Archive for the ‘Knowledge’ Category

Pharoahs Hard Heart

Posted: July 6, 2025 in Knowledge
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Do you remember the famous biblical story in Exodus where the children of Israel, having been enslaved  in Egypt for over 400 years, then left in search of the promised land? Moses, one of the most famous figures in biblical history, was raised up by God to lead them out of not only Egypt, but into the desert where they instead experienced 40 years of their bad choices. But, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Before they could leave Egypt they had to get through Pharaoh…and he had his mind made up.

What we learn as Moses and God discussed how this exodus would happen is that God specifically told them that He would harden Pharaohs heart…to start. What in the heck? Why would He do that? If God really wanted Pharaoh to release His people, then why would He harden his heart and make that process more difficult to happen? Read this below:

Then the Lord said to Moses, See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your Prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt with mighty acts of judgment, I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. Exodus 7:1-5

As previously mentioned, why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart when it made more sense for it to be flexible, or at least easier for Moses to negotiate with him. This fact has always perplexed me. But as I looked further into it, I have come to realize that, as the Bible states clearly, when you or I make it clear over the course of our lives that we do not intend to serve God or repent, God will give us up to our own sinful desires. In other words, if we make the choice to choose the sin of unbelief, then He will let us/you ultimately have your way.

So let’s take that information and apply it to Pharaoh here… 

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as a punishment because his heart was already hard and opposed to God. In adding to the hardness of Pharaohs heart, God was also acting on a divine principle that applies to all the unrepentant. 

As I said before, when a person persists in rebellion against God and His word, God will ordain that (he or she) heart be hardened (yours or mine). 

Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Romans 9:18 – NIV

Simply put, this is God giving people up to their sinful desires and sending a delusion on those who refuse to love the truth of His word. As an example, you will notice that the judgments of the early plagues (in the Exodus story), softened Pharaohs heart just a little, however, when God removed each plague, his heart was hardened again. 

In other words, Pharaoh hardened his own heart whenever God showed mercy.

Like I said, Pharoahs mind was made up.

Guys, this is an incredible story but an even better lesson for all of us. 

The bottom line for you and me; God intends to show mercy to those who repent and believe In Jesus as their Lord and Savior while at the same time, hardening the hearts of those who refuse to repent and choose to continue in their sin and thereby rejecting the salvation in Christ. 

I know, that is a lot to unpack but you can do it. For you and me, we need to make good choices, stay focused on Gods word, and most of all,  remember to repent.

Until next time Guys-

Why Solomon is the Original Superman

Posted: September 29, 2024 in Knowledge
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Most of us have read the Bible story of King Solomon whom God chose over David’s other sons to be the King of Israel. What separates Solomon from any other King, or anyone else for that matter, is the fact that when God came to Solomon before he became King and said “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you”…1 Kings 3:5…and Solomon responded very differently than most anyone would have.

In my mind, this would be the “genie in the bottle” moment multiplied by a million because this was the Creator of the universe asking a human man this question. What separated Solomon from everyone, however, was his response. Instead of requesting long life or riches, he said, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3:9

The rest of the segment of this story happened as you might imagine. God was extremely pleased with Solomon’s request and blessed him with what he didn’t ask for…long life and wealth beyond anyone’s imagination. But that is NOT what I wanted to focus on in today’s post. 

When God blessed Solomon, He also told him something I want you to consider because God has never said this before about any man. He said, “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never be anyone like you, nor will there ever be”. 1 Kings 3:12

God told Solomon there would never be anyone like him…ever in human history. To me…That makes Solomon – Superman. Now, understand me here. I am not saying Solomon had super-human strength and could fly around his palace. I am saying that there was never a question asked he could not answer. Taking it a step further, I think it is fair to say that Solomon was the smartest human being ever who lived.

Which leads me to my final point. Solomon is the only example we are given of a human being with that intellect ever existing. Moreover, a person who possessed the human knowledge that would give him the capability to have or do anything he wanted to do. It is one thing to be an heir and have wealth given to you; it is an entirely different thing to have wealth, knowledge, and wisdom yourself. 

Think about this: Solomon was ALWAYS the smartest person in the room.

So if you are Solomon, and possess everything I mentioned above, what do you do with all of that information, knowledge, power, and wealth? Let me put it another way, Solomon possessed everything this world has to offer us. Or…EVERYTHING that Satan can offer us here on earth.

To the question I asked above, Solomon gives us his answer at the end of his life and I think his response will surprise you. That is why this post is so important for us to understand. 

Solomon wrote and contributed to several books in the Bible but the one I want to call your attention to is Ecclesiastes, which translated, means preaching. In this book, Solomon explains in great detail what he did with his life which can be summed up in just two words, self-indulgence. Or maybe we can call it, The pursuit of happiness? 

Guys, he tells us in his own words when he says, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” Eccl. 2:10. 

So here you have a man who was absolutely brilliant, God-gifted, and who indulged in whatever he wanted. On the surface, that sounds pretty good, right? ANYTHING you want…anything you set your gaze upon, you can have it for yourself and experience it however you want…However, from Solomon’s own words, let’s see how things turned out

For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?

All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

Eccl. 2:21-23

So this is painful to read. The smartest man who ever lived at the end of his life looking back and realizing nothing he did mattered. So I have to ask, what went wrong? If you have every possible “thing” this world can offer you how can you not be happy? Isn’t that what we see advertised everywhere?

Guys…here is my point. God already gave us the answers to the “Test of Life” by including this incredible story about Solomon in the Bible. We don’t have to waste our time pursuing every little thing this world shoves into our faces as being valuable. Because God gave us an actual real-world example of someone who pursued everything he could while he lived and ultimately found out in the end, it meant nothing…

LITERALLY NOTHING.

I urge you to consider Solomon’s story if you find yourself thinking there is more to life than what you have. Maybe you think the grass is greener on the other side and you don’t want to miss that. Let me remind you…God already gave you the answer, because Solomon already tried that…and in his exact words he told us, “It was meaningless”

So before we just end this post with all of the pain that Solomon figured out, let me leave you with Solomon’s final conclusion about his life. In other words, what he found meaningful.

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Eccl. 2:24-25

Now you know-

Until next time guys…

Holy Spirit 102

Posted: August 20, 2023 in Knowledge
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Recently, I posted a blog about the Holy Spirit that I found interesting. To summarize, there is a great deal of Creation that would NOT be around had it not been for the Holy Spirit on this earth, including you and me. Secondly, the Holy Spirit thinks, feels, and He even wills things, meaning He determines the best course in a situation…My recommendation is to find that post, Holy Spirit 101, and read it for yourselves.

Also, before I get too far, I wanted to share that there is a HUGE amount of material about how the Holy Spirit was active during the Old Testament, so…, if I can get my act together and get that organized, I will work to post that portion also.

Today, I have some more meat for you, meaning, some fundamental details about what the Holy Spirit is doing right now that I think you will find very relevant to you and your family. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just float around in ether all day, He is actively working on God’s plan for earth, which translated, means God’s plan for you and me. 

Finally, I have elected to provide this information to you in outline format with scripture references and some commentary to make it easier for you to consume.

So back to the question, What is the Holy Spirit doing right now?

He is the Envoy of Salvation

  1. He convicts us of guilt – John 16:7-8
  2. He reveals the truth to you and me about Jesus Christ – John 14:16, 26
  3. He gives us new birth. John 3:3-6 – Please note, this is a fundamental element about Christ saving us. Christ refers to this as being reborn or born again. This is the Holy Spirit at work in us.
  4. He incorporates you and me into the body of Christ – 1 Cor 12:13

When we accept Christ into our hearts at our conversion, we receive the Holy Spirit – John 3:3-6, John 20:22. When this happens, you and I become participants in the Divine Nature of Christ – 2 Peter 1:4

This last point is HUGE because when we are part of His Divine Nature, we can escape the corruption in this world that is caused by evil desires.

Guys, this is not rocket science, we need help navigating all of the garbage that the enemy is or will throw at us while we are in this world. I have written a great deal about this in previous blogs. TRUTH STATEMENT: the Holy Spirit is what helps you and who guides you when all of the bad stuff happens. Please remember: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

He is the Envoy of Sanctification

Please don’t stop reading at this point. I know that “Sanctification” is a $50 theological word that most people don’t understand but it is very simple. It means you are set apart, you have been made different, you are purified – Romans 8:9, 1 Cor 6:19

Because He lives in us, look at what He does:

  1. He cleanses us and motivates us toward living a Holy life
  2. He constantly delivers you and me from the bondage of sin – Romans 8:2-4, Galatians 5:16-7, 2 Thes 2:13. And believe me, we need to be delivered from those shackles.
  3. He reminds us that we are children of God – Romans 8:16
  4. He helps us worship God and helps with our prayer life – Acts 10:46
  5. He intercedes when we cry out to God –  Romans 8:26-27

This list is far longer and more comprehensive to provide and I don’t want to lose you from reading on.

He is the Envoy of Service

  1. He empowers us to service and to be His witnesses. The actual work of the Holy Spirit is related to the Baptism in the Spirit or also the fullness of the Spirit. When we are baptized, we recipe power to carry the message of Christ forward – Acts 1:8

Again, there is a HUGE amount of material about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit that if you have any interest, I highly encourage you to investigate further or leave me a note and I can send it to you.

He is the Envoy who incorporates all of us (believers) into the body of Christ, together – 1 Cor 12:13

The Church is the cornerstone of the ministry of Christ on Earth and the Holy Spirit moving is at the center of this.

  1. He lives inside the Church – 1 Cor 3:16
  2. He actively builds the Church – Ephesians 2:22
  3. He actively inspires the worship of the Church – Philippians 3:3
  4. He actively directs the mission of the Church – Acts 13:2,4
  5. He actively appoints the workers in the Church – Acts 20:28
  6. He actively appoints the Pastors for the Church – Acts 2:4, 1 Cor 2:4

I think it can be very fair to say that without the moving of the Holy Spirit in a church, the church is dead. I realize those are very strong words to use about a church but I believe they are spoken in truth. It is required by you and me to seek a church where the Spirit is active and alive in the ministry so we can be fed each week. 

The hard part about writing a blog on this topic is the fact that I have to leave out so much information just so the blog doesn’t become a book. That is where I rely on you, the reader, to take the next step of at least, looking up the scripture references simply because the Bible clearly states HIS Word will NOT return void.

Drop me a line in the comments section-

Until next time Guys…