COMPLEX to SIMPLE

 

2 Corinthians 11:3-4

King James Version

3 But I fear, lest by any means, 

as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty,

 so your minds should be corrupted 

from the simplicity that is in Christ.

4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, 

whom we have not preached, 

or if ye receive another spirit, 

which ye have not received, 

or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, 

ye might well bear with him.

How do we learn best?

Step, by step.

Through SPIRIT.

The "teacher of all things".

He reminds us the LORD's way.

Which is to be childlike:

Matthew 18:3

King James Version

3 And said, 

Verily I say unto you, 

Except ye be converted, 

and become as little children, 

ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The true born again is childlike.

We look to SPIRIT to make things plain.

By the GRACE of GOD, we understand Scripture.

SPIRIT leads us to many discoveries.

He feeds us an idea.

It's up to us to look into it.

As in  my experience today.

First, He leads me to a Chuck Missler video on America's crisis.

One particular quote stands out:

"The real rulers in Washington are invisible, 

and exercise power from behind the scenes."

   -- Felix Frankfurter

So, I check who Felix Frankfurter is.

Wikipedia supplies me this info:

"was an Austrian-born American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1939 until 1962, during which period he was a noted advocate of judicial restraint in its judgements"

Naturally, I gravitate to the phrase "judicial restraint".

What was that all about?

Wikipedia tells me:

"Judicial restraint is a judicial interpretation that recommends favoring the status quo in judicial activities and is the opposite of judicial activism."

Now, another set of words intrigue me.

"status quo"

I've often heard of it in the past.

But never got to check on it.

Till now:

"Status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious, scientific or military issues."

Digging further, I was pleased that Wikipedia uses it in a sentence:

"To maintain the status quo is to keep things 

the way they presently are."

Aha, bingo!

But, is that possible?

To keep things as they "presently are"?

Is the world's present condition commendable?

Let's see what Scripture says:

1 John 2:16

King James Version

16 For all that is in the world, 

the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, 

and the pride of life, is not of the Father, 

but is of the world.

Obviously, a change is needed.

We need to turn to the LORD.

Especially in these end times.

Isn't this what JESUS came for?

To save every man, from sin?

Ezekiel 36:26-27

King James Version

26 A new heart also will I give you, 

and a new spirit will I put within you: 

and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, 

and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, 

and cause you to walk in my statutes, 

and ye shall keep my judgments, 

and do them.

Mark 1:15

King James Version

15 And saying, 

The time is fulfilled, 

and the kingdom of God is at hand: 

repent ye, 

and believe the gospel.

John 3:3-8

King James Version

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 

Except a man be born again, 

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, 

How can a man be born when he is old? 

can he enter the second time 

into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, 

he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; 

and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, 

Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, 

and thou hearest the sound thereof, 

but canst not tell whence it cometh, 

and whither it goeth: 

so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:17

King James Version

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, 

he is a new creature: 

old things are passed away; 

behold, 

all things are become new.

Revelation 21:1-5

King James Version

21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: 

for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; 

and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, 

new Jerusalem, 

coming down from God out of heaven, 

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 

Behold, 

the tabernacle of God is with men, 

and he will dwell with them, 

and they shall be his people, 

and God himself shall be with them, 

and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; 

and there shall be no more death, 

neither sorrow, 

nor crying, 

neither shall there be any more pain: 

for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, 

Behold, 

I make all things new. 

And he said unto me, 

Write: 

for these words are true 

and faithful.

As the jurist would say, "I rest my case."

Definitely time for change.

Related material:

WORD of GOD

The GOD things

BORN AGAIN articles

Image: Clipart Library

The LAUNDRY business

 

Isaiah 1:16

King James Version

16 Wash you, make you clean; 

put away the evil of your doings 

from before mine eyes; 

cease to do evil;

If it isn't so serious, I'd be laughing.

Still, I find it funny.

All because GOD wired me for words.

And my childlike heart dances, and prances.

Getting creative, but making sure the message is given.

Especially when words play in my mind.

I write about GOD's commands.

What He wants us to do.

What He knows we've done.

And how we can get right with Him.

SPIRIT planted the idea in my mind yesterday.

Of how many of us are actually in business.

Specifically, the LAUNDRY business.

Consider these:

We air out our laundry.

In public, usually.

We air out our grievances.

We speak badly of each other.

We speak of how we've been treated badly.

We speak of how we want to get even.

Now, we have social media to soil others, too.

We call that "airing our dirty laundry".

Can you smell the stink in the air?

Surely, a snake can be found in that pile.

What, with the venom we spit out.

We have many issues to sort out among ourselves.

It's just too bad it's not in private.

Where level-headedness ought to prevail.

As it is, we'd rather rant, and rave, in public.

We try to outdo each other's filth.

I don't think any detergent can clean that.

And I don't think any industrial-size washer can hold all that.

But what's probably worse?

When we boast of how we've hurt others.

As if collecting scalps.

I dread GOD's wrath.

Considering how He cares for all of us.

Man is so very asleep.

A different kind of laundry.

The corrupt normally do that.

They find a place to stash their stash away.

Usually, they have tax havens abroad.

Or they put it in banks that accept that.

With the banks turning a blind eye.

If volume counts, then volume it is.

Volume of money, from a volume of elite.

The born again asks a few questions, though.

Why do governments put money in such banks?

Why put it outside your country?

Isn't that the people's money?

Don't your people need it?

Aren't governments under the payroll of the people?

How much do officials earn?

Is it enough to put in tax havens?

Imagine the poverty of most people.

Imagine where the people's money went.

Guns, goons, and gold, as they say.

As you put it in your tax haven, the people are living in hell.

Well, when the LORD comes, the tables will be turned.

We all need laundry.

All that cleaning of clothes, or beddings, cannot wash our filth.

We can be clean outside, but are we clean inside?

Are the temples of our bodies worthy of the HOLY SPIRIT?

When our clothes and beddings smell nice, are we really aromatic?

Would we be like Noah's offering, which pleased the LORD?

Genesis 8:20-21

King James Version

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; 

and took of every clean beast, 

and of every clean fowl, 

and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; 

and the Lord said in his heart, 

I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; 

for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; 

neither will I again smite any more every thing living, 

as I have done.

I, too, am in the laundry business.

GOD made me born again over four years ago.

He tasked me to write.

To write, warn, and wake up.

To address our filth, and faith.

To repent, revive, and reveal.

That we may all be acceptable to GOD.

When our spirit has been soiled, only JESUS can wash that.

Only He can make us clean.

We shall be free of our dirty laundry -- forever.

We become new creatures, who don't need the trappings of the world.

This can be done, when we are "born of the water and of the Spirit".

John 3:5-7

King James Version

5 Jesus answered, 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, 

he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; 

and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, 

Ye must be born again.

We also need a different kind of water.

From the "fountain of living waters".

Jeremiah 17:13

King James Version

13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, 

all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, 

and they that depart from me 

shall be written in the earth, 

because they have forsaken the Lord, 

the fountain of living waters.

We need the "living water", that is JESUS.

John 4:10

King James Version

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, 

If thou knewest the gift of God, 

and who it is that saith to thee, 

Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, 

and he would have given thee living water.

But as it is, we have broken cisterns.

Jeremiah 2:12-13

King James Version

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, 

and be horribly afraid, 

be ye very desolate, 

saith the Lord.

13 For my people have committed two evils; 

they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, 

and hewed them out cisterns, 

broken cisterns, 

that can hold no water.

Because we have much filth.

James 1:21

King James Version

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness 

and superfluity of naughtiness,

 and receive with meekness the engrafted word, 

which is able to save your souls.

For that, we need the BAPTISM of FIRE.

Matthew 3:11-12

King James Version

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. 

but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, 

whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: 

he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, 

and with fire:

12 Whose fan is in his hand, 

and he will throughly purge his floor, 

and gather his wheat into the garner; 

but he will burn up the chaff 

with unquenchable fire.

We need to get out of our old laundry businesses.

Much better we do what SPIRIT taught me.

To be washed of our sins, through JESUS.

We need to be in the WATER business.

We need the WATER that ONLY GOD can provide.

That all may be washed clean.

And I don't speak of your clothes.

Or your linens.

Related material:

Sin AWARENESS

The HOLY SPIRIT

HOLINESS

REPENTANCE

SALVATION

Image: Clipart Library

GETTING an ANSWER from GOD

 

Matthew 18:3

King James Version

3 And said, 

Verily I say unto you, 

Except ye be converted, 

and become as little children, 

ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

How does one get an answer from God?

Pray to Him, as a child would.

In all honesty.

In all eagerness.

Knowing nothing.

But wanting to know EVERYTHING.

Surely, you've seen children.

Fully concentrated.

Wrapped in attention.

Fascinated.

Eyes hardly blinking.

If anything, eyes as big as saucers.

I'm such a child, with GOD.

He knows I don't want to miss a thing.

I sit at JESUS' feet, completely transfixed.

Listening to EVERY word.

He reminds me to breathe.

I want to get every nuance, every instruction.

I want to get things right.

The moment His SPIRIT calls, I'm fully at attention.

Like I said, I don't want to miss a thing.

I pray to understand exactly as He wishes.

I can't bear to get it wrong.

I can't mislead you, that's why.

I take very great responsibility that I got the prompts right.

I'm all eyes, and ears.

I aim to never veer off course.

I can't ever.

I'm riding the BAT mobile.

The BORN AGAIN TRAIN.

Can't ever get derailed.

Related material:

CITIZENSHIP in HEAVEN

Our VILE bodies

 

Philippians 3:21

King James Version

21 Who shall change our vile body, 

that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, 

according to the working whereby he is able 

even to subdue all things unto himself.

This is the third part of the "citizenship of heaven" series.

Our flesh is not acceptable to GOD.

We are all steeped in sin.

Only through JESUS can we be made whole.

But first, what does "vile" mean?

Dictionaries define it as abhorrent, contemptible, extremely unpleasant, wicked, of little worth of value.

Here are the various Bible translations:

Philippians 3:21

American Standard Version

21 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.

Philippians 3:21

Amplified Bible

21 who, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself, will [not only] transform [but completely refashion] our earthly bodies so that they will be like His glorious resurrected body.

Philippians 3:21

Christian Standard Bible

21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.

Philippians 3:21

Complete Jewish Bible

21 He will change the bodies we have in this humble state and make them like his glorious body, using the power which enables him to bring everything under his control.

Philippians 3:21

Contemporary English Version

21 has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.

Philippians 3:21

Darby Translation

21 who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory, according to the working of [the] power which he has even to subdue all things to himself.

Philippians 3:21

Disciples’ Literal New Testament

21 Who will transform the body of our lowliness[a] so as to be similar-in-form[b] to the body of His glory, according-to the working that enables Him also to subject all things to Himself.

Philippians 3:21

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

21 Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto himself.

Philippians 3:21

English Standard Version

21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:21

Good News Translation

21 He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.

Philippians 3:21

International Children’s Bible

21 He will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body. Christ can do this by his power. With that power he is able to rule all things.

Philippians 3:21

International Standard Version

21 He will change our unassuming bodies and make them like his glorious body through the power that enables him to bring everything under his authority.

Philippians 3:21

J.B. Phillips New Testament

17-21 Let me be your example here, my brothers: let my example be the standard by which you can tell who are the genuine Christians among those about you. For there are many, of whom I have told you before and tell you again now, even with tears, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. These men are heading for utter destruction—their god is their own appetite, their pride is in what they should be ashamed of, and this world is the limit of their horizon. But we are citizens of Heaven; our outlook goes beyond this world to the hopeful expectation of the saviour who will come from Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will re-make these wretched bodies of ours to resemble his own glorious body, by that power of his which makes him the master of everything that is.

Philippians 3:21

Lexham English Bible

21 who will transform our humble body to be conformed to his glorious body, in accordance with the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:21

Living Bible

21 When he comes back, he will take these dying bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer all else everywhere.

Philippians 3:21

The Message

20-21 But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

Philippians 3:21

New American Standard Bible

21 who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with [a]His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Philippians 3:21

New American Standard Bible 1995

21 who will transform [a]the body of our humble state into conformity with [b]the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Philippians 3:21

New English Translation

21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours[a] into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:21

New International Version

21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians 3:21

New Life Version

21 He will change these bodies of ours of the earth and make them new. He will make them like His body of shining-greatness. He has the power to do this because He can make all things obey Him.

Philippians 3:21

New Living Translation

21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

Philippians 3:21

New Testament for Everyone

21 Our present body is a shabby old thing, but he’s going to transform it so that it’s just like his glorious body. And he’s going to do this by the power which makes him able to bring everything into line under his authority.

Kehillah in Philippi 3:21

Orthodox Jewish Bible

21 Who will transfigure the basar of our humiliation into the demut of the mode of being of the guf kavod of Moshiach, according to the pe’ulah (action, work—1:6; 2:13) of his ko’ach (power) [Ro 8:29;1C 15:43 53], even to the subjecting of all things to himself [1C 15:28]. T.N. The joyous tone of this letter is miraculous, given the fact that Rav Sha’ul is, as he is writing it, in danger of capital punishment by decapitation at anytime and without warning. But Sha’ul selflessly thinks about two quarreling women and the danger their quarrel poses to the kehillah in Philippi. He seems to have been leading up to this statement in 4:2: “I appeal to Euodias and I appeal to Syntyche, think the same thing in Adoneinu.” ]

Philippians 3:21

Revised Geneva Translation

21 He shall transform our humiliated body into a body conformed to His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Philippians 3:21

Tree of Life Version

21 He will transform this humble body of ours

    into the likeness of His glorious body,

    through the power that enables Him

    even to put all things in subjection to Himself.

Philippians 3:21

The Voice

21 transform these humble, earthly bodies into the form of His glorious body by the same power that brings all things under His control.

Philippians 3:21

Worldwide English (New Testament)

21 He will change our body which was made for this world. He will make it like his own wonderful body. He will do this by his power to make all things obey him.

Philippians 3:21

Wycliffe Bible

21 which shall reform the body of our meekness, that is made like to the body of his clearness, by the working by which he may also make all things subject to him. [which shall reform the body of our meekness, configured, or made like, to the body of his clearness, after the working by which he may also make all things subject to him.]

In SUMMARY, "our vile bodies" refer to:

the body of our humiliation

our earthly bodies

the body of our humble condition

the bodies we have in this humble state

these poor bodies of ours

our body of humiliation

the body of our lowliness

the body of our lownes

our lowly body

our weak mortal bodies

our humble bodies

our unassuming bodies

these wretched bodies of ours

our humble body

these dying bodies of ours

our earthy bodies

the body of our lowly condition

the body of our humble state

these humble bodies of ours

these bodies of ours of the earth

our weak mortal bodies

a shabby old thing

the basar of our humiliation

our humiliated body

this humble body of ours

these humble, earthly bodies

our body which was made for this world

the body of our meekness

Now you know how vile our earth bodies are.

But do you also know that JESUS will transform our earth bodies?

You can read that here.

Related material:

CITIZENSHIP in HEAVEN

MEDITATING upon a VERSE

BODY of CLEARNESS

The TEMPLE of the HOLY SPIRIT

FORTIFICATION against fornication

CONQUERING the flesh

FAULTS of the flesh

Man's Flesh and God's SPIRIT

SELF roadblocks

AWARENESS of sin

On sin

HOLINESS

BASIS for BIBLE versions

Image source: Free Vectors

Updated 20 August 2022

How to START 2022

 

2 Corinthians 13:5

King James Version

5 Examine yourselves, 

whether ye be in the faith; 

prove your own selves. 

Know ye not your own selves, 

how that Jesus Christ is in you, 

except ye be reprobates?

Be in CHRIST.

That's how it is to start 2022.

For the RAPTURE can come any moment.

That's where JESUS led me, four months after GOD made me born again.

I haven't veered from it since.

All my blogs, and articles, speak of that moment.

It's ALL PREPARATION NOW.

It could be ANY MOMENT.

For GOD is NOT governed by time.

He is MASTER of EVERYTHING.

LORD of ALL.

Review your life now.

Today is the best chance to do so.

Gone are the years from before.

We can't return to those.

But we can review how we've lived.

We can't say we've really loved, unless we live by the Bible.

Unless we understand GOD's WORD.

And the only way to do that is to pray that GOD shows you how to become a better person -- by HIS RULES.

Once you do that, He will lead you to His SON.

For in His SON, is all TRUTH.

John 1:17

King James Version

17 For the law was given by Moses, 

but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

In His SON, is the HOLY SPIRIT.

Matthew 3:11

King James Version

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. 

but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, 

whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: 

he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, 

and with fire:

In the HOLY SPIRIT, is INTERCESSION.

Romans 8:26-27

King James Version

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: 

for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: 

but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us 

with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts 

knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, 

because he maketh intercession for the saints 

according to the will of God.

In 2022, it's time to be born again.

So we may be led by Spirit.

So we may walk with Spirit.

Galatians 5:16

King James Version

16 This I say then, 

Walk in the Spirit, 

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

And become God's own.

Enough of old habits.

Enough of unscriptural thoughts.

It's time to know GOD's WILL.

It's time to become a new person, in CHRIST.

2 Corinthians 5:17

King James Version

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, 

he is a new creature: 

old things are passed away; 

behold, 

all things are become new.

It's time to be reconciled to CHRIST now.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

King James Version

18 And all things are of God, 

who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, 

and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit,

that God was in Christ, 

reconciling the world unto himself, 

not imputing their trespasses unto them; 

and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, 

as though God did beseech you by us: 

we pray you in Christ's stead, 

be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, 

who knew no sin; 

that we might be made 

the righteousness of God in him.

Be humble, as a child is, as JESUS said.

Matthew 18:1-5

King James Version

18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, 

saying, 

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, 

and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, 

Verily I say unto you, 

Except ye be converted, 

and become as little children, 

ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself 

as this little child, 

the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child 

in my name receiveth me.

Be like new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

King James Version

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, 

he is a new creature: 

old things are passed away; 

behold, 

all things are become new.

GRACE, and GLORY be to GOD, through the LORD JESUS!

May we live our lives perfectly attuned to the LAWS of GOD, through the PERFECTION of JESUS, and the INTERCESSION of the HOLY SPIRIT.

FREE download:

2022 calendar from 123 Free Vectors.