“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21

The power of words should never be underestimated.

People’s words have established lives, destroyed lives, brought healing and joy, brought sickness and misery. What we say can have massive effect upon ourselves and others.

Whoever said: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”… didn’t know much about life. The greatest good, and the greatest harm, lie in the power of the tongue.

This truth can be witnessed everywhere, in every aspect of life. Have you ever thought about how a single word from a friend or acquaintance can affect – for good or for bad – your entire day? Even your week?

The Proverbs says much on the power of words, highlighting the dangers and the blessings. Not only do our words directly influence our relationship to other people, but even our relationship to God.

It is interesting to read the stories of highly successful people and see how other’s words to them, often in their youth, influenced the direction of their lives. Some overcame tragic circumstances to lead exemplary lives. By the same token, many people’s lives have been shattered, their dreams tanked, by the verbal influence of those close to them.

Of course, we don’t usually read those stories because no one really likes to write (or read) about human failures. But they surely exist.

I remember things spoken to me when I was a kid. Even now decades gone by, the words of those whom I loved and cared about had seriously positive AND negative impacts on my life. For sure, I have likewise said many things to others which have had similar effects upon them.

The Bible often uses metaphors in teaching truths. Here the author speaks of fruit. Just as a tree or plant is known by the fruit hanging from its branches – either good fruit or bad fruit – so a person who speaks words is known by those words.

Think of people you know who speak rashly, without thought or consideration for what they are saying. These people ramble on and on, hurling their opinion on anything and everything, whether or not they have the right to do so. If you know someone like this, you also know that person hurts a lot of people with his words.

Conversely, you probably know people who seriously consider what they say BEFORE they speak. People like this tend to have a much more positive, and encouraging effect upon others. Their words instruct, bless, and heal others.

The fruit of speech is serious. It’s either poisonous, or nourishing.

And how does the Bible describe good speech? Another powerful metaphor:

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

As sweet and nourishing as honey, kind words build up the spirit and the body!

We have been entrusted with a great gift in speech, and great responsibility in our words. Let us be sure to use them for good, to encourage, uplift, and instruct, for the power of words is power indeed.

In 1549, the “Book of Common Prayer” was published and the first wedding vows were introduced to the world but before then, and until they were commonly recognized as part of a ceremony, the father and the groom would meet and agree that his daughter would be the “groom’s” wife. This was usually accompanied by an agreement of services provided by the groom and a small dowry provided by the bride’s father. The wealthy lords and ladies of the day would put the agreement into a legal document to make it seem official and would hold a ball or party to make it official. This was the era where the first vows and the first marriage licenses came into play.

The ceremony and prayer went something like this. While the wealthy usually had a prominent church elder ordinate, the poorer class of people would have the local dicker or other minor clergyman present the groom to the bride and remind them that they were speaking publicly and before God and after a reading from the then accepted matrimonial verse from the Bible, the groom would say,

“I blank, take thee, blank, to be my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance.”

Then the Bride would return with, I, blank, take thee, blank, to be my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer of for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance.

This liturgy and variations of it and many other parts of today’s ceremony have endured through quite a few attempts to change it and in some instances, strike it from the vows altogether for something less biblical. The church always succeeded with the voice of the people behind it, keeping these sacred vows as popular today as they ever were. The only exception to this stand came in 1922 when the loud voice of the female population forced the Episcopal Church leaders to vote on whether to remove the word “obey” from the rite. The vote passed overwhelmingly with just of a few of the church’s oldest and more strict elders voting to keep it intact. Even if it had not passed back then, it is not very likely that the word would still be in the ceremony as now even most men agree that it is not a necessary or functional part of the wedding ideal. The phrase, “to love, honor, and obey” has since been replaced with, “to love, honor and cherish.” This is also in line with some scholars who argue that the translation involved in the original ceremony may have been inaccurate or at the very least, miscopied into the text.

The vows were almost always followed by the Ring bearer presenting the groom with the Ring Bearer Pillow so that he could bring the ceremony towards it happy conclusion and symbolize the union with the completed circle that the ring represents. The rings in today’s ceremony are kept by the best man and the ring bearer, when used, often carries inexpensive rings for symbolic reasons. In the modern world we live in, it is not uncommon for couples to add their own vows, writing to each other their thoughts and feelings and expressing their love for one another in their own words. While this adds a personal touch to the ceremony and also adds additional meaning to the emotions of the moment, the original vows are regarded as the most beautiful and popular in the world and will always be there for people to hear and enjoy on their special day.

We don’t accomplish it, that’s it, it’s as simple as that and this verse, like Romans 8:1, is yet another of those Holy Scriptures that has been corrupted by the creatures of the Cainite-Judeo-Christian Religion and therefore gets miss-taught by so called ministers and pastors in the various mainstream Christian denominations (demon-inations) of The Cainite-Judeo-Christian Religion.

So let’s copy the verse in question here and analyse it in detail, for this is the only way we can come to a full understanding of what Yashua Messiah (The Lord Jesus Christ) was saying to us through Paul:

Romans 8:13 (KJV) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Emphasis mine)

Now you will notice that I have written the important parts of this verse in italics, which excludes, surprise surprise, the word ‘mortify’. I have done this deliberately, because the word ‘mortify’ is THE word that mainstream Christian ‘teachers’ would, and do, focus on when teaching erroneously on this verse. Moreover, they will often try to teach YOU how to ‘mortify’ the deeds of YOUR body when, in reality, it’s none of their business and, combined with that, they don’t know how the deeds of the body are ‘mortified’ anyway, they haven’t a clue.

Let me be very specific here and say that this verse is saying much more than at first meets the eye. First of all, Paul is making a statement: If ye live after the flesh? Well, as a Christian, is that what you are doing? Are you living after the flesh? If so, why, and do you actually know what living after the flesh means? For example, is it your habit to visit the local brothel or do you have a call-girl pop round for some ‘fun and games’ on a regular basis? Are you addicted to porn? Are you kerb crawler or a pederast? When your husband has gone to work, does your lover come round? Are you a wasteful lustful shoppaholic? Do you undermine your husband’s family leadership? Do you get habitually stoned or drunk? Do you beat your wife up? Do you thrash your children for trivial misdemeanours? Do you steal from your neighbours or gossip unkindly about them without reason or without knowing them i.e. judge them? Do you pay your employees a just wage, or work them long hours for a pittance? Do you gamble? Do you fail to treat your parents with love and respect? I could go on, but I am sure you get the picture, for all these activities and attitudes would constitute “living after the flesh”. So, if, as a Christian, you are living this way then something is obviously drastically and seriously wrong. A better question would be: would a Spirit led Christian behave in any of these ways? No is the answer to that one and, let’s be clear, because not even many of the lost and unsaved would be doing these things and acting in this way either.

The thing is, is this the emphasis Paul is making here and how do we square verse 13 with all the other verses of Romans 8 which are saying something in a very different way and with a very different emphasis from verse 13, so let’s quote them here, one at a time, so that we fully understand what’s going on.

Each verse of the first half of Romans 8 is a statement of Truth, not an instruction, or a statement with any conditions attached, nor with any exhortations or commands to do things – no Commandments!!! I will therefore start with verse 1, quoting it, as it should be quoted and as explained in my earlier article: “The 2,000 Year Old Good News or 21st Century Modern News – Which Do You Believe?”

Romans 8:

Verse and statement of Truth 1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. (See verse 4 for more information)

Verse and statement of Truth 2: For The Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from The Law of sin and death.

Verse and statement of Truth 3: For what The Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Verse and statement of Truth 4: That the righteousness of The Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after The Spirit. (Please note: the last part of this verse was added erroneously to verse 1, in the KJV and other translations thereby corrupting it)

Verse and statement of Truth 5: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after The Spirit the things of The Spirit.

Verse and statement of Truth 6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be Spiritually minded is life and peace.

Verse and statement of Truth 7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to The Law of God, neither indeed can be.

Verse and statement of Truth 8: So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Verse and statement of Truth 9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in The Spirit, if so be that The Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not The Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.

Verse and statement of Truth 10: And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but The Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Verse and statement of Truth 11: But if The Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Verse and statement of Truth 12: Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Verse and a conditional remark and not a statement of Truth 13 and thereby suspicious because it contradicts all the above verses and statements of Truth: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through The Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Now get this and let it sink in. If we are living after the flesh i.e. how I described above, The Holy Spirit would not even be with us – period. This is something that could not happen, for the Godhead cannot live with sin; it’s impossible. So why is this questioning statement being made?

Let’s make it clear from verse 3: “For what The Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” What does “condemned sin in the flesh” mean? I will tell you; it means sealed in the flesh or locked into the flesh of our bodies which are now totally dead in terms of sin and decaying literally towards an inevitable death. That’s if we are Baptised into Yashua Messiah’s (the Lord Jesus Christ’s) name alone and gifted with The Holy Spirit. Therefore, we, as indwelled Holy Spirit men and women, are separated from our dead bodies of sin that are literally dying, for all time. Our dying bodies which are now dead to sin, are no longer us. We are in effect two beings, one that is made alive by The Holy Spirit, a new creation, and the other that is dead to sin having been buried with Yashua Messiah in the watery grave of Baptism.

I will repeat this and note it well, for it is not us that is mortifying or putting to death our bodies for they are already slain by Baptism (death in the watery grave) and with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit thereafter to empower us, so we have nothing to do, other than just be led by The Holy Spirit.

However, here is the problem, because Romans 8:13 is not saying that, what it’s saying is this: “If you live after the flesh” Hello, excuse me, but it says in verse 9: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in The Spirit, if so be that The Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not The Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” This means we cannot be living after the flesh. How’s that then, and how does that work? Easy, through our repentance and confession of sins, our baptism and the receiving of The Holy Spirit. Our bodies are now dead to sin, so how can we live any more therein or how can we now live after the flesh? Answer: you can’t, it’s impossible.

OK, we are now left with this question of “mortifying” the deeds of the body; what’s going on here, when we now know that our bodies are already mortified (dead) by dying in the watery grave and with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to make us new creations. From my previous article, as mentioned earlier, which I hope you have read, we know that Romans 8:1 is a corruption in the KJV, but to what end?

Again that’s easy, for as the “Net Bible” commentators correctly state, it was corrupted because, for the translators, it smelled too much of Grace. From this example alone we should now become very suspicious of English translations of the Holy Scriptures.

Moreover, if one verse is bogus in a chapter why not another? And of course we do have another and it’s verse 13. You see, it should have been another statement of Truth spelling out our glorious saved condition under His Grace, just like all the previous twelve verses of Romans 8, but verse 13 isn’t. What I will now do is re-write it as I know Yashua Messiah (the Lord Jesus Christ) through Paul would have wanted it written:

Romans 8:13 (Crosby Translation) For to live after the flesh, is death: but to live post Baptism by the indwelling power of The Holy Spirit, means automatic mortification and/or an instantaneous death to the deeds of our bodies, and we live.

Listen folks, we don’t have to do a thing, for our bodies of sin are already dead – mortified at Baptism!! Notice, too, what I have done, I have removed the pathetic hu-man element from this verse, for it has nothing to do with us, for, as stated, we mortify nothing. This is all about our willingness to be voluntarily led by Yashua Messiah via His Holy Spirit. This is something we will now want to do, if we don’t want to, then there is something seriously wrong with us and we have to start questioning whether or not we are actually Born of God (Born Again).

Furthermore, we can analyse this verse more closely, for it is very subtle in the way that it teaches ‘salvation by works’ and even blasphemes against The Holy Spirit. Notice verse 13 second part again: “But if ye through The Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Can you see it, for it’s not that easy to spot? If YOU through The Spirit!! What is this telling us? Quite simply it’s telling us that we’re in the picture, we’re in charge, for we are prompting or telling The Holy Spirit to do a little mortifying of the deeds of our bodies which includes the occasional wicked thoughts of our minds. This, too, also includes wicked thoughts that we may or may not even be aware are wicked, so how will we mortify those thoughts!!??

Look at verse 5 again: For they that are after the flesh (the lost and unsaved) do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after The Spirit the things of The Spirit. (Brackets mine) This is a statement of fact that those that are after the flesh, lust after the things of the flesh. Those that are after The Spirit lust after the things of The Spirit. I’ve used the word ‘lust’ here deliberately to show you how we are dealing with two opposing mind sets and yet both as committed to the things they are following or lusting after. On the one hand, one that the Devil has set in motion and the other which The Father God has set in motion and did so when he called us to His Son, Yashua Messiah.

Here is a final question, if we are continually worrying and fretting about mortifying our bodies, when do we live? I will leave you, dear readers, to meditate on this crucial point, but not for too long I hope, for you have a life of Spiritual Abundance to live under His Glorious Grace, so go and live it!!

Introduction

The fire of the Holy Spirit is a subject that is very dear to my heart. Were it not for the Holy Spirit's fire, I would have remained in dead religious tradition and been without a real genuine relationship with Jesus. On January 7th, 1990, while watching TV, I accidentally came upon a Christian channel. The minister invited those at home to pray with him to receive Jesus. Having nothing to lose from saying a prayer, I (a faithful churchgoer) determined to pray. After doing so, I immediately changed the channel and continued studying for my University exams. However, the next morning when I got out of bed I felt a surge of energy rushing all over and through me. I was initially clueless as to the origin of this great divine power. It felt like electricity all over me and within me.

It was a glorious experience and not the least bit painful. I felt clean, new and totally refreshed! Suddenly, I was brought to remembrance of the prayer I had prayed the night before in which I had invited Jesus into my life. It was then I realized that God had honored my heart's openness and therefore sent His Spirit to dwell within me. Honestly, I prayed expecting to receive nothing whatsoever, as I did not know anything could be received of such magnitude. Undoubtedly, God by His Spirit had begun a work in me and this was just the beginning!

God struck again four days later! On January 11, 1990, the Lord visited me again at a youth service I attended in Orlando, Florida. When one of the leaders came forward to deliver a prophetic word to the group of youth, the fire of the Spirit came on me as it had just days before. This time it was quadruple the intensity of the Spirit's fire I had felt in my bedroom just four days prior. As she began to speak, my entire being within was totally arrested by eternity. I immediately lost all sensitivity to time, to those around me and to she who was delivering the word. The fire of the Spirit was mighty in me and on me! I knew without a doubt that God Himself was speaking directly to me! I was engulfed in the Spirit and immediately lost all concept of time, not to mention those standing next to me were as if they didn't even exist.

Surprisingly, the lady herself giving the word didn't even know who was to be the recipient. She was just obediently delivering the message God had placed in her heart. The word of the Lord came through her saying,

"You know who you are. It is only Me you should serve. And I tell you now, that you look to Me as your Source. You know who you are. And I tell you now, you look to Me as your Source. You seek Me and you seek only Me! For I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. And I say right now, if you seek Me, if you look to Me sayeth God, I shall direct your path. I shall move you into the direction that you are to go. You are not to worry. You are not to look to the right or to the left, but you are to go straight on that narrow path. Don't look to the right! Don't look to the left! Don't look behind you, sayeth God! But go straight ahead! Seek Me! Look to Me! Look to Me as your Source, sayeth the Lord. And I will, I will direct your path and nothing and nothing shall befall you! You are in the shadow of My hand. And you know who you are. You know who you are. And I speak to you now and tell you to go straight forward, straight ahe ad, and look only to Me, sayeth God! "

That prophetic utterance is seemingly very simple. For me, however, it ignited a holy fire that put the fear of God in me! As a result of the hand of God touching me and His holy fire burning in my heart, I immediately was humbled within and ready to obey the Lord at all costs. A holy awe and reverence overwhelmed me! Our God is truly a consuming fire and no flesh will glory, nor remain the same in His presence! Such was my experience.

That same fire of the Holy Spirit is available to everyone who humbles their heart and draws near to the living God. The fire of the Spirit will burn in, on and through you to accomplish a multiplicity of purposes and glorify Jesus! Allow the Holy Spirit to set your heart ablaze for Jesus and move you forward into your divine purpose!

Rev. Billy Graham wrote in his book World Aflame published in 1965,

"Fire can either purify or destroy. … Our world is on fire, and man without God will never be able to control the flames. The demons of hell have been let loose. The fires of passion, greed, hate, and lust are sweeping the world. We seem to be plunging madly toward Armageddon. … This is the generation that will pass through the fire. It is the generation.. 'under the gun.' This is the tormented generation. This is the generation destined to live in the midst of crisis, danger, fear, and death.We are like a people under sentence of death, waiting for the date to be set. We know that things cannot go on as they are. History has reached an impasse. We are now on a collision course. Something is about to give. … The flames are licking all around our world – the roof is about to cave in – man is caught in a fire raging out of control. "1

Nearly four decades ago it was evident that our world was on fire. God is shaking all nations (Hag. 2: 7). We are so close now to the end of the age that the prophetic time clock is only seconds away from midnight! The beginning of the end is upon us. As the prophet declared, "After two days He will revive us; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight" (Hos. 6: 2). One day is with the Lord as a thousand years (2 Pet. 3: 8). It has been over two-thousand years since the death and resurrection of Christ. Therefore it is time for the greatest revival that planet earth has ever experienced to come from heaven. This final move of God's Spirit will sweep throughout the world as God Almighty gives humanity one last chance to repent. Immediately after the final soul repents and turns to Christ, the Church will be taken away to be with the Lord where we the people of God will "live in His sight."

It is paramount that we on earth take heed, because after this global move of God in which all nations shall hear the good news of Jesus Christ, judgment shall begin. By His judgments God will establish His truth and righteousness in the earth (Ps. 19: 9). Whether they want to or not, the inhabitants of the earth will learn righteousness because of the judgments of the Lord (Isa. 26: 9).

No nation or people will be exempt from the judgment of God, as "His judgments are in all the earth" (Ps. 105: 7). Only when the inhabitants of the earth learn God's righteous judgments will they praise Him with uprightness of heart (Ps. 119: 7). Contrary to popular belief, God's judgments are good (v. 39). In God's righteous judgments, the inhabitants of the earth find comfort (v. 52).

The fire of God's Spirit is coming! Don't resist the fire. It doesn't come to harm, but rather to help you. The habitual sins that snare your soul can only be burned away by the fire of God's Spirit. To resist the fire of the Holy Ghost is to embrace the fires of hell which seek to forever engulf you.

The purpose of this book is not to frighten you in such a way that out of fear you come to God, though if that is the only way to get you to acknowledge your Creator that is better than nothing. Instead the fiery spirit in which this book has been written is for the sole purpose of saving lives. God's fire saves. The devil's fire destroys. A decision must be made by you which fire you will befriend. That decision is inescapable. To make no decision at all is to be carried further toward hell-fire. Never forget. If you play with fire, you're going to get burned. It is imperative that you take God and this message seriously.

Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of The Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians? The other three all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God of scripture, and His personal intervention.

It is the same congress that formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this nation.

Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, “Give me liberty or give me death.” But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted.

Here is what he said: “An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.”

These sentences have been erased from our textbooks.

Was Patrick Henry a Christian? The following year, 1776, he wrote this “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.”

Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote on the front of his well- worn Bible: “I am a Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also.”

Consider these words from George Washington, the Father of our Nation, in his farewell speech on September 19, 1796:

“It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

Was George Washington a Christian? Consider these words from his personal prayer book: “Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thy son, Jesus Christ.”

Consider these words by John Adams, our second president, who also served as chairman of the American Bible Society.

In an address to military leaders he said, “We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

How about our first Court Justice, John Jay?

He stated that when we select our national leaders, if we are to preserve our Nation, we must select Christians. “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was the sixth U.S. President.

He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role. On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, “The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”

In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: “The congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.”

William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963. President Lincoln called him the “Schoolmaster of the Nation.”

Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: “The Christian religion is the religion of our country. >From it are derived our notions on character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology.”

Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first.

Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the scriptures:

“Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Proverbs 2:3).”

For over 100 years, more than 50% of all Harvard graduates were pastors!

It is clear from history that the Bible and the Christian faith, were foundational in our educational and judicial system. However in 1947, there was a radical change of direction in the Supreme Court.

Here is the prayer that was banished:

“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on Thee. We beg Thy blessings upon us and our parents and our teachers and our country.

Amen.”

In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading was outlawed as unconstitutional in the public school system. The court offered this justification: “If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could and have been psychologically harmful to children.”

Bible reading was now unconstitutional , though the Bible was quoted 94 percent of the time by those who wrote our constitution and shaped our Nation and its system of education and justice and government.

In 1965, the Courts denied as unconstitutional the rights of a student in the public school cafeteria to bow his head and pray audibly for his food. In 1980, Stone vs. Graham outlawed the Ten Commandments in our public schools.

The Supreme Court said this: “If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments were to have any effect at all, it would be to induce school children to read them. And if they read them, meditated upon them, and perhaps venerated and observed them, this is not a permissible objective.”

Is it not a permissible objective to allow our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments?

James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: “We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments.”

Today we are asking God to bless America. But how can He bless a Nation that has departed so far from Him?

Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country’s Christian roots. I encourage all who read and agree with the words herein, share it with others, so that the truth of our nation’s history may be told.

I think we don’t always realise what impact the sin had that occurred in the Garden of Eden. It was the greatest disaster that ever befell mankind. Yes, the world has experienced terrible disasters. All the great wars, all the enormous natural disasters, and much more.

However, these disasters affect only those who are involved. But the disaster of the fall had an influence, a monumental influence on mankind, with a tremendous effect on the rest of human kind’s existence. Therefore, the fall is the greatest disaster ever that could befall human kind.

The choice that man made to oppose God and follow his own will, man and woman, created an enormous rift between humans and God. And there was no chance that humans could cross the rift to God. Man was lost and his end was death. God and humans became enemies.

Man could do nothing to change this hostility. It did no good to do one million good deeds for one small sin he did by accident. His punishment at the end of his life was booked before his birth. And that was death.

I can just imagine how difficult it was for God to see each of his children burning in the eternal fire. His Father’s heart could simply not take it any longer – therefore he made a plan. A great plan. An expensive plan: Jesus had to sacrifice his life. He had to be tortured. He had to suffer. He had to die. He had to go to hell.

So that you and I could live.

8… We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work.

Such a simple sentence, but the best, biggest, most saving news ever for us humans. With the cross, Jesus wiped out the hostility that existed between God and us. With this plan, God and Jesus took the biggest disaster that waited for each of us off the table. Hell and eternal fire no longer waits for us who…

Who what?

No longer sin? No, we still sin – that’s the nett effect of the fall in the garden of Eden.

No, for us who call Jesus our personal Saviour and Lord. And that’s all you need to escape the disaster. That’s all you need to walk free handed into heaven. All you have to do is put up your hand and confess your sin. God is faithful and will wipe everything from the table.

Wow! Almost too good to be true.

The question now is whether this really takes root in our lives? Can you see in the scripture that you need to do something? Yes, God asks you to do something: Live for Me! Just live for Me!

That’s what we have to do. Every day. Every morning when we get up, we need to have one goal in sight and that is to live only for God with everything in us. That’s actually little to ask for Him who came to save us and built a bridge across the rift. We must just live for Him.

Let’s try it today and tomorrow and further. Let’s allow gratitude to take control of our lives and live for God only with everything in us.

Scripture

2 Timothy 1:8-10

Reflection

Do you realise the impact of God’s plan?

What impact does it have on your behaviour?Do you live only for God?

Prayer

Father, how can one thank You for Your plan? To live according to Your will, for sure. But I struggle. Still, I want to! Amen.

AUTHOR

Dr. John N. Oswalt, a Research Professor of Old Testament is Wesley Biblical Seminary in Mississippi, retreat leader, conference speaker, member of the N.I.V. translation team and editorial team of the New Living Translation presents a well rounded portrait of the Bible”s teaching on godly living, the result of about forty years of study, teaching, preaching and reflecting.

TYPE

Holiness

SUMMARY

Holiness as a unified theme of the entire Bible is systematically traced. Reading the Old Testament in isolation may lead to the erroneous belief that one is saved through works of obedience and reading the New Testament without its counterpart could lead one to believe that the only significance of Christ”s death is forgiveness. The text shows the character of God, the nature of human predicament and God”s intentions for His people. Although the Israelites had been immersed in wrong understanding, God used the convent because it would be intelligible to them. Ultimate reality could only be understood by analogy with the world around us. Four central truths are echoed in both testaments. Firstly, we come into relationship with God by an act of sheer grace. Secondly, God brings us into relationship with Himself so that we can have fellowship with Him on the basis of shared character. This is evident in the journey of the Israelites. Thirdly, it is discovered over again that there is something that prevents us from this fellowship with God. In Genesis, these impediments are referred to as ”evil imagination”. This rabbinical phrase is what prevents God”s children to do what they should do in relationship. Ultimately, it is only through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit that man is able to overcome the impediments. This is the summary of the Bible. It is the same in both testaments.

STRENGTHS

Oswalt should be commended for the vivid presentation of the flaw in the human spirit that reveals itself in prostitution of our best gifts and abilities, echoing that it must be renewed. The Holy Spirit, he rightly observes, should actualize this renewal. The manner in which he completed the first section is also commendable. His summary of the seven chapters could be regarded as a very useful synthesis that maintains a smooth transition to the study of holiness in the New Testament.

WEAKNESS

One expected Oswalt to have made a very clear distinction between the different types of sanctification.

RECOMMENDATION

Dr. Oswalt”s timeless text is a treasure for every Christian especially in this age in which torrents of controversial ink is still flowing on the definition and manner in which holiness could be achieved or attained.

You hear footsteps, tapping, your name or voices, doors or cupboards opening or closing. You feel a wave of coldness, that something just touched you, that you are being watched. You see a glowing mist, an odd light, a dark shadow, a face, an outline, something out of the corner of your eye. What is it? Is it just your imagination or is there something much more here? No, it is not your imagination. You are being visited. And you need to know by whom and what it means. You are not alone.

Ghosts, spirits and manipulated ghosts are all folks who have lived as people and have died – this makes them different from Angels or demons who have never been humans. Ghosts are the life-force of people who have not yet gone to God. Spirits are the life-force of people who have gone to God and now have access to come and go as they please between this world and the next. Manipulated ghosts are the life-force of people who have not yet gone to God so are in ghost form, and have come under attack and control of unHoly Angels or demons.

Big choices happen at the moment of death. When death is imminent, a Holy Angel appears before us, along with several loved ones who have already passed on. This occurs to help us know that the Angel we are seeing is not a hallucination, and that we really do exist beyond our physical bodies. All Angels have specific duties, and the one that comes to us at this time is often called the Angel of death, but is more aptly called a "homing" Angel, because he is there to take us home to God. The homing Angel is very gentle and loving and maternal, and desires us not to be afraid of letting go of our bodies. We are given a choice at that time to go to God right then, or to wait until after the funeral ceremony. All we have to do is touch the hand of the Angel and everything is OK.

It shows our free will desire to go to God, and to choose love over fear. The reason we are given a choice about going right then or waiting until after the funeral is because there is a 2-3 week debriefing time after we die. During this time we have a life review, we review the facets of love learned during this life, we go through a cleansing and full remembrance of who we really are, and make decisions with our guardian Angel and Jesus about future choices. During the debriefing time we do not visit earth. But after the debriefing we can come and go and visit our loved ones on earth freely, how long and how often depends on other choices we make about what we are doing.

When we are newly out of our bodies, it takes some getting used to – for example, we now see not just through our eyes, but all around us. The homing Angel helps us get used to our new spirit body and escorts us around using his energy. If we say we want to visit our daughter or mother, in a blink of an eye we find ourselves there, and utilizing a way of connection appropriate to the situation. This is why most visitations of our loved ones happen right after their death, because they desire to let us know they are OK and still exist. After their debriefing, their ability to come and go freely also means that we can trigger visitations by prayerfully asking for them. If we desire to use a touchstone such as holding an item or picture that was dear to them, we can, that is up to us, but not necessary. They hear us at the moment we talk to them, unless they are busy, then our calling out is stored to a place that is accessed by them at another time.

Our loved ones are indented or connected to us and they desire to help us overcome our grief and help us make healthy and loving decisions in our lives. With this gentle prodding they act similar to how Angels do, looking out for our best interests and directing us in love, since all their burdens and "could haves and should haves" have been released and forgiven. By knowing the true nature of God they also know themselves and each one of us, all in love. This is our life-force as a spirit.

Ghosts on the other hand, have not taken the hand of the homing Angel and have not chosen to go to God. Because free will does not end at death, sometimes people make an incorrect choice even after letting go of the body. Ever wonder about the last part of the Hail Mary prayer? "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. " At the hour of our death is when we are most at risk for being attacked. This is why it is so necessary that people are surrounded by love, understanding and support at their time of death. This is a crucial time. Many have entered the ghost life simply because they are simply afraid to go to God, thinking they would not be forgiven for things they have done. There have been many versions of faulty teachings about God – but he is not like a prison warden, or a strict overbearing disciplinarian who would send anyone to a fiery hell of torment. None of this is true – he is the core of unconditional Divine Love, forgiveness and mercy. And torture and fear could never coexist with Love, it is the exact opposite.

In fact, in Biblical days there was a pagan ritual of sacrificing children to false gods by burning them to death in fire, and God shows his repugnance for that by saying: "The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes … they have built the high places of Topheth … to burn their sons and daughters in the fire – something I did not command, nor did it come up into my heart. " (Jeremiah 7:30, 31) It is not in the heart of a loving God to do such a thing. Hell is a separation from God, fiery hell does not exist. But separation does, and when a ghost doesn't go to Father, he is in this place of purgatory, separation or hell. He is in-between and stuck between this world and the next.

Ghosts do not know any more or any less than when they were alive. If your aunt was mean when she was here on earth, she will still be mean as a ghost. If she was the salt of the earth and kind-hearted, that is how she will be as a ghost. So, you do not have to be afraid of them. They are people who have just shed their physical bodies. They have less real power over you now than they ever had. A death that was sudden may produce ghosts because a person can't believe they are dead and they see the homing Angel as a hoax. If they can't believe they are dead they may go on with the same chores and stresses during their day as if they were still alive. These are the some of the hardest to convince to go home. There are a few who will go on like this for thousands of years without improvement. Some will keep repeating over and over again the most emotional part (good or bad) of their lives or the last part of their lives. Sometimes a person may mistakenly believe they can't go to God until loose ends are tied up – but no matter what is undone, going to God and being in spirit form will help much more, and give you more helpers with you besides.

There is never a good reason not to touch the hand of the Angel. However, in his mercy, even those in ghost form are not forgotten by God. Periodically a homing Angel will be sent to each ghost offering another chance. God has also gifted many people with the ability to sense, see or feel ghosts and will periodically send these to help ghosts go home too. If you are one of these, remember there is no need to help them with unfinished business, everything will have wonderful Angelic outcome when they go to God. There is only one goal, to go to Father, to go to the light. Everything else will be taken care of. This is a test of faith, for them and for you. Briefly let them know their condition by asking a few questions: "do you remember waking up this morning? What did you eat? When did you get your last paycheck?" Then get to the point – let them know the true nature of God and how much Father loves us, how he sees us without all of our weaknesses, and that he sees only our Love, and not our imperfections which have all been forgiven by the karmic redemption of Christ, and that loved ones await them. It's all about love.

Too many people with good intentions get tied up in thinking they are helping a ghost by extensively lingering with them and end up getting wound up in the high emotions of the ghost and get thrown off course from the main goal. Ghosts only need to do one thing, go to the light. That is it! All else will be answered for them after that. All they have to do is touch the hand of the Angel. This is a prayer to assist them in going to the light: "Wake up o sleeper and rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:14) Repeating this 3 times will assist with bringing the homing Angel to them. Touching the hand of the Angel will immediately bring them to the embrace of Divine Love. That is it. It is that simple.

Ghosts are easier to see because they are of a lower vibration than spirits who have gone to God. Angels are of an extremely high vibration. They are much harder to see and have to make the intention to slow their vibration so that they may be visible. Ghosts attract things of extremely low vibration, such as demons (unHoly Angels). This is another explanation of why they must go – even if they feel they are helping their loved ones, they are not – it is very dangerous for them to hang out. Another reason is because they too can get manipulated by demons, just as we can. A full 60% of ghosts become manipulated by the unHoly Angels and turn into manipulated ghosts. Make sure that the grandmother talking to your child is a spirit and not a ghost, no matter how friendly she is.

Ghosts are humans who have died and not yet gone back to Father. Manipulated ghosts have been attacked and have fallen prey to the manipulations of the unHoly Angels and become convinced that they are demons too. The unHoly Angels twist the manipulated ghosts and use them against people like pawns, and this is why ghosts can become very destructive and evil, because they are tapping into this source. Remember these manipulated ghosts are at their core children of God, and they still have the chance to go back to Father, to learn more about love and have more opportunity to share in his love. Manipulated ghosts need more assistance to return back home to Father because they can no longer see themselves as once human, they see only the darkness and the manipulation fed to them. These are the ghosts that appear disfigured, distorted, a perversion of what they were. Anywhere there is a perversion of how something was intended to be, count on the fact that there is demonic influence present.

Here is the prayer to assist a manipulated ghost: "Lord, I ask that any manipulated ones here in this perimeter be nailed, held fast and silenced. I ask that their Angel show them their true name. allowed to leave and I say to them, Wake up O 'Sleeper and rise from the dead and Christ will shine upon you. Wake up O' Sleeper and rise from the dead and Christ will shine upon you. Wake up O 'Sleeper and rise from the dead and Christ will shine upon you. (Ephesians 5:14) Thank you Father that these may come home to you. In Jesus' name, Amen. "

This prayer is not a forcing back home but an awakening to who they are as children of God. When we hold them and silence them, they cannot cause as much or any damage. It is important to know the homing Angel will never force someone to go, but offers the way. The part of our prayer asking that "their Angel show them their true name" is referring to their Guardian Angel, the one that has been with them the whole time since before their birth. This Angel shows them their true name, not as we may know a name to be, like Henry or Steve but all that they truly are, including the aspects of love that they have polished over all their lifetimes. This awareness given to the manipulated ghosts of who they truly are as a child of God, frees them from the control of the unHoly Angels and allows for communication to start up again between them and their Guardian Angel. Even with this prayer, it is still up to the ghost, so adding our own blessing asking that they return to God is powerful as well. If a manipulated ghost chooses not to go to God and is still causing problems, we can go the next step and do an exorcism as if we were casting out a demon.

When you come across a ghost or manipulated ghost treat with love, respect, and kindness. They really are lost souls. They may be bitter, downright demonic in their behavior, or they may be just confused. It makes me upset that there are so many haunted houses in the United States today that actively encourage people to come visit them, and charge a lot of money to do so. Remember you can say the prayer whenever you like – you can do this without permission of the homeowner; it's not like breaking a contract, such as with demons, where you need free will agreement of the renters or homeowners. It really is beautiful when the ghost "gets it" and moves on and upward; such a feeling of relief and joy can be felt! Sometimes a person who is sensitive will be able to see the heavens open and the ghost leave, and see the energy of the room charged with heavenly light. Sometimes a warmth can be felt, or the scent of a mild pleasant perfume.

No, it is not your imagination – a whole other world exists just beyond your eyes. You are not alone, none of us are, and that is a good thing. Why? Because love is greater than fear, and light is greater than darkness. We do not have to ever be afraid of ghosts, manipulated ghosts or unHoly Angels. Love reminds each of us of our power against the darkness as redeemed children of God. We have help at any and all moments by Holy Angels, spirits of loved ones, guides, our Guardian Angel, and God himself through our free will desire of prayer. Knowing this, we can always choose to be a reflection of love without fear to any who visit us; ghost, manipulated ghost or unHoly Angel.

A highly industrialized place like America where everyone is living a fast-paced life will likely influence anyone, even the most religious people on earth.

It’s no wonder why immigrants are expected to adapt than to hold on to their traditions. The best example is the American Jews.

Sylvia Barack Fishman, the renowned author of Jewish Life and American Culture described the Jews of this generation as the “new hybrid form of Judaism”.

Let’s take a look at the impact of American culture to the Jews living in America.

Identity and Religion

Jews are always associated with Judaism as this is their religion just like Islam to Muslims. However, these days, more and more Jews are identifying themselves as atheist.

According to a survey done by Pew Research Center, one in five Jews describes themselves as non-religious or does not have any religion at all.

Jew immigrants have brought their traditions and culture with them. However, today’s generation now relies more on educational institutions to teach history to their children. This is why it is no surprise when religion and other traditional practices are changed, if not completely gone. To remedy this, parents often go on kosher tours and Jewish themed vacations to at least give their kids a glimpse of their custom.

But even so, they are still proud of their Jewish descendants. It’s just that they are living in a modern world where often than not, certain practices are no longer applied.

Death and Morality

Happiness is something everyone is craving in this lifetime. But one cannot experience real happiness if he or she cannot experience sadness and mourning.

In Irving Greenberg’s book Jewish Valves And The Changing American Ethic, he discusses how American culture widely accepts happiness in the sense that they almost deny the existence of death. Even funerals are glorified with pretty decorations and very expensive coffins.

“He looks like he is still alive.” or “He’s settled alright.”– Those phrases alone manifest how American culture denies death and mourning. But in Judaism, funerals are ceremonial yet remain very natural. There is no embalming and cremation as they believe that the body should return to the ground where they belong just the way they are. Moreover, the burial must be done as soon as possible.

But American Jews nowadays are slowly adapting to the American way of mourning and even do cremation as well.

Intermarriage

Traditionally, intermarriage between Gentiles and Jews was not allowed. However, after the migration to America, intermarriage was slowly accepted.

Now, intermarriage is now widely accepted in Jewish society. Rabbis and other Jewish scholars are afraid that the tolerance of intermarriage may lead to the extinction of the American-Jewish community.

As mentioned earlier, most Jews now claim to be non-religious. Most of the atheist Jews are involved an intermarriage and interfaith marriage.

In a survey done by Pew Research Center, 37% of intermarried Jews said that they are not exposing their children to Jewish traditions at all.

No one can tell if intermarriage has an impact of lessening the religious Jews in America, however, the numbers are evidence that it may be the reason after all.

This is why Rabbis and Jewish parents want their kids to be exposed to their Jewish roots. One great way is through celebrating holidays and vacations through kosher touring. With this, Jewish kids will have the chance to participate in interactive Jewish programs and be exposed to their heritage.

Because I know you have given the image of God a lot of thought, I’m sure you will find my book interesting. Here’s the introduction, which also serves as a synopsis:

A HIGHER GOOD

INTRODUCTION

CAIN’S QUESTION

I was fifteen when I died. It was long before anyone used the phrase “Near Death Experience” or talked publicly about “Out Of Body Experiences.” I don’t know how other NDEs or OBEs feel about these terms, but I consider them euphemisms of a society scared to death of death.

I died. That’s a fact. Then I came back, and I’ve spent four decades thinking about it.

My death experience was so profound, and so at odds with Western religions, that about 20 years passed before I even spoke of it. At first I was confused and thought that if I let enough time pass the experience would fade like a dream. Such knowledge was a burden, especially for a cloistered Catholic so young. A Catholic education back in the 1950’s was nothing short of dogmatic brainwashing, complete with the certainty that anyone who did not strictly adhere to every aspect of the “one, holy, apostolic” church doctrine was headed straight to Hell. So I tried to forget it, to deny it.

Nevertheless, even after four decades, my death experience remains the most vivid memory of my existence. With the wisdom of hindsight, I now realize I had to experience the lies of life before I could accept and understand the truths of my death. I’m writing it down now because of a sense of duty, and because I obviously went further into this mysterious realm than the many who have come forward during the past decade.

I strongly suspect that other souls throughout history, and even more in the modern age, experienced the same thing, returned to this life, and remained mute. At the very least, I suspect that many of the outspoken NDEs of the common era aren’t really telling it all.

It says in the Tao Te Ching: “Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know.”

However, I believe it more appropriate to say: Those who know don’t know how to express it, or they refuse to do so from fear of religious labeling or even persecution. After all, even Lao Tzu disappeared into the wilderness, never to be seen or heard again, right after he handed over the Tao Te Ching, a little book of just 81 verses that spawned one of the major religions of the world.

At any rate, NDEs are difficult to talk about, especially at first. During the past decade, I’ve only shared my experience occasionally, and then only when compassion has moved me to do so. Each time I have struggled for words and similes to describe conditions and attitudes for which there are no close comparisons on Earth.

I’m not sure of all the reasons I’m baring my soul, so the speak, here and now. The logical reasons are numerous. None of them, however, carry enough weight to motivate this task. I write this because I must. I don’t expect to profit much from it. Because of my age and my health, I doubt it will be widely read until after my passing.

At any rate, it won’t be read until the world is ready to understand. It will be read during an age in which enough people are ready to burst through the confines of preconceived notions and think for themselves. It will be read when enough people are sick and tired of the social sickness they see in the world. It will be read when enough people are ready to stray from the frightened flocks that have continued to blindly follow the same paths to fearful isolation and violent mayhem.

That time, I believe, is near. It is no coincidence that today we have many thousands of living souls who have had experiences as profound as did Saint Paul on the road to Damascus. Everyone today knows of someone who claims to have had an NDE or OBE. You can attribute this phenomenon to the proficiency of modern medicine, but it is all part of a spiritual evolution that is leading mankind through a transitional period.

You won’t find these thousands standing on busy street corners attracting attention with signs warning of the end of the world. They’re not starting any new religions, and they wouldn’t think of intimidating you with threats of eternal damnation. Nor do they ask for donations to spread the “word.” When talking of spiritual matters, they never raise their voices. Theirs is a still, small voice. They are the meek, but they have no desire to “inherit the Earth.” They’ve seen something infinitely better. They just seem to be quietly waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

There is, however, another reason for general silence among those enlightened by death. Wrapped up in the concrete understanding of answers that have puzzled philosophers and theologians throughout time is the realization that everyone must find their own way.

Knowing this, I realize what I say may have little effect on some. Even I had to make my own mistakes, suffer my own pain, and learn my own lessons; for without the mistakes, the pain, and the profound lessons-everything is little more than intellectual supposition. People can believe just about anything, but they only know for sure what they have experienced.

In many ways, my life has been richer and more purposeful because of the death experience. My existence this time around has been full and diverse and gratifying. I wouldn’t trade with anyone, though I do wish I could be more like Jesus, Gandhi, Lao Tzu, Buddha and a few other of my long-gone heros.

Like most everyone who reaches a certain age, I realize I have been blessed in many ways, but I also have experienced the depths of despair and what seems like more than an average share of pain. These painful realities of life, nevertheless, find graceful balance in the deep joys and interests. I have a passion for life, and it has been interesting. The worst part of it, however, has been continually witnessing the needless anguish, suffering, and violence that my fellow men inflict upon themselves and each other. In that respect, it seems a self-perpetuating curse in which I’m trapped-like a subject in one of Rod Sterling’s “Twilight Zone” episodes.

I am completely human and carnally burdened by the same instincts for survival and egotistical satisfaction that distorts spirituality and happiness in every human being. I retain the common fears of being hurt and of disease, but I have no fear of death. “Such a second death hath no power.”

I know my life must follow some natural course, so I walk along looking for people to help, trying to make sense of the chaos in the world and in myself. I have known God well for nearly all of my life, but have struggled a lifetime trying to figure out people. I have known Heaven and Earth, so I am left perpetually home-sick on this planet, no matter where I reside.

I think all old souls have this longing to be elsewhere, whether they’ve had a death experience or not. For most of them, the afterlife and past lives are like that name that’s just on the tip of the tongue. They know it, but they just can’t seem to think of it or grasp it. I believe this causes some people to think they must have been adopted, that they are the offspring of some alien abduction, or some other weird fantasy.

I’m going to detail my death experience in the first two sections of this book, but the goal of this work is to define the underlying causes of the chaos in this world and offer some spiritual suggestions that will relieve it. To do this I will question the most basic presumptions that have hampered and plagued mankind for thousands of years. These are not his fanciful presumptions about God, but the things he takes for granted about himself, those things that he has denied so repeatedly that they have fallen below his examination.

The underlying foundation of all our problems are buried in what we loosely dismiss as “human nature.” It has little to do with gods or devils, but with the denial of the very nature we readily dismiss without serious and objective introspection. Instead we create all manner of gods and devils to project the focus into the supernatural, and we war with each other over these egotistical definitions.

Our ideas of God, or a supreme system of balance, is the foundation of our moral philosophy. Therefore it also is the foundation of every social structure. It doesn’t matter whether one believes in God or not–all the rules and attitudes of a society are founded upon thoughts and philosophies that transcend the animal instincts of this realm of existence. This is the noble intent of man. From these thoughts we derive our ideas of moral behavior, social order, and justice.

Unfortunately, we most often twist these noble ideas of supreme rule to justify continuing cycles of violence. We use them to rationalize cruel and/or domineering behavior and retribution on a personal and national level. And we continually deny any personal responsibility for the unabated evil of the world with a logic that is always pointing the finger at some higher transgressions of our fellow man.

Based upon actual experience, I intend to stand this human logic on its head by debunking the standard metaphysical suppositions that lies at the foundation of societal structures. I’m going to explain a love and goodness that transcends our primitive ideas of justice. I’m going to tell you of a Higher Good.

My hope is that what I say may open your mind enough to rediscover the peace and love and hope that the collective ego-driven world has buried. Accept or reject whatever you wish. It’s all up to you. In the end, you are the only one responsible for finding the Way.

Religious organizations and philosophical persuasions all have their tightly cloistered camps. Each of us gleans from that religion and/or philosophy our own attitudes which constitute a personal spiritual philosophy. Whether it comes from the East or from the West, we alone are responsible for that personal spiritual philosophy. Because of free will-no one can be lead, or even blame someone else for being misled-because to follow is a choice. We’re all responsible for our own path.

On this path each of our spiritual attitudes supersede the influence of Plato, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Freud, mom and dad, or whomever. We must all seek truth individually and responsibly-without a person, people, politics, or religion as the ultimate authority or scapegoat. To do so, we must learn to think for ourselves.

As a result of my death experience, I have developed a spiritual attitude that is neither eastern or western. It recognizes the good in each and strives for a Golden Mean. This book provides a different way of looking at God and his people (regardless your religious affiliations) so that His unconditional love can fill you with understanding.

This Golden Mean Philosophy can lead to a true and lasting peace on Earth, something that is impossible under the present conditions of modern religious dogma, which gains its authority from the negative concepts of control through fear mongering and power through separatism. As long as we continue to label ourselves as Christians or Muslims or Jews or whatever we continue a tradition of tribalism that is as old and as barbaric as man himself.

As a species, we have learned little from the continuing separatism of our history. We have never grasped the profound implications of the first question asked by a man in the Bible: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” This question, of course, was posed as an evasion from God’s question of: ” Where is Abel thy brother?”

Cain’s evasive question assumes that the answer is no, and as long as we continue to assume that the answer is no, we are condemned to repeat the past as an unavoidable aspect of what we justify as human nature. Until we give the underlying assumptions of Cain’s question our most serious attention, we will never change man’s quarrelsome and murderous nature. By assuming the answer is no, a cancerous attitude lurks in the hidden recesses of man’s most minor egotistical tendencies and surfaces in evil acts that he justifies with political and religious reasoning.

It is time for man to address the implications and ramification of these underlying assumptions, because what the first murderer may have done with a rock, we now can do with weapons that threaten our biological clock.

Much of what I’m about to reveal will offend small-minded egos and be condemned by religious fundamentalists. Religions, the way they are organized and promoted, are not the paths to love and peace-they are the insidious force behind societal differences and societal problems. They are dictatorships of totalitarian rule that ironically appeal to the worst parts of our human nature while camouflaging themselves in self-righteousness.

Religions are the most powerful and dangerous forces on Earth, and they become most self-righteous and aggressive whenever their financial structure and political power face criticism. It is built into their doctrine: to question them is to question God, and to question God is a sacrilege. “God will get you” is the implication. But I pay no heed to that threat, because God already got me.

What I’m about to tell you will not change you. It will make you think. It may even make you think differently. But it will not enlighten you or effect any peaceful change. Only you can do that, and toward that end I have devised the Three Phases of Spiritual Enlightenment to help you find your own Way. It is possible to climb God’s mountain from various sides, but all paths merge at the top. All paths lead back to the source of life. But you may have to stray a bit from the frightened flocks and dogmatic directives to find a more forthright route. You may have to think for yourself, using the simple wisdom of your soul instead of the convoluted reasoning of political and religious dogma.

Today most of us still accept the confining fences of preconceived views, prejudices, and attitudes which influence everything we see, read, or hear. As long as we remain enslaved by those biases, we remain destined to repeat the violent sessions of the past. Nothing has changed, because the general and basic human attitude toward self has not changed. We are still sheep being lead by wolves.

I have a message that can change that; a message that can help you realize the awesome power that resides within you. Why I was chosen to deliver it is beyond me. During the course of my life, I have broken, to some degree, every commandment-especially as they are defined in the Sermon On The Mount. I certainly am no saint. I’m just an ordinary man with an extraordinary experience.

My words are not meant to convey ultimatums or condemnations-but to eliminate them. They are meant to speak past the ephemeral fears of your ego to the eternal compassion of your soul. My formidable task is to formulate logical hypotheses for revolutionary statements of faith.

I am not pompous or insane enough to claim that I speak for God, but I do speak of God with the authority of actual experience.

May he help me here.

A Higher Good is 264 pages and is available from Amazon and other online bookstores.