What Is Truth?

It is the Man who is before you and the Spirit who lives inside you.

October’s Awakening, Day 5:

Pilate asked, "Quid est Veritas?" ("What is truth?") In Latin the answer is an anagram, "Est Vir qui Adest" ("It is the Man who is before you.").

 -Author Unknown

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. John 18:33,36-38 NIV

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. John 19:19,20 NIV

            An anagram is simply a word, or phrase, or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters or parts. This is quite interesting and profound, this “play on words”; and even though it is not precisely what the Scriptures relate, the meaning is clearly the same. True also is the fact that Latin, Greek, and Aramaic, were the languages in use in this region at that time, and Pilate, being Roman, assuredly knew Latin, even though Greek and Aramaic were the predominant spoken languages. Regardless, in all God’s languages, Truth is the Man on the Cross.

Discover Your Spirit

God’s ultimate perfection and the most miraculous of His created order is your spirit within you.

October’s Awakening, Day 4:

Men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars, yet pass over the mysteries of themselves without a thought.

 -Augustine of Hippo

            We should now add to Augustine’s observation, man’s incessant search of the universe for intelligent life and life itself. It is amazing that we are the epitome of perfection in God’s creation hierarchy, yet we do not really even understand the intricacies of our own inner workings. Our physical and mental nature are difficult to fully comprehend indeed, but our spiritual nature is almost a complete mystery to us, even to the most spiritually-minded. We need to focus a bit more introspectively and discover the miraculous within.

Truth in Flashes

Flashes of His glory bring us His Truth.

October’s Awakening, Day 3:

Knowledge does not come to us by details, but in flashes of light from heaven. 

 -Henry David Thoreau

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53 NIV

For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. Luke 17:24 NIV

            Knowledge truly does come to us from heaven in flashes of light – flashes of His light of glory. When the light inside your mind comes on, don’t you often wonder if it was Him? Faith and light-speed go hand-in-hand, as He reveals His wonders of creation and the mysteries of life. Since our spirits can entwine, information transfer is immediate, not limited to space and time as our physical nature is.

            Our physical nature is soon to be transformed and changed, too, from perishable to imperishable, from corruptible to incorruptible, and from mortal to immortal. That’s what happens at the Rapture as 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 tells us. If the Rapture leaves you behind, you still may have a chance to see Him come again, at His Glorious Appearing (Luke 17:24), when every eye will see Him like lightning that fills the sky. Just make sure this time you’ve chosen wisely – choose Him.

Logic and Proof Are Not Enough

If God doesn’t exist, then why are we all looking for Him?

October’s Awakening, Day 2:

Logic is an organized way of going wrong with confidence.

 -Charles F. Kettering

Truth is bigger than proof. 

 -Dr. Michael Guillen, “Amazing Truths – How Science and the Bible Agree”

            You would think that logic is a pure methodology of reasoning and that it would be able to make sense of the complexities of scientific thinking. Yet, even when applied to the purest science of mathematics, it is only effective in basic mathematical functions and fails and falls apart miserably in the proof of any higher level mathematical equations. Yes, it can be useful, but it is also very limited.

            That is why truth is greater than proof. There are many truths out there in our universe, and many truths within the depths of ourselves, all placed there by our Creator who is Truth. We cannot prove that He even exists, but then again, if He doesn’t, why has all mankind from the beginning of time been looking for Him? What has been uniquely imparted into our very essence that we should want to know Him and find Him and why? There is obviously no evolutionary reason for this as why should we “waste” so much of our time and resources on “religion”?

            We have been created in His image, with a spirit that was designed to be connected with His Spirit. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our spirit needs Him and without Him, our spirit will keep searching and searching and never be satisfied till it finds Him.

"RESTORE MY SPIRIT, O GOD - Inspiration for Regaining What's Been Lost," BEGINS TODAY!

Believe, That You May Understand

If you’re waiting for the proof, you will never arrive. Have faith, believe, and then you’ll understand.

October’s Awakening, Day 1:

Therefore, seek not to understand so that you may believe, but believe that you may understand; for 'unless you believe, you will not understand.'

 -Augustine of Hippo, citing Isaiah 7:9b

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ” Isaiah 7:9b NIV

Faith and Reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth. 

 -Pope John Paul II

            If you are waiting for the proof before you believe, you will never arrive. Our human ability to reason and understand will only take us so far. Even then, oftentimes, what we think is true or has been proven by science is overturned at the next unimaginable and unforeseen discovery. Our knowledge and understanding of the truth of the universe is imperfect, and mistakes and misinterpretation of the data will always take place. Although this knowledge, perception, and understanding of our infinitely complex world are continually increasing, we will never become all-knowing like God.

            Faith is that other wing which we must latch onto to soar to the heights of the full knowledge of His truth set forth from before creation itself. Faith is not contrary to science, it is essential and complementary to it. Faith allows us to come to a place of knowledge, belief, and understanding by jumping ahead at light-speed rather than moving along our information highway at a snail’s pace, and unknowing and doubting all along the way. Have faith, believe, and you will truly understand.

Restore My Spirit, O God - Begins!

"Restore My Spirit, O God" - Begins!

Book 2 of the "Renew Devotional Trilogy"; "Restore My Spirit, O God - Inspiration for Regaining What's Been Lost," will officially begin Saturday, October 1, 2016. The format will be similar, but slightly different from "Renew My Heart, O God," with a concentration on quotations, a few Scriptures, and encouraging words to awaken your spirit to connect and stay  connected with God. I will be posting daily with its completion at the end of September next year.

I pray that these devotions will continue to encourage you and bring you increasing hope and healing, and allow you to continually draw near unto God with your spirit entwining with His. It's time to connect with your Creator. It's time for your spirit's awakening.

Prayers and blessings,

Jeff

Book 1: "Renew My Heart, O God - Daily Devotions for Healing Your Heart," is coming soon!! By the grace of God and prayers of the faithful, my book and e-book will soon be here! Christian Faith Publishing has accepted my book and we will begin the publishing process soon. We expect this to take about 4-6 months. Thank you readers for your prayers and support and spread the word, as my heart's desire is to bring God's Words and the light and love of Jesus Christ to as many as He would bring. And Book 2 in my "Renew Devotional Trilogy," "Restore My Spirit, O God - Inspiration for Regaining What's Been Lost," is starting in just two days! I am truly excited, humbled, and praising God all the way!

Search Deep for the Truth – Interim Post 8

Falsehood is never so successful as when she baits her hook with truth, and no opinions so fatally mislead us, as those that are not wholly wrong; as no watches so effectually deceive the wearer as those that are sometimes right.

 -C. C. Colton

It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it.

 -Johann Wolfgang Goethe

            Satan is the “father of lies” and the ultimate deceiver and counterfeiter, and unfortunately, he is currently the ruler of this world. In fact, it is probably impossible for him to speak any truth as he is the epitome of pure evil. But he is also crafty and shrewd, using partial truths to convince us that he is right. Just read the story in Genesis, Chapter 3, how Satan twisted what God had said to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden – and it worked. Partial truths are most absolutely dangerous, as they seem correct and are partially correct, but in reality, a half-truth is still a full lie.

            That is why we must have discernment and know Him and His Truth and know His Word. That true knowledge is our weapon to combat the lies of the enemy. If we do not know Him and if we do not know His Word, then we are easy targets for the enemy. Don’t be an easy target and don’t let down your guard. Lies are everywhere.