Satan - Listening Faithfully

Reflection 2: Family of God – Broken Home, Broken Child

6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” ~ Proverbs 22:6

The responsibility given to all parents is to train up your children, if done they will be productive citizens, they will have a shot at happiness, they will be fruitful and happy. But we all know this, or at least that is what is professed and yet ironically this is rarely done. Why? I think to answer this question we must first understand what God intended for every person on earth, from every parent, and the responsibilities He places upon our children. We also must understand that at every turn there is temptation and it affects our children just as profoundly if not more so than adults, their parents whom they look up too. So what did God intend?

3 “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'” ~ Jeremiah 31:3

God loved us even before He created us, hence the words “with an everlasting love.” God gave Adam life, he gave him dominion over the animals and a perfect garden to live in filled with everything Adam would ever need. God even gave unto Adam his wife Eve so that he would not be lonely and all of this God did out of everlasting love. Therefore, it’s not to big of a stretch to imagine that from God’s love He wanted man and women to be happy. If you take the total sum of all of God’s gifts to man they can all be traced back to love. God so loved mankind that He gave us free will, He gave us emotions so we could experience things far beyond that of mere animals. He gave us power and great responsibility, in that He also gave us the power to create and to destroy. Clearly God has not enslaved us but yet wanted every man to be free and happy. God also wanted us to be part of His divine family; enter His son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins so we could be part of that glorious family in heaven, again this comes back to love and happiness. God wanted us to experience His love, because love fills our hearts with happiness. So in truth God intended mankind to love and be happy and to be fruitful abiding in His love forever and ever. All of this is self-evident in our children who are naturally happy until we saddle them down with our sinful world. Moreover, along with all the responsibilities God gave to mankind, (many we have failed to uphold), he endowed man to educate the children in His divine ways.

18 “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” ~ Deuteronomy 11:18-19

The truth and mercy of God was to be taught to our children so they too could have hope, and become part of God’s family, and again we seem to forget this simple fact as is evident in our own laws which stifle and confuse the parental role, and tie our teachers, parents, and guardians hands behind our backs. Mankind seems to want to force suffering upon ourselves and our children with all the horrors that the hell which we have been exposed at every twist and turn. Mankind seemingly sees ‘s fit to crush love and happiness through our actions, setting a disastrous precedent for our children who are watching every word and move we make. It is like God wants us to be happy but we are saying through our actions and word, “Leave me to my misery, “ just as Job had once said to God.

“Let me alone, for my days are but a breath. What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?” ~ Job 7:16-18

Did Job have it right, is man worthy of such love and happiness, or should God leave us all alone in our misery? Job calls out to God, that His days, (our days), are but a breath to God and so how insignificant we are in comparison. Who are we that God should test us day and night? To take this inquiry further, why should God even care after our many failures and broken promises? I know it is hard to imagine that God would love us so much and that He would go to such lengths as to save us, exalt us, and be so proud of us and then to show us mercy over and over again. There are some moments in my life where I am just astonished at God, I am so taken with His never-give-in attitude and deep down inside I know that is the kind of attitude He wants all of us to exhibit towards one-another. In thinking long and hard about this miracle called God, I feel so inferior, so unworthy, so flawed and because He has seen fit to forgive me I am able to forgive myself. His forgiveness extends to everyone around me, (oh how He calls to me to just forgive)! I must admit it is always a work in process, but the end result as God so promised is happiness within my heart and soul. It’s crazy but I can feel God smile down upon me in those moments. For it, all, in the end, leads to overwhelming happiness.

14 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:14-15

None of the above would be possible without faith in Christ, thus happiness comes from faith through God and His everlasting love. Our salvation is hinged upon this and the ability to teach Gods message is how this message survives from age to age. With this being the will of God, why then have we, (modern man), been so resentful, so rebellious in teaching Gods divine word to our children? Why is it that we, (modern man), create roadblocks that prevent the message of God from taking root in our children? Simply put only moronic fools would be so rebellious and be so vengeful in their prosecution of such evil defiance of God, does this also sound oddly familiar? Satan is the real mastermind in getting modern man to rebel, to create the roadblocks, (laws), which prevent the teaching of God to take place as God himself had instructed for man of all ages to do with and for their children. But we also carry some blame, and will ultimately pay the final consequence for such evil doings.

15 “But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts,‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant. 16 ‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?'” ~ Matthew 21:15-16

Jesus the son of God calls His praise from the voices of the children, and it is through our children His kingdom shall reign. With this the responsibility is ever present and for parents it is one we cannot ignore. As teachers of the message of God must be the center focus within every lesson and for all adults, our burden is none the lesser as the message of God must be written within our hearts. But, and this is a big “BUT”, we must realize that for every law we make that is supposed to protect our children we also have empowered a system that has no natural connection to them and this system grows more powerful and takes from us more rights as parents, thus creating roadblocks to this specific teaching. There are many people who say we need to protect our children from all kinds of sinful morally inept criminals and this is true, but for every law with good intentions, there are a million unintended usages that will be exploited by crafty lawyers and kangaroo courts! Laws at every level and in every department of our justice system which is supposed to protect our children and give them rights there are a million drawbacks that could rob you of your children! In our liberal world we have put blinders on and seem to think by empowering our children to become more powerful than the criminal, we forget that this could be taken also to become more powerful than their own parents. Litigation is a twisted mess for grownups let alone for our children and yet if one crafty parent gained the upper-hand and wanted to legally separate the child from the other parent it is all too easy in our Family Courts to make happen! Consider this, a seemingly harmless provision which allowed a move-away, could become the final tool to destroy and disenfranchise the target parent and if the child was old enough and prompted by that parent which held the legal advantage they could, (child caught in the middle), indirectly, (without knowing it), chop of the head of the target parent in court with as little effort as a sword slicing off the head of a criminal in mid-evil times. The end result, of course, is one parent dominates all the child’s time and dictates what they like, how they like, when they like. This goes against God’s most basic plan and divine law of a two-parent family. Believe me, when I say, God does not want men and women taking personal problems to court no more than He wants children involved within the courts’ nasty triangle. With God there is mercy, with His divine laws there is mercy, but with our Justice System there is no mercy for the family and in its bowels, nothing can survive that resembles the plan of God. For within this liberal, legal, and cesspool of man’s own making the only outcome is a broken home and broken child. This is far and above what Matthew wrote and what Jesus Himself said, “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?” I say again, there is no praise in court, there is no praise in destroying families, and there is no praise in using your children as lethal weapons sent to assassinate a parent they love! We must rethink our laws and make every parent important and vital to the parenting process and “move-away” orders do not make that happen; they do the exact opposite! Any parent with a specific goal of separation and is willing to expend considerable effort toward achieving it, then is no parent at all but rather nothing more than a selfish thug acting outside of God. On the other hand, any parent with a specific goal of unity and is willing to expend considerable effort toward achieving it is, in fact, acting within God’s framework of a two-parent family scenario. As of yet, the courts have no measure in which they can discern the difference between the two vastly different types of parents and because they don’t they destroy rather than build.

127 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” ~ Psalm 127: 1-5

Every child is a heritage given to us by God. They are not weapons of mass destruction, nor are they to be used as such! They are not tools to be used for selfish reasons, nor did God give them to you for such an activity! No, God gave to us children to be raised with His word burned into their hearts and they are to be taught in such a manner. God made every human being responsible for the care of all of His children thus they are to be raised by both parents, grandparents, and extended family members. Good is to be taught unto them, and evil is to be shunned by every family member as an example for the child. Love an honor is to be instilled and there is no difference or distinction of which parent to respect more, or which elder to be heard more, rather every member is important. I have yet to find a law that states this with conviction and which a lawyer will uphold it or a judge will rule by it. The fact remains that children are not more powerful than their parents, but our legal system, enabled by the voters have made this a reality through ignorance. Can a baby feed its self? Can a child teach it’s self-things which they do not know? Can a teen exhibit enough wisdom as to not need guidance? Before you answer know this, our American wisdom has now made the obvious answer that once was “NO”, and has made it an emphatic “YES”. Either we have so much faith in our child’s abilities to raise themselves or we are so selfish we would rather nature do all the heavy lifting, really I can’t tell which it is. But our psychobabble is incoherent and is notwithstanding God’s gift of children. Children need love, forgiveness, kindness, discipline, they need role-models, and above all, they need parents, not one… but two parents (i.e. father and a mother). Anything short of that the child is not whole, they become rebellious and broken adults. They have children without a clue of how to raise them, and their children become broken and disillusioned, and they too grow up and have children and the cycle continues. Our children then embrace ungodly teachings of the world and they could not even if it was before them, could they see the light of God, could they see the truth of God, could they see the love of God. Indeed there are many people who are in this predicament today, they come from fractured homes, they experienced evil at every turn, and by and large, they are ultimately lost.

The following is the statistic of children who come from broken homes:

Found online at; http://m.timesdispatch.com/mechlocal/opinion/letters/stats-of-effects-in-broken-homes/article_ba88da2c-6af8-11e2-9f38-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=jqm)

Did you know that more than 3 in 10 children grow up in broken homes and children from broken homes account for:

70 percent of those in juvenile detention.
57 percent of all prison inmates.
63 percent of teen suicides.
71 percent of teen pregnancies.
90 percent of homeless juveniles and runaways.
71 percent of high school dropouts.
75 percent of all drug users.
85 percent of behavioral disorders.

From the FATHERLESS GENERATION, the follow stats are found;

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.

85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Center for Disease Control)

80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)

A nation that destroys its families will crumble, crime will rise, unhappiness reigns and our children will suffer outside of God’s Family, for there is nothing but a broken home, broken child without God.

Become a better parent by investing in yourself and in the message of God;

Parenting by God’s Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace, by Dr. Joel Beeke – Get Your Copy today! Click Here

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Brian Keith

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Reflection 11: What You Can Expect From Life: According to LAZINESS

12 “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made them both. 13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread. 14 ‘It is good for nothing,’ cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts. 15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies, But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.” ~ Proverbs 20: 12-15

The Level of Laziness

It is truly amazing how many people disassociate themselves from the word, “LAZINESS”, and instead use excuses to mask their behavior with the words, “Relaxation or Freedom”. People in the Western World cling to their freedoms and in many instances forget that those freedoms are not free but binding and carry a heavy cost. We have the idea that relaxation is freedom, freedom from responsibility, freedom from work, freedom from life and reality. There is the real threat that though we all need to unwind, it becomes a habit and laziness takes root and takes over your life. Many people fall asleep in there life both personal and spiritual. The truth is if you are lazy in your personal relationships; be it with your parents, friends, siblings, relatives, spouse, children, or in your professional life; with your co-workers, boss, or your career opportunities, then your also lazy in your spiritual life with God. Ask yourself this one question and depending upon the answer you will see clearly your level of laziness, “Would you die for Jesus?” I know… I know… many will use the argument that this is not necessary. There is no reason to lay your life down for God. But is that the truth or is it the deception? Think about it from the view point of God; He made humanity, he made the Earth, the stars, the universes, He alone made everything we know and do not yet know of, and seeing that God was this proactive to send His only son to die for you and me, then shouldn’t we return the favor and live for Him? Shouldn’t we then defend His word, His promises, and teach others to live as God would have us all live? Is it not to much to expect that we become just as proactive in spreading the, “Good News”, as He was in our salvation? See many people refuse to do the right thing out of laziness and use the excuse that it wasn’t their fault, they refuse to do simple tasks and use the excuse that it wasn’t their turn, and when the mayhem and destruction rains down they again refuse to see the signs plainly written upon the wall and go into full fledged denial and say, it wasn’t their idea to do this or that. Wouldn’t it be easier to say, “Damn, I was lazy in that instance.”? But instead of accepting the responsibility for their part, they refuse and in that refusal is found the roots of laziness. It is easier to deny the obvious truth, because then you don’t have to take action which in many instances could become labor intensive; but yet would be the right thing to do. It is easier to fall asleep in your life and close the door and ignore the hurt and bad feelings you personally have caused rather than to keep the door open to those you love and say instead, “I am sorry for my actions. How can we fix this?” It is easier to wallow in our poverty of spirit than it is to stand up and help those around us and climb out of the denial which binds our hands and feet and profess the words of God. By opening your eyes you are also opening your heart and through this process you begin the awesome journey of destroying laziness in your life and living for God. I say to you do not be deceived and cling to your freedoms as if were gold or jewels, because the question God will ask you upon the “Day of Judgement” is extraordinarily simple, “Did you live for me or did you instead live for yourself?”

Laziness Equals Cutting Corners

19 “The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.” ~ Proverbs 15:19

I see this with my students when it comes to studying for their test; often they will take the notes but forget the notebook. I see this with my adult friends as they will talk a good game but then take no actions they had promised. It seems in both instances that the taking action is harder than the task, but the task is made out to be impossible or to stressful and so the first response is to quit before they start, or to cheat and cut corners. “Yes” the task may have been accomplished but it was not done to its fullest extent so it’s foundations therefore were laid upon sand rather than bedrock. This obvious laziness is very much like a hedge of thorns because it pricks the skin of all those who come in contact, and it often times is the cause to so much strife. It is more rewarding to to have studied then take the test confidently knowing you will pass with flying colors then it is to fret and feel defeated before and after the test. Remember that God is constantly testing us, testing our character, testing our loyalty, testing our love, and testing our fortitude by allowing certain problems to take place within our lives. God is molding us into a more perfect version of ourselves, but this process will never take root if you fall into denial and practice the art of refusal, because eventually you will have been given more than your fair share of chances and the door will close and you will pay for your sins and your many refusals. Doing things half-way is like not doing them at all. Part of your mind and spirit is in refusal to the full way, the right way, and rebellion takes over in your heart. Remember also that, “Laziness”, is another word for, “Slothfulness”, and slothfulness is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Laziness detracts from your efforts, keeps you prisoner, and keeps you complacent. But on the other hand those who are not lazy, who take action, who face their fears, and those who make bold moves in the name of God are counted among the wisest of the wise. Their actions are plain, easy to see, noticeable because of their fortitude, and they are seen for their strength of character, and are unshakable in their faith. These wise people are Gods righteous disciples and they hold the word of God in their hearts, minds, and soul. God’s righteous people do not worry about the task at hand, even though it may seem impossible, they know it is not. It is an inner knowledge, (comfort), given them by their faith in God. In truth many stray from God and become lazy in their spiritual life because they claim it’s borring to go to church weekly, or they develop a disconnect with the other worshipers in that church, and they use these excuses to stop going completely. When this happens the faith they once held within God is broken and laziness takes root. But the wise and righteous fill this time with God, whether in church or on the street or in their houses alone, every moment is filled with God. Again the task of being active should envelop every aspect of your life, it should melt seamlessly in and become singular actions that happen without thought or concentration on your part. Saint Peter did not think about his death, rather than His example of living for Jesus. The last thoughts of James, Son of Alphaeus was not of the stones being thrown that would end his life, but the fire for Christ he was lighting with his death. In every instance the disciples who died for their faith by the brutal actions of the non-believers they were preaching too was not of themselves or else they would never have gone so willingly to their deaths. In all the instances of those disciples who fell asleep in peaceful places, died after giving their entire life over to Jesus and spent every waking moment preaching the Word of God. Here is the description of “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS” presented by Ichthus.

Plenteousness vs Hastiness

5 “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty lead only to want.” ~ Proverbs 21:5

Those who rush through their lives, or give bad advise hoping to manipulate others thus wasting those peoples time and energy lead only to despair and wanting. Ironically all those who are affected by these manipulators also find nothing but wanting. In part it was the act of laziness which provoked this vicious cycle of hastiness and manipulations because it would have been harder to have been diligent and followed the ways of God. I say to you those who rush through activities also rush through everything giving no thought or concern for others in all areas of their life. Some will claim that they just wanted to get it over, some will claim that it didn’t matter any way, and still others will claim the experience would not have had any other conclusion, but I tell you these claims are false before the eyes of God. These people cut corners, cheat, lie, scheme, and do not care who they hurt. To see through this deception the simple test is to ask yourself if they saved any time by their hasty actions? Was there anyone hurt by what they did or was there anyone not accounted for in their hasty plans? Odds are someone was forgotten, someone was hurt, someone was cut off. In many instances there will be many people affected indirectly and wether they realize it or not, their time has been stolen by the lazy selfishness of another. Whereby the exact opposite of hastiness and manipulation is that of living in plenty, living within the rules given by God and always doing your do diligence. When you meet a person who carries these attributes their goals and careful thought of others is easy to see. They do not rush into action, they instead take their time to consider all outcomes and to be frank, this takes time and effort. Some of us would say that we fit safely into this category, but truth be told many do not. It takes a certain level of maturity, wisdom, and love for your fellow man to be put within this very small group of people. These people of plenty are again ruled by the laws of God, and they do what is right, not what is convenient or fun. They keep the focus on God and give God all the glory when miracles happen in their lives. They are the most happy people you could ever hope to meet because they indure regardless of the hostility of others towards them and or harshness of their environment. They convert the non-believers and are methodical in action always persevering when others say it’s impossible. The people of plenty are the jewels of God, they are His most honored and the richest in the world as their hearts are filled with perpetual happiness and love from God. In the end we all have a choice, to be filled with plenty every day for the rest of our lives or to cheat and steel, making everyone around us miserable and accomplishing only despair for ourselves and others. We can take our time and smell the roses God has for us in His garden (so to speak) or we can rush through life chopping down every opportunity that could have been that singular flower that changed your life and way of thinking for ever. You can be diligent and patient or you can be rude and hasty, the choice is yours alone to make.

Laziness is Self-Limiting

7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” ~ John 15:7

Many people use excuses that blame Jesus for their own laziness. According to Dan Waldschmidt’s blog posting tilted, “Jesus Doesn’t Do Lazy”, he points out that waving religion around as an excuse to not doing what it takes to succeed is not going to get you anywhere in life. Waldschmidt plainly states, “No amount of religion or spirituality can replace good old fashioned hard work. There are a lot of excuses that we use to justify not working as hard as we should. One of the most deceptive excuses is religion. Instead of getting back up after a failure or trying a little bit harder along the way, we use the excuse that “if it was supposed to happen it would have happened” — inferring that some Higher Being controls how hard we try or not. Which is just silly. And self-limiting.” ~ Waldschmidt, Dan (Jan.23, 2013) Found online at: http://danwaldschmidt.com/2013/01/attitude/jesus-doesnt-do-lazy. Waldschmidt has a point, for the Lord helps those who helps themselves. God rewards good behavior, not bad behavior. To many people assume because they pray, (sometimes), or look religious to others they will be rewarded. This is not the case. Praying is an activity you should be doing anyway, religion should be a personal matter between you and God and not used to impress others. Your walk with God is a special relationship that is between you and God, and if someone asks and you share then let Gods words do all the talking. One does not need to push religion to win an argument or make appoint rather God is way to sophisticated for his words and promises to be used in a cat-fight. We share our faith to enhance our brethren’s faith, not to force your thoughts, beliefs, and ideas upon them. Truth is that, “There’s a direct connection between how hard you work the success that you achieve. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. Hard work always gets you better results. Laziness always ends up in failure.” ~ Waldschmidt, (2013). Laziness is self-limiting because you place an artificial cap on your own efforts expecting to fail, coupled by blaming God for the failure you have placed a mark of failure upon your heart. Failure can drive many people to laziness, to blame others, to ignore the obvious truth of the lack of their own efforts. Case in point: The Listening Faithfully Blog was not a popular blog in the beginning, but over time and writing many posts there came a point when people came, read, and came back week after week. 98% of all the comments I have received over the past five years has been positive and encouraging. In this time Listening Faithfully went from last page of the Google search results to number one. There are thousands of people around the world in almost every country that has logged in and visited many of our posts. Now imagine had I stopped after a January 2010 when I only received one view, or after the entire year of 2010 where I only received 1,090 views. In that case Listening Faithfully would never have grown into the success it is today tripling those stats every single month and gaining more and more follower, readers, and friends worldwide and changing lives in the process. Now, do I boast about this success, No, rather I thank God for His kindness and grace, and tell everyone who reads this blog to thank God for all the awesome blessings He has bestowed in your lives. In this action, when the miracles happen, you are proactive enough to thank God immediately more blessing are sure to come your way. But if laziness takes root, those blessing will never come, then the blaming and finger pointing begins, and your efforts will seem to have no effect. Hard work is the key, diligence is the key, belief in your future accomplishments is the key that lazy people are missing. Don’t falling to false teaching, not looking for a shortcut, not forcing others into misery, not being lazy is also the keys to defeating laziness and banishing it from your life forever.

Amen

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Brian Keith

P.S. NEVER GIVE UP!

Reflection 4: What You Can Expect From Life: According to Death; pt 4

“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness; but the righteous hath hope in his death.” ~ Proverbs 14:32

Death is summed up with one word, separation. We are separated from God through sin, and it is this sin which Christ had to die on the cross in order to pay our sin debt in full for all of humanity. This is the most pragmatic of all the types of death we as human beings can experience, that being a physical death. This topic of death is a complicated one and is diverse in its nature, it holds permeant consequences and is to many people it is a topic which scares but also fascinates us. So the real question is what can we expect from life according to death? To completely immerse ourselves within this topic in an attempt to answer this question we need to first understand there are categories of death, or better put categories of separation; some good and some bad; but in all each category the wicked will die without hope and the righteous will have hope in their death and resurrection in Christ Jesus because again our sin debt has been paid in full, that is the good news of our Saviour.

In life we experience different types of spiritual separation not all lead directly to a swift physical death; as was the case with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Neither then is all spiritual nor physical separations evil as was the case with Job, who won favor with God by never turning away from his faith in God when tested. Satan introduced to both Adam and Job great toil, pain, suffering, he separated both mortal men from God through testing them. This is exactly what Satan does to everyone of us and has done to all who has ever lived or will ever live. Some of these tests mold us into better people, others condemn us for all time.

Consequently, the categories of death can be best described as “Death According to the Mind”, (which are divided into two separate sub-categories and will be the main topic of this posting), “Death According the Spirit”, (Again having two sub-categories, the first dealing with true repentance and the other dealing with blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God ), and that of, “Death According to the Flesh”, (Which is the physical death we all must someday face.) As mentioned above this first main category has two sub-categories that henge on mortal suffering that does not lead necessarily to a physical death but one that includes the death or loss of self identity and impeeds self actualization, this then is called, “Death of Self”. The apposing sub-category then is one where we have found our spiritual center, and have grown close to God and have allowed Him to mold us into a better person as advocated by John the Baptist and Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, this then is called, “Death unto Self.” Nonetheless, both sub-categories impact our future after we have passed and await judgement by God. Equally important to note the second main category, “Death According the Spirit” deals explicitly to our moral center drilling down to our very core revealing who we truly are. It is very much a “Good vrs. Evil” scenario with no gray area in between. On one hand we can be forgiven and on the other we can never be redeemed and risk eternal damnation or spiritual obliteration.

Sub-Category One: “Death of Self”

The first separation, “Death of Self”, refers to a death in character, a life changing event which forever changes who we are as a human being, a drastic change from who we once were or was intended to be. Most notably this kind of separation from our true self is one that is the most painful and is caused by evil of the highest order. Because we are naturally separated from God through sin at birth we are opened up to a greater amount of suffering in our lives. These types of sufferings come from a variety of life experiences that mainly derive from the relationships we have with others. To be more specific, “Death of Self”, occurs when a person is entangled in a suffocating relationship where by one person becomes poisonous to the other. The individual being poisoned will begin to do things that (he/she) would not otherwise do in order to save or preserve the relationship. These attempts involve such efforts as to make unrealistic sacrifices for the sole purpose of make the poisonous person happy. These sacrifices will eventually lead to resentment, anger, and if not stopped can mentally harm the target person and in that event will forever change the dynamics of the relationship as the victim will continue to undergo an unhealthy metamorphous that can not be reversed. Such targets who undergo these stresses and unjustifiable sacrifices are no longer who they once where as they risk loosing themselves in the constant struggle over power, control, and grapple with their self-identity, all while trying desperately to understand the “why” of each preceding event that just drags them further in and closer to absolute destruction as a person with a separate identity and belief structure.Each choice they are thus forced into making is without the benefit of all the facts therefore each decision is a flawed one with repercussions that are equally devastating to their ego, and self identity. The person who has been suffocated will eventually become numb to all other emotions, be them good or bad, as their perspective shifts from one of light (equating to hope), to that of darkness, (equating to hopelessness and helplessness), for they live day-to-day in a tourcherous cycle without mercy, and absent of any promise of ever finding a way out. The victim in this instance could be living next door to blood-relatives and never reach-out for help as in their mind they have been conditioned to believe a twisted scenario they would never under any other circumstances would have subscribed too, but because of this desperate need placed into their hearts by the poisonous person the vicim cannot imagine life with them and indeed this become a very sick reality one without end. Some of these people I have personally known have committed suicide and others have walled themselves off from life so completely they refuse to let anyone else in for fear of being hurt or their secrets being discovered, which is a sham response that is programed into them by all the manipulations they have undergone. The saddest part of this is there will come a point where the pain and sacrifices are to much to for them to digest, and they disconnect not just from the manipulator but from life in general as the struggle is just to great. In this process of disconnecting they simply given up, they allow the very life they had once held so dear to be slowly be sucked away from them. The other sad reality is the ability to ever trust another human-being ever again is completely smashed, with that having another relationships becomes impossible as the overwhelming fear of being treated like this again is so powerful its simply easier to deal with life complete separated from everyone and everything. If the victim does eventually, (years later), venture out then they do so with great inhibition as their new program constantly tells them they where at fault, they made the last relationship fail, they where not good enough, and no one else will love them or accept them. In the worst case scenario the ego has undergone such a beating that the victim’s self esteem is so repressed that when others do accept them the contradiction in their mind brings them unbearable pain and complete disbelief as again their new belief pattern has been altered and so in their mind they perceive these new people and the attention they are receiving as an inherent lie and outside the framework of being trusted. Unfortunately the damage done within the process of this needless death of self and absences of socialization will take many, many years to undo if ever, and at best these victims might trust one family member, might reach-out to one friend they risk everything on, but never to the same degree they would have otherwise.

Examples of the poisonous personalities that will do this to a target person fall into several categories all their own, some are very benign and others are very toxic. One category is people who suffer from certain types of mental illness toping this short list is those who suffer from type 1 & 2 Bipolar disorder, and those who suffer from Narcissistic behavioral disorders as they are masters of manipulation and pathological liars. I do not suggest that these people are any-more , or hold a greater amount of evil tendencies than the typical “sane” person, but I do acknowledge that if you are involved with a person be it a family member, child, or spouse who suffer from these illness your life can quickly become enveloped by them and if you are not careful they will begin to suffocate every ounce of life from various manipulations to control the relationship and it is never logic based, which is the chosen method to wear the target person out. These personality types will commit the most hurtful as well as harmful acts against those they have targeted which range from withholding love,(Narcissistic Trait), to a higher degree of selfishness resulting in the “creation of”, (in the sense conflict was none existent prior), an ever increasing degree of conflict within marriages by the practice of separating paternal parents from their children, (Parental Alienation Syndrome), to the personality that destroys the one thing their victim loves the most in order to control them all while feeling no remorse for having done so, (Sociopathic trait), just to name a few. All these actions from the poisonous personality are focused on division and separation, thus causing the perfect environment for “Death of Self” to occur in their chosen target. Again, people who have died in this manner often times walk away with some mental disorders that was caused by such treatment by these varying poisonous personalities. Example of such illness are, Anxiety disorder, Panic disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, Acute Stress disorder, Generalized Anxiety disorder, Major Depressive disorder, Dysthymic disorder, and a host of Personality disorders. (For a full listing of definitions of all disorders listed please visit; The New International Standard Medical & Health Encyclopedia.)

Again, a person who is filled with such venom given them by type 1 & 2 Bipolar disorder, and those who suffer from Narcissistic behavioral disorders and Sociopathic disorders are not inherently evil, but their acts if left unchecked will eventually lead them into deeper and deeper sinful and seemingly inhuman manifestations that will cause those they target to be sucked in only for those innocent unsuspecting victims to suffer a protracted “Death of Self”.

In instances where children are in contact with such personality types their development is either halted or slowed and the child will live with a heightened since of fear, anxiety, and will develop a plethora of personality disorders due to the lack of proper socialization most normal children experience, thus these child undergo a death in character that forever alters who they were supposed to become, destroying their characters, and overwhelming their nature since of order and stability as a human being, disrupting their lives to the point they no longer remember ever having any peace, love, whipping clean all memories of fun and encouragement and leaving behind a shell of a person who will grow to become more conflicted and confused and will live without hope dead unto the world! Despite the mental disorders that the venomous person holds and thus causes the act of “Death of Self” to happen in the first place, be them adults or children they themselves have sinned greatly against our Father in heaven for they have become prideful, arrogant, selfish, lacking in morality, and their hearts so hardened they fall easily into sin and thus will fall like King Nebuchadnezzar for it is written;

¹⁸“Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. ¹⁹Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. ²⁰But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. ²¹He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.” ~ Daniel 5:18-21

Likewise, those who suffer from mental illness and seek out the Lord will be saved and will be healed as it has repeatedly been illustrated in scripture;

^{24 “}News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures,and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” ~ Matthew 4:24

For our Lord Jesus heals everyone of their illnesses and forgives all who seek him out while proclaiming that “nothing is impossible for one who believes.” ~ Mark 9:23

Note: The failure to properly recognize such depravity which leads people to sin with such repute from the stand point of man’s legatees and current court structure is what plagues our since of justice from truly being realized. In other words if Judges and lawyers, social workers, therapists, and psychologists who work for our family courts do not stop to realize the personality types they are dealing with and do not commit to basing their judgements off of issues of morality; then their actions will cause, (and have caused), a systemic entitlement and enablement susceptible to manipulation of the current laws. Furthermore, this manipulation and pressure does not serve anyones best interest especially our children’s and thus, is in fact such a server sinful act that those who perpetrate it for the sack of money, power, and / or self glorification will be damned to hell for eternity for it is written;

⁶“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! ~ Matthew 18:6-7

Sub-Category Two: “Death unto Self”

Likewise, in contrast the “Death of Self”, to that of the “Death unto Self” is found in that the first forces a mental change in personality preventing a person to grow naturally into who they where meant to be, verse a growth in spirituality and a oneness with God. This second form of death was advocated by Jesus who in his many teachings outlined a path to Heaven, where as “Death of Self”, is a path to greater separation,greater darkness, and greater despair. Examples of “Death unto Self” is littered throughout the Bible, for God wants to be in your heart, He wants a relationship with you, He desires to mold you into a better version of yourself. God inspires your soul, he feeds your needs through love, mercy, understanding, patiences, and virtue. God is the supreme master of all things in creation and He alone is the master of death though resurrection. If you give your life over to God, believe in Him alone, live as He commands you to live, then you will be called one of His children, belonging to God the Father, thus in this instance you have died to your old ways of living, and you are a new person in Christ Jesus.

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” ~2 Corinthians 5:17

This is thus a cause for a celebration, as the old is gone, and the new has come! John the Baptist also advocated this through His ministry of baptizing with water as found in The Gospel According to Mark, Luke, and Matthew:

^{4 “}And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” ~ Mark 1:4-5

^{2 “}during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” ~ Luke 3:2-3

^{1 “}In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ²and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

⁴John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” ~ Matthew 3:1-6

Indeed, both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ understood and talked similarly about the condition of the spirit and the requirement of to repent all sin. The acknowledgement of this was to be baptitised with water. In this sense of the word, a person has died unto their sinful ways and suffered, “Death unto Self”, one of the most positive ways for us to die because we become forgiven of our sins, and thus become closer to God in the process, open to His divine will and prosperity. Only then can we truly begin to live and to understand His goodness in all things in life, be filled with hope and love and His mercy daily.

“But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16

In short within these first two forms of separation we find that we are being separated permanently form two separate things, with the first we are being separated from God and our true self, and in the second we are being separated from sin and our old sinful life.

Category Three: “Death According to the Spirit”

As stated above, this third category affects your future life after death known as, “Death According to the Spirit”. Again there are two sub-categories which are parallel with both holding permanent consequences, and both is based upon your action while alive in the physical world. The first sub-category according to the Holy Spirit is known as the, “Repentant Heart”, a sinner redeemed, a person who has been baptized in the Holy Spirit of God.

“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:15

Signs of such a person are found in in many aspects of (his/her) life, starting with the acceptance of God the Father. In doing so the repentant person will cease to sin, or make great efforts to ending their sinful ways. This requires a strong will to turn your back on the flesh and the many desires found there in and to commit to a life of Christ. This commitment according to the Holy Spirit is a carefully orchestrated, planned, purposeful attempt to changing old sinful habits. Because your body becomes the temple which God now resides the need to protect your heart, your faith, is now linked to protecting your soul in every aspect of your life. Old concerns fall away one by one as your trust and faith grow in Christ. One of the most exciting changes affecting your immortal spirit is found in the first major change after accepting Jesus as your savior, that being the ability to confess all your sins, not just the sins that brought you immense trouble, pain, anxiety, heart break, and despair, but the ability to confess all your sins. I liken this to the notion that Gods knows everyone of your sins anyway, you can’t hide it, you can’t run away from Him, and the more you try the farther away from God you get. Therefore, the days of holding secrets and flying under the radar is over, for good. This will be an obvious shift in your heart that others will most certainly pickup on and may even start asking you about.

The next exciting shift in your thinking and wholeness of spirit is found in the idea that as a repentant person, (child of God), you will find the strength that had been given to you by God to face the pain that your many sins had caused the various people in your life that you love, that you care about, that you may have worked with, or had known briefly before sinning against them, or someone you had dated or married. The Holy Spirit will move you, require you to take part in what is called the “invitation to forgive”. This is when you can no longer deal with your sin and your heart burns to be forgiven by everyone you have sinned against, thus you invite them in and you make a sincere attempt at making amends, because many times people will not come to you rather they will burn in their hearts quietly.

¹⁵“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. ¹⁸“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be lost in heaven.” ~ Matthew 18: 15-18

By opening the door you allow others to come in and share with you all their bottled up intense emotions, some may harbor anger, resentment, deep hurt,unfathomable sorrow, and unabated disappointment in your previous actions. But as a repentant person your conviction within your heart will give you the strength to offer no excuses or shift blame. In reality you chose to sin against them and the Holy Spirit will require you to take full responsibility for that behavior.

Consequently, these actions of confessing and being convicted in your heart is how your faith becomes stronger. Throughout this process you realize there is no way you could ever hope to pay back what you have taken by your sin, and this one realization is where you sin and your spirit part company as your forgiveness will be assured by our Lord Jesus Christ. The real trick, if there is one is remaining accountable t others, to yourself, to God. Always being quick to ask for forgiveness when you have offended someone or when you have incidentally sinned against them. This one action releases you of the fear of conviction, releases you of the grips of sin, this again builds your faith, you love, your ability to forgive others when they have sinned against you. You spirit become clean, and ready for God, ready for that final mortal death we all must endure.

In contrast to the “Repentant Heart”, the act of, “Blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God”, is without doubt the one sure way to force God to condemn you into eternal damnation. In terms of death, this is the absolute separation from God. This is the absolute denial that God is your father, to speak with contempt about God, or to be resoundingly irreverent. Blasphemy is slander and libel directed at God. Moreover, God is so gracious that He is willing to forgive you of this sin unless you blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

^{31 “}And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³²Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” ~ Matthew 12:31-32

The sin in and of itself is committed in two stages, the first being putting the Lord to the test;

^{7 “}Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” ~ Matthew 4:7

Putting God to the test is like putting your parents to the test when you where no older than just being able to walk and talk in comparison. It is not appropriate because it is deeply insulting that you, a mortal being could ever possible have the full knowledge to question the authority of God if Lucifer could not be as great as God then who are you to even try? I often refer to the idea that can we create the universe? Can we create planets? Can we save ourselves and do enough good works that we can put ourselves into heaven? To think we can is simply the denial of our own limitations. So to hear others make outrageous claims as to know the mind of God and to predict the time He will return when Jesus himself did not know the time or the place, but only the Father knows is blasphemy in and of itself. To state false doctrine and lead others into sin is also putting the Lord God to the test, and I say unto you this is not advisable as it will lead to eternal damnation.

The second stage is to sin against the Holy Spirit, or rather denying the miracles the Holy Spirit worked through Jesus Christ and then also attributing these miracles done by Jesus to the power of Satan. This idea of placing Satan on-par with Christ is offensive enough, but then to deny Jesus worked these miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy. It suggests that Christ was Satan incarnate, and not God incarnate, it is the removal of good and replacing it with evil. It is that classic argument between absolutes, between (Good vrs Evil). To defile the power of God, to reject God, to ignore the slender of God, to separate yourself from God, all on purpose is putting the Lord God to the test. It is indeed taking the very word of God and then depositing it with repute.

²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” ~ Matthew 10:28

“Death According to the Flesh”

The final death which was caused by sin, is the “Death According to the Flesh”. Within this final category we find that God had cursed man to not have eternal life, but rather have a defined number of possible years that he may live her on earth. Jesus examines this final death as simply going to sleep;

^{11 “}After he had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ ¹²His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’ ¹³Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.” ~ John 11:11-13

Jesus also refers to going away to prepare a place for us in His fathers house;

14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ²In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” ~ John 14:1-3

Jesus also refers to death in the power given to him by God and that those who have died will hear His voice;

^{26 “}For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,²⁷and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.²⁸Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice ²⁹and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” ~ John 5:26-29

According to Jesus death is merely falling asleep, there is no pain, no more suffering, no worry, no memory of past failures or sins. The body is unconscious and so the logic that follows concerning death is it is like being asleep with any dream.

^{5 “}For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.” ~ Ecclesiastes 9:5

All suffering ends, and eternal rest begins in the physical narrative. Some have equated this form of death as a gateway which will either lead us to heaven or to hell depending upon how you lived your mortal life, thus, this final category is also a temporary death death.

^{25 “}Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'” ~ John 11:25

This idea of being resurrected after you have been dead, no matter the length of time nor the condition of the body when Jesus comes back to fulfill His word has often puzzled many people. How is this to happen? How is it even possible? Simply put How was it possible for Jesus to live after His death? If this was possible for God, the truly there is nothing impossible for Him. Death is necessary in order to complete the curse God placed upon us starting with Adam and Eve, but hence forth from this death we will be raised up and for those who believe and who submit to His everlasting Glory shall have immortally in an incorruptible body just like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our final death is not our last defeat, but through Jesus Christ we will have our final victory, which is the resurrection after death.

^{50 “}Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ⁵⁵“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Amen

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God Bless,

Brian Keith

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ANNOUNCES TO THE COMMUNITY OF FOLLOWER, FRIENDS, AND SUBSCRIBERS;

In the spirit of charity and from the necessity to provide for all of Gods children, together in this mission, Listening Faithfully has teamed up with a wonderful charitable organization in East Texas whose name reflects their good works, “God’s Hand Ups” and their work is accomplished by a Godly motivation to help every children throughout their community. I am honored to have them as good friends in the Lord. I can testify before you all today, that my good friend who is a founding member of this charitable group has truly been tested in the manner described here in this blog posting and who has consistently passed this test of giving and working for the benefit of all in her community. I introduce you all to Tonia Allen, who currently has a wonderful new campaign in raising money for children in need. Please visit her donation site: “GOD’S HAND UPS NOT HAND OUTS ” and please be very charitable.

“Someone once told me that compassion was not simple. They believed compassion was huge. Compassion is SO simple as it is an act of kindness from one to another. It is only huge when it becomes over thought. God’s Hand Ups was founded by the vision of a 17 year old junior in high school who believed the world could be saved–“one person at a time.” ~ Tonia Allen, Gods Hands Up, 2013.

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ANNOUNCING LISTENING FAITHFULLY ORIGINAL BOOKS!

Author Brian Keith, writer and publisher of Listening Faithfully Blog offers to you his first e-book:

Listening Faithfully: The Sin Series (Nov 28, 2012)

Taken from the most successful and popular series of postings on Listening Faithfully Blog in 2009-10, then edited and repackaged for your reading enjoyment, Brian has put together a comprehensive chronicle of sin! With a massive amount of research and based upon Biblical Scripture each chapter reveals the shocking and revolutionary message of our Lord, while describing how each type of sin can destroy your life if left unchecked. It is a must read for-everyone to avoid the penalty of spiritual death.

Now available in the Listening Faithfully Store powered by Amazon.com! Start reading the Sin Series today in under a minute!

God Bless,

Brian Keith
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Reflection I: What You Can Expect From Life: According to Anger; pt 1

“Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry.” ~ Ecclesiastes 7:9, NKJV

In this life we experience so much, and so I thought it appropriate to start the new year with a new series of blogs dealing with each of life’s experiences. This posting will explore anger in the context of its usage and its qualities for both good and bad. The focus will center around the effect upon others in each category as it relates to how our God has used anger in the past. We will delve into the model left by Christ on this topic and how it applies to every single human-being today, and how Satan does his best to thwart our efforts and then to pull us down through anger.

Anger as a noun is defined as, “A strong feeling of displeasure or hostility.” ~ Thefreedictionary.com/anger

Therefore, in our life when we feel angry it is neither good or bad. It is simply a reaction to something that has happened to us. It is logical to then state that one does not willfully make ones-self angry, but rather an external force is at work that which we are reacting too that makes us feel this natural and neutral emotion. In my life I have seen things which I have taken a strong disliking too, however by nature I am very slow to anger, but once there I am angry for a long time. In my youth as all kids do, I misused anger and in doing so said a lot of things I would later regret having ever said. In this manner anger can be used for evil deeds, but most of our children simply misuse anger for lack of training and experience. In the context of angry emotions being used for good is found simply in the recognition of the fact that you are angry, this is of course rudimentary logic. Interestingly, in our society feeling angry is often looked upon as being a bad emotion and is shunned. Ironically, the shunning of this emotion leeds to burying it deep inside and if left to fester will cause great damage to the person and all those around them as they erupt like a volcano uncontrollably. In that sense we create the evil in what was otherwise a neutral emotion. The simple act of recognizing that you are angry is a pure, honest, and healthy way to handle this feeling. In most cases it is not enough to simply recognize your angry, but rather develop the ability to know why your angry, what was the trigger, what external force brought you to this emotion. In understanding anger in this manner you bring control and wisdom to the next step of the process, which of course is the actions you commit while being angry.

Anger as it is a verb is defined as, ” To make angry; enrage or provoke.” ~ Thefreedictionary.com/anger

In this perspective anger is the act of being provoked into action. Thus, if full control is not first asserted those who have provoked have a distinct advantage over the one who is being provoked. Think back if you will to when as a child your sibling called you a name that you disliked, or kept you from doing something you wanted to do. Most of us fired back without thinking, not to simply keep your sibling from making you angrier, but as an act of revenge. This in turn proved yourself, (not evil), but immature, lacking the ability to control your anger, and thus at a distinct disadvantage to your sibling or aggressor. In large part this lack of control is due to the rush to action while ignoring the honest recognition of being angry. Had we stopped, taken a breath, then thought it through most of us would have brushed the insult off. But by nature children do not do this because their brain is not yet developed enough to process the “why” aspect of this honest emotion. Most of us where spanked into submission and took this punishment for being angry or becoming angry, rather as it should have been explained that the punishment was not for becoming angry, but what we did with it. Therefore, the evil in the emotion is found within the action taken while experiencing this honest, natural, neutral feeling of being angry.

I have often times told my own daughter that, “it’s ok if your angry at me or your mother. But instead of acting out on your anger stop and remember that you love both of us equally. It is ok to tell me that your angry, as long as you do it in a respectful manner.” I remember having many conversations with her about angry emotions, about acting out in anger or rage. I always made her the promise that I would listen to her. In more recent times our relationship has become rocky at best, partly because of needless events that were outside both our control. There have been many things said to me, about me, in front of me, and be-hide my back which my daughter should have never been apart of or in its hearing. To some degree our hearts have been hardened, and angry emotions have been left to run rampant in our conversations. In this aspect anger is not yet evil, but is hurtful, destructive, malicious, disrespectful, and the actions taken are not pure, and thus are not controllable. Subtle changes have occurred in her language over time such as the absence of words like, “I miss you”, or “I love you”, or “I am sorry”, have all but disappeared, which reveals her anger is due in large part to the secrets she has been forced to kept from me. But never-the-less the disparity between us if left unchecked will grow more divisive and become spiteful at which point it will be pure evil. I bring this up not to disparage my daughter, who is about to be seventeen, but to point out the difficulties within interpersonal relationships built into high conflict marriages, and the pure immaturity to which anger leads to the mutual destruction of the family unit, and in this manner anger is evil.

On the other hand God has never used anger for evil means, though He is blamed for it all the time. Rather that deed belongs solely to Satan. Evidence of this in the Bible is found in how Jesus handled anger and thus left us a perfect model to follow, though admittedly it is in part shrouded in mystery.

“23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, ‘Get you behind me, Satan: you are an offense unto me: for you consider not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.'” ~ Matthew 16:23

In reading this specific scripture the love Jesus held for His disciple Peter is hard to find. One’s mind instantly snaps to Peters defense as the justification was not apparent that supported Jesus’s reaction to Peter’s words to him. So it is tradition in reading the Bible one must dig further and read what Peter had said that angered Jesus so;

“20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. 21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” ~ Matthew 16:20-22

If we take away the word “rebuke” and simply put, “Peter took Him aside and said to Him,” this passage would have an entirely different meaning. In fact Peter was acting with good intentions, (far be it from Jesus, that He must be made to suffer so.) To anyone else this would have been seen as a act of compassion. But because Jesus was the Christ, Peter inadvertently rebuked Him. For Jesus to not complete His mission that He had just revealed to His disciples would have been tantamount to failing God and in that Satan’s reign would be assured. In no other manner of Heavenly thinking could this be allowed, and thus in the mind of Christ, Peter proposed an abomination in the face of the living God, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This abomination rightfully angered Jesus, though this was a mystery to Peter. Waisting no time, Jesus did the following within a split second; He first recognized He was angry at Peter for having voiced this abomination; for had he not His actions might have been to smite Peter where he stood. But Christ did not smite Peter rather He answered the devilish notion Peter proposed calling it what it was; and idea placed into Peter by Satan. Therefore, Christ’s action was mature in nature and swift in scorn out of both love for Peter, and out of a mature, controlled, resounding anger that was aimed at Satan;

“23 Get you behind me, Satan: you are an offense unto me: for you consider not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” ~ Matthew 16:23

To apply this new found knowledge to life as we know it in the modern era of the twenty first century, then we must first delve into anger from the perspective of how it progresses through each stage as stated above in the example of how children perceive hostel external forces and then apply scripture to it. So as a child being picked on by a sibling or other children at school the external force is in the buttons pushed by the name calling or other aggressive action which the target child internalizes and thus begins to show a resounding disliking too.

(Note the usage of “child examples” are also relevant to how grown-ups react and thus are also very much acting out as a child would. In addition, when children are punished their is a layer of mystery to the “why” aspect of the punishment much like the “why” element Peter experienced with Christ as described in Matthew 16:23. These moments are not unique to just Parent child relationships, but extend out to envelop all relationships at all levels of life.)

When children or adults willfully pick on each other the buttons being pushed which trigger the anger is done in a willful manner. These proverbial buttons are pushed deliberately, in this example as much fun as it may be, the evil is still found in the action of the aggressors, but this evil can be transferred to the one being being picked on as these repeated actions cause real, physical, pain, and suffering. Anger swells up, emotions take over, and negative actions are bound to take place. However, in the spirit the aggressors themselves are also being prodded to commit these acts of teasing. In this example of children evidence of Satans involvement is found in the uncontrollable action to continue the undesirable behavior. Think back to how many times you teased someone, or did so without ever thinking about it. Allow yourself to remember how effortless it was and in many ways fun to keep doing it. That behavior is not intrinsic of humanity, but rather was introduced by Satan to humanity. How easily was Peter taken that he did not even realize it, and if this was easy for Satan to take one of Christ’s disciples then how much more simply will our children be influenced to commit evil deeds.Thus, applying this logic the reaction the victim will have from being teased is also uncontrollable as it can also be attributed to Satans influence. This is exemplified in how the Sanhedrin seemingly revolted at the idea of Jesus being the Christ. They, (supposed spiritual leaders), actively sought Him out to kill Him.

Now in the example of my daughter, the notion of having to rebuild a relationship, her anger with the events of her life dealing with our interpersonal relationship that has taken a beating from external forces that we both could not control, that progressively led to both of us becoming frustrated and angry at each other for allowing these external forces to have such a devastating effect in the first place, has led her to misplace her anger. Like Peter she has proposed disastrous ideas, which in large part where placed there not by me but by many other people; so called professionals in the Family Court Industry. Thus, some of what she has been indoctrinated with could have never possibly worked because like Peter those notions where of Satan, they were derived or conjured up in the spirit of division, separation, and thus destroying our relationship. But to her, like Peter everyone else wants to come to her defense when I try to correct her. (Note: I am not rebuking my daughter, rather the ideas that which she has proposed, much like Jesus did to Peter. i.e. these ideas given to her by other people who’s spirit have been influence by Satan that which she has acted out on.) Because these ideas did not originate within her, her anger is caused by the ill effects of the actions taken which did not work, thus misplacing her anger at what she thinks is the cause rather at the true source. Therefore, she becomes frustrated and angry at me when in fact she needs to direct her anger at those whom gave her those disastrous ideas in the first place. Because she is still in large part a child her brain has not developed enough to be able to decipher the complete realities and in truth she has only been told what was required to prod her into doing the things she has done that did not work, and which has forced her to simply ignore not just me, my entire family, which is indicative to an unhealthily (all or nothing) mentality. In that context abuse has taken place as she is completely left defenseless, this abuse is from all the other adults whom willfully destroyed our relationship. My justification in punishing her actions, like Jesus, is hard to see but nevertheless justified because I bared witness to all the events from their creation, (like Jesus to Peter), and in my struggle to prevent them from happening, and in the fight to protect my daughter whom I love just as Jesus loved Peter, there has been conflict that was completely unnecessary.

(Note: Jesus was not about to take this abomination from Peter, and thus no parent should ever have to suffer such evil as what has transpired through the Family Court System of our day an age.)

From a parent perspective much sacrifice is required, so it is that in the spirit of Christ who sacrificed His life to save humanity, we in modern times sacrifice ourselves, our time, and in some instance we are called to do the unthinkable no matter how unfair it seems at the moment, no matter how upset our children get at us, they are still children, (liken to Peter), and we are adults, (liken to Christ).

“And Jesus answering said unto him, ‘It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'” ~ Luke 4:12

The usage of anger for good is best exemplified in the the term; “Righteous Indignation.” Jesus placed himself in a position to be tested, to prove His divinity, and His rightful place next to God. Satan played the role of tempter, as he had prior to being thrown from Heaven by God. In all these temptations we can extrapolate the role of Christ as being the role of parent, and the role of Satan as the spoiled child who is trying his best to get his way. Rules have been laid down for both to follow, and when this line has been crossed by Satan, i.e. your children, then you, as Jesus the parent turn with righteous indignation to punish or present to alternative which keeps the rule intact and this both prevents the child from harm, but also teaches the lesson that all rules must be followed. Admittedly, Satan has no intention on following any rules, and thus the lesson is wasted upon. But the point of the lesson Jesus was exemplifying even Satan could not ignore. In this role play, Jesus as parent retained the right to use His anger in a justifiable manner.

Again taking from the example of my daughter, in this struggle she, like all those who have lined up to test me, to test my resolve, to test my role and right at being a parent to her, all of whom continually finds new and very interesting ways in which to dethrone my rules, (and the courts rules), my thoughts, my opinions, my wants, my desires, and to manipulate all my time for the sole purpose of wearing me out so that I will quiet trying be her father.

(Note: This drama is very much an earthly drama and open rebellion against authority and against the very laws of nature itself. Much like the drama found in the Bible as we, men, women, and children, rebel against our father in heaven.)

Admittedly this goal is not apparent to many who have been involved nor has it been apparent to my daughter who as a child naturally rebells, which is liken to Satan who disguises his attacks and methods so as to make it look like someone else or something else entirely, thus throwing everyone off track continually without end. So my reaction like that of our Lord, using His example, in my anger my response has always been to confront the problem, to address the rules, and to attempt to enforce the stated rule. Unfortunately, I am not Christ, and the courts have no backbone and refuse in enforce their own rules as it relates to my ability and right to parent, and their judgments do not follow State Statute. Thus, the frustrating no-win scenario falls to an unhealthy imbalance that swings the pendulum permanently to one side and thus no lesson of any value is taught to my daughter and there is a false sense of security built up into a false teaching that dictates there is no repercussions from your ill actions against others and you can do whatever you want to whom ever you want as no one will stop you. This is the underlying philosophy of Satan himself. This is what Satan tried against God in heaven, this is what he again is trying against Jesus found int he temptation scripture of Luke 4:12. This is at the core of all interpersonal relationship we experience when open rebellion occurs. No matter how righteous we are, we are taken Satan, as we are all sinners and thus susceptible to his influence.

Therefore, I say to all those people whom have cost me so much, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” for the Lord our God protects his children whether it is apparent to you or not. For the fact I am still here should be proof enough, thus I say these things to you with righteous indignation.

“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.” ~ Matthew 12:32

Anger can lead us all to do the most stupid of things. It can confuse us, disorientate us, and force us to commit the most grievous of sin. I teach all my children and thus I teach to all of you through my writings here on this blog, that there is one sin which God chooses not to forgive. This if you will is the surest way to anger God, to call upon yourself His most devastating of punishments and that punishment no one can erase, argue for you in your defense, ease your pain, or take it away, for this curse is so resoundingly devastating there is no coming back, there is no second chance, there is nothing you can do to make amends to God. That act is the act of blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God, to utterly reject God. Coupled with this grievous of sins which has two stages, Jesus Christ gave us a warning prior to this one about His reaction to all those people whom reject Him in public;

“33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 10:33

Therefore, to reject Jesus Christ in your life, to ignore His commandments, to place man’s law above His, to think you are better than, to spite in His face, Jesus will rebuke you to His father, to our father in Heaven. Most of the time this action is done out anger, and it at this point can be forgiven, but to continue in your anger, in your rage, in your sinful act of rebellious revenge than and curse God Himself, the Holy Spirit, to reject God completely as Satan has tried to make us do, that he himself has done, which forces God hand, then there is no salvation.

In putting this into our modern day examples the simple truth is this, children need both parents, they need our love, our guidance our understanding, our commitment to their mutual success in life. When outside forces willfully disturbs this balance built into nature then anger in both parent and child naturally occurs. It always dumbfounds me when courts ignore this and take form child a parent whom loved them. The courts mandate is to always do what is in the best interest of the child, but there actions are of the exact opposite Train professionals seem to have a an axe to grind when told something negative that which is given to them by the child, in some instances taken out context, warped twisted, and misunderstood by the child. In my personal experience the therapists social workers, lawyers, and the judges themselves have a deceived the masses into a false sense of security, and thus get away with the destruction of our families. Jesus stated he was not here to create peace, but to bring the sword. In His perfect example in dealing with ideas of Satan, or evil intonations we must reject those ideas, we must shut the door to the sin they bring with them. And when people, be them your family or friend denies you, rebukes you, spits in your face, lies about you, then they have done so out of anger, and if your a true believer in God then they have sinned against you, but also against God. Your testimony must then reflect this sin, it then must be atoned for in order for that person to be truly forgiven, the compassionate words of a sorrowful heart is the only path to redemption. It is this drama that anger brings to bear, as most of us are still very immature in handling it in comparison to Jesus. I am always open to a sorrowful person, I am always available to a person whom has sinned against me and wishes to make amends, but I am not as Jesus was not available to those who wish to keep on hurting me, for I am about our fathers business. In fact Jesus instructed us, His disciples to do the following;

“And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.” ~ Luke 9:5

Therefore, be slow to anger, be forgiving to one another, use compassionate words always, be ready to apologize and ask for sincere forgiveness, be tolerant of others, be mature in your actions, always investigate fully before assigning blame, always ask what your actions have done to others that which would have cause strife, and above all use the examples of Jesus when angry.

In Jesus’s name I say these things to you as a witness to His Devine mercy. May God Bless in all that you do, in all your endeavors for the rest of your life. I ask that you never stop learning, growing, walking, and listening to our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen

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God Bless,

Brian Keith

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Reflection 5: Unchanging God of Love

⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 59.9

Many times I have heard that God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath, of punishment, a God of testing, and of laws which placed many conditions upon His people. Very different God from the New Testament who is a God of mercy, forgiveness, and of love. But I argue this point and ask you all to consider this about our God. Our God in heaven has never changed because he can not change, He is forever the God of love, mercy, forgiveness, and yes He is also the God of judgement and punishment, and from last weeks Reflection we see He takes no pleasure from punishing the wicked instead He only wishes them to turn away from their wickedness and come back to Him. This clearly demonstrates that our God is a God of many chances. Our God loves us, He has always loved us and the only thing that has changed is humanity. The greatest of all miracles can be found in this one simple thing, His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His love is of a different order than our love, and God seeks and has always sought to love each and everyone of us since before we where born. It is humanity that has changed, we have forever altered how God can respond to us and thus changed the conditions in which God shows His love in your life;

59 “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. ²But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. ³For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. ⁴No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.” ~ Isaiah 59:1-4

In Isaiah we can clearly see that it is not God who has lied, spoken falsely, or have blood upon His hands. In fact it is our sin, our lack in faith, our indiscretions which God has had to deal with over our short history here on earth. Think of each lie told as a small needle which God has had to defend against, each word uttered to condemn an innocent person to death as a razor blade cutting away at Gods justice, and look at each action that harms another human being done purposefully as a sword thrusted into the side of Jesus and then you will have just barely scratched the surface to the pain and suffering our Lord endured upon the cross.

2 “And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would beborn blind ?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents ; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” ~ John 9:2-3

By sending Jesus, God again shows His unyielding love for all man kind, He finds the most awesome ways to prove His love over and over again. In healing a blind man who was blind from birth Jesus illustrates His love and mercy for us. This miracle is a two fold miracle, one that shows the power of God, but also shows the love of God. The lesson Jesus was teaching was that it mattered not to the blind man whether it be day or night, but as long as Jesus was in the world His light would penetrate every soul and make them see, even the blind who where blind from birth a medical condition which there is no cure. But moreover, this miracle shows that it matters not what we suffer, that God can take that suffering and us it to glorify Him, to bless us, and to show to others His unchanging love.

4 “We must work the works of Him who sentMe as long as it is day ; night is coming when no one can work. 5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” ~ John 9:4-5

The very notion of being the “Light of the World” is one that also proves Gods love, and the lengths He has gone to not just save us, but to also lift us up in His perfect love despite the many sins we have committed. The term Jesus uses is a technical one in heavenly speech, a term that Satan knows well as he was once the Morning Star in heaven. Jesus is the truth, the light, and all who follow will walk in ever lasting life. Satan, does not want this, so the scriptures tell us that Satan entered into Judas to betrayed Jesus. Think for a moment how glorified God was within this moment, think how magnificent God is to be able to shine through this great deception of darkness. Understand that God not just opened the eyes of a blind man, but of all men and women on this planet in that one moment of darkness, the light of the world indeed still shown through it.

Because we have so completely changed the scope of how God communicates, and how he sends His divine love to us each occasion is then an opportunity for God to prove His love in our life, even in times of our greatest suffering. The bible points out four unique types of suffering which we endure, that are in large part connected to our sinful nature, thus connecting suffering with sin. The first is found as follows:

22 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. ²Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” ~ Genesis 22:1-2

^{2 “}Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” ~ Deuteronomy 8:2

^{6 “}One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” ⁸Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” ⁹“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” ¹²The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” ~ Job 1:6-12

In these three examples God uses person strife to work the biggest miracles. He uses every occasion to test and mold each one of us into a more perfect person. He tests us to prove our loyalty and love to Him, which is the true miracle and the prove of His never changing love. God tested Abraham by having him offer up his only son to God as a burnt offering upon Mt. Moriah. Though Abraham did not want this test he proved his belief in God and trusted in his wisdom enough to follow through with God’s request, even up to the very moment of raising the knife high above his head, only then did God send His angeles to stop him. Again, God tested the people in the hot desert for forty years to hone them and to test each one of them. To bring them from a complacent slave like nature to one that was sharpened in every aspect of God, even unto their very last breath would they obey to build a nation in hostile lands. Finally God shows us the test of love through the greatest suffering of Job. Here was a man who had everything, and in Satan’s hands was brought down lower than low and still he refused to turn away from God. We are tested in our faith, in our actions, in our words, through our suffering.

The next form of suffering God uses as a means to mold us into a more perfect person, to edify us and to raise us up higher than we where before, consider;

^{5 “}And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’ ⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.” ~ Hebrews 12:5-8

God chastens each one of us in order to bring us through each hardship, to prove his love on a personal level. God calls out to us and encourages the goodness to always shine through much like we see in Jesus upon accepting His divine mission here on earth.God Speaks about chastening his own son, and without this specialized attention we are like the lump of clay that has been cast aside. Jesus talked about praising God in the mists of your troubles, rejoice in your pain as God is always with you, and if you turn from this then indeed you have proven to God you are not one of his sons or daughters. Again this is not what God want’s for He prefers your heart to turn from wickedness and your spirit should have ever lasting life.

The third form of suffering we, (the human population), have brought upon ourselves by rebellion against God, examples of this can be found in the following scriptures;

^{22 “}And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” ²³So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. ²⁴After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” ~ Genesis 3:22-24

⁸“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” ⁹So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. ¹⁰He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ¹¹Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. ¹²But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” ¹³These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them. ~ Numbers 20:8-13

^{14 “}All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. ¹⁵Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you.” ~ Jeremiah 30:14-16

God punishes but takes no pleasure in it. In Genesis Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden because of their collective sin against God. This was brought upon them by their actions. We see this repeated throughout the bible as this theme is again brought forth with Moses and Aaron who are told by God to gather the people and strike the rock to glorify God’s love for them by giving them water to drink. But Moses does not mention God before striking the rock, and in essence stole from God the glory due Him. In the last example found in Jeremiah God specifically states His wrath and punishment is due because of the sins and increase of the inequity of the people. Our suffering is forever linked to our sins, and the increase of our sins are linked to our increased suffering. Again God takes no pleasure form this but He does and will bring you closer to His perfect love through all your trials and tribulations you may suffer throughout your life.

Finally the fourth kind of suffering is brought about specifically to show Gods might and glory which can be found in the following examples;

^{5 “‘}Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?’ 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. 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.’ 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. 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?’ ¹¹She said, ‘No man, Lord.’ And Jesus said unto her, ‘Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.’ ¹²Then 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.'” ~ John 8:5-12

9 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. ²And his disciples asked him, saying, ‘Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ³Jesus answered, ‘Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ⁴I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ ⁶When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, ⁷And said unto him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” ~ John 9:1-7

“⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ~ John 11:4

In these final three examples we see Jesus using sin, blindness, and death as a way to communicate His love, Gods power and might, all which glorifies God in the Highest. Jesus over and over gives new life in each action he takes, this proves beyond all reason of how much God truly loves us, to what lengths God goes to show His love, thus proving He has not changed, His mission has not changed, but rather God has always been the God of love, mercy, forgiveness, and a God of many chances.

Amen

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Special Reflection: Love is…

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV Bible

This past couple of weeks I have been reminded of how much Jesus loved us. How He alone showed perfect absolute love no matter the situation that He faced. God’s love as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is the most absolute description to date of God’s perfect love. If you read it completely and then ask yourself where you stack up in your daily life using these standards I am sure you will find that your actions or words to others are no match for this description above.
“23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ~ Romans 3:23 NIV Bible

However, don’t get to discouraged just yet, no one is perfect as we are all flawed and filled with sin, that is why God’s love is so perfect because it has to be for our Lord to love us so. It is no ascendent that this description begins with love being patient, because how patient is God when dealing with humanity? How patient has God been in dealing with Satan?

There have been a few people over the years as I have been writing and maintaining this specific website and blog who have not been patient, and have been fast to judge me, to presume they know me, who cannot put down their own personal demons, and sadly who are fast to make inaccurate accusations, and then pretend they can judge this body of work I have published here in. All I can say to this is simply the word “patient” implies long suffering, tolerance, and as described by the Webster Dictionary in English; “1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.” God instructs us all to emulate Him and He knows we will fall short so we are also instructed to pray for those who do fall short and pray for those who are not patient or kind.

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” ~ Galatians 5:22-23 NIV Bible

As an educator in dealing with children with different learning aptitudes the temptation is always there to be short or curt with those who ask the same question over, and over, and over, or those who ask a question to which in the start of the lesson I had already answered. Moreover, in this I will say patients must be connected to kindness so the love can shine through. In this situation each teacher has a coping mechanism and mine is simple, I smile underneath the frustration and remind myself by saying in my mind, “You just gotta love’m.” This always brings me to Jesus who exhibited both patience and kindness to everyone most especially his disciples. How many times did Jesus repeat himself in the bible, how many lessons did He teach to the masses then reenforce to His disciples? How many ways did Jesus repeat His message of love to His disciples? In all the ways we can possibly count in the bible of God’s kindness we can also correlate the idea that love is about genuinely being kind to your fellow man. Again in the Merriam Webster Dictionary in English kindness is described as being, “2a : the quality or state of being kind” It is a mental attitude, a choice, and in some instances a rewarding lifestyle. I also find it interesting that the synonyms are listed as, ” benevolence, boon, courtesy, grace, indulgence, favor, mercy, service, and turn.” I must argue that these are the qualities of a kind heart, and a patient loving soul. Again, God instructs us all to emulate Him and He knows we will fall short so we are also instructed to pray for those who do fall short and pray for those who are not kind.

Love does not envy, boast, and is not proud. I am constantly reminded of how prideful some people are, or how some people envy what others have, still I see these same people boast about their things or accomplishments. This is especially troubling because any victory achieved without praising God for it is hollow. The words envy, boast, and proud are what the wicked do, this is the description of sin. Biblically speaking Satan fell from heaven because he was first prideful, he envied God, and second Satan boasted about how great he was, for his throne would be above Gods in Heaven. Pride and Envy makes up two of the original seven deadly sins wrote about by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century who took this list from Greek monastic theologian Evagrius of Pontus (345-399). The saying, “Pride comes before a fall” is the most modern and clearest reference to the fall of Satan, the fall of one-third of all the angels in heaven, and the fall of mankind as found in Genesis. I also must warn everyone against being prideful, but the ear marks of a prideful person is found in how much they boast. There can never be love in an envious, prideful, and boastful heart because there is no room left for anything else, not even for God. Once again, God instructs us all to emulate Him and He knows we will fall short so we are also instructed to pray for those who do fall short and pray for those who are envious, boastful, and prideful.

“46 Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” ~ Luke 20: 46-47

Love does not, “5 dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” In this I find our sin is shown to all for what it is, dishonorable, selfish, angry, and never forgiving. I have been told by some of my harshest detractors that this description would fit me nicely. But, then again they mistake my enthusiasm that I hold for God and His perfect love for something evil and vial. In this Jesus said to rejoice when others persecute you, so my voice on this subject is I hope very loud and very direct. People who go around blaming others all the time, seeking to destroy the love in their targets hearts, seeking to split families and make children chose between two parents they love is selfish, is dishonorable, is angry, and yes these people never forgive because their hearts have been hardened by Satan and influenced by his lies. I can truthfully testify to the world my walk with God is strengthened with each curse word thrown in my direction and makes me hold tighter to God’s hand and abide more in His perfect love, and this is how your own trials and tribulations should make you feel deep inside your heart of hearts. We are not here to judge others, but rather love one another. You cannot love your fellow man or women if your heart is wracked with selfishness. You cannot love others if everything you do is dishonorable. You cannot love people if your angry all the time. You cannot keep records of other peoples wrongs and be truly forgiving. God does not work that way, life in general does not work that way. I have always said that I enjoy everyone’s comments even if they do not agree with me, because my walk with God is different than your walk with God, and so in this we all must be tolerant with one another and celebrate our vast differences. Once more, God instructs us all to emulate Him and He knows we will fall short so we are also instructed to pray for those who do fall short and pray for those who are dishonorable, selfish, angry, and never forgiving.
“1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” ~ Romans 2:1-4 NIV Bible
“6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” The idea of telling the truth is a sacred obligation every human-being is born with. It is like a program written into your heart that which zaps you every time you lie. These zaps build up over time and leads to a weight so heaven upon your heart that it has been know to cause a plethora of anxieties that can be mortally fatal. One of the best examples of how we as a society have tried to reflect God in our laws is found within the need to make a person swear an oath in court before testifying. Sadly perjury or bearing false witness is not something we are very aggressive in prosecuting. On one hand we appear to be moral, but on the other hand we embrace the sin of testifying falsely as through our reluctance to stop it and punish it, therefore in God’s eyes man’s laws and processes found within our judicial system are nothing short of corrupt and filled with hypocrisy. The best example was in the trial of Jesus Christ, when the High Priest took testimony from people who where known liars.

“55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.” ~ Mark 14: 55-65 NIV Bible
Bearing false witness is a sin as it is breaking the eight commandment of God; “ 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” ~ Exodus 20:16 KJ 2000 Bible.
Each and every time I see this happen my heart hurts for those who are perpetrating this sin, moreover, my heart hurts for those who also instigate it from the innocent. For the Lord Jesus Christ also warned;
“Obstacles to faith are sure to arise, but beware to the one who creates them. It would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around the neck than for that person to mislead one of my followers.” Q 76, The Lost Gospel Q.

Again pray, God instructs us all to emulate Him and He knows we will fall short so we are also instructed to pray for those who do fall short and pray for those who revel in their sin, who delight in evil, and for those who rebuke the truth.
God’s agape Love; “7 always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” The placement of this verse is essential to bring home the true nature of God, His love, and the same message of Jesus. The seventh verse, in numerology is sacred, for the number seven is revered as being holy. The nature of God is a protecting one, it is God’s first line of defense in defending you against evil. God then builds trust within your heart, and your protective actions should also build trust in those you love and protect. God is filled with hope, evidence of this is that two thousand years after His son’s death and resurrection man-kind is still here, God still loves us, and He through His perfect love fills our hearts with hope. Thus, when you protect the ones you love, your trust in them spawns their trust in you. Hope is then poured to form the strongest foundation to all your relationships, again anchoring them upon God’s grace that naturally perseveres and blesses you and all those whom you love unconditionally. Love is patient, love is kind, love rejoices with the truth, love always protects, love always trusts, love always hopes, and love always perseveres, for this is what love is. Finally, God instructs us all to emulate Him and He knows we will fall short so we are also instructed to pray for those who do fall short and pray for those who try their very best to be protecting, trusting, hopeful, and always preserving with their love.

Amen

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Special Reflection: Fathers & Men of God

1 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, ² that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you and your sons and your grandsons, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.” ~ Deuteronomy 6:1-2

Arguably the first of all commandments pertaining to fathers is to obey the Lord your God. This was handed down to Moses, the father of Israel, the man of God responsible for thousands of people and who lead them faithfully to the promise land. As a parent and as a father I can not emphasize this point any more, other than to say that God passed to man fatherhood and meant for there to be greater responsibility to fathers for the upbringing and moral teaching to their children. We are held to a sacred oath which states that we are to obey the Lord our God, to emulate His love, grace, understanding, devotion, morality, and faithfulness of our Father who is in Heaven, in teaching our children to do the same. This specific act of obedience is given to fathers solely and is a directive from God Himself.

Interestingly, mans law as it relates to U.S. Family Law is in direct violation to God’s law, as the courts in our country often deny, subvert, alienate, disenfranchise, and falsely empower children of 13 and over, all which destroys the bonds of family which the Family Code in all 50 States are sworn to protect. Because God has been eradicated from the equation in terms of rearing children the reality is frightful, as fathers are forced to flee a potential hostile situation within their own homes perpetrated by their wives, and to date the courts have done nothing to stop it. In addition, because our justice system has in and of its self renounced God our nation is becoming fatherless. This I tell you is the greatest sin any nation on Earth can commit, and it is without doubt the workings of Satan himself. The question I know every father faces who is in this situation is a mind numbing simple one, “If God gave to man this commandment to be obedient and faithful in teaching morality to his children, then why isn’t this right protected under mans law? Doesn’t it benefit everyone in our society for fathers to teach to their children morality?” The answer is just as frustratingly simple, “Because man has renounced God in his own laws!” This attack on the christian faith penetrates every aspect of our belief and practices in worshiping God. In saying this I will also reveal that in each action to suppress the moral teachings of God and the fathers inherent duty to teach his children to also obey God, all of which is biblically supported and sound legally, then it also must be noted that anything other than following Gods commandments is inherently wrong and unholy. It also further destroys the moral fabric of our nation as a whole, and thus there is a price for this arrogance of our legal system which is currently serving the interests of economic wealth, which destroys our families and our nation as a whole, thus serving Satan!

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⁵“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ “You shall bind them as a sign on your hands, and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”~ Deuteronomy 6:5-9

The greatest of commandment for fathers is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. God intended His children to love him, to worship Him alone, to be obedient to His perfect will. Fathers are commanded to emulate this to his family and to his children. This is the bonds which binds fathers to their offspring, that which supports the family structure, and that imparts to his children the morality within their character. God also commands fathers to teach these things “diligently”, giving examples of each teaching of the Gospels within every aspect of his day leaving no room for misunderstanding by describing of how it is to be done within by using the following words, “when you sit, walk, lie down, and when you rise up.” If that wasn’t clear enough God goes even further by stating, “to bind them as a sign on your hands and foreheads. To write them on the doorposts and gates to your house!” Men of God are commanded to teach the children about faith, about love, about mercy, about kindness and respect, and we are commanded to instruct our children in all the ways of God. This is the biblical duty given to fathers, and without it our children suffer greatly.

⁶” Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” ~Proverbs 22:6

According to God the Father, we fathers here on Earth are to spend time with our children. Ironically, I have personally been told that this issue of time spend is less important than the quality of time spent. I tell you now the truth of the matter as God sees it, Fathers are to spend both quality and quantity of time with their children, how else is there to be any morality taught? Yes, there will be hard lessons, ones which the children would rather flee from, and would rather ignore or rebuke, but the lessons need to be taught regardless, and must be protected as a solemn right and duty of the father to teach his children. This can not be done without time given to the father to teach these things, the children can not learn if this instruction is subverted by outsiders, which include everyone other than the father and his children. It is no accident that single mothers complain about their children’s godlessness and lack of respect to them. It is no accident our society is seeing an increase of teenage pregnancies, abortions, drug use, High School drop outs, depression, suicides, and the over all degradation of our spiritual world and belief system. The division of duties given to each parent by God, is holy and both parents need to respect these differences as God has divided them. In no manner of speech have I indicated that fathers are superior to mothers, or that mothers are superior to fathers, as to teach this would be false teaching, instead God has given each sex specific rights as it relates to parenting, for each duty is equal to developing a healthy and well adjusted child in the eyes of God. Again, ironically our Family Law bioses are in conflict to Gods Laws, as women are thought of as the only parent the child needs within our societal indoctrination within the 1970’s Women’s Liberation Movement which left a destructive imprint on the hearts and minds of our legal system which teaches a false ideology, one that dictates, “Fathers are optional.” and “I don’t need a man.” philosophy as it relates to the modern family structure. This false doctrine is not supported by God, or any biblical teaching found in the bible and yet it has such a devastating impact on our courts, families, and has single handily help to destroy the role of fathers in our country today.

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1 ” Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: ³ “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” ⁴And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” ~Ephesians 6: 1-4

The Lord God commands our children to accept the training given by both mother and father, and for fathers not to provoke thy children to anger, but rather teach them about God. Again over and over God commands the father to teach morality, respect, honor, imparting traits of a good and holy character to their children. More to the point however, again their is this dark force within our country which is trying to subvert the role of fathers, so as to clarify what is the role of the modern father and that of men of God the following is a list which can be found online at http://www.citizenlink.com/2010/06/15/mom-and-dad-kids-need-both/

“The father, as the male parent, brings unique contributions to the job of parenting that a mother cannot. Psychology Today explains, “Fatherhood turns out to be a complex and unique phenomenon with huge consequences for the emotional and intellectual growth of children.”
Boys who grow up with dads have their masculinity affirmed and learn from their fathers how to channel their strength in positive ways. Fathers help children understand proper male sexuality, hygiene, and behavior in age appropriate ways. Fathers help connect their children, (especially boys) to job markets as they enter adulthood. This is because fathers, more than mothers, are likely to have the kinds of diverse community connections needed to help young adults get their first jobs. They are also more likely to have the motivation to make sure their children make these connections.
Girls with involved, married fathers are more likely to have healthier relationships with boys in adolescence and men in adulthood because they learn from their fathers how proper men act toward women. They have a healthy familiarity with the world of men, and know which behaviors are inappropriate. This knowledge builds emotional security, and helps to safeguard them from the exploitation of predatory males.
Studies have shown that the presence of a father strongly correlates to children avoiding incarceration. The absence of the father as an authority figure can contribute to a child’s disregarding laws and rules. “70% of juveniles in state reform institutions grew up in single or no-parent situations.”

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God our father in Heaven knows best for us, he always has and to do anything other than what is commanded is unholy, and does not come from God, rather from Satan. God created fatherhood to be non-optional, non-negotiable, and intrinsically important to the rearing of children. God knew that men of faith, fathers and leaders of their households play a decisive role in the upbringing of their sons and daughters, a role that which cannot be filled by anyone else including the mother. Fathers sacred duty to their daughters helps to insure and prepare them in having healthy relationships with men in their life, in this daughters become more secure and are able to be a better parent and wife herself. Men make for a better disciplinarian and when anchored in moral discipline all children have a better chance at becoming well adjusted adults. To hold a healthy fear of God is biblical, and this also is an attribute all fathers are commanded to hold.

Upon this fathers day I hope the world can see and express and be enriched by the many blessings of God, in both his moral teachings and in its real world applications. Cherish your Earthly fathers, for they have a sacred obligation which needs to be celebrated.

Amen

May God be with you always, may his hand be upon you, and may your life be blessed with the fullness of our Lord.

Please do not forget to make a donation to Fathers Rights as Listening Faithfully gives each donation to help fund struggling fathers meet their legal obligations. Currently we are accepting donations of any size, but if you find that you have been moved by this message and can afford to give in the $100.00 range, then know your gift will be part of our strategic $8000.00 pledge to fight for Fathers Rights in America, and men nation wide will be grateful to your generosity. To meet this target we only need 80 such donations of $100.00 each and for each donation a Prayer Card with your name will be given to each father we help. In addition your name will be listed here on our site, along with a special, “I SUPPORT FATHERS RIGHTS” T’shirt with your name on the back will be mailed back to you as a special donor. So please do not hesitate today to give so our fathers can be that Godly father Our Lord has commanded all of us to be to our children.
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Reflection 3: Moral Deception

YouTube Video of this Reflection

²¹“I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and no lie comes from the truth.” ~1 John 2:21

Deception by its very nature is not of the truth, nor is a lie no matter the size or reason it was told can be of the truth. To purposefully mislead another brother or sister in Christ is also not of the truth and therefore bringing forth deceit which by its very nature is not of the truth and thus can not be of God, but rather is from Satan the deceiver. The very practice of spreading falsehoods is unholy, to speak or testify in court against a son or daughter of Christ falsely is also unholy, for God does not lie, nor spread falsehoods in order to deceive, rather that is a sin manifest against God and originating from Satan the deceiver. All of these sins which come from Satan, passed down to man, have at its core an evil intent to make others believe in something that is false, to believe in error. For in the practice of such sin with such intent is an abomination before the eyes of God. Therefore, the intent to deceive is unholy as God does not lie, nor deceive his children, rather God is of the intent to shine the light of truth within your heart so that all of His children may know Him, know the truth, and thus be brought out of the darkness and forgiven their many sins. For this was the very reason Christ was sacrificed on the cross and man’s depravity and sin was paid in full. To willfully practice deceit in any form is also practicing moral deception, for this act against God, who is truth by His very nature, has placed, (his or her), very soul in jeopardy. I say to you now, that moral deception is evil, comes from evil, begets evil, and has no place in the hearts and minds of the children of God. For I also say unto you now, that if you can not attain all your hearts desires with the truth, then it is not for you to have and to posses. For if you lie and deceive to get what you want then you have surely stolen from another whom God had ordained to have it, and thus you have stolen from the very hands God. I say unto you also that by steeling from God you have placed your very soul into jeopardy, for it has been said by Christ Jesus;

“There is nothing covered up now that will not be exposed. Nothing is secret that will not be revealed. Every secret you’ve kept will become known. What you have whispered in hidden places will be shouted from the housetops.” ~Lost Gospel Q, Q45

The light of God is great, it is the light of absolute truth, it is the light which purifies by conviction and then by forgiveness. God is just, He alone is the giver and taker of life, and thus it has also been said of God:

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, you should respect the One who holds in his hands both your body and your soul. What does a sparrow cost? A few pennies? Yet not a single little bird is forgotten by God. And you? God’s care extends to every hair on your head. You are worth more than a flock of sparrows.”~Lost Gospel Q, Q46

According to the Gospel of Luke the corresponding passage to Q46 reads,

⁴“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” ~ Luke 12:4-5.

To lie, deceive, mislead, misinform, trick, spread falsehoods, make false statements, and to conceive such corrupt depravity is not of the truth, is not of God, and thus carries a heavy consequence; and those who practice it shall be convicted by God according to scripture:

¹⁶“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: ¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, ¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” ~ Proverbs 6: 16-19

²²“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” ~Proverbs 12:22

God so created man kind in his own image, an thus within our hearts he wrote the laws of truth so that we shall know Him, and His laws by which we shall be judged by.

¹⁶“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time”, says the Lord. “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” ~ Hebrews 10:16

The Lord our God cares for us so much he protects us from so much sin, and we have been instructed to never lie, to never deceive, never trick, or manipulate our way through out our life, but yet to some extent we do. We are all sinners, but what makes God’s children different is in the idea that we also know our God is a loving and forgiving God and that if we just repent, our sins will be forgiven and forgotten:

¹⁷“Then he adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. ¹⁸And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” ~ Hebrews 10:17-18

But for those who lie, cheat, and steal, their punishment is found within their own lies which are proven as a lie for all to see, but kept hidden from the lair is His divine truth, for the liar God allows them to believe in their own lies and thus they become hopelessly lost within the wicked web which they themselves created. For the lair will claim foolishly they have no sin, and thus they have been proven to have greater sin than those who believe in the truth of God.

⁸“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

Moral deception comes in many flavors and is perpetrated for many reasons, chief among them are to our selfish motivations for personal gain. Selfishness in and of it’s self is a grave sin against God ALL Mighty. For when a mother is selfish she looks not for the best interest of her children, but rather for her own personal gain, and sometimes this can be masked cleverly with decisions which seem to be good, but have a thorny consequence for her children, or husband, or family. A selfish man sins gravely against God by not looking after his responsibilities and instead falling into sin by allowing his selfish wants for greatness and personal glory become all that he pursues leaving all other things to falter and go unchecked. In both of these grave sins their wants and personal desires outweighed all other things including God, whom has instructed us to never forget Him, and to never forsake Him. Once in this state of denial and self depravity each lie compounds upon itself as the deceiver makes grand attempts to cover up his or her actions. Pride then steps in as the big motivator which propels this life style of deceit as the grand illusion of getting away with each sin becomes greater, the more they fall into darkness. Finally with no hope of repenting this trap sin has set comes full circle as the liars have become so used to the situation that it has become habit. It is only then which God reveals to them their betrayal and moral deception. It is only when the liars have seen those they love be destroyed by the many selfish actions, perhaps it is in the revelation that because of them others also had followed and thus committed grievous sin. In some instances it is through the prism of the truth which shined upon their sin letting all others see them for who they are, not as what they had wanted others to see them as which breaks the evil spell. Loss of respect, confidence, and the consequence which alienates them from their friends, family, and world not to mention from God Himself can become the final straw which forces these sinners to repent.

Moral deception can only be overcome with love, kindness, respect, and an infinite amount of patience. We should always guard ourselves by using the weapons God has provided for us to use against lies and lairs:

⁶“Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:6

For filling our hearts with the truth we are also filling our hearts with love, and thus living a righteous life before all to see. By setting the standard those we love and have become close to will follow, because God’s law is written upon their hearts also.

³⁴“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man bring good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~ Matthew 12:34-37

Amen

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Reflection 1: Spiritual Accountantcy

” ¹⁵ And he said unto them, ‘Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.‘” ~ Luke 16:15

Life is a journey of immense struggles pitted with many victories and defeats. It is a race to the finish line of judgement, once there many will have ran a good race but will have done it without moral conscience and will be damned to hell for all eternity. Many will have ran the same race but prevailed with great love, faith, and ethics, and will be allowed passage into the Kingdom of God. The difference between the two is incalculable if coming from the filter of modern life, celebrating our many luxuries and comforts afforded those with what is termed as the good life. But if viewed from the prism of our Lord and Savior then it becomes more personal, deeply ethical, riveted with countless moral guidelines that help to forge a sinner into a born again child of God. It is not an easy path, in fact it is filled with much sacrifice and with many painful defeats. For to choose to be a child of God is not for the faint of heart and in the end, within the very hour of our death, Jesus promises for the faithful that they shall never taste death.

“⁴⁷ Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” ~John 6:47

For many of us it is hard to put into place a moral life while being surrounded with such temptations which we find at our fingertips on a daily basis. It is hard to not give in to the world of excess and comfort with so many voices telling us we don’t have too. The prevailing belief advertisers drown us with daily is, “Life doesn’t have to be so hard” and “Why wait when you can have it now!” We have become a society of capitalistic carnivores devouring everything while ignoring the implications it places upon our life and our immortal soul. We make recluse justifications to explain away why we can, when the Holy Bible has clearly stated we should not. A world that places more value on things, property, and money, over relationships, love, honor, ethics, and that of our christian savior, who is the savior of every man, women, and child on planet Earth as we know it, is an abomination in the sight of God. There are so many sins, so many fruitless attempts at winning Gods favor while pleasing the flesh. People can be so awesomely good, and in the same breath find ways to be just as evil and destructive. When we look hard at who we have become, the choices we have made, the justifications for actions which caused countless others to suffer, it is then that our deeds will be told, despite the lies of our mortal legacies. For you can preach good all the days of your life, but in private do evil, it is in your heart and therefore God see’s the truth of your life. He can discern the proper judgement from the web of misleading, randomness and noise of sin which has permenantly blacked your heart.

“³³ So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”~ Luke 14:33

Jesus warned against collecting wealth and then not sharing it but rather hording it. He warned against ignoring your own sins while calling to the carpet others sins. He warned against hypocrisy for in the eyes of God it is nothing more than “lip service”. Jesus warns against denying the poor food, clothes, shelter, and mercy. He warns against not raising your child up in the ammunition of the Lord thy God. For he also warned against excess of all kinds, depravity of all kinds, blasphemy of all kinds, and evil works of all kinds. Yet we do them daily, we ignore Him daily, and in doing so we mock Him daily!

“³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” ~ Matthew 10:32-33

Be on guard for those who refuse to speak the truth of God, who refuse to hear you speak the truth of God, be warned they are filled with Satan. There are people who get upset when they are shown their immoral ways and are convicted by the light of God, and by His son’s moral teachings and inwardly repress God, reviling against all righteousness, for they are filled with the spirit of Satan. Stand firm and do not waver from the light of God for instead bask within its glorious rays for it shall purify thy soul. Profess daily the miracles of God in your own life, for each day is a true miracle as it was not promised to you before you went to sleep the night before. Be on guard of those who would manipulate your words, the words of others, and the words of God to suit their lying ways, for such is the arch tool of Satan himself. Walk away from profane, perverse, corrupt, immoral, and impure people as they will as soon suck you down with them than to see you happy and free in the light of God. For to disown God is a rejection of the miracle of ones own birth and life; for Satan does not hold the keys to these things; for only God can create life and can bring about death; for only God can destroy thy very soul. Be on guard of those who wish to systematically take from you all the things in your life which bring you happiness, for they have no conscience, no remorse, no ambivalence to using deceit to accomplish their goals. For these people are expert in their disguise and can make the most illogical thing sound logical, the most profane thing sound holy, and the most hurtful thing look to others as self-defense. For God has no tolerance for them and though in the moment they grasp victory, in reality they have only clutched defeat because what God meant for you and was stolen, he will give to you in abundance in Heaven, a reward they shall not reap for they chose a selfish and self serving path.

“²¹ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have I not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” ~ Matthew 7:21-23

It is truly important to not just know which side of the tracks you are on, but to also profess it, teach it, embrace it, and above all love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul; to do all things for God with all your strenght and might. It is simply not enough to say you love God to close family and friends then in private do wicked, but rather love God enough to always do good in public and private, for there should only be one message of your life, because there is only one God. Be sure to never take credit for the things which you have accomplished in your life for each accomplishment was first a gift from God, to do so would be to say you willed it to be so and that is a lie. For remember Moses who took credit for the miracle of the rock which sprang water; for the rod was from God, the power was from God, and the very words which Moses spoke to bring forth the water was from God, for such a sin he was denied entry into the promised land. Remember also King David who committed adultery and who God took from him the first born son in payment of the life he had stole from Bathsheba’s first husband Uriah the Hittite. Rather be like Christ who complied with the will of God even until the point of his own death.

“¹ Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1

Spiritual accountantcy is the means which we review our own place with God, it is the act of asking where are we in our relationship to God. “Have I done things which God disapproves of, am I saved?”, is the question we need to ask daily and then we need to repent daily. Be assured God loves you, wants you, cares for you, and will never leave you if you never disown Him.

Amen.

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Special Post: Morality Goal #4

In every manner possible give to your family, friends, neighbors, relatives, work mates, and all whom you shall ever meet in this life a true and honest accounting of all things you have felt, said, and have done, and which has been done to you. “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.”(Exodus 23:1, NIV). For in living within this moral code God shall honor you, the angels in heaven will sing your praises, and there shall be no blemish upon you that which Satan shall be able to claim, or use you as an instrument of sin. Be truthful in all that you do and no secret shall be raised up when you least expect it to tear you down. Therefore, always live within the spotlight of truth and you shall be free.

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Parenting by God’s Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace, by Dr. Joel Beeke – Get Your Copy today! Click Here

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The Level of Laziness

Laziness Equals Cutting Corners

Plenteousness vs Hastiness

Laziness is Self-Limiting

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Sub-Category One: “Death of Self”

Sub-Category Two: “Death unto Self”

Category Three: “Death According to the Spirit”

“Death According to the Flesh”

ANNOUNCES TO THE COMMUNITY OF FOLLOWER, FRIENDS, AND SUBSCRIBERS;

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ANNOUNCING LISTENING FAITHFULLY ORIGINAL BOOKS!

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Listening Faithfully: The Sin Series (Nov 28, 2012)

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ANNOUNCES TO THE COMMUNITY OF FOLLOWER, FRIENDS, AND SUBSCRIBERS;

__________________________________________

ANNOUNCING LISTENING FAITHFULLY ORIGINAL BOOKS!

Author Brian Keith, writer and publisher of Listening Faithfully Blog offers to you his first e-book:

Listening Faithfully: The Sin Series (Nov 28, 2012)

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Please Donate to Listening Faithfully and help spread he words of God around the world.

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