~This side of the 'glass'~
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"Ponder the wisdom inspired through inspiration of a Higher Power."
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3912695
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3929629
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3929994
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3925633
"Praise God"
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3912695
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3929629
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3929994
https://christianchat.com/threads/i-saw-the-light.182858/post-3925633
"Praise God"
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and
for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
We can benefit from the counsel and the power of the Bible, but we must remember the primary
purpose of the Bible is to reveal God, His character, and His desire to have a relationship with the people He created.
Giving us perspective on our life here on earth, and the life to come.
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
"Praise God"
for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
We can benefit from the counsel and the power of the Bible, but we must remember the primary
purpose of the Bible is to reveal God, His character, and His desire to have a relationship with the people He created.
Giving us perspective on our life here on earth, and the life to come.
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
"Praise God"
(I.) SELFISHNESS IS THE ROOT OF SIN. Selfishness is living in and for ourselves. It manifests itself in various aspects.)
1. In thought. Self becomes the largest figure in a man's conception of the universe. The shadow of self lies across everything else. The merits of self are magnified in pride. Vanity craves the admiration of others for oneself. Self-worship makes a man prejudiced in holding to his own opinions and bigoted in rejecting those of other men.
2. In feeling. Self-love fills a selfish man's heart. He has no grief at another's trouble and no pleasure in another's joy. Instead of feeling as a member of a great body moved by the common pulse of a common life, he is like a solitary cell detached and self-concentrated.
3. In action. Self-will becomes the predominating energy and self-seeking the prevailing motive. In its extreme development this becomes positive cruelty - a pursuit of one's own pleasure through the pain of others. Now, all this is sinful in the sight of God and man, and frightfully injurious to society. War, crime, intemperance, etc., all spring from some form of selfishness.
(II.) CHRISTIANITY REQUIRES THE ERADICATION OF SELFISHNESS, so long as a man thinks only of himself, he has not learnt what the gospel means. He may be seeking what he calls his spiritual welfare - escape from hell, a happy future, or peace here. But all this is selfish. Selfishness in every respect must be uprooted in order that the true Christian life may be established.
1. In thought. This is essential to repentance. Humility and confession of sin are necessary before we can even enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. In feeling. Love to Christ, not the saving of our own souls, is the great motive that should inspire us. Love to our fellowmen, not personal comfort, is the spirit that should pervade our lives. We are only Christian in so far as we follow Christ. And Christ denied himself and "went about doing good." All pretensions of saintly devotion count just for nothing, or for worse than nothing, for hypocrisy, so long as the self sits enthroned in our hearts.
3. In action. Faith pre-supposes self-abnegation; it is the surrender of ourselves to another. It takes two forms -
(1) submission of our souls to the will of God in reliance upon his grace in Christ as our Savior; and
(2) obedience of our lives to the will of God in loyal service to Christ as our Master. -
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for 'Spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content.")
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.
1. In thought. Self becomes the largest figure in a man's conception of the universe. The shadow of self lies across everything else. The merits of self are magnified in pride. Vanity craves the admiration of others for oneself. Self-worship makes a man prejudiced in holding to his own opinions and bigoted in rejecting those of other men.
2. In feeling. Self-love fills a selfish man's heart. He has no grief at another's trouble and no pleasure in another's joy. Instead of feeling as a member of a great body moved by the common pulse of a common life, he is like a solitary cell detached and self-concentrated.
3. In action. Self-will becomes the predominating energy and self-seeking the prevailing motive. In its extreme development this becomes positive cruelty - a pursuit of one's own pleasure through the pain of others. Now, all this is sinful in the sight of God and man, and frightfully injurious to society. War, crime, intemperance, etc., all spring from some form of selfishness.
(II.) CHRISTIANITY REQUIRES THE ERADICATION OF SELFISHNESS, so long as a man thinks only of himself, he has not learnt what the gospel means. He may be seeking what he calls his spiritual welfare - escape from hell, a happy future, or peace here. But all this is selfish. Selfishness in every respect must be uprooted in order that the true Christian life may be established.
1. In thought. This is essential to repentance. Humility and confession of sin are necessary before we can even enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. In feeling. Love to Christ, not the saving of our own souls, is the great motive that should inspire us. Love to our fellowmen, not personal comfort, is the spirit that should pervade our lives. We are only Christian in so far as we follow Christ. And Christ denied himself and "went about doing good." All pretensions of saintly devotion count just for nothing, or for worse than nothing, for hypocrisy, so long as the self sits enthroned in our hearts.
3. In action. Faith pre-supposes self-abnegation; it is the surrender of ourselves to another. It takes two forms -
(1) submission of our souls to the will of God in reliance upon his grace in Christ as our Savior; and
(2) obedience of our lives to the will of God in loyal service to Christ as our Master. -
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for 'Spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content.")
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.
(A good read)
Spiritual Recognition
At this point, the question becomes absolutely crucial: How can I tell who is saved? Or how can I tell who is led of the Lord, or who is not? And the answer is simple: I cannot, until the Lord shows me. “O Lord God, thou knowest.” * This is the only answer that can be given by a humble child of God, for we do not know—we cannot read the hearts of men as an open book. Only God can.
A dear soul once remarked to me that “there was nothing to this discernment business.” In other words, they thought it was easy to tell the difference between him who serves God and him who serves Him not. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it is not. In a judgment of this kind, the full range of human motive, conditioning, and thought is involved. We are, in effect, saying that this person is ready for heaven, or this person is ready for hell.
Another dear soul stated that “we cannot know whether a man is really saved or not.” This person argued, that since we cannot know the state of another’s heart, we must leave their judgment with the Lord.
As you can see, dear reader, in one sense they were both right. With God’s help, we can discern what needs to be discerned to do the works of God, and without God’s help, we certainly can be fooled about the condition of a man’s heart. Surely, the work of the Lord can only be done by this way: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” * “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” *
And this is exactly what starts to happen at the very beginnings of an apostasy—men try by their own efforts to keep the truth. And these efforts, (because they are the products of human reasoning without Divine guidance), are not sound and leave room for the devil to gain an advantage over the children of God.
Men of a naturally more liberal cast of minds are repelled by more fanatical teachings and doings. Men of a naturally more conservative cast of minds are equally irritated by general laxity and shallowness. The classic result is the formation of two camps of thought: those who give the flesh too much liberty and those who would give the flesh no room at all. Human nature being what it is, there always seems to be more attracted to the former than the latter.
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” * God’s way is always correct. His balance is always just right. He gives exactly the correct slant on things. What we need is to hear the word behind thee, i.e., we need continuous direction and simply are not able to anticipate the direction in which God will go. With this, we must say that when properly understood He never contradicts Himself or reverses Himself. And, yes, we certainly begin to get an idea of where God may be going after a time. But how small we are, and how great is God! There is no searching of His
understanding.
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for 'spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
Spiritual Recognition
At this point, the question becomes absolutely crucial: How can I tell who is saved? Or how can I tell who is led of the Lord, or who is not? And the answer is simple: I cannot, until the Lord shows me. “O Lord God, thou knowest.” * This is the only answer that can be given by a humble child of God, for we do not know—we cannot read the hearts of men as an open book. Only God can.
A dear soul once remarked to me that “there was nothing to this discernment business.” In other words, they thought it was easy to tell the difference between him who serves God and him who serves Him not. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it is not. In a judgment of this kind, the full range of human motive, conditioning, and thought is involved. We are, in effect, saying that this person is ready for heaven, or this person is ready for hell.
Another dear soul stated that “we cannot know whether a man is really saved or not.” This person argued, that since we cannot know the state of another’s heart, we must leave their judgment with the Lord.
As you can see, dear reader, in one sense they were both right. With God’s help, we can discern what needs to be discerned to do the works of God, and without God’s help, we certainly can be fooled about the condition of a man’s heart. Surely, the work of the Lord can only be done by this way: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” * “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” *
And this is exactly what starts to happen at the very beginnings of an apostasy—men try by their own efforts to keep the truth. And these efforts, (because they are the products of human reasoning without Divine guidance), are not sound and leave room for the devil to gain an advantage over the children of God.
Men of a naturally more liberal cast of minds are repelled by more fanatical teachings and doings. Men of a naturally more conservative cast of minds are equally irritated by general laxity and shallowness. The classic result is the formation of two camps of thought: those who give the flesh too much liberty and those who would give the flesh no room at all. Human nature being what it is, there always seems to be more attracted to the former than the latter.
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” * God’s way is always correct. His balance is always just right. He gives exactly the correct slant on things. What we need is to hear the word behind thee, i.e., we need continuous direction and simply are not able to anticipate the direction in which God will go. With this, we must say that when properly understood He never contradicts Himself or reverses Himself. And, yes, we certainly begin to get an idea of where God may be going after a time. But how small we are, and how great is God! There is no searching of His
understanding.
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for 'spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
"Loss of spiritual equilibrium carries many underlying problems':
Many illnesses have their roots in our spiritual wellbeing. A spiritual illness affects
us physically, but to cure it, we may need to work on our spiritual health.
'From a spiritual point of view, illness comes from an imbalance in our lives. It can often be a result
of unhealthy beliefs we have picked up about the world, ourselves and other people. However, for true
healing to occur, we cannot simply suppress the symptoms of illness with medication. Instead, we must
look at the root cause of our spiritual illness.'
'We should, of course, seek medical attention for any illness that threatens our immediate health.
However, many illnesses are spiritual in nature and can only be solved by deep emotional and spiritual work.'
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for' spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
Many illnesses have their roots in our spiritual wellbeing. A spiritual illness affects
us physically, but to cure it, we may need to work on our spiritual health.
'From a spiritual point of view, illness comes from an imbalance in our lives. It can often be a result
of unhealthy beliefs we have picked up about the world, ourselves and other people. However, for true
healing to occur, we cannot simply suppress the symptoms of illness with medication. Instead, we must
look at the root cause of our spiritual illness.'
'We should, of course, seek medical attention for any illness that threatens our immediate health.
However, many illnesses are spiritual in nature and can only be solved by deep emotional and spiritual work.'
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for' spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
Attachments
"Loss of spiritual equilibrium carries many underlying problems':
Many illnesses have their roots in our spiritual wellbeing. A spiritual illness affects
us physically, but to cure it, we may need to work on our spiritual health.
'From a spiritual point of view, illness comes from an imbalance in our lives. It can often be a result
of unhealthy beliefs we have picked up about the world, ourselves and other people. However, for true
healing to occur, we cannot simply suppress the symptoms of illness with medication. Instead, we must
look at the root cause of our spiritual illness.'
'We should, of course, seek medical attention for any illness that threatens our immediate health.
However, many illnesses are spiritual in nature and can only be solved by deep emotional and spiritual work.'
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for' spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
View attachment 239474
Many illnesses have their roots in our spiritual wellbeing. A spiritual illness affects
us physically, but to cure it, we may need to work on our spiritual health.
'From a spiritual point of view, illness comes from an imbalance in our lives. It can often be a result
of unhealthy beliefs we have picked up about the world, ourselves and other people. However, for true
healing to occur, we cannot simply suppress the symptoms of illness with medication. Instead, we must
look at the root cause of our spiritual illness.'
'We should, of course, seek medical attention for any illness that threatens our immediate health.
However, many illnesses are spiritual in nature and can only be solved by deep emotional and spiritual work.'
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for' spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
View attachment 239474
'Harmony'...cont. from #1,315
"Over ten years ago I continued my golf past time after moving here to a small
community in the Ozark's of Mo. (I miss Az.)
I became one of the members in a 'foursome' and we played on a regular basis for the
next five years. All retired from all walks of life, but two became dear and close friends.
-Our 'foursome' ended after some moved away plus I laid off golf due to a life-threatening surgery
which thank God I am now good to go, and back to golf with the one remaining friend.
-The two friends, one a muti-millionaire I came to learn after a couple of years, and we became
close friends. The other friend a hardnosed retired marine that use to constantly rib me and tried
to intimidate me on the golf course. But we became tight friends after he realized my God 'awareness'
and he wanted to only share a golf cart with me thereafter.
-We found common ground and friendship because of compatible harmony even with our outstanding
differences of personality and lifestyles. Both being wealthy with material things... (I am not in their bracket)
I have been invited to their homes, and they are very gracious and over time have both reached out to
assist me if needed at any time. I thank God for friends that are friends...believe it.
-Though moved out of state, marine friend and I stay in touch. And friend number one we still golf together
on regular basis. Different as night and day, but a harmony that holds us close friends.
-And so, in life I have stressed the importance of harmony being found as being of great significance in
a true and lasting relationship, with God and those that may cross our path. And with finding harmony,
I have learned it starts with my attitude and my conduct to be compatible and acceptable, and to work
at having spiritual harmony in a restless world, which brings about calmness in a hectic out of order society."
"Thank God, I have seen the 'light'.
"Over ten years ago I continued my golf past time after moving here to a small
community in the Ozark's of Mo. (I miss Az.)
I became one of the members in a 'foursome' and we played on a regular basis for the
next five years. All retired from all walks of life, but two became dear and close friends.
-Our 'foursome' ended after some moved away plus I laid off golf due to a life-threatening surgery
which thank God I am now good to go, and back to golf with the one remaining friend.
-The two friends, one a muti-millionaire I came to learn after a couple of years, and we became
close friends. The other friend a hardnosed retired marine that use to constantly rib me and tried
to intimidate me on the golf course. But we became tight friends after he realized my God 'awareness'
and he wanted to only share a golf cart with me thereafter.
-We found common ground and friendship because of compatible harmony even with our outstanding
differences of personality and lifestyles. Both being wealthy with material things... (I am not in their bracket)
I have been invited to their homes, and they are very gracious and over time have both reached out to
assist me if needed at any time. I thank God for friends that are friends...believe it.
-Though moved out of state, marine friend and I stay in touch. And friend number one we still golf together
on regular basis. Different as night and day, but a harmony that holds us close friends.
-And so, in life I have stressed the importance of harmony being found as being of great significance in
a true and lasting relationship, with God and those that may cross our path. And with finding harmony,
I have learned it starts with my attitude and my conduct to be compatible and acceptable, and to work
at having spiritual harmony in a restless world, which brings about calmness in a hectic out of order society."
"Thank God, I have seen the 'light'.
Spiritual Gift of Discernment
The spiritual gift of discernment is the special ability God gives to some to know with assurance whether certain behavior or teaching is from God, Satan, human error, or human power. It is the divine enablement to distinguish between truth and error, to discern the spirits, differentiating between good and evil, right and wrong. The word discernment comes from the Greek word diakrisis which embodies several ideas; to see, consider, examine, understand, hear, judge closely.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 NIV
” And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 NIV
“Have an uncanny ability to perceive hypocrisy, shallowness, deceit, or phoniness.” (Graham, 197)
The United Methodist Church describes discernment as Trans Rational: Information and experience that occurs outside of a normal, logical structure. It is a divine understanding given by the Holy Spirit. Discernment is also Beyond Empirical Knowledge which means it perceives beyond what is received by the senses.
Defense against Deceit
One of Satan’s most powerful tools is deceit, and the spiritual gift of discernment is our defense. Not only can those with the gift have strong feelings about what is truth and what is not, they also have the ability to recognize evil. People I have spoken with describe it as an intuition that comes suddenly, instantly, when in the presence of an evil person or situation.
Scripture teaches us that anything religious should be evaluated very carefully; that even the churches to which we go must be examined to see if they are sound in the faith. This includes the manifestation of the Spiritual Gifts within the body. Discernment is key to recognizing genuine gifts of the Spirit, whether they be a true manifestation within a person or imaginary. This gift prevents the “corruption and pollution of Christianity with all kinds of false and spurious manifestations of spiritual wonder.” (Laurin, 210)
The danger with this gift for both the body and the gifted is the improper use of it. Discernment is a powerful gift. Those with the gift of discernment should not be treated as some great oracle or truth-sayer that all decisions need to be directed to. However, they should have the courage to speak up and act when the Spirit leads them through their gift.
People with this Gift:
Distinguish truth from error, right from wrong, pure motives from impure
Identify deception in others with accuracy and appropriateness
Recognize inconsistencies in a teaching, prophetic message, or interpretation
Are able to sense the presence of evil.
Bible References
1 Kings 3:7-15 Solomon asks God for a discerning heart
Psalm 119:121-128 A prayer that includes asking for discernment
Psalm 36 Opening Truth through God’s light
Proverbs 3:19-24 Solomon telling his son to preserve sound judgement and discernment
1 Corinthians 2:9-16 Understanding through the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 Paul first mentions the gift of discernment; distinguishing of spirits
Ephesians 1:17-19 Paul telling the church at Ephesus he is praying for them to receive the spirit of revelation
1 Timothy 4:1-8 Paul gives Timothy instructions on discernment
Colossians 2:8, 18-19 Paul’s warning against deception; unspiritual minds
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 Test everything
1 John 4:1-6 Test the spirits
Other Gifts
Spiritual Gift of Wisdom
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for 'Spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
The spiritual gift of discernment is the special ability God gives to some to know with assurance whether certain behavior or teaching is from God, Satan, human error, or human power. It is the divine enablement to distinguish between truth and error, to discern the spirits, differentiating between good and evil, right and wrong. The word discernment comes from the Greek word diakrisis which embodies several ideas; to see, consider, examine, understand, hear, judge closely.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 NIV
” And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 NIV
“Have an uncanny ability to perceive hypocrisy, shallowness, deceit, or phoniness.” (Graham, 197)
The United Methodist Church describes discernment as Trans Rational: Information and experience that occurs outside of a normal, logical structure. It is a divine understanding given by the Holy Spirit. Discernment is also Beyond Empirical Knowledge which means it perceives beyond what is received by the senses.
Defense against Deceit
One of Satan’s most powerful tools is deceit, and the spiritual gift of discernment is our defense. Not only can those with the gift have strong feelings about what is truth and what is not, they also have the ability to recognize evil. People I have spoken with describe it as an intuition that comes suddenly, instantly, when in the presence of an evil person or situation.
Scripture teaches us that anything religious should be evaluated very carefully; that even the churches to which we go must be examined to see if they are sound in the faith. This includes the manifestation of the Spiritual Gifts within the body. Discernment is key to recognizing genuine gifts of the Spirit, whether they be a true manifestation within a person or imaginary. This gift prevents the “corruption and pollution of Christianity with all kinds of false and spurious manifestations of spiritual wonder.” (Laurin, 210)
The danger with this gift for both the body and the gifted is the improper use of it. Discernment is a powerful gift. Those with the gift of discernment should not be treated as some great oracle or truth-sayer that all decisions need to be directed to. However, they should have the courage to speak up and act when the Spirit leads them through their gift.
People with this Gift:
Distinguish truth from error, right from wrong, pure motives from impure
Identify deception in others with accuracy and appropriateness
Recognize inconsistencies in a teaching, prophetic message, or interpretation
Are able to sense the presence of evil.
Bible References
1 Kings 3:7-15 Solomon asks God for a discerning heart
Psalm 119:121-128 A prayer that includes asking for discernment
Psalm 36 Opening Truth through God’s light
Proverbs 3:19-24 Solomon telling his son to preserve sound judgement and discernment
1 Corinthians 2:9-16 Understanding through the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 Paul first mentions the gift of discernment; distinguishing of spirits
Ephesians 1:17-19 Paul telling the church at Ephesus he is praying for them to receive the spirit of revelation
1 Timothy 4:1-8 Paul gives Timothy instructions on discernment
Colossians 2:8, 18-19 Paul’s warning against deception; unspiritual minds
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 Test everything
1 John 4:1-6 Test the spirits
Other Gifts
Spiritual Gift of Wisdom
("This content is for informational use and is not a substitute for 'Spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
-Depending on background and experience, people will identify with some of God’s attributes and actions while other aspects
of His nature may seem foreign to them. Some who grew up in an environment where God’s judgment was overemphasized
may have difficulty accepting God’s love for them, making a relationship with Him challenging. Conversely, those who have
lived with constant reminders of God’s grace and love may squirm at biblical passages regarding falling away, eternal
punishment, and God’s high standards.
-Above such personal biases stand verses like Isaiah 45:7, which proclaim that our concepts of Him in no way constrain God:
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.” To worship God
“In spirit and truth” (John 4:24) requires us to continually refine our concept of Him based on what Scripture teaches, which
at times necessitates challenging our preconceptions.
-Due to this reality, God’s actions at times make us uncomfortable. When a recorded deed or attribute of God does not fit our
ideas, we tend to hurry past such disconcerting passages rather than allow the holy and pure Word of God to mold our minds.
("This content is for informational use, and is not a substitute for 'Spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)
of His nature may seem foreign to them. Some who grew up in an environment where God’s judgment was overemphasized
may have difficulty accepting God’s love for them, making a relationship with Him challenging. Conversely, those who have
lived with constant reminders of God’s grace and love may squirm at biblical passages regarding falling away, eternal
punishment, and God’s high standards.
-Above such personal biases stand verses like Isaiah 45:7, which proclaim that our concepts of Him in no way constrain God:
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.” To worship God
“In spirit and truth” (John 4:24) requires us to continually refine our concept of Him based on what Scripture teaches, which
at times necessitates challenging our preconceptions.
-Due to this reality, God’s actions at times make us uncomfortable. When a recorded deed or attribute of God does not fit our
ideas, we tend to hurry past such disconcerting passages rather than allow the holy and pure Word of God to mold our minds.
("This content is for informational use, and is not a substitute for 'Spiritual' advice.
Be sure to do your own careful 'inventory' before taking action based on anything you find in this content."
Intended solely as informative and subjects to reflect on.)