Sunday, 16 February 2025

I haven't written in a while, but not because I didn't have anything to say. 

Maybe I wanted to finish the studies first, before talking about it. But my time is so limited, I am not getting to my studies. And I am not happy about that. It is something that I will have to work on. 

Sometime last year, my morning devotional talked about that the mind should be like a hard stone, like a diamond. And your heart should be soft. The verse about the mind like a stone is from Ezekiel 3:8-10:

8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

Taken back to the Hebrew, adamant is a stone that was, or was very much like, a diamond. 

I did a whole study on diamonds and so many things started to change in my mind. A diamond is made of only 1 substance: carbon. Your mind, my mind, should be singular - fixed on God. James 1:8 talks about a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. And in ch 4:8 he says: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

When your thoughts are split, you fall. Jesus said in Matt 12:25 - And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

When your thoughts are divided, your loyalties are divided, your faith cannot stand. We all know that our mind is the battleground, Rom 12:2 admonishing us to renew our minds: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Fix your thoughts, fix your life. 

But what do you change your thoughts to? What should you be thinking, if what you have been thinking was wrong? Or were you on the right path? 

Soon after this, I started exploring various ideas I was previously averse to. I was scared for wrong, but I decided that I will need to broaden my perspective and I will ask God to protect me and help me to see right from wrong. 

I listened to youtube videos, read books on youtube (I don't have time to physically sit and read a book, so I listen to books on my way to work). An acquintance of mine offered one of her mind-changing courses for free, and I accepted. So many things started to open up and happen - it came to me, once I started searching.

I started my affirmations again. 

And, I decided what I want. 

It's been a hard road of discipline, and I get tired. Then I stop, and have to just start up again. I've worked on my habits, and the studies of the mind have not stopped. And new ideas and revelations are coming to light. 

There are 2 that stands out: 1. What is God's name? and 2. The power of creation. I will do full studies on these and put it up on the blog in due time. But just a quick thought about it...

When God called Moses, Moses asked Him who should he say sent him. And God answered... I AM. 

Please tell me, in your daily life, what words follow those two when it leaves your mouth? Is it positive or negative? You are ... what? And if it is the same name that God called Himself by, and you were made in His image, don't you think that perhaps using the words "I AM" in vain, is also sin?

Yes, I know how it sounds and that it is an extreme viewpoint. But just think about it for a minute. There's a lot more to it, too. But that will be part of the study. 

As for the power of creation... We are creators. God made us in His image and He is the OG Creator. We are because He created us. And we want to make stuff, because we are creators, like Him. But how are we creating? Do you know how to create? Gen 1 was God's imagination and Gen 2 the physical manifestation of that imagining. Sound too wild? Read it again. God spoke... and stuff happened. 

We are created in His image, and therefor we have the power of creation. Yes, it is painting, or building, or cooking or singing... but mostly, it is our thoughts and our words. Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. 

It's always fascinated me that death is mentioned first. Usually quoted, people put life first, but the Bible put death first. Maybe so we can hear it first and therefor here the warning better. 

Your imagination has the power to create, and your words will speak it into life. 

Again, maybe an extreme concept, but we will explore it more in the study. 

Extreme or not, I believe it to be true. And all the perverted uses of it around me, tells me I'm right. The devil can only imitate, he cannot create. So whatever is out there that is perverse, must have a pure origin. And there are thousands of theories and concepts out there about the mind that must focus, meditation, empty your mind, visualize your future... so if there is a perverse version of this, that focuses on your own power, and gives power to a universe, there must be a pure version. And in that version you also meditate... on God, and His word, like David says over and over in psalms... 9 times to be exact. In the pure version, we know that the power comes from God, that the concept of what you do will come back to you (world = karma), is a biblical concept. You don't empty your mind, because Jesus said in Matt 12:44-45 that a clean house will be filled with unholy spirits. You should be filled with the Holy Spirit - Eph 5:18.

My life has started to change. I changed. 

But it is hard, and I am tired. To get up and continue is a choice and to see your dream, but not reaching it, is demoralizing. But, I can see it. It is not out there somewhere anymore. I made a choice as to what I want, and I am working towards it. I believe it is a dream that God gave me, and why He can't just give it, I don't know. Guess I have to learn stuff on the way. Some days it is easier to accept than others, though. 

Some days, it feels like even my faith is failing me. And all that is left, is my mind. And I have to stand strong and make that choice to keep believing. To keep my thoughts like a diamond, pure and singularly focused on my dream and my goals. It is constant housekeeping, but that is how it is. Everything in life required maintenance. Nothing is made once-off and left alone. It has to be cleaned, and maintained in order to remain. When neglected and not used, it simply disintegrates. 

Whether it is your mind, your thoughts, your house, your clothes, your car, your hair, your relationships, your garden, your heart, your soul, your work... keep it clean. 

Keep your diamond clean. 

DNA Systems

God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than ours. It is different. He does not think the way we do.

And we haven’t always thought the same. Our thoughts and beliefs are conditioned, made and established through generations. 50 years ago people held different beliefs. 200 years ago people thought very, very differently to how and what we think now. But God doesn’t change. What and how He thinks is still exactly the same. We can’t even fathom the concept of never changing – everything we know constantly changes, it’s one of the things we have sayings for: “change is the only constant”, “nothing is certain but death and taxes”, etc.

Our thoughts are influenced and predestined by the generations before us. We have ingrained belief systems we adhere to, whether you believe it or not. There are opinions you have that are not 100% your own, but carried over by the people before you.

Best example: racism. My forefathers were racists, and extremely so. I am not. But I have to make that choice every time I go to town, every time I deal with a person of color. And not because I am an “undercover racist”, because the thought process & opinion about people of color is ingrained into my DNA. So my first reaction when I deal with a person of color, comes from the DNA. And I have to fight that every time. It’s a choice I make, and my hope is that I will break down this preconceived idea about people of color in the thought-DNA of my kids, and their kids.

Because the world thinks Jesus was a white man. He wasn’t. He was middle-eastern. Which means by today’s standards, He probably would have been seen as a radical, as a jihadist, based on His looks. This fact changed everything for me.

We live in a world where things run a certain way and you are expected to live your life in a certain way. You have to do certain things. Get a job, get married, have kids. Die bored and old in an old age home. Recently a lot of these preconceived notions have changed. Retirees start new jobs and new careers and live full lives for the last 20-30 years of their lives. Young people decide not to get married and have kids. Not even to have formal jobs but do “piece-jobs”, to work on spec and that on their timeline.

But the biggest system the world uses, is used by everyone: money. The idea is that you need money to live.

And you don’t.

Not in God’s plan.

God doesn’t deal in money. When the crowds were hungry, He didn’t ask who has money to go buy food and then made the money enough. He took the food there was and multiplied that. I have lived His provision. We had enough. Don’t know how. But we did.

We think work is a specific thing you do to make money, that thing you do that gives your life purpose and meaning. Sitting in a cubicle from 9-5 is work. Making dinner is also work, but not the kind you want to do. And raising kids is also work, except that it is seen more as self-inflicted punishment. (Also a very horrible concept the world thinks is funny – having kids is a blessing by God, making it a loathsome waste of your time is throwing it back in His face. Some jokes are not funny. Some things should not be joked about. Period.)

What if… we choose to break these destructive thought processes and re-classify what “work” is?

I have 5 kids. Raising them is my biggest “work”. Sometimes that means sitting down with them to watch a movie, playing with them, talking with them – discussing dinosaurs and why balloons are awesome (true story).

And then the DNA thoughts overwhelm me: But that’s not WORK!! I’m wasting time, I’m not doing anything that will bring in money at the end of the month. I am being lazy… O, and the torment continues. And I get up, tell my kids to go play, and I come and sit in front of this computer conjuring up something that resembles what the world sees as “work”.

Let’s not discuss the guilt that follows for NOT playing with my kids.

If what God sees is the most important, and my job in His eyes is raising my kids, then when was I actually “working”? Yes, when I was with my kids, doing my JOB as a parent. But the world system tells me I am not working, I am not doing anything worthwhile and I will die under a bridge in poverty.

Yes, talking to my kids about dinosaurs will not generate any income in any manner. But I am not here to generate an income. I am here to do God’s will, to do what He wants me to do, and He will take care of me and my family. How? I don’t know. And I don’t need to know. I need to TRUST and BELIEVE that He will.

7 years I have lived His provision – I still do! And I still battle with believing in God’s provision. It’s a battle He is winning, but it’s still a battle. Our ingrained DNA about what you’re supposed to be doing, is so very strong. But I sacrifice that and give it to God to help with regularly. He breaks down the old DNA and replaces it with new DNA. He can change your thought processes, your belief system, He can break down walls, He can make a way where there seems to be no way.

But you need to let go of the old way of thinking and give your life to Him to manage. I’m not talking about getting saved. Getting saved is one thing. Living a life lead by God, is quite another. You can be saved and still be trapped by the world’s systems. You need to break free from these systems, so God can live through you.

Laying down the old man is a continuous process. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a series of daily, constant choices. Our battle is making that choice: choosing God’s way over man’s. What comes next, how that will manifest, is not our problem. God will deal with that.

Let Him.