NCarolinian

Fear, to me, is the spiritual accumulation of all things negative for a given situation, especially a goal one desires to accomplish. Just as God is Spirit (John 4:24) and is also called Love (1 John 4:16), there is an inferior, personal spirit and it is called Fear. However, I have excellent news. " There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." ( 1 John 4:18 ) Father God's love was and is perfectly manifested in and through Christ Jesus (see John 17:26; Hebrews 1:3; Romans 8:31; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; 1 John 4:10; Romans 8:31-32; 1 John 2:23; Romans 8:38-39 ). When we accept Christ's sacrifice over our life and choose to follow Him, we become a new creature in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states it -  " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!" Being a new creation in Him, in Love, the spirit of ...

Once upon a time, King " David asked, 'Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?'" (2 Sam. 9:1)  David, in memory of his love for Johnathan, hence "for Johnathan's sake" , found Mephibosheth. This man was lame in both feet and came from an area called Lo Debar which means No Pasture, No Word . However, because of the "kindness" -  translated Grace or unmerited favor here - Mephibosheth was gifted his family's land and servants back, plus a seat at The Royal Table every meal - for Johnathan's sake . Once upon a time, Father God asked, "Is there anyone still left of Adam's race to whom I can show kindness (Grace) for Christ Jesus' sake?" All of humanity was spiritually lame and could not meet all the requirements stated in The Law for perfection. Everyone came from an enslaved sin market. However, the gift, The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ was and is made available...

Is it any wonder that all of us like music. For every person there is some genre, style, or classification that fits the bill. Whether the draw is the beat, the melody, the harmonies, the lyrics, the choice instruments and so forth - the influence is still profound. Music can communicate thoughts or feelings we have not been able to do justice expressing. Music is a freedom that allows us to celebrate our creativity or just share in the joy of it as we sing/play along with a song.  That is what I believe music was in the very beginning - a joyous expression of everything wonderful as a praise offering to Father God who supplies every good and perfect gift. Before The Fall there was nothing bad to sing about. And the leader of the heavenly worship was very likely Lucifer. Ezekiel 28:13 says, " The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created." The very body of this heavenly, angelic being was made-up of musical instruments use...

In the days before Christ, the nation of Israel had separate individuals filling the role of Prophet of the land, Priest of the people and King of Israel. Then when Christ Jesus arrived on the scene, He fulfilled every one of these roles in Himself. He still fulfills them for Israel today and for the rest of the world as well. Being a Prophet not only concerns the future but the office pertains to wisdom. Christ is Wisdom. This part of the Messiah's ministry is connected with the Mind. Within the mind we ponder, worry and process our information. Here is where we desperately need Jesus in and on our minds to aide with what concerns us and Him; to help in revealing what is to come. " Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2) Being a Priest means that someone is the Shepherd, the Watcher and Minster of s...

A train. A set of tracks. A Rail-line that they all belong to. I write today symbolically referring to our lives as such - a train on The Railway Of Life. I know each of us may at times in life feel like the caboose - last and having backward vision. Some may feel like one of the box cars - along for the ride and having a passer-by vision. Some individuals may view themselves as riders on the train with a limited view of the inside and a blurred perspective of the outside. However, for those who partner themselves with The Conductor in the front of the train - vision becomes a little more clear. Sure it is good to slow the train down to appreciate your surroundings and relationships on a regular basis. Sure there will be Depots that must be stopped at and life issues dealt with for a time. Passengers will come and go. But the one thing that must happen is to just keep chugging on - moving forward. Paul presented this idea to the believers in Philippi when he wrote them and said,...

In my Dad's house I see his fingerprints or touch everywhere. I smell his scent. I can physically feel the things he has made or fixed for the inside of the house. I can even hear the echo of his voice in the halls sometimes when he is not visibly there. So it is with my Heavenly Father also, except His house is much bigger and engulfs the earth - in fact - all of creation. The major difference to be mentioned here is that I can see my Dad anytime I desire. With my Heavenly Father, I still must rely on the large tells inside His House for His manifestations. However, it was not always like that, nor will it continue to be like this. Many moons ago, Father God sent the perfect representation of Himself into this world - His Word made flesh, Christ Jesus. When speaking to Phillip, Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) He did and does everything in union with The Father because they are one and the same. Paul declares, " The Son i...

Recently the Holy Spirit led me to read the book of 1 John. My take is that God was and is trying to communicate Christ is the ultimate example of brotherly love that we should be practicing daily. In addition, the significance of loving your brothers and sisters in Christ and reaching out to the world is eternal.  John warns the believer that the world system is a bunch of trappings meant to keep us slave to the temporal. God says through John -  "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15-17) Yet, the people of the world are who Christians are called to reach out to. Remember, every Christian was slave to the world and it's trappings before accepting Christ...

Christians know that their  enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour . ( 1 Peter 5:8 ) That "The Thief", another name for our enemy,  comes only to steal, kill, and destroy . ( John 10:10 ) A good example of how Satan tries to do this is found in the account of the Temptation of Christ - Matthew 4:1-11 . Temptation has at it's core  doubt  in something or someone. The challenge to turn the stones into bread doubted God's Provision. The dare to jump from the top of the Temple doubted God's Protection. The invitation to worship Satan for all the earthly kingdoms doubted God's Promises in Christ. In addition, all of the tempting was targeted at two vulnerable points - (1) when Christ was alone and (2) at Christ's supposed weaknesses. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to experience these temptations and possibly other trials during His forty day fast, on our behalf.   The Word of God, which was Himself in th...