Good Morning,

The sleepyheads are at it, I have showed, come downstairs for coffee, and figured I would check in. We drive home today, hopefully ahead of the hurricane rains which are predicted to reach here sometime today. The kids have held up well even though it wasn’t as fun for them as I would have liked. The pool was open at least!

We went to a museum of invention, walked into the dark first floor and realized the museum was closed. We peeked at a few exhibits until middle son in his great brilliance decided to push an elevator button. We figured our presence would quickly be detected, so we left quickly. Sigh, buttons and kids! Then we went to a place called Quaker Square that had sweet knick-knacks, and we checked it out, it was in the old Quaker Oats factory, and they still had the mills turning, etc. Picked up a pie and left it at my husband’s company for the employees. But there is not that much to do in Akron for teens, but the most exciting thing for me was to walk into a magazine shop and the two employees were having a wonderful discussion about the Bible! You don’t get that in upstate New York, so much.

Thank you for your prayers, I am concerned about the company, but in the stock market, things can switch from one day to another, if the company picks the right stocks. So I am praying for them to have clarity of mind, for it is not only our jobs, but also the people who trust their funds to the company that are affected.

We drive home today, and I am praying for traveling mercies.

Here are a few quotes from Yancey’s The Bible Jesus Read

In talking about utopians and those who search through Exodus for a few choice nuggets to pull out, but avoid the rest of the Law in Deuteronomy.

” Often these utopians end up creating a political system more tyrannical than the one they sought liberation from. African colonies drive out the imperialists only to face new crises of tribalism and independence. Small countries escape the dark shadow of the Soviet Union only to disintegrate into civil war. The Old Testament should come with a warning: Don’t read Exodus without also reading Deuteronomy. It would save a lot of disillusionment for politicians and preachers both.

Yancey claimed that he had a hard time with the book of Psalms for it was messy, happy Psalms followed by dirges, love of God followed by angry or disappointed expressions of God. he finally came to a realization that I was blessed to get from a Beth Moore study on David, that the Psalms represent a persons prayers in a particular situation.

…”The book of Psalms comprises a sampling of spiritual journals, much like personal letters to God. I had lacked a lens through which to view the book.”

“More than any other book in the Bible, Psalms reveals what a heartfelt, soul-starved, single-minded relationship with God looks like.”

“I have come to see these psalms as calling for different kinds of faith, Psalm 23 models childlike faith, and Psalm 22 models fidelity, a deeper, more mysterious kind of faith. Life with God may include both.”

“From Psalms I have learned that I can rightfully bring to God whatever I feel about him. I need not paper over my failures and try to clean up my own rottenness; far better to bring those weaknesses to God, who alone has the power to heal.”

I am so glad I brought this book with me to feed my soul as I travel, it has helped me a lot.

Have a blessed day.

Heather

Well, Good Morning,

My husband is upstairs beginning to wake up, older son in exercise room, two youngers still asleep, and I have my coffee. Love hotels.

Today we are going to my husband’s company for a visit. Ususally my husband works from home, but he wanted the company to see us as a family. Praying for a good and positive visit. Unfortunately this company laid off several workers, partly due to their acquiring my husband’s boss and his employees, so I am praying we are well received.

Have a blessed day.

 

Heather

Well, we arrived in Akron Ohio, have settled in. The kids are in the pool and I am taking a few minutes for myself.

Have been reading Philip Yancey’s The Bible Jesus Read, just a bit but was struck by a statement that surprised me.

Often when I read the Bible I have mini-discussions in my head. I am asking questions, bothered by something that I see, have to puzzle out why God does some things, etc. It is not just passive reading, often the Bible and I have quite heated discussions. I felt guilty about that because I often thought you had to totally accept the Bible as is, and not doubt, question, debate, etc. Of course, the Bible is the truth and I try hard to live my life based on it, but honestly there are challenging bits for me. For example Job, etc.

Here is the quote that seems to ease a bit of my concern in this matter, hopefully it will bless you as well.

It is a quote from Thomas Merton, and the book it is quoted from is Opening the Bible.

“There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible–until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves…Have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it? Have we ceased to fight it? Then perhaps our reading is no longer serious.

“For most people, the understanding of the Bible is, and should be, a struggle: not merely to find meanings that can be looked up in books of reference, but to come to terms personally with the stark scandel and contradiction in the Bible itself.

“Let us not be too sure we know the Bible just because we have learned not to be astonished at it, just because we have learned not to have problems with it.

 

Well, that sure fits me, I love the Bible, love the depth of it, love the power behind the words, the meanings of the words, but there are times when it is a struggle to read, where it is so convicting and at times puzzling. I think it is awesome the depth there is in it.

Hope you have a blessed Sunday.

Heather

 

Pastor Don taught the Bible study of 8/12/05. And it was one of those studies where he threw open the floor to questions from us, which always amazes me because he can give answers from the Word spontaneously. To get a picture of what the studies are like, we have a massive pot-luck lunch, we sit around and eat and visit for a bit on incredible food, then we feast on the Word. Often the room is crowded with about 20 – 30 people and this is in the afternoon around lunch time.

The question that was asked was: What is the difference between the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ.

The main text was Ephesians 5.

All creation is by design, intelligent design and perfectly fits together.

First creation occurred in the supernatural realm of Heaven. Then this creation was manifested on earth. God designed relationships that are ultimate results of an ultimate plan and will exist eternally in heaven.

God’s ultimate design reached a place in the now here he chose not to be alone in the now. God (Elohim which is plural) created, and placed man a little lower than himself but higher than the angels. Hebrews (King James translation)

God had to build in us free will. He could not have fellowship by mandate or decree. So man had free will, but had not risen to the level of development where they would choose proper choices. God cannot hang out with people who make bad choices, so God made provision for our sins in the form of Jesus.

Hebrews 1:3-4 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Every angel is a ministering spirit to minister to those who inherit salvation.

Hebrews 2:5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. God did not take the world and put it under the angel’s rulership.

Hebrews 2:6-8 But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.

In verse 7 Pastor Don says that the word for angels is Elohim (God).  and in Hebrew it says that God has made man a little LESS than God or Elohim. Jesus is fully God and fully man. It would be a contradiction in v. 5 to use the word angels in this passage for the world is not subject to angels.If we are to rule and reign on the Earth how can we be ruled by angels?

Man is set over the work of God’s hands, not angels.

V. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor. that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Under idolotry we get confused about who are the power players. If we realize the power players are God, The Holy Spirit, and the Son, we will be right.

Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

A wife who has not submitted to the Lord will not submit to her husband. Once she submits to the Head (Jesus), then she can submit to whom the head has decreed. (the husband).

V. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Does the husband’s advise line up with God, if not then the Husband is not submitted to the Head (Jesus).

v. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

The Church is to follow Christ’s will. The Father is leaving the responsibility of the Church to Christ. The Church has been given to Jesus as a bride. The Father gives the bride away in a wedding, and then the groom is responsible for the bride.

V. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.

A wife should have no trouble submitting to her husband, if her husband is willing to give his life for her. Most marriages never work because the battle for control never stops. Divorce ensues when the spouse is not willing to die to self. (and that can be either the male or female spouse)

V. 26-28 that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present to Himself a glorious church,not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. v. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; for he who loves his wife loves himself.

V. 28 for a man could be tough for a man who has self-loathing.

V. 29-30 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, and of His flesh and of His bones.

In other words we are members of His (Christ’s) body.

V. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

v. 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The Bride of Christ is the relationship.
The body of Christ is the function.

Pastor Don’s wife is named Cindy.

Don and Cindy are husband and wife, that is the relationship (Bride of Christ.

In the Body of Christ
Cindy chooses to do the laundry, Don takes care of cars.

As the church Cindy takes care of the Laundry, and Don takes care of the cars. which is their function in the Body of Christ.

Jesus left the nuts and bolts to the Church, but the Bride of Christ is to be ready for his coming. Once Jesus comes for the Bride, there will be no more need for the church.

Revelation 2:2 (Talking to the church of Ephesus) I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them to be liars.

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (Here Jesus is talking about the relationship. This church is doing the work of the church, but where is the Bride?)

Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Revelation 3:15 (to the Laodicean church – lukewarm) I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot,

Revelation 3:17 Because you say, ‘ I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’–and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked–

These are the last days. We are seeing an incredible amount of mega churches, that are very rich. But do not be deceived by outward appearances. If the church is doing works only, God is not in it.

Revelation 3:18-19 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may ot be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

The relationship Christ wants is rich with Him, and white garments are pure bridal garments. And Christ loves us, enough to help us to repent.

Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

Who are these multitudes. This is answered in Revelation 6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little wile longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Here this describes martyrs and those yet to come in, who make the choice to wear the white robes and be part of the Bride of Christ. And they will be joined with those on earth which are to be raptured at the point God has chosen. They will meet in the air, those who come down, and have been changed, and those who come up and will be changed, then they will go into the great Wedding Feast. Then there is no more mention of the church, just individual believers.

Jesus said that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church Matthew 16:18.

Revelation 13:7 but satan must prevail for a time. In order for satan to prevail, the church must be removed, as the Bride of Christ, who functions doing her Job on the Earth. When the church is removed, satan can prevail, before that, the church holds satan in check.

Matthew:  the 5 wise and the 5 foolish virgins. We must be ready and prepared for the Wedding.

Right now, if you have noticed, there is an increase of titles in the church. There are now many apostles, bishops, evangelists, etc. Many of these titles are not given by the people, but claimed by the individual as their role.

Unless there was an increase of titles, it made it hard for false prophets, bishops, evangelists, etc. to slip in.

If a town has one cop, one badge, one gun, a person cannot pretend to be a cop.

If a town has 50 cops, 50 badges, and 50 guns, it is much easier for a false cop to slip in.

satan wants to confuse us, he cannot let us have one stop shopping.

The title does not make you what the title implies, but it will test who you really are.

Revelation 21: 1-2 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Heaven is spiritual, earth physical. Things in the spiritual are mirrored in the physical. But the things in the physical are only a foreshadowing of what is in the Spiritual.

Husband-Wife-Marriage

This is a picture of what God is shooting for in the Spiritual. God wants union with us that is perfection, where the two become one, and then there is no Spirit of offense.

In the Garden of Eden, God asks, Where are you (God knew where they were, He is God) but He was asking to help them to locate themselves and their problem.

Who told you you were naked? is another question God asked. For he knew that their perception of nakedness was linked to their shame. If they had not felt shame, they would not have perceived their nakedness.

The Holy City mentioned in Revelation is a conglomerate where people dwell. It is a spiritual city. Rev. 21:2

Rev. 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

God will tabernacle (fellowship) with men. They will come into the open presence of God.

Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

v. 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The bride is the city.

v. 11 having the glory of God. Her light ws like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. One day we will shine, as spirit beings we truely are, we will be illuminated by the glory of God.

Read verses 12-21

Verse 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Praise God, won’t it be awesome when we are so illuminated by God and Christ?

We must not permit ourselves to be less than God created us in our own minds. We have to think of ourselves as heirs and joint heirs in Christ. That we are growing from victory to victory, glory to glory. When we can revel in who we are in Christ.

(Heather’s note, I am often not reveling in who I am in Christ, and am often the unprepared virgin. I keep praying that God will help me to make myself ready for Him.)

Hope you have a blessed Sunday. Remember, we will be visiting Akron, mostly for work, but hopefully for a bit of sight seeing too. If you don’t hear from me until Tuesday, I am traveling.

Heather

 

Just so you know, we will be traveling to Akron, Ohio on Sunday and returning late on Tuesday, this is for my husband’s job. We are bringing all the kids and have a short time to look around, open to any ideas. So far we are thinking of the aerospace museum as that should appeal to teenage boys.

Back to the Bible study on the nature of evil.

See the previous entry for part one.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’

Satan is always on the prowl on earth to shed doubt in the minds of believers.

Genesis 3:2-5 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall net eat it, nor shall you touch it lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan used the same thing that took satan down from heaven (being like God) to take down Adam and Eve. He offered this to man as a temptation.

Man then had the choice, take God’s possibility or take satan’s possibility.

This is the basic root of evil, make yourself God in your decision and you will be evil like satan.

Isaiah 14:13 For you have said in your heart; I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.

This is the order in which sin occurs: Pride, Arrogance, Jealousy, Rebellion.

You make a prideful decision, which leads to arrogance that you are better than everyone, and you are jealous of what God is, and desire to be what He is, and that leads to rebellion against the very source . You are so arrogant that you only hear what your pride wants you to hear.

Pride leads you to want to destroy the source that is greater than you.

Lucifer could sell this possibility to 1/3 of the angels, who were cast out of heaven for listening to him.

The rebellious angels are in a worst position than us, for they have seen God. Jesus said in John 20 that blessed are those who haven’t seen, but believe.

Getting us to a point of self-deception is what satan does the best.

Isaiah 14: 15-20 Yet  you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house; but you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, like the garment of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a corpse trodden underfoot. You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land and slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named.

Satan, knowing where he is going, will do his utmost to tempt you with anything, drugs, money, power to bring you down, so that you too will be brought to the pit, to suffer with him.

Isaiah 14:21Prepare slaughter for his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, lest they rise up and possess the land, and fill the face of the world with cities.

Often people think that God is not nice when he puts a stop to evil, but the truth is that if evil is not stopped totally, it will take over the world.

Isaiah 14:22-23 “For I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant; and offspring and posterity,” says the Lord. “I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and marshes of muddy water, I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the Lord of Hosts.

This is what is happening now, Bablyon is swept with destruction.

Isaiah 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass. And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:”

Purposes, God thought a thought and thought that thought is a in a purposeful manner. Some daydreams are God’s thoughts passing through our minds, and God wants you to give purpose to it.

Isaiah 14: 25-27 That I will break the Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”

To conquer evil and see it, purpose to release your faith to conquer evil.

Lover comes from free will, satan does not give free will. We have free will to praise God, satan gets us to use our free will for pride, arrogance, jealousy and rebellion. Satan will make the offer seem attractive initially, but in the end you will be in bondage.

Adam was cast out of the garden.
God knows the deceiver is so good he can deceive us in one area, even though we cannot be deceived in another. What we must do is be so immersed in the Word of God, that we only believe on the One who is sent by God.

God’s covenant, and the 10 commandments, and sacrifice were to hold us until the One sent by God comes (Jesus). We are not to worship any other god.

Dealing with evil isn’t as hard as we make it out. We sometimes get so distracted with our eyes, that we don’t take the time to think about what we are looking at.

Mercy and Grace of God allows us to realize from the scriptures what is evil and deception. We must never violate one New Testament principle, to know that the Father loves us.

Pastor Don said that we would be looking more at the nature of evil in future Bible studies. Hope this has helped in discernment of the wiles of satan.

Have a great weekend.

Heather

 

 

Tuesday 8/9 Bible Study by Pastor Don.

This one is called the Bad and the Ugly, the nature of evil.

The face of good and evil must be unmasked to see what it truly is and to be able to identify it in our own world, home, nature, political life, etc.

Lucifer/satan fell and he has an effect on people.

To build character you need to also identify the enemy.

Unfortunately, unlike television, the bad guy is not always easily identifiable. He doesn’t always wear a black hat.

Isaiah 14:1-4 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors. It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How the oppressor has ceased, the golden city ceased!

God made a covenant agreement with the nation of Israel. If you choose Me to be your God, I will be your God, but you can’t have any other gods. I will throw in health, victory, fruit, better than others, women beautiful, children, and live the fullness of your days. They would have spiritual blessings, security and peace. The nation of Israel agreed, and five minutes (very quickly) they were worshipping the golden calf.

The nature of evil is that it will appeal to the lower base nature, it is visual, the eyes take it in, and you fall for it.

Vision – what you see in the natural
Spiritual vision- what you see in the possible, possible good or possible evil.

The battle is in the possibilities you see.

The nature of evil is to take advantage of your choices based on what you see as a possibility.

Jesus was freed from walking in evil, only by seeing through the eyes of God, and when tempted, Luke 4, he kept saying IT IS WRITTEN.

There are sins of commission (doing) and omission (not doing) what you know that God wants you to refrain from doing or to do. Both are sins in the eyes of God.

Evil will come to us dressed as good, if we can’t see it or recognize it, we will be oppressed.

You don’t jump full force into sin, you make it one decision at a time, and each decision you take a bit more along into blatant sin. You don’t see the possibility of evil in the little decisions you make.

If you are doing a mental dance, you have already agreed with negative possibilities. God called us to be obedient, if it is good, we won’t be doing a mental dance (juggling act to justify our behavior).

The covenant agreement was a blood agreement, and it is permanent. When we broke the covenant, God had to make provision for us over a period of time.

So, we have a choice, we can be under God’s covenant (the mercy of God) or the World’s way. It is our choice.

In the World’s way, you reap what you sow, sin and death. If satan tests you, you can die.

God’s Covenant – MERCY, the devil can only try and test us, you cannot be defeated, you will not yield to the Spirit of evil, stronger, effective, full in the Spirit of God, happier.

Now what will you choose?

The church says we are under mercy, but very often the church is really under the world, in its actions and belief.

Pastor Don told us, holding up the Bible, when in doubt, pull it out. (meaning that if you are not certain how to obey God in a situation, find it in the Word of God).

If what you are teaching doesn’t follow God’s word, you will die in the World.

Satan seeks to deceive us, and will use what he can to do so. The person who deceives you will pay for the deception. But the believer is also responsible for his discernment in the situation.

Isaiah 14:3 (see above) God will give them rest from their captivity, from fear, sorrow, God is the source of our peace.

Isaiah 14: 4-6 That you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How the oppressor has ceased, the golden city ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers; He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted and no one hinders.

The people on earth still have the continued striking, hurts. The myth we have is that after salvation, the Holy Spirit will stop our troubles. But the truth is we will have troubles on this earth, it comes from living on the earth. If we believe that after salvation all will be perfect, we become devil’s bait, as we get disappointed with pains and hurts that come our way.

Isaiah 14:7-10 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying ‘Since you were cut down, no woodsman has come up against us.’ Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming’ it stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?

The Word of God, Israel’s eyes of possibility, they made wrong choices. But while satan is ruling over us, and over the earth, he caused all the other rulers to fall under deceit. They accepted satan’s possibilities, and are in Hell.

For those who think Hell is not so bad, remember, satan doesn’t hang out in Hell yet, he wanders to and fro on the earth, and won’t spend all his time in Hell until the end time. Satan doesn’t want to be in Hell, and since he is fated to go there, he is trying to pull as many down with him as possible.

Isaiah 14:10-11 They all shall speak and say to you; ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? Your pomp is brought down to Sheol (Hell) and the sound of your stringed instruments; the maggot is spread under you and worms cover you.’

Lucifer was the chief worshipper in heaven, stringed instruments is a reference to him.

Isaiah 14:12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!

Lucifer said in his heart that we would ascend into heaven, and exalt his throne over God, and be like God. For that he and his minions were cast down from heaven.

I will continue this study tomorrow, with Genesis 3:1-5

I know that some say the Bible studies are so long, they are, for our Bible studies last about 2 hours. Only the time flies, for we are truly having fun in the Word. I am so very blessed to have found a church that has so many awesome teachers. I have learned so much,  and I appreciate you not minding my notes, typing them out helps me to learn better.

Hope you have a blessed day!

Heather

Pastor Ted taught the Bible study on Friday August 5 (Jim has recordings of the Bible studies we missed during our camping trip but he hasn’t put them up where I can listen to them yet).

Kingdom of God

The Plan of God is to bring the Kingdom of God in the Earth. The dominion of God in the earth. When you give your life to Jesus, you sometimes still have things that keep you in bondage. We work towards the liberty that God makes available to us. Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty.

Grace comes through faith. And grace gives you the way to liberty for grace implies empowerment. It is not of works, but of faith.

John 3 talks about being born again.

The Kingdom of God is when you are doing things God’s way

He reveals His way of doing things through the Holy Spirit and by Christ.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

See means to understand, comprehend. In the natural man we cannot receive the things of the Spirit, we do not have Spiritual discernment of 1 Corinthians. We focus so much on going to Heaven when we die that we forget that God’s grace also gives us Heaven on earth.

V. 6 Jesus said ”That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Pastor Ted reminded us that when an earthly baby is born the head comes out first, if the feet come out first it is breech birth. So often we in the Church try to spiritually start running feet first, instead of having the Head (Christ) come out first.

In the process of beginning our salvation it is not when or where, but Who.

The process of our deliverance comes from one another in the Body of Christ, for they help us to see what we need deliverance from.

If someone in the Body is not nice to you, then it may be God trying to take you to a new place. Stop giving satan so much credit for all the bad that comes your way. (Heather’s note, Pastor Don talked once about living stones in the Temple of God – which we are- and how living stones on earth rub against each other and in the rubbing the wrong way, we become smooth, and ready for building in the Kingdom of God).

With the Kingdom of God it is a Theocracy – One God, One vote.

We won’t get the things of the Spirit if we are not willing to obey the Law. John 3:12  Jesus said, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things.”

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God has His plans for us. Often on earth we set out to MAKE our OWN futures, we are trying to do this in the world’s way of doing things. But the World’s way will pass away.

We cannot enter the Kingdom of God without believing in Jesus Christ.

Jesus prayed every day. We too should pray and seek the Spirit’s guidance for our walk on the earth.

We are working to remove the Kingdom of the World and replace it with the Kingdom of Heaven.

Kingdom of Heaven – If the atmosphere of the kingdom of Heaven is in you, He who created you is in you and where God dwells is the Kingdom of Heaven. We have the authority of God in us. God comes with the authority of God, righteousness, peace and joy. You can be set free if you understand the concept of God’s Kingdom.

Matthew 6:8-13 is the Lord’s prayer.

We looked up the meaning of forgive and trespass in Strong’s concordance

Forgive is 863 aphiemi, from 575 and hiemi (to send; an intens. form of eimi, to go) to send forth, in various applications (as follow): cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have) , omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.

(Heather’s note, forgiveness was tough for me given my past, but so freeing, but I hadn’t seen the next statement which would have made it easier). Jesus is not asking us to forget it, but we can use it for His glory. We won’t forget the hurts, but they won’t impact us so much. They then become tools to be used by God for His glory.

We also looked up Trespass which is 3900 in Strong’s. Paraptoma from 3895′ a side-slip (lapse or deviation), ie (unintentional) error or (willful) transgression; fall, fault, offence, sin trespass.

That means that we forgive ALL, intentional or unintentional.

When we enter into the Kingdom of God, you will reveal your love to the person who hurt you. You will feel the pain they did when they hurt you, but you will no longer walk in bondage of the flesh because you did obey and forgive.

You must confront the enemy with the Word of God. So many walk around rebuking this and rebuking that, the only authority you have to rebuke is in the name of Jesus.

You must forgive trespasses, both intentional and unintentional

Pastor Ted said that once someone said to him,

Where you go, there you are
If you go to the realm of the Spirit, there you are.
If you go to the realm of the Earth, there you are.

You need to remind satan that God is your Lord and savior, that you have a different Landlord now. You don’t own yourself, God is your landlord. If Jesus is our Lord, he owns us. The question is who owns you, satan or Jesus?

Matthew 6:19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

Our treasure is for us to know the Father. If we see that, nothing on earth will keep us in bondage.

Matthew 6:22-23 The lamp of the body is they eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.

We were reminded that it takes just a little light to dispel the darkness.

We then read Matthew 6:24-30, and we found out that where it says do not worry in NKJV, in KJV it says do not take thought. We have little faith when we try to create our own futures. God is calling us to rest in Him.

When we say the Word of God, we take ourselves out of the Equation.

Matthew 6:30-34 If we could get 34A “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.” that would be great.

Matthew 7:1-6 is about not taking offense against trespasses. Let God be the Judge. His judgment is righteousness. We cannot judge righteously.

Matthew 5 – the Beatitudes – Be Attitudes. We went over them in the light of how we are to think and respond.

Don’t think that you will stay where you are, you are going from faith to faith, glory to glory.

My daughter finally got her fishing trip with dad. Here is a picture of her reeling in a fish. They were in the middle of a feeding frenzy, so fish were jumping all over the place, hence her apprehensive face.

And here is the blue that was on the end of the rod

 

What family member are you in the Tate family?

Dictate
Potentate
Hesitate
Vegetate
Irritate
Agitate
Imitate
Rotate
Amputate

Are you from the positive side of the family?

Meditate
Facilitate

 

This cracked me up. I have been a bit on both sides, and hope to be on the positive side more than the negative.

Heather

 

Pastor Ted taught our Bible study on 7/19/05 and it was on deliverance.

He said that liberty is the opportunity to be set free, that for deliverance to work our minds must be renewed by the Spirit of God.

To understand how we got into bondage, we have to look at the beginning.  There is no quick fix, we must live by the principles in the Bible to be fully in the Kingdom of God.

We need to look at what happened to us as created beings, to bring us to this lifestyle. But the great joy is that who the Son sets free, is free indeed.

Satan in the Garden of Eden, when talking to the woman, satan is adverse to one thing. He did not want to hear the Spirit-filled Words of God. As with all of the facts in the Bible, not only does Adam and Eve tell a true story, but it also illustrates important principles within us.

Eve is the woman, soul, mind and emotions in our being.

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

There is a period of time between verses 1 and 2 in Genesis. A period of time where God, created a perfect earth, and then somehow the earth became without form and void. (Heather’s note: The earth got destroyed when the angels were expelled from heaven for rebellion)

Genesis shows God restoring form to the earth through the creation. Then we get to Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

God created Adam to bring order to the earth, to have dominion over the things on the earth.

(Heather’s note- God in the above verse is Elohim which is a plural form of God. El is singular, and so by the verse stating let Us , it is showing that Jesus was there at the same time, for in the beginning was the Word, and Jesus is the Word of God).

Jesus is the light of the World, and His light dispels the darkness.

Today, the in the Church we haven’t been taking authority over the earth. We have been living our lives in the realm of the soul (mind, will and emotions) not in the realm of the Spirit.  There is much confusion in the church, debates among denominations, etc. This did not come from God who said we were one Body with Christ as the head, but it comes from satan to keep the church from operating effectively in the earth.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’”

It says that the serpent was MORE cunning, which implies that there were other beasts who were also cunning. The serpent added doubt to the woman by causing her to question what God had said, and played on her desire. We wrestle against principalities and powers.

The serpent put a seed of doubt into the woman’s mind. There is an orderly progression to sin in our lives. We don’t start out with a full blown problem, it is a gradual progression. The idea gets into our mind, we take a tiny step, then another, and then all of a sudden we are trapped in the sin.

The natural man does not see the things of the Spirit. When you first begin to read the Bible, you read it as a natural man, then when you get born again, you find spiritual truths become clear to you as you continue to read the Bible.

When Genesis speaks of Adam and Eve it is the first husband and wife in the Bible. But also Adam symbolizes the Spirit, and Eve the Soul (mind, will, emotions). And Adam is the Head of the Household/Church, and Eve is the recipient or the church.

In essence, God told Adam which trees not to eat from, and Adam was to tell Eve. (Heather’s note, when Eve talks with the serpent, she added the phrase, and not touch it, God didn’t say anything about not touching it, she elaborated on the Word of God). (Heather’s note: Adam and Eve did die the day that they ate, because a day to the Lord is like 1,000 years and neither Adam or Eve lived to be 1,000).

The woman must be the recipient of the seed to bear fruit. To get the Spirit of God, the Word of God must be within you.

Why did God punish both Adam and Eve? Adam, the carrier of the seed (Word of God), let the woman get enticed by the serpent, did not stop this from happening, and ate. He could have repented, could have corrected Eve, could have told her not to listen to the serpent, he did not do what he should have done.

The Letter of the Law will kill you, but the Spirit gives life.

Jesus gave us deliverance, to obtain liberty. Genesis 3:14-15 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her Seed, He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

This is the first messianic prophesy.

Woman doesn’t have a seed, man does. The seed came through the woman as a man in flesh (Jesus), Unless you receive, you cannot conceive. Unless you conceive, you cannot give birth.

Everyone looks at the outside manifestations, but God works from the inside out.

A prophetic Word from God should not be a surprise to you, for God works from the inside. When we receive a prophetic word, it should validate what God has spoken to us in the Spirit.

Some don’t want to Hear the Spirit Word of God, for the soul (mind, will, emotions) is tormented. And the soul wants to hear things that sound great to the soul. This can keep you in bondage and feed the flesh.

In a marriage, the woman’s desire is for the husband. (Our souls are meant to desire God). When the woman was tempted, her desire switched from her husband (God), to her desire to become like God.

The soul has to be in line with the Word of God.

Matthew 4 (Satan tempts Jesus). For Jesus to redeem us, he had to go through the same sorts of temptation that went on in the Garden of Eden.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

Jesus was hungry (after 40 days of fasting). Satan comes to him and says, “If you are the Son of God…turn these stones into bread. Three times satan asks If, If, If. Satan doesn’t know for sure. But satan uses tricks he still uses with us (satan has a limited repertoire) he temps us through the emotions.

Satan cannot tempt us if we remember what the Word says, if we obey the Word, and come into intimacy with the Word.

God spoke to us before we were born, we were born with a purpose, we just have to remember our purpose.

Why 7 spirits, 7 churches? Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 

Spiritual battles can only be won when we listen to the Spirit of God.

Death – separation from the power of God
Hell-torment
Grave-flesh and mind, strongholds of our mind.

We must make sure that we are speaking the Word of God, not our doubts, fears and unbelief. Satan gets his information from hearing what we say. He cannot read our minds.

Lucifer fell from heaven. He knew Adam was coming. God gave Adam a world to rule and have dominion over. When Adam and Eve listened to Lucifer, they did not want to hear the Spiritual Word of God. Pride is not wanting to hear about God. Not wanting to listen to what others say about Him.

The church is where it is now because we have an escape mentality (belief in the rapture to take us out of the world), rather than a dominion mentality.

Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Jesus had physical hunger. Satan tempted with physical relief.

Jesus responded by saying “It is written…”

Physical temptation will come to each and everyone of us. The difference is we are being led by the Spirit of God. What we are going through is a means to an objective. Satan cannot do anything without God’s permission. When satan acts it will bring Glory to God.

Faith is a reverberation in the Spirit man. When satan sees faith, he begins to tremble. Out of the belly flows rivers of living water. We are saved by Grace through faith.

When we must spend time with God.  The Holy Spirit dwells within us, We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And the Key is Christ.

We must go inside our father’s house, and Jesus unlocks the door for us.

We tend to have an escape mentality. We base our identity on the past, but when we do this we are not believing that we are new creations in Christ. We must take dominion over our physical world.

Satan tempts us with our past if we keep remembering our past. If we are not telling satan what God says, our soul divorces the husband (Christ as the head), and we do not move forward.

Adversity is used by satan to keep us from doing what God wants us to do. We choose to give over to the power of deception if we don’t confess our sins, satan can use them to block God’s work on the earth. If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us.

Unless your soul yields to what God says, you will not have intimacy. God is a God of order. We want our soul to be in line with God’s Word.

The Woman at the Well John 4 (Besides being a real woman, the woman at the well also represents our soul).

The woman had 5 husbands. Her soul was married to other spirits that were not the Spirit of God (one husband).

The Woman caught in adultery. The scribes and Pharisees did not want to hear the Spirit of the Word of God. They wanted legalism.

The Woman with the issue of blood  for 12 years (number of government). and that issue of blood was overturned.

God will reveal to us what is the Spirit of man, and what comes from the soul of man. Satan will call those who speak the spiritual Word of God, “False prophets.”

God gave us one way to the Kingdom of God (Jesus), and we should not mess with God’s kingdom.

Satan will continue messing around with you until he realizes that all you will say is what God says.

Hope you enjoy Pastor Ted’s teaching. If there are any errors, they are my note-takning, not Pastor Ted’s teaching.

Have a blessed day,

Heather