Revelation 21:
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6 Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7 "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
A World without sorrow!! Amen and Amen again.
With all of the sorrow and pain that this World can cause, I think that we need to step back and look at the promises that are ours. Even though we may go through suffering and pain in this life, our rewards for keeping on keeping on are greater.
Don't fret, God is good and He is always with us.
Praise God!!
posted by Star @ 10:23 AM
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Sunday, April 16, 2006
My rebuttle of D Willard's "spiritual reformation" Part One
What I do not like about "spiritual formation" by Willard. Part One.
Quote:
From here we manage our lives as best we can, utilizing whatever resources of understanding, emotion and circumstance are available. It is here we stand before God and our conscience
.
As Christians we shouldn't lean on OUR understanding nor should we rely on our emotions. We are to overcome our circumstances.
Prov 3:
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
We are to ask the HS to give us wisdom.
1Co 1:19
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
1Co 2:4
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
2 Thess 1:
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
We are to stand in faith, regardless of our circumstances.
Quote:
Within the invisible dimension of the person, and right at its conscious center, lies the human spirit. "God is Spirit," the creative will that creates and governs the universe, and "spirit" is the creative element in human nature, "the image of God in man. The human spirit is primarily what we today call "will," the capacity of choice and resolution, and what biblically and traditionally is called "heart."
This is wrong. We are body, mind, and spirit. According to this: our conscious center is our spirit. No our center is our mind. This is where we made our decisions, not our spirit.
When we are born we have a carnal mind. Our carnal mind is not and can not be "the image of God in man"
Romans 8:
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
When we are born again, our spirit changes, but our mind is still carnal.
1 Corinthians 3:
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
How do we change our minds? By renewing them with the Word of God
Romans 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
and meditating on THE WORD not A WORD.
1 Titus 4:
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
When we are born we follow after the flesh(body). We are captive to the flesh. Even Paul says that because of the flesh he finds himself doing that which he doesn't wish to do.
Romans 7:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
This article is false. When we are born again, our flesh is at war with our spirit. What makes the difference is the mind. We are to renew our minds on the Word and to meditate on the Word in order to be able to defeat the flesh.
This paragraph has put the spirit and the mind as one of the same. According to it we are spirits are and have always been "the image of God in man". This is just false.
According to this paragraph we reform our minds/spirits, it doesn't take into account that we have to be born again and that our spirit changes when we are born again.
The Article
posted by Star @ 12:43 PM
Quote:
From here we manage our lives as best we can, utilizing whatever resources of understanding, emotion and circumstance are available. It is here we stand before God and our conscience
.
As Christians we shouldn't lean on OUR understanding nor should we rely on our emotions. We are to overcome our circumstances.
Prov 3:
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
We are to ask the HS to give us wisdom.
1Co 1:19
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
1Co 2:4
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
2 Thess 1:
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
We are to stand in faith, regardless of our circumstances.
Quote:
Within the invisible dimension of the person, and right at its conscious center, lies the human spirit. "God is Spirit," the creative will that creates and governs the universe, and "spirit" is the creative element in human nature, "the image of God in man. The human spirit is primarily what we today call "will," the capacity of choice and resolution, and what biblically and traditionally is called "heart."
This is wrong. We are body, mind, and spirit. According to this: our conscious center is our spirit. No our center is our mind. This is where we made our decisions, not our spirit.
When we are born we have a carnal mind. Our carnal mind is not and can not be "the image of God in man"
Romans 8:
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
When we are born again, our spirit changes, but our mind is still carnal.
1 Corinthians 3:
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
How do we change our minds? By renewing them with the Word of God
Romans 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
and meditating on THE WORD not A WORD.
1 Titus 4:
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
When we are born we follow after the flesh(body). We are captive to the flesh. Even Paul says that because of the flesh he finds himself doing that which he doesn't wish to do.
Romans 7:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
This article is false. When we are born again, our flesh is at war with our spirit. What makes the difference is the mind. We are to renew our minds on the Word and to meditate on the Word in order to be able to defeat the flesh.
This paragraph has put the spirit and the mind as one of the same. According to it we are spirits are and have always been "the image of God in man". This is just false.
According to this paragraph we reform our minds/spirits, it doesn't take into account that we have to be born again and that our spirit changes when we are born again.
The Article
posted by Star @ 12:43 PM
Friday, April 14, 2006
He Is ALIVE!
HE IS ALIVE
Luke 24:
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
To borrow from a song I remember from childhood:
He's alive and I am forgiven, Heaven's gates are opened wide
HE IS ALIVE!!!
Father,
I thank you for sending Jesus to the Earth so that I can be saved.
I thank you for loveing me so much that you gave your Son to be sacrificed for me.
I thank you for forgiving all of my sins.
I thank you for this growing relationship I have with you.
I thank you for never giving up on me, regardless of what I have done or where I have been.
Jesus,
Thank you for sacrifing yourself for me.
I thank you for shedding your blood so that I might be saved.
I thank you for being my high priest making intercession for me with the Father.
I thank you for giving me your Name. The Name above all names.
You are the King and Kings and my Lord of Lords. May I never stop praising your Name.
Ps 18:49
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name
Ps 47:6
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
posted by Star @ 10:18 AM
Luke 24:
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
To borrow from a song I remember from childhood:
He's alive and I am forgiven, Heaven's gates are opened wide
HE IS ALIVE!!!
Father,
I thank you for sending Jesus to the Earth so that I can be saved.
I thank you for loveing me so much that you gave your Son to be sacrificed for me.
I thank you for forgiving all of my sins.
I thank you for this growing relationship I have with you.
I thank you for never giving up on me, regardless of what I have done or where I have been.
Jesus,
Thank you for sacrifing yourself for me.
I thank you for shedding your blood so that I might be saved.
I thank you for being my high priest making intercession for me with the Father.
I thank you for giving me your Name. The Name above all names.
You are the King and Kings and my Lord of Lords. May I never stop praising your Name.
Ps 18:49
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name
Ps 47:6
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
posted by Star @ 10:18 AM
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Casting our Cares
2 Cor 12:
9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,[b] for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
I have been going through somethings right now, where I am being insulted every which way this week.
I have been trying my best to deal with it the way I am supposed to in Love and patience. But that is the problem, I have been trying to do it alone. We are to cast our cares on Jesus and let Him carry our burdens.
1 Peter 5:
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Psalms 55:
16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Matt 11:
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
We are supposed to give our cares on Jesus and let Him carry the load. I am not alone, I need to pray and let the HS strengthen me. God promises peace if we follow Him and keep our minds on the good things.
posted by Star @ 9:11 AM
9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,[b] for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
I have been going through somethings right now, where I am being insulted every which way this week.
I have been trying my best to deal with it the way I am supposed to in Love and patience. But that is the problem, I have been trying to do it alone. We are to cast our cares on Jesus and let Him carry our burdens.
1 Peter 5:
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Psalms 55:
16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Matt 11:
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
We are supposed to give our cares on Jesus and let Him carry the load. I am not alone, I need to pray and let the HS strengthen me. God promises peace if we follow Him and keep our minds on the good things.
posted by Star @ 9:11 AM
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Leaning on the Holy Spirit and not man
I was raised in a heavily biblical home by parents who talked the talk but didn't walk the walk and the churches were pretty much the same. This has left me disillusioned.
Because of this I have no faith in what men have to say about scripture. I know scripture, lots of it and more than most, but I have found myself in the last few years haveing to research and test what I have been taught with what the bible has to say.
Most of what I have been taught though has been true and has lined up with the scriptures.
In the bible Paul states that we need to test what we hear with the Word to see if it lines up. We are to believe scripture and not man. We are also suppose to pray to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to teach us what the Scriptures have to say. Some call this revelation, I like to call it my Lightbulb Moments.
Most of my writing both in my blog and in my forums come from these Lightbulb moments. Most have come from prayer. You know "Lord how do I forgive" "Lord how do I keep the bitterness from coming up" "Lord how do I show your love to all" those type of prayers. In each one He has been faithful to remind me of scriptures that I have been taught, but the difference is that I am left going "WOW, How did I miss that?"
Those who are God's will hear His voice and know that it is He that is speaking and that it is not coming from elsewhere. We have to have a relationship with God in order to be able to hear His voice. I have had times when I have asked God "How do I know that this is you and not just in my head?", and then confirmation has come from the weirdest of places out of the blue. Now, I know when I hear His voice. I have spent time with Him getting to know Him.
This is not to say that I know it all, I do not! Far from it, I am always open to teaching and learning. I do not think that I will ever know it all, but I do know that I will know more today than I did yesterday.
Sometimes it seems as if I am stuck on one paticular subject. Right now it is the fruit. I do not wish to be one of those who push others away when teaching the Word, I wish to draw others closer to me and to the Word. This is what God is dealing with me on right now. This is why I believe that I have been getting more flak and attitudes lately than i have in the past. I am being tested. Sometimes I pass, but sometimes I fail. But I believe that when I do fail, I need to pick myself up again and keep pressing on to the high mark.
I am not perfect, but I am trying so hard to be perfect. I want to "fight the good fight", I want to bring Glory to Christ.
posted by Star @ 12:30 PM
Because of this I have no faith in what men have to say about scripture. I know scripture, lots of it and more than most, but I have found myself in the last few years haveing to research and test what I have been taught with what the bible has to say.
Most of what I have been taught though has been true and has lined up with the scriptures.
In the bible Paul states that we need to test what we hear with the Word to see if it lines up. We are to believe scripture and not man. We are also suppose to pray to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to teach us what the Scriptures have to say. Some call this revelation, I like to call it my Lightbulb Moments.
Most of my writing both in my blog and in my forums come from these Lightbulb moments. Most have come from prayer. You know "Lord how do I forgive" "Lord how do I keep the bitterness from coming up" "Lord how do I show your love to all" those type of prayers. In each one He has been faithful to remind me of scriptures that I have been taught, but the difference is that I am left going "WOW, How did I miss that?"
Those who are God's will hear His voice and know that it is He that is speaking and that it is not coming from elsewhere. We have to have a relationship with God in order to be able to hear His voice. I have had times when I have asked God "How do I know that this is you and not just in my head?", and then confirmation has come from the weirdest of places out of the blue. Now, I know when I hear His voice. I have spent time with Him getting to know Him.
This is not to say that I know it all, I do not! Far from it, I am always open to teaching and learning. I do not think that I will ever know it all, but I do know that I will know more today than I did yesterday.
Sometimes it seems as if I am stuck on one paticular subject. Right now it is the fruit. I do not wish to be one of those who push others away when teaching the Word, I wish to draw others closer to me and to the Word. This is what God is dealing with me on right now. This is why I believe that I have been getting more flak and attitudes lately than i have in the past. I am being tested. Sometimes I pass, but sometimes I fail. But I believe that when I do fail, I need to pick myself up again and keep pressing on to the high mark.
I am not perfect, but I am trying so hard to be perfect. I want to "fight the good fight", I want to bring Glory to Christ.
posted by Star @ 12:30 PM
Monday, April 03, 2006
Price?
I recently saw that somebody decided to put price on what my blog was worth. Funny how that was never a consideration of mine.
Blessed am I when the World hates me because of the Word. I guess this would mean that if the world hates my blog and the Word within, then I must be doing something right.
Can you really put a price on the Word of God?? OR is it too precious to be put in monetary terms? I think that it is.
Is it really a comparasion when the other blog is unscriptural, full of idolatry, vain and empty words which the world loves, against the Word of God?? Nope, no comparasion to me.
God comes first, in this blog, in my forums, and in my life. The bible states that we shall go through trials and that men (women) will hate us because of Jesus. If the World loves us, then we are doing something wrong.
Hey, I got it right!! Praise God!!
(update 4/04/06)
It seems as if this post has done some good. :) Praise God. The person who owns the blog I was talking about has now decided that her blog is a good place for scripture. :) Nice to know that I was able to help.
posted by Star @ 3:48 PM
Blessed am I when the World hates me because of the Word. I guess this would mean that if the world hates my blog and the Word within, then I must be doing something right.
Can you really put a price on the Word of God?? OR is it too precious to be put in monetary terms? I think that it is.
Is it really a comparasion when the other blog is unscriptural, full of idolatry, vain and empty words which the world loves, against the Word of God?? Nope, no comparasion to me.
God comes first, in this blog, in my forums, and in my life. The bible states that we shall go through trials and that men (women) will hate us because of Jesus. If the World loves us, then we are doing something wrong.
Hey, I got it right!! Praise God!!
(update 4/04/06)
It seems as if this post has done some good. :) Praise God. The person who owns the blog I was talking about has now decided that her blog is a good place for scripture. :) Nice to know that I was able to help.
posted by Star @ 3:48 PM
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Agree to Disagree?
I have always believed that it is always best to agree to disagree when debating an issue before things get out of hand and feelings get hurt.
Sometimes I need to remember that it is not up to me to convince others what the Word has to say, but rather, to simply show what the Word has to say and then backoff and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting.
This is an issue that has been popping up over and over again. Sometimes I get so passionate about an idea that I simply have problems just letting go and letting God do the rest.
This is hard when I feel like I am being attacked because of what I believe to be true. When I feel belittled or talked down to, as if I do not have any biblical knowlege, is when this is the hardest for me. I feel like I have to prove something. Reality is quite different. DO I really have to prove what I know? No I do not. I should feel secure enough with what I know, to not have to prove myself to anyone, besides, there will always be those who will close off their ears to anything that doesn't line up with what they wish to believe. Not everyone will be open to the Holy SPirit and what God says in the Word. There will always be those who wish to ignore teachings that don't line up with their own preconcieved notions.
May I never be like that. May I always keep an open mind and a heart that is open to the Holy Spirit. May I always be open to being taught by the Holy Spirit.
When we get to the point where we think that we know it all, is when we close ourselves off to being taught by the Holy Spirit. This is when our learning and revelations stop. I do not ever want to live without my lightbulb moments. Never, I enjoy them too much and I get too excited over them to ever wish them to stop.
posted by Star @ 11:26 AM
Sometimes I need to remember that it is not up to me to convince others what the Word has to say, but rather, to simply show what the Word has to say and then backoff and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting.
This is an issue that has been popping up over and over again. Sometimes I get so passionate about an idea that I simply have problems just letting go and letting God do the rest.
This is hard when I feel like I am being attacked because of what I believe to be true. When I feel belittled or talked down to, as if I do not have any biblical knowlege, is when this is the hardest for me. I feel like I have to prove something. Reality is quite different. DO I really have to prove what I know? No I do not. I should feel secure enough with what I know, to not have to prove myself to anyone, besides, there will always be those who will close off their ears to anything that doesn't line up with what they wish to believe. Not everyone will be open to the Holy SPirit and what God says in the Word. There will always be those who wish to ignore teachings that don't line up with their own preconcieved notions.
May I never be like that. May I always keep an open mind and a heart that is open to the Holy Spirit. May I always be open to being taught by the Holy Spirit.
When we get to the point where we think that we know it all, is when we close ourselves off to being taught by the Holy Spirit. This is when our learning and revelations stop. I do not ever want to live without my lightbulb moments. Never, I enjoy them too much and I get too excited over them to ever wish them to stop.
posted by Star @ 11:26 AM
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