Faithful Writers

Open AI As I was meditating on Psalm 40:12–13, these words captured my heart: For troubles without number surround me;my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.They are more than the hairs of my head,and my heart fails within me. Be pleased to save me, Lord;come quickly, Lord, to help me. One phrase stopped me. “Be pleased to save me, Lord. ” It almost sounds strange, doesn’t it? Why would David ask God to be pleased to save him? Why not simply say, “Save me”? And if God truly is the One who works in us “to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13), then why does He ever wait? Why doesn’t He strengthen our will from the start? Why does He sometimes allow us to sink so deeply into weakness that hope feels distant? The more I thought about the words “Be pleased,” the more I asked myself: who else would be pleased to see me saved? The answer was painfully clear. Me. That’s when it clicked. When I’ve cried out to God for help, I realized I wasn’t always longing for holiness; I was longing for relief. I wanted to feel better. I wanted my sense of moral stability back. I wanted to see a “righteous” version of myself again, the me who felt full of grace, the me who felt holy, strong, capable, and spiritually okay. This is what hidden self-righteousness does to us. It makes our prayers sound spiritual while quietly centering everything around “me.” It can appear like we want God to be pleased, but deep down we mostly want to be pleased with ourselves. We want to feel righteous again. We want our inner comfort restored. We want God’s help so our own sense of moral comfort can be restored. It takes spiritual maturity to love God for who He is, even when He does not make us feel righteous in the moment. Maturity is when God becomes lovely in Himself, not only when He makes us feel good about our spiritual condition. That is what makes David’s prayer so powerful. His cry is not simply, “Lord, rescue me so I can feel better.” It is, “Lord, rescue me in a way that pleases You.” He does not want deliverance that restores his pride. He wants deliverance that glorifies God and humbles his heart. He wants saving that leads to worship, not saving that leads back to self-confidence. So why does God sometimes let us feel the full weight of our weakness? Not because He is cruel.Not because He is distant.But because He is forming humility, not just “good” behavior. If He rescued us too quickly, we might enjoy freedom without learning dependence. We might walk in outward obedience while still loving ourselves more than we love Him. We might crave the feeling of righteousness rather than craving God Himself. Sometimes God lets us feel lost so that when He saves, our response is gratitude instead of pride. Then obedience flows from humility instead of ego. Sometimes He allows the struggle not because He refuses to help, but because He is teaching us to love Him more than we love feeling righteous. He is shaping hearts that want Him more than comfort, more than moral success, more than self-approval. Next time you ask for His help, remember to place His pleasure above your comfort. Seek His will before your relief. Let that be the posture of your heart: “Be pleased to save me, Lord. Come quickly to help me.” © Mikiyas Astatke

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash There’s a difference between believing God is good and actually leaning on that when things wobble. Most of us know the first one, but the second one takes practice. What might that look like as an honest prayer that maybe you can pray, today? God, I need You to keep me steady. That’s really it. I’m not coming in confident. I’m coming in honest. I’m trusting You because I’ve tried trusting everything else. And none of it holds up for very long. You’re the one thing in my life that actually counts as “good,” even when the rest of it feels shaky. I’ve watched what happens when people chase other things, thinking those things will save them. More money. More certainty. More being right. It always costs more than it gives back. I don’t want that. So I’m sticking with You. Not because I’ve figured anything out, but because You’re enough to stand on. My life hasn’t turned out perfect. Some days it feels pretty far from it. But it’s still mine. And somehow, even with the mess, it’s still a gift. You don’t usually shout directions. Most of the time, You just keep me from making things worse. A quiet thought. A pause. A sense that I don’t need to react right now. When I keep You in front of me, I don’t lose my balance as easily. I still get tired. I still get frustrated. But I don’t come apart the way I used to. I can rest a little. Not because everything is okay, but because I know I’m not on my own. You don’t leave people stuck in fear. You don’t bail when life gets heavy. You keep showing me how to live, one ordinary step at a time. And being with You brings a kind of peace that doesn’t depend on the day going well. Well, that’s about it for now. Thanks, Lord! Amen. © Gary L Ellis

This is more on the personal side, coming from experience with a type of behavior I have encountered over the years. On the surface, it appears noble and Christian-like, but in reality, it can be very harmful.  Have you had a family member or friend go through a really rough season? Have you sat there and listened to what they needed to say, held them, cried with them, let them get out what’s stuck in their head? Or…. Do you ask them how things are going, and then when they start to talk to you, do you say things like “ Lift it up to God, He’s got this. ”, or “ Just keep praying, ” or “ Pray and give it to God. ” or “ It’ll be ok, God’s taking care of it. ”? I would assume most have said something along these lines before. Now, I want to shift your perspective and have you consider it from that person’s point of view. Imagine, every time you tried to talk to someone, that’s all you heard? Weekly, daily, sometimes multiple times a day.  Sit with that thought for a couple of minutes. Imagine needing to talk, only to receive the same pre-scripted phrases repeatedly. Eventually, you stop sharing and keep it all inside because you know what response is coming. You will feel as if you are not Christian enough or strong enough, or that you suddenly need advice on your relationship with God. It starts to sting. No one is perfect, and sometimes we may not know what to say. But in situations like this, focus on what the person needs in that moment, not what you think they need. And if you’re on the other spectrum and think you need to constantly say these things, zip it and reevaluate.  Repeated comments like these can and will shut a person down.  Intentional or not, they can make someone question their faith, wonder if something is wrong with them, feel like they have no right to be a human with feelings, and feel that struggling is unacceptable.  God made us to want companionship with one another; this is a part of that. Just take a little time and reflect on how you respond to a person in need is all I ask. © Jane Isley

Photo by Jon Tyson  on Unsplash We closed the farmhouse door for the very last time. Never again would we be greeted by the smell of homemade bread. Never again would we pick fresh strawberries from the homegrown patch. Never again would we celebrate Thanksgiving together in the big, old, century-plus farmhouse. My father-in-law sold the farm on which he was born 85 years earlier and never looked back. He moved a couple of miles down the road into a newer townhouse closer to town. We unpacked boxes, stacking the dishes my husband ate from as a child. We hung aerial photos of the farm on the walls. We looked out the windows and saw dozens of other identical townhouses instead of never-ending rows of corn.  “I think this townhouse development used to be Bob Miles’  horse pasture,” Hubby reminisced. “Yep. He sold his farm to a developer 20 years ago,”my father-in-law confirmed. “So you’re now living where I smashed Terry’s truck into the fence!” “You did what?” Oops.  After 34 years of keeping a secret from his dad, Hubby accidentally spilled the beans to his 86-year-old father. On a dark and snowy December eve, Hubby was getting into his brother’s 1976 Silverado with a 454 cubic inch engine after wrestling practice. His wrestling buddy had a Ford. After spinning donuts in the snowy school parking lot, they decided to settle the Ford vs. Chevy rivalry once and for all. Hubby won, but unfortunately, brakes don’t work well on ice, and his brother’s truck ended up on top of the fence of the horse pasture. Mr. Miles was not very happy, and Hubby spent Christmas break repairing the fence. But he never told his dad. Why do we hide our mistakes from our parents? From an early age, our behavior is reinforced with parental smiles or frowns. Scribbles on paper excite parents to the true artist within their child; scribbles on the wall create fear of a future graffiti artist. Building a block tower reveals a future engineer and receives praise; throwing blocks exposes a potential future rioter and receives scolding. We are trained to crave the affirmation of our parents and dread their anger and disappointment. Even adults look for Mom and Dad’s approval. A friend recently told me that, although her parents are both dead, she still makes decisions based on whether or not they would approve. Fear of parental disapproval leads many to hide from their parents.  “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8) But should we seek the approval of our parents? Our parents are, after all, sinners just like us. In seeking their approval, we are looking to reflect the image of someone who is flawed, not perfect.  I have told my children that I don’t want them to live their lives looking for my approval. I want them to live their lives looking for God’s approval. My views are selfishly flawed and skewed. I do not have all the right answers, nor do I have the right motives behind the decisions I make. God is perfect in all things. He gives us His Word, the Bible, to show us what righteousness looks like. Scripture is the plumb line we and our children can use as we measure our lives next to Perfection. But this doesn’t mean I am insignificant in the lives of my adult children. God uses parents. We often hide things from our parents when we sin.  We fear being found out.  If my parents really knew…  But God knows. If we are hiding things, we should consider if the hidden secret is sin.   “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 3:19-21) Adam and Eve are kinda funny. Did they really think they could hide from God?  Did they really think He wouldn’t find them? Did they not know of His omniscience? But they feared their deeds would be exposed.  We are just like Adam and Eve. We live our lives sinning, thinking we can hide. But we don’t have to hide anymore.  Admit your sin. “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5) Jesus came to take your sin away. “As far as the east is from the west,    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) Confess and believe. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) And you will be saved. First published in Pursuing Perfection on Substack by © Tessa Lind,  tessalind.substack.com

A personal reflection. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see something about Paul expounding a different Gospel to Jesus. He is long known for spreading the teachings of Jesus and establishing Christian communities throughout the Roman Empire, and is traditionally credited with writing 13 or 14 books of the New Testament. This should make him qualify as one of the most influential figures in the history of Christian theology. SUCH LOGIC MAKES MY BRAIN REALLY, REALLY HURT! On top of this, there is the apparent conflict between Paul and James about faith and works. THIS ALL DEMANDS SOME RIGOROUS SCRUTINY. For the “time-poor,” this post is in two stages — short and long versions, all in one article, so you get the jist, then can continue if further intrigued. I make no secret that it is the detail that makes me a boring person, which brings the Holy Scriptures alive for me. But, if you pay just a modicum of attention, you will see what is hiding in plain sight in the Biblical Language. Actually, it is not hiding — just waiting to be found. PAUL AND JAMES: FAITH AND WORKS The two divergent arguments cause people to choose a side. Surely they can’t be reconciled. Faith . Romans 10:9 " that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe (G4100) in ( G1519 ) your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Obviously, works are not necessary. Works . In James 2:14–20, James forcibly presents his argument about “ faith without works ." " But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith (G4102) without works (G2041) is useless?” Obviously, works are absolutely necessary. But Who is the Supreme Authority? Someone with whom no one can argue. It is written in John 6:28–29: " Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work (G2038) the works (G2041) of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe (G4100) in ( G1519 ) Him whom He sent. ” work = G2038 — ergazomai is the verb form of the noun, G2041 — ergon = exert effort to complete a task. believe = G4100 — pisteuō is the verb form of the noun, G4102 — pistis, which is derived from the verb, G3982 — peithō = to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with, to trust, have confidence, be confident. In = G1519 — eis is a preposition used in conjunction with G4100 → G4100 + G1519 → believe in . I use the KJV as the reference because more study has been done on every word in that Volume than in any other book in the English Language. And it can be seen that the KJV translates G4102 in several ways: faith (239 times), assurance (1x), [believe (with G1537) (1x)], belief (1x), them that believe (1x), fidelity (1x). Similarly with G4100: believe (239x), commit unto (4x), commit to (one’s) trust (1x), be committed unto (1x), be put in trust with (1x), be commit to one’s trust (1x), believer (1x). Doubling back to Romans and James and comparing them to John 6:28–29. " that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe (G4100) in ( G1519 ) your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." In James 2:20, “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith (G4102) without works (G2041) is useless?” It can be seen that in plain sight, in all that detail, Jesus, Paul, and James are speaking about exactly the same thing. So that’s the end of the short version BUT THERE’S MUCH MORE AVAILABLE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. YOU’RE WELCOME TO STAY. The official definition of faith (G4100/G4102) is given in Hebrews 11:1. Forget about secular dictionaries. The only reliable Bible Dictionary is the Bible. But the English translation is soooo anaemic. Let’s look at some Greek. A possible re-phrase (surely you can do better) Faith is the conviction about the Holy One, burning intensely hot within me, which is erected upon a foundation that actually exists and can be relied upon. The evidence can be trusted because it would ensure a conviction in a court of law. It speaks of a reality that is beyond the spectrum that our physical senses can detect. So, when Paul writes, Believe in your heart (Romans 10:9), he is referring to having a fire in your belly , NOT a whim of your fancy. “Conviction” is the operative word. We see a lot of opinion on Medium, but conviction goes long past that. Opinion is your preference — conviction is your soul. Heed God’s conviction and let Him change who you are now into what He has in Mind. You certainly can’t do it in your own strength, no matter how hard you concentrate. But Paul is not silent about works He was not against the Saints doing works already allocated to them by God long ago, as is written in Ephesians 2:10: " For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." He defines useful work in 1 Corinthians 3. Here is his take-home advice 9–17. " Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." Who says the Bible has nothing to do with Science? In “Introduction to Physics” back in Primary School, I learned the simple equation: work = force multiplied by distance You can’t stay where you are — there has to be movement. Then there was velocity = rate of change of position in a straight line . You can’t keep going around in circles (lots of speed but no velocity). You may be busy, but it will get you nowhere. (AN ASIDE - It appears this is forgotten as the education machine grinds the minds of the young and vulnerable. My Grandfather was a remarkable man. He had raw intelligence uncontaminated by education. But I digress.) A good example of this was those who haggled with Yeshua by reminding Him how busy they had been for Him, as is written in Matthew 7:21–23 " Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice iniquity!’ (More on this word, iniquity, shortly.) Those desperately arguing with Jesus were industrious and busy — Martha instead of Mary. This is the work that Paul warned against — trying to work your way into Heaven by doing your own thing. Life plans The fundamental weakness of the (small ‘c’) christian church in my part of town is that the Pews scramble around desperately asking, “What is God’s plan for my life?” It’s not necessary to scratch too deeply to discover that the Western Church (by the Grace of God, not all) missed the plot. The true question is, “ What is my life in God’s Plan? ” But the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave us rudderless He lays out His curriculum for the Saints in 2 Peter 1:5–7: " But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." It can be seen that faith is just the beginning. It would be a useful exercise for you to use a lexicon to discover the meaning of the different steps and derive your own understanding of what the list means — don’t trust me. The list looks intimidating, but don’t fret. The indwelling Holy Spirit is there to guide you through Sanctification (metamorphism) using the Written Word of God — but you must not resist Him, “ My sheep know my voice .” Peter goes on in verses 8–9: " For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." And finally, in verses 10–11: " Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." But how do the Saints progress through Peter’s curriculum? You will notice he uses the words diligence/diligent a few times. He doesn’t explain it, but Apostle Paul does. It is written in 2 Timothy 2:14–16: “ Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent ( spoudazō G4704) to present yourself pleasing to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” Hint: study the grammar of the Greek word spoudazō G4704 . Etymology of the English word iniquity The etymology of the English word iniquity makes it the perfect selection for that sentence. In simple terms, it means contempt and violation of law, wickedness . But the history of the meanings through the ages shows it to be much more sinister (no offence meant to the left-handed). It has the aroma of “Crooked judge.” That is, someone who knows the Law but deliberately corrupts it. Scary. IT IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH. IT IS LIFE AFTER RE-BIRTH. There is so much more, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. (Did I hear someone sigh, “At last,”?) Conclusions This is yet another case of the danger of constructing Doctrine using only English translations and regarding each text as being the centre of its own universe. Based on the evidence presented here, there is no antagonism between Paul and James, nor does Paul contradict Christ. Peter is also a Major Player. On the contrary, this exercise shows that the Bible, New Testament in this case, is an organic volume which was directed by the Holy Spirit through a Champion Team, not a team of champions. Paul should be there, standing shoulder to shoulder with the other Disciples. Each had skill sets that were synergistic with the others; that is, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The foregoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit sometime. If you have seen something you like, I encourage plagiarism. So, always check everything I say first, then please recycle, rebrand, re-structure, re-issue, re-label, or regurgitate in any manner you please. No need to acknowledge me because it is the Holy Spirit who holds the Intellectual Rights. All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.) © ネ   Brad Banardict

I’ve been mulling over a few words lately that are sparking fierce debates among Christians; one of those words is “ deconstructionism. ” While I may take that on another time, it isn’t the word I’m concerned about today. The word on my radar is discernment . When Discernment Was Respected Discernment was once a respected word. It was a word that belonged to religion; it spoke of faith, wisdom, and connection to God in Christianity.  But somewhere along the way, a snake has slithered into the landscape and begun subtly reshaping that word. At first, this may all seem harmless, but look at the current culture we live in; no word is sacred anymore and allowed to hold a concrete definition, and satan is thriving in this confusion; he is thriving in his ability to undermine a definition and use it to his advantage.  That is the pattern I’m watching emerge with this word. Dictionary Definition So let’s start with the definition of discernment: “ the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure ” How do I describe discernment to people? It isn’t a “feeling.” It isn’t opinion, logic, your knowledge, or experience. It is a supernatural force of God, crashing into the soul like a battering ram. It is the ability from Him to see past flashy language, “good” intentions, and the appealing packages, and to recognize the snake hiding underneath that no one else sees.  It is God having a conversation with your soul. Where It’s All Going Wrong These headlines reveal how far the word has drifted from its original meaning. “News Finds Me as the illusion of competence: evidence for overconfidence in  discernment  of political misinformation” (1) “Reading news on social media boosts knowledge,  discernment and trust” (2) “The media literacy dilemma: can ChatGPT facilitate the discernment of online health misinformation?” (3) “Professor’s “News Literacy” Guide Provides Tools to Discern  Fake News” (4) “Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Approves Conditional Accession to CFT” (5) This past weekend, I overheard sports commentators debating a football play. One of them used the word discernment to describe a player’s decision. And earlier, I heard a talk show host use the same word to discuss a cookie recipe.  From Respected to Common I’m in my forties, and never in my life did I expect to hear the word discernment  used to describe football or a recipe. That’s why I used the word respected earlier, because it should be to us.  Discernment should not be a buzzword used to sound intelligent or authoritative, and satan is in bliss right now, knowing the masses are getting hit with this word, and its definition is becoming muddied, just what he wants. Check out this quote:  “The term discernment” is most commonly used in a religious context to describe an individual’s decision-making process in regard to a vocation. To think about it, though, discernment is part of many people’s daily lives, without knowing it!” ( source ) That statement shows the problem perfectly. Discernment is not  something people unknowingly practice in daily life; it is not an instinct or a skill that develops through daily experience or work efforts. Discernment comes from a relationship with God. By reframing it as a common human ability, the quote quietly edits discernment out of the spiritual realm and plants it into the self. That is not clarification, it is redefinition.  What’s At Stake I get it, by dictionary definition, it technically can be expanded and added to, but, for us, Christians, this word has a full and powerful meaning. If we don’t keep the word discernment  safe and correctly used, if we don’t teach what it means Biblically, how are Christians in the future going to be able to recognize discernment  as distinct from the self? How will people be able to see that this: “ discernment is part of many people’s daily lives,”  is a lie unless they are a believer? How will they recognize the deception that is not just coming, but already here, when the very definition of what it means is now mixed up in Google titles and social media comments? Language helps shape belief, and when spiritual language is redefined by culture and media, faith itself is affected.  If discernment becomes nothing more than a cognitive human skill, stripped of its spiritual power, then how can it be recognized? © Jane Isley (1) Oxford Academic : Human Communication Research (2) Natural Human Behaviour (3) Frontiers in Communication (4) News Wise (5) WAWA Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

James Lee I do love me the slightly unusual and odd things in the Bible, and 2 Peter 2:4 is one of them. The only time “ Tartarus” was used in the Bible. Here are three translations to look at super quick. “For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;” (ASV) “ "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;” (KJV) “ "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, unto torments, to be reserved unto judgment:” (DRA) Below is a section of the original Greek scripture . As we can see above, the word tartarōsas was used, not Tartarus. This is a verb vs noun situation. Tartarōsas is not a noun; the word tartarōsas is a verb , and it comes from the root word tartaroō , meaning “ to cast, or thrust down to Tartarus or Gehenna ” In English, we often visualize a purely physical/mental action that either took place or will take place, but we don’t generally consider it further. We must keep in mind that we are translating from a different language, culture, and time period. This is a culture that utilized many different concepts than we use today, sentence structures, feelings, myths, and an understanding of their world, at that time. We also need to look at all the properties of what a verb is. One of the missing properties of a verb in this particular situation is that a verb also expresses “ a state of being” . Tartarōsas is not a physical place; that would be Tartarus. Let’s change our thinking for a few moments and entertain the idea that this was a “spiritual condition” or a “restraint” that God placed on the fallen angels rather than a physical place where they are physically, bodily chained up right now. This is where I like to refer to it as they had their wings clipped. Simon Peter could have chosen any other word that was typically used to describe the hell we are aware of in Revelations, but he did not; we should sit for a moment and ponder that one. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

So let me start by clarifying something right away. No, this is not a personal opinion piece where I go in and change the Bible to something that I want it to say — I’m not that kind of Christian. This is Psalms 23 fleshed out. Psalms 23 was written in the Hebrew language. A language I have fallen in love with, because one word can have so many meanings, and it’s those other meanings that need to be known sometimes to really feel and understand what the Holy Spirit was saying to us. That’s what I brought to the surface here, or at least attempted to the best of my ability: I took the words, researched their roots, and wrote Psalms 23 using the expansive meanings of these words.  I wanted to write it in a way so that when people read it, they see the beauty and meaning behind every translated word chosen for this prayer. And when they pray it next, it is not the mindless chant that it has become in churches.  I hope you enjoy. Father, you are my vigilant Shepherd who tends to my every need and constant companion who keeps my company. Never am I without, or in need, nor do I find myself left wanting because You have created and provided for me a beautiful place.  It is rich with fragrant blooms, savory herbs, and tender grasses to lie down and rest, I nestle against waters so still and tranquil that my soul is at ease. I am restored and refreshed as I repent, and You build in me a renewed mind. Thank you, Father, for I know you continue to lead before me, always directing every course of my life, through deep or shallow trenches, waysides, and hardened paths You are always there.  Moreover, even when I go through those valleys and gorges that are shaded by ruin and death, never will I be frightened by the unpleasant, or wicked because, indeed, You continue to walk alongside me, staying my ever present companion, using your rod to correct my path and providing me your staff for support and rest when I grow weary. You have set a standing reservation in my name at your table. You have honored me greatly with your invitation, Father. Just as a shepherd provides and protects his flock, You continue to welcome, nurture, and protect me in the face of adversity at your table. Honoring and anointing me just like the kings and priests of old. I openly sit before adversaries, overflowing with blessings and joy, honored with your grace and generosity.  Thank you, Father. I do not fear life or death because of You. Your joyful favor, precious mercy, and steadfast love are always with me. I anticipate the moment we meet upon my death, when I dwell forever eternal in Your house.  © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

What possible value could I be to God? Photo by Dynamic Wang on Unsplash I wonder if you are like me. Do you ever say, “Surely, God made a mistake in choosing me. There is nothing worthy in me, nothing of value to offer”? I’m a nobody. I keep messing up. I keep making bad choices. I’ve done nothing substantial with my life. What did God see in me that made Him think I could ever be of value to Him? Spiritually, I’m a loser. I’m broke. Nobody else needs me. Why would God need me? “Oh, the staggering bravery of God in entrusting His purposes to us!” -Oswald Chambers That is precisely why He chooses us. The journey with Jesus is never about what we bring to the table, but about what He deposits within us. I often admire those with great natural gifts and assume their talents will make them exceptional Christians. They have keen intellects and are dripping with intelligence. Yep, they are waaaay more qualified than I am. “That writer is amazing. So naturally talented. I bet God will use that person in a big way to bring Him glory. So smart. So gifted. Looks good, smells good, sounds good-the whole package. That’s a world-changer right there.” But true spiritual effectiveness springs from poverty of spirit. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Wait, what? Does the true kingdom of Jesus look more like the guy delivering mail to the top floor than the C-level exec with the corner office? As followers of Jesus, we are not here to fulfill our own dreams or agendas. We are here to be aligned with God’s will — completely and unequivocally. We attempt great and mighty things, hoping to “please daddy” in heaven. But that’s not what He is looking for. God prefers quality time over impressive gifts. It took me decades to understand that God prefers humble dependence over powerful independence. He’d rather I lean my head on his shoulder than toss him the keys to a Maserati. It almost seems backwards. The church is getting it wrong. We aren’t dropping our nets to follow Jesus. We are getting more nets and additional boats. We are building a fleet. But what Jesus would prefer is a small, intimate fish breakfast over a campfire on the beach. Fleets are cool. But conversations with the King of Kings are cooler. The most vital aspect of our Christian life is not the visible work we do, but the relationship we maintain with Jesus. Out of that abiding relationship flows influence, power, and fruit ( John 15:4-5 ). God does not ask us to maintain perfect productivity, but to maintain perfect connection. It is this relationship, cultivated in quietness, prayer, repentance, meditation, trials, and trust, that He craves. The greatest calling is not to be impressive for God, but to be intimately available to Him. To walk in daily dependence, humility, and communion — this is the ground where His glory is made known through our weakness. “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards… But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise…” (1 Corinthians 1:26–29)“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)“Abide in Me, and I in you..for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5) This article is a crazy concept. It’s the “anti-Darwin”- survival of the unfittest. Cream doesn’t rise to the top in the Kingdom of God. What makes it to the future is what has sunk to the lowest point. And doesn’t have a clue how to rise. It’s a spiritual “Cinderella story”. God chooses the ugly ducklings and makes them His shining treasures of beauty. The last becomes the first. And the losers become the winners. So be encouraged today, you losers! Take heart, you misfits! Have hope, you untalented, unloved, despised, uncouth, lower-class rejects! There is a day coming when all I have written in this article will come to pass. You’ll see. Read this scripture twice: “He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among nobles, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order.” 1 Sam 2:8 Why did God choose you? He believes in you more than you believe in yourself. And He is going to show you what a genius potter can do with a cold, hard lump of clay. He will turn you into a work of art so dazzling it will shame everything in the Louvre . I believe that once we grasp this counter-cultural premise, we will be able to stop self-sabotaging and doubting ourselves, and nestle into the warm embrace of God. It’s what He wanted all along. Thank you for reading this. Remember that fire on the beach I mentioned? © I.M. Koen   More to read from I.M. Koen: Jesus Wants to Make You Breakfast. Are There Mexican Angels? Why God Eavesdrops on You. Ruth 2:12 to you and yours! -Issachar

Look harder. There is a lot happening in that Book. Introduction The silence on some key issues in the Book of Esther is deafening. • No mention of the Name of God; • No mention of worship or faith; • No mention of the Messiah; • No mention of anything “religious” at all. There have been a number of articles on this Medium platform postulating on why this is so. The basis of these has been commentaries and modern scholarship. Obviously I can’t claim to have read all of them because I haven’t discovered them all. So if you happen to read this and see that you have been missed, please contact me because you may have corroborating or refuting information. Both would be welcome so the matter could be settled. This Book is truly an enigma. It is the only biblical book not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls — at least, not in any confirmed form. It is in the Septuagint (285–246 BCE) → disappeared from the Essene culture → reappeared in the Masoretic Text. The oldest complete manuscript, The Leningrad Codex, is dated to 1009 CE so it was in the shadows for a long time. Some evidence may have been discovered in the Qumran Caves. It is a wine stained fragment which could not be read until recently and mentions Purim. Perhaps the wine is evidence in itself of a raucous Purim celebration. It may mean that all those PhD’s about why the Book was not at Qumran are now a bit shaky. Work is going on. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning “myrtle” — a beautiful tree. But the Jewish scholars interpret the Persian name, Esther, as meaning “something hidden.” The Jewish Orthodox Chabad.org views of the “hiddenness” in the Book of Esther is that she was the personification of the hidden inner beauty of The Wife of Noble Character , Proverbs 31:10–31, but it will be seen that there is much more information hidden in the text for those who seek it. It is written in Proverbs 25:2 || It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. The Holy Spirit is not a boring person. If you seek Him you will find Him. The intention of this post is to let the content of the Book speak for itself. The following information is not mine. However, I did confirm it by counting the letters (that will become clear soon) and using various Hebrew translation sites to confirm translations. It is conceded that the Machine Learning of the different sites lean toward modern vernacular but it will be seen that the method gives acceptable results. It will also be seen that sometimes it is necessary to translate backward. I’M SPEAKING ABOUT MESSAGES CONTAINED WITHIN THE TEXT — CODES. These are not hidden but are there to be found. The Reference There are a number of references online which deal with this matter — many are good, many are not. My experience has shown that Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity Volume 2: Microcodes, Chuck Missler, © 1998 Koinonia House Inc is the most informative (but you may disagree). It is currently (August 2025) available for free download at the Khouse store . Do you really expect me to believe this stuff? I admit it’s unbelievable but don’t forget we are dealing with the Holy Spirit. I fervently hope you do see what is there and the penny drops. I can only show you. If you continue reading you can decide where you stand. The Book of proverbs divides people into four groups:- THE WISE: They are Theists and know the Lord Jesus Christ. They will relish this information (if they don’t already know it.) THE FOOL: They don’t bother themselves with anything about Christ. In my part of town they are Apatheists. THE SCEPTIC: They are Atheists but are prepared to be convinced. THE CYNIC: They are Atheists who refuse to be convinced by anything. When you have finished with this article (whether you have decided to read it or not) you will be able to categorize yourself. There are a number of types of codes in the Bible The Book of Esther uses only two with regard to the Divine Name. ° Acrostic, 5. ° Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS), 3. The workings of the ELS has been explained and used in the post QUEEN ESTHER AT NUREMBERG so it will not be expanded on here. You will have to read that post if you require more information. Note: In the following examples the bold font English is the part of the Hebrew that is analyzed. The bold font Hebrew letters are those that are the extracted code. The Acrostic An Acrostic is a composition in which sets of letters (such as the initial or final letters of the lines or words) are taken in order to form a word or phrase or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet. In Psalm 119, for instance, each successive chapter is devoted to a successive letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and each successive line in that chapter begins with that letter. Try it. Other examples of these in the Tanakh are Psalms 25; 34; 37; 111; 145; Proverbs 31:10–31, and Lamentations 1–4 . An extremely important one is written in John 19:19–22 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” The Chief Priests and the Jews were perplexed because they were well versed with acrostics. The Hebrew for JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS is ישוע הנצרי ומלך היהודים And is translated, The acrostic is yod-hey-vav-hey , Yehoveh. PILATE WAS PUBLICLY DECLARING THAT JESUS WAS YEHOVAH, THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Acrostics in the Book of Esther Note : The Hebrew for this part of the exercise is sourced from Blue Letter Bible which separates the Hebrew into individual words as opposed to the usual practice of having no word spacing. Obviously, this helps those who are illiterate in Hebrew. Remember . Hebrew runs right ← to ← left so when I say, “Running forward,” the flow applies to Hebrew, right ← to ← left. The reverse applies for, “In reverse.” So what? You will see. It is written in Esther 1:20 || And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small The acrostic is the initial letters of the words which spells out YHVH, Yehoveh, in reverse. It is written in Esther 5:13 || Yet all this avails me nothing , so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate The acrostic is the final letters of the words which spells out YHVH, Yehoveh, in reverse. It is written in Esther 5:4 || And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. The acrostic is the initial letters of the words which spell out YHVH, Yehoveh, running forward. It is written in Esther 7:7|| And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king The acrostic is the final letters of the words which spell out YHVH, Yehoveh, running forward. It is written in Esther 7:5. || Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? The acrostic is in the final letters of the words which spell out, I WILL BE (a.k.a. I AM), in reverse. Flow of the letters You have noticed that some of these flows are forward and some in reverse. 1) Menucan 1:20 (Gentile)(Reverse) 2) Haman 5:13 (Gentile)(Reverse) 3) Xerxes 7:5 (Gentile)(Reverse) 4) Esther 5:4 (Jew)(Forward) 5) Scribe 7:7 (Jew)(Forward) The pattern looks obvious to me. Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS) As mentioned earlier, the workings of the ELS has been explained and used in the post QUEEN ESTHER AT NUREMBERG so will not be expanded on here. You will have to read that post if you require more information. It may be that there is a flow pattern with the ELS as with the acrostic but it is not obvious to me so I won’t speculate. It is written in Esther 1:3 In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants ; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: An ELS spacing of 8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for Messiah. It is written in Esther 4:2–3 And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. An ELS spacing of 8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for El Shaddai, The Almighty. It is written in Esther 4:17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. An ELS spacing of -8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for Yeshua , running left-to-right. Conclusions So there it is. The Name of God is contained in the Book of Esther. Expositors who have consistently shown they have grunt postulate that Israel was in disobedience at the time because only a smidgen of them returned from Babylon but He had made Promises that he couldn’t renege. He couldn’t condone their disobedience so had to keep undercover while protecting them. They didn’t actually return until June, 1967 — but that’s another story. Please feel free if you want to contest this conclusion. But come with evidence and not just opinion or you won’t get a response. The amount of LORE masquerading as LAW on this site is depressing. The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime. If you have seen something you like, I encourage plagiarism. So, always check everything I say first, then please re-cycle, re-brand, re-structure, re-issue, re-label, or regurgitate in any manner you please. No need to acknowledge me because it is the Holy Spirit Who holds the Intellectual Rights. All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.) ネ © Brad Banardict