One of the things that I love about Virginia is the weather. The weather, just like any other place, has some of its own unique qualities. One of those qualities is a deep abiding fog.
In almost every season a thick fog can settle on the ground canvassing everything in view. The fog is usually accompanied by mist. The combination of the two is so thick that it seems as though you can ‘feel’ it as you are passing through.
Riding down the highway it feels more like you are a sailor passing through ‘the mist’ than a driver in a car (‘the mist’ being used by sailors to refer to what is actually a combination of fog and mist). You can barely see what’s in front of you. And ‘the mist’ seems to have attached itself to everything.
Interestingly, this type of mist is defined as "that which dims or darkens, and obscures or intercepts vision." And life can be just like the weather. In any season of life you can wake up and find yourself lost in the mist.
Sometimes there are things that hover over our lives trying to dim or darken, trying to obscure or intercept our vision. You can’t see what’s in front of you. And your whole sense of direction seems to be lost.
Life is full of times where you must journey through the mist. Its times like these where we are really forced to grow and exercise our faith. Sailing through the veil of life’s misty moments, we learn to truly trust God.
Here are some things about traveling through the mist. You need to pray more and listen harder. When we feel disoriented, we can often make the mistake of retreating from God. But this is exactly what we shouldn’t do.
Ancient sailors would shout or sound some type of bell repeatedly as they journeyed through the fog or mist. They would listen carefully and use the echoes of sound that they heard back to help them navigate through a place where they couldn’t use sight to orient themselves.
Some times when you are going through the mist you need to start repeatedly sounding the bell of prayer. Get loud. You’ll hear the sound of your faith echoing back to you. Sometimes when we are going through a rough spot, we need to rise up in prayer and remind ourselves that God is still in control.
Ancient sailors would also tell stories about spirits of phantoms that would appear in the mist and either guide you through or send you to your death. Beware of phantoms in the mist. Times of low visibility are moments where you are at risk for spiritual attack.
In moments like these, you need to make sure that the right Spirit is guiding you. Make a conscious decision to worship, get alone with God, and specifically ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Retreating from God’s presence is the worst thing you can do in the fog because there are other things in the mist looking to steer you off course.
Remember that the fog is temporary. As long as you keep sailing, you will eventually find its end. Even when our visibility is the low, the eyes of God never dim or darken. And there is no one with the power to obscure or intercept His vision. God is never lost and He has the power to guide you as you journey through the mist.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Razor's Edge
Life is a journey. And there are essentially three types of travelers.
The first group of travelers is stationary. They are travelers in name only for they never step out and put forth the effort to make the journey. They stay locked in the past because they aren’t willing to endure the strain, work, and effort required to break away from the past and step into the future. They were put here by God to participate in Life’s journey, but they never choose to partake.
The second group of travelers is mediocre. They recognize that there is a journey. But they only put forth a limited effort to break away from the ordinary. As soon as they are challenged, they withdraw. The extra ordinary destinations that God has waiting for them in the course of the journey are never reached. They aren’t willing to pay the price for something great and so they remain mediocre.
But this is not you. This is not me. There is a third type of traveler. This final group of travelers live on what I call the razor’s edge. They live in the aggressive pursuit of destiny, their mission is to travel, and they are relentless in their passion to not only to recognize but to ‘realize the journey.’
Destiny is achieved as we reach the milestone destinations that God has laid out for us in the journey of our life. And as long as we remain in hot pursuit of those destinations; destiny is a present reality and not a future hope. This is how God operates. Because you have fully committed yourself to the journey, God fully credits you with destiny.
Romans 4:17 says that God, “gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” This is the powerful reality of the third traveler. Destiny is yours by virtue of faith and not by virtue of merit. The moment you step out in faith and fully commit to the journey, God, by virtue of your faith, gives you ownership of your destiny. Even though destiny may not yet be naturally realized, it is already yours by virtue of your faith (or more aptly by virtue of God’s grace, God being willing to reward you when you have nothing else to offer but faith).
This is the razor’s edge, the environment of the third traveler. Life is lived in a state where the space between ‘destiny granted’ and ‘destiny realized’ is thin and ever decreasing. And as we pursue the destinations that lead to destiny, we continue to keep that margin between us and destiny narrow (thin as the razor’s edge).
There is a cost for this type of lifestyle. The razor’s edge is too narrow for us to carry the baggage of our past with us. In order to balance on such a thin space, we have to discard everything that doesn’t belong on the journey.
And the razor’s edge is sharp. It trims away the unwanted flaws in our character. As we press on, believing God for something greater, we are challenged to conform our lives to the very destiny we are asking God for.
On the razor’s edge stress is high, but so is energy and enthusiasm. Pressure is mounting, but faith is growing. Sacrifice is great, but so is the reward.
And the greatest motivation for this third traveler is not reward, not the destination, or even the destiny but rather the revelation that God is the God of the journey. The journey is the place where we meet with Him. And in the journey our ultimate purpose, to live with God, is truly realized.
All thought of the cost fades from view. The tormenting voice of doubt is cast aside. And on the razor’s edge, we realize that God is for us. And if God is for us than who can be against us?
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
The first group of travelers is stationary. They are travelers in name only for they never step out and put forth the effort to make the journey. They stay locked in the past because they aren’t willing to endure the strain, work, and effort required to break away from the past and step into the future. They were put here by God to participate in Life’s journey, but they never choose to partake.
The second group of travelers is mediocre. They recognize that there is a journey. But they only put forth a limited effort to break away from the ordinary. As soon as they are challenged, they withdraw. The extra ordinary destinations that God has waiting for them in the course of the journey are never reached. They aren’t willing to pay the price for something great and so they remain mediocre.
But this is not you. This is not me. There is a third type of traveler. This final group of travelers live on what I call the razor’s edge. They live in the aggressive pursuit of destiny, their mission is to travel, and they are relentless in their passion to not only to recognize but to ‘realize the journey.’
Destiny is achieved as we reach the milestone destinations that God has laid out for us in the journey of our life. And as long as we remain in hot pursuit of those destinations; destiny is a present reality and not a future hope. This is how God operates. Because you have fully committed yourself to the journey, God fully credits you with destiny.
Romans 4:17 says that God, “gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” This is the powerful reality of the third traveler. Destiny is yours by virtue of faith and not by virtue of merit. The moment you step out in faith and fully commit to the journey, God, by virtue of your faith, gives you ownership of your destiny. Even though destiny may not yet be naturally realized, it is already yours by virtue of your faith (or more aptly by virtue of God’s grace, God being willing to reward you when you have nothing else to offer but faith).
This is the razor’s edge, the environment of the third traveler. Life is lived in a state where the space between ‘destiny granted’ and ‘destiny realized’ is thin and ever decreasing. And as we pursue the destinations that lead to destiny, we continue to keep that margin between us and destiny narrow (thin as the razor’s edge).
There is a cost for this type of lifestyle. The razor’s edge is too narrow for us to carry the baggage of our past with us. In order to balance on such a thin space, we have to discard everything that doesn’t belong on the journey.
And the razor’s edge is sharp. It trims away the unwanted flaws in our character. As we press on, believing God for something greater, we are challenged to conform our lives to the very destiny we are asking God for.
On the razor’s edge stress is high, but so is energy and enthusiasm. Pressure is mounting, but faith is growing. Sacrifice is great, but so is the reward.
And the greatest motivation for this third traveler is not reward, not the destination, or even the destiny but rather the revelation that God is the God of the journey. The journey is the place where we meet with Him. And in the journey our ultimate purpose, to live with God, is truly realized.
All thought of the cost fades from view. The tormenting voice of doubt is cast aside. And on the razor’s edge, we realize that God is for us. And if God is for us than who can be against us?
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Taking It To The Streets
It’s always interesting to see how people respond when they discover that I am a Christian. With some age and experience I’ve discovered that most people have some type of interest in hearing more about the chance to get to know God. And their response to discovering that you are a Christian is one of hope. Maybe, just maybe this “Christian” guy might be able to point me in the direction of God.
Strange that modern culture has tried to misrepresent Christianity as something that people don’t want. True, there are some religious nut chases out there wearing a Christian label. And I can understand and emphasize with the world’s repulsion to “fake, plastic Christianity” (as my Pastor calls it).
But the truth is that the world is broken down. Their needs go unmet and their true inner desires go unfulfilled. The world abuses the innocent and the ignorant. And no one does anything about it.
You and I as Christians have the answer. God can meet the needs of this world and truly fulfill their inner desire to live out the purpose for which they were created. And when God comes on the scene, He doesn’t overlook anyone and has no tolerance for injustice.
Isaiah 59:14-15 describes the condition of our world pretty aptly, “Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.”
What would happen if we realized that we have what the world wants and needs? Truth would rise up in the street. Righteousness would rush in. Justice and equity would be restored. And if we dare to take our faith to the streets, the world will realize that nothing can be more “in” than Christianity.
Jesus has paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross. What’s more, He has overcome every enemy, even Death, by rising from the grave and ascending into Heaven. And now we have His Spirit living in us.
Why are we still lying down? Why are we still standing afar off? It’s time for us to change the way the world thinks about God. And that starts with changing the way the world thinks about God’s people.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Strange that modern culture has tried to misrepresent Christianity as something that people don’t want. True, there are some religious nut chases out there wearing a Christian label. And I can understand and emphasize with the world’s repulsion to “fake, plastic Christianity” (as my Pastor calls it).
But the truth is that the world is broken down. Their needs go unmet and their true inner desires go unfulfilled. The world abuses the innocent and the ignorant. And no one does anything about it.
You and I as Christians have the answer. God can meet the needs of this world and truly fulfill their inner desire to live out the purpose for which they were created. And when God comes on the scene, He doesn’t overlook anyone and has no tolerance for injustice.
Isaiah 59:14-15 describes the condition of our world pretty aptly, “Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.”
What would happen if we realized that we have what the world wants and needs? Truth would rise up in the street. Righteousness would rush in. Justice and equity would be restored. And if we dare to take our faith to the streets, the world will realize that nothing can be more “in” than Christianity.
Jesus has paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross. What’s more, He has overcome every enemy, even Death, by rising from the grave and ascending into Heaven. And now we have His Spirit living in us.
Why are we still lying down? Why are we still standing afar off? It’s time for us to change the way the world thinks about God. And that starts with changing the way the world thinks about God’s people.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Proof of Life
We had an awesome leadership training summit at our church last weekend. I was deeply inspired and convicted by some of the challenges that were issued to us. God is awesome.
This week I felt led to tell you a true story. About 11-12 years ago I was actually getting out of jail. I had been sharing my faith with my brother while I was in jail, but the drastic and sudden change in my life was a big shock. Who is this guy on the other end of the phone and what have you done with my brother?
Add the fact that I was caught up in a serious relationship with a girlfriend at the time and it was like my brother had lost his best friend. But I didn’t know any body else other than God who could get me through the experience of being in jail (and being away from the nice pretty girlfriend). And so with no other options, I threw myself into my relationship with God.
Thankfully, one of our close friends also got saved during the time that I was locked up. My brother, our friend David, and I had actually grown up together. David had a vision of Jesus while under the influence of drugs (“shrooming”). Whether or not the vision was from God, it so frightened him that David immediately left his old lifestyle behind and started serving God. And he began to start sharing his faith with my brother.
My friend David ended up leading my brother to the Lord. And so when I got out of jail, my brother, my friend David, and I were all hungry and excited about our relationships with God. David actually came to stay with us for a time.
Imagine the picture of three former drug addicts getting together every night to pray and study the Bible in my mom’s kitchen. My girlfriend was also living with us and she was not a happy camper. Among the other changes that I had made in our relationship, I was now moving into a place with my relationship with God where she wasn’t comfortable following.
We were best friends and spent every moment we could together. But every night when we would get together for Bible study, my girlfriend would refuse to participate. She would go and sit in another room by herself.
For the most part, neither my brother, my friend David, nor I had ever experienced the Holy Spirit on our own. Suddenly, at our nightly bible studies, God began to show up. The Holy Spirit would cause uncontrollable laughter, weeping, and incredible moments in prayer as we sat around the table.
And the Holy Spirit began to flow into every area of our lives. We all began to have dreams from God. We would find ourselves prophesying to people we met in restaurants. I worked at a printing company. And sometimes I would dream for hours while I was at work (day dream).
In lue of doing other things, my girlfriend and I began to read a fictional book by a Christian author based on the life of King Hezekiah. We were both deeply affected by the book as we recognized familiar struggles and experiences. Deep inside she began to become more and more open to God.
One night at Bible study, we were finally able to coerce my girlfriend into participating. Without any warming up to it, the Holy Spirit suddenly filled the room. And in an instant I felt led to read aloud from John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” I barely got the words out of my mouth when my girlfriend began to manifest demonically.
She picked up a chair and tried to throw it at me. But the chair hit the wall instead of me. Not knowing what else to do I just began to pray. My brother and David followed suit. She fell to the ground and began to explain that she had been tormented in dreams since she was a little child (having been seriously abused for a number of years). She had committed her life to Christ but the dreams had never gone away.
You can be a Christian and still be demonically oppressed. Demons can leave your spirit but stay in your mind. And so we prayed for her and she actually felt the demonic presence leave.
Still full of the Holy Spirit, we went through my parents house and anointed every door and window with oil rejecting any demonic spirit and praying for God’s blessing over the home.
I’ve never forgotten those nightly bible studies. And ever since then God has continued to move in my life through the power of His Holy Spirit. The dreams, visions, and powerful moments in prayer have never gone away. It’s like God gave me proof of life. Proof that He was there and that I had a new life inside of me.
The Holy Spirit isn’t supposed to be someone you randomly encounter every now and again. He wants to walk with you every day of your life. He wants to fill you with dreams and manifestations of His power every day.
It’s my prayer that as you’re reading this that God will give you that ‘proof of life’ in a new and powerful way.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
This week I felt led to tell you a true story. About 11-12 years ago I was actually getting out of jail. I had been sharing my faith with my brother while I was in jail, but the drastic and sudden change in my life was a big shock. Who is this guy on the other end of the phone and what have you done with my brother?
Add the fact that I was caught up in a serious relationship with a girlfriend at the time and it was like my brother had lost his best friend. But I didn’t know any body else other than God who could get me through the experience of being in jail (and being away from the nice pretty girlfriend). And so with no other options, I threw myself into my relationship with God.
Thankfully, one of our close friends also got saved during the time that I was locked up. My brother, our friend David, and I had actually grown up together. David had a vision of Jesus while under the influence of drugs (“shrooming”). Whether or not the vision was from God, it so frightened him that David immediately left his old lifestyle behind and started serving God. And he began to start sharing his faith with my brother.
My friend David ended up leading my brother to the Lord. And so when I got out of jail, my brother, my friend David, and I were all hungry and excited about our relationships with God. David actually came to stay with us for a time.
Imagine the picture of three former drug addicts getting together every night to pray and study the Bible in my mom’s kitchen. My girlfriend was also living with us and she was not a happy camper. Among the other changes that I had made in our relationship, I was now moving into a place with my relationship with God where she wasn’t comfortable following.
We were best friends and spent every moment we could together. But every night when we would get together for Bible study, my girlfriend would refuse to participate. She would go and sit in another room by herself.
For the most part, neither my brother, my friend David, nor I had ever experienced the Holy Spirit on our own. Suddenly, at our nightly bible studies, God began to show up. The Holy Spirit would cause uncontrollable laughter, weeping, and incredible moments in prayer as we sat around the table.
And the Holy Spirit began to flow into every area of our lives. We all began to have dreams from God. We would find ourselves prophesying to people we met in restaurants. I worked at a printing company. And sometimes I would dream for hours while I was at work (day dream).
In lue of doing other things, my girlfriend and I began to read a fictional book by a Christian author based on the life of King Hezekiah. We were both deeply affected by the book as we recognized familiar struggles and experiences. Deep inside she began to become more and more open to God.
One night at Bible study, we were finally able to coerce my girlfriend into participating. Without any warming up to it, the Holy Spirit suddenly filled the room. And in an instant I felt led to read aloud from John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” I barely got the words out of my mouth when my girlfriend began to manifest demonically.
She picked up a chair and tried to throw it at me. But the chair hit the wall instead of me. Not knowing what else to do I just began to pray. My brother and David followed suit. She fell to the ground and began to explain that she had been tormented in dreams since she was a little child (having been seriously abused for a number of years). She had committed her life to Christ but the dreams had never gone away.
You can be a Christian and still be demonically oppressed. Demons can leave your spirit but stay in your mind. And so we prayed for her and she actually felt the demonic presence leave.
Still full of the Holy Spirit, we went through my parents house and anointed every door and window with oil rejecting any demonic spirit and praying for God’s blessing over the home.
I’ve never forgotten those nightly bible studies. And ever since then God has continued to move in my life through the power of His Holy Spirit. The dreams, visions, and powerful moments in prayer have never gone away. It’s like God gave me proof of life. Proof that He was there and that I had a new life inside of me.
The Holy Spirit isn’t supposed to be someone you randomly encounter every now and again. He wants to walk with you every day of your life. He wants to fill you with dreams and manifestations of His power every day.
It’s my prayer that as you’re reading this that God will give you that ‘proof of life’ in a new and powerful way.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A World Only Dreamed
Before me is a great door.
The room where I stand is dark.
In my hand is a key.
And so with a turn I enter.
The door is open.
The light hurts my eyes.
It won’t let me look away.
Someone is there.
He burns like fire.
He shines like the sun.
He carries a message.
He declares it to me.
“Give me your hands,
I will plow forgotten fields.
Give me you eyes,
I will show a world only dreamed.”
I go back into the black.
I walk slowly.
I hear the door close behind.
I am not alone.
There is a message.
It journeys with me.
It travels on my tongue.
It guides me on a path.
“Wake up forgotten fields!
Yield your harvest once again.
Rise up remembered dreams!
Make this your coming hour.”
The dawn appears.
There is light again.
A course is set.
A course is followed.
~Jeremiyah Mullins
The room where I stand is dark.
In my hand is a key.
And so with a turn I enter.
The door is open.
The light hurts my eyes.
It won’t let me look away.
Someone is there.
He burns like fire.
He shines like the sun.
He carries a message.
He declares it to me.
“Give me your hands,
I will plow forgotten fields.
Give me you eyes,
I will show a world only dreamed.”
I go back into the black.
I walk slowly.
I hear the door close behind.
I am not alone.
There is a message.
It journeys with me.
It travels on my tongue.
It guides me on a path.
“Wake up forgotten fields!
Yield your harvest once again.
Rise up remembered dreams!
Make this your coming hour.”
The dawn appears.
There is light again.
A course is set.
A course is followed.
~Jeremiyah Mullins
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Davidic Meditation Part IV
So this is my final blog on the subject. Make sure your have read the other three before continuing. Meditation is a very practical discipline for us a Christians and it has some very practical results.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a “chance” encounter with someone and, at the moment where I was sharing my faith, God reminded me of a scripture that I had been meditating on earlier in the day. The scripture some times will be so directly pointed toward what the other person is going through that they’ve said things like, “How did you know what’s been happening with me?” There is a prophetic edge that comes from having your mind submitted to the Spirit of God and the power of God’s Word.
I’ve also found that meditation deeply affects me in the area of dreams. On the days where I keep the discipline of meditation, I find myself dreaming deeper and more profoundly. Not just dreams, but Godly dreams.
What’s more is that I have also found the ability to control the dreaming process. Yes, you are supposed to be in some form of control over your soul even when you are asleep. When your soul is submitted to your spirit and your spirit is yielded to God, the result is a deeper control over your subconscious.
I’ve had several occasions where I have woken myself up from a bad dream. On several of these occasions I actually woke up quoting scripture. And in a handful of bad dreams I’ve actually found myself quoting scripture in the dream and commanding the dream to stop (at which point I woke myself up).
And in each of these cases I was aware of the link between the time that I was spending in meditation on God’s word and an increased ability to better manage my thought & dream life. Yes, meditation will also have an incredibly profound effect on your thought life. In the same way that I’ve found myself in better control of my dream state, I’ve also found that meditation produces a deeper level of control (good management) over my thought life.
Even prayer and spiritual encounters changed when I began meditating on a regular basis. Several years ago I had a profound experience that I believe illustrates what I am talking about. I was actually staying with my mother shortly after she married my second stepfather (15-16 years ago).
I got up in the middle of the night and left my room to use the restroom. When I came back I laid down in bed. Suddenly, I was aware of a demonic presence in the room. I couldn’t move and was totally paralyzed lying on my bed.
And suddenly I remembered a scripture that I had memorized as a part of my daily meditation. In Luke 10:19, Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” I was unable to speak and so I began quoting this scripture in my mind.
Eventually I began to be able to move my lips and, getting louder as I went, I began to say the scripture out loud. I gradually became released from the feeling of paralysis. And when I felt myself free, I stood up and rebuked the demonic spirit, commanding it to leave my room.
Now don’t go looking for monsters in your closet. These types of encounters shouldn’t be an every day occurrence. In fact, I learned from this experience that God had authority over the demonic and that evil had no right to my life.
But I also made a mental link between the time I was spending in meditation and the ability to handle a spiritual encounter when it comes. On instinct I had remembered a scripture that applied to my situation. And in this particular case, meditating on that scripture had actually been a tool that I used to deal with the encounter itself.
So I want to strongly encourage your to incorporate meditation into your daily walk with God. Remember, this is not about impressing God or becoming spiritually pious. Its about love motivating you to discipline yourself and act in a way that benefits your relationship with God.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a “chance” encounter with someone and, at the moment where I was sharing my faith, God reminded me of a scripture that I had been meditating on earlier in the day. The scripture some times will be so directly pointed toward what the other person is going through that they’ve said things like, “How did you know what’s been happening with me?” There is a prophetic edge that comes from having your mind submitted to the Spirit of God and the power of God’s Word.
I’ve also found that meditation deeply affects me in the area of dreams. On the days where I keep the discipline of meditation, I find myself dreaming deeper and more profoundly. Not just dreams, but Godly dreams.
What’s more is that I have also found the ability to control the dreaming process. Yes, you are supposed to be in some form of control over your soul even when you are asleep. When your soul is submitted to your spirit and your spirit is yielded to God, the result is a deeper control over your subconscious.
I’ve had several occasions where I have woken myself up from a bad dream. On several of these occasions I actually woke up quoting scripture. And in a handful of bad dreams I’ve actually found myself quoting scripture in the dream and commanding the dream to stop (at which point I woke myself up).
And in each of these cases I was aware of the link between the time that I was spending in meditation on God’s word and an increased ability to better manage my thought & dream life. Yes, meditation will also have an incredibly profound effect on your thought life. In the same way that I’ve found myself in better control of my dream state, I’ve also found that meditation produces a deeper level of control (good management) over my thought life.
Even prayer and spiritual encounters changed when I began meditating on a regular basis. Several years ago I had a profound experience that I believe illustrates what I am talking about. I was actually staying with my mother shortly after she married my second stepfather (15-16 years ago).
I got up in the middle of the night and left my room to use the restroom. When I came back I laid down in bed. Suddenly, I was aware of a demonic presence in the room. I couldn’t move and was totally paralyzed lying on my bed.
And suddenly I remembered a scripture that I had memorized as a part of my daily meditation. In Luke 10:19, Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” I was unable to speak and so I began quoting this scripture in my mind.
Eventually I began to be able to move my lips and, getting louder as I went, I began to say the scripture out loud. I gradually became released from the feeling of paralysis. And when I felt myself free, I stood up and rebuked the demonic spirit, commanding it to leave my room.
Now don’t go looking for monsters in your closet. These types of encounters shouldn’t be an every day occurrence. In fact, I learned from this experience that God had authority over the demonic and that evil had no right to my life.
But I also made a mental link between the time I was spending in meditation and the ability to handle a spiritual encounter when it comes. On instinct I had remembered a scripture that applied to my situation. And in this particular case, meditating on that scripture had actually been a tool that I used to deal with the encounter itself.
So I want to strongly encourage your to incorporate meditation into your daily walk with God. Remember, this is not about impressing God or becoming spiritually pious. Its about love motivating you to discipline yourself and act in a way that benefits your relationship with God.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
DESTINY IS MINE
The wind is out, I hear it calling swiftly through the trees.
The night is dark, the moon shines low amidst a veil of deprecating clouds.
There are echoes in the night, I hear them calling:
The voice of something long ago, The sound of something yet to come.
I am not a man, not frail in my intentions.
The night is mine, I will judge her voice and meet her challenge to my claim.
Hope is mine, neither wind nor brigand cloud shall upon my soul prevail.
I am not a man, but rather fierce and righteous in burning indignation.
Let the foe come and stand in the shadow that is cast before him.
I will show the meaning of sacred vows that I have rendered.
I will tender to him neither mercy nor the sounding of his pleas.
Let him stand and face the void that he has created, violent like the clapping of the sea.
I am not a man; just but mad in holy vindication.
Destiny is mine, and neither wind nor foe will steal what I have taken.
~Jeremiyah Mullins
The night is dark, the moon shines low amidst a veil of deprecating clouds.
There are echoes in the night, I hear them calling:
The voice of something long ago, The sound of something yet to come.
I am not a man, not frail in my intentions.
The night is mine, I will judge her voice and meet her challenge to my claim.
Hope is mine, neither wind nor brigand cloud shall upon my soul prevail.
I am not a man, but rather fierce and righteous in burning indignation.
Let the foe come and stand in the shadow that is cast before him.
I will show the meaning of sacred vows that I have rendered.
I will tender to him neither mercy nor the sounding of his pleas.
Let him stand and face the void that he has created, violent like the clapping of the sea.
I am not a man; just but mad in holy vindication.
Destiny is mine, and neither wind nor foe will steal what I have taken.
~Jeremiyah Mullins
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Davidic Meditation Part III
So make sure you read part one and part two of this blog before continuing. We left off talking about our nature. We are triune beings: body, soul, and spirit. The flaw in our nature is that sin causes our body, soul, and spirit to operate independent of each other. Our body, soul, and spirit can all tug us in different directions.
We also have 7 senses (5 natural senses and 2 supernatural senses). These senses allow our body, soul, and spirit to communicate with the outside world. They also allow our body, soul, and spirit to communicate with each other. What the body senses causes a reaction in the soul. And so with any number of exchanges that can happen between the three.
Unfortunately, we can live our lives following the whims of outside stimulus and the sinful desires of our body and soul. But the body and soul can be redeemed in the same way that our spirit was redeemed the moment we accepted Christ.
This is where I believe that Davidic meditation is such a powerful tool. As we will see, this requires the body and soul to submit to the spirit. And you also are teaching your senses to focus in harmony with each other on God.
As I read through the Bible I noted scriptures that I felt were especially impactful. These scriptures spoke to major beliefs or provided insight and direction into situations that I could relate to. And I then broke these scripture out into lists.
For example, I have a list from the Torah. I also have a list from Psalms, Proverbs, a list from the gospels, ect. These I call daily scripture lists (D.S.L). I have a set order for their use, but sometimes I feel I need to use one out of order and am not overly rigid.
There are days where I just need to hear Jesus. There are days where I need to listen to the words of the Psalmists reminding me that God deserves my worship. But barring a decision to deviate I have a set order that I fall back on.
From experience, I have found that it works best to divide the daily scripture lists in half. These become a morning and afternoon/evening segment. Remember Psalm 1, ‘in His law he meditates day and night.’
My rule is that 40 minutes a day keeps the devil a way. 40 minutes mediating on scripture each day. The 40 minutes I divide into two 20 minute segments, one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening.
Techniques I use for meditation are very practical. I have found it best to engage as many of my natural senses as possible. I have a notebook with my scripture lists in them. The outside of notebook is textured instead of smooth. Sometimes in the morning I remember the feel of the notebook in my hand as though my body is saying, “don’t forget to meditate.” It’s also green which I find a soothing color.
I also like to use my Bible (versus something electronic) because the Bible has a special look and feel. The pages make a unique sound when you turn them because the pages are so thin. You get the picture.
When you meditate, create an environment where you are engaging your natural senses. Meditate in a serene place where your natural senses are occupied. This way you can dig in and really starting dealing with the relationship between you spirit and your soul (while your body is also focused and not distracted).
So I select a scripture that I want to memorize. I then break that scripture down into sentences. Starting with the first sentence, I say it out loud until I am able to recite it three times from memory. Then I move to the next sentence and do the same. Then I combine the two sentences, reciting them out loud until I am able to say them together three times from memory. I continue adding sentences until I am able to recite the entire verse out loud three times from memory. I also say the scripture reference before and after reciting the actual verse.
Pretty straight forward and not unlike what many people do. But there is a technique to it that may not be natural for everyone. Gradually, I memorize a whole list of scriptures. I then am able to meditate and recite them from memory.
I started this pattern of memorization when I was thirteen. Unfortunately, I subsequently went through a challenging time as a teenager. By eighteen I was a drug addict on the run from God (or so I thought). I ended up in jail faced with a serious charge for committing a violent crime.
I was so ashamed of the things I had done that I couldn’t even pray. The moment I tried I fell to my knees in my cell and began to weep before the Lord. Would God ever be willing to forgive all of the terrible things I had done.
Then the words of the scriptures I had memorized so many years before came back to me. “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:1-3). “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7-10).
All those years had gone by but the word of God was still imbedded in the fabric of my mind. That is the real power of meditating on God’s word. Its not the power of the person who is meditating or the meditation itself. It’s the power of Who you are meditating on.
Next, week I’ll publish my final blog on this subject. I want to share some real world experiences I’ve had where meditation proved a critical foundation preparing me for spiritual encounters, prayer, and those critical moments where I had an opportunity to share my faith.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
We also have 7 senses (5 natural senses and 2 supernatural senses). These senses allow our body, soul, and spirit to communicate with the outside world. They also allow our body, soul, and spirit to communicate with each other. What the body senses causes a reaction in the soul. And so with any number of exchanges that can happen between the three.
Unfortunately, we can live our lives following the whims of outside stimulus and the sinful desires of our body and soul. But the body and soul can be redeemed in the same way that our spirit was redeemed the moment we accepted Christ.
This is where I believe that Davidic meditation is such a powerful tool. As we will see, this requires the body and soul to submit to the spirit. And you also are teaching your senses to focus in harmony with each other on God.
As I read through the Bible I noted scriptures that I felt were especially impactful. These scriptures spoke to major beliefs or provided insight and direction into situations that I could relate to. And I then broke these scripture out into lists.
For example, I have a list from the Torah. I also have a list from Psalms, Proverbs, a list from the gospels, ect. These I call daily scripture lists (D.S.L). I have a set order for their use, but sometimes I feel I need to use one out of order and am not overly rigid.
There are days where I just need to hear Jesus. There are days where I need to listen to the words of the Psalmists reminding me that God deserves my worship. But barring a decision to deviate I have a set order that I fall back on.
From experience, I have found that it works best to divide the daily scripture lists in half. These become a morning and afternoon/evening segment. Remember Psalm 1, ‘in His law he meditates day and night.’
My rule is that 40 minutes a day keeps the devil a way. 40 minutes mediating on scripture each day. The 40 minutes I divide into two 20 minute segments, one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening.
Techniques I use for meditation are very practical. I have found it best to engage as many of my natural senses as possible. I have a notebook with my scripture lists in them. The outside of notebook is textured instead of smooth. Sometimes in the morning I remember the feel of the notebook in my hand as though my body is saying, “don’t forget to meditate.” It’s also green which I find a soothing color.
I also like to use my Bible (versus something electronic) because the Bible has a special look and feel. The pages make a unique sound when you turn them because the pages are so thin. You get the picture.
When you meditate, create an environment where you are engaging your natural senses. Meditate in a serene place where your natural senses are occupied. This way you can dig in and really starting dealing with the relationship between you spirit and your soul (while your body is also focused and not distracted).
So I select a scripture that I want to memorize. I then break that scripture down into sentences. Starting with the first sentence, I say it out loud until I am able to recite it three times from memory. Then I move to the next sentence and do the same. Then I combine the two sentences, reciting them out loud until I am able to say them together three times from memory. I continue adding sentences until I am able to recite the entire verse out loud three times from memory. I also say the scripture reference before and after reciting the actual verse.
Pretty straight forward and not unlike what many people do. But there is a technique to it that may not be natural for everyone. Gradually, I memorize a whole list of scriptures. I then am able to meditate and recite them from memory.
I started this pattern of memorization when I was thirteen. Unfortunately, I subsequently went through a challenging time as a teenager. By eighteen I was a drug addict on the run from God (or so I thought). I ended up in jail faced with a serious charge for committing a violent crime.
I was so ashamed of the things I had done that I couldn’t even pray. The moment I tried I fell to my knees in my cell and began to weep before the Lord. Would God ever be willing to forgive all of the terrible things I had done.
Then the words of the scriptures I had memorized so many years before came back to me. “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:1-3). “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7-10).
All those years had gone by but the word of God was still imbedded in the fabric of my mind. That is the real power of meditating on God’s word. Its not the power of the person who is meditating or the meditation itself. It’s the power of Who you are meditating on.
Next, week I’ll publish my final blog on this subject. I want to share some real world experiences I’ve had where meditation proved a critical foundation preparing me for spiritual encounters, prayer, and those critical moments where I had an opportunity to share my faith.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Davidic Meditation Part II
Please, read part one of Davidic Meditation as I will pick up now directly where I left off. So at age thirteen I underwent surgery with the hope that God would hold true to His promise to spare my life. It was actually two surgeries: one to remove my colon and a second three months later to wire me back up. But the first held the greatest risk because I was severely underweight (not being able to eat for three months prior and being on bed rest in the hospital). I was also anemic and literally at the point of death, a result of blood loss from the bleeding ulcers that had riddled my body like cancer.
So the Lord guided me through the first surgery miraculously. And by the time I had the second surgery, I had been able to start eating again and recover strength; the doctors having removed my colon, I was no longer bleeding to death. Needless to say, I was in better health when I faced the second surgery. But I count it all a miracle, for if God hadn’t intervened in the first, I wouldn’t even have been alive to face the second.
I knew that I literally owed my life to God. And driven by this knowledge, I set out to study the Bible more intently. I remembered clinging to the words of the Psalms when I had faced my surgery. And I understood for the first time that there was power in the word of God.
After reading through the Torah and the histories, I came to the book of Psalms. And there in the words of the first song, I found what I call Davidic meditation. Psalm 1:1-3 reads as follows,
“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”
Those words struck me like bumping the funny bone on your elbow. If I was to make God’s word my delight, than I needed to meditate on it day and night. But what did that mean? And there in the margin was a note. The Hebrew word hagah means to meditate or contemplate something as one repeats the words aloud. This is the word translated meditates in Psalm 1.
By instinct this was how I had learned scriptures when I was in the hospital. By thinking about them and repeating them aloud, I was able to secure them in memory. And now it seemed that David, thousands of years before, had done the same.
Actually, before David, God had instructed that the kings of Israel write out their own copy of the law and read it daily (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Unfotunately, what gets lost in translation is that the Hebrew word qara, translated “read” in verse nineteen actually means to recite aloud to oneself. Reading out loud is a distinct part of eastern culture, but to most westerns like me, reading is not something I generally do aloud.
Joshua, on receiving the command of Israel, was instructed by God, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). Again, the Hebrew word hagah, to meditate or contemplate something as one repeats the words aloud, is used in God’s instruction to Joshua. And it is likely that this verse may have served as an inspiration for Psalm 1.
Now as an adult I now know that hagah is a major practice of the Jewish faith. But you must understand, that as a punk thirteen-year old kid, I knew nothing about the Jewish faith and received these things by revelation. Hagah is a major theme of Psalms (sadly it is poorly translated in many cases). It is also a major theme of Proverbs and Isaiah.
Next, week I will speak more to the importance of Davidic meditation (hagah) in prayer and spiritual conflict and include some tips (in plain terms) on how to meditate effectively. But to get there, I need to deviate, and explain to you why I believe meditation is an effective tool for strengthening your relationship with God. Again I will caution you, that if you make this about ritual and not about relationship, than you will have missed the point entirely.
We know that man has three parts: a spirit, a soul, and a body (1 Ths. 5:23). We are triune beings made in the image of God who is also a triune being. God’s triune nature is infallible; God is one, no distinction or lack of union between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But our three parts (spirit, soul, and body) are fallible. They are distinct from one another. The spirit can pull us in one direction while the soul and or the body can pull us in a totally different direction.
This is the life-long battle for every Christian; the fight to get your body and your soul to operate in unity with your spirit, your spirit having been redeemed from sin and endowed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. In Hebrew the spirit is ruwach, the powerful exhalation or breath that causes your body and soul to come alive (James 2:26). The New Testament (written in large part by a Jewish scholar) mirrors this idea by using the Greek word pnuema for spirit. Think of your spirit as the pneumatic engine that keeps you alive.
We also have a soul, which in the Hebrew is nephesh, the inhalation or breath that is taken in. The nephesh thinks, feels, and interprets your interactions with the worlds around you. This nepesh or soul is your mind, will, and emotions. And so in the Greek, psyche is used for soul. Think of the soul as your psychological makeup interpreting your interactions with the worlds around you into thought, habit, feeling, and knowledge.
Now we know that the body has five senses that it uses for the purpose of interaction: hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling. All five are powerful tools. But the memories (records) that are stored in our soul are recorded in images and sounds (often recalled by touching, tasting, and smelling). So the medium for recording is hearing and seeing. And touching, tasting, and smelling act as triggers for recalling the records.
In this sense (no pun intended), I like to call hearing and seeing your dominant senses. Touching, tasting, and smelling I call your passive senses. This is not to discount the importance of your passive senses, but rather to stress that the passive senses are designed to support and stimulate the dominant senses. Stay with me.
Hearing and seeing then are your dominant senses. And hearing is what I call your master sense. Imagine, you are in a quiet room. Suddenly, you hear a loud noise. What do you do? You look in the direction of the sound. You can close your eyes but it is very difficult to close your ears.
Long before you saw the world, you heard it in your mother’s womb. And the first thing you likely did when you were born was to make a sound. To this day, blind people are able to adapt and live fairly normal lives. But the deaf struggle to interact with the outside world, often retreating into their own communities.
But most importantly, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing, by the word of God.” And this is why I believe hearing is our master sense. I can force you to see something with a few choice words. But if I don’t want to see something, I can simply close my eyes. So I refer to hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling as your five natural senses.
We’ll come back to this in future discussions but your soul and your spirit also have their own ability to sense or interact with the world around you. The bible will often refer to the soul and the spirit as having the ability hear or see. This is not to say that that you physically saw something or that you heard an audible voice, but rather that your soul and your spirit have their own ability to sense.
So then, you and I are triune beings with 5 natural senses and 2 supernatural senses (two senses that operate above or beyond the world of the natural). In all we have 7 senses. And these senses allow our body, soul, and spirit to interact with the world around us.
Next week, we’ll start talking about how meditation works as a tool to align our body and soul with our spirit. I’ll also start discussing practical applications as well as spiritual experiences that can be provoked or enhanced through meditation. Remember, relationship, relationship, relationship.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
So the Lord guided me through the first surgery miraculously. And by the time I had the second surgery, I had been able to start eating again and recover strength; the doctors having removed my colon, I was no longer bleeding to death. Needless to say, I was in better health when I faced the second surgery. But I count it all a miracle, for if God hadn’t intervened in the first, I wouldn’t even have been alive to face the second.
I knew that I literally owed my life to God. And driven by this knowledge, I set out to study the Bible more intently. I remembered clinging to the words of the Psalms when I had faced my surgery. And I understood for the first time that there was power in the word of God.
After reading through the Torah and the histories, I came to the book of Psalms. And there in the words of the first song, I found what I call Davidic meditation. Psalm 1:1-3 reads as follows,
“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”
Those words struck me like bumping the funny bone on your elbow. If I was to make God’s word my delight, than I needed to meditate on it day and night. But what did that mean? And there in the margin was a note. The Hebrew word hagah means to meditate or contemplate something as one repeats the words aloud. This is the word translated meditates in Psalm 1.
By instinct this was how I had learned scriptures when I was in the hospital. By thinking about them and repeating them aloud, I was able to secure them in memory. And now it seemed that David, thousands of years before, had done the same.
Actually, before David, God had instructed that the kings of Israel write out their own copy of the law and read it daily (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Unfotunately, what gets lost in translation is that the Hebrew word qara, translated “read” in verse nineteen actually means to recite aloud to oneself. Reading out loud is a distinct part of eastern culture, but to most westerns like me, reading is not something I generally do aloud.
Joshua, on receiving the command of Israel, was instructed by God, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). Again, the Hebrew word hagah, to meditate or contemplate something as one repeats the words aloud, is used in God’s instruction to Joshua. And it is likely that this verse may have served as an inspiration for Psalm 1.
Now as an adult I now know that hagah is a major practice of the Jewish faith. But you must understand, that as a punk thirteen-year old kid, I knew nothing about the Jewish faith and received these things by revelation. Hagah is a major theme of Psalms (sadly it is poorly translated in many cases). It is also a major theme of Proverbs and Isaiah.
Next, week I will speak more to the importance of Davidic meditation (hagah) in prayer and spiritual conflict and include some tips (in plain terms) on how to meditate effectively. But to get there, I need to deviate, and explain to you why I believe meditation is an effective tool for strengthening your relationship with God. Again I will caution you, that if you make this about ritual and not about relationship, than you will have missed the point entirely.
We know that man has three parts: a spirit, a soul, and a body (1 Ths. 5:23). We are triune beings made in the image of God who is also a triune being. God’s triune nature is infallible; God is one, no distinction or lack of union between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But our three parts (spirit, soul, and body) are fallible. They are distinct from one another. The spirit can pull us in one direction while the soul and or the body can pull us in a totally different direction.
This is the life-long battle for every Christian; the fight to get your body and your soul to operate in unity with your spirit, your spirit having been redeemed from sin and endowed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. In Hebrew the spirit is ruwach, the powerful exhalation or breath that causes your body and soul to come alive (James 2:26). The New Testament (written in large part by a Jewish scholar) mirrors this idea by using the Greek word pnuema for spirit. Think of your spirit as the pneumatic engine that keeps you alive.
We also have a soul, which in the Hebrew is nephesh, the inhalation or breath that is taken in. The nephesh thinks, feels, and interprets your interactions with the worlds around you. This nepesh or soul is your mind, will, and emotions. And so in the Greek, psyche is used for soul. Think of the soul as your psychological makeup interpreting your interactions with the worlds around you into thought, habit, feeling, and knowledge.
Now we know that the body has five senses that it uses for the purpose of interaction: hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling. All five are powerful tools. But the memories (records) that are stored in our soul are recorded in images and sounds (often recalled by touching, tasting, and smelling). So the medium for recording is hearing and seeing. And touching, tasting, and smelling act as triggers for recalling the records.
In this sense (no pun intended), I like to call hearing and seeing your dominant senses. Touching, tasting, and smelling I call your passive senses. This is not to discount the importance of your passive senses, but rather to stress that the passive senses are designed to support and stimulate the dominant senses. Stay with me.
Hearing and seeing then are your dominant senses. And hearing is what I call your master sense. Imagine, you are in a quiet room. Suddenly, you hear a loud noise. What do you do? You look in the direction of the sound. You can close your eyes but it is very difficult to close your ears.
Long before you saw the world, you heard it in your mother’s womb. And the first thing you likely did when you were born was to make a sound. To this day, blind people are able to adapt and live fairly normal lives. But the deaf struggle to interact with the outside world, often retreating into their own communities.
But most importantly, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing, by the word of God.” And this is why I believe hearing is our master sense. I can force you to see something with a few choice words. But if I don’t want to see something, I can simply close my eyes. So I refer to hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling as your five natural senses.
We’ll come back to this in future discussions but your soul and your spirit also have their own ability to sense or interact with the world around you. The bible will often refer to the soul and the spirit as having the ability hear or see. This is not to say that that you physically saw something or that you heard an audible voice, but rather that your soul and your spirit have their own ability to sense.
So then, you and I are triune beings with 5 natural senses and 2 supernatural senses (two senses that operate above or beyond the world of the natural). In all we have 7 senses. And these senses allow our body, soul, and spirit to interact with the world around us.
Next week, we’ll start talking about how meditation works as a tool to align our body and soul with our spirit. I’ll also start discussing practical applications as well as spiritual experiences that can be provoked or enhanced through meditation. Remember, relationship, relationship, relationship.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Davidic Meditation Part I
Davidic Meditation. Don’t worry, I’m not the Maharishi, and this is not a seance. But meditation, like so many other elements of our spirituality, has become something that we wrongly associate with every religion except Christianity. And nothing could be farther from the truth. Meditation understood from a Biblical perspective can play a central role in your spiritual health as a Christian.
The central difference in the Christian use of meditation is motive. For us the motive should be love. I want to preface everything that I am about to say. This is all about your relationship with God and getting to know Him better. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.”
You are not going to impress God by becoming spiritually pious. Nothing you do makes Him love you more or less. But if you love Him, than love will motivate you to uphold certain disciplines. A parent disciplines him or herself to work in order to provide for their child. A good husband disciplines himself to communicate well with his wife. And so on. Meditation is simply one of the disciplines flowing out of a love relationship with Christ.
When I was ten, I committed my life to Christ and began reading the Bible for the first time on my own. But it wasn’t until I was thirteen that it took over as a lifelong passion. And to this day Biblical study remains a most cherished part of my life.
I had been battling a disease called ulcerative colitis for nearly seven years. The disease would go in and out of remission like cancer. And in its throws, I would begin to bleed to death as my body attacked itself producing bleeding ulcers all over my colon.
Then at thirteen, after being hospitalized for several months, the disease literally had me at the point of death. The doctors had even tried an experimental chemotherapy to try to get the disease to go back into remission. But nothing worked. I was severely anemic and was bleeding so badly that even a massive blood transfusion did little in the way of rehabilitating my health.
The only thing the doctors could do to attempt to save my live was to perform a surgery where they would remove my colon and, if all went well, rewire me so that I could function somewhat normally without it. But my frail condition made the surgery extremely risky. If they didn’t operate than the disease, which was still progressing, would likely take my life. If they operated, I might not survive the operation.
But at least the operation gave me a chance at life. And I had received a promise from God in a vision that He would intervene and spare my life. And so I elected to have the surgery.
My neighbor, who had inspired me to commit my life to Christ, called me in the last hours before my surgery. She said that she had two scriptures for me and she wanted me to memorize them. The scriptures were Psalm 18:1-3 and Psalm 139:7-10. This was the first time I had ever heard anything about memorizing scripture (other than my dad tediously making my brothers and I memorize the 10 commandments as children). And as I was going into the surgery she wanted me to repeat those scriptures to myself.
Well this was wonderful. As soon as I hung up the phone, I scrambled for my Bible to find out what the scriptures said. First was Psalm 18:1-3, “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies." Next was Psalm 139:7-10, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And your right hand shall hold me.”
And so these were the first words from scripture that I memorized of my own accord. And as I lay on the operating table, I recited those scriptures over and over again until I went to sleep. I remembered the promise of God that He would spare my life. And the words of those two Psalms seemed like the very voice of God calling to me and beckoning me back to life as I awoke from the surgery which was a complete success.
Meditation had become an imbedded part of my relationship with God without me even knowing what meditation was. Stayed tuned for next weeks blog where I will continue to talk about my journey. I will discuss what meditation is from the Bible and will also highlight some techniques which I have found to be particularly effective.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
The central difference in the Christian use of meditation is motive. For us the motive should be love. I want to preface everything that I am about to say. This is all about your relationship with God and getting to know Him better. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.”
You are not going to impress God by becoming spiritually pious. Nothing you do makes Him love you more or less. But if you love Him, than love will motivate you to uphold certain disciplines. A parent disciplines him or herself to work in order to provide for their child. A good husband disciplines himself to communicate well with his wife. And so on. Meditation is simply one of the disciplines flowing out of a love relationship with Christ.
When I was ten, I committed my life to Christ and began reading the Bible for the first time on my own. But it wasn’t until I was thirteen that it took over as a lifelong passion. And to this day Biblical study remains a most cherished part of my life.
I had been battling a disease called ulcerative colitis for nearly seven years. The disease would go in and out of remission like cancer. And in its throws, I would begin to bleed to death as my body attacked itself producing bleeding ulcers all over my colon.
Then at thirteen, after being hospitalized for several months, the disease literally had me at the point of death. The doctors had even tried an experimental chemotherapy to try to get the disease to go back into remission. But nothing worked. I was severely anemic and was bleeding so badly that even a massive blood transfusion did little in the way of rehabilitating my health.
The only thing the doctors could do to attempt to save my live was to perform a surgery where they would remove my colon and, if all went well, rewire me so that I could function somewhat normally without it. But my frail condition made the surgery extremely risky. If they didn’t operate than the disease, which was still progressing, would likely take my life. If they operated, I might not survive the operation.
But at least the operation gave me a chance at life. And I had received a promise from God in a vision that He would intervene and spare my life. And so I elected to have the surgery.
My neighbor, who had inspired me to commit my life to Christ, called me in the last hours before my surgery. She said that she had two scriptures for me and she wanted me to memorize them. The scriptures were Psalm 18:1-3 and Psalm 139:7-10. This was the first time I had ever heard anything about memorizing scripture (other than my dad tediously making my brothers and I memorize the 10 commandments as children). And as I was going into the surgery she wanted me to repeat those scriptures to myself.
Well this was wonderful. As soon as I hung up the phone, I scrambled for my Bible to find out what the scriptures said. First was Psalm 18:1-3, “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies." Next was Psalm 139:7-10, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And your right hand shall hold me.”
And so these were the first words from scripture that I memorized of my own accord. And as I lay on the operating table, I recited those scriptures over and over again until I went to sleep. I remembered the promise of God that He would spare my life. And the words of those two Psalms seemed like the very voice of God calling to me and beckoning me back to life as I awoke from the surgery which was a complete success.
Meditation had become an imbedded part of my relationship with God without me even knowing what meditation was. Stayed tuned for next weeks blog where I will continue to talk about my journey. I will discuss what meditation is from the Bible and will also highlight some techniques which I have found to be particularly effective.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Monday, February 9, 2009
Is suicide an unpardonable sin?
This past Sunday we had a question and answer session at our evening Church service called Elevation. People were able to go in and submit questions online and a panel from our church’s leadership team gave a noble effort to answer the questions. There was one question which I thought merited a more detailed answer than time and the pace of the session allowed for. And so I decided to insert an unscheduled blog.
The basic nature of the question was, “Does God send people to hell for committing suicide?” This is an important question for all of us but especially for those who have tragically lost someone they know and love. And the Bible does have an answer.
First, and foremost the Bible does command us not to murder (Exodus 20:13). I do believe that suicide qualifies as murder. It is not God’s will for us to end our own life in the same way that it is not God’s will for us to end the life of another. From the opening chapter’s of Genesis, God repeatedly asserts the value of man’s life and warns against acts of murder. So suicide is an act of sin. But is it a sin that God will never forgive?
To treat suicide as an unforgivable sin, for which God will automatically condemn someone to hell, is not a Biblical teaching. In fact it contradicts what the Bible teaches. And for my part I thought it was important to expound upon the answer I gave last night in writing.
First and foremost, the way out of hell is faith. In John 5:24 Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." The Apostle Paul would go on to say that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Even more important than knowing what gets you into hell, is knowing what gets you out, namely, faith in Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead (Romans 10:9-10).
The assertion that suicide is an unpardonable sin is a doctrine of institutionalized religion and is not a teaching that can be supported from the teachings of the Bible. There are two major issues with the teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin. The first issue is how to define suicide. You have to either to teach that anyone who commits a deliberate act, with the foreknowledge that it will end their life, has committed suicide or you have to setup systems to arbitrate cases where someone has ended their life in a way that shouldn’t be defined as suicide.
The example I used last night was a solider that chooses to fall on a grenade, ending his own life, in order to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. Did this soldier commit suicide or was the act of ending his own life a heroic act of service? I say it is a heroic act of service.
To those who teach that anyone who commits a deliberate act, with the foreknowledge that it will end their life, has committed suicide, I would refer you to the example of Christ. In John 10:17-18, Jesus says, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” Jesus actually set about a course of action that He knew would end His life.
Jesus’ disciples warn Him not to go to Jerusalem because they knew that Jesus would be killed. The apostle Peter even attempted to restrain Jesus. Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing that going there would result in His death.
The Roman soldiers who were stationed at Jerusalem acted as a military police force. Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing that the Romans would crucify Him. In our modern day, we might have accused Jesus of committing “death by cop.” And Jesus says that He had actually been commanded to lay down (end) His life. He even says, “I lay it down of Myself.” You can see how easy it would be for someone to misunderstand Jesus and His intentions.
Was Jesus’ act of laying down His own life an act of suicide? Certainly not. It was a heroic act of sacrifice. And this is the error in teaching that anyone who commits a deliberate act, with the foreknowledge that it will end their life, has committed suicide (and subsequently will be sent to hell). This flawed logic might leave you condemning Jesus to hell! Clearly, there are cases where someone chooses to end their life and it is not suicide.
The alternative is to setup systems of arbitration by which men in elected positions can determine whether or not a specific act should be considered suicide, and ultimately whether or not someone should be sent to hell. To this I also refer you to the example of Christ. Even Jesus’ closest friends and family misjudged His intent in giving up His life.
But the most atrocious element of this alternative, is that it places the power to eternally damn someone to hell in the hands of men. The right of judgment belongs exclusively to Christ. It is a dangerous and false teaching that takes eternal judgment out of the hands of a loving God and places it in the hands of sinful men.
“There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:12). The world misjudged Christ and condemned Him to death, but God overruled the world’s prosecution of Jesus and granted Him eternal clemency (1 Peter 2:23). We are charged to judge the things that pertain to this life, but it is God’s exclusive right to judge the things pertaining to eternal life, the eternal future of men (Matthew 7:1-2). Praise God that He is a just judge. Praise God that His judgment is untainted by sin. Praise God that He is merciful, compassionate, and forgiving.
The second error in teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin is that such a teaching directly contradicts the teachings of the Bible. Jesus clearly states in Matthew 12:31, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” Jesus identifies only one unpardonable sin and it is not suicide.
The context of Matthew 12:31 is Matthew 12:22-30. Jesus had just miraculously healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of delivering the demon- possessed man by the power of Beelzebub (a demon). Jesus rebukes them and asserts that it was by the power of God’s Spirit that He had healed the man. Then Jesus issues a warning not to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, clearly states, “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” Jesus asserts that there is only one sin that God is not willing to forgive which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. All others God is willing to forgive including suicide.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (the only unpardonable sin) as defined in the context of Matthew 12:22-30 has nothing to do with suicide. What you have in Matthew 12:22-30 are religious leaders who recognize the Holy Spirit at work and then knowingly choose to blaspheme the Holy Spirit by calling His work the work of the devil. Jesus in essence says that they have committed the only unpardonable sin. They didn’t commit this sin by accident and they knew what they were doing. I won’t elaborate on blasphemy of the Holy Spirit other than to say that, if you were blaspheming the Holy Spirit, it wouldn’t be by accident and you would know what you were doing.
In the larger picture of things we now have a clear and contextually definable statement from Jesus Himself that directly contradicts the teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin. And nowhere in the teachings of the apostles do they add a contingency clause that God will not forgive someone who commits suicide. Suicide is not an unpardonable sin.
To say that the power of cross is sufficient to forgive every sin except suicide is to cheapen and debase the sacrifice that Jesus made. At the moment that someone takes their own life, their eternal salvation is still based on faith. And only God can judge them righteously.
Often people who commit suicide are not fully aware of the consequences of what they are doing. They hurt and they just want the hurt to end. They are broken, confused, and in pain.
Psalm 34:18 says that “The Lord is near to the broken hearted, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Rather than condemning those who have ended their own life, we need to teach people that God is near to them when they are broken hearted and that God still has the power to save them. It is also tragic that in the time of a family’s loss many religious organizations add to their pain with a false and misguided teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin.
In the moments of individual weakness and suffering, in times of loss and pain, and in times of doubt and confusion the Church should be a beacon of light and a source of hope and strength.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
The basic nature of the question was, “Does God send people to hell for committing suicide?” This is an important question for all of us but especially for those who have tragically lost someone they know and love. And the Bible does have an answer.
First, and foremost the Bible does command us not to murder (Exodus 20:13). I do believe that suicide qualifies as murder. It is not God’s will for us to end our own life in the same way that it is not God’s will for us to end the life of another. From the opening chapter’s of Genesis, God repeatedly asserts the value of man’s life and warns against acts of murder. So suicide is an act of sin. But is it a sin that God will never forgive?
To treat suicide as an unforgivable sin, for which God will automatically condemn someone to hell, is not a Biblical teaching. In fact it contradicts what the Bible teaches. And for my part I thought it was important to expound upon the answer I gave last night in writing.
First and foremost, the way out of hell is faith. In John 5:24 Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." The Apostle Paul would go on to say that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Even more important than knowing what gets you into hell, is knowing what gets you out, namely, faith in Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead (Romans 10:9-10).
The assertion that suicide is an unpardonable sin is a doctrine of institutionalized religion and is not a teaching that can be supported from the teachings of the Bible. There are two major issues with the teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin. The first issue is how to define suicide. You have to either to teach that anyone who commits a deliberate act, with the foreknowledge that it will end their life, has committed suicide or you have to setup systems to arbitrate cases where someone has ended their life in a way that shouldn’t be defined as suicide.
The example I used last night was a solider that chooses to fall on a grenade, ending his own life, in order to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. Did this soldier commit suicide or was the act of ending his own life a heroic act of service? I say it is a heroic act of service.
To those who teach that anyone who commits a deliberate act, with the foreknowledge that it will end their life, has committed suicide, I would refer you to the example of Christ. In John 10:17-18, Jesus says, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” Jesus actually set about a course of action that He knew would end His life.
Jesus’ disciples warn Him not to go to Jerusalem because they knew that Jesus would be killed. The apostle Peter even attempted to restrain Jesus. Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing that going there would result in His death.
The Roman soldiers who were stationed at Jerusalem acted as a military police force. Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing that the Romans would crucify Him. In our modern day, we might have accused Jesus of committing “death by cop.” And Jesus says that He had actually been commanded to lay down (end) His life. He even says, “I lay it down of Myself.” You can see how easy it would be for someone to misunderstand Jesus and His intentions.
Was Jesus’ act of laying down His own life an act of suicide? Certainly not. It was a heroic act of sacrifice. And this is the error in teaching that anyone who commits a deliberate act, with the foreknowledge that it will end their life, has committed suicide (and subsequently will be sent to hell). This flawed logic might leave you condemning Jesus to hell! Clearly, there are cases where someone chooses to end their life and it is not suicide.
The alternative is to setup systems of arbitration by which men in elected positions can determine whether or not a specific act should be considered suicide, and ultimately whether or not someone should be sent to hell. To this I also refer you to the example of Christ. Even Jesus’ closest friends and family misjudged His intent in giving up His life.
But the most atrocious element of this alternative, is that it places the power to eternally damn someone to hell in the hands of men. The right of judgment belongs exclusively to Christ. It is a dangerous and false teaching that takes eternal judgment out of the hands of a loving God and places it in the hands of sinful men.
“There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:12). The world misjudged Christ and condemned Him to death, but God overruled the world’s prosecution of Jesus and granted Him eternal clemency (1 Peter 2:23). We are charged to judge the things that pertain to this life, but it is God’s exclusive right to judge the things pertaining to eternal life, the eternal future of men (Matthew 7:1-2). Praise God that He is a just judge. Praise God that His judgment is untainted by sin. Praise God that He is merciful, compassionate, and forgiving.
The second error in teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin is that such a teaching directly contradicts the teachings of the Bible. Jesus clearly states in Matthew 12:31, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” Jesus identifies only one unpardonable sin and it is not suicide.
The context of Matthew 12:31 is Matthew 12:22-30. Jesus had just miraculously healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of delivering the demon- possessed man by the power of Beelzebub (a demon). Jesus rebukes them and asserts that it was by the power of God’s Spirit that He had healed the man. Then Jesus issues a warning not to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, clearly states, “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” Jesus asserts that there is only one sin that God is not willing to forgive which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. All others God is willing to forgive including suicide.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (the only unpardonable sin) as defined in the context of Matthew 12:22-30 has nothing to do with suicide. What you have in Matthew 12:22-30 are religious leaders who recognize the Holy Spirit at work and then knowingly choose to blaspheme the Holy Spirit by calling His work the work of the devil. Jesus in essence says that they have committed the only unpardonable sin. They didn’t commit this sin by accident and they knew what they were doing. I won’t elaborate on blasphemy of the Holy Spirit other than to say that, if you were blaspheming the Holy Spirit, it wouldn’t be by accident and you would know what you were doing.
In the larger picture of things we now have a clear and contextually definable statement from Jesus Himself that directly contradicts the teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin. And nowhere in the teachings of the apostles do they add a contingency clause that God will not forgive someone who commits suicide. Suicide is not an unpardonable sin.
To say that the power of cross is sufficient to forgive every sin except suicide is to cheapen and debase the sacrifice that Jesus made. At the moment that someone takes their own life, their eternal salvation is still based on faith. And only God can judge them righteously.
Often people who commit suicide are not fully aware of the consequences of what they are doing. They hurt and they just want the hurt to end. They are broken, confused, and in pain.
Psalm 34:18 says that “The Lord is near to the broken hearted, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Rather than condemning those who have ended their own life, we need to teach people that God is near to them when they are broken hearted and that God still has the power to save them. It is also tragic that in the time of a family’s loss many religious organizations add to their pain with a false and misguided teaching that suicide is an unpardonable sin.
In the moments of individual weakness and suffering, in times of loss and pain, and in times of doubt and confusion the Church should be a beacon of light and a source of hope and strength.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Memories Are Forever?
Well, let’s settle the issue. Memories aren’t forever. The words of Revelation 21:3-7 come to mind, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”"
The motivation for us to overcome is that a new day is coming. One day God will wipe away our tears. And every painful memory will be wiped away. God will make all things new.
God created you. He is your Alpha, your beginning. Whether or not you realize it, you’ve got a good beginning. God is Alpha and He is also Omega. One day your story will have a wonderful and glorious end. And all of the painful things in between will be wiped away!
So what do you do while you are stuck here on earth with bad memories? Easy. Get over it. I’m not saying to forget because only God can wipe the slate clean. What I’m saying is that there is a difference between being under something and being over something. And you need to get over your bad memories.
Often I remember places I’ve been or things I’ve done. And they aren’t all good. It seems like a bad movie that I am being forced to re-watch in my head. But I’ve gotten over those things. They are under me now. Sometimes you need to remind your bad memories that their clock is ticking.
And the wonderful thing is that you can change the channel. There is nothing stopping you from piling up good memories of good places and good experiences. And there is a force more powerful than memory operating in our lives. That force is love.
Love overrides memory. It trumps fear and regret. It humbles doubt and releases faith and hope into our lives. God is love.
Love motivates us to stand when we have fallen. It reminds us to have courage when our hearts grow faint. Love rises in the mist of sorrow to nurture the seeds of faith. And love never fails even when we do. God is love!
You can’t take it with you. The good, the bad, and the ugly will one day be wiped away. There will be no sad people in heaven but there won’t be anyone who is proud either. Just a band of people emboldened by God’s love. Left standing will be a people who dared to overcome, believing that God would keep His word. The slate will be wiped clean. And God will make everything new.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
The motivation for us to overcome is that a new day is coming. One day God will wipe away our tears. And every painful memory will be wiped away. God will make all things new.
God created you. He is your Alpha, your beginning. Whether or not you realize it, you’ve got a good beginning. God is Alpha and He is also Omega. One day your story will have a wonderful and glorious end. And all of the painful things in between will be wiped away!
So what do you do while you are stuck here on earth with bad memories? Easy. Get over it. I’m not saying to forget because only God can wipe the slate clean. What I’m saying is that there is a difference between being under something and being over something. And you need to get over your bad memories.
Often I remember places I’ve been or things I’ve done. And they aren’t all good. It seems like a bad movie that I am being forced to re-watch in my head. But I’ve gotten over those things. They are under me now. Sometimes you need to remind your bad memories that their clock is ticking.
And the wonderful thing is that you can change the channel. There is nothing stopping you from piling up good memories of good places and good experiences. And there is a force more powerful than memory operating in our lives. That force is love.
Love overrides memory. It trumps fear and regret. It humbles doubt and releases faith and hope into our lives. God is love.
Love motivates us to stand when we have fallen. It reminds us to have courage when our hearts grow faint. Love rises in the mist of sorrow to nurture the seeds of faith. And love never fails even when we do. God is love!
You can’t take it with you. The good, the bad, and the ugly will one day be wiped away. There will be no sad people in heaven but there won’t be anyone who is proud either. Just a band of people emboldened by God’s love. Left standing will be a people who dared to overcome, believing that God would keep His word. The slate will be wiped clean. And God will make everything new.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Dreams
Dreams. They are one of the key elements that separate us from the rest of creation. God created us will the ability to dream; to imagine something and then creatively pursue that dream until it becomes a reality. Our dreams are the central threads binding together the fabric of who we are.
This is what makes dreams so important. Dreams guide and dreams inspire. But God will also use dreams to make and re-make our character. He’ll use dreams to refine the rough edges of our personalities and to cultivate abilities and strengths that we never knew we had.
Along the way to any good dream, there will be obstacles. Those obstacles take on many forms. Some are found in the labyrinth of our own soul. Others appear from the outside in both strange and familiar faces. Some obstacles are as old as time itself and have been encountered by many dreamers who came before us.
Several years ago my Pastor preached a message called “Dream Stealers” about how man made religions become a tool that bitter people use to manipulate and to steal the dreams of others. In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The context of John 10 is the religious order of Jesus’ day excommunicating a man that Jesus had healed of blindness all because he refused to deny that he had been healed. So the thief in John 10 is man made religious orders. Man made religion likes to tell people what they can't do instead of reminding them of what God can do. And religion is not the only thief that is out there.
The night after my Pastor preached the message on dream stealers, I encountered him in the parking lot. He stopped me for a moment by looking me in the eye and calling my name. He paused and then said, “Don’t ever let anyone steal your dreams.” He got in his car and drove away. I got in my car and sat there for a moment thinking about what he had said.
This was about nine years ago. God had miraculously delivered me from drug and alcohol addiction. God had literally ransomed me from a life in prison, a consequence I deserved for a crime I had committed. But the transition into a new life had left me broken. And in spite of everything that God had done, I wasn’t sure that I could imagine anything good for my life. I was afraid to raise my sails and dare to dream again.
I made a decision that night. Sure there were a lot of people telling me that I couldn’t make it. Yes, I had reached a point in life where I had failed and compromised everything I had believed in. But God had still chosen to redeem me. And if God was willing to imagine, to dream something good for my life than I was going with Him.
Many times over the years I have encountered some of those obstacles on the way to my dreams. Some ancient, some new. Some coming out of the mouths of strangers, some coming out of the mouths of family & friends. And looking on those barriers to hope, listening to the wall of accusations and misdirection that try to separate me from my dreams, I remember what my Pastor said to me. “Don’t let anyone steal your dreams.”
And now I want you to look into the eyes of a dreamer. I’m standing in front of you with my soul laid bare just like my Pastor was that night. And from the depths of who I am, I am challenging you. “Don’t let anyone steal your dreams.”
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
This is what makes dreams so important. Dreams guide and dreams inspire. But God will also use dreams to make and re-make our character. He’ll use dreams to refine the rough edges of our personalities and to cultivate abilities and strengths that we never knew we had.
Along the way to any good dream, there will be obstacles. Those obstacles take on many forms. Some are found in the labyrinth of our own soul. Others appear from the outside in both strange and familiar faces. Some obstacles are as old as time itself and have been encountered by many dreamers who came before us.
Several years ago my Pastor preached a message called “Dream Stealers” about how man made religions become a tool that bitter people use to manipulate and to steal the dreams of others. In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The context of John 10 is the religious order of Jesus’ day excommunicating a man that Jesus had healed of blindness all because he refused to deny that he had been healed. So the thief in John 10 is man made religious orders. Man made religion likes to tell people what they can't do instead of reminding them of what God can do. And religion is not the only thief that is out there.
The night after my Pastor preached the message on dream stealers, I encountered him in the parking lot. He stopped me for a moment by looking me in the eye and calling my name. He paused and then said, “Don’t ever let anyone steal your dreams.” He got in his car and drove away. I got in my car and sat there for a moment thinking about what he had said.
This was about nine years ago. God had miraculously delivered me from drug and alcohol addiction. God had literally ransomed me from a life in prison, a consequence I deserved for a crime I had committed. But the transition into a new life had left me broken. And in spite of everything that God had done, I wasn’t sure that I could imagine anything good for my life. I was afraid to raise my sails and dare to dream again.
I made a decision that night. Sure there were a lot of people telling me that I couldn’t make it. Yes, I had reached a point in life where I had failed and compromised everything I had believed in. But God had still chosen to redeem me. And if God was willing to imagine, to dream something good for my life than I was going with Him.
Many times over the years I have encountered some of those obstacles on the way to my dreams. Some ancient, some new. Some coming out of the mouths of strangers, some coming out of the mouths of family & friends. And looking on those barriers to hope, listening to the wall of accusations and misdirection that try to separate me from my dreams, I remember what my Pastor said to me. “Don’t let anyone steal your dreams.”
And now I want you to look into the eyes of a dreamer. I’m standing in front of you with my soul laid bare just like my Pastor was that night. And from the depths of who I am, I am challenging you. “Don’t let anyone steal your dreams.”
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Power of Prayer (Part II)
So because you are physical (body), psychological (mind, will, emotions), and spiritual so also are your prayers. Unfortunately, this is not the way most people treat prayer. Most people suffer from what I call the “three stooges of prayer.” That is to say that some people have a western view of prayer, some a country western view of prayer, and some an eastern view. And all of these are skewed or out of alignment in some way.
To the western view (coming from a western mind) prayer is centered around the psychological. This type of prayer is centered around what you feel, what you think, and what you want. Now all of these things should be a part of your prayer but they should never be the center. God is interested in what you feel, in what you think, even what you want.
But western prayers make prayer more about you than about a relationship. God is Spirit and the most intimate connection you can have with Him is spiritual. But when you become centered on yourself you cut the spiritual element out of your prayers. Prayer is supposed to be a relationship. And the peak of this relational exchange is not psychological but spiritual.
Other people suffer from what I call an “eastern view” of prayer. They recognize that prayer is supposed to climax in spiritual exchange. But they try to reach that spiritual exchange on their own terms. Prayer is not about burning incense and sacred chants.
But even Christians will fall prey to this eastern view. They come up with “magic buzz words,” rituals, and even demonstrative behaviors that are presumed to induce a spiritual experience in prayer. But God has nothing to do with it. The buzz words, the rituals, and even some of the contrived behaviors are all defined by men (either in their own private experience or as a part of a closed social circle).
Let me enlighten you. God will never relate to you on your terms. God is not interested in how many Christian buzz words you use when you pray. You can’t forcibly induce God into an exchange. Interestingly, eastern prayers have the same end effect as western prayers. Prayer becomes about you.
The more buzz words you know, the more rituals you can perform, the more demonstrative behaviors you exhibit, the more “spiritual” you presume to be. And out of this, closed social groups will form. “Eastern prayer cults” where social pecking orders are based on who appears to be more spiritual.
This is a sick and perverted view of prayer. You can’t become any more spiritual than you already are. God made you spirit and that makes you spiritual. If you want to relate to God than it will have to be on His terms.
Now comes the third type of prayer that I call country western prayer. In this view the psychological and the spiritual are one and the same. The delineation between emotion and spirit is lost. And the psychosocial actually begins to be worshiped as a form of spirituality.
How in the world can Christians justify barking like dogs, drinking turpentine, and handling venomous snakes? Easy. These are just country western prayer rituals at their ultimate extreme. If you believe that the psychological and the spiritual are one and the same, than you will end up chasing heightened psychological experiences.
Behind this view like the others is a twisted view of scripture. Hebrews 4:12 says that, “the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” A right understanding of God's word will correct all three of these wrong views about prayer.
To the western mind, the word of God is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. To the eastern mind the word of God severs the joints and marrow, breaks down the man made stanchions of prayer, and puts us in a place where we are genuinely humbled before God (relating to God on His terms). And to the country western mind the word of God comes and divides the soul (psychological) and the spiritual.
Real prayer involves the physical and the psychological but is centered around the spiritual. Real prayers accepts the fact that in order for there to be an exchange with God, it must be on His terms. Real prayer is able to recognize the difference between what you feel or what you want and the true inner spiritual longing to connect with God. And real prayer is guided and guarded by the word of God.
So pray real prayers.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
To the western view (coming from a western mind) prayer is centered around the psychological. This type of prayer is centered around what you feel, what you think, and what you want. Now all of these things should be a part of your prayer but they should never be the center. God is interested in what you feel, in what you think, even what you want.
But western prayers make prayer more about you than about a relationship. God is Spirit and the most intimate connection you can have with Him is spiritual. But when you become centered on yourself you cut the spiritual element out of your prayers. Prayer is supposed to be a relationship. And the peak of this relational exchange is not psychological but spiritual.
Other people suffer from what I call an “eastern view” of prayer. They recognize that prayer is supposed to climax in spiritual exchange. But they try to reach that spiritual exchange on their own terms. Prayer is not about burning incense and sacred chants.
But even Christians will fall prey to this eastern view. They come up with “magic buzz words,” rituals, and even demonstrative behaviors that are presumed to induce a spiritual experience in prayer. But God has nothing to do with it. The buzz words, the rituals, and even some of the contrived behaviors are all defined by men (either in their own private experience or as a part of a closed social circle).
Let me enlighten you. God will never relate to you on your terms. God is not interested in how many Christian buzz words you use when you pray. You can’t forcibly induce God into an exchange. Interestingly, eastern prayers have the same end effect as western prayers. Prayer becomes about you.
The more buzz words you know, the more rituals you can perform, the more demonstrative behaviors you exhibit, the more “spiritual” you presume to be. And out of this, closed social groups will form. “Eastern prayer cults” where social pecking orders are based on who appears to be more spiritual.
This is a sick and perverted view of prayer. You can’t become any more spiritual than you already are. God made you spirit and that makes you spiritual. If you want to relate to God than it will have to be on His terms.
Now comes the third type of prayer that I call country western prayer. In this view the psychological and the spiritual are one and the same. The delineation between emotion and spirit is lost. And the psychosocial actually begins to be worshiped as a form of spirituality.
How in the world can Christians justify barking like dogs, drinking turpentine, and handling venomous snakes? Easy. These are just country western prayer rituals at their ultimate extreme. If you believe that the psychological and the spiritual are one and the same, than you will end up chasing heightened psychological experiences.
Behind this view like the others is a twisted view of scripture. Hebrews 4:12 says that, “the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” A right understanding of God's word will correct all three of these wrong views about prayer.
To the western mind, the word of God is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. To the eastern mind the word of God severs the joints and marrow, breaks down the man made stanchions of prayer, and puts us in a place where we are genuinely humbled before God (relating to God on His terms). And to the country western mind the word of God comes and divides the soul (psychological) and the spiritual.
Real prayer involves the physical and the psychological but is centered around the spiritual. Real prayers accepts the fact that in order for there to be an exchange with God, it must be on His terms. Real prayer is able to recognize the difference between what you feel or what you want and the true inner spiritual longing to connect with God. And real prayer is guided and guarded by the word of God.
So pray real prayers.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Power of Prayer (Part I)
Proverbs 18:21 says that, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Now I’ve heard a number of people talk about the “death and life” part. We all probably know from experience that the things that we say (our tongues) can produce life or death in ourselves and others. We’ve all said things we didn’t mean or neglected to say something we should have. And we’ve all had someone lift us out of a bad day with a few kind words.
But I want to talk for a moment about the power of the tongue. The apostle Paul says in 1Thessalonians 5:23, “may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I believe and strongly teach that we are triune beings; namely that we have a spirit, a soul, and a body.
The spirit (pneuma in the Greek) is the ‘pneumatic engine’ that keeps you alive (James 2:26). The spirit is also the part of us that is able to communicate with God (Romans 8:16) and is designed to govern our life (1Cor. 2:11). The soul (psyche in the Greek) is our psychological makeup (the mind, the will, and the emotions).
And this triune nature is what makes our words (our tongues) so powerful. We actually have the power to produce words that are natural, deeply psychological (invoking thought or feeling), and even words that are effectually spiritual. We even have the ability to speak in a language that is natural, a language that is psychological, and a language that is spiritual.
This gets into what I want to talk to you about next week. This coming week I want you to recognize that your prayers are powerful because there is power in the tongue. When you pray, you actually have the power to affect a natural, psychological, and even a spiritual change.
Next week we remember the sacrifices made by many to see life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness become a reality for people of color. We remember one of the great leaders of the American civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We also celebrate the inauguration of a new American President who promises to change our country for the better.
But next week, I want you to remember that one of the most powerful forces in the universe is not in a movement or in a man, but in the power of your prayers.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah Mullins
P.S. Look for a follow on blog next week to include the 3 types of prayer: western prayer, country western prayer, and eastern prayer
But I want to talk for a moment about the power of the tongue. The apostle Paul says in 1Thessalonians 5:23, “may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I believe and strongly teach that we are triune beings; namely that we have a spirit, a soul, and a body.
The spirit (pneuma in the Greek) is the ‘pneumatic engine’ that keeps you alive (James 2:26). The spirit is also the part of us that is able to communicate with God (Romans 8:16) and is designed to govern our life (1Cor. 2:11). The soul (psyche in the Greek) is our psychological makeup (the mind, the will, and the emotions).
And this triune nature is what makes our words (our tongues) so powerful. We actually have the power to produce words that are natural, deeply psychological (invoking thought or feeling), and even words that are effectually spiritual. We even have the ability to speak in a language that is natural, a language that is psychological, and a language that is spiritual.
This gets into what I want to talk to you about next week. This coming week I want you to recognize that your prayers are powerful because there is power in the tongue. When you pray, you actually have the power to affect a natural, psychological, and even a spiritual change.
Next week we remember the sacrifices made by many to see life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness become a reality for people of color. We remember one of the great leaders of the American civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We also celebrate the inauguration of a new American President who promises to change our country for the better.
But next week, I want you to remember that one of the most powerful forces in the universe is not in a movement or in a man, but in the power of your prayers.
Cheers,
Jeremiyah Mullins
P.S. Look for a follow on blog next week to include the 3 types of prayer: western prayer, country western prayer, and eastern prayer
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Springs In The Desert?
Last week I had to expedite a sermon. So I had to sacrifice the blog in order to be ready to speak. All is well though. And I am anxious to renew my discussions with you all. So here we go.
I noticed something interesting in my readings this week. By chance I happened to read Isaiah 49 in both my New King James translation of the Bible and in my Amplified paraphrase. And I noted a difference in the way that Isaiah 49:10 was translated:
NKJ
“They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.”
AMP
“They will not hunger or thirst, neither will mirage [mislead] or scorching wind or sun smite them; For He Who has mercy on them will lead them, and by springs of water will He guide them.”
The Hebrew word sharab translated “heat” in the NKJ refers to the glare off of parched ground that produces a mirage. So “mirage” is actually a fair translation. And the use of sharab in Isaiah 49:10 is consistent with it’s use in Isaiah 35:7. In Isaiah 35, Isaiah is using opposites to illustrate the power of God to restore/heal the nation of Israel. The weak hands become firm, the fearful become strong, the closed eyes of the blind become opened, the lame become those who leap, ect. And in Isaiah 35:7 the mirage (sharab often translated parched ground) becomes a pool of water.
Now a mirage is “an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density” (Webster’s). So in Isaiah 35:7, the mirage (false illusion of a pool water) becomes a real pool of water. God replaces the mirage with it’s true opposite.
Now I’ve noticed the difference in the translations before. But it is always interesting to revisit things over time. In Isaiah 49:10 God is promising to keep us from the mirages (false illusion of pools of water) and to guide us on a path to legitimate springs of water. This is a wonderful thought.
When you are thirsty and hot, the mirages of life seem a lot more appealing. But if you grow weary and abandon the true vision that God has given you than you’ll end up eating sand. This was true for Israel and it is certainly true for us.
In my own life, I know that there are areas were I have clearly heard from God and had that ‘vision’ confirmed to me by more witnesses than I can count. And so I started on the journey. But it has taken longer to get there than I expected. And the journey has grown hot.
This is the moment when mirages begin to appear. Life will offer you many appealing detours. And all that you have to do in order to pursue them is to abandon the vision and the direction that you have received from God. But the false offerings of this life are illusions. They are mirages. If you abandon that which God has instructed you to do, you will follow those illusions to the parched ground that produced them. There is no pool, no spring of water in compromise; only thirst.
This is why it is so important to trust God and to obey Him. The heat does not affect God. No form of weakness taints the vision and direction of God. If we obey Him than He will lead us to the true place of fulfillment. The pools and springs of God never run dry. And besides that water tastes a lot better than sand (if childhood memories serve me correctly).
I am reminded of the words of Christ, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Interestingly, we know that Jesus was well studied in Isaiah’s prophecies.
So if God has given you vision, if God has promised something, if God has directed you to do something than don’t be fooled by mirages. Even if the journey is taking longer than you expected, God is still fully capable of guiding you and satisfying your thirst. Don’t trade living water for desert sand!
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
I noticed something interesting in my readings this week. By chance I happened to read Isaiah 49 in both my New King James translation of the Bible and in my Amplified paraphrase. And I noted a difference in the way that Isaiah 49:10 was translated:
NKJ
“They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.”
AMP
“They will not hunger or thirst, neither will mirage [mislead] or scorching wind or sun smite them; For He Who has mercy on them will lead them, and by springs of water will He guide them.”
The Hebrew word sharab translated “heat” in the NKJ refers to the glare off of parched ground that produces a mirage. So “mirage” is actually a fair translation. And the use of sharab in Isaiah 49:10 is consistent with it’s use in Isaiah 35:7. In Isaiah 35, Isaiah is using opposites to illustrate the power of God to restore/heal the nation of Israel. The weak hands become firm, the fearful become strong, the closed eyes of the blind become opened, the lame become those who leap, ect. And in Isaiah 35:7 the mirage (sharab often translated parched ground) becomes a pool of water.
Now a mirage is “an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density” (Webster’s). So in Isaiah 35:7, the mirage (false illusion of a pool water) becomes a real pool of water. God replaces the mirage with it’s true opposite.
Now I’ve noticed the difference in the translations before. But it is always interesting to revisit things over time. In Isaiah 49:10 God is promising to keep us from the mirages (false illusion of pools of water) and to guide us on a path to legitimate springs of water. This is a wonderful thought.
When you are thirsty and hot, the mirages of life seem a lot more appealing. But if you grow weary and abandon the true vision that God has given you than you’ll end up eating sand. This was true for Israel and it is certainly true for us.
In my own life, I know that there are areas were I have clearly heard from God and had that ‘vision’ confirmed to me by more witnesses than I can count. And so I started on the journey. But it has taken longer to get there than I expected. And the journey has grown hot.
This is the moment when mirages begin to appear. Life will offer you many appealing detours. And all that you have to do in order to pursue them is to abandon the vision and the direction that you have received from God. But the false offerings of this life are illusions. They are mirages. If you abandon that which God has instructed you to do, you will follow those illusions to the parched ground that produced them. There is no pool, no spring of water in compromise; only thirst.
This is why it is so important to trust God and to obey Him. The heat does not affect God. No form of weakness taints the vision and direction of God. If we obey Him than He will lead us to the true place of fulfillment. The pools and springs of God never run dry. And besides that water tastes a lot better than sand (if childhood memories serve me correctly).
I am reminded of the words of Christ, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Interestingly, we know that Jesus was well studied in Isaiah’s prophecies.
So if God has given you vision, if God has promised something, if God has directed you to do something than don’t be fooled by mirages. Even if the journey is taking longer than you expected, God is still fully capable of guiding you and satisfying your thirst. Don’t trade living water for desert sand!
Cheers,
Jeremiyah
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