Exodus 19:18
MOUNT SINAI WAS ALL WRAPPED IN SMOKE,
FOR THE LORD CAME DOWN UPON IT IN FIRE.
THE SMOKE ROSE FROM IT AS THUGH FROM A FURNACE,
AND THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN TREMBLED VIOLENTLY.
Exoudus 19:18
Hey, that reminds me of a volcanoe in action. Maybe it was a volcanoe and not God...
"Bea, please do not faint. I have a question: sometimes when I read the Bible I wonder "how can I know it is true?"
"My friend, do not faint. I often have the same question myself!"
I think my friend fainted.
So, what is real?
Well I read an article in www.datos.bo.com, written by Zana Petkovic. In it I found the following paragraphs:
The world can be divided in the kingdom of the real facts and the kingdom of the apparent which suffers constant change. According to Plato, the kingdom of the apparent is a cave in which we are seated, giving our backs to a burning flame, staring at the walls. While between us and the fire the real figures walk by projecting their shades upon the wall and these constitute our reality.
Nevertheless, Aristoteles does not erase the difference between the world of the ideas and the world of the apparent, he generalizes them. Aristoteles decides to change the idea into shape and substance; and chances the possible into real and does not convert real into apparent and ideas, or as we would say today, he transforms the improbable into probabe and viceverse.
Deep no? So what is real? Is the Bible real? Is God real? How much of the Bible is real?
Too bad Plato and Aristoteles are not about, they would have probably been able to explain things in a better way than me.
You see I have a winnie-the-pooh type of brain. Extremly simple. So my explanation won´t be so profound. But I hope it may help you out.
Have you ever been slobbbered? Lets say, has anybody sneezed real strong in front of you and your face received the slober?
"BEA!!!!!! YUCK!!!" sorry. It is the best example I can find. (I told you Aristoteles was a better option)
When such a thing happens you feel that YUCK feeling for hours later, even after you have washed yourself and after you have put perfume on. That feeling just won´t simply leave you.
Incredulity works the same. It sticks to you. Even if you quickly brush it off.
So when you are talking with somebody intellectual and mention God, he will probably laugh at you and say something like "I thought you were much smarter than to believe that!"
You quickly rationalize something clever. Like "Faith is the assurance of things not seen", but you have been spitted upon. Slobber is slidding down your face. And the grip of incredulity won't let go.
So you open your Bible and suddenly it feels so empty and cold. History or fairy tales?
The one thing that I find cleans me up is to read the Bible more and more, and wait upon God. I read as I wait for the Spirit to renew my faith.
I have also learned some tricks. I am more cautious as to whom I say things like "God told me" or "I saw God smiling" or "I heard God whistling"
I talk about God but usually say things like "I read in the Bible...." Or I read in a book or I heard a preacher say once.
Is it wrong?
No. I believe in being cautious. Even Jesus told us to be clever. Why speak in a way that will only hurt you and not really cause others to believe?
In fact if you visit me now you would probably be suprised to see that I do not speak that much. And often when I do speak it is irrrelevant and superficial stuff.Why? Incredulity.
My little sister asked me "ok, how am I supposed to know that God really told you that?"
"Well, if you improve your communication with Him, you could go up to Him and ask Him. God did you really tell Bea that?"
She thought I was making fun of her. I was not.
Incredulity almost killed me. It was hard. Since I was in a pentecostal environment I would hear people say things like "God told me" or "God, speak to us...what do you want us to do?"
So I started to share what I heard, saw and felt in the spiritual realm.
Surprise!!!!
Soon I started to feel I was crazy. Incredulity was often the answer to my words.
"I was praying last night for the people in the jungle and I could hear them crying out to God"
"Bea, YOU hear voices????" gulp.
One day we were in a meeting, several leaders and I. We were discussing missions.
"But you guys, just look at the map!"
silence. "Bea, there is no map." gulp.
one of the pastors noticed my pain and confusion.
"Bea, I see the map!"
"What color is it?" silence
"Bea, do not worry, one day I will see the map."
Incredulity. It dampens a relationship. I started to choose whom to talk to openly. And obviously this limited my conversations with the rest. And they became, dear but superficial friends.
I have friends with whom I can talk freely about God. Even about my own incredulity. And it is special. And I will make a comment that may hurt some, but that is not my intention at all. I really love each one of you in a special way.
But I have a friend, that hears God the way I do. And it is so much fun to be with her. I can tell her EVERYTHING. And many times before I finish the phrase she knows what God had in mind. We have such a good time when we meet. And so does God. I think that at the present the percentage of people who believe Him is small. So it is neat when He finds one who believes but even more fun to have TWO who believe Him together.
I dared to make this comment with a hope, the hope that you will be challenged to be in this group.
To be one that believes God.
Belief brings you so close to Him! If you do not believe Him He will continue to love you but He will not dare speak of His wildest dreams. He is careful with those precious dreams.
"Bea, but is He real? or a fantasy of your imagination? That was the real question"
Sorry...I got distracted.
Well, I have a winnie-the- pooh type of brain... have problems with numbers, and computers.
BUT one thing I do know.
God is real.
What most people walk in is real, but temporal and fragile. A bomb falls and it is gone. Whoosh! just like that.
The spiritual world is also real, but it is eternal. People will live eternally separated from God or eternally near God.
I strongly recommend you get to know this world. The spiritual wordl. The real world.
FOR THE LORD CAME DOWN UPON IT IN FIRE.
THE SMOKE ROSE FROM IT AS THUGH FROM A FURNACE,
AND THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN TREMBLED VIOLENTLY.
Exoudus 19:18
Hey, that reminds me of a volcanoe in action. Maybe it was a volcanoe and not God...
"Bea, please do not faint. I have a question: sometimes when I read the Bible I wonder "how can I know it is true?"
"My friend, do not faint. I often have the same question myself!"
I think my friend fainted.
So, what is real?
Well I read an article in www.datos.bo.com, written by Zana Petkovic. In it I found the following paragraphs:
The world can be divided in the kingdom of the real facts and the kingdom of the apparent which suffers constant change. According to Plato, the kingdom of the apparent is a cave in which we are seated, giving our backs to a burning flame, staring at the walls. While between us and the fire the real figures walk by projecting their shades upon the wall and these constitute our reality.
Nevertheless, Aristoteles does not erase the difference between the world of the ideas and the world of the apparent, he generalizes them. Aristoteles decides to change the idea into shape and substance; and chances the possible into real and does not convert real into apparent and ideas, or as we would say today, he transforms the improbable into probabe and viceverse.
Deep no? So what is real? Is the Bible real? Is God real? How much of the Bible is real?
Too bad Plato and Aristoteles are not about, they would have probably been able to explain things in a better way than me.
You see I have a winnie-the-pooh type of brain. Extremly simple. So my explanation won´t be so profound. But I hope it may help you out.
Have you ever been slobbbered? Lets say, has anybody sneezed real strong in front of you and your face received the slober?
"BEA!!!!!! YUCK!!!" sorry. It is the best example I can find. (I told you Aristoteles was a better option)
When such a thing happens you feel that YUCK feeling for hours later, even after you have washed yourself and after you have put perfume on. That feeling just won´t simply leave you.
Incredulity works the same. It sticks to you. Even if you quickly brush it off.
So when you are talking with somebody intellectual and mention God, he will probably laugh at you and say something like "I thought you were much smarter than to believe that!"
You quickly rationalize something clever. Like "Faith is the assurance of things not seen", but you have been spitted upon. Slobber is slidding down your face. And the grip of incredulity won't let go.
So you open your Bible and suddenly it feels so empty and cold. History or fairy tales?
The one thing that I find cleans me up is to read the Bible more and more, and wait upon God. I read as I wait for the Spirit to renew my faith.
I have also learned some tricks. I am more cautious as to whom I say things like "God told me" or "I saw God smiling" or "I heard God whistling"
I talk about God but usually say things like "I read in the Bible...." Or I read in a book or I heard a preacher say once.
Is it wrong?
No. I believe in being cautious. Even Jesus told us to be clever. Why speak in a way that will only hurt you and not really cause others to believe?
In fact if you visit me now you would probably be suprised to see that I do not speak that much. And often when I do speak it is irrrelevant and superficial stuff.Why? Incredulity.
My little sister asked me "ok, how am I supposed to know that God really told you that?"
"Well, if you improve your communication with Him, you could go up to Him and ask Him. God did you really tell Bea that?"
She thought I was making fun of her. I was not.
Incredulity almost killed me. It was hard. Since I was in a pentecostal environment I would hear people say things like "God told me" or "God, speak to us...what do you want us to do?"
So I started to share what I heard, saw and felt in the spiritual realm.
Surprise!!!!
Soon I started to feel I was crazy. Incredulity was often the answer to my words.
"I was praying last night for the people in the jungle and I could hear them crying out to God"
"Bea, YOU hear voices????" gulp.
One day we were in a meeting, several leaders and I. We were discussing missions.
"But you guys, just look at the map!"
silence. "Bea, there is no map." gulp.
one of the pastors noticed my pain and confusion.
"Bea, I see the map!"
"What color is it?" silence
"Bea, do not worry, one day I will see the map."
Incredulity. It dampens a relationship. I started to choose whom to talk to openly. And obviously this limited my conversations with the rest. And they became, dear but superficial friends.
I have friends with whom I can talk freely about God. Even about my own incredulity. And it is special. And I will make a comment that may hurt some, but that is not my intention at all. I really love each one of you in a special way.
But I have a friend, that hears God the way I do. And it is so much fun to be with her. I can tell her EVERYTHING. And many times before I finish the phrase she knows what God had in mind. We have such a good time when we meet. And so does God. I think that at the present the percentage of people who believe Him is small. So it is neat when He finds one who believes but even more fun to have TWO who believe Him together.
I dared to make this comment with a hope, the hope that you will be challenged to be in this group.
To be one that believes God.
Belief brings you so close to Him! If you do not believe Him He will continue to love you but He will not dare speak of His wildest dreams. He is careful with those precious dreams.
"Bea, but is He real? or a fantasy of your imagination? That was the real question"
Sorry...I got distracted.
Well, I have a winnie-the- pooh type of brain... have problems with numbers, and computers.
BUT one thing I do know.
God is real.
What most people walk in is real, but temporal and fragile. A bomb falls and it is gone. Whoosh! just like that.
The spiritual world is also real, but it is eternal. People will live eternally separated from God or eternally near God.
I strongly recommend you get to know this world. The spiritual wordl. The real world.
posted by thisfool @ 7:25 PM
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