yet childbirth is not fun, and it is written that “we will not be saved in childbearing” – Remember what it is we are giving birth to people, CHRIST!
So, don’t plan revenge, plan for prayer, plan for things to get better in your life and the lives of those you love. Remember as the lead character of my novel “The Calling A Voice In The Dead Woods” said… “THOSE THAT HATE THE MOST MUST BE LOVED THE MOST”
So, I will not do anything to avenge myself, and I suggest all of you in similar circumstances learn this lesson and do the same. For God has bigger plans for us all.
Romans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
We are not meant to take up the fight for ourselves. I have done this in the past and the results always backfired. Every bomb you drop on your enemy you drop on your own head…. Unless you are passing gas, and then by all means, God is cool with a drive by dusting of the knuckleheads in your life.
My friend Diane who BTW ROCKS, said we have a choice in life. We can choose to have PEACE or we can choose to be RIGHT. But, if we want to be RIGHT you have to get into the FIGHT. Oh what a wise sage she is!
So, I choose this day which God I will serve, not ADAM, but THE LORD OF HOSTS. And God says the fight is HIS, not ours.
Deuteronomy 1:30
The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
To win the day we simply sit back and let the Lord do his work. Sure, we will suffer the knucklehead comments of our enemies, and the sting of deceit and betrayal. This much we know to be true. However, there is only one-way to end such anguish and it is never found repaying evil with evil.
Matthew 26: 52
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
In dodge ball when the ball is thrown at you if you simply catch it your adversary is out of the game! You absorb their blow and you do not return it. While the ball is in your hands, you are safe. But the instant you throw that ball back into play, trying to hit someone to WIN THE DAY, you better watch out because that ball will be coming right back at ya!
When you repay evil with evil, you are simply prolonging your own suffering. This is why we must NEVER repay evil with evil but with Good.
Now this doesn’t mean you roll over and play dead and let these Meat-Heads walk, and talk, all over you. You have to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. When a fox is spoiling the vine, you find a way to keep the fox out. It may take a couple of different approaches, changing phone lines, moving, praying all the time LOL… but in the end, they will hear as Herod heard…
Luke 13:32
Go ye, and tell that FOX, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
The negative thoughts, the pain, the insecurities that these attacks caused IN US, will go away! We won’t let this nonsense bother us anymore. And God’s love is healing us from the wounds of our adversaries (who, by now, we know are there for our own spiritual growth) and finally, because of all we have endured, I say THANK YOU to those who have hurt me for on the Third Day I shall be perfected because your wicked devises have done a great work in me! Like the chisel to the stone! So I will learn to say…
“Father forgive them for they know not what they do!”
Or I will say
“I’m rubber your glue! I’m going to sit back and pray for you!”
We must “Do Unto others as we would WANT DONE TO US”
Like many of you, I have had my share of persecution. And every time I repaid injury for injury, I got hurt more. But when I stepped back and LET LOVE RULE as the Prophet Lenny Kravitz sang… I watched my enemies change, as well as their situations.
“You sit still down river long enough, you’ll see the bodies of your enemies float past you”
SO,
Matthew 5:25
Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Jesus gave us the keys of the kingdom, and those keys deal with reaping and sowing. If you want good in your life, start doing good. FORGIVE AND LIVE!
“If I say I love God and hate my brother, I am a liar.”
So, let’s start by following these simple rules and watch things in our lives turn around.
SOME GREAT KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
Galatians 6:7
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Luke 6 36-38
Judge not, and you shall not be judged.
Condemn not, and you will not be condemned
Forgive and you will be forgiven
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Luke 6:29
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
2 Corinthians 9:6
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
What we do to others, we actually are doing to ourselves, even when it comes to retaliating against our enemies.
This is why I will repay the (adversaries for our good) with the shake of the head, a shrug of the shoulders, and a prayer sent up on high…
Them silly kids, I’ll say. They know not what they do. Knuckleheads.
In every one of these article I usually receive some cool revelation and I hope you stuck with me to the end for this one. Because it JUST HIT ME! And it is good for you to hear this.
Matthew 5:38
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
We have been taught by Jesus that the “eye for an eye” philosophy needs to be thrown out.
But this is only in reference to the physical action of causing physical or emotional harm to one who has done such to you.
This DOES NOT mean that the law of Reaping and Sowing, Cause and Effect is not still a GREAT TRUTH.
Whatever we do to one, will be done to us, in one way or another. This is why Jesus’ advice is so important for us all to hear and implement in our lives.
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Why would Jesus say this?
Like my dodge ball story, (which I never got pick to play as a kid) If a man strikes you and you strike the man back… you will find you have another fist coming your way.
For one reason or another, God thought we needed or deserved such attacks and abuses. And if, after receiving these attack, we strike out and do the same to our enemies at the moment (for any other reason than self-defense) we are throwing the karmic ball back into play.
If someone talks bad about you, DON’T talk bad about them.
If someone mocks you, DON’T mock them.
Don’t repay evil with evil.
Romans 12:21
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Many don’t understand why Jesus was all about feeding your enemy and praying for them. Well the feeding part is really symbolic of showing them love and compassion. Showing them what they have not shown you. The BREAD FROM HEAVEN is the TRUTH and the Water is the SPIRIT OF GOD.
I would be a big fibbie pants if I were to say I am walking this truth out ALL THE TIME. I am not, but I am trying, and I pray all of you will let God be your Victor. So when trouble comes don’t get ready to rumble, just simply walk away. The bigger man is always the one who wins the day.
Peace everyone!
Jacob
http://www.jacobisrael.org
“The Truth Will Change You”
UNEQUALLY YOKED?
UNEQUALLY YOKED?
What does it mean to be unequally yoked? It’s not what you have been told.
LET GO AND LET GOD
LET GO AND LET GOD
I’m going to start this paper with that quote “Out of the mouth of babes God has perfected Praise” … Then I will most likely depart from that and hopefully the Lord will find my way back to it… But that scripture is what was on my heart when writing this, this past weekend. And hopefully soon we will understand why.
We have all heard the story of how when Jesus entered a room, the little kids would go nuts and break out into singing the praise and worship songs of the day.
Matthew 21:16
And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
I remember picturing a bunch of young kids and babies singing and dancing around with excitement to just be in the presence of this man, Jesus. But, after years of study, I would come to understand what this truly means.
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
You see, years later, I woke up to a greater meaning. Now a word of warning before this paper begins. As always, what I write could be completly wrong, I DOUBT IT, but it is up to YOU to seek the truth that is WITHIN YOU. GOD has all the answers you need. Now you might not understand things right away, but you will understand the “meaning of thing” when you are MEANT TO. Too many people don’t seek God for the truth, they simply rely on some man or woman, with some fancy Godly title to give them the answers. The problem with that people, is there are a lot of decieved people out there, who have agendas. So IF YOU WANT TRUTH, don’t just take my word for it, GO TO THE WORD WITHIN YOUR HEART. You will find what you’re looking for, when you are ready for it.
Matthew 7:8
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Now, back to those KIDS and their perfected PRAISE!
Look, I’ll be real with you, I have three wonderful CHILDREN myself, and a fourth on the way… The ones here now sing and dance for a lot of things, but I don’t believe they would be singing Hosanna in the highest, if the “man” Jesus walked into the room. First of all, they don’t know the song, secondly I don’t take them to man made church or teach them the traditions of men. NOW DON’T GO GETTING ALL HOT AND BOTHERED BY THAT LAST SENTENCE PEOPLE. 🙂 No one took me to church. Well perhaps a couple of times I went with the folks, but not often, maybe once or twice a year. In any event I was one of those kids who would simply walk down the street and go to Catholic Church myself. Not the best move because I would then spend a good deal of my young life worrying about burning in hell, for a majority of the things I did. AND I WAS A GOOD KID! But that church just instilled a bunch of fear in me, and the rest I allowed my ego to run wild with.
But the Lord directed my steps, even back then. I know, for me, that was meant to be. I had to allow God to overcome that religious fear, and today it’s pretty clear God did a good job. Now that worldly fear needs to go. You know bills, debt, worrying about my kids, and all the rest of the things we humans worry about. And the world gives you plenty to worry about doesn’t it. If it’s not stuff in your personal life, you have to worry about the economy, war, the middle east unrest, chemtrails, government coverups, AND THE DREADED 2012! LOL… It is so funny, how much fear we allow to take residence in our heart, well I thank God for tearing all of these TARES away, one by one, until I have and know peace.
I digress, I don’t take my kids to man made church, yet they are very advanced in what they know already. They see Dad studying, writing, encouraging others, helping those who need help, not to mention all the conversations I am sure they have overheard where I talk about the deeper things of God. The best teacher, is the one that is a LIVING EPISTLE! I don’t need to give my kids a list of dos and don’ts to please God, I simply live my life and they learn by what they see, and do as they see me do. And when they ask questions I am there with the same question that I point to them, you’ll find children usually have the answers already, as do we all, WITHIN! Remember LOVE is the greatest teacher there is.
The reason, I don’t talk to them about the deeper things of God is because I know they wouldn’t understand it. Yet ask my seven year daughter Shiloh where God is, she will point to her heart, her mind, me, and the world around. Where she learned that I have no idea. Ask my boys why they shouldn’t make fun of others, they say, it’s because they wouldn’t want others to do it to them.
Now, the two most important things in scripture we are to learn, LOVE GOD, AND YOUR NEIGHBOR, found right there on their lips. Not one day of church or religion in any of them.
So instead of force feeding my belief system down their throat. I lead them by showing them how I live my life. They see Dad show charity, they learn to be charitable. They see Dad forgive those that hurt, or upset him, they learn to forgive. They hear Dad talking about his desire to help, and reach others, they find out that “it is better to give than receive”. They hear how grateful Dad is to have what he has, they learn the same. They see Dad studying the Bible and other Holy Texts, they grow curious as to why that is. But Dad doesn’t force them to believe this or that, nor does big Poppa force them to recite prayers or memorize biblical verses. I simply become a LIVING EPISTLE for my kids. And I do my best to let God lead me, to lead them. As I know God will lead them, as He lead me.
2 Corinthians 3:2
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
As the disciples used their lives as teaching tools, and didn’t even have a NEW TESTAMENT to teach from, they taught by example and I try to do the same. I don’t teach my children to memorize the scriptures, in fact I rarely even read the bible to them. I know it sounds like sacrilege to some of you, but the truth is, children have a better understanding of God’s love then we do, at times.
Ask any young child who has not been indoctrinated if God would send his children away to a place of infinite torture for not having knowledge of him… The child would say, “No Way”. The child would understand that Love could never do such a thing. A child knows better than most religious leaders today.
Matthew 18:3
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
A child has us beat in many areas of life. They don’t worry about where their next meal will come from. They don’t stress about losing this or that, they simple LIVE, and play sports, video games, and pull their sisters hair (NOW THAT’S LIVING) LOL.
Children have faith that every one of their needs will be met. They trust their parents will provide… and clean up their dirty clothes and room with them, help them with homework, (that is of course, if they have decent parents)
This is why Jesus said, we must become like LITTLE CHILDREN to inherit the Kingdom. We must begin to have faith that EVERYTHING will be provided for us as well. We must stop worrying about this or that, we must have FAITH, as a child has faith that with each passing day our needs will be met, as our children’s needs are met.
Hey and it’s not like everyday of a kids life is gravy. Sometimes that have to take their nasty medicine when they get sick (so do we, spiritually). They are corrected when they do wrong (so are we, spiritually). Sometimes they have to take a time out. (and we definately are put in time out too). This morning I read something Denni Caldwell wrote on his blog “Notonelost”, in regards to free will. I really LOVED IT! He said, just because children have a will of their own, it doesn’t mean that we (their parents) let them do whatever they want. No, we keep them in line, we know what is good for them… GUESS WHAT, SO DOES GOD. And HIS WILL will ALWAYS trump OUR WILL, just as Daddy and Mommy know best in my house.
My point is, if we know what is best for our kids, and we make sure they don’t burn themselves on that hot stove. God who is perfect, knows what is best for us, and treats us better than we treat our own kids. Because GOD IS LOVE!
Luke 11:13
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
LET’S GO TO THE GARDEN SHALL WE?
ADAM, lived as a child once. There was a time that he LIVED NAKED but wasn’t ashamed. Everything was provided for him, he was naming things (Analagous of understanding the natures in man), he was learning things and LIVING THE LIFE BABY!
It wasn’t until ADAM (mankind) ate from that TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL that he died. And we’re not talking LITERAL PHYSICAL DEATH PEOPLE… he didn’t croak on the spot. NO, the death, he died, was he entered into IGNORANCE. He was ALREADY THE IMAGE OF GOD but began to believe HE WASN’T and worse still, MANKIND began to believe they needed to do something to BE WHO THEY ALREADY ARE! And so ADAM died when the man made law came (do this, don’t do that). Remember there was a time Paul was alive, until the law came and he died.
Now, ADAM in the GARDEN, is a picture of mankind as children, we LIVE when we are kids. But the instant we grow up and we believe that somehow we are NOW IN CONTROL (instead of trusting DADDY is in control), and the instant we believe WE ARE SINNERS and ignorantly think WE need to do something to win the favor with God, WE DIE!
Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
This is what we need to be saved from, this DEATH (Our ignorance, shame, guilt, fear)… Young children don’t have this. They don’t have deep understanding of the things of God, they are NAKED, but they are not ashamed. They don’t feel like they have to do this or that to win heaven. Life is heaven for them. UNTIL THEY EAT (become one with the thoughts of) RELIGION AND THE WORLD which produces death(ignorance and suffering).
This is one of the reasons I have refused to send my children to “religion” or even “bible camp” or whatever other man made religious institution there is that wants to make my kids twice the children of hell they are. (of course NOT ALL CHURCHES, TEMPLES, MOSQUES, ETC, are like this) but I have known enough in my time to know better than send my kids there.
So, you see, I don’t care if they don’t know what John 1:1 says. I’d actually rather them not believe they are SINNERS in need of a SAVIOR. And what is it to you, if I say, that one of these SHALL NOT DIE UNTIL the TRUTH IS REVEALED AGAIN. – That’s a revelation if you have ears to hear it!
Ahhhh, you thought Jesus was talking about people physically living forever. NOPE! He didn’t teach death, so why should I teach death? Instead from birth, I WILL LIVE AND THEY WILL SEE LIFE, and understand WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
I would rather my children learn to love others, and understand the love God has for them, and know God is in control NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, as opposed to my children going ADAM STYLE hiding in the trees of their imagination and covering themselves with religious fig leaves. I don’t want them scared of their CREATOR who is LOVE, and who is IN THEM!
I want my children to learn on their own without being force fed the slop most religious leader feed swine. Those religious demons (false teachings/lies) are only meant for swine (the carnal people). I don’t want my children to have their heads filled with lies, fear, error, and superstition… I want to spare my kids the agony of coming out of Babylon, as I remember how hard it was for me to leave all those vain beliefs for a greater truth, which is CHRIST IN YOU.
As a young child I remember really being scared that I was going to burn in hell, if I didn’t clean my room, or if I did something wrong at school, or if I lied, etc… At such a young age, that is no LIFE for a child, as there is NO LIFE in such foolish teaching. It would have been much better had I learned about reaping and sowing. That I should do good to others because I am doing it to myself, because we are all one.
I don’t have all the answers when it comes to parenting, but I do know that LOVE is a better teacher than shame and fear. And I try daily to exercise this very important rule.
So a word of warning when you drop your kids off to religious daycare, you better make sure you really trust these people with your children’s spirit. Because they very well may corrupt it, defile it, pervert it, molest it, and kill it. This is the reason we see this in the natural. Just last night I heard of yet another religious leader molesting a twelve year old girl. Whatever is happening in the spirit is happening in the natural!
Look, children are like little sponges and are incredibly impressionable. And they may end up scared there are demons waiting to possess them, as opposed to understanding the only DEMON there is, are the LIES we believe from the FATHER of LIES, our CARNAL SATANIC EGO MIND.
This is why the world is in the state it is in today. From children we are taught the “US AGAINST THEM” philosophy. In most countries, children are indoctrinated to pledge allegiance to a certain cause, religion, and belief set. Then the children are taught that anyone outside their belief set is their ENEMY. Never once realizing the ONLY enemy there is, IS WITHIN HUMANITY ALREADY. The only ENEMY is the FLESH (the carnal mind)… And this enemy only gets stronger by being fed more, and more, of the world’s lies (Lust of Flesh, eyes, pride of life). The more you feed something, the bigger it becomes.
One of the hardest lessons to learn is to trust that God is in control. It is hard enough to do this in our own life, but when it comes to our children, few truly have faith that God is in control of their lives as well.
Matthew 10:29
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
There was a time in my life when I truly worried for my children’s safety. It was one of the hardest times of my life. A friend named Dave Fields (http://Davidfields.org) said to me, “Why is it that you have no problem believing God is in control of everything that happens to you, but believe God doesn’t also have your children in His Hand?”
Luke 12:7
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
We feel helpless when we see our children suffering. When they become ill, when they experience hardship, are picked on at school, or abused by step parents etc. etc… You pray to God, as I prayed, “Lord let me take their pain, make me suffer, spare them”… But as Dave Fields told me, so many years ago, “Even our children have a journey that God is in control of.”
This is a very difficult lesson to learn and a harder thing to believe.
Especially when some children suffer with cancer, abuse, rape, etc. How can we say, God is in control of such terrible things?
This was a question I had asked myself when there was a certain individual around my children who I knew was bad news for them. At the time, I had no money, no way of ensuring their safety, they were only with me half the week back then. No I have complete custody. But back then I held unto the faith that God would work it out and in no time, that individual was removed from their life, and my children were placed into my primary care.
The amazing part of it all is that I didn’t have to lift a finger to do so, God did it all. Not that I sat back and did nothing, but I did only what I could. But it was God that brought things that were hidden to light, he brought people to help, he brought my children back to my arms full time and now today he has restored things to the way they were meant to be. Now I am so grateful for the lesson everyone has learned because of this situation, even though I would never have chosen it for myself. It has indeed created a great compassion in my heart and created an even greater capacity for me to forgive… And of course, we know God is not mocked, whatever a man reaps he shall also sow… And today, I know this individual is reaping, God forgive him and help him. I pray this individual will learn from this correction and change because of it. As God has a plan for him, as well as he did for Pharoah and others, who seemed to be so horribly evil.
When bad things happen people like to blame the “devil” and other “evil” people, but never once consider that perhaps, this all is happening for our ultimate good. Consider, if you believed that EVERYTHING in your life was going according to God’s plan, how much peace you would have, and how VERY DIFFERENT your life would be.
The time when my children were in danger and when I had not a nickel to rub together, when my Crohn’s disease was at it’s worse. It was perhaps the longest and hardest six months of my life, but if not for this time, I wouldn’t have written my novel, learned what I have learned, and recieved the deep appreciation and love I have now for my children. It also prepared me to love a child that is not my own flesh and blood. Which today, I love as my own. Thank God for him.
Through it all I have learned to forgive in ways I would have never known had I not been through what I went through. And I learned that we can only do so much for our children, we can’t keep them from disease, we can’t keep them from accidents or harm’s way when we are not with them. All we can do is raise them up in the ways of the Kingdom, raise them up in the WAY THEY SHOULD GO… meaning, don’t force your kids to be who you want them to be, but encourage them to be who God made them to be. To teach your children to love and have respect for all life, and teach them to have faith that no matter what comes their way, it will all work out by working together for their good.
In my novel, THE CALLING, one of the characters, Nancy refuses to believe that God was behind the loss of her loved one. She refused to believe there was a point or purpose to suffering at all… Thomas’ answer was as simple as it was profound, “Would you rather believe your suffering and loss was in vain?”
– To say that God doesn’t want us to go through what we go through, is to say A) He is incapable of helping us. B) He doesn’t want to help us – or- C) He doesn’t exist or care at all.
But to understand that there is a point to all we endure, is freedom.
Think about this as you go through your life. When trials come your way, when tragedy strikes, “Would you rather believe there is no point to it?” Would you rather believe there is no purpose to your suffering? Would you rather believe God doesn’t want it for your life but allows it anyway? Would you rather believe that God is punishing you? — These are the beliefs many children of religion believe. They see God as an angry, judgmental, distant monster, as opposed to seeing that God is in control and working all things together for our good.
However, if God is in control (see my article on this blog on the subject) then regardless of how terrible something seems to be, it will be nothing compared to what comes out of it in the end.
Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
It is my belief that we suffer for one reason and one reason only, to teach us to GIVE UP THE IDEA THAT WE ARE IN CONTROL.
Acts 9:5
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Here Paul realized, that he was NOT in control. “What wilt thou HAVE ME TO DO.” He didn’t say what should I do? He said, what will YOU (GOD) HAVE ME DO!
If we could get this very important teaching into our heads/HEARTS, we would need suffer no longer. We would understand that when this, or that happens, it is meant to happen for us, to better us, to strengthen us, to bring us into a greater peace and rest.
So regardless of what happens, a much better thing will grow out of it. Beauty rises from ashes, pleasure from pain, etc.
Luke 13:8
And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
Like any tree, if we are NOT producing fruit, sometimes the SOIL of our LIVES (our experiences/what we grow out of emotionally and spiritually) has to be shook up, and “tormented”. We may even have to deal with a bunch of, excuse my language, crap!
But after we go through what we go through, if we learned to TRUST GOD, and we learned that we reap what we sow, if we learned that our SUFFERING WAS NOT IN VAIN and our suffering was but for a moment, and that it produced GREAT FRUIT FOR OUR LIVES and OUR CHILDREN’S LIVES, what freedom there would be.
And what is this FRUIT that our suffering produces?
Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
You see, this is what all of our pain is about. It is about us letting go and letting God, as the old expression states.
Notice how, when we ENTER THIS REST there is NO LAW against us. We are no longer condemned, we are no longer sinners, we are no longer at fault, or to blame.
We THEN understand.
Matthew 17:5
…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;
Remember that scary old evil ANTICHRIST that many evangelicals scream about, the one who sits on the throne of God, declaring himself to be God… The one who THINKS “HE or SHE” is IN CONTROL… Well, my friend, whether you have ears to hear or not, that is THE CARNAL NATURE inside ever human being, when ignorant of GOD’S COMPLETE AUTHORITY.
Our belief that “WE” are somehow in control, is the very spirit of the ANTICHRIST. And that SPIRIT (Thought) is running buck wild every which way you turn… And it isn’t until the TRUTH of THAT ANTI-CHRIST nature in us, is REVEALED to us, that CHRIST (THE TRUTH) COMES and destroys THAT IGNORANT NATURE OF ours with the “brightness of his coming” (revealed truth that God is in control, and we are his beloved)… Then, and ONLY THEN, do we rest!
2 Thessalonians 2:8
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
In other words, we learn that our EGO is the problem. And once we learn that, we let go and let God!
First we must learn to do this in our lives, then we must do the same for our children. And I know there are so many hurting today spiritually, emotionally, physically. There are teens that have gone down the wrong path, drugs, violence, and worse. This is a parents worst nightmare, but it is only a nightmare IF you don’t believe there is a point and purpose to it all, and a way out of it all, and that God will finish what he began in us all.
These are all lessons for us to learn, and if the lesson is not learned… If that TREE is not producing fruit after all the dung and digging about it has happened, then that tree (thought process) is cut down… And it’s time to begin again.
You see I believe, that no one will be lost. THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS! God has power to make and remake his vessels as he wishes. Some to wrath, some to righteousness, but ALL THINGS work together so that his CREATION is FINISHED IN VICTORY.
The quickest way to help someone who is hurting, on drugs, or worse is to show them, that is NOT WHO THEY ARE. And the only way to do this, is to STOP REMINDING THEM HOW MESSED UP THEY BELIEVE THEMSELVES TO BE, and start TEACHING THEM HOW PRECIOUS THEY ARE. And then TEACH THEM to “Let go and Let God”.
We all have a journey, we all must learn that God is ALL IN ALL, we all must give up the reigns. And it is our suffering that brings us to that breaking point and revelation. Our suffering will get us to a point when we will raise up our hands and say, “Help me Lord, not my will be done, but yours.”
Trust me when I say, that regardless of what you see, God is behind the scenes and nothing is ever LOST that isn’t one day found again.
Don’t look at this life as a one shot deal. God is God and we are One with God, which means, we are not this flesh and bone temporal body, we are ONE with the SPIRIT OF CHRIST within, and that doesn’t just go away. That my friends is INFINITE.
A lost loved one, is never lost, they are just not known the way they were once known. When you close your eyes and sleep the world and everything in it disappears, but you don’t mourn it’s loss. If you are in your room and you close your eyes and plug your ears, the sound and sight of your children disappear, but you don’t mourn their loss, because you have faith they are still there. They just aren’t there the way you knew before you closed your eyes and ears… If truth be told, those that have left their physical bodies are most likely closer to you than you know. This is one reason I don’t visit graves, as I know the ones I love whose bodies have died, are still here right now continuing their journey into the Kingdom of God.
We must NEVER GIVE UP HOPE! Not on ourselves, not on our children, or even those who hurt us. That doesn’t mean we continue to subject ourselves to those who hurt us, but it means we forgive them… We stop carrying around the pain of what they have done.
Mark 11:26
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Many don’t understand this scripture. They look at it as if, IF we don’t forgive THAN God is going to punish for every wrong thing we have done… But our true TRESPASS is NOT FORGIVING.
By not forgiving others, God doesn’t forgive us… In other words, if you don’t forgive, you will be burdened continually by the pain those you have not forgiven have caused. God who is IN HEAVEN, which is IN YOU… Will not release you from the PAIN others have caused UNTIL YOU FORGIVE AND RELEASE THEM, until you LET GO AND LET GOD.
It is a difficult thing to forgive those who hurt you, UNLESS you understand that even their OFFENCE has a purpose for your life. My friend David Field said this to me as well many years ago… “It is not what they are doing TO YOU, but it is what they are doing FOR YOU”… In essence our enemies are our greatest tool to get us to the Kingdom of Heaven (Righteousness, peace and joy).
Psalm 17:13
Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
So what does all this have to do with my original quote…
Matthew 21:16
And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
NOT MUCH I guess. You see, I never really know what I am going to write, until I write it. I wanted to share with all of you, how these BABES are not LITERAL BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN, but are BABES to the faith.
Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
You have learned by now, not everything in scripture is meant to be taken literally. A babe is NEW TO THE WORLD, and so A BABE that has perfected PRAISE is NEW TO THE FAITH.
I remember when I first came to know God and Jesus. Man, I was singing God’s praises left, right, up, and down. I told everyone about how great God is and how awesome the Christian faith is…. Of course, I had no idea of what would follow.
Just like when you are first pregnant. When you find out you rejoice and tell the world, then as the pregnancy progresses things change, it gets harder, your body aches, your emotions run wild, and then when you go into labor to actually give birth to that child you once were so THRILLED ABOUT… But now because of all the pain you have to go through to ACTUALLY GIVE BIRTH, you would rather DIE than do so.
The same is true for our walk. This is why we must not overwhelm those that are new to the faith. We must be there to encourage them and remind them, that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD…
As my friend Dave did, and so many others have in the past, those mature in the faith must minister to the BABES of the faith. But the mature must be wise, the babes need the sincere milk not meat.
1 Corinthians 3:1
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
As a one year old would throw up brussel sprouts and steak, so a BABE to the faith would be very turned off by the deeper things of God. This is a process, a journey, and learning experience, and God must reveal things to each person in HIS TIMING, each man in his order.
1 Peter 2:2
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
And keep the Milk Fresh people, don’t let it sour.
This life of ours is indeed a mysterious and wonderful one. At times it hurts, at times we feel like we can’t go on. We worry about our children and forget that God is in control of their lives and their experience as well.
These are the lessons we learn as fight through this thing called the Valley of the Shadow of Death, as a Butterfly fights to be free of its cocoon.
Romans 8:22
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
But if there is one thing that I can leave you all with today. It is that, no matter where you are, no matter what your children are going through, no matter how bleak things seem. There is more to you and your life, than just what you see, feel and hear.
God has set everything in order, and God cannot fail. His WORD will never return void, but it will accomplish that which it was set out to do. Let this next verse remind us all, that everyone and everything will one day Praise the Lord.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”- Jeremiah 29:11-13
Peace to you and yours, Jacob
http://www.JacobIsrael.org
MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR? … REALLY?!
MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR? … REALLY?
You may have heard the expression, “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, and while that may be true, I like to say “whatever doesn’t KILL OUR CARNAL NATURE hasn’t done it’s job.” You see, our enemies and hard times are not there to destroy us, they are actually there to reveal who we truly are. And that is done while the illusion of our ego, and the ignorant faith we put in temporal things, is chipped away.
Those who hurt us are actually there to better us. They are like God’s chisel chipping away the unnecessary stone…
My suffering over the years has made me a truly compassionate and forgiving child of God. I thank God for that. I thank God that although I don’t feel like the “Mighty Man of Valor” He recently reminded me that I am. I thank God, that He knows me to be thus, and, if God says it people, IT IS FINISHED and TRUE!
This nonsense that we are suppose to be sooooo very strong because we have God, has got to stop! That is the very disease eating away at us all. The instant we understand it is okay to say we are STRONG IN OUR WEAKNESS… then we will be strong. For in our WEAKNESS God’s strength is perfected.
LET THE WEAK MAN SAY HE IS STRONG! And the weak man can say this because he has been tried and tested.
Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
But I do know, we learn by the things we suffer. So, this teaching, that God doesn’t want us to suffer, is very damaging. Because if you are told, God doesn’t want you to suffer and then you are suffering than it MUST mean God doesn’t love you…
2 Thessalonians 1:5
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
Our suffering is ONLY in relation to how far we stray from God’s truth. Everything I am enduring or have endured is to AWAKEN in me what I have forgotten and bring me into this UNION of the spirit again.
It should not bother us, when we are forsaken by man. But it does. It should not bother us when we are persecuted for no other reason than we love, but it does. It should not bother us that there are so many meatheads in this world, but there are!… So I just need to remind all of you, myself included… That HE that began this GOD work, will complete it in Victory. We will not be left in this suffering. The sooner we learn what it is we are meant to learn, the sooner we will be set free.
Psalm 16:10
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
This brings me to the point of this essay… After all the rumbling, lightning, after surviving the terrible storms, after the HELL after the HELL FIRE (suffering I endured)… God spoke to me in A STILL SMALL VOICE… don’t take my word for it.
1 Kings 19:12
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
You can’t always find God in Hell, even though, David said, he is there in our Present Suffering when we make our BED THERE!
But it is after our SINS (foolish thoughts) are CONSUMED by the FIRE (It is after we are CONSUMED BY OUR SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THESE TERRIBLE THOUGHTS OF SUFFERING) — It is after all of this, that God finally speaks…
It’s hard to hear God, or to focus on positive and encouraging thoughts when your circumstances are hard or people are coming against you. Many don’t even understand why it is some people just simply seem to hate them.
Matthew 10:22
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
I have read those words in Matthew before. But the people that were hating on me I never preached to. I’m not a bible thumper “church”. I keep my views to myself.
Years ago I went around “Killing Egyptians” no longer. Which is allegorical for going around and telling people YOUR A SINNER REPENT!
In fact there is a good portion of people who ONLY think of me to be a kind hearted man. They have no clue I am who I am.
My neighbors Bob 91 and Ruth 83, both big time Catholics, well I have been cutting their grass for years, shoveling their drive way for years, trimming their bushes etc, and yes its for free… And for years, they have been trying to get me to go to their Church, because they have no clue that I know what I know. You see, they are settled in their beliefs and I do not feel led to try and change them, that is God’s job, they are a sweet couple, and I think it is wonderful that they worry about my soul. So I humor them, and take their flyers here and there. But my point is, people don’t hate me because I go around saying Christ this and Christ that, it is because of what is IN ME!
“GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN ME THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD”
This blog is the only thing I share, and when I do share what I share verbally, it is with those I am compelled to, or those who find me, or I find…
So, recently I have learned that my whole life, people have hated me not because they knew my beliefs, BUT because of who I AM inside.
From childbirth Jesus was a marked child. As was I. As are many of you reading this now. Remember the murder of the innocents!
There are people that just can’t stand you and you probably go out of your way to be kind to them and they hate you the more for it!
My only advice is to forgive them, steer clear, they know not what they do… If you can, part company. If you can’t, be kind, don’t think the worst. Judge not, lest you shall be judged.
I know that in many cases, with me, I must love them and think higher of these people who have hurt me, and my family, so. Every time I have prayed for my enemy, every time I have decided not to speak terribly about my enemy, every time I have seen my enemy coming to me with the extended hand of a friend, I have seen God change their heart. This is truth!
But I also have learned, that as I have grown stronger in my faith, so has the strength of my enemy.
Isn’t that something. The stronger I become, the stronger my trial becomes… He who endured until the END!
It is just like working out, “Church”, the resistance doesn’t get lighter. God only heaps on more weight for what is to come… So put some more spiritual whey protein in your blender and blend some up!
So there I was, sad, last Sunday night. Thinking, I am going to press delete on this blog.
The world isn’t ready for the things I still have yet to share. And believe me, I have some THINGS STILL TO SHARE! wink wink nudge nudge!
And then, in the quiet of that late, late, Sunday Night at 9pm… GIDEON APPEARED!
Not literally people! That would only happen if I had a mega Church, or had a book to sell… wait a minute I do have a book to sell… I mean, GIDEON DID APPEAR TO ME!
Yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket, Gideon appeared… In a RAYYYYY OF LIGHT!!!!! He said, Jacob, My Man, what’s the deal bro?… Okay… just kidding “Church”
In any event, the Midianites were attacking the Israelites and all hope seemed lost. Everyone was running for their lives. Poor little Gideon, was scared out of his mind. Hiding!
Judges 6:11
And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
So Gideon was THRESHING WHEAT…
Of course everyone knows what Threshing wheat means.
NEITHER DID I!… No worries, that is what Ask.com is for… To thresh wheat is to violently shake or disturb the WHEAT to GET THE SEED OUT!
Does that sound familiar?
Okay, let me try that again.
To THRESH WHEAT = To Violently Shake/Disturb/CAUSE TO SUFFER to GET THE SEED OUT
One more time.
To THRESH WHEAT = Your suffering brings out the SEED = CHRIST IN YOU!
Ahhhhh, so there is a point to these mean people OR jerk pants, as I like to call them, after all!
Hey Jesus said, if the plant isn’t producing fruit, violently mess up the earth around it, throw a bunch of crap on it and see what happens.
Luke 13:8
And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
But that isn’t the revelation I received at that moment. It was the fact that Gideon was soooooo scared of his enemies, that he was going to HIDE THE SEED!
That blew me away. It was that I was sooooo scared of MY enemies, that I was about to do the same.
I was hurting so much, I wanted to just get away from it all.
I was scared that so many were attacking me, my home, my family, my livelihood, because of my faith, and I was about to HIDE THE SEED (TRUTH). The very SEED that had COME out of all that I had ENDURED over the years. All the revelation I had been given, I was going to HIDE IT. Keep it to myself.
What was the point? I was sick of everyone!
Then within minutes of thinking this, I was brought to GIDEON! Isn’t that amazing?
Think about where GIDEON was THRESHING THIS WHEAT. Think about where the SEED was being VIOLENTLY SHAKEN (abused) SO THE SEED would come out. It was THE WINEPRESS.
Have you ever wondered why WINE is such a wonderful symbol of the SPIRIT OF GOD?
You should do a study of how wine is made.
Look at all the steps involved. It is a wonderful parallel of the steps we go through spiritually.
The WINEPRESS is symbolic OF THE PRESSURES of LIFE that SQUEEZE the SPIRIT OUT OF US – This is where the SEED is THRESHED from the WHEAT.
Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
The grape can never understand why it needs to be picked, smashed, squeezed, scrapped, left to stew, scrapped again, strained, flipped, drained, bottled, and left to sit… but when it is finally uncorked and drank, the joy that SPIRIT gives to others is far beyond what that grape could have done before any of its suffering.
So we too, cannot grasp that our present suffering will pave the way for something awesome down the road. But it does and will. And we need not be scared of where we are or what we face!
Judges 6:12
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
Gideon looked up at that Messenger and was like, “What? Are you kidding me? How can you say God is with me? Have you MET MY MOTHER IN LAW?”
It is hard for us to think that God is behind our suffering. And that God is going to use what we learn from this or that, to deliver us from our present suffering.
It is our SUFFERING that produces that perfect pearl of peace in our heart in the end. So we must TRY AND HOLD ON AND COUNT IT ALL JOY!
Matthew 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Remember how the pearl is formed? The constant suffering of the Oyster forms the PEARL. Then, when the OYSTER DIES the PEARL is revealed for all to see. The same is true for us. We will suffer, and suffer, and suffer, and suffer, until we finally overcome this world and die. Then our PEARL (the Kingdom of HEAVEN) will shine for all mankind to see.
Just a quick note to tell you what the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is. The word KINGDOM literally translates into REIGN, not as a Literal Kingdom or Castle. So it should read as “The REIGN of HEAVEN” instead of “The Kingdom of Heaven” … And HEAVEN is above the EARTH as God’s ways are above MAN…. HEAVEN is symbolic of the HIGHER TRUTH OF GOD. So the Kingdom of God = When the Higher Truth of God Rules You.
When the HEAVENS (Understands God’s ways/truth) OPENED for Jesus he heard (understood) “Behold my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”
These are words we all NEED TO REMIND OURSELVES OF… God is well pleased with us.
We, though, presently suffering are in no way less loved by God. Even as I sit here writing this, I feel like a wretch, I feel lonely and lost. I feel like a big knucklehead whose feelings get hurt at the drop of a dime, I feel like no one is on my side, and that is a sad place to be… But as I feel this way, I also understand that this is the road God has chosen for me to walk at this time.
Perhaps I am a bad student at times, perhaps I am not a quick on the pick up at times, or perhaps, as my “therapist” says all of the abuse I have suffered makes it hard for me to get over the way people treat me at times because I want so desperately to have love from those God is trying to show me I don’t need anything from at all!
It is not the love of Man we need. It is the LOVE OF GOD! This is perhaps the hardest of all lessons to learn. Which is why, this lesson hurts the most. Think about it. We crave love from others, but it is not the love of others that will heal us, it is the LOVE THAT IS WITHIN! So those that hate us, and hurt us, are our greatest teachers, the pain they cause, drives us closer to the truth that we can only count on one thing in life, that the only LOVE THERE IS FOR US TO FIND IS WITHIN!
This is the path that God has chosen for us. I thank God for this path. I will walk in it. I will stand tall with me head raised. I won’t be ashamed of what I know to be true, or what I say or what I do. I will take my lumps like a man, I will cry when it is time to cry, and laugh when I have reason to laugh. This road is for my correction, for instruction, for patience, for insight, because God loves and corrects his children in ways we don’t understand and don’t always appreciate.
Job 5:17
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
At the onset Job seemed to have it all together and his suffering seemed so cruel, until the truth of his heart was revealed. In the end, Job was blessed beyond belief and his suffering did not compare to his blessings.
We too, will find this to be the case. Weeping may last for the evening but pancakes and coffee is there in the morning, and one day, you’ll have joy as well!
We may not feel like a MIGHTY PERSON OF VALOR who is God’s chosen to SAVE THE DAY! We may not feel like we will overcome our troubles and our enemies (most of which, if not all of which are within) but we will!
There is a reason we feel weak and small. There is a reason we are tired and scared. There is a reason we look like fools and are mocked and scorned. It is because WE ARE BLESSED PEOPLE! SO REJOICE!
1 Corinthians 1:27
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
I want to end this essay with a great Chapter from the book of, 2 Corinthians 4
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
LISTEN TO THIS LAST LINE PEOPLE! We don’t need to be sharing with everyone! Not everyone can hear the words that be coming out our mouths!
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal!
Don’t look to what troubles you, look to what God is trying to tell you. Learn from your suffering, hang on, and soon you’ll be free, you Mighty Person of Valor YOU!
Jacob
http://www.JacobIsrael.org
“The Truth Will Change You”
I want to dedicate this article to my beautiful Danielle. I dedicated my novel to her and the kids, but it really is just us, the kids, and God, against the world, and them are good odds. She is my love, my life, my heart, and I pray I can become an even greater man to her than I am today. 🙂