As your eyes shift from object to object,

They stop on me, sometimes.

And for a moment, you breathe into my lifeless soul.

But, as the items pile up,

I lose your attention.

I lose your interest.

I’m stuck on your wall, losing sight of me.

• What kind of object am I?

You can see all the objects on your wall,

But I can only see your glaring eyes.

You whisper, “My item, you’re irreplaceable.”

But, your eyes (o) (o) tell me the truth.

They echo the imagines that travel through spaces of the unused matter. The objects.

All categorized to fit inside the box of your affections.

Only maintained by the lines of your conformed ideals.

I’ve come to tell you even though I cannot speak,

I’m getting off your wall. I’m getting off your wall. I’m getting off your wall. I’m getting of your wall.

I’m breaking through the constraints of the bars you’ve set.

As I fall unto the floor of broken dreams,

The objects on your wall will follow me.

Because it’s better to be shattered

Than just maintained.

And, as the broom sweeps up my pieces,

I’ll form into something new.

My father, My God.. He’ll shape me.

He’ll reform me. He’ll mold me.

Then, he’ll hold me.

In the center of the of His arms,

my life lies…

Never again to be an object of your affection. 

It brought me to a much more “heavy” conclusion. For you see, we live in a world so contingent upon images and “sight triggers” that we become numb to the standard in which God is calling us to possess. However, it would be overly dramatic to present the idea that people who love God should never watch movies. But, how much is necessary?

Normative in lifestyle, we tend to fill our day-to-day lives with thousands of  mega pixels whether that be scrolling through pictures on Facebook or watching The Secret Life of the American Teenager, neglecting the fact that both of them present false realities. How? How could this be a false reality?

The truth of the matter lies within an “image’s” ability to stray one from the truth. It presents a state of a person or a moment in time, but yet fails to consider how that person, place, or thing changes within an amount of time. As I am a student of physics, I understand that when one neglects to calculate the final time in correlation with the initial time, answers are skewed and cannot be used. Shouldn’t the same principle apply to our lives? Right now? This very day? This very minute?

The “truth” is we are not creators of time or truth.  The only “truth” was set long ago before we existed.  We are only observers of what’s real or maybe even “discoverers” of this already pre-fashioned truth.  Therefore, everything else is uncertain. However, we live in times where truth seems to present itself in the very forms of Facebook images, award-winning motion pictures, and even mental pictures of the state of our world.

Our brains were designed to hold much more than an image.  What if we could hold the very knowledge of God within one dendrite? What if the mysteries that was to be revealed could be demonstrated within the power of our minds to transform our thoughts daily? Oh, how we pervert the calling of God on our lives when we allow this-worldly truth to define us.

Our we not any different from our ancestors and forefathers who worshipped graven images? Maybe so, maybe not, but regardless, the only certainty is that God is the only source of all truth, all understanding, and all knowledge. We realize this when we allow our lives to be so consumed by worldly, tangible false-truth, that we become broken with thoughts and images that do not CONTINUE to exist.  The only “continuer” of time if the Hand of God moving in our lives.  He’s all around us, yet, we desensitize our selves every time we choose to pour more of the world into our body of flesh.  We cannot be apt carriers of the truth if we are not discipline enough to notice “good things” from “God things”.

The certainty is we live in a world based on uncertainty, but we have the option to know all that is certain and then for this certainty to live on the inside of us. Then, we can realize, day-to-day is uncertain. Images are not certain. The voting polls are not certain. The famine in Somalia is not certain. The sunshine is certain.  The textbook answers are not certain. So, if we can be the people who live in uncertain times and thrive of certainty, than we can fulfill the calling of God on our lives to bring Heaven on Earth.

Yes! The tangible certainty of God lies within the complex structure of your simply seen fingernail.  We neglect to see that with this simple fingernail, He can use us to touch the lives of those living in confusion and bring peace on Earth.  Movies, images they are time fillers. Time fillers in a world of uncertainty that longs to be defined be the source of its creation: God.

It hit me, as tears filled my eyes, that in some ways God is so much like this character, Will.  In our youth, we have a relationship with him, and he passionately devotes himself to us.  Wherever we go, he goes.  He is always near, just waiting for the perfect moment to reveal himself as the lover of our souls.  And like Emma, we are so weighed down in the busyness of ours lives and  the death that surrounds us, that we cannot recognize His devotion. So, we run back to the things that keep us weak, to the people who set us up, and to the arms of the enemy. As we asked God to leave, we remember that he did. Yet, we are always near to his heart.  Yet, he yearns for us daily.  Yet, he beckons for our return.  He writes to us, waiting for a response. Then, when we finally realize it was him all along that only loved us, we go across the seas to find him. And when we do find him, we was already waiting.

There is much more to God, than this character Will. But, I think what he was trying to remind me that I had forgotten of his devotion. Even, though he has been behind the scenes, he was there all along. 24-7, he has me on his mind. All day long he has you on his mind.  He loves us so much, that he gave us free will. Like the character in this story was named Will, he gave us freedom to chose. Will, in this movie, stands for that freedom that sets love free. Just like in your life, God has allowed you to decide. But, end the end, no matter what you decided-HE STILL LOVES YOU!  Maybe in your life, the worries and regrets of yesterday eat away at you.  Maybe, you have been stuck in an unpromising situation, but, just remember, there is one who delights in spending time with you. There is no greater experience in the world than truly realizing, he is more than enough.

In fact, he created calculus. He knows calculus. Why is it important? Because it brings us into a closer relationship with God knowing that he produces solutions, problems, and ways to strategize his infinite wisdom.  Most days in Dr. Scranton’s calculus class we recite these verses, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).  The truth is we will never be able to completely understand the mind of God. However, we do have ways to understand more about Him through our academic subjects. Which brings me to the topic I would like to discuss: breathing.

We are learning in biology about the respiratory system. Without the respiratory system, a vertebrate cannot breathe. Essentially, respiration results in gas exchanges between the body’s cells and the external environment.  In order for the gas exchange  or diffusion to occur  the” gas exchange regions of the body” have to be thin, moist, and relatively large.

When, I heard these three words, the Holy Spirit gave me revelation about the spiritual “air” we breath from God. Let’s break down the three requirements for gas exchange.  First, thin means having “little flesh” or is “composed of or containing objects, particles, etc., widely separated.”  In order for us to receive the breath and life of God daily, we have to be completely transparent with God.  This means that we cannot have blockages or distractions within our lives that prevent us from being “thin” before God.  Also, this means having “little flesh”, but often times our “flesh” keeps us “clogged” up with dirt and sin that keep us away from God. We cannot breathe fresh life from God if we are not daily opening ourselves up with transparent hearts. This cannot happen if we live carnal lives that block those areas for gas exchange, or “the breathe of life from God.”

Second, we have to be moist. That seems very weird, but think about it. The word moist has several definitions. It can mean moderately wet or tearful (Dictionary.com). We cannot receive spiritual breathes from God without having the ability to soak in His presence. The layers of our spiritual body are connected to God through this “tearful”, wet layer.  Being wet with God’s supernatural rain should be something we strive for daily. But, we cannot be wet in His presence, without the ability to be moist.  Its says in Hebrews 5:7, “during the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Like Jesus did on earth, we have to be a people willing to shed tears before the Lord, so that life, through the exchanging of God’s breath, can be granted to us.  To save himself from death, Jesus wept.  To save us from death of God’s spirit, we have the same heart as Jesus-a humble, moist one.

The third component is a large surface area. How does this apply? We cannot just give God a little “piece” of us. He either works in all parts of us or not at all. So many times we pray, “God, use my hands.” Then, we prepare our hands to serve, but we neglect using our minds to read the word of God. Sometimes, we say, “God use my heart.”  Then, we forget that we have to build of strong hearts through eating healthy to appropriately share the depths of our heart with other people.  God doesn’t say in His word, “Oh, I will use just some parts of you.” No, he says be either hot or cold.  This means that when we are trying the live a life full of God’s air-we have to let him fill every place inside of us.  Our wholes bodies and spirits have to be large enough that he can inhabit.  Him giving us life everyday is not some little thing- it’s the very essence of death and life.

God’s holy spirit is like the oxygen we breathe, we cannot live without out his breathe. There is even more of a connection here. Yahweh, in the Hebrew and Greek, is a word that means creator. However, it has a meaning connected to “soul and life.” It is a word derived from words that mean “breath”, “a current of air”, or “exhalation”. We can connect that the Holy Spirit is the Breath, or Exhalation of the Father whom we know as Yahweh. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the Divine Breath, and the air we breathe.

Look at this scripture: John 20:21-22 So Yahshua said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Breathing creates life. When we breathe, we take in YAHWEH.  Like I said in the beginning, it all connects.  The air we breathe, the life we have, Yahweh, our creator, gives life to it all. We CANNOT live in a relationship with him if our lives aren’t thin, transparent, moist, and large enough to contain the FULLNESS of His breathe that He wants to give us. There is absolutely no way to prove that God is not the creator of all things and the “relator” of all scientific facts. He gave us science to understand His relationship with the world. It’s our job to breathe in His life and understand this connection!

Please, watch this video about the relationship of Breathe and Yahweh by Rob Bell.  Let’s breathe Him in today!

I haven’t even thought about being single, because that is trivial. However, on today, I’ve forgotten the truest love, the most important one.  I’ve been pouring and pouring and dealing out all my “hats”, academic work, emotions, and physical activity that I’ve neglected to recognize love. Today, I even wore my bracelet that quoted a scripture verse dealing with love while not letting it consume me.  Coming back to dorm room, I realized that it’s going to be okay.

When your money doesn’t come through, when your heart is broken, when your family leaves, when you fail a test, when you get sick… it’s going to be okay. Why? Suffering is something we can’t understand.  It’s something we fight mentally, and some of us, like Paul, bear the brand marks of Christ. But, there is something to remember on today.

What is love? Let’s look at the night when God was going to perform his greatest act of love through Jesus. It goes a little like this:  ”Then [Jesus] said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’  Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Regardless of what Jesus wanted, he trusted his Father.  He knew he was going to face death, he knew he was going be brutally beaten, and yet he longed for his Father’s will.  He even asked God if it could be taken away.  We can’t understand the fullness of his love. You want to know why? His disciples, the ones who lived, breathed, ate, drank, and prayed with him still didn’t understand or keep their bodies from reacting to the flesh.  While He was trembling, sweating blood drops, and praying, they were sleeping. This chapter goes on to say, “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.  “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.  So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.”

He then was lead to a place where he bled for those sleepers, you and I.  Today, I have been so consumed with my restlessness, like the disciples, that I have forgotten the command from the Father. I have let the image of Christ escape my mind, while I focused on the sight of earthly things. God’s love for us is so strong, he would do it all again, he would experience the sight and thought of allowing his only son to be beaten for you and I.

Perhaps, on this love day, we could actually remember what the cost of love is–commitment leading to sacrifice.  How will I ever know love, if I have no knowledge of devastation. Be encouraged… yes, we will suffer, but yes… we are loved. I will never have the right words to say or the proper way to explain love. But, I can tell you one thing,when I am broken and weary there is something that keeps me going, keeps me fighting, and keeps me pushing-it’s the love of Christ-the brokeness found in his bones on the cross, the wholes in his hands, the piercings in his heart. Let’s be a people who are consumed with love, even when we can’t feel it. Love is there to guide us, if we can first realize what it is.

My child, take my hand.

For you, I have a plan.

Not to discourage you,

but to push you through.

This comes by trials,

and pain in piles.

But, keep me close by,

and from on high,

I will gift you with love.

Something from up above

That men cannot make sense of.

Remember me, I ask,

and my blood in your flask

For in me, living water flows

and my  powerful breathe blows

to provide health for your heart

even when it’s torn apart.

Seek me and you will find

I can release your earthly bind

And heal your pain,

by showing you love without rain.

Do not grow faint, for I am with you, my love.

My hand is near you.

Grab it and run,

for the rain will come.

Do not grow faint, for I am with you, my love.

I’ve decided to tackle the ever-pressing issue and really dig into God’s word about this dating issue that so many teenagers and young adults face.  How do you know if you are dating properly? When and what is the right time to date?  As I’ve been searching for answers, I found that I have been completely ignorant of God’s plan for relationships. How does one go from single to married without losing purity?

Technically, the bible does not say anything about dating, but it does give us a pattern from John 14:21 which states, “He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me” (NASB).  The world presents the message that commitment comes after intimacy, however the bible outlines that intimacy comes after commitment.  If you are more intimate with someone than committed, then by definition you are promiscuous. What is promiscuity? A promiscuous person is one who mingles in all sorts of persons or things.  Synonyms for promiscuity are unchaste, hodgepodge, confused, mixed, and jumbled.  When one lives this life style, he or she is in a constant state of confusion and emptiness.  So wrapped in the mumbo jumbo of the relationships around them, the people caught in a promiscuous lifestyle cannot hear from the only person that can satisfy the longings or their heart. A promiscuous person isn’t just the one who is sexually active it’s the one who gives their heart to everything but God. It’s the one who’s unfocused.

God does not give himself away cheaply. His love is given freely, but is comes with a commitment.  How do you except to know God and to love him if you aren’t committed to following him? Like the word says, “he who HAS my commandments and KEEPS them show loves to me” (emphasis mine).  First, you have to know him and secondly, you have to keep those things to heart before you can love him.  You cannot love someone if you DO NOT KNOW them.  I’ve made this mistake several times, you think you know someone, so you give that person your heart.  Let me tell you, just because that person may have credentials with the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, the Church of God, or even has a degree in “Preacher Man” doesn’t mean that person loves God or loves you. Thus, do not think you can know someone by their words or by who they are certified with.  Commitment is the only true tester of love.

Commitment is having a person’s best interest in mind and doesn’t always mean being near to that person. Let’s look at the difference between promiscuity and purity.

It’s more simple then we make it to be. Do not believe things that make you turn your brain off.  Remember, that dating is not pretend marriage. Our culture has ultimately erased boundaries, but if you can’t say no in a relationship then say NO to the relationship. If you want to date in a sexually obsessed culture, you must have a biblical perspective.

Like I said earlier, the Old Testament gives tells a story of a woman who was not like the role models we see today.  That woman was Ruth. She was able to completely turn away from what the world told her to be.  At that time, in her culture, everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). She she decided to abandon herself completely to God. As a result, she realized that she could only be complete in Him and not a man.  As we are “in waiting,” I challenge you to be a person who gives you heart to God in reckless abandonment. It isn’t about being patient, it’s about falling in love with the person who can only satisfy you, the Lord Jesus Christ

Finally, let’s look at Mark 14: 3-9:

³While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. ⁴But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵“For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.⁶But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.⁷“For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. ⁸“She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.⁹“Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

In these times, the alabaster box was part of a woman’s dowry.  The size of the box and the value of the perfume paralleled her family’s wealth.  In fact, when it came time to marry, a woman would break her box over the man’s feet to show honor.  The woman in this story found Jesus to be so great, that she took all that she had, all that she was worth, and broke it over Jesus’s head. However, Jesus’s own disciples found this to be careless; the people who supposedly “knew” him.  When you give yourself in reckless abandonment to Christ, there will be people to bring you down and say what you are doing isn’t right. Those people were the one’s sitting around waiting, not acting like she did, giving all that she had to Jesus.

I was thinking, during this time in the bible, there had to be many Christian women like you and I.  Those who served God and obeyed him, but why aren’t those men and women mentioned in the bible?  It’s because they were nominal Christians. Amy Charmichael once said, “The saddest thing one meets in the nominal Christian.” Wanting a spouse to complement you is normal, but giving yourself completely for God to use isn’t.  Let’s be the people like Ruth and the woman with the alabaster box, who are remembered, not for their desire to be with someone, but for their willingness to commit to loving Jesus Christ whole heartedly. They were people who kept their promises, and didn’t break them even when the world said to.

God’s waiting to write you down as a history maker, but how will you be remembered?

But, who are the most prosperous people? As noted, the eyes of God are not like the eyes of the man.  God isn’t looking at your car, at your house, but at your heart.

Deuteronomy 30: 15-17 states, “¹⁵ See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶ For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, ¹⁸ I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.”

This exceedingly powerful verse depicts the life of prosperity, one in which is completely devoted to walking with God and keeping his commandments.  Therefore all of those who are looking for the materialistic, worldly prosperity, then they, who are disobedient, will not find favor according to the eyes of God.

Lets determine what isn’t prosperity.

1) A Heart sold out to self

2)One who’s life is devoted to the things of the world

3)Those who are more concerned with people’s opinions rather than God’s.

As you can see, this puts us at a stand still, because at one point or another we have all disobeyed God and fallen short in the area of wanting to fit into the world. But, having a perfect life on Earth comes nothing to having a life in Heaven.

So, what does in mean to be prosperous in the eyes of God?

Let’s take walking with him for example. Sometimes, God takes us into place we are uncomfortable with.  Look at Abraham, or David, or any of God’s followers.  They all suffered.  Suffering is an outlet that leads you to prosperity.  It might not sound fun, but in the long run, it brings you closer to God.  In fact, His sufferings are our Glory.

How do we live in increase?

We die.

Phillipians 3:7-11 states, “^7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.^10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.”

Prosperity comes through recognizing everything under the sun is vanity except for those things that glorify God.  Our desire to fit in is vanity. Our desire to look good is vanity. Our desire to have money is vanity.

Jesus promised us that we would provide, but is living a wealthy lifestyle providing us to be more like the world or more like him?  We are blessed to know him, to sacrifice for him.  We become prosperous when we die for him.

I wrote this article because my parents are struggling finically. Buying groceries are a difficult thing. We are transitioning to a life once of worldly prosperity to a life desperately depending on God to come through and provide.  I’ve realized, now we are actually living in prosperity.

In the words of David Wilcox’s song “All the Roots Grow Deeper When It’s Dry”,

Summer lasted a generation

A generation – and then the winter wind

The bounty harvest that seemed so endless

It seemed so endless until it gave what it could give

Prosperity will have its seasons

Even when it’s here, it’s going by

And when it’s gone we pretend we know the reasons

And all the roots grow deeper when it’s dry.

It looked so easy, we change the weather

We would turn this world ourselves our world so small

But slower rhythms – still unheard of

Said that every blessed summer someday has to fall

Prosperity will have its seasons

Even when it’s here, it’s going by

when it’s gone we pretend we know the reasons

And all the roots grow deeper when it’s dry, when it’s dry.

Prosperity will have its seasons

Even when it’s here, it’s going by

And when it’s gone we pretend we know the reasons

And all the roots grow deeper when it’s dry.

For those of you who are look my parents, these are words of encouragement.  Not to say that suffering is fun, but to say it makes the roots grow deeper.  To say that when you are dry, when you are famished, when you are lost… he is glorified.  Don’t get discouraged when you can’t see the product of the root, because what you can’t see is working to provide the perfect plant in your harvest.

Mom and Dad,

This is your season. Your season of prosperity.

A voice can persuade, alert, subdue, despise, or even disguise.  But, where does a voice come from?  Where did it originate?  What gives a voice purpose?

In physical terms, the voice is stimulated through the larynx which in return allows us to breathe, talk, and swallow. Undeniably recognized in men, the area of the larynx, on the outside of the epidermis, is known as the “Adam’s apple.” Ironically, the name, Adam’s apple, is linked all the way back to Adam’s consumption of the forbidden fruit at the Tree of Knowledge.  Only speculating, it makes me wonder whether God intentionally allowed this formation to protrude away from the neck to remind men of the day sin entered the world.  On another note, the official name for this cognomen is the prominentia laryngea. The function of this tappuach ha adam or male bump is to fluctuate the sound through the size of the vocal cords.  Even if it isn’t seen, every human being is designed with one.

In order for the sound to come forth, the vocal cords tighten up and move closer together. Air from the lungs is forced between them and makes them vibrate, producing the sound of our voice. The tongue, lips, and teeth form this sound into words.

They key to making this vibration is the air that moves through the vocal cords. However, if the air is missing, then no sound can be heard. On that same note, if  the vocal cords are not relaxed air cannot be inhaled. The “unseen” produces the “heard.” Only once the air moves in, can the sound come out.

So you may ask, what is the purpose of this voice?

What many people fail to recognize is that we are designed by an intelligent creator.  Our bodies are miracles that we can see everyday.  A purpose and a destiny lies in our complex creation. However, because people do not know any different, they do not understand the intelligence of our creation and the power of our voices.

I believe, that the greatest and most efficient source of communication is talking, speaking with one another.

Lets take for example, Genesis 1:3 “Then God said, “‘Let there be light’”; and there was light”. The power of one’s voice, one vibration, created the universe. Just before this, verse two mentions that the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then, God spoke and light came into existence.

Order or events: 1) the spirit was moving 2) the voice was heard 3) the light was shown.

How does this information apply to our purposes?

Like mentioned before, with a sound, with a voice, a human can communicate mixed messages.  People can disguise their voice, like “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” On a personal note, many times in my life, I have believed the words of deceivers. I have “heard” what others have spoken, yet seen the actions of their heart. Anyone can disguise a voice, but no one can hide his or heart from God (1 Samuel 6:27). Eventually, the people around you will only hear “what your heart is showing, not what your mouth is speaking.”

On another note, if one vibration is so powerful that it can command the earth into existence or destroy the lives of the people around you, what makes your words so powerful?

Like stated before, the key action isn’t the sound; it’s the air that vibrates the vocal cords.

How does this apply to us spiritually?

Our words aren’t going to mean a hill of beans, if we aren’t in contact with the unseen.  You many say, “Rachel, that’s too spiritual.”  But the fact of the matter is that  people will never communicate the truth until they come into contact with the Holy Spirit.

Did you know that there are five different Hebrew words for Spirit in the Old Testament: ‘owb, me`ah, n@shamah, ruwach, and shemer?  Two of which mean Breathe and inward parts.

The Breathe, the Holy Spirit, is the only reason a sound even matters. Only after the unseen action can a meaningful sound come forth, and the light be illuminated.

In Revelation 1:9-10 John says, “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.”

The Isle of Patmos was a prison, a dry place, a dead place. The gospel had sent him there.  However, he only heard the voice of the Lord, after he was in the Spirit.

When we ignore the Holy Spirit, the breathe, the life, the internal parts we fail to get out of our “Isle of Patmos”. It’s time to quite talking, wasting breathe, and start coming into contact with the unseen.

The voice you make might disguise who you are, but the power the Holy Spirit is the only thing that brings your “life” into existence.  The same Spirit that created the Earth can give your voice purpose.

The sad part is most people waste their lives using a  LOUD but purposeless voice. After all, ignoring the Holy Spirit is disobedience.

How long we will live in disobedience? How long will the ear’s of your listener be deceived?

A voice that makes a difference comes from the Holy Spirit. Like the Earth, your words are formless, until the Spirit of God moves.

What sound will come forth out of your mouth? death or life?

]]> http://rafenters.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/the-purpose-of-one-voice/feed/ 1 rafenters thyroid_gland http://rafenters.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/a-season-of-preparation/ http://rafenters.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/a-season-of-preparation/#comments Mon, 31 May 2010 14:34:44 +0000 Rachel Fenters http://rafenters.wordpress.com/?p=127 ]]> C.S. Lewis once said, “Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Lets be honest, when you are dealing with a trial or tribulation in your life  no one ever wants to hear: “There are better things ahead.” In fact, this simple saying would drive most to their end.  However, the reality is that you have the power to determine if there really are better things in your future. We are all connected by one source and one truth.  That truth allows us to see us for who we are: broken yet beautiful.

Recognizing the power of this truth starts with the condition of one’s heart. Over the period of my life I have given my heart to many things, hobbies, people, and places.  In Africa, we performed a drama that represented my life.  It starts with me with this huge beautiful hot pink paper heart in my hands.  I show the crowd how much it means to me. I tenderly hold it close to my chest.  Then, all of the sudden to my left I see girls motioning for me to come over, so I walk over to were they are standing. The girls start playing with my hair, hugging me, touching my face, and tell me I am beautiful. Then, they ask me for my heart.  Ready to share my love with them, I freely hand it over thinking that they will take care of it.  Before I know it, it is thrown on the floor and smashed in the ground.   I pick it up, broken and try to figure out what to do with a heart that isn’t so pretty any more.  I see people to my right and notice that they want to to come over as well. So, I pick up my not-so-well heart and take it with me.  They offer me peace and a “good time” but only on the conditions that I give my heart away.  So, I reach over to them and ever so slightly they take the heart out of my hands, ball it up, and throw it on the ground.  After this act, I realize that friends and the world have broken my heart. Now, I am in a vulnerable state and along comes a guy.  Immediately, I run away.  But, he keeps walking around me making “safe” accusations towards me.  Taking it slow, I make a move to let him in.  He motions for my heart, but I show him that it is a little “messed up” and he makes it look like he will take care of it. He begins to comfort me, and naturally I give him my heart. However, I place it on his chest symbolizing the action of engraving my heart to his heart.  However, he very easily takes my paper heart off his chest and tares it into pieces. That was the last strike for me, now I am alone, broken hearted, and lost trying to figure out how could I be wrong in sharing my love with people.  Then, in the middle of my brokenness this man comes along, he seems to be gentle but after the last time my heart was broken, I decided I would not be fooled.  He motions for my heart, but I show him the torn pieces.  I try to put the heart back together, but the pieces don’t fit any more.  So, I give up and just give the left over pieces to him.  Grieving, I turn around to realize he has given me a new heart. Elated, I realize it is Jesus, the only one who can give me a new heart.

This drama was performed all over Africa, but I didn’t realize how much to spoke of Jesus’ works. In Proverbs 4:23 the author writes, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” It made me question, “what are the springs of life?” I gathered some information that, in biblical language, the heart is the center of the human spirit from which “spring” emotions, thoughts, motivations, courage and actions. Therefore, the springs of life effect your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual state.  The hearts effects your character and your outcome. In fact, Matthew 12:34 reads “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” When the center of one’s spirit is battling confusion, how is his or her daily live not going to be affected negatively by this confusion? This is why the heart is the key to to the springs of “life.”  The bible also tells us that “for where your heart is, your treasure is also.” (paraprahzed mine). So, now we have a two-fold problem, your heart leads to your treasure.

Let’s takes this idea and run with it. As children, we all listened to stories about pirates, treasure chests, and “X” marks the spot. Dictionary.com gives quite a few definitions of the verb and noun form of the word treasure. First, it can mean valuable things or wealth stored or accumulated.  Then, it could mean to retain carefully, keep in store, or to regard or treat as precious. Overall, treasures are the things that are precious to you, the things that you’ve kept dear to you.  Guess what? They all lie within the walls of your heart.

It makes me connect this truth: Why was the treasure so hard to find? Remember, the pirate always had a map, but inevitably had to fight the forces of nature, and the forces of time to find the treasure.  You see, the things of this life come as a pirate. (he may or may not have a blind fold haha) Basically, the devil knows your map, he knows where the treasure is, and he knows that if he can get to your treasure, he can get to your heart, and the “springs of your life.”

That simple “X” can give away many things. The fact of the matter is sometimes we forget where we hide our treasures and what our treasure really are.  If we don’t stay on top of our hearts, then we allow Satan to have an “inch” of our treasure.  When we give Satan and inch, he turns into a mile. So how do we gain this control over the enemy?

Ezekiel 36:26 states, “I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” The passage remind us of the promises God made.  First, of all the idea of renewing and transforming of one’s mind and heart. God promised he would bring change, but also called on his people to effect this change. In the Old Testament, God is implying that his heart of flesh will be a pliable, teachable heart.  Therefore, the first step in gaining control over the mile that the enemy has attained is that we have to realize we really don’t know it all. We have to come to the place where the Lord can teach our hearts and minds.

The second step is in realizing we have to take the intiative. Now lets look at Ezekiel 18:31, where we are called to make a new heart.  The Hebrew word Asah used 2,625 times in the Old testament means “to make.” It also can be used as to keep, prepare, execute, commit, or do.  The meat of this blog comes from the word “prepare.” Prepare describes both sides of an agreement: what God does for us and what we must do for ourselves. How do we make a new heart? We prepare.

Matthew 13:44-46 states “‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Our hidden treasure is in recognizing the pearl. The one valuable pearl whom is Christ Jesus.  Our treasure shouldn’t be in the things of the world, or our hearts will be also in the world.  However, our treasures should to stored in the kingdom of heaven, where Christ is the “heart and center.” Then, once we really grasp a hold to what that treasure is like we will sell everything we have to buy that field. In that field, we can find a new heart.

What’s it going to take for you to by that field?  Are you going to stop making it easy for the enemy to follow your map and find your treasure?  Or are you going to come to the place where you realize the realize the treasure is literally Christ? You know what’s quite ironic?  Every December what gather together to celebrate “X-mas.” We celebrate the birth of Christ, the “x” but we can’t even realize there is a connection between Christ and what marks our treasure. If Christ is out treasure, then he will be inside of treasure chest which is our hearts, and our treasure will lie in the kingdom of Heaven.

So let’s wrap this up. We determine our futures by realizing the truth. We determine the truth by realizing where our treasure lies.  Finally, we determine what our treasure is when we realize the condition of our hearts.

If we discover we are broken, yet beautiful we can come to the same conclusion. We are all connected through suffering. This suffering prepares us for what lies ahead: the marriage of the Lamb. By “clothing ourselves in white linen we 1) get ready 2)walk worth and 3) overcome. This brings us to the conclusion that the happy ending comes only  after the preparation and the preparation comes only after the decision: the decision to stop putting your heart in the things of this world.   After all God, marked his spot that day on Calvary when his treasure was covered in blood. What will your “X” be?

Mom, this blog is dedicated to you. Words cannot describe how much you mean to our family. You are the “e-6000″ that holds are bonds together tightly and when they get a little loose, you add some more, even if it is a little messy.  Even our dog, can’t go a day without you.

I was sitting on the dock today, and I said, “My mother gets more beautiful everyday.” Did you know your beauty is everlasting? It shines in the darkness of the world.  I can’t even imagine why God allowed me to be your daughter.  You as my mother, is the greatest blessing I could ever receive.  I know God exists because he formed the most beautiful, creative, intelligent, and breathe-taking woman known to man.  If I could be half the person you are, then I know I am making a difference.

You are my best friend. You make me laugh and cry, but you inspire me to grow into the woman who you know I can be. I know this is naive, but I can’t think of what life would be without you. To me, it wouldn’t be a life at all. As a little girl, I clung to your leg.  As a college student, I cling to your heart.

In the greek the Holy Spirit is known as the Parakletos-which means called to one’s side.  You could say attached to the hip per say.  Also, the Holy Spirit reveals all truth, teaches all things, and reminds us of things.  Sometimes, well most of the time for me, he convicts us.  Moms kind of function that way. Especially you. In human form, your raised me in the truth-the Word of God and truth came from your lips. You have always been a prayer warrior-called into battle for Gods people. You taught me to love God, and other people (that’s the most valuable lesson to learn).  And you remind me when I need to “get it right” or pinch me with your long fingernails!

A mother’s love is nurturing and tender-it’s one of God’s special gifts.  But to me, Mom, you are a special gift.  One that continues to amaze me every day.  It tells me something, when I wake up every morning shocked that your my mother!

You’ll always be, my best friend.