Monday, December 15, 2008

THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION - WHAT DOES GOD WANT FOR US?

THE GOOD LIFE – A GIFT FROM GOD

The heading of this section has been chosen in line with the acceptance that God created man in His image and He created him to be “very good” – cf Gen 1:27, 31.

And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female…. And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

Therefore, as humans we are “born in goodness” and are destined to “have” all of God’s goodness, but due to the various influences that we experience in life, we forfeit this goodness to a greater or lesser extent.This blogg is intended to help restore us to our original goodness. This “repentance” is based primarily on relating to God through an “Attitude of Gratitude” as is represented graphically below:


prentjie

REAL FAITH allows us to practice a VERY important and interesting principle – don’t wait until you receive something and then express your gratitude… learn to express gratitude in ADVANCE as this shows REAL faith. The author of the letter to the Hebrews described this in Hebrews 11:1 as follows:

Faith assures us of things we expect
and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.

If you want to read more on any of the first six posts on my Blog, then download my full e-book at:

http://www.bookhabit.com/book/991/Financial-Famine:-Fallacy-of-faith

IF GOD IS GOOD WHY DO I NOT RECEIVE OF HIS GOODNESS?

IF GOD IS GOOD WHY DO I NOT RECEIVE OF HIS GOODNESS?

When we FAIL to express gratitude, it is the most severe degree of denying God’s goodness and is in fact comparable to proclaiming that “God is not good”. Obviously, the greater our gratitude, the greater will become our blessings and abundance – the theme running like a thread through this blogg may be represented as follows:

prentjie-2

We look at two well-known texts:

Matthew 25:29: For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him.

Matthew 6:33: But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

Look what happens when we add “gratitude” to the first text:

For to everyone who has (gratitude), more shall be given,
and he shall have abundance. But from him who has not 
(gratitude),
even that which he has shall be taken away from him.

As regards the second text, we consider what elements the Kingdom of God consist of – amongst other:

· Peace

· Joy

· Security

· Contentment

· Satisfaction

· Power (Faith & hope – 1 Cor 4:20)

· No crying

· No pain, etc.

Our challenge is to seek and maintain the above things IRRESPECTIVE of our circumstances or feeling of lack, for ONLY THEN will God give unto us all things, and we will have abundance, so that we may give (sow) abundantly.

If you want to read more on any of the first six posts on my Blog, then download my full e-book at:

http://www.bookhabit.com/book/991/Financial-Famine:-Fallacy-of-faith

OUR APPROACH TO LIFE IS EVERYTHING

OUR APPROACH TO LIFE IS EVERYTHING

There are five things to help us express gratitude for all things and in all circumstances:

1. Is God unkind to mankind?

As believers we wish to experience life as abundance, rather than scarcity as is written in Luke 12:27-28. Here Jesus makes it very clear that if we experience lack and poverty it is not because of a limitation in God’s supply, but it is really (and this is important) BECAUSE OF US HAVING LITTLE FAITH.

2. An approach of “no resistance” to life.

Non-resistance to life is simply taking the mental attitude that whatever is, just is, and we don’t fight it. This refers to the behavior of people or circumstances we cannot do anything about. If we continuously complain about our circumstances, we believe that someone or something has taken our “stuff” (money, success, love, respect, etc.) and we are victims…. with God we are not victims – we are victors! (Rom 8:37)

3. No problems ever exist in the moment of now.

In the moment of Now, you never have any problems – you have events, but not problems. Problems exist in the mind, in our thoughts of tomorrow, to the extent that we envision them. Even Jesus advised that there is no reason to be concerned over tomorrow: Matt 6 : 34 Have no care for tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Also, before a problem occurs and we pray to God, the solution for it already exists: Matt 6:8 Your Father knows what things you need, before you ask Him. To REALLY understand this principle, it will help to remember that with God “time” does not really exist – with Him, the past, present and future all exist simultaneously.

4. Are we (just) satisfied, or are we happy?

There is a fundamental difference between happiness and satisfaction. Satisfaction implies being content with the way things are, even though it’s not what we really want - hence we may not experience REAL fulfillment and perceive more lack than abundance in our lives. The secret is to be happy in EVERY moment of NOW. If we wait for happiness to come in the future, we don’t have much to be grateful for now. We all say: “When I get the job, the raise, the relationship, the house, the success… then I’ll be happy. ” Now is the only time we’ve got, if we can’t be happy now we’ll never be”.

5. The law of giving… To receive

This is “The Law of Laws” as discussed elsewhere in this blogg - it shows that we recognize that we experience abundance from which we may give.

If you want to read more on any of the first six posts on my Blog, then download my full e-book at:

http://www.bookhabit.com/book/991/Financial-Famine:-Fallacy-of-faith

IN GOD WE ARE, MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING

Paul once addressed the Jews in the synagogue in Athens and said - Acts 17: 16+:

For in Him we live and move and have our being, …. For we are also His offspring.

It is remarkable that we have the title of “Human Beings”. “Being” refers to a state of our life-existence and we are the only creatures in the known universe that have the ability to influence, determine or “decide” over the state that we are in. What is even more important and remarkable is that we are the only creatures in the known universe that have the ability to call on God to influence our state of being.

God announced to Moses the fact that He Himself is the Master of all Beings and who have absolute control over His own state of Being, when He said in Exodus 3:14

I AM WHAT I AM: and he said, Say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you

This clearly indicates that God IS WHO HE IS, but also that He IS to us what we WANT HIM TO BE FOR US, or what we CHOOSE Him to be for us. So if we want God to be our Helper in all need, He will be our Helper in all need – if we want Him to be a malicious, spiteful and cruel God who is out to “punish” us, He will be for us a malicious, spiteful and cruel God who is out to “punish” us – the choice is (ALWAYS) ours. Apostle John said in 1 John 4:17 - Because He IS, so we are …..

Solomon expressed a fundamental fact of “being human” in Proverbs 23:7

Whatever a person “thinketh in his heart, so is he”

The “process” to achieve ANYTHING is to BE, DO and ultimately we will HAVE.

Now follows a most important principle, which, if it is grasped, will become life transforming. As stated above to “BE” is the first step – the first cause – and to be is a STATE, which has its origin in our MIND. As our mind is part of “spirit”, it has NO LIMITS and is not subject to the “rules” of time – you can BE anything, immediately!!

If you want to read more on any of the first six posts on my Blog, then download my full e-book at:

http://www.bookhabit.com/book/991/Financial-Famine:-Fallacy-of-faith

SOWING AND REAPING – THE LAW OF LAWS

SOWING AND REAPING – THE LAW OF LAWS

SEED – HOUSING THE NATURE OF ITS SOURCE!!

We read in a number of verses in the book of Genesis (Greek: “birth”, “origin”) that those living things that God created are described as having its “seed in itself, after its kind” (Gen 1 :11,12). Notice that God therewith intended that the seed, which is in anything and everything will only be able to “bring forth of itself, in its kind” – in other words, whatever it is, it can only bring forth of its own kind (or nature). So we see the Law of Reproduction at work, which is that every seed shall bring forth the same nature as its source. Hence every seed is a bearer of Life, and the sowing or planting of that Life manifests the life itself.

Another very important point in understanding the Law of Reproduction is to establish what thesource is that laid Life into the seed. We know that God is Life, but God is also Spirit (John 4:24) – therefore life is spirit – spirit is intangible, but works in on mind and soul like a two-edged sword (cf Hebr 4:12). It follows then that spirit is the source of all “seed-life”, but it is VERY IMPORTANT to note that it is NOT only God-spirit that “gives life” to seed-life, but any spirit that is allowed access.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12

For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.

Therefore, ANY power, spirit or “unseen influential force” which affects our mind, soul and spirit (in other words, which sows or plants into our being) WILL manifest itself and will “bring forth of itself, in its kind”, whether these “mind-forces” are positive or negative, GOOD or BAD. God already alluded to these “opposites”, when He referred to “cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night” in Gen 8:21-22.

It is the purpose of this post to show unequivocally that all principles taught by God and especially through the doctrine of Christ, revolve around “doing good”, or sowing the “good seeds” – in fact, this is the very purpose behind our existence and our life on earth. God’s great goodness and His desire to “do good” find expression in and through those who carry His life and His nature – those who were created in His image. God’s REAL PROMISE is to then multiply whatever we do many times – like seeds we sow!!!

If you want to read more on any of the first six posts on my Blog, then download my full e-book at:

http://www.bookhabit.com/book/991/Financial-Famine:-Fallacy-of-faith