The difference between your heart, soul and mind

One of the Bite Size Bible readers asked me to explain the difference between the heart, soul and mind. I am happy to do it because it is a very misunderstood subject. Thankfully, the Bible provides truthful information on the subject!

Jesus taught people that a person must “love” God with their entire being, which includes their heart, soul and mind.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.

The Heart

The heart refers to the human brain. It is the place where “thinking” occurs. I addressed the brain in great detail in a previous series entitled Winning the Battle in your Brain.

O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your vain thoughts lodge within you?

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Proving your heart is the thinking part of your being, not just an organ pumping blood through your body!

The Soul

The soul refers to your personal spirit. This is the eternal part of your being. When the first human being was created, he was given a physical body, but he was not considered “alive” until a spirit was put inside of him, referred to as the breath of life, which caused him to become a living soul.

Therefore, the word “spirit” and “soul” are interchangeable.

Think of the wind! Even though you cannot “see” the wind, it certainly exists! Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word used for wind, breath and spirit is the word Ruach. Even animals have Ruach!

In short, your body is simply a “container” for your spirit. After physical death, your spirit will continue to exist. When a person dies, the body becomes motionless, but the spirit doesn’t skip a beat. It doesn’t matter if you are good or evil – your spirit will live eternally. The only question is, where will your spirit live? But that is another study!

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Some people just don’t care about their soul! Since they can’t see it, it’s easy to forget about it or place little to no value on it. Then death arrives, as it always does, for every human being. Suddenly, people care about the soul and where it has gone!

The Mind

The mind is a little more difficult to understand, but once again, the Bible comes to the rescue!

And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

In the above passage, a distinction is made between the heart, mind and spirit.

We’ve already proven that the heart is the brain (heart = brain), which is the “thinking” part of your being. We’ve also proven that the soul is your personal spirit (soul = spirit), which is the eternal part of your being.

Now we’re being shown that the spirit (soul) has a mind! That’s right, within your personal spirit is a mind.

Think of a command post, like the Traffic Control Center used in aviation. Their job is to communicate with the pilots and help guide them from takeoff, in the air, to landing safely. In much the same way, your mind is sending information to your spirit!

Another name for your mind is your conscience. This is what Jesus gave to the human race after He died on the cross for sin and was resurrected from the dead. However, your conscience can become weakened, corrupted and evil!

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

This is the reason the Bible teaches us to renew our mind.

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Hopefully you are seeing the interconnectedness of your heart, soul and mind.

If the information in your brain is bad, it is influencing your mind (deteriorating your conscience), which is affecting the condition of your spirit.

The Bible exists so a person can “analyze” (discern) the thoughts in their brain. If the thoughts are in opposition to the Bible, they should not be acted upon. This means you should throw them out! If they are acted upon, they will send the wrong information to your mind, thus weakening your conscience, and eventually, corrupting your spirit (soul).

Then you will need the most important makeover of your life!

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, O house of Israel?

The Bible is a book of truth – critical truth necessary to overhaul the human thought process and protect the human soul. When truth is applied to your thinking, you are sending the right information to your mind which is causing your spirit (soul) to be wholly alive!

If you have any questions on this subject, please email me at bitesizebible@yahoo.com

If there are subjects you would like me to cover, let me know!

~Jo

Bible passages: Mark 12:30, Jeremiah 4:14, Matthew 15:19, Genesis 2:7, Job 12:10, Mark 8:37, Romans 8:27, Titus 1:15, Ephesians 4:23, Ezekiel 18:31

Death and Michael Jackson: what we can learn from both

I don’t like generalities, but I am going to use some now. If a person is familiar with the Bible, they will know what I am saying is true. If you are not familiar with the Bible, please email me and I will send you all the scripture references to back up what I am about to share with you.

The fear of death is the prison that keeps human beings in bondage. While people scurry around to build careers or make a name for themselves, they know they are racing against time. What a horrible way to live.

When a person is young, death is not so real. Young people feel invincible and believe the world has something to offer them, for which reason they run after it.

Whether it’s pleasure or sex or money or fame, everyone’s running after something. The Bible refers to this trap as seduction, something the builders of civilization had in mind from the beginning of Time.

If human beings had lived naturally in the self-sustaining eco system God created from the beginning, civilization would not exist. But it does exist and now we are faced with its allure and its problems. (Ironically, human beings are now trying to “go green” which is what God gave us in the beginning! A beautiful green planet that we have destroyed.)

As people get older, they realize time is simply running out. They also realize that death is very real. As relatives and friends pass away, each time, they must look death in the face. For a short while, the world loses its charm and the emptiness of the human soul rises to the surface.

People were devastated and shocked when Michael Jackson died. Why? I heard many different reasons, but the thing that troubled me is how people reacted to a man they did not even know! I’m sorry, but do you think buying his music or watching his videos or attending his concerts made you his friend? You were a fan and a consumer, period.

One thing I know for certain: Michael Jackson now knows the truth. If he could make his way back from the grave, he probably wouldn’t be singing – he’d be warning his fans that the “other side” is very real, and that everything the Bible teaches is very real.

We came into this world naked; we will leave this world naked.

We brought nothing into this world; we will carry nothing out of it.

What does it profit a person to gain the world and lose his soul?

The truth is, Time is not on our side. Time is our enemy. Time is our taskmaster. Time is our curse.

Death keeps reminding human beings of this reality, but human beings are stubborn. Human beings are excellent at rationalizing their thinking and behavior, for which reason God made sure the Bible survived. It is the one book we can rely upon to tell us the truth and help us live our lives in a way that has purpose and meaning. (I’m not talking about religion – I’m talking about wisdom.) Short of this, human beings are chasing their tails if they think this world has something to offer them.

So how do we break through the limitations of time?

By placing the value of a human soul higher than human achievement.

By recognizing that your soul is the only thing you came in here with and the only thing you will leave here with.

By cherishing life in its purest, most raw form in spite of the obstacles and disappointments.

If you need a teacher, look to the animals. They are doing it right – living in the moment and pressing forward in spite of the trouble imposed upon them by human beings.

If death and Michael Jackson have taught me anything, it’s to live in the present moment with gratitude and thankfulness that I am alive at all, because I cannot thank God from the grave.

I do not take my achievements to the grave; I take my soul.

If I love others well, I live well, because the quality of one’s life is bound up in love, not things.

To life,

~Jo

Go to now, you that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

For that you ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now you rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

~James 4:13-16

A letter to a terminally ill friend

Dear Readers,  A former teacher of mine recently learned she has inoperable lung cancer. She sent her students and colleagues an email describing her illness and letting us know that we would not be hearing from her again. She did not know that only 15 months ago, I was involved in a serious accident that threatened to leave me crippled for the remainder of my life. At the urging of my friend, I am sharing the letter with you in the hope you will forward it to anyone you know who is in need of a real miracle.  ~Jo

Dear Helen,

I am so sorry to hear this distressing news and my heart reaches out to you. I know I was only a student in your class, but I felt you were a kind and generous spirit, and you made a great impression on me. You were an excellent teacher and I thank you for all the “newsy” stuff you have taken the time to send over the years.

Helen, I want to share something personal with you too and I hope it encourages you during this difficult time.

It’s a true story about a real miracle.

In June 2008, I was struck by a car while riding my bicycle. My ankle was seriously fractured, and had to be rebuilt with pins, plates and screws.

The surgeon who operated on me said it was one of the worst injuries he had seen in his 30-year career. My prognosis looked grim.

On top of this, because I work as an independent contractor, I had no medical insurance.

Suddenly my life came to a screeching halt. My ability to work was gone, my ability to care for myself was gone, and I was not eligible for disability. I was going to need a great deal of physical therapy and I had no idea how I was going to pay for it.

I had arrived to the dark night of my soul.

I cannot describe the physical pain I experienced. I had a difficult time with the pain medications, which made me very nauseous, and most of the time I was seriously numb.

The only thing I had left was my faith.

Sure, I had friends and family, but no one can truly understand the depth of such pain unless they have gone through it, for which reason I am reaching out to you now.

I wore a cast for nearly two months and could not leave the house except for doctor visits. Once the cast was off, I had to wait a few more weeks until the staples on both sides of my leg could be removed. Then it was a laborious process of healing, bathing and trying to get around the house on my own. During this time, I had two serious falls that added more pain to the already painful process.

Needless to say, my spirit was down. I wondered about so many things and since all I could do was sit on my tush, I had plenty of time to think. I mentally turned the pages of my life and wondered what I had done to bring me to this place – if I had contributed to it in any way. I think that’s a reasonable question to ask when one believes in the laws of God like gravity and cause and effect.

That’s when the light went on!

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  ~Genesis 1:1-3

I remembered that in the beginning, there was only God. Before there was light, there was darkness. And God was there in that darkness, alive and fully present.

I was determined to bear my hour of darkness knowing that God was there with me.

I was also determined to accept what had happened to me in spite of what looked like an obscure and rocky road ahead. This was the turn in the road my life had taken and God must have a purpose for it.

But Job said unto his wife, You speak as one of the foolish women speak. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.  ~Job 2:10

I began thinking about all the people who have suffered in ways that I have never suffered – people who have borne devastation and humiliation and did nothing to deserve it.

And then I thought of a suffering Messiah – someone willing to bear the evil of others and ultimately be executed for a crime He never committed.

Suddenly my pain seemed lighter!

Well, to get to the miracle of my story, I will try and shorten it for you. 

I asked myself, what can I do in this condition? The answer was clear.

I can give thanks.

I made that my singular goal every day. Once I reached my goal, I was satisfied.

As I gave God thanks each day, for the pain and for the trouble I didn’t fully understand, it was bearable.

Each day I grew stronger, in my body and my spirit.

The doctor was amazed at how quickly I was healing.

I started physical therapy earlier than expected.

The therapist commented on my positive attitude and determination. He told other patients to watch me and follow my example. I became a cheerleader for others in spite of my own trouble.

That’s when I knew God had allowed all this to happen to achieve something beautiful and good. He was teaching me important lessons and He was using me to help others!

It made sense. God doesn’t have a body because He is a spirit. So He uses ours.

During physical therapy, I met a woman who had a nearly identical injury to mine. She had gone through six surgeries, was still using a walker, and it had been over three years since her injury. I later learned that she had tried to commit suicide only a short time before I met her. Since I had the same injury and knew the depth of her pain, I could encourage her to stand fast, to keep her faith intact, and to embrace her life no matter how unbearable it seemed, because God would never give her more than she was capable of bearing.

Imagine if I had tried to console her from an air-conditioned Rolls Royce! Or perched high above her on a cloud! No, I was down in the trenches with her and I could attest to the power of God to heal and raise our spirits back to life.

As I embraced the new life I had been given, I forgot about the money. I focused on living. What a great feeling! Yet the money arrived, to pay for my medical bills and to keep me going.

So my dear friend, be encouraged. It’s only been 15 months but I am walking and leaping for joy!

And know this, if I can do ANYTHING to help you, I would consider it a great honor.

I am only a phone call away. Please don’t hesitate to call.

In the meantime, I will keep you in my prayers and be cheering you on each day.

To life,

~Jo

Italian scientist proves Shroud of Turin is a lie

An Italian scientist says he has reproduced the Shroud of Turin, a feat that he says proves definitively that the linen some Christians revere as Jesus Christ’s burial cloth is a medieval fake.

I could have told him that!

You see, you don’t need scientists to prove the truth – you only need faith in God’s Word (the Bible).

The Bible is a book of truth – the only book of its kind. Truth is the basis of worshipping God and truth is the only thing that can set a person free from mental suffering. Lies of any kind will eat away at your spirit and create confusion in your brain, which is why the Bible has survived over thousands of years – so you would have a way of knowing the truth.

False prophets have been in possession of the Bible for centuries. Rather than relaying exactly what the Bible says, they have taken passages from the Bible and mixed them with lies, creating a giant pot of poisoned soup. When they feed this soup to their followers, they lull them into a religious system full of false doctrines.

One such false doctrine is the Shroud of Turin.

The Bible clearly states that there were two pieces of cloth (not one) wrapped around Jesus’ body at the time of his death: a napkin around his head and linen clothes around his body.

So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.  ~John 20:4-7

Once again, scientists are a little late in confirming what the Bible has been teaching us for thousands of years.

The moral of this story? Don’t wait for a scientist to prove the truth. Study God’s Word to learn the truth for yourself and allow the Bible to interpret itself. This is the only way to take responsibility for your own soul.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.  ~2 Peter 1:20-21

~Jo

You can read the complete story on the Shroud of Turin HERE.

Pollutions of Idols – Part 2

Idols are considered an abomination – something God hates!

Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you for ever, when you do that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations from before you, where you go to possess them, and you succeed them, and dwell in their land; Take heed to yourself that you be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before you; and that you enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

You shall not do so unto the LORD your God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hates, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

It is the act of idol worship that caused ten tribes of Israel to be scattered across the face of the earth, eventually becoming “lost” to their Jewish identity. God warned them over and over again, but they refused to listen. We all make mistakes, but consistent bad behavior always catches up with us!

And he said to Jeroboam, Take you ten pieces: for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you:

(But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

The passage above shows you why these ten tribes were scattered. It’s also a prophecy foretelling the “splitting in two” of the Nation of Israel, much like a stick can be broken in two.

After these ten tribes are scattered and lose their Jewish identity, the prophet Ezekiel states there will be a time in the future when these ten tribes will be “re-gathered” to the Nation of Israel, which is depicted as “two” sticks being joined together.

Say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

It wouldn’t take too long for these scattered ten tribes to become “watered down” in their national identity. Just as people assimilate into different countries today and adopt the mentality of that nation, it was no different in the ancient world. First generation immigrants may not bend as easily, but their children usually do. It doesn’t happen overnight – it takes several generations.

Thus, it would take a few generations for these ten tribes to look more and more like the Gentile people they were living amongst, eventually erasing all remembrance of their Jewish identity. Fast forward a few thousand years to Messiah Jesus, and you’ll find him mentioning these lost ten tribes.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Do you see the reference to two folds, or two groups of sheep?

The fold Jesus was living amongst and teaching were the Jewish people – the fold He was born into as a Jewish man with Jewish parents. There was no loss of identity! In fact, Jesus’ lineage can be traced directly to the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Levi.

The other fold Jesus was referring to were the Gentiles – the ones who had no clue they were the descendants of the scattered ten tribes. These are the “lost sheep” of Israel!

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Prior to being scattered as a punishment for their abominations, the ten tribes were part of one nation called Israel (one stick). At this time, there were 13 tribes. (The proof of 13 tribes can be found in the Book of Numbers, chapter 7. Twelve tribes are named in connection with the tabernacle of Moses. If you add the tribe of Levi to the list, it totals 13. You’ll find a similar accounting in the Book of Ezekiel, chapter 48.)

Later, the Nation of Israel is broken into two kingdoms known as the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom (two sticks).

The Southern Kingdom included three tribes of Israel: Levi, Judah and Benjamin.

The Northern Kingdom included ten tribes of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, Manasseh, Dan and Naphtali.

The reason Joseph is not mentioned is because his two sons – Ephraim and Manasseh – are named amongst the tribes of Israel. This was the “double blessing” Joseph received from his father Jacob, which can be found in the Book of Genesis, chapter 49.

In closing, please read the following New Testament passage carefully. It was written nearly two thousand years ago and proves that the Jewish people are not lost, neither do they need to be saved by Christians. It also proves that it was the Gentiles who converted to the Jewish teachings of Jesus, and not the Jewish people who converted to a Gentile religion known today as Christianity, which is steeped in Roman ideology and pagan practices.

Someone has been pulling the wool over Christians’ eyes for centuries!

Wherefore remember, that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace;

And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord:

In whom you also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

To be continued…

~Jo

Bible passages: Deuteronomy 12:28-32, 1 Kings 11:31-33, Ezekiel 37:19, John 10:16, Luke 15:4, Ephesians 2:11-22

Pollutions of Idols – Part 1

Since I live in the Los Angeles area, I understand pollution! When I look at the polluted skyline or ocean, it sends a chill up my spine. Our bodies are being impacted by a variety of pollutants on a daily basis. We all know it’s a serious problem and we’re scrambling to find solutions.

Yet there is another form of pollution that is equally deadly. This ’spiritual pollution’ may be working in your body, brain and spirit even now. It may be eating away at your life and destroying your relationships, but there is a way to stop it.

Let me explain.

Approximately two thousand years ago, shortly after the Messiah died, a question arose within the First Century Church concerning the Gentiles.

But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them (Gentiles), and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

After much debate, the Jewish leaders of the First Century Church reached a conclusion concerning the Gentiles who had converted to the Jewish faith.

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Do you see it? Four instructions given to the Gentiles:

1. Keep away from pollutions of idols
2. Keep away from fornication
3. Keep away from things strangled
4. Keep away from blood

I spent decades within various denominations of Christianity and never once heard this teaching. Yet it should be the foundation for every Gentile Christian!

This is the reason I decided to cover this topic and strongly urge you to consider its implications in your life if you name the name of Christ.

Idols of any type are a violation of the first two commandments.

I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

When a person gets a ticket for speeding or running a red light, it’s because they have violated the law. In this study, we’re talking about the Laws of God – in particular the first two commandments that God put at the top of His ten commandments! They should be taken seriously, which is what the Jewish leaders knew and why the Holy Spirit directed them to bring this teaching to the Gentiles.

Idols of any type will produce ‘corruption’ in a person’s life.

Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.

For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

Several ideas emerge from this one passage, but the one I want to focus on is corruption.

Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.

Now put on your thinking cap. If you know anything about the New Testament, you know that Christians are called to offer themselves as living sacrifices. If a Christian is corrupted through idols, how can they offer themselves to God? It’s impossible!

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

To be continued…

~Jo

Acts 15:5-9, Acts 15:19-20, Exodus 20:2-6, Deuteronomy 4:23-26, Leviticus 22:24-25, Romans 12:1-2

Transformational Faith: From Wimp to Warrior (Audio)

A riveting message about faith and how it can transform weakness into strength.

Learn how faith can unleash the power of God in your life and why the Bible says we have to “fight the good fight of faith” until the day we die.

Click the link below to listen and rejuvenate your soul!

Transformational Faith

Jo Brooks is a professional speaker and writer who lives in Southern California. She has spent the last 20 years studying the writings of the Bible with a learned man from Israel. Jo would be honored to speak to your church, women’s group or youth organization. Email bitesizebible@yahoo.com for more information. Shalom!

The Great Transgression: Part 4

A great example of a transgression can be found in the story of Israel’s first king: Saul.

So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he [the Lord] slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

Facing a battle against an enemy of Israel, King Saul was given specific instructions from the Lord through the prophet Samuel, which King Saul did not follow. On top of this, King Saul blatantly disregarded God’s commandments which forbid consulting with witches or diviners (people who communicate with the spirits of dead human beings). Today, these people are known as psychics or fortune tellers.

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

King Saul made a conscious decision to break the commandments of God and do things his way. This willful disobedient act is what is at the heart of the word transgression. Thus we see that “intention” plays a big factor in the word choices of the Bible. It is one thing to be deceived by sin; it is another thing to rebel against God by deciding your thinking makes more sense than His, which is exactly what King Saul did.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.

In the previous posts, we established that there is no one on the planet that does not sin. Civilization itself is built upon societal ideas and cultural traditions that go directly against the Word of God (the Bible). Therefore, it is impossible to live in a civilized society without sinning, for which reason Jesus it is written in the Bible that Jesus died for the sin of the world.

And he is the propitiation [payment] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The Bible teaches that civilization (the world) is not something God built, but rather something the devil built. The devil achieves his goals by influencing the brains of human beings to implement his will on a daily basis. Civilization depends upon human beings “buying in to it” in order to keep it going.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

A person’s “love” of the world is what keeps it alive, yet it is not really alive – it is actually dead. If God represents life and the devil represents death, then it is not difficult to understand why God hates the world. The world represents a system of living that is actually causing human beings to deteriorate in body and spirit.

This is why the Bible refers God’s children as people who are in the world, but do not love the world. We are allowed to do our business and navigate through the world, but we are not allowed to love it. This idea can be found in one of Jesus’ teachings.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money].

In closing, I hope you see that sin is all around us every day and how all human beings are guilty of sin. However, transgression is used in the Bible to refer to acts that are presumptuous and willful – which is the equivalent of telling God to take a hike.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

~Jo

Bible Passages: 1 Chronicles 10:13-14, Leviticus 19:31, Leviticus 20:6, Deuteronomy 18:10-11, 1 Samuel 15:23, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 2:15-16, Matthew 6:24, Psalm 19:13

The Great Transgression: Part 3

The Bible teaches us that every human being has sinned because every human being is guilty of breaking God’s commandments. The only exception to this statement is Jesus who never broke any of God’s commandments and proved that it is possible for human beings to keep God’s commandments.

The Bible is very clear as to why human beings fail in keeping God’s commandments – they don’t want to!

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.

God considers the breaking of one commandment equal to breaking all His commandments, so there is no room for one ounce of self-righteousness, which is thinking you’re not such a bad person.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

You may be surprised to learn that the Bible refers to sin as a person. Consider this statement the Lord made to Cain in the Garden of Eden:

If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And unto you shall be his (sin’s) desire, and you shall rule over him (sin).

Remember, God gave Adam & Eve one commandment: don’t eat from the Tree of Knowledge. When Eve broke this commandment, and enticed her husband to do likewise, they opened Pandora’s Box. From this point forward, the devil (who is sin) would have access to the human brain and be able to influence human beings by transmitting thoughts. You can read more about this in a previous post entitled: Winning the Battle in Your Brain.

Even Jesus experienced evil thoughts inside His brain but rejected those thoughts by comparing them to what is written in the Bible, which is the only way human beings can be free of the devil’s influence. This is why Jesus refused to be called “good” because even Jesus experienced evil thoughts. However, Jesus never acted upon those thoughts, no matter how often they returned to Him!

And Jesus said unto him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.

So no one is immune from the devil’s ability to inject thoughts into the human brain, but what varies from person to person is the degree of demonic influence. That’s right – demonic influence is nothing more than the transmission of thoughts into the human brain. When a person is influenced 100% by evil thoughts, then that person is demon possessed.

And please forget Hollywood’s – and Christianity’s – shameful portrayal of the demonic world which are utter fabrications and distortions of Biblical concepts.

The simple truth is: When a person disregards, disobeys, or believes lies about the Bible, that person is more susceptible to the devil’s ability to influence them. When a person discounts the Bible altogether, that person is on the road to demonic possession which often masquerades as superior intellectual thought.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

When you understand that the devil (who is sin) influences you by injecting thoughts into your brain (which seem to be your own thoughts), it’s not so hard to understand why all human beings have sinned.

The good news is: Jesus died for the sin of the world! This means human beings have a way to be forgiven for their evil thinking. They also have the ability to change their thinking by allowing the concepts of the Bible to re-shape their thinking, which is how a person is spiritually re-born.

But transgression is another story because as we will see, transgression involves a willful, deliberate decision to go against God’s instructions (called commandments).

To be continued…

~Jo

Bible Passages: James 1:13-15, James 2:10, Genesis 4:7, Matthew 19:17, 2 Corinthians 11:14

The Great Transgression: Part 2

In order to understand what the “great transgression” is, we need to understand how this word, and similar words, are used in the Bible.

These four words appear frequently in the Bible:

1. Sin
2. Trespass
3. Iniquity
4. Transgression

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me?

Take heed to yourselves: If your brother trespass against you, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to you, saying, I repent; you shall forgive him.

Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

You can see why studying the Bible takes time!

In the last Bible reference above, which is taken from the New Testament, we see that “sin” results in a “transgression” (against the law of God).

Keep in mind that the laws of God were given to human beings to help them know the difference between right and wrong. In spite of the fact that most human beings believe they already know the difference, this is not true (according to the Bible, not me).

God thinks very different from human beings and until a human being adopts the mentality of God, they are viewing life from their own perspective or one that has been imposed upon them from birth. All human beings have mentalities that have been “shaped” by outside influences, their own experiences & thoughts, and the country they live in. And most people believe their mentality is correct.

From the day you are born, you are being influenced by the thinking of someone else: some of these ideas may be correct and some may not be correct – which is why the Bible exists. Contrary to efforts to discredit the Bible and remove its principles from modern life, God has ensured the Bible’s existence, which is nothing short of a miracle.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

In its simplest form, think of God’s mentality being the “correct” one for human beings to adopt, and all other mentalities as the “wrong” one for human beings to adopt. All other mentalities “seem” to be correct, but they are in fact leading people down the “wrong” path no matter how “good” that path seems.

There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

If a person has a problem with this, they have a problem with God. The devil himself had a problem with this which is why he is called the “father” of every human being who believes their way is the “right” way.

For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and lived not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

To be continued…

~Jo

Bible Passages: Exodus 34:7, Genesis 31:36, Luke 17:3-4, 1 John 3:4, Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 14:12, Isaiah 14:13-14, John 8:44