What is religion in relation to the soul?

 There are so many religions out there - which one if any do I choose?

Jesus was not a great fan of religion , in fact he often spoke against false 

beliefs even admonishing his disciples. He explained the Father , himself and us as being one. 

Ye are gods! Religion is very good act creating ethical codes to follow and not all bad. Basically

its acceptable in a modern society to have a code of ethics. 

 One problem with some religions is the tend to address sin as the main reason for religion as a sort of 

cure. A cue for sin - really. To me religion is only like fabreeze for the soul. It may take the small away

for a short time. It is the soul that is what God wants "All souls are mine". Because in fact we are already

Gods soul. It is just the realization that is missing. Some may say its this realization that frees us from the

confines of the flesh or body. It is guaranteed that this body will return to dust. From dust to dust. 

 We conceive that we are apart from God , in fact we are one. The world will always point out your sin to 

try and keep you un-realized or lost. What happens in the religions and governments of the world is you

are told to bow down, beg and suffer. We are taught to be obey the laws and the church - 

just be good. However Jesus didn't teach that , he said none are good. None, not one. Even Jesus was

offended , why do you call me good. Only his heavenly Father was good. 

 Not that I say sin is acceptable. Of course many sins are harmful to our health and the health of the family 

or community. We should not obsess - if you instead realize you are your own biggest enemy - your own 

flesh and desires there of hold you back from realization of your true nature. 

 If we were to see our souls  as mirrors reflecting God , and we need to keep the mirror free of smudges

to get the best reflection. 

Friends and Business

Friends are like water

Business is like oil

Tip: Never mix oil and water.

Where is God?

Recently we are going through a pandemic and many are asking where is God in all of this. We have as a human species gone through pandemics before and other natural disasters.

We are seeing many lose their source of income and retirement savings are being wiped out if not depleted for reasons of quarantine.

The federal and state governments are closing all the libraries , parks and recreational sites. We are also seeing the closing of churches and meeting places of worship. Many churches and businesses already on a tight budget will never reopen.

Millions of small businesses will go under and there will be no recovery for them.

Where is God? Isn't God in control ? Why all this heartache? We have hundreds of questions and many of these were the same questions before the pandemic.

We see God at many levels in everything and everywhere , the omniscient. Whether we pray to the East or the West God is there. God is within and outward. Times like this are the best time to connect with God. When we are at  still point , being quarantined and our faith is not in government or possessions.

The Joy of the Lord is our strength. Jesus promised a comforter would come to comfort us in just these times. The Holy spirit role is the comforter. Ask God to send his spirit to comfort and give assurance.

The first wave was salvation in which God came as a person, in the form of his Son Jesus. Jesus taught we were all sons and daughters of God. Bringing us to into a personal relationship and that is salvation.

The second wave is for us to do Gods will and spread the Good News of salvation. This is the commission of the church to bring all the souls to the Lord.

The third wave is the return of Christ after the souls are prepared for the second coming. So it is our responsibility as a church family to make the preparations. Starting in our heart , then on to the community and eventually all the world.

Be patient , this pandemic too, shall pass.

Peace to you,

Earl

The Heart condition

The Heart is a part of us that has a mind of its own. The heart is the center of our being. Spectral scopes show major electrical energy waves emitting from the heart.


Old
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
                        Who can understand it.

New
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
                        guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27   Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world
                     gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

After being in a church where God was supposedly speaking to everyone, it seems frustrating
not to have heard Gods voice directly. Be not dismayed , God does not command us to do things,
rather we have free will. God conditions our hearts to do the right thing - which is his will.Through
prayer and worship we learn to give our hearts and it is a process. Salvation is the key , from there
we are reformed from a deceitful heart to a brave and renewed heart.

Someone recently quoted Jeremiah to me as a method of controlling my emotions to say my heart
was deceitful not trustworthy. I said who the Son sets free is free indeed. Your heart may start out as
deceitful , it does change to a renewed heart along with a renewed mind. We are not stuck in the mire,
we are cleansed by believing and transformed by peace of mind that comes from Christ.

The battle for your heart is a real one. We need to not be so quick to surrender our hearts and work actively to strengthen it. Protect your heart by controlling desires and feed your heart with gratitude, and praise.

Peace,

Earl

The Art of Knowing

We are told ignorance is bliss - what you don't know won't hurt you. Then again if you had already eaten from the forbidden fruit of knowledge then you must learn about life -through knowing.

Knowing has four parts -

The ugly lie.
The beautiful lie.

The ugly truth.
The beautiful truth.

The ugly lie is Evil . It is deliberate , made to HURT , to cause PAIN. However it is a LIE.
When you are told you can't succeed because you are short or because of your gender or race that
is all part of the ugly lie. It is meant to keep you down. It is meant to control you to subvert you.
Recognize it do not accept it - ignore it or if its persistent face it and rebuke it.

The beautiful lie - is often disguised . Like a wolf in sheeps clothing. Often a sales tactic used to
cheat you. It may be flattering when actually its intent is to deceive you. Used often for control and often by narcissist. It can be with accompanied by a smile.
A commercial aspect of this is the Marlboro man , conning you into smoking cigarettes . Or the model that sells beauty product that sometimes destroy you skin over time. Recognize that you are being used at times for no purpose other than to steal a piece of your own happiness.

The ugly truth is something that can also hurt you. Because of your pride or ego it can hurt. Someone perhaps makes fun of your baldness. Yes - we can't deny it is truth - some of us are bald. Why let it cause us pain. We are not all the same. Some are poor through their own choice or by circumstance. It does not have anything to do with happiness . Many persons you may consider wealthy are miserable.
So really , examine your motives. The ugly truth can tear away at you . Accept who you are and learn the art of contentment.

The Beautiful Truth , learn to receive blessings and be thankful for them. You are worthy don't let circumstance or  persons tell you otherwise. You are worthy because of redemption , you are a child of God. Not because of anything you did , by Grace. Free from guilt and shame, move ahead in you spiritual journey - rise !

Peace,

Earl

Arrogance

Arrogance is something that can creep up on us unknowingly. Even the most spiritual persons can be caught up in the web of arrogance. We find this is something also called ego.

Blessings and cursing coming from the same mouth.

When you are under attack by a person with arrogance , don't show hatred. Its something you need to identify quickly. Arrogance often appears by judgement, someone will try to trap you into saying something or twist your words. Often try to make you feel guilt or doubt. They could be a member of a cult or a major religion.

Arrogance will wreck lives , relationships and even cause enough hatred to kill.

It is often disguised under the CLOAK of RELIGION.

Socrates most famous saying was ,  I know , I know nothing.
Here was one of the greatest teachers or all time. He recognized that being bloated with knowledge or
getting a big head could lead to arrogance.

I was with a friend and companion, they were constantly attacking me with questions and challenging my integrity. It seemed after a long session of prayer , this attack came on. It will often happen that those who are nearest to you will be used in arrogance mode.

Arrogance is what causes terrorist to kill, cause relationships to end , families to break up.

Your only defense is humility and truth. Better to avoid a person that is arrogant.
God is only concerned with your happiness and well being , does not tear you down rather lifts you up. So if a person is not contributing to your happiness , they are not of God.

First recognize arrogance from others  and can be found in yourself. The Truth is seven fold described by Isaiah . The Lord , wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, of knowledge and fear - being fear of the Lord. This fear is approaching God with awe and respect. It is also called reverence.

Peace,

Earl

The Bride of Christ

You will often hear the bride of Christ is the church . This is a popular concept and often taught in theology. Although the church has no personality it is a body of believers , who congregate on a regular basis. Many are just there to socialize , some seek spiritual growth. There are those who see this as a place to be fed , so to speak words of encouragement or lessons that get them through the week.

Who is really the bride of Christ , first you have to know Christ and thanks to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life , we can know Christ. We can raise the spirit within from the dead, and have life.

Then who is the Bride of Christ if not the Church. If there is a bride church which one is it going to be the Catholics, the protestants or which denomination.  Certainly that raises a lot of questions. The leaders of the churches would love to say they are the bride. Thus taking away your own spiritual unity and having control. The Truth is the Christ , the Bride , the entire kingdom are within you!!

Perhaps you will realize Christ is within you. and guess what so is the Bride! The kingdom of God is within you. Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus.  You will open the threshold of your mind and the bride will come , there will be a new dimension to reality. You will use the entirety of your brain.

 Is a church really just a school of thought. Not a place or a group. When we are dealing with thoughts , we are in the mind realm.

Peace to you,

Earl