If that is your desire, I would first before reading the word, ask the Lord to open up your heart and mind, and ask Him to give you a hunger for His word in order that you might be fed Spiritually.
The Lord has to be involved in your study. If you, in prayer, involve Him every time you approach His word, eventually He will put a hunger in you for His word and you will want more and more every day. You won't be able to stay away from it. You might leave off for a day or two every now and then, but that hunger will not allow you to stay away for very long.
With our physical food, when we get hungry we have to eat to satisfy our hunger. It works the same way with God's word which is our spiritual nourishment. If we belong to Christ, He will give us that hunger for His word and it is only through His word that we can be spiritually nourished.
Please know that you can't do this on your own. God's Spirit has to be involved. Without His Spirit drawing us to His word, we will soon drift away and find every excuse in the world not to remain in the word.
So, pray that Lord gives you that hunger. He knows your heart. If it is truly your desire to study the Bible daily, He will give you that hunger and He will continually draw you to it!
The author of Hebrews is unknown. There are several people who have been named as possible authors. Paul is the most common one but we have nothing to prove that it was Paul.
It would seem odd that it would be Paul because we know for sure that Paul wrote 13 letters (Romans through Philemon), because Paul put his inscription at the beginning of every one of those letters. It would seem odd that he would not do the same if he wrote Hebrews.
Here's something that causes me to think it was not Paul. Whoever wrote the letter to the Hebrews was a second generation Christian and did not hear from the Lord directly, which Paul did.
It says in Hebrews 2:3, "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him."
So whoever wrote Hebrews did not hear the Lord directly, nor did he receive from the Lord directly (which Paul did), but received and was confirmed and established for us (the writer being one of them) by those that heard Him.
Paul is a possibility but doubtful. Others who have been named as possible writers are Barnabas, Luke, or Apollos.
So if someone wants to believe it was Paul, any of the other possibilities, we can neither confirm nor deny because we just don't know and we cannot prove one way or another.
The things you said are a perfect example of humbleness. And yes, submission is the key. And I agree with you that the Lord sometimes uses the material things of this world and people as a means of humbling us.
You mention that you don't have much but you seem very content with what the Lord has given you. That should be an example for all believers.
You have caused me to think about the things I have and how much I myself take for granted, how much I value those things, where my focus needs to be, and I do thank you for that. You have truly ministered to my heart.
And yes, I agree that we can do nothing to save ourselves or make ourselves acceptable to Him. The only way we can please Him is by surrendering our lives to Him, making Him the Lord over us, and submitting to the persuasion of His Spirit in which He has given to us. We have to step aside and give Him full control or else we have an illegitimate claim of calling Him our Lord!
The Lord is working great things in you. You have demonstrated a perfect attitude of what it's like to be humbled. Don't change anything, save for allowing Him to make changes in your life as He sees fit!
We are really talking here about the Nature of Salvation.
Eph 2:8-10
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
So what is a "work" or a "good work"? A "good work" is obedience to any commandment of God that applies to us.
During the Church Age (which I believe has now ended and we are livling in the period that God calls The Great Tribulation, Matt 24 & 1 Peter 4:17) we were commanded to be baptzed in water if we identified with a local church. But water baptism was a cermonial sign, like the Lords Supper (Communion), and we no longer are to observe these ceremonial signs and that believers actually have been commanded to get out of the local churches. Just like when Jesus came physically the first time, God was finished with National Isreal as His corporate representation and we no longer observe the cermonial laws of the old testiment.
But even during the Church Age, water baptism was still a WORK which we were commanded to observe and did not contiribute to our salvation in any way. Just as the observance of the Old Testement ceremonial laws did not contirbute to the salvation of any Old Testement believer.
Mark 16:16 is talking about the baptism that SAVES, it is the baptism that God performs in washing away our sins. Not water baptism.
And if we are TRUSTING in any WORK that we do, including the WORK of water baptism as initiating, maintaining, assisting, supporting, etc. our salvation in any way, we are walikng on very dangereous ground (Read Galations, in particular Gal 2:16) and falling into the same snare as some of the early New Testement Jews. Note also in Gal 2:16 that the faith by which we are saved is Christ's faith, not our faith.
From what I know, one can marry a Catholic and not be required to become a Catholic. This happens all of the time. The matter is that of whether the marriage is considered am approved "Catholic" marriage or not, and this varies from priest to priest, or from bishop to bishop in this denomination.
Also on what you said concerning the commitment of Catholics to true faith, while this is often the case, this is also true of people in other denominations. There are devote and sincere believers in all denominations. And there are those in every denomination who are what is often termed "nominal" or in name only.
A person who is sincerely committed to Jesus should seek to marry someone who is also so. But thinking of the age at which most people marry, both people usually are somewhat immature in life and in faith. So, we marry whom we have chosen and mature in Christ and life together.
I just looked this word up and it seems that the meaning is somewhat obscure and is interpreted in different ways depending on what one thinks the base word it is derived from. Some of these bases words have meaning such as:
to praise
to lift up praise
to stop and listen
the Lord has spoken
to rest and consider
a musical instruction
So, from these we may think of Selah as to pause, either music or singing to left up praise to God or to stop and listen prayerfully, or to pause and reflect or think upon what is said int he music/song, or to take time momentarily to meditate or contemplate.
Thanks Cindy, I am working on the stretches given to me by the orthopedist. These include this stretch you mentioned. I have a boot splint that can be adjusted to create an angle of the flexation of the ankle to stretch both my plantar fascia and the achillies tendon. They do help, and was having good improvement, but for some reason, this week both of my feet are painful.AS they say a few steps forward, one step backwards is often the route of progress. I appreciate the prayers of others. I know that God will bring healing to both feet.
The disciples were looking for the Messiah to set up the kingdom hereonearth. ( which is yet future)
As mentioned Isaiah 40:1-5 is one of the scriptures is why they expected this order of events.
"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHALL BE REVEALED, AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE IT TOGETHER: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
( This haven't happened yet. )
This concerns the restoration of Israel when Christ sits on David's Throne.
Matthew 17:11-12 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. ( Still future. )
But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. ( John the baptist was the forerunner. He was to announce the King.) They rejected John and they rejected their King. ( John 19:15.)
During the tribulation they will be driven to seek their Messiah and he shall come. ( Matthew 23:37-39.)
In Matthew 17:11-12 Jesus pretty much says it all.
Vs 11. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
( Meaning yet future)
Vs 12. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. ( Speaks of John the Baptist Earlier ministry)
alex1939...Hi Lollyman 7...Good question But i don't think that Jesus was refering to any man being a 2 nd Elijah...Or another John the baptist...God cannot put any trust in man...John the baptist doubted in the end sending 2 of his disciples to ask Jesus if he were the Christ or look for we for another...John doubted...And i dont judge that great man of God...But this last Elijah has to be the H.G. As Jesus said in John 16:13 When he the spirit of truth is come ( the H.G. ) he will guide you into all truth...He cannot speak of himself simply b/c he has to be born in us...He is just a spritual infant and infants cannot speak for a while...Only God the HG. can lead us into all truth Thus this 2 nd Elijah has to be the Spirit of truth...As Jesus is saying in John 16:13 that is gona lead the whole world....Reprove the whole world of sin and Righteousness and judgement...No man cd fulfill that task it wd have to be God himself...Isaiah said he looked this way and that way but he found no man thus his own arm brought him salvation etc
Fierce opposition may be something in this country that we are not normally accustomed to but one has to ask why in light of 2 Timothy 3:12-17; John 15:18-21; 2 Corinthians 11:26 etc.
Perhaps I made this statement earlier in the Psalms discussion; but we need to distinguish between unconditional love and the fact that "enemies" still exist. Romans 5:10 and apparently 29 other verses show that indeed we all are enemies of God prior to our conversion; hence all unregenerate remain in that state.
There is something to be said for the O.T. times when the mindset was more "an eye for an eye"( Exodus 21:24). In terms of today; Christ demonstrated no personal condemnation for a particular individual; but He certainly spent chapters excoriating the Pharisees and others which caused multiple attempts at His life along the constant persecution.
Again as I stated in other Psalms regarding David's multiple hiding periods from Saul he showed respect for him by preserving his life multiple times when he could have ended it; and also he mourned over his death when the Lord finally made Saul reap what he sowed. When someone tries to kill you 21 times as Saul was said to do (not to mention other enemies of his); then we can understand a desire to see justice. Christ alluded to judgment with unbelief among the places that had seen mighty works such as Matthew 11:21 (the "woe to you" term was also used with the Pharisees).
Individual judgment to come or the fate of nations is not something we should gloss over. We as watchmen are responsible to sound the alarm ( Isaiah 52:8 and other verses in Jeremiah; etc). In evangelism warning of a national fate seems to be generally disregarded as opposed to warning individuals as to the wrath to come. I can't see studying how Christ preached that it can be ignored. We can study scripture and history to see how Isaiah and Jeremiah for instance were martyred for such messages.
alex1939..Hi Lollyman 7..Good Question..But i think they are both right...Jesus was speaking in the Spiritual realm of a heavenly Elijah which is the H.G. that is gonna turn folks hearts to the Children which are spirits...Jesus said that the good seed are the Children of the Kingdom...And that which is born of the spirit is spirit which are the Children of Promise which are born in us via his good seeds...Thats y he has to know us...Our hearts need to be turned to the H.G. the Child of Promise...Jesus was still on the cross when he was calling for Elijah... Matthew 27:46...But some said he was calling for God...Which is the H.G. that heavenly Elijah that will lead us into all truth...When he that spirit of truth is come ( the H.G. ) He will lead you into all truth...
..... Zechariah 13:7...Smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered...The Cross ...His death..Then i will turn my hand to the little ones his Children...When a seed dies it multiplies thus his Children of Promise...Behold me and the Children the Lord has given me...Are they not for signs and wonders Which are spirits as he said that that which is born of the spirit is spirit which are his Children...Our New Heart and New spirit...Its God himself that wants to turn our hearts to the Children which is the H.G...God swore by his very self when he made that promise of multiplication...Thus the Children the H.G. that is gona be born in our hearts and minds...But all this was hid from the wise and prudent but is gona be revealed unto babes...the H.G...When that BOOK is opened that has the words of life...That he wrote with his own blood...Plz note the Kingdom does not come till the Woman is in Child birth ( the Children that are gona be born in our hearts)...Unless you receive the KINGDOM as a lil Child you will in no wise enter there in...And whosoever receiveth one such child in MY NAME receiveth me...There is a CHILD in your future which is the H.G. That Child of Promise...An Israel of God The H.G..
One of the interesting facets of the ways that God works is that He tends to buck tradition in order to work out His plans. This could be perhaps a message to the enemy (Satan) that no matter how clever his schemes the Lord has the upper hand. It also shows the folly and vanity of man about his own plans to accomplish a set goal (such as choosing the king of Israel with the story of David).
There are certain things that seem to parallel or intersect among what we may call prudent planning in a "worldly" sense and applying scripture with the same admonitions in our everyday lives and decisions and plans that we make. This is something which seems to be ignored; for instance the blessing of a marriage ( Prov. 18:22) being a cross cultural thing it applies to everyone; the same could be said for long term planning of finances. The flipside is that those who disobey such things are basically under a curse. Children are said to be a blessing from God ( Psalm 127:3-4); and those who would attempt to terminate a pregnancy (leaving aside what some would call extreme circumstances for now) would be under wrath. Thankfully any and all sins once confessed and repented of can be forgiven.
One thing our "politically correct" mindset has done is negate the importance of a work ethic. Hence; the poor and disadvantaged are generally not looked at as those who can tenaciously survive with whatever skills God has given them.
This attitude of course also affects immigrants; and in fact is clearly insulting those who have taken the time to use the proper legal means toward citizenship. The whole situation now also makes it convenient to never come to agreement to allow any increase or specific number of legal immigrants to be stipulated. Passing off money and making people dependent is at best a short time solution; and with the level of graft and waste basically is a band aid on the conscience of those giving.
I had done a commentary on this 7 months ago. In systematically studying the Psalms I am reflecting today on my own life. In assessing old habits; old hobbies and other things I realize that all things that I do now if they aren't motivated by Christ and the new life in me then they are still being desired by the old sin nature. As part of the "congregation" in verse 1 (the confessing church) I need to make sure that indeed I am working out of the possession of the Holy Spirit; as nothing can ever be improved in the old nature. Thus comes the warning about the demon leaving someone and coming back with 7 worse after there is a veneer of "cleaning house" as it were. ( Matthew 12:43-45).
Nothing is done well in isolation in our Christian walk. We need the balance of others in order to hold us accountable; exhort and encourage. Nonetheless; it is up to us to take time for personal devotionals and to heed to the voice of the Lord in regard to instruction. If we aren't listening to Him when alone then we are not likely to heed to the instruction and wisdom from above that He ministers to us through others.
There are references here to the wicked in regard to physical and spiritual (eternal) judgments (v. 6-9). Verses 10-11 show how the righteous will rejoice and "wash their feet in the blood" of the wicked (v. 10). (see also Malachi 4:3). This demonstrates that even now we should desire our own death; while still hoping for the soon Rapture/Resurrection of the saints. We need to heed the message in regard to Lot's wife and not have our hearts till turned to the world and away from the Lord. This takes daily discipline and is a struggle as long as we remain in this fleshly existence. This also demonstrates who is truly saved and who is not as there is no real love for Christ for those pretenders. May we examine our hearts today and daily. ( 2 Cor. 13:5).
I have enjoyed your posts on this subject very much thank you for them . It's an interesting subject . For me the two greatest examples of humbling in the Bible are Job and of course , our Saviour , Jesus Christ . Something not mentioned , the Romans were excellent torturers and enjoyed finding people's weaknesses and using them against their victims . They would know that nakedness was a big no no in Jewish culture and so I think that they would have made sure that all Jews were crucified naked . This might explain why many people at first stood afar away from Jesus , including his mom . Jesus is an example of both being humbled and submitting to God's humbling process . As Christians we may not always realise this but maybe , just maybe , God might use the things and people of this world to humble us . I am a person who is very very ordinary . I don't have a great job , I'm not handsome or rich or clever or creative . I don't have many of the things that people , Christians and non Christians have and maybe take for granted every day . As a child I was humbled from a young age by my parents . Non of this bothers me one bit . I take it all as God moulding me into who He wants me to be . He is righteous , He knows what kind of chastening I need and I glory in it . It is an expression of His love and care for me .He will make me His forever . I can do nothing to save myself or make myself acceptable to Him . Submission . It's the key , for me at least .
Hi Lollyman7. There are several Scriptures that speak of this 'coming of Elijah'. Those which you quoted: John 1:19-28 and Matthew 11:14. You can also see this in the earlier prophecy of Elijah, found in Malachi 4:5,6, & then we see Elijah with the Lord & Moses in Matthew 17:1-8, with the answer to this dilemma found in Luke 1:13-17. And to quote this in part: "And he (John) shall go before him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elias (Elijah), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
So, as we consider these Scriptures in entirety, we should conclude that John the Baptist wasn't the physical Elijah who was earlier translated instead of dying & then in those days appeared with the Lord Jesus. But John was the one selected & prepared of God to receive the same spirit that was found in Elijah to speak to the people with prophetical authority & drive & to be the "voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias (Isaiah)." ( Isaiah 40:3). So, John the Baptist could never say that he was a resurrected Elijah, whom the leaders were expecting, but his message & authority came with the same strength & prophetical voice as that of Elijah.
Hello Dorothy. From what you've written, I would say, No. Demon possession will always show clear manifestations & would generally happen if one relinquinshes one's mind & body to such evil powers. I don't have much knowledge or experience with this, apart from a couple of instances of what seemed to be a demonic possession, and in both cases, there were outward manifestations.
Observances of a type of schizophrenia behavior, mutterings, body-shaking, violent actions, vile or blasphemous language, would be indications of such possession. And those who do not belong to Christ, or allow themselves to drift away from Him (backslide), & turn to activities that are clearly demonic, open themselves up to this evil & its oppressions.
But if one has grown lukewarm in their faith & not given priority to matters of Bible reading, prayer, & Christian fellowship, he/she will need to take stock of their present condition. If they realize that this is the case, I would see here the first steps to sorrow & repentance for their departure & maybe denial of Christ. 2 Corinthians 7:10 reads, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." When there is a true (godly) sorrow in the heart for the life lived apart from Jesus, that leads to true repentance leading to salvation. But the 'remorse' that the ungodly world might feel yet without repentance, will never give them forgiveness & eternal life. Judas Iscariot was one such when he betrayed his Lord, when Satan filled his heart to do what he did. But if one has back-slid & there being no evidence of evil manifestations, except for a life unworthy of the Lord's Love, I don't believe that demon possession would be evident. By turning heart, mind & body over to the Lord, all evil forces will scatter - this soul has been redeemed, saved & secured by the all-powerful Blood of the Lamb of God. Nothing nor anyone can withstand that.
Thank you for your reply. To answer your question, I will just say that if you see no difference in who's doing the humbling, whether it be yourself, or God, it's not my intent to convince you otherwise.
I do believe there is a difference. I think we would both agree that humbleness is a good quality? We both agree that we can humble ourselves, meaning our flesh is humbling itself, and that God can also humble us.
The only place I think we differ on is there being a difference between who's doing the humbling.
Here's why I see a difference, and please know that I am not trying to change your mind if you see no difference. I am just going to apply this to myself.
If I'm humbling myself, that means my flesh is doing the humbling. God will not reward me for anything I do in the flesh. Now, if I submit myself to His humbling process, I believe He will recognize that and reward that. Besides, My flesh will never humble itself before the Lord. I can humanly in the flesh humble myself towards other people but not towards God.
If I'm humble towards God, it is only because He has humbled me, and in my spirit, I submitted to His humbling.
In my original post, I mentioned 1 Peter 5:6 and gave the literal translation. Our English Bible says humble yourself, but it is literally "be humbled."
I mentioned it was in the passive, and I believe you responded and said it was not passive. We'll, I took another look at the Greek Text (Textus Receptus), and the word used is Tapeinothete, and it is aorist tense, passive voice, imperative mood, second person, plural, meaning it is God doing the humbling, with us being the recipient.
It's not telling us to humble ourselves, but to be humble (God doing the humbling).
In your example of the prodigal son, if we choose to go our own way and come back to the Lord humbled, we come back because of the conviction that God puts on our heart, and it's that conviction which causes us to be humbled by God.
If that is your desire, I would first before reading the word, ask the Lord to open up your heart and mind, and ask Him to give you a hunger for His word in order that you might be fed Spiritually.
The Lord has to be involved in your study. If you, in prayer, involve Him every time you approach His word, eventually He will put a hunger in you for His word and you will want more and more every day. You won't be able to stay away from it. You might leave off for a day or two every now and then, but that hunger will not allow you to stay away for very long.
With our physical food, when we get hungry we have to eat to satisfy our hunger. It works the same way with God's word which is our spiritual nourishment. If we belong to Christ, He will give us that hunger for His word and it is only through His word that we can be spiritually nourished.
Please know that you can't do this on your own. God's Spirit has to be involved. Without His Spirit drawing us to His word, we will soon drift away and find every excuse in the world not to remain in the word.
So, pray that Lord gives you that hunger. He knows your heart. If it is truly your desire to study the Bible daily, He will give you that hunger and He will continually draw you to it!
Welcome to the site.
I will be praying for your mom as well as others on the site.
God bless.
The author of Hebrews is unknown. There are several people who have been named as possible authors. Paul is the most common one but we have nothing to prove that it was Paul.
It would seem odd that it would be Paul because we know for sure that Paul wrote 13 letters (Romans through Philemon), because Paul put his inscription at the beginning of every one of those letters. It would seem odd that he would not do the same if he wrote Hebrews.
Here's something that causes me to think it was not Paul. Whoever wrote the letter to the Hebrews was a second generation Christian and did not hear from the Lord directly, which Paul did.
It says in Hebrews 2:3, "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him."
So whoever wrote Hebrews did not hear the Lord directly, nor did he receive from the Lord directly (which Paul did), but received and was confirmed and established for us (the writer being one of them) by those that heard Him.
Paul is a possibility but doubtful. Others who have been named as possible writers are Barnabas, Luke, or Apollos.
So if someone wants to believe it was Paul, any of the other possibilities, we can neither confirm nor deny because we just don't know and we cannot prove one way or another.
The things you said are a perfect example of humbleness. And yes, submission is the key. And I agree with you that the Lord sometimes uses the material things of this world and people as a means of humbling us.
You mention that you don't have much but you seem very content with what the Lord has given you. That should be an example for all believers.
You have caused me to think about the things I have and how much I myself take for granted, how much I value those things, where my focus needs to be, and I do thank you for that. You have truly ministered to my heart.
And yes, I agree that we can do nothing to save ourselves or make ourselves acceptable to Him. The only way we can please Him is by surrendering our lives to Him, making Him the Lord over us, and submitting to the persuasion of His Spirit in which He has given to us. We have to step aside and give Him full control or else we have an illegitimate claim of calling Him our Lord!
The Lord is working great things in you. You have demonstrated a perfect attitude of what it's like to be humbled. Don't change anything, save for allowing Him to make changes in your life as He sees fit!
May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly!
We are really talking here about the Nature of Salvation.
Eph 2:8-10
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
So what is a "work" or a "good work"? A "good work" is obedience to any commandment of God that applies to us.
During the Church Age (which I believe has now ended and we are livling in the period that God calls The Great Tribulation, Matt 24 & 1 Peter 4:17) we were commanded to be baptzed in water if we identified with a local church. But water baptism was a cermonial sign, like the Lords Supper (Communion), and we no longer are to observe these ceremonial signs and that believers actually have been commanded to get out of the local churches. Just like when Jesus came physically the first time, God was finished with National Isreal as His corporate representation and we no longer observe the cermonial laws of the old testiment.
But even during the Church Age, water baptism was still a WORK which we were commanded to observe and did not contiribute to our salvation in any way. Just as the observance of the Old Testement ceremonial laws did not contirbute to the salvation of any Old Testement believer.
Mark 16:16 is talking about the baptism that SAVES, it is the baptism that God performs in washing away our sins. Not water baptism.
And if we are TRUSTING in any WORK that we do, including the WORK of water baptism as initiating, maintaining, assisting, supporting, etc. our salvation in any way, we are walikng on very dangereous ground (Read Galations, in particular Gal 2:16) and falling into the same snare as some of the early New Testement Jews. Note also in Gal 2:16 that the faith by which we are saved is Christ's faith, not our faith.
From what I know, one can marry a Catholic and not be required to become a Catholic. This happens all of the time. The matter is that of whether the marriage is considered am approved "Catholic" marriage or not, and this varies from priest to priest, or from bishop to bishop in this denomination.
Also on what you said concerning the commitment of Catholics to true faith, while this is often the case, this is also true of people in other denominations. There are devote and sincere believers in all denominations. And there are those in every denomination who are what is often termed "nominal" or in name only.
A person who is sincerely committed to Jesus should seek to marry someone who is also so. But thinking of the age at which most people marry, both people usually are somewhat immature in life and in faith. So, we marry whom we have chosen and mature in Christ and life together.
I just looked this word up and it seems that the meaning is somewhat obscure and is interpreted in different ways depending on what one thinks the base word it is derived from. Some of these bases words have meaning such as:
to praise
to lift up praise
to stop and listen
the Lord has spoken
to rest and consider
a musical instruction
So, from these we may think of Selah as to pause, either music or singing to left up praise to God or to stop and listen prayerfully, or to pause and reflect or think upon what is said int he music/song, or to take time momentarily to meditate or contemplate.
So happy to hear of your good health and that your sister is being healed from cancer. All praise to our Lord and God!
I concur with Brother Chris.
The disciples were looking for the Messiah to set up the kingdom hereonearth. ( which is yet future)
As mentioned Isaiah 40:1-5 is one of the scriptures is why they expected this order of events.
"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHALL BE REVEALED, AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE IT TOGETHER: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
( This haven't happened yet. )
This concerns the restoration of Israel when Christ sits on David's Throne.
Matthew 17:11-12 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. ( Still future. )
But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. ( John the baptist was the forerunner. He was to announce the King.) They rejected John and they rejected their King. ( John 19:15.)
During the tribulation they will be driven to seek their Messiah and he shall come. ( Matthew 23:37-39.)
God bless.
In Matthew 17:11-12 Jesus pretty much says it all.
Vs 11. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
( Meaning yet future)
Vs 12. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. ( Speaks of John the Baptist Earlier ministry)
God bless.
.....Thats all i had to say thank you lollyman 7
Fierce opposition may be something in this country that we are not normally accustomed to but one has to ask why in light of 2 Timothy 3:12-17; John 15:18-21; 2 Corinthians 11:26 etc.
Perhaps I made this statement earlier in the Psalms discussion; but we need to distinguish between unconditional love and the fact that "enemies" still exist. Romans 5:10 and apparently 29 other verses show that indeed we all are enemies of God prior to our conversion; hence all unregenerate remain in that state.
There is something to be said for the O.T. times when the mindset was more "an eye for an eye"( Exodus 21:24). In terms of today; Christ demonstrated no personal condemnation for a particular individual; but He certainly spent chapters excoriating the Pharisees and others which caused multiple attempts at His life along the constant persecution.
Again as I stated in other Psalms regarding David's multiple hiding periods from Saul he showed respect for him by preserving his life multiple times when he could have ended it; and also he mourned over his death when the Lord finally made Saul reap what he sowed. When someone tries to kill you 21 times as Saul was said to do (not to mention other enemies of his); then we can understand a desire to see justice. Christ alluded to judgment with unbelief among the places that had seen mighty works such as Matthew 11:21 (the "woe to you" term was also used with the Pharisees).
Individual judgment to come or the fate of nations is not something we should gloss over. We as watchmen are responsible to sound the alarm ( Isaiah 52:8 and other verses in Jeremiah; etc). In evangelism warning of a national fate seems to be generally disregarded as opposed to warning individuals as to the wrath to come. I can't see studying how Christ preached that it can be ignored. We can study scripture and history to see how Isaiah and Jeremiah for instance were martyred for such messages.
Let us preach truth in love.
..... Zechariah 13:7...Smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered...The Cross ...His death..Then i will turn my hand to the little ones his Children...When a seed dies it multiplies thus his Children of Promise...Behold me and the Children the Lord has given me...Are they not for signs and wonders Which are spirits as he said that that which is born of the spirit is spirit which are his Children...Our New Heart and New spirit...Its God himself that wants to turn our hearts to the Children which is the H.G...God swore by his very self when he made that promise of multiplication...Thus the Children the H.G. that is gona be born in our hearts and minds...But all this was hid from the wise and prudent but is gona be revealed unto babes...the H.G...When that BOOK is opened that has the words of life...That he wrote with his own blood...Plz note the Kingdom does not come till the Woman is in Child birth ( the Children that are gona be born in our hearts)...Unless you receive the KINGDOM as a lil Child you will in no wise enter there in...And whosoever receiveth one such child in MY NAME receiveth me...There is a CHILD in your future which is the H.G. That Child of Promise...An Israel of God The H.G..
One of the interesting facets of the ways that God works is that He tends to buck tradition in order to work out His plans. This could be perhaps a message to the enemy (Satan) that no matter how clever his schemes the Lord has the upper hand. It also shows the folly and vanity of man about his own plans to accomplish a set goal (such as choosing the king of Israel with the story of David).
There are certain things that seem to parallel or intersect among what we may call prudent planning in a "worldly" sense and applying scripture with the same admonitions in our everyday lives and decisions and plans that we make. This is something which seems to be ignored; for instance the blessing of a marriage ( Prov. 18:22) being a cross cultural thing it applies to everyone; the same could be said for long term planning of finances. The flipside is that those who disobey such things are basically under a curse. Children are said to be a blessing from God ( Psalm 127:3-4); and those who would attempt to terminate a pregnancy (leaving aside what some would call extreme circumstances for now) would be under wrath. Thankfully any and all sins once confessed and repented of can be forgiven.
One thing our "politically correct" mindset has done is negate the importance of a work ethic. Hence; the poor and disadvantaged are generally not looked at as those who can tenaciously survive with whatever skills God has given them.
This attitude of course also affects immigrants; and in fact is clearly insulting those who have taken the time to use the proper legal means toward citizenship. The whole situation now also makes it convenient to never come to agreement to allow any increase or specific number of legal immigrants to be stipulated. Passing off money and making people dependent is at best a short time solution; and with the level of graft and waste basically is a band aid on the conscience of those giving.
Let us not be double minded.
I had done a commentary on this 7 months ago. In systematically studying the Psalms I am reflecting today on my own life. In assessing old habits; old hobbies and other things I realize that all things that I do now if they aren't motivated by Christ and the new life in me then they are still being desired by the old sin nature. As part of the "congregation" in verse 1 (the confessing church) I need to make sure that indeed I am working out of the possession of the Holy Spirit; as nothing can ever be improved in the old nature. Thus comes the warning about the demon leaving someone and coming back with 7 worse after there is a veneer of "cleaning house" as it were. ( Matthew 12:43-45).
Nothing is done well in isolation in our Christian walk. We need the balance of others in order to hold us accountable; exhort and encourage. Nonetheless; it is up to us to take time for personal devotionals and to heed to the voice of the Lord in regard to instruction. If we aren't listening to Him when alone then we are not likely to heed to the instruction and wisdom from above that He ministers to us through others.
There are references here to the wicked in regard to physical and spiritual (eternal) judgments (v. 6-9). Verses 10-11 show how the righteous will rejoice and "wash their feet in the blood" of the wicked (v. 10). (see also Malachi 4:3). This demonstrates that even now we should desire our own death; while still hoping for the soon Rapture/Resurrection of the saints. We need to heed the message in regard to Lot's wife and not have our hearts till turned to the world and away from the Lord. This takes daily discipline and is a struggle as long as we remain in this fleshly existence. This also demonstrates who is truly saved and who is not as there is no real love for Christ for those pretenders. May we examine our hearts today and daily. ( 2 Cor. 13:5).
So, as we consider these Scriptures in entirety, we should conclude that John the Baptist wasn't the physical Elijah who was earlier translated instead of dying & then in those days appeared with the Lord Jesus. But John was the one selected & prepared of God to receive the same spirit that was found in Elijah to speak to the people with prophetical authority & drive & to be the "voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias (Isaiah)." ( Isaiah 40:3). So, John the Baptist could never say that he was a resurrected Elijah, whom the leaders were expecting, but his message & authority came with the same strength & prophetical voice as that of Elijah.
This verse encourages me to seek and save lost by working miracles.
Amen
Observances of a type of schizophrenia behavior, mutterings, body-shaking, violent actions, vile or blasphemous language, would be indications of such possession. And those who do not belong to Christ, or allow themselves to drift away from Him (backslide), & turn to activities that are clearly demonic, open themselves up to this evil & its oppressions.
But if one has grown lukewarm in their faith & not given priority to matters of Bible reading, prayer, & Christian fellowship, he/she will need to take stock of their present condition. If they realize that this is the case, I would see here the first steps to sorrow & repentance for their departure & maybe denial of Christ. 2 Corinthians 7:10 reads, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." When there is a true (godly) sorrow in the heart for the life lived apart from Jesus, that leads to true repentance leading to salvation. But the 'remorse' that the ungodly world might feel yet without repentance, will never give them forgiveness & eternal life. Judas Iscariot was one such when he betrayed his Lord, when Satan filled his heart to do what he did. But if one has back-slid & there being no evidence of evil manifestations, except for a life unworthy of the Lord's Love, I don't believe that demon possession would be evident. By turning heart, mind & body over to the Lord, all evil forces will scatter - this soul has been redeemed, saved & secured by the all-powerful Blood of the Lamb of God. Nothing nor anyone can withstand that.
Thank you for your reply. To answer your question, I will just say that if you see no difference in who's doing the humbling, whether it be yourself, or God, it's not my intent to convince you otherwise.
I do believe there is a difference. I think we would both agree that humbleness is a good quality? We both agree that we can humble ourselves, meaning our flesh is humbling itself, and that God can also humble us.
The only place I think we differ on is there being a difference between who's doing the humbling.
Here's why I see a difference, and please know that I am not trying to change your mind if you see no difference. I am just going to apply this to myself.
If I'm humbling myself, that means my flesh is doing the humbling. God will not reward me for anything I do in the flesh. Now, if I submit myself to His humbling process, I believe He will recognize that and reward that. Besides, My flesh will never humble itself before the Lord. I can humanly in the flesh humble myself towards other people but not towards God.
If I'm humble towards God, it is only because He has humbled me, and in my spirit, I submitted to His humbling.
In my original post, I mentioned 1 Peter 5:6 and gave the literal translation. Our English Bible says humble yourself, but it is literally "be humbled."
I mentioned it was in the passive, and I believe you responded and said it was not passive. We'll, I took another look at the Greek Text (Textus Receptus), and the word used is Tapeinothete, and it is aorist tense, passive voice, imperative mood, second person, plural, meaning it is God doing the humbling, with us being the recipient.
It's not telling us to humble ourselves, but to be humble (God doing the humbling).
In your example of the prodigal son, if we choose to go our own way and come back to the Lord humbled, we come back because of the conviction that God puts on our heart, and it's that conviction which causes us to be humbled by God.