God Blog

Intelligent design is a topical issue, this is my ten pence worth, or 25 cents for that matter

First I appluad your faith, and join in agreement with you, and the many who will, and are, praying continually

I believe in, and for your recovery ,after all that is the very nature of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ's Passion for us.

That said the work of doctors is the expression of the divine imperative much like Luke [a doctor] accompanying Paul.

God's desire for us as expressed by scripture is health - but it is as the guy says, [and this truth is so often corrupted by the meme of Zoraster's dualism ] "Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. " Amen;

who satan is, is another matter; but without delving too deep - evil, and disease is evil, is part of God's design but lets use our 'intelligence' to consider this design for a moment macrocosmically, the earth is a system, put to much Co2 into the atmosphere for instance - there are consequences, life is like that, right now there are countless variables, systematic, genetic, environmental - all contributing to who we are and what we experience.

Faith tells me God wants good for you and for me and for everyone, while there are many variables in the system - cause and effect ; what is true - and what I do applaud loudly is this; whatever happens to us, faith tells us that God means it - that God will turn the situation around - for good, always good

God being all powerful is ultimately responcible for everything, because he designed us, and everything else for that matter, but to say God causes disease runs contrary to the expressed desire of our Saviour and Jesus' nature and purpose, yet this is the mystery out of disease comes glory , comes good .

Charles says: yeah... such is life… its cold here right now, but sunny

Charles says: ook of course, are you up late or early?

Charles says: sure, I relate, its 11:25 am here, so I'm waky waky

Charles says: Yes... I'm sure God has a plan in motion... Actually I was just thinking about 'plans in motion' in terms of prayer and seeking answers I was thinking that God speaks to us in 'mysterious ways' only because God's 'ways are higher than our ways', which I would liken to this:

Charles says: I've been frustrated with what i see as a lack of information, but as I am tempted to see it now, I am actually frustrated not with God, or by God, but with my spiritual growth, and that's a learning curve, as we used to say at school, 'if don't like it boy all you have to do is grow up and leave.'

Charles says: Crimes I like cream, but it doesn't do us any harm to have 'lent' time, even if we don't like that much <g>

Charles says: God is good, getting our heads around what God is, is the fun part, I mean as kids good meant overdosing on sugar, candy - sweets,

When the world comes up against you its easy to slip into that black place, the important thing is not to beat ourselves up about that, God doesn't get mad because we are blue, actually Jesus experiences our pain with us, that's the reality of the Lamb slain from the world's foundation, but what gets heaven singing is when we choose to believe, or at least cry out 'help my unbelief', that pleases God, while its true its 'impossible to please God without faith' turn that around and its equally true 'with faith we please God', God is chuffed to bits because we believe, because we hope, and trust. And God's happiness is something which we share, thats joy with benefits...

Love is a peculiar thing, can you love someone you have never met or even seen face to face? Surely a fanciful notion at best, foolish at worse, how can anyone truly feel affection for the invisible and the intangible? Yet this is precisely the relationship - the only relationship that can exist between a man and his God.

God is invisible, intangible, silent, the love of God can only be expressed in an indirect fashion; through charity we express love to God, in tolerance and obedience, by loving our neighbour, but God remains an abstract force. Yet toward God emotional commitment can be absolute and unwavering, such is the power of love. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians that though he is absent in body, through the Spirit he is present in spirit, and in this sense physical presence or absence is irrelevant there is in its place a higher order of experience that binds together the Body of Christ in a Kingdom without borders, or location, is the Spirit there is only here, there is only one, and no distance of time or geography can change that spiritual actuality.

I have observed this as a Christian

The power of God that rests upon us creates us anew in Jesus' image, and just as the son of man had no place to lay his head we are homeless in the world too.

Even among our brethren in Christ there are those called like Peter, James, and John to the mountain of transfiguration to witness a greater revelation, and we who are so empowered must bear this - we have seen more of Christ Jesus than our brethren.

Our home is a Kingdom without boundaries, a Temple without walls, our home is heaven today, our angel looks into the face of God, and our environment is Jesus Christ our God. In him we each have our niche - our role.

Some are called to be leaders, and the Spirit of Elijah is a glorious gift, but it can be a lonely one, for those who are born by the Spirit are of the Spirit, the world cannot tell where we come from or where we are going - we are like the wind.

Some of us like Peter, James, and John see more; because we speak his Word, others glimpse the Jesus we have received by revelation, and because of the light we possess, [and we must be careful not to be confused] other's see God because we are a lamp of and by the Spirit, but they see what we see briefly by this, and it's not of themselves.

When we are gone they only have darkness.

Age is as nothing in the Kingdom, the child is the master, and the old man the pupil, God is no respecter of persons, he chooses the weak to shame the strong, the fools to confound the wise. How can I uplift your spirit? God is in the process of revealing himself, be strong in Christ – both for this man and all those good works God has prepared for you in the lives of his chosen ones, those Jesus has called from the foundation of the world to Him in these days – but look only to God. God is just and He will honour your gifts to Him through others, but God often confounds our expectations, and God's help, and direction comes from Him – from Jesus alone – through the strangest of places and people; for God who opened an asses mouth can and will use everybody and everything for his greater good purpose – and this is the promise, all things work together for good.

God will bring to you people to minister to us, there will be a 'body of Christ' for us here and now, where the necessary organs of life, the persons to do the work, to compliment each other together; one thought one endeavour.

No matter how far I am from you we are one in Christ, One Spirit, One baptism, One Lord, who is above all, through all and in us all.

When God tests you, it is a good time for you to test God by putting God's promises to the proof, and claiming from God just as much as your trials have rendered necessary; recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever had

I'm certainly feeling God's presence strongly again – and I'm led to pray, to mediate, to fix upon, wisdom for works, for insightful recognition of action that is Godly, I don't want to differentiate between thoughts words and deed, as I'm speaking of these as singular expression, that are altered states of the same substance, like steam, liquid, ice, are to water; that necessarily result one leading to the other Hearing to Faith to Experience Hearing to Faith to Experience and so on. I'm seeing God as good father giving good gifts, so I'm responding in kind in prayer searching for the good works to do, to give back. God knows my needs and desires, in faith I'm accepting provision and seeding by action, - or at least that's my prayerful intention.

Just my thoughts.

Prayer is so often about what we want God to do for us, but God wants to do good things

What then is the problem? James 4:3 (ESV) 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

What should we be asking for?

To do good works

That's what God wants to do for us – give us good things; what's a balanced adult reaction to that?

Why to give in return.

This is God who 'gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater' our prayers should be about wisdom, knowledge, discernment, perception, the means to recognize and complete God's good works

By fulfilling this role we are giving away from ourselves

And acting in faith that God will both meet our needs and desires, by doing these works we are truly delighting in the Lord, enjoying and celebrating God, this is an active living participatory lifestyle, to delight in something is to do something, lets therefore do God, seek to do God's good works.

Just read an article that troubled me – it said this: "When we practice willful sin, Satan eventually sends one of his demons that is compatible with that particular sin to dwell within us"

This is wrong – Satan has no power to do anything of himself:

"And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. (1 Kings 22:19-24, KJV)

[at this point don't worry I'm going to explain why this happens – God is good, God does not do evil, I'm going to show you where evil comes from]. This passage agrees absolutely with Job where satan has to first seek permission from God to attack Job.

Moreover the writer to the Hebrews who addresses wilful sin doesn't talk about Satan punishing us

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries… …For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-28, 30-31, KJV)

"For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29, KJV) [See also 1 Cor 3:11-15]

Paul further demonstrates satan's subordination.

"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." (1 Corinthians 5:1-5, KJV)

Paul warns us "Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth." (Titus 1:14, KJV)

One of these fables is dualism, that satan is an independent power, that somehow God is not in control of creation – the only independent power is man who is made in the image of God, and man only enjoys independence because God permits us limited choices within our lives.

"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:1-6, KJV)

The problem is idolatry

When we sin we are obviously transgressing the law, 'sin is transgression of the law', but at the same time we are breaking the first commandment by putting our selfish desires before God, by choosing to do our own thing over God [and God is Love], we put ourselves before God, and the desire and or act becomes a de facto god's to us, because instead of loving, which is serving and worshipping God, we serve ourselves – what has this process to do with demons?

Why use elohim = god; if all gods are idols i.e. man made inanimate objects, of stone or wood etc.?

Because the graven image is just that, however what is worshipped is more than a statue…

Devils = gods = elohim = NEW; not pre-existing; newly created. The question is who created these new devils?

Man is made in the image of God - a speaking Spirit - God speaks = creates; therefore our words are creative i.e have fruit. Jesus said - Matthew 12:37 (KJV) "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Words are 'seeds that become a harvest' - or equally seed is life in potential - i.e. there is conception and ultimately birth: Psalm 7:14 (AMP) 14 Behold, [the wicked man] conceives iniquity and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.

What manner of 'viper' has mischief therefore conceived?

The act of worshipping anything , putting that thing or choice whatever before God, and giving voice to that worship is creative and births the new 'gods' i.e. devils

God is not jealous without good reason, he holds onto us like a concerned parent; God knows 'idolatry' destroys us; because we reap our own harvest - our own wickedness corrects us:

Evil comes from man not God, the lying spirit in the passage in Kings already existed – it existed in the hearts and minds of the idolatrous prophets who subsequently lied to Ahab, this demon spiritually existed before the eyes of God, who sees all, is above all, through all and in all - it came into being through the spoken word, the idolatrous worship of the false prophets of Ahab, but only because God permitted this spirit to deceive was this spirit able to act in this fashion!! God is sovereign.

Thus it is not "When we practice willful sin, Satan eventually sends one of his demons that is compatible with that particular sin to dwell within us"

Rather mankind creates evil that God as a just God uses our own creation – we reap what we sow – it is our 'own wickedness' that corrects us.

Therefore be careful not to give glory and honour to devils, - evil injures us, but don't follow after the example of our parents in the garden and blame the snake, it isn't satan's fault, devils are just made that way – our rebellion made is making them, the power they have is from us, not of themselves, as Job said "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me." (Job 3:25, KJV)

Stop fearing devils and devilish disaster, start fearing God, let God come upon you – God loves you, repent and act responsibly. Resist the devil, and he will flee speak scripture to temptation, Jesus is all the deliverance we need.

Remember God is good and a just judge, and evil comes from man, there is only one power in creation – the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are made in his image speak faithfully in Love his name.

Came across this old Chestnut twice in as many days, i.e. Soul Sleep = an unconscious state, this is wrong, a child can tell you sleep is not a state where we know nothing, and experience nothing, rather it is an altered state of consciousness, and one in which God at times chooses to speak to his people

This is most misunderstood, if taken out of context [read the preceding verse] it makes scripture a lie, many people, like Lazarus have died more than once, if read in context the `death' here is that of baptism, [see Rom 6:3-10] and as Christians we then live under judgement,

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27, KJV)

If we sin we are disciplined by a loving Father. God's justice is not inevitably postponed to some future point in time, in fact as Christians we should expect swift justice, men reap what they sow at God's discretion, and God is clearly shown judging the world throughout scripture.

>>The TRUE DOCTRINE of the state of the dead tells us that at the moment of death the SPIRIT does leave the BODY and goes either to heaven or hell.<<

Actually scripture says this "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7, KJV)

The problem is so many Christians don't understand who God is, and it's not like this is some new concept… "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10, KJV)

God is everywhere, I will repeat that: God is everywhere. There is no where God who is a Spirit is not present.

The parable of rich man and Lazarus is told from the Rich man's perspective, he is in hell, but he can see Lazarus and Abraham, he can even talk to them, but friends get this, for this is the parable – he doesn't see God, and we know from the Word, God is there, Jesus' point was this, the rich man didn't recognise God when he was alive, and now he was dead he still couldn't see God – even though as scripture tells us his spirit had returned to God!

The heavens, the hells [the grave/sheol/hades, tarturus] are not places in geographical sense. We know everyone's spirit returns to God, and the dust to the earth and the soul dies.

Sheep are smelly

My Grandfather was a shepherd, I grew on a farm, we grew crops mainly but we always had a few sheep, my uncle gave my sister and I orphaned lambs to rear. I was never a sheep man though.

Shepherd's like my Grandfather and my cousin today are born to the job, they know and understand their flock, my Grandfather had over thousand head, but it is no exaggeration to say he knew every one.

My mum recounts how she was driving across the fells with him in the car, and he cried out 'sista, slow down lass, sista see that yow I selt her to a fella last back end' translate from the vernacular, see there slow down young lady, see that ewe over there, I sold her to a gentlemen at the end of last year.'

Sheep are bizarre, stubborn, but not as stupid as people might think, instinctively territorial, the flocks are sold with the farms where there are, because the sheep are heathed, that is know the open ground to which they belong, and roam across the unfenced hills, but don't run away.

They also suffer from more endless issues and problems and seem to require regular attention, from dipping to clipping, from feet trimming to worming.

Sheep men live and breathe sheep, you listen to the talk and the conversation is about invariably sheep, and sheep related.

Knowing these things makes me smile when I think about the Good Shepherd, and David was close to his heart. God knows every hair of our head and our every thought, just as a good shepherd recognises his sheep even though to a stranger they all look alike. Certainly people are pretty high maintenance too, always full of wants, and prayers in need, a good shepherd looks after his flock, protecting them and treating them, I wonder how a sheep feels about being plunged into a medicated bath, or receiving the worming medicine, or the ritual of clipping, or being treated for some the nastier diseases which I won't go into.

Can't be pleasant, and circumstances in life as we all know can be unpleasant too, the good shepherd looks after this flock and God looks after us, Jesus says we know his voice.

David knew and understood this truth, I love this expression 'the rest thought Goliath was too big to hit, David thought he was too big to miss' but David lived by faith, he picked up five stones before he challenged the giant, yet it took only one stone to slay him, why five stones, were four just in case? Yes in a way, Goliath of Gath had four brothers, David was just being prepared.

So let's worship the God of David, the Good Shepherd of personal provision and care, [Ps. 23] who not only knows and recognises us, but "David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee." (1 Samuel 17:37, KJV)

If you like me are in a place you never imagined you'd be, if your problems appear insurmountable, repeat with me David's declaration of faith, let's speak to those man mountains, be cast away into the sea, because the Lord has delivered us from the devil, and from the hands of strong men, Jesus will deliver us out of the hands of this Philistine of a problem. Yes and Amen