Faithful Writers

Photo by Damon Hall on Unsplash I’ve come to realize that God doesn’t always speak through loud signs or flashes of revelation. More often than not, His voice slips in quietly through a calm in my heart that doesn’t make sense in the natural. There have been times I prayed for direction, and though everything around me looked uncertain, there was this unexplainable stillness inside. Other times, even when the option before me seemed perfect, I just couldn’t shake the unease. That’s when I learned that peace and unrest are both languages God speaks in. Peace — The Mark of His Presence Scripture says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). The word “rule” there means to act as an umpire. In other words, peace helps us discern what’s right. It calls the shots in moments of confusion. When God is leading you, there’s a rest that anchors your heart even when your mind still has questions. You may not know every detail, but there’s a gentle assurance that you’re safe in His will. This peace isn’t the absence of problems, it’s the quiet confidence that God is with you in the process. It’s that inner calm that whispers, “You don’t need to rush, I’ve got this.” “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” — Isaiah 26:3 Unrest Is The Holy Spirit’s Red Flag But just as peace affirms His voice, unrest can be His warning. There are moments when the Holy Spirit stirs a discomfort in you, a subtle tension that says, “Don’t go there.” You can’t always explain it logically, but something feels off. That’s not fear, it’s discernment . When Jonah ran from God’s assignment, he found no rest until he returned to obedience . Sometimes, the storm outside is just a reflection of the storm within. Pay attention to that unease because it may be heaven’s way of protecting you. Learning to Listen Within The more you walk with God, the more you’ll notice that His peace is not silent, it’s a voice of its own. The key is to slow down long enough to hear it. Quiet your thoughts, surrender your plans, and invite the Holy Spirit to speak. You’ll begin to recognize that His peace is steady, not fleeting. It doesn’t waver with circumstances, and when it’s absent, that’s often your cue to pause, pray, and wait until He brings clarity. In Stillness God’s voice isn’t just heard, it’s felt. Sometimes through a peace that holds you still, other times through a restlessness that redirects you. Either way, He’s speaking, not to confuse you, but to keep you close. “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.” — Isaiah 55:12 © Favour

By Guest Author: Jeff Barlatier “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time?” Matthew 8:29 We read that line too quickly. We imagine little cartoon devils trembling. But first-century Jews did not imagine cartoonish imps. When a Jew heard the word daimonion  — “demon” — they did not picture Disney villains, red tights, or pitchforks. They heard something older. Heavier. Cosmic. They heard elohim. And when an Israelite used the word elohim, they did not mean “the one true God.” They meant any inhabitant of the spiritual realm — any being whose nature was non-human, non-corporeal, powerful, and divine in rank. Yahweh is Elohim — but not the only elohim. And when the New Testament says Jesus cast out daimónia, the connection is deliberate: Jesus was driving out rival spiritual beings — rival gods. This is the story beneath the story. This is what makes the Gospels electric. This is why the spirits screamed. Because when Jesus stepped onto the scene, the gods panicked. This is the story of when the gods bowed. We Have Been Taught to Think Too Small Modern Christianity inherited a tiny demonology We’ve reduced “ demon ” to: ✔️ a fallen angel ✔️ a mischievous imp ✔️ a tempter ✔️ a nuisance But Scripture presents something far more staggering. If the Old Testament calls members of Yahweh’s heavenly host elohim, and the New Testament calls those same entities daimonia, then the Gospels are not stories of Jesus chasing away annoying spirits. The Gospels record Jesus waging open war on the gods of the nations. When Jesus rebukes a demon, He is not flicking away a mosquito. He is overthrowing another power. He is dethroning a spiritual prince. He is reversing Genesis 11. He is invading Psalm 82 territory. We have been reading a multiverse battle in black-and-white. 2. The Old Testament Context: Elohim Means More Than ‘God’ Let’s clear the ground. The word elohim in Hebrew is not a name. It is a category. It means: a resident of the spiritual realm. Here are biblical examples: • “You shall have no other elohim before Me.” (Exod 20:3) — There are other elohim, but they are not Yahweh. • “For Yahweh is the great God above all elohim.” (Ps 95:3) — If Yahweh is “above” them, they exist, but He outranks them infinitely. • “The sons of God (bene elohim) came before Yahweh.” (Job 1:6) — These are divine beings. • “God takes His stand in the council of elohim.” (Ps 82:1) — There is a divine council of spiritual rulers. Every one of these beings is an elohim. Yahweh alone is haElohim  — the Most High God, uncreated, eternal. The biblical writers were not polytheists. They simply recognized the supernatural world as populated, structured, and hierarchical. Yahweh is in a class of His own. But other elohim exist — and they rule nations (Deut 32:8 — 9). When Israel turned to idols, they weren’t just turning to statues. They were turning to the spiritual beings behind the idols (Deut 32:16 — 17; Ps 106:36 — 37; 1 Cor 10:20). These beings — the elohim of the nations — became rebel powers. In the New Testament, these same beings appear under a Greek label: daimonia — demons 3. The Shift From Elohim to Daimonia: Not a New Category, Just a New Language When Jews in Jesus’ day spoke Greek, they needed a word that matched the Old Testament’s elohim category. They used daimonion. In Greek literature, a daimon is not necessarily evil. It is a powerful spiritual being — divine, intermediary, ruling, influencing. The first-century audience understood daimónia = spiritual powers. So the New Testament did not shrink the unseen realm. Christians did. The apostles simply used the Greek word that captured the same conceptual world as elohim. Thus: • Psalm 96:5 (LXX): “All the gods (elohim) of the nations are daimonia.” • Deuteronomy 32:17 (LXX): “They sacrificed to daimonia, not to God.” There it is — front and center. The New Testament’s “demons” are the Old Testament’s “gods.” They are elohim, dethroned by Yahweh, condemned in Psalm 82, but still influential until the Messiah comes. This is why the Gospel narratives explode with supernatural warfare. Jesus isn’t just healing bodies. He is reclaiming territory. He isn’t just telling demons to leave. He is forcing gods to kneel. 4. The Birth of Jesus Was a Declaration of War From the moment Jesus is born, the elohim realm knows something has shifted. Angels fill the sky not with lullabies, but with military announcements: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth…” (Luke 2:14) Peace does not come unless a stronger kingdom arrives to break the power of the old. The spiritual realm trembles. Herod — not just a wicked king, but a pawn of spiritual rulers — goes into a murderous frenzy. Simeon and Anna prophecy because heaven is stirring. Something is happening that threatens every power, throne, principality, and dominion. The Son of God has entered the turf of the enemy. 5. Why the Demons Always Recognize Jesus Before the Humans Do Humans are slow. The disciples need years. Crowds misunderstand. Pharisees resist. But the spiritual beings? They understand instantly. They cry out: “We know who You are!” “Have You come to destroy us?” “Son of the Most High God!” Why? Because they know Psalm 2. They know Psalm 82. They know Daniel 7. They know the prophecy of the Son of Man who would take dominion and strip the nations’ rulers of authority. They know the seed of the woman has arrived. They know the One who will crush the serpent’s head is walking toward them. So they bow — not in worship, but in terror. Jesus terrifies demons because He outranks them. He commands the elohim realm by nature, not by delegation. When Jesus speaks, the gods obey. 6. Every Exorcism Is a Throne Room Event Watch carefully what happens in every Gospel exorcism. The pattern is unmistakable: 1. The demon sees Jesus. 2. The demon reacts violently. 3. The demon acknowledges Jesus’ authority. 4. Jesus commands. 5. The demon obeys. This is courtroom language. Legal language. Throne-room language. They shrink back because He carries the authority of the Most High. This is why the crowds say: “What new teaching is this? With authority He commands unclean spirits, and they obey Him!” (Mark 1:27) No one had ever done this. Israel had exorcists, yes. But Israel never had a King who could walk into a region and empty it of its gods. Jesus’ command is not magical. Not ritual. Not formulaic. It is ontological. He commands because He is Lord. This is Yahweh in flesh stepping into the domain of the lesser gods and stripping them of power. Every exorcism is a dethronement ceremony. 7. The Gerasene Demoniac: The Gods Beg Permission Mark 5 is the clearest example. A man possessed by a legion of daimónia lives among tombs — territory of the dead, the domain of dark powers. Jesus steps off the boat. Instantly the powers react: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Notice the title: Son of the Most High God. This is language used by non-Israelite nations to speak of Yahweh. The gods are confessing: “We know who Your Father is. We know You outrank us. We know You have arrived as Judge.” Then the unthinkable happens: They beg Him for permission. The elohim of the nations — fallen, corrupt, territorial rulers — stand before Jesus and ask: “Please do not torment us.” “Please do not send us out of the region.” “Please send us into the pigs.” They cannot move without His word. They cannot relocate without His approval. This is the moment when the veil tears. This is the moment that reveals the cosmic hierarchy: Jesus is Lord. Every other spiritual being is creature. The pigs rush into the sea — the symbolic reversal of Egypt’s army drowned in judgment — and Jesus stands victorious on Gentile soil. The gods have bowed. 8. Why Jesus’ Ministry Is Filled With Exorcism, But the Old Testament Isn’t Here is a mystery that confused readers for centuries: Why are there almost no exorcisms in the Old Testament? Why do they explode in the New Testament? The answer: Because the King had not yet arrived to reclaim the nations. Until Jesus came, the rebellious gods — the elohim of the nations — still held legal jurisdiction. God had disinherited the nations at Babel (Deut 32:8 — 9). He gave them over to lesser rulers. Israel alone was Yahweh’s inheritance. But when the Messiah comes, the boundaries shift. When Jesus appears, He invades Gentile turf. He begins reclaiming what was lost. He binds the “strong man” (Mark 3:27). He spoils his goods. This is why Jesus’ ministry is filled with exorcisms. It is a sign: The Most High has come to take back the world. 9. Jesus Isn’t Casting Out Demons — He’s Rewriting the Cosmic Map Every time Jesus casts out a demon, He is not performing a trick. He is redrawing the spiritual geography of earth. He is doing Psalm 82 in real time: “Arise, O God, judge the elohim…” He is throwing down the rulers of the nations: • He heals the sick → reversing death • He cleanses lepers → reversing impurity • He casts out demons → reversing the dominion of foreign gods • He announces the Kingdom → reversing the exile of humanity The cross is the climax. The resurrection is the victory shout. Pentecost is the global takeover. The Gospel going to the Gentiles is the invasion of the nations formerly ruled by rebel elohim. This is why Paul calls them: • principalities • powers • thrones • dominions • rulers of this age And then says: Christ is above every one of them. (Ephesians 1:20 — 23) 10. When the Gods Bowed: The Temptation Narrative The temptation in the wilderness is not about Jesus resisting a few sinful ideas. It is about Jesus being confronted by the god of this world. A ruler offering kingdoms he actually governs. Satan shows Him all the kingdoms of the earth. He says: “They are mine to give.” Jesus does not disagree. Because they were, in a limited sense, under his and other elohim’s rule. But when the Son refuses the shortcut, the path is set: He will take the nations back not by compromise, but by conquest. Not through worshipping a lesser elohim, but through destroying them. Not by bowing to a creature, but by making creatures bow to Him. 11. The Cross: The Public Humiliation of the Gods Paul says something wild in Colossians 2:15: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, triumphing over them in the cross.” This is courtroom language. This is military parade language. The cross looks like defeat to humans. It looked like victory to the powers. But it was their undoing. The cross was the moment Yahweh in flesh bound the gods of the nations, took away their legal authority, and stripped them publicly. They lost: • the right to accuse • the right to rule • the right to control nations • the right to blind minds • the right to enslave humanity They bowed. Because the Son of God had triumphed. The resurrection is the declaration: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matt 28:18) Not some. Not partial. All. Every elohim knows it. 12. Pentecost: The Nations Are Reclaimed Pentecost is not a random holiday. It is the reversal of Babel. At Babel: God divided the nations. At Pentecost: God reunites them under Christ. Tongues are not a charismatic party trick. They are a military signal: Messiah is taking back the nations once ruled by the gods. The nations previously under the administration of lesser elohim (per Deut 32) are now hearing the Gospel. The gods are losing territory. Their reign is ending. They bow because they cannot stop the Kingdom. 13. The Early Church: Living Proof the Gods Have Fallen Why did exorcism continue as one of the most expected signs of the Kingdom in the early church? Because the church is the embassy of the new King. Wherever Christians go, idols fall. Wherever the Gospel goes, the gods lose jurisdiction. Wherever the Spirit goes, the rival powers retreat. Paul says: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers…” We wrestle. But we win. Because Christ sits above them. Because the gods have bowed. Because their authority has been broken. The Christian is not fighting for victory. The Christian fights from victory. 14. What It Means Today: Your Struggle Is Not Psychological Only, But Cosmic This theology is not academic. It is not theoretical. You feel it when: • you wrestle with generational patterns • you feel spiritual heaviness over a city • you encounter idolatrous systems • you meet people tormented by dark forces • you confront the demonic in addiction, hatred, or oppression You are not dealing with cartoons. You are dealing with spiritual powers — lesser elohim — who resist the rule of God. But the good news is the same: Jesus already made them bow. He is Lord. They are subject. You belong to the King. 15. The Final Scene: Every Elohim Will Bow in Judgment Psalm 82 ends with the death sentence of the gods: “You will die like men…” This is not a metaphor. They will lose their immortality. They will be judged. They will be cast down permanently. Revelation shows the end: • The dragon cast into the lake of fire • The beast destroyed • The false prophet judged • The nations reclaimed • The New Jerusalem ruling over all Christ reigns. Humanity — redeemed, resurrected, glorified — rules with Him. The gods that once oppressed humanity are gone. The Kingdom is restored. Eden is restored. The world is restored. And Yahweh alone is worshiped. Conclusion: Jesus Is Not Exorcising Demons — He Is Expelling gods We have read the Gospels as if Jesus were doing small things. But He is doing the biggest thing imaginable. He is unseating the spiritual rulers of the world. He is taking back the nations. He is forcing the gods to kneel before Him. Every exorcism is a coronation. Every healing is a sign of a new Eden. Every word He speaks echoes through the unseen realm. The gods bow because they must. The gods bow because they fear Him. The gods bow because He is Yahweh in flesh, and He has come to reclaim His world. And today? They still bow. Because Jesus Christ is Lord  of heaven, of earth, and of all the elohim. Amen. © Jeff Barlatier (Doctoral Candidate)MDiv candidate

Bing AI Faith often begins where comfort ends, and courage starts when God’s call shakes your certainty. There’s a peculiar stillness that comes right before a decision that matters. You feel it in your chest, a mix of excitement and fear, as if the universe itself is holding its breath. That was how I felt the day God nudged me toward something bigger than myself, a calling I had long admired from afar but never dared pursue. I remember sitting at my old wooden desk, staring at the invitation to step into a ministry I had only dreamed about. My mind ran in circles. “What if I fail? What if I’m not enough? What if this isn’t really God?” Fear whispered louder than faith, and I almost tucked the opportunity back into the safety of routine. But then, in that quiet moment of wrestling, I remembered every small way God had been faithful before: the doors He had opened that I didn’t deserve, the unexpected provision in moments of need, the peace that arrived when I least expected it. Courage, I realized, wasn’t about having no fear, but it was about choosing trust over hesitation. Stepping out didn’t make the fear vanish. My hands trembled, my heart raced, and doubt still lingered like a stubborn shadow. But I moved anyway. I prayed, I sought counsel, and I reminded myself that God equips the called, not the prepared. He doesn’t call the equipped, but equips those he calls. Each step forward felt like a tiny miracle, an invisible hand guiding me through uncertainty, whispering reassurance when my own voice faltered. Looking back, the journey wasn’t just about the external outcome; it was about the transformation within. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the choice to act and make a move despite it. It’s faith taking a step even when the path is foggy, it’s trusting that God is bigger than our worries, wiser than our plans, and kinder than our doubts. And the beauty of it? God doesn’t just call you for the sake of the task. He calls to grow you, to deepen your faith, to show you His strength made perfect in your weakness. The moment you answer, even with trembling knees and a hesitant heart, you discover that He has been preparing you all along. The courage you thought you lacked was already within you; it just needed the spark of obedience to ignite. If you’re reading this and feel that pull in your soul, the gentle insistence that God is asking more, don’t wait for fear to disappear. Step forward, even if it’s one small step at a time. Trust that the same God who has never left you will not abandon you now. Your courage doesn’t come from bravery alone; it comes from faith, surrender, and the quiet confidence that God’s call is always accompanied by His presence. Now, what step is God asking you to take today, even if it feels uncertain? © Favour

Photo by Joeyy Lee on Unsplash You know, I’ve noticed something, you don’t really hate the mirror. You hate the story it tells you. The one that whispers you’re not enough, that something about you needs fixing before you can be accepted. But here’s the truth: that story didn’t start with your reflection. It started long before you ever looked into the glass. Where the Voice Comes From Look closely and you’ll see that somewhere along the way, you picked up small, heavy messages, maybe from comments that were “just jokes,” from pictures that made you feel less-than, or from people who taught you love had to be earned. You didn’t choose those voices, but they stuck anyway, and now, when you stand in front of the mirror, you’re not really seeing yourself. You’re seeing everyone else’s opinions stacked on your shoulders. The mirror became a battlefield, and you’ve been fighting a war that was never yours to fight. But here’s what the Scripture says instead: “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” — Psalm 139:14 Your reflection was never meant to measure perfection; it was meant to remind you of divine design. The Mirror Isn’t the Enemy Listen, the mirror only reflects what stands before it. It doesn’t judge, it doesn’t measure, it doesn’t compare. That’s all the noise you’ve learned to bring with you. If I could tell you one thing, it would be this: You are not broken, you’re just tired of seeing yourself through borrowed eyes. And if you can’t love what you see yet, start with respect. Respect that body for showing up every single day. Respect that face for holding in emotions that it never got to express. Respect that person in the mirror for still standing because GOD already called you “ very good.” “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” — Genesis 1:31 Learning to See Beyond Appearance Healing your relationship with the mirror isn’t really about pretending to feel beautiful. It’s about learning to see yourself as a whole person — body, mind, and soul. That means forgiving yourself for the harsh things you’ve believed, and allowing room for gentleness to grow where judgment used to live. The world trains us to chase perfection, but you were never meant to be flawless you were meant to be real and real has stretch marks. Real has tired eyes. Real has stories you can’t read in a photo. When Faith Reframes the Reflection If you ever want a healthier mirror, let God hold it, because when He looks at you, He doesn’t see mistakes; He sees meaning. He doesn’t see someone falling short. He sees someone becoming whole. And maybe that’s what the mirror’s been trying to show you all along, not what’s wrong , but what’s still worthy . A Gentle Reminder: You’re more than what you see. The mirror can only show your surface, not your spirit. So today, take one small look, and instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?” try asking, “What’s still growing in me?” © Favour

By guest writer Daniel Larimer . I frequently hear people say the rapture is “Imminent” and there is nothing left to be fulfilled before hand. And yet there is a prophecy which most people do not acknowledge, and often entirely dismiss, including most Rapture seeking Christians. Consider this Prophecy: … He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from there. — Deuteronomy 30:3 I contend that this gathering is related to what Paul said in 2 Thes 2: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him…” Now most people will say that this was fulfilled in 1948 and the founding of the modern state of Israel; however, this ignores a major prior conditional part of the prophecy that must be fulfilled from the prior verse. When all these things come upon you… and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then… Deuteronomy 30:2 There are two things that have not happened: The Jews have not sought to Obey Everything with all their heart and soul. 77% of the population of Israel does not believe in God of Bible. Most Jews live outside of Israel The other tribes have not returned to Israel Furthermore, those whom he doesn’t gather will receive the curse set out in Deuteronomy and that curse has not taken place yet which suggests the gathering has not occurred yet. Then the LORD your God will put all these curses upon your enemies who hate you and persecute you. — Deuteronomy 30:7 This curse is the Tribulation. And the next generation, your children who rise up after you … will see the afflictions of that land … the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt … like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah … And all nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land?’ Then they will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD … therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled … and he uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day. — Deut 29:22–28 Or as Jesus’ said, “It will be as in the Days of Lot”. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot — they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all — so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. — Luke 17:28–30 Since this curse has not happened yet, the regathering of all people , from all nations who “ return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today ” is unlikely to have occurred 77 years ago. Consider who currently makes up Israel: Screenshot from author Now 73.4% Jewish is a broad brush that includes secular “Jews” who aren’t even religious and likely don’t even believe God exists. Here is the breakdown of the Jews: Screenshot from author Of this group, the Karaite Jews (0.5% of population) are Jews who only follow the Old Testament, the rest of the Jews are the descendants of the Pharisees who put the Talmud above Scripture . The Jews were scattered to the nations in a large part because of this Pharisee sect and this sect has not repented or changed its ways. If you take the 1.8% of Christians, here is their breakdown: Screenshot from author Here we see that most of the Christians in Israel follow the Pope over Scripture and that only 0.3% of the population are Jews that have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Therefore, the vast majority of people who Believe in Messiah and desire to obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am given them that day , are still outside the land of Israel (maybe 1–2 million people). I believe that this regathering occurs in the Rapture just before the Sudden Destruction as in the Day’s of Lot. The question everyone must ask, are you part of the people who have returned to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything Moses gave us that day? or are you part of those who persecute and mock those who have returned to the LORD and seek to obey His voice and everything Moses gave us? I believe this prophecy has been being fulfilled from basically no known followers at the start of 70th Jubilee cycle (~1975) to millions of adherents today. This is the number one fastest growing religious movement and it is developing spontaneously and independently all over the world without any central hierarchy. If this is the fulfillment, make sure you are on the right side because The Day of the LORD is at hand! Watch this Post with Commentary on YouTube © Daniel Larimer

unsplash Burnette, R. L. (2025) The Ripple Effect “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Enjoying another beautiful Vegas sunrise, and a thought strikes me. We truly reap what we sow. Some religions teach this as karma or various other lines of thought, and we’ve witnessed each other and plenty of others reap, but why does this matter? When I was a young teen mother, I had a bad temper. I was angry at my choices, angry I’d ruined my life at such a young age, and angry at various family members who had their hand in my demise. All of that set aside, I was always thinking of the way I treated others and seeing it as a ripple effect. For example, if I gave someone a dirty look, perhaps that person would go home and slap his wife, who in turn would berate her child, who would kick their family dog, who’d die in a month due to his silent suffering of an injury that could’ve been avoided. Do you ever stop to think about the look on your face? Is it full of judgmental glares? Do you see yourself as better than others, never making a moment to offer a friendly hello or a nod someone’s way that you visibly watch their eyes light up, knowing they've been seen? Do you even have the bandwidth for that, or are you yourself full of the pain and frustration of daily living in a society that rarely looks up? When we take a moment to smile, offer a gentle nod in favor of someone’s presence, or open a door for another weary traveler, we are not only doing something that will keep our hearts alive, but God only knows the timely, far-reaching effects our actions have. We are meant for community. We are designed to be there for one another, and we are called to do that despite how we’ve been treated. This is tough, and can be hard to swallow, yet the truth remains. We reap what we sow, and oftentimes we reap much more than we’ve sown, so why not practice? Why not make an effort today to extend one kindness, knowing that God is keeping the final score and countless people could be impacted in a positive and meaningful way simply because we laid down our rights to feel, think, and act anyway we please and open our eyes to the reality of a world in desperate need of our smiles. © Freshly Squeezed Chronicles

unsplash.com By Guest Writer: Mary Lou Cornish When I was in high school, one of my French teachers was off sick a great deal. That left a supply teacher to find ways of amusing us. One such amusement was the telephone game. It would start with one person relating a story (in French, of course) to another. That student would, in turn, whisper it to the next person in line who would then tell it to the next one and so on. The last person to receive the story would then speak it out loud. Often, what he or she said was a far cry from the story as it was originally stated by the first person in the line. Many people liken the transmission of the New Testament books to the telephone game, implying that Scripture is full of errors and does not resemble the original accounts at all. However, it is a poor comparison for a variety of reasons. For one thing, there is the purpose of each exercise. The telephone game is played for fun and no one tries very hard to get the story correct. In fact, the more mistakes there were, the more entertaining it was for us. Given that some of the kids in my French class weren’t scholars who understood or spoke French well, we could count on a lot of mistakes that made us hoot with laughter. The people who translated and transmitted the Gospels, epistles and other books of the New Testament did so with the goal of getting it right. The care they took was phenomenal because they were dealing with the Word of God and it was too precious to misquote or mistranslate. And they, unlike some of my classmates, were good at what they did. Secondly, in the telephone game there is only one line of transmission as the story went from person to person. However, there were multiple copies from which the transcribers of Scripture could compare so that, if there were errors, they would be noticeable. Scholars offer Lincoln’s Gettysburg address in illustration. If you ask 100 students to copy it out, it is unlikely that every single transcription is identical. However, if you spot a variation in one copy, you can compare it with the other 99 to determine what is correct. The same is true of Biblical manuscripts. There are over 5800 ancient Greek manuscripts, some complete, some in fragments, for scholars to compare. And then there are the copies in other languages such as Latin, Syriac, and Coptic, for example, that can also be used for comparison. Thirdly, people today don’t understand what it is like to live in an oral culture. In fact, experts say our listening skills are poor in comparison to those of the people in the Ancient Near East. Given that not everyone was able to read and write in those days, listening carefully and memorizing what was said correctly was all-important. Additionally, these texts were shared orally with many congregations. People who had heard these stories over and over would recognize when an error entered their telling. And, as I stated, preserving Scripture with its correct content was the goal of every person who related or copied it. So the telephone game does not describe the transmission of Scripture in any way, shape, or form. © Mary Lou Cornish

Can you follow the Teachings of Jesus without knowing Who He is? unsplash.com Housekeeping If you have already read a Holy Hormones article you know what to expect. If this is your first visit, it is advised that you read THIS before proceeding. However, if you like what you read, there is more to be found in this LIBRARY . Introduction. Inclusiveness and tolerance have become the New Gospel. Everyone, especially the Atheist, seems to know that, “The New Testament (NT) Jesus is a God of Love,” and incessantly lecture Christians who do not passionately embrace the ‘enlightened morality’ in order to educate them to become better, less bigoted, human beings. The Old Testament (OT), where the 10 Commandments are written, is on the wrong side of history. Comments like, “I like your Jesus but I don’t think much of his dad,” and “Jesus is cute but Jehovah’s a brute,” abound. It seems that, in the eyes of the World, Christians just don’t understand Christianity because they are confused about which God is in charge. I’m open to correction but, unfortunately, that applies to many well-meaning Christians. Possibly because they are Torah-fied of the Old Testament and are afraid of, “Falling under the Law.” It is high time to sort this confusion out for Christians. If Atheists (or Apathy-ists because we are in Australia ) care to follow on that is good, but you are not the focus. My concern is saving the Saved who are stumbling about in the fog. ARE YOU BAD MOUTHING YEHOVAH BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHO JESUS IS? It is expected that anyone reading this would have a working knowledge of the Bible — OT and NT. Background There has been quite a bit of traffic on Medium recently about the deplorable practice of slavery . (Only despicable persons would condone such a concept.) The text of concern is Leviticus 25:39–55, The Law Concerning Slavery . A suite of articles on the topic, Revenge and Slavery , shows the scallywag Hebrew word is עבד (H5650 — ‘eḇeḏ) which occurs 803 times in 714 verses in the WLC Hebrew — the Hebrew text used by both Hebrew and Gentiles as the reference for the Tanakh/Old Testament. THERE IS NO ENGLISH WORD THAT IS A SEAMLESS TRANSLATION AND “SLAVE” IS ABOUT AS BAD AS IT CAN GET. It is interesting that the same Bible Text is read by two demographics and each one interprets it the polar opposite to the other. One group sees God as condoning (even mandating) slavery and the other sees Him as declaring it an abomination. More than one person who saw that God’s Law was nasty made the comment along the line, “ I am pointing out that some laws in the Bible are incompatible with following Jesus of Nazareth. ” So we now have a situation. In the beginning God. . . (Genesis 1:1) God rescued Israel from Egypt. God gave the Law. But some laws in the Bible are incompatible with following Jesus of Nazareth? THE BURNING QUESTION IS, “WHO IS JESUS IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS?” Is He God or, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses say, a god? To sort this out it is necessary to bring the Hebrew of the Tanakh, the Greek of the Septuagint, and an English translation together. As it turns out, in this case the best English translation is the New World Translation (NWT) of the Jehovah’s Witnesses because they are adamant that Jesus is not God. The admission of evidence against interest from their translation ensures the elimination of bias on my part. But first It is necessary to link the major Names of God in Hebrew and Greek to English. At least a rudimentary knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments is required. As well as the knowledge that the Septuagint is an ancient translation of the Hebrew Tanakh into Koinonia Greek by well qualified Hebrew Scholars. (But you knew that.) This can be done with Deuteronomy 6:4 || Hear, O Israel: The Lord [1] our God [2] is one Lord [1] : [1] Lord . Hebrew: H3068 — Yehovah [יהוה]. Greek: G2962 — kyrios [κύριος]. [2] God . Hebrew: H430 — ‘ĕlōhîm [אלהי]. Greek: G2316 — theos [θεός]. Obviously, Jesus isn’t mentioned here. But you are quick on the uptake so will pick up on what is about to happen. Now jump to the final Book of the Bible, The Revelation. The NWT uses the Morphological Greek New Testament, which is a perfectly valid document. In Revelation 1 it is clear that John is speaking to The Christ. In 1:8 The Person speaking describes Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End . While in 1:17 He uses a slight variation on the same metaphor, I am the First and the Last, gluing both personages to be the same. And He specifies exactly Who He is in 1:18, I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. The choice of the word, forever , is important. It separates Him from Lazarus. There are several phrases in the text which must be clarified because of the implications of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. These are:- • Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last • Lord God What does, “The First and the Last,” mean? In discussion on the front lawn one day (Covid has obviously passed) my JW friends argued that first means he is the first created by Jehovah. LOGIC TEST In a queue, how many people are in front of the first? In the same queue, how many people are behind the last? If the same person is both the first and the last, how many people are in the queue? Jesus Christ is identified as the first of a number of things but the addition of last is unique. In this case the word First is G4413 — prōtos (meaning “first in rank”) which is a superlative adjective — best described thus:- JESUS IS DESCRIBING HIMSELF AS NOT ONLY UNIQUE BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT. Lord God In the Morphological Greek New Testament it is written in Revelation 1:8 || “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” It has been established above that this could be written || “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord (G2962 — kyrios = H3068 — Yehovah) God (G2316 — theos = H430 — ‘ĕlōhîm) . . . This is where the Jehovah’s Witnesses come to our aid. It is written in the latest version (2013) of the NWT, Revelation 1:8, (pasted directly from the website) || “ I am the Alʹpha and the O·meʹga,”*+ says Jehovah* God , “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.” Obviously Lord/kyrios is replaced by Jehovah . The NWT Bible Translation Committee explain why. J W reference A5 : The Divine Name in the Christian Greek Scriptures Bible scholars acknowledge that God’s personal name, as represented by the Tetragrammaton (יהוה), appears almost 7,000 times in the original text of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, many feel that it did not appear in the original text of the Christian Greek Scriptures. For this reason, most modern English Bibles do not use the name Jehovah when translating the so-called New Testament. Even when translating quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures in which the Tetragrammaton appears, most translators use “Lord” rather than God’s personal name. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures does not follow this common practice. It uses the name Jehovah a total of 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures. In deciding to do this, the translators took into consideration two important factors: (1) The Greek manuscripts we possess today are not the originals. Of the thousands of copies in existence today, most were made at least two centuries after the originals were composed. (2) By that time, those copying the manuscripts either replaced the Tetragrammaton with Kyʹri·os, the Greek word for “Lord,” or they copied from manuscripts where this had already been done. The New World Bible Translation Committee determined that there is compelling evidence that the Tetragrammaton did appear in the original Greek manuscripts. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH FROM ME, I COULD NOT AGREE MORE! But they go only half the way. What about the associated word, God ? It was shown in the discussion on Deuteronomy 6:4 that Lord God → kyrios theos → Jehovah Elohim. So the NWT Revelation 1:8 should be written || “ I am the Alʹpha and the O·meʹga,”*+ says Jehovah* Elohim , “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.” Where else are the words Jehovah , Elohim , first and last clustered in a Bible Verse? Again, the NWT is the chosen Translation. It is written in Isaiah 44:6 || This is what Jehovah says,The King of Israel + and his Repurchaser,+ Jehovah of armies : ‘I am the first and I am the last .+ There is no God (Elohim) but me.+ And in Isaiah 48:12|| Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called. I am the same One. I am the first( G4413) ; I am also the last. G4413 — prōtos = first → Contracted superlative → most important. IN ISAIAH 48:12 YHVH IS DECLARING HIMSELF TO BE BOTH THE ONLY AND THE MOST IMPORTANT. So, in Isaiah 44:6 & 48:12 AND Revelation 1:8 & 1:18 it appears there are two people claiming the same title. Fundamental Laws of Logic a) The law of (non-)contradiction: A cannot be A and not- A at the same time. What this means is that a statement cannot be true and false at the same time. For instance, it cannot be raining and not raining at the same time. b) The law of identity: everything is what it is. A is A , that is, identical with A . A = A . If any statement is true, then it is true. c) The law of the excluded middle: A is either A or not A . A cannot equal non A or be non A . Initial Conclusion ALL THE FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF LOGIC ARE BROKEN IF THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IS NOT THE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. Are you telling me that Christ is Yehovah?!!! No. The Holy Spirit is telling you. But Jesus is cute and Jehovah’s a brute. It’s in the Book. Test me on this. PERHAPS YOUR PRECONCEPTIONS HAVE BEEN FAKE NEWS ALL ALONG? BUT BE CAUTIOUS! CHECK ME OUT! IF YOU ACCEPT THIS EVIDENCE IT WILL REQUIRE A DIFFERENT PARADIGM ON THE TRINITY [WHICH REMAINS THE TRINITY] FOR TRINITARIANS THAN THE CONCEPT PREVAILING IN THE PULPITS/PEWS. Final Conclusion There is more on the God/Jesus connection in here, Did Jesus say He was God? In it, Jesus said He was God. That is, the God of the New Testament AND the Old Testament. How can any clear minded person say, “I am pointing out that some laws in the Bible are incompatible with following Jesus of Nazareth,”? You can’t blame God if you don’t read the Bible. “THIS IS MY FAVOURITE BOOK IN ALL THE WORLD, THOUGH I HAVE NEVER READ IT.” 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 re-gurgitate 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

unsplash.com This will be my wrap-up article addressing this whole Old Testament vs New Testament God ridiculousness going on out there. I wish people would realize that the Bible is ONE whole book; people added the term “Old” Testament, not God. Since so many like to cherry-pick their form of Christianity these days to believe in, let's reconcile this. They hate the God of the Old Testament (God of Wrath)  and choose to follow the God of the New Testament (God of Love) . What would you do if you found out you were wrong about this? The Loving God of the Old Testament. So I’m dropping a comment by I. M. Koen  that sums up what I would list out about God’s love in the Old Testament. “God is so angry!  Except for the manna, water, sea splitting, dropping Jericho, cloud and pillar of fire, healing foreign lepers, miraculously feeding his people during famines, saving from plagues, shutting lions’ mouths, showing up in a furnace, speaking to myriads face to face, saving Lot, forgiving sin, giving His people their own land, hearing cries, writing our names on the palms of His hands, using women to save entire races, confusing our enemies, feeding with ravens, bringing dry bones back to life, bringing victory against overwhelming odds, forgiving Nineveh (much to Jonah’s chagrin), guiding a stone to Goliath, opening wombs, demanding we rest one day a week, making the sun to stand still, giving Samson supernatural strength right after he had been with a hooker, sowing skins to replace fig leaves, decreeing clothes don’t wear out for 40 years, restoring fortunes, promoting and exalting the unworthy, warning Cain, delighting in prosperity, hearing prayers, multiplying oil and grain, making a borrowed axe head swim, sending angels many times to help people, and watching His son be mutilated for OUR sakes….I can go on for hours. But OTHER THAN THAT,  God is so angry.” That is your “God of Wrath,” you hate so much, that you fight against and try to ignore. But what would happen to your belief system when confronted with the “God of the New Testament?” And the books were opened. “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15 That’s your “God of Love, ” your  “God of the New Testament” that you prefer and built your belief system on. He is the same God who has always held people accountable for their actions; the message has never changed. © Jane Isley Recommended Reads: Christianity’s new trend, & just like some fashion trends, this one needs to stop. Can I get a slice of God to go, please? God Isn’t Stuck In The Past — He’s Not Trapped Within Old Testament Walls 1–12: Starting your Bible studies from the NT is like watching a movie from its halfway point

Photo by Artyom Kabajev on Unsplash When Criticism Becomes Your Inner Voice There comes a point where you are no longer hearing what people said. You are hearing what you have started saying to yourself. After years of criticism, the voice in your head begins to sound familiar, almost like the people who hurt you left an echo behind. Sometimes, you do not even realise how much it shaped the way you walk, speak, choose, and think about yourself. The Weight of Words You Did Not Deserve Some of the things spoken over you were never meant to land on your heart, but you were younger, softer, and more open. You carried comments that made you feel too loud or not bright enough. You carried the pressure to always perform, and you even carried the feeling that nothing you did was quite right. These words became heavy, heavier than anyone around you ever understood. God’s Truth Has Always Been Louder Even on days when those old voices felt louder than your own, God was not silent. He was speaking constantly, speaking worth when people spoke shame, speaking identity when others spoke labels . He was calling you loved when you were being made to feel small . God’s truth does not expire because people mishandled you. His words are still waiting to replace everything that tried to break you, and that’s the truth. Replacing Negative Words With God’s Truth Let me show you where the shift begins. You take the words that wounded you and place them beside the words God spoke. For example: People said you were not enough. God says you are His workmanship. People made you feel invisible, but God says He sees you and has called you by name. When people acted like your efforts did not matter, God reassures you that your labor is not in vain. People treated you like you had to earn love, but God is saying nothing can ever separate you from His love. Look at this: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” — Psalm 139:14 This is God reminding you that your worth was settled long before anyone had an opinion about you, but you need to understand that it is not instant. Some days you will still hear the old voices, but the more you feed your heart with what God says, the quieter those voices become. Slowly, the truth begins to feel like home. The Soft Rebuilding of Your Heart You begin to notice the little changes first. You stop apologizing for things that were not your fault, you give yourself permission to rest, and you do not shrink in conversations as much or catch yourself offering grace instead of harsh self-judgment. This is the gentle rebuilding God does from the inside out. Becoming the You God Always Saw As you heal, you meet a version of yourself that feels new, yet familiar. That is the version of you God always saw: confident, gentle, and steady. That you were always there, buried under years of criticism, waiting to breathe. Loving yourself after all that did not break you is one of the most powerful ways you reflect God’s restoration. You are not just healing, but you’re becoming whole in the process, and that version of you deserves to be loved fully and very loudly. © Favour