I am aware of the none standard grammar of this picture post. I purposely used the vernacular of my ancestry to honor them and their sacrifices – not thinking more of myself than I ought.
As I continue on this journey of living a grateful life, I make the following witness and praise.
“… We know that ‘we all have knowledge.’ Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it. But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)
Love Of God Is Better Than Knowledge Of God For God Knows Those Who Love Him. And To Be Known By God Is Far Better Than Thinking That We Know Anything About God.
Men and women continue to argue and divide over what they think that they know. Their knowledge doesn’t help them to reconcile to each other or to be reconciled to God but rather divides them and separates them from YHVH.
Human knowledge tends to make us arrogant and argumentative. (2 Timothy 2:14) And because of sin, mankind is always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Mankind can never acquire sufficient saving knowledge about God. And the knowledge that he thinks he knows only serves to feed his selfish pride. However, Love of God serves to humble us and make us submissive to God. And God Knows every humble and contrite sheep that hears His voice and obediently follows Him. (Psalm 8:3-5, Proverbs 8:13)
As for me, I am convinced that human knowledge, by definition, is wicked and perverted and cannot lead to divine knowledge. But divine knowledge must come through the revelation of Christ by The HOLY SPIRIT. It is divine and not supernatural as some have blasphemed. (John 14:6 and 1 Corinthians 2:11-12)
Now I pray that The HOLY SPIRIT Of FATHER GOD Builds You Up Into His ONE TRUE EKKLESIA As You Delight Yourself In loving Him.
Some folks act as if The Eternal Moral Commandments of Yahweh and Christ are intended to make their lives miserable, boring and void of pleasure and gratification. Nothing could be further from the truth. God desires that we experience true life and experience it in abundance. (John 10:10)
Our problem is that sin and our own sinful carnal appetites have warped and twisted our minds so that we are confused and perverted as to what is truly pleasurable and what divinely gratifies. (James 1:14-15)
Sin tends to look upon GOD’S Eternal Moral Law as something to be avoided and/or excused and dismissed as antiquated and none applicable. Sin tries to justify herself and make her lusts seem normal, acceptable and excusable by disqualifying God’s Law and Commandments and diminishing the Awesome Reverence That Is Due To God’s HOLY WORD and Commandments. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Sin calls God’s Law and Commandments too heavy to bear and too strict to keep because her deeds are evil and her sins are exposed by the light of GOD’S Truth. (Matthew 11:30)
Thus sin attempts to modify (change) GOD’S Holy Commandments to accommodate her lusts and appetites and make herself look less sinful and more acceptable to the unconverted and to the world. (Daniel 7:25 and 2 Timothy 3:5)
Sin loves her versions and translations of GOD’S TRUTH but hates to obey and be transformed by the TRUTH of GOD. She prefers the idea of being free to indulge her lusts under the false assumption that Christ will not condemn her to go to hell as long as she believes (accepts the fact) that Jesus is the Son of God.
Sin practitioners think that they will get away with marrying the name of Christ to their false doctrines and practices. (Matthew 7:21-23) Sin practitioners think that they will get away with willingly crucifying Christ and bringing him to open shame. But they are sadly mistaken. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23 and Hebrews 6:6)
Christians sometimes are confused and led astray by their own religions and denominational beliefs and rhetoric into thinking that “They Love God” if they are faithful to their particular version of “church” and Faith and that Yahweh will reward them with eternal life through their own belief systems. This is a lie and a deception of Satan.
DON’T GET IT TWISTED! Joining a church and attending worship services on Sunday (Sun God Day) and believing in what a church, denomination, pastor, Pope, preacher, bishop, evangelist or elder says about God don’t translate into “Love of God.”
SIN, DISOBEDIENCE AND REBELLION CONFUSES THE ISSUE BUT THE LORD MAKES IT PLAIN AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND.
“For this is the love of God, that His commands we may keep, and His commands are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
Keep The Commandments of God and of Christ and Inherit Eternal Life. (Matthew 5:19 and Revelation 14:12)
Worldly Addictions And Attachments Prevents Our Complete And Wholehearted Love, Devotion and Loyalty To Father YHVH. (1 John 2:15)
When We Become Too Attached To The Things, People, Pleasures, Accolades, Joys, Wealth, Honors, Praises, Careers, Family, Friends, Spouses, Children, Cars, Homes, Property, Credentials, Celebrity and Positions Of This Word, We Really Cannot Transition Well, If At All, From Sinner To Saint or From Earth To Eternal Life. (Matthew 10:37)
When we have given our “whole hearts” to our careers, children, spouses, institutional religions, fraternities, sororities, clubs, causes, politics, education, money, self-glorification and acquiring worldly successes and positions of honor, prestige, power and influence, then what “heart” are we speaking of when we say that we have given our whole heart to Jesus?
Furthermore, Christ is recorded as having said that, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
If our hearts be totally focused and devoted to earthly pursuits (Treasures) wherein we cannot give up the things of the world – including our fellowship with a church or pastor – for the pursuit of Christ, then we have made the things of the earth our god and our treasure and counted ourselves unworthy of Christ and the Kingdom of God. (Luke 18:29-30)
Perspectives and Priorities Need To be In Order For Every Saint For We may Be Called Into Account At The Drop of A Dime Or In The Twinkling of an Eye. (Luke 12:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:52)
YAHWEH Jealously watches over us and desires that HIS Children be where He is so as to enjoy what He has prepared and stored up for us. (John 14:3)
Every good Dad loves to give to His Children and it hurts him when his children prefer another to him and dismisses the preparations and sacrifices that he made just for them. (Luke 12:32 and 1 Corinthians 2:9)
FATHER YAHWEH DESERVES AND REQUIRES THAT HE BE THE ABSOLUTE PRIORITY IN OUR LIVES.
What, if anything or anybody, have you placed in the place of GOD?
GOD DESERVES ALL OF OUR LOVE, DEVOTION, COMMITMENT, LOYALTY, HONOR, GLORY and PRAISE! He Doesn’t deserve leftovers or second place.
Are you more in love with the things, people and relations of this world than you are with CHRIST?
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
Many people want to blame their wicked behavior on their environment or culture. There are many scientists and sociologists who will argue that culture plays a major role in producing the elements of evil in our societies.
However, the Word of God doesn’t seem to agree with that notion. It says that all have sinned. Regardless of the culture or environment, evil is an innate part of the human nature.
“As it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE … For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23)
REPENT!
This is the intellectual, literary, creative and real property of
Othealor W. Prince, Jr. All Rights Reserved
22 Right then, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. 23 When he sent them away, he went up onto a mountain by himself to pray. Evening came and he was alone.24 Meanwhile, the boat, fighting a strong headwind, was being battered by the waves and was already far away from land. 25 Very early in the morning he came to his disciples, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” They were so frightened they screamed.
27 Just then Jesus spoke to them, “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
28 Peter replied, “Lord, if it’s you, order me to come to you on the water.”
29 And Jesus said, “Come.”
Then Peter got out of the boat and was walking on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when Peter saw the strong wind, he became frightened. As he began to sink, he shouted, “Lord, rescue me!”
31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying, “You man of weak faith! Why did you begin to have doubts?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind settled down.
33 Then those in the boat worshipped Jesus and said, “You must be God’s Son!”
Nowhere is it recorded that Peter could swim. Yet he requested that Jesus order him to come on the water.
Peter would have never experienced walking on water if he hadn’t trusted and obeyed Christ and stepped out of the relative safety of the boat onto the potential dangers of the water.
In order to experience the miraculous like we have never experienced it before, we must obey the commands of Christ like we have never obeyed before and keep our focus on Him least we begin to have doubts and became frightened and sink into the storms and vicissitudes of life.
Please note that Peter’s miracle didn’t involve a seed faith offering or any form of decreeing and declaring by Peter. And please notice that no one else on the boat was invited to share in Peter’s miracle of walking on the water.
Everybody’s miracle experience maybe different. But we will never have our personal miracle experience unless we leave the familiar confines of human experience and understanding, including the traditional Christian church, and step out on complete obedience, trust and love of God’s eternal HOLY COMMANDMENTS.
Our deliverance from the storms of life and our eternal salvation will not be found within the confines of religions or within the walls of Catholic or Protestant doctrines and traditions but in obeying GOD and CHRIST.
Get out of the boat and step out on the WORD of YHVH and of CHRIST.
We Must Trust and Obey and Never Doubt The LORD’S Way!
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? (Ref. Mark 2:14-20)
“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ “Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” (Luke 7:33-35)
17 Don’t you see that anything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach and passes out into the latrine? 18 But what comes out of your mouth is actually coming from your heart, and that is what makes a person unclean. 19 For out of the heart come forth wicked thoughts, murder, adultery and other kinds of sexual immorality, theft, lies, slanders, blasphemies. . . .20 These are what really make a person unclean. (Matthew 15:17-20)
Some Christians and some sinners judge other Christians by what they eat and drink as well as who they eat and drink with. They are twisted, prejudice, confrontational, ignorant and confused and some are hypocrites.
Normally, whatever food or drink a person ingests in their body is expelled out of their body without any lasting harm being done. But what sins a person allows to enter their heart and mind tends to damage their soul and cause them to be wicked and twisted and separated from God. (Isaiah 59:2)
The hypocrisy is that many Christians condemn persons who drink, smoke or ingest numbing and intoxicating substances while they themselves take pain killers, stimulants, alcohol infused cough syrup, energy boosting drinks and pills and sleeping aids and sex enhancing drugs. Yet, they can’t see the hypocrisy of their hearts and the contradictions in their judgments. Their arrogance, prejudice and narrow-mindedness has blinded them to their own self-incrimination and condemnation. (Matthew 7:1-3)
Mankind, in her religious and earthly wisdom, judges unfairly because she can only look at things from their outward appearance and she judge them according her imperfect human perspective. However, the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)
Regardless of who you are or what titles you hold or what prestige and honors you enjoy or how good you look to the world or how the world has celebrated you or condemned you or labeled you, God knows the real you. God knows your attitude, intentions and plans. God knows your heart.
You cannot tell who I am by what I eat or drink or who I eat or drink with. You can only know me when you learn to listen to my heart.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
But as it is written: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
The LORD who deposited His Holy Spirit in us will not abandon us but finish the work that He started in us until we are changed from corruptible to incorruptible and from mortal to immorality. (1 Corinthians 15:52-53)
God has a personal and vested interest in seeing us prosper and be successful in the Kingdom of God. The problem with some of us is that we want success in the world and according to the world’s definition of success. However, Kingdom success and worldly success don’t always look alike nor do they always agree. (Matthew 6:24 and 1 John 2:15)
Satan’s churches would have us to believe that Kingdom success is reflected in worldly riches. However, God’s definition of success requires us to divest ourselves of the world and her riches so that we may inherit eternal life and the unimaginable riches of Heaven.
Don’t get it twisted.
I may be poor and destitute according to earthly standards. But my True treasures are in Heaven with Christ. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Choose to be rich toward God and your Heavenly wealth will have no end. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
All Rights Reserved This is the intellectual, creative and literary property of Othealor W. Prince,. Jr.
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. (Matthew 21:23-27 English Standard Version)
I will never fully understand the need of repentant, water baptized, Holy Spirit filled preachers to be licensed/ordained by some human ecclesiastical agency before carrying out their divine assignment.
To seek sanction from a human agency is like saying God’s anointing and appointing isn’t enough.
The best that any human agency can do is recognize God’s choice and appointed authority in you. A Ministerial License or Certificate of Ordination orreligious academic credentialdoes not make one a servant of God. Only God Has That Prerogative.
Stop Waiting On Other People To Give You Permission To Do What God Sent You To Do.