It should be apparent from my previous posts that I am terrified of God. This book helped me to develop that fear.
I read it soon after publication in 2003, not long after my Burned Toast experience. The book helped me to consolidate the understanding of sin and repentance I had learned from my Calvinist pastor.
Around that same time, I was starting to realize the Church was not what I thought it was. I had learned about Paul's Mystery two years before, and had assumed everyone else could understand that message, too. I was wrong. When I tried to discuss my experiences with the pastors and leaders of my Church, they shunned me. It became clear that they did not see what I saw. One of the elders earnestly wanted to understand what I was saying to him, but he lovingly told me he could not. I respected him for that.
As I mentioned in previous posts (and my "About Me" tab), I eventually came to realize the Institutional Church model is not Biblical, and as a family we stopped attending weekly gatherings. We have been free of that bondage ever since.
The author of this book was raised in a particular denominational tradition -- Southern Baptist. He clearly loves the Lord, and I am not his judge. Like all of us, he is prone to seeing the world through the particular set of glasses his teachers gave him. He has a deep desire to see revival because his family told him about numerous revivals they had experienced themselves and heard about. The author saw those things, too, during his career.
The sad thing about the book is the author seems distressed that revival is not happening. The third, and final, chapter talks about how God creates a "highway of holiness." As I reread it recently, I sensed panic in his voice as he pleaded with fellow leaders to examine their lives and seek purity. He rightly exhorted that if we are not pure in heart, we will not see God. I shared his angst for years, until I was eventually set free.
I am thankful God took me on the path He did. He immersed me in truth before showing me spirit. Reading this book was part of the 'truth' training.
Denominations are dangerous. They give us blinders and prevent us from seeing the complete picture. An enemy has done this. I suspect the author may not realize that his baptism freed him from being a slave to sin. He is a 'baptist', so he was probably baptized in water by immersion, but I suspect he has not been baptized in the Holy Spirit. My Calvinist pastor taught me nothing about baptism in Spirit, so I didn't realize I needed it, and I suspect the same may be true for the author of this book. The Holy Spirit enables us to avoid sin, not just be convicted of it. If water-baptized believers are still struggling with sin, they probably have not yet received the spiritual baptism described in Acts 2.
Finally, the really critical thing these folks are probably missing is deliverance. These denominations do not mention that, or even seriously consider it. I know this because I never saw it with my own eyes until Jacksonville. Saying that, there are many people in spirit-filled denominations who lack true fear of sin and the importance of repentance. The enemy is crafty, and the Darkness obscures the full story to keep people from truly being free and effective. Demonic influence is far more prevalent than most people realize.
I am so blessed to understand the full picture. Please make sure you have your complete tool bag, and then read the Holiness book. It is very good for understanding repentance.
I pray everyone will come to a full understanding of what it means to be an apprentice of Jesus.
All glory to God.
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UPDATE, September 2, 2022...
Our eyes adjust to our surroundings. The irises contract and dilate to allow in appropriate amounts of light so our retinas are not overwhelmed and so we can still see in darker conditions.
I know this because the guy in the blue shirt on the right came over to me and pointed to a star that had appeared as the sky had grown darker. That is the only moment he and I ever spoke to each other during the entire day. The timing still amazes me. The photographer only took one picture like this.
The lighting of the photograph appears normal because the camera automatically adjusted itself to the darker conditions, just like our eyes do. But our eyes are slower to respond than a camera and an eerie darkness had come over the land at the time of that photo.
Once again, I see this as a useful metaphor, or parable. When we are in the light, the Darkness seems very dark, but if we are actually in the Darkness we might not even notice it is dark.
This world is full of evil, and most people do not notice it. They are in the dark. The only hope they have of realizing it is for them to see contrasting light.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ..." (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)
We are to be that light.
When I worked with a team to design and build a world-scale silicone manufacturing plant, my boss described the engineering firm we had hired in a humorous way. A big project requires a lot of brainpower, and therefore many people. He said engineering companies are, "islands of excellence in a sea of mediocrity." He was right.
Our people had interviewed the lead engineers at each of the engineering corporations considered for the project. They picked the firm that had the best people and capabilities for our situation, and they wrote into the contract the individuals they wanted to be permanently assigned to the team. Those were very talented and experienced people, but they could only do so much. Many more people had to be hired to do all of the work once the project was going. The additional people met certain qualifications, but they were not as sharp as the lead people. Most were mediocre.
A similar analogy can be made about the spiritual battle we are in. We are called to be, "islands of holiness in a sea of darkness and sin." That holiness is the "light" Jesus was talking about, and it will appear extremely bright to those who are used to the dark.
As we shine our light, many will wince and close their eyes. They will not understand us; they will turn away; they will reject what we say and do. But if we maintain our light by being holy, they will eventually get used to the light and may choose to walk towards it. That is our goal
To shine our light, we must be holy. And the more of us there are, the brighter it will be.
UPDATE, September 5, 2022...
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| 2017 Total Eclipse Path |
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| 2024 Total Eclipse Path |
Together, these two eclipses will put a big ❌ over America.
Most people will not see much significance in this, but those who worship the sun, moon, and other created things will likely see it as very significant. Those who work for the Darkness will probably see it as divine justification for their actions. I strongly suspect the satanists and luciferians who run the world are among those who believe this.
Men and women who are aware of what is really going on in the world right now know the ancient evil currently manifesting as "Rome" intends to kill off their creditors, as they have done many times in the past. The current target is America, and according to some, destruction is imminent. Please read this most recent article by Anna Von Reitz for details (#3797):
http://annavonreitz.com/alrightcampers.pdf
We shall see what happens. She has been wrong before, but her general direction has proven to be correct.
UPDATE, September 7, 2022...
The Gematria of the two eclipse dates are...
8/21
8 + 2 + 1 = 11
8/21/2017
8 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 7 = 21, 2 + 1 = 3
4/8
4 + 8 = 12, 1 + 2 = 3
4/8/2024
4 + 8 + 2 + 2 + 4 = 20 (nothing)
The two threes of the two eclipses together are...
3 and 3
33
There are some people who see these things as very significant and good for their causes. From the article at the link...
Occultists the world over believe that, once a symbol is created, it acquires power of its own, and more power is generated when such symbol(s) are created without the profane [uninitiated] knowing about it.
And, the greatest power of all is created in the symbol(s) if the uninitiated NEVER discover that the symbol exists.
But the Bible says....
...Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools... (Romans 1:22 NIV)
Some things never change.
God the Creator is the sovereign King of the universe. The timing and location of eclipses, the gematric features in the Bible, and the Gematria we see in our daily lives are are all manifestations of the Living God. Contrived symbols mimicking those manifestations are works of men. The former are holy because only God can do them. The latter are just deeds of the flesh. 1
UPDATE, September 8, 2022...
I discovered all of this in the eleventh month (11) after it started and have been following it ever since. I learned a lot, and some of what I learned has contributed to my understanding of things I talk about on this blog. My Critical Thinking post describes this in more detail.
One of the things I learned is: "Their need for symbolism will be their downfall." That symbolism is the source of their power in their minds, as I discussed yesterday in the update, above. That power depends upon secrecy, and the backchannel undermines that secrecy. Psychological operations are part of military campaigns, and their goal is to demoralize and and discourage the enemy.
...there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. (Matthew 10:26, Luke 8:17, Luke 12:2 NIV)
1 Added this paragraph.