There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
What the Law could not do, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh & an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do NOT walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who walk according to the flesh put their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who walk according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
The mind set on the flesh is death
But the mind set on the Spirit is life & peace, The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, it is not even able to do so,(man in & of himself is wicked & deprived) & those who are in the flesh cannot please God (no matter how hard they try). .
The good news is you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you. But if ANYONE does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ.
If Christ is in you, though your body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of His righteousness.
If you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if you are living by the Spirit you are laying to death the actions of the body, & you will live.
All who are being directed by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
You have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, & if we are children, we are heirs also, heirs of God & fellow heirs with Christ, If we suffer with Him we may also be glorified with Him.
The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
The anxious longing of His entire creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
The eye is an intriguing organ that serves as the primary channel of visual perception for humans. However, in the Bible, references to the eye go beyond its physicality and delve into deeper spiritual meanings.
In this blog post, we will explore what God’s Word teaches us about the significance of the eye and how it relates to our spiritual well-being.
The Eye as the Lamp of the Body
In both Luke 11:34-36 and Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus refers to the eye as the lamp of the body. This metaphorical usage signifies the role of the eye in providing light and clarity. When our eye is healthy, our entire being is illuminated with light, but if our eye is diseased or corrupted, darkness engulfs us. Here, Jesus emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy and focused spiritual vision.
The Single and Sound Eye
In the teachings of Jesus, having a single or sound eye is vital. It refers to having clear and undivided vision, not being double-minded or wavering in our commitment. A single eye enables us to discern truth and make righteous choices. By contrast, a diseased or distorted eye represents a compromised spiritual perception, leading to moral darkness and confusion.
Symbolic and Figurative Meanings
Throughout the Bible, the eye carries symbolic and figurative meanings. It can represent the heart or mind, being either enlightened or darkened. The eye of the heart is the organ of spiritual perception, through which we gain understanding and insight. It can be opened by God’s Word or the work of the Holy Spirit, or it can be darkened and blinded by sin and unbelief.
The Eye as an Indicator of Character
The Scriptures also associate the eye with one’s character and disposition. A “good” or “bountiful” eye reflects a kind and generous nature, while “proud” or “lofty” eyes indicate arrogance and haughtiness. Additionally, the Bible highlights the importance of humility, often symbolized by “lowly eyes.” Rage or anger can be discerned through the sharpening of the eyes, revealing the inner emotions of an individual.
The Eyes of God
Just as our eyes reflect our thoughts and intentions, the eyes of God symbolize His omniscience, watchfulness, and loving care. God’s eyes are constantly attentive to the affairs of humanity, and He guides and counsels those who seek Him. The concept of the “apple of the eye” signifies God’s protective and caring nature, assuring His people of His unwavering safeguarding.
The references to the eye in God’s Word encompass both literal and metaphorical meanings. Beyond the physicality of vision, the eye symbolizes spiritual perception, character, and divine attentiveness.
Understanding the significance of the eye encourages us to cultivate a healthy and single-minded vision, rooted in God’s truth and righteousness.
May we strive for spiritual clarity and allow God to illuminate our hearts through the light of His Word.
Have you ever been given the chance to experience the power of solitude?
Alone in the silence, I found my peace, A chance to explore my innermost thoughts, The power of solitude I did release, A journey of self-discovery I sought.
Have you ever felt the intensity of being cut off from the outside world, leaving you without anything but your own musings and emotions?
The world outside has vanished, all I have is me, My thoughts and feelings, no one else to see, No one to share my joy or my pain, Alone with my thoughts, I'm lost in the rain.
Isolation can be a profoundly influential occurrence, taking away the chaos of everyday living, allowing you to confront your deepest fears and desires; helping you to comprehend yourself better and your place in the universe.
This can be the start of a tough journey of self-discovery, as you confront the aspects of yourself that may be hard to articulate.
When I refer to you recognizing the depths of darkness in the shadows, I mean more than simply being aware of it. I am suggesting that you have a deep comprehension of it from personal experience and inner understanding. You possess a special ability to look past the exterior of the darkness and to accept and welcome the unfamiliar. You can then find the strength to investigate the vastness of your subconscious. This allows you to gain insight into yourself and the world around you, and to make sense of the hurt, distress, and darkness that happen during life’s journey.
You have the capacity to acknowledge and embrace the beauty and strength of the darkness, and to use it to manifest positive transformation in your life.
This type of knowledge is gained by confronting and exploring the shadow aspects of oneself, and recognizing the cause and effect of these hidden emotions and thoughts. It is a deep, experiential understanding that can lead to greater self-awareness and personal growth.
“God develops our character in community and tests it in isolation.”
Bill Thrall
Light and darkness in analytical psychology are powerful tools that provide insight into an individual's inner struggles, psychological conditions, and overall emotional states.
The contrast between the two can illuminate the unseen and provide clarity to our spiritual being.
The inner light that shines within us is a reminder of our connection to the divine.
It is a beacon that guides us through our lives and grants us insight and clarity.
Its beauty and power are ever-present, and it serves as a reminder of the truth of life.
Analytical psychologists use light and darkness to explore the depths of the unconscious.
By delving into the contrast between the two, they can gain a better understanding of an individual's inner life and how they interact with the external world.
This understanding can help individuals to overcome their struggles and achieve a greater sense of well-being.
The familiarity we can develop with darkness reveals to us the outline of the “shadow” hidden within it. We recognize that we are the shadow, that we are that darkness.
Darkness reveals to us the outline of the shadow.
What does that even mean?
The Absence of light or illumination makes known to us the description or plan giving us the essential features of an image cast on the ground or other surface by a body intercepting darkness to emphasize and contrast the presence of Light.
The Shadow Arises From Our Subconscious
From a spiritual perspective, the concept of the shadow can be seen as a manifestation of our inner demons or negative energies that we carry within us. These energies may arise from past traumas, unresolved emotions, or societal conditioning that has led us to suppress certain aspects of ourselves.
Adam’s Shadow
The shadow that we try to hide represents the parts of ourselves that are still present within us. Our ego, which was shaped by Adam’s fall, causes us to fear harm and prioritize self-protection. This fear is particularly strong in those who hold themselves in high regard and are concerned with their image. Some individuals may isolate themselves to protect their ego from harm, believing that their worth is based on accomplishments or validation, which can leave them vulnerable to ego injury. It is important to recognize that our true nature encompasses not only our ego and self-image but also our shadow. By accepting all aspects of ourselves, we can live more authentically and not be afraid of ego injury.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor. 12:9-10
What Is A Shadow?
Shadow: n. A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. v. To block light or radio transmission. (espionage) To secretly or discreetly track or follow another, to keep under surveillance. adj. Unofficial, informal, unauthorized, but acting as though it were.
Having power or influence, but not widely known or recognized.
Extended periods of isolation can have significant and lasting spiritual effects, both positive and negative, contingent upon one’s perception. These effects can have an exponential impact on the mind, ultimately facilitating the transition from physical existence to spiritual existence.
Isolation illuminates a reality many refuse to look at, as the fear of death overwhelms most All
Gods elect are put through whatever it takes to bring them in to the fullness of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:6
When you a become skilled at compartmentalizing the memories of your own mind, due to self-preservation growing up & other destructive aspects, your own memories become fragmented thoughts. If you value yourself at all, you will attempt to find any way to connect them together again, like a puzzle but a puzzle can’t piece itself together from the memory of a single puzzle piece.
So we repress, some at will, calling upon fragments of recall, realizing we don’t remember most of our own life. If we don’t learn to integrate at will, the fragmented personas become too loud to ignore and we have no more choice, we can’t ignore it.
That’s when insanity comes. Insanity doesn’t knock, it busts down your door. In that moment procrastination is no longer an option.
When isolation is met with the force of this level of insanity there are ONLY 2 routes:
1. Go Insane into neverending neurosis.
2. Integrate Self with the memories of repressed Pain and Consciously expand your ability to open all the wounds, even those you forgot existed. Integrating your childhood self into who you are now because your inner child IS STILL YOU!
Isolation, whether forced by outside influences or forced by inward forces, gives a breadth of wisdom that can ONLY be attained through isolation, it works by exposing to your conscious, your unconscious. Revealing your shadow that comes from numerous kinds of suffering and isolation, rejection and abandonment, uniformly consistent throughout life.
There are many of us, but not many talk about it because you will be slandered and abused. Toxic, hard hearted people love to squash any vulnerability you expose to them that makes themselves have to look in the mirror, they will destroy you, then deny it, devalue you and slander.
BE CAREFUL!
Most people avoid this self-realization by being a:
BUSYBODY A meddling person; one who officiously concerns himself with the affairs of others
GOSSIP: GOS'SIP, noun. One who runs from house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler. Mere tattle; idle talk. GOS'SIP, verb intransitive To prate; to chat; to talk much. 1. To be a pot-companion. 2. To run about and tattle; to tell idle tales.
SLANDERER noun. A defamer; SLA'NDER, noun 1. A false tale or report maliciously uttered. and tending to injure the reputation of another by lessening him in the esteem of his fellow citizens, by exposing him to impeachment and punishment, or by impairing his means of living; defamation. slander that worst of poisons, ever finds an easy entrance to ignoble minds. 2 Disgrace; reproach; disreputation; ill name. SLA'NDER, verb transitive To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report respecting one; to tarnish or impair the reputation of one by false tales, maliciously told or propagated.
SANCTIMONIOUS Having the appearance of sanctity; as a sanctimonious pretense.
MARTYR One who makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy. These are the most dangerous because they pretend to understand but it's all a show so people will worship them.
But… Those who face it will see Truth in the most Authentic form that is visible to the human mind.
There are no excuses at that point, what is, is, because you don’t run to other people for validation or distraction.
When you have no one to vomit all your complaints onto at every emotional juncture, you learn to actually feel and know your own thoughts and beliefs. You have no choice but to make sense of it because no one is going to psychologically lessen the burden for you.
And in that, God reveals Himself, literally.
This is exactly what Scripture Speaks of if you LISTEN with Ears that Hear.
The Word Holy within the context of when He says “Be Holy as I am Holy” is; WHOLE, COMPLETE, UNFRAGMENTED.
What are we to integrate? Our sin (which lies definitely within our shadow).
Only when we ADMIT, meaning we OWN & stop rejecting our sins (by His HOLY Spirit) can we become whole (Holy). This is repentance.
God says where there is Light, darkness is distinguished.
If we keep our sins by rejecting their existence, locking then in the shadows, how will God take them?
God is the Light.
When we integrate, what we hate within, God brings Light into it, God takes all that darkness, therefore integrating us in order to burn off the chaff.
Suffering and Pain are of the flesh.
Just as the fleshs end is death, so is suffering and pain; therefore whatever suffering we face we know it’s end is death.
God tells us to meet Him in His secret place, the Secret Place is a place of isolation when perceived from human eyes. But in isolation is where you find there is no such thing.
All of God’s greatest works of prophetic writings have come from vessels (men) who were in isolation of some sort.
All of God’s elect were those who were ignored, despised, and made to feel worthless by their peers, but God calls the broken and fragmented into Wholeness and Completeness in Him.
People will mock you when you come into His transformation & claim it’s because they care, when they can only see through their own experience, thinking the limits of their opinions is the limit of the other.
People will also degrade you & claim it’s because you’re worth more than what their eyes see, but they are unable to see with the Eyes that are from Heaven I’m always remember when Paul said:
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:15-16
People will find you a burden when they see your suffering, especially supposed Christians, they don’t want to see your pain because it causes them to glimpse into their own & that is what humanity avoids, as their ego overruns their perception.
Or they may ignore you and talk about you behind your back out of false kindness because they find power in using you as their scapegoat, all too common.
People will Gaslight, Accuse, Deflect, Reject, & Twist every word, using any tactic to cause your mind to shift down into their realm: the realm of shallowness, land of false light, where we don’t speak of pain, a place where rosy sunglasses are always worn when looking in a mirror.
If you give in to the pressure, you won’t be isolated, you will appear outwardly as the rest but your shadow will grow bigger and bigger, your sins will hide deeper and deeper.
Know that the seed of eternal death lives in the Shadows, lives in the sins, lives in those places that seem foolish to your friends and family but live just as deeply within them as they do you, the only difference is the LIGHT.
Don’t listen to anyone who goes against what God says. There are many false prophets. Trust God in YOU.
Do you Know Isolation, have you truly been embraced?
If so… you know the depth of darkness that the human shadow is hiding within when isolation becomes a companion, reaching the depths of your soul the things that can not be uttered.
When I say you KNOW the shadow’s depths of darkness, I do not mean you know purely intellectually. You Know, as in, you Perceive it directly, experience its cause & effect inwardly, you recognized it as knowledge.
“God develops our character in community and tests it in isolation.”
Bill Thrall
When you are able to discern darkness by simply Seeing into the darkness you know you have become the Light of God.
The familiarity we can develop with darkness reveals an outline of the “shadow” that hides within,7 we recognize we are the shadow, we are that darkness.
Darkness reveals to us the outline of the shadow.
What does that even mean?
In the literal, material:
The Absence of light (or illumination ) makes Known to us the description or plan giving us the essential features (the nuance) of an object cast on a surface this shadow is cast by another body or object, intercepting the darkness, emphasizing and contrasting the presence of Light.
The shadow arises from our subconscious.
The Subconscious is not wholly conscious, meaning it’s not aware of and responding to our surroundings. It is the part of the mind below the level of conscious perception. It is the part of us who acts without our awareness.
Our shadow harbors the Truth of who we are, beneath it’s mask: the human ego. Since we fell in Adam, we feel the compulsion to protect ourselves from the Truth of who we are, fearing ego injury above all else.
Many of us who seclude ourselves were raised to maintain an inflated idea of our own importance, obsessed with our self image, else there would be psychological damage
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor. 12:9-10
SHADOW DEFINITIONS
n. A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.
v. To block light or radio transmission.
(espionage) To secretly or discreetly track or follow another, to keep under surveillance.
adj. Unofficial, informal, unauthorized, but acting as though it were.
When you lived an extended span in isolation there develops long-term effects, good & bad, depending on your perception, this impacts your mind exponentially. If you are resilient and intuitive, isolation executes the mission of transitioning consciousness from flesh to Spirit.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:6
When you learn to separate and store memories as a way to protect yourself, those memories can become fragmented thoughts.
If you care about yourself, you will strive to find a way to reconnect them, just like solving a puzzle.
However, a puzzle cannot put itself together using just one piece from its memory.
So we repress, some at will, calling upon fragments of recall, realizing we don’t remember most of our own life.
If we don’t learn to integrate at will, the fragmented personas become too loud to ignore and we have no more choice, we can’t ignore it.
That’s when insanity comes. Insanity doesn’t knock, it busts down your door. In that moment procrastination is no longer an option.
When isolation is met with the force of this level of insanity there are ONLY 2 routes:
1. Go Insane into neverending neurosis.
2. Integrate Self with the memories of repressed Pain.
… consciously expanding your ability to open all the wounds, even those you forgot existed. … integrating your childhood self into who you are now because your inner child IS STILL YOU!
Isolation, whether forced by outside influences or forced by inward forces, gives a breadth of wisdom that can ONLY be attained through isolation, it works by exposing to your conscious, your unconscious.
There are many of us, but not many talk about it because you will be slandered and abused.
Toxic, hard hearted people love to squash any vulnerability you expose to them.
If they have to look in the mirror, some will automatically feel the need to destroy you, then deny it, devalue you and slander.
BE CAREFUL!
People avoid this self-realization by being
BUSYBODY A meddling person; one who officiously concerns himself with the affairs of others
GOSSIP: GOS'SIP, noun. One who runs from house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler. Mere tattle; idle talk. GOS'SIP, verb intransitive To prate; to chat; to talk much. 1. To be a pot-companion. 2. To run about and tattle; to tell idle tales.
SLANDERER noun. A defamer; SLA'NDER, noun 1. A false tale or report maliciously uttered. and tending to injure the reputation of another by lessening him in the esteem of his fellow citizens, by exposing him to impeachment and punishment, or by impairing his means of living; defamation. slander that worst of poisons, ever finds an easy entrance to ignoble minds. 2 Disgrace; reproach; disreputation; ill name. SLA'NDER, verb transitive To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report respecting one; to tarnish or impair the reputation of one by false tales, maliciously told or propagated.
SANCTIMONIOUS Having the appearance of sanctity; as a sanctimonious pretense.
MARTYR One who makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy. These are the most dangerous because they pretend to understand but it's all a show so people will worship them.
But… Those who face their shadow will see Truth in the most Authentic form that is visible to the human mind.
There are no excuses at that point because you don’t run to other people for validation or distraction.
When you have no one to vomit all your complaints onto at every emotional juncture, you learn to actually feel and know your own thoughts and beliefs.
You have no choice but to make sense of it because no one is going to psychologically lessen the burden for you.
And in that, God reveals Himself, literally.
This is exactly what Scripture Speaks of if you LISTEN with Ears that Hear.
The Word Holy within the context of when He says “Be Holy as I am Holy” is; WHOLE, COMPLETE, UNFRAGMENTED.
What are we to integrate? Our sin (which lies definitely within our shadow).
Only when we ADMIT, meaning we OWN & stop rejecting our sins (by His HOLY Spirit) can we become whole (Holy). This is repentance.
God says where there is Light, darkness is distinguished.
If we keep our sins by rejecting their existence, locking then in the shadows, how will God take them?
God is the Light.
When we integrate, what we hate within, God brings Light into it, God takes all that darkness, therefore integrating us in order to burn off the chaff.
Suffering and Pain are of the flesh.
Just as the flesh’s end is death, so is suffering and pain; therefore whatever suffering we face we know it’s end is death.
God tells us to meet Him in His secret place, the Secret Place is a place of isolation when perceived from human eyes. But in isolation is where you find there is no such thing.
All of God’s greatest works of prophetic writings have come from vessels (men) who were in isolation of some sort.
All of God’s elect were those who were ignored, despised, and made to feel worthless by their peers, but God calls the broken and fragmented into Wholeness and Completeness in Him.
People will mock you when you come into His transformation & claim it’s because they care, when they can only see through their own experience, thinking the limits of their opinions is the limit of the other.
People will also degrade you & claim it’s because you’re worth more than what their eyes see, but they are unable to see with the Eyes that are from Heaven I’m always remember when Paul said:
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:15-16
People will find you a burden when they see your suffering, especially supposed Christians, they don’t want to see your pain because it causes them to glimpse into their own & that is what humanity avoids, as their ego overruns their perception.
Or they may ignore you and talk about you behind your back out of false kindness because they find power in using you as their scapegoat, all too common.
People will Gaslight, Accuse, Deflect, Reject, & Twist every word, using any tactic to cause your mind to shift down into their realm: the realm of shallowness, land of false light, where we don’t speak of pain, a place where rosy sunglasses are always worn when looking in a mirror.
If you give in to the pressure, you won’t be isolated, you will appear outwardly as the rest but your shadow will grow bigger and bigger, your sins will hide deeper and deeper.
Know that the seed of eternal death lives in the Shadows, lives in the sins, lives in those places that seem foolish to your friends and family but live just as deeply within them as they do you, the only difference is the LIGHT.
Don’t listen to anyone who goes against what God says. There are many false prophets. Trust God in YOU.
This article was written during a period when my theological framework was firmly Reformed and Calvinist.
I believed wholeheartedly in the doctrines of election, limited atonement, and divine sovereignty as articulated within that tradition — and I wrote accordingly, with conviction and sincerity.
My understanding has since undergone a profound shift. I no longer hold that the God described as sovereign in these passages is the ultimate and unknowable Father.
What I once read as divine election I now recognize as a subtler question: not who God chose, but which God these texts are reflecting at any given moment.
The Demiurge and the true Father are not the same being, and the failure to distinguish between them — embedded in orthodox theology through centuries of deliberate and demonic corruption of the original transmission — produces exactly the kind of theology this post once defended.
The Christ I now understand did not come to satisfy the wrath of a territorial creator-god.
He came as a messenger of the Pleroma — the true Fullness — to awaken the Pneumatic spark within those capable of receiving it.
The elect, in this reading, are not arbitrarily chosen by a sovereign deity’s inscrutable will.
They are those in whom the light is alive enough to recognize itself when it is called.
The original post stands here as a record of a genuine and earnest season of seeking. The seeking was always real. What I was seeking, I understand differently now.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Jesus ransomed people from every tribe, language, people and nation – Revelation 5:9
“It is NOT written: ‘He ransomed everyone, everywhere…”
Instead, it is stated that Jesus, through His sacrifice, has redeemed specific individuals from all tribes, tongues, and nations. The inclusivity of salvation is not limited by any physical characteristics or distinctions, but upon God’s Choice.
When we interpret Scripture, we find a beautiful interconnectedness between different passages.
For instance, we witness Jesus, who for a short time was made lower than the angels, being crowned with glory and honor. This exaltation is a result of His godly willingness to suffer death so that, by God’s grace, He could taste death for people from all walks of life (Hebrews 2:9).
It was fitting for God, to whom all things belong and by whom all things are created, to bring many sons and daughters to glory through the perfection of the Captain of their salvation via sufferings (Hebrews 2:10).
God Initiates Redemption
Jesus, as the founder of our salvation, establishes that our salvation is rooted in God’s divine plan. It is God who initiates this process, setting the foundation for our redemption.
The scope of Jesus’ sacrifice can be understood in three ways.
Firstly, if we consider that He died for every single person in the entire world, we know this to be untrue.
Secondly, if His atonement is meaningless and He died for nobody at all, that also contradicts the truth.
Lastly, the most accurate understanding is that Christ died for His elect, a chosen group of people from all corners of the world.
Jesus’ sacrifice accomplishes complete salvation for all those whom He died to save. The work of Christ is flawless and perfect.
How do you know if you’re one of those? If you seek Him, it is you!
The Scriptures explicitly state that Christ was slain, and by His blood, He ransomed a multitude of people from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9).
Jesus Himself affirms that He lays down His life for His sheep and His sheep alone (John 10:14).
However, He goes on to explain that He has other sheep from different folds, and He must gather them. These sheep will hear His voice and become one flock with one shepherd.
Jesus assures us that He knows His sheep and they will respond to His call.
God’s sovereignty eliminates any room for uncertainty or speculation regarding the individuals who will be welcomed into His glorious Kingdom. To question the sovereignty of such a majestic and all-knowing God is nothing short of foolishness. He, being the ultimate orchestrator of our salvation, holds the pen that writes the true narrative of our deliverance, even if there are those who stubbornly reject this undeniable truth.
Lack Of Belief
In the encounter captured in John 10, Jesus tactfully addresses the hypocritical Jewish leaders who question His authority. He skillfully emphasizes that their lack of belief is not the cause of their separation from Him; rather, it is their inherent disconnection from His flock.
Jesus highlights the profound truth that those who do not believe simply do not belong to Him, underscoring the importance of genuine faith and spiritual alignment with His teachings.
His Sheep
Furthermore, Jesus declares that His sheep hear His voice, He knows them intimately, and they follow Him.
He grants them eternal life, assuring that they will never perish, and no one can snatch them out of His or the Father’s hand. The unity between Jesus and the Father is unbreakable.
It is crucial to acknowledge that Jesus knows us even before we realize He knows us.
To come to the conclusion that Jesus appeased God’s anger and carried the sins of those already experiencing torment in hell would contradict the principles outlined in the Bible. It would be illogical for them to be punished a second time if their penalty had already been paid.
The passage in Hebrews 10:10-14 explains that Jesus Christ offered himself as the ultimate sacrifice that satisfies God’s wrath once and forever. Through his death on the cross, Jesus “perfected” or completed the sanctification of those whom God is saving.
Sanctification is the ongoing process by which God makes his people more holy through faith in Christ. It starts at the moment of salvation and continues throughout one’s life.
Jesus’ one-time sacrifice is utterly sufficient to both justify sinners and progressively sanctify God’s people. All those whom God designated to be sanctified will most certainly be sanctified, because the debt for their sins has been paid in full by the perfect Lamb of God.
Christ’s sacrifice was a “finished work” that reconciled believers unto God permanently.
There is no need for further offerings or rituals, because what Jesus accomplished on the cross is completely satisfactory to pardon sin and transform souls into his likeness.
If Jesus sacrificed Himself and tasted death for every individual without exception, it would imply that He has “perfected” every single person in the world, leading to universal salvation, which is not the case.
Eternal Inheritance
The “eternal inheritance” mentioned by Christ is exclusively received by those who are called by God, His elect (Hebrews 9:15).
Jesus expresses to the Father that He is not praying for the world but for those whom the Father has given Him because they belong to Him. This emphasizes the distinctiveness of His chosen ones (John 17:9-10).
When the Son of Man returns in His glory, He will gather all nations and separate people as a shepherd divides sheep from goats. The sheep will be placed on His right, while the goats will be on the left (Matthew 25:31-33).
Jesus assures us that all whom the Father gives Him will come to Him, and He will never cast them out. He came down from heaven to fulfill the will of the Father, which is to lose none of those given to Him but raise them up on the last day (John 6:37-40).
Scripture reveals that Jesus’ sacrifice is not meant for every individual without exception but for His elect, chosen from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
God’s plan for salvation is rooted in His divine sovereignty, and Jesus’ sacrifice accomplishes complete redemption for those whom He died to save. The unity between Jesus and the Father is unbreakable, and those who belong to Jesus will hear His voice, follow Him, and receive eternal life.
The assurance of salvation is secured by the power of God, who will never cast out those whom He has chosen.
Most apparent, then, it is that the new covenant of grace, and the promises thereof, are all of them of distinguishing mercy, restrained to the people whom God did foreknow; and so not extended universally to all. Now, the blood of Jesus Christ being the blood of this covenant, and his oblation intended only for the procurement of the good things intended and promised thereby,—for he was the surety thereof, Heb. 7:22, and of that only,—it cannot be conceived to have respect unto all, or any but only those that are intended in this covenant.
When I see large amounts of Christians who exalt the will of man, over the will of God, it honestly breaks my heart.
So many are convinced they keep themselves saved, and yet not many will admit that their beliefs make man the sovereign one, not God Himself.
When it comes to my faith in Jesus, God gets all the glory for that.
God grants repentance.
God gives faith.
God draws men to Himself.
God convicts men of their sin.
All I brought to the table was my sin that made salvation possible
God performs the saving.
I can tell you with absolute certainty: if it wasn’t for the power of God keeping me in the faith, I would have departed from it long ago.
And for Him keeping me in His Word, in His Spirit no matter the storm, I’m eternally grateful.
This is a truth that has got me through some of my darkest times walking with Jesus:
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling & to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
Jude 1:24-25
We have to reform (improve, restore, & be correct.
A person can only KNOW God by the Spirit of God, we CAN’T know or understand God apart from the Spirit of God…
It is impossible to Know thoughts that are inside of another because to know something is to have a personal connection to it.
Paul informs us in 1 Corinthians 2:11-16
Who knows a person’s thoughts except for the spirit of that person, which is in him?
Also, no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might comprehend the things freely given to us by God.
We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
The natural (fleshly, carnal) person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are stupid to him & HE’S NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.
The spiritual person judges all things but himself to be judged by no one.
Judge: (Greek) Anakrinó: to observe, examine, investigate, explore, analyze
“For who has understood the mind, psyche, &thoughts of the Lord so as to educate Him?”
Instruct: (Greek) Sumbibazó: to join together, assemble, teach, equip for consolidation
In the realm of spirituality, the concept of comprehending God goes far beyond human capacity. It is through the Spirit of God that we are able to truly grasp the profound depths of His divine nature and purpose. The apostle Paul eloquently expresses this truth in 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, affirming that it is through the Spirit of God that we can know and understand God in ways that surpass human intellect.
The Spirit’s Role in Unveiling Mysteries
According to Paul, no one can fully comprehend the thoughts of God except through the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit who reveals the mysteries and unveils the hidden truths that God freely imparts to us through His Word. This is not a matter of speculation, but is fortified by the authority of scripture, particularly in 1 Corinthians 2:10-12.
The Indispensable Key
These verses unequivocally state that the Spirit is the exclusive entity that comprehends the thoughts of God. The role of the Spirit is not optional, but rather essential for anyone who seeks to understand the intricacies of divine wisdom and God’s will.
The Spirit vs. the Spirit of the World
In the scriptures, we are reminded that as believers, we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God. The term “the spirit of the world” mentioned in scripture refers to a specific concept found in the original language of the Bible.
Aligning with God’s Truth
The scriptures caution believers against conforming to the ways of the world and instead encourage them to be transformed by the renewing of their minds and be led by the Spirit of God. By contrasting the Spirit of God with the spirit of the world, the scriptures highlight the importance of aligning ourselves with God’s truth and values.
The Spirit’s Impartation of Wisdom
Through the impartation of the Spirit, we are able to comprehend the things freely given to us by God. The wisdom we receive is not acquired through human intellect or worldly wisdom, but is taught by the Spirit Himself. It is through the Spirit that spiritual truths are interpreted and understood by those who are spiritually discerning.
The Mind of Christ
Contrary to the inclination of the fleshly and carnal mindset, the things of the Spirit of God may seem foolish or incomprehensible. This is because they can only be truly understood by those who have the Spirit of God dwelling within them. However, through the Spirit, we are granted insights and wisdom that surpass human comprehension.
The Divine Connection
Knowing and understanding God can only be attained through the Spirit of God. As we immerse ourselves in His wisdom and allow the Spirit to guide us, we are able to grasp the profound depths of His divine nature and purpose.
I’ve learned that being kind and being nice are NOT the same… not even close actually. Yet most of us conflate the two and use them interchangeably (I’m guilty of this) which is a disservice to ourselves.
Being nice isn’t even a good thing, once we understand the stark difference and comprehend the substance of both words we can understand God more & what He desires… causing appreciation to the significance & substance His WORDS truly bring.
✝️ “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
The word “kind” used in Ephesians is the word chrestos… Kind/ chréstos: 1. properly, fit for use, useful, serviceable & productive; virtuous, good 2. manageable, i. e. mild, pleasant (opposed to harsh, hard, sharp, bitter)
When you are kind you are useful, competent, capable & well resourced. Being kind is being useful, beneficial, and benevolent.
So, what is nice?? 🤡 🤡 🤡
The first 3 definitions of “nice” in Webster’s unabridged dictionary are very clear:
1. Foolish; silly; simple; ignorant; also, weak; effeminate. 2. of a trifling moment; unimportant; trivial. 3. Overly scrupulous (meticulous) or exacting (makes severe demands); hard to please or satisfy; fastidious (nit-picky) in small matters.
Check out the only verses in the Scriptures that speak of being a nice person….
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“How TERRIBLE it will be for you when everyone says nice things about you, because that’s the way their ancestors used to treat the FALSE PROPHETS!”
Luke 6:26
“For even your brothers and the household of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you, Even they have cried aloud after you. Do not believe them, although they may say NICE things to you.” Jeremiah 12:6
They say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!” and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! Tell us NICE THINGS, relate deceptive messages.
Isaiah 30:10
People say nice things about people that say only what they want to hear… Not what they need to hear.
Jesus wasn’t nice, & people didn’t say nice things about Him, in fact people, “good” people in right standing with society wanted Him dead because He was so offensive… Why? Because humans have itching ears, we want to hear what’s nice and we despise, revolt against and abhor what is unpleasany true, & kind… The truth isn’t nice to the flesh… the Truth is music to the Spirit though.
Let’s not be nice, let’s be kind.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 1 Corinthians 13:4
