n. A building dedicated to religious ceremonies or worship; Something regarded as having within it a divine presence; A building reserved for a highly valued function; A place regarded as a shrine to God where his presence is made known. (The free Dictionary by Farlex, online). 1 Corinthians 3:16…Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells within you? 1 Peter 2:5…You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. A temple in the time of the Jesus was thought to be a sacred dedication unto God, a place where the Lord Jehovah was able to be felt, worshipped and reverenced. As human beings dedicated unto God, we are his living temples, divine houses moving about the world allowing the presence of God to reside within us, that through us, the people we come in contact with will come to worship him, adore him, love him, give themselves to him and replicate the same. The essence of our existence is to use our total being to reflect the presence of the Lord to the people around us, that the sinner may be redeemed and the broken may find a place of refuge in all that is associated with the Kingdom of Heaven. When living in the flesh (sins) of the world are we creating a place of dwelling for the Lord? Are we establishing a place where the Lord can come in and use us to the glory of who he is? Does our actions (not the words) create an environment of holiness for the Spirit of God to come into and reflect the goodness of God unto the world? We are the gate keepers of God’s temple and it is our responsibility to ensure we provide and maintain our temple in such a manner that is conducive to his dwelling. Living in the flesh is not a house beneficial to the Lord’s dwelling because he and uncleanliness cannot reside in the same place.

Thank you God, for placing my name in your heart to love and cherish. Luke 10:20…Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

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Q...Why should I accept the Bible when it was used as a tool of manipulation during the times of slavery? A...Let’s look at the ways of the devil, satan is a master manipulator, deceiver and he knows how to greatly use the bible for his own selfish gain. We have to remember we live in a world within a world, meaning the flesh is run by the spirit world and just as God uses us to do his work so does satan use people as well. Just because the devil took what was righteous and used it for evil does not mean we should turn away from the righteous, in fact this means we as vessels of light should take back that which the devil stole and use it the way God intended. The bible is in fact God’s truth, and let’s look at it like this, If someone stole something from you and used it for their wicked advantage would that make it less of yours, of course not. Well, that’s how we should look at the Bible, just because it was misused by the devil does not mean it is not righteous and is not of God. This is one of the greatest tricks of the devil, to do whatever he must to get humankind to turn away from God and his word of holiness. Look at how the devil tempted Adam and Eve, Jesus and mankind, every time the devil tempted, he manipulated the truth of God’s word for his own wicked plan. Adam and Eve failed the test of temptation, yet Jesus came along and taught man how to properly use the word of God against the deceiver, manipulator, thief and serpent. 2 Corinthians 2:11 = We are not ignorant of the devices of the devil. We know that anything the devil does is not of the truth, so him using the bible in such a heinous way against the children of God tells you that the bible is important and significant in truth. The Bible is truthfully the word of God and if the time is taken to read it in truth, then you would see for yourself that the actions of the slave masters during the time of slavery is in fact a sinful state of living in eye of God.

Let’s focus on peace, significantly peace in the midst of the storm. Storms = All the cares of the world (i.e. anxiety, life responsibilities, wicked temptations, work, family life, daily interactions, thoughts of the heart and mind, etc.). When the storms of life arise (and they will) find the verses in the Bible that counter the travails of life you are going through. Use the Bible as a helping tool to keep all of who you are focused on the light of God’s glory instead of the darkness of the storm. Practice using the word of God as an umbrella of protection. And as always pray and upon your prayer set the word of God in truth. Remember God’s word has authority overall, in so much that all must bow down to him. Utilize the tool that God gave all of us to combat the woes and cares of life, speak the truth of God’s word to the storms in your life until change occurs and when God ceases the storm, please remember to give him the glory. Remember storms are ever passing and never permanent, there will come an end at some point and all we need to do is hold tight to God’s word and speak the truth of his word out in the open until the passing occurs. Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25 = Jesus, 12 Disciples and the rebuking of the storm by Jesus speaking his word of authority. Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13 = How Jesus rebuked the devil’s temptation by speaking the word of the Lord to it.

Lord I am most grateful for your goodness, your mercy, your compassion, your peace and most of all your love continuously poured down upon me. I am thankful that you are ever holding me in your hand and leading me to live a life pleasing unto you. Thank you God for granting me divine wisdom and sense to live by while I am here on earth. I am grateful that you are always there to correct my foot when I am straying off the path of the righteousness and I am grateful for your almighty ability to reel me in when you see me going way too far. Lord Jehovah, I thank you for being the Highest God and the Almighty God of heavenly salvation, deliverance, protection and redemption. Psalms 23:6...Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

n. A collection of writings constituting the scared text of a religion; A book considered authoritative in its field. So what is the Bible to us… 1...The Bible is considered to be the sacred book of Christianity displaying the voice of God and the life of his son Jesus the Christ, by which all who love the Throne of Heaven are required to adhere to. 2...The Bible is God’s set of divine standards, morals and values created as a guide for us to live in accordance to his Holy Kingdom. 3...The Bible is also the history book of humankind, from the beginning to end and a foretelling of that which is to come. 4...The Bible is God’s everlasting reminder of his power and glory to all. 5...The Bible is God’s help to all of us on how to successfully resist the temptations of the devil (God’s adversary) so that we can live and work under the anointing of Godly holiness. 6...The Bible is God’s love, grace, compassion, peace, comfort, meditation and mercy for humankind. 7...The Bible is GODLY FREEDOM on earth and LIFE EVERLASTING in the Kingdom of Heaven. I implore you to read the Bible, study the Bible and live daily in the accordance of God’s word. And as you do these things please remember to always pray for God’s wisdom, understanding, knowledge and truth of his word to be revealed to you his glory. 2 Timothy 3:16-17...All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

EXODUS 20:1-17 & DUETERONOMY 5:6-21 The 10 Commandments are holy values designed by God to accomplish amongst humankind a perfect and pleasing peace and harmonious way of living. “I am the Lord your God which bought you out of the land of Egypt form the house of bondage.” = The intro to the 10 Commandments starts with God telling us why we should follow his ordinances (his laws, practices, his standards of living). Because we are saved by God when he freed us from the captivity of the devil his expectation is for us to live our life according to the cal of his holy freedom. God's commandments, his standards of living are designed to guide us away from sin, which we fully understand the consequence thereof is bondage to death and torment in the depths of hell instead of eternal life of peace and grace in the Kingdom of Heaven. 1...You will have/put no other gods before me. The Lord Jehovah is the Almighty, there is none greater than him that deserves the honor, respect and esteem that only he should be given because he is the Creator and King of all things in the flesh and spirit world from beginning to end. Self Check – What gods are you putting before the Lord Jehovah? Could it be the God of money, lust, self, pride, family, so forth and so on. A god is anything that has the power to control, anything you give worship/honor and respect to, the person/place or thing that has authority over your heart/mind and soul. The supreme priority of your life. 2...You will not create (with your hands, mind or your heart) any images of fleshly idol (things that dwell in the sky, earth and water) to submit yourself unto in holy reverence. Why? Because doing this tempts the Lord into jealousy as he is the only one who judges all righteously, loves his creation truthfully, provides grace/mercy and compassion undeservingly, and reigns in the light of glory omnipotently. How about God is not only our King and creator, but our Father, and just as a parent gives everything to their children because they love them so much, so does God towards us. To put someone or something before the very person that loves us even unto death is a slap in the face and hurtful. Just as we get jealous if the one person, we love with all our heart turns around and loves another more than us, so does God feel this way toward us. Our relationship with God is meant to be exclusive and like none other relationship we have with anyone/thing else. God created us to love him singularly. Within our heart/the core of who we are, God designed a special place of reverence just for him and to allow someone/thing else to come into that sacred place and receive what is supposed to be set aside only for him is very heartbreaking and heart tasking to God. Wouldn’t you get jealous too? 3...You will not use the name of the Lord in vain (for selfish reasons, self-esteeming, pride of self, self-importance, fruitless, unproductive, unprofitable, empty reasons). Vanity. Sin of pride. God is telling us not to use his name in a way that promotes self to be better than, to be lifted or for whatever selfish reason this is wrong and is deserving of righteous consequence. God is a God of truth, righteousness and all that is good and glorious in the Kingdom of Heaven, to use his name for manipulation reasonings is a sin, matter of fact it is the sin that the devil used to deceive Adam and Eve and continues to use to this day to deceive humankind. What does this look like? People telling people that they come to them in the name of the Lord and because of so I need, or you should do this for me because God said, or I am this or that because God choose me to be (what title a person calls themselves). Vain use of God is never selfless, it’s manipulating, corrupt, deceiving, unjust, prideful, selfish and all that is opposite of the true holiness of God. 4...Remember the day of Sabbath (REST), keep to it and mark this day as a holy. Sabbath, rest from all work, the day the Lord set aside for a person to relax, breathe and be rejuvenated in him. This day is day we are to sit down, reflect and be thankful for the goodness and glory of the Lord Jehovah in our life from past to present. Technically the Sabbath lands on Saturday as the week begins on Sunday and ends on Friday, however, due to the changes of civilization the day of Sabbath can be any day the Lord has spoken to your heart to cease all labor and to spend dedicated time with him. The Sabbath is crucial in the righteous existence of humankind. Society tells us to work, work, work unto the point of unhealthy living, this is not Godly. God did not create our entire being to be workaholics and never giving the heart, the mind, the soul and the flesh a time to sit still and be divinely refreshed. The Sabbath is about divine BALANCE, creating a moment of heavenly peace and harmony for the flesh and the spirit. Taking a break to enjoy the fruits of God’s working. Being overworked, tired and distracted is a tool for the devil. When a person is in this state where guards are low, this allows for satan to come in and work his plan of deterring us from living in righteousness. Spiritually our minds are weak, our flesh is feeble, our hearts are full of the world’s cares and during these moments satan as clever as he is, knows that a person dwelling in spiritual weakness is a person easy to manipulate and control. 5...Honor your mother and father, that long life may be given you in the places that God leads you to live. Honor, respecting the conduits which God chose to use to bring forth life into this world. To honor the vessels that bring forth life is to honor God, for it is not man and woman but the word and hand of God that created the seed into existence. I know there are some grey areas in respect to sinful procreation such as rape, incest and molestation. These are the areas where the Spirit of God must work to bring Godly peace and heart resolution. Here is where one is directed to honor God as the Father not man. For tragedies such as this, it is only God who can bring holy comfort, enlightenment and the ability to forgive and heal past the trauma of sinful acts. 6...You will not kill. God is the only one who has the power and the responsibility to give and take away life. Remember the sole task of the devil is to steal, kill and destroy the glory of God upon earth. Who are we to raise our hand to take the life of another, the life of a person who God may use to show forth his glory and majesty of his Kingdom. Sinners can be redeemed, sick can be healed, lost can be found, broken can be restored, and anyone can be delivered and saved. When a person chooses to use their free will to kill, they are in fact moving as the hands of the devil to complete his ungodly task of removing the glory of God upon earth. Humankind does not have the ultimate God ability to decided when the life of a person is to be taken, only God is the numberer of days, for it is he that has determined the length of life a person is to live from when they were just an image in his mind. 7...You will not commit adultery. As defined adultery is the act of unfaithfulness, cheating, infidelity. It is a sin to come between any union that the Lord has sealed together. Hence the prefix ADULT, committing sins as an of age person who knows better. When speaking of union this not only spoken of in terms of husband and wife, but in terms of the relationship between God and person. For someone to purposely try and come between/destroy the relationship a person has built with God for their own sinful pleasures is wrong. Commitment, faithfulness, truthfulness and loyalty are all the important key factors for a strong union between man and woman, and God and person. 8... You will not steal. To take what does not belong to you. If God is the supplier and giver of all things to his glory, who are we to take what God has decided a person is entitled to have. Remember the sole task of the devil is to steal, kill and destroy the glory of God upon earth. God in all his infinite wisdom knows what is enough for each and every person according to his plan for their life, this is why he tells us to be content with the sufficiency of the day. 9...You will not bear false witness against your neighbor. LYING. Lying is a very dangerous and deadly sin, telling one lie can cause catastrophic events in a person’s life that can be devastating. God is a God of truth and if we are created in the image of God then we too are expected to live in truth such as God. Lying is the act of creating a false narrative with the intent of a selfish outcome. The word tells us that the devil is the father of lies, this means that liars are the children of the devil. 10...You will not covet the things and life of your neighbor. Do no Lust after anything. God is the supplier of all our needs and what God supplies, deems as enough and chooses not to give is to be honored. God sees the core of who we are, God knows us better than we know ourselves, and it is because of this that God says yes and no to the things we need and don’t need. Lusting leads to the act of strange sins for material items. We are to be satisfied with the Lord’s sufficiency, because we know not the price paid, the cost required, the sufferings, the work, the hardships, heartache and the miniscule details of the things or life we covet after. Not everything we see or want that another person has comes from the hand of the Lord Jehovah, it just might be the hand of satan that blessed your neighbor to keep them living in hidden sin. And in the New Testament Jesus added two laws of moral and value to complete the whole GODLY standard of living, Matthew 22:37-40...Jesus said to him, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, you must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Love, see my other post on loving self according to the way God loves us, so that we can love others the way God intended for us live in love.) A set of 12 complete, just and holy laws for man to live by as given by the Father and his Son. And if we were to go a step further to make it a complete TRINITY, we would then read Galatians 5:22-23 and add the fruits of the Spirit to make the standards of holy living perfect in all ways. 10 Commandments = God the Father, 2 Commandments of Love = Jesus the Son, Fruits of the Spirit = Holy Spirit of God, and all equal the complete image of God. To the Lord Jehovah be the glory for the reading and edification of his word, in the name of Immanuel (God is with us), Amen.

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n) Firmly fixed; not shakable; constant With all that is going on in the world today it is imperative that we remain steady in all that is the Lord Jehovah and his Kingdom of Heaven. We must remain loyal, unbreakable and secure in what we know to be the truth by which we are instructed to live according to the gospel of Jesus our Christ. A person who remains steadfast in the glory and truth of God is a person who has the ability to be victorious because of the authority, strength and glory of God’s presence in and covering them. 1 Corinthians 15:58...Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 16:42...Watch you, steadfast in the faith, quit you like me, be strong. Hebrews 3:14...For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

Blessed Father be the glory unto your name, most Holy God I pray and ask that you cover us under the veil of your holiness that all who are called to you be protected and shielded from the waywardness of the worldly. Most good God please in the name of your Holy Son change the hearts and minds of the crooked, corrupt and those touched by the devil. Bring the wicked to their knees before your Throne and bring about a righteous change within them. Loose the bind of the devil from upon those that are moving about this world through the sufferings and thorns of pain, hurt, grief, torment, torture, sickness, traumas and tribulations and are creating anguish upon the earth because of so. Lord, we know that these emotions are temporary and able to be healed if we seek your hand of divine healing. Bless us all most loving and merciful God, be with us all most compassionate and forgiving God, and please dear Lord change the world for the better that we may live in a land blessed in the abundance of your glory, righteousness and truth. In the name of your righteous son Jesus the Christ I pray, Amen.

Q...Baptism, why and when do I need to be baptized? A...Baptism is a symbol of being washed clean of sins, forgiveness by God, accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior and dying to the sins of the fleshly part of self so that you can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a renewing, refreshing and a covering in God. It’s publicly and spiritually denouncing the wicked parts of self and declaring that the Throne of Heaven is ruler over your life. The word of God within your heart will lead you to know when the time is right for you to get baptized. There is no specific time or place, it’s God’s movement within you that will assure your heart when it is time to give and dedicate your life to the Throne of Heaven. I believe it’s a personal choice that one must make; our friends, family and loved ones can’t be the deciding factor it’s an individual choice between you and God (a choice that all must make one day). Acts 2:38...Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (the Spirit of God will dwell within every part of you).