How can you discern when everything appears to be the same? Remember we have an adversary that tries to imitate everything that God does, he tries to  confuse us. So how do we discern? We discern by truth, God’s truth 1John4:2 every spirit that confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent, hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19) God is truthful and righteous. Isaiah 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. John14:6 Jesus said, ” I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 18:37 Jesus said, he came into the world that he should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth, hear his voice.

We can all agree that following the teachings of the Bible is the key to understanding the will of God. But interpretation is the key; if it become confusing to us, well we all know where it leads, it leads to discord in faith. I believe that this is why we have so many different religions stemming from the same Bible, that preaches the same God and only begotten son, the crucified Jesus. God gave us the key to open the doors to wisdom, knowledge and understanding of who He is and His love and salvation for us. The key is the Word, and according to John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word and Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 14:12 Jesus said, “verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believe on me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my father. So Jesus was saying that we, who believe in him, will have the abilities to do what he has don, the same miracle,s even greater and if we recall the miracles that Jesus has done, turning water to wine, bringing the dead back to life, healing the sick, feeding thousands with five loaves and two fish and performing exorcisms. Jesus was a priest, prophet and king. There was no limitation to his abilities. I believe he was the best psychologist especially with how he dealt with the scribes and the Pharisees when they tried to discredit him. And is it not amazing when we think of it, what we as mankind have been capable of doing ever since Jesus came and resurrected? Even today in the twenty first century from our mind and creativity, spirituality, medical, technology and so much more than we could ever believe we are capable of doing, like the knowledge to travel to out of space. Jesus said, he prayed to the father that he would send another comforter, that will abide with us for ever. He said he will not leave us comfortless. Jesus also spoke about it being expedient that he go away so that the comfort would come and the spirit of truth will come and guide us into all truth. John16:7,13.

Witchcraft and psychic ability, isn’t that what Jesus was being accused of by the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus did some things that were questionable, his miracles had defied all logic, to the point that he was accused of being belzebub the prince of the devil driving out the devil (Matthew 12:24). The fact that Jesus did miracles and his miracles did not consist of rituals, it was all random acts, I would hope it would be fair to say that rituals began with the law, the time of the ten commandment in the day of Moses. Everything from the rod of Moses and the all the miracles that Moses did to get Israel out of Egypt would be considered some sort of witchcraft and psychic abilities by definition. So as much as we can say that God is the creator of all this, we have to be the discerners of whether it is of God or an illusion of God’s truth by the enemy. Is it not ironic that Moses had the rod and the rod is now considered for witchcraft as a wand. A psychic, (medium) someone who speaks of the future by conjuring up the spirit of the dead. Ezekiel37:1-14 Ezekiel the prophet was told to prophesy to the dry bones to bring them to life that was in the valley. Wouldn’t you consider this conjuring up the dead? Don’t be confused now, because God works in a mysterious way and his wonders to perform.

The trouble that man has with the gift that God gives to us is getting caught up with all the knowledge, wisdom and understanding and forgetting that all these things comes from God and we should not try and play God, but in all things acknowledge Him. Remember for Moses not acknowledging God in the presence of the Israel, he didn’t make it into the promise land (Numbers20:12) This is the balance that we the people need to get to really serve God in spirit and in truth (Mark 12:17) Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s, couldn’t be more clearer. Exodus 20:4,5 I the Lord thy God is a jealous God. God was talking about praising and worshiping graven images or any likeness of anything in heaven, earth, or in the water, he is jealous of. But not the jealous that we as humans have towards one another, the kind in which we want what someone else has, or believe we should’ve been the one to have it not them, but the jealousy of knowing that something is yours but someone else has robbed you of it, or is giving it to someone else. The human term jealous shouldn’t even be used to define what the interpretation of God towards worshipping or praising other things besides him means for jealousy is a flesh emotion and God is a spirit. From the beginning he said, ” I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the house of bondages by all miracle that was preformed, you should have no other Gods before me.” He is saying you were in trouble and I came to save you, acknowledge it is I who saved you and no other God. I am the one and true God, there’s no other, so don’t even look or try and create any other. God is truth, and everything about him, even to serving and worshipping him has to be in truth.

The question is if God is truth, why create or let untruth exist? I believe that untruth doesn’t exist for God, only for us. It goes back to the fact that we should not have eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we couldn’t handle it, it was too much for us.(Genesis 2:17) Witchcraft, Tarot card, Mediums (psychic) , Astrologers, Crystal healing, candles, Quija boards. God created all this, could the usage of it come from the person or persons and their intent whether good or evil? I believe that everything is created for a reason and a purpose and nothing ever started out as being for evil. For example, take a look at a baby you could never imagine that this innocent perfect bundle of joy could one day be a murderer, drug addict, thief, prostitute, pimp, or whatever that just go wrong along the path of their life. We are responsible for everything that God gives us and we just have to choose the way in which we are willing to use it whether for good or for evil. For example the catholic churches, with the molesting of the children and heaven knows what else that is being hidden, and not just the catholic churches but other churches also with0 their scandals, homosexuality and whatever else, the police that are suppose to uphold the law are breaking the law themselves, teachers instead of teaching  are sleeping with and having affairs with their students,  all manner of misconduct performed by people that are to be there for our well being. Food, medication, alcohol, drugs that could all serve for our wellbeing are being misused and abused by us.

I know that evil does exist and that there is good in the world, and the Bible says all things work together for our good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose,(Romans 8:28) For this reason I believe that true discerning is achieved, when it concerns this matter.

In my life, I have never worried about my age like I have now that I am about to turn fifty years old. In the midst of the most holist of season lent, I was born. I’ve always tried to find out why I was so different compared to all my siblings in terms of my personality, and especially when it came to my faith in God. I’ve always believed that for some people they had to find God, but I was born with Him in me and funny thing is that I knew and felt Him within me all my life (Psalm 22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God from my mother’s belly). I knew that there was a God and I was so bold in my heart, mind, body and spirit that I never wanted anyone to tell me how or what I should do to serve Him because it really used to upset my spirit. God was my imaginary friend and the name I gave him was Father. Anytime I would feel afraid or someone would hurt me, I would call father and He’d come to me like a bunch of bubble lights as I would call it as a child. Today, I know those bubble lights to be called an orbs. When the lights would talk to me it would dim or get brighter and I would never be afraid. Just talking about this makes me cry, because the bubble lights never left me during all this time. I became a woman, wife, mother, grandmother, but most of all a teacher and witness to the existence of God, who always been within and surrounding me.

I often wondered about the state of mind of my parents, especially my mom. Seeing that I don’t really know my mother, I often wonder if she was a praying person, if she even believed in God when I was conceived? I can’t understand why, but both my parents dysfunctional. I was told that my mom didn’t know that the man my grandmother worked for as a maid  was her father and she was his only child and used to pass by his house every day as he’d look at her, hidden behind the curtain of a window just to see her. This went on until he died, then she found out. My grandmother and my mother never had a good relationship with each other, they fought constantly. My grandmother, like me, had four children with four different men, but unlike me, I don’t know if she was ever married. I was never told if my grandfather was ever married, but he was wealthy, he left his house to my mother and it was a mansion, in the eyes of a child. My father was a spoiled rotten love child of my grandparents, who were childhood sweethearts. My Grandmother Hearty as they called her, because she was so quite spoken and very loving to others, was a compassionate woman. You would never think a man like my father could have ever came from a woman like that. On the other hand, my grandfather, from what I was told was like the devil out of hell. He used to beat up my grandmother very badly (domestic violence), cheated on her with other women, he read bad books about evil and practiced it and drank a lot. I was told that because of my grandfather domestic violence to my grandmother, his parents took my father from my grandmother so she can leave him, for six to nine years, I believe, but she didn’t. By the time my father came back to my grandparents from my great grandparents, he was so spoiled as an only child and wanted everything his way, he became a handful for my grandmother, always acting out of control even though he then had other siblings younger than him. Now my grandfather had a firm hand when disciplining my father and my father claims that because he was the darker of my grandfather children, eleven of them altogether, my grandfather would treat him most unkind and beat him up. My father continues to act like a spoiled child even today. He believes that things must be his way and that the world and his own children owe him. My father, like his father, beat up on my mother and cheated on her with other women. But unlike my passive, loving and compassionate grandmother, my mom would fight my dad back like a man. She was tough and crazy I was told and my father feared her. They would fight real bad and love just the same. No one ever wanted to get involved with their fights because after all the fighting they’d be most loving to one another and my mother always got pregnant again after a big fight.

It was twenty-one days to the big one, 50, when I began writing this but it is now 10 days to the big 5-0 as I finish it. I don’t know why it is so terrifying to me. I can only think that it is because I was able to achieve all that I could have and wanted to do in my life, except being famous and filthy rich so I could have married Michael  Jackson. This is it, I could die now at any time, God can call me home and I am ready to go, but if I come before my Lord, can I really say that I am worthy to be in His presence? Matthew 7:21 Not everyone that say unto me Lord, Lord, shall into the kingdom of heaven. I believe that I was trying to live according to the will of God, but was I? I am not a greedy person, neither am I selfish. I would give my life for someone who would just love to be in the place where I am and have hours counting down to the end of there lives and could not with bold assurance say, ‘I am ready Lord.” I review my life and turning fifty is not an up hill battle in age, it is a up hill battle in wisdom, knowledge and understanding, “how well learned am I?” I am talking about my spiritual being  not my physical body. I don’t want to think of the physical body because it would only get me down. Even just the thought of knowing it is slowly but surely deteriorating in some form or the other, back to its original form, like a baby, as it was in the beginning so shall it be in the end, fragile state. We cannot go back into our mothers womb and get the substance we need to renew it, so we just wait it out like a ripen fruit until it dies, the physical body, there’s no fighting it. I’ve matured in so many ways and still have a lot to learn and teach. I ask  God to please don’t take me until I could say:the meaning of life is!!!

Half a century old. It’ like being a year old again for the first time. Starting a new level in life, it feels like being graded. How can I have accepted all the changes and still able to continue? I don’t like changes, but in accepting the fact that God is in control, I’ve allowed changes to change me.” But by the grace of God, I’d say, if it hadn’t been for the Lord, I really don’t know how I would’ve made it through.” I’s seen people younger and older than I, die, fallen victim to physical and mental illness, suicide, or being killed., and I am still here. All I can say sometimes is: it could of been me. I believe that God has a reason and a purpose for each and every one of our lives. Some of us even serve that purpose in life as well as death, to bring awareness to certain situation in life, for example sickness and diseases, domestic violence, and drinking driving, suicide, etc. I’ve often asked God what is my purpose? But then realizing that everything about life is purpose and meaningful, whether good or bad and there is no limitations.

I am so thankful even for the many days I have to talk myself to get out of bed and rebuke the pains and sickness of my body. I’ve sometimes had to be calling my body forth like Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, lol. It is literal to say as scriptures declares, ” the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” With every pain and discomfort, it makes me realize, without it I would of taken my health for granted.

I feel as though right now I am becoming who I was really called to be or, for lack of a better word, created to be. I am trying to put it in words that make sense. I feel as though I have journeyed from my mother’s womb to a realization of the sense of being aware, aware of God, life and it’s joy and sorrows, good and evil, even to the sense of my deep-rooted fears and emotions that I must confront. But the most important thing is for me, the interpreter of human nature, is to not allow myself  to be confused in battling ignorance of the bad behavior of mankind, that somehow will effect me to the point of resentment, bitterness and hatred towards them and not to judge. To know who I am, if the question was to be asked. Somehow God has opened my eyes even brighter that I could see clearly, my ears sharper that I could hear and my mind, body and spirit can work together in one accord. I feel like I have more accuracy in dealing with life with profound wisdom, knowledge and understanding. I can’t and shouldn’t look back at anything in my life as a regret or failure. Scriptures declare all things works together for good. (Romans 8:28) And also for me to except the fact that when I was a child I did things as a child and now that I have grown I have to put away childish ways.(1Corinthians13:11) “I AM BLESSED.”

No longer shall I live in regrets of my life, of the things I’ve wished for, that I could have and, should have done or been. I accept who I am, who’s I am and embrace myself in love and respect for who God has created me to be and I honor it. Yes I do despise the evil that some of us do, but I have the  understanding of it. Psalm 51:5 Behold I was shape in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceived me. But Jesus paid the price for me on the cross and now I am free.

I know if I live with bitterness within me. I will see the world as such and I will be filled with rage and I will be fighting everything and everyone, even the good that would come into my life. There will be no discerning in my life to know the truth, just drowning in confusion. But if I live with love within me I would find the peace and love of God which passes all understanding. Philippians4:7

I’ve learned that I am no perfect, don’t get me wrong, I am only human. I am not all that strong. I make mistakes sometimes I’ve cried. But God knows how hard I’ve tried.

I was on a journey that I had to make alone, without family or friends I had to make this alone. I could hear them crying out, ‘who does she think she is, why did she have to go, did we do something wrong?’ The judgement and the bickering started. I was hurting to hear the things that were being said about me especially with the love I have for each and every one of them. I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted, so I kept on moving forward in fasting and praying. I then started to feel hungry, thirsty, weary and faint. So I turned back for the things that I was yearning for, family and friends, only to realize that  where I was going, they couldn’t go. Like when Jesus had said to his disciples in John 13:36 “where I go you can’t follow me now, but later you will.” They all were my stumbling blocks and barriers to my journey, because my heart was in too deep where they were concerned and I had to loosen the bonds.

For the first time in my life, I got a glimpse of what death was all about, when you have to let go of your love ones. People would always want you to be around, but to serve their purpose . My questions were, “why are you sad because I went away? What have you done or what have you been in my life to serve a purpose for me? What would you do if I were yet still here? Why waste your tears, when you didn’t even care when I was present?”  You tore me down when I needed to be lifted up. I began to see the love hate relationship that we were in and instead of it being about you, I had to go on this journey to find out about us.

In Matthew 10:34-37 when Jesus said, ” Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world, but a sword to set sons against fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against mothers-in-law; a man’s worst enemies will be of his own house. He that love father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that love son or daughter is not worthy also.” So we know that friends could never fit in the category of family, and if family is to be put aside for God, then what gives for a friend? When Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this , than a man lay down his life for his friends.” John15:13, we are made aware that if it were our family, it would be expected, because blood is thicker than water but, as demonstrated when it comes to family versus friends or stranger in certain situations, there is an importance of sacrifice for a friend as well.

I was filled with rage and bitterness over this situation. I was praying to God and said, “I am tired of people. I’ve spend my whole life trying to please, to be liked and accepted. I’ve care about what they think and feel about me” when I heard a voice said, “let love, all your love pull them to where you are, just as my love pulled you to where you are right now, surrounded in my love and presence.” Now I know what it feels like to be resurrected. The love of God embraced me and purged me of all negativity. How I knew this is because I can feel the change in me. The rage turned into patience and the bitterness into compassion, that can only come from God.

God loves us unconditionally and even though we do wrong, his intentions is not to destroy us, but to redeem us.

It doesn’t matter, she was a woman. It didn’t mean a thing whether she was Mary, Martha’s sister from Bethany or Mary Magdalene. She could have even been the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of Jesus cloak (Matthew9:20), the woman that Jesus said, “thou art loosed from your infirmity” (Luke 13:12) or even the prostitute that they wanted to stone after being caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11). She could have been the Samaria woman at the well that Jesus asked for water who said he was a Jew that she shouldn’t even be talking for Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:7-9) or the Canaanite woman who’s daughter had a demon and was in terrible condition that came to Jesus for help whom his disciples wanted Jesus to send her away yet Jesus said he came for the lost sheep of Israel and she fell and worshipped him. Jesus asked the woman, “is it right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs?” And she replied even the dogs eat the crumbs which falls from the masters table (Matthew 15:22-27) I would believe that back in those days, all these woman would of been considered a sinners, because these kind of things would only happened to you, if you’ve sinned.

It could’ve been any of the many women in the Bible whom Jesus has touched by delivering them from some real bad situations or just a strange woman who heard about Jesus and all that he was doing and loved and appreciated him for it, or someone who simply needed healing. And just like the woman with the infirmity (Luke 13:12), Jesus saw her and called her to him, she didn’t physically reach out to him, but her heart and mind did. The woman saw or heard about Jesus and she boldly came to him. This woman was accused of adultery, simply because of the change that took place in her after Jesus’ touch. Her boldness, from being ashamed and fearful for her life, to walking into a place where she was not invited and be judged for her action in a time when a woman touching a man who was not your husband was not accepted, to stand accused of adultery, to have her life spared from being stoned; she was not making a sacrifice, she was honouring Jesus with love and adoration for all that he was doing. The Alabaster box, to anoint him, her tears to wash his feet and her hair to wipe his feet.

This woman is the representation of how all of humanity should be like toward God. When Jesus mention in Matthew 26:13″Verily I say unto you, wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.” The action of this woman was important to remember for Jesus’ sake, because only God alone knows what Jesus was feeling and going through emotionally at the time this woman showed up. She was the light that in his darkness, his strength in his weakness to carry him to the cross with her love. “His hour was coming,” he said, “she was preparing him for his burial.” Jesus had touched so many lives with his healing, teachings, feeding and even bringing the dead back to life. This woman is now the one to touch Jesus in his time of need, she was comforting Jesus. We sometimes don’t realize the importance to give back to someone, whether they need it or not, but just the show of appreciation in our actions deeds and words can make a lot to difference in a givers life. We can’t always expect to receive and never give back.

What we fail to realize is that, in the Bible, it sometimes tries to portrait Jesus as being invincible and all powerful. But as powerful and invincible as Jesus is, he does have emotions and, where man is concerned, he is very vulnerable. Being around humans is contaminating, and if animals could talk, they would tell us. There’s something about the flesh that weakens us. Here are some examples of Jesus showing emotion: Matthew 9:36 When Jesus saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Matthew 14:13-20 Jesus was sadden by the death of John the Baptist and wanted some alone time, but the people followed him and when he saw them, he was moved by compassion towards them and healed their sick. It was late and his disciples wanted him to send the people away for them to go get something to eat and Jesus fed the multitude by blessing five loaves and two fishes and giving it to them to eat. Matthew 21:12 Jesus went into the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons. Matthew 26:36-42 Jesus in a place called Gethsemane, where he took three of his disciples with him to watch with him because his soul was exceedingly sorrowful and he went a distance to pray and cry out to his father  and every time he returned his disciples was asleep. He’d ask them why can’t you keep watch with me one hour; watch and pray that they enter no into temptation, the spirit is will but the flesh is weak.

To me, this woman was symbolic for nurturer. Ironically, Eve was blamed for the sin of man by giving Adam the apple to eat, but it was not her fault, it showed her innocence and nurturing nature and the wickedness of the tempter that caused them to sin. Because what this woman has done by coming to Jesus in the midst of ridicule in her boldness was to allow the devil to know that not this time would you let me fall short of the glory of God. To me, this was a restoration and a recovery to women in the kingdom of God, and no longer would women be seen or portrayed as a villain. Eve had prepared Adam (man) for death and now this woman was preparing Jesus (the son of man) for resurrected death.

All of Jesus’ disciples were men that he, Jesus, opened up to about who he really is and what he represents. Like Adam, they had forsaken him (GOD); tried to make excuses and contemplated in their minds what was taking place with the woman in his presence. And Judas, he was like the devil himself envious of the love attention Jesus was given, as the devil was envious of the love and attention God had given to Adam and Eve. Judas was insinuating that Jesus was not worthy of the Alabaster box the poor is more worthy and worthy of cause (Matthew 7-11). Was this the first time that Jesus had ever put himself before man, or was it about a condition of man? When he said, “for you have the poor always with you; but me you have not always.” People can confuse this interpretation, so we have to be careful of our understanding of it. Jesus is saying I am here to love, heal, teach, feed and touch you. When I am gone it wouldn’t be the same, you are going to have to get these things, by faith, not by sight. But I am here now so when you touch me, I can touch you back physically and spiritually, call out to me so you can see I respond to you, love on me while I am still here to receive it with all of your heart and mind so I can take this love and send it back to you.

For everyone that Jesus had touched or touched him, a part of him (virtue) was placed into them. The people back in those days, like this woman, didn’t need to be baptised. Jesus’ touch was their baptism, the renewing of their spirit. Maybe they did get baptised after, who knows, just to walk like Jesus did. It is believed that Mary and Jesus were the new Adam and Eve, but I believe that this woman considered a sinner unlike Mary the virgin, (innocent, undefiled, spotless) is the new Eve of restoration.

I also believe that this woman with the Alabaster box, embodies the term as it was in the beginning so shall it be in the end. Just as the angel had gone to the shepherd in the field to announce to them the birth of Jesus in the city of David, maybe she was sent also to Jesus, no different than Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey and all the people cried out, “Hosana in the highest, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” How else would these people be prepared for the entry of Jesus less it come from God himself? I know these things for some reason because this woman is me. God has revealed his truth unto me and there are some people today that I would bring my Alabaster box and wash their feet with my tears and dry them with my hair. Some haven’t even realized how much they have touched my life as they don’t even know me. Some of these people are Td Jakes and family, Oprah Winfrey, Joyce Meyer, Iyanla Vanzant, Dr. Phil, and Joel Osteen, Dr. Oz just to name a few.

 

 

Love. We take it for granted. Yet should be like a treasure we can all share with one another  and because treasures are so hard to find, we should cherish it forever. Love should not simply be defined as an emotion; emotions can be temporary. 1John 3:18 Let us not love in words or talk, but in deed and in truth. Love making between two should not be confused with loving someone. Making love is not just the unveiling of one’s nakedness to each other and engaging in a sexual act, but rather, it is allowing each other to go into a sacred connection of mind and body for a religious and spiritual purpose. It should be an extension of one’s love for each other in the highest form. That is why sex (intercourse) is not to be done casually, recreationally (booty call) or maliciously among individuals. Love is sacred and a discipline of the mind, body and spirit. I say this because I believe that God created love within us for that purpose and the conflict that we have with love is in our emotions (flesh). The spirit can endure the power of true love, which never dies. We can never embrace love as being energy, a powerful source of our being. Like with God, we cannot touch or see love, there is no tangible evidence other than what is in our mind and that rules our heart. “God is love.” 1John 4:16 We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwell in love dwell in God and God in him.

The concept of Valentine’s Day puts undue pressure on people to be in that four letter word: Love. Most of the young people of today confuse sex for love or being in an relationship. Being single on Valentine’s Day makes you feel so lonely even when you truly aren’t and have friends and family. It takes you back to puberty when you first discovered you are attracted to someone and you’d try your best to get their attention because you see so many of your friends and people your age in relationships and you’re not. You feel like you’re missing out on something or, like you’ve been cheated. The truth is love is like a garden and it need tending in order to grow and anyone who has ever tended a garden knows it takes a lot of sacrifice and perseverance. Some of us see love like what we see in the movies, with the happy endings, but the movies don’t always convey all truth.

The meaning of Valentine’s day according to dictionaries is a day of romance, exchanging of cards, candies, gifts and flowers to a sweetheart. Valentine’s day is celebrated all around the world as a celebration of love and relationship created by companies who saw an opportunity to make money. It is much like Christmas which should be the celebration of Christ birth, but instead it is about businesses making profit. Consequently, some people are spending what they don’t have on gifts to impress or be liked and with an expectation to give and receive. To society, both of these things should exemplify the true meaning of love. But we are wrong about that. We are also wrong when we accept or expect material things for love. 1Corinthians Let all that you do be done in love, so even if you are given something materialistic it should be given with love. Showing love doesn’t have anything to do with material things, material thing are an easy way to try to account for not being physically and emotionally present but it is not the same. Romans 13:8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another.

The biblical meaning of love, 1Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it’s own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.

So let your Valentine’s Day be, not so much about being in a relationship or wanting to be in love, but reflecting on the love you already have and to give it to other like yourself who don’t want to be alone or feels lonely; it doesn’t have to be to your sweetheart. Luke 6:38 Give and it shall be given unto you. God is going to send you someone, the right help mate. Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, “it is not good that the man should be alone.” Remember you’ve got family and friend and for some, even fur babies, who love you as well as the greatest love of all, the love of God, his love is unconditional. “Why search for love when love is within and surrounds you?”

 

 

Genesis 2:18- 19 And the Lord God said; It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam, KJV.

I believe that man’s first help meet or companion, created by God for us, was the animals. Adam was the one that noticed the animals were paired off, but there was no one for him. Translation and interpretation of the text, is what we have to take into consideration to truly comprehend, what I am about to say. Is it possible that God’s intention was to be the companion that man needed, seeing that he was and is able to provide us with all of our needs even today. He provided man with every necessity that he needed in the garden of Eden including himself. He did created us in his image and likeness; God had the angels and he give us the animals.

I recall that it was a beautiful summer’s day when I heard the door bell ringing. “Who is it?” I asked and all I can understand is that someone was in the midst of crying frantically. I didn’t hesitate, I opened the door quickly and there stood my neighbour from across the street, weeping ever so devastatingly; she could hardly speak. ” What is wrong?” I asked and  she replied, “My cat, my eleven year old cat is sick. Could your husband take me to the vet; I have no money for a taxi?” In my ignorance, I paused and thought to myself for a second, “for real, is she really carrying on like this for an animal, I thought someone died.” Hon,” I called out to my husband, “can you take Alice to the vet, something is wrong with her cat?” Scriptures tell us judge not, that ye be not judge. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again, Matthew 7:1-2. That is how I felt about the situation now looking back.

It is not that I didn’t like animals, I lost my first pet at an early age of four and had done my first funeral service for our (my brothers sisters and cousin) one month old puppies, that died from several picks on the head from a hen protecting her chicks. I can remember thinking that the world was coming to an end, but the adults made it seem like it was nothing, just throw them away in the bush we were told, but instead we all held hands in a circle having never experienced death before, but knew God, and so we asked him to watch and protect our pets in heaven for us. That feeling of loss, although it not being addressed as though it was important, the life of an animal gone, made me never wanting another or even getting close to,” it is just an animal, stop the crying!”

I never thought getting married and having children would change my mind. We had dog, cat, fish, ferret and birds. It all made me understand the reason for Noah’s ark and why God didn’t only save the humans, but the animals also in the renewing of the earth. They play an important role in the lives of us human beings, they are our angels and the reflection of how I believe we are to be towards God. I say this because their love is unconditional, you can discipline them and they never hold a grudge or plot  revenge against you, they are not prejudice, they move on instinct not on feelings, they know more about the world and God than we do, they are very intuitive and sensitive to our needs.

It is now nine days since the loss of the second to last of our animals; our one and only Princess Nala our cat. I believe that my actions towards her death was far more worst than I could ever imagine over, (just an animal, as I had spoken of Alice, lol). Nala and all of our animals were like my family; my children. I never thought in a million years I could ever flel such love and be so loved. It is like a part of my heart has been torn out with their passing, as much as it would be the passing of my children, that is how much they meant to me.

The death of Nala, a year after one of the birds (one is still here), hit me the hardest, because now that all my children are grown and on their own doing their own things, I still had a child to take care of, my baby, Nala and Lucky the budgie(bird). Being brought up in a large family with thirteen siblings, I have this problem with being alone, and these animal brought me great comfort. I loved the fact that I could nurture them and they still had an independence about them and the unconditional love that they give, was like a reflection of God’s presence in them specifically for me and my family. Having them, I felt like we were protected from the seen and unseen evil, we were loved unconditionally and when we thought that we were the ones protecting them, actually they were protecting us and watching out for us. Through all my life, I’ve never felt love like what these animal gave not even from humans. I believe that they know God’s secrets and if we could communicate with them they could tell us some things, believe me.

After a while of being around us human I believe that the animal can speak our language and act just like us. Somehow our ways and likeness rubs off on them. Sometimes I use to have to remind my cat that she was a cat and not a human, whenever I took to long to come home after telling her I will be back soon, when I’d reach home open the door there she is sitting at the door speaking in her language like she was telling me off for taking so long to return and it was funny because I could understand her, she would even call my name. My home is three stories high and sometimes I’d  get up from bed and leave her sleeping and go downstairs to meditate and pray and when she’d hear silence in the house and she’d realize I’m not in the shower or the kitchen all you’d hear her saying when she is looking for a human is, “hello, hello,” and I’d have to be yelling, “I am down stairs pussy cat”, and all I would hear is the thumping of her paws coming down the stairs to me. My husband would come home from a hard days work, he wouldn’t let me massage his back because he says it tickles. He would lie down on the bed on his tummy and  she would jump on the bed besides him lick his face give him all the love in the world and crawl up on his back and start to massage his back with her paw, know it is said that cats do that so they could get comfortable to lay down on a position. Nala was declawed, her front paws and she would massage his back for minutes all over and he would say, “hon, it is as if she know exactly where I am hurting to massage, ” and she would be purring as she is working on him. It was just amazing to see. She always took the time to love on anyone who was in need of love, somehow she’d know; if you were happy or sad, sick, having a bad day, you were hurting, worrying about something, you could tell her all your concerns, secrets and just look into her eyes and it made you feel like she’s got your back. I’d call her mama, mimie, pussy cateau, my baby and when she got me angry,” Nala Girl-gee lamb.” My daughter got the cat into selfies and she was a professional at it, she knew when it was time to smile for the camera.

Sometimes I think that our animal stand in the gapes for us. They sacrifice themselves for us. Whatever’s suppose to hit us it hits them instead because they are more aware than us intuitively. Whenever I hear that saying of Jesus, “what greater love a man has that he would lay his life down for a friend.” (John15:13) All of our animals died of human diseases and illnesses, and the only thing that came to my mind especially Nala, with the cancer and rare for a cat to have is, it should of been me. She was so much closer to me than anybody else, because it was me who she saw and slept with twenty-four seven, practically.

There was this one story in the bible about Balaam’s prophet who would have been killed if it was not for his donkey who spoke to him and saved his life in the book of Numbers 22:23-33 Balaam was to go and curse the Israelites for the king of the Moabites and God warned him against it and he went anyway and there stood before him an angel of the Lord that stood before him with his sword drawn in his hand and the donkey saw the angel and moved out of the way of the angel and every time the angel came the donkey would move away even making Balaam crush his foot against a wall and Balaam smote the donkey. The angel of the Lord came after Balaam and the donkey and the donkey fell down under Balaam and his anger was kindled and for the third time he smote the donkey really bad and the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey and he spoke and asked what did he do that he would smite him and Balaam said, “that he the donkey was mocking him and if he had a sword he would of killed him.” The donkey explained to Balaam that never in the years that he has been with him has he ever disobeyed and Balaam agreed, “yes.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way and his sword drawn in his hand . He bowed down his head and fell flat on his face and the angel said unto Balaam, “wherefore has thou smitten the donkey these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee because thy way is perverse before me and the donkey saw me and turned from me these three times unless she had turned from me surely now also I had slain thee and save he alive.

Whenever I think of my (ours, my family) animals, I think of the story of Balaam and his talking donkey. If God would only open up the mouths of our animals, pet, angel and our family, could you just imagine what they would say to us? Some of us wouldn’t even need to see shrink, or be on medications, lol. Pets are truly angels in the form of animals sent to us by God.

Matthew5:3-12 Jesus was on the mountain teaching his disciples. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful for the shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. God knows that I have lived by everyone of these teachings. I didn’t have to try, it came naturally for me. I believe I was born, and created to be walking like Jesus taught, on the mountain.

God has proven to me, time and time again, that He is the true and living God. Matthew26:38, 39 and 42 Jesus says his soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. O my father, if this cup may not pas away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. Jesus you who understand what is like to walk among man. You have witnessed and endured the pain and suffering man is cable of inflicting on one another. The  pain and suffering you endured on the way to Calvary, has it changed your mind on what you’ve once taught about dealing with humanity? Because like you Jesus when you know that the enemies were after you, you broke, and you cried out to your father for help,  I am crying out to you for help now Lord. Fear, pain and anguish have also taken hold of me for following your way. Take this crown of thorns from my head and the many daggers out of my heart. I am not in this battle for myself or to be glorified, but to do your will and serve you. Some also appreciated it, and others also ridiculed and hated me for caring and doing good, that which came naturally for me to do, because of you. When it is said, that the battle is not mines, but yours Lord, only now have I understood. It was you all the time with me, that had enabled me to do the things that I’ve done, like showing compassion, humility, understand, love, forgiveness, healing, teaching, to stand strong and firm in faith and so much more that I could feel without your presence within my life or should I say with the enemy trying to prevent your presence in my life, I am stuck and I become as wild beast(man eater and I mean it literally) raging out of control, I find myself having no patient or understanding for humanity, including my own weaknesses, fighting within and without, over it.

David has written in Psalms 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. ” Why is my morning not coming Lord, why am I feeling forever abandon to the night?” I am praying that you Lord will deliver me, deliver me from the torment of my mind and the constant piercing in my heart over the wickedness and evil of humanity. When the chains of this bondage I feel is finally broken, I know that you are on your way. I am trying my very best to hold on at a very perilous times, for faith in this millennium. “I am my brothers and sisters keeper and a child of God.”

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I’ve been feeling very troubled lately about the going on in the world. I thought I was the only one feeling this way, but I now know that I am not. I am tired of doing the right thing while everybody else doesn’t care. I’ve wanted to make sure I dot the I and cross the T, with no room for error. I have been trying so hard to be perfect in an unperfected world itself, “God help me.” I feel like a change wanting to take place and I am having problems allowing it within and surrounding me. For example, learning to say no, and not feeling bad about it, to stop trying to do God’s job has been a struggle because for some reason I want to save the world. I feel tried though as if this is a fight for my soul. It is said, “be not weary in well doing,” but I am more than weary, I am burnt out, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I get angry at other people telling me how much they are tired of well doing and ask them how have they contributed to helping someone today just for kindness and for the greater glory of God, they can’t answer because in their heart it was about them and what they got out of it. Today in this world 2 Timothy3 The last days there will be difficult times. People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. keep away from such people. (But what are you to do when some of those people are of your own household?) Don’t let them contaminate your spirit, pray. Some of them go into people’s houses and gain control over weak women who are burdened by the guilt of their sins and driven by all kinds of desires, women who are always trying to learn, but who can never come to know the truth. These people are opposed to the truth, people whose mind do not function and who are failures in the faith, but will not get very far, because everyone will see their stupidity.

Everything about these people is not what you’d want to be to get in God’s good grace, but they create balance, because whenever you’re for peace someone wants a war, whenever you try do good, evil presence its self. Learning to let go and let God do his work sometimes is the only way to handle it, and the balance is in wisdom of acknowledging of that, when certain things are out of your control. Luke21:8-17 Jesus said there would be false Messiahs coming don’t follow them, wars and revolution, it would not mean that the end is near, countries will fight each other, kingdoms will attack one another, there will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and plagues everywhere, there will be strange and terrifying things coming from the sky, Christians will be arrested and persecuted, handed over to be tried and put in prison, you will be brought before kings and rulers for his name sake and you will tell the Good News. Don’t worry about how to defend yourself, because you will be given words and wisdom that no enemy will be able to refute or contradict. You will be handed over by your parents, your brothers, your relatives, and your friends, and some of you will be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but not a single hair from your head will be lost. Stand firm, and you will save your self. 2Timothy2:3 Take your part in the suffering, as a loyal soldier of Christ Jesus.

There is nothing hidden anymore; the truth has been revealed, God’s truth not ours and as we stand in judgment before Him, it is better that we didn’t know than we do know. Because God is a reader of heart and mind you can’t lie to him. God went out all the way to provide us with the truth. He has sent signs and miracles, messengers, prophets, and priest. John 8:32 You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. John 1:17 truth came by Jesus. The revealing of God’s truth exploded even into the millennium now we stand as Christians, after almost two thousand years for those who has eyes to see could see and ears to hear is hearing.

God is asking us to stay strong throughout all what is going to take place before Jesus returns. Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who calls me “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, “Lord, Lord!” In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!” Then God would say to them, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!” I would not want to be one that God says, ” get away from me for, I know you not.” If there is something in you that is making you afraid of God’s rejection then you’re not doing what God want you to. Remember God never gives us more than we can handle Matthew11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I feel like I am fight to stay on the right path. It is a battle field to stand in God’s truth when everyone around you isn’t, it is not their priority and there’s always something coming up against you. 2Timothy 3:12-13 Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted; and evil persons and imposters will keep on going from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. If you’re not a person of strong faith in our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ unlike Job are you going to curse God to die. There is so much more distractions, and temptations that the devil uses to get you off course in your faith, like for me it’s been my health, children, family, and friends, and if you don’t have the strength to put up a good fight in faith then evil wins. It is worst now than then, in the days after Jesus’s death. But for some reason I feel like we are given an even better weapon than back in those days and it is faith. We have never seen, but just have to believe. The Holy Ghost, our comforter is truly with some of us. We are in a different kind of warfare, unlike anything before.

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die. “Death of what?” our innocence, of only knowing that which is pure, righteous and good?  The understanding that with God our provider and protector, we would lack for anything. In the Bible man didn’t lack anything until they ate of  the forbidden fruit tree. The devil does exist, he is the hater and divider between man and God.

“Sin, what is it sickness, labour for what you want in life, contraction pain during labour, poverty, anything that can cause pain, fears and suffering, death, could it be considered an out of control action, or is it also evil?” Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:11, 12 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Jesus was the one who stopped Paul on the way to Damascus from going to prosecute his followers and changed him that he too became a follower. Paul I believe got his wisdom, knowledge and understanding from Jesus, to have been able to change, not just his life around but from being a prosecutor of the follower to becoming a follower himself. It took the power of the almighty to witness and touch his soul in a way that he, Paul can now acknowledge that he was fighting or prosecuting Jesus’s followers because of the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. “Who could have revealed that to him, but Jesus?”

So what is it that Paul teaches us when it comes to evil? Evil is not about fighting against a physical body, but a force beyond our control that comes from a place of cruelty and hatred toward our existence in this world. Spiritual wickedness is the mockery of all things God consecrated as spiritual and truth. The devil mimics it to deceive and confuse man, that anything God can do, he the devil can also do. There are people who choose evil over good and consider it a religion, a sort of a belief to practice, to call on the dark and evil forces to give them control in the world along side what is know as the prince of darkness himself the devil. I now understand by what authority he, the devil was given his ruling in this world, other than he stole it when he manipulated Eve to eat the apple.

Jesus took it back when he was crucified and resurrected, I believe, because Paul told us in Ephesians 6:13-18 Just how to defeat the devil. Where for take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, (your loins is the hips and lower abdomen regarded as a part of the body to be clothed or as the region of strength and procreative power. To girt your loins means to get ready to do something difficult or strenuous.) So when we are told to girt our lions with truth, the truth is that God is real and we are worship no other. Having on the breastplate of righteousness ( all that Jesus has revealed unto us as the will of God.) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.(feet shod means wearing lor putting on shoes, and if it is on your feet you automatically know we have to not only wear shoes but walk in it also.) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.(the word faith here is used not for things that we are wanting and hoping for, but refers to our belief in God, as a protection all around us from the fiery darts of the wicked. Jesus is the son of God that overcame the devil and through faith, he is our protector. The fiery darts is a metaphor for the hell fire pointed directly at you, which we cannot see with carnal eyes, but rather with spiritual eyes. I describe it as a strong emotion like hate, and resentment that can pierce right through you. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. (helmet of salvation is to keep in mind all that Jesus has come on the earth to do for us.) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.( prayer and supplication in the spirit means to ask humbly for your request in prayer, focusing only on the things of God not that which is in the world.) Watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, means this is not about you, it’s about all others like you who are fighting the same fight, you all have to be on guard, support one another, despite the difficulties you may have to face be determine, with humility continue in prayer.

When people claim that there’s no such thing as a ghost. What they fail to realize is that Jesus was the first ghost mankind has ever seen. He was crucified, died then resurrected and was walking around the earth for forty days and was seen by his followers. Matthew 27:50-53 Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last. Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart, the graves broke open, and many of God’s people who had died were raised to life. They left the graves, and after Jesus rose from death, they went into the Holy City, where many people saw them.  Here come devil mimicking God, with his own imposter ghosts frightening innocent people and controlling their mind with all kind of fear. Evil which is what I considered to be deception illusion of truth displayed by the devil, to destroy mankind relationship with God.

Why didn’t God just kill the devil I always thought to myself, or was the book of Job God’s way of telling us, that devil existence became part of His plan for humanity when Satan put a challenge to God that he could influence his faithful servant Job to curse him to die, if he does whatever he wants to him except touch his soul, Job1:6-12. Why did God allow Satan such a privilege?  Did God realize this in the Garden of Eden or was it when Cane had slain his brother Abel, because he didn’t kill Cane either? Yet he destroyed all of humanity except eight; Noah and his family. But then the question would be also, why when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, who was before warned not to by God and did eat, why didn’t God kill them and the devil right there and  then and just started over? But then that got m thinking, what if there was no such thing as evil good or bad, because as the scripture says Romans 8:28 all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.