Saturday November 15, 2008
Stephen Porter - 10:58 AM AST
115 SPIT
I do these blogs to help those that really want to know God better understand Him and to give them some idea how and what to look for. [And feel for; He made the physical, too.]
I’m going to give you some very intimate details about how God communicates with me and, also, some pointers about how He might communicate with you but, always remember, He is a personal God and wants a personal relationship with you.
As He deals with you and you feel after Him, you will notice touches, thoughts and voices that keep coming back every time that you get alone with God; that’s Him.
The devil cannot touch you unless God permits him to and him and his minions are also around you all the time, too. Nowhere in God’s word does it say that we can command him to leave us alone and he will obey us. He loves it when we believe this mistake because we relax and let down our guard when we think that he has left at our command.
Jesus said resist the devil and he will flee from you. That’s how you get him away from you. When he tempts you by sight, sound or feeling to think or do something that displeases and disobeys God, then it is up to you to resist. After enough resistance, the devil will see that he is wasting his time with you and move on to someone he can work with; but don’t be fooled, that someone he moves to might be some one that has a great influence in your life and will be a better tool for him to use against you. Study God’s word and seek Him, so you can be ready to drive the devil away with your resistance.
Now, about me; right from day one, when I believed the words that I saw in the bible and realized that Jesus was real, I have heard God talking to me. As I sat at my kitchen table growing more and more relaxed about apologizing to God and begging His forgiveness for ignoring Him and His son [repentance] and after about an hour of putting it off thinking that I could probably do it next week or next month, God spoke to me and said “Stephen, if you don’t do it now, you won’t do it.”
Scared the spit out of me and I realized that He was right and that from that moment on, I would be living my life as a lie; ignoring the truth. I rushed to my bedroom and fell on my knees but I didn’t know what to say so, I asked God to help me and He told me what I had to apologize for.
The bible says that after repentance, God adopts us as His children and I knew that I could pick up a phone and call my physical father and talk with him and hear him respond. If I can do that with my earth father then I should be able to do it with my heavenly father and I was right, I can. Believe this and you can, too.
As I spent more and more time talking and loving Him, my heavenly Father started touching me. I noticed that every time I turned my attention towards Him that the nerves in my left temple felt a slight pressure, like a tingle that, over time, spread down the left side of my face. There is no physical explanation for this occurring and it only happens when I focus on God.
I am also aware of a tapping on my right shoulder when He wants to get my attention to tell me something. Every time I have felt this tapping, He has had something to tell me for my instruction or to keep me from doing something that would get me in trouble.
He has touched and moved various parts of my body when they needed moving for my health; He has taken headaches away in an instant, when asked. I have been physically shaken and experienced the religious experience of being slain out. [Knocked to the floor with no control to stop it and absolutely no harm to me; He was showing me that He could do it and be trusted not to harm me.]
Tuesday November 11, 2008
Stephen Porter - 11:04 AM AST
21 THEY JUST DON’T KNOW
I see a lot of dumb and dangerous mistakes being done on the highways and I have thought about it as I watch those drivers deliberately do the things that they do. I have asked myself why would those people do something so obviously wrong and sit there as if they are good drivers and perfectly correct; it’s simply because they don’t know their mistake and are driving the way they see everyone else drive or are driving the way they want it to be, for their own convenience, or are driving the way they think it should be for them.
Instead of studying the driver’s manual, they learn to drive by following everyone else’s mistakes. This sets up a system of wrong habits in any one area because in ones area of driving, everyone is still trying not to hit everyone else so they compensate for each others mistakes with another mistake; creating small pockets of areas where habitual mistakes are made, on a regular bases. This is fine as long as everyone learns these mistakes and only drives around those drivers that also know and practise those mistakes. However, what normally happens is that someone from another area, that has learned a different set of mistakes to survive in their area, drives into the area and the two make their habitual mistakes at the same time and run into each other.
An example of two mistakes being made at the same time that I have seen is the drivers in my area will stop at an intersection at a right turn, merge corner. [a corner that they are not supposed to stop at] They teach and make everyone behind them stop also. The cars that are supposed to make a right hand merge into that lane [those coming straight through the intersection from the first driver’s left or those that are coming from across the intersection and making a left turn into the lane beside the first driver’s lane] have gotten used to the traffic stopping for them and, now, do not look when they are going into that lane but will even cross a solid line to get into that lane, thinking that they have the right-of-way. Two mistakes that are working locally because everyone is doing it; but when someone comes along that knows the correct way to drive through a merge intersection and does not stop, the drivers making the illegal lane change into that lane, get upset because their habits are violated.
The driving manual has the correct way to drive safely in any situation but most drivers do not want to take the time to study and learn it. We want to learn by being ‘hands on’ drivers and, when we have a crash, try to justify our ignorance with ‘I didn’t know’.
‘I didn’t know’ is not a legal excuse in a court of law because everything is available for you to know the correct procedure. ‘I didn’t know’ is only a beginning, dumb or lazy persons excuse for not learning the proper way to do something before they do it. [Much like us men when we are asked to put together one of those ‘assembly required’ items and ignore the manual thinking that we can do it on our own or a woman that relies on her husband to teach her all that she needs to know.]
You get the point; learning from anyone or anything other then the proper manual or those, that are following the procedure of the proper manual, is the dumbest and most dangerous thing anyone can do. I dare you to take a look in your back seat at those little gems that are your children and tell me that their safety is not that important.
Saturday November 8, 2008
Stephen Porter - 8:26 AM AST
114 OTHER POWERS
The most evident proof of God’s presence and power today is His church. This generally means pastors, faithful church attendees and those bible pounding religious fanatics.
The unbelievers look at those Christians and, because they are not harmed and there doesn’t seem to be any ill effects, scoff at or ignore the evidence that God has placed before their eyes. They have their own people and things that are much more sinister to be afraid of; like terrorists, wild animals, charismatic magicians, supernatural cult leaders, over powerful governments, storms and natural disasters and other people that can do them harm.
The real truth is that any force or power seen in the world today is allowed by and restricted by God. Jesus defeated even death by the results of His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus showed us God’s power over everything visible and invisible when He walked this earth in person. Creatures seen and unseen, the earth’s elements, spirits and demons and life and death were all obedient to His commands.
God’s prophets throughout history were able to command things around them. They travelled through the wilderness unharmed, they walked boldly into the presence of powerful kings and spoke harsh words of warning to them and called down fire from heaven to consume battle ready solders. They even got out of God’s way while he wracked vengeance on those that opposed His chosen leaders; watching as God killed hundreds and thousands of those that hated Him.
The early church had the knowledge and faith to exercise this power also. People that joined God’s church and went against its teachings died and, the church was so powerful that the people, who did not want to know God, were afraid to join it for fear of dieing.
Because of the charity of God’s people, these powers were held back and allowed to become dormant. Unfortunately this has created a lack of faith that God can still control these elements, today.
Witches, magicians, hypnotists, fortune tellers, cult leaders, demons and all manner of evil creations have been actively promoting their powers. Seeking importance as super beings and little gods; trying to and succeeding to some extent to frighten God’s people into believing them.
Don’t be fooled, God’s power is still in the church and available to His faithful. There is nothing that one can see or do in today’s world that God, through His people, cannot do or stop. Those familiar with God and the way He does things are in the church in today’s world; assisting pastors, teachers and the faithful in their Christian growth and strengthening. Mostly, unseen and unthought-of but they can be found in the prayer meetings, home in their prayer closets and at their daily routines, talking to their God about the problems of His people and the opposition that they encounter.
Christian; when the problems seem to gradually melt away, you are encountering this power asked for by those faithful servants of God for you.
Unbelievers; if you’re picking on one or more of God’s precious children beware; God has powers and beings at His control that will make death seem like a relief. If life for you is getting harder and scarier, check out whom you are abusing; if its one of God’s own and you do not stop, life, for you, will only get harder and death and hell might come sooner than you expected.
Saturday November 1, 2008
Stephen Porter - 8:19 AM AST
113 TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER
I have been picking at you for some time now; scolding, growling and beating at you to correct yourselves and get right with God, our creator. This is not only tiring for me but is discouraging for you; ‘I’m trying’ I can hear you say; ‘It’s hard’ others say and so on.
You are right; it is hard and you are trying and I am pushy and there are so many things and we’re so busy and on and on.
Now, for some encouragement; God is not looking for you to do everything exactly and meticulously right. He wants you to take the time to laugh with Him over some silly little thought that you found funny. He wants you to bring that shinny stone that you found and liked, to Him and tell Him what you like about it. He wants you to stop looking for the work that you think He wants you to do and relax; quiet your soul and rest.
Watch a little TV, go for a walk with your kids or just your dog, and sleep in late once in a while. In other words, realize that He IS in control and He can hold it together while we take a much needed break.
We love each other when we can put ourselves aside and do what others need without seeking any recognition for ourselves. Holding a door open for any other person; not just an elderly one but any other one, letting a napping person rest until they wake up instead of disturbing them, letting someone cut in front of us in a line up and smile at them [ouch, got myself with that one] and just making someone else’s day a little easier are things that God wants us to do, but He wants to do them for you, too.
Accept His love AND accept His help so you can relax. Let Him do for you so that He can be happy and enjoy what He is doing. He takes pleasure in making us happy as long as it’s not at another unwilling person’s expense.
When you are rested and relaxed, you will have the energy to lighten another’s load, lend a helping hand or communicate kindness to another.
God commands us to look out for each others needs in the perspective of loving them but we must also trust Him to look out for our needs as He loves us.
It’s not that hard; what are your needs? God knows before you even think about them and what you need is probably what someone else will need later. Don’t look for something different to please God, look for the same thing that you get and have.
What God can use in you is what you have; you don’t have to look any further than your own hands, heart, home or mind to help others and please God.
You see, you’re already doing it; being a normal kind, considerate and thoughtful human being, just like God wants you to be.
He is God and He does not want us to keep trying to compete with Him by being super people. He made us to be normal; your normal self and my normal self living together and respecting each others rights and persons naturally.
Our greatest problems come from trying too hard or thinking we have failed so often that we give up trying. You’re doing OK; keep trying because God sees and appreciates the smallest efforts. He doesn’t miss anything. His word promises that He knows them that love Him and He is near them.
You’re on the verge of another small act of love that is huge with God, don’t give up now, let Him help, He loves you and it will be worth it.
Tuesday October 28, 2008
Stephen Porter - 8:03 PM AST
20 TRACTION
When your tires spin faster or slower than the speed that your vehicle should allow then you have lost traction. Traction is the grip your tires apply to the surface that they are on so, when force is applied to the tires to make them turn, your vehicle moves.
There are many things that can make your tires lose traction; ice, slick tires, going too fast, turning too sharp and/or suddenly hitting rough bumps.
Not only should you have front and backwards motion traction but your vehicle should have side to side traction. Your tires are designed to grip when force is applied to them to rotate, then, as they start turning, the vehicle will start moving either frontward or backwards, depending on what gear you have the transmission in.
[The motor always turns the same way when you start it; generally clockwise when you are standing in front of it looking under the hood at the motor. The transmission changes the speed and direction via a multiple set of gears that mesh with each other and rotate against each other.]
A sudden acceleration by the motor can over spin the tires and they will lose traction and start spinning. When this happens on snow or ice, the tires heat up and melt the snow or ice in direct contact with the tires forming a thin layer of water on the snow or ice. When there is water on snow or ice, the tires will have a very difficult time getting any traction to move the vehicle.
Spinning your tires when you are stuck only makes the situation worse. Try stopping your tires from rotating and then gently pushing on the accelerator until you feel the tires start to put pressure on the snow; you will feel the vehicle try to move. Gently keep increasing the pressure on the accelerator until the vehicle starts moving ahead or back, then hold that pressure until you are out of the situation and on solid ground again. If you have to rock your vehicle to get it unstuck, us gentle pressure on the accelerator and stop between gears; don’t over rev the motor and spin your tires.
The forward and backward traction is not all the tires are designed for; they have side to side traction built into the tread to keep you from sliding off the road on turns. Each tire has a different design and is made for a different season and application. Snow tires have a very wide gap between the rubber to let the snow compact in the gap instead of collecting under it. It uses this compaction to help grip the snow and add more traction.
The different direction of the rubber tread and the gaps in the tread are designed to apply pressure in different directions; adding to the side to side stability of the moving tires also.
Summer tires do not work as well in snow because it does not allow enough snow to go between the tread to add any more traction to the moving tires and the snow cannot get back out of the narrow gaps fast enough to help move through the snow. The wide tread of the winter tires kick the snow out as soon as the rotation of the tire lifts that part of the tread away from the snow so they are ready to grip more snow when they contact it again on the next rotation.
My grandson is always bragging that more horsepower makes a car go fast but I tell him that, if it doesn’t have good traction then it’s going nowhere. Snow and ice is coming; slowing down maintains better traction and a safer drive.
Saturday October 25, 2008
Stephen Porter - 10:36 AM AST
112 OUR URGES
Every minute of every day, we get urges; it could be a simple thing, like craving potato chips or chocolate or it could be something more serious, like screaming out loud or roasting our boss over a slow burning fire. [Why am I hearing so many yeh, yeh’s out there?]
These urges are generated by the feelings we have for the emotions that come at us from the people or situations that are in our lives and can be boiled down to two basics; positive and negative.
Every single personality and event will, has or is happening to everyone else in the world, so how can that guy look so peaceful when his world is in tatters while I am plain blown away?
Two things;
First – The way we look at what is happening.
In today’s world, we are continually being told that we are the important element in any situation we are in. Things around us should not stop or hinder our schedule or impede our progress toward our goal. When this happens, we are told that it is wrong and that we should be upset at the originator of the circumstances; whether it is a person, creature or thing. [Did you see what that person did to me? And we proceed to tear their heart out in our mind; satisfying that urge to kill feeling but not actually doing it.]
Our focus is selfishly on what happened to us; our life, our pleasure and/or what we want.
This inward focus keeps us from seeing what really happened and generates these faults negative urges. Understanding what the other person, creature or thing is or had to do, sometimes just to survive, will calm our negative urges and may even generate enough positive urges to compel us to help them out of their situation.
Second – The rules that we are following to make the decision about what should be happening.
I have seen many car drivers stop, where they are not supposed to stop, to let another car go ahead of them, to satisfy an urge to do a kind deed to someone. They don’t realize that they have forced the line of cars behind them to needlessly stop too. This satisfies their urge to be kind to one person but they have added to the frustrations of many more people and have caused themselves and everyone else to do an illegal act; thus, breaking the law also.
Not realizing what they have done to satisfy their urge, they drive away content while the other drivers are, in their minds, tearing their heart out.
As we give in to our urges and do the things that are not healthy or lawful, we show others how to do the same thing; teaching our friends, neighbours and family how to give in to their urges and increasing unhealthy living and lawlessness.
Everyone has urges but controlling the bad ones takes a greater force than most of us possess. God’s word says that love is the greatest force; what or who you love will be seen by whose urges you give in to. Your own or Gods; love Him by obeying Him and teach your friends, neighbours and family how to control their negative urges by controlling your own.
True love is so rare today that, because it is so out of place, it is thought to be wrong and everyone’s urge is to stop it. Your urges; can you trust them?
Tuesday October 21, 2008
Stephen Porter - 5:32 PM AST
19 PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE
It almost speaks for itself; practise is the only way to develop good, safe driving skills.
This does not mean that after 20 years of going to work every day you will learn to be a good driver. It won’t but it will make you a better driver than most beginners. Is that all you want to be?
I said it once and I’ll say it again, going for a drive in your car is the most dangerous thing you can do in today’s world. With all those reckless and dangerous drivers around you, don’t you want to learn how to at least survive? Or, are you going to leave that up to chance, luck or those other drivers?
Learning to be a good driver means that you have to concentrate on what you are doing but, most importantly, about what you are doing wrong. Unless you know what you are doing wrong, it will be hard to correct. That is why there is a driving manual and roadside marking; study the manual and practise staying inside the lines that you are supposed to stay inside.
As you go to work, turn off the radio and watch the roadside for instructions. Instead of trying to recognize the car your meeting, try to judge where you are going to miss them and how; do you have to move over to give them a little more room? Is the driver paying attention to you or are they fishing for another CD on the floor while their car wanders into your lane?
The sad part about being prepared is that you have to do it constantly because you never know where or when that driver is coming from that could strike you. By learning and practising safe driving techniques, you can at least relax and watch out for the other drivers better.
Saturday October 18, 2008
Stephen Porter - 11:29 AM AST
111 SELF CONTROL
Self control is one of the key elements that show the world that you are a Christian.
When you got saved, you were enthusiastic and excited about God, scriptures and life. You embraced your new religion and tried to give it to everyone you met. The reality of Jesus became the central focus of your whole life. You neglected your family, work, responsibilities and necessities to follow and learn about this new freedom.
This is a normal process and most people will excuse the new Christian because of their joy and exuberance but, after awhile, it becomes irritating and you start grating on others nerves. The opposition starts coming from everyone else and your aggression starts getting negative feedback. This makes you start to doubt the power of God and you try to understand; the newness is wearing off, so, what happened?
At first, you think that it is just the devil giving you a rough time; isn’t that what he is supposed to do? You try harder; now even your church family is trying to slow you down. Don’t they know how important Jesus is and how important it is to tell the rest of the world?
Many, would be, mature and solid kingdom citizens fail because they are not told why they are to slow down. They are pumped up, encouraged to ‘keep following’ and praised for their efforts but it takes a wise older Christian to take them aside to show and teach them about self control.
God will give many jobs to many of His people and, even, to those that can not handle the chore because they continually ask for them and ignore His voice telling them that they are not ready. When they mess up, they blame and doubt God; then the church is left doing damage control when it should be going forward at a steady and strong pace.
Self control is the number one thing that the world does not have and its lack is the most evident and prosperous tool that the devil has. Those who control themselves are continually being picked at, even by supposedly well meaning Christians.
We laud love and peace at the expense of doing right and self control. Our agenda must be right because it’s what God told us to do so it must be what God wants for everyone else; right? We were not told to tell others what God wants us to do because it might be what He wants them to do. God told us what to do so that we could do it, period. Everything after that is a lack of self control.
We can come up with all kinds of good sounding ideas and reasons why we think we are to do the things that we were not told to do but, this too, is just a lack of self control.
God’s word states that anyone who controls their tongue and keeps silent is considered wise by those around them. [It is not stated whether they really are wise or not but, sooner or later, they will say something and then their wisdom or lack thereof will be seen.]
In today’s world where everyone gives in to their own lust and desires and self control is almost non-existent, those that exercise good self control stand out like a candle in the dark. [Yes, I used that phrase for just that reason]
God commands us to use self control; most people will be irritated and think us fools but, maybe, just maybe, there will be some that will stop and think and ask themselves why you do what you do when everyone else is doing it differently. Right then would not be the time to lose your self control and give a silly answer; control yourself and really tell them why you obey the master of all creation.
Saturday October 11, 2008
Stephen Porter - 9:18 AM AST
110 OF ONE MIND
Jesus said that He has one church, with Him as the head [the part that does the thinking, decision making and has the final say] and that that church is fit together to form one body.
In the book of acts, the Holy Spirit would not come until they were all in ‘one’ accord.
Being of like mind or all thinking the same does not mean that you give up your independent thoughts but rather you join in, when the discussion is going on, and have your say but, when those, who are appointed to finally make the decision for any subject, make that decision, we all put aside our selfish pride, accept this decision as ‘God’s will’ and act on it with all our hearts.
Our responsibility is to be in the meetings with Godly people and to know who God put in charge of that meeting. If you don’t then you go to God and ask Him where you are to be and who you are to be subject to or you simply shut up. Unless you know God’s will or who is supposed to make the right decisions for God in any circumstance, your opinion is just that; ‘your opinion’ and not God’s.
This world has made people think that they are the most important being alive and that their opinion is the most important one there; we have been pampered, given in to and pumped up until we think this is what God wants also. This thought process will get you a hot and lonely place in eternity.
In God’s kingdom, no one individual is right and, those that are in it have learned to take and obey orders from others willingly and gladly, to join with others and work as a unit most of the time and to focus on others needs and projects and give them the attention that they require to succeed.
We have an election coming up; this is one of the most important events Christians can participate in, if they want to change this country for Christ but I continually hear ‘ho, the churches cannot get together on this’. Is God divided? No. Is God’s kingdom divided? No. Are this world’s churches divided? Yes.
So, whose fault is that; God’s? No. His people’s? I’ll leave you to answer that one; but, if we are not obeying God, who are we listening to and who are we helping to succeed?
Being ‘like minded’ is more serious than many think; the unpardonable sin is, to speak and work against what the Holy Spirit is trying to do. [To attribute the workings of the Holy Spirit to the devil]
When God appoints one of His people to run as a political candidate and you speak and/or vote against them, are you supporting God’s work?
When you speak against one of God’s people [pastor, deacon, usher, lay person, etc.], without speaking to them first, are you doing what God wants done?
When you condemn the workings of another when you have no knowledge of their reasons for doing what they do or it does not have anything to do with you or your life; are you doing what is right in God’s eyes?
When you speed around and/or tailgate one of God’s chosen children and endanger their life or make them afraid by your actions, are you sure that God wants you around His people for all eternity?
Yes, they are hard questions but better to answer them now, while you are still able to change, than later when it is too late.
Saturday October 4, 2008
Stephen Porter - 11:34 AM AST
109 THE SPIRIT BESIDE YOU
The soul and the spirit world cannot be seen; the physical world around us is the only one we can see, hear, smell and touch; or…..is it?
The physical world is the most evident but is really the least important part of our lives. When God made us a living soul, which was the part that he made in His image. He gave us the ability to make our soul ‘look’ just like Him. We do this by choosing to accept Him and His way; then work at making ourselves into His image.
We exchange our selfish thought process for His loving and merciful one. This means, that every spirit that comes to us has to be evaluated and accepted or rejected for its God like image or its God dislike image.[Whatever we accept, we will become and look like and whatever we reject we will not become and not look like.]
As I said earlier, you are in control; just because we have accepted God as our master and His way as our way with our mouth does not mean that we can give up and do nothing from now on. There is a battle going on in God’s kingdom that we have to participate in. God is allowing His enemy, the devil, to wage war against His people so we can have our love for Him tested and strengthened.
God has made the winning of this war so easy that even the weakest person in all history can overcome and win against the devil. Most people fail and loose to the devil because they want to. They are choosing to ‘look’ like the devil rather than God.
I have italicized the word ‘look’ because you can see the spirit that a soul has chosen to take on and wear by the senses that operate in your physical body, if you want to.
Jesus talked to and cast out many evil or demonic spirits that the religious world did not know were there or were helpless to do anything about them. [If you read the bible you will notice that He only dealt with those evil spirits that the human carriers brought to Him. There were many more spirits that the human carriers decided to keep for themselves that He did not interfere with because He will not interfere with our God given gift of free choice for our own souls. {Judas worked for Jesus for three years while he carried a devil in him.}]
I meet many spirits in my daily routine that I cannot do anything about because the carriers’ want to keep the spirit that they are carrying; however I do not accept those spirits that I do not want to influence me. I do this by passing off remarks that are made that are not proper, by ignoring unhealthy subjects or by making positive statements to a negative comment.
You and I can ‘see’ these bad spirits by questioning and understanding why they do what they do, say what they say and act the way they act. God has given us clear guidelines, in His word, what our conversations should and should not include, how we are to conduct ourselves when we are alone and when we are around others and how to control ourselves to please Him. Those that do what He says because they love Him and ask for His help will show His spirit all the time; whether anyone is watching or not and those that are taking on evil spirits may try to hide them when others are around, but they will let down and show their true nature when they think no one is watching.
A good or a bad spirit will form into a habit that will gradually become harder and harder to hide so, the enemies spirit will soon show itself in someone that has taken it into themselves and, like Judas, there will come a time when it will be obvious to everyone.
