NEW, Mini-Series Weekday 7 of 20

*Giving a boost to our day and life, with this 10-minute Weekday Blog*

Our 2nd Blog Mini-Series, each Weekday in JULY!

Thank you for joining us as we
continue this JOURNEY...
digging in to the 2nd - 3rd CHAPTERS of Keith's book,
“Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!

If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with* Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...
      

Day #7 of 20-day Blog mini-series #2
Chapter THREE, "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth"

    
"Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth"
            Let's consider the warning from Apostle Peter's 2nd epistle, concerning some of what Paul wrote in his letters, "Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:14b-16)
            According to Strong's, the Greek word translated "wrest" means "to twist, to turn awry, to torture, put to the rack" and metaphorically "to pervert, of one who wrests or tortures language in a false sense." This is a severe warning. Therefore, we should take it very seriously so we do not find ourselves mishandling Scripture to our own destruction, nor find ourselves leading anyone else astray. Consequently, before continuing with our subject of oneness with God, what will come next, is a brief but important detour that will focus us, first, on how to prove the truth of any matter. The trip is well worth the effort because the principles involved should be a priority for us, putting it to use quite frequently as we obey the Scripture's emphatic instruction, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Question to ponder:

If we are guilty of "wresting" God's Word, how do we impact the godliness of those we are misrepresenting God to?   _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

          "Have you ever been falsely accused? If you have, you most certainly will understand our point here. When someone falsely accuses us of something, it brings on a terrible, perturbed, helpless feeling. It's something that can leave us frustrated, because the image of us, that someone else has given to others about us, is quite possibly the total opposite of the truth of who we are. This is the same thing that God feels when we, as His children, misrepresent Who He is, and what His Word actually says and means. I believe, if we were to ask Him, we would see His frustration and terrible heartbreak, as well. 

          Despite whether or not we have been raised under Christian teachers who understand the validity and gifting of the Person of the Holy Spirit, the truth is, w-i-t-h-o-u-t the Person of the Holy Spirit, we can NOT rightly divide the Word of Truth.  He is our Teacher. He is the o-n-l-y Person you will ever know who actually understands what God meant when He gave His Word to the prophets to write down.  When we call on the Holy Spirit to define God's written Word for us, what we will n-e-v-e-r get from Him is man's opinion.  What we will a-l-w-a-y-s get from Him is LIFE and the JOY unspeakable that can only come to us when we receive God's Word rightly divided for us, first-hand.  Just think... If we knew there wouldn't be a professor to teach a college course we wanted to take, would we sign up for that college course?  

          Though we may have text books and a desk to be sitting in with a crowd of people, without the Holy Spirit, all there can be is death, frustration, confusion, and the like.  So, if your heart's true intent is set on representing God accurately, you must ask the Person of the Holy Spirit to lead you in your efforts to do so, and He'll navigate and translate for you, and for those who see and hear around you, to benefit with LIFE and JOY unspeakable. Selah."  


"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."  (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

*See you tomorrow, and please make sure to invite your friends who are lost or who just need encouragement too! God bless you!*

________________________________

Find this blog mini-series message, and more on the topic, in our book Keep the FAITH Keep Your VISION based on crucial, real-life matters for each of us. To ask questions, make a special donation, request a large quantity of books, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, and as provided below.

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Your friends & servants in Christ,

Keep PRESSIN' IN!

           Take me back to the top of this post.

           Take me to *DAY 6* of this 20-day mini-series.

           Take me to *DAY 5* of this 20-day mini-series.

           Take me to *DAY 4* of this 20-day mini-series.

           Take me to *DAY 3* of this 20-day mini-series.

           Take me to *DAY 2* of this 20-day mini-series.

           Take me to *DAY 1* of this 20-day mini-series.

           Take me to Keith's Journey through Chapter ONE of *Keep the FAITH*.

           Take me to the LAST DAY of Keith's Journey through *Chapter ONE*.

           Take me to "Rattlesnake Revelation" post.

           Take me to "Honoring Gold Star Patriots" post.

           Take me to "Dear Mom, Grandmother, Proverbs 31 Woman" post.

           Take me to "The Love of God" post.

           Take me to "Fiery Trials of My Broken Vessel" post.

           Take me to "Magnetic Mantle...Why cats..." post.

           Take me to "Valentine's 5-Step Prep" post.

           Take me to "Run TO the Roar!" post.

           Take me to "Overcoming Intimidation" post.

           Take me to "The Heart of Thanksgiving" post.

           Take me to "The Invisible Man" post.

           Take me to "The Abomination of Misrepresentation" post.

           Take me to "Living Among Thorns" post.

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith 35+ years ago to focus full-time on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible thanks to the faithful prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to invite you to join our family, and welcome you to become a special part of our regular sponsorship team TODAY!

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~  "Between The Lines Podcast"  by Keith and Brenda Shealy  

      

~  "VIDEO Versions of Between The Lines Podcast"  on Vimeo  

      

~  "NEW TowardTheMark MINUTE Podcast"  on our Libsyn Channel  

      

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GOD HAS A DREAM That We CELEBRATE Each Other's Unique Differences

Having this long weekend to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with our families this mid-January Monday, we could think of no better time than now to shine God's liberating Light of Truth on an area that satan has gone all-but unchallenged on. Due to a lack of knowledge of God's Word by most people, the devil has been successful at deceiving countless millions of men and women away from the joy of discovering and walking in the purpose for which God created each of us. God's Word teaches us that, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6)

"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."  (2 Peter 3:16)

A dear friend once said something in a message that taught everyone listening a valuable principle. He said, "If you don't know the purpose of a thing, all you can do is abuse (ABnormally-USE) it."  That same law applies especially where human beings are concerned.  If we do not know the purpose for people and why God has created so many different skin colors, ethnic groups, etc., all we can do is abuse one another.  Until we have pursued, with all diligence, God's written Word, to the point that we can hear His spoken Word -The Person of The Holy Spirit showing us personally- on why God does all that He does the way He does, my advice is do not say a word.  The purpose for a thing can only be found in the mind of the maker of that thing.  Where we individual human beings (being the "thing" referred to) are concerned, the purpose for each one of us, as individuals, can only be found in the mind of God, our Creator and our Maker.  So, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. "  (Matthew 6:33)

Remember this, something I have learned, "People tend to criticize the harshest the things and the people they understand the least."  Why does this happen?  In short, it is a symptom of being afraid of what is unknown.  However, this kind of fear is far worse that your run-of-the-mill fear of the dark.  The fear that I speak of here are wicked spirits that are deployed for the purpose of working to lure us into the trap of casting false judgment against others - a sin that carries with it a deadly price.  Why do they work so intently at this?  Our enemies (satan and his minions) know, far better than most Christians do, that a family must first be unified before they can function effectively.  So, you see, if the enemies can tempt us into condemning ourselves by casting false judgment, they know they can knock out two birds with one stone (so to speak).  By their deceiving us into using our own tongues to condemn ourselves, one "bird" they can knock out is our approval of and favor for one another.  By our allowing ourselves to be used by the enemy, the second "bird" they can knock out at the same time is the unity within God's Family.

Jesus warns us of the price of falling into that trap.  He said, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."  (Luke 6:37-38)  Stop for just a moment and listen to what Jesus is gifting us with here.  Jesus, knowing how satan will use our own lack of understanding of the way God does things concerning the beauty that is His diverse Creation, is revealing to us how beloved everyone is to God and to the fulfillment of His Dream.  Simply put, when we condemn others, we are insulting God, His beloved Children, and the dream He carries in His Heart.  Here again, we find that our lack of understanding God and the reason and the way He does what He does provides satan and his minions with what they need to lure us into condemning ourselves with our own tongues.

If we are going to accurately represent God, we must know Him and His Dream, and work WITH Him to see His Dream fulfilled.  In order to do this, we MUST know that God is the Consummate Family Man!  God was Father way before there were dads on earth.  Everything God does is because of, and for, His children - *all* of His children!  Period.  Let's talk about the Bible for a minute.  Among so many other brilliant things God gave us, the Holy Scriptures are given to us for the purpose of leading us into the unfathomably loving and waiting arms of God.  My wife, Brenda, likes when I put it this way, "From the beginning of the second chapter of Genesis, all the way through to the very last period at the end of Revelation, in short, the Bible is God devising means to get us back around His 'supper table' (you understand that term best if you're from the south)."

You see, everything God has created began with the very first number that He formulated and mathematically arranged, then set into place as the base code of the very first molecule, or the "foundation molecule" for all of creation.  For each molecule to follow, God made changes to one or more digits of the strand(s) of mathematical code, formulating a series of numbers within each strand, for the ultimate purpose of designing everything He ever wants to, never creating any two objects alike.  So, why would God go to such unfathomable lengths to ensure that every single thing He creates is so different?  Because the brilliance in all of His entire Creation is in the fact that He was, and is, able to create everything, not just different but, entirely different because of the way each and every one of His molecules is coded mathematically.  This is what God meant when He said, "Let us make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."  (Genesis 1:26)

What did God mean when He said "Let us make man in our likeness and in our image"?  In part, He was saying that He wanted to create each of us as individuals as well as members of various ethnic groups, with endless potential.  For example, Paul writes, "I  can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  (Philippians 4:13)  To help explain the multiple facets of God, of Whose Image we are created, I would like to share a small part of a brother's account where he prayed one night, before he died, and asked Jesus if he could meet Him in person.  (Please note, I cannot confirm or deny the authenticity of this account.)  Something that this brother said happened toward the end of his encounter, I believe, will provide a good visual for the point that I am making concerning the endless potential of God.  Not long after the brother had made his request, he said that he was taken up into Heaven in the night.  He said that he was greeted at the gate by Father Abraham.  He said that Father Abraham, from the start, called him by his first name and led him through various parts of Heaven showing him things that he explained as being so beautiful that he could not explain their beauty in words.  After Father Abraham had taken the fellow to meet Jesus, Who he said was mighty beyond all comprehension, he said that Father Abraham wanted to take him to see one more thing.  He went on to describe a place Father Abraham then took him to where he saw and heard enormous sounds of lightning and thunder, more massive sounds than he could ever explain.  He said that he asked Father Abraham where they were at that time.  Father Abraham replied, "This is God's Throne."  The fellow said that he was frozen in awe!  He then said that, as he was taking it all in, he saw countless angels circling over God's throne nonstop.  The fellow said he then turned to Father Abraham and asked, "Father Abraham, what would cause all of those angels to continually fly around God's Throne without ever stopping to rest?"  Father Abraham replied, "Each time the angels fly a circle around God's throne, they see a facet of God that they had not seen before, and it compels them around again to see yet another facet of God that they had never seen."

Our difference is proof positive that we are created in God's Image.  The interesting thing here is, if we were to take two people of the same race and disassemble their physical bodies down to their base foundation molecule, we would find that the differences between the two same-race individuals is just as great as the difference between two individuals of two different races and/or skin colors.  Though, outwardly, we may *appear* to be the same, we most certainly are not the same.  Why?  Because we are created in God's Image, which is multi-faceted.

One evening, as I was enjoying time in fellowship with the Person of The Holy Spirit, He showed me, from a distance, the most beautiful painting or portrait that I had ever seen of Jesus Christ.  As I looked at the painting, I noticed that the distance was shrinking between the place where I sat and the painting.  The closer to me the portrait became, the clearer I could see the portrait, and I began to see that it was not painted with natural human hands.  All of a sudden, the Person of The Holy Spirit imparted to me that this most glorious portrait was not a portrait at all.  It was a tapestry made of countless threads or fibers, all of them woven together to become more beautiful than anything we have ever seen on earth!  Each of the countless threads represented an ethnic group and skin color.  That tapestry was like nothing I had ever seen; it was literally breathtaking!

As my eyes were taking in that "not-of-this-world" beauty, knowledge was imparted to me by The Person of The Holy Spirit.  Every single thread in the completely glorious tapestry represented the gloriously beautiful differences God created in each and every one of us, His Children.  It was then that I realized what it was that I was looking at.  What I was seeing was nothing short of stunning... it was God's Family Portrait!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

"If each and every one of us does not play such a crucial role in the fulfillment of God's Dream, then why is satan spending so much of his time and effort trying to keep us divided?"

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take advantage of these  Scripture-based resources from Toward The Mark as well:

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~ "Sharing with you the Secrets God Whispers to us" on our website 

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