Spiritual Ecstasy

 The mind is a physical organ like any other, so everyone begins the slide into decay sooner than we realize. Time fools us all, that is my certainty. A life is not very long no matter how long one lives. I had an aunt who lived to be 100 but I still say very few ever get out of their nineties alive and to what point?

The Fruit of the Spirit 

The spirit leaves the flesh behind. I call it being in the fox hole. I think there I will find what I really believe. My mother read John 17 every morning but it was reading Galatians 5:22 when she found herself being overwhelmed by a spiritual ecstasy from the top of her head to her shoulders. She pleaded with me to remember what she had experienced because she was afraid she was going to forget. 

She did and so did I. But since I was never a chapter and verse person, I did not think I had a chance. But it was the word fruit that I pursued eventually on my hand-held computer that I found it in the phone. That one-word fruit did it. Remembering this tells me that there is a spirit in everyone and there is something coming beyond anything I'll ever ask or think. It brought a reassurance closer to me of the spirit within. 

The Fruit of the Spirit

There is only one way, to my understanding of the Bible, how faith in God can be gained or increased. However there is, similar to Paul's experience, revelations such as epiphanies. The way I test an epiphany is to subject it to the fruit of the tree treatment. As a short cut if it does not mirror Jesus then I do not trust it. There are all kinds of spirits that attempt or actually get a hold of person. The fruits of the Spirit are found in Galatians 5:22 and I am not guessing, it would have to be my mother's favorite verse. She pleaded, very emotionally taken. with me to remember the verses for her because she was very fearful she was going to forget where they were.  I missed an early view of the Sea of Forgetfulness.  At the time however I was very skeptical about a lot of issues and promptly forgot them myself. But I see now it shows me how faith is gained or will grow. Today I would put it in my "a tree is known (literally) by its' fruit" category. Later,

2nd Corinthians 4:18

 ...while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Translations of Hebrews 11:1

I see a new slant in translations reflecting the degree of Faih in the translations of this verse from the original King James version and of those translations that followed. Translators of this verse had quite a stronger view of Faith than did later translators. The earlier translators interpreted and viewed substance and evidence in rather than less concrete, more vague, words such as one finds in subsequent translations of just how strongly they viewed Faith.

True Prophets Predict the Truth

Secret Things 

Belong to the Lord 

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. But not even the incarnate only begotten Son of God, Jesus, knew the future when He was asked about His return, saying it is only known by the Father. (Check me on this: From my first, only, and new devotional, Jesus Calling.)

Definition of substance & evidence

 Hebrews 11:1

For me, the most important verse in the Bible is Hebrews 11:1 and is, for me, a barometer of when translation reveals how strong the entire translation may be. 

Of course, John 3:16 is the central verse. But when one translation is considered more correct than another, it can be a very meaningful revelation of the translation strength of the translators understanding themselves.

I suggest comparing the strength of the King James Hebrews 11:1 to later versions. 

There was a man...

...sent by God, whose name was John.

The first five verses of St John are powerful concise verses which introduce the sixth verse above in dramatic fashion that has great effect on me. I love reading it all out loud. It strikes me I have observed this previously but recently as well. The cares of this world have occupied me for some time of recent to my great event.