Podcasts about god elohim

In this episode Al Fadi and Dr Jay discuss the doctrine of the trinity in the Bible and the Tawheed in the Quran. They say that neither term appear in the Bible or the Quran but understood to explain a theological term. Dr Jay mentions that Dr Paul Blakham went through the Bible identifying the trinity in each book. Two examples are given Genesis1:1 in the beginning God(Elohim; a plural word for God) , yet Deuteronomy 6:4 emphasizes that God is one. In the new testament in Matthew 28:19-20 ....In the name(singular) of the father, and of the Son and of the Holy spirit . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our God works to recreate us spiritually, offering us what we need most:  a new heart and a new spirit.  Creating the heavens was handiwork for Him, but He had to roll up His sleeves and bare His arm to secure our salvation.

Who is Elohim? Is God's name so sacred we shouldn't say it? Rabbi Schneider shares that God has a personal name. (This is the very first in a series of messages about the names of God.) By knowing God's name, Yahweh, we encounter God and know who He is. But Elohim is a title, the plural of El, weighted and recognizing the godhead as three-in-one. The concept of relationship stems out of God's own nature as multidimensional. YHWH/Yahweh revealed His covenant name to Moses so we can call on Yaweh in love and reverance. Call upon God by His name, Yahweh, because He wants you to know Him. He wants a relationship with you. Jehovah is a mispronunciation because ancient scribes concealed God's name to confuse gentiles to avoid blaspheming it. God's name Yahweh is a verb and He is continuous, unfinished action because God is alive and involved in your life forever. Yahweh is your God and He loves you. Continue learning the names of God with Discovering the Jewish Jesus.   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com

Our Creator is infinite, beautiful, and mysterious.  While we might see Him as distant and uninterested, the very opposite is true.  He is always active on our behalf, inviting us to draw ever closer and know Him more.

Text:  Genesis 1:1-25   The Creator of All Things (Genesis 1:1) The eternal triune God (“Elohim”) created everything. God's glorious attributes are seen in everything He has made (Psalm 19:1-4a; Romans 1:18-20). We are made for His glory and are accountable and dependent upon Him (Romans 11:36; Acts 17:24-28).   The Creation of All Things (Genesis 1:2-25) God's work of creation begins with Him filling the formless void with His glory. God created all things in six literal days by His powerful word, declaring it to be good by His glorious standard. We were made to worship the Creator, not worship the creation (Psalm 95:1-7a; Romans 1:21-23).

Pastor Nick starts a new sermon series for January & February 2025 on the 'The Names Of God'. This message is called 'Elohim' You can follow the message along in the YouVersion bible app at https://bible.com/events/49372317 and add your own notes! Also you can watch the entire service on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zorcKbNAtbE

Getting To Know God | Week 1 | Ken Miller--This will be the introductory lesson to the series and is intended to set up the context for all the names of God we will be studying. In this lesson, we will look at three primary names for God: Elohim, El Elyon, and El Shaddai. --Notes

Sunday, December 22, 2024“The Christmas Present from the Creator”Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki1. Jesus Christ, the creator* Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (NIV)“In the beginning” “God” = “Elohim” in Hebrew (..

Second in the series on the names of God, Elohim. Scripture passages used, in order, were Genesis 1:1-4, John 1;1, Colossians 1:15-17, Genesis 1:31 & 1:27, Romans 12:6, 1 John 3:20, Matthew 27:51-54 and Colossians 1:13-14

Psalm 68 Worksheet Psalm 68 is tied for the tenth longest Psalm in the Psalms (with Psalm 104). It is the _______________ Psalm in Book 2 of the Psalms (only Psalm 69 is longer). Another thing that makes Psalm 68 difficult is that in the original Hebrew ________________ words occur that don't occur anywhere else in the Hebrew Old Testament! The theme that seems to tie Psalm 68 together is praising God for past victories and anticipating future deliverances. Many scholars believe there are references to the ______________________ of the covenant being brought to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6) and then into battle against the Amorites (2 Sam. 11). Names of God: Elohim occurs _______________ times! Lord (Adonai) occurs 6 times. Yah in verse 4 is short for Yahweh; LORD (Yahweh) is in verse 16; The God (Ha'El) occurs twice. The Almighty (El Shaddai) is in verse 14; LORD God (Yahweh Elohim) is in verse 18. GOD the Lord (Yahweh Adonai) is in verse 20; God of our salvation (El Mo-shaw-aw) is in verse 20. < Highlights of the Psalm: No matter how courageous we are we need like David in verses 1-2 to appeal to God to rise up and deal with enemies we are fighting _________________________ we are His people. Remembering past deliverances and appreciating victories to come, verses 3-4 picture a grateful people praising the Lord! Verse 4 makes me think of ________________'s vision in chapter 7 of the Son of Man coming on the clouds! Now when there is war and you lose some soldiers to death, what do you have back on the home front? We also know that there is an epidemic of _______________________ in our day – look at God's beautiful statement in verse 6 – “God sets the solitary in families.” In Israel the tribes took care of their own; churches are called to do the same! Starting in verse 7 David rehearses God's history since the Exodus of ________________________ for their needs, even in the wilderness. God marching through the wilderness may be an illusion to the Ark going out with the people as they moved and defended themselves from attacks. Mount Sinai holds a special role for Israel because there the ___________________ was given, including the Can anyone tell me what italicized words mean in your translation? There is beautiful poetic image given as David makes His point in verses 15-16. He could just say that Mount Zion (Jerusalem) had a special role in God's plan for Israel as it became the home of the Ark . Instead, he pictures Bashan and other “trans-Jordan” mountain peaks being ____________________ of Sinai and Zion for their special roles in God's plans. The Lord is among God's human and angelic warriors (verse 17) now in Zion (Jerusalem) as He was at Sinai, in the holy place that contains the Ark. You can see David anticipating the coming ________________ home for the Ark of the Covenant. Verse 18 makes us think of David receiving tribute from defeated foes in His day. Do you remember how Paul later uses this verse in Ephesians 4:8? No wonder verse 19 says that God loads us with benefits, including salvation (v. 19) and escape from death (v. 20). But God will wound His enemies (v. 21), including those critics from Bashan (v. 22-23). In verses 24-27 David pictures the great day when the Ark finally came to its resting place in Jerusalem amidst much fanfare and praise. Why do you think David mentions the four specific tribes he does in verse 27. In verses 29-32 David anticipates future worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, with hints of Christ's future millennial ________________________ from Jerusalem sprinkled in. Kings will bring presents to you – The Queen of Sheba did that after Solomon finished the Temple, and we are told others did. Verse 32 calls for the Kingdoms of the earth to join in in praising this God of Israel AND the kingdoms of the earth – the Messiah King of Israel will be the King of the world. No wonder that verse 33 brings back the idea of Him _________________________ on the very Heaven of heavens!

Speaker: Scott Harris, Lead Pastor

[00:00:00] Dianne Ogle: I love creativity. It's one of my favorite things. So that's why I like questions, because even if I think I know the answer, if I ask the question, it's just beautiful to hear what inspires somebody or what was bubbling in them or how they see it, quite frankly. It isn't the way I always see things or think it might play out.  So, you give people a door for their own strengths, their own creativity, to participate and join in. And most of the time it's so much better than when we could do it alone. [00:00:32] Tommy Thomas: Today, we're continuing the discussion we began last week with Dianne Ogle.  In this episode, Dianne shares her extensive leadership journey focusing on the importance of authenticity, community and resilience. She discusses the danger of pride and leadership and emphasizes the need for leaders to rely on their teams and build strong, supportive networks. Dianne also reflects on the power of prayer and how it has shaped her leadership approach, particularly in empowering women leaders. Her insights offer valuable lessons for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of leadership with integrity and faith. This episode is a rich resource for leaders at any stage of their career. Let's pick up where we left off last week. [00:01:25] Tommy Thomas: I'm sure you've observed this in both men and women, but give me your thoughts on the dangerous traits that can derail a leader's career. [00:01:35] Dianne Ogle: Pride, absolute pride. And thinking that you can do it alone. And you don't need anybody else, because what got you here won't get you there, as one of the books says that I use a lot. Because we need each other. We were built for community, and we need each other. And as soon as we think that we have arrived in that corner office, we don't grow. We don't desire. We don't let people in to speak truth to us and have iron sharpens. Iron is when we start digressing, and regressing, we've all seen it. We've all known people. They think they're all there. Even Christians. We're flesh, we're sinful, and we start moving backwards. So that's probably the greatest. [00:02:25] Tommy Thomas: I know, all this is broached in a blanket of confidentiality, and I won't ask you to go there, but does it take the women a while to get used to sharing everything and trusting that their cohorts, that's not what you call it, but their peer, not anymore. [00:02:43] Dianne Ogle: I think originally, initially the first group that was called into it, but they were in need of a group like this that I think they were willing. And when they saw that I was doing a confidentiality statement that they all signed and that it was going to be a safe place. Then they started testing it. Now our foundation is so strong that women will either understand what we've got and be ready to jump in. As soon as they come and join I take them through an onboarding program, and I also have them start meeting with the women one on one, but they immediately come to a meeting after they've joined, and they start seeing how honest, authentic, just real. And the prayer requests that we share, we've really grown in the power of prayer together. And that is authentic because they're sharing every aspect of their lives, not just their work. [00:03:42] Tommy Thomas: So how do they work together from the four pillars, you're bringing people from the nonprofit sector.  You've got executive women from Fortune 500 companies. [00:03:53] Dianne Ogle: Now Tommy, the cool thing is we call it repurpose. We don't call it retirement. And some of them, like we had one who was the chief diversity officer at Coca Cola. And she'd been with Coke for 20 years and in her career and near the end of her career, she started being tapped for a paid board of director role. So, she's now repurposed and now she's a board director and still highly engaged with us in linking arms. We have another one who repurposed and now she's helping one of our other members who is the president of the National Day of Prayer, helping her with grant writing and supporting ministry of the National Day of Prayer. [00:04:34] Dianne Ogle: It is beautiful. [00:04:36] Dianne Ogle: We believe we don't compete. We complete. And so there are times where some will work together or we will have an opportunity to like this next National Day of Prayer in May. Kathy Brent sells the President, and she's opened the invitation for all of us to come to the Capitol and to all the festivities to help pray over the nation and all the pillars that involve. [00:05:03] So yes, we are highly diverse, Tommy, both in skin color and political views and career pathing and titles and positions. The beauty is in the foundation we love Jesus. And yes, we've worked through the weathers. [00:05:21] Dianne Ogle: I would say our women are even diverse in age. We've got some in their late thirties to the mid to late sixties. And all my nonprofit or ministry women, that's what shocked me because initially when I saw that pillar of nonprofit, I'm thinking, oh, it'd be like an exec with the Red Cross. And I just assumed it would be those kinds of women coming towards us. And it has been. There have been high level executive women in ministry work. So that's been beautiful. Andrea, who you had on your show before, she was my first one in that category. And I went to her after four months with us. [00:06:01] Dianne Ogle: And I said, I consider her Sage. She is the most amazing woman. I said, Andrea, are we meeting your needs? That was just important for me. And she goes, she's so thoughtful in the way she answers. She goes I come from a big family. I have a big donor base. I've been well supported at Cru since I became a Christian in college. And she goes, but this is so beautiful for me to have a safe place with true peers in other sectors and see the commonality or the similar pain or listen to maybe a different perspective outside of ministry that I can glean from, or I could speak into. And I'm like, okay, Lord, here we go. That's it. [00:06:46] Tommy Thomas: That was going to be a question, and, yeah, I would probably have assumed that, but you say that, regardless of what sector you're in, there probably arises a pattern of issues that you're going to face regardless if you're a private sector or government service or public service, and so y'all are able to work with the whole person. [00:07:10] Dianne Ogle: Absolutely. In and out of season. We've lost a member to death, which was really hard on the group, and it was very sudden. We have walked through lots of personal pain together. And there are groups out there for just professionals, but we work on emotional, spiritual, financial, relational issues. Some of our women are single, some are divorced, some are married, some have children, some do not. And so, you can imagine we all step into this place, but to see the love and the respect and the camaraderie, it always brings tears to my eyes. Just to go, Lord, these are your girls. You've risen us up for such a time as this and we are better together and we need to encourage one another as long as it's called today like scripture says, because it's tough out there.  And we need each other. [00:08:10] Dianne Ogle: I tell my coaching clients. Part of my core purpose is to be the Hur, like in Exodus 17. I'm the Hur of Moses and we need people to come by our side to speak into, to give us rest, to help raise our hands. Because these battles that we're in spiritually, professionally, personally, they're weary.  It's tough. So, we all need each other. ++++++++++++++++ [00:08:39] Tommy Thomas:  If you're writing a book on the burdens of leadership that only the CEO can bear, what are some of the topics you would address?  [00:08:51] Dianne Ogle: This loneliness is a big one that I hear consistently.  Whether I'm talking to a brand new high level woman or talking to one of our Arete' women, even though they're in the group, they will remember how lonely it can be and misunderstood because our churches a lot of times don't understand us or get our giftedness. A lot of times the other peers, like if they're in childbearing age and they're going to the school, a lot of those mothers don't get them. So, it's hard for them to have community. And then when you're at that senior level, as a CEO, as a board director, just the level of confidentiality and all that you have to take in and feel responsible for is unbelievable pressure. [00:09:41] Dianne Ogle: And so, where do they have their safe place, their place, just to be them authentically, have a place, a table, they could just lay an issue out like an advisor we call, like our own personal advisory council. Here's my issue, help me with this. Or let me just speak it through so I can hear my own voice talking about it in a safe place where it's not gonna go to the media, it's not gonna go to my board directors. It's just something I need to wrestle through to make sure that I've got the wisdom, discernment, knowledge, and understanding for this role. Each and every day I've been called to it. [00:10:24] Tommy Thomas: You mentioned early on, you came out of an athletic family and have done the statistics and all that. So, you'll appreciate a couple of these athletic kind of questions. [00:10:33] Tommy Thomas: David Chadwick, a pastor in Charlotte has written a book on Dean Smith's life: It's How You Play the Game. The 12 Leadership Principles of Dean Smith. [00:10:42] Tommy Thomas: And he says the concept of team may be Coach Smith's greatest contribution to basketball leadership and society. Your thoughts on that. [00:10:53] Dianne Ogle: Amen, brother. Amen. Like I said earlier, we are not called alone, and we need our teams, both in our organizations and outside of that, because that's when …  I tell people I have one brain, like I just have one. And so I gather even my women say, okay, let's talk about our content. Let's talk about our annual retreat. And even though I might come to the table with my own ideas, I want to have an open heart and ask questions. I feel really strong about the power of questions to gain others' ideas and inspiration, and God uses us all so uniquely with the way he wired us with our personalities and our strengths and the way our stories have unfolded. [00:11:38] Dianne Ogle: We do a lot of assessments in Arete too, over the years, not all it wants to beat us up, but so that we can not only know ourselves better, but the people that we work with in our different teams. And we have deeper understanding and appreciation, and we know who to tap for what assignment. [00:11:56] Tommy Thomas: Here's a quote from Mother Teresa and I like to contextualize this. In the context of Arete', I'm not called to be successful, but to be faithful.  And so is there a tension there between the context in which the women you're working with that's their existence. [00:12:18] Dianne Ogle: And a lot of my women, as you can imagine, are high achievers. They're highly responsible. When you do these assessments on Strength Finders, they're big-time learners. They're always insatiable to continue to grow and learn. And there is this tension, from the world's expectations and definitions of success and what God sees as success. And sometimes that's not the same. And are you okay with that? In different seasons, sometimes you're more front facing and other times he might have you in a prayer closet. [00:12:51] Dianne Ogle: Or going through a tougher season to sharpen you and to get the dross off of us so that he can use us again. Yeah, that's just really important. [00:13:03] Tommy Thomas: Here's one from General George Patton. Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. [00:13:13] Dianne Ogle: Yes, I love creativity.  It's one of my favorite things. So that's why I like questions, because even if I think I know the answer, if I ask the question, it's just beautiful to hear what inspires somebody or what was bubbling in them or how they see it, quite frankly. It isn't the way I always see things or think it might play out. So, you give people a door for their own strengths, their own creativity to participate and join in. And most of the time it's so much better than when we could do it alone or to your point, overreach and over lead and overmanage, then it's all about me, versus it's about us and how we're perfect, how we're navigating and pressing forward. [00:14:01] Tommy Thomas: Here's another one. The best bosses aren't usually those who boost the bottom line as much as it is those who make you a better person and better at your job. [00:14:13] Dianne Ogle: And that's called development, leadership development, and the organizations that get the value, and that's what my husband does. That's his sweet spot with large organizations. [00:14:26] Dianne Ogle: And the organizations who believe that, whether it's coaching like what I do, whether it's the big-time strategies of leadership development, if we miss or you start pulling those budget dollars back from really pouring into your people, it will negatively impact your bottom line when you're too focused on the money and not the people. [00:14:47] Dianne Ogle: And then you lose your legacy. When we're focused on the people and where they're going and have a true sense of wanting to see them succeed and learn and grow and step into their authentic, strong self and grow every stage and step of the way. That's part of our legacy, isn't it? [00:15:10] Tommy Thomas: We talked about creativity and innovation a few minutes ago. Here's another quote. If you never color outside the lines, the picture will never change. [00:15:21] Dianne Ogle: And then it gets dull and boring and antiquated. It's then we're no earthly good, and we serve a creative God Elohim who all we have to do is step outside and see the ocean, like where you live or the beautiful flowers that my husband's planted in the trees that I live around here in Georgia. And we see his beauty in and out of season. So, creativity and innovation is like water to the soul. It should be that fresh flowing spring for any individual and organization to continue to thrive and strive for each season.  [00:16:05] Tommy Thomas: Here's another one from Coach Smith. What do you do with the mistake? Recognize it, learn from it, admit it, forget it. [00:16:14] Dianne Ogle: Confess it.  Yeah. You got to confess it and go, Lord, help me. If I have a blind spot, am I not seeing this? Did I know it? Is there sin here? Do I need to apologize to somebody or the team or the organization? Learn from it. Have a humble heart. There's nothing more beautiful about a leader who has a cloak of humility that can admit and model when they've made a mistake. And then how are they learning from it? Doesn't mean we have to be perfect. And that's the air that so many leaders believe, is that, oh, I'm in this position, so, I've got to be perfect. No, we should all be learning. And part of what we learn is to model when we have failed or made a mistake and that it's not the end of the world. [00:17:06] Dianne Ogle: We'll pick ourselves back up. Hopefully, the consequences aren't too great, and we can keep navigating forward and we can shift and learn from it quite frankly, and model it to others to learn from. [00:17:19] Tommy Thomas: No matter what job you have in life, your success will be determined 5 percent by your academic credentials, 15 percent by your professional experience and 80 percent by your communication skills. [00:17:34] Dianne Ogle: Well, communication is critical, isn't it? Whether it's in writing, whether it's oral, whether it's your prayers to the Lord, having that grounded and rooted time where you have the vertical in line so that you can do the horizontal for all that he has called you to do. Not what your talents tend to want to take us up, take over. No, he gave us our threading and our talents and our strengths, but we have to align it to his pace, his cadence, his work and his will every step of the way. [00:18:12] Tommy Thomas: Peter Drucker, the most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said. [00:18:19] Dianne Ogle: And that's called discernment, leaning in. I think if leaders talk too much, they really miss out on pressing in and seeing and hearing using those languages in hearing beyond what is physically said or heard. And sometimes then a strong question can elevate and illuminate something brand new. Or a way to go in and comfort somebody or encourage them or help them out of an area where they might be stuck. +++++++++++++++ [00:18:56] Tommy Thomas: Let's go back to staff leadership for a minute before we bring this to a close. [00:18:59] Tommy Thomas: What would go into a decision you might make to give somebody a second chance who had of course, I guess the degree of egregiousness would factor into that, but we all would like to have a second chance. [00:19:11] Dianne Ogle: Absolutely. And God's a giver of second chances every day, right? None of us are perfect. We've all sinned and fallen short of his glory. So why wouldn't we model that as Christ followers and Christ leaders? If we're truly being cloaked with his spirit and his power through us, we should be modeling second chances. Now, does that mean we're fools? No, sometimes we have to do the hard thing and fire people. [00:19:38] Dianne Ogle: Nobody likes doing it that I've ever met, but sometimes it might be in the best interest of the institutional organization that you are entrusted with. Sometimes God's not done writing their story either. And it may be the best thing so that he can continue to do his work in and through them apart from the organization. But yes, he's always in the business of second chances. Thank you, Lord. [00:20:06] Tommy Thomas: If you were creating a dashboard to get at the health of a nonprofit organization, what would some of your dials measure? [00:20:15] Dianne Ogle: Just the health of your people and where are your priorities? What's that vision, mission, values that hopefully you've aligned with what the Lord wants you to do in that nonprofit and having the metrics. So many times, I find nonprofits not wanting to have measurements and metrics. I don't really understand that because it's just in the spirit of excellence. It's not to shame you or to say you're a failure. But if we don't know where we're going, how are we going to know we ever got there? And so just having those benchmarks on a dashboard and in a visual way, which they make so beautifully these days, it can use it to help us to renavigate, to encourage, to inspire, to help make sure maybe we need to hire somebody we don't have on our team that needs different skill sets to contribute to where we're going. [00:21:11] Tommy Thomas: If you were a judge on a non-profit version of Shark Tank where nonprofits were coming to you for early-stage investment, what questions would you need to have solid answers for before you would open your checkbook? [00:21:26] Dianne Ogle: I'd want to know their viewpoint and their philosophy on leadership right from the beginning. [00:21:33] Dianne Ogle: And you hear that on Shark Tank, it seems like they get invested if they believe that person has the passion and that they will lead well through every stage of those businesses. Same thing with non-profits. You can say you can have all these ideas, and a lot of people start opening for nonprofits because they are visionaries. [00:21:52] Dianne Ogle: They might have a vision. They may not be great executors. So, can I hear from that senior leader that they would have the wisdom to know that they need to put a team into place? To be able to get that momentum going. The name of our business is business momentum group but getting that ministry momentum going is to make sure that you've got the people, you've got the willingness to get the people and resources and talent in place. [00:22:18] Tommy Thomas: Let's bring this to a close. I have some lightning round questions. Some of them sometimes don't seem to lend themselves to lightning round answers , but I'll let you do that. What's one small act of kindness that you were once shown that you'll never forget? [00:22:37] Dianne Ogle: I'm a cook and I have a gift of hospitality, but when I was having the boys, people brought me a meal or hosted me in their home, which doesn't happen a lot these days. That's just very sweet to me because I'm usually the one going, oh, I'll bring it. Dianne, have you in her home?  And I love doing that, but it's really nice when it's done for you. [00:23:03] Tommy Thomas: What's the best piece of advice anyone's ever given you? [00:23:09] Dianne Ogle: To stay authentic and to stay in the game so that God can use me all my days. [00:23:18] Tommy Thomas: If you could go back in life or go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would you tell her? [00:23:26] Dianne Ogle: Hold on loosely. It's going to be a ride through the ups and downs and that you will weather through it with God by your side. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. This great pain that you might think you're going through now is for greater good later. So stay encouraged, my daughter. [00:23:50] Tommy Thomas: What do you understand about your life today that you didn't understand a year ago? [00:23:56] Tommy Thomas: A year ago, or five years ago? [00:23:59] Dianne Ogle: That he continues to amaze me with what he raises me up to do. I had the joy of praying at the National Day of Prayer. They asked me to pray over the sphere of business. And I said, are you sure? Because I pray privately. So I had never been asked to pray publicly in that kind of context. And I knew how important our words are, talking about communication earlier, but if I'm going to speak, I'm like, Lord, then you need to write that prayer because it needs to not be Dianne at all. But just the surprise of what he taps us to do in different seasons is just beyond what we could ask or imagine. [00:24:44] Tommy Thomas: If you could get a do over in life, what would it be? [00:24:50] Dianne Ogle: I don't think anything because I think he uses it all. I just think, whether he's moved us, whether we've had hurts, he uses pain to make us greater. And makes us deeper in his rootedness of our lives. I used to have this, I had this vision one time and I had a friend say, if you had it to do over, would you just get rid of that pain? I'm like, no, because it's a gift no one can take from me. It's part of my threading and it makes me who I am today. If we let him use it. So there is such a gift of pain. [00:25:28] Tommy Thomas: Thank you for joining us today. If you are a first-time listener, I hope you will subscribe and become a regular. You can find links to all the episodes at our website: www.jobfitmatters.com/podcast. If there are topics you'd like for me to explore, my email address is tthomas@jobfitmatters.com.  Word of mouth has been identified as the most valuable form of marketing. Surveys tell us that consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all other forms of advertising. If you've heard something today that's worth passing on, please share it with others. You're already helping me make something special for the next generation of nonprofit leaders. I'll be back next week with a new episode. Until then, stay the course on our journey to help make the nonprofit sector more effective and sustainable.   Links and Resources JobfitMatters Website NextGen Nonprofit Leadership with Tommy Thomas The Perfect Search - What every board needs to know about hiring their next CEO Areté - Executive Women of Influence   Connect tthomas@jobfitmatters.com  Follow Tommy on LinkedIn Follow Dianne on LinkedIn   Listen to NextGen Nonprofit Leadership with Tommy Thomas on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify  

Discover the biblical account of creation in Genesis 1:1, where God (Elohim) creates the heavens and the earth. Explore the meaning of "Bara," the act of creating something from nothing, and how Moses, through this creation story, emphasizes the supremacy of one God amidst surrounding cultures with multiple deities. This episode delves into the significance of God's pattern of forming and filling the universe in six days. We also discuss hints of the Trinity in Scripture, references to Jesus as creator in John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:15-17, and the deeper spiritual truths behind the formation of light, sky, land, and all living creatures. Finally, understand how mankind, created in God's image, holds a unique place in creation.Tune in for more insights on Genesis, the Trinity, and God's divine creation plan! For a full breakdown, check out our latest podcast episode.

Deception is Under Control  (audio) David Eells - 8/21/24  And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn [upon them] (2Co.4:3-4).   The god of this world is Satan, but he does not run this world. He is called the god of this world because this world worships and serves him whether they know it or not. Anyone who serves the lusts of their flesh worships and serves Satan as their god. He is the father of the flesh, which is also called the old man. God never gives Satan credit in the Scriptures for being sovereign. Jesus said, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth (Mat.28:18).   Satan blinds the minds of the unbelievers so that they do not understand and see the light of the Gospel. We can see from other Scriptures that Satan received his authority from the Lord to blind the unbelievers. (1Pe.5:8) Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (9) whom withstand stedfast in your faith… We have the ability to withstand Satan when we walk by faith, but the word “may” here implies that he has permission to devour those who do not believe. With Christians or non-Christians, unbelief gives permission to Satan. The faith that resists and binds Satan is a gift from God (Eph.2:8).   (Joh.12:35) Jesus therefore said unto them, Yet a little while is the light among you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not: (Notice that word “overtake.” This indicates that darkness is chasing all of us. The Lord is saying that for a little while we are going to receive the light but do something with that light while you have it, so that the darkness does not overtake you.) and he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.   (36) While ye have the light, believe (I.e., trust in and act on) on the light, that ye may become sons of the light. (If we do not act on the light now, the impression will leave us and the darkness will again close in. When we pass by the moment, we have been tried and failed if we have not done something with the light.) These things spake Jesus, and he departed and hid himself from them. (Jesus hides Himself from those who do not value the light enough to act upon it.)   …(38) that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? (39) For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again, (40) He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them.  Israel had the light for a long time, and they did not bear fruit of it. Many Christians have the light, but do not act on it. They start out in a blaze of glory, but soon the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, trials, and persecutions hardens their hearts and allows the darkness to overcome them (Mat.13:19-23). We must believe and walk in the light while we have it so that Jesus does not withdraw and hide himself.  In (Isa.6:8) And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me. (9) And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. (10) Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed. God is blinding eyes and hearts through the devil. God makes us responsible when we see His Word to walk in the light of its truth. (1Jn.1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Walking in the light sanctifies us.   God has a method for weeding the Church which most do not understand. (2Th.2:3) Let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be], except the falling away come first… (8) And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming; (9) [even he], whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,   (10) and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: (12) that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Falling away comes through the deception of Satan.   However, God is sending this working of error to those who do not love the truth so that they might be judged. This letter is addressed to the Church. Only Christians, using the term loosely, can fall away. There is a great falling away today, but an even greater deception is coming. Before God sends judgment, He sends “a working of error” to weed out the Church. Who will believe a lie? It is the evil and wicked who will believe a lie.   (Pro.17:4) An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; [And] a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue… (11) An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. The evildoer will be weeded out by deception. They will be the ones who are going to buy the lie and fall away. The righteous love God's Word and the truth, and will not be deceived because they will not depart from it in the midst of trials.   (1 Cor.11:19) For there must be also factions (Greek: “heresies”) among you, that they that are approved may be made manifest among you. It is necessary for heresies to be among us, so that they that are approved by God may be known. God is doing two things with deception and evil: He is revealing the wicked, and revealing the true. This is God's method throughout history for separating His people from the tares. Birds of a feather flock together. God will gather the tares into bundles to burn them.   Deception is one of God's methods for proving who will be counted worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Remember this working of Satan will come through power, signs, and lying wonders. These are placebos to pacify the Church with replacements for the genuine to confirm the lies being taught. The genuine are listed as gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, workings of miracles, prophecy, discernings of spirits, kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. For our own safety, we should obey Paul who said, Learn not [to go] beyond the things which are written (1Cor.4:6).   We read in (Dt.13:1) If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder, (2) and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods (Elohim), which thou hast not known, and let us serve them. Here we have a false prophet speaking a sign that comes to pass. No false prophet can command something and have it come to pass unless God says so.   (Lam.3:37) Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? This is clear that God is trying His people with error. This prophet is saying, “Let us go after other gods.” This is not as uncommon as we may think. Actually, the Hebrew word for “gods” here is the same word used everywhere else in the Old Testament for our God “Elohim.” In this case, he is talking about a false elohim.   There are many false elohim, because anyone who has a Jesus of their own making and not the Jesus of the Bible has a false elohim. (Dt.13:3) Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. False prophets prove us for God by deception. God is saying it is necessary for us to be proven by deception to see if we love Him.   Those who love Him will not buy the lie. (Dt.8:2) And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not. This is the whole point. A prophet, a dream, a vision, a teaching, or anything that comes to us that is not according to the commandments is a trial from God, to see if we are going to be counted worthy of the kingdom.   Now in (Eze.14:1) Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. (2) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (3) Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? An idol is anything that demands more of our love, time, or money than God; self-will being the most evil idol. Should we ask the Lord's direction if all we want is what we want? It is dangerous to inquire of the Lord with self-willed motives before our face. We may satisfy our flesh but lose a blessing.   (Eze.14:4) Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols.   God is not our God, and we are not His servants when our will is more important than His Will. Before we ask God, we should ask ourselves if we would be as willing to go in the opposite direction should He give that answer. If we would not, then we have an idol. We should deal with our idol first. (Eph.5:5) For this ye know of a surety, that no… covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. The Greek word for “covetous” only means “to desire more.” A person who desires more than is necessary is an idolater. The word “idolater” comes from two words, eidolo, meaning “that which is seen” and latres meaning “a servant to.”   Those who constantly desire more are servants to that which is seen (physical things), not the Lord. These things can be anything – possessions, a job, a religion, or people to name a few. When people serve themselves, they can be their own idol, like the son of perdition who sits in the temple of God making himself god. Judas, whom Jesus called the son of perdition, sat among the disciples who were the temple of God. He was his own idol because he only wanted to please himself. There are many Judas' today. (Exo.20:3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Whatever is more important to us than the Lord is going to deceive us if we do not renounce it.   Back to (Eze.14:7) For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I the Lord will answer him by myself: (8) and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.   Those who are separated from God through their idols will be answered according to the lusts of their own heart. God is going to give them an answer that is not a true answer because He will be answering their lusts. God said, “I the Lord will answer him by myself.” The Lord's answer may come through an apostate prophet, a religion, a thought, a dream, a word or a doctrine, but it will come to deceive. This could bring chastening or even reprobation as we see in verse eight.   (Eze.14:9) And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. A true prophet, who has idols, or a false prophet can be deceived by a false word from God, as we shall see. (2Th.2:11)… God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie. The Lord sends the false word because people do not love Him, but the world. (1Jn.2:15)… If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. We are here to prove who it is that loves God.   God is going to cleanse His Church in these days because there are many idols. When the Word of God says one thing, and we believe our religion, which says another, our religion is our Babylonish idol. God will send deception and it's an increasingly degenerative road to travel. The more we believe religion, instead of God, the more deception comes in. Nothing but the Word of God should move us.   (Rom.3:4) God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified (accounted righteous) in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. When we agree with God in the midst of judgment, we will prevail. These are the people whom God accounts as righteous.   When we receive a prophecy, vision, dream, revelation, or a word that agrees with the Word of God, praise the Lord because the Word does not give many specifics. It does not tell us where God wants us to live or work or whom He wants us to marry. It gives us principles to find out the true will of the Lord in all areas. We can desire something so much, we hear “the Word of the Lord.” We can become convinced that this is what the Lord wanted us to do, only to find out later that we missed God. We need to be careful, because if our desires are not for the will of the Lord first, we can be deceived.   Let's look at Balaam's situation. The children of Israel were in the plains of Moab. Balak, the King of Moab, was very fearful of the Israelites. He gathered together the elders of Midian and Moab. They decided they would hire Balaam to curse these people. Balak said to Balaam, I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed (Num.22:6). If Balaam spoke the Word of the Lord, it was going to come to pass.   The “profit” Balaam went to the Lord with the promise of rewards in his heart and a request to curse Israel on his lips. (Num.22:12) And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed. (13) And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land; for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you.   Balak did not give up. He sent more honorable princes who offered to bestow upon Balaam a very high honor and give him anything he asked. Balaam decided to ask the Lord again since this sounded like a pretty good offer. (Num.22:19) Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will speak unto me more. (20) And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.   Balaam did not like God's “no,” so God, wanting to put to death his covetous self-will, gave him a “yes.” (21) And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. (22) And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of the Lord placed himself in the way for an adversary against him…   Notice that God was angry that He went contrary to the first word spoken to him. The ass carrying Balaam to his reward, saw the angel with his sword in the way and stopped, saving his life. Balaam, still ignorant of the angel, was furious and beat the ass. Then God opened the ass's mouth to reason with Balaam, who was so blinded by the prospect of reward that he did not realize that an ass was reasoning with him and making more sense than he was.   (Num.22:32) And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is perverse before me. The Hebrew word translated “perverse” here means “headlong” or “self-willed.” Because of this self-will, the Lord gave Balaam what he wanted to hear and told Balaam to go and speak what he was told to speak, but when Balaam went, the angel of the Lord was waiting to kill him.  Balaam got the following revelation through this: (Num.23:19) God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and will he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good? Balaam really wanted God to change His Word. Have we ever been there? It is a dangerous place to be in if we want a straight answer from God. God can send deception that will lead to crucifixion of the flesh or in more stubborn cases reprobation.   (Jude 1:11) Woe unto them! for they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. We can be hired by our own selfish desires. Balaam wanted God to tell him “yes” and refused to hear God's “no,” so God told him “yes.” Be careful how much you want something from God. God wants us to submit our will to His, to desire what He wants, and to take Him at His Word. Do not let your flesh be pampered by voices that speak contrary to what the Word has already spoken, or God will send deception.   (2Th.2:11) And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: (12) that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Many have adopted deceptive doctrines that appease their selfish desires such as doctrines of materialistic prosperity rather than sacrifice, unconditional eternal security so that they may live after the flesh without fear of God's warnings, rapture without purification through trial, eternal life without discipleship and holiness, etc.   God's people have justified just about anything to appease their flesh such as unscriptural divorces, abortion, drunkenness, drugs, lying, stealing, etc. Peace for the flesh is deception. Satan and his ministers are anxious to tell us what our flesh wants to hear. (2Co.11:14) And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. (15) It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness…   When Jeroboam was the king of the northern ten tribes, he was afraid that his people would go and worship in the ordained temple at Jerusalem and, in so doing, stay and serve the king of Judah. He decided that he would erect altars for the people in Bethel and Dan. Jeroboam then made two golden calves and called them in Hebrew Elohim (1Ki.12:28). He put the name of our God on his own creation. Aaron did the same thing when Israel came out of Egypt. He built a golden calf and called it in Hebrew YHWH and Elohim. The apostate religions teach a Jesus of their own creation, not the Jesus of the Bible. Paul called him another Jesus (2Co.11:4). Jeroboam and his people were serving another Jesus.  The golden calf was the Egyptian god Apis who was called the creator. In other words, they were worshiping the god they knew in the world before they ate the Lamb and came out of Egypt. Many “Christians” are worshiping a Jesus that is acceptable to the world and the flesh. Jeroboam and his apostates were also making priests (ministers) who were not Levites (1Ki.12:31). This tells me that in ten of the twelve tribes, the ministers were not ordained of God but apostates. That is exactly what has happened in the church today.   God sent a young prophet to prophesy against the altar in Bethel. In Hebrew, “Bethel” means “house of God.” At that time, the king was standing at the altar offering incense before the people. When the prophet prophesied against the altar, the king stretched out his arm and pointed his hand at the prophet and told his men to seize him. At that point, the king's hand dried up and he could not draw it back. The altar rent and ashes poured out, which the prophet prophesied would happen.   This, obviously, symbolized that God did not accept their sacrifices in this place of apostasy. The king asked the prophet to restore his hand, so the prophet prayed, and the Lord restored the king's hand. As a result, the king wanted to take the prophet home and reward him. The prophet declined for he was commanded by the Lord to neither eat bread nor drink water in that place (1Ki.13:8-9). That place was where God's people were in apostasy and where their leaders were not ordained of God. It was an apostate religious system.  We must not eat their bread! This represents partaking of a false Jesus since He was the bread of life (Joh.6:48). Jesus is also the Word. Jesus said to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. Leaven changes the bread (the Word) to make it more acceptable to the flesh. Neither should we drink their water, which represents the false spirit formed by a false word. Jesus commanded us to come unto Him and drink of the living water of the Spirit through the Scriptures. (Joh.7:37)… Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. (39) But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive… Without this, any Jesus we might know is another Jesus.   The prophet was being obedient and was leaving those backslidden people. In Bethel, there was an older prophet who had heard what the young prophet did. He saddled his ass and caught up with him. (1Ki.13:15) Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. (16) And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: (17) for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. (18) And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. [But] he lied unto him.   (19) So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. The young prophet falsely believed that God had changed His Word that was originally given and so ate and drank of the apostate word. We are told in Jude 1:3 to contend earnestly for the faith which was once… delivered unto the saints. Today many without scriptural foundation tell us that after the apostles God changed what He called an “eternal covenant.” This lie has robbed the Church of its power by replacing Jesus with a golden calf. Daniel and his three friends would not defile themselves with Babylon's food (Dan.1:5-16). After refusing Babylon's food, they were said to have ten times the wisdom and understanding of those who did eat (Dan.1:17-21). They also were the only ones to not bow down to the image of the beast (Dan.3:12,18), Babylon's version of the golden calf.  The young prophet was deceived into a modern gospel. (1Ki.13:20) And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back; (21) and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient unto the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,   (22) but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers. The Lord tried the young prophet; but he was said to have “not kept the commandment” of the Lord, which was synonymous with partaking of apostate spiritual food. He lost his life in that place as many do today. The old prophet of God spoke a lie for personal gain. That place had leavened him, and he was now a false “profit.”   We must respect the Word of God so much that nothing can turn us away from it to another Jesus. We have to remain on guard, for even vessels of honor can be used as vessels of dishonor to try us. When the young prophet left a lion met him in the way and slew him. (1Ki.13:26)… the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord…The lion was given permission from God to kill the one who ate the apostate spiritual food. (1Pe.5:8)… the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. “May” is used here because the devil must have permission to devour. He is ordained to devour apostates.   The Lord tested the apostle Paul by His Spirit. (Acts19:21) Now after these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. Paul determined in the Spirit, that he was going to Jerusalem and then to Rome. He could have only gotten that revelation from God because it was in the future. (Act.20:22) And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: (23) save that the Holy Spirit testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. It was the Holy Spirit telling Paul to go to Jerusalem where he could expect bonds and afflictions.   (Act.21:4) And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem. Notice this was just the opposite of what the Holy Spirit had told Paul he was going to do three times before. Paul was being proven by “the Spirit” as to whom he would listen. Other disciples were offering a new word. He was being given an opportunity to obey his flesh and avoid the spiritual cross. (Act.21:10) And as we tarried there some days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. (11) And coming to us, and taking Paul's girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.   Having been told by the Spirit again that he would go to Jerusalem and be persecuted, he was now going to be tried by human sentiment. (12) And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. (13) Then Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. (14) And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. Paul obeyed what the Lord told him, which is the important thing.   The Lord will try us by His Spirit to see if we will believe what He has told us. We need to believe the original promises above all that we see and hear. God will prove or try us through religion, ministers, spoken word, or well-meaning friends. We are tried by external circumstances, but we are tempted by our own lusts. These things are necessary to prove who loves God. God waited until the last seconds, when Abraham was about to plunge the knife into Isaac, stopped him and said unto him, Now I know that thou fearest God (Gen.22:12). There is no proof that we believe God's promises until we are tried. The Lord then provided a ram caught in a thicket for a sacrifice in the place of Isaac, the seed of Abraham. This, of course, typified Jesus who died in the place of all the seed of Abraham, including we who believe.  God will tell our spirit what He wants us to do. Dreams, visions, revelations, or spoken words will agree with our spirit, but not our flesh. When God sends us to a cross, we are going to be tried to not go. We can also be tried to go beyond the Lord. We should do nothing when we are uncertain of God's direction. We should not be led by prophecy or by dreams and visions when they disagree with our own spirit. These are to be wonderful confirmations and direction for what we feel in our spirit. We are to be led by the Spirit of God.   If God puts something Scriptural in our spirit, we should let no one talk us out of it. Peter was used to try Jesus in this way. Jesus told the disciples that He was to die at Jerusalem, and Peter rebuked Him. (Mat.16:22) And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee. (23) But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. Jesus knew that He was being tempted by Satan through Peter to do his own fleshly will.  Many may be tested by alien demons, artificial intelligence, CGI, religion's seducing doctrines, fleshly enticements, money and prosperity but we must follow the Spirit and Word through our spirit to escape.

In this week's study, I finish Chapter 20. Before I get into the study, I talk about the effects of the illegal immigrants crossing our southern border I our school system with the overcrowding of students and how effects classroom learning. Also the cost effects that burdens the tax payers.  9   The final defeat of the devil (Revelation 20:9-10) Zechariah 14:16-19 shows clearly that, at this time, the nations should be coming to Jerusalem. That is what Yahweh has commanded them to do. And they went up on the breadth of the earth = They, those allies with Satan, spread over the earth in extended columns.And compassed the camp of the saints about = Besieged the camp of the saints considered as engaged in war, or as attacked by an enemy.And the beloved city = Jerusalem - a city represented as beloved by Yahweh and by his people.And fire came down from Yahweh out of heaven, and devoured them - Consumed them - fire being represented as devouring or eating. See Rev. 17:1610   Was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone = In Rev. 19:20, it is said of the beast and the false prophet that they were “cast alive into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone.” Satan, on the other hand, instead of being doomed at once to that final ruin, was confined for a season in a dark abyss, Rev. 20:1-3. We now come to the last of these final five judgment scenes— of the Great White Throne.11           And I saw a great white throne, = "great," is distinction from the other thrones mentioned in this book, and that of chapter 4:2-6. That was set "in heaven." This is seen in the last Vision "on earth"; as were also the throne in the fourth verse.From whose face = Or, from whose presence12           And I saw the dead, small and great = All the deadStand before Yahweh = That is, they appear thus to be judged.And the books were opened = That is, the books containing the record of human deeds.And another book was opened, which is the book of life = The book containing the record of the names of all who shall enter into life, or into heaven.And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books = The records which had been made of their deeds.According to their works = See the notes on 2Corin. 5:1013           And the sea gave up the dead which were in it = All that had been buried in the depths of ocean.14.         And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire = Death and Hades (hell) are here personified, as they are in the previous verse.15           And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. = The book of life was the registry of the approved of Yahweh. The names not found in it were not a part of Yahweh's called and chosen people--they belonged to the society opposed to the church/ek-kelsia.Don't end up like those in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God (Elohim), I will also forget thy children.'But, be like those in 2Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God (Yahweh), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh! Have any questions? Feel free to email me; keitner2024@outlook.com 

In this week's study, I continue in Chapter 20 verses 7 and 8. Before I get into the study, I talk about the opening day ceremonies at the Olympics with drag queens mocking Yahshua Messiah's Last Supper event along with First Lady Jill Biden praising the opening day ceremonies.We continue with this Chapter 20 with Yahweh's judgments against those on the earth. We have completed 3 of those1st judgment was against man2nd judgment was the binding of Satan verses 1-3 Before the Millennium3rd judgment was for the over comers verses 4-6Now we come to the:THE FOURTH JUDGMENTSo far we have studied the imprisonment of Satan, the allocation of rulers and the resurrection of the saints in the first 6 verses.  You will remember that when Yahshua Messiah the warrior king returns he immediately orders Satan to be bound and incarcerated in the abyss for the duration of the millennium. Imagine 1000 years of unthreatened holiness will characterize the messianic age.  None of his demon horde will be roaming over the earth enacting their diabolical plots.  And this will go on until the very end when Satan will be released briefly and ultimately destroyed eternally in an epical battle.7.  And when the thousand years are completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison = In verse 3 it was stated that "he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be finished; after this he MUST be loosed a little season." Here, in verse 7, we have the fact, the necessity of which is there declared.8.  And will go out to deceive = How, and with what lies, Satan will deceive them we are not told. But we are not without examples of how easily nations may be deceived by man, even in our own day. And Satan will find means to discredit Yahweh's dealings and misrepresent His words. the Nations = The meaning here is, that Satan would again, for a time, act in his true character, and in some way once again delude the nations once more. In what way this would be done is not stated. It would be, however, clearly an appeal to the wicked passions of mankind, exciting a hope that they might yet overthrow the kingdom of Yahweh on the earth.which are in the four corners of the earth, = Literally, corners of the earth, as if the earth were one extended square plain. The earth is usually spoken of as divided into four parts or quarters - the eastern, the western, the northern, and the southern. It is implied here that the deception or apostasy referred to would not be confined to one spot or portion of the world, but would extend afar.God and Magog, = "Gog and Magog" denote the nations as a whole. Magog is mentioned as the first son of Japhet in Gen 10:2. With him are associated his brethren, Gomer (Kimmerians), Madai (Medians), Meshech (Muscovites), etc. In Ezek 38:5, are added Persians, and Ethiopians, and Libyans. Josephus renders the word Magog, Scythians (Ant. i. 6, 3). The two words combine the nations North and East of Palestine.to gather them together to battle: = As if to assemble them for ‘the war';the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. = A common comparison in the Scriptures to denote a great multitude Don't end up like those in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God (Elohim), I will also forget thy children.'But, be like those in 2Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God (Yahweh), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh! Have any questions? Feel free to email me; keitner2024@outlook.com 

Jehovah Elohim, the Mighty Creator, is the very first name of God you encounter in the Bible. Tune in as Marilyn teaches about the power and creativity of the Lord!

Jehovah Elohim, the Mighty Creator, is the very first name of God you encounter in the Bible. Tune in as Marilyn teaches about the power and creativity of the Lord!

God is our safe place - even going to the extent of making the ultimate sacrifice for us. We can trust him.

We???re going to begin a series on Foundations about the names of God. We???ll begin with Elohim.Your support sends the gospel to every corner of Australia through broadcast, online and print media: https://www.vision.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dear OBC Family,What does baptism have to do with the flood? Or to reverse it, what does the flood have to do with baptism?This Sunday, we will discover that baptism is not simply an ordinance that divides churches—do we baptize infants, or only believers? (The answer is believers

Our services are live streamed every week from our church in Corpus Christi, Texas.  More information about our church or what it means to be a Christian can be found at: http://www.heritagebaptistcctx.org Follow us on Facebook for upcoming events! https://www.facebook.com/HeritageBaptistCorpus/

Our services are live streamed every week from our church in Corpus Christi, Texas.  More information about our church or what it means to be a Christian can be found at: http://www.heritagebaptistcctx.org Follow us on Facebook for upcoming events! https://www.facebook.com/HeritageBaptistCorpus/

Jehovah Elohim, the Mighty Creator, is the very first name of God you encounter in the Bible. Tune in as Marilyn teaches about the power and creativity of the Lord!

We are dust. It's not an inspiring reality, but it's one that should humble us. We have come from the dust, and because of sin, we will return to the dust. The dust reminds us that we are mortal and our days our fleeting. Yet for all who are in Christ, we have great hope beyond the dust. The creation of Adam (Gen 2) points us forward to the resurrection of the second Adam (1 Cor 15), and the coming of the New Creation (Rev 21-22). As we approach this Sunday, take some time to read Genesis 2:4-14 and consider what this text reveals about God and man, and think about how the words and themes introduced in this passage are threaded throughout the Scriptures.May the Lord bless our fellowship this Lord's Day as we gather to worship Him!Blessings in Christ,Pastor BenAs a reminder, the Dale City Community Group will be in overflow this Sunday.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Discussion & Response Questions (Genesis 2:4–14)How does Genesis 2:4–14 function in relationship to the Creation Week (Gen 1:1–2:3)?How is Genesis 2:4–14 organized?What should we notice when we read “LORD God” (YHWH Elohim) instead of “God” (Elohim)?What do you observe about God's attributes and works in Genesis 2:4–14? Compare and contrast with creation and mankind.What is unique to the antediluvian (pre-Flood) world?How is the creation of man unique from the creation of everything else?Consider the significance of dust throughout the Scriptures. What are practical implications of being of the dust, and returning to the dust?How does man receive life? What is significant about this? How is this theme threaded throughout the Scriptures?What might be observed about the rivers, gold, and precious stones mentioned in Genesis 2? Compare and contrast with the Tabernacle, Temple, and New Creation.How ought we to respond to this text?

Elohim is the Hebrew word used over 2500 times to describe the sovereign God of creation. It implies the all-powerful nature of God, who is self-existing outside of time and space. Elohim implies a plurality of majesty, which is the triune nature of God. It does not imply that there are multiple gods, but one God, with a triune Godhead: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. All of creation reflects the image of the triune nature of Elohim. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…”—Romans 1:20 Elohim made Adam's race to bear His triune image. He has redeemed us to have a relationship with Him. Join Pastor Phil as he unpacks the triune nature of Elohim and how we can be His image-bearers on earth! Don't forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! ● Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abundantlifels/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abundantlifels ● Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilHopperKC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhopper_kc/ Web: https://livingproof.co/about-us/pasto... ● Be a part of the Great Commission: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/ #AbundantLife #NamesofGod #Elohim #Sermon

In this continuing study I take a look at the Rapture Doctrine. Is this a Pre-Trib, as taught in most main stream Churches are do Christians go through the Tribulation Period? I compare Thessalonians to Matthew 24 along with Revelation. I venture into Paul's writings to explore what he has to say, along with what Yahweh says in Ezekiel.  In this Part 54 I continue our study in this Matthew 24 verse 43 I do a quick recap on what we have learned about this so called pre-trib rapture doctrine I go back to Matthew 24 verse 3 to the 3 questions that His disciples asked Him Take note that there is NOT ONE VERSE that we covered so far that describes a Pre-Trib Rapture! 43  But know this = or ‘you do know this' that if the good man of the house = or the householder, or master of the family, had known in what watch the thief would come = whether at the first, second, third, or fourth watch; for the night was divided into four watches; watch = ‘foo-lak-ay''; the act of keeping watch; watch guards; the place of keeping guard; also the time of a watch. Ezekiel 3:17-22 Eze 3:17  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  Eze 3:18  When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.  Eze 3:19  Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.  Eze 3:20  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.  Eze 3:21  Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.  Eze 3:22  And the hand of Yahweh was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. he would have watched = in every watch either in person, or by employing others, or both: and would not have suffered his house to be broken up = (dee-or-oos-so). Someone that digs through the tile roof or under the dirt floor (other words dirt in the poorer houses).44  Therefore = on this account. Greek. dia touto.be = become. In such an hour as ye think not. = The words are important as showing that even the signs which were to be as the budding of the fig-tree at the approach of summer were intended only to rouse the faithful to watchfulness, not to enable men to fix the times and the seasons which the Father hath set in His own power. I also do a quick study on the Hour of Temptation Rev. 3:8-12; 2 Peter 2:1-9; Isa. 65:11-16, 62:1-12; Mark 13:9-11; Matthew 25:1-13  Don't end up like those in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God (Elohim), I will also forget thy children.' But, be like those in 2Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God (Yahweh), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'Have any questions? Feel free to email me at keitner@netzero.net

In this week's study, I continue in Chapter 15 verse 3, discussing the Song of Moses. I go into Deuteronomy 32 and read that song of Moses, unraveling the prophecy implications.Before I begin to go into this study, I was again go into a rant on some of the current events that affected our daily life. I discuss once again some of the Jewish writing found in the Talmud, which speaks against the Gentiles or as the Hebrews say Goyim. I bring about the attention to the 2012 magazine cover from the Rothschild owned “The Economist” which was their Christmas issue. On this cover is show the Hamas and Netanyahu at war with one and even “hang gliding” as on the poster of Black Livers Matter promoting the Hamas. Mike Stone stated, which I believe he is 100% accurate, in his title of his article “It's Satanists Vs. Humanity, Not Hamas Vs. Israel”The Sixth Vision "In Heaven”It is the Vision which introduces us to the most terrible of all the Visions which affect the earth; for it is followed by the Seven Vials, the seven great and final judgments which close up the whole series set forth in chapters— 16  The Great Judgments.  17  The Great Whore.  18  The Great City.IntroductionChapter 15 is the final chapter and the climax of the “Introduction to the Bowls”, which began with chapter 12.In our last study we just started verse 3 and we were looking at the phrase ‘song of Moses' and the ‘Song of the Lamb'. This morning I would like to continue looking into this ‘Song of Moses” and the ‘Song of the Lamb' a little more deeper.Here is a outline of the verses of Deuteronomy 32"The Song of Moses" (Deut 32:1-43).A | 1-6. Yahweh's call to Hear: and the reason. The publishing of Yahweh's name: His perfect work and righteous ways.    B | 7-14. The goodness and bounty of Yahweh to Israel. (Period of the Pentateuch).        C | 15-19. Israel's evil return for that goodness. Their pride: forsaking of Yahweh; despising the Rock of their Salvation; moving Him to anger. (Period, past history. The Historical books).            D | 20. Divine reflections on the period while Israel is "Lo Ammi" (not my people). (Period of Minor Prophets, esp. Hosea).                E | 21. Yahweh's aggravation of Israel. (Period of Acts and present Dispensation).                E | 22-25. Yahweh's threatening of judgment on Israel in the great Tribulation.            D | 26-33. Divine reflections on the period while Israel is scattered. (Hosea).        C | 34-38. Israel's evil return for Yahweh's goodness. Their helpless condition moving Him to pity. He not forsaking them. Their Rock useless. (Period of present history).    B | 39-42. The Judgments of Yahweh. (The period of the Apocalypse).A | 43. Yahweh's call to Rejoice: and the reason. The publishing of Jehovah's Kingdom. Vengeance on Israel's enemies. Mercy for His Land and for His People. (Fulfilment of all Prophecy).Don't end up like those in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God (Elohim), I will also forget thy children.'But, be like those in 2Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God (Yahweh), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.' Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh! Have any questions? Feel free to email me at keitner@netzero.net

Listen in as Phil discusses how knowing God as the creator of the world should transform the way we live.

Today we're going to start with a quick survey of two names: Elohim and El Shaddai, they reveal The All-Sufficient Mighty God. Senior Pastor - Chuck Angel

Deuteronomy 6:3-5 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD [Yahweh] is our God [Elohim], the LORD [Yahweh] is one! Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; Deuteronomy 4:35 and 39 There is no other. Deuteronomy 10:17 God of gods, Lord of lords Exodus 20:1-3 The word “elohim” occurs 2,606 times, most often (but not exclusively) referring to Yahweh. Judges, Moses, Samuel, David, angels, unholy gods, and demons also are called elohim. When referring to Yahweh, elohim means the sovereign almighty God overall. When used regarding human judges and spirit beings, it also refers to a sovereignty of a lesser degree, one who manages the affairs of others. Yahweh is an elohim, but no other elohim is Yahweh. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 10:19-22 2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan is the god of this age. Hebrews 2:5-8 Angels are also called elohim. Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; Acts 13:33; and Psalm 2:7 Hebrews 1:5-9; Psalm 45:6-7 Jesus will be the god of the new age. Exodus 18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods. Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11 Yahweh is the Creator. Revelation 1:8; 4:8 Yahweh is Almighty God Psalm 97:9 Yahweh Most High Psalm 24: 8-10 Yahweh King of Glory Psalm 2:11-12 Worship Yahweh; give homage to the Son. Psalms 29:1-2; 95:6-7; 99:5 and 9; 22:27; 66:4 Worship Yahweh. Deuteronomy 6:3-5The post Yahweh Alone is God first appeared on Living Hope.

In this continuing study I take a look at the Rapture Doctrine. Is this a Pre-Trib, as taught in most mainstream Churches are do Christians go through the Tribulation Period? I compare Thessalonians to Matthew 24 along with Revelation. I venture into Paul's writings to explore what he has to say, along with what Yahweh says in Ezekiel. I also ask the listeners to grab a pencil and paper as we create charts for comparison as we get deeper into this study. In this Part 52 I continue our study in this Matthew 24 verse 40. In our last study we covered verses 37 to 39 the Days of Noah. I do a recap of that Days of Noah. This week's study we will look at the 2 in the field and the 2 women grinding.Take note that there is NOT ONE VERSE that we covered so far that describes a Pre-Trip Rapture! 40           then = tot'-eh; (made up of 2 Greek words ‘to' [the] and ‘hot-eh' [at which (thing) too, that is when or after that]) the when, that is, at the time that (of the past or future, also in a sequence or succession of events or things): - that time, then.in the field = the world. Remember the Parable of the tares in Chapter 13? Yahshua Messiah tells his disciples in verse 38 that ‘the field is the world'. Therefore can we conclude that people are working throughout the world?Shall be taken – left = Both verbs are in the present tense, which makes the saying more lively. One is taken and one is left.Taken = ‘par-al-am-ban'-o' From 2 Greek words ‘par-ah' and ‘lam-bam-o'; to receive near, that is, associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation);Left = ‘af-ee'-ay-mee' From ‘apo' and ἵημι hiēmi (to send; an intensive form of εἶμι eimi (to go));41           Two women shall be grinding at (en/in) the mill. = In the absence of mills turned by wind or water, which were of much later invention, every household had its own little hand mill, worked by women of the family or by slaves.  A key to understanding the Bible is to examine a verse in its context. The full context begins in Matthew 24:6 with, “But of that day and hour [of Yahshua Messiah's second coming] no one knows.” It ends in Matthew 24:44 with, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Clearly, the topic is preparedness for the Messiah's second coming.  Don't end up like those in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God (Elohim), I will also forget thy children.'But, be like those in 2Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God (Yahweh), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'Have any questions? Feel free to email me at keitner@netzero.net

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the chaos going on in the world? So many of us—we watch the disturbing headlines scroll by and think, “When will all the discord and division end?” I take comfort in knowing our God is Elohim. That means, “Supernatural Judge.” When the world as we know it is remade, God will rule. And under His rule, all wrong things will be put right. God's justice and righteousness will be done in the new earth—just as it is in Heaven. Are there areas of your life that feel chaotic? You can ask God—Elohim—to help you judge wisely and make good decisions. You can trust Him to help you bring chaos into order. And if you've been wronged, you can ask Him to pour out justice on your behalf. So, do it. Give Him that opportunity. Lean on Elohim. This is Andrew Palau. Genesis 1:1 radio.hopewithgod.com

Psalm 91 teaches us that the best and safest place in all the world to be is in the “secret place”, the “hidden place”, of fellowship, worship and communion with the LORD. As Brother Lawrence put it, we can “practice the presence of God” wherever we are and whatever we are doing. Yes, we should find and secure that quiet place of devotion and prayer every morning before we begin our day, but we should also continuously be walking in His presence as we deal with the cares and challenges of our daily life. Paul taught us that we should “pray without ceasing…” (1 Thessalonians 5:7). As believers we need to always remember what Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1-3, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  We both “seek” and “set” our hearts on those things that pertain to the “kingdom of God”.  This is sometimes called “the Pursuit of God”. In the first thirteen verses of this chapter the psalmist is describing the wonderful benefits of living the “hidden life” with God. We will continuously experience God's presence, protection, and His peace even when the enemy attacks us with his fiery darts (v. 5; Ephesians 6:10-18), or when the “pestilence” or deadly diseases are taking the lives of thousands around us (vv. 6-7).   Now in the closing verses 14-16, God Himself speaks and gives His pledge of salvation and a long and satisfying life to those of His people who truly loved Him and acknowledged Him with obedient lives. The word translated "love" is not the usual word but one that means "to cling to, to cleave, to be passionate." It is used in Deuteronomy 7:7 and 10:15 for the love Jehovah has for His people Israel. (See John 14:21-24.)  In verse 14, the LORD promises the person that “knows His name”, that He will “set him on high”. This means God's blessings will be deliverance and protection, answered prayer, companionship in times of trouble, honor, satisfaction, and a long life (Psalm 21:4; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 30:20). To “know His name” is to be intimately acquainted with God's character and awesome attributes!  Remember the psalmist began this chapter highlighting four different names of God. He is the Most High (Elyon; vv. 1, 9). He is higher than the kings of the earth and the false gods of the nations. He is also the Almighty (Shaddai; v. 1), the all-sufficient God who is adequate for every situation. He is LORD (vv. 2, 9, 14), Jehovah, the covenant-making God who is faithful to His promises. He is God (Elohim, v. 2), the powerful God whose greatness and glory surpass anything we can imagine. The salvation mentioned at the end of the Psalm may mean help and deliverance during life, as in Psalm 50:23, and no doubt the joy of beholding the glory of God after a long and satisfied life. To the Jewish people, living a long life and seeing one's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, was the ultimate of blessing in this life. Like Abraham, they wanted to die in a good old age and "full of years" (Gen. 25:8), which means "a fulfilled life." It's one thing for doctors to add years to our life, but God adds life to our years and makes that life worthwhile.   A fulfilled and satisfied life will only be found by thosewho truly love the Lord and live daily in obedience to His Word. Jesus said it this way in John 14:21&23, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." …"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”  The long, fulfilled, and satisfying life is the blessing reserved for the person who lives the “hidden life in Christ” and “who dwells in the secret place of the Most High”.  May the LORD help us to seek this life today! God bless!

September 3, 2023

Psalm 91 is about the “secret place” of fellowship, worship and communion with the LORD. Interestingly, it is written by an anonymous writer. Remember when Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray that He told them in Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”   The most important part of a believer's life is the part that only God sees. The "hidden life" of communion and worship is symbolized in the Old Testament by the Holy of Holies in the Jewish sanctuary (Ex. 25:18-22; Heb. 10:19-25). Only the High Priest was allowed to go into this “Most Holy Place” once a year with the blood of the proper sacrifice to make atonement for the sins of the people. In the Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant that was covered by the Mercy Seat. Over the Mercy Seat were two cherubim angels facing each other with their wings almost touching in the middle. This was the dwelling place of the God in the midst of His people.   Over and over again, Scripture reminds us that God is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1). He hides us that He might help us and then send us back to serve Him in the struggles of life. (See Psalms 27:5; 31:19-20; 32:7; 73:27-28; 94:22; 142:5; Deut. 32:37.) The author of this Psalm made sure that his dwelling place was his Lord (vv. 1, 9, 10). The safest place in the world is a shadow, if it is the shadow of the Almighty.   Through Jesus Christ we find safety and satisfaction under the wings of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies (Psalms 36:7-8; 57:1; 61:4; 63:2, 6-7). Jesus pictured salvation by describing chicks hiding under the wings of the mother hen (Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34), and the psalmist pictured communion as believers resting under the wings of the cherubim in the tabernacle.   Four different names of God are used in the first two verses that encourage us to trust Him. He is the Most High God (Elyon; vv. 1, 9), a name found first in Genesis 14:18-20. He is higher than the kings of the earth and the false gods of the nations. He is also the Almighty (Shaddai), the all-sufficient God who is adequate for every situation (Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11). He is LORD (vv. 2, 9, 14), Jehovah, the Great I AM, the personal and the covenant-making God who is faithful to His promises. He is God (Elohim, v. 2), the powerful creator God whose greatness and glory surpass anything we can imagine.   Remember Psalm 9:10, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”  God's many names reflect His character and His attributes and when you intimately acquainted with them you will have no problem with putting your trust in Him.   This is the God who invites us to fellowship with Him in the Holy of Holies! This hidden life of worship and communion makes possible the public life of obedience and service. This God shelters us beneath the wings of the cherubim, but He also gives us the spiritual armor we need (v. 4; Eph. 6:10-18). His truth and faithfulness protect us as we claim His promises and obey Him.   In verse 4, “His truth is our shield and buckler”. The shield is the large shield that covers the whole person. (See Gen. 15:1; Deut. 33:29; 2 Sam. 22:3.) Some translations give "bulwark" or "rampart" instead of "buckler." The Hebrew word means "to go around" and would describe a mound of earth around a fortress. But the message is clear: those who abide in the Lord are safe when they are doing His will. God's servants are immortal until their work is done (Romans 8:28-39).   My friend, do you have a “secret place” where you worship, commune, and fellowship with your LORD in His Word and prayer?   God bless!

Psalm 88 is the last "sons of Korah" psalm in the Psalms and is perhaps the most plaintive song in the entire book. It is also the eleventh of thirteen “Maschil” (Hebrew) or “Contemplation” Psalms written especially to instruct. Universally acknowledged to be the saddest of all the psalms, there is scarcely a glimmer of hope anywhere. It is full of dejection, despair, death. The very last word of the psalm is the word "darkness."   Spurgeon said, “Assuredly, if ever there was a song of sorrow and a Psalm of sadness, this is one.” The Hebrew words Mahalath and Leannoth in the title, mean "sickness" and "for singing" or "for humbling." The first word probably refers to a sad melody to accompany this somber song, and the second might identify the purpose of the psalm, to bring us low before the Lord.   From the title of the psalm, we also learn that “Heman the Ezrahite" is the writer. There were two Hemans known to the Hebrew historians. We believe the writer of this Psalm was Heman, the son of Joel, the grandson of Samuel, who was one of the leaders of the musical side of the temple worship as organized by David (I Chronicles 6:33). He had fourteen sons and three daughters. The other is Heman who lived in Solomon's time (1 Kings 4:31).   In the Hebrew text, Psalm 88 ends with the word hoshek, which is translated "darkness." There is no closing note of triumph as in other Psalms that begin with pain and perplexity. The psalm speaks of darkness (vv. 1, 6, 12,18), life in the depths (vv. 3-4, 6), the immanence of death (vv. 5, 10-11), feelings of drowning (vv. 7, 16-17), loneliness (vv. 5, 8, 14, 18), and imprisonment (v. 8).   Most songs written by various musicians are a reflection of their feelings or emotions. Many songs also express not only the soul of the writer but the general sense or state of the culture that they live in. The most popular song in America today is one written and sung by Oliver Anthony called “Rich Men North of Richmond”.  On YouTube, it has over 42 million views. I heard one commentator called it a “funeral dirge” of the feeling and thoughts of a majority of Americans today. They are mourning and expressing their anger and frustration over the broken state of our nation today. Oliver, a country boy from Virginia, put it into the words of a song, pickup up his guitar and sang it and people can't stop listening to it because it expresses their feelings.   I believe this is what we find in Psalm 88! Heman was a servant of God who was suffering intensely and did not understand why, yet he persisted in praying to God and did not abandon his faith. Not all of life's scripts have happy endings, but that does not mean that the Lord has forsaken us. From Heman's experience, as recorded in this psalm, we can discover four instructions to follow when life falls apart and our prayers seemingly are not answered.   First, in verses 1-2, we learn that we should still come to the LORD by faith no matter what or how we are feeling! Heman's life had not been an easy one (v. 15) and now it had grown even more difficult, and he felt that death was very near (vv. 3, 10-11). But he did not give up! He still trusted in God, whom he addressed as "Lord—Jehovah" four times in this prayer (vv. 1, 9, 13, 14). "Jehovah" is the name of the Lord that emphasizes His covenant relationship with His people, and Heman was a son of that covenant. Heman also addressed Him as "God—Elohim," the name that expresses His power. The phrase "God of my salvation" indicates that Heman had trusted the Lord to save him, and the fact that he prayed as he did indicates that his faith was still active.   Suffering sours some souls; it sweetens others. The poet who penned Psalm 88 was a man made patient and prudent through pain. Today, by God's grace we can experience the same! Don't give up!   God bless!

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness (בַּמִּדְבָּר be'midbar), Prepare ye the way of יְהֹוָה (Iod-Chavah, Jehovah), make straight in the desert a highway for our God (אֱלֹהִים Elohim). Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of יְהֹוָה shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of יְהֹוָה hath spoken it."  ―Isaiah 40:3-5 What is the Voice of the Silence according to the kabbalistic teachings? It is the Christ, Logos, or Word (דָבָר dabar), our profound, innermost divinity who can be accessed through the path of meditation and initiation. Learn how to experience the Word (דָבָר dabar) through traversing the wilderness (בַּמִּדְבָּר be'midbar) of life. By transforming our daily sufferings through the path of initiation, we can in turn enter into the development and experience of the truth within our consciousness, becoming true, enlightened human beings endowed with cognizance, insight, and divine love. This lecture explains the kabbalistic, alchemical, and psychological contexts for interpreting The Voice of the Silence, especially through the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Samael Aun Weor.

The Names of God and Why You Need to Know This...   Pastor Todd's website: www.PastorTodd.org To give to this ministry: www.ToddCoconato.com/give    ach of the many names of God describes a different aspect of His many-faceted character. Here are some of the better-known names of God in the Bible: EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains. ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible's first sentence, the superlative nature of God's power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1). EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God's ultimate power over all. ADONAI [ˌædɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God's dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles. YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3). YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities. YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17. YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy. YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him. YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God's unique name YHWH and the generic word for “God” signifying that He is the Lord who is God. YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M'Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu) to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4). YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do. EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship. EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all. EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God's nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:2). EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God's enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).

Tuesday, 18 April 2023   After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. Acts 16:7   In the previous verse, Luke recorded that Paul and his company had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia. However, the Holy Spirit had stopped them from preaching in Asia. With that remembered, it now says, “After they had come to Mysia.”   The meaning is not that they came “into Mysia,” which was a province of Asia minor. Rather, the word kata is used. It signifies “over against.” They had come as far as (over against) Mysia. Mysia was a district in northwest Anatolia that adjoined the Sea of Marmara on the north and the Aegean Sea to the west.   From this point in their journey, it then says that “they tried to go into Bithynia.” Bithynia was a region, a kingdom, and a Roman province also located in the northwest area of Asia Minor. It bordered the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. Mysia was to its southwest. The men attempted to go into this region, “but the Spirit did not permit them.”   In the previous commentary, various suggestions of what this meant were given. This does not appear to be an active manifestation of God, such as when the Egyptians were actively hindered from coming near Israel by the pillar of cloud as those fleeing passed through the Red Sea.   Rather, what seems likely is that they simply were unable to successfully travel through this area for some unknown reason. They were hindered in their travels and took it as a sign from God that it was not His intention for them to go into this area yet. Rather, there were other areas He would have them evangelize first. This appears certain from the contents of verse 16:9.   As a side note, some manuscripts say, “the Spirit of Jesus” rather than “the Spirit.” If that is the true original, then it is a unique phrase, found only here in Scripture. If it is not original, it may have come from a margin note that later found its way into those manuscripts. Such a rare phrase is not unheard of. For example, the phrases “the Spirit of Christ,” “the Spirit of His Son,” and “the Spirit of Jesus Christ” are also seen in the New Testament.   The inclusion of the name of Jesus, if a later insertion, may have come about to avoid anyone thinking, “These men were hindered by an evil spirit.” To clarify the matter, a scribe may have made an insertion with the name Jesus which was later assumed to be part of the original. As always, such things should not cause the reader to assume that we have a fallible word. Rather, it should encourage us to contemplate the matter and think about why such things have come about.   Life application: To understand the difficulty of accurately translating a verse from the original to English, or how an insertion for clarity could later be thought of as original, we can take a very simple sentence from the Bible, Genesis 1:1, and make a comparison of a few translations. First, the original says –   b'reshit bara Elohim eth ha'shamayim v'eth ha'arets   a direct translation would be –   “In beginning created Elohim the heavens and the earth.”   Note that the two uses of eth in the Hebrew are not translatable. Rather, the word is an untranslatable mark of the accusative case, being generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition.    A few translations of this verse are –   In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV) In the beginning, God created the universe. (ISV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV) In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. (Douay-Rheims) In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth, (LSV) In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. (Amplified) In the beginning God formed the heavens and the earth. (SLT)   These are but a few of the variations of this verse. Notice how the KJV says “heaven” instead of “heavens.” Later, they will translate the exact same word as “the air” (Genesis 1:26, etc.), “the heavens” (Genesis 2:1, etc.), or some other variant. Being a plural word, their translation is wrong in Genesis 1:1. Further, the word “the” before beginning is not in the Hebrew and should be italicized as is normal with that translation for inserted words.   The word elohim at times means “gods” as in something other than the true God. Thus, the Amplified Bible both translates the word and includes it in parenthesis for clarity. It also explains the meaning of the word bara as an act of creation ex nihilo.   The SLT says “formed” without any explanation. Therefore, one might assume that the matter already existed, and God simply formed the universe from that preexisting matter. But another word, yatsar, is used to describe such a process, such as in the forming of man from the dust.   By looking over the differences in such translations, one can learn quite a bit about what is going on in the minds of the translators. But remember, this is a very simple sentence. Imagine how varied translations can be in longer or more complicated verses! Don't rush into judging translations until you have studied and thought through what is going on.   The study of Scripture is something that we can and should spend our whole lives pursuing. Be pleased to spend your time wisely and consider what God is telling us in this precious word! Study! Consider! Seek out! There is so much treasure to be found here.   Thank You, O God, for the wonderful word You have given us. And thank You for those who have taken the time to translate it so that we can have a sense of what the original languages are telling us. Help us to consider this word all our days, pondering its secrets and learning from its truths. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.  

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The Names of GodElohim - The CreatorWelcome to number three in our The Names of God series. This week, we're meditating on God the Creator.You have been created by the Creator.In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1 NLTCreated in His image to be like him.Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” - Genesis 1:26 NLTHow then should we act? Jesus revealed the way; demonstrating to us who our father is and what he is like.No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father]. - John 1:18 AMPBlessing you to walk in the fulness of your identity, just as Jesus demonstrated, so that you may release God's kingdom everywhere you go.Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10 AMPAmen!Become a PatronCultivate Connection has reached listeners in 157 countries, averaging 1,100 downloads a week. Help us reach even more by sharing Cultivate Connection with others.If you are one of the many who have been blessed by Cultivate Connection, become a monthly patron. As a patron, your generosity helps us create, host, and promote experiences that help others grow their relationship with God. Learn more on our website at CultivateConnection.com

In this message by Jeffrey Rachmat of Jakarta Praise Community Church, we are reminded of God's glorious standard for stewardship. God (Elohim) introduced the principle of stewardship in the Garden of Eden, before the Fall. Just as Adam was called to work the Garden, Christians are called to work what they have been given—marriage, ministry, marketplace—and to keep it (Gen 2:8, 15). Nothing on this earth belongs to us, but we have been given responsibility to take care of it all, and we must one day give an account to God. This may seem daunting, but God will not ask you to do what is beyond you; when He calls you to do something, it reveals the potential He has placed in you. Let this sermon encourage you to keep working with God and increasing your ability, living the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

We're diving into a four-week Advent series on the names of God. In Scripture, naming of people and places tends to be very important, and the same is true of the various names used for and to describe God. Benson & Sean will guide us through 20 of the most well-known names for God, and explore what they mean for us and how they help us better prepare our hearts for Jesus. Plus - a very special four-part Christmas countdown!

Genesis 1:1 AMP - In the beginning, God ([a]Elohim) [b]created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mildred-kingsley-okonkwo0/message