Do not let yourself be decieve!

QUESTION:

In The Bible, especially the new testament, what verses communicate the idea of "Do not let yourself be deceived" or any verbiage that communicates that idea?

ANSWER:

In the New Testament, there are several verses that convey the idea of "do not let yourself be deceived" or a similar message. Here are some key passages:

• Matthew 24:4-5 (NIV): "Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many.'"

• Mark 13:5-6 (NIV): "Jesus said to them: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.'"

• Luke 21:8 (NIV): "He replied: 'Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them.'"

• 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV): "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

• Ephesians 5:6 (NIV): "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient."

• 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NIV): "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction."

• 1 John 3:7 (NIV): "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous."

These verses serve as a reminder to remain vigilant and discerning to avoid being deceived by false teachings or individuals claiming to be the Messiah.

QUESTION:

When I think about deception, I also think about being distracted from the truth. Are there ways that I can let myself be distracted so that I do not pay attention to the truth?

ANSWER:

Yes, there are various ways in which you can be distracted from the truth. Some common distractions include:

• Personal biases: We all have our own biases and preconceived notions that can prevent us from seeing the truth objectively. It's important to recognize these biases and challenge them to avoid being misled.

• Emotional reactions: Emotions can sometimes cloud our judgment and distract us from the truth. Practicing emotional regulation and self-awareness can help in making more objective decisions and recognizing the truth.

• Peer pressure: The opinions and beliefs of those around us can greatly influence our own thoughts and actions. It's crucial to think critically and independently, even when faced with peer pressure, to avoid being swayed from the truth.

• Sensationalism and misinformation: With the prevalence of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it's easy to be inundated with sensationalized headlines and misinformation. Always verify the sources of your information and question the credibility of the news before accepting it as the truth.

• Busyness and overstimulation: Our modern lives can be filled with distractions, from work to social media, which can prevent us from focusing on the truth. It's important to make time for reflection, meditation, or prayer to stay connected with the truth.

• Materialism and worldly desires: Pursuing material wealth and worldly success can distract us from the truth and lead us away from our core values. Maintaining a balance between personal, spiritual, and material growth can help keep us grounded in the truth.

• Ignorance and lack of education: A lack of knowledge or understanding can prevent us from recognizing the truth. Continuous learning and seeking knowledge can help us stay informed and make better decisions.

• To avoid being distracted from the truth, it's essential to develop self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and a willingness to challenge your own beliefs. Stay informed and seek knowledge from reliable sources, and make time for self-reflection and spiritual growth.

QUESTION: 

In the context of this conversation, I am assuming that the truth is found in the Bible.

ANSWER:

In the context of this conversation and considering the truth as found in the Bible, there are specific ways you can avoid distractions and stay focused on the biblical teachings:

1. Regular Bible study: Engage in consistent Bible reading and study to deepen your understanding of the Scriptures. This will help you stay focused on biblical truth and prevent distractions from other sources.

2. Prayer and meditation: Regularly praying and meditating on the teachings of the Bible will help you maintain a strong connection with God and keep your focus on His truth.

3. Fellowship: Surround yourself with fellow believers who share your commitment to the truth found in the Bible. This supportive community will help you stay focused and strengthen your faith.

4. Discernment: Develop your discernment skills to differentiate between biblical teachings and distractions that may lead you away from the truth. This includes examining your own biases, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, and consulting with trusted spiritual mentors.

5. Prioritize spiritual growth: Ensure that your spiritual growth remains a priority in your life. This may involve setting aside time for personal devotion, attending church services, or participating in Bible study groups.

6. Guard against worldly distractions: Be aware of the potential distractions that can lead you away from biblical truth, such as materialism, secular entertainment, or unhealthy relationships. Make conscious choices that align with your commitment to the truth found in the Bible.

7. Share your faith: By sharing your faith and biblical knowledge with others, you reinforce your understanding of the truth and create opportunities for growth and learning.

By focusing on these practices, you can strengthen your connection with the biblical truth and avoid distractions that might lead you astray.

Think about our thoughts...

Check this out...

Second Guessing?

What's up with that? Second guessing decisions I'm trying to make, I mean when wanting to obey God's guidance. I seem to do it all the time.

Imagine. The Bible says "God told Abram to go to a land I will show you and then gave him a promise that He would make him a great nation".

Okay. I always wonder how God did that exactly. Did Abram know who God was before God told him to go to a land that He would show him? Was it a vision, was it a face-to-face conversation, was it with thundering and lightnings and earthquakes that God made his Will known to Abram?

No one knows.

But Abram obeyed! It seems he thought, that's a good idea. He packed up and left. That's all we know. Second guessing... Not so much.

Fast forward...

Abraham. The Bible tells us God told him to go and sacrifice his son, his only son with Sarah. The miracle child of their old age. On Mount Moriah, 3 days travel.

Was it a vision, was it a face-to-face conversation, was it with thundering and lightnings and earthquakes that God made his Will known to Abraham?

No one knows.

So Abraham set out. He had 3 days to think about what God had told him to do. Second guessing? I don't know. 

What do you think?

New Angle on Community

What is the foundation of community?

Your presuppositions with respect to what is community, might include, ie. a community of friends, an interest group, a small group, a life group, a home group, a Ministry group, a "circle the wagons with those of like mind" group. I hope you get my point as I ask the question...

What is the foundation of any community? I mean after all of the other issues have been dealt with. And we seek out fellowship within a designated, available and amiable group.

My Premise: All of us want to be... Recognized, Identified, and Known.

Here's a fun side note as you think about "What is the foundation of Community?". 

"Cheers" was a sitcom (late 80's early 90's) that had a Theme song

The battle for our Attention?

WIKIPEDIA: Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information. William James (1890) wrote that "Attention is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence."^[1] Attention has also been described as the allocation of limited cognitive processing resources.^[2] 

Attention is manifested by an attentional bottleneck, in terms of the amount of data the brain can process each second

The weapon of spiritual warfare against attention is "distraction"...

Do you ever think about your thoughts? Have you ever wondered why you argue with yourself?

2 Cor. 10:3-5 MEV 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, 5 casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

IDEA - noun.  any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.      a thought, conception, or notion:

Repentance for the Born again believer?

Re-engaging with God's perspective by aligning with His Heart and Mind.

In Prayer! In His Presence! I go to Him for the big things I think are important. They are! BUT, He speaks to me about the small steps. The little things that are weighty. Steps of obedience; essential to the transformation of my mind. And therefore, my actions.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. Recognize His guiding Voice in everything you are doing. And He will lead you in the way He created you to be!.

God's thoughts?

What if you only cared about what God thought of you, instead of what others thought about you?

What if you only cared about what God thought of others, instead of what you thought of others?

How would your life be different? 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Intimation? Inklings?

INTIMATION: the action of making something known, especially in an indirect way.

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him...

 
INKLINGS: a slight knowledge or suspicion; a hint.

Have you ever thought "I think God is trying to tell me something"? If so, understand it is the Holy Spirit's way of drawing out those who are serious about their relationship with Him from those who aren't.

The "Here and Now" and the Presence of God

The "Here and Now" is where we pay attention. To pay attention means to consciously focus on one aspect of that which we are aware.

We can be aware of many things in the here and now and still not pay attention to them.

Definition: the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others.

"Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention

"Attention is the cognitive process that makes it possible to position ourselves towards relevant stimuli and consequently respond to it. This cognitive ability is very important and is an essential function in our daily lives."

https://www.cognifit.com/attention

"Attention is a complex cognitive function which is essential for human behavior. Attention is a selection process for an external (sound, image, smell...) or internal (thoughts) event which has to be maintained at a certain level of awareness. It is not a stable but rather, fluctuating skill."

http://www.happy-neuron.com/brain-and-training/attention

From all this information we begin to understand that paying attention takes conscious effort.

Two Bible verses come to mind…

Romans 8:14 All that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.

John 10:27  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

And this one…

Matthew 10:19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

These verses speak of the present-tense indicative verb of paying attention to the Holy Spirit in the here and now. Not just acknowledging God's presence but recognizing Him and "choosing" to pay attention and to engage in your relationship with Him.

The enemy does not want you to do that. He will use distraction by trying to get you to focus, not on the present situation I call the "Here and Now" but on the past using condemnation/hopelessness or the future using speculation/fear... Or both.

Reality does not exist in the future or in the past.

We exist and have our being in the "Here and Now". It is where we make our choices and decisions that will shape our future. Do you trust in your limited perspective and understanding in your situation, or will you choose to pay attention to the Lover of your Soul and trust in His Guidance and Counsel? "Now" is the time, and "here" is the place we create the future God wants us to have.

Philippians 3:12 (NLT) I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Proverbs 3:5 (CEV) With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

ADDICTIONS

Ad·dic·tion - noun: the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.

We are all addicts of something...

• Alcoholic: addicted to alcohol.
• Workaholic: addicted to work.
• Chocaholic: addicted chocolate.
• Spendaholic : addicted to spending money.
• Sportsaholic : lives to watch or play sport.
• Talkaholic : Incessant talking.
• Tweetaholic : Addicted to tweeting.

The one addiction that trumps them all is the “addiction to self-will”.

"I'm going to do what I want to do!"

It began in the garden of Eden and continues to this day. We are aware of Good and evil and seem to instinctively know when someone has trespassed against us. We don't pay heed to God's guidance and counsel and instead we "trust in our own understanding" as we respond/react to those who have done us wrong. Thus the cycle of self-will reaps ill-will in our hearts and our relationships. And we find all sorts of ways (other addictions) to ease our unhappiness for a moment!

All this happens because we listen to, and believe the lies the enemy of our Soul tells us. He speaks these lies in our thoughts and tries to convince us of "who" we are.

The enemy uses Pride or Condemnation.

1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

This spiritual battle manifests itself in our thought life. The enemy of your Soul can use your self-will addiction to make you believe you have it within yourself to be "happy" and encourage thoughts of self-confidence/righteousness. The enemy of your Soul would be content to leave you there. But…

This addiction to self-will manifests itself in an infinite number of ways. In our pride, most of us never come to realize the destructive consequences that self-will has in our lives. We "manage" the turmoil in our relationships by practicing "self-actualization" and make ourselves feel better by blaming others for our situation. But…

If you trust in your own understanding, sooner or later you will make mistakes. Then the enemy of your Soul changes his tactics. From thoughts of pride to thoughts of condemnation. These thoughts of pride or of condemnation, the enemy uses them with one goal in mind, your destruction.

Luke 5:31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sick and need to change the way they think.

Stop believing lies about who you are and embrace the "Lover of your Soul" He created you and He has a better plan for your life.

Seek Him out with all your heart!

Proverbs 3:5 & 6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart don't lean on your own understanding, recognize God in all of your ways and he will direct your paths.

Read this...

https://www.gotquestions.org/seeking-God.html

Distraction.

I've come to realize that worry is a distraction. You may think your worry is justified. That the time you spend worrying about it is required because your love for the one on your heart needs help.

Have you done what God asked you to do? Then give it to him.

Pay attention to your present situation. Don't be distracted by what you have no control over. The tomorrow you think will happen, you have no idea. Proverbs 3:5-6

Spend Time vs Pay Attention?

The world is full of distraction. It takes up our time, it occupies our attention.

It seems we have a lot to spare. In fact sometimes I prefer distraction when it comes to my current situation. Why? Because nothing seems to be happening...

At least from my perspective.

So I'm learning about the Bible verse that says... "Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength".

Distraction?

Back to that I go.

Distraction. Occupy your time. Use it up.

If the enemy can't deceive you he will try to distract you. Not just with worthless entertainment but with causes that we perceive as worthy.

These "causes" satisfy our need to feel justified, but fall short of explicit obedience and trust of God's will for our lives.

Games in the digital age.

A few years ago, my two sons, Hudson and Harrison invited a few of their friends over to play "video games."

Later in the evening, I went into the front room to see how things were going.

I was surprised to see only one of Harrison's friends in the room, Jacob.

Hudson was on the desktop computer with a headset and microphone. Talking to a number of online players that he was teamed up with as they battled another team on a multiplayer internet game.

Harrison had a PlayStation handset and was conversing with his teammates via his iPad as they battled on the big screen tv connected to the PS1 network.

I asked Jacob why he enjoyed playing these online games. He said "because I like overcoming obstacles, winning the battle, and discovering more of what the game has in store. I can be more than just me." 

Don't we all like feeling victorious? Feeling and "being" are two different things

Today I came across this...

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/getting-to-the-heart-of-the-appeal-of-videogames.html

It is interesting what the Lord said to me 8 months ago...

  http://www.randolphbrown.com/2015/12/vicarious-generation-that-been-occupied.html

Vicarious!

A generation that is being occupied and distracted from their own need to be overcomers.

http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/vicariously

"Vicariously is the adverb form of the word vicarious, which also involves experiencing something through another person. The Latin influence is the word vicarius, which means “substitute.” If you experience something vicariously, in a sense you’re a substitute who’s getting something secondhand.

If you’re living vicariously, stop it. Get out and live life for yourself. Vicariously means that you’re experiencing something indirectly, like when your friend's adventure feels like your own."

Reconcile distraction.

Why do I prefer distraction in the moment? A moment that is unique, unrepeatable and when past, is unchangeable and therefore without a price?

It is because in the moment the waiting needs to be occupied. Duration is the "experienced" observation of change. And in the "cycle" I wait for "opportunity". That is the word I need to plumb.

Some random thoughts...?

What is the number of thoughts I can comprehend in any given moment?

The rate of change can vary in a given inertial frame. Does the rate of change affect the number of thoughts I can comprehend? I think... No, the rate of change is a constant of the inertial frame and therefore the number of thoughts that can be processed is also constant.

If the number of thoughts that can be processed (understood) in my inertial frame is limited then distraction can occupy my attention and I can miss the thoughts the Lover of my Soul has for me.

Are you occupied by distraction?

It used to be.

There was a time in the past when someone could be alone. In fact it was normal to be alone much of the time. Left alone with our thoughts. Then the strategy of the enemy was lies. He could explain our situation in our thoughts as we perceived them as our own and made decisions that led to our destruction.

Now we are connected, never alone. We have access to lies, but also the truth, if we just but seek. The truth sets us free. How does the enemy now stop us from discovering it?

Distract and occupy our time. There is much more to be said about that.

Connect to Reality in an Excellent way

How do we navigate through the flood of distraction and find our way to the reality of our existence?

The Excellent Way has two witnesses.

God's Initiative has provided us with #1 the Holy Scriptures, passed down through time to us. AND #2 The Holy Spirit...

John 14:26 Amplified Bible

26 But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

Distraction sought after.

I look for distraction to occupy my time. Time I have, to afford thoughts of my situation in reality. When distraction seems preferable to facing up to the facts on the ground. Distraction seems attractive.