<![CDATA[Simply Blessed Life - Walking the Road]]>Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:33:42 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Think Soberly]]>Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:30:58 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/think-soberlyThink Soberly
Rom 12:3
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a (the) measure of faith.

When it says to not think of himself more highly than we ought, we must be aware that in the original language, the word "himself"is in itallics and is not there but was added by the translators to convey what they believed to true. The words "think highly" comes from the Greek, hyperphroneō which forms from two words hyper, which alone is translated; for, of, above and even abundantly or exceedingly, and phroneō which is translated; think, learn, minded. The root of this word phroneō is phrēn which is translated understanding but has reference to judgement or even heart.

Understanding this word becomes important as we look at the next part of this verse. We should think of ourselves soberly. Soberly is the Greek word; sōphroneō which is again from two words. It is clear that the second word is phroneō, but the revelation what the first part of this word is. it is the word; sōzō where we get saved, and know that it also refers to rescue, deliverance, healing, prosperity, and healing.

Really what Paul is saying here is to not over think about yourself, your problems, your issues, but to sozo think about yourself. Think of yourself as delivered, rescued, healed, prospered, and made whole, with nothing lacking and nothing broken. This why he goes right into the measure of faith, because thinking of yourself as sozo if the result of faith.

Paul began this verse talking about grace. The way the punctuation is inserted in to the text and the way they translate it, its as if Paul is speaking by a grace that was given to him words that were for all that are among them. But when I look at the interlinear, it appears more likely to me that he was declaring that grace was given to everyone among them. Which makes more sense as we discover the meaning of soberly as meaning to be understanding that we are sōzō (saved) . And then realize that the end of this verse deals with each being given the measure of faith. Suddenly we see a parallel between what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter, verse 8. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,"

Mar 5:15
Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
Luke 8:35
Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

Sōzō thinking will cause fear in the religious.
Your thinking challenges their limited religious traditions.

Rom 12:3
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
2Co 5:13
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
Tit 2:6
Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
1Pe 4:7
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
]]><![CDATA[Does your heart condemn you?]]>Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:27:09 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/does-your-heart-condemn-youDoes your heart condemn you? 
1John 3:20, 21

20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

At first look, it appears that these verses balance on the word condemns. This can be troubling because Romans 8:1 clearly says that there is "no condemnation" and now it appears that our heart will condemn us. So, at closer look, we find that this word 'condemn' is translated from the Greek word kataginōskō which is a combination of the two words kä-tä' which is a preposition that is translated many ways, but most commonly as according to, and ginōskō, which is to come to the knowledge of or learn. But has reference to an intimate knowledge, as in a man "knowing" a woman.
kataginōskō is only used in scripture 3 times and is also translated as blame, but I don't agree with the translation condemn as I understand the word. Because we know that there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
That word used in Romans 8:1 is not the same word as above but is katakrima. It shares the same prefix Kata, but that is the only similarity to kataginosko. The second root word for condemnation in Romans 8:1 is krinō and most is often translated to judge.
Translating these words so similarly is like saying  two words that both begin with the prefix "pre" are the same in meaning. Such as prejudice and premonition. Completely different meanings.
So understanding that my heart doesn't condemn me, brings us to ask what this verse means.
Paul says that our hearts have been circumcised. Why circumcised? What is the significance of this. I have another teaching on the heart of a new covenant believer, but let me summarize with this.
When we are born again, our hearts are circumcised, which means the flesh is cut away, because the Spirit and the flesh can't reside together. Our hearts become the meeting place of our spirit and soul. The conference room, if you will. My heart is where the Holy Spirit speaks the truth of my spirit. It where all truth is revealed to me. My heart isn't wicked. It isn't flawed. It's not my heart that needs change, it's my soul, my mind, will and emotionsy that needs change. The renewing of my mind is how I'm transformed, not my heart. My heart is good and pure and communes with my spirit.
When you hear something that bears witness with the truth of your spirit, you know it in your heart.]]><![CDATA[Thanksgiving ~ The Catalyst of Our Faith]]>Mon, 26 Feb 2018 19:53:30 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/thanksgiving-the-catalyst-of-our-faithPicture
Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday! It has the three "F"s that I enjoy; family, food and football. It is good to gather around to be thankful for our lives, and our country that is the orgin of this holiday. Although, as believers, every day should be Thanksgiving. We should live thanksgiving. In fact, Philipians 4:6 says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." and then verse 7 says: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

  So when verse 7 talks about that peace of God, that makes no sense at all, guarding our hearts and minds, that's exciting to me. But how do I get from verse 6 with my anxiety and "situations", to verse 7 and this transcending peace of God? I was taught it was through prayer and petition and making my request known. But that teaching didn't come from the understanding that God has already done it for us. That's why the thanksgiving part never made as much sense as it does now. With the understanding of the finished works of Christ, I can present my requests with thanksgiving, knowing He has already given me everything I need for life and godliness, in Christ. But look at the last phrase of verse 7 too. where is your heart and mind guarded? In Christ Jesus.
]]><![CDATA[What are they after?]]>Sat, 27 Aug 2016 23:50:03 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/what-are-they-afterPicture
See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men's ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah).  For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power]. Colossians 2:8-10 Amp

This passage refers to being carried off as spoil. Meaning I have something that the enemy would like, but right now it's mine. It already belongs to me. And that this thing can be stolen by a philosophy, a way of thinking, a view of Life. That philosophy that can carry me away as spoil is built on tradition, human as well as religious, because they are both the same. It's built on the natural and not the spiritual. And most importantly, it disregards Christ, the anointed, and my identity in Him. Because the next verse goes on to describe Christ as being the whole fullness of the Godhead in bodily form and being the complete expression of the divine nature. Then there it is. The next words hit home for me.

10 "And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–and reach full spiritual stature]. "

Any philosophy or way of thinking, be it mine or someone else's, being thrust upon me that doesn't agree with verse 10, is trying to make spoil of or take from me something that is already mine.

My true identity!

~Stan Catherman

]]><![CDATA[Proclaiming Our Liberty & Freedom in Christ]]>Sat, 27 Aug 2016 23:44:45 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/proclaiming-our-liberty-freedom-in-christ
]]><![CDATA[The Mirror Of God's Word]]>Thu, 16 Jun 2016 19:44:24 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/the-mirror-of-gods-word
]]><![CDATA[Watermarks of Our Faith]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2015 00:08:16 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/watermarks-of-our-faithPicture
On the wall in my office I have a $100 dollar bill. It is in a sealed transparent cover. Over the years that it has hung there is has begun to discolor, but when I first received it, it looked fresh and new.  It’s not an old bill, but is dated 1996. I received it from a business that I used to own. It was used to pay for goods and services rendered. My employee accepted it, made change for the purchase and put it in the cash register. When I went to do the books the next day, I counted the cash to ensure it reconciled with the calculations. As I came across this bill, something just didn't ring true. As I examined it, It had all the right markings, or almost all the right markings. It had the watermark of Franklin’s picture, but it was hard to see. It had the metallic strip embedded in the right place, but was hard to read. It even had the reflective ink in the number in the right corner, but the reflectivity wasn't quite as brilliant as it was supposed to be. The paper was the right color and thickness, but just wasn't quite the same grade. Now obviously it was counterfeit, but my employee had accepted it, therefore it was my loss.

I’ve heard it said that faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God.

If that is true, it is important that we identify the watermarks, metallic strips, reflective numbers and paper grade of our beliefs. There are a lot of counterfeits out there and some of them are very good. But just like the counterfeit $100 dollar bill, to accept it would mean our loss.

What are those identifiers of our beliefs? How do we know that our faith is real?

First of all we have to be sure we understand what faith is.
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]]><![CDATA[Simply Blessed Christmas]]>Thu, 25 Dec 2014 06:31:19 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/merry-mary-christmas

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
This isn't the common Christmas scripture. But then again, maybe it should be. For this is the result of the Christmas story. This is the why the shepherds were greeted with glad tidings of great joy. What greater joy than to know that my salvation is not based on my works, but based upon the gift of His son Jesus. All I do is simply believe in His unmerited, unearned favor. When I do this, I am born again, born of the Spirit of God, born into a whole new life where the old has gone and the new has come. I am new creation, a brand new species, as one translation says.
Did you know that even Jesus was born spiritually alive in the same way; by grace through faith? For Romans 8:29 says that He was the firstborn of many.
Walk this road with me.

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Did you ever wonder why she was greatly troubled at his words and not that it was an angel talking to her? What was it about his words and this greeting that troubled her?
Mary was a Jew. Born to the tribe of Judah, in the line of David. More importantly she was born under the law and not under grace. She knew the scriptures of the Law and the Prophets. The Law was based on "do good, get good" and "do bad, get bad". The reason she was troubled by his words was because she knew her own short comings and where they placed her under the law. Yet, this messenger from God was speaking to her about being highly favored. It was grace, the unmerited favor of God, that troubled her.
And then to calm her and drive the point home, Gabriel says it again:

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

The angel declares to Mary to not be afraid because she has found God's favor. God's perfect unconditional love is expressed through his unmerited, unearned favor, which we commonly call grace. This is confirmed in 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,....
Gabriel continues on describe God's plan for Mary:

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

It is likely that Mary was 14-16 years old, for it was the custom to be betrothed by this age or even younger. So she asks a legitimate question:

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” Or as another translation says: "For nothing is impossible with God.”

Her whole life she had been taught the messiah was coming. She knew her people had been waiting for Him for generations. And now this angel named Gabriel was telling her she would be the vessel by which this was to happen. He even described how the Spirit of God would hover over her, much as He did over the waters during the first creation process recorded in the Torah.

What happeens next is the conduit through which grace has to flow. Grace cannot flow from heaven to earth without this delivery system. Faith. Mary spoke in faith. She believed in her heart, and confessed with her mouth:

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” .....
or as another translation puts it:

"may it be done to me according to your word.”

There it is; saved by grave through faith. Jesus' was concevieved by grace through faith. Mary wasn't perfect, yet God's favor (grace) was upon her. But this conception had to be agreed to with the word of faith.

Mary had to take on the shame of being an unwed mother and the fear of being ostracized by her friends and possibly disowned by her family. She had to take the chance of her fiance not accepting her explanation and publicly disgracing her or at best quietly sending her away.

All of this pressure upon not a grown mature woman, but a young teenage girl.
The decision had to be made quickly. She didn't have time to think.

Did she hesitate? Did she say, " Give me a day or two to contemplate or pray and fast about what you have said"? NO!! Faith is now. She believed in her heart, declared her servanthood to the Lord and confessed with her mouth, "May it be to me as you have said". And a new life was conceived within her. Nothing she had ever known would be the same. This life was conceived in her body because first it was conceived in her heart. Then she confessed with her mouth in agreement and the seed of the Spirit of God was planted in her body. Now she was pregnant with the promise of God.

This Christmas season is calling us to, likewise, become pregnant with or conceive in our hearts the promises of God. We also have the promise of the Messiah who came to free us from fear, oppression, sin, sickness, poverty and death. He took every curse upon Himself on our behalf so that through Him we may have life and have abundantly, to the full, until it overflows and every promise of God could be "Yes" and "Amen" in us.

That word "amen" literally means "May it be so in me" or "I am in agreement". The word confession means to speak in agreement. Mary's confession can now be our confession. "Your promise, God, may it be so in me as you have said."

What do you need this season?
Do you have sickness or lack in any area?
God has already provided for us through his great and precious promises.
Then receive His promise. He has promises for everything we need for life and godliness; health and healing, deliverance and freedom, wholeness and completeness, prosperity and provision, wisdom and understanding, nothing broken and nothing missing.
Get the promise of God for your life today. Seek it first in His word and find promise for your need or Godly desire. Then believe it in your heart, declare it in agreement and just as in Mary, a seed is planted in you. Hold on to it, nurture it in your heart meditate on it and in due season you too will see the manifestation of the promise of new abundant life.

Simply Blessed Christmas to all of you.

]]><![CDATA[How to Please God]]>Sun, 16 Nov 2014 05:46:29 GMThttp://simplyblessedlife.org/walking-the-road/how-to-please-god1 For over four years now God has been leading me down this path of what it means to have a new identity in Christ. When scripture refers to our flesh, it is describing out old identity. Depending on context, when scripture refers to spirit, it refers to our new identity in Christ.  To assist in the understanding of this new identity, in the following scripture, I have substituted the word flesh for old identity and the word spirit for new identity. Romans 8:5-8 NIV

Those who live according to the old identity have their minds set on what the old identity desires; but those who live in accordance with the new identity have their minds set on what the new identity desires. The mind governed by the old identity is death, but the mind governed by the new identity is life and peace. The mind governed by the old identity is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law (the new covenant), nor can it do so. Those who are in  the realm of (or live according to) the old identity cannot please God.
*Words in parenthesis added.

There is no way around this. It's pretty clear. There is no life or peace when our thinking stays in the old identity, only death. But when our thinking is in the new identity, the only result is life and peace. If we are not experiencing the abundant life and peace that passes all understanding in our lives, then the cause is our thinking. I know that some may be offended by this, but scripture is clear. “As a man thinks, in his heart so is he.” Proverbs23:7.
How we think, effects how we speak. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. How we think determines the path of our life.
So how do we change the way we think? Your thinking is changed by words; the words you read and listen to and the words you choose to speak. God's word changes the way you think when you hear and speak it, instead of hearing and speaking what the world and your old identity says. Although there is blessing and unmerited favor for us while continuing to think like our old identity, we only can access grace through faith, which requires thinking and speaking in agreement with His Word. We only prosper in all ways and are in health through His favor, as our souls (mind, will and emotions) prosper (thinks in the new identity).(3 John 1:2) We cannot please God in our old identity, no matter how hard we try. And nor can we know his specific will for our lives (Romans 12:2) while thinking in the old identity.
“So how do we please God?”, you may ask. Well His word is clear in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please Him. So if we can’t please Him in the old identity of the flesh, nor without faith, then it is clear that the opposite is the answer. By faith, that is believing in our hearts and speaking with our lips that which be not as though it were, in accordance  with the word of God, and being transformed in our thinking in accordance with the Spirit, which is our new identity, we please God.
His word is the key. Jesus said that His words were spirit and truth. James tells us that the word is the mirror of our new identity. Walking in (living according to) the spirit, which is His word, is the antidote to our fleshly desires. (Galatians 5:25)
Friends, this not about being religious about the word. It is about understanding our relationship with Jesus through His word. If I want to get know someone, the best way is to listen to them. We listen to God through His word. So as we read and hear His word we are getting to know Him and is the means by which faith comes.(Romans 10:17) As we get to know Him, we find that we are also getting to know our new identities by looking into the mirror of His word (James 1:23-25), and come to understand that what the word says about Jesus is the reflection of who we are “because as He (Jesus) is, so are we in this world.” 1John 4:17
Now we know how we can please God. He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants (Psalm 35:27) and we prosper by being transformed by the renewing of our mind to our new identity in Christ. Then, as we come to believe in our hearts the truth of our new identity, we declare by faith, that is to confess with our mouths, the truth of that identity, whether we can see it manifest in the flesh or not. Because our new identity, which is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, walks by faith and not by sight.]]>