tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48119497667509887402024-03-13T01:41:43.959-04:00Campau Revelation JourneyCome along with us as we share our journey to learn about ourselves and our Creator. This is not only a Bible study journey from Genesis to Revelation, but also our journey in the revelation of who we are, our identity and purpose. To grow in faith as we share the revelation of our Creator in our daily lives. This is the most important journey that we all need to take, one step at a time.
(Heb 10:24) Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-72237899602362675462018-07-22T11:11:00.000-04:002018-07-22T11:11:33.089-04:00Shifting Atmospheres: Final Thoughts<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Atmospheres-Strategy-Victorious-Spiritual/dp/0768415667/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Shifting Atmospheres" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oz4xayxrZyKT9QLiI1nd43E70VGWJomBwje54GvfOZ9rAToX7WwWTlheX5lxeJR_6QcauaLG2VyAhtE-9FNOp-2HwmxylRa0WNTW_zRSWtwa1DwAZSkhFXFkmlPyeAxfC5zMuHqqPrY/s320/SA.jpg" title="Shifting Atmospheres" width="213" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Atmospheres-Strategy-Victorious-Spiritual/dp/0768415667/" target="_blank">Shifting Atmospheres by Dawna De Silva</a>. <br />
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I hope you, the blog reader, found this study helpful and encouraging and that you would consider getting the book for yourself to read and share with others. Special thanks to my Study Buddy for going through this together with me and sharing our thoughts and perspectives.<br />
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This book has definitely helped me and I will go back to it and continue to implement the principles. I found this book helpful in learning a bit about the spiritual realm around us and the role we can play to battle against the plans and schemes of Satan. Let us not be victims of the evil atmosphere manifesting from the unseen realm, but instead shift atmospheres and play our part in bringing about the atmosphere of God’s kingdom back to earth where it belongs.<br />
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This excerpt from the final chapter of this book sums it up quite well for us:<br />
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<i>“We are part of God’s army and are set by God on the front lines to charge forward and retake the world’s atmospheres. If you use the principles presented in this book, I am confident you will succeed. Begin small. Start by shifting your own atmospheres. Find your normal and get rid of any bad trees in your garden. Lean into the Holy Spirit to gain insight and strategies as you practice discernment of the spiritual world around you. Most of all, dive into the Word of God. You will find your peace and courage there…”</i><br />
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(Visit Dawna's website: <a href="https://www.dawnadesilva.com/">https://www.dawnadesilva.com/</a>)<br />
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<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-51854323971688529652018-07-03T15:27:00.000-04:002018-07-03T15:27:07.080-04:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 12<b><i>Chapter 12 – Assignments</i></b><br />
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In this chapter we learn about how the enemy may have an assignment to destroy us, and that he may use different tactics to find our weaknesses to attack successfully.<br />
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When we recognize the attacks of the enemy, we must renounce our ties to his lies instead of partnering with his broadcasts / thoughts.<br />
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I like how Dawna pointed out through her story that even when you quit partnering with the enemy there's still a fight to be fought: all the antagonism doesn't just disappear, but now the enemy doesn't have power anymore. I don't get why God doesn't always just zap the enemy into oblivion, but what I do know is that Yahweh (the Lord) wins.<br />
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We can use prayer to break assignments of the enemy. We should not be fearful and focus on the assignments the enemy may have on us, but instead on God’s promises of protection.<br />
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The atoning blood of our Messiah is a strong defense against the power of the enemy.<br />
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The following quote gives a good summary of what we learn in this chapter:<br />
<i>“If you find yourself or a loved one in the midst of a demonic assignment, partner with God to plead the blood of Jesus over your life. Repent for any fear you have allowed into your life and meditate on the Scriptures that reveal the power of God.”</i><br />
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-36241011777967536322018-06-24T23:07:00.000-04:002018-06-24T23:07:46.825-04:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 11<b><i>Chapter 11 – Shifting Atmospheres over Regions</i></b><br />
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A key point from this chapter to remember: <i>“We should never search out demons to attack; our focus should be on expanding the Lord’s Kingdom.” “It is our job to provide support to His army through worship, praise, prophetic and scriptural declarations, acts of love, and intercession.”</i><br />
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Intersession is praying on the behalf of others. I like how Dawna explains that intercession for others does not mean we have to be negatively affected in our spirits, but that it can be a positive and uplifting experience. We are to not just pray against the enemy, but also release what God wants in its place.<br />
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We should always look to God to give us direction on what to do in spiritual warfare. We are not to just be stewards of the physical aspects of this world, but also the spiritual!<br />
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I really like how Dawna pointed out that we are not the ones taking on the enemy. Also it was very good for me to hear that I am not to be constantly on guard for the enemy. Nope! I am to keep focused on the author and completer of my faith, Yeshua (Jesus) the Anointed, and if I encounter anything that is not of Him I am to surrender it to God as the proper stewardess of his earth, allowing him to work his victory into the atmosphere and situation. <br />
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I am to be about life not on the lookout for death. I am to be involved relationally with the world around me, through what I do pointing the way to Abba, which is, being Yeshua (who is the only way to Abba) / doing what Yeshua does--an ambassador for Yeshua. I LOVE how Dawna put getting involved in our community through art and work and business in just as valid a place as through acts of service. We are NEVER to be isolated. There are hundreds of ways I can sow into my community! So often we limit what sowing is or can be and put boxes around ourselves and good works. How can I enrich others’ lives? By sharing with them the talents God has given me.The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-46739454488771252742018-05-29T20:33:00.000-04:002018-05-29T20:33:09.943-04:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 10<b><i>Chapter 10 – Shifting Atmospheres over Yourself and Your Home</i></b><br />
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As always, this chapter was really good. I love how Dawna makes sure to point out that we have to forgive the people who have given us the harmful mindsets. I don't really think of that perspective often. But it is so important and crucial to full healing, not only for you but for the person who you are forgiving. They might come up against walls you haven't torn down that they don't have the authority to break.<br />
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In order to walk in authority we need to make declarations of truth and follow that with actions of faith!<br />
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An important point to remember is that everyone / thing has an atmosphere and we are to consider what atmosphere we are producing and the need to steward our own broadcasts, which begins with the heart. It is our mindset that broadcasts an atmosphere from our heart. We can look at people’s responses to us as a possible indication of the message we are broadcasting.<br />
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Sometimes the cause and solution to our behavior or broadcasts might be buried and take some examinations to determine the cause and bring about a change. I found the example from the book interesting… Strive for intercession of others instead of judgement of them, done for self-preservation, which the underling solution is to be healed of the fear of being hurt by them!<br />
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Possible steps for healing wrong atmospheres:<br />
1. What ungodly atmospheres am I emitting?<br />
2. What mindsets caused these atmospheres?<br />
3. What lies am I believing that cause this mindset?<br />
4. Who do I forgive for teaching me these lies?<br />
5. What truth dispels the lies?<br />
6. Transmit an atmosphere based on truths.<br />
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The books admonition to think about what atmosphere we want to project from us and our home is important. This is something everyone should think about and come up with solutions for. Everything we allow into our home affects the atmosphere. For me I think an atmosphere of the fruits of the spirit is a good goal to work toward.<br />
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My responsibility is to think on all that's lovely and true and pure so that those vibes are being broadcasted by me. As Dawna says, "The more you steward wholeness into your heart, the easier it will be not to partner with atmospheres that reflect your own inner wounds." I can't be perfect and only have love in my heart 24/7, but I can pursue wholeness and shalom and prepare the soil of my heart to be fertile for those things, for the fruit of Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-92155734649823469822018-05-14T09:01:00.000-04:002018-05-14T09:01:17.297-04:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 9<b><i>Chapter 9 – Shifting Atmospheres</i></b><br />
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Here are a few quotes from this chapter that stuck out to me:<br />
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<i> “Shifting atmospheres is a way to shine in such a way that you draw people to the one true God.”</i><br />
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<i> “We should be walking transmitters of His character and release his attributes into every atmosphere we encounter.”</i><br />
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<i> “There is something powerful in humbling ourselves before the Lord and offering ourselves to His will that activates us with His power, covering, and victory.”</i><br />
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Shifting atmospheres is spiritual warfare and we are reminded to stay in the shelter of the Most High and to partner with the Holy Spirit and not try to fight the enemy on our own. To be successful in shifting atmospheres we are to be confident and bold. To not be intimidated or partner with / take on the atmosphere of the enemy.<br />
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I appreciate the real world examples given by the author in this chapter and throughout the book which gives us greater understanding of the principles taught here and shows us that what we are told isn’t just theoretical, but comes from experience and practical application. Our job is to expose darkness with His light. I found it interesting in some of the stories how the removal of demonic presence gave a result or impression of an increase in perceivable brightness! Another aspect gleaned from Dawna’s accounts is that a negative situation we may have been dealing with for years can be changed quickly and dramatically with atmosphere shifting.<br />
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-58176561767614856392018-04-23T07:27:00.000-04:002018-04-23T07:27:47.813-04:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 8<b><i>Chapter 8 – Discerning Atmospheres</i></b><br />
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This chapter teaches us ways to Identify / discern the atmospheres around us. We need to start with a healthy normal (see chapter 7) for proper discernment. It is also important to value truth, because if we devalue truth, discernment is diminished.<br />
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I think a big goal for me in reading this chapter is learning to recognize the source of our struggles and the proper way to deal with it. How easy is it to just pickup and agree with the atmosphere around us and embrace it as our own. This can happen when we do not recognize when things are coming at us verses originating from us and we need to ask for forgiveness for partnering with these negative atmospheres. Not only can we pick up these broadcasts from people we encounter, but also from places and things. It is not specifically mentioned but I think places and things can be like repeaters of the atmosphere or intent imparted on them from people or entities. The author gives an account from a particular grocery store with a “must buy” atmosphere that she as well as other people have picked up on.<br />
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I find it interesting that although atmospheres are largely spiritual, we can commonly pick them up through our natural senses. When identifying the atmosphere around us, we need to pay attention to our moods, how we feel in different environments and situations. Also pay attention to the voices/messages we hear internally. The enemy will often mimic God’s moves to spread confusion and fear so it is vital to examine the fruit and tune in to the heart of God. Other ways mentioned that we may encounter to help us expose the atmosphere is through dreams and vision.<br />
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This chapter was so good for me to read because it showed me how simple shifting atmospheres really is, and I now feel empowered to change my moods and the moods of where I am at; it showed me that I don't have to submit to judgmental thoughts, critical thinking, hateful emotions, dishonoring talk, etc. I now realize that negative and destructive thoughts are not hard to get rid of because they are not me making them up, that is, I don't have to change myself in order to get rid of them because, as Dawna says, they are not coming from me but at me, so I just need to stop listening to the negative channel they are coming from and instead tune into God's channel and thoughts!<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-24674941774684071912018-04-05T22:23:00.004-04:002018-04-05T22:23:52.048-04:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 7<b><i>Chapter 7 – Finding Your Normal</i></b><br />
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This chapter encourages us to examine our “Normal” thoughts or beliefs about ourselves to determine if they are based on the truths of God’s word or the lies of the enemy. Since it is impossible for any belief system based on a lie to produce good fruit, establishing the proper normal with a true mindset is crucial to properly discerning atmospheres.<br />
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When we believe a lie for so long, we think it is normal and thus fail to recognize and reject it as coming from the enemy. These lies bear bad fruit in our lives. We do not want to work at hiding the bad fruit, but instead uprooting the lies by taking every thought captive and renewing our minds with God’s truth.<br />
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Below are the main points charted in the book to help us examine our normal.<br />
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<b><i>Healthy Normal<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Unhealthy Normal</i></b><br />
Courage<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Fear<br />
Accepted<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Rejected<br />
Peace<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Stress<br />
Love<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Selfishness<br />
Self-Control<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Perversion<br />
Acceptance<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Self-Hatred<br />
Prosperity<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Poverty<br />
Purpose<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Aimlessness<br />
Hope<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hopelessness<br />
Joy<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Sadness<br />
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Dawna made a point that stuck out to me: when Holy Spirit reveals something to me, I should not try to cover the mess up but embrace the healing God wants to do now that I see. It's so true that we can only be free by being honest. The lies don't have any power once we realize the truth. Lies only have power when we think they are the truth. So I can walk out my healing simply by no longer hiding from the facts but acknowledging the voices that are false as what they are: false. We can ask Holy Spirit to reveal the lies and supplant them with truth; that's how Dawna says to develop a healthy normal.<br />
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I was struck by the story of the lady at the end of the chapter. Wow! The little things do matter and we need God to reveal to us the impact of things! It's way too easy to ignore thoughts we accept as our own or about ourselves that we embrace as our reality.<br />
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<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-80891034580028250452018-03-28T08:23:00.000-04:002018-03-28T08:23:58.768-04:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 6<b><i>Chapter 6 – Spiritual Atmospheres</i></b><br />
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The author’s definition of Spiritual Atmospheres: <i>Invisible (spiritual) tones or moods hovering over an individual, community, city, or region.</i><br />
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In this chapter we are taught how moods or attitudes (the atmosphere) can be spread between individuals and provide a feedback loop which can grow more powerful, eventually developing into strongholds. Just as we can be emotionally pulled along while watching a movie, so too can we be affected by the spiritual atmospheres around us. We can choose to participate “tune in” or reject “tune out” to these broadcasts, whether good or evil. I have often wondered why it seems that evil can be more pervasive and easily spread than good… It doesn’t take much to make one’s mood sour but seems to be much harder for it to change to the positive. Why would this be? First off, I think many of us are ignorant of the whole dynamics of spiritual atmospheres, how easily we can be affected, what to look for, and how to combat it. Second, this statement from the book: “The devil works hard to implement his agendas…” shows that we are starting on the defensive without even realizing it. I don’t doubt that God and his truths are stronger, but it seems God often waits for us to engage in this battle. If we are ignorant of the spiritual battle we are in, that makes us an easy mark and we can end up partnering with and spreading the ungodly influences around us.<br />
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I like how the author also gives us some practical examples of things we can do to shift the atmospheres around us for God’s kingdom. Prayer gatherings, infusing our communities with godly oversight, teachings, and community outreach. Not just boycotting the evil, but supporting the good things.<br />
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<b>A key chapter quote: </b> “As we learn to identify the atmospheres and broadcasts pervading our area, we grow in understanding how to defend or adopt them as truth.”<br />
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This chapter opened my eyes to several things, the main one being that atmospheres are broadcasts. The first step is to quit listening to broadcasts that are sending forth lies; but then the next step is to actually seek God's broadcast of truth and join him, amplifying his frequencies. I recently learned that frequencies that are the same seek each other out and join together, actually agitating the substances they match so much they begin to dance (because every substance has a frequency). That's how you can break concrete with sound (if you blast the frequency that the concrete is resonating at). So through obedience to Yahweh (God) we can join in his frequencies and shatter the darkness!<br />
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This chapter showed me how simple it actually is to resist negative broadcasts and transmit positive broadcasts instead. I like the quote: atmospheres are "cyclical partnerings between broadcasts from the spirit realm and man's participation with them." So atmospheres are like electrical circuits and I am the switch; I can choose to stay off and then the current can't circle back to itself so there's no power. I invite sinful broadcasting by sin, and heavenly broadcasting by love.<br />
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I feel empowered: I don't have to submit to negative vibes! I can declare love and truth--the Word of God--and quit bothering about what other people are listening to. Because God is more powerful than any negative broadcast; if someone is partnering with (completing) a negative message I can partner with (complete) a living, positive message. I am excited to learn more about how to know what to counteract a sinful atmosphere with.<br />
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<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-15831170464235726992018-03-07T17:55:00.000-05:002018-03-07T17:55:53.944-05:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 5<b><i>Chapter 5 – Spiritual Authority</i></b><br />
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Although we may desire or wish for imputed spiritual authority passed on to us from Yeshua (Jesus), my observations and experience seems to indicate otherwise for the most part. Just like authority is generally not un-earned in the physical and takes time and effort to obtain, so to it seems with the spiritual.<br />
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One major point mentioned in this chapter is that we are to stay under the umbrella of protection of being in the Father’s will at all times. Yeshua is our example and we find in scripture that he only did what he saw and heard the Father doing. (John 5:19) We need to maintain a relationship and obedience to be able to know what His will is and to continue in it. Disobedience reduces our spiritual authority. It seems authority can be gained and increased as we prove ourselves trustworthy and walk in His will and gain experience in spiritual warfare. The dynamic connection with the Father and Holy Spirit allows us to respond appropriately and in our jurisdiction to various situations that may arise.<br />
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<b>KEY:</b> Spiritual authority is obtained through humility and acts of surrender. (James 4:6) Contrast to the world where success is often attributed to talent and ambition. “In God’s kingdom, however, people advance according to how much they are willing to sacrifice.”<br />
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<b>IMPLEMENTATION:</b> “True humility and surrender comes as an act of love.” “If you desire to grow in spiritual authority, you must give up everything for God and this must come as an act of love.” (Luke 14:26-28) “Total acts of surrender lead to trust, which activates faith, which in turn results in God increasing our authority.” “Faith is paramount for wielding spiritual authority.” “When we cultivate faith, we increase our authority by placing full confidence in God.”<br />
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We also learn in this chapter that partnering with the enemy in sin causes a loss of authority and gives the enemy legal access to our lives. To be effective we must recognize these situations and break these ties to the enemy to bring deliverance in our lives and others.<br />
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Another important key in this chapter is the concept of strength in numbers. Group unity and prayer increases power and authority over strongholds of the enemy. We should also ask God to release his angels over the situation.<br />
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I was struck in this chapter by the whole idea that I need to operate in my authority or covering and that sometimes it is not good for me to cast out demons, because I had always assumed that since God didn't want anyone to be bound it was my job to eradicate all darkness I met in people. But this can seriously expose me! And I want to stay in God's protection. I had never realized before that I could step outside of God's protection in my spiritual warfare. Once again, it's more work than I thought: it's an actual relationship! Now I will ask Holy Spirit if I should pray for the things I see or feel. God, what do you want me to pray for?<br />
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Yeshua stayed in his assignment unless promptings aligned with Abba's will directed him outside. And that's why it's important to know my purpose, my assignment, so I can live without having to ask every second, "Is this what I should do, God?" That would tire me out and I couldn't keep going in life. "We have boundaries assigned to us by God that we must honor."<br />
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I liked the strength of the statement Dawna made: "When we partner with unbelief, we forfeit our God-given right to co-labor with Christ." Wow. I have a RIGHT to co-labor with Yeshua! But that is gone when I choose disbelief over him.<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-61526348533947025232018-03-07T17:51:00.001-05:002018-03-07T17:51:43.486-05:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 4<b><i>Chapter 4 – Weapons of Warfare</i></b><br />
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Our spiritual arsenal: (to defend or take ground from the enemy)<br />
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<li>Spiritual armor – needed for protection against attacks of the enemy</li>
<li>Discernment – take every thought captive to determine its source</li>
<li>God’s Word – equips us with wisdom to outsmart the attacks of the enemy.</li>
<li>Worship / praise (of God) – defend against mind / heart attacks.</li>
<li>Prophetic declarations – proclaim God’s truths over us / others</li>
<li>Prayer (and fasting) – helps us gain God’s perspectives and strategies.</li>
<li>Tongues – builds up the spirit, disconnects the mind from trying to solve the problem and prepares us to hear the Lord’s solution.</li>
<li>The fruits of the Spirit – helps to carry us past the enemy’s attacks</li>
<li>Encouraging one’s self in the Lord (and others) – stay focused on God’s true nature so we can move deeper into our spiritual callings and remove discouragement.</li>
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The opening passage in this chapter (2 Cor 10:4) tells us that our spiritual weapons have diving power and are supposed to be used to destroy strongholds. Not to be stored on a shelf. A lot of what we do to wage war against the enemy is declaring what we know to be true and making utterance of what God has already done and then receive it. I must remember that it's important to say the truth out loud because that's half if not more of the battle! Setting our focus on the truth, that's what it's all about.<br />
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Worship is a powerful weapon we should utilize. “Sometimes worshiping God in the midst of our trials actually creates the breakthrough we are looking for.” A great example of the effectiveness of worship is found in 2 Chronicles 20. Putting worship first in our lives helps to confound the enemy’s schemes against us!<br />
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Dawna mentions that the gifts of the Spirit should bear the fruits of the Spirit. Just because something seems to be from the spiritual gifts doesn’t automatically make it from God. Examine the fruit!<br />
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I often find myself praying in tongues when I want to hear from God or pray for someone because it relaxes me and helps me surrender to God. I really liked how tongues keeps me from solving the problem, and I never should be the one solving a problem regarding spiritual attack.<br />
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Declaring and abiding by the Word of God changes not just us, but those around us, and specifically puts the fear of Yahweh (the Lord) in them. The fear of God leads to so many good things (there are so many promises to those who fear God); it is the beginning to wisdom, so those around us will have insight into who God is! Dawna said that shifting atmospheres comes when we ingrain the culture with the virtues of Scripture. The passages in 2 Chronicles 17:7, 9-10 is quoted. It is interesting to me that the reverence / speaking of God’s word in Judah causes the Fear of the Lord to fall on the neighboring kingdoms. This is an obvious atmospheric change that effects the spirit realm. Something we can emulate today! An example from the book is declaring life into your neighborhood to shift the spiritual atmosphere.<br />
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Joy, hope, and peace are fruits of the spirit elaborated on in this chapter. The joy of the Lord is our strength, believing God’s promises for us produces hope, and seeing our situation from His perspective gives us peace. I feel like joy and hope go hand in hand. Hope is the confident expectation of good, as Dawna said, and I feel that joy is the delight we have in the now (present moment) knowing our good future. So joy is the way I live out my hope. It was a good reminder to read that anything which does not bring love, joy, peace, patience, etc. is to be discarded from our lives. So if I am doing something I believe will get me somewhere or help me but I am getting more frustrated as a result, then I should stop doing whatever I am doing because, at least from this moment, it is not coming from Holy Spirit.<br />
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I feel the section on peace is crucial to understand and implement in our lives. Maintaining God’s perspective (peace) and not giving in to fear gives us the clear head needed to properly engage in any situation we may face. “Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of security in God.” God should be our ultimate source of peace. A vantage point of peace is advantages for discerning attacks and hearing God’s strategies. This peace is a supernatural gift and fruit of the spirit. We are told to seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14) To do this we mustn’t give in to the spirit of fear. Complaining also shows a lack of peace. We are responsible for how we look at and react to every situation. Seeking peace is seeking to abide in Yeshua (Jesus) because it's through him we receive supernatural peace. When I read about that I immediately prayed, "God, I receive your peace." It's not through my own doing that peace is attained. I can prepare the soil and facilitate ongoing habitation of the gift God gives, but ultimately it's not up to me to get peace, it has to be given and received.<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-65448454967358150262018-01-30T19:53:00.000-05:002018-01-30T19:53:18.763-05:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 3My Study Buddy and I continue our review and discussion of the book Shifting Atmospheres by Dawna De Silva. We believe everyone can benefit by applying the principles found in this book to their life and we hope you will consider your privilege and responsibility to partner with God and shift the atmosphere around you to expand His kingdom here on earth!<br />
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<b><i>Chapter 3 – Tactics of the Enemy</i></b><br />
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The primary tactic of the enemy is lies or Deception. The extremes of disbelief or obsession with the demonic are noted as being equally destructive. I think this is an important understanding as we consider that the enemy gets the upper hand under either scenario. It is not important to the enemy what we believe, so long as it hinders our relationship with God. If this is true then our primary focus should be our relationships over our beliefs!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.</span> (John 8:44)<br />
<br />
Having a balanced perspective is important. The following quote from the book about churches can also apply to the individual. “When churches focus too much on the enemy, undercurrents of fear and suspicion spread throughout their congregations. Churches that remain ignorant of the spiritual realm corrode internally as their blind leaders stand by unaware of the underlying spiritual attacks.” <br />
<br />
“By tricking us into believing their mindsets, demons get us to partner with their schemes.” Agreement over time develops strongholds. This causes us to act against God’s original design for our lives. These lies typically exist at a subconscious level, possibly from birth. This makes us often unable to identify their presence. We need to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to point out any ungodly mindsets we may have.<br />
<br />
Yeshua (Jesus) has full authority over the enemy. Fighting harder, longer, and louder does not compensate for a lack in authority! “When we know who we are and who is covering us, we can stand firm in the midst of any spiritual assault.” I loved the point Dawna made about how identity is linked to authority, no matter how much fighting we do, if we aren't living out of the identity of Messiah Yeshua then none of our efforts work because we are not living out of the authority Messiah has: he conquered, so we are also conquerors. <br />
<br />
I had never connected Romans 8:19 to identity. Creation wants humanity to be living and operating out the identity of Messiah; creation doesn't want a bunch of caretakers that are deluded and powerless or stuck in mindsets of lies! How can we be good stewards of this earth if we can't even take ownership of ourselves? As Dawna mentioned, "Make sure you take ownership over yourself and bring any issues before God." And it's not complicated: it's a simple declaration, "I don't partner with that lie (thought from the devil), this fear, etc." Then move on and live out of the freedom God has given you! This is so liberating!<br />
<br />
To combat the darkness we need to partner with God and release His opposite. A really good point about how when we are faced with enemy activity we should always approach it from God's perspective. I want to keep learning more and more the heartbeat of God so I can partner with Yahweh (God) in all situations and actually be effective!<br />
<br />
Fear is a common tactic of the enemy. Being fearful keeps the enemy in play. “Renouncing partnership with fear is one of the quickest ways to disarm demonic attacks.”<br />
<br />
Temptation is another tactic of the enemy mentioned in this chapter. Being tempted in a way that is not normal is a good indication of a spiritual attack. Submit to God through worship and prayer and don’t give in to the temptation. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.</span> (James 4:7)<br />
<br />
To do this we must take every thought captive. When God is speaking in our thoughts, we will feel His character of love coming through.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">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. </span> (1 John 4:1)<br />
<br />
Sin hinders our communication with God. Partnering with sin gives the enemy access into our life. Four main areas the book mentions of ways to partner with sin: Fear, hatred / bitterness, sexual sin and dealings with the occult. I might also add pride to the list.<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. </span> (John 9:31) <br />
<br />
For success in spiritual warfare make sure to take ownership over yourself and bring any issues before God. This is not a passive or defensive stance, but an offensive one.<br />
<br />
I love how simple spiritual warfare is when we walk in our God-given identity. I know that the enemy can't bother me because Messiah in me has crushed the enemy; so even if the demon sent to disturb me comes back I have command over him. I am not subject to the powers of darkness: they are subject to Messiah in me!<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-7484366631519121052018-01-23T18:23:00.000-05:002018-01-23T18:23:41.546-05:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 2We continue with our thoughts and summation to chapter 2 on the book Shifting Atmospheres by Dawna De Silva.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Chapter 2 - Spiritual Strategies</i></b><br />
<br />
The opening passage in this chapter is Ephesians 6:10-11 that reminds us to don the full armor of God in order to stand against the schemes of the devil. Each piece of the armor has a strong correlation to our Messiah, so another way of saying this is to put on Christ.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. </span> (Rom 13:14) <br />
<br />
We are made up of body, soul, and spirit which are intimately connected and effect each other. Satan may attack us in any part, but his primary way is through the mind. To be an effective believer, we must have authority over our mind. We do this by identifying and rejecting thoughts not from God and replacing them with His truth.<br />
<br />
A point brought out regarding evil / darkness is how it can grow as more people tolerate or participate in it. This gives the enemy a stronger influence over our lives and can spread from a person, to a household, to a neighborhood, to a city and beyond. John 8:34 says if we practice sin, we are its slave. The fiery arrows of the enemy are lies and deceptions that distract from God’s truth. Our defense is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph 6:17) A key quote from this chapter: “To be effective in spiritual warfare requires partnership with God’s Spirit and His Word.”<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. </span> (Heb 4:12)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.</span> (John 14:26)<br />
<br />
I think another important point brought out in this chapter is that our motivation for discernment and shifting atmospheres to spread God’s kingdom should be based on love with the goal of bringing the goodness of God into every aspect of life. It is crucial to have the right heart and motivation. Yeshua (Jesus) is our model for success. Another point of consideration is that to be truly successful takes discipline, prayer, fasting and a strong connection with the Father to help us grow in authority over the enemy. We must avoid taking shortcuts that may be offered by the enemy. Just as in the physical, to excel requires training and practice, so too with the spiritual.<br />
<br />
<br />
This chapter is about Spiritual Strategies, and I feel that Dawna is showing us a different one in each section. Here is a list to help us remember them:<br />
<br />
Identify thoughts--whether they be of God (truth) or from non-God (lies).<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>if the thought is not from God it will not lead you to Yeshua; if the thought is from God it will bring us closer to God and his virtues</li>
<li>discerning what's truth means we have to have truth within us - the Word of God</li>
</ul>
<br />
Technique 1: be grounded in Scripture<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Scripture is truth and having truth in our system gives us discernment</li>
<li>Scripture is actually a weapon, not just a defense, and it attacks the darkness</li>
</ul>
<br />
Technique 2: prepare for battle<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>don't partner or tolerate with sin: this is the opposite of preparing for success in combat</li>
<li>sin creates open doors to the enemy</li>
<li>build a personal relationship with Holy Spirit who is our Helper</li>
</ul>
<br />
Technique 3: study the life of Yeshua<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>he lived out of love</li>
<li>“Love, heaven's greatest weapon, covers a multitude of sins; when released, it can crush the enemy's forces no matter how strong."</li>
<li>cultivate the culture Yeshua started: victory, love, etc.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Yeshua had... steadfast devotion and closeness to the Father<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>strong connection allows for our gifts and authority to increase and mature</li>
<li>surrendering to God allows for God to work miracles</li>
</ul>
<br />
Yeshua had... reliance on Holy Spirit<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>allows you to operate with a strong discernment</li>
</ul>
<br />
Yeshua had... an understanding of timing<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>he was content to operate in the Father's time frame</li>
<li>he allowed development to take place in his life (developed character and favor)</li>
<li>Yehsua was always prepared because of this</li>
<li>he set time aside to draw close to the Father--spiritual discipline: prayer, fasting, etc.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Yeshua had... submission; he did it God's way even if it meant dying on a cross<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>he recognized that victory lies in conforming to God's plan/strategy</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-45413519027766096612018-01-14T21:32:00.000-05:002018-01-23T18:11:33.858-05:00Shifting Atmospheres Chapter 1<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Atmospheres-Strategy-Victorious-Spiritual/dp/0768415667/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Shifting Atmospheres" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oz4xayxrZyKT9QLiI1nd43E70VGWJomBwje54GvfOZ9rAToX7WwWTlheX5lxeJR_6QcauaLG2VyAhtE-9FNOp-2HwmxylRa0WNTW_zRSWtwa1DwAZSkhFXFkmlPyeAxfC5zMuHqqPrY/s320/SA.jpg" title="Shifting Atmospheres" width="213" /></a><br />
My plan is to post a blog for each chapter in the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Atmospheres-Strategy-Victorious-Spiritual/dp/0768415667/" target="_blank">Shifting Atmospheres by Dawna De Silva</a>. This book teaches us how to recognize the different atmospheres around us that we encounter from time to time and what to do about it! How to shift the atmosphere of the enemy to the atmosphere of our King! This is a topic that I believe everyone can benefit by learning more about and implementing in their lives with the end goal of expanding God’s kingdom here on earth!<br />
<br />
I find it very helpful to have someone to study with. It is great to be able to bounce thoughts and ideas off of each other and I find it interesting and insightful as to what another person may notice and elucidate upon. This also provides accountability and motivation to press on with the assignment. Special thanks goes out to my Study Buddy who is reading along with me. Below you will find some of our thoughts and comments on the first chapter in this book.<br />
<br />
(Visit Dawna's website: <a href="https://www.dawnadesilva.com/">https://www.dawnadesilva.com/</a>)<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<b><i>Chapter 1 - The Spiritual Realm</i></b><br />
<br />
It is good to be reminded that we (humanity) are in a continual spiritual war, the effects of which have great consequences for the physical. Being raised a typical westerner, I was not taught to think much about, and can easily neglect the spiritual aspects of the day to day. The mentality of ignoring the spiritual leads to complete vulnerability of the enemy’s attacks, which in this case, ignorance is not bliss. It is good that the author reminds the reader not to focus on the enemy, but to keep our eyes focused on God and His strength. As stated in this chapter, demons can be given assignments to derail us, so as we advance God’s kingdom, we will be more likely to get attacked as we become a greater threat to the darkness, but we should ultimately succeed if we are in God’s will.<br />
<br />
I underlined the phrase "our physical lives possess eternal purpose." Wow; what I do every day, every moment matters. I loved how Dawna said that our weapons "are not hate, jealously, or outrage." Our weapons are spiritual and LIFE GIVING--"bringing God's goodness, love and, truth to the situation." It is so good to be reminded that the enemy isn't the people but the evil forces advising and leading the lost people. I need to always remember that every person has a heart of flesh, and I am going to search for that heart, letting God manifest the person he created and not seeing the person the enemy is trying to contort.<br />
<br />
Another point brought out is how the spiritual realm affects our health, thought processes, and daily lives. The enemy can and does attack us on several fronts. Exploiting our weaknesses. These weaknesses are where we abdicate our own authority by sin or even ignorance. But thankfully we can fight back by wearing the full armor of God and bringing God’s goodness, love, and truth to the situation!<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-35741424228306661262018-01-12T22:57:00.000-05:002018-01-12T22:57:20.180-05:00Thoughts on Thoughts…I have not posted on this blog in a while and was encouraged to make more posts by a recent comment on this blog. Don’t under estimate the power of encouragement! We are encouraged to encourage each other unto acts of love and good works in scripture. (Heb 10:24-25) So do your part and encourage someone today!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.</span> (Heb 10:24-25 NLT)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Over the last several months I have been reminded how the enemy’s primary mode of attack on us is through thoughts put in our mind. He likely has been telling us lies for so long that we no longer recognize them as such and believe it to be true and part of our identity. We are not our thoughts! This might not be something you have considered before but do we let our thoughts define us? I have received multiple confirmations from different sources recently that confirms the statement that we are not our thoughts. Scripture tells us to take every thought captive. (2 Cor 10:5) We can only do this if we act outside our thoughts. The goal is to recognize the source of our thoughts so we can reject lies from the enemy and embrace truth from our Creator. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.</span> (2 Cor 10:5 NIV)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
To help with the taking thoughts captive process I have recently gone through a 21 Day Brain Detox by Dr. Caroline Leaf. <a href="https://21daybraindetox.com/">https://21daybraindetox.com/</a> (NOTE: This course has an annual fee) The idea behind this program is to take one toxic thought that you struggle with and work to replace it with a true, healthy, and Godly thought over a period of 21 days. This online program guides you through the process each day. We learn from Caroline that we can actually do our own “brain surgery” by breaking down and removing our old toxic thoughts and thought patterns and replacing it with healthy and life giving thoughts. We actually change the topography of our brain during this process. Her course is designed so you can repeat it again and again, addressing different toxic thoughts as needed with the goal of mentally and even physically changing the behavior and landscape of the brain!<br />
<br />
We don’t have to be stuck in a rut with negative thinking. With God’s help and some captive thought practice, we can bring hope and new life to our thoughts!<br />
<br />
<br />The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-31558600760178389032017-05-31T09:57:00.000-04:002017-05-31T09:57:49.332-04:00Thoughts on Shavuot / Pentecost<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What significant
events happened on this day?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speculative History:
Giving of the law to the children of Israel during the Exodus at Mt.
Sinai. (1300 BC)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Biblical History: The
“Day of Pentecost” (baptism by fire) was the transformation of fearful (Mark
14:50) disciples into (bold) apostles.
Yeshua told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the
baptism by fire. (30 AD)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0070c0;">Now when the day of Pentecost
had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent
wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were
sitting. And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to
rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and
they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. </span>(Acts
2:1-4)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0070c0;">They were devoting themselves to
the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer. Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous
signs came about by the apostles. All who believed were together and held
everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and
distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. Every day they
continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking
bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,
praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was
adding to their number every day those who were being saved. </span>(Acts
2:42-47)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What was the purpose
of the fire baptism?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0070c0;">But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” </span>(Acts
1:8) – (Preach the gospel to the world.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Was this the
fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the people questioned what was happening Peter
referenced Joel 2:28-32<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0070c0;">But this is what was spoken
about through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it will be,’ God
says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons
and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men
and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will
prophesy. And I will perform wonders in the sky above and
miraculous signs on the earth below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The
sun will be changed to darkness and the moon to blood before the
great and glorious day of the Lord comes. And then everyone who calls on
the name of the Lord will be saved.’ </span>(Acts 2:16-21)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Do we have a future
expectation for this day?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speculative Future:
During the time of tribulation (Jacob’s trouble) when the need is greatest
upon the earth for the gospel to be preached, we will again need the outpouring
of His Spirit, to be emboldened and to be His witnesses, a light in the dark.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let us look forward, not with fear, but with hope and
anticipation for the future fulfillment of this day of Pentecost in our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-25054297241286637342017-04-08T15:32:00.000-04:002017-04-08T22:28:18.500-04:00What The Complaint!<div class="MsoNormal">
The Days of Unleavened Bread will soon be upon us. (<a href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Feast-Of-Unleavened-Bread">https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Feast-Of-Unleavened-Bread</a>) The thing that sticks most in my mind from my
childhood about this prep time is cleaning the house from top to bottom with
the focus on getting every last possible dust crumb of leavening out of the
house. Scripture tells us that no leaven
shall be found or seen among you, with the emphasis on not eating leavened
bread but instead eating unleavened bread.
We should also know that leaven represents sin so that the spiritual
lesson was to get the “sin” out of our lives so that none should be found among
us and we were to not partake of it either.
The focus as I recollect was more on removing the physical leavening and
less on removing the sin which the leaven represents. And why not, it is much easier to throw out
some old bread than it is to remove some besetting sin in our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point in my life I am much more interested in
spending time and energy removing the “sin” or perhaps better said, the things
that are displeasing to my Heavenly Father from my life then some crumbs now
turned to dust that no one would consider as food, let alone leavened
bread. In part of an email I received today
I found a spiritual “leaven” that should be removed from all our lives. Below is the excerpt from my permaculture email
that set me on this path that I will share.
Hopefully it will inspire you to want to clean up this “leaven” from
your life as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><i>Solutions, Not Problems:</i></b><i> One
of the hallmarks of permaculture is its focus on solutions. Bill was almost
maniacal about this - solution, solution, solution. Yes, problems exist, but to
make a lasting and real difference, we should spend only enough time to fully
understand the problem, then move rapidly to its solution. In other words, just
enough time to understand deeply and intuitively, not forever dwell on the
negatives. The difference between the two is not trivial, but could make all
the difference between good health and the lack thereof, <a href="https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/complaining-rewires-your-brain-for-negativity-science-says.html" target="_blank">as has been described here</a>. And if you want to take it to
the next level, check out <a href="http://www.willbowen.com/" target="_blank">Will Bowen’s 21-day Complaint-Free Challenge here</a>. And a
hilarious example of someone actually <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/commentisfree/2016/aug/23/experience-my-attempt-to-go-21-days-without-a-whinge-took-me-six-months" target="_blank">trying to do the 21-day challenge here</a>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are a student of scripture, you should know that one
of the main beefs that God has with His children is when they complain. Especially looking back at the group who
observed the first Passover and Unleavened Bread ironically enough. If I was to say what the single thing that
most led to the literal downfall of the children of Israel in the story of the
Exodus, it would be complaining.
Complaining doesn’t really solve any problems or bring life to a
situation. I would say its root might be
in pride because it is usually done to puff oneself up and is not from the
position of humility. But what exactly
is complaining and how do we stop this behavior?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first link in the excerpt above leads to an article
entitled: <b><i>Complaining Is Terrible for You, According to Science. </i></b>There are 3 main points in the article. The first point talks about how the way we
think creates pathways in our brains that then can become ruts to continue in
that type of thinking. This can work for
the positive but also for the negative.
After a period of time this can affect our personality and character. Scripture tells us to think on those things
that are good. (Philip 4:8) The second point
talks about how those around us, people we hang out with affect us. This can be both a positive or negative
influence. We are admonished in
scripture to choose our friends wisely. (Prov 12:26; 13:20) The third point in this article talks about
how negative thoughts negatively affect the health of our whole body. (Prov
23:7; Rom 8:6)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second excerpt link is to Will Bowen’s website and highlights
some of his material including a 21 day challenge to stop complaining. The challenge comes with the visual
assistance of a purple bracelet that you wear on your wrist. If you complain about something then you
switch the bracelet to your other wrist and start your day count over with the
goal to keep the wrist on one hand for 21 days straight. This challenge has become quite popular and
you may have heard of it in the past.
The reason for the 21 day period Will says is so it will become a
habit. I went to his video section and
watched his “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB6m7Wz_5yw">I Believe</a>”
main channel video. The video pointed
out 5 main reasons for complaining using the GRIPE acronym. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b>G</b>et Attention<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b>R</b>emove Responsibility<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b>I</b>nspire Envy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b>P</b>ower<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b>E</b>xcuse Poor Performance<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quotes from the video:
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><u>“If
you are not happy with what you have, why would you want more?”<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><u>“If
you don’t like something, change it. If
you can’t change it, change your attitude.
Don’t complain.”<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><u>“We
spend so much time focusing on what’s wrong in our lives by complaining that we
actually perpetuate all this bad stuff and even create more”<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The third and final excerpt link was an article posted by Michael
Dawson and his experience in the 21 day challenge. He brings out some interesting thoughts in
his article about what constitutes a complaint.
To me it really comes down to a matter of the heart or the person’s
attitude. This can make it more
difficult to determine what really is a complaint, especially if we are only
looking at what is written down. Do we
know the tone the words were spoken in? I
don’t think that we should just simply never express any problems we are
having. Consider prayer, we are told we
have not because we ask not but I think the key here is the spirit or attitude
in which we express ourselves. (Jam
4:2) I like the idea the author gave in
finding a way to rephrase our complaints into a positive light: <i>“The
reality is you can perform some verbal gymnastics that allow you to express
negative sentiments without complaining. “This traffic sucks” can become “I
would love it if this traffic would clear.”” </i>The author talks about the
idea of “mindfulness” as a way to think about what you are saying and not just blurt
out unfiltered speech. The article
describes this as “<i>being present in any
given moment</i>” or “<i>being aware of what
you’re doing and what’s happening around you</i>”. Being mindful is a good goal. Michael eventually succeeded in his goal of
the 21 day challenge. This is great but
I think we will be more successful in our lives with the issue of complaining
if we don’t just “bite our tongue” but also change the way we think. This goes back to the first article and how
these new pathways of positivity, although maybe hard at first, should become
easier and our default response over time.
I know with God’s help, we can succeed!
(Philip 4:13) Yeshua also stepped up
the Old Testament commands and brought them above and beyond just our actions
to our thoughts. (Matt 5:22,28)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do we even realize how much and how often we complain? How often are we guilty of speaking without
thinking? I plan to use the time of the
coming 7 days of unleavened bread to guard my tongue as well as my thoughts,
but instead of moving a bracelet from one wrist to another, I will be bringing my failings
in prayer to my Creator and seek His help in changing my life from one of
complaint to one of gratitude. I will
also need to employ the help of those around me, mainly my spouse, in helping me
recognize the times when I am complaining without thinking. When I think of complaining, instead I need
to aspire to turn the complaint into thoughts of gratitude and blessing. Leave a comment if this blog post inspired
you to:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="color: blue;">1 Thes 5:18 in everything give
thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-20665240972182514002017-02-17T22:07:00.000-05:002017-02-17T22:07:26.752-05:00The Pineapple StoryI recently watched a video entitled “The Pineapple Story” which is an account from a missionary named Otto Koning. It is a hilarious account of his misadventures in Papa New Guinea. He tells of the natives whom he was trying to preach the gospel to that were stealing his possessions and in particular his pineapples. After years of struggle he learns to give everything to God and only then begins to be at peace and bear fruit. This message is definitely thought provoking and well worth the time to watch. Are we being a servant and a steward of all areas and parts of our lives or do we claim or "rights", ownership and control of these blessings we take for granted?<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYM-4mGYzzE&t=2841s" target="_blank">Click here to watch The Pineapple Story, (length 56 min.)</a><br />
<br />
Here is a slide from Otto’s presentation of some areas that we need to give God control of.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1WUYZ5vPsVlraujFOjnDsq4Nf-fnIfWx3s2_JnxLnXR1MFlGLZB5mtRLf1GteOYkNxEbacjXVmqYP2izW3sp2qOE4jqZot1BrDwY-t6q5K6XAIKuSOvExcVbljA5dCTbNceAVIv6_JE/s1600/The+Pinapple+Story+Wheel.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1WUYZ5vPsVlraujFOjnDsq4Nf-fnIfWx3s2_JnxLnXR1MFlGLZB5mtRLf1GteOYkNxEbacjXVmqYP2izW3sp2qOE4jqZot1BrDwY-t6q5K6XAIKuSOvExcVbljA5dCTbNceAVIv6_JE/s640/The+Pinapple+Story+Wheel.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-27201784340659343252016-12-30T10:58:00.000-05:002016-12-30T10:58:21.228-05:00Week 52 Bible Reading Review (Final)<b><i>Week 52 1 John 1:1 to Revelation 22:21</i></b><br />
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1 John 2:5 Keeping God’s word perfects His love in us.<br />
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1 John 2:15+ Loving the world is loving a fleeting thing which is why it is not of God who is eternal.<br />
<br />
1 John 2:27 We should look to God’s Spirit to teach us, not rely on man.<br />
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1 John 3:9 “Everyone who is born of God does not sin…” This statement seems contrary to earlier passages in this book. Is this talking about the final spiritual state? I like the footnote that says an alternative to saying “does not sin” would be “does not practice sin”.<br />
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1 John 3:18 Love with truth and action, not with just word and speech.<br />
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1 John 4:18 “Perfect love casts out fear” If we are fearful we have not perfected love.<br />
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1 John 5:7 Repeated throughout this book is the concept that loving God equates with keeping His commands.<br />
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2 John 1:4 love = walking according to His commands.<br />
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2 John 1:9 Not remaining in Messiah’s teaching means you do not have God.<br />
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3 John 1:11 The one who does evil has not seen God.<br />
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Jude 1:6-7 The angels and their activity mentioned in these verses gives some credence to them creating offspring as mentioned in the book of Enoch.<br />
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Rev 7:13 Are the stars not as we have been taught by science? Here they fall to the earth.<br />
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Rev 11:15 Yehusa / Jesus said He would return at the last trump. This is the seventh and last trump, when the kingdom of the world becomes His.<br />
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Rev 19:8 The fine linen of the bride represents the righteous acts of the saints. Do we have righteous deeds?<br />
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Rev 20:4-5 Here it states that the dead come to life. This implies that they were dead / asleep until the resurrection either before, in the first resurrection or after the 1000 year millennial reign of the Messiah in the second.<br />
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Rev 20:14 Speaking of those cast into the lake of fire it is called the “Second Death” which is not alive in eternal punishment but dead in eternal extermination.<br />
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Rev 22 In the new Jerusalem there seems to still be people who need food, healing, and light. This in context is after death has been destroyed. There is much we don’t yet understand.<br />
<br />
Revelation is a book of both great destruction and great glory. There is definitely a lot of speculation people have made about it. May you be covered by the blood of the lamb!<br />
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<b><i>Wisdom for the week</i></b><br />
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<br />
By the grace of God I have completed reading through the Bible in one year as I have set out. I came across a chart someone put together about the nature of God which I think sums up best what I hope to have learned going through the Bible reading. Do we see God in all of His nature, or focus on one particular aspect more heavily than anything else? My reading and this chart helped me to consider all His nature and see that He has perfect balance.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Nature Of God (Bible Verse Percentages)</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>God as holy 15%</li>
<li>God as faithful 11%</li>
<li>God as a judge 17%</li>
<li>God as powerful 18%</li>
<li>God as righteous 16%</li>
<li>God as just 14%</li>
<li>God as love 8%</li>
</ul>
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-56333914054814643962016-12-24T09:38:00.001-05:002016-12-24T09:38:52.054-05:00Week 51 Bible Reading Review<b><i>Week 51 Hebrews 1:1 to 1 John 1:1</i></b><br />
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Heb 2:19 Believers should not fear death.<br />
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Heb 4:10 Entering His rest is resting from our own works / agenda.<br />
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Heb 10:2 Once we are purified (sins are forgiven) we should no longer have a consciousness of sin (guilt / shame / condemnation), and no further offering is needed (v18) There is no sacrifice for deliberate sin, only judgement (v26-27+).<br />
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Heb 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that <b>He exists and rewards those who seek Him.</b> (2:17 Faith without works is dead)<br />
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Heb 12:3+ Anyone who thinks discipline is bad should read this passage.<br />
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Jam 1:5 We can all ask for more wisdom!<br />
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Jam 1:20 Man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. This sounds like it is not possible for man to have “righteous anger”.<br />
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1 Pet 3:17 It is better to suffer for doing good than doing evil.<br />
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1 Pe 5:7 A good verse to remember: Cast your cares on God, because He cares for you.<br />
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2 Pe 1:5-7 Faith->Goodness->Knowledge->Self-Control->Endurance->Godliness->Brotherly Affection->Love. I find it interesting that love is at the end of the long list, or goal of the divine nature. Skipping to love might make it impure.<br />
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2 Pe 2:4+ God’s judgement is just!<br />
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2 Pe 3:16-17 Warning: Be wary of those twisting scripture and don’t be led away by the error of lawless people.<br />
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<b><i>Next Reading: Week 52 1 John 1:1 to Revelation 22:21</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Wisdom for the week</i></b><br />
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<br />
I have learned a lot about the value of dreams going through an online event while it was offered for free by Christian Leadership University’s School of the Spirit website. Below are my notes from the 10 sessions. Hopefully you will find it of interest.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.cluschoolofthespirit.com/">https://www.cluschoolofthespirit.com/</a><br />
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<b>Session 1: Bridges to the Supernatural</b><br />
With dreams you can hear from God every single night.<br />
Dream interpretation is a skill that can be learned.<br />
Dreams are God’s contingency ensuring He always has a way to connect with us.<br />
God lives in our hearts, not our heads. We want to live out of our hearts.<br />
Observation causes transformation. Spiritual into physical.<br />
Be His witnesses. Baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers us to be visual witnesses.<br />
See and agree with spiritual visions.<br />
<br />
<b>Session 2: ABCs of Dream Work</b><br />
Dreams are: Symbolic and metaphorical, rarely literal<br />
Dreams don't typically come true the way it is played out. (95%)<br />
Example: Joseph: Sheaves of wheat, sun and moon bowing. Brothers understood it referred to them.<br />
Other cultures honor and understand dreams.<br />
Things and people in dreams often represent something else.<br />
<br />
Dream Decoder:<br />
1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Setting - what is the setting, what is going on in my waking life right before this dream.<br />
a.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Setting is a decoder for the dream. <br />
b.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What are you praying about, thinking about, in waking life?<br />
2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Action - key action in dream, how does that match with an action in waking life? This is the area the dream is speaking to.<br />
3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Emotion - How are you feeling in the dream, match with the same emotion in waking life. This is the area the dream is speaking to.<br />
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Dream symbols are personal to the dreamer. Symbols from waking world of dreamer.<br />
<br />
Always up to the dreamer to determine if interpretation is right, it will bear witness with their heart.<br />
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<b>Session 3: Scriptural Precedents</b><br />
1/3 of the Bible is about dream and vision.<br />
Do we say: "That was a cool dream, too bad it isn't real or didn't actually happen..."<br />
Things that happen in dreams God says count. Solomon blessed, Abrahamic covenant…<br />
Act on your dreams. Jacob dreamed of striped and speckled flocks which he acted upon.<br />
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Dreams are the way God connects to our hearts.<br />
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God uses dreams to keep us on track. See: Job 33:14-30 <br />
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Dreams help us see things from God's perspective.<br />
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<b>Session 4 Snapshots of the Spirit and pictures and parables</b><br />
“DAESI” Dream Work Method (pronounced daisy)<br />
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Dream – Start with a summary of your dream<br />
Action - In the dream, what was I doing?<br />
Emotion - In the dream, how was I feeling?<br />
Setting - In waking life, what is my heart processing<br />
Interpretation - Match up the dream action & emotion with waking life, and journal.<br />
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Why can't dreams be clearer? Why does God speak in pictures?<br />
<br />
Pictures bypass our mind and cut to the heart. God wants to engage our hearts, he wants to engage our emotions and feelings, pictures move our emotions which move us to Godly actions.<br />
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Example: 2 Sam 12 Nathan painted a picture that engaged David’s heart and emotions, then when he made it literal, David was already convicted as it bypassed his mind to his emotions and he then took the proper action.<br />
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God gives us dreams to give His point of view and to line up our hearts to His feelings, then we are moved to Godly action.<br />
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Pictures are better than a literal language because they engage our heart which drives our actions.<br />
Pictures engage our emotions to align us to His way of thinking and to take the right action.<br />
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God want's our heart engaged in our obedience. He uses our dreams to do that. Being simply told what to do, you may obey on the surface but your heart is not in it.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Session 5: Fun Form of Dreams</b><br />
Dreams contain idioms, colloquialisms.<br />
Multiple levels of meaning and understanding can come from the same dream.<br />
God doesn't hide things from us, he hides things for us to discover.<br />
Dreams are the treasures we receive in the darkness.<br />
<br />
<b>Session 6: Out of our heads, into our hearts</b><br />
Yeshua lives in our hearts.<br />
Dethrone the intellect and crown the Spirit so we can live in the supernatural without effort.<br />
Dreams can move scriptural truths from our heads to our hearts.<br />
Knowing in our heart is superior to knowing only in our head and we are more steadfast when our heart is engaged.<br />
We want heart revelation because then we own it.<br />
The Holy Spirit writes words upon our hearts through visions of the night.<br />
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What a symbol represents can vary between people. We must always use the symbol according to the dreamer because symbols are personal to the dreamer.<br />
The dreamer is the best person to interpret their dream. They know important details and connections.<br />
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God can guide us through dreams to where we need to be.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Session 7 Creativity and Personalized Dream Symbols</b><br />
Dreams give creativity to our jobs worked on during the day.<br />
Symbols are personal to the dreamer.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. Symbols come from the dreamers waking world<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. Symbols can mean different things depending who is dreaming it and what their experience is from the symbol, definition must come from dreamer.<br />
<br />
God customizes our dreams with the symbols we know.<br />
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Yeast in Bible = sin, except verse when equated with Kingdom of Heaven<br />
Lion in Bible = Yeshua (tribe of Judah), except verse when equated with satan<br />
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Interpretations belong to God.<br />
Trust His Spirit within you to teach you.<br />
<br />
Don’t ask: what does this symbol mean?<br />
Do ask: what does this symbol mean to the dreamer?<br />
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<b>Session 8 Why all bad dreams aren't</b><br />
Dreams can warn so we can repent and change our course of action. <br />
God gets our attention so we can know where we are headed if we don't change.<br />
Nightmares might be used by God to get our attention when we don't listen otherwise.<br />
Nightmares might be used to expose negative emotions we have so they can be dealt with.<br />
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Dreams amplify and exaggerate things to get our attention of what in our waking life needs to be dealt with. <br />
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We should process our emotions before we go to sleep so we won’t be dreaming about it.<br />
Go through our day before we go to bed, go to sleep in gratitude and peace, repent and surrender if needed.<br />
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Live in holy emotions.<br />
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One possible cause of nightmares is demonization - cast out demon of fear to stop nightmares.<br />
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Sexual dreams: often symbolic and used by God to get our attention.<br />
To a holy God, any sin is sin and he may use a more offensive sin in our mind to highlight an issue we aren’t dealing with.<br />
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Dreams can reveal God’s heart and should not condemn us.<br />
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<b>Session 9: Dreams Children Dream</b><br />
Dreams reveal their hearts true feelings.<br />
Dreams are messages of encouragement, prophetic, if we feel condemned and not encouraged then we don't have the right interpretation.<br />
Dreams are a way to bring to your attention things that aren't dealt with during the day.<br />
Provide a positive setting before bedtime.<br />
Teach them to take authority in bad dreams.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Session 10: Practical Tips for Dream Work</b><br />
1. Not remembering dreams.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Honor dreams (repent for dishonoring / dismissing dreams)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ask God for dreams<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Expect in faith (God wants us to remember our dreams more than we do)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Set out pen and paper by the bed<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Get 8 hours of sleep<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>See sleep time as Spiritual time<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Awaken naturally. Alarm clocks shatter dream recall.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Go to bed at a consistent time, use dream friendly alarm clock. (light, nature)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Pray in the Spirit as you wake up.<br />
2. Remembering too much.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Keep summaries of dream (1-2 paragraph max)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>All dreams in one night usually speak to the same heart issue<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Record most impactful or last dream / last segment of night<br />
3. Stuck on interpretation?<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Keep pondering / praying until it resonates with your heart.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Journal about it.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Describe it a different way to get a fresh perspective.<br />
<br />
You are the best person to work with your dreams. You know the symbols and setting.<br />
God is excited to connect with us during our sleep.<br />
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Healing in layers. God doesn't condemn, just exposes the root.<br />
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-81614819627836089752016-12-16T20:32:00.000-05:002016-12-16T20:32:29.385-05:00Week 50 Bible Reading Review<b><i>Week 50 Philippians 1:1 to Hebrews 1:1</i></b><br />
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Phil 1:12+ Paul saw beyond himself, his imprisonment and suffering, to the good it was producing in others.<br />
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Phil 2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing to be blameless and pure. This is a good reminder and goal to strive for.<br />
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Phil 3:19 Do we focus on earthly things? Is our stomach our god?<br />
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Phil 4:8 What to think on. Food for our brain!<br />
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Col 2:3 All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Messiah. Don’t waste time seeking elsewhere.<br />
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Col 2:16-23 One may think this passage is addressing God’s laws and commands, but in context it seems to be addressing man’s addendums to God’s instructions. It is better to obey God than man.<br />
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Col 3:4 Love is the perfect bond of unity.<br />
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1 Thes 5:18 God’s will for you: Give thanks in everything! This means we are out of His will when we don’t.<br />
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2 Thes 2:4 Does this verse indicate that God’s temple will be rebuilt before the “antichrist” declares himself God to the world?<br />
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2 Thes 3:10 “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat”. Free handouts may not be the best policy.<br />
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1 Tim 1:9 The law is meant to expose sin and should not be our focus.<br />
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1 Tim 4:1-5 This passage may seem like anything can now be eaten, but in context v5 says that which is sanctified (set apart) by the word of God is what defines our food.<br />
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1 Tim 4:7 Training ourselves in godliness should be our focus, not the pursuits of this world.<br />
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2 Tim 2:21 The dishonorable (person or vessel) can become honorable by purification.<br />
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2 Tim 2:23 This verse is one of many admonitions to not quarrel. V26 equates quarrelers with doing the devil’s will.<br />
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2 Tim 3:12 All those who want to live godly will be persecuted.<br />
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Titus 3:10 A divisive person, after being warned should be rejected. Doing so should eliminate divisions in the church.<br />
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Some of the books by Paul, in particular Philemon, seem odd to be included in the Bible. Was it just because Paul wrote it, with little regard to its useful content to Bible readers?<br />
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<b><i>Next Reading: Week 51 Hebrews 1:1 to 1 John 1:1</i></b></div>
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<i><b>Wisdom for the week</b></i></div>
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<div>
I found this post from Dale Cresap helpful this past week.</div>
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<a href="http://www.cwgministries.org/blogs/gender" target="_blank">Gender</a></div>
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<div>
There are a few gender related terms in the Bible. Do you find that women struggle with the references to Sons of God, and men with the idea of being the Bride of Christ? I tell you not to stumble over these concepts. The vast majority of my word is not gender specific, and that includes these passages. References to the Sons of God apply to women as much as to men as do the references to the Bride of Christ. In Christ there is neither male nor female. I’m trying to reveal eternal and transcendent truth to you. Don’t make it hard for me.</div>
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-49554197241010711722016-12-10T00:29:00.002-05:002016-12-10T00:29:51.255-05:00Week 49 Bible Reading Review<b><i>Week 49 1 Corinthians 15:1 to Philippians 1:1</i></b><br />
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2 Cor 3:6 The letter kills, but the Spirit produces life. We need His Spirit to interpret the letter correctly. We cannot properly understand the Bible without His Spirit.<br />
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2 Cor 8:14-15 The parallel to the manna gathering indicates that those who gathered much gave to those who did not.<br />
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Is Paul saying that the law (God’s instructions for us on how to live and love our neighbor) is no longer necessary for our lives? If so this would be contrary to many verses in the Bible, including ones that say God does not change. I offer another perspective below in that it is not the law that was removed, but that the price (penalty) was paid for our transgressions. We must consider all scripture together as a whole.<br />
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Gal 4:5 God’s son sent to: “redeem those under the law” To redeem is to pay the price. The law was made because of transgressions, (Gal 3:19) to define the penalty. This redemption paid for our transgressions, releasing the law’s penalty (subjugation). Being under the law returns when one continues in sin without repentance. This is why we need to continually seek redemption, less we trample the blood and again are under the law.<br />
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Gal 5:14 The fulfillment of the law is loving your neighbor as yourself. If the law is “done away” then we also have no need to love our neighbor, as well as no need for a redeemer. This illustrates that no longer being under the law does not mean the law is removed, just that the penalty for breaking it has been paid. (Redemption)<br />
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Gal 5:18 If we are being led by the Spirit, then we are not under the law penalty because we will not be carrying out the fleshly desires. (Not committing transgressions of the law) This is why there is no law against the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:23) because there is no fleshly transgressions or sin being done.<br />
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Gal 6:2 To fulfill the law is to obey it.<br />
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Eph 2:15 To make of no affect the law is the same as saying removed the penalty by redemption. Again, we cannot be removing the law because there are too many other verses showing the value of it.<br />
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<b><i>Next Reading: Week 50 Philippians 1:1 to Hebrews 1:1</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Wisdom for the week</i></b><br />
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I really enjoy Dale Cresap’s short wisdom packed blogs that he gets from God. So much so that I even made an Android program (with Dale’s permission) that is free on Google play which contains his blog entries in a nice little searchable app. This week’s selection from Dale’s blog posting is extra special to me. I believe this is the third time that I have been pondering or struggling with questions that God chose to answer for me the next day through Dale’s blog that came in my email. With this one I was thinking about my sense of value and God addressed it in the blog below the very next day! What makes this even more amazing is that understanding from working with Dale for the app I know that Dale is about a year ahead on his blog postings. So each blog post he sends out is something he wrote around a year ago! That means God coordinated the time to the answers of my questions at least a year in advance!<br />
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<a href="http://www.cwgministries.org/blogs/self-esteem" target="_blank">Self-Esteem</a><br />
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Have you noticed that low self-esteem is always considered a problem and that high self-esteem is a desirable trait? This is contrary to Biblical wisdom. Can you find anything in the Bible that tells you to think more highly of yourself than you otherwise would? Yet there are many admonitions to humble yourself and to esteem others better than yourself. High self-esteem is inherent in the human race and it is a big part of your problem. The conflict between this and reality is mistakenly called low self-esteem. A mature Christian has a proper understanding of his own nature and position. He is content to be accepted and beloved by me, and has nothing to prove about himself to himself or to others.<br />
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-64925062680931907482016-12-01T23:04:00.000-05:002016-12-01T23:04:51.256-05:00Week 48 Bible Reading Review<b><i>Week 48 Romans 4:1 to 1 Corinthians 15:1</i></b><br />
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Romans 6-7 These chapters talk about the law, sin, grace, and righteousness. Paul does not despise the law but rather exalts by saying that it is spiritual (7:14), holy and good (7:12), and meant for life (7:10). It is as if our flesh is a slave to sin, and the law is needed to define sin as evil. The law is actually necessary, for without the law we would have no need of a Savior, for without the law we would have no sin. (7:9) 6:11-12+ The law gives sin its death hold, but grace (dying in Christ) releases that death grip and we can then rise to a new Master and become a slave to righteousness. Grace does not excuse further sinning. (6:1-2)<br />
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Romans 8 Serving righteousness gives us freedom from serving sin which is death as defined in the law.<br />
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Romans 12 A good read for what we should strive for.<br />
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Romans 14 A good reminder to accept differences and not be judgmental.<br />
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1 Cor 5 We are not to judge the worldly sinners but to be a light. At the same time we are not to tolerate sinners who are professing Christians. This stance would strengthen the church's purity and drive sinners to repentance.<br />
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1 Cor 7 Paul does not demand separation from an unbelieving spouse. Compare this with Ezra 10:3<br />
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1 Cor 8:10 Paul repeatedly says up to this point that what he is writing is his opinion. Here I disagree with his statement that eating in an idols' temple is acceptable. Regardless of what I think or “feel” about it, what God says stands, “Thou shall have no other Gods before me”. What Paul states here seems to contradict what he says later in chapter 10:18-22 which is more agreeable to me.<br />
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1 Cor 9:20 I find it interesting that some manuscripts omit “though I myself am not under the law”. Was this added or removed for the original letter?<br />
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1 Cor 11 The head-covering discussion is confusing at best. Verse 15 says a woman’s hair is her covering. And then the discussion ends in verse 16 with: If anyone wants to argue about this, we have no custom regarding this. Is this more of Paul’s opinions being expressed?<br />
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Conclusion from the last few chapters in this section: Do everything decently and in order with love.<br />
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<b><i>Next Reading: Week 49 1 Corinthians 15:1 to Philippians 1:1</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Wisdom for the week</i></b></div>
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Here is my choice post from Dale Cresap from this past week.</div>
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<a href="http://www.cwgministries.org/blogs/hook" target="_blank">Off The Hook</a></div>
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Are you familiar with the idea of letting someone off the hook? If you have a case or a complaint against someone and decide not to pursue it this is a common expression used to describe your releasing them from judgment. Have you ever heard people complain about unfair treatment from me? Perhaps you have done this yourself. People assume that I am to blame for all the calamities and tribulations they encounter in life, and in many cases become bitter against me. These experiences may leave you with some difficult questions to struggle with about my sovereignty but the way you resolve them may lead you to false conclusions. You can start by letting me off the hook.<br />
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-21355208945036147422016-11-25T22:45:00.001-05:002016-11-25T22:45:41.975-05:00Week 47 Bible Reading Review<b><i>Week 47 Acts 14:1 to Romans 4:1</i></b><br />
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This portion of Acts is mostly about Paul’s journeys. His blinding vision is recorded 3 times in this book which seems of significance. His returning to areas of persecution shows he elevated his mission more than his life. How few are like this today?<br />
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Romans 3:5-6 God is not unrighteous to inflict wrath.<br />
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Romans 3 Faith brings justification, not works of the law, but faith establishes the law (v31). This is another way of saying as Yeshua / Jesus did: “if you love me, you will keep my commands.”<br />
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<b><i>Next Reading: Week 48 Romans 4:1 to 1 Corinthians 15:1</i></b><br />
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-49689990210826910192016-11-18T21:05:00.001-05:002016-11-18T21:05:40.141-05:00Week 46 Bible Reading Review<b><i>Week 46 John 18:1 to Acts 14:1</i></b><br />
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John 18:6 Again Yeshua / Jesus demonstrates going willingly to His death as He clearly had dominion over the people and situation.<br />
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Acts 4:31 This seems to be a separate filling of the Holy Spirit than the Pentecost event. Is it a refilling or a different anointing?<br />
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Acts 5:5,10 Anania’s and Sapphira’s lie was not tolerated and immediate death resulted. How would it change the modern church if things like this happened?<br />
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Acts 6:2 We can’t do everything. Delegation is good.<br />
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Acts 8:24 Simon’s request for prayer goes unanswered. Was his request denied or granted? Just because someone asks for prayer doesn't mean we should automatically pray as they ask. Better to seek direction from God on what to do.<br />
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Acts 9:40 This verse gives a key for us to seek God’s will in a situation before taking action. (Peter prays before commanding the dead to raise.)<br />
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Acts 10:34-35 An important truth: Whosoever fears God and does righteousness is acceptable to Him.<br />
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Acts 13:2 The best leaders are God appointed, not man appointed.<br />
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Acts 13:11 Paul commanded blindness to the sorcerer. He didn’t try to convince him he was wrong, or cast a demon out of him, but simply to stop him in his tracks.<br />
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<b><i>Next Reading: Week 47 Acts 14:1 to Romans 4:1</i></b></div>
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811949766750988740.post-39285147977691954362016-11-11T21:01:00.000-05:002016-11-11T21:01:52.886-05:00Week 45 Bible Reading Review<b><i>Week 45 John 1:1 to John 18:1</i></b><br />
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John 4:9 “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.” The HCSB has 2 footnotes:<br />
1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(or do not share vessels)<br />
2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Some manuscripts omit this.<br />
The footnotes give me a different picture than complete disassociation.<br />
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John 5:3-4 This portion about the “magic waters” always sounded fanciful to me. The HCSB footnote says some manuscripts omit this.<br />
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John 5:19-23 Yeshua / Jesus does as the Father or like the Father shows Him. The difference is important as one way He must wait for every instruction / step from the Father, the other He only mimics as He has been previously shown / taught.<br />
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John 14:15 gives a different rendering than some other translations: “If you love me you will keep my commands” verses “If you love me, keep my commands.” This HCSB gives a subtle shift from the head to the heart.<br />
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John 16:24 Curious verse: “until now you have asked for nothing in my name”. Wouldn’t the disciples have been sent out to cast out demons and heal the sick prior to this verse?<br />
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John 17:3 Eternal life definition: To know the Father and the Son.<br />
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<b><i>Next Reading: Week 46 John 18:1 to Acts 14:1</i></b></div>
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The Campau-stershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06803917316358422661noreply@blogger.com0