The perception of yourself gives light and life to the body. Therefore, seek to harmonize your fleshly and spiritual nature, i.e., mind and spirit, and your entire being will be illuminated by the source of light and life.
Malignant Fear
The cancer of fear spreads like a virus infecting its victims
Either through social interaction or hereditary dispositions
Terminally infecting its prey before they experience the illuminating light of truth
Therefore, cleanse yourself of fear-induced thoughts and convictions
By examining your every conception and ideology for symptoms of this malady
Uprooting and demolishing every sinew of fear
Clothed in political ideology, religious prognostications, conspiracy theories, or held prejudices
Being as you may divinely inoculated
Let the living word of love search the inner recesses of your soul, eradicating all traces of Cancerous Fear.
I AM THAT I AM
The profession of our faith is our Salvation!
Tweak dem Feelings & Tweak dat Life
The sum of one’s beliefs is directly proportional to one’s life experiences.
Beliefs = (Thoughts + Words + Emotions + Actions + Knowledge)
Life = (Love + Inspire + Enjoy + Forgive)
B = ∑ (TWEAK)
Be it unto you as you believe
Yesterday Today Tomorrow
Thine Will Be Done
Often, when things don’t work out exactly as we hoped, we may think that it must be fate or God’s will as if our Heavenly Father’s will for us is somehow lesser in degrees to our desires.
Isn’t He is the giver of all good gifts? Isn’t God love? Aren’t his plans not more fantastic, more marvelous than we can even imagine or hope for us.
So why do we secretly harbor thoughts that he is a God of evil intent, vengeance, and judgment in regards to us whom he loves. Is there one person God does not love or one who is more deserving of grace and mercy because of his good behavior?
Is it not our Eternal Father’s will that all should dwell as one with him as we come in the conscious knowledge of who he is? His sole intention is to prosper us and keep us in good health,
Therefore, all evil or negative outcome is of humanity’s creation due to man’s ill-will emanating from his egocentric heart and mind.
Therefore, when we pray, we can confidently declare “Thine Will Be Done,” knowing that his desire for us is love, mercies, health, and abundance. So may we be always conscious of the power of his indwelling presence as we shed our allegiance to our selfish and self-centered nature. Let us see him, the Universal Source for who he is. Pure Love and love everlasting.
Mindset
Vantage Point
All things are possible
Love For Self
The two great commands are to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength and loving others as yourself.
It is self-evident that we do all things within the confines of the self. To love God is to love ourselves, and to love ourselves is to love God. We are a reflection of God, created in his image and likeness, we are.
Loving others is loving God. Your neighbor reflects God and is the bearer of his divine nature; love him as you would God, love him as you would yourself.
God the eternal chooses to make his abode in us. We are his temple, in which he is glorified. In him, we exist and have our being. We were in him before the creation, chosen and set apart for his purpose and glory.
Let love be the cords that bind us now and forevermore.
The Master’s Voice
Divine Nature Within
Salvation
Psalm: 1 of DFG
Salvation:
- Woe is me; I am a prisoner to my past, and the burden of my actions weighs me down to the grave, while death lurks for my soul to surrender.
- My yesterdays are full of regrets and sorrow, and my tomorrow tinged with fear.
- In tears, I beheld my condition. And my spirit hungered and thirsted.
- Who will redeem me and restore me to my intended state?
- Somewhere, I heard of a savior who gave life to that which was dead, and in desperation, I called upon his name.
- In love, he answered and gifted me my freedom. Now my yesterdays are his, and my tomorrow is secured.
- By faith, I have been divinely adopted and transformed from a wretched son of man to a son of the Most-High One.
- Amazing Grace, how sweet a victory won. Now I live by faith and hope in the unseen.
In the beginning, God!
Romans 1:20 ESV: For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Isaiah 48:13 ESV: My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.
His Spirit created everything by his word. There is an intelligence at the core of every creation, coded in his expression. Evident by the code embedded in the DNA at the cellular level. This same intelligence is present in every element known to man. His consciousness, which uttered matter into existence, resides at the sub-atomic and quantum realm—intelligent design for an omniscient creator.
Psalm 8:3-4 ESV: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Genesis 1:27 ESV: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Psalm 139:15 ESV: My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Psalm 139:14 ESV: I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Designer’s Code
1 Kings 2:3 Observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.
The Spirit created everything to function according to his will, and for that purpose, they were created.
A rock is a rock because He created it so. The rock obeys its master’s code to fulfill its purpose. How marvelous and splendid are the stars, the moon, and the sun. Yet they function according to His word to sustain life on our planet.
With only two known exceptions, all of God’s creation function in obedience to Him. Each according to its own kind and design. There is an intelligence and a purpose coded into His created realm. In His word, only the Angels and Mankind are said to have disobeyed His will. Such rebellion results in destruction and calamity for the rebels.
Oh, that my flesh would cease its rebellion, and my soul would find peace and rest in Your Spirit.
The Church Will Worship In His Temple
Inspired by: Matthew 16:15-20,1 Corinthians 6:19 and Psalm 133:1
- The Church is not an organization or a function we attend. It is a people; it is who we are.
- The Temple is not a place or a building. It is you, all of you; Mind body and soul.
- Worship is not mere words; it is a lifestyle.
How good and pleasant it is for brethren and sistren to live together in love and unity. The gates of hell shall not prevail against such fellowship. Therefore, live to the glory of your God seated on His thrown at the center of His Temple.
Heart Guard
My God is Bigger
Be Bold
The Bible Held Aloft Or Aloof
Inspired by: Hebrews 4:12, John 3: 16 – 2, Romans 2: 13 & John 6: 63
The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts, intentions, and attitudes of the heart.
When we hold up the word of God as a testimony, one of two things has already happened.
If we are living in obedience to its teachings, then we have been liberated. Set free from the condemnation, it describes in its pages. But if we are not living by its precepts, we are already condemned.
So hold the Bible aloft; it is the Word of God; it is the Spirit that gives life.
My Fight Is Spiritual
Inspired by: 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Corinthians 10: 3 – 5, Ephesians 6: 12 & Philippians 2:10-11
I will fight the good fight of faith, to which You called me so that I might lay hold on eternal life.
My beef is not with my fellow man, but with evil philosophies and political and religious ideologies that govern over the injustices and cruelties of this world. I am at war with spiritual forces that are at work in high and low places.
You, God, have equipped me for this fight with weapons for the tearing down of ideological strongholds, and political biases, that place expediences above the people it serves. Your word is quick and powerful for the reproofing of opinions that are in opposition to the knowledge of You, bringing every thought into obedience to You.
I know I do not fight in vain as every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess You as Lord.
Your Word is a Lamp to my Feet
Inspired by Psalm 119: 105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. From hearing it, I derive my faith and discover Your methods and learn Your laws.
I hear Your word in the functioning of Your creation; It reverberates clear and pure. It says to me, “I can be trusted, lean on me, I will make your pathway true.” In a shout or a whisper, Your word echoes for me to hear, calling me to a path already prepared.
I need not know where the journey will take me or what I will encounter along the way. I am without fear because I trust in You, who leads the way. So I walk by faith and not by sight. Of this one thing, I have come to know most assuredly that Your love never fails, and that I am never alone.
The flesh is weak, but You are strong. Though the tests and the trials they do come, more blessed are the victories won. Your love, Your mercy, and Your grace provide for me. There is no insurmountable challenge or too costly a sacrifice with which I am not able to cope. Because You have equipped me with patience, faith, power, love, and humility.
I walk on seeking You without fail so that I may discover Your face and finish this race.
I am walking the path already prepared
Why worry about the whys and the wherefores?
Does it really require “blind faith” to walk in obedience to God? Or is it not reasonable for any rational human being to desire knowledge, and inquire about all of the underlying causes? As creatures of logic, would we not better serve God if we understood as He does, and knew in advance, the rationale for a course of action?
The serpent, that old deceiver, reasoned with Eve and revealed to her the rationale for God’s instruction. Eve, being distracted by the craftiness of the serpent’s whys and wherefores, lost sight of God’s word and caved-in to her desires. Adam was soon to follow, triggering the fall of humanity.
How many times have we heard the call of God, only to get bogged down with myriads of whys and wherefores? As a result, we then miss God’s call because we did not place our trust in Him by exercising the faith required to fulfill His will.
We should walk by faith and not by sight. As we know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. By the same token, it is impossible to please God without faith, because anyone who would worship God must believe that he is and that he rewards those who earnestly desire him.
Walk by faith my friend; Walk Good!
Inspired by 2 Corinthians 5: 7, Hebrews 11:1 & 6
No Better Promise
There is no better promise given to man than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not for this lifetime or in the hereafter. No pleasure, wealth, contentment, accomplishment, good relation, or any other thing imaginable, can compare to the promises of God.
The promises of God, found in His Word, concerning now and eternity, are too numerous to capture here adequately. However, if you will, please consider just these three promises to whet your appetite.
- Redemption from sin and death: In Genesis, after the fall of man, God promised to remove the curse of sin and death and reunite us with Himself; And by so doing return humankind to its former state; the glory of God.
- Power to overcome and live a victorious life: He sent His Holy Spirit to equip us with all the power and grace we will ever need in this life.
- Believers’ glorious destination: We are co-heirs with Christ, and are now seated at the right hand of God in Christ. No eye has seen, no ear has heard neither has it entered into the hearts of man what God has prepared for believers. All of God’s creation groans in anticipation of the glory that awaits humankind.
In consideration of your faith, you have salvation, the fulfillment of purpose, and a glorious destination. Earnestly believe the Gospel and lay hold of God’s promises while you can.
Inspired by Ephesians 2; Romans 5 & 8; 1 Corinthians 2
The Word of Our Testimony
(Inspired By) Revelation 12: 11
They have conquered the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Furthermore, they did not love their lives to cause them to shy away from death.
Everyone has free access to the blood of the Lamb. However, our testimony validates what we did in response to that gift of salvation. We must be willing to lose this mortal life to inherit an eternal one.
The word of our testimony goes beyond our confession of faith. It is not merely having an intellectual knowledge of God and His Son Jesus Christ. Instead, it is an evidential statement of fact demonstrated by our life and relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ.
It speaks to the personal relationship we have with Jesus Christ or the lack thereof. It is the evidentiary material used to encapsulate our life’s journey.
Have I overcome the devil? If so, where is the evidence?
“What say ye? The word of my testimony.”
Freedom From Our Past
Many of us are hurting or otherwise struggling with the negative impact of past events. Some of these events may have occurred in our early childhood years. However, the pain, whether conscious or not, is just as potent as if the incident happened only yesterday.
The enemy, that accuser of the brethren, uses these unresolved issues to torment us. It does not matter to him if the wounds were self-inflicted or if they were the result of the sins of others. As a consequence, maladies such as low self-esteem, fear, hatred of self and others, rebellion, anger, and bitterness burden us down under their weight. In this way, the enemy of our soul keeps us enslaved to the past.
But there is hope. The remedy for all sin is the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world. The way to overcome sin and place the devil under our feet runs counterintuitive to our natural inclinations. Hence, we often miss out on the victory already won for us on Calvary’s Cross.
Christ implores us to love our enemies; bless those who curse us; forgive those who have done us wrong, so that we might receive our forgiveness from God and be free from sin.
John 8:36 tells us that if the Son sets us free, we will be free indeed. We can be free of the pain and hurt of our past today. The Lamb of God beckons us to take on His yoke and learn from Him, as He is meek and lowly in heart. In so doing, we shall find rest for our souls, because His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. (Matthew 11: 29 – 30) Will you be free of your past today? Jesus is the way!
God’s Way vs. The Ways of the World
1 John 2: 16 and Philippians 2: 3
The ways of the world:
- All kinds of sexual and sensual gratifications
- Covetousness, greed, and materialism
- Vainglory, arrogance, narcissism, selfish ambition, vanity, and conceit
God’s way is love, humility, lowliness of the mind, and the regard for others above self.
John 17: 14 – 26 and Roman 12
The word we received from Jesus will cause dissension. It is in opposition to the world as it impels us to reject the world’s system. By our testimony and example of oneness in Christ and each other, the world may believe and come to Christ. For this reason, we are in the world, to make Christ and God the Father known to it, that the love of God and His Christ may be in us. It is the will of God that as Christ is in us, and God is in Christ, that we be in complete unity.
The truth of the word sanctifies us. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and do not conform to the ways of the world. As we live, we ought to live holy lives pleasing to God, which is the only valid and acceptable form of worship.
Do not indulge in vainglory, but according to the measure of faith God has given us, let us operate sincerely with love for each other. Hate evil and cleave to that which is righteous.
Be devoted to loving and honoring each other, and with all zealousness serve the Lord your God. With joyful hope, patiently endure afflictions, by faithfully seeking God’s face in prayer.
Empathize and live in harmony and peace with everyone as far as it depends on you. Be charitable to the poor and the needy without conceit. Be hospitable. Bless and not curse. Love and care for your enemies; Do not render evil for evil but overcome evil with love.
Finding Hope in Troubled Times
As Moses elevated the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son-of-man be lifted-up: And if he is raised from the earth, all things, both in heaven and on earth, will be reconciled unto him.
Inspired by John 3: 14, John 12: 32 & Colossians 1: 19 – 20
Times of great fear, worry, and stress, can challenge even those with the strongest of faith. We can acknowledge that the new normal, the unfolding turmoil of this world and for the people living therein, is a call to action.
Numerous Bible prophecies foretold times of great trouble and distress in the world. The result of humanity turning away from the will of God in rebellion and disobedience.
As believers, we should not be surprised or fearful to see the fulfillment of God’s words. Instead, with the wisdom derived from the word of God, let’s put our hope and faith in God and his provision. Seek after spiritual gratification and lift-up the standard of God almighty.
Where there is sin, there is death and devastation. Where there is an abundance of immorality and selfish ambition, idolatry, and all manner of wickedness, there also will be much human suffering, calamity, disease, and natural disasters.
The sign-of-the-times is a call to repentance. Believers must return to God and His righteousness. There is no mocking God; His word will come to pass. Let us heed the call of the Lord. There is hope in God. Repent and do righteousness. Put your trust and confidence in the Lord. Magnify the Son-of-man, and he will reconcile all unto himself.
Take heart; there is hope even in times of great trouble!!
Rebirth and the Kingdom of God
Reference John 3: 1 – 21
What is the kingdom of God? Am I a part of the kingdom of God? How do I enter this kingdom?
Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus suggests that there is a general unawareness about the kingdom of God. That it exists; how it functions; who belongs to it?
Nicodemus asserted that Jesus must have come from God because of the miracles he was performing. But Jesus’ answer proves that Nicodemus’ conclusion was based on man’s understanding and not from God. Nicodemus’ understanding of Jesus is strikingly similar to many ardent contemporary believers.
But note Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus’ apparent innocent and benign assertion. “I am saying to you, as a matter of fact, except a man be reborn; he cannot begin to perceive the kingdom of God (the things/operations of God). “ Inspired by John 3: 3
To begin to understand or enter into the domain of God, His Spirit must completely transform us. That is, we must willingly die to self, and all its trappings and give total and complete control to the lordship of the Spirit of Almighty God. Merely acknowledging God without total surrender is death, but rebirth is submission to his will.
Love One Another
Inspired by Romans 13: 8 – 10
We should not be indebted to anyone except to love them. For when we love one another, we substantively fulfilled the essence of the law. “LOVE OTHERS AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF,” succinctly encapsulates all the precepts of the law. Love commits no ill to another. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.
The love for self is the most intensely experienced and dependable form of love, but when directed outward, it is the glue that fuses the separated into a whole.
Inspired by Ephesians 4: 4 – 6
We are one body, and there is one Holy Spirit, even as we are confident of our calling, One supreme authority, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all who is above all and who is active in all of us.
Reverence for God is True Wisdom
If I will accept God’s words and esteem His precepts within me, So that my ears give heed to wisdom, and cause my heart (feelings, will, intellect and thoughts) to yield to understanding. Yes, if I cry out for knowledge, and speak with discretion; If I strive after wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as I would silver and search for them as I would hidden treasures; then I will understand the fear/reverence of Jehovah, and attain the knowledge of God.
For it is Jehovah who gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He reserves pertinent wisdom for the righteous; He is a protector to me if I behave with integrity. He maintains the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His saints. Then I will understand righteousness and justice and equality; yes, every right path. When wisdom enters my heart and knowledge is pleasing to my soul; discretion will preserve me, understanding will guard me, to deliver me from the way of evil. From persons who speak perverse and fraudulent things. From those who relinquish the paths of morality and equality to walk in the ways of wickedness and destruction.
My reverential fear of Jehovah is the starting point of wisdom, and my knowledge of the Holy-One is understanding.
Inspired by Proverbs 2: 1 – 13 & 9: 10
My true self is a reflection of My-Creator, so I strive to hold in my consciousness, the awareness of God, and to be complicit with Him in every thought and deed. My perception of My-Creator is the starting point of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. What I conceive Him to be or not to be is the substance and notion of the reality I create for myself. My perception of Him can either liberate or enslave, but most assuredly, such considerations define my existence.
The failure to live by such knowledge has perpetuated the perversion of my true self. My actions should reflect my core beliefs; otherwise, I will be internally conflicted, a mere creature tormented by his very existence.
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald
Consciousness & The Breath of Creation
Inspired by Genesis 2: 7, Job 32: 8 & Job 33: 4
Yahweh Elohim formed a human being from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the human became a living soul. There is a spirit in me, and the breath (inspiration) of the Almighty gives me understanding. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Humankind’s consciousness is the result of the Breath-of-Creation. Created in the image and likeness of his creator was ADAM created. In his nostrils was blown the very essence of The Creator. And so he became the host of the very nature of that which created him.
Ability to Know God
Great is my God and exceedingly deserving of praise, And His greatness is unfathomable. Can anyone, by diligent effort, understand my God, can anyone acquire a complete knowledge of my God. Wow, the profundity and the abundance of both wisdom and understanding of my God! Unsearchable are His decisions, and His ways are unfathomable! Inspired by Psalm 145: 3, Job 11: 7 & Romans 11:33
My understanding of God is limited at best, or utterly misguided at worst. I have no explanation for Him that will genuinely satisfy my longings, or my need to know Him. He is beyond my logical mind. His splendor surpasses the capacity of my mortal soul to conceive. Yet all that I am yearns for communion with Him, fueled by His glory, majesty, love, and His grace.
My ability to know Him, by evidence of His creation, is vastly untapped and potentially limitless. This knowledge is evolving due to the advancement in human endeavors such as science, anthropology, meditation, psychology, and spiritual revelation.
The concealed things belong to Jehovah my God, but the things which are revealed and discovered belong to me and my kind forever, so that we may fulfill The-Word of God. Inspired by Deuteronomy 29: 29
The Unseen God
By faith, I understand that the universe was purposefully established by The-Word of God so that what is manifest/evident was not made out of visible things. Inspired by Hebrews 11: 3
Everything emanated from His thoughts. All that is and is not, He is. He is the substance of everything seen and not seen. The great void is the essence of His very nature. In the vastness of space, one looks for objects to substantiate His existence while missing Him in the void amidst the forms. He fills the void with Himself, Himself being the void, not being limited to form or substance.
Physical beings do not readily recognize the unseen God, the source that holds all matter in its place.
The void is the hidden link that connects all substance. Thoughts, the spoken word, magnetism, electricity, gravity, and many other invisible forces in nature are essential for the existence of the physical universe.
The visible, emanated from the invisible, hence the latter supersedes the former. The seen is a manifestation of an unseen source. From the invisible comes visible by the power of the invisible using that which is hidden.
My Spirit is the conduit needed to connect to and receive energies from the invisible God, who is the Universal-Spirit.
God is a Spirit, and if I am to worship Him, I must do so in spirit and truth. Inspired by John 4:24
My Enlightenment My Evolution
I shall not conform to the customs of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind that I may decern that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Inspired by Romans 12: 2
I understand myself better, those around me, and my surroundings through interaction and fellowship with others. It is my service to God and his creation that facilitates my enlightenment and evolution. Paradoxically, the growth that I desire comes from an outward gaze and not an internal one.
As iron sharpens iron, So too, my fellowship with others is of mutual benefit. I shall do nothing in self-conceit or contention, but with an attitude of humility, I shall esteem others as more important than myself. I will not just look out for my self-interests but also the interests of others.
Inspired by Proverbs 27: 17 & Philippians 2: 3 – 4
Fellowship, Transformation, and Sanctification
In the Lord’s presence, I see as in a mirror the Lord’s glory, which transforms me progressively into His image by the Spirit of the Lord.
Inspired by 2 Corinthians 3: 18
By living in God’s presence, I am evolving into an entity, the blueprint of which resides in the mind of God. I have come to understand more about me, as I have focused my gaze on The Creator, and by sharing my observations in words and or deeds, I have found fellowship with others on a similar journey of life’s discovery.
Jehovah, you know me, because you have examined me intimately. You know my defeats and my triumphs; You understand my thoughts from before I conceive them. You prepare my activities and my periods of rest. You continually minister to me on my life’s journey. You know all my utterances before I speak a word, and You surround me and lay claim to me. Such knowledge is beyond the comprehension of my mortal mind.
Inspired by Psalm 139: 1 – 6
The God of Singularity
To whom would I liken God and make God equal and compare God, that they may be alike? Or with what likeness will I compare Him? To whom then will I liken God, so that it would be God’s equal?”
Inspired by Isaiah 46: 5, Isaiah 40: 18 & 25
Evil, or even the devil, is not the antithesis of God, for a creature cannot be the antithesis of its creator. For God, there is no Anti-God.
For God and in God, there is no duality, no opposite, and equal force to contend. He stands preeminently predominant and alone. By himself, He is, and without Him, there is not. He is the singular point of everything, and in Him, everything is therein.
Life vs. Death; Prosperity vs. Calamity
Inspired by Deuteronomy 30: 15 – 20
I have the choice between life/prosperity and death/calamity. God’s word commands me to love Jehovah, my God. To walk in His ways, to behave as He behaves, and to regard His precepts, His manners, and His stance, that I may live in abundance so that Jehovah my God shall bless me in whatever place he sends me to occupy and to possess.
But if I disobey and discard His precepts and worship anything besides Him to serve them. I will perish and will not survive for long wherever I go. All of Creation bears witness that I have the choice between life and death and blessing and cursing. I choose life that my descendants and I may live by loving Jehovah, my God, to obey his call, and to cling to Him. For God is my life for as long as I live that I may prosper in the promises He made from generations ago.
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald:
God is! God is complete; God is perfection.
Inspired by Psalm 18: 30 & 2 Samuel 22: 31
God’s way is perfect and without blemish. The word of the LORD is refined and pure; He is a shield and protector to all who take refuge in him and put their trust and confidence in Him.
That which is eternal stands flawless and complete. That which did not exist came forth as an expression of that which is. Its appearance being material and temporal and is yet incomplete without that which first expressed it into existence.
Perfection and completeness reside at the source. The created realm without the cause is incomplete; Elohim is complete, self-contained, self-sustained, and perfect without creation. He is the cause, without an origin, the reason without a motive.
Inspired by Deuteronomy 32: 3 – 4
I will proclaim the name of Jehovah, the self-Existent One; Ascribe greatness to our God; He is The Rock and a refuge, His actions are perfect, without blemish and complete; For all His ways are right and just; A God of faithfulness without iniquity or perverseness, righteous and upright is He.
Inspired by Matthew 5: 48
Be perfect and complete, as your heavenly Father is perfect and complete.
Perfect is God Almighty, the source of all there is. I look to Him so that I may be complete.
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald:
Lamp to my Feet
God’s word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Inspired by Psalm 119: 105
I hear the Word in the functioning of His handy work; It reverberates clear and pure. It says to me, “I can be trusted, lean on me, I will make your pathway true.” In a shout or a whisper, the Word still echoes for me to hear, calling me to a path already prepared.
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald
The Living Word
Inspired by John 1: 1 – 4
In the beginning, was The-Word, it existed with God in the beginning, and The-Word was God. That’s how it was with God from the start. All things that came into being were created by Him and through Him, and no creating was without Him. In Him was life and the life was the light of humankind.
From the instance of creation, Elohim The Self-Existent-One spoke, and His Spoken-Word has been alive and active ever since. Even from eternity, it is The-Spoken-Word that holds all of nature in place. It is the life of Creation, the cause behind the cause. Today nothing happens that is not contained in the kernel of that Spoken-Word. Nothing is out of place, nor is anything amended or requires revision. His Word never changes, it is eternally true and an everlasting assurance. One inkling or shadow of change and all that is would never have been.
Inspired by Colossians 1: 15 – 17
The-word became flesh and of such is the visible manifestation of the unseen God, the firstborn of all creation. By Him were all things created in heaven and on earth, both the visible and the invisible; all things were created by Him and for Him. He predates everything, and it is He who ordains all of creation; by Him, they exist.
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald
Depression, Hopelessness & Anxiety
Depression and hopelessness are like cancers; they will destroy the soul from within if I allow them to take root.
Inspired by Proverbs 15:13
When my heart is merry, my countenance is cheerful, but a sorrowful heart wounds my spirit.
I am not, by any stretch of my imagination, a clinical psychologist, nor have I ever been diagnosed with depression. However, I know intuitively from my experiences and those of others that depression, hopelessness, and anxiety have a lot to do with the emotions and spirituality as much as it has to do with any biological issue. I perceive that a good number of these issues are of a soulish origin.
Whenever I become aware that I am feeling hopeless, down, depressed, or anxious, I flood my mind with thoughts of gratitude, thanksgiving, worship, and imaginations of hopeful outcomes. Indulgence in acts of demonstrative love toward others is a companion therapy.
Inspired by Psalm 42: 5
Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why do you moan and rage within me? Hope in God, so I shall yet praise him for the victory of his presence.
This mentality or spiritual beingness; that is taking on the attitude I want to inculcate in myself is a surefire way to rid my soul of despair and anxiety — for example, I clothe myself in a spirit of optimism and serenity instead of depression and worry.
My hope and my trust are not in myself or any other created being or thing. I place my confident expectation in the Eternal I Am, which leaves no questioning of an expected outcome. Paradoxically I best help others who are going through such a state by surrounding them with love and care, helping them to understand themselves to be, and feel a part of, the collective (e.g., A family or a group, etc.).
Through interaction, I convey whichever spirit I am being or have taken on, unto those around. Through loving interaction, I will exude a spirit of optimism and serenity on those who are anxious and melancholy, by being optimistic and at peace.
Inspired by Proverbs 12: 25
A fearful, depressed, and anxious heart weighs me down, but kind, encouraging, and pleasant words cheer me up.
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald
Self-talk and Imaginations
Inspired by Romans 12: 2, Ephesians 4: 23 & 2 Corinthians 3: 17
I will not conform to the behavior, customs, and thought patterns of this world, but I will allow God to transform me continually by changing the way I think. By being reformed in the spirit of my mind (that is, my thoughts, imaginations, and attitudes ). God is a Spirit, and where His Spirit is, there is liberty.
Self-talk and imaginations (that induce fear and doubts) point to deep-seated fears or insecurities that I have harbored and allowed to fester into self-defeating thoughts and actions. The roots of these habitual behaviors tend to burrow deep into the crevices of my mind and must be searched out diligently and deliberately to negate them. I am immobilized by such thought patterns if left unchecked.
I replace inhibiting self-talk and imaginations with messages of hope and images of my desired results.
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald
Emotions or Faith
Inspired by James 1: 20
My anger and stirred-up emotions do not fulfill the righteousness of God nor His purpose.
My stirred-up emotion is a compelling motivator for sustained and unswerving action towards achieving my desired goals. However, to be guided by The Unseen Hand requires much faith but produces holistic results unimagined.
Dwane Fritz Gerald. GOD&I: Longing After God. Kindle Edition.
God’s Word; Our Standard
Romans 10: 17
Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word/utterance of God.
We live in a time when men and women of faith are increasingly succumbing to the pressures of the world to renege on their beliefs. We are told not to take the scriptures literally, and even to question its relevance in this new fast-changing and technologically advanced world.
But we find that as we give in to this subtle spiritual craftiness, we are rapidly losing our voice, our ability to speak authoritatively to the advancing evils of this current age.
If the word of God is not the ultimate and indisputable standard of our faith, then our beliefs are as baseless as a lunatic’s machinations.
As believers, when we speak, we should speak only of that which we have heard from the mouth of God (His Word), speaking not by man’s authority, which is worthless, but speaking the word of God in the power and might of its author. All other wisdom leads to darkness; only God’s word has life in itself and is light.
Believers, once again, restore the pride of place for the word of God in the temples of your hearts and on your lips, for it is the source of our salvation and that of the world.
Gratitude
Inspired by Romans 8: 28 & 1 Thessalonians 5: 18
I know that everything works together, as if one whole, for the benefit of those appointed for God’s purpose because of His love for them. I am grateful for everything, for this is the desire of God through Christ Jesus for me.
When I label outcomes as good or bad, I limit my available options to those that are within my cognition and under my sphere of influence. In judging life’s events, I become my source instead of being one with The-Source.
Dwane Fritz Gerald. GOD&I: Longing After God . Kindle Edition.
Self-worth
Inspired by Jeremiah 17: 9
My heart (feelings) is deceitful about everything, and incurably so: who can know it?
I derived my self-worth from who I am and not how I am feeling about myself or my current circumstances. My feelings and emotions are fleeting and cannot be relied on to determine my self-worth. My actions should be reasonable and not based solely on emotional impulses.
Dwane Fritz Gerald. GOD&I: Longing After God . Kindle Edition.
Believing; The Keys to the Kingdom of God
John 3: 1 – 21
Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again if he desired to enter the Kingdom of God. At the very start of Jesus’ ministry, he declared that the kingdom of God was at hand.
Jesus taught us that when we pray, we should assert that God’s kingdom has come, acknowledging that as believers, the fulfillment of his will is our charge.
All have access to the kingdom of God by way of Jesus, and faith in him and his finished work of atonement on the cross.
By faith in Christ, we are spiritually reborn as citizens of the eternal kingdom of God.
As citizens, let us not only enjoy the liberty we have in the Spirit but likewise, let us also fulfill our responsibility to love as Christ loves.
Empowering Choices
Inspired by Philippians 4: 8 I choose to meditate on things that are true, honorable, equitable, pure, acceptable, reputable, anything of good virtue and courage, and anything praiseworthy.
I choose the good and the nobler virtues because I become that which I do.
- I choose acceptance instead of regrets
- I choose forgiveness instead of grudgefulness or unforgiveness.
- I choose anticipation instead of worry.
- I choose hope instead of dread.
- I choose faith instead of fear.
- I choose thankfulness instead of ungratefulness.
- I choose to appreciate my current circumstances instead of taking anything for granted.
- I choose love instead of hate.
- I choose to channel positive energies from The Eternal God. Negative temporal energies ensnare and enslave while The Sovereign One empowers and liberates.
- I choose to walk a spiritual path that requires steps of faith.
My choices determine my destination. Life is a series of decision points, of which destiny awaits on the other side. NOW choose wisely!
Excerpts from – GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald
Our Bodies; God’s Temple
1 Corinthians 6: 19 – 20 (also reference 1 Corinthians 3: 16 – 17)
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in us, whom we have received from God? We are not our own; God bought us at a price. Therefore honor God with our bodies.
Do not defile the body with carnal and otherwise worldly thoughts but instead set your heart, mind and soul on the things of the Spirit. Remember that only those things which come from within defile the body and not those which are external.
Our heavenly Father desires fellowship with us, so keep the body holy, set apart for honoring Him. Reverence it as a place of worship to God. A meeting place where God and man commune as one.
Tooth Fairy Religion
It is pointless to profess faith in Christ, and disregard his word, and dishonor his precepts.
He is the word, and his the word is him!
God&i 