Recognize Before You Prophesize (interestingly enough this isn't a word that exists in the English language. However, Shakespeare made up his own words, so why cant I?)

This particular section describes various views on the Trinity and elaborates on them individually.  However, this passage was designed to impart views in about the Holy Spirit in particular and give reasoning why She is underutilized.

What do you think about God? Wrong! Be quite and get on your knees. Not only are you breathing because of the will of God, but every animal on Earth is also.  If you were to break apart all the components of a watch and put them in a glass box and shake them for all of eternity they will never come together in the form of the watch again.  And that’s just a watch.  Think about the amount of species living in the sea and the diversity and intensity in which they function; think about the human body and the circumstances we need to survive. The God that created the beauty and the intricacy needed to make this planet/universe not only calls for our praise, but deserves it. Fall on your knees and worship Him now and always because He is bigger than any adjective that we, as humans, can use to describe Him. 

Jesus Christ is the tool that God uses to set us free, and by his death and resurrection we have all been liberated.  First Corinthians chapter fifteen verse twenty-two reads: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (Holy 1658) Jesus is the flesh of the apple, so to speak, and through Him Christianity was redefined. New standards of living were put in place, and we are given the objective of being apostles until Christ’s return.

Now what about the Holy Spirit? Where is She in Christianity today?  The Holy Spirit is our median for our mission here on Earth until Christ’s return.  Romans chapter five verse five reads: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Holy 1624).   As Christians we do not adhere to this passage near as much as we should. When we pray we typically direct that prayer to God; when we proclaim we typically proclaim the name of Jesus.  But where is the Holy Spirit?  We don’t acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is God’s tool to give us wisdom so that we do pray and we do proclaim.  Now I am not a Catholic, nor do I adhere to most of their customs or traditions, but they definitely understand and utilize the Holy Spirit more than most denominations. You see, my Uncle and his family are catholic and they talk about the Spirit like “no one’s business”.  They are on fire and recognize Her importance and I think they are right.  The Holy Spirit deserves recognition, because in Her God uses us to forward His kingdom.  John chapter fourteen verse first fifteen through eighteen reads: “If you love me, keep my command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (Holy 1556).  This Spirit of truth is what guides us, gives us wisdom, and helps us through our trials and tribulations.  The Spirit is what keeps us afloat. As Christians, we need to acknowledge the tool that God put on this Earth for us; therefore I challenge you to call upon and acknowledge the Spirit in day-to-day life. Give thanks to the Spirit for providing and giving you wisdom and give thanks to the Spirit for your friends and family.  And one thing that I do is I call the Spirit a she.  We are supposed to have a personal relationship with all three parts of the Trinity so I find it appropriate to give Her a gender title.  The way that I see it is that she is like the ultimate mother figure who guides and empowers you with the most purest of loves. Like a mother She will give the tools you need to get you through the day and will see you through until Christ’s return.



Work Cited
Holy Bible: Today's New International Vision. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. Print. 

Facing Sobriety

These four topics are journal entries that I made and their purpose was to help me work through my addiction to drugs. I have been clean since 12-04-2009.  

4/2/10

Why is premarital sex bad? I have two reasons (as I personally see it). First is that it is selfish. When you are only seeking self-satisfaction you are defying the very definition of a relationship. It is the very opposite of expressing love.  All it is expressing is the need to be satisfied. A relationship is about getting to know the other person and learning how to put them first. My brother says, "If you don’t know their grandparent's full names you shouldn’t even be dating them." Meaning that you should be looking for a partner and if you don’t know everything about them then why date them?  If you don’t possess a desire to know who they are then what is the point.Secondly, once you finally do get married the knowledge of all the sexual relatationships will bear heavy in your spouse’s mind.  Your spouse might feel inadequate because maybe in their mind they think that they don’t compare “in the sack” and it could also be discouraging that they are not the only ones that have pleasured you or been pleasured by you. I don’t know about you but I do not want to be compared by my wife to previous sexual experiences she has had. I don’t think anyone does because we all care about self-image. Now why does a marriage make it ok? Well I think that marriage is telling others that they have learned to put someone first and they are willing to serve and be with them for the rest of their life. Then they can look to each other to satisfy their needs. Marriage is for that purpose. Not just sexually but when one struggles, the other is supposed to support and lift them up. They are supposed to comply with each other’s needs in every way.


6/24/10

Happiness comes from the way you perceive your life and the things in it. People can make you happy, trees can make you happy, or work can make you happy. Those things in themselves are just things, and the feelings of happiness towards these things comes from the way that you see them. Some people kill unjustly/irrationally and it makes them happy.  But in most cases that is unacceptable, because in our eyes (“society’s”) that is not something that should cause a person to be happy. Drugs can make you happy, cars can make you happy, money can make you happy, a house can make you happy, or women can make you happy. But I’ve found that material things are not substantial; so I look to God. In my opinion, He is the only thing that can satisfy. But I still crave the material and therein lies most of our wrongful deeds.  My life right now is filled with positive things that make me happier compared to the previous harmful things that saturated my life. I have amazing friends that I have started to surround myself with.  Now what makes the friends that I have great is that they not only care about me, but they are pretty good at putting me first. Happiness is only real when shared. Previously I relied on friends who cared more about drugs then they did me, and I am guilty of doing likewise. Physically, substances hold me down no more. My mind is much clearer and although a lot of people don’t agree with what I believe, I am in a better position to listen to/accept people and their problems. I can quickly respond with the solutions I have to provide (not always the right ones because in reality I don’t have the answers; in the end we live as we dream alone: Only you can live your life and make the decisions that you have to)I’m blessed.


7/20/10


Stealing encompasses every sin. If you lie you are stealing a person's right to the truth. If you murder someone you are stealing a person’s life. If you cheat you are either stealing a person’s trust, or stealing someone else’s right to success. I was thinking about my problems and flaws a lot today and I think stealing was a big part of who I was (not only literally but in the ways mentioned above). The biggest thing I had to learn to overcome this struggle is that instead of stealing of any kind I need to find my voice. Before I lie I need to realize why I am lying and I need to confront my insecurity of telling the truth. It is better to speak and look like an idiot than to deceive a person. That not only changes their perception of you, should they find out the truth, but it also makes you more prone to do it again. In order to be a good friend you must be trustworthy. This is still a process for me; even seven months later I am still tempted to lie; still tempted to steal people’s right to the truth. But I am communicating more. I’m getting there and it is really refreshing. I love my life, and even though it can be busy and chaotic I can live every day knowing why I do things. I can face my problems head on and grow from my falls and shortcomings. I am blessed


12/11/10


“We'd never know what's wrong without pain.”A friend of mine made this statement and I think it has rung absolutely true in my life. In the moment it is really hard to see around pain.  Like a cut, an emotional pain is letting us know when something is wrong.  Whether we want to or not we must deal with this pain to move forward in our lives. This means that I personally need to identify why I am feeling a certain pain and try to find the root of that problem. I need to find a solution by overcoming the conflict and by letting my thoughts flow.  It’s a process and to become stronger as a person I need to take myself through it. If I run from my pain I am defeating the very purpose of pain by ignoring what is wrong.  When we ignore we do not grow, we do not learn, we only deny God the chance to change and mold us.