Christianity Oasis Forum

[xxJILLxx]

Being REAL

Random notes from various studies of perception vs reality.

Our perception is not absolutely real. Our brain filters the environment through sensory areas. The brain's cognitive ability allows us to organize the stimulus from the external world and perceive it as the "real" world. Basically, our perception is only an approximation of reality. Since we are already constantly thinking through representations and symbols, it is not that difficult for our perception to be skewed.

My internal mind filters is where change needs to begin.

It is not accurate to say "something made me feel a certain way". It is what i did with just occured that led to my emotional state.

Controlling the subconscious mind is not something that can be done with force or coercion. Here's an example of what happens when you try to use conscious willpower to "make" your subconscious mind do something...

You may remember times when you studied hard for an important test or exam and you were sure that you knew the material well. But when the time came the only thing more blank than the test sheet was your mind.

The harder you tried to remember the answers, the worse it became...and to top it off, after the test was over, and the pressure was off, the answers came flooding back to you!

Controlling the subconscious mind with force is a mistake because the act of consciously applying willpower sends signals of struggle to the subconscious mind.

Controlling the subconscious mind through the use of willpower makes matters worse because trying to remember, sends a message to the subconscious mind that remembering is a struggle...and makes it so!

As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is. Looking at this proverb closely reveals an important lesson about controlling the subconscious mind -- "Thinking" is a cognitive activity that takes place in the brain... "Heart" is associated with emotions... However, the true origin of emotions is also in the brain.
The subconscious mind reads not only our thoughts, but also our emotions. If these two are congruent, then the subconscious mind accepts the idea or thought as true...It matters not whether it's a positive thought or a negative thought, the subconscious mind doesn't know the difference. What matters most is that the thoughts, including mental images, and emotions are all in alignment -- this sets the subconscious mind into action to make our ideas happen.


Hmmmmmmm

The more i try to CON-trol my inner man, the harder the "battle". So I perceive a battle so it will be. If i perceive it as life and am willing to learn and grow from whatever comes my way so it will be. The choice is mine. Do i choose a battle or do I choose acceptance which is followed by peace?

For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse: (Rom 1:20)

So now what i say?

Acceptance allows evasion and denial give way to reality and peace. ... "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."

♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

Is acceptance defeat?

No.

It is I surrender, but by no means is " I am defeated" but rather I am now deciding to be on His team. Here's another secret by being on His team.... we already won! We can ENJOY Him and life as He intended us to do so.... that is unless I CHOOSE to step back into the "battle".

[xxJILLxx]

T R U T H

We are all one when we live from the heart.


When we live from the heart, there is equality. No one better than another. No one lesser than another. No religion or denomination greater than another. We see the devine in ALL his creation. God in me, God in you.

ALL of God's creation has His seed inside of them. Some have not been awakened.

When we live from the heart, the ego is released and we become ONE.
When the ego is released we change our perception
When we change our perception we are free to love as He loves

We allow the kingdom of God to live through us, when it lives through us, we awaken the divine manifestations of the creator within us. This vibration awakens our pure heart and spirit and puts love front and center and we can never go wrong when living from the heart!

God IS Love.

[xxJILLxx]

I have recieved a letter of concern about my last post. I appreciate that concern as i know it was made in love. The views i speak of in my journal are my own personal views and are not in no way connected to Christianity Oasis. Each Individual is on their own personal spiritual journey and this is my own personal journey with Him.

My previous post was about my study of the word Namaste, I did not clarify that for my own personal reasons. From the individual quick study i have done on it, I received what was fitting to my inner man and to the Spirit of Love, whom is God, YWYH, Jehova, whichever your preference of calling Him.

We are all one when we live from the heart. Equality, no one better than another. Recognizing the Devine in all His creation. I think it is a beautiful gesture of love, equality, and respect to another of His creation.

Make no mistake, I am a Christ follower and I am spiritual, for God is Spirit.

I believe doctrine and theology are nothing merely than man made thoughts of who God is. As one of my brother keeps reminding me here on Oasis, The letter killeth, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Cor 3:6. I believe God is in everything for He created everything. No hatred for another or another religion for God is love. But rather respect. I also believe there is one God. Much like a wheel and the many spokes that come of it, as so i believe that are the many views of God and who He is. He reveals Himself in all creation. It is man that perverts these ideas of God and twists them into their own image of God. God is Spirit not religion. Jesus is spiritual and condemned the religious for their rituals and outward practices.

I am breaking away from all my ordinary prepositions of orthodoxy as i want to continue to grow spiritualy without any prejudices and with an open mind.

The plain fact is that Jesus taught no theology whatever. His teaching is entirely spiritual metaphysical. Historical Christianity, unfortunately, has largely concerned itself with theological and doctrinal questions , which strange to say, have no part whatever in the gospel teaching. It will startle many good people to learn that all the doctrines and thelogies of the churches are human inventions built up by their authors out of their own mentalities, and foisted upon the Bible from the outside; but such is the case. There is absolutely no system of theology of doctrine to be found in the Bible; it simply is not there.

this is an excerpt from Emmet Fox Sermon on the mount and i am in total agreement with it.

I like to study the different ideas of who God is from ALL his creation. I do not want to be one to put Him in a box, I cannot fathom the whole picture of who He is and when i try to do so i am limiting who He is.

I also like to study psychology, philosophy and meditation.

I purchased a singing bowl yesterday, does that make me Tibetan? No of course not but the tibetans have a good insight on meditation. There are vibrations in everything in existance. I personally will use the singing bowl as a tool to focus on the vibration and visialize all my troublesome thoughts leave me carried by the sound waves of the vibration. Sound and visual therepy as a sort.

I also have an alter where i feel comfortable to pray and meditate and on it i have a candle with two wicks one for the Father and one for the Son and I light an incense to represent Holy Spirit. His Word is on my alter and i have a crucifix above it along with a poster of positive being thoughts. Does this fit into the catagory of outward practices? You bet! I am not using it for an outward profit for myself for the alter but yet a inward profit for my spirituality. At this moment of my walk with Him I feel it is ok to use the symbolism to get my mind focused off myself with symbolism so i may go within to seek Him with an open mind and heart. They are aides in meditation to prepare me for time with Him. Much like one who would hang a cross on their wall to remind them or wear a WWJD bracelet to remind them, etc. Having an alter? Does that make me pagan? A guru? A shaman? A witch? Far be me from it, it is my place that i can settle my mind and soul and spend personal time with Him.

I guess the thing that perturbs me the most right now is how other religions like to downgrade another religion and one must be right and one must be wrong. God is One and i believe He chose to show Himself differently to other poeple, and if we embrace all that is good and loving and pleasing from the soul from another persepctive of who God is, how is that bad? We take the good and add it and discard what does not fit.

I respect the Muslims and find beauty in their reverance for God and their obedience in prayer and there brotherly love.
I respect the Jewish for their beautiful ceremonies and symbolism.
I respect the Buddhists for their searching the inner man.
I repsect the Tibetans for their study of vibration and imbalances and getting our souls back in tune with our Creator.
I respect the Native Americans for their respect for creation.
I can go on and on all day God is BIG! And He is sooooo beautiful! In ALL His creation. Love and let live! Love with abandon!

I have a very open mind and it rubs me wrong when others want to control who and what i ought to believe or disbelieve. If i fall on my Butt , I will get up and move forward. God is good! And i love to learn about ALL his goodness.

I am His, make no mistake... i seek the "beauty" in all God's living creation.


I am for WORLD PEACE. A little respect goes a lonnnngggg way

Jesus' words. "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

♥Jill

[vahn]

I'll take two of whatever she had for breakfast !!!


P.S. ... It just kind of reminded me , and I am saying this in the hopes that it will remind others as well .

Jesus was NOT a Christian , He was a Jew .... He was the Christ Himself ! ... The Christ , part of God ... hence "we" call Him the Son of God .

Jesus NEVER had ANY qualms with Judaism nor did He oppose to any of its Laws , in fact , He said He came to fulfill it . Who He DID have a bone to pick with were the Pharisees (Men of religion) , the way they were twisting Scripture to fit their own "religion" (much like SOME people do) ..... The Bible - Word of God (not man) - Is NOT a religion , God , is NOT a religion , He IS the WORD , His Own Word(s) ..... further more , ... WHEREVER His Words land ... I'm listening !!!

He asks us Glorify Him , He never said "how" to do it .


In Christ , our Lord
vahn

[Christnundrconstruxn]

Saw this and thought of you this morning

Ephesians 2:18 It is through Christ that all of us, Jews and Gentiles, are able to come in the one Spirit into the presence of the Father.


Cuc

[xxJILLxx]

Amen cuc.

Seek Truth with no prejudice, humble yourselves.

Here is a beautiful passage of scripture, not that any are not beautiful . But this one is really speaking to my inner man today.

Act 10
21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

There is True beauty in everything, let not my preceptions hinder me from seeing your True Beauty Lord.

Amen

♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

It has been a bit of time since I wrote here. I miss writing here and have decided that it may be time to start again.

In my own Christian walk I struggle, not with Christ and who I am in Christ. But I struggle with protecting my human rights to be who He made me to be and embracing it fully without wondering about acceptance from my peers.

I realise that it is not man that I must please, but my Father. I realise that His acceptance is my aim. I know without a shodow of a doubt that it is He who has sent me on a journey for peace. Enough is enough and with hate crime and Islamaphobia on the rise in the US, I cant be silent. I have to speak out against it. SIlence is equal to accepting things the way they are. God never told a prophet to be silent, not to my recollection anyways. I am not claiming myself to be a prophet either but someone whom He laid upon my heart to speak out against hatred and prejudices.

In so doing before I can speak out against prejudices I must look within to find the areas of prejudice in me, and believe you me they were and He is showing me daily areas that are there. I had in the past said and thought rude and unloving things towards and about other races and religious sects. God has dealt and is dealing with me in those areas and has given me a change of heart as i repent daily and as I learn more He is giving me much understanding and compassion towards all mankind. I thank Him for that

He has also warned me to be careful and if I am going to learn and pactice tolerance I cannot be intolerant with the intolerant. But I need to understand why they are intolerant and build from there.

Well anyways i will end it there. I am excited to be on this journey with Him and hope to practice peacemaking here and abroad by eventually opening up dialogue and hopefully learn from one another and ultimately bring peace within me, us and with the world.

It is my hope that my brothers and sisters in Christ here, will join me on building bridges of peace and understanding in all aspects and areas of our lives and pass down from our generations peace.

God bless
♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

I come with a heavy heart this late hour.

Do people care about world peace?
Is there anyone who believes we can make this world to be a more peaceful place?
Is there anyone who takes peace serious?
Have we grown so callous and hardened toward "others" that we dont care?
Why don't people respond with understanding without trying to prove another wrong?
Are there others who do believe in building world peace but feel they must stay silent to not disturb the apple cart?
Is there anyone here who has compassion for ALL mankind?
Does your heart ache for all those afflicted by hate or have you become so desensitized that you grumble under your breath as you read this post?
Does your heart ache for the children, HIS CHILDREN, who are being killed because of war and differences?

Am i talking to a wall? Am i wasting my breath? Where are those who say they love their neighbor? Where are those that preach peace? Is peace just for in the body of Christ? Just our little circle of the world? Just for our lil family and friends? We have become so comfortable in the US, we have our homes, our family, our land..... what of it of this peace you speak of?

Where are the peacemakers?
Are they here? Do you care?

I hear the learned Christian quoting

Revelation 21:4 (ESV)
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
I say amen! Praise God! Thank you Jesus!

Matthew 24:6–7 (ESV)
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

"There will be no peace until His second coming" Yes this is true! AMEN! Hallelujah! Christ come ever so quickly!

Until He comes again, must we not promote peace ? You mean to tell me that we should halt or cease our peacemaking and relax? He's got it alllll under control, my butt's saved, right? Does God care about us cultivating world peace now?

What peace are we sowing on this earth as He is away?

Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

This verse does not say after His second coming and It says STRIVE!
strive~ verb
1.Make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.
2.Struggle or fight vigorously

Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

Blessed Lord Jesus, rise up your peacemakers. Rise up those whom have compassion for all your creation. Rise up those who are willing to speak out against hatred, pride and prejudice. Thank you Lord Jesus for all you do, it is my prayer that you give me the strength and compassion to personally strive for peace until your second coming. Lord Jesus I pray that you will work in the hearts of those who needed to hear this. Lord Jesus I humbly ask you for forgiveness of any prejudice I may have and ask you to show any within, and teach me to love with compassion, understanding and wisdom.
IN Jesus' name , amen

What is my responsibility towards peace building? What is our responsibility towards peace building as a group? What is your responsibility towards peace building as an individual?

Shalom
♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

Inner peace?

What is inner peace to me? It is a practice that helps me. Prayer, reflection, "inventory" are all paths to this inner peace. There are days when storms are raging within and on those days I cannot give peace in the outer world, for I have it not within. There are also days I am in so in tune with my true self and at peace with God. I have come to learn the more i practice the easier it is to find that place of peace.

Diologue opens up the door to inner peace, talk with God and talk with yr inner man and care enough to ask the inner man why she is out of harmony. She deserves that time, she has no peace for a reason and is waiting for me to acknowledge her, love her, learn from her and she is willing to be taught. Take the time out for her or him. Ask guidance from our Father and fill her tummy with good and nurturing words of God. Encourage her.

We cannot transmit something we don't got.

Build a bridge of peace with your inner man, for your sake, for the worlds sake. If we as people practice this within ourselves the world will change.

Have a thought of prejudice? Of hatred? of scrutiny? Address it, why is it I am feeling this way at this moment.. is it fear, self righteousness, pride ... do your inventory? Huminize the person of such warped feelings and dig deep to find the cause for the feeling, or way of thinking. And dont forget to FORGIVE yourself,try not to get stuck in the "im a horrible person I will never change" cycle.

Do we care enough to build bridges within ourselves of peace to radiate into our communities. When it comes up in a work setting, address it. Stand up to it, there will be one there also whom will agree with you, maybe in their silence out of their own fear and insecurity to speak out. But nevertheless your voice is powerful, and when you dont go with he flow of conversation. It gets noticed, it makes people think.

Practice practice practice. We make a difference. I make a difference and I matter and so do you, and so do they.

thank you Lord
♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

We all have the capabilities to share in this peace. Peace to me is like a pool of warm water that has its own miraculous purification filter. It is in my opinion of the being born again daily process. The renewal of our inner man.

What of those who do not even know the face of peace? Let alone to be able to bask in its waters. How do we lead them to the still waters?

Gently, calmly, and with confidence. Sharing our experiences and what we have learned to get to that point and being honest with God, ourselves and others that we too fail and will continue to have shortcomings of this attainment til He comes again. By being humble and lowly of heart. And in all things give thanks and glory to Our Creator.

It is for everyone much like mercy and forgiveness and the other fruits of the Spirit. Hinder not anyone from recieving the power of peace in Christ. That includes myself. Let me not be a hinderance to experiencing this peace, if Lord i have a hinderance I ask you to remove it so i may radiate your peace in me enough to light the way to you My Prince of Peace, for others to see.

Learning to be ok with who I am, my faults and all. Lord for I know it is through those faults that you do you most powerful work. Therefore let me not forget whom the power of peace comes from.

I have longed to be at this pool of peace and accept my responisbility that it is daily that I must work towards building that bridge of peace within me. To be in union with God and in union with who I am and ultimately in union with all His creation.

I cant say this enough to myself " I am responsible for my peace with God, within and abroad."

What is peace to you?

God bless
♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

It truly is amazing that when God puts in your heart for peace with mankind, how often He points out areas to me in me that still need addressed.

Funny how "human nature" deems that you be on top. Always comparing yourselves to others and matching up notes. Yup I agree with that, nope i dont agree with that.... dont get me wrong we should not be in agreeance with evil deeds and such. More or less speaking on the surface.

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
--HERBERT SPENCER

Turning too quickly from something because of fear, stubborness, tunnel vision or what have you instead of trying to reach understand and show love. Quick judgements and relying on what other people "say" about something or some situation or some people without trying to understand where they are coming from, the background, the history of the person,place or thing.

Just random thoughts