Nice Way to Pray Without Ceasing..

During an exceptionally inspiring conversation, a stranger unknowingly showed me an entirely new way that we can go about our daily lives, as a collective, that brings more love, more serenity and a much deeper sense of connection to all that is.

We spoke about many things: love, purpose, perception and loss. But the one thing that stuck out in particular was his words about prayer. They struck one of those deep cords of truth within. I felt their effects reverberate throughout my entire body.

“What we want moves further away, but what we already love and appreciate comes freely.”

He mentioned he doesn’t set a time aside each day to pray or to sit in meditation. Instead he gives thanks to everyone and everything continuously, all the time.

This man lives his entire life, each and every moment, like a prayer.

Setting aside a few moments each day to pray, to meditate, to plug in, is better than not doing so at all, as it provides a plethora of benefits.

As he spoke, he showed me the possibility of a new way of being, a new way of walking throughout this life.

It’s so easy to be swept away by the busyness and the consumer culture of Western society, always craving more, wanting more or wallowing in a feeling of not having, being or doing enough.

Deeply moved by our conversation, my mind couldn’t help but daydream how different our world would be if we all lived in this way.

What if every single one of us lived each and every moment like a prayer?

What if…

Every time we ate, we prayed for all the people who brought our food from the earth to our plates.

Every time we dressed, we prayed for the people who turned mere fabric into beautiful clothes.

Every time we took a step, we blessed the earth below us.

These things not need be said aloud of course, but sweetly, silently, momentarily—a constant prayer

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The SIX BENEFITS of TONGUES as a SPIRITUAL GIFT

The SIX BENEFITS of TONGUES
as a SPIRITUAL GIFT

ONE - Speaking in tongues gives us a direct communication between our human spirit and the Spirit of God.


TWO - Speaking in tongues brings the secrets of God's Spirit into our spirit.

THREE - When we speak in tongues, we work toward the building up of our own spiritual strength.

FOUR - Speaking with tongues leads to the speaking forth of much that is profitable for others to hear.

FIVE - Tongues is beneficial in our praying.

SIX - Tongues releases us to a high form of worship.

ONE - Speaking in tongues gives us a direct communication between our human spirit and the Spirit of God. For whoever speaks in tongues is not speaking to men but to God -- I Corinthians 14:2a. Tongues is useful in our communication with God, even though it bypasses our understanding. This is the most basic thing to know about the use of tongues.

The word "unknown," as it appears in the King James Version, does not appear in this verse in the Greek. In fact, in no place does the Greek use the word "unknown" when speaking of tongues. In every case translators of the Scriptures inserted it with the intention of making the passage more meaningful. But to persons in whom the gift of tongues is operating, there is little need for the word "unknown," nor did Paul have a need to use it. Words uttered in tongues are generally unknown to persons hearing them, but they are not unknown to the Holy Spirit and to the spirit of the one speaking. As a person who speaks in tongues grows in relationship with the Lord, he ceases ever to think of tongues as "unknown."

When any of us is alone and speaking in tongues, we need have no concern as to whether the words we speak belong to a language spoken somewhere in the world, or not. All that need concern us is that we are speaking to God. It is the communication of something very personal between our spirits and His Spirit in which our understanding has little participation. But, since our spirits participate, we grow. Our wisdom grows, our faith grows, and by these, our understanding grows.

On some rare occasions, another person hearing someone speaking in tongues may recognize it as a known language, as on Pentecost. But this is infrequent and can be considered a miracle.


TWO - Speaking in tongues brings the secrets of God's Spirit into our spirits. Of the person speaking in tongues, Paul says,.. in the spirit he is speaking mysteries - I Corinthians 14:2b.

This speaking of the mysteries by tongues brings them into the human spirit. This prepares the speaker for the interpretation and understanding of secrets and purposes long resident in God's heart and now ready to be made known among His people.

Much of what Paul wrote in his Epistles flowed out of his spiritual communication with the Lord in which the divine mysteries became known to him. Speaking and praying in tongues opened a door from the Holy Spirit into his human spirit. Without doubt, for the moment, his understanding was unfruitful, but the door was opened so his spirit could receive these mysteries and then release them in his understanding. Then, he passed the revelation of truth on to others.

Throughout this Epistles Paul made mention of the mysteries revealed to him. In I Corinthians 2:7-12 he said, We speak the wisdom of God in amystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Indeed, all of I Corinthians may be an exposition of the wisdom and revelation God gave to Paul as he spoke in tongues.

In Romans 16:25,26 he told of the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery and how it works toward the establishing of lives. How valuable this is!

In I Corinthians 2:6,7 Paul said he was speaking wisdom among the mature ones, but it was not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world. He was speaking the wisdom of God which had been veiled in a mystery . . which God ordained before the world unto our glory. To restate this: "What I say to you in this letter is a revelation of the wisdom of God which was once a secret hidden in eternity with Him, but now is made known to us to bring us into His glory." Paul's communion with the Holy Spirit released this within him.

In I Corinthians 4:1 we see how Paul viewed those who minister the Gospel as stewards of the mysteries of God. Steward is from the Greekoikonómos which means "manager of a household." A good steward knows where are stored the commodities of the house under his management. He knows how to procure them. How blessed is the steward in God's house who knows what brings the release of the eternal mysteries that work toward establishing the souls under his charge!

From Ephesians 3:1-11 we find one of the greatest mysteries revealed to Paul was that the Gentile nations should become fellow heirs with the Jews in the body of Christ. This became the foundation of Paul's ministry. He was set in the world to make all people of every nation see what isthe fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning was hid in God. He said the wisdom of this mystery would eventually reach even unto the spiritual forces in the heavens and show them the prevailing power of the eternal wisdom of God.

Now here is an amazing thing - and something from which we gain a divine check for our own selves. The revelation of the mysteries made known to Paul all flowed in harmony with the Word given through the Prophets - Romans 16:26. Actually, much of the revelation given to him was the opening of the Word of the Old Testament once sealed.

By speaking in tongues, our human spirit becomes friendly with God's Spirit. Friends share secrets. The human spirit perceives the things of God's Spirit, and reaches through into areas the mind alone cannot reach. By this, the human spirit grows both in the perception of God and in relationship with what He is doing. As our spirit grows, the understanding of God's ways and of His holy purposes filters through into our understanding. This causes growth in our conscious awareness of God and brings a spiritual keenness. The mystery of His will -- that is, the depth of God's desire for us -- opens. Darkness departs.


THREE - When we speak in tongues, we work toward the building up of our own spiritual strength. We learn this from Paul's statement:Whoever speaks in a tongue edifies himself - I Corinthians 14:4a.

As we learned, the word edifies in the above verse is from the Greek oikodoméo. It literally means "to build or establish a house." But now -- tongues is not useful in the building up of the church as it assembles, unless it leads to the release of other spiritual gifts. The gift of tongues is for the building up of the individual. It is prophecy that builds up the church - I Corinthians 14:4b. Under the next point we will discuss this.

We've seen some believers who feel they can speak in tongues only when they are expressly "moved upon by the Holy Spirit" and lose control of their speech. This generally happens at the altar call closing an emotional and spiritually high pitched meeting. It is often a rather ecstatic speaking with little more meaning than that of a baby learning to make his first sounds of speech. But the tongues of which Paul is speaking in I Corinthians 14 is of much greater value than this, just as the speech of a person who can talk is better than the first sounds of a baby. But, those baby sounds are a necessary beginning. Only, one should not remain with this kind of speaking.

God made man in three dimensions: spirit, soul, and body. He designed the spirit to be the controlling part, the soul to be the conscious part, and the body to be the servant of these two. In many people the spirit is weak, so the control of affairs goes either to the soul or to the body. This throws the person off balance. It may not seem so to the one who is accustomed to the rule of the mind, or the emotions, or the physical drives. But, sooner or later, these faculties fail. The mind becomes baffled, the emotions run amuck with confusion, the body sends wrong signals leading to weakness. Particularly in a time of trouble, a person with no government in his life, other than from these lower parts of being, be comes, in some degree, dysfunctional. As the fury of the last days comes on, it is more important than ever that we have the stabilizing power of the Holy Spirit working inside us.

The Holy Spirit comes to bring the control of our lives back to the realm of God's Kingdom. He does this by making our spirits alive, bringing our minds to soundness and by strengthening us with His wisdom and faith.


FOUR - Speaking with tongues leads to the speaking forth of much that is profitable for others to hear. I haven't learned this from the King James Version which says, I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied -- I Corinthians 14:5. This seems to say, while tongues would be nice for everyone, it would be better for each one to prophesy, instead.

Understanding becomes clearer when we take note of the Greek words translated but rather that ye prophesied. The form of the word from which prophesied comes is an Aorist Subjunctive. The word that preceding it is from the Greek word hina. When it accompanies a Subjunctive, it means, "in order that." This would make Paul's statement say: "I would that you all spoke in tongues, but rather in order that you might prophesy." In other words, he was saying that tongues would be great for everyone, but not as an end in itself. Tongues should lead to prophesying.

What is prophesying? It is from the Greek word propheteúo which in ancient times meant "to be a spokesman for the gods." In the New Testament, it means "to be a spokesman for the Lord God." Paul is saying that tongues should lead to the release of prophecy, or wisdom, or revelation, or knowledge from God. The Holy Spirit can release these in the human spirit as a result of speaking in tongues.

It is not necessary that prophecy be loud or ecstatic. It can be quietly spoken, even whispered in the ear of one other person. As a word from the Lord, it will carry with it the power to accomplish its end without the person speaking finding it necessary to shout. On the other hand, if a Prophet is inclined to shout out his word, it doesn't lessen the power of the word. It may even, indeed, intensify it to some hearers.

In the next verse Paul says, If I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you except I speak to you by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? - I Corinthians 14:6. This verse lays out four kinds of public speech that can edify the church. Without doubt, Paul is of the impression that much speaking in tongues will enhance these ministries. Thus, tongues has its value before one stands to speak -- perhaps while on the way to a meeting, or in the hours and days prior to it.

I believe, if we had been traveling along the road with Paul, walking to a meeting in which the Word of the Lord would be expounded, there would be little idle conversation. Paul would be praying in the spirit, talking in tongues, edifying himself for speaking forth the Word to the people gathered. I also believe that if we had been close by when his Epistles were being born, with our heads right next to his, we could have heard him speaking and praying in tongues.

The same can work for us. Speaking in tongues can lead to an anointed insight into truth, the release of knowledge, the speaking forth of words directly from the Lord, or to the teaching of God's Word.

The ministry of revelation is a full dimensional exposition of truth. The Greek word, apokalúpsis, is also in the title of the final book of the New Testament. It means "a disclosure or unveiling" of some one or some thing. As Paul used it here, he had in mind the disclosure of truth. It could be the unveiling of truth contained in the Scriptures but not easily understood. It could be the disclosure of truth about a person or a situation. The revelation of truth can give guidance that will prompt a person to move in a certain direction, or else not move. It can bring about the disclosure of unhealthy conditions in persons needing inner healing. The spirit of revelation can move in many directions. It is needful and beneficial.

The ministry of knowledge associated with the Holy Spirit is also needful. Through it, things that cannot be known by the natural mind are made known, as when Jesus ministered to the woman at the well (John 4:17,18).

The ministry of teaching can also be helped greatly by the Holy Spirit. This is the ministry of laying out truth so it can be easily grasped by the hearers. It is necessary for the teacher to have spent much time studying the Scriptures and waiting before the Lord for truth to become real and understandable in his own being. He can more properly lay it out before others with anointing and conviction when he Holy Spirit has had free course to work in him. Much speaking in tongues in private will enable a teacher to present lessons that can be easily received by the hearers and put to work in the living out of life.


FIVE - Tongues is beneficial in praying. Paul made a simple statement about this. He said, I will pray with the spirit- I Corinthians 14:15.

At one time I thought praying with the spirit meant praying with fervor and emotion - in one's own natural language. But from the context of I Corinthians 14, we find Paul was laying out principles regarding speaking in tongues. To him praying with the Spirit meant praying with tongues.I Corinthians 14:14 makes this clear.

Insight regarding this unusual kind of praying comes from a statement he made in Romans 8:26,27. If we look carefully at this, we find three important principles. Likewise (1) the Spirit helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but (2) the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And (3) He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit,because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God - Romans 8:26,27.

We all have an infirmity. It is our weakness in praying. The Holy Spirit will help us in this weakness by doing the praying for us and in us. Sometimes He does this with groanings which cannot be uttered. Always He prays according to what is right from God's viewpoint.

Helps, as used in this verse, is from a powerful Greek word meaning "to take hold of a burden with someone." Not knowing how to pray is a heavy burden. When the necessities facing us demand answers, and we are baffled as to how to pray, the Holy Spirit takes up this burden and does the praying for us. He does this from within us with groanings so deep they cannot be spoken.

What could the unutterable groanings be? As we've walked with the Lord for years, we've come to the conviction it is that gift of tongues that takes off into the deep parts of our spirit much like the thinking of thoughts works in the deep parts of our mind.

Many times situations baffle us while our humanity fails to come up with a solution, or even with enough understanding to ask God for the solution. It is in these times, when our intellect is at a loss for words and divine intervention is so necessary, that our spirit teams with the Holy Spirit for the intercession.

Praying with the spirit is an operation that can go on at any time, even in the midst of other activities. It is not necessary to close the eyes, move the lips or make strange expressions while doing it. One of the things I appreciate about Glenda is that whenever she is with me in a meeting where I am ministering, she prays in the spirit. I do the same for her when she is ministering. This is like one member of a team running interference while another member carries the ball.

Praying with the spirit has continually proved to be a cleanser and healer for my mind. Praying with the spirit can be one of my best kept secrets, though it proves to be of such value that I want everyone to know it. When Paul said, in I Corinthians 14:15, that he prayed with the spirit, he also said he prayed with the understanding. We have much to learn from him at this point. Apart from writing his Epistles, prayer was probably the most important ministry he had. In his closing years while a prisoner in Rome, he wrote Letters to the churches he helped establish in Asia Minor. In these Letters he told what he was praying for the believers in those churches. His prayers are a help to us today as we learn to pray with the spirit and with the understanding also.

We can find what Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:15-20; Ephesians3:14-20; Philippians 1:9-11 and Colossians 1:9,10. We call these Paul's Prison Epistle Prayers.

Great strength can come to our praying when we couple the understanding of Paul's prayers with praying with the spirit. This becomes powerful intercession.

Jude adds his admonition with this insight as to what praying in the Spirit brings to pass in us. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God... Jude 20,21a. Wow!


 SIX - Tongues releases us to a very high and wonderful form of worship. Paul gives insight to this when he says, I will also sing with the spirit - I Corinthians 14:15. This is one of the greatest delights there is. Sometimes our human words of worship and praise are not good enough to express the glory that should be given to the Lord. Then we can sing with the spirit.

After I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and began speaking with tongues, I remained for a while with the denomination of which I was a part. During this time I found it was best to remain somewhat quiet about the new gift working in my life. When we met together to worship, it was our common practice to sing from hymnals. Apart from this and singing a few short choruses, it was the only opportunity I had to sing with others. While singing those hymns, I really wanted to continue longer in worship and sing with the spirit.

Not knowing any place where the gift of tongues might be practiced, I found it was quite nice to sing with the spirit along with others in the congregation as they sang from the hymnal. Now this is not to say that hymns and gospel songs in English have no value. Many are the times my soul has worshipped the Lord while singing "All Hail the power of Jesus Name," or "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," or "How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord," or a gospel song like "No Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus." The hymns of the church have done much for me in establishing my faith in the Lord Jesus. But frequently, just the singing of the hymns, or of Gospel songs and choruses, leaves my spirit on a lower plane than it wants to go. That's when singing with the spirit became so useful.


source: maschil

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Tithing and early Babylonians

Tithing has been used since the times of the early Egyptians, Babylonians, Arabians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese. The word "tithe" means "tenth" and the ancient people regarded (the number) 10 as the number representing increase.

The foundation for the ancient law of prosperity is the universal belief that true prosperity comes from a spiritual basis. God, Buddha Nature or Absolute Awareness is the Source of all supply. Our minds, emotions, bodies, our talents, education, experiences, our jobs or professions are all vehicles or instruments of this prosperity; however Spirit or Awareness is the source. It therefore follows that if we want to be consistently prosperous we need to do something to "keep in touch" with that infinite source of all supply.

True Generosity is the practice of selfless giving (ie with no strings attached). It is also known by the universal adage "as you give so shall you receive." Regular, consistent giving opens the door to regular, consistent receiving. This must be done in a specific manner; through the giving of the "tith"” or a "tenth" portion of your income firstly to wherever you are receiving spiritual guidance or inspiration, on a regular monthly basis. You will prosper, and you will also help your spiritual teacher or organization to continue with their spiritual mission of helping mankind. From there - everyone prospers. It is important to emphasize that one's intention need to be on selfless-giving, and not on the getting.

Kahlil Gibran wrote in the Prophet, "It is good to give when asked, but it is better to give when unasked, through understanding."

Prosperity is not just about money. The word wealth means "well-being" and "wholeness." True prosperity includes peace of mind, healthy relationships, protection from negativity, as well as financial abundance. Tithing done in a systematic, business-like, scientific and practical manner helps to open us to receive in all aspects of our lives.

Tithing is an act of faith which functions on spiritual principles in order to protect and bless the "tither". Many people think, "but I can’t afford to tithe" or "I don’t have enough to tithe." These examples of limiting thoughts are part of the reasons why one doesn’t have enough. They contribute to the self -fulfilling prophecy that you’ll never have enough. It sometimes requires a "leap of faith" to overcome these resistant thoughts and allow spiritual abundance, prosperity and well-being into our lives.

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Wars, Rumors of Wars, Famines, and Earthquakes in Divers Places

Have you ever wondered what the end of the world might be like? Jesus’ disciples did. They asked Jesus about it at the Mount of Olives:

“…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3)

To millions around the globe, Jesus’ response tells them that it will be a terrible apocalyptic scenario, but students of esoteric interpretation know that Jesus’ answer gives them a secret to the mind. Most scriptures are about the body and mind, not the literal events we read about. Let’s dissect Jesus’ answer to understand this important event and how it could one day relate to you.

First, Jesus’ response:

 “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take head that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places…”

Do not be deceived by a false Christ

I want to dissect the above scriptures one at a time. Jesus began by telling us that many people will come saying they are the Christ, but do not be deceived. What did he mean?

Put simply, a false Christ is the ego. The ego in man masquerades as truth, when really it is the illusion. And often it is the institutional church which reinforces the ego in man. Man, and more importantly, the ego, will always be around preaching and promoting doctrines, institutions, religious ideologies, and strongholds that keep the lower ego in man in power.

One of the major deficiencies of the church today is that nothing is preached on developing the Christ within. The Christ within is where the real power for transformation is. One of Paul’s and Jesus’ main messages was to help us birth the Christ that is an inherent, latent potential within individual consciousness.

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed within you…” (Gal. 4:19).

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of this glory of the mystery among the gentiles (non-spiritual), which is Christ in you…” (1 Col. 1:27).

“…the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21).

Our thoughts make everything in life go round. Our thoughts make or break us. If we can’t view life through spiritually mature eyes, the most insignificant situations become gigantic problems that no salvation message is going to fix. It is the game of the ego. Drama, drama, and more drama. Religious doctrines reinforce the drama. They so often stunt our growth because it puts conscious development on hold. How? Because they cause the ego to become entrenched. Belief systems are established that don’t really serve us or our fellow man. Religious doctrines teach us to be someone which will ultimately perish. It teaches us to believe, “I am right and you are wrong!” The ego is like the Pharisee. It filters the truth into a very limited perspective. Jesus’ mission included showing us the Pharisee can easily lie within us, through the ego.

Wars and rumors of wars

Next Jesus talks about wars and rumors of wars. Wars and rumors of wars having been going on for thousands of years. Can we really believe that Jesus was giving us a literal prophecy? If this was truly one of the warning signs of Jesus, it wouldn’t be valid. Nothing’s changed. There were wars in Jesus’ days and there are wars now. It should be obvious that Jesus wasn’t referring to literal wars. The scriptures always have a deeper meaning.

Exodus 15:3 states:

“The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.”

Does it make any sense to say that the LORD of love, compassion, mercy, and longsuffering is a man of war?

This scripture is puzzling through traditional Christian interpretations. It would seem to justify events like the Inquisition, where millions of people were killed because they weren’t Christians.

Think about the Canaanites whom God asked the Israelites to eradicate from the Promised Land. All these Canaanites represent our lower thoughts and emotions of our selfish desires. Therefore, the LORD is a man of war because the LORD, as the higher self, comes in to clean house so that we can enter the Promised Land (higher states of conscious living).

Thus we can see that God is not a literal man of war; God is a man of war because he fills us so that we can end all wars within ourselves. He is the conqueror of the ego of man.

So what did Jesus really mean when he said there will be wars and rumors of wars?

Wars are symbolic of the conflict created by the ego. The wars are in our heads. Jesus was warning us about what happens in the mind of the individual. Before the death of the ego (the end of the world), the ego reigns. This ego creates conflict. When Christ returns in the individual (within you), the warring of the mind stops! Why? Because we stop identifying with the mind. We realize that the mind and the true intelligence that makes it possible is much larger than the individual ego the mind has the power to manifest. This is what it means to be resurrected.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom

Next, Jesus says that nation will rise again nation and kingdom against kingdom. Nations and kingdoms of the world are symbolic for the characters of the lower soul; they are pride, ambition, greed, conceit, and lust. Naturally this rhetoric is a continuation of Jesus’ discourse on the state of man’s ego. First comes the development of our lower natures. But through our experiences (sometimes suffering, as even Jesus learned obedience through suffering), we have the opportunity to advance consciousness.

Consider Isaiah 2:4, another messianic prophecy:

“And he (the messiah, the Christ) shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn anymore.”

We don’t fight wars with swords or spears anymore. We fight wars with missiles, nuclear weapons, and stealth technologies. Is there really a reason to believe that this prophecy is literal if it isn’t even relevant to today?

The mystic Jews who guarded these scriptures as sacred knew this prophecy was all about the day the messiah would return within the consciousness of the individual. Only then can all wars end, internally and externally!

Many Christians believe that the Jew has rejected their true messiah, the Christ. But is this the truth? Sadly, no. The truth is that many Jews and Christians have rejected the messiah and the Christ. They are one and the same. Let us stop bickering over semantics. The ideal that is the messiah and the Christ is beyond doctrine. It is even beyond our belief systems. It is a part of the true power of consciousness itself.

Famines and pestilences

Jesus then said there will be pestilence and famines. I have wrote about these symbols in other posts. Famines represent a severe shortage in the soul; it is a lack of spiritual development in the mental-emotional state. This is perfect language for Jesus to use, because wars usually lead to famine in the natural. It’s no different with the soul and within the individual. When the ego is in charge, your soul is famished. Wars of the mind leave us empty and devoid of life. They leave us famished.

Earthquakes in divers places

Finally, Jesus states that earthquakes will appear in increasing frequency and in places we wouldn’t expect. Review history, and you will see that again this has been the case over the past thousands of years. It’s not a literal prediction of the future. Earthquakes are symbolic of all the chaos in the lower state of consciousness. It’s usually a sign of the purging of the lower qualities of the ego right before a new state of consciousness. This is established many times in scripture.

“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came back and rolled away the stone from the door…” (Matt. 28:2).

“And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors were opened, and everyone’s hands were loosed” (Acts. 16:26).

As you can see, the earthquake is a sign of catalyst for the individual. It is a sign of the new age of consciousness. Doors to the mind began to open. Hands (the active principle of spiritual evolution) are loosed. In short, the lower man, the man in the egoic prison, must be shaken up and dismantled so that the higher man can reign, so that the Christ can manifest on earth.

This is true of the Old Testament as well. Whenever the earth opened up to swallow someone or a group, a purging took place and the nation of Israel was able to move forward one step closer to the Promise Land and higher states of consciousness.

Endure

The final message of Jesus is that we must endure.

“But he that endure until the end, the same shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13).

Those who endure to the end have the promise of a new dawn, the dawn of the daystar (Christ) arising in their hearts.

“We have a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well to take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in your hearts (minds)…” (1 Pet. 1:19).

Enduring is about facing the ego. It’s about realizing what the ego is, the game of life. Once we see the game for what it is, we then have more choices about how to play it. The situations in our life that were once monumental become smaller. The joys and the ups of life are more fully appreciated. Even the downs and the lows become meaningful. Life is renewed. It doesn’t mean all of the difficulties suddenly disappear during our sojourn here. It just means that we are no longer bound by the illusion that our situation is who we are. Consciousness can never be so limited.

Is the end of the world really the end of the ego?

Let’s be clear on one thing. The end of the world, at least from Jesus’ standpoint, is not the end of the ego. Ego death is sort of a misnomer. The ego doesn’t really die, just as Jesus didn’t really die on the cross. The life that was in him could never die. Instead, there was a power that resurrected him. The resurrection is symbolic of the new life that is provided when we realize what the ego truly is. It is sometimes termed “death” because it no longer has the power over us that it once did.

“Ego death” is more about a transmutation of the ego, from the lower man to the higher. It’s a transition from the lower ego to the spiritual ego. Even these words don’t do the transformation justice because they are just words. But the consciousness beneath the words is real. It can’t really be explained, only experienced.

Is the ego ultimately still there after what we term, “ego death?” Of course it is. You wouldn’t be an individual if it wasn’t. You wouldn’t have a sense of “I.” Realizing that we are one with everything doesn’t cause us to lose our individuality, but it does enable us to gain a new perspective through our individuality.

The spiritual ego is not motivated by lower thoughts and emotions. In other words, the lower ego ends when you don’t identify with your situation anymore.

So remember, the end of the world and the return of Christ happens within you. It brings new life. And it is one more step towards conscious spiritual advancement.



Source: Spirit of the scripture

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Proverbs 23:7 and Our Emotions

Have you ever wondered how to purge yourself of a particular negative emotion that keeps repeating itself in your life? It’s not as hard as it may seem. If you are currently experiencing negative emotions in your life, this post may be particularly beneficial to you.

The first thing that you need to realize is that you are not your emotions. This may seem obvious when you think about it, but most of the time we take this for granted. You may feel a certain way in a certain situation and subconsciously you identify with it. That’s why people sometimes think, “I’m a depressed person.” Or, “I’m an angry person.”

Most of the time the truth is that they subconsciously believe they are a depressed or angry person which continually reinforces itself in certain situations. But do they have to continue being that way? The Bible gives us a pretty straightforward answer that is quite encouraging.

Proverbs 23:7 states that whatever a person thinks in his or her heart, so is he/she. This means there is a tremendous opportunity to experience positive emotions. The Biblical writer could make such a statement because he realized that his true self, the eternal aspect, is the power that gives rise to thoughts and emotions. This means that the true self can give rise to different thoughts and emotions, and whatever a person chooses to think, they become.

There is something that should be immediately obvious to us then: we are certainly not at the mercy of external events and the emotions they sometimes cause. We are magnificent beings with the power to express more positive emotions even in the midst of a seemingly unhappy circumstance.

But Doesn’t Time Heal Anyway?

You have heard the saying, “time heals.” If so, can’t we just wait it out? This is only partly true, and it’s not a conscious strategy. The negative emotion you might feel over a particular event, like a bad break-up with a partner for example, does seem to naturally dissipate in time. But that particular feeling is still buried in the subconscious somewhere and certain events can trigger it again. It hasn’t really been healed; your conscious attention just hasn’t been placed on it in between the circumstances that cause it to manifest. The same emotion may even rear its ugly head in a totally different type of situation that you can’t make any kind of conscious connection with. In other words, thinking time will heal you is only a temporary fix; you’re still going to be at the mercy of a particular pattern of emotion in the long run. Isn’t this the very opposite of the idea that time eventually heals everything?

I remember a person that I became quite close to when I was younger. We spent every weekend together. Often we went to the beach, went on walks, or just hung out around the house. I was very happy with her and enjoyed her company immensely. After a few months I told this person how I felt about her. She reciprocated and I believed we were both on the same page. But then I went out of town for a month over the summer and when I came back she had had a relationship with someone else. I had been downgraded from a relationship partner to casual friend just like that. As you can imagine, I was in shock. The entire time I was away I was looking forward to returning and picking back up where we left off. We had communicated during my time away, and I thought for sure we had something good going. To make a long story short, I became very hurt by the experience. But that wasn’t the particularly damaging part. Most of us have had a similar type experience. But the emotion that initially arose from such an experience became such a permanent part of who I believed I was that it carried over into my next relationship. It then carried over into the relationship I had with the woman who would eventually become my wife. I was very distrustful and it was a long time before I could tell the wonderful girl I loved how I really felt about her. This confused her and it definitely started us off on the wrong foot. Looking back now, I can see how much damage that did to the early phases of our relationship and marriage. So no, time doesn’t really heal. It just allows certain emotions to stay dormant awhile.

Becoming Conscious of Your Emotions.

I am going to propose a better solution: allow consciousness to transmute a negative emotion into a positive one. How do you do this?

The best way is to simply acknowledge the emotion when it arises. Hold it there. Meditate on it. Observe it. Just observe it. Don’t let a mental commentary begin running. The minute you let a mental commentary run you have identified with it. At that moment you are it. You have taken the eternal power that you are, consciousness, and identified that power with an emotion that does not uplift you. Remember, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he! (Proverbs 23:7).

Of course that is not what you want. But consciousness is impartial. It’s powerful, yes, but impartial. It becomes what you allow yourself to experience. This is part of what being an unconscious human being is.

Make sure you do not meditate on the situation that made the negative emotion manifest in the first place. This is what you are naturally tempted to do. But that is a mistake. That’s part of the running mental commentary and it only reinforces that emotion becoming more established in your personality.

Just let it be. Meditate on the feeling itself. Understand and acknowledge that you are not that emotion. It’s just a temporary experience. As you do this, the power of consciousness will begin to dissolve it. Its vibrational frequency will begin to change. Remember, just observe. No judging. No thinking. If you haven’t developed the ability of concentration power yet in meditation, (like I talked about in a recent series HERE), then I suggest you begin with this first. It won’t effectively deal with the negative emotion you might be having now, but it will allow you to later. We all have to begin somewhere.

Why does this work, anyway?

Consciousness itself is naturally at peace. Higher emotions, those of a higher vibrational frequency, are inherent in consciousness. When you shed the light of consciousness on a negative emotion, it must begin to change. This can’t be explained scientifically very well. Consciousness just is, and it is the beginning and end of everything.

For those of you that like analogies, I’ll provide a simple one:

Picture holding a magnifying glass on a hot sunny day over a dried-out dead leaf. The natural sunlight is your consciousness. The magnifying glass is the meditation. The dried up leaf is your negative emotion. As you hold the magnifying glass over the leaf, the sun’s light is concentrated into a beam that chemically changes the leaf. Without the concentrated sunlight the leaf remains. It would take quite a long time for it to break down naturally. But with enough concentrated sunlight that leaf must change. In the same way, when you observe your negative emotion, consciousness is turned on to that emotion and its frequency must change.

When you notice that the negative emotion is losing its power over you, it’s time to replace it with something positive. You are what you think. So think on something positive.

This process isn’t an instant fix, but it works. Let me know how it turns out for you should you decide to try it.

In the next post we’ll get a little more philosophical and discuss the true meaning for the symbol of Noah’s Ark. Hint: it’s not really a boat!

Blessings!




Source: Spirit of the Scripture

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How to Find the Right Partner or Spouse

Finding the right partner or spouse is not like finding the right person to help you survive a lonely summer -- it means finding a person that you can see yourself growing old with and loving thirty, forty, or fifty or more years down the line. Choosing the person you want to marry or commit to forever is serious business, and it demands a lot of forethought, responsibility, and honesty. But once you've found that special person, all of your hard work will be worth it and you can get ready for a lifetime of happiness. If you want to know how to find the right partner or spouse, just follow these steps.


1) Prayer. This is the first and most important step before choosing a partner, ask God to direct your path to the person He has set aside for you.

2) Love yourself. Seriously -- loving yourself before you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with is the easiest way to ensure that you'll be committing yourself to that person for the right reasons. You don't have to be 100% satisfied with yourself, but if you're unhappy with who you are, you're at risk of getting together with someone just because he or she makes you feel better about yourself

3) Be (reasonably) happy being alone. Let's face it -- being single when all of your friends are happily dating or married is no picnic. You may want love more than anything in the world, and it's natural for you to feel lonely or sad if you can't find it. But part of loving yourself is loving spending time solo, and finding ways to stay interested and excited about life without a significant other. This will make you feel even better when that special person comes along!
If you're miserable by yourself, then you will be too easily swayed by the first person who comes along and gives you something to do. Don't mistake companionship for love

4) Get some experience. If you find your first love when you're sixteen, then you are a rare and lucky breed. However, most people do not in fact marry their first, or second, or even their fourth boyfriend or girlfriend. Dating more people lets you understand the endless ways that a relationship can work, and can make you see that there are so many forms and dynamics that a relationship can have.

5) Don't settle. Not settling is related to loving yourself, loving being alone, and having some experience. People settle all too often because they find someone who makes them feel less alone and loved, even if it's not in the right way. Another reason people settle is because they've been with the same person for five years and realize they "might as well" get married because that's what everyone else is doing or because they've been together for so long that it's the only logical step.

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Overcoming The Giant Of Sexual Sin (1) - Eph. 5:3-4, 1thess. 4:3-4

    

Sexual purity is the least consecration that God demands if a man is going to stand in His presence or handle anything for God. Since this is the least demand of God for purity therefore, a man is not pure until he is sexually pure. The priest told David that for a man to eat of the show (hallowed) bread, the young men must have kept themselves 'at least' from women (1Samuel 21:4). This means that there are things of God that a man will not partake of for as long as there is sexual sin in the life of that man.

What is sexual sin? Sexual sin is any act, form or mode of sex outside a legitimate marriage   covenant.   It   is   called   fornication   between   an unmarried brother and sister (man and woman) while it is called adultery between a married man and woman.  Sexual sin is not just having intercourse. It includes every other activity/attitude that leads to sex. It involves any act either directly or indirectly that stirs up the emotions and sexual feelings between two persons towards each other. The deeds may actually lead to intercourse or not but it is still a sexual sin. These include masturbation, sexual fantasy, sexual words or oral sex e.t.c Also sexual sin can involve an individual alone when he/she engages his/her mind, thoughts or body to arouse sexual feeling.

Different acts of sexual sin
1.    Seductive dressing and appearances:  The people of the world dress for attraction, lust   and seduction. Dresses that show the part sexual part of the body like navel, cleavage, buttocks e.t.c they are seductive in nature and lead to sexual sin. Avoid them as a child of God.
2.   Pornography: Exposure to sex films, novels, articles, pictures and all sort of naked viewing.
3.   Sexual practices like romancing, pecking, kissing, hugging and fondling openly or secretly.
4.   Oral sex.
5.   Sexual words.
6.   Masturbation: This involves playing with the sexual part of the body with an aim to arouse the body.

Note  that  you  cannot  say  because  you  have  not  gone  into  the intercourse part does not mean you have not committed sexual sin. Some  people  say  I  have  not  committed  the  real  act.  No, don’t be deceived.
What sexual sin does for a man?

1.    It strips a man of his glory and strength (Gen. 3:7-8)
2.    It reduces a man to a piece of bread (Prov. 6:26-32)
3.    It opens a man to satanic attacks and operations.
4.    It opens doors for strange covenants and curses.
5.    Negative ancestral forces are activated against a man.
6.    It results in demonic oppressions.
7.    It reduces a man’s destiny, making him unfit for the highest calling.
8.    It breaks down the potency of your spirit and calling.

Beloved, if you have kept yourself from sexual sin until now, keep doing that and do it well till the end and if you are living in any form of sexual sin, let the Lord help you out of it. The pain that sexual sin will bring to your future is far greater than the pleasure that you will derive from it. Sin and especially sexual sin will make you to pay for more that you are prepared to pay.

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus, I receive the grace to keep myself from every form of sexual sin and to keep my vessel in holiness in Jesus’ name.

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A Shift into Greater Blessing

Genesis 48 talks about when Jacob was an old man and very close to death. His son, Joseph, came to visit him and say his goodbyes. Joseph and his father were very close. In fact, Joseph was Jacob's favorite child, the youngest, whom he had given the multi-colored coat many years prior. At one point, Jacob thought Joseph was dead and lived very sadly until he found out that Joseph was indeed alive and living in Egypt. They reunited and here Jacob was at the end of his life.

Joseph was standing before his father along with his own two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. They were, of course, Jacob's grandsons and Jacob said, "Joseph, I'm going to bless your sons as if they were my own children."

In those days, a blessing proclaimed with the right hand was always the greatest. It belonged traditionally to the firstborn son. So Joseph put his oldest son, Manasseh, in front of Jacob's right hand and his younger son, Ephraim, in front of his left. Jacob was nearly blind. He couldn't see. When he went to give the blessing, Jacob crossed his hands and put his right hand on the younger son, Ephraim, and his left hand on Manasseh, the older son.

Joseph said, "No, Dad. You can't see. I had them lined up. I put Manasseh in front of your right hand. He deserves it. Give him the greater blessing."

Jacob said something very interesting that gives us insight into our God. He said, "No, Joseph. I've crossed my hands on purpose. Ephraim may have come second, he may have been in the back, he doesn't deserve it, didn't qualify for it, he's not next in line, but I'm shifting him to a new position. I'm taking him from the back to the front. I'm going to give him what he doesn't deserve."

Friend, that's the way our God is. He has shifts in your future that will put you in a position that you didn't earn. Just like with Ephraim, God is going to cross His hands and say, "I'm going to move them from the back to the front; from being unqualified to being suddenly qualified; from being looked down on or disrespected to being esteemed and respected."

God is saying to you what Jacob said to Ephraim, "I'm going to bless you on purpose. I'm going to move you up. I'm going to accelerate your dreams. I'm going to give you what you didn't deserve. I'm going to shift you into a position that you could have never gotten to on your own." Now, get ready for it. Stay in faith, stay in the Word, obey His commands and stay faithful because God is going to shift you into a place of greater blessing!



Source: Joel Osteen

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Article

"The most advanced field of human knowledge is in the area of mind power. Companies that deal with Mind Power and Internet Marketing are involved in the most advanced field of all. All throughout human history, the most advanced of human knowledge has been kept hidden from the masses, and passed along mostly by mouth to ear, and through secret books. Such knowledge was known as the occult. The occult means “concealed”. But what is concealed will be revealed. The Bible says in the Book of Daniel that in the end times “Knowledge shall run to and fro”. This is only possible through the invention of the computer and the internet. With the internet, there is no longer any more barrier to knowledge, and anyone can access information from anywhere in the world and share their ideas to the whole world. Humanity is now in the end times and at the final stage of human evolution. We are at omega point. We are at the brink of becoming gods.

In the past, the most advanced civilization was Atlantis. They were destroyed in a cataclysmic event called Noah’s Flood. Why is there so little information recorded about Atlantis technology? It is because their technology was developed to a point where they were able to store all their information in the etheric level of reality. It is one level up in the nonphysical planes of existence. Another name for it is hyperspace. Our current human civilization is also progressing towards the state that Atlantis once attained. Our data storage has evolved from the floppy disk, to the compact disc, to the thumb drive, and now it is all in the cloud. Information storage is not entirely nonphysical yet since the virtual world is still run on actual physical machines. One day our physical devices will be replaced by holograms and we only need to carry around holographic emitters. Then further on we can even do away with the physical holographic emitters entirely and work with information by bridging physical and nonphysical reality directly with our minds.”




- Enoch Mind Reality

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