I have faith, I think?

[RevZ62]

I have faith, I think?
I am going through a difficult time financially. I have been out of work, that is full time work for over a year. I am a professional. I am educated and skilled. I have been doing what I do for more than a quarter a century. I do not have a job. I am at the level of money called broke.
I have moments of worry and doubt. I have moments of highs and moments of lows. My high moments come when I get an interview and the possibility of qualified work and my low moments creep in when I go to the mail box and I find another bill I can not pay. Highs and lows are a part of life and I believe they are natural. Faith on the other hand is not natural. My mind has to wrap itself around a concept, “...the evidence of things not seen...”.
People are welded to their five senses and the evidence they present to the body. Most of our senses are tied to our heads, sight, hearing, smell, taste while touch is all over our body. The eyes and ears tend to link together in our processing center. Smell and taste are physically linked and one can heighten or fool the other as in the apple – pear test. Touch is tricky. From the top of your head to the bottom of your feet it varies in degree. Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, yet those areas are not used in exploring the world for a variety of reasons pain being the biggest reason to not expose those areas to the world.
For reasons more than the word 'seen' implies we fail in faith. Actually all of our senses come into play at all times. Our sensorium is the areas of the brain that process and register incoming sensory information and make possible the conscious awareness of the world and when we are aware there is the tendency to deny any thing that is not processed through that area. That is my humble estimation is being human, it is what people do, automatically, without external influence. What people do not do is that which is learned. Faith is a learned behavior.
What we do with behaviors, is dependent on multiple factors some which we control and a few we do not. How well we learn is dependent on the educating procedure. It can be formal, informal or a mixture of both. Early Christianity was informal, education was by word of mouth and example.
Rom 10:8 But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart: that is, the word of faith of which we are the preachers:
The early Christians had no New Testament. Scripture is the Old Testament writings and the spoken words followed by the epistles that were written and shared. Their faith was created and grew by the evidence of things not seen as they were beyond the days of Jesus but they grew in faith as they looked about at the substance of things hoped for that appeared in their lives. They extended their trust.
Faith is implied trust, trust is allowing one's self to be manipulated in someway by one or more others. Faith implies that one expects no harm to ensue from the manipulation. Defining the untranslated Greek evidence is proof or conviction and it also gets translated as assurance.
It there evidence in my life of what God has done for me, to me, and with me of course there is. Can I turn and show others the proof of what has been done for me, is it part of my witness, my story. Can I with the conviction of my life show to anyone that with Jesus in my life I have a better life.
Faith is also “...the substance of things hoped for...” again in the Greek we find that it is a restatement of assurance. So we get the assurance and conviction of what is not seen but hoped for but one who has faith in Jesus. This whole exercise in verbal manipulation is so that maybe I can overcome my “humanness”. I had a person pass through my life who warned me not to be intellectual about scripture. Being intellectual is the nature of this beast. It is not that the thinking excludes feeling but is spiritual connection, that sentiment that leads to a reaction based on the impression given by the indwelling spirit. The greater the spiritual connection the greater the faith, yes?
It is hard for the human to just believe.

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

If the Lord is not a respector of person, then he is no personal savior. You lined those scriptures up good. Why don't you understand the scriptures I post? I don't deal on the translations. I deal on King James Bible only. You don't need translations. The Lord will open your eyes to the book by the Holy Ghost.

Isaiah 29:10-13 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

[RevZ62]

Do you believe King James wrote the Bible in your hands?
Unless you read Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek you do .....deal in translations, even the original KJV has been translated from the original English to something understandable to today's English readers and speakers, I am not talking about the thee's and thou's.
The language has changed. The letter S was written like a lower case F, V as U and so on. Have you ever read the Introduction to the KJV? It might be eye opening.
The Bible had been translated a minimum of ten times by the time the scholars of the 17th century write anything.

The King James Version of the Bible, released in 1611, was authorized by King James in order to have as accurate a translation as possible, which could be printed and widely circulated.
Bible were written long before KJV, some very important texts were lost in the burning of the Library of Alexandria long before KJV.

You read a translation, considered to be a word for word translation as far as possible Not every thing can be translated from one language to another. Even with in the same language some word usage and phrasing is difficult to translate.
In the mid day do have supper or lunch. Depends on where your from, soda or pop and so on.
To think that the KJV is the end all be all it is not.

http://whtjgr.homestead.com/
Look at words in the KJV most are not in use any more.

PHYLACTERY, you of course do have yours, yes, it is the law.

You must finish what you start
Isa 29:14 therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Isa 29:15 Woe unto them that hide deep their counsel from Jehovah, and whose works are in the dark, and that say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Isa 29:16 Ye turn things upside down! Shall the potter be esteemed as clay; that the thing made should say of him that made it, He made me not; or the thing formed say of him that formed it, He hath no understanding?
Isa 29:17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
Isa 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 29:20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scoffer ceaseth, and all they that watch for iniquity are cut off;
Isa 29:21 that make a man an offender in his cause, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just with a thing of nought.
Isa 29:22 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
Isa 29:23 But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name; yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Isa 29:24 They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmur shall receive instruction.

You can't stop when you feel you/ve made your point, stay in context.

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

Again, you make no sense. None of this makes any sense that you have written as far as the scriptures, and your point. The only "translation" I deal with it the King James Bible. I have "Faith that the King James Bible is the closest translation in English to the actual writtings of the Bible.

[RevZ62]

You are a lost cause.
I have asked you to stop writing.
As you have no understand of the bible, translations, criticisms, commentary, midrash, talmud or seemly anything why do you continue to prattle along as if you had something to say of any value.
So stop.

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

Actually. If you want to be truthful. You have no understanding of the Bible because you follow the world. I am sure you do Christmas, I am sure you do Easter, and I am sure you do Good Friday. I am sure you believe the Lord rose on the first day.

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

If you can get 3 days and 3 nights Good Friday Evening to from Easter Sunday Morning, then I will listen to your doctrine. This should be easy enough. That doesn't look "out of context". What say ye?

[RevZ62]

There was no "Reply to This on your last post so I stuck it here.


I don't "do" any days.
Do I join in the celebration of tradidtional days.

1830 Thursday Day 1 to
1830 Friday Day 2 to
1830 Saturday Day 3 to

It was early
one morning
Just about the break of day.... to paraphrase that song

Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday[2] (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday



Christ was not born on December 25th, but it is an accepted time to clelbrate.

http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract1.html
"Ishtar", which is pronounced "Easter" was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called "Tammuz", who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god.

The truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits,hot cross buns and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon.
Oh your gonna love this article, it give you a serious rant, of I told you so.

This dating was established by the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. As such, the dates for Easter may range from March 22 to April 25. (The Orthodox Churches follow a different dating system and will thereby celebrate Easter one, four, or five weeks later).

There is so much about the Christian Holidays.
In an effort attract so-called pagans into Christianity their celebrations were incoporated and became tradition.

In response to Christmas, Easter and Good Friday I say two things,
So what?
And?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday

Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and often coincides with the Jewish observance of Passover.

Other info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

If you don't want to deal with Christian celebration then don't.
Why would you want to be a party pooper and rain on my parade.

How does my celebration harm you?

I know, your same on tired comebacks, all I have to do re-read your past replies, you are a broken record, you lack insight or even encouragement.

Oh I am not giving you any doctrine.


Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Boy, people work that phrase "be not conformed to this world ", what does that mean.
I should not ride a bus to goe twenty miles across town, a plane from LA to NY?
If we dissect "this world" what are we not to conform to????

Is the key in the 3rd verse? Keeping it in context.
As you appear to do, do "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think"

"think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. "
Who is to tell whom what is and is not conformity.

There is so much more to say on that, I could write a book (50 to 70,000+ words) on that subject.

More importantly "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,"
And once the Holy Spirit has taken you to a new level you can

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
But before God was Jesus God said

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Deu 14:2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

I believe you feel you are part of the peculiar and to that I say, AMEN.

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

In other words. Your answer is no. I can not get 3 days and 3 nights from Good Friday Evening to Easter Sunday Morning.

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

May His Name be blessed forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AMEN, AMEN, & AMEN

[RevZ62]

Sho ya kno ya right!

[Zealot X]

Sir... is it possible that you NEED to be out of work at this time? If being out of work can shake your faith then I think you need to work on your faith. That's not a negative per se, simply that being in this situation is showing you something that you not have seen otherwise. And seeing it you can then do something about it. If you don't see anything wrong what will you do different?

I would challenge you to believe as a child believes, not as a man. A child doesn't have a job. A child is taken care of by their parent. A child is innocent. A child doesn't really question. They just believe and a good obedient child will follow.

So there's that. Next I would ask how you are spending your time. Are you volunteering? Are you doing anything for the poor or the homeless? This could be a good time to be a blessing to others and often that will remind you of how blessed you have been. Job lost almost everything he had. Still his faith remained unshaken because his faith wasn't based upon any of those things. So find the good in your situation. You could even write a book that you can then sell to help make up for all the money you weren't making over the course of the year. But you have to do SOMETHING. And while you are working and doing well be making connections, be following leads. Maybe a better job will come along because of all you did in the mean time, plus having patience towards a greater blessing.

But for me, I take the position that even if I am skin and bones, starving somewhere in Africa with little water, my Creator still exists and he still loves me. It is the world that doesn't and this is a world that we created and are responsible for. If I were you I'd be happy for the vacation.




Shalom

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

ZealotX,

I didn't get the impression that RevZ62 was just sitting around waiting for a job to drop in his lap. I read his testimony as an encouragement for others who may be going through something similar.

When you are going through a trial such as this, you have to be able to outwardly express yourself, because in a sense, you are ministering to yourself. I have done it many times and it has blessed me every time. There have been moments when I felt I was at my lowest point and God would speak to me through me.

I also saw this thread as a means to reaching out. When a brother or sister are going through, they need words of love and encouragement - not words of what they should be doing or could be doing.

Personally ZealotX, I have a great deal of respect for you, but I would have been bitterly turned off by your comment.

[newview]

"...When you are going through a trial such as this, you have to be able to outwardly express yourself, because in a sense, you are ministering to yourself. I have done it many times and it has blessed me every time. There have been moments when I felt I was at my lowest point and God would speak to me through me..."

Sis, somethings are only spiritually discerned.
Some will not get it because the Spirit has to give it to them...
I tell ya - having the 'letter' - yet no 'spirit' - makes for a dry dark journey into night.

O magnify the Lord saints of the Most High God!!!!!!!!!!