Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17
MEANING
This statement is a response to his disciples who were trying to prevent children from coming to him.
Jesus rebukes them and says that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these, and that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.
The profoundness of this assertion lies in the characteristics of children that Jesus is referring to.
Children are often seen as innocent, trusting, and dependent.
They have a simple faith and are not burdened by the doubts and cynicism that can come with age and experience. They are also humble and teachable, willing to learn and receive guidance from older and wiser people.
Jesus says that to enter the kingdom of God, we must approach it with the same childlike qualities of innocence, trust, humility, and teachability.
We must come to God with a simple faith, not relying on our knowledge or understanding but trusting in God’s wisdom and guidance. We must be humble, recognizing that we are not self-sufficient but dependent on God. And we must be teachable, willing to learn from God, and those who are wiser and more experienced in the ways of God.
This is the kind of faith that opens the door to the kingdom of God and allows us to enter into a relationship with God that is marked by love, joy, and peace.
JESUS SAYS THAT WE WILL NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN UNLESS WE BECOME LIKE A CHILD.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
“…. Looking to Jesus, THE FOUNDER AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2
FOUNDER: n. ( faith) establisher, (faith) mounter n. The one who begins (faith); the one who writes (faith), the one from whom all (faith) comes.
Jesus lays the groundwork. Jesus IS the groundwork. He establishes and forms our faith, He initiates and originates our Faith. He has complete domination over our level of faith.
The Truth of His sovereignty is evident; we do not establish ourselves, we cannot establish ourselves, and we are not worthy to establish ourselves, not even with our own faith. If anyone claims to have the ability to establish and maintain saving faith by the power of their own will, they are a liar.
He has the reigns. Jesus alone by the Will of The Father decrees Faith, He, in His predestining Will chooses who will be established in Himself and, as many men reject, who is His enemy.
“For by Grace, you have been saved through FAITH. And this is NOT YOUR OWN DOING; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT A RESULT OF WORKS, so that no one may boast. For WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND, that we should walk in them.”
Eph.2:8-10
WORKMANSHIP:
n. To manufacture (His people); invent; meticulously design (His Faithful), producer with intellectual depth & skill, especially by manual labor.
n. That which is effected; (The power to produce an outcome, full forced execution; operativeness), made or produced
We are His Workmanship.
He executes, He operates, He develops, and He produces His people’s Faith by the Power of His Grace. We don’t execute, operate, develop or produce, our own Faith.
The Grace we receive ISN’T because of anything we do (no matter how significant), nor because of anything we say (no matter how righteous), or anything we think. We receive His Grace through His Sovereign Faith (not our free will “faith”); We can only be saved by the perfect Faith of Jesus Christ that can only save us by His Grace.
AGAIN… We have righteousness through Faith. Whose Faith? Jesus’ Faith.
ALL have sinned and fall short, but we are justified by Faith through HIS GRACE AS A GIFT… FREE GIFT.
FAITH IS A GIFT. Therefore, we don’t work for it or at it; there’s only ONE, Christ Jesus, and He alone is able to give Faith to whom the Father chose already, He alone Saves, He follows the Will of His Father.
No human can manipulate, control, command, demand, or alter what has been established before the earth’s foundation. No human can interfere with the Book of Life.
… the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE AS A GIFT, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
As adopted heirs according to the Promise of our Messiah we are humbled by the certainty of our Salvation being from God’s Grace & nothing else, not even human choice… Not even our own choice.
And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)—if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:17
God is the Potter & His Creation is His clay… The Lord does ALL that He pleases.
I, being the clay in my Potter’s hands, have no authority over how my Potter establishes & constructs me.
I am guilty of my sinful actions, thoughts & nature. In my flesh I disgust a Holy God, this is exactly why a Savior is required for reconciliation.
He patterns His clay according to the pattern He devises in His Mind. His Thoughts are what generate, cultivate, and produce what we humans comprehend as reality.
Outside of the Mind of God, there is NOTHING.
Material reality is a shadow of Spiritual reality, the Spiritual Realm reigns as sovereign over ALL material, not the other way around.
I recognize that I’m just as wicked-natured, crooked, and filled with as much iniquity as the next person & the only reason I am Saved from the wages of my flesh is by His Grace, His Faith, His Decision, His Ordination, His Predetermination, and His Council, all such is derived from His perfect Mind…
We are the clay being formed into His masterpiece, depending solely on Him, the Potter. We are vessels. A vessel depends on its Operator, not itself.
My value, of my own volition, is not higher or lesser than any other human, of whom are made in the likeness of God but all tainted by the sin of Adam.
God always obtains what is His & He deserves ALL Glory!
If a believer deprives any bit of Glory to God, they are speaking a false, counterfeit Doctrine, aimed at robbing God of His Glory… Be it some Glory or all Glory; we own, control, & inhabit NO GLORY outside of Christ.
Glory is His – ALONE.
When we see His perfectly Righteous Wrath, God reveals to us even more that His Glory is merciful, and His Mercy endures (sustains) forever. He reveals His Glory in the ability of His Majestic Grace.
It’s Grace because it’s unearned, it’s not a reward, it’s a pardon, and there is no cause but the Judge’s own Decision & Mercy.
If you earned any part of the Salvation & Grace you received, it’s not Grace. & If you depend on your Salvation, I’d question myself because only God is dependable
He lavishes His Grace and Mercy for whomever He ordains. He is an impartial Judge. He is not a respecter of persons.
In ALL THINGS He is THE essence & foundation, commanding His declaration to be respected by Speaking that which is nothing into existence and making it something. He is before all things, in all things, & all things work through Him, & for Him & to Him.
His will is perfect & a perfect will is unable to be incomplete or unfinished, meaning He accomplishes His will… & His will was written before your decision.
To be perfect is to be exact, complete, accurate, and valid, a completed Will lacks nothing.
Anything truly perfect needs nothing outside of its perfection. A Will that is perfect achieves & fulfills itself without any missing aspect needed…
We are provided with the capacity to discern by His Will and Spirit. He is our illumination in the fog. The Spirit illuminates what materiality darkens.
He determines to lift the veil from the eyes of all that See (in His Spirit) -we are developed beyond the shadow, no longer limited to the diagram, but we are integrated with the Substance.
We have the Holy Spirit. We are rescued from the death we deserve, we earned Hell, by the power of the flesh.
We are purchased by our Creator into Life, saved from our flesh’s reward, we don’t deserve to be saved, we have no merit, etc not even a little bit
But thanks to God we who See are completely Free; only by the Power of the Holy Spirit… Without such, we’re only Tares presuming we are Wheat, but like a flower, we have no substance and we die out.
Humans are attached to the assurance of their own free will. I have discerned that when we only place our active trust in ourselves & our own opinions, we can only trust what we experience with our five senses.
As it is written in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Our reliance on our free will and limited senses can lead us astray, but when we trust in the Lord and submit to His will, He will guide us on the right path.
As it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Let us not be bound by our understanding but instead seek the wisdom and guidance of the Lord.
There are some who strongly believe that we have the ability to determine our own will and choices, as this seems evident based on our personal experiences. However, it is important to approach differing viewpoints with respect and understanding, rather than resorting to ridicule or mockery. While some may feel that certain religious leaders or teachings hold more weight than others, it is also important to seek guidance from multiple sources and to carefully consider the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting scripture.
The popular argument is:
‘humans do respond to God & response is derived from the will, therefore man’s will.”
Free will is limited by God’s will, and our decisions are part of his divine plan, so following his direction leads us on the right path.
As it is written in Philippians 2:13, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."
Therefore, let us humble ourselves before the Lord and seek His guidance in all our decisions, knowing that He is the one who ultimately directs our paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Man, without the Holy Spirit pastoring him through Scriptures believes the opposite of the Truth. We can only be truly free IN CHRIST.
But then we are not free in our will but in His Will.
Scripture tells us that there’s no freedom in any works of the flesh…
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Humans are attached to the assurance of their own free will. I have discerned that when we only place our active trust in ourselves & our own opinions then we can only trust what we experience with our 5 senses.
Our senses tell us that it’s beyond obvious that we are free to will as we determine and any opposition to this Doctrine ought to be ridiculed and mocked because we believe what Pastors and mere mortal men tell us, many forsaking the Holy Spirit of God, the One Who guides man DIRECTLY through Scripture.
Because we can’t sense the Will of God through human perceptions, we laugh at the thought.
The popular argument is that ‘humans do respond to God & response is derived from the will, therefore man’s will.”
Of course responding, acting, choosing, and deciding appears to a man (who’s biggest enemy is truly himself & his Pride) as his own free will, but the truth is: he can only respond because God makes him willing first, and then when God opens man’s spiritual ears and eyes to Hear and See, God changes his heart, so then, the man can believe freely or willingly.
Freely in who? Or Freely from who?
Man surely is not free in himself. Nor is a man who’s in Christ have a will free from Christ.
Man, without the Holy Spirit pastoring him through Scriptures believes the opposite of the Truth. We can only be truly free IN CHRIST. But then we are not free in our will but in His.
Scripture tells us that there’s no freedom in any works of the flesh…
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.
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.
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
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….
⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬⏬
“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
