Operating Instructions (All Around the Word part 3)

"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should already come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

That's kind of creepy. To know there's this spirit at loose in the world looking to ply the counterpoint to everything Christ stood (and stands) for is horrifying. And boy does that sound tame in comparison. All the attributes Jesus exemplified and lived and lives through us. Joy, peace, contentment and calm. Love. But you've got nothing to worry about as John says. Because you possess one who is greater than all that. It's as if you have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to see God's work come to pass in your life and your world and all you have to do is read the directions. This is why it's of utmost importance to study the Word as the Holy Spirit leads.

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth an abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1:23)

So, the Indo-European root for "death" is "nek-". Might sound counterintuitive but it's where we get the prefix "necro-". Now look at the word "nectar". The first syllable has its root in the previous. But the last! The Indo-European root for the second syllable comes from the root "tere-" meaning to overcome. The idea behind "nectar" was it was something drunk that enabled the gods to escape, to overcome death. But what Jesus enacted for you by way of His death is greater than Myth. As an aside, I find it amazing that the same root for overcome gives rise to the word "truculent" meaning "fierce" and "brutal" and yet in English, the word "truckle" comes from a different source altogether and means the opposite. Its root ("dhreg-") means "to run" and the word itself means to acquiesce and give in. To cower.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." (John 8:51)

"Him that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (and daughter)." (Revelation 21:7)

Think about the things in your life you need to overcome. To vault over with the help of the Holy Spirit. Look at them now and see them get larger as you get closer. They loom. They're huge. Time plays no favorites in moving everyone along its conveyor. But understand. God is also the Lord of time and everyone moves at the speed He has ordained. As His child, you are moving towards full and complete overcoming regarding everything (should there be anything) holding you back from the state Jesus describes in the above verse from Revelation. And I hate to sound faux New Agey or overly positive to the neglect of reality. I suppose I should add that apparently, time does not flow linearly. I could cite all sorts of science to back up my assertions—but only up to a point. Should you try and substantiate with the purely physical, the truths in God's Word as they apply to your life, you will always run up against a grain of grit that will grind your gears and potentially cause them to stop. Look to Him. See what the Bible says regarding topics with which you may be having a hard time. And if you don't find the exact keywords that label your struggles, synonymize. Reword your insides and see if you get something. Every answer you need is found by knowing the One who made you and spelled you out.

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

 

 

 

 

Scraping the Sky

Core Samples (All Around the Word part 2)