Faithful Writers

Image by Claudio Henrique Claudio from Pixabay Let’s just start here: A whole lot of what we think is in the Bible…isn’t. We’ve been quoting things in church for so long that we just assume they came straight from the mouth of Jesus. If it’s been printed on enough coffee mugs or said with enough emotion from the pulpit, it must be gospel truth, right? Wrong. We’ve misquoted Jesus. We’ve misused Scripture. And one of the most common phrases we toss around like a spiritual Band-Aid is this one: “God will never give you more than you can handle.” You’ve probably heard that more times than you can count. It’s spoken like a promise when someone’s facing a job loss, divorce, depression, or devastating grief. It sounds comforting… until life actually does give you more than you can handle. And you’re left wondering, “What’s wrong with me?” But here’s the thing: Jesus never said that. Not once. Wait — So Where Did That Phrase Come From? Most folks assume it came from Jesus because, well, it sounds biblical. But it’s actually a twisted paraphrase of something Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13 : “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” Key word? Tempted. This verse is about resisting sin, not surviving suffering. It’s about not being overwhelmed by temptation — not about carrying the crushing weight of grief, pain, or trauma. Big difference. But somewhere along the way, we mashed those ideas together and made them into a fortune cookie version of the gospel. A gospel where strength is self-powered and God is more like a cheerleader than a Savior. Here’s What Jesus Actually Said Jesus was brutally honest about suffering. He never sugarcoated it. “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”— John 16:33 That right there? That’s Jesus telling the truth. He didn’t say, “You’re strong enough to handle this.” He said, “ I’m strong enough.” He didn’t promise an easy path. He promised his presence in the mess. Why This Misquote Is Dangerous When we tell hurting people, “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” we load them up with guilt. Because guess what? Sometimes life does give you more than you can handle. Depression that won’t lift. A child you can’t save. A betrayal that guts you. A diagnosis that upends everything. If we believe the lie that we’re supposed to be strong enough on our own, we end up crushed under the weight of spiritual performance anxiety. We think we’ve failed God. We wonder if we’re weak or broken or just not faithful enough. But the gospel was never about what we can handle. It was always about what He can handle (and has handled) for us, with us, in us. Let’s Talk About Some Other Things Jesus Never Said While we’re clearing the air, here are a few more well-loved misquotes people slap Jesus’ name on: “God helps those who help themselves.” That’s not in the Bible. At all. Benjamin Franklin said that, not Jesus. Scripture actually teaches the opposite: God helps those who know they need help. “Money is the root of all evil.” Nope. What Paul actually wrote was: “ The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10) See the difference? It’s not money — it’s misplaced love. 3. “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Jesus didn’t say that either. While it reflects a principle of compassion, it’s not a direct quote. And frankly, it often becomes an excuse to judge people while pretending we’re being holy. So How Did We Get So Off-Track? The Bible wasn’t written in English. It came to us through Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. And somewhere between ancient manuscripts, medieval Latin, modern translations, and Sunday school summaries, things got messy. Add in human error, church traditions, sermon shortcuts, and pop theology — and you end up with a handful of phrases Jesus never said… but a whole lot of people believe he did. It’s not always intentional. Sometimes it’s just easier to quote what we heard than dig into what was actually said. But when we misquote Jesus, we risk misrepresenting his heart. So What’s the Better Truth? The truth is: God will allow things you can’t handle. Not because He wants you to break — but because He wants you to stop pretending you’re your own Savior. We were never meant to live independent of Him. The weight of the world isn’t yours to carry solo. Jesus didn’t die and rise again just to cheer you on from the sidelines. He came to be your strength. Paul said it like this in 2 Corinthians 1:8–9 : “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure… But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.” That’s the gospel. Not “You’ve got this.” But “He’s got you.” One Final Thought If you’re hanging by a thread, barely making it through the day, and someone tells you, “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” you have permission to say, “That’s not true.” Because it’s not about how much you can handle. It’s about how much He already did. Takeaway Truth: Jesus never said life would be manageable. He said He would be with us in the unmanageable. That’s a much better promise. And it’s actually true. Faith = Trusting the process not promise (in the way you think they should mean). © Gary L Ellis

In fact, it became the doorway to greater faith. Image by Amore Seymour from Pixabay “Doubt isn’t the enemy of faith. It’s often the path to a deeper one.” — Rachel Held Evans I’m no longer afraid of dealing with doubts. I used to think it meant I wasn’t a faithful follower of Christ. Not believing didn’t fit the version of Christianity I had been handed. Doubt, in that world, was treated like a disease. If you had doubts, you were either backsliding, disobedient, or not truly saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it was the process of dealing with doubt that I discovered a richer relationship with Christ. I wasn’t leaving Christ. I was finding Him in great reality. What They Never Told Me About Thomas We all know the nickname — Doubting Thomas. He gets a bad rap. But the more I read his story, the more I saw myself in it. When the disciples told him they’d seen the risen Jesus, Thomas didn’t clap his hands and sing a hymn. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were…I will not believe” (John 20:25). What happened next? Jesus showed up. And not with a slap on the wrist. Not with a lecture. He looked at Thomas and said, “Put your finger here… Stop doubting and believe.” But catch this — Jesus didn’t shame him. And Thomas? He gave the most personal declaration of faith recorded in the gospels: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Doubt wasn’t the end of Thomas’s story. It was the doorway to something deeper. Doubt Wasn’t My Exit. It Was My Invitation. I used to think doubt disqualified me. That faith was only for those who were always certain. But now I believe doubt is like a knock at the door. Something is trying to get my attention — not to destroy faith, but to deepen it. Break it open. Rebuild it honestly. As Rachel Held Evans once said, “The opposite of faith isn’t doubt. It’s certainty.” That one turned my old theology on its head. But it also set me free. Free to wrestle. Free to breathe. The Sunday I Prayed with Grit Instead of Grace There was one Sunday I’ll never forget. I had shown up to church out of habit, not hope. The songs felt hollow. The sermon was another TED talk with a Bible verse. When the pastor said, “Let’s pray,” I didn’t close my eyes. I folded my arms and whispered under my breath, God, if You’re real, I need You to make this personal again. I didn’t hear a voice. No lightning bolt. But something happened. It was like God leaned in and said, Finally, you’re being honest. That became the turning point. Not the end of doubt — but the beginning of honesty. And that’s when I realized: God doesn’t bless performance. He meets us in truth. The Bible is Full of Doubters — And God Didn’t Kick Them Out Let’s not forget Job. The guy spent 38 chapters doubting, ranting, and begging God to just explain Himself. God didn’t send lightning. He answered Job out of a whirlwind. David? The man after God’s own heart? Half his psalms sound like breakup letters. “Why have you abandoned me?” (Psalm 22:1). Elijah begged God to kill him . John the Baptist questioned everything in a prison cell. Even Jesus cried out, “Why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). That’s not spiritual failure. That’s human honesty. And God meets people there. Not in their showmanship, but in their shadows. Faith With Bruises Is Still Faith There’s a difference between giving up and giving your doubt to God. I used to think faith was about standing tall, chin up, never wavering. But now I know faith sometimes looks like limping forward, whispering, “I’m still here.” I love these words of Frederick Buechner: “Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith. It keeps it awake and moving.” Faith that never questions is brittle. Faith that wrestles grows muscle. Certainty Builds Walls. Curiosity Builds Bridges. I had to unlearn a lot. I had to stop thinking doubt was a slippery slope and start seeing it as a path into deeper waters. I stopped fearing the questions and started inviting them to the table. I realized: God doesn’t need me to defend Him. He’s not insecure. He doesn’t need my fake certainty. He wants my real soul. Doubt didn’t lead me away from God. It led me out of a system that couldn’t hold my questions. And once I left that cramped little room of “just believe harder,” I found a wide open field where I could walk with God again. When You’re Afraid Your Doubt Disqualifies You If that’s you — sitting there with more questions than answers, wondering if you still belong — I get it. But here’s what I’ve learned: God’s not allergic to your questions. He’s not pacing the floor, biting His nails, waiting for you to snap out of it. He’s walking beside you in the silence. Sitting next to you. Catching your tears when all you’ve got left is a sigh. Isaiah 42:3 says, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” He’s not in the business of throwing you out when the flame flickers. I Didn’t Get All the Answers. I Got a God Who Stayed. I still have questions. But I’ve traded needing answers for needing Presence. I’ve let go of trying to explain everything and leaned into trusting Someone. That’s what changed. Not that all my doubts vanished. But now I know doubt isn’t a door out. It’s a door in. In. To grace. In. To honesty. In. To a greater, freer God than I was ever taught to imagine. Summary: Faith Isn’t Fragile — It’s Fierce When I thought my doubt disqualified me, I almost packed up my spiritual life and walked away. But God wasn’t finished with me. He was just starting something deeper. Doubt didn’t destroy my faith.It purified it. Now I carry a quieter kind of confidence — not in what I know, but in Who knows me. And I’m learning that God doesn’t need perfect believers. He wants honest ones. Takeaway: Doubt is a Companion, Not a Curse So if you’re carrying doubt and don’t have all the answers, don’t hide it. Don’t shame it. Let it speak. Ask the hard questions. Sit in the quiet. And know this: You are not disqualified. You might just be on the verge of finding a faith that can actually breathe. © Gary L Ellis

Have you ever felt down in the dumps because the predominant gene pool of you and your family stems from the line of Ham in the Bible? Maybe you feel inferior to other races or people groups. Or when something bad happens to you, maybe you feel like it’s because you’re cursed or something. Well, none of that is true. Read this and feel better. First , given all of the race mixing (I am half-Japanese and half-French) and intermarriage that has occurred over the centuries… The simple truth of the matter is that if it were possible to conduct a DNA test that would be able to tell us down to the very molecule what races of blood are flowing through our veins back to Biblical times… I think the results would show that all of us are most likely a mixture of all of Noah’s three sons. Second , 10 of the tribes of Israel were actually dispersed throughout all the Gentile nations. So regardless of what color your skin is, it is possible that you could have some Israelite blood in you. Third, the Scriptures make it clear that regardless of what line you were born into physically… You can make a spiritual choice to be grafted into God’s holy line! And of course, the opposite is also true. Many Arabs have forsaken their Godly Shem heritage for the cursed line of Ham by choosing to identify with the ancient Philistines ( for those who weren’t aware,” Palestine” is just the Greek word for “Philistine.” ) And many Jews, people originally chosen by God, have chosen to switch their allegiance from the God of Israel to a God their ancestors did not know. The below video is a sad example that this sometimes happens. The gentleman being profiled is a Jewish person whose original name was Joseph Cohen but for whatever reason decided to convert to Islam. On a more positive note, the following is a video of an Arab Christian who is serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (sorry, this video is Hebrew only). The most important decision you will ever make and the ultimate determinant of your identity is NOT your earthly bloodlines… But which God you decide to entrust your life to! Choose wisely because you will have to live with this decision for all eternity. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one. -Galatians 3:28 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands) — remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Messiah . -Ephesians 2:11–14 © Richoka

Warning: This article is a detailed account of how my daughter and I escaped domestic abuse. @danilo.alvesd It was past midnight, I was lying with my daughter in her bed, holding her in a way so I could move quickly and use my back to shield her if any hits would come. He kept coming in and out, growing more agitated with each time. I prayed I wouldn’t give myself away. Sometimes, when he came in, he would whisper in my ear what he wanted to do to me. I could smell the faint scent of liquor grow stronger each time he whispered, and at other times, he would stand over me watching, breathing as though he had run a marathon. I still don’t know to this day if he believed I was awake or not, but it held off his demons, at least being passive I wasn’t giving him what he wanted. Somehow, I managed to be perfectly still. I knew our lives that night depended on that stillness. His anger and agitation were palatable in the air. I knew we were in danger in a way we had never been before. I knew death could be just a matter of hours or days, not weeks or months. The second to last time he came in, he had a letter for me. he dared to slip it past my shirt into my bra, groping and fondling me along the way, and then he patted it down like you would pat an annoying child on the head. But he didn’t leave. He became very quiet and still this time around, with no random pacing, whispered words, or mumbling. I grew more anxious and started to get sick to my stomach, and then I heard sounds that I recognized too well: he was relieving himself of pent-up sexual urges. After he was done, I heard my daughter’s door close and then the front door slam. I quickly located the spot on the floor where he had relieved himself, I dry heaved as quietly as possible. I briefly read his letter, it was a “love” letter, one meant to further manipulate and terrify me. He let me know it was my fault that he had become angry earlier in the day when he threw me into the wall and stabbed me with a meat fork. I tossed the letter aside, not bothering to finish listening to his bullshit. I quietly got out of bed and kept myself low to the floor. I knew he was outside, even though I heard the truck leave. Everything in my gut told me he was still out there. I went from window to window while also searching for my keys. I found them on the table, a place he never let them be before. It was a trap, I confirmed this when I went to the living room window and spotted him parked to the side behind a row of trees. I knew that to try and leave that night would result in something I was not prepared for. But I was prepared to leave. For weeks, I had been setting up a plan, a plan that included my daughter's help. I carefully hid away money, social security cards, birth certificates, and phone numbers and had secret stashes of clothing, photos, and keepsakes ready to go. But tonight was not the night, a voice told me, “Not yet. Tomorrow is coming.” He had started sensing my withdrawal, he knew I was done and was using fear and terror at that point to beat me down. But my daughter and I had also been talking, we were prepared, and we both understood that it had to be very public when we left; it was the only way to survive. He eventually did come back, I was back in bed with my daughter, but this time with all those documents and what little money I had tucked carefully away in cut-out pockets in my bag and coat. I had taken his letter and placed it back in my bra, I was perfectly still again while he stood over me, whispering words I won’t repeat. The smell of liquor was stronger than before, and his words were more mumbled and incoherent. It was only God who could have kept me so still when he brought his face down over mine, so close I could feel his nose touch my face. He just stared at me, trying to comprehend this situation. He grabbed his note, crumbled it up, and threw it at my face, I somehow didn’t flinch. He called me a bitch and he left once again, but this time I heard him lock the door. And then all hell broke loose in the house. my daughter stirred for a moment when the first picture frame was thrown, and I quickly rolled over and covered her ears. I reached out with my right hand and found the butcher knife I took with me after getting the money and documents hidden, and I prayed. For hours, the sounds came and went, the yelling and screaming, the taunting. I never slept that night. In the morning, when my daughter woke up. I looked at her and told her today is the day we leave, don’t say anything about whatever we see in the living room. She simply nodded and knew we were about to play the biggest game of our lives. We were going to pretend to be happy. I tentatively tried the door; he had unlocked it at some point. We went out into a destroyed house, and he was sitting at the table with coffee and breakfast ready. we sat down and pretended with everything we had because our lives depended on it. He suggested out of the blue that we go into town; I can’t tell you how much my heart jumped with joy, we would be in public. But then, my stomach dropped when he told me we would take both vehicles into town, he would take my daughter, and I’d follow in my car. He said he wanted me to leave my car at his mother’s so I wouldn’t get some “crazy” idea to sneak out and leave him in the middle of the night. I didn’t argue because it would risk our chance to get into a town. So, I did my due diligence and only slightly balked, but just enough for him to think he had won this battle. We finished getting ready. He put my daughter in his truck, and I followed. We met at his mother’s and then did some shopping and went and got something to eat at a drive-through. We played family, while I was on the lookout for the right moment; it had to be today. Except he insisted on carrying my daughter everywhere. Then he suggested that we rent a movie and we could go home and watch a movie while listening to the popcorn go “pop pop pop.” He said this while looking right at me with his hand extended, how little kids play around with pretend guns. In town, before it was sold, there used to be a Family Video on Main Street. this was our last chance, and I knew it. While we were in there, he was still carrying my daughter, but I whispered, “Be ready,” and she nodded. On the way out, he was still carrying her. He put her in the truck and buckled her in (small cab truck, no back seat). She was squirming at this point and kicked a can of soda he had in the cupholder over; he started yelling and went around to the driver's side. There was our moment, I said “NOW!” I was panicked and my hands started shaking. I was trying to unbuckle her, and my hands were betraying me. He saw me, we locked eyes, and he knew what I was about to do. Everything happened so fast. All at once, I was being pushed out of the truck, just as her buckle came undone, all the while trying to keep my grip on my daughter’s arm. He grabbed her and pulled her back, and I started screaming as loud as I could, screaming for help. He managed to push me out again as he was trying to put the truck in reverse. I only had one more chance of getting her out; I jumped in and pushed him back as I pulled her out, and we both went rolling on the pavement. By then people started coming out and witnessed everything and he couldn’t do a damn thing to us anymore. He took off as the police were being called, and we were rushed into the movie store. I called my daughter’s grandfather to come and get her now, and I would explain later. I learned while talking with the officer that they had already arrested him; whoever called gave them a description of his truck, and the police were looking almost immediately. I told the officer everything that happened, even dug out my driver’s license from one of my hidden pockets and let them know he made me leave my car at his mother’s and that he took the keys from me. The officer made one call, I remember this one: “Check that bastard for her car keys.” They got my keys from him on the side of the road while he was sitting in the back of a squad car, and another officer brought them to me. They drove me to his mother’s, waited for me to get in my car, and followed me to my daughter’s grandfather’s. A few days later, I had a small window and went and got our stashed items and whatever I could fit in the car, and I left everything else behind. While going through some drawers, I found a gun, a 9 MM to be precise, with the serial number filed off. I had no idea there was a gun in the house, and then I saw it: a box of ammo with a yellow post-it note stuck on it, with my initials. That was the bullet I dodged. © Jane Isley First published in Know They Self, Heal Thyself on Substack.

This is a good time to introduce an important principle you should understand when studying your Bible. I am referring to the Principle of Reoccurring Patterns. In other words, an event that occurs in the earlier pages of the Bible establishes itself as a pattern that will repeat itself again and again throughout the Scriptures. Let me give you some examples of how this works between the first pre-flood man, Adam, and the first post-flood man, Noah . -As Adam was given authority over all creation in the Garden, Noah was given authority over the new world. -As Adam was instructed to “be fruitful and multiply” , so was Noah. -Adam was the world’s first farmer as he was responsible for caring for the Garden. Noah also was the new world’s first farmer as the first thing he did was plant a vineyard. -Adam’s downfall came about as a result of partaking of the fruit of the garden he tilled. Likewise, Noah’s downfall came about as a result of partaking of the fruit (the wine) of the vineyard he tilled. - Adam had his nakedness shamefully revealed as a result of his transgression. The same thing happened to Noah. - As a result of Adam’s sin, mankind was placed under a curse for all generations. Likewise, as a result of Noah’s sin, Noah’s grandson Canaan had a curse placed on him and his descendants for all generations. -Out of Adam’s three sons first mentioned in the Scriptures, Seth and his progeny would be considered the Godly line. Similarly, out of Noah’s three sons, Shem and his progeny would be considered the Godly line. The Messiah Himself would be born from Shem’s line. Isn’t this amazing? There are many more patterns and we will see them repeat constantly throughout Scripture. I will be pointing them out as we move along. Contrary to the teachings of evolution, history is cyclical, NOT linear. © Richoka

The other day, a fellow messianic believer who I met on Facebook shared some very interesting information that I think goes a long way towards explaining why it was Ham’s son Canaan and not Ham himself who was cursed. And since she also provided solid references, I decided this couldn’t be ignored and so chose to do a post on it. Let’s take a look at Genesis 9:20–25. Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan , saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked. When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” Now many commentaries assume that the “youngest son” is referring to “ Noah’s son Ham ” However, other scholars assert that the language in Genesis 9:24 points to Canaan being the one who had committed some “wicked act” against Noah and NOT Ham. In other words, “youngest son” refers to “ Ham’s youngest son ” and NOT “ Noah’s youngest son ." So the difficulty we face is one of grammar. From this perspective, Genesis 9:21–25 should read as follows: Then he [Noah] drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his [Ham’s] younger son [or, more properly, youngest son] had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan . . .” Before we do a situational breakdown of what actually transpired, we need to take a closer look at the phrase “ became uncovered ." Let’s let Scripture define Scripture by having a look at Leviticus 18:6–7. ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness ; I am the Lord. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness . -Leviticus 18:6–7 There is no doubt that in this context, the phrase “ uncover nakedness ” refers to a sexual violation. So if we take this as the meaning of “ became uncovered ”, this would mean that after Noah got drunk, it wasn’t just a matter of his blanket falling off of him and leaving him lying there naked. He was sexually violated!!! So the following is a step-by-step analysis of what may have occurred. ( I’m not going to be dogmatic about this. ) (1) Noah gets drunk and is sexually violated by Ham’s youngest son Canaan. (2) Ham is first on the scene after his son’s perverse act. (3) Ham is in shock (maybe somehow knowing that it was his son Canaan who had just perpetrated this vile deed ) and reports what he witnessed to his brothers. (4) Ham’s two brothers with their backs turned respectfully cover Noah up. (5) Noah awakens and is aware that Canaan had defiled him, and thus curses him for it. One question that arises is, was Canaan the youngest son of Ham? For the answer to that, take a look at Genesis 10:6. “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. ” In the birth order, Canaan is listed last. So Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. In conclusion, if this interpretation is true, this means that Canaan was NOT punished for something Ham did ( which come to think of it doesn’t make any sense ), but was punished for his own sin. This explanation would also explain why the fact that Ham is Canaan’s father is emphasized twice in this account (verses 22 and 24). Of course, there are many unanswered questions. What in the world possessed Canaan to engage in a sexually deviant act with his grandfather Noah? How did Ham know for sure that Canaan had engaged in a sexually repulsive act with Noah? Did he witness Canaan in the act? I’m not going to be dogmatic and say this is the only way to interpret these passages, but it makes pretty good sense to me and if true, it also I feel would explain why God would eventually want to have the Canaanites wiped out. For those interested, the references asserting that “youngest son” in Genesis 9:24 refers to Canaan are as follows. The Soncino Chumash,” edited by A. Cohen, London, 1956, p. 47.The Pentateuch & Haftorahs, by JH Hertz, London, 1972, p. 34Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible Translation by Joseph Rotherham © Richoka

In order to properly understand many key passages of Scripture… It is essential you fully grasp the concept of the firstborn blessing. The Hebrew firstborn blessing is akin to the formalized reading of the family will just prior to the passing away of the father. It was customary for the firstborn to receive both of the following: 1) A double portion of the father’s wealth And… 2) The authority to rule over the family. A double portion meant the firstborn son received at least double the amount given to any other son. In addition, the firstborn was never a female. A married couple could have 10 daughters and then one son born after all of those daughters… And that one son would still be considered the firstborn… And receive a double portion of the family’s inheritance and the ruling authority over that family. What’s interesting is that in Noah’s pronouncement of the curses and blessings… We have a precursory firstborn blessing being proclaimed prior to it eventually becoming a formalized biblical concept in the Bible. However, what is unique in this case is that the firstborn blessing was split between Shem and Japheth . “May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, -Genesis 9:27 From the above verse, we can see that Shem received the ruling authority… And Japheth received the equivalent of a double portion of the wealth (of the world so to speak) . Note that Japheth’s blessing is dependent on Shem. In other words, Japheth’s descendants would only prosper when their relationship with Shem was in a harmonious state. Again, Japheth is the ancestor of most of the European peoples including the Romans and the Greeks. Shem would become the Hebrews (as well as the Arabs, and most of the Asian races). Historically, speaking we can see a direct correlation between the prosperity of the Japhethic nations and how they treated Israe l (a Shemitic nation). Trust me, America’s prosperity has all to do with the blessing upon Japheth. Finally, we will see this splitting up of the firstborn blessing occur again later in Genesis when Jacob blesses his 12 sons who will eventually grow to become the 12 tribes of Israel. © Richoka

Not every day is a sunrise and coffee Life isn’t always a sunrise and a cup of coffee. Sometimes it’s a broken dishwasher, a doctor calling you back, or waking up at 3am wondering if everything you’ve built is about to collapse. Faith isn’t about pretending the mess isn’t there. It’s about finding God in it anyway. When Miracles Don’t Show Up, But the Bills Do Some days, you don’t get a miracle. You get a parking ticket. You get silence. You get one more thing stacked on top of the ten you’re already carrying. But even then, something holy holds. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4) Notice it says walk through , not camp out . You’re moving. Even when you feel stuck. Even when your prayers feel like they hit the ceiling and bounce back. The Real Face of Faith Isn’t Always Pretty Let’s be honest. Faith isn’t pretty. Not all the time. It’s not Instagrammable. It’s sitting in your car outside the house because you need one more minute before you go back inside. It’s holding onto the thinnest thread of hope and calling that enough for today. Barbara Brown Taylor once said, “Faith is not about being sure where you’re going, but going anyway.” Some of us were taught faith means certainty. But maybe real faith is what you do when you don’t feel certain at all. God Shows Up in the Gaps Maybe faith lives in the cracks — the places that feel too fragile to hold anything. That’s where light gets in. That’s where grace leaks through. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Not in your shiny moments. Not in your performance. Not when everything’s going right. In weakness. That’s where God shows off. You Don’t Need Fire. Just Embers. If you’re feeling weak today, you’re not disqualified. You’re exactly where God does God’s best work. Your faith doesn’t have to look like fire. It can look like embers. It can look like crawling. It can look like barely showing up. That still counts. Some people talk about “standing on the promises.” That’s good. But some days, you just lean on them. Slumped over. Half-praying, half-crying. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Not hustle. Not shame. Not “get it together.” Just rest. Drop the Act. God’s Not Fooled Anyway. You don’t need to pretend it’s all fine. God doesn’t need your filters. God doesn’t flinch at your real. If anything, God leans in closer when you drop the act. Richard Rohr puts it this way: “The genius of the biblical revelation is that it refuses to deny the dark side of things, but forgives them, transforms them, and uses them.” That’s the God we’re dealing with. Jesus Gets It. Really. The God who walked through fire. Who cried at tombs. Who bled. Who sat with the rejected, the burnt out, the misunderstood. Who knows exactly what it feels like to be you. If all you can do is whisper “God, help,” that’s a prayer. God in the Everyday Breakdown We keep looking for God in the obvious places. In the breakthroughs. In the good news. In the wins. But God keeps showing up in the cracks. In the breakups. In the layoffs. In the therapy sessions. In the little brave things we do every day to stay upright. Don’t beat yourself up for not having it all together. Jesus never asked you to. He just said, follow Me. Not “impress Me.” Faith Is Not a Performance. It’s Survival. Faith in the cracks means showing up without answers. Trusting without a map. Loving without guarantees. You’re not failing. You’re growing roots. Maybe God isn’t fixing everything right now because God’s busy forming something in you — something you don’t see yet, something deeper than relief: transformation. This isn’t the highlight reel. This is the real stuff. And this is where God shows up. You’re Not Late. You’re Enough. So yeah. Faith in the cracks. It’s not shiny. It’s not loud. But it’s real. And it holds. You’re not alone. You’re not too broken. God is still present. Even here. Especially here. © Gary L Ellis

© Bob Russell There are what feels like “a gazillion” Christian publications, and a variety of topics. When attempting to learn about the history, religious theory, and specific doctrines, there are almost no limits. Like choosing a church, you can drown in choices and become frustrated trying to find something that really connects to your soul. The real challenges of today are the sheer volume of teachings and readings that require very careful discernment to determine what is generally inspired by God versus the multitude of religious diversions and clones that are constantly in production. It's one thing to be an uninspired believer seeking information versus a truly spirit-filled, inspired believer. 1 John 2:27 tells us that, “the anointing which you have received from him (Jesus) abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you.” Now this is a great mystery, and most overlook the meaning. However, there is a qualitative difference in those born of the Holy Spirit and those who pretend to believe and have not received the special anointing mentioned by John. Jesus told his disciples that one of the benefits of receiving the Holy Spirit is that He would teach them and remind them of everything Jesus had taught them.[1] One of the most visible demonstrations of this is seen in the book of Acts 2:1–4 and Acts chapter 2:1–13. The prior uninspired disciples were transformed into knowledge-filled voices of God, speaking with authority and enlightenment. One major question today is: Should Christians of today expect anything similar to what the first Christian disciples experienced? There are a variety of teachings and thoughts about that question; almost as many as the variety of Christian sects and denominations. While in this writing, I will not dive into those teachings, but what I will proclaim is that those filled with the Holy Spirit are qualitatively different than those uninspired. Each may attempt to communicate for God based on their training and understanding, but only the inspired writers and speakers will reach the hearts of their readers. Superficial and uninspired will never reach the inspired, as Jesus’ sheep know his voice and will not respond to another.[2] This is one of the primary comforts true believers can rely on. It will not be easy to pull them out of Jesus’ hands using a different gospel or altered, uninspired teaching. I say this to emphasize why being born of the Holy Spirit is critical for a believer seeking to become one of Jesus’ disciples — and that is as true today as it was among the first Christians. So why the difference in expectations today? All spiritual gifts and attributes only come to those with the faith to accept them! There is absolutely no point in trying to teach the things of the Spirit to those who are uninspired and do not expect anything by faith. The underlying issue here is when a certain denomination of Christianity teaches its acolytes not to expect spiritual encounters and teaches that those types of things died out with the apostles. This kind of teaching dulls expectations, weakens the potential of faith, limits it, and stunts it to only words and precepts. Ultimately, these acolytes are trained merely to replicate what they learn from their uninspired teachers. Sadly, the current world age is being flooded with these types of Christian fakes, better called the “unborn.” Jesus clearly warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Sadducees and the Pharisees![3] This is further enforced by Jesus stating, Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and wea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. “Woe to you blind guides.” — Matthew 23:15 While the Pharisees and Sadducees (lawyers) were knowledgeable teachers of the Law, they were uninspired and not in tune with the Spirit of God. Their teachings could only go so far, but could not improve the corrupt nature of their own or their converts. The same is true for churches and their leaders today, who also, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, can recite Scriptures in their sleep and attempt to convert many but are dead spiritually. There is a terrible danger for the unbeliever to fall into their hands! Now, for the spiritually born, words and letters of Scripture take on a different value. The words are living, and the heart agrees with truth, but a feeling of resistance and unease occurs when reading or listening to error or false teachings. This again is a safety feature that protects the elect as rapidly increasing false teachers advance in the world. Jesus assures his followers that they will not be fooled.[4] But falsehoods will become so thick that it will be just short of doing so. Recognizing Words of the Spirit Now, what are the qualities of spiritual messages versus flat, uninspired messages when both are using scripture for reference? This is a very deep spiritual mystery, as the ability to tell is as mysterious as the ability to communicate words inspired by the Holy Spirit. It’s sort of like having a receiving device with a “special wavelength code” that only gets messages from a transmitter on the same coded wavelength. No other transmission gets through to the special receiver. This doesn’t mean that the spiritual believer can’t hear other types of communications, but their receiver will only clearly translate the right code. They will hear uninspired messages like static and disjointed words. The words will seem almost monotone, flat, no real substance. True spirit-filled messages have a totally different quality, which is hard to explain. A spirit-filled message may actually transform into a brief prophetic nature, demonstrating unusual deep insight that was unknown previously to receiving the message. It will open the heart of the believer with a strong sense of approval and a relationship not available to those uninspired and unspiritual. What I’m describing here calls into question all forms of Bible training and scholarship. No matter how accomplished a teacher may be in letters or credentials given by institutions created by people, if the information gained is from the uninspired or given to the uninspired, it will be flat and without power. One can be well learned yet flat and uninspiring. For this reason, a true believer should never be impressed by any person claiming status in the words of God based on education, letters, fame, or achievements. None of this matters unless the person is truly born of the Holy Spirit. Also, those teachers truly born of the Spirit will be humble in nature and not seek to rub their credentials into the faces of those they teach. They will depend on the Holy Spirit to teach using them as vessels and not as authorities. It is safe to say that anyone waving credentials and claiming unusual knowledge is a liar, and the truth is not in them. No one possesses knowledge other than the Holy Spirit, and we who teach are only blessed and privileged to serve as a vessel of the Lord. And those highly gifted should be extremely careful that pride doesn’t sneak up on them, as this will be a tool of Satan to destroy them and their message in time.[5] © Bob Russell Sources: [1] John 14:25–26 [2] John 10:27–28; john 10:4–5; 1 Corinthians 3:11–13 [3] Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15 [4] Matthew 24:24 [5] Proverbs 16:18; 1 Timothy 3:6; Titus 1:7; Mark 4:19; James 4:6; 1 Timothy 6:10; Luke 18:9–14; 1 Corinthians 3:18–20; Hebrew 3:12; Colossians 2:4; James 3:14–16

© Jane Isley It was much more than that. What do these names all have in common? Jesus loved them and died for their sins that day on the cross. While this can be hard for most to stomach the thought of this. It is true. We are all loved, regardless of what we have done. For God so loved this world that His Son came and died for each and every one of us. He carried the entirety of our sins, from the beginning of time until the end, while nailed to that cross for us. We have had many martyrs over the centuries who have died for one or many, but none of them carried our sins. When we die, we will awake anew. Our pain, sorrow, and misery will be gone. Jesus knows this, yet he He said, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” If He had died a death of just martyrdom for us, He would have known He would awaken resurrected in the blink of an eye, His pain gone and never lived over again. Yet he sweat blood — Why? Because it wasn’t simple martyrdom. He was carrying the weight of every single person’s sins from all time. Imagine taking the weight of all your sins and multiplying that by billions. Then willingly taking those upon yourself while being crucified? Hematidrosis. That is the name of the condition He had as He was praying to God the night Judas betrayed Him. This is a very rare condition where blood is excreted through sweat. All sources indicate that it is so rare that it is hard to research it properly, but there is one agreement amongst all the sources I have read. It can be caused by extreme stress, intense fear, severe anxiety, or facing death. To carry this for us, to love us so much to die for everyone, is love. Like I said earlier, it may be hard for people to stomach, but He died for the sinners; He died for what we call the worst of the worst. This wasn’t martyrdom, this was sacrifice for freedom from sin, death, and hell. This was love. He loves Judas, He loves Hitler, He loves John Gacy, He loves Herold. We all are loved, and He has carried the sins of everyone that day on the cross. When you remember this day, remember His love. Respect his sacrifice, respect what He did for all of us. This was not a simple death, this was pure hell He carried for us. Recommend reading this article , which adds further light on what He did for us. © 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. Sources: Matthew 26:39 NIV Luke 22:44 NIV Department of Internal Medicine, Cascais Hospital; Haematidrosis: The Rare Phenomenon of Sweating Blood Healthline; Hematidrosis: Is Sweating Blood Real ? WebMD; What Is Hematidrosis ?