Ancient Vision

 

Ancient Vision ? ( Reworked )

Here is a worthwhile consideration for your heart and life. 

 

Because we believe in him, we can believe in the past. Whether in yesterday, near or ancient past.  I think that true wisdom comes from the ancient world. Why? Because God worked with the ancient nations to produce His people, Israel, particularly Moses, who was the Mediator of the Old Covenant or Old Testament!

 

Hence, the Old and New Testament manuscripts survive today to provide us (the world ) with God's revealed Eternal wisdom.

 Ancient Israel also carried the very DNA of the Messiah in their bodies!  God always plays the long game to achieve his goals!

 

He is meticulously precise and methodical in all he does, using us, his poor human instruments, to achieve Eternal aims!

 

Praise God for His eternal wisdom and unparalleled works!

Restoration Message

Restoring Our Relationship

Man is consistently described as being in a state of alienation and enmity. This condition makes reconciliation necessary. Reconciliation is necessary only when a state of estrangement exists between two or more parties. Estrangement is the natural fallen state of our relationship to God.

How are we enemies of God? Jonathan Edwards provides an insightful summary of the problem. He lists several points of tension between God and man:

1. By nature, we have a low esteem of God. We count Him unworthy of our love or fear.

2. We prefer to keep a distance from God. We have no natural inclination to seek His presence in prayer.

3. Our wills are opposed to the law of God. We are not loyal subjects of His sovereign rule.

4. We are enemies against God in our affections. Our souls have a seed of malice against God. We are quick to blaspheme and to rage against Him.

5. We are enemies in practice. We walk in a way that is contrary to Him.

Given that the un-examined life is a source of instability and extreme disharmony,  we need to 

Examine our spiritual condition in light of Edwards’s five points of tension between God and man.

R.C. Sproul ( mildly edited )

Dr. R.C. Sproul was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., and first president of Reformation Bible College. He was author of more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God.

I wish to commend Ligonier Ministries to you for more than excellent resources. 

Ligonier Ministries

The Titanic Clash ?

 

 The Titanic Clash or Crash

 

 

 

If we asked a young university student what do you think about the possibility of God existing?

 

They might reply, I am only a human being. Every person elsewhere is a human being like me because human beings are only sophisticated animals. So we're all animals with a bigger brain, opposable thumbs, complex languages and drive to group and succeed together. Some classic thinkers state that everybody and everything exists in God's measure. That God is in everything, not alone but everywhere.

 

 I am somebody of everybody that exists. So I am that God. Therefore, everything has to go according to my standards and preferences. So essentially, I am that God and so are other sophisticated animals with whom we negotiate our lives. I know two beautiful girls; they are in love with me and I am in love with them. One is enthusiastic about moving in with me to my house. She is attractive, willing, and able to do everything with me.

 

The other is attractive and is not willing and able to move into my house. Why? Because she believes in waiting for Mr Right and has strange ethics and morals.

 

Now I am a God in my reality and if there is no real God out there, I will take over that role. The first willing and able girl who enthusiastically believes what I believe has negotiated her position with me. There is no God, so I will do whatever I want and am only accountable to me and her; even that position is debatable. 

 

This kind of thinking goes on in more people's minds than you or I might believe. This kind of thinking begins with the denial or affirmation of the existence of God. It conditions basic fundamental views of anthropocentric and theocentric ethical behaviour.

 

If man is the ultimate measure of worth and there is no God and therefore no objective right or wrong, then murder, rape and stealing are personal choices. There is no ultimate right or wrong. Everything is determined by individual choice. If enough people think and act the same way, then a group of them can be a society unto themselves and then they can enact and enforce laws accordingly.

 

God and no God are the ultimate two poles of societal division. A theistic or a-theistic worldview is the ultimate division of humanity. Two views exist with a vast gulf, more expansive than the North and South poles. The world is between clashes and inevitably pushes up against each pole. No theist can be a consistently believing person all the time because we are human beings with bias and prejudice built and developed in ourselves. We pick up bits and pieces of insight, syncretically adopt principles, fuse them into a whole worldview, and apply these odds and ends characteristically without real thought to life. So, too, the atheist, who cannot live out the ideals of the atheistic world- view consistently for the same reason.

 

Here is the fundamental dilemma of humankind.

 

It's not either, but something in the gulf between which exists and plays out in real life. Why? Because there are many variations in this scope of the gulf. So, there is much individual mutation or scope of principles within.  It is still basically only a clash of two world views. Every sub world -view is a spectrum of variation between the two most significant perspectives. Within a-theistic beliefs, this can lead to pessimism, leads to misery, which brings meaninglessness into the heart and life of the atheist.

 

We all decide which philosophy or system of thought we will follow, even when we don't call ourselves philosophers. 

 

God helps Christians live and reach people everywhere with the Gospel or Good News of life. Similarly, the new atheist, with human help, evangelises the world just as we do.

 

I appreciate your patience.  Any thoughts or comments you would like to make? Agree or disagree?

God is Love ?

  

What does it mean that God is love?

 

 

 The phrase "God is love" means that God is, in His very nature, infinitely loving and gracious.

 

 God's loving nature is revealed in His saving acts for His people. God's love involves doing what is best for those He loves, which sometimes may not seem loving to us on the surface. God's love does not mean that He shields us from all harm, gives us all we want or never disciplines us. But it does mean that everything God does in our earthly lives is an expression of His love for us and is working toward our eternal happiness and glory.

The gifting of His Son demonstrates his infinite love to pay for the incalculable debt that we, humankind, could not pay to this holy God. We cannot rescue ourselves from the evil works of darkness we collectively committed. If we could recognise that our world was steeped in black, deadly darkness we would not be able to do anything about it!   Jesus Christ died for us to free all from our complete slavery and subjection to our dark desires, our evil selves and total depravity. The living Son of God set us free from ourselves, saving all humanity from certain death and eternal separation from all that is good. So sending all of us on a course to eternal life instead.

The True Basic Building Block.

We all know that God the Father exists! 

We ALL KNOW that. 

This is the basic building block of the cosmos and beyond. 

Fortunately for Mankind, God is very patient and is very long suffering. We all by nature refuse to believe that God is the Holy being that from ALL things have their existence. We deny our basic fundamental belief that everything and everyone came as a gift from this Eternal Being.

A Christian is someone who has evaluated, believed and asked God the Creator to forgive this blatant and willful denial of the Fact that God exists and deserves gratitude with all of our being. 

No one has ever deserved the gifts of life and living to themselves and other humans in this temporal world. 

Really there are only two world views!

God and non- God. 

Theism or A/theism.

Which will you follow?

Which or Who will you thank for your existence?

Unseen Realities

This IS DIFFICULT FOR US TO GRASP

We can  we take on face value that what we see, hear and feel is reality. But what about those things that we cannot see? Scripture speaks about heaven,hell angels and demons which are a part of this invisible spiritual realm.

"I believe that if we are to be consistent Christians, believing all of the Bible rather than portions of it, we must recognize that the supernatural places and beings described on its pages are real. There is an uncompromised supernaturalism at the  heart of the Christian world-view and we must not let the scepticism with regard to these things affect our belief. We must trust and affirm that there is much more than meets the eye."

 by R. C. Sproul 

A Woman's Emotions: Final Part.

 

 

A Woman's Emotions: Additional Part

It isn’t my task to suggest that you implement my thoughts fully into practical tools for a better life for a hurting spouse or partner in the future. Indeed, I do not intend that at all, but I choose to make that light of our situation available to provide a way forward for those who arrive on my Digital Anvil blog. I believe that the situation we ‘fell into’ was orchestrated by God ultimately for our good and as he draws others to my blog.

I have learnt a little

Having found research that may encourage others like my wife and I, Peter Eriksson of Sweden’s Sahlgrenska University Hospital discovered that brains well into their sixties and seventies undergo “neurogenesis,” or the development of new brain cells. This is encouraging information for individuals who are experiencing problems they desire to overcome—some of which may be traced to the way they were parented, some from abuse, but often from behaviour choices they made.

I am doubly thankful to God having arranged to find this heartening news for my essay. I knew with certainty that God can change a person in very beneficial ways. Science has also confirmed that belief for me and you.

I also thank God because I found this old essay and adapted it to our everyday lives to achieve an outcome that benefits us all.

Thank You God!

This concludes this post series.

 

A Woman's Emotions Part 3

 

 A Woman's Emotions Part 3.

 

Today's post is the third portion of my essay. A Topic that is personally relevant and true to life..

 

 Our relationships would be better if we came into them with wholeness, but it's a fact that before we were involved in a long-term relationship, we carried baggage with us.

 

But achieving wholeness can take a long time or even a life-time.

I firmly believe that the circumstances of the marriage or long-term relationship provide the way to wholeness. Yes, God provides for your healing and your partner's healing in the long-term relationship or marriage.

Emotional healing happens faster in a marriage or within the context of a loving, committed, forgiving, love relationship because the hurting person often feels safe enough to face the pain of the past or your partner does not have to hold it together or keep up an image or pretend there is no hurt. If you discovered a variety of hurts and emotions began to surface in your wife or partner - things you weren't aware of before- rejoice that you have been deemed trustworthy enough to be her support through her healing.

 

Please don't run from the task or situation or be afraid of it.

 

Remember, you are the personal 'tool' in God's hand, but only God can fix damaged emotions. He will do it from the inside out and in His way and timing. Your prayers are crucial to keeping the devil at bay and supporting other elements while this is accomplished.

 

While some of our emotions are the outcome of our emotional response to everyday situations, I firmly believe that sometimes events happen where and when we exclaim, why did I do that? We are bewildered by our actions and their resultant emotions. No one has not beaten themselves up for doing the inexplicable. 

It should be fairly obvious that all the deep emotional hurts accompanied with tearful episodes need to be healed by a loving, gentle husband or partner with the  All powerful divine Being known as the Heavenly Father. The process is carried out because you are the safe habour whom God has chosen to be a shelter and spiritual covering during her trial.Tell her that you are praying for her and that you love her more than ever. Keep her calm, free from negative interference.

 With the journey, you shall find that your stronger,  finely-tuned violin shall bring forth splendid music and sweetness like radiant sunshine. The atmosphere is brighter and richer for the both of you.

 Please note: I am indebted to my lovely Sister in Law, Who has maintained a daily prayer and mutual support 'avenue' for my hurting wife. As well as her outstanding Counsellor who provided so much loving, emotional and relational support.

 

A Woman's Emotions Part 2.

[ continues today from yesterday 02/06/2024.]

Years ago i used to laugh...that's before I began to understand a little...

Sometimes I react by tuning out. Because I didn't have a clue as to what was really happening so I would stop listening and withdraw. Other times I would ignore my wife's plight and turn up the volume of my life or interests to tune out the 'noise' that was coming out. I confess that I didn't know that trying to drown out these mysterious problems was stupid.

Now it's  not because I didn't care.

It's because I didn't know what to do about it and that realization alone can be overwhelming to me.

 

The single best way to approach the matter of your partner's emotions is to ask GOD to give you insight into what your partner is feeling and show you how to pray accordingly.

 

Much of what happens to your partner's emotions begins in her mind. The evil enemy will feed her lies about herself with thoughts that make her feel depressed, sad, angry, bitter, fearful, lonely, or full of self-doubt. The devil will make her think that such thoughts are reality, or that God (this one is used against me too) in fact is giving her and me a revelation for her life.

 

 In fact it happened recently (just months ago) when she was suffering alone in hospital. The enemy had separated her by isolating her from our family, friends and her familiar surroundings. The evil enemy had suggested with lies to her mind that this situation was not going to change, that her present woes were her own fault and that she was the only one suffering these sorts of thoughts. Doctors could not agree as to her  exact diagnosis, except that this would not change anytime soon!

 

Suffering from emotional hurts from a distant past, a past that as a child she had blocked out with totality. She had experienced a mind- crushing, a heart- rending experience in a concentration camp in Germany. This plagued her mind as it surfaced consciously with the evil remind-er himself wrenching and wrecking her inner being for several weeks. With vivid delusions and daytime 'dreams' of large fiery ovens, big deadly dogs and minions of deathly evil nature perpetrating evil acts.

However her state of mind was in complete upheaval for a very long time even now. With inexplicable mood swings, angry tirades and tearful episodes lasting days. We all watched with compassion, yet helplessness prevailed for a while. When - in desperation -  I turned to GOD who began, a good work in her, enabled me to recognize the 'symptoms' of the current medical condition as stemming from her blacked- out past, i knew what i must do! Pray, pray and more praying!

 

She thought that she was insane and unable to reach out to her Saviour and God.In fact she felt--all alone-- without the ultimate presence of her comforting Creator. Pressured by relentless, extreme thoughts she verged on collapse, but her younger sister reached out and deeply listened to her, soothing her heart and mind on every occasion they spoke. We continued in prayer for her, never quitting our petitions before the Throne of the Almighty. In sheer lucid serendipity,my beloved reached out to our old church and counselling sessions were arranged with a delightful,  strong, believing young woman whose very nature reflected godly beliefs and virtues.

 

 

Thank GOD !

 

Thank GOD !

To diverge:

 

I could be listening to a particular pastor or some other preacher on Christian TV and the evil enemy will start to whisper thoughts of hurt, depression,disbelief, etc. and I would believe the lies of the evil enemy. Or as I said your partner's mind is fed with such thoughts too. Our relationships would be better if we came into them with wholeness, but it's a fact of life that before we were involved in a long-term relationship we carried baggage with us.

Click and return to read more of A Woman's Emotions. Part 3.

A Woman's Emotions

A WOMAN'S EMOTIONS: Part 1

The following is a distillation of  experience, and the fruit of the book, The POWER of a PRAYING HUSBAND by Stormie Omartian.

I certainly  don't  wish to make light of my wife's emotions  nor suggest to you that I know everything about the mysterious power and condition of a woman's emotions.

A woman's emotions are like that of a finely tuned violin or at least can be compared to one. When the instrument is perfectly tuned the results are beautiful music. But the violin is delicate and highly sensitive instrument that can be affected by changes to its surroundings. Any changes in the surroundings - imperceptible or subtle to the partner-can send the violin out of tune and create a horrifying out-of pitch result.

However when it is in tune the result is beautiful music, deep rich pleasurable music. Or it can be harsh dissonant screeching, nerve- jolting 'noise.'

Whether it is one or the other depends on two things, the condition of the instrument and mostly on the proficiency of the player. Of course if your partner's emotions are in the hands of the evil enemy, everything gets out of tune and the results are unpleasant and upsetting.

I am sure you are already aware, well aware that your life is dramatically affected by the partner's emotions. If she is depressed, anxious angry, or hurt. chances are you will be feeling it too or at least in some way.

 Sometimes in the past I've made light of her emotions by joking to minimise the affect of them. Years ago I used to laugh to make light fun at her emotions; that's before I began to understand a little.

Stay tuned and  return to read more of  A Woman's  Emotions  Part 2.