All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
I'M A CHRISTIAN...NOW WHAT?
I’M A CHRISTIAN… NOW WHAT?
This is partial advance copy of an inspirational Christian book. I am asking for your comments and criticisms. It is a first draft, not necessarily in order and incomplete, but the time has come for me to start sharing it with those whom I respect for your consideration. God’s love and mine…mark.
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK DIAZ (SHELTON)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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The purpose of this book is three fold. First it is to let the world know that The Holy Spirit is alive and well and performing miracles all around us.
Secondly, the purpose of this book is to bolster the inspiration of all my Christian family. From baby Christians to mature, full blown Spiritual Warriors.
Thirdly it is to provide seed capital for Church Planting. All net proceeds will be used to advance The Great Commission.
The people I wish to thank for making this book possible are: Our Father God…who dragged me kicking and screaming to the places I’ve been…the things I have seen…the faith in me it has built…the Love for Him and Humanity that has resulted. He is the Author. I am just a reporter and a witness to the One who makes everything possible.
He doesn’t need me or anyone else to operate the universe. He doesn’t need my money, He doesn’t need my works, He doesn’t need my faith in Him. As far as I can tell, He doesn’t need me at all.
After thorough research it is obvious that the only reason He keeps us humans around is because, like us who are built in His Image, He really, really enjoys being loved.
And He proves it by loving us first.
All we humans have to do to gain blessings in this life and into eternity is to love Him and all humanity. If we truly do this in our minds, hearts and souls, everything else follows. The first step to that is understanding Who Christ is and why He gave His life for us, then accepting Him for those reasons.
The “loving God” part is easy once you know Him…The “loving all humans” is the hard part for most of us…there are lots of humans I have a hard time loving…but I’m working on it and He knows it and He loves me anyway…go figure.
As you read this book, please, please, please spend time with our Father in prayer and study of His Word. Those two things are the only things we can do to get to know Him.
Christianity and salvation and blessings are here and they are now…and they are into eternity…Christianity requires a personal relationship with Him. It is the difference between knowing of Him… (He is quite famous)…and actually knowing Him. Knowing His personality, His likes and dislikes…His sense of humor, what makes Him smile and laugh, what makes Him grouchy, what makes Him cry. Personally I prefer to make Him smile and laugh rather than make Him grouchy or cry.
BLANK PAGE FOR OTHER THANKS TO THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HELPED IN THIS WORK. I WILL FILL THIS IN LATER PLEASE PROCEED CONTINUE TO SCROLL
TALKING TO GOD CHAPTER ONE
In feeble human words I am going to attempt to describe what talking to God is like for me, personally.
I have never heard God’s voice audibly. I have heard of people who say they have heard Him speak to them vocally…but I haven’t heard Him audibly…I don’t have to.
It is very simple. I know my own voice…my own thoughts. I also know God’s Will…His voice through what people call a conscience. That little voice in our head that tells us when we are doing something that is not right…………………………………………………………………...
Every child is born with a conscience. Even the naughty little boy who is caught stealing from the cookie jar knows he is guilty…that is why he will lie about it…to try and stay out of trouble…he has “consciousness of guilt”. God gave that to us as part of our design.
So when I say “God told me”…I am saying that I spend a lot of time with Him and I know when I am hearing His thoughts for me. The confirmation comes when I feel the Holy Spirit at the same time…and in those times there is only pure, basic truth…no confusion. If there is any kind of confusion I know it is the enemy trying to sneak in…so I simply say my prayers, giving myself over to the Holy Spirit, knowing that where God dwells, the enemy cannot dwell.
The enemy is allergic to God. There are times…and this is important…that even in prayer, the enemy can sneak in if we allow our own, selfish human agenda to be present…and it happens with everyone…God knows that and has made provisions for every individual circumstance. It is all part of free will…our individual free will…and His Judgment of our individual heart condition. God knows us as individuals…as a Parent…He is Just and Loving…more so than we humans can imagine.
He has dreams for us as individuals and as couples and as communities.
He doesn’t force anyone to be happy.
He gives us both earthly blessings (gifts) and Spiritual blessings (gifts) and it is up to us, as individuals, to accept His gifts…or not…if we turn down a gift…such as a precious marriage (an earthly gift)…He doesn’t condemn us for that. Salvation is a completely separate thing.
If He trusts us with something as precious as a match made by Him and we reject it…it just means we miss out on the icing on the cake…the blessings here and now in these mortal human coils earthly blessings (gifts).
Even if we give up a Spiritual gift, such as the cumulative Spiritual gifts required to fulfill a ministry…He still loves us…because Salvation, by and through Him is a separate subject.
His blessings occur now…and into eternity. As humans He wants us to be prosperous in every way and in balance with His Will at the same time.
Satan can and does plant thoughts in our minds. One good example is when satan went to Eve and deceived her into believing she could be as great as God by rebelling against God and learning about evil (Genesis 3:4).
Cain was contemplating murdering his brother Able. God came to Cain and basically told him to not even think those thoughts and if Cain would turn himself around he would find exaltation…because where the mind wanders actions will follow. (Gen.4:6&7 – Php. 4:7)
There are only two powers…God and satan. If our thoughts are not from God…they are from satan. (Gen. 3:15)
God does not want us to be depressed or anxious or angry or anything that will steal our joy. (Heb. 12:1-7)
Some of satan’s most successful tools against us are fear and confusion… panic, depression and anxiety…these distract us from what God wants us to do. (1 PE. 3; 13-15)
The only way to shield ourselves from the deceiver is to have God inside of us…in our minds, hearts and souls…24/7. (Gen. 15:1, 2 Sam. 22:3, Ps. 94:1, Eph. 6:16)
How do we accomplish this? How do we shield ourselves from the deceiver?
All we have to do is ask (Mat. 7:7, James 1:16). Remember, God is omnipotent …He can be everywhere at the same time…satan is not omnipotent…satan has to depend on his demons’ (his little helpers, his fallen angel helpers) to try and have influence on us…sometimes, through either the thoughts he places in our minds, or the thoughts he places in other people who are subject to satan’s thoughts…to enter our lives and create the negativities that distract us. Bad associations spoil useful habits.
Being human and given the fact that the lower powers are much more clever than any human…it is easy to let our guard down and forget to ask God to be inside of our minds, hearts and souls. It is easy for us to drift away from God…when this happens we open all kinds of doors and windows for the lower powers to slither into our thought processes.
Given we humans are creatures of habit…a great way to guard against this is to develop the habit or discipline (the 7th fruitage of the Spirit) to have God inside of us constantly. (Galatians 5:22)
Studies have shown that it takes a person about 30 days to develop a new habit.
Once that habit or discipline is established, it requires little to maintain…it becomes part of our routine…like looking at the gas gauge or temperature gauge on the car…or paying bills at a certain time of the month…or what time to wake up for school or work…etc.
The Scriptures tell us that once God is inside of us we strip off the old personality and put on a new one. (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9).
Does this mean that we loose the unique attributes with which God endowed us as individuals? No.
What it does mean is that we become more of what God intends us to be. Our Spiritual gifts and temperaments are enhanced and our weaknesses are diminished…to the point that someone who might have previously been quick to anger…will be much less so because of their love for God and all humans…even their enemies. Someone who was timid and shy about ministry will be bolder for God. Someone who was once insensitive to others will become more compassionate and so on.
A great example is the Apostle Paul…a man who persecuted and murdered Christians…he became a faithful follower of Christ…a leader whose good points grew until they crowded out his shortcomings…at least as much as any human can.
As long as God is inside of your mind, heart and soul…there is no room for satan’s influence in your mind, heart and soul…His very Name Is a tower for our protection.(Proverbs 18:10).
God will not allow satan to occupy your thoughts as long as God is in your thoughts…in your mind, heart and soul.
How do we develop this habit…this discipline of having God inside of us 24/7?
One great idea is to have a “faith tool”. Remember it only takes about a month for us humans to develop a new habit…a discipline.
This faith tool can be anything as long as you can carry it around in one hand. It can be a coin or a piece of cloth or even a string tied around your finger…anything you choose.
The idea is that this object reminds you to think of having God inside of you. It is okay to set it down to shower, eat etc. The important thing is that you keep it close to you and never loose track of it.
*Note to our legalistic friends…this does not constitute idol worship. We are not bowing down to a string tied to our finger.
It is important that you not wear it around your neck or in your pocket…because the old adage “out of sight, out of mind,” is true.
Remember, this is a reminder to you that God is always wanting to be inside of you…and you need Him always…especially in difficult moments when the enemy is trying to influence you…either through direct implant of bad thoughts in our own minds, or through others…the enemy uses his ability to place thoughts in everyone’s minds to manipulate us… to cause us to feel confusion or fear or depression or anything else that does not come from God.
By having this faith tool always in reach and taking responsibility for its safety, you will develop a habit…a discipline…to think of God and have Him inside of you and turn to Him for His Answers, His Inspiration, His Will…to your dilemmas…from the simplest problems to the most complex.
And in these moments when you need His Answers…and turn to Him with a simple prayer such as; “Father, I’m missing something here…please inspire me through Jesus’ name and Jesus’ authority with the Holy Spirit inside my mind, heart and soul, ”…He will inspire you!!! He will rock your world!!!
Human analogy; your child just moved out of the house…away to college or where ever. Every parent loves to have the phone ring and hear their child’s voice…even if it is to ask for money…at least they are thinking about you.
Even better, your child calls and says; “I just wanted to call and thank you for giving me life…for everything you have done for me…I have a problem…I haven’t been able to find a solution…I’ve overlooked something…would you please give me your advice’?
What parent doesn’t melt when they hear those words?
God is the ultimate, loving parent…give it a try for 30 days…develop that habit of thinking about Him…acting in prayer rather than reacting in the way the enemy tries to manipulate you…that discipline of keeping Him inside of you always…and strap on your seat belt…the results will be amazing!!!
YAHWEH SMILES WHEN WE THNK OF HIM
Our True God smiles when we think of Him
Billions He counts, His children
The smallest sparrow He knows so well
The grandest canyons He carved to tell
The grandeur of His works in life
The largest things need not cause strife
For all our questions He gives to us
His Answers for us to choose to trust
For every question we give to Him
Instructions from Him will follow
Obey His will and His answers
Our lives will never be hollow
There is a calling for each of us
Daily chores to do
To make Him smile upon our life
For He is always true
In His image we were made
He’s the ultimate Father
He smiles when we think of Him
Why else would He bother
He created us with a will that’s free
Because He was lonely
He wants what any parent wants
Faithful children only
Even when we stray and falter
He loves us any way
But when we’re thinking of His Will
He smiles and blesses our day
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK SHELTON (DIAZ)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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GOD DOES NOT HAVE VOICE MAIL
(Please let me know who wrote this and if I have your permission to print it)
I HAVE CALLED UPON YOU, FOR YOU WILL HEAR ME, O GOD; INCLINE YOUR EAR TO ME, AND HEAR MY SPEECH."---PSALM 17:6
Now what if God changed like we do… and was too busy to hear our prayers? Thank goodness God said: "I AM THE LORD, I DO NOT CHANGE." (MAL 3:6)
So sit back and enjoy a look at what prayer might be like today if He did have voice mail!
We have all learned to live with "voice mail" as a necessary part of modern life. But, have you wondered, what if God decided to install voice mail?
Imagine praying and hearing this: Thank you for calling My Father's House.
Please select one of the following options: Press 1 for Requests Press 2 for Thanksgiving Press 3 for Complaints Press 4 for All Other Inquiries.
What if God used the familiar excuse..."I'm sorry, all of our angels are busy helping other sinners right now. However, your prayer is important to us and will be answered in the order it was received, so please stay on the line"
If you would like to speak to: Gabriel, Press 1, Michael Press 2. For a directory of other angels, Press 3.
If you'd like to hear King David sing a psalm while you are holding, please press 4.
To find out if a loved one has been assigned to Heaven, Press 5, enter his or her social security number, then press the pound key. (If you get a negative response, try
area code 666.) For reservations at "My Father's House" please enter J-O-H-N,
followed by 3-1-6.
What if you heard, “Our computers show that you have already prayed once today. Please hang up and try again tomorrow”. Or “This office is closed for the weekend to observe a religious
holiday. Please pray again Monday after 9:30 AM. If you need emergency assistance when this office is closed, contact your local Pastor”.
Thank GOD He doesn't have voice mail and He always listens when we pray!
THE BIGGEST LIE
(CONTRIBUTED BY WILLIAM MACDONALD)
It is safe to say that it is the biggest lie that ever entered the human mind.
What’s the biggest lie?
Most people in the world believe it. Name any country you want. The majority of people have swallowed it whole. These people are sincere. They bet their whole future on it.
They are convinced because it seems so reasonable…and they are hard to change, their mind is made up.
What is the lie? It is the falsehood that when you die, God weighs your good works and your bad works on a scale. If your good works out weigh your bad works you go to Heaven. If your bad works are heavier than your good works you go to hell.
That is absolutely false.
One of the most common versions of the lie is that salvation comes by keeping the Ten Commandments. So let us list those commands and see how we do.
1. “You must have no other God”. This means that God must come first in your life.
2. “You must not worship idols or even make them”.
3. “You must not take the name of the Lord in vein”. That is, in profanity.
4. “You are to set one day of the week apart for worship, service and rest”.
5. “You must honor your parents”.
6. “You must not commit murder either in thought or actual deed”.
7. “You must not commit sexual immorality, either in lust or in the act itself”.
8. “You must not steal”.
9. “You must not lie”.
10. “You must not covet”. Coveting takes place in the mind. The 10th Commandment calls for a clean thought life.
Now let me tell you what the Bible teaches about the Ten Commandments.
No one born of human parents has ever kept them. No one can keep them perfectly. The old Mosaic Covenant required complete, not partial obedience. To break one Commandment is to break all ten.
God never intended the Mosaic Law to be a ladder to Heaven. The purpose of the Law is to show us that we are all sinners. By the Law is the knowledge of sin. The consistent testimony of the Bible is that we are all sinners.
“All have sinned and have come up short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “There is not a just man who does good who does not sin” (Ec.7:20). “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. There is none who does good. No, not one.” (Romans 3:11-12).
Under the old Mosaic Law because we are sinners we are unfit for heaven. God is Holy and cannot look upon sin with any degree of approval or tolerance. Sin must be punished and the penalty for sin is death. That is, eternal separation from God. Before anyone can be sure of Heaven, his sins must be forgiven.
So far we have seen the Ten Commandments are not the passport to Heaven. They expose us as guilty and unfit to go there.
Now before we get to God’s answer to man’s dilemma, let us list some other versions of the biggest lie:
Just obey the Golden Rule. “Just as you would men do unto you, do also unto them” (Luke 6:31).
Just be confirmed. Or, just be baptized. Just join a church. Just take Holy Communion. Just do penance for your sins. Just depend on prayers, tithing and fasting. Just give to charity. Just turn over a new leaf. Just do the best you can.
All variations of the lie have this in common: You earn or merit salvation by doing good works, or by living a clean life.
Doesn’t this seem reasonable?
It may seem reasonable but it is utterly false. The Bible tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25).
So if you don’t get to Heaven doing good works, how do you get there? How can you be sure of going to Heaven when you die? Let me explain: God sent His Son to earth to die as a substitute for sinners. He instituted a New Covenant with mankind…our final and only chance.
On the cross at Calvary He shed His blood to pay for man’s sins. He died for the ungodly so that they may spend eternity with Him in Heaven. When you repent of your sins and believe on Christ as you Holy Savior, God saves you. Your sins are all forgiven. You receive eternal life. The moment you trust Jesus Christ as your only hope for Heaven, you are saved as much as God can make you.
What do we mean by repent? It means to acknowledge to God that you are a guilty sinner and that you don’t deserve to be saved...but you do deserve to go to hell (Acts 17:30). You cannot be saved until you know first you are lost.
The next word is believe. There is something very clear in the Bible and that is salvation is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to these verses:
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). There is enough in that one verse for a person to be saved for all eternity.
“He who believes in the son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
This tells us that there are only two possibilities…you either believe, or you don’t. You are either saved, or you are lost. “He who believes in me has everlasting life”, Jesus said. (John 6:47). It is so simple. Has everlasting life…has it now! You don’t have to wait until you die.
“He who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12).
Salvation is in a person and His name is Jesus. If you have Him, you are as saved as God can make you.
There is one other passage of Scripture that summarizes all that we have said: It is Ephesians 2:8-10. “But by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Now let us examine the passage, step by step: “For by Grace”. This means that we don’t deserve to be saved, salvation is completely unmerited. “For by Grace you have been saved”. Clearly it is possible for you to know that you are saved.
The Ephesians to whom Paul wrote surely knew. He says “You have been saved” through faith. Faith is believing. Saving faith is believing Christ. And not that of yourselves. We cannot save ourselves or contribute to our own salvation. It is the Gift of God.
Salvation is a gift we receive when we believe. Not of works. We cannot do ant meritorious works to save ourselves. Lest any man should boast. There is no room for boasting in God’s plan of salvation.
We do all the sinning, Christ does all the saving.
For we are His workmanship. Every believer is a new creation. In union with Christ Jesus that means in union with Him. For good works…and this is important…good works are not the means of salvation, good works are the result of salvation. Good works are not the root, they are the fruit.
We are not saved by good works; we are saved unto good works.
“God prepared before that we should walk in them”. God has a blueprint for every life. Our responsibility is to discover and do it.
How does a person know when he is saved? He knows it first and foremost by the Word of God. If he repents and believes, the Word of God says He will save that person. God cannot lie.
As time goes by, the believer knows by changes in his life. He has the desire to obey the Lord. He has a desire to do good works. He has a new love of holiness. He has a new hatred of sin. He loves the word of God. He has a love for prayer. He desires to share the good news with others. He loves his fellow man.
You ought to trust Christ. A life of fulfillment depends on it. You ought to trust Christ; an eternity of blessing is at stake. You ought to trust Christ now. Life is uncertain. You are not promised tomorrow. You ought to trust Christ now this is the day of salvation.
To not trust the Savior is tantamount to saying to Him, “You haven’t done anything for me that makes it appropriate for me to make You my Lord and Savior”.
To refuse God’s invitation is to call Him a liar. “He who does not believe God has made Him a liar because he does not believe the testimony that God has given of His Son” (1 John 5:10).
It is a decision between life and death. Choose life, won’t you?
For more information regarding William MacDonald’s work, go to goodnewsnow.info
MANKIND'S HISTORY WITH GOD…GOD'S ULTIMATE PATIENCE
The word trinity is not found anywhere in the Bible but the word Godhead is. There has been much confusion in Christian literature regarding the understanding of God’s omnipresence and omnipotence. Please do not be confused. Satan is the god of confusion.
Anyone with a good concordance and a Bible can do the research for themselves. I am just a reporter…I report on what is clearly in the Bible with the expectation that the serious student will not rely on my interpretation or any man’s interpretation of God’s Word.
Please say a prayer and ask for God’s guidance and inspiration…His Will as you read this work.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6).
The above words are not my words…they are God’s words that Jesus is clearly God, (Everlasting Father) and Wonderful Counselor (the Holy Spirit) and the Prince of Peace (Christ).
Mankind was never intended to be self-governed. God has allowed all human principalities and governments to exist for the express purpose of giving us enough time and history to prove we will ultimately fail at self-governance (Colossians 2:15, Ephesians 6:12).
Under the old Mosaic Covenant the Israelites were God’s chosen people. They, like their ancestors, Adam and Eve, were rebellious against God. They refused to be ruled by God…His Theocracy…and demanded to be ruled by human Kings. Imagine…they were so rebellious they made demands of God! Not unlike a child having a fit, stomping their feet and threatening to hold their breath until they turn blue in the face!
In His wisdom of letting us prove this to ourselves, through time and history (experience) He appointed the first King, Saul (1 Samuel 10:19). God, once again, (Noah’s day, Sodom and Gomorra, the tower of Babel etc.) made a point that people will ultimately realize that only God is qualified to rule over mankind.
Of course, over many generations of rulership by man…the Israelites failed miserably to obey God’s laws. This is precisely why He made provisions for mankind to have one last Covenant with Him. He came to earth in human form and offered Himself as a blood sacrifice to prove a perfect man, Jesus, (God Himself) could resist the temptations of the enemy…just as Eve and Adam had a chance in the very beginning.
God is the ultimate parent who is trying to tell us…”Come on kids! Do I have to do everything myself…even suffer an unimaginable, torturous human death for you?!” This, of course, is a rhetorical question because we humans have been so rebellious and ungrateful to God throughout history that He did, indeed, suffer this in order that we may learn from Eve’s and Adam’s mistakes as well as our own…and have a chance of salvation and eternal life because of His grace and mercy.
The old Mosaic Law was done away with by God and now, under the New Covenant, all humans have the opportunity of salvation through Christ Jesus (God in the flesh).
What does this all have to do with the trinity doctrine? Please read on.
God’s plan, from the beginning has been theocracy, not democracy or any other form of human government.
What amazes me and often gets me to scratching my head, in wonderment, is how many humans have made something as simple as God’s ability to be in any form He wants (except evil, Titus 1:2), at any time He wants.
God is omnipotent and omnipresent. He can be anywhere and every where….any thing and every thing…whenever He chooses…He’s God.
If He chooses to appear as a dove on earth and have His voice come from heaven and appear as Jesus on earth…all at the same time…He can do so…and has done so…(Mat. 3:16)..He’s God!
He is God! He can do anything but lie (Titus 1:2)
One of our favorite Scriptures in this regard is John 14:8-9: Philip was talking to Jesus and said “Lord, show us the Father (Jehovah)…” Jesus simply answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you such a long time”?
How much simpler could it be? In other words, Jesus said…”You are looking at Jehovah, (in fleshly form) Timothy!” Of course He had to take a fleshly form for us to see Him. In His Spiritual state He is too brilliant for us to see Him and live. Saul of Tarsus, who later became the Apostle Paul, just got a glimpse of God (Christ as a Spirit) and was blinded until God saw fit for him to see again (Acts 22:6).
It perplexes me why so many Theologians are perplexed and make the simple truth of God’s omnipotence and omnipresence complicated…as if it was some kind of unsolved mystery. It was indeed known as the Sacred Mystery or Sacred Secret until one point in history (Mark 4:11, Mt. 13:11, Lk. 8:10, 1 Cor. 4:1, Rom. 16:25, Eph. 1:9, Eph. 3:3, Eph.3:4, Eph. 6:19, Col. 2:2, Col. 4:3, Rev. 10:7, ) but was clearly solved when Christ (God in the flesh) came to earth to do away with the old Mosaic Covenant and begin the New Covenant of God’s salvation (opportunity) of everlasting life through Christ.
Christ often gave parables, examples, to make a simple point, so that we humans could understand the wondrous workings of God. One example of how we were created in God’s image is our ability to multi-task…To do more than one thing at the same time. Of course, being God, He is the ultimate multi-tasker because He can do several things at the same time and being omnipresent He can do them anywhere and everywhere He chooses...all at the same time.
So, in human terms, imagine a man who owns and operates a small business. Let’s say he is a home builder…a property developer.
Sometimes the man is a carpenter. At times he is a book keeper. At other times he is a Realtor. On the job site he is the crew chief. At a real estate closing he has to think like a lawyer…during acquisition of the property he has to think like a banker, a builder, a buyer and a seller. Our man of example is sometimes an inspector, an appraiser, a surveyor. He is a marketer of the property, a public relations specialist and, indeed, wears several different hats in order to successfully execute the purpose of his profession.
Again, the difference between him, being human, and God being God…is that only God can operate on His scale and be both omnipresent and omnipotent in the process.
It perplexes me that some people believe that God cannot be God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit…in heaven and on earth…all at the same time. So we have given Scriptural references below with a brief synopsis of each example that proves, all throughout the Bible, that they are, indeed interchangeable…and therefore the same God (Jehovah). “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…” (Colossians 2:9).
After all, even satan himself knows there is only one God: James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder”.
Also God Himself knows no other Gods. Certainly He knows Jesus and the Holy Spirit…but He does not know them as separate Gods but as interchangeable offices (Him wearing several different hats) in order to demonstrate His omnipresence and omnipotence to mankind: (Isaiah 44:8) “Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Zechariah 14:9: The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name (Jehovah) the only name”. The names ‘Jesus’ and ‘Holy Spirit’ were given so we humans could distinguish God’s various roles in our lives. The sacred mystery was solved over 2,000 years ago during Christ’s time on earth.
There are many Scriptures that use the word one to refer to the Godhead:
Isaiah 43:3; “For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Malachi 2:10: “Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us?
Mathew 23:9-10; “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher’, for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
Mark 12:29, 32; ‘...Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one…Well said, teacher…You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.’
John 8:41 “…The only Father we have is God himself.”
John 10:30 “…I and the Father are one” (Jesus speaking).
Romans 3:30 “…there is only one God…”
1 Corinthians 8:4 “…we know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one….there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came…”
Galatians 3:20 “A mediator, however, does not represent just one party: but God is one”.
Ephesians 4:6 “…one God and Father of all, who is over all and in all.”
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…”
James 2:19 “You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder”.
Colossians 2:9 “For in the Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form…”
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He (God) bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28-29).
The reason this point is so important is that the Church…the body of Christ…His Bride…has been corrupted through bad teaching and false teaching, just as the Apostle Paul warned. This has happened so that the enemy can effectively diminish God’s dealings in our lives by limiting the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives…by our own lack of studying His Word…gaining an understanding of His Will. “Now this is eternal life: That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (Romans 17:3). It is our individual responsibility to gain understanding through study and prayer.
If we do not believe in the full Gospel of gifts and miracles…we effectively hobble God in our lives and that is exactly what the enemy wants…to mislead us.
“Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:30).
This was a mighty important thing for Paul to say. He chose it as a reminder…the last thing he was to say to the brothers in Ephesus because they all knew they would never see Paul’s face again. He was headed for Jerusalem where he would be arrested and sent to a Roman prison.
“They all wept as they embraced and kissed him. What grieved them the most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship (Acts 20:37-38).
There will be more written in later chapters regarding the Holy Spirit and God’s gifts and miracles on earth today.
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK SHELTON (DIAZ)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
DREAMS COME TO PASS
I want you to feel safe with me
To know I really care
Find retreat in my heart
To know I’m always there
You came along in your gentle way
And found the sacred key
Hidden deep and safe and sound
Inside this soul that’s free
So fast our time has found a mark
So quickly feelings grew
So sudden has the door unlocked
So much I want for you
I’m just the simple Lamb of God
Not yet rich with fame
My time will come I am told
The world will know my name
But now my world is small and slow
I take it day to day
A special dream that we could be
Close in every way
My dreams have always come to pass
If solid was my faith
Each one grew and molded slow
In time for me to taste
I want us, beloved one
To share our very best
Deep eyes that gaze and pierce our souls
Your heart has passed the test
Gentle winds blow and warm my soul
That has laid in rest
Waiting for my beloved one
To clear your darkened mist
I want you beloved one
And wonder if it’s true
If dreams are cast from shadows
If One can come from two
Only God knows when cold winds blow
If hearts can warm the breeze
But passion added to my life
Fills the empty trees
And brings to life a brand new spring
And time for more to be
It brings to life inspired times
The times you come to me
I wonder if my little flock
Will to their Shepherd come
If God they see in my eyes
His only begotten Son
For I am God and He is me
The Holy Spirit too
The sacred secret of My life
God shed His blood for you
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He (God) bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28-29).
I wrote this poem contemplating what it might have been for Jesus as a human child
knowing what His destiny would be. It is a love poem from Him to the faithful
thousands of years in advance.
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK SHELTON
(DIAZ) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
“I hate God”
We hear this so much in our Ministry. We hear it because the people who say it do not know God. “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” What is the cure for lack of knowledge (ignorance)? Of course the cure for lack of knowledge is accurate knowledge…it means everlasting life (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1st. Thes. 2:13 ).
We hear “I hate God” because these folks have been injured…stumbled…by bad religious teaching (Mat. 7:21-23, 2 Peter 3:9, Mat. 7:16-17 ). They have been taught that God is a bloody, punishing God without realizing (or being taught) that the Old Covenant has been done away with and we are living under the New Covenant…the time of God’s Grace, redemption and salvation. This is the entire purpose of Christ’s first appearance here on earth and the entire purpose we are preparing for His return.
From Genesis on…the purpose for this exercise is repeated throughout the Scriptures…the message is simple and elegant and repeated dozens of different ways…by many inspired writers. Like a fine meal the ingredients are the same but the presentation varies. The analogy is that pasta is still pasta…it is the same basic ingredients…formed into different shapes, textures and sizes. The same noodles form an infinite variety of delicious meals…but pasta is still pasta…God’s word, God’s Will, God’s message for us today is the same as it was from the beginning…”I AM.”
We hear so much about salvation…but why salvation? Why is salvation necessary?
After all, if God is the Creator He can do anything. If He truly is the God of love why does He allow so much evil in the world? Why is there so much suffering?
He created all of this and pronounced it good…How can that be? Many people argue that It is not good…they point, as evidence, that we humans perpetuate so much evil upon one another.
These are all legitimate questions….they are questions from people hungry for the truth…”keep asking and it will be given to you” (Mat.7:7). We are encouraged to ask questions, seek answers in the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) and to do so with the humility of little children (Mat.18:2-4). “Keep on seeking and it will be given to you” (Prov. 2:1-5).
We hear these questions often in our Ministry. Sometimes they are spoken in bitter, angry tones by men, and women, who have been Spiritually broken since childhood. A common denominator of people (souls) in jails, prisons, homeless shelters and Rescue Missions…as well as people on the other end of the spectrum of humanity…those with ‘privileged’ lives… is that they were born into brutal Spiritual circumstances.
It is easy to understand why these souls who were broken from childhood would ask such questions…and even those born into a good life wonder the same questions. The answer, of course, is that satan is currently the god of this world. But why is he currently the god of this world? How can the One True God allow this? And more importantly why does He allow this?
“Where was your loving God when my old man would come home and beat both me and my mom?!!” “Where was your God when I was sitting in my Uncle’s lap and then he blew his brains out…I can still smell the gun powder and that was 50 years ago!!!”
“What about rape and war? Crooked politicians, corrupt religious leaders?”
The stories and questions are as endless and varied as the people (souls) who tell them.
God sent me here to the Great Falls Rescue Mission to do 2 things: #1. Truly learn how to love all mankind . (John 13:35, Colossians 3:14, 1st John 3:10-12, 4:20-21, Heb. 10:24-25). #2. Write about it…and His Will regarding what I see and what He tells me. He is the Author…I am just one of many writers. “When under trial, let no one say; ‘I am being tried by God’. For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does He Himself try anyone.” (James 1:13).
In my own prideful, human way, I had already learned to love and trust God without question… or so I thought…I came here kicking and screaming…I had other plans…God had His plans…He won…He allowed satan to interfere with my plans so God could use me for His plans and He was right…no surprise there.
I soon learned that for my own walk with God to be more complete I would have to see humanity with His eyes, hear with His ears and feel with His heart. I was compelled to see the worst of the worst of humanity. I was forced to see satan’s influence (as the temporary god of this system of things currently on earth) in order to be able to love everyone.
We are admonished to do this even when our human eyes see things and our human ears hear things that we personally find despicable.
No man is the Judge of any other man…that is God’s job and His job alone…He will define the final outcome of each soul…in each circumstance…according to His Will…in His time…and ONLY when He is ready . For any human individual or human institution to place itself between another soul and God is idolatry…plain and simple. Christ is the only mediator between God and man and for any human to usurp that role is the exact prideful mistake satan made.
To die in Christ and to be reborn means just that…to let our own will die and replace it with God’s Will. Every time…in every case…as much as humanly possible…without reservation or question (or looking for loop holes) in regards to God’s plan…His wisdom…His Will…His Authority and in His time…This is the very essence of what being obedient to God means and it was the very issue in the Garden of Eden..
None of this is to my glory or any human’s glory that He is willing to reveal these things to anyone and everyone who is willing to learn and then live in His Will...in other words…be OBEDIENT to Him...after all…He is a fair and just and benevolent God. Loving Him is easy once we get to know Him. It is the obedience part humans have failed miserably at.
His job is waaaaaaay above my pay grade, waaaaaaay above your pay grade and waaaaaaay above any other human’s pay grade.
In order to be obedient to God we must first understand His Will…what He expects, indeed DEMANDS, from us. In other words…respect God’s authority and do not try to usurp it…Father God is Father God…He is the only One qualified for His position. . There will be more on that later.
The original sin was when satan thought he could be as great as God and usurp God’s authority…silly little serpent…what a looser!!! (Gen. 2:17, 3:1-6)
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The reader can relax and enjoy the Good News of The Kingdom (The Gospel Message) at this point. God is not expecting blood from anyone or for anyone to be nailed to a cross, stake or tree…Christ has been there and done that already. Are there instances when Christians have been murdered and will be murdered for the sake of God’s Name? Yes! Many such instances…but God didn’t call for the murders…satan does…
We were created in God’s Image…and even we puny little humans…in our imperfect state…can be Christ-like…just ask the original disciples.
If we can see God’s work in the so called scourge of the earth…in those we find despicable…then we can forgive anyone and everyone…even our enemies. After all, Christ did…”Forgive them father for they know not what they do”.
I am often asked if God is so loving then why doesn’t He just get rid of satan now? Why does He allow so much suffering? How can God just stand by and allow babies (or anyone for that matter) to die.
“Wars occur Mark”!!! “There is starvation and disease”!!!
“Why not let those things spoken of in Revelation 21: happen NOW”?!!
The answer is simple…but one must understand both the reasons for free will and faith…and how they are tied in to God’s Will…obedience to His Authority.
Faith can only come through seeing God at work…by witnessing what many believe to be supernatural occurrences. To us, His miracles are supernatural…to Him it is all in a day’s work. Many miracles are profound and obvious…others are, as Joyce Meyers would say, ‘every day miracles’…but miracles none-the-less.
Personal faith can come only by walking through the trials in life and witnessing and recognizing, first hand, God at work…His handiwork…His miracles. Christ chastised the original disciples when they asked Him to give them more faith. He chastised them because if God gave us faith it would negate free will…and without free will we would just be a bunch of robots…this would not be fulfilling to God or us.
Again the detractors yell: “But why do we need faith?!” He is God!!” He could do it NOW if He wanted to….and if He truly is the God of love then what is taking Him so long?”
To begin to understand the answers, we have to begin to understand God…and even though we are significantly limited intellectually compared to Him we can understand the simplicity and elegance of His Word and His Will.
For example: How fulfilling is it for a human to have what we call ‘fair weather friends’? We’ve all been there. There are lots of people who are there for us when times are easy but let life (satan) throw you a storm and suddenly your so called friends disappear when the going gets tough.
Our true friends are there no matter what. They love us through thick and thin. They are faithful no matter what we have or don’t have…whether we are strong and happy or in the depths of depression and full of tears aching for release.
It is those true friends whom we cherish. Time has tested their loyalty and love. They are the ones who inspire trust because we are able to forecast their behavior. God wants true friends…true believers.
There are two key points to this analogy in relating this to God. One is time, the other is free will…choices.
God measures time in terms of eternity. We humans measure time in terms of decades and centuries and even smaller increments. To us, ten years or a hundred years is a very long time. To God…balanced against eternity…our time as humans isn’t even a nano second…and since He intended for humans from the time of Adam and Eve to live forever…“The righteous themselves will posses the earth, and they will reside forever upon it”… (Psalm 37:29, Rev. 21:3-4) .He gauges our existence in terms of eternity.
Love and trust and devotion require time to be tested and true…God’s time.
God allows satan to be the god of this system…this world…for a relatively short time (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, 2nd. Corinthians 4:3-4, 1st John 5:19)…God’s time. So far it has been a few thousand years…to us it seems as if it has been forever…to God it has been miniscule…and someday, when we humans are on His clock and with His perspective of time…when we live forever as souls with God…our scale of time will be more like His. There will be more on that later.
Returning to the other key component; free will...We all know how fulfilling a tried and true friend can be. They are someone who loves us unconditionally…the Bible calls this Agape love in the Greek language. Those faithful friends are always there…even when there is nothing in it for them…that is why God judges our hearts…not our works…or even our faith alone…but when both works and faith are combined it is a demonstration of where our hearts are…this requires our hearts, minds and souls to all be working in unison…this demonstrates faith…unquestioning obedience to God…bowing to Him and His Authority. In other words, being obedient to Him.
For us to love and be loved, unconditionally, requires free will. We were not pre-programmed to have unconditional love for God or our neighbor…we are expected to have it out of choice…free will...if we are to please God. After all…That is what Christ did for us…and in order to obey God and recognize His Authority…we MUST reciprocate. This is only fair and just.
How precious and valuable unconditional love through free will makes love and companionship!!! How greatly that grows the bond of trust!!!
God’s attributes are our attributes perfected.
We were created in His image. God is no different except He operates on a much grander scale…and, of course; He is both omnipotent and omnipresent.
If He didn’t create us with free will we could never love Him with the love He and we cherish most…that unconditional love known as Agape love.
By definition, unconditional love (God’s Agape love) must be demonstrated over time…the more time the better for it to season. Otherwise there would be no history…no experience from which to draw.
Brothers in arms form stronger bonds with each battle. The strongest marriages are formed over decades of both good times and bad times. The strongest friendships and love and trust in any relationship weathers the test of time…the more time the better. The stronger the bond of experience the stronger and truer the bond of love.
Without both the components of free will and unconditional love there can be no fulfillment for either party in a relationship.
Without those two components, a relationship is merely a ‘hollow obligation’. Ask anyone who has been in a ‘loveless marriage’ or in a ‘one way’ relationship of any kind.
God created us with free will so our faith and the demonstration of our faith through works (our service to Him, our love for Him and obedience to Him) would be fulfilling to both ourselves and to God our Creator.
Keeping these two elements in mind we will learn to discover how, from the beginning, in Genesis, free will and love for God (obedience) played such an important role in what has been going on and is going on and, indeed, will go on into eternity. It has to do with God’s Authority and how, because the original sin was when satan tried to usurp God’s authority and be as great as God, this began the establishment of the very first legal precedence…one that will balance mankind’s free will and God’s authority, in mankind’s individual minds and actions, forever.
FAITH
Faith is not a place to go
It’s a place to be
A peaceful feeling from within
God’s Will lets you see
In the very darkest times
When faith is all you have
Faith will carry you along
Turn tears into a laugh
Allow you to affect this world
Overwhelm it if you must
Overtaking obstacles
Turning them to dust
An inner strength you carry
A wisdom that you learn
Give time and faith the power
Adversities will turn
If your thoughts are noble
And righteous steps you take
God’s Power comes in purest form
When everything’s at stake
The faith you carry in troubled times
Shows who you are
True colors shine with troubles near
God’s Faith your guiding star
A pure heart cannot be destroyed
Honest men don’t cringe
Boldly give your very best
On that futures hinge
Life is not a mystery
Problems all are solved
If your faith is strong enough
Adversities dissolve
Blessings always follow faith
God is your dearest friend
Truth always finds its mark
Beneficial in the end
I’m a man who’s seen it work
Tasted all of life
Known the very best of it
Anguished in its strife
The only times life conquered me
Were when my faith was weak
I chose to loose the awesome strength
Faith brings when faith I seek
The best of times were the ones
When faith its fruit did bear
Abandoned not in my heart
God’s miracles were there
COPYRIGHT 1989 MARK DIAZ (SHELTON)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This is partial advance copy of an inspirational Christian book. I am asking for your comments and criticisms. It is a first draft, not necessarily in order and incomplete, but the time has come for me to start sharing it with those whom I respect for your consideration. God’s love and mine…mark.
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK DIAZ (SHELTON)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FORWARD
The purpose of this book is three fold. First it is to let the world know that The Holy Spirit is alive and well and performing miracles all around us.
Secondly, the purpose of this book is to bolster the inspiration of all my Christian family. From baby Christians to mature, full blown Spiritual Warriors.
Thirdly it is to provide seed capital for Church Planting. All net proceeds will be used to advance The Great Commission.
The people I wish to thank for making this book possible are: Our Father God…who dragged me kicking and screaming to the places I’ve been…the things I have seen…the faith in me it has built…the Love for Him and Humanity that has resulted. He is the Author. I am just a reporter and a witness to the One who makes everything possible.
He doesn’t need me or anyone else to operate the universe. He doesn’t need my money, He doesn’t need my works, He doesn’t need my faith in Him. As far as I can tell, He doesn’t need me at all.
After thorough research it is obvious that the only reason He keeps us humans around is because, like us who are built in His Image, He really, really enjoys being loved.
And He proves it by loving us first.
All we humans have to do to gain blessings in this life and into eternity is to love Him and all humanity. If we truly do this in our minds, hearts and souls, everything else follows. The first step to that is understanding Who Christ is and why He gave His life for us, then accepting Him for those reasons.
The “loving God” part is easy once you know Him…The “loving all humans” is the hard part for most of us…there are lots of humans I have a hard time loving…but I’m working on it and He knows it and He loves me anyway…go figure.
As you read this book, please, please, please spend time with our Father in prayer and study of His Word. Those two things are the only things we can do to get to know Him.
Christianity and salvation and blessings are here and they are now…and they are into eternity…Christianity requires a personal relationship with Him. It is the difference between knowing of Him… (He is quite famous)…and actually knowing Him. Knowing His personality, His likes and dislikes…His sense of humor, what makes Him smile and laugh, what makes Him grouchy, what makes Him cry. Personally I prefer to make Him smile and laugh rather than make Him grouchy or cry.
BLANK PAGE FOR OTHER THANKS TO THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HELPED IN THIS WORK. I WILL FILL THIS IN LATER PLEASE PROCEED CONTINUE TO SCROLL
TALKING TO GOD CHAPTER ONE
In feeble human words I am going to attempt to describe what talking to God is like for me, personally.
I have never heard God’s voice audibly. I have heard of people who say they have heard Him speak to them vocally…but I haven’t heard Him audibly…I don’t have to.
It is very simple. I know my own voice…my own thoughts. I also know God’s Will…His voice through what people call a conscience. That little voice in our head that tells us when we are doing something that is not right…………………………………………………………………...
Every child is born with a conscience. Even the naughty little boy who is caught stealing from the cookie jar knows he is guilty…that is why he will lie about it…to try and stay out of trouble…he has “consciousness of guilt”. God gave that to us as part of our design.
So when I say “God told me”…I am saying that I spend a lot of time with Him and I know when I am hearing His thoughts for me. The confirmation comes when I feel the Holy Spirit at the same time…and in those times there is only pure, basic truth…no confusion. If there is any kind of confusion I know it is the enemy trying to sneak in…so I simply say my prayers, giving myself over to the Holy Spirit, knowing that where God dwells, the enemy cannot dwell.
The enemy is allergic to God. There are times…and this is important…that even in prayer, the enemy can sneak in if we allow our own, selfish human agenda to be present…and it happens with everyone…God knows that and has made provisions for every individual circumstance. It is all part of free will…our individual free will…and His Judgment of our individual heart condition. God knows us as individuals…as a Parent…He is Just and Loving…more so than we humans can imagine.
He has dreams for us as individuals and as couples and as communities.
He doesn’t force anyone to be happy.
He gives us both earthly blessings (gifts) and Spiritual blessings (gifts) and it is up to us, as individuals, to accept His gifts…or not…if we turn down a gift…such as a precious marriage (an earthly gift)…He doesn’t condemn us for that. Salvation is a completely separate thing.
If He trusts us with something as precious as a match made by Him and we reject it…it just means we miss out on the icing on the cake…the blessings here and now in these mortal human coils earthly blessings (gifts).
Even if we give up a Spiritual gift, such as the cumulative Spiritual gifts required to fulfill a ministry…He still loves us…because Salvation, by and through Him is a separate subject.
His blessings occur now…and into eternity. As humans He wants us to be prosperous in every way and in balance with His Will at the same time.
Satan can and does plant thoughts in our minds. One good example is when satan went to Eve and deceived her into believing she could be as great as God by rebelling against God and learning about evil (Genesis 3:4).
Cain was contemplating murdering his brother Able. God came to Cain and basically told him to not even think those thoughts and if Cain would turn himself around he would find exaltation…because where the mind wanders actions will follow. (Gen.4:6&7 – Php. 4:7)
There are only two powers…God and satan. If our thoughts are not from God…they are from satan. (Gen. 3:15)
God does not want us to be depressed or anxious or angry or anything that will steal our joy. (Heb. 12:1-7)
Some of satan’s most successful tools against us are fear and confusion… panic, depression and anxiety…these distract us from what God wants us to do. (1 PE. 3; 13-15)
The only way to shield ourselves from the deceiver is to have God inside of us…in our minds, hearts and souls…24/7. (Gen. 15:1, 2 Sam. 22:3, Ps. 94:1, Eph. 6:16)
How do we accomplish this? How do we shield ourselves from the deceiver?
All we have to do is ask (Mat. 7:7, James 1:16). Remember, God is omnipotent …He can be everywhere at the same time…satan is not omnipotent…satan has to depend on his demons’ (his little helpers, his fallen angel helpers) to try and have influence on us…sometimes, through either the thoughts he places in our minds, or the thoughts he places in other people who are subject to satan’s thoughts…to enter our lives and create the negativities that distract us. Bad associations spoil useful habits.
Being human and given the fact that the lower powers are much more clever than any human…it is easy to let our guard down and forget to ask God to be inside of our minds, hearts and souls. It is easy for us to drift away from God…when this happens we open all kinds of doors and windows for the lower powers to slither into our thought processes.
Given we humans are creatures of habit…a great way to guard against this is to develop the habit or discipline (the 7th fruitage of the Spirit) to have God inside of us constantly. (Galatians 5:22)
Studies have shown that it takes a person about 30 days to develop a new habit.
Once that habit or discipline is established, it requires little to maintain…it becomes part of our routine…like looking at the gas gauge or temperature gauge on the car…or paying bills at a certain time of the month…or what time to wake up for school or work…etc.
The Scriptures tell us that once God is inside of us we strip off the old personality and put on a new one. (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9).
Does this mean that we loose the unique attributes with which God endowed us as individuals? No.
What it does mean is that we become more of what God intends us to be. Our Spiritual gifts and temperaments are enhanced and our weaknesses are diminished…to the point that someone who might have previously been quick to anger…will be much less so because of their love for God and all humans…even their enemies. Someone who was timid and shy about ministry will be bolder for God. Someone who was once insensitive to others will become more compassionate and so on.
A great example is the Apostle Paul…a man who persecuted and murdered Christians…he became a faithful follower of Christ…a leader whose good points grew until they crowded out his shortcomings…at least as much as any human can.
As long as God is inside of your mind, heart and soul…there is no room for satan’s influence in your mind, heart and soul…His very Name Is a tower for our protection.(Proverbs 18:10).
God will not allow satan to occupy your thoughts as long as God is in your thoughts…in your mind, heart and soul.
How do we develop this habit…this discipline of having God inside of us 24/7?
One great idea is to have a “faith tool”. Remember it only takes about a month for us humans to develop a new habit…a discipline.
This faith tool can be anything as long as you can carry it around in one hand. It can be a coin or a piece of cloth or even a string tied around your finger…anything you choose.
The idea is that this object reminds you to think of having God inside of you. It is okay to set it down to shower, eat etc. The important thing is that you keep it close to you and never loose track of it.
*Note to our legalistic friends…this does not constitute idol worship. We are not bowing down to a string tied to our finger.
It is important that you not wear it around your neck or in your pocket…because the old adage “out of sight, out of mind,” is true.
Remember, this is a reminder to you that God is always wanting to be inside of you…and you need Him always…especially in difficult moments when the enemy is trying to influence you…either through direct implant of bad thoughts in our own minds, or through others…the enemy uses his ability to place thoughts in everyone’s minds to manipulate us… to cause us to feel confusion or fear or depression or anything else that does not come from God.
By having this faith tool always in reach and taking responsibility for its safety, you will develop a habit…a discipline…to think of God and have Him inside of you and turn to Him for His Answers, His Inspiration, His Will…to your dilemmas…from the simplest problems to the most complex.
And in these moments when you need His Answers…and turn to Him with a simple prayer such as; “Father, I’m missing something here…please inspire me through Jesus’ name and Jesus’ authority with the Holy Spirit inside my mind, heart and soul, ”…He will inspire you!!! He will rock your world!!!
Human analogy; your child just moved out of the house…away to college or where ever. Every parent loves to have the phone ring and hear their child’s voice…even if it is to ask for money…at least they are thinking about you.
Even better, your child calls and says; “I just wanted to call and thank you for giving me life…for everything you have done for me…I have a problem…I haven’t been able to find a solution…I’ve overlooked something…would you please give me your advice’?
What parent doesn’t melt when they hear those words?
God is the ultimate, loving parent…give it a try for 30 days…develop that habit of thinking about Him…acting in prayer rather than reacting in the way the enemy tries to manipulate you…that discipline of keeping Him inside of you always…and strap on your seat belt…the results will be amazing!!!
YAHWEH SMILES WHEN WE THNK OF HIM
Our True God smiles when we think of Him
Billions He counts, His children
The smallest sparrow He knows so well
The grandest canyons He carved to tell
The grandeur of His works in life
The largest things need not cause strife
For all our questions He gives to us
His Answers for us to choose to trust
For every question we give to Him
Instructions from Him will follow
Obey His will and His answers
Our lives will never be hollow
There is a calling for each of us
Daily chores to do
To make Him smile upon our life
For He is always true
In His image we were made
He’s the ultimate Father
He smiles when we think of Him
Why else would He bother
He created us with a will that’s free
Because He was lonely
He wants what any parent wants
Faithful children only
Even when we stray and falter
He loves us any way
But when we’re thinking of His Will
He smiles and blesses our day
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK SHELTON (DIAZ)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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GOD DOES NOT HAVE VOICE MAIL
(Please let me know who wrote this and if I have your permission to print it)
I HAVE CALLED UPON YOU, FOR YOU WILL HEAR ME, O GOD; INCLINE YOUR EAR TO ME, AND HEAR MY SPEECH."---PSALM 17:6
Now what if God changed like we do… and was too busy to hear our prayers? Thank goodness God said: "I AM THE LORD, I DO NOT CHANGE." (MAL 3:6)
So sit back and enjoy a look at what prayer might be like today if He did have voice mail!
We have all learned to live with "voice mail" as a necessary part of modern life. But, have you wondered, what if God decided to install voice mail?
Imagine praying and hearing this: Thank you for calling My Father's House.
Please select one of the following options: Press 1 for Requests Press 2 for Thanksgiving Press 3 for Complaints Press 4 for All Other Inquiries.
What if God used the familiar excuse..."I'm sorry, all of our angels are busy helping other sinners right now. However, your prayer is important to us and will be answered in the order it was received, so please stay on the line"
If you would like to speak to: Gabriel, Press 1, Michael Press 2. For a directory of other angels, Press 3.
If you'd like to hear King David sing a psalm while you are holding, please press 4.
To find out if a loved one has been assigned to Heaven, Press 5, enter his or her social security number, then press the pound key. (If you get a negative response, try
area code 666.) For reservations at "My Father's House" please enter J-O-H-N,
followed by 3-1-6.
What if you heard, “Our computers show that you have already prayed once today. Please hang up and try again tomorrow”. Or “This office is closed for the weekend to observe a religious
holiday. Please pray again Monday after 9:30 AM. If you need emergency assistance when this office is closed, contact your local Pastor”.
Thank GOD He doesn't have voice mail and He always listens when we pray!
THE BIGGEST LIE
(CONTRIBUTED BY WILLIAM MACDONALD)
It is safe to say that it is the biggest lie that ever entered the human mind.
What’s the biggest lie?
Most people in the world believe it. Name any country you want. The majority of people have swallowed it whole. These people are sincere. They bet their whole future on it.
They are convinced because it seems so reasonable…and they are hard to change, their mind is made up.
What is the lie? It is the falsehood that when you die, God weighs your good works and your bad works on a scale. If your good works out weigh your bad works you go to Heaven. If your bad works are heavier than your good works you go to hell.
That is absolutely false.
One of the most common versions of the lie is that salvation comes by keeping the Ten Commandments. So let us list those commands and see how we do.
1. “You must have no other God”. This means that God must come first in your life.
2. “You must not worship idols or even make them”.
3. “You must not take the name of the Lord in vein”. That is, in profanity.
4. “You are to set one day of the week apart for worship, service and rest”.
5. “You must honor your parents”.
6. “You must not commit murder either in thought or actual deed”.
7. “You must not commit sexual immorality, either in lust or in the act itself”.
8. “You must not steal”.
9. “You must not lie”.
10. “You must not covet”. Coveting takes place in the mind. The 10th Commandment calls for a clean thought life.
Now let me tell you what the Bible teaches about the Ten Commandments.
No one born of human parents has ever kept them. No one can keep them perfectly. The old Mosaic Covenant required complete, not partial obedience. To break one Commandment is to break all ten.
God never intended the Mosaic Law to be a ladder to Heaven. The purpose of the Law is to show us that we are all sinners. By the Law is the knowledge of sin. The consistent testimony of the Bible is that we are all sinners.
“All have sinned and have come up short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “There is not a just man who does good who does not sin” (Ec.7:20). “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. There is none who does good. No, not one.” (Romans 3:11-12).
Under the old Mosaic Law because we are sinners we are unfit for heaven. God is Holy and cannot look upon sin with any degree of approval or tolerance. Sin must be punished and the penalty for sin is death. That is, eternal separation from God. Before anyone can be sure of Heaven, his sins must be forgiven.
So far we have seen the Ten Commandments are not the passport to Heaven. They expose us as guilty and unfit to go there.
Now before we get to God’s answer to man’s dilemma, let us list some other versions of the biggest lie:
Just obey the Golden Rule. “Just as you would men do unto you, do also unto them” (Luke 6:31).
Just be confirmed. Or, just be baptized. Just join a church. Just take Holy Communion. Just do penance for your sins. Just depend on prayers, tithing and fasting. Just give to charity. Just turn over a new leaf. Just do the best you can.
All variations of the lie have this in common: You earn or merit salvation by doing good works, or by living a clean life.
Doesn’t this seem reasonable?
It may seem reasonable but it is utterly false. The Bible tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25).
So if you don’t get to Heaven doing good works, how do you get there? How can you be sure of going to Heaven when you die? Let me explain: God sent His Son to earth to die as a substitute for sinners. He instituted a New Covenant with mankind…our final and only chance.
On the cross at Calvary He shed His blood to pay for man’s sins. He died for the ungodly so that they may spend eternity with Him in Heaven. When you repent of your sins and believe on Christ as you Holy Savior, God saves you. Your sins are all forgiven. You receive eternal life. The moment you trust Jesus Christ as your only hope for Heaven, you are saved as much as God can make you.
What do we mean by repent? It means to acknowledge to God that you are a guilty sinner and that you don’t deserve to be saved...but you do deserve to go to hell (Acts 17:30). You cannot be saved until you know first you are lost.
The next word is believe. There is something very clear in the Bible and that is salvation is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to these verses:
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). There is enough in that one verse for a person to be saved for all eternity.
“He who believes in the son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
This tells us that there are only two possibilities…you either believe, or you don’t. You are either saved, or you are lost. “He who believes in me has everlasting life”, Jesus said. (John 6:47). It is so simple. Has everlasting life…has it now! You don’t have to wait until you die.
“He who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12).
Salvation is in a person and His name is Jesus. If you have Him, you are as saved as God can make you.
There is one other passage of Scripture that summarizes all that we have said: It is Ephesians 2:8-10. “But by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Now let us examine the passage, step by step: “For by Grace”. This means that we don’t deserve to be saved, salvation is completely unmerited. “For by Grace you have been saved”. Clearly it is possible for you to know that you are saved.
The Ephesians to whom Paul wrote surely knew. He says “You have been saved” through faith. Faith is believing. Saving faith is believing Christ. And not that of yourselves. We cannot save ourselves or contribute to our own salvation. It is the Gift of God.
Salvation is a gift we receive when we believe. Not of works. We cannot do ant meritorious works to save ourselves. Lest any man should boast. There is no room for boasting in God’s plan of salvation.
We do all the sinning, Christ does all the saving.
For we are His workmanship. Every believer is a new creation. In union with Christ Jesus that means in union with Him. For good works…and this is important…good works are not the means of salvation, good works are the result of salvation. Good works are not the root, they are the fruit.
We are not saved by good works; we are saved unto good works.
“God prepared before that we should walk in them”. God has a blueprint for every life. Our responsibility is to discover and do it.
How does a person know when he is saved? He knows it first and foremost by the Word of God. If he repents and believes, the Word of God says He will save that person. God cannot lie.
As time goes by, the believer knows by changes in his life. He has the desire to obey the Lord. He has a desire to do good works. He has a new love of holiness. He has a new hatred of sin. He loves the word of God. He has a love for prayer. He desires to share the good news with others. He loves his fellow man.
You ought to trust Christ. A life of fulfillment depends on it. You ought to trust Christ; an eternity of blessing is at stake. You ought to trust Christ now. Life is uncertain. You are not promised tomorrow. You ought to trust Christ now this is the day of salvation.
To not trust the Savior is tantamount to saying to Him, “You haven’t done anything for me that makes it appropriate for me to make You my Lord and Savior”.
To refuse God’s invitation is to call Him a liar. “He who does not believe God has made Him a liar because he does not believe the testimony that God has given of His Son” (1 John 5:10).
It is a decision between life and death. Choose life, won’t you?
For more information regarding William MacDonald’s work, go to goodnewsnow.info
MANKIND'S HISTORY WITH GOD…GOD'S ULTIMATE PATIENCE
The word trinity is not found anywhere in the Bible but the word Godhead is. There has been much confusion in Christian literature regarding the understanding of God’s omnipresence and omnipotence. Please do not be confused. Satan is the god of confusion.
Anyone with a good concordance and a Bible can do the research for themselves. I am just a reporter…I report on what is clearly in the Bible with the expectation that the serious student will not rely on my interpretation or any man’s interpretation of God’s Word.
Please say a prayer and ask for God’s guidance and inspiration…His Will as you read this work.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6).
The above words are not my words…they are God’s words that Jesus is clearly God, (Everlasting Father) and Wonderful Counselor (the Holy Spirit) and the Prince of Peace (Christ).
Mankind was never intended to be self-governed. God has allowed all human principalities and governments to exist for the express purpose of giving us enough time and history to prove we will ultimately fail at self-governance (Colossians 2:15, Ephesians 6:12).
Under the old Mosaic Covenant the Israelites were God’s chosen people. They, like their ancestors, Adam and Eve, were rebellious against God. They refused to be ruled by God…His Theocracy…and demanded to be ruled by human Kings. Imagine…they were so rebellious they made demands of God! Not unlike a child having a fit, stomping their feet and threatening to hold their breath until they turn blue in the face!
In His wisdom of letting us prove this to ourselves, through time and history (experience) He appointed the first King, Saul (1 Samuel 10:19). God, once again, (Noah’s day, Sodom and Gomorra, the tower of Babel etc.) made a point that people will ultimately realize that only God is qualified to rule over mankind.
Of course, over many generations of rulership by man…the Israelites failed miserably to obey God’s laws. This is precisely why He made provisions for mankind to have one last Covenant with Him. He came to earth in human form and offered Himself as a blood sacrifice to prove a perfect man, Jesus, (God Himself) could resist the temptations of the enemy…just as Eve and Adam had a chance in the very beginning.
God is the ultimate parent who is trying to tell us…”Come on kids! Do I have to do everything myself…even suffer an unimaginable, torturous human death for you?!” This, of course, is a rhetorical question because we humans have been so rebellious and ungrateful to God throughout history that He did, indeed, suffer this in order that we may learn from Eve’s and Adam’s mistakes as well as our own…and have a chance of salvation and eternal life because of His grace and mercy.
The old Mosaic Law was done away with by God and now, under the New Covenant, all humans have the opportunity of salvation through Christ Jesus (God in the flesh).
What does this all have to do with the trinity doctrine? Please read on.
God’s plan, from the beginning has been theocracy, not democracy or any other form of human government.
What amazes me and often gets me to scratching my head, in wonderment, is how many humans have made something as simple as God’s ability to be in any form He wants (except evil, Titus 1:2), at any time He wants.
God is omnipotent and omnipresent. He can be anywhere and every where….any thing and every thing…whenever He chooses…He’s God.
If He chooses to appear as a dove on earth and have His voice come from heaven and appear as Jesus on earth…all at the same time…He can do so…and has done so…(Mat. 3:16)..He’s God!
He is God! He can do anything but lie (Titus 1:2)
One of our favorite Scriptures in this regard is John 14:8-9: Philip was talking to Jesus and said “Lord, show us the Father (Jehovah)…” Jesus simply answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you such a long time”?
How much simpler could it be? In other words, Jesus said…”You are looking at Jehovah, (in fleshly form) Timothy!” Of course He had to take a fleshly form for us to see Him. In His Spiritual state He is too brilliant for us to see Him and live. Saul of Tarsus, who later became the Apostle Paul, just got a glimpse of God (Christ as a Spirit) and was blinded until God saw fit for him to see again (Acts 22:6).
It perplexes me why so many Theologians are perplexed and make the simple truth of God’s omnipotence and omnipresence complicated…as if it was some kind of unsolved mystery. It was indeed known as the Sacred Mystery or Sacred Secret until one point in history (Mark 4:11, Mt. 13:11, Lk. 8:10, 1 Cor. 4:1, Rom. 16:25, Eph. 1:9, Eph. 3:3, Eph.3:4, Eph. 6:19, Col. 2:2, Col. 4:3, Rev. 10:7, ) but was clearly solved when Christ (God in the flesh) came to earth to do away with the old Mosaic Covenant and begin the New Covenant of God’s salvation (opportunity) of everlasting life through Christ.
Christ often gave parables, examples, to make a simple point, so that we humans could understand the wondrous workings of God. One example of how we were created in God’s image is our ability to multi-task…To do more than one thing at the same time. Of course, being God, He is the ultimate multi-tasker because He can do several things at the same time and being omnipresent He can do them anywhere and everywhere He chooses...all at the same time.
So, in human terms, imagine a man who owns and operates a small business. Let’s say he is a home builder…a property developer.
Sometimes the man is a carpenter. At times he is a book keeper. At other times he is a Realtor. On the job site he is the crew chief. At a real estate closing he has to think like a lawyer…during acquisition of the property he has to think like a banker, a builder, a buyer and a seller. Our man of example is sometimes an inspector, an appraiser, a surveyor. He is a marketer of the property, a public relations specialist and, indeed, wears several different hats in order to successfully execute the purpose of his profession.
Again, the difference between him, being human, and God being God…is that only God can operate on His scale and be both omnipresent and omnipotent in the process.
It perplexes me that some people believe that God cannot be God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit…in heaven and on earth…all at the same time. So we have given Scriptural references below with a brief synopsis of each example that proves, all throughout the Bible, that they are, indeed interchangeable…and therefore the same God (Jehovah). “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…” (Colossians 2:9).
After all, even satan himself knows there is only one God: James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder”.
Also God Himself knows no other Gods. Certainly He knows Jesus and the Holy Spirit…but He does not know them as separate Gods but as interchangeable offices (Him wearing several different hats) in order to demonstrate His omnipresence and omnipotence to mankind: (Isaiah 44:8) “Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Zechariah 14:9: The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name (Jehovah) the only name”. The names ‘Jesus’ and ‘Holy Spirit’ were given so we humans could distinguish God’s various roles in our lives. The sacred mystery was solved over 2,000 years ago during Christ’s time on earth.
There are many Scriptures that use the word one to refer to the Godhead:
Isaiah 43:3; “For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Malachi 2:10: “Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us?
Mathew 23:9-10; “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher’, for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
Mark 12:29, 32; ‘...Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one…Well said, teacher…You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.’
John 8:41 “…The only Father we have is God himself.”
John 10:30 “…I and the Father are one” (Jesus speaking).
Romans 3:30 “…there is only one God…”
1 Corinthians 8:4 “…we know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one….there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came…”
Galatians 3:20 “A mediator, however, does not represent just one party: but God is one”.
Ephesians 4:6 “…one God and Father of all, who is over all and in all.”
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…”
James 2:19 “You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder”.
Colossians 2:9 “For in the Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form…”
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He (God) bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28-29).
The reason this point is so important is that the Church…the body of Christ…His Bride…has been corrupted through bad teaching and false teaching, just as the Apostle Paul warned. This has happened so that the enemy can effectively diminish God’s dealings in our lives by limiting the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives…by our own lack of studying His Word…gaining an understanding of His Will. “Now this is eternal life: That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (Romans 17:3). It is our individual responsibility to gain understanding through study and prayer.
If we do not believe in the full Gospel of gifts and miracles…we effectively hobble God in our lives and that is exactly what the enemy wants…to mislead us.
“Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:30).
This was a mighty important thing for Paul to say. He chose it as a reminder…the last thing he was to say to the brothers in Ephesus because they all knew they would never see Paul’s face again. He was headed for Jerusalem where he would be arrested and sent to a Roman prison.
“They all wept as they embraced and kissed him. What grieved them the most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship (Acts 20:37-38).
There will be more written in later chapters regarding the Holy Spirit and God’s gifts and miracles on earth today.
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK SHELTON (DIAZ)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
DREAMS COME TO PASS
I want you to feel safe with me
To know I really care
Find retreat in my heart
To know I’m always there
You came along in your gentle way
And found the sacred key
Hidden deep and safe and sound
Inside this soul that’s free
So fast our time has found a mark
So quickly feelings grew
So sudden has the door unlocked
So much I want for you
I’m just the simple Lamb of God
Not yet rich with fame
My time will come I am told
The world will know my name
But now my world is small and slow
I take it day to day
A special dream that we could be
Close in every way
My dreams have always come to pass
If solid was my faith
Each one grew and molded slow
In time for me to taste
I want us, beloved one
To share our very best
Deep eyes that gaze and pierce our souls
Your heart has passed the test
Gentle winds blow and warm my soul
That has laid in rest
Waiting for my beloved one
To clear your darkened mist
I want you beloved one
And wonder if it’s true
If dreams are cast from shadows
If One can come from two
Only God knows when cold winds blow
If hearts can warm the breeze
But passion added to my life
Fills the empty trees
And brings to life a brand new spring
And time for more to be
It brings to life inspired times
The times you come to me
I wonder if my little flock
Will to their Shepherd come
If God they see in my eyes
His only begotten Son
For I am God and He is me
The Holy Spirit too
The sacred secret of My life
God shed His blood for you
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He (God) bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28-29).
I wrote this poem contemplating what it might have been for Jesus as a human child
knowing what His destiny would be. It is a love poem from Him to the faithful
thousands of years in advance.
COPYRIGHT 2009 MARK SHELTON
(DIAZ) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
“I hate God”
We hear this so much in our Ministry. We hear it because the people who say it do not know God. “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” What is the cure for lack of knowledge (ignorance)? Of course the cure for lack of knowledge is accurate knowledge…it means everlasting life (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1st. Thes. 2:13 ).
We hear “I hate God” because these folks have been injured…stumbled…by bad religious teaching (Mat. 7:21-23, 2 Peter 3:9, Mat. 7:16-17 ). They have been taught that God is a bloody, punishing God without realizing (or being taught) that the Old Covenant has been done away with and we are living under the New Covenant…the time of God’s Grace, redemption and salvation. This is the entire purpose of Christ’s first appearance here on earth and the entire purpose we are preparing for His return.
From Genesis on…the purpose for this exercise is repeated throughout the Scriptures…the message is simple and elegant and repeated dozens of different ways…by many inspired writers. Like a fine meal the ingredients are the same but the presentation varies. The analogy is that pasta is still pasta…it is the same basic ingredients…formed into different shapes, textures and sizes. The same noodles form an infinite variety of delicious meals…but pasta is still pasta…God’s word, God’s Will, God’s message for us today is the same as it was from the beginning…”I AM.”
We hear so much about salvation…but why salvation? Why is salvation necessary?
After all, if God is the Creator He can do anything. If He truly is the God of love why does He allow so much evil in the world? Why is there so much suffering?
He created all of this and pronounced it good…How can that be? Many people argue that It is not good…they point, as evidence, that we humans perpetuate so much evil upon one another.
These are all legitimate questions….they are questions from people hungry for the truth…”keep asking and it will be given to you” (Mat.7:7). We are encouraged to ask questions, seek answers in the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) and to do so with the humility of little children (Mat.18:2-4). “Keep on seeking and it will be given to you” (Prov. 2:1-5).
We hear these questions often in our Ministry. Sometimes they are spoken in bitter, angry tones by men, and women, who have been Spiritually broken since childhood. A common denominator of people (souls) in jails, prisons, homeless shelters and Rescue Missions…as well as people on the other end of the spectrum of humanity…those with ‘privileged’ lives… is that they were born into brutal Spiritual circumstances.
It is easy to understand why these souls who were broken from childhood would ask such questions…and even those born into a good life wonder the same questions. The answer, of course, is that satan is currently the god of this world. But why is he currently the god of this world? How can the One True God allow this? And more importantly why does He allow this?
“Where was your loving God when my old man would come home and beat both me and my mom?!!” “Where was your God when I was sitting in my Uncle’s lap and then he blew his brains out…I can still smell the gun powder and that was 50 years ago!!!”
“What about rape and war? Crooked politicians, corrupt religious leaders?”
The stories and questions are as endless and varied as the people (souls) who tell them.
God sent me here to the Great Falls Rescue Mission to do 2 things: #1. Truly learn how to love all mankind . (John 13:35, Colossians 3:14, 1st John 3:10-12, 4:20-21, Heb. 10:24-25). #2. Write about it…and His Will regarding what I see and what He tells me. He is the Author…I am just one of many writers. “When under trial, let no one say; ‘I am being tried by God’. For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does He Himself try anyone.” (James 1:13).
In my own prideful, human way, I had already learned to love and trust God without question… or so I thought…I came here kicking and screaming…I had other plans…God had His plans…He won…He allowed satan to interfere with my plans so God could use me for His plans and He was right…no surprise there.
I soon learned that for my own walk with God to be more complete I would have to see humanity with His eyes, hear with His ears and feel with His heart. I was compelled to see the worst of the worst of humanity. I was forced to see satan’s influence (as the temporary god of this system of things currently on earth) in order to be able to love everyone.
We are admonished to do this even when our human eyes see things and our human ears hear things that we personally find despicable.
No man is the Judge of any other man…that is God’s job and His job alone…He will define the final outcome of each soul…in each circumstance…according to His Will…in His time…and ONLY when He is ready . For any human individual or human institution to place itself between another soul and God is idolatry…plain and simple. Christ is the only mediator between God and man and for any human to usurp that role is the exact prideful mistake satan made.
To die in Christ and to be reborn means just that…to let our own will die and replace it with God’s Will. Every time…in every case…as much as humanly possible…without reservation or question (or looking for loop holes) in regards to God’s plan…His wisdom…His Will…His Authority and in His time…This is the very essence of what being obedient to God means and it was the very issue in the Garden of Eden..
None of this is to my glory or any human’s glory that He is willing to reveal these things to anyone and everyone who is willing to learn and then live in His Will...in other words…be OBEDIENT to Him...after all…He is a fair and just and benevolent God. Loving Him is easy once we get to know Him. It is the obedience part humans have failed miserably at.
His job is waaaaaaay above my pay grade, waaaaaaay above your pay grade and waaaaaaay above any other human’s pay grade.
In order to be obedient to God we must first understand His Will…what He expects, indeed DEMANDS, from us. In other words…respect God’s authority and do not try to usurp it…Father God is Father God…He is the only One qualified for His position. . There will be more on that later.
The original sin was when satan thought he could be as great as God and usurp God’s authority…silly little serpent…what a looser!!! (Gen. 2:17, 3:1-6)
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The reader can relax and enjoy the Good News of The Kingdom (The Gospel Message) at this point. God is not expecting blood from anyone or for anyone to be nailed to a cross, stake or tree…Christ has been there and done that already. Are there instances when Christians have been murdered and will be murdered for the sake of God’s Name? Yes! Many such instances…but God didn’t call for the murders…satan does…
We were created in God’s Image…and even we puny little humans…in our imperfect state…can be Christ-like…just ask the original disciples.
If we can see God’s work in the so called scourge of the earth…in those we find despicable…then we can forgive anyone and everyone…even our enemies. After all, Christ did…”Forgive them father for they know not what they do”.
I am often asked if God is so loving then why doesn’t He just get rid of satan now? Why does He allow so much suffering? How can God just stand by and allow babies (or anyone for that matter) to die.
“Wars occur Mark”!!! “There is starvation and disease”!!!
“Why not let those things spoken of in Revelation 21: happen NOW”?!!
The answer is simple…but one must understand both the reasons for free will and faith…and how they are tied in to God’s Will…obedience to His Authority.
Faith can only come through seeing God at work…by witnessing what many believe to be supernatural occurrences. To us, His miracles are supernatural…to Him it is all in a day’s work. Many miracles are profound and obvious…others are, as Joyce Meyers would say, ‘every day miracles’…but miracles none-the-less.
Personal faith can come only by walking through the trials in life and witnessing and recognizing, first hand, God at work…His handiwork…His miracles. Christ chastised the original disciples when they asked Him to give them more faith. He chastised them because if God gave us faith it would negate free will…and without free will we would just be a bunch of robots…this would not be fulfilling to God or us.
Again the detractors yell: “But why do we need faith?!” He is God!!” He could do it NOW if He wanted to….and if He truly is the God of love then what is taking Him so long?”
To begin to understand the answers, we have to begin to understand God…and even though we are significantly limited intellectually compared to Him we can understand the simplicity and elegance of His Word and His Will.
For example: How fulfilling is it for a human to have what we call ‘fair weather friends’? We’ve all been there. There are lots of people who are there for us when times are easy but let life (satan) throw you a storm and suddenly your so called friends disappear when the going gets tough.
Our true friends are there no matter what. They love us through thick and thin. They are faithful no matter what we have or don’t have…whether we are strong and happy or in the depths of depression and full of tears aching for release.
It is those true friends whom we cherish. Time has tested their loyalty and love. They are the ones who inspire trust because we are able to forecast their behavior. God wants true friends…true believers.
There are two key points to this analogy in relating this to God. One is time, the other is free will…choices.
God measures time in terms of eternity. We humans measure time in terms of decades and centuries and even smaller increments. To us, ten years or a hundred years is a very long time. To God…balanced against eternity…our time as humans isn’t even a nano second…and since He intended for humans from the time of Adam and Eve to live forever…“The righteous themselves will posses the earth, and they will reside forever upon it”… (Psalm 37:29, Rev. 21:3-4) .He gauges our existence in terms of eternity.
Love and trust and devotion require time to be tested and true…God’s time.
God allows satan to be the god of this system…this world…for a relatively short time (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, 2nd. Corinthians 4:3-4, 1st John 5:19)…God’s time. So far it has been a few thousand years…to us it seems as if it has been forever…to God it has been miniscule…and someday, when we humans are on His clock and with His perspective of time…when we live forever as souls with God…our scale of time will be more like His. There will be more on that later.
Returning to the other key component; free will...We all know how fulfilling a tried and true friend can be. They are someone who loves us unconditionally…the Bible calls this Agape love in the Greek language. Those faithful friends are always there…even when there is nothing in it for them…that is why God judges our hearts…not our works…or even our faith alone…but when both works and faith are combined it is a demonstration of where our hearts are…this requires our hearts, minds and souls to all be working in unison…this demonstrates faith…unquestioning obedience to God…bowing to Him and His Authority. In other words, being obedient to Him.
For us to love and be loved, unconditionally, requires free will. We were not pre-programmed to have unconditional love for God or our neighbor…we are expected to have it out of choice…free will...if we are to please God. After all…That is what Christ did for us…and in order to obey God and recognize His Authority…we MUST reciprocate. This is only fair and just.
How precious and valuable unconditional love through free will makes love and companionship!!! How greatly that grows the bond of trust!!!
God’s attributes are our attributes perfected.
We were created in His image. God is no different except He operates on a much grander scale…and, of course; He is both omnipotent and omnipresent.
If He didn’t create us with free will we could never love Him with the love He and we cherish most…that unconditional love known as Agape love.
By definition, unconditional love (God’s Agape love) must be demonstrated over time…the more time the better for it to season. Otherwise there would be no history…no experience from which to draw.
Brothers in arms form stronger bonds with each battle. The strongest marriages are formed over decades of both good times and bad times. The strongest friendships and love and trust in any relationship weathers the test of time…the more time the better. The stronger the bond of experience the stronger and truer the bond of love.
Without both the components of free will and unconditional love there can be no fulfillment for either party in a relationship.
Without those two components, a relationship is merely a ‘hollow obligation’. Ask anyone who has been in a ‘loveless marriage’ or in a ‘one way’ relationship of any kind.
God created us with free will so our faith and the demonstration of our faith through works (our service to Him, our love for Him and obedience to Him) would be fulfilling to both ourselves and to God our Creator.
Keeping these two elements in mind we will learn to discover how, from the beginning, in Genesis, free will and love for God (obedience) played such an important role in what has been going on and is going on and, indeed, will go on into eternity. It has to do with God’s Authority and how, because the original sin was when satan tried to usurp God’s authority and be as great as God, this began the establishment of the very first legal precedence…one that will balance mankind’s free will and God’s authority, in mankind’s individual minds and actions, forever.
FAITH
Faith is not a place to go
It’s a place to be
A peaceful feeling from within
God’s Will lets you see
In the very darkest times
When faith is all you have
Faith will carry you along
Turn tears into a laugh
Allow you to affect this world
Overwhelm it if you must
Overtaking obstacles
Turning them to dust
An inner strength you carry
A wisdom that you learn
Give time and faith the power
Adversities will turn
If your thoughts are noble
And righteous steps you take
God’s Power comes in purest form
When everything’s at stake
The faith you carry in troubled times
Shows who you are
True colors shine with troubles near
God’s Faith your guiding star
A pure heart cannot be destroyed
Honest men don’t cringe
Boldly give your very best
On that futures hinge
Life is not a mystery
Problems all are solved
If your faith is strong enough
Adversities dissolve
Blessings always follow faith
God is your dearest friend
Truth always finds its mark
Beneficial in the end
I’m a man who’s seen it work
Tasted all of life
Known the very best of it
Anguished in its strife
The only times life conquered me
Were when my faith was weak
I chose to loose the awesome strength
Faith brings when faith I seek
The best of times were the ones
When faith its fruit did bear
Abandoned not in my heart
God’s miracles were there
COPYRIGHT 1989 MARK DIAZ (SHELTON)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Comment
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Comment by Paula Olufsen on December 22, 2009 at 3:13am -
If discernment as an aspect of your walk with Jesus is lacking, here are some suggestions that may help.
1) Realize that the Word of God is just that–the Word of God. Nothing that man has to offer can either improve upon it or add anything essential (Isa 55:8-9).
2) Understand that the Holy Spirit is your teacher (Jn 16:13), and He alone can reveal the Word of God.
3) Fill your heart and mind with the content of the Scriptures. Immerse yourself again and again. Let the pure, living waters of God's truth wash out the pollution of worldly thoughts and erroneous teachings.
4) Test every teacher as did the Bereans (Acts 17:10-11). Steadfastness in the faith is not a product of learning from a human teacher, no matter how biblically true his teachings may be. Real confidence in what one believes comes from directly knowing and living what the Bible teaches, through the illumination and power of the Holy Spirit.
5) Spend more time in fellowship with the Lord, getting to know Him better and better through reading His Word, than you do listening to men talk or teach about Him.
in His Grace
Paula
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Comment by Whenevaman on November 18, 2009 at 12:14pm -
what I love the most about what you have said is the truth that we must abide in Him, stay in Him all the time! This is what I believe to. This is a very important subject that we all ought to meditate on day and night.
Another way that I look at this subject is as priests in His house whose job it is to tend to the duties in His house, including keeping the oil in the lamp and letting it burn day and night.
As soon as we forget that God is in us, we lose our faith, our expectancy if you will, and now we are easily tempted.
Thank you for sharing what God has taught you brother!
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Comment by Mark Diaz on November 13, 2009 at 10:01pm - Thank you sister sandra...sadly many Christians are Christians in name only because their Denomination fails to teach the full Gospel message of the power of the Holy Spirit...they teach that yes the Holy Spirit exists but no...He no longer performs miracles...we know better. By ignoring the Holy Spirit it limits God's Power in our everyday lives. It is like having a gas stove and the pilot light is there but you can't turn up the burners and cook a meal...It negates the purpose of the stove. God bless you sister. God's love and my brotherly love...mark
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Comment by sandra v villamero on November 13, 2009 at 9:53pm - HI MARK...your heading "I'M CHRISTIAN...NOW WHAT" is an eye catcherkind and I like it. So....if you are a christian in name and not in spirit. I pray that this book will be a great help for christians llike me ./
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