False Messiahs, False Gods, & False Saviors

Just exactly how many have claimed to be messiahs, gods, or saviors of mankind? And, for that matter, how many will claim to be so in the future? How can we come to know who it is and when He finally arrives, will we recognize Him as our God, Messiah, and our Savior?

After all, you must consider the fact that Lucifer, Satan, or the Devil (your name or title of descriptive choice) was once an angel of light, the chief angel of God’s…how easy would it be to fool mankind?

Consider this, Nostradamus predicted an “anti-Christ” of sort to come out of the East.  But the East of what? Americans seem to believe it is someone out of the Middle-East and many figures over the past few decades could have been the one, but a world war was never wages and there was not any peace with Israel; which means that He was not the one. Many continue to believe it to be the Middle-East. That being said Our latest possibility is the surging of Muslim “refugees” and believers of the religion of Islam, my opinion, are pouring out of the Middle-East into the European countries, Canada and America as a whole. With the rampant reports of rape and murder of the host country by predominantly Muslim refugees, as well as, the upswing of “honor killings” it is my opinion that it is not just one person but potentially a horde of people. Much like when the Muslims were over-taking Europe between 1000 AD – 1300 AD, which spurred on several Holy Crusades.

Think of it, with the Islamic tenet of Taqiyya, a deceptive practice to further the cause of Allah. This would account for the potential for peace in the Middle-East and settle things between Israel and her neighbors as it is written in the biblical book of Revelation (specifically Revelation 13.) This would account for the potent of false peace in the Middle-East with Israel. Why would this false peace be necessary? Consider back in history when Mohammad signed a peace treaty wit the Meccans in 628 AD. It was purported, revisionist history, by Muhammad in the Qur’an that the Meccans were the first to break their treaty with Muhammad “Our Prophet (peace be upon him) was forced into war when the polytheists broke their treaty.” (Qur’an 9:5) But historical accounts present a much different story:

Less than two years after making a treaty with the people of Mecca (Treaty of Hudaibiya), Muhammad returned with an army and took the city by surprise. Although this has been a traditional source of pride for Muslims down through the centuries, contemporary scholars are more apt to construct excuses for Muhammad’s action, since it contrasts with the claim that Islam is a religion of peace. [read more about the myth…]

Which was justified in the Qur’an with this As Abu Bakr, himself a military leader, put it:

“If I take an oath to do something and later on I find something else better than the first one, then I do what is better and make expiation for my oath.” (Bukhari 78:618)

Muhammad, no doubt, would have agreed:

“The Prophet said: ‘War is deceit’.” (Bukhari 52:269)

Throughout our history of this world there have been numerous people who have claimed god-like messiahship status. Yet, many of them either led others to their deaths without anything good coming of their vane deaths. Many others have led others, falsely, and bled them dry of their earnings; thus, becoming rich off the backs of so many. Others were led down a dark road in their lives, only to be used up by their supposed leader only to find out their leader was a fraud and a cheat. That is not what God wants of you!

God leads us and guides us down a path where we will be be full of integrity and good character. He has given us examples of how to properly live, in all situations. He has shown us the words of wisdom that we should listen to and live by in order to be a light for others to see. That Light was and is Jesus who showed us how to act and speak and portray ourselves to others.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” ~Matthew 5:14 NKJV

We, if we have listened to the words of Jesus and read all of the prophets and books of wisdom, are that light…but we must believe. We are given opportunities, sometimes daily, other times weekly, and other times sporadically interspersed throughout our lives to speak to those who truly need to hear the word of God, or a word of inspiration, something that will aid them to avert something very devastating, or potentially foolish or deadly. Believe it, or not, we are placed in key spots and positions within our lives in order to accomplish God’s pure and perfect will. And no, it is not a crap shoot…it is you accomplishing your purpose which God has created you for.

Yes, there are false teachers, prophets and messiahs on our path throughout our life. But God gave us a mind, a good one at that, with which we can compare the words of those we are listening to and compare them, as well as their actions, to the Word of God which they purportedly teach. Unfortunately, all too many of the preachers, so called, are simple opportunists and charlatans. They offer to sell you snake oil in place of that which is taught in the Word of God. Snake oil sounds good and is soothing to the ear and titillating to the senses, on a temporal basis only, but in the long run it is a long dark and dank road to nowhere fast!

God is not promising you an easy road to heaven, nor is He promising you glory, riches, and an easy life. No, it is and will ever be, in most cases a hard road to follow the Christ and His ways. But in the end, it is your soul  that matters, and if YOU follow Him closely and ardently…you will be accepted into the heavenly upon your death and your judgement.

BEWARE THOUGH! There are false teachers, messiahs, gods, and saviors around many corners, in many pulpits, in numerous schools. They are potentially EVERYWHERE!

“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. ~Isaiah 40:25 NKJV

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. ~2Corinthians 10:12 NKJV

Our God and Creator is not comparable to anyone else nor anything else! It is that simple. Secondly, we are not to compare ourselves to anyone else. Because all others are as sinful as we are, and therefore are not worthy of being compared to. However, we can view traits of others we cross paths with and use those traits to be better in our daily walk in life. However, our truest model that we should follow is none other than Jesus, the Christ!

For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ~John 13:15 NKJV

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps ~1Peter 2:21 NKJV

We have an example in Jesus to compare ourselves to and live up to, there is none other that is comparable! And there is none other who is worthy to be modeled and followed as an example! Sadly, the species of man continually tries to replace God with objects and other things. And sadly, once again, always come up short and wanting more. Me, I would love to win the PowerBall or the MegaMillions…but that hasn’t happened as of yet. But neither is that where my faith or hope lies. It is but a game of chance, nothing more. Others believe their luck will change and they will win the big payday. I knew of a man many years ago who was that way. He loved to gamble, and would not leave the casino until he lost every dime of his paycheck(s). Yes, that is right. One year it was purported that he worked every minute of overtime he could, plus at times had another job. One year he had earned roughly $120,000, but all was lost to gambling. He lost his house, wife, kids…everything. He died broke and lonely.

Be careful with whom you ally yourselves with. Whom you allow to teach you, carefully listen to what is said and taught; then compare to the biblical text. If there is a difference, question it. Compare the new answers to your questions. Be ever vigilant with the Word of God!

May God Richly Bless You, My Beloved!

MK Murphy, PhD, DD

Our lackadaisical attitude toward heretical teachings

I have found myself over the course of time, as I am certain many of you have, leaning away from biblical doctrine toward other ideologies that are not held or taught within the bible or it’s text. Usually, this happens while one is younger and less mature, less seasoned, or in the mind and heart of a wayward child. But it can happen later in life as well. We all have our problems and misguided thought processes. This is where one truly MUST delve into the bible through avid reading, research, study…which is a definite push toward studies into the art of Christian Apologetics. I am a firm believer in such things, as this (in my opinion) is the, or one of the, greatest reasons why a child when entering into a secular university setting tends to leave their faith…because they simply do not understand why they believe what they believe!

So, let us address the elephant in the room (no offense intended to any elephants within any rooms…): WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THE CHRISTIAN FAITH? WHY DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE? Were we not told, warned if not commanded to:

…always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you… ~1 Peter 3:15 NKJV

I was speaking with a co-worker at work, during a lull, about church, biblical doctrine, and Christianity. He is a non-practicing Catholic who has not been to church for years and our conversation just went deeper and deeper. Just in the course of our discussions I could pick out numerous heresies within his thoughts and beliefs. We carried on our talks for a bit until the workload grew to a point which needed to be taken care of. In either case, we all have to be ready not just to discuss our reasons for what we believe, but also to discuss a defense as to why we believe. And it need not be brash or defensive in nature, but truthful and loving in such a way to make the person think. You have to be willing not to go overboard, which in many cases will cause the person to steer clear of you for any possible future discussions. You want them to think and you want them to come back to you for further talks to delve deeper into an evangelizing experience. This is how people are drawn toward God. God will give you the words and the reactions you need in order to be a beacon for that person, as well as, others that He desires you to lead toward the heavenly realm.

…the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. ~Luke 12:8-12 NKJV

Don’t sweat it, it is all small stuff, God will aid you through the Holy Spirit! God has our backs in the form of the Holy Spirit working through us, guiding us, and aiding in our wisdom. This is what we pray for and ask for through Jesus the Christ who is our mediator to God the Father.

Although, as much wisdom as we seek, often times we find ourselves drawn toward many other teachers of the word, so-called. Not because we are careless, but we are attracted to what they have to say. To one degree that could be deemed as carelessness on our part, but it can also be seen as misguidance on the part of the teacher we are following. You must keep in mind that teachers are, in fact, held to a higher standard in God’s eyes and will be held accountable for our misguidance and the blood of our heads because they misrepresented God’s word and teaching.

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. ~James 3:1 NKJV

But that does not let any of us off the hook for being mislead, by any stretch of the imagination. We are held accountable because we are to ensure that which we hear is according to God’s word.

“And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name,” Says the Lord of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart. “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants And spread refuse on your faces, The refuse of your solemn feasts; And one will take you away with it. Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue,” Says the Lord of hosts. “My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity. “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, Because you have not kept My ways But have shown partiality in the law.”  ~Malachi 2:1-9 NKJV

Malachi speaks primarily toward the Levi Priests, and after all we are all called to the priesthood to share God’s word with all those we come in contact with, but it does infer to those being taught. We must be ever so careful of what we listen to and what we read that we should compare what we are taught, instructed, and suggested to do with the very word of the biblical text.

We all tend to fall for many of these televangelists and radio ministers because what they say is so appealing to our ears. But be aware, my friends, there is always a catch. We have been forewarned:

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. ~Romans 16:17 NKJV

But there comes a time, while listening to these “hucksters” that your ears should star burning (proverbially) and something just does not seem right…that is the Holy Spirit telling you…WARNING you to check things out for yourself! You have access to God’s word (The Bible) READ IT!!!

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV

You have been forewarned, my brothers and sisters in Christ, you have been warned! You must be the crutch to aid your fellow brothers in getting back up and to help your fellow sisters to steer clear of certain teachers of false doctrine.

I recall, many years ago, while in church a Priest stated that, “You are too stupid to understand the bible. I will tell you what the bible says.” That is arrogant even for a man of God to say such. A good man of God would relish the challenge (a good challenge, not one based on foolhardy ideologies.) The wise accept chastisement and challenges…FYI: I still have a long way to go, but I am working on that! Although, there are many resources out there, one of my other blogs has a resource page, check it out.

May God Richly Bless You, My Beloved!

MK Murphy, PhD, DD

Cancer: The War

There are several different ideas on cancer and this is mine. There are several battles that are going on with respect to the cancer that grows in a person, and they are: The mental battle, the spiritual battle, and the physical battle…these are the war within a person. All of these battles within you comprise the war for survival.

The mental battle is, quite honestly, in tow with the spiritual battle within you. Mentally you find it difficult to believe that you have cancer, let alone you must fight to survive. You are wondering how to maintain a positive outlook despite the horrific things you will endure and what you have heard.

The spiritual battle is along the same lines but on a differing plane of reality. You find yourself doubting your faith (we tend to do this naturally, without the help of cancer.) How can you believe a God who is good could allow such a thing to happen to anyone, let alone you?

And let us not forget the physical battle. Where something, some group of cells wages war upon the rest of you living body. It’s purpose is to over-take, conquer and destroy your living body until there is no more life left.

You either have known, or know, someone with cancer. Either they are fighting for their lives, or they have given up the fight and are awaiting their final breath. You may know someone who has died from it, or you watched them take their final breath. Perhaps, you witnessed the miracle where that person you know, or someone you knew, survived against all of the odds according to the doctor’s assessments.

But keep in mind, not all hope is lost! With God all things are possible. Also, IF you believe God exists, then miracles are possible. And IF you believe miracles are possible, then you can overcome anything in your path. Does God promise us an easy path toward our success? Not at all! As even the most difficult paths can be the most rewarding because of all the obstacles that were overcome along the way. I was purported that Thomas Alva Edison had 10,000 failures along the path to create the light bulb. However, he would say throughout history that he did not fail ten thousand times, but found ten thousand ways and methods that just didn’t work. It is much the same with our mind set, as we have a terrible problem of tucking our tails and running when things go awry. You truly have to have a very strong heart and mind to fight a battle of life and death…life is not for wimps!

I was reading a book recently entitled, “Anticancer: A New Way of Life” by David Servan-Schreiber. In which he described cancer as a war against you body, by your body. In essence, if I read and understood correctly, your body produces cells of inflammation and they continue to grow in numbers and eventually create a necrosis of cells, or in cells. As the affected area grows, and during this time your body is fighting against this inflammation by way of producing white cells. There comes a point in time where your body, or brain, tells your body to stop producing these army of white cells because it has (or should have) produced enough white cells to fight the infection and affected are. When in reality it has not. Eventually your body stops fighting all together because at some point in time your body accepts this invader as part of your body. It was also acknowledged within this book that if you give up all hope in the fight for life, your body will follow suit!

The spreading of cancer is much like the dandelion going to seed. You know how it starts off with just one dandelion in your yard and then it seeds and multiplies within days, perhaps a week, or more? It starts off as a small force and build momentum until it takes over the entire host.

Your mind and spirit are all part of this fight for survival. 

The part in the movie “BALBOA,” the last installment of the Rocky series, where Rocky is talking to his son really describes the ability to keep on fighting really rings a bell (really, no pun intended here!) It is truly inspirational and hits home in heart, mind, and soul!

All to often, I have seen the horrors of cancer and it’s ability to wreak havoc on people’s lives. And quite honestly, cancer is something that should wreak havoc on your life…we need that kind of wake-up call in our lives, at times for some of us. Don’t misunderstand me…I do not believe for an instant that anyone truly deserves such a heinous disease. But as was spoken by Job to his wife:

“…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?..”  ~Job 2:10 NKJV

And, to say the very least, cancer is no small thing in one’s life. It is no small adversity! My father died of cancer in 1989, my mother in 2012, and others have fought and survived; others fought and lost the war. It is all around us and others are either surviving the battle or succumbing to the battle waged upon them. I watched my father give up the instant that he was told that the radiation had not shrunk the tumor. He died right then and there, his body followed suit many months later. My mother, on the other hand, fought and survived for two years. Funny as it may seem, this is not unusual. Women, according to a study written about many years ago, stated that they had a greater propensity to fight because they sought to see their children married, their grandchildren, etc. Men are not built that way, mentally.

For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. ~Ecclesiastes 9:5 NKJV

I was speaking with a nurse recently, she and I were discussing the phone calls for donations, etc. and we essentially came up with the same conclusion. And that was that it seems as though the world sees breast cancer as the only cancer that needs donations. Almost every call I have received was for breast cancer, nothing for lung, nothing for pancreatic, nothing for kidney, brain, leukemia, etc., etc. It is not all about breast cancer! There are other forms of the debilitating disease out there.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>more to come next week<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

As I have mentioned in past blog posts, we were born to die. Had Adam and Eve not screwed things up we potentially could have lived for a very long long time, if not forever. Is cancer a condemnation of our sins? I cannot say that for certain, but I do believe that cancer is something that is associated with degrading genetics. And it follows to believe, or understand, that our genetics are degrading from one generation to the next. If you believe the bible to be true, people lived for hundreds of years, now we are doing well to make it to retirement age of 65 +/-.

May God Richly Bless You, My Beloved!

MK Murphy, PhD, DD

 

 

 

 

 

 

Character

I was reading several articles on-line concerning character and character traits. Many interesting ideas, but quite valid and handy, in my opinion. We each have our own beliefs about what are good character traits that we should possess; perhaps even desire. As we grow older we find that we needed many different traits, but failed to realize such and also failed to instill them as good habits. They say, “Youth is wasted on all the wrong people.” I tend to agree with that and believe it even stronger now, while in my youth challenged state. Perhaps, I can learn something new in my elderly status…or, perhaps, I am simply reminding myself that in this respect I must live vicariously through others who happen to be far more youthful than I.

Character traits are those things that make you stand out to a crowd of people. It is what you might deem to be a bright yellow highlighting of you among the rabble of black and white words on a page…helping you become noticeable to others, in order to stand out for memory’s sake. For instance: being on-time for an interview is a character trait a business seeks in it’s new hires; thinking fast on your feet or in less than optimal circumstances is another trait others seek; courtesy and chivalry are other traits that people desire to see in others that they come in contact with; kindness toward others and toward animals;..and the list can go on,  etc.

In order to better ourselves, we need to assess our present character traits and decide if they need to be better than they are presently, or if we must replace some traits with other traits. We each go through this at some point in time, thus allowing us to expand our horizons and better ourselves! Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of humanity and the betterment of society. God tugs at our heart from time to time insisting that we better ourselves; unfortunately, in God’s eye, we have a plethora of changes that need to be made!

In 1726, at the age of 20, Benjamin Franklin created a system to develop his character. In his autobiography, Franklin listed his thirteen virtues.  Benjamin Franklin spent one week on each trait, then switched to the next one in the list. Upon completion of each on the list (i.e., 13 traits in 13 weeks,) he would start the list all over again. In one year’s time you can go through the list 4 times. While these are not necessarily the only traits within the context of the bible, but Benjamin Franklin  found them to be the best ones for himself. But, in this respect, we each must find such a path for ourselves, because we each handle things differently than others. In fact, some of us may have a longer list of virtues to create as character traits we desire to possess, other might have a shorter list.

Good character traits can be learned, as they are simply good habits of an outward and caring nature toward others. In the blog post of “God’s Ten Commandments versus Jesus’ Two Commandments“, on May 8th, 2017, I had explained about Jesus’ Two Commandments to us, explaining the nature of such commands. Their simplicity is what makes them so great! In essence, we love God by our outward show of love toward Him. Which is done by our actions of honoring His commandments, showing our gratefulness by giving our tithes and offerings, by also treating our fellow neighbors with love and honoring our word that we may give when we strike a deal or bargain. The simplicity of Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:37-40 are as such:

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

We are witnessing, in present day, the demise of character within the millennial community; as well as within society as a whole. The majority of millennials are under the belief that all things should be handed to them, even when they have lost the battle or election. They believe the government owes them something (a job, free education, free healthcare, etc.) They have been taught, indoctrinated really, to believe and understand facts that don’t exist in our history. We are also witnessing the demise of American history, soon to be revised within the history books…a sad chapter in our future history books. Think about this for a bit…Robert E. Lee’s monument is being removed, Jefferson Davis’ monument is being removes, Confederate monuments are being removed, and the Ten Commandments monument was removed by order of the US Supreme Court. This sanitizing of our history, good or bad as it may have been, is a purposeful destruction of what actually happened in our history. This will at some point in time, should I gamble on this,  be scrubbed from the history books in favor of a more likeable historical write-up?

The sad truth is this, character is built upon all of the good and the bad, together! We are human and thus we make mistakes. If we are smart, we will learn from those mistakes and use those weaknesses in order to become stronger and wiser. History, good or bad, is there to remind us where we did things right and those things we did wrong. By remembering history, we are reminded never to let such bad things ever happen again. Unfortunately, we as humans are a stupid race and if we are not reminded from time to time of our mistakes…we will repeat them! Sadly, yes we will.

Character is built as you are growing up by watching your parents. As your relationship with your parents wane away your character is developed partially by your peers and your heroes.

Character is something we build up over the years. It is, for the most part, trial and error. But if we are wise, or shall I say if we grow in wisdom, our character traits of our older age will be better than when we were growing up and maturing. There is one place I believe you can truly gain the wiser wisdom to learn from and that is the Bible and the text within that cumulative set of writings. Based upon the wisdom and writings of over 50 authors, written over the span one thousand five hundred years. And if you think about it, our thoughts are not original in the least. Though the technology may change, the basis of most, if not all, thoughts is not original to us. They are synthetic changes on something that has happened in the past.

In order to change the society in which we live, for the better, we must first ourselves possess the character traits and leadership traits to lead other to make all of the necessary changes. Prayers is our starting point…on our knees in reverence to God seeking His will to accomplish His greatest good. We as Christians, must take on the roles to necessary to accomplish what must be done. Such as: Teaching and education positions, leadership and political position, law enforcement and first responder positions, etc. We need to stop cow-towing down to these other people of other faiths, or non-faiths if you will, and stand up for the will of God and to become know as lovers of Jesus.

What will you be known best for by all your fiends? I would like to be known as a person who loves God and a sharer of the faith! What about you??

May God Richly Bless You, My Beloved!

MK Murphy, PhD, DD

Who Knows What the Tide Could Bring?

A powerful monologue for those troubled times in our lives, we have all had those moments. Just admit that to yourself and then think on it for a little while! In our darkest moments, in the deepest recesses of our minds and our intellect, we will not have hope and all will be dismal and dank. We may even do something stupid and against our nature, and we will fail at that attempt. Why is that?

God has more for us! More challenges and more failures, or non-successes or “success challenges” (to be PC.) God has something greater for us, a task to complete which will glorify Him in no uncertain terms! But sometimes all these failures and problems before us are just simple wake-up calls to our spirit, our mind, our human nature…because so many of us have forgotten to speak and pray to God. We need to make a greater effort to pray to Him who created each and everyone of us! It takes time, which so many of us refuse to part with because we are so busy. Guess what? We should always, ALWAYS be thankful to our Creator! ALWAYS!

We so often don’t get our way, but then we turn always from Him. We really need to steer clear of being spoiled brats in His sight. Because one day it will bite each and every one of us in the butt. As we owe Him; honor, blessings, tribute, etc. If it were not for Him we would not have an existence. Regardless of what is happening in your life, as well as mine, troubles and trials come our way to test our resolve, our faith, our hopes, our beliefs. But remember this:

…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust… ~Matthew 5:45 NKJV

>AND<

…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? ~Job 2:9-10 NKJV

Keep these thoughts in your mind. Man is equal before God. The sun rises upon his head and the rain falls upon his head. All so much, the very same! The righteous gain riches by following God’s mandates, yet this is not promised to all of us, now is it?? No, as we are simply promised a life of toil and the only guarantee we have is if stay true to God to the very end…we will be rewarded with a judgement by God permitting us to enter into heaven’s glory radiated by God and Jesus Himself.

…Yet man is born to trouble… ~Job 5:7 NKJV

How do we know all of this stuff? Simple, the spirit of God within us all, granted at our birth:

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. ~Genesis 2:7 NKJV

>AND<

The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. ~Job 33:4 NKJV

And through that blessing of birth and endowment of the spirit of God

But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. ~Job 32:8 NKJV

we are also granted many bits & pieces of knowledge that other cannot know because they have turned their backs on God and God’s ways of life.

…If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. ~1Chronicles 28:9 NKJV

And at times, we screw up and are separated from God’s voice. Because God cannot be associated with evil and wickedness. It is that simple! The prophet Isaiah told us, and I have mentioned this before in other postings:

But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear. ~Isaiah 59:2 NKJV

But this is why David was the man after God’s own heart, the apple of God’s eye (if you will); this is because despite his evil nature as a man and all the temptation which he succumbed to, when he was faced with his guilt and evil nature…he ALWAYS sought God’s forgiveness! He always returned to God, knowing that God was the reason for all his blessings and conquests. We tend to forget such things. This was why, when pressed, Jesus answered:

“I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” ~Matthew 18:22 NKJV

We must forgive and be compassionate to those who have sinned against us. And in turn, God will grant us the same forgiveness. Even though, we are often not deserving of such forgiveness! (refer to The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant)

None of us knows what the tide could bring, each day is a new adventure (so-to-say). Each and every time we open our eyelids and find ourselves on the cleans side of the grass we could be presented with opportunities beyond our wildest dreams, or just sheer havoc; the blessing of a newborn child, or grandchild…, or a death sentence, or a long road of recovery. We each have a path which each of us must follow, but how we follow that path is strictly on us, no one else. We must either choose the path where we will follow the faith in which we hold our trust, and the God who promises to be with us in both the good and the bad times by never forsaking us. Remember but one promise:

…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ~Hebrew 13:5 NKJV , ~Deuteronomy 31:6,8 NKJV, ~Joshua 1:5 NKJV

Or we can choose to forsake the God that Created us, turn our backs on Him out of our anger for something we do not believe we deserve. Keep in mind that all sin is equal before God’s Judgement:

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.~James 2:10-11 NKJV

And guess what else? We often push off and pawn off our decisions until a later date, because we always belief we will have more time later. Friends, let me tell you this: DON’T PUSH OFF THESE IMPORTANT DECISIONS! You may not have the time you think you have. Judgement, death, the second coming, etc., all have one thing in common: They all come as a thief in the night, you do not know when nor what time of night it comes. But it will come when you least expect it! Remember the old adage: Don’t worry, there is always tomorrow…or is there?

We each mismanage our lives in differing ways, but the most common is through procrastination! Think about that for a little while…how many decision have you put off until later?…and then, later becomes even later? Take a more wise and proactive roll in your life, financially, spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, etc.

May God Richly Bless You, My Beloved!

MK Murphy, PhD, DD

 

 

 

Watching Others Evangelize at times, is quite comical

I often feel some who evangelize are in it for the argumentation! Others are in it for the comical value for others to smile. And others are in it to bring souls to God’s kingdom. As we start out we are often ill prepared and poorly understand the concept of touching the lives of others. I know I have been in these shoes…and sadly, I fall back on bad habits. If some of these occurrences weren’t so hilarious, we would probably cry. Most people are just like the Monty Python skit…”I would like to have an argument, please!”

This is but one reason I blog, in order to inform and hopefully educate and aid others in the apologetic field. In order for each of us to evangelize, properly, we need to have a good foundation in the knowledge of the bible and the apologetic forum. We must be able to critically think and to be able to think on our feet. And how do we do this? Through study and education. You must (not just must but you need to want to do so, with such a passion!) study the bible, commentaries, have a voracious desire to read, capture the knowledge and access the information. That being said you also need other traits, such as: study habits, memorization, speed reading, note taking, among other things.

While I was thinking of some other things recently, something to do with evangelizing – the above clip came to mind of the old Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It brought home a point, that many agree on…people are ill prepared from church and Sunday School to evangelize the Word of God to others. What we learn in Church and in Sunday School is cursory at best and piecemeal. However, what many fail to realize is the fact that apologetics and evangelizating are specialized fields within the Church itself. Each and every Church should have a specific course on each and the person who takes such a course needs to desire to take it with such a passion in order to promote and expand the word of God beyond his own boarders of his/her own little world!

Nabeel Qureshi (Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus) converted from Islam to Christianity because of his friend who was a Christian who witnessed to him over the course of years, as they were making their way through medical school. The argumentation started with the Christian belief and made it’s way to the Islamic faith. Islamic believers are given much the same faith as we as Christians…meaning that we are given a cursory understanding and we each believe we are ready to take on the world. Unfortunately, we find ourselves sorely under prepared and almost stripped of all armor and defenses. Because we did not follow on with more of our own self guided studies.

There are a great many people who are misguided out there, including some of us, but we can change that by studying and searching and researching the truth. A truth which is knowable and understandable. And we each have a responsibility and an obligation to pass on our knowledge to our families, our children, our friends and our brothers and sisters in Christ. You can study on your own, with your family, or have a group meeting with others from your church or community. There are numerous ways we can go about it…BUT we need to follow through with the idea of doing so. We have been mandated to love God, love our neighbors and to spread His Word!

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”~Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. ~Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

We, as Christians, need to take the word of God and it’s mandates more seriously than we do! We allow ourselves to become so wrapped up in our lives, earning a living, increasing our income, paying our taxes, and paying our bills. Yes, we do go to church on Sunday and perhaps even to Sunday School and talk ourselves into believing it will all be good. But, guess what? You have to do things, you know! We are obligated to God for our life, for the breath of life in our very being, for our very souls and spirits that reside within each of us. Don’t you think that we should do something, like maybe…what we were told to do?

We are all destined to do great things, if only we would place God at the head of our lives as we are at the precipice of our own destruction due to our flippant and arrogant treatment of God within our own lives! We are making God’s decision for our judgement at the end of our lives, because we tend to send ourselves to Hell – God is just following the desires of our hearts through the decisions throughout our lives. But we are meant for something greater and much better than such things. But God MUST come first in our lives! We are blessed with just so much time on earth. In the words of one of the old Church Father’s, St. Cyprian, “We were born with a noose around our necks.” Thus, we have one human lifetime to accomplish what God desires of us. Some of us have longer than others and waste our time when we could be doing something much more constructive for God!

Within the Islamic faith their faith is represented by the circle and their lives (individually) are represented by the dot. Within the Christian faith, we are just the opposite. Our lives are represented by the circle and our faith/God is represented by the dot. God is, and has been, minimized within the context of our lives. It has been educated out of us, we have forgotten the prominence of God in our lives, and we all wonder why things have gotten so bad in this country. WOW! Think about that for a little bit!

Stop sitting on the couch, stop watching all those re-runs of days long gone by! I am not saying you have to give all things fun, but this country and this world is going to Hell in a hand basket and we are just watching it happen. And the only thing we are doing is to bitch and complain at our neighbors, they in-turn bitch and complain to us. That gets nothing accomplished! You have to get up and DO SOMETHING!

May God Richly Bless You, My Beloved!

MK Murphy, PhD, DD

Why should I fear in the days of evil..?

Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. ~Psalms 49:5-11 NKJV

Why should I fear in the days of evil? An excellent question for all of us, I do believe! Fear is a liar; the acronym FEAR meaning False Evidence (that) Appears Real pretty much explains it all, don’t you think? No matter what age we are, no matter what class of citizenship you are, nor the circumstances we are in at any given time we will see something and out of fear our brains will lie to us saying “that is too difficult,” “you can’t do that,” “you aren’t smart enough,” “you don’t have the ability,” “you don’t have the education,” “have another drink, you’ll feel better,” etc., etc.

Fear will cause each and every one of us to do, or fail to do, a great number of things we would normally never contemplate. Think about it for a moment. Each of us in some way, shape, or form consider ourselves to be fearless, but when push comes to shove…we will cave in, in a flash…in a blink of an eye…we will and you know it! However, there is hope in Christ where IF we walk with Him in the Spirit we are not condemned:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.~Romans 8:1 NKJV

Now, this does not permit you to do anything you desire and not be held accountable…this means that we are not condemned and should not fear such if we are truly in Christ. And in so doing, we walk as He walked, we speak as He spoke, we apply His words and the words of the Bible to our lives.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ~2Timothy 1:7 NKJV

We as the species of man have been enamored with fear and fright for as long as man has existed, I think. Though, man is the only one of the numerous species of animal or mammal on this earth to actually go out on a limb to create scary & haunted houses just for such an occasion. We go to movies with our kids or with our girl or boy friends, or for that matter with a group of friends just for the fright factor. Man is obsessed with fear. And it is this fear where we can prove our worth that we are, in fact, brave. But with something else, we will fold and fail.

During captivity numerous prisoners over the decades and centuries due to fear of death would spill their guts to the enemy. It was a rare man would give his life freely and have all the secrets die with him. Another tactic was to threaten the life of another in your presence, this too would yield the results that were desired.

The fear of be alone makes men and women settle for less than they are worth or deserve. Some believe they will never find that “soul mate” or perfect love of their life. Yet, as we tend to not think about it much, the fact remains that the Bible, the Word of God and the Record of God’s miracles and happenings and prophecies promises us all:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.~1John 4:18 NKJV

You remember that teacher you had in grade school, right about 4th, 5th, or 6th grade who told you to present your report and go to the front of the class? And you remember that you were afraid of <gulp!> public speaking? Remember them? They told you not to fear because you would not die up there. Do you remember back that far? You remember that you did not die back then…because you are reading this blog post right now? For me that was roughly, 44-46 years ago. I did not start appreciating the art of public speaking until my second baccalaureate, or undergraduate academic, degree. But again, as you get older you do become wiser and sometimes you can even come to like those things you once despised and dreaded…like public speaking! After all, what could possibly happen? Think on this:

So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” ~Hebrews 13:6 NKJV

Don’t let fear have a foothold in your life! Once you give in to fear, you will make it a very bad habit and continue on with giving in only causing more dread in your life because you are doing something you know you should not be doing! Don’t give in to fear…know that you are loved by God, and as an adoptive son or daughter in Christ YOU are destined for great things. You may not be aware of those things, you may not be aware you performed them…but you are destined to do them because YOU ARE A DON or DAUGHTER OF GOD MOST HIGH!

May God Richly Bless You, My Beloved!

MK Murphy, PhD, DD

I heard this song at church (Calvary Christian Church, Bellevue North) on 5/14/2014, although it was sung by Dani Roberts at the church I attend, please enjoy: