Posted on 06/08/2018 8:54:57 AM PDT by Salvation
Faith is at heart an action word. The term might better be written 'faithe', as a verb, an action word: pistis / pisteuo.
The trick of verbiage is common to the deceptive Catholic mind, as in conflating the body of ALL believers with the word church used to designate an Organization. At the heart this is a purposed deception aimed at conflating Catholic Church with the body of all believers, which is a lie from the pit of Hell.
The Bible, The Word of God tells us that the demons know Whom Jesus is and they tremble. He is not their savior, therefore they do not have 'faith' in Him as savior. But you just deceived readers by pairing the word used to denote saving by Jesus via faithing in Him, with the demons for whom He is not the Savior of them. Do you do this to deceive yourself into accepting more and more mysticism and signs and wonders, rather than exercising faithing in Jesus as (not will be but in the exact now) your now Savior?
You may try to mentally excuse yourself by thinking I am picking at minor points. That too is a self deception, for this issue is the heart of the matter, the central meaning of God with us, not with demons, with us!
When someone faiths in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit of GOD is in their human spirit, like a spark of new life. The Presence of His Spirit in the now alive human spirit does not force righteous living as a despot would do. It urges righteous choices wafted from spirit to soul, to the behavior mechanism of mind, emotions, and will, and we grow from infancy in HIS family to maturity. It is a process euphemistically called sanctification. It is not Salvation, for that had to have already happened in order that GOD's Spirit is put in the dead human spirit.
How can I be so sure what I am writing to you is accurate? well, I have been reading what Paul was given by GOD to write to us on these matters. The simplest starting point is Paul's reference to milk and meat ... those still in infancy need milk and cannot digest meat. Those growing in faith and knowledge move to meat and eventually to strong meat.
I gave you an example of a strong 'byte' of meat when I referred to the water of birth as what Jesus referred to in John 3 speaking with Nicodemus. To a milk dependent believer that is hard to digest because they want to equate water to adult baptism since it is so much easier to assimilate in the new Christian perspective.
You conflated in referring to demons having faith: faith as used for describing salvation is not in anyway related to demons knowing Whom Jesus is, for He is not their savior since they already chose Him not. They have faith that He will eventually send them to eternal Hell. [ Now resist that demonic temptation to argue that a searching Christian is exercising the same sort of faith by weighing issues of heaven and hell.]
One last question from an old man: when you seek assistance or miraculous from someone 'in the Holy family, Mary specifically, are you really living that 'trust in the Lord with all your heart, leaning not to your own understanding? If you are truly honest, the answer is obvious, you are not. You are giving yourself an excuse to continue in your mysticism. The influence of the mystery religions is like that ...
She was in the right place at the right time and had the right lineage.
She was blessed because she had the privilege of giving birth to the Messiah, an honor I am sure that every young Jewish girl hoped for.
From what I’ve read about Her, Mary truly is on a mission from God and there is no one or nothing else like Mary.
Luke 7:28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
In that light, I cringe and pull back a bit from the Protestants when they go after Mary and also go after those who acknowledge Her as Mother of God.
We don't *go after* Mary.
We go after the error taught about her, making her out to be more than she was.
And she's not the *mother of God*. The only identifier used by the Holy Spirit in regard to her was *mother of Jesus.*
The Holy Spirit is clear in Scripture in calling Mary *the mother of Jesus*.
John 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
John 2:3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
Acts 1:14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Bud, I don’t recall saying what you just said, but accept that is how you read it.
I used to pray for the same stuff everyone else does, mostly getting/keeping the girlfriend, stuff. Now, after a few years of Job time, I try to just be thankful and ask for blessings and protection for me and mine and for my neighbors, too.
Walking the dogs at night in copperhead country can be hazardous, so I pray to Jesus first before we go for protection against all serpents, in whatever form they may take and from whatever poisons they may carry.
There have been two times so far that I credit Him for the save, and He knows how many others that I don’t know about but am grateful for.
I really can’t claim any good thing in my life as my own or from my own efforts. It’s all from my Father. Mid-Job time, I had two major head traumas in two years, either of which kills people every day, or they have to relearn the alphabet or how to walk or whatever, if possible.
Me, mostly just a reboot. For the better..I think.
The prayers I try to memorize and recite beyond the Lord’s Prayer are the Hail Mary and the prayer to St. Michael. No statues, though, carved, poured or printed.
If that condemns me to hell? Okey dokey.
It’s a bad habit that gets in the way of message and meaning.
I have to admit that I’m still not friends with brevity or the clock in spite of time spent.
Ok.
We often have different opinions about the same things, but whether I am right or wrong, I know you will be steadfast in your understanding and very consistent with your posts, just as you have been from the first post until now.
The world may rock and roll, but you’re standing rock solid where you are.
To me, that’s Biblical. Gotta respect that.
Then a few lines later, you admitted/asserted: "The prayers I try to memorize and recite beyond the Lord’s Prayer are the Hail Mary and the prayer to St. Michael."
My footnote to you was: when you seek assistance or miraculous from someone 'in the Holy family', Mary specifically, are you really living that 'trust in the Lord with all your heart, leaning not to your own understanding'? If you are truly honest, the answer is obvious, you are not.
Do you count Michael in 'the Holy family'? Do you count The Catholic Mary in 'the holy family'? Do you have enough discernment to see you have verified that you are not trusting in the Lord with ALL your heart, since you are praying to someone other than the Lord?
'A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.'Proverbs 30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. Examine yourself is what I leave you with ...
How on Earth did an ANGEL ever get to be a SAINT??
In name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. St. Michael the Archangel, illustrious leader of the heavenly army, defend us in the battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of darkness and the spirit of wickedness in high places.
You are exactly right and those two prayers are to do exactly what you said.
Thank you for the correction of such a blatant error as that. I embarrass myself.
I see do Mary as Family, but Michael as lower in the hierarchy.
Same team, but not Family. The archangels are outlandishly powerful and with a job to do.
So, you’re right, but I do have trouble seeing it in that way.
I guess it’s because tespect and acknowledging them for what they do for us is just me being me, as that’s more or less the way I am with everybody. Trust me when I say you want to deliver a pizza to my house or wait on my table.
Besides, I think His other angels are around sometimes, too, so you never know if the pizza guy might actually be an angel in disguise, maybe doing a situational heart check/test on ya, right?
I think I encountered one in a grocery store parking lot once. Weirdly odd then and still now to think about it. Something different anyway.
Anywho... you’re right. Thanks for the correction. I sure screwed that one up, huh?
How on Earth did an ANGEL ever get to be a SAINT??
So, basically, they’re referred to as Saint so and so, since archangels are holy.
To me, it’s not exactly the same as referring to someone by their rank and name, but kinda like that.
I’m still learning and relearning while taming my own stubborn self, and most of the time I have to remind myself that I should say the prayer to St. Michael.
Why not pray to God directly? I mean, he’s reconciled you to Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ; that’s a great gift and privilege.
He’s even promised that the Holy Spirit himself will intercede for you ‘with groans too deep for words’ as Scripture says, so there’s not even any worries about your prayers being insufficient.
Now, a prayer to be protected by the angels of the Lord, well, that’s another story!
Then a GOOD place to find out what 'saint' REALLY means is to read your bible.
Rome takes a perfectly good word as then re-uses it in a way that DOES confuse folks.
 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, ' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.'
'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.' 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.' |
In the morning I roll out of bed and pray to Him, the Holy Father, directly, on my knees, to start my day in gratitude for it and for my life, then asking Him to bless my day/path and be with me in all things.
Again before meals, I pray to God, the Father, directly, thanking Him for the day and for the meal I am about to receive. If it be His Will, I ask Him to bless the meal and also all those who brought such good stuff from Him to me, every step in between, please bless them all.
At breakfast, I also ask for blessings for my family, friends and neighbors, my enemies and those who think of me as an enemy.
Throughout the day, I tend to have Him in my thoughts, pondering how things work, the various rules and Laws that govern us and the world I can see and the worlds that I can’t and why. I know it all fits together and in studying creation, I get to know its Creator better. I wonder if thinking about Him so much is getting close to “constant prayer” that I’ve read about.
Before bed, I end the day as I started it, on my knees, in gratitude, asking for His Blessings.
Fwiw, I didn’t do any of the above before. Occasionally a prayer or two, but nothing like I do now. This post is the first time and place I’m admitting to it in such detail, though, and only because you seem to accusing me of being foolish or ignorant.
Since I often am both of those, I too often feel the need to defend myself instead of being receptive. I hope this is not one of those times.
Anywho, l’m sure I’m doing it wrong, but the emotions that flow are real enough.
Fwiw, messages like today’s random message help me, both when I first read it and again today. This message helps makes it all real to me in ways other things and commentaries don’t and motivates me to learn more.
Learn The Holy Rosary
Signs Of The End Of Times
June 2, 1988
Holy Rosary? ... Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
There are a few prayers that are helpful when used like a mantra.
The Lord’s Prayer is one. The Jesus prayer is another and was new to me:
“Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.”
Some say “a sinner” and I believe it’s the Orthodox who say “the sinner”, which is how I first heard it.
Such would not seem a “vain repetition” to me, but what do I know?
You look at me and my life, you don’t see gumption, you see Gump. Forest Gump.
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.”
There, that’s better. Sorry about that...
No excuse, but just too many things going on at once these days for my limited mental bandwidth to handle well, and I’m struggling to do it all, let alone get it all right, like with that post to you yesterday.
“Dear Lord, please send that one whom I can love and help and who can love and help me.”
There is a degree of self pride in the repetitions, a 'warm fuzzy' that the mind retreats to as if earning something for repeating the memorized runs while fingering the beads. Moslems do it, too, using their memorized phrases.
Why was David ' a man after God's own heart '? Was it because David would fall into a repetitious chant when approaching The Lord? Or was it because David's heart and mind were always open to the still small voice, not making mental repetitive noise (grey mental sound) with a memorized chant? Neither, it was because David did to a high degree what Abraham did, he believed God.
Mantras and chants are spinning the behavior mechanism upon self ... which is a stealthy source of pride, closing off the soul from spiritual input.
You have a huge clue in your reference to pondering on the things of God all day long. If this leads to falling into chants and repetitive mantras then you are closing the door to the still small voice. If, on the other hand, it leads to joy and peace, and awe of Whom It IS that has brought you into HIS family, well, the difference ought to be obvious.
When Jesus taught us The Lord's Prayer, He was not establishing a mantra to be repeated as if a talisman for protection, He was giving a form for fashioning our prayers, to personalize our praise and our needs in communication with our Heavenly Father, with Him, Jesus, God with us. God honors specific requests and is shut out by mind-numbing repetitions.
In the Old Testament you will find the story of a Prophet who was being hounded by Baal worshipping pagans. This prophet was in need of listening for the still small voice. You will find the story in 1 Kings 19. The mantras and repetitions chanted are like the great wind and the earthquake. Those prevented the Prophet from hearing the still small voice, for GOD was not in the wind and the earthquake.
Read the whole story and see what God tells you in the hearing.
We have no beads; but a LOT of today's 'praise & Worship' songs consist of too many repetitions for me.
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