spirituality – sound mind journal

the eyes of your heart: a haiku

angel on horse2 behind a cool glass

flying horse passed by in haste

tree friends waved in silence

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~When he is just riding in a car, minding his own business, things are happening in another realm right before his eyes. The trees bend and wave. The cloud moves into position. A clear sign appears in the clear blue sky, which has been unruffled until the moment. From afar he sees a speck of shape come rushing at a good speed and it becomes clearer and larger as he focuses. Here is a clear picture of the flying horse. On other pictures he sees the rider too with a sword. This appearance takes place just after he has visited a most oppressed place of history. He has prayed when others complain of heaviness and unease. Then the celestial rider comes on a horse and the oppression lifts immediately. An amazing experience. He believes in the power of prayers.

Ephesians 1:18

And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),

traveler’s tales: refeshing arrives

Dawn’s freshness arrives

soothing weary feet

traveler presses on

traveler’s mirror reflects: a perfect pink rose (haiku)

~a perfect haiku~

sometimes I forget

you have come such a long way

to taste imperfect

traveler’s mirror reflects: haiku on ‘marvelous light’

~into marvelous light~ a haiku

a birth from heaven

amazing awesome applause

a song eternal

______________________________

Genesis 1:15

and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

traveler’s mirror reflects: dawn in the city (a haiku)

The watchman said, The

morning cometh, and also the

night: if ye will enquire, en-

quire ye: return, come.

(Isaiah 21:12 King James Version )

traveler’s mirror reflects: tenacious love (a haiku)

~tenacious love haiku~

precarious flower

suspends over weathered zinc

tenacious lover

traveler’s mirror musing: flower of thorns haiku

~flower of thorns haiku~

a strange sign of time

flowers blooming amidst thorns

hopeful faith assured.

_________________________

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; (Isaiah 35:1)

traveler’s mirror musing: porcelain looking flowers haiku

~porcelain looking flowers haiku~

sneak snap of this gem

porcelain looking flower

“yes I’m real, you know.”

traveler’s mirror musing: an ode to a grey city red rose

~ an ode to a grey city red rose ~

after the rain, turning your upright back to face the sky

firmly you reaffirm the gracious Providence in His might

to continue to shine His countenance and sustain with dew and air

every creature created since the beginning

to last until the end

meanwhile you raise your head without the fear

of who will take care of your tomorrow rain or shine

chic, delicate, dignified, exquisite, noble, regal and royal

you continue to grace this grey city by day and by night

mirroring the visionary glimpses of another life another realm another world another glory

traveler’s mirror reflects: three haiku for three October orchids

the purple of rain

quenches gently parched heartstring

woken thanks and praise

each petal speaks hush

listen to the heavenly

sublime divine bliss

declare the beauty

of the Creator of love

in the beginning

traveler’s mirror musing: pink flowers haiku

~pink flower haiku~

fresh blush from dewy

morning, drips honey sweet smile

you have made my day

travelers mirror musing: May orchid haiku

~ May Orchid haiku~

Purple, white orchids

May bloom saved from famine birds

Sun kissed dew hugged bliss

traveler’s mirror muses: a window haiku

——-a window in a mirror———

mirror, bulb and mind

open window to the sky

imprisoned no more

traveler’s mirror muses: a sunset haiku

(the background: the traveler’s mirror muses – how the light plays trick on the ceiling reflection)

———sunset haiku——–

a yearning for sea

water reflecting pure light

yet it’s not sunset.

a traveler’s mirror muses: an ode to the simplest traveler’s stuff

a traveler’s mirror muses today

an ode to the simplest traveler’s stuff:

a cup, a clock, paper and pen, and the Bible of life

that quenches, keeps time, expresses, breathes and lives.

_____________________

“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
and in the days of Jael,
people avoided the main roads,
and travelers stayed on winding pathways. (Judges 5:6)

mirror musing continues: a sweet dinner for two

Mirror
mirror musing continues:

to break the monotony tonight, a sweet dinner for two

one for me, the solitary traveler declares,

and one for you, O, chagrined mirror.

reflection of the jilted mirror: musing on a flower is not a flower

Mirror
The musing of the jilted mirror continues:

I am placed now at where I should not be

amidst the flowers and the bees

I watch the blue sky from the high rise crevice

and brave the fickle onslaught of the off-season menace

of strong winds and storms that I dread to see

but most of all I am offended by this marvel:

a flower which is not a flower

tied by cloth to the trunk as substitute

for the real buds nipped by famine birds from destitute

city where there are nothing real

plastics and rags recycled for meal

which whilst I still faithfully reflect

I yet lament gently to deflect.

________________

Psalm 103:14-16 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
¹⁶For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.^[a]

reflection: musing from a jilted mirror

Dear owner of reflection mine,

this is a musing from a jilted mirror of years gone by.

I have been watching you passing me (sigh)

from a head lush with youthful spring to a head where few combs would dare abide

Yes, through years you have neglected looks or cares.

How often I looked up eagerly to find the unhurried days

perhaps with a casual glance to say Hi

or a smile to cheer me my…

Oft I heard you mutter, o bother…

Of late I noted the anxious moments of truth to potter

as I eavesdropped your lengthy mobile discourse

I heard brands of shampoo or hair strengthener or stuff that might remove lost years of deep remorse.

I gleefully greet frequent visits from you again at this autumn tide

Yet, faithfully I shall reflect the increasing bareness of years gone by.

____________________

“So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (psalm 90:12)

I decided to re-blog the above as it was one of the earliest attempts to writing a poem using a photo in hand after a long time away from poetry. I was traveling and everything was new to me in that quaint little backwater place. I had little chance of taking good photos so one day I decided to experiment by using a mirror. Here is one of the products.
note at 2016 0903.

Spiritual traveler’s notes 15: ‘individual’ (re-posted on 2021-07-09)

I decided to repost a random episode from my 2014 story, as a treat to my readers.

Traveler Ying’s notes: I have been recording my own perspectives, on how an individual asks for divine direction in end days. However, I am reminded today that each individual must ask for himself or herself. Henceforth, the notes will speak for each individual as the Spirit leads.

Yu (the boy who spoke the language of the water creatures) wrote his account here:

I knew I could speak the water creatures’ tongue when I was about seven. Some bad people came and took my parents and they never returned. My aunt took care of me until she died when I was fourteen. She washed clothes for rich people and we went to the river everyday. My closest friend was a fish. One day I talked to it and it talked back. My aunt asked me what the squeaky sound was as she could not understand a word. I told her what the fish was telling me. Daily we conversed about life. The fish told me that all creatures were waiting for the day when they could be redeemed from the curse. It was promised by the Creator God. The fishes and all water creatures knew and waited for thousands of years after the fall of mankind from that of a king to that of a slave. I find it easier to ask for direction from the water creatures. They talked straight. Ma sheltered me in the home after my aunt died. She talked straight too. I know she is somewhere waiting for us to find her and join her. We will meet the real King too. The Word of God said so.

The account of the three boys (Ping, Pong and Pang) who ventured out of the home and were nearly lost:

We are three fiery triplet-brothers. Our names are sounds of explosions. We never knew our parents. Ma found us abandoned at the rubbish mountain. We were around three, malnourished and dying. Ma nursed us back to health and amazingly we grew to such height and weight. We became some of the biggest boys in the home. Our greatest hobby is eating. We went out that day to look for extra food and we got lost. But Wang (Hope) the tallest boy (maybe in our city) found us. He had escaped from the officials who demolished his former ‘home’. So the four of us hid in the day and found our way by night to return to Ma’s home. Ma had taught us how to use ammunition and fire arms. If needed we can over power the armed enemies and capture their weapons. But we are forbidden to kill the innocents. We even have to love our enemies. Sigh.

Wang (Hope), the tallest boy in the city could not spell well but his notes are readable.

I com fom a rick farmly. My parens cold not hande me so day payd the hom to tak car of me when I leek my 10 birday. Why? Becos I cold not kip still and behve like othe kids. I was mov fom hom to hom when the kipers cold not hande me. I met Ma when she cam to take some children when their ‘parens’ no longr sen $. I lik her becos she is patien. She is he only one who can stan my wandern arond even durin a conversan. Her is a sampl of our conversn:

Ma: wha is your nman, tall boy?”

Wnag (Wang misspelt his own name): mi nman is…(I herd sound outsid windw so I ran and lok out fo one min)..um wnag.

Ma: wha dos it meen?

Wnag: it meen (I ran to see what he kichen noise is abut fo one min)..um hop.

Ma: wha do u lik to becom whn u gow up?

Wnag: o, (I ran to bthrm to wsh mi shrt fo two min)…um, mybe he tallst mane in the wold (? I wastn sur)

Ma: thakn u fo answrin me. Wnag. com to mi hom whn u wan to.

wnag: serius? (Ma noddd and sad: serius. thn se soot hadn wih me n we ageed I wil lok fo Ma whn I hav nowher to go.)

_____________________________

Traveler’s notes: The jungle seemed endless. It’s time to ask for direction. No sign of the messenger.

facts:

Joshua 8:3

So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.

__________________________

p/s: here is a corrected version of Wang’s note in proper English (by Ern, the ‘teacher’ Grace)

I come from a rich family. My parents could not handle me so they paid the home to take care of me when I reached my 10th birthday. Why? Because I could not keep still and behave like other kids. I was moved from home to home when the keepers could not handle me. I met Ma when she came to take some children when their ‘parents’ no longer sent money. I like her because she is patient. She is the only one who can stand my wandering around even during a conversation. Here is a sample of our conversation:

Ma: What is your name, tall boy?”

Wnag (Wang misspells his own name): My name is…(I heard sound outside window so I ran and looked out for one minute)..um Wang.

Ma: What does it mean?

Wang: It means (I ran to see what the kitchen noise is about for one minute)..um Hope.

Ma: What do you like to become when you grow up?

Wang: O, (I ran to the bathroom to wash my shirt for two minutes)…um, maybe the tallest man in the world (? I wasn’t sure)

Ma: Thank you for answering me. Wang. Come to my home when you want to.

Wang: serious? (Ma nodded and said: Serious. Then she shook hands with me and we agreed I will look for Ma when I have nowhere to go.)

Spiritual traveler’s notes 14: ‘tongue’ (reposted 2021-07-09)

I decided to repost a further episode from this 2014 series of my story and took this one out at random. Enjoy.

Traveler Ying and 25 teens and children discovered that they were walking downward into the depth of the earth. The gentle slope soon became steep and slippery with the sound of dripping water. They could feel the dampness. Some children slipped and fell and scratched themselves. Some fell into mud puddles. The older children had to carry the little ones and their pace became slow. There were twelve boys and thirteen girls. Each regiment had a balanced mix of older and younger children so each was able to take care of its own.

The underground tunnel seemed to lead to a river as they could hear the sound of flowing water, which became louder and louder as they approached it. At last they stood next to a dark green river. They could not cross it. The water was dark and appeared formidable.

A boy from Xin’s team came forward, knelt by the river bank and started talking in a tongue which sounded like squeaking hinges. He seemed to be talking to the water. It was an unknown language as he was actually speaking clearly and in order, sound by sound.

Lo and behold, the dark green water parted like drawn curtains and revealed crystal clear water below! The dark green veil was only a layer of water plants which camouflaged the river water and life below. Fishes swam toward them and a huge fish which looked like a piece of floating wood if it stayed still, came to the bank where the boy knelt. The fish opened its mouth and spoke in the same unknown language. A fish language. The boy asked and it answered. They were in a conversation.

The boy who was aptly named Yu (fish) explained to Ying and the others, “Our host, Yu Wang (fish king) said he is pleased that he has met a human who can talk to him in his language. Their kind had been waiting for this day. Indeed they expect the day of redemption coming soon! And he could give us the information we need as he can send out his command and his subjects will report instant up to the minute news by water techno communication.”

“Wow!” All the land children exclaimed at this unheard of communication.

Traveler Ying requested the boy to tell Yu Wang their need to get out of the city that night and meet with the messenger sent by their king to help them. Yu Wang listened with a serious frown on his forehead. Then he said, “Yes, it sounds urgent. I will help you cross this river tonight. My subjects will also find out the right route for you to take once you are on land.”

It was an amazing sight. At the command of Yu Wang, swarms of drift wood-like fishes from all over the river gathered side by side, and in layers one on top another for numerous layers, and soon formed a solid underwater fish bridge. “Ready? Cross now!” Yu Wang declared. Boy Yu interpreted and Ying took the lead and the crossing started. From the oldest to the youngest, everyone crossed over without mishap. One elderly adult and 25 young ones.

Once on land, indeed Yu Wang was waiting at the arrival river bank. He told them the route to take was the middle one. “It may look narrow and difficult, but it is the real way. The others are fakes. Good bye and boy, I really enjoy talking to you.” He dived and instantly the dark green water canopy closed up.

There was an opening and they had to climb the rocky walls upward to reach it. The older children tied the little ones to their backs as they climbed. Ying thanked God he had trained and stayed fit as the youngsters were swift and tireless. They had been well trained. They reached the opening and found that they were in a jungle outside the city. There were three paths. They prayed and had peace to take the middle one just as their fish friend had advised.

The children walked in fives. The oldest looking out for the youngest in each regiment. They liked to be called regiments. Traveler Ying realized by now they were actually well trained ‘soldiers’. The middle path was winding and seemed least traveled, overgrown with stubborn creepers with thistles and thorns. Ying led the four boys (Wang the new boy, and the three adventurous ‘trail-blazers’: Ping, Pong, Pang who went away and returned) and one huge girl (August) regiment swung their knives and cut a path through the obstacles. The stars were out and the children walked under their dim lights through the dark jungle.

No one asked “how long shall we walk?” or “how soon can we get out of here?” despite the hurting wounds from scratches, itchiness from mosquitos’ bites, the eerie and threatening sounds made by the night creatures, the mud caked on their clothes, and the hunger and thirst some already felt. They were trained not to take the food ration until the set time. This was the time of urgency and they could not pause and rest. They had to escape under the cover of the night.

However, everyone (including traveler Ying) asked in his heart, “Where is the messenger?”

Facts: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” (Psalm 40:1-2)

spiritual traveler’s notes (2) : ‘Power’ variable for decision

Here the spiritual traveler pauses.

The road ends. The last street light is dimming. But he can see the distant horizon, pale but clear, like a line of water shimmering in the near dawn light.

When there is no road it is an obstacle. He can wait at this spot and wait till the day arrives brightly. But by then he would have missed the boat that waits at the harbor.

Yet there is no visible road. Just water or something that glimmers like water.

Shall he take the plunge? Uncharted water?

This is not the harbor, he knows in his spirit.

There is no one except this traveler on this end of the road. The rest have chosen a wide and easy way. Broad gate and wide road. But this traveler knows it spells death at the end of that other road.

He decides to take the plunge. So he walks one step at a time, step by step toward the water.

Indeed it is water. Clear water. Pure like crystal. No water bird. No peddle sound. Nothing except water.

He walks and feels the water with his bare feet. Then the water reaches his ankle. Then the water reaches his knee. Then the water reaches his waist. Then the water reaches his chest. Then the water reaches his neck.

Then he starts swimming. It is effortless. The swim.

He hears a voice, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit way. The narrow gate way.

fact: Romans 8:13-15King James Version (KJV)

¹³For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Ezekiel 47:3-12

English Standard Version (ESV)

3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”…

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other…when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live… 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

My real life (10): Beware of the mind’s languages

In the previous post, the mindman realizes that there are many old variables in his mind that merely need cleaning up. But what to clean and how to clean them? This are the issues he is addressing here.

When he looks into his mind, he finds that the only substance is made up of words -mainly words in languages that he has acquired many years ago as a toddler. Amazing. The languages he learned as a toddler have remained after all these years. He is an adult now of course. Many languages have been added over the years. He learned them from family, schools, work places, churches, social groups, the streets, the markets, and the various forms (including multimedia) of reading, watching and listening materials and people too. They did not necessarily give him new languages or new words, but they persuaded his mind to accept values and interpretations, repeatedly until he thought the attachments to those languages or words were part of his belief or him.

Languages alone do not mean a thing. They are neither beneficial nor harmful. The meanings or intents rather, behind the languages are the stuff that give value (merit) or devalue (demerit) to a language.

Yes, just check the language you have in mind and you will agree. Your intent is the driving force behind the language.

When you have an evil intent, your language becomes evil. You may speak the same sentence of the same words, but you may mean two opposite outcomes when you say them at different times to different audiences. You can speak one sentence with faith (that it will happen). You can also say the same sentence with doubt (not believing that what you say will happen). You became what you thought!

This is very common in prayers. You pray but you receive what you know you actually is saying in your heart (your mind). Jesus reads thoughts (mind). God watches the heart (the mind). The Holy Spirit searches the hearts.

The serious questions are: What shall we do with such double-mindedness? What can we do to get rid of bad values or intents attached to the languages in our minds?

The mindman has found his answers in the words of God.

Be single-minded. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways and he will not receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:5-8) Why is one double-minded? Because one lacks heavenly wisdom. The Bible said that we can ask God in faith. (James 1:6) The key is to ask God and ask in faith.
Put off the old man with the bad values in his mind. Put on the new man with the good values in his mind. This is easy said than done, someone may say. How can it be carried out?

Here are the practical steps according to the words of God: Ephesians 4 (read whole chapter)

Summary of Practice: Walk worthy of the calling with you were called. Ephesians 4:1b There are three steps involved:

“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,” (22)

you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles (unbelieving) walk, in the futility of their mind, (understanding darkened, alienated from God’s life, ignorance and blindness in their mind, past feeling, given to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness) (17-19)

“and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” (23)

“and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (24)

The things to put away: lying, sin in anger, steal, corrupt words proceeding from your mouth – bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking. All these grieve the Holy Spirit. (4:25-31)

More things to put off (chapter 5): fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness. Filthiness, foolish talking, coarse jesting.

How? You have not so learned Christ! 4:20)

Read chapter five of Ephesians:

The things to put on: be imitators of God as dear children – kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, walk in love as Christ also has loved us…now you are light in the Lord, walk as children of light. Manifest fruit of the Spirit (goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. Walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time…understand what the will of the Lord is…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally, what does all this mean and how can it be achieved? “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might…for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood…therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The battle in the mind rages whether we like it or not. By grace and truth which already came through Jesus Christ, God has given every believer faith, His words and the Holy Spirit. These are more than sufficient in the spiritual realm for our mind renewal. The Holy Spirit enables us to walk according to the will of God. Just as Jesus had promised to all who want to follow Him, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

For the mindman, thus, it is just a matter of learning and un-learning. Learning Christ means we need to read the Bible. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit. Un-learning evil thoughts means we substitute them with thoughts of Christ. He has found that God has indeed given the resources in the spiritual realm, and all we do is just believe and appropriate them in our daily walk with Christ.

How long is this renewing process? Well, for the mindman it is a life time walk.

The apostle Paul has very encouraging words for all who are in the same process:

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Philippians 4:12)

My real life (9): the mind is not a store for old variables

In the previous post I talked about the mind not being a fix condition. You can come out of any condition if you know the truth about it.

Then I mentioned my personal experience, that is, I have departed from the conditions set in my life. Not that they no longer exist. The change is that I do not allow my mind be bound to them, mainly a lot of ‘must-haves’. I also stated that I have lived well without the conditions. The obsessed mind is not me or anyone when the mind is bound to a ‘must-have’.

Why such a drastic action? The action is not really drastic in the physical sense. I continue to enjoy using some of the amenities and daily necessities. The reason is drastic in the spiritual and soul realm. The mind is set free. You no longer are held in bondage by stuff. You can live on even a minimum of physical stuff if need be,

When the missionary goes to a relatively undeveloped place he cannot afford any modern amenities or they just do not exist. What does he do? He makes do with whatever he has. Life is well and comfortable when he is led by the Spirit of God. Of course I am not referring to those who continue to be bound by the physical elements of this modern world.

Having been engaged in an international corporate world for the major part of his working life, the mindman had been conditioned to live in modern cities, sleep and eat in international hotels, travel by air, work in air-conditioned offices, frequent company’s corporate doctors, associate (even socialize) with corporate clients, suppliers and competitors and so on. He reached a point when he could not differentiate what was mere conditioning and what was real in his life.

However, when he encountered the truth of spiritual reality he marveled how little he valued those amenities. They had left no permanent marks. He could pack an overnight bag at any time and walked away.

How do you apply this wonderful freedom? Well, for a start, appreciate the local food and living environment. Of course you need to train and unwind all your mind’s habits. One good way of ridding old habits is to learn and practice new ones -build a foundation of your new way of life, fit to accommodate new variables in life.

For example, start sleeping and even working in non-airconditioned rooms. Where weather permits go outdoor and adapt to the outdoor air when working or resting. Be a traveler. Like a perpetual travel. That means you are not bound to any form of transport, any language groups, any food, any drink, any bed, any room, any sofa, any washroom/toilet, any TV program, any cafe, any bar, any smell, any taste…etc. O, yes, you need to be exposed to insects and their bites at times. Be prepared in your mind. Be used to sticky heat too, in humid weather that makes you sweat and feel sticky a lot. Be really prepared (through practical weaning) for internet-lessness and mobile-phone-lessness and the effect thereof…

There were many new things for Abraham, the Father of faith, to learn as he walked on according to God’s direction. The mind is a battlefield and he won the battle from the very moment he listened and obeyed the Spirit of the Lord. For the mindman this same key applies. Really, when he thinks about life serioiusly he realizes that there are many old variables in his mind that merely need cleaning up.

Apostle Paul gave very good advice on this subject of adaptation of your mind:

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content; I know how to be abased, and I know how to be abound….I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13). “Now godliness and contentment is great gain…and having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

Jesus Himself declared this state of divine freedom: “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20b)

Psychology vs. Christianity

A personal note: As my second ‘career’ (voluntary and not paid), I studied wellness promotion and community health administration including Health Psychology in my post graduate academic pursuit. One interesting aspect was the focus on health behavior modification. The tools I acquired were practical in the physical realm and of some use in helping a person to at least focus on and exercise self control over dysfunctional behavior. I ‘practiced’ the tools as a voluntary ‘worker’ and worked with a medical professional. However, we soon found that the main roots of the ‘problems’ were deep within the persons and the rooting out of such deep set stuff needs supernatural means! True enough we use the words of God to help the persons go back to normal functioning for awhile. But in the cases we encountered often they reverted to their old way once they went back to traditional churches which have not yet encountered the power of the Holy Spirit. Even in Charismatic churches when worldly systems are being relied upon and taught, the persons had not been taught or motivated to read the words of God consistently in big chunks, and soon relapsed to old ways.

Healing is really not a physical or mental/emotional matter. It is spiritually rooted and needs spiritual means. The power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God are the only two sustainable means to transform a person and give him or her a new life (and life more abundant)!

________________________________Psychology vs. Christianity
By Andrew Wommack

Psychology has its roots in ancient philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. None of these men were worshipers of the true and living God. At best, they believed in a god that was not involved in the affairs of men, and at worse they worshiped multiple pagan gods.Modern psychology was brought to the forefront by Sigmund Freud in the late nineteenth century. Freud certainly wasn’t a godly man. He was obsessed with sex and linked every problem of man to the sexual drive. This man had serious problems, even his most devoted followers admitted that.Here is the point: If the root is bad, then the tree has to be bad. Jesus said this very plainly in Matthew 7:17-18:“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”The root of psychology is bad, and therefore, the fruit cannot be good. I’m amazed at the acceptance of psychology in our society and especially in the church. Many churches and ministries have resident psychiatrists on staff. This isn’t the approach Jesus took. He met the needs, all the needs of the people through the power of the Holy Spirit, and I believe He intends His church to do the same. They don’t have to depart and go to the world to get their emotional needs met. They should bring them to Jesus (Matt. 14:16-18).I know many Christians are appalled at these statements. Aren’t there Christian psychologists? Certainly there are. I have some friends who are very successful psychologists. But they will be the first to admit that psychology and Christianity do not offer the same answers to our problems. They use their position to bring the truths of the Gospel to people who would never come to the church for help. If the people will receive the truths of God’s Word, they don’t need any other help. If they won’t receive the Gospel, then in some cases, psychology is better than what they have.Christianity and psychology have some things in common: They both state that our actions are the product of inner processes. But in describing what those processes are and how to change them, Christianity and psychology take the opposite approach. For one thing, the very word “psychology” reveals an anti-god approach.The word “psychology” comes from the Greek word “psycho”, which is a derivative of the Greek word “psyche” meaning “soul.” Psychology looks no deeper than the soul of man for answers. It totally ignores the spirit realm: our spirits, God’s Holy Spirit, and demonic spirits. The Word of God is replete with teachings and examples of the influence of God, demons, and our spirits on our actions. Any “answer” that doesn’t take the spirit realm into account isn’t going to the root of the problem. The Greek word “psyche” was also the name of the Greek god of the soul. “eros” and “psyche” were lovers in Greek mythology. Who wants that?Here are four major tenants of psychology that I believe are incompatible with biblical Christianity:1) We are products of our environment.2) Therefore, we are not responsible or accountable for our actions.3) This leads to placing blame for our actions on anything else but on us, making us victims.4) Self-esteem is paramount.Let’s look at these areas in the light of Scripture.First, environment is not the determining factor in who we are and what we do. Proverbs 23:7 says,“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”The Word of God shows us that OUR thoughts are what make us the way we are. Environment has some influence on your thoughts, but it is totally wrong to say you’re the way you are because of what has happened to you. If that were true, then everyone who has been through the same negative experiences would have the same problems. That’s not so. You can find siblings with the same genetic make-up and environment who respond totally different to the same situation. We always have the choice of becoming bitter or better. God gave us that choice. Deuteronomy 30:19 says,“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”God said the choice is ours, and what a simple one: life or death. A “no-brainer.” But just in case anyone isn’t sure which to choose, the Lord gave the answer to this quiz. “Choose life,” He said.We are not doomed to be victims because of past experiences. We can be born again and become brand-new people through the power of Christ. Psychology doesn’t offer that.Second, since our conditions are a product of how we chose to react to our environment, we can’t blame others for our problems. Taking responsibility for our actions is the big difference between true Christianity and psychology. Psychology has influenced our society to such a degree that no one is held accountable for their actions. Even murderers are being acquitted because it’s “not their fault”; they were abused as children or whatever. That’s stupid. Some of us have had problems that others haven’t, but God still holds us accountable for our own actions, regardless of what has happened to us.The night before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled but to be of good cheer (John 14:1 and 16:33). Those who hold to the belief that our environment is the determining factor in our emotions and actions would criticize Jesus for telling His disciples to do something they were incapable of doing. But they had a choice. The Lord told us to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4). We can choose to go against the pressures of our environment. In John 16:33, Jesus told His disciples,“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”In this passage, Jesus told His disciples that they would have tribulation. What an understatement! They would see Jesus crucified in just a matter of hours. Their hopes would be dashed. Sadness and confusion would overwhelm them. Fear would cause them to live behind locked doors for the next three days. Yet, Jesus told them to be of good cheer. That wasn’t unreasonable; it was doable. And we can do it too if we don’t listen to the psychobabble of today.There is much, much more to Harnessing Your Emotions. I simply ran out of room to share it all in this article. I drew some illustrations of these truths and made an outline of some of the major differences between Christianity and psychology. I firmly believe that psychology undermines true Christianity, and these differences need to be pointed out. Psychology has crept into nearly every aspect of our lives, and most of us don’t know it.Harnessing Your Emotions
We all have emotions, but do they rule us or do we rule them? Psychologists and Christians alike agree that actions are the result of inner thoughts and feelings, emotions. But that is where the agreement ends. The Word says that sin is conceived in our emotions. If that is true, then the Word must also give us a way to harness our emotions. Andrew’s teaching will present you with a new perspective on emotions.

http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1005

My Real Life (8): my mind is not a bundle of pre-conditioning!

Today the spiritual mindman deals with the ‘scientific’ way of the natural formation of the mind. Good news and bad news for a nonspiritual mindman.

Good news: you will know how your mind has been formed or is being formed.

Bad news: you will not be able to dematerialize such conditions unless you transform your mind.

First, we define what it means by being scientific (for the nonspiritual realm). Scientific is not a monster or a mystery. It is just a way to explain stuff.

Form a ‘statement’ about something of your concern. Like, (1) this human is obese; and (2) obesity is bad for human. Define your first statement. What do you mean by being obese? Use generally and commonly acceptable standards: predominantly medical in this age. So you use term of measurement like BMI. BMI above … is considered overweight. BMI above … is obese! Gather all relevant information to justify your statement. Measure that particular human and ascertain his or her BMI. Define your second statement: (a) What do you mean by being bad? Use same concept as above. Define your second statement: (b) What do you mean by ‘obesity being bad’? Do as above… until you justify the statement.

Good news for the spiritual human beings: you are free from the above. So don’t bother to carry the above steps in this article.

How does the mind form itself?

By conditioning. This word is both art and science. The rulers (in spirits) of this age use mind conditioning as its method of influence, controlling practically every field of human living: science (medical) and art (including psychology) philosophies use it to explain and operate things (including how people should live their lives from birth to death); the commercial world is expert in using it to influence the whole world to buy and sell products and services and lifestyle and values ; the territorial physical rulers (political and power system) in the nations use it to subdue and ensure loyalty and obedience for their own indefinite reign; the education system uses it to ensure its own survival from generation to generation; the religious and cultural system uses it to enforce perpetuity of the common belief and practice of a group of people… the usage list is practically inexhaustible.

If you read the descriptions of official documents, articles and reports written and formulated with careful (not wanting to be accused of being bias or personal) wordings, you will note that the word ‘condition’ is frequently used to substitute a lot of ‘unmentionable’ but ‘real’ (physical) words.

Minds are formed by conditions. Conditioning by the above varieties of influences start the moment one is born into this world. You may think it is you. It is not. You are not a bundle of conditioning! Conditioning of the mind is like making a cake: put in the specified ingredients, mix them, bake them for a specified time. You have your cake. Did the cake make itself? No. Someone else decides what a cake should consist of, and how it should be conditioned.

Did your mind make itself? No. Someone else did it for you.

A really mind boggling and frightening thought that one’s mind is controlled (often manipulated) by another mind(s)! The mindman shuddered to think that the more one reads or watches or is exposed to the products (‘wisdom/philosophies’ of this age) of others’ minds the more his mind will be subject to conditioning by others, including the dead. The godless. The damned. The perished. Many Christians are not aware of this fact. This is what God meant by His chosen people (who should be led by the Holy Spirit) committing adultery when the Israel mingled, followed and adopted the ways of the pagans (controlled by other spirits).

Can you come out of the pre-conditioning? Yes. You can. By the Spirit of God. Yes, be conditioned by the Spirit of God.

Has the mindman applied this? Yes. For example, through living by the Spirit, he has been set free from a lot of ‘must-haves’: air-conditioning; water heater; regular three or five meals a day; special fixed diets; regular fixed hours of sleep; vitamin and nutrition; fixed daily physical exercises; medicine; insurance; using of motor transport; entertainment; regular ( to him, it means excessive) multimedia communication (books, magazines, journals, newspapers, TV, radio, YouTube, telephone, reading any form of written stuff, even operating manuals, any forms of mind influences and manipulations from the conditioning systems as described above.

One may ask, how does the mindman live on then without the above ‘amenities’ or ‘necessities’ ? Of course he lives comfortably and well. The difference of a free mindman and a bound mindman is that the free one is no longer bound by ‘must haves’ or he does not make self-condemning statements like ‘if I don’t have them I will die!” The obsessed mind is not you.

This question is for non-spiritual Christians especially, “How will you survive when the Revelation prophecy comes to pass?”

Bible verses ________________

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew,..the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit…that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

These things we also speak…which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man does not believe the things of the Spirit of God.

But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself if rightly judged by no one.

But we have the mind of Christ.

(Quoted from: 1 Corinthians Chapter Two. Please read the whole chapter.)

My Real Life: Today the Spirit man hears, and speaks

Today the Spirit man speaks, as he hears.

“In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.” Isaiah 27

What does he do when he hears the voice? He writes. This is how stories and journals are born. Often he writes without fore-thoughts. They are words spoken, sounds that came to him spontaneously.

They are picture words. A picture comes to his spirit and he can see it clearly like a vision. The picture is real. It exists. Can he not do anything? He can choose to ignore such words, sounds, or pictures. But he likes them. He believes they mean something to someone somewhere.

He is a recorder. He records what he hears, sees, and believes.

Often one or two, sometimes more, travel pass, and sight his writings. The words and pictures draw them. They linger. Some visit again. Some decide to keep track.

Yesterday he discovered that seven readers from Namibia and seven from Nigeria came to one of his blog sites. Two from Namibia stayed and subscribed to follow his blog.

He had had readers from other parts of Africa, the more heard of cities. But this was the first time from Namibia. A real pleasant surprise! He felt the same elation one day when he saw a ‘huge’ (a few hundreds) group of south Koreans came to visit his blog too! They came to read all about Yom Kippur!

He had had visitors, viewers rather, from different nations, many are names to him. He has never known the existence of them. But the national flags come on, representing the existence of a special people, with its own words and sounds.

It humbles him to know how people of different sounds exist and survive. They all share one mode of communication, that is, using sound. Sounds are made into words, each of which denotes a meaning to a group of people. That group can then share with one another their individual thoughts, intents, wants and needs.

Lately he started singing Spirit songs. One night he was working on his new mobile phone testing its recording function. He felt in his spirit to sing so he sang sounds and words he could not understand. The next day he looked up the meanings of those sounds and found that a sentence consisted of words each with a meaning from five different nations! Together they formed one complete sentence asking him to download the lyrics of a very old hymn and post in his blog about a group of 26 Christians including 3 young boys, who were forced to march 600 miles (966 kilometers) from Kyoto to Nagasaki where they were martyred; all the while singing the Te Deum. He did publish that post the night before (on the anniversary date of the original martyrdom date, even though he did not know the meaning of what he sang) as his spirit had received the message.

Why are sounds given to man so he can hear and act? What is the purpose of narrating the above episode? The voice of certain origins cannot be silenced. They are crying out for remembrance. For whom? I believe there is a specific audience each specific voice calls. When they cannot hear, someone hears for them and get those voices published. The target audience will be led to the published voices and then hear, as they see (read the words and see the pictures in the words).

Beware of a humanistic view of things

The Believer’s Authority
By Andrew Wommack

Is there someone in your life who just rubs you the wrong way? If there is, it may surprise you to learn that it’s not really that person who is creating the rub. There is someone else at work—your real Enemy—and he may be using them in an attempt to gain an inroad to your life. There is a spiritual war going on, and as a believer, you must be aware of it.

Many Christians have adopted a humanistic view of things. They do not realize the spiritual implication behind what is going on in their lives. What I mean by humanistic is that they only look at things on a surface level. They think most everything they encounter on a daily basis is either physical or natural.

The truth is, there is a battle raging every single day in the spiritual realm. That battle is for your heart and the hearts of every other person on earth. God is trying to influence people and draw them toward righteousness and toward Himself, to live consistent with Him so that His blessings can manifest in their lives.

Satan, on the other hand, is waging all-out war trying to steal the hearts of people away from God. He wants to fill their hearts with his trash and corruption. And honestly, although most Christians recognize this to a degree, I don’t think they realize how intense the warfare really is and how much their actions are contributing to it.

If I could sit and talk with each of you reading this, I would find that many of you aren’t aware of the spiritual significance behind what’s going on in your lives. You attribute much of what is happening to circumstances and therefore passively accept what comes your way. When you do that, you’re ignoring the intense battle that is being waged for your heart every single day.

The choices you make, the things you say, the actions you take, and what you believe about what is happening around you determines whether God or Satan dominates in your life. Satan cannot control you outside of your will. He cannot do anything without your cooperation and consent. But you need to recognize that you’re in a battle.

Many people choose not to believe that, but whether they do or not, the fact is that it’s taking place. Your unwillingness to engage in battle doesn’t mean that the battle isn’t raging; it just means you’re going to lose. But once you realize the battle is real, you can then learn to recognize what’s going on and take the proper action to improve your situation. You can resist the devil.

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Ephesians 6:10-12 reads,

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye 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.

This is referring to demonic powers. There’s a chain of command, an authority structure in the demonic realm, and this is listing these different levels. But notice that it says you are not wrestling against flesh and blood. Much that goes on in your life is not just human.

I’m not going to get into this thing about, “Are people possessed, oppressed, or depressed?” I believe it’s useless to debate that. In the Greek, where the Bible says a person was demon possessed, the word literally means “demonized.” It just means they were under the control of the devil. Christianity has tried to make something out of possessed, oppressed, or depressed. But it’s not in Scripture.

The fact is that people are being influenced and controlled and used by the devil—they really are. This needs to be said because there are a lot of people who honestly believe that all the demons are in Africa.

It’s not the person sitting next to you at work, it’s not your neighbor, and it’s certainly not your husband or your wife that’s the problem. Anyone who is not paying attention can be influenced and inspired and used of Satan to come against you. If you were to recognize that, it would make a huge difference in the way you respond to them.

For instance, I get a lot of hate mail. There was a time when I took what was said personally. But I’ve come to realize that Satan uses these in an attempt to get my attention off of what God has told me to do. Now I look beyond the person, recognizing that Satan is just using them. That allows me to keep it in the right perspective.

I’ve had good friends come against me and do some pretty mean things. And you know what? I was able to look right past what they did and forgive them. I could see that Satan was taking advantage of them to hurt me through some weak area in their lives. When you finally see that, you don’t get angry or bitter with the person, and you are able to walk in forgiveness. Then, when they do turn around, the relationship can be reestablished.

There are also times when you have to engage the Enemy directly, even if the Enemy is using a friend. That’s exactly what Jesus did when He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan.” That was the same day Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, “You are the CHRIST, the Son of the living God.”

In Matthew 16:15-17, it says,

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

After this, Jesus began to talk about what was going to happen to Him: “They’re going to take Me, they’re going to kill Me, and I will rise again on the third day.” And this same Peter, who had been inspired and controlled by the Holy Spirit just moments before, began to rebuke Jesus, saying, “Be it far from You, Lord. This will never happen to You. I’m going to stand here, and the rest of us will defend You. But we are not going to allow this to happen to You.”

Then Jesus turned and spoke these words to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan.” I’m sure Peter was shocked, but Jesus wasn’t really talking to him;He was talking about Satan to Satan, the one who was controlling Peter. Peter’s words were not coming from God; they were inconsistent with the will of God. Peter was being inspired and controlled by the devil in the things he said.

Now, that’s a pretty strong statement, and a lot of people honestly think this is a little over the top. They think they don’t need to respond to people this way. But I can guarantee you that there are times when Satan is speaking directly to you through people. He is using people to get at you. Whether you recognize it or not, this goes on much more than you know. You are in a spiritual war.

I tell you there is a supernatural war waging today for your heart and mind. In fact, for some of you right now, the devil is trying to oppose the words you are reading in this letter. He wants to discredit them and cause you to ignore or reject them. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is bearing witness in your heart and trying to get you to open up and receive these words. It’s spiritual warfare.

To win in this war, you must know who you are and the authority you have as a believer. To help, I have a teaching series called The Believer’s Authority. Don’t go another day without understanding how to defeat the real Enemy. You have the power and authority to do it, and now it’s time to use it.

http://www.awmi.net/store/usa/dvd_albums/1045_d

Week 1 – We’re In A Spiritual War
Week 2 – Who Made Satan?
Week 3 – Who Made Satan? / With Authority Comes Responsibility – Part 1
Week 4 – With Authority Comes Responsibility – Part 2 / Law Enforcement
Week 5 – Law Enforcement / The War is in Your Mind

My real life: beware of the mind’s secret agenda!

mind’s secret agenda It is obvious that every mind has his own agenda. This makes a Bible ‘teacher”s teaching life challenging. Although we all agree that we should be led by the Holy Spirit, who is our real teacher, when it comes to interpreting the Bible, every mind comes forth with its own agenda. Does this mean the interpretation becomes distorted and not aligned with the original God’s words? Often it does distort the intent of the words of God.
We need to be alert against spiritual influences from the enemy’s spirits. For example, a brother in Christ has encountered depressive thoughts because of his sudden Spirit-filled changes which his not-yet-Spirit-filled wife could not accept. Nor can his own not-yet-Spirit-filled church accept him and support him in terms of his renewed discipleship life. For about seven months he alone went through his new life in Christ filled with enthusiasm and zeal for God’s words and God’s kingdom.
The depressive thoughts hit too. The more he is on fire for Jesus, the more the ‘enemies’ pour cold water on him. As he read through the whole Bible, he found identification with the suffering Christ and all verses about suffering. When his church invited speakers he listened to and was touched by testimonies of intense sufferings often from totalitarian regimes (political persecutions), and severe illnesses.

His predisposed mind’s agenda of identification with suffering has preconditioned him to see justification in his personal suffering, and that it glorifies God, justifying his weak position adopted in his family, as changing from it to that of the head of the family is more difficult and he is not prepared for the battle.
How should we view this biased interpretation of the Bible? Do all sufferings identify with the sufferings of Christ? The answer is in the Bible. Since it involves Christ’s suffering, the only right way is to see what Christ’s suffering means in actual Bible verses (not in emotion or feeling or even what we think).
Here are some basic Biblical principles and applications:

The Bible has to be read as a whole (not once but many times and on ongoing basis).
The Bible verses must be read in chunks (whole book, whole chapter, chapters before and after, and all related Bible books and verses in other books of the Bible).
The clear focus is on the Almighty God the Father who is also the Creator, not man. On Jesus who is the Christ, the Son of God, not any other name. On the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ (God). On the redemption plan of God.
God is Spirit. We read to understand on His spiritual terms, not on the terms of our human senses (physiological/mental/emotional).
The Holy Spirit is the only way to understanding God’s words.
The Bible does not give allowance or cover up personal weaknesses that contradict the stated commands of God.
Jesus Christ has given more than sufficient resources in the supernatural realm to each believer to live the full victorious life in total obedience to all the commands written in the Bible. Compliance to one command does not contradict another command. No command nullifies all that Jesus has accomplished on the cross and given to every believer in Christ in the heavenly places.
Power and authority are required to live the superabundant life Jesus has required of His disciples and Jesus has already given them to all who believe.
Jesus Himself only did what He saw the Father did and spoke accordingly. The sufferings he bore were two-fold in the following Bible verses:

A. OVERCOMING SIN: “For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ).” 2 Corinthians 5:21
How did he do it? “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross.” Philippians 2:8
B. OVERCOMING DISEASES: “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness- by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:24-25
JESUS HAD OFFERED HIMSELF ONCE FOR ALL IN HIS SUFFERING, AS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE. HE HAD FULFILLED THE HOLY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIREMENT OF GOD, AS REVEALED IN THE BOOKS OF LAW OF MOSES AND THE PROPHETS.
“Then He (Jesus) said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’” “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:9a-10.

Reading on from Hebrews 10:12-24, we can know that according to the will of God, Jesus had opened our way to God by His blood (the blood of the covenant) and His flesh (body). The Holy Spirit of grace has witnessed this to us.
Jesus’ suffering was part and parcel of the above supernatural salvation package and it had been done. No amount of our own suffering could add to this accomplishment. Jesus’ sacrifice brought glory to the Father as He obeyed and did the will of God.

Coming back to the case of the brother who is being oppressed under the evil spirits of Jezebel and Ahab, is the suffering in accordance to the will of God? What did Elijah (the prophet at that time) do to such spirits? He did not allow himself to suffer under them. He glorified God by obeying God’s Spirit. He was given instructions and protections by the Spirit of the Lord. He did not suffer a bit. later when the spirit of fear followed by the spirit of depression came upon him, the Lord sent His angel to minister to Elijah, who recovered and went on to his next season of ministry.

Was the brother obeying the words of God and was he led by the Holy Spirit? Ephesians 5:22 and Colossians 3:18 clearly stated that Christians wives are to submit to Christian husbands. Like Elijah’s case, he needs to take up the spiritual authority of Jesus Christ and deals with the evil spirits of Jezebel and Ahab.
Was he in obedience to the command of the Lord when he sought to know the will of God and was filled with the Holy Spirit? Ephesians 5:17-18 has the answer. What did Jesus tell His disciples? Luke 10:1-11 details His instructions to the seventy He sent out to ‘harvest’ for the kingdom of God.

Lesson learned: beware of mind agenda influenced by the enemy’s spirits.

On the case of a Christian who suddenly became very sick (with vital organs failing) for forty days in the hospital and recovered despite the doctors’ finding no cause nor treatments to cure him, was the case glorifying God? Which part of the Bible say that such a case of suffering (apparently from spiritual enemies) give glory to God?

What Jesus did over such cases of human being attacked by the evil spirits was very simple. He merely spoke a word and cast them out and stopped the sufferings. He had never spoken a positive word to allow the afflictions to continue. He stated His mission on earth clearly the day He started His earth ministry:
Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus did exactly just that as He had proclaimed, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:21

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

How to deal with untruth in our mind?

How To Overcome Doubt
By Andrew Wommack

audio teaching on this topic at: http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1046

No one is immune to doubt. It can and does happen to us all. You’ve just got to know how to handle it when it comes. Even the greatest men and women of God recorded in the Bible had to deal with doubt. Jesus said of John the Baptist,

“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11).

That means John was greater in the sight of Jesus than Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, or any Old Testament character you can name. Yet John doubted the most important thing of all by questioning whether Jesus was really the Christ.

John the Baptist had been cast into prison for criticizing Herod about marrying his brother’s wife, an incestuous relationship. He had been there sometime between six months and two years and became so discouraged that he asked two of his disciples to go to Jesus and ask Him if He really was the Christ. It’s easy to read that and not think much about it, but the truth is, it was nothing but unbelief on the part of John the Baptist.

Think about who John was. He was separated unto God and filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in the womb. Even Jesus wasn’t filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. It is believed he lived in the desert near the Dead Sea with the Essens, the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were a people who were super-legalistic who dogmatically practiced many rituals of self denial. He certainly had not lived what we would call an easy life. John was separated and focused on his purpose.

His entire life was committed to preparing the way for the Christ. He spent thirty years preparing for a ministry that would only last six short months. John is the one who saw Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”(John 1:29). The anointing on his life had to be exceptionally powerful because his ministry defied logic. Thousands of people from many nations came to the middle of nowhere to hear this man preach, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And God had revealed to him that through a visible sign from heaven he would know who the Christ was. He would see the Spirit of God descending upon the Messiah in bodily shape as a dove. That came to pass when John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

At that time, John was absolutely certain that Jesus was the Christ. He had zero doubt. He was so adamant about it that he said “I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God” in John 1:34. In Luke 3:16 he said, “One mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.” And in John 3:30 he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

However, after being imprisoned for a period of time, he began to doubt. This says a number of things, but an important one is the fact that anyone can doubt. How did Jesus respond to John’s doubt? Well, He certainly didn’t respond the way most of us do. He told John’s disciples to go back and tell him of the miracles they had witnessed and that John would be blessed if he would just believe. That’s it. Jesus didn’t try and make John feel better by letting him know He understood his pain or by making a few complimentary comments. Jesus reserved those comments till after John’s disciples left (Luke 7:24-28).

This puzzled me for many years. Why didn’t Jesus say these things about John the Baptist in the hearing of John’s disciples so they could have brought him that word? It seemed to me like that would have helped John more than just telling him to look at the miracles, and he’ll be blessed if he believes.

Years after I first had these questions, I was reading from Isaiah 35 and came across the passage that says,

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Is. 35:5-6).

It suddenly struck me that this was exactly the answer that Jesus gave to John’s messengers. Look at what Jesus said in Matthew 11:4-6:

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

Jesus performed all the miracles Isaiah prophesied He would do, and threw in the healing of a leper and raising someone from the dead just for good measure. What Jesus did was He perfectly fulfilled the prophecy about Himself, and then referred John the Baptist back to that word. Jesus reminded John of the scriptures, to deal with his doubts. That’s Jesus’ method of dealing with our doubts.

Many of us have Bibles lying around gathering dust. Some of us even carry one. But when we’re struggling with unbelief, we don’t want a scripture; we want something tangible, something emotional that we can feel. We would rather have Jesus just put His arm around us and say something about how everything will be all right. That would make us feel better. But overcoming doubt isn’t just about feeling better; it’s about getting back into faith that only comes from the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).

Jesus sent the Word back with John’s disciples. He knew this would stir up John’s spirit to overcome the doubt. Peter understood this about faith when he wrote about it in 2 Peter 1:12-15, which says,

“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.”

Peter was stating how important it was for his words to be received, as they were, in truth, the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13). To prove to them that these were not just fables he made up, Peter refers to the time they were with Jesus on the mountain. They saw Jesus shine as the brightness of the sun. The Shekinah glory cloud of God overshadowed them all, and they heard an audible voice out of heaven say, “This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Mark 9:7). They also saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. That is pretty impressive!

But Peter went on to say in 2 Peter 1:19, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy.” What could possibly be more sure than all these supernatural signs? Peter gives that answer in the next verse when he talks about the Scriptures (2 Pet. 1:20). The Scriptures are more sure and more faith building and doubt destroying than seeing Jesus transfigured or hearing an audible voice from heaven. Hallelujah!

The only sure way to overcome doubt is to place your faith in the Word of God and depend on that more sure word of prophecy. Don’t allow your five senses to dominate your thinking. You must come to a place to where God’s Word is more real to you than anything you can see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. When you’re in doubt, refer back to the Word of God just the way Jesus told John the Baptist to do. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word.

There are only two times recorded in the Bible when Jesus marveled at anything. Once He marveled at the people’s great unbelief (Mark 6:6), and in Matthew 8:10 He marveled at a Gentile soldier’s great faith. A faith that made Jesus marvel is worth examining. What was different about it? The number one difference was what the centurion said,

“But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.” (Matt. 8:8-9)

The centurion had a faith that was in God’s Word alone. He didn’t have to have Jesus come to his house and wave His hand over the sick servant. If Jesus would just give him a word, that was all he needed.

Contrast this centurion’s faith with the little faith of Thomas, who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. The first time the risen Christ appeared to His disciples, Thomas wasn’t present. The other ten disciples told Thomas that Jesus was resurrected, but it was eight more days before Jesus appeared to His disciples with Thomas present.

“But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

Jesus walked up to Thomas and told him to put his finger into the print of the nails and thrust his hand into Jesus’ side and to not be faithless but believing. Thomas fell on his knees and confessed Jesus as his Lord and God.

“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

Jesus placed a greater blessing on those who believe without seeing than those who believe because they have seen. In other words, there is a greater anointing on believing the Word than believing signs and wonders. Don’t get me wrong. I believe in signs and wonders. Jesus used them like a bell to draw people unto Himself and so should we. But the ultimate, the more sure word of prophecy, is the written Word of God. There is a greater blessing on just believing God’s Word than there is on believing because of supernatural circumstances. Those who are looking for circumstances to confirm their faith will fail when the strong battles of unbelief come. We have to get our faith so rooted in God’s Word alone that we can withstand a hurricane.

The reason Jesus didn’t try to make John feel better with a few kind words, an emotional touch, was not because He didn’t care. He cared for John so much that He gave John His best — the written Word of God. That’s how Jesus dealt with own His temptations (Matt. 4), and that was and still is God’s best way for us to deal with our temptations to not believe.

Maybe there’s a reason the Lord hasn’t used an emotional touch to deliver you from unbelief. Maybe it’s because He loves you so much that He’s trying to help you operate in the highest form of faith — faith that takes Him at His Word. If the least of the saints today are greater than John the Baptist was then (Matt. 11:11), surely the Lord is wanting us to operate on at least the same level in which He dealt with John’s unbelief.

My Real Life – confession of a transformed mind

The mindman discovered that we exist by the mind of God.

The mindman found this in his old draft. He updated and completed the post on this day of 5-27-2013. This is a confession of a transformed mind.

______________________________On the first day of this last month of 2012, the mindman thought of existence.

He has realized for quite sometime that he could not exist by thinking, although some philosophies preach that one thinks therefore one exists or one exists therefore one thinks.

The mindman’s mind has been renewed by a major spiritual transformation. It was not a natural event. It could not be explained in words. He then started to be aware that his existence goes beyond the soul (mind and emotion). Here is an excerpted account in the mindman’s journal.

______________”My existence”. (a rather self-focus narration here)

To be real is very important to me. I used to think that being real means I can think for myself. But now I know thoughts can be deceptive. Only the motives (intents) behind the thoughts reveal what the truth is. What I think does not necessarily mean it is real. No matter how much I think or how intensive I think, the thoughts could not make me real.

What is my real life? Where is this real life? Where does it come from? How should I find it?

When I argued over my case as a human existence, I ran out of words. Not that I had no more vocabularies, the words came out as mere sounds, without any substance. I knew they were unreal. There was no basis for thoughts to claim any existence unless they were backed by something more authoritative. What could be the authority from whom I could assure of my reality in thoughts 100%?

None. None in the human natural realm.

Medical (including physiological/psychological/mental) science could not prove my existence except certain agreed discernible signs that are used universally by the profession for their practice. Spiritual realm is not accounted for when such signs that can be discerned by our human senses are used to measure life.

I have no human answer. I cannot ignore the truth that my answer is in the supernatural and spiritual realm, where a reality of my existence exists.

_______________________________

In real life experience of the mindman, human natural way cannot give account to how a dead man can be raised to life after being certified dead six hours ago after fervent prayers by loved ones and friends. In another case of a brain dead man, he also woke six hours later after fervent prayers by his wife and a group of Christians who happened to be around attending a worship service. He was up and about totally without damage and lived on with his wife and four little children like any other healthy man. One elderly vegetable seller woke and regained everything she had lost mentally and physically after she lost all memory and was bed ridden for months. She was completely restored because someone gave her husband a CD on divine healing by Jesus and played to her day and night. Both the lady and her husband became Christians after that. She was not only made well she was given big bonus in her mind and spirit. She read the whole Bible six times within a year.

The list of supernatural mind recovery and restoration is endless. in a small limited circle the mindman has already encountered many minds being healed and some even being given supernatural upgrading!

As part of his quest since young teen to study and understand the matters of the mind, the mindman has spent his recent years observing and noting the increase in frequency of such unnatural occurrences. One thing he has learned and has also practiced is effective prayer. He has found that his prayers get increasingly answered.

He has reached the point of believing that all the words of the Bible are truth and spoken by God. He believes that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own free will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.” (James 1:17-18)

Thus he is drawn to practice living the life of the new creation. In real life. He knew the verse about new creation in 2 Corinthians 5:17 more than 30 years ago. But he did not know then how to live the new life. Now he knows. What has caused the change? The transformation started when he began to believe and encounter the reality of the spiritual realm. He has had the true renewal of his mind through believing and opening to the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. He has started to believe that all the words of God are truth and can be practiced in the physical and mental realm.

______________the transformational verses: Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ²And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:16 “But we have the mind of Christ.”

My Real Life: Mindman’s adventure- uncharted waters 2013, a journey into sound mind

The mindman continued his journey to see God in the Spirit this year. His understanding is that this will be a journey into sound mind!

BACKGROUND FOR 2013 JOURNEY

On the new year eve a small group gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to worship, read God’s words and prayed. On the same day a number of Scripture songs in two languages were identified and chosen. Amazingly some could not be recorded in the special edition CD for the occasion. Some others were recorded repeatedly at least three times in the same CD! One crucial song sang the Scripture from Revelation 19:5-7, “ Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both^[a] small and great!” ⁶And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the^[b] Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

The gathering started at 9pm and ended reluctantly before 2pm. During the worship and prayers in the Spirit, the group sang ‘Alleluia’ many many times. When the alarm clock rang at 11:59 to alert them for the cross over to a new season of time in the Lord, they were all refreshed. Later one of them received a message from his family who were also worshiping and praying in their main church, at that time, that two prayer groups at two different locations were also singing the same ‘Alleluia’ verses at that time even though they had never communicated prior to this event!

That means the three groups (big and small) of believers were all being led by the Holy Spirit at the same time that night! This confirmed the Bible verse,1 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV) “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.“ Romans 8:14 (NKJV) “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Revelation received regarding what Bible books to read was: start from the Book of Genesis. See the faith journey of Abraham. The Bible reading was very rewarding. Indeed, the journey to see God is a journey for all believers. Abraham’s life is a type for all Christians who walk by faith and not by sight, led by the Spirit of God and not by flesh.

The Lord God has revealed Himself to one man, Abraham and called Himself the God of Abraham. The same Lord God Almighty had also revealed Himself to Abraham’s son Isaac (through the promise of God, born according to the Spirit of God, Galatians 4:29), and called Himself the God of Isaac. He also revealed Himself to the grandson of Abraham, Jacob (later changed to Israel), and called Himself the God of Jacob.

The same God makes sure each born again Christian knows He expects each to know Him personally as his or her own God. God is Spirit and not bound by time or space or any point of history. When He looks at each man He sees the whole life of the man at a glance. When He looks at a group of men He looks at all at the same glance, regardless of the different time and space in which they are placed at any point of time or space.

It is impossible to describe God using our human mind. We can only know a bit of God when He reveals to each of us by His Spirit. This is an exciting journey indeed for each members of the group as fresh revelations are being received daily by each individual.

This is the journey of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Uncharted waters. Very refreshing and real to each of us. Our God is awesome!

RESOLUTION 2013 FOR MINDMAN

2013 New Year Resolution for the mindman:

Be more obedient to the prompting of his spirit man, as led by the Spirit of the Lord. .

Instead of relying on his mind’s running commentary, weighing all the pros and cons, making decisions after a lot of weighing and guarded arguments even in his head, living in his mind and worshiping his own mind and great minds in the world, he is determined to make a clean break and trust God, Who is Spirit and is real. he will not waste his precious time living in vain, idle words. Words are not to be wasted.

Words should be Spirit. Words should be life. That is the original purpose of words created by the Creator Who uses words to perform and accomplish everything.

The only pros and cons he will weigh in his mind will be: is this word from the self (mind and emotion), or is this word from the enemy (the deceiver), or is this word from the Lord (the Holy Spirit).

He really looks forward to sailing in the spirit on uncharted waters. It has been a long time since he went in a boat. He remembers the refreshing wind, the choppy waves, and the hope and expectation to see land beyond the waters!