Stagnant

It feels like I’m getting stagnant in my walk.  In the last week or so I’ve been spending much of my time watching TV (Netflix on demand – Heroes).  I know that it’s nothing more than a distraction and is potentially getting in the way of my relationship with my savior.  I want to ensure that I spend time each and every day in the word, in prayer, and in learning more about my God and redeemer.  I need to be careful of the subtle wedge of Satan.

Amazing Facts – session 18

http://www.bibleuniversity.com/Video/CourseID2/NR18.asx

• The ram represents Medo-Persia
• The male goat represents Greece
• "Little horn" in Daniel is Rome
• Sprung out of one of the four divisions of Alexander the Great’s empire
• The Word must be the foundation for the Christian – not a pastor, not a church, etc
• The truth has been ‘cast to the ground’ – baptism, Sabbath, mediation through the pope rather than Jesus, idolatry (bowing to symbols or pictures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, etc)
• There is NO EVIDENCE in the Bible that justifies the doctrine of detaching the 70th week of Daniel from the rest of the 70 weeks.  The ideas that are commonly attributed to the anti-Christ are actually qualities and accomplishments of Christ himself.  Satan is the great deceiver.

Blessing for Obedience

I wonder if there is a direct correlation between a specific obedience and a specific blessing.  If so, I wonder if the correlations are consistent for people or personal (individually different for each person).

Prayer

I have realized that I have been approaching prayer selfishly.  Prayer is deliberate ‘opening’ to experiencing God.  It’s not necessarily to “get your questions answered”.  Bring your questions to God, but realize He will answer when / if it is in His plan to do so.  So there’s no disappointment from “unanswered” prayer.  Spend time with Him, express your feelings and thoughts, and open up to His direction.

Amazing Facts – session 17

Seven temples:

1. Moses temple (portable tabernacle)
2. Solomon’s temple (one of the seven wonders of the world)
3. Rebuilt Solomon’s temple
4. Your body (according to Paul)
5. Collective church body (living stones)
6. Jesus’ body
7. Temple of God in Heaven

• 3 parts of salvation – corresponding to the 3 main areas of the temple – outside, inside, holy of holies
• Justification – Jesus dies for you, then you get baptized
• The Ark of the Covenant is a box  – it holds the most priceless treasure (the ten commandments)
• The 10 commandments are at the foundation of His throne
• There are really only three temptations
• The lust of the flesh
• The lust of the eyes
• The pride of life
• You can stand still and backslide
• There’s only one road of life, the question is which way are you facing?  Toward God, or away from Him?  
• If you take up your cross and follow Jesus, where do you think you’re going?  To your crucifixion
•  Die daily

Lining Up

I am just blown away by how the Lord is lining things up in my life – thank you Lord.  Today, I went to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles with people from work, and after eating, I thought to myself ‘that was pretty good tasting but I should not have eaten it if my body is a cell of Christ’s body, if my body is a temple’.  Now I’m watching Amazing Facts and it’s talking about how the concept of the temple is cover to cover in the Bible, and how the body is one of the temples referred to.

Steadfast

In prayer I felt that God impressed upon me that I am doing the right things, and that my priorities should be prayer, Bible study, other study.  He also reinforced that I must be steadfast.

Amazing Facts – session 16

Mark of the Beast

•  I don’t see in Rev it saying anything about the right hand, it just says hand
• Deut 6: 4-8 talks about the ten commandments – "and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes
• Deut 11: 18 also speaks similarly
• Also Ex 13:9 and Ex 13:16 speaks similarly
• In the hand means activity
• In the forehead means thoughts
• We are choosing our sign of the hand and head right now 
• We either have the law of the Lord or the law of the beast
• We are to have the faith of Jesus, not in Jesus
• Biblical truth may never be popular
• Real Christianity centers around relationships – real relationships require time
• The average father spends 37 seconds a day with his child and hours in front of the TV

Stock plunge

Our stock investments have depreciated by about 35% in the last year or so.  I have not felt much anxiety at all about this.  I have peace and trust in the Lord to provide – which is a fruit of the Spirit.  Rejoice!

Admiring God’s Creation

I and my family need to focus more on God’s creation rather than man’s creation.  Man makes some wonderful and beautiful things, but the work of God is untouched by man.  We need to think of ways to spend quality time together in God’s creation

• Beach
• Sky gazing
• Sunsets
• Sunrises
• Mountain camping