“There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

Looking at the sad news that surround us in the society, there is clear evidence how mere mortals we are. You must have heard of sudden death of popular people, celebrities, whose untimely death at this period of the festive period, cause sadness in our hearts.

Many of these people who passed on so quickly had no idea that they won’t live to the New Year 2010. Most of them must have planned ahead what they would do in the coming year. Some may be thinking of arranging their lives, getting new jobs, marrying, advancing in whatever areas of their lives that need readjusting.

Then suddenly death came calling! Imagine what a loss are these lives!

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, a wise king in his days, finally came to conclusion about how useless are all his splendours, his riches, his wisdom and everything. He acknowledged God at the only immortal who lives on and on forever without dying.

It is absolutely true that as mortals, the best we can do in life is to eat, drink and enjoy our labours because we don’t know what may happen tomorrow.

Storing up your wealth may be considered the best options when leaving behind some valuables for your children. You can only work and work on until you retire. After then, you become old to the point of being cared for.

Then what happened later? Death! If you are lucky to live till old age, fine. But what about many that did not had the opportunity to live till old age?

That you are alive is an ultimate blessing. That you are celebrating the Christmas and soon be entering the New Year 2010 is another chance. This is why you must learn right away to give your life to Christ.

You have no idea what will happen to you. It is the same way many people who lost their lives suddenly, had no idea they would go too soon.

Do not think that you will die and go on with all your wealth. Whatever you toil so hard for throughout your lifetime, will stay here when you are gone forever. In fact, people, you don’t want then to partake of your riches will be the ones who will now freely lavish on your wealth.

So do you understand my point? Now, live on your life as a blessing. Each day you wake up to see the day, the sun shinning, the wind blowing, please give God the praise, for having the privilege to still be among the living.

Just eat, drink and enjoy the rest of life you have left. But when doing this, please, I implore you to live your life as a true Christian, a true image of Christ, and as the embodiment of the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, it is only God, and alone, who can spare you and I, to have the chances to be alive, to eat drink, and enjoy our lives.

Peace!

Princess Ayelotan

©2009 All Rights Reserved

www.princessayelotan.com

Dear God,

I thought that growing older, meant that wisdom was an assumed perk. As I age each year, I try to reflect upon my past, and strive to never make the same mistakes twice. It is with certainty, that I can confess that this is not always the case in my life. However, Your holy word confirms that You understand our human condition. You lived it, just as we do, and, You allow for our free will to make mistakes and learn form that behavior. While Your life remained sinless, we have the examples of how to defeat sin and overcome our afflictions.

In my morning devotions today, You brought me to I Corinthians 2:9. This chapter of the bible is informative and instructional.  In verse 6 we read, “We do, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. Verse 7, “No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. Verse 8, “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” However as it is written–

   “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—-

God,You have revealed this to us through Your Spirit, who searches all things, even the deep things of God. Verse 11, “For who among men know the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him”? In the same way, no man knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

God, our foolishness is the result of non-communication with You. For it is Your love that allows our physical body to breathe and our hearts to beat. Your wisdom is far greater than anything that mere man could conceive. We do have the ability to learn, to enhance our minds, to grow in the wisdom that You provide to us. Each day I want to grow and learn more about You, Your word, and the knowledge that will come when I trust my days to the Savior who supplies my daily needs.

It was King Solomon who had all of the physical amenities that we on earth can enjoy.  In I Kings 4:29 we can read this. “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Verse 30 says that, “Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all of the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man.” But, even he knew that this was not enough to make his life complete. We were designed to crave more than food, flesh, finance, and fortunes. We were designed to envelope the wisdom of the ages. I do not believe that the stories from the bible, and the detailed lives of those whose faith, and failures were recorded for posterity, were only for Christians to have faith. I belive that they are there as an instruction manual for the wisdom. If we seek Your face, and we attempt to overcome the temptations that plague us, then we must learn from those in our past. Those who denied You, and the consequences that followed them. But, also, for the great heroes that give encouragement and joy to everyone.

Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the Lord is he beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” In Proverbs I have learned the epilogue of how to become a wife of nobel character. In Proverbs 31:26 You tell us, “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” I pray diligently that the words I speak will be thoughtful with the wisdom that reflects a woman of noble character.

Even Mary and Joseph had the responsibility of instructing their righteous Son. Luke 2:52, And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men. This tells us that if we grow in wisdom, then we are growing in our relationships with man, and that brings favor to You, God.  In James we learn of the trials and temptations that will occur in man’s life. James 1:5 answers our question of what to do if we lack this quality. “If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But, when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

I want to walk in faith, not by sight, I want to learn all that You would have me to gain in spiritual knowledge. I ask for strength to accept that wisdom and insight do not always bring joy, but it does bring with it, the assurance that Your will is being accomplished. If we pray asking that our decisions be made with the wisdom of the King, then we will have the full assurance that we are learning immeasurable lessons for a lifetime.

Desiring the Wisdom of the Ages-that comes from Christ our Lord,

Gina

Who is King Solomon?

According to history:

1. He was the most successful king bringing into his economy over $8,000,000.00 for over 40 years. (The equivalent overall would equal around 1 trillion dollars of his income in today’s money.)
2. He created 3000 proverbs (wise sayings), around 1005 songs, amazing temples, and luxurious palaces
3. People from all over the world came to him for words of wisdom from his successes.

In fear of receiving the throne at age 12 after his father had passed away, King Solomon asked God for one thing, and one thing only, wisdom.  King Solomon quoted the following:

“Give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people and to know good and evil.”1 Kings 3:9

So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked…”

As a result of the Kings wisdom, he achieved great success in all areas of his life. People from all over the world came to him for wisdom when they came in contact with a problem they had. People would offer him land, and great riches worth over hundreds of millions of dollars for advice (according to motivational speaker T Harv Eker, an entrepreneur is someone who solves problems like King Solomon). So King Solomon was an entrepreneur without knowing he was an entrepreneur which made him extremely wealthy.

One of the King’s greatest stories was when two women came to him because they did not know who a man’s baby was who they had both slept with. So the King stated to “cut the baby in two” so that the two of them could have an equal share. One of the women cried out to King Solomon and told him to give the baby to the other girl since she could not see the baby suffer. The King then said that the baby is clearly that woman’s because no mother would want to see her kid suffer.

However, King Solomon’s power, led him to a downfall. The reason he experienced a downfall was because he never followed the most important wisdom he received from God. Despite King Solomon’s riches and wisdom, he never achieved true fulfillment and happiness. The reason being, is that he never surrendered himself to a higher power, he never had constant contact with god/higher power/universe/divine. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away the entire kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

The message here is :

• Have Faith: in order for you to be fully successful, you cannot be greedy and do it yourself, you need to surrender yourself to a higher power. When doing this, miraculous things begin to happen, miracles begin to happen because you are leaving your problems to a higher power, and you are not trying to control the outer world. When you try to control your outer circumstances, you are acting on ego, and things do not go the way you want them to go which leads you into a negative spiral. When having a connection with a higher power, you begin to live from your true higher self, you find your true passion and you begin to attract through the law of attraction everything you need to fulfill your passion.  In order to have this connection with a higher power, you need to clear all negativity from your subconscious mind (There are many techniques you can use to clear negativity from your subconscious such as EFT and Meditation).

I heard a sermon a few years ago on the radio relating many stories of men who rose to fame in Christian ministry only to end in defeat or humiliation.  The stories sobered me because you seldom hear “the rest of the story.”  The speaker shared statistics which indicated this is actually the more common outcome, rather than the exception.  I have been reading over the life of Solomon lately, and this sermon came back to mind.  We have no shortage of examples in scripture or in modern Christianity.

An interesting paradox in our Christian walk is that the greater a gift God gives His children, the more potential we find for the gift to become our bane instead of a blessing.   The first temptation is to love the gift more than the One who gave it, not realizing we have misplaced our highest devotion.  I believe this was Solomon’s downfall – his heart being drawn after the women in his life and passively following their spiritual desires at the expense of his love for the true God.  Sometimes the gifts and blessings of God overwhelm me, and the temptation is to focus all my energies on those things, especially my children and family.  But if we make an idol out of our career, house, family, church family or a charismatic leader, our love will quickly grow selfish, constricting, conditional, and even abusive, as we have cut ourselves off from the true Source of real love.  These idols are hard to see because we are supposed to love and nurture these things – but not more than we love God.  We often don’t realize we have crossed the line.   But others can often tell something is wrong, even if they don’t know why.

The other trap, especially in the area of ministry, is the feeding of our pride.  We mistakenly begin to ascribe to the sometimes subtle belief that our gifting originated in ourselves, not in God, or we may want to think He gave it to us because we are special in some way.  This describes the first evil found in our universe – when Satan became lifted up in his own beauty and aspired to sit on God’s throne himself.  We can never delude ourselves into believing anything good originates in us, and not lose the benefit of it in the end.  Solomon asked for wisdom in humility, telling God he was like a child who did not know how to go out or come in.  I wonder how long he remembered this was his natural state before God answered his prayer?

This is where we learn that the greater our revelation, the more we must be willing to suffer.  The great men and women of faith I admire the most, have suffered things I can only imagine. Why is this?  God’s mercy I believe, as Paul wrote:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.   Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.   But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:7 -10

This is why we are instructed to not despise the correction of God.  He does it in love to protect us from ourselves.  Not every calamity comes for this reason.  Some obstacles we are called to stand and fight against in spiritual warfare, but we must have discernment to hear when He says to us, “My grace is sufficient.”

God’s giftings come with testing built in – to see if we will love Him the most, and walk in humility before Him.  But if this is not enough, the church turned institution developed an over-dependence on leadership not found in the New Testament.  This structure places men on platforms they should not have to stand on, and binds burdens on them which should be shared by other giftings designed to work together as.. a body…. maybe?   This damaging symbiosis weakens both the pastor and the flock.  One is taxed to the point of his flame being burned out, even if he does not fall into temptation, and the flock becomes passive, expecting the leader to spoon feed them, inspire them,  hear from God for them, soothe their every wound, and do the work of building the church by reaching the lost.  Some enjoy being large and in charge I suppose, but I have known those who have crumbled.  They need intercessors urgently – especially those who truly have a heart for honest truth and obedience to the Spirit.  Spurgeon said his ministry was a result of fervent intercession by those called to pray for him and the body.  Once during the Israelite’s wilderness wanderings, God allowed the burden to fall on 70 other men to prophesy with Moses – to lighten his load.  Moses declared at that time he wished all of Israel would prophesy.  This is the reality of what we have in the New Covenant and of God pouring out His Spirit on all flesh!  Yes we need leaders most definitely – but they are not ordained to be our everything.

Burnout, falling into sin, being distracted from our First Love in idolatry – just a few reasons why we do not end well.  Paul spoke of running the race and seeking the prize at the end.  I don’t believe he meant striving to be saved, but striving to end with integrity and faith, glorifying Christ.  In Ecclesiastes it appears that Solomon gained the greatest wisdom in the end – realizing the vanity of this world and the importance of a singular focus on God Himself.  Yet the consequences of his disobedience played out in a sad story of a divided kingdom.  We are living in an age of divided families, friendships, and churches.  We are not ending well, and it is my greatest desire and prayer that our true focus may be restored – to the praise and glory of God alone.

Alright…I decided to begin the Proverbs challenge today. For those of you who are newly fans, the link to post about it is here. Since today is the 8th day of December, I read chapter 8. Scott and I were asked so speak in church this coming Sunday on the importance of education. Chapter 8 of Proverbs fell perfectly in line with what I needed to read on the subject. Here are a few important points that I took from the chapter.

*We are taught from a young age that wisdom and knowledge are important.
*In a world full of confusion, all of the words of the Lord are true and righteous.
*It’s important to set our hearts on gaining knowledge and wisdom; rather than silver, gold, and rubies.
*vs. 21 reads “That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.”*
vs. 18 reads “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.” (italics added)

The last three points reminded me of Matthew 6:19-24 & 33

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from one of our mentors, Leslie Householder, is that money itself isn’t evil; and it doesn’t make a good and righteous person evil either. Just as portions of these Matthew verses state, it is where your heart is placed. Think of it like a microscope; it makes you MORE of what you already are. If you’re a selfish jerk, money just makes you a selfish jerk with money. If you are giving and compassionate, you are the same, but with money. Scott and I are so excited to be able to change people’s lives by sharing the financial blessings that our family is receiving. Chapter 9 tomorrow! Stay tuned!

-Camber

CLAVIS INFERNI

The Grimoire of Saint Cyprian

sive magia alba et nigra approbata Metratona

the Key of Hell with white and black magic proven by Metatron

By Stephen Skinner and David Rankine

After a long wait, and after many years of pouring over the manuscript whilst working on other projects, Clavis Inferni – The Grimoire of St Cyprian is now available in print, with commentary by Stephen Skinner and David Rankine.

You can order your copy of this limited to 200 edition now from the Avalonia website.

————–

LIMITED EDITION of 200 Copies

Information:

There have been many grimoires attributed to St. Cyprian of Antioch due to his reputation as a consummate magician before his conversion to Christianity, but perhaps none so intriguing as the present unique manuscript. Although it is highly unlikely that the text is by the historical St. Cyprian, but this does not detract from its extraordinary contents.

This manuscript (unlike the more rustic Black Books of Wittenburg as found in Scandinavia, or the rather Catholic texts disseminated under his name in both Spain and Portugal) is directly in line with the Solomonic tradition, deriving input from the Heptameron, the Faustbooks of Germany, and the Goetia. It is therefore very relevant to our present series of Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic.

It is unique in that instead of being weighed down with many prayers and conjurations, it addresses the summoning and use of both the four Archangels, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel aas well as their opposite numbers, the four Demon Kings, Paymon, Maimon, Egyn and Oracus (Oriens) in a very direct way. The later are drawn in their animal and human forms along with their sigils, a resource unique amongst grimoires. Metatron appears as an even more powerful archangel than the usual four.

The text is in a mixture of three magical scripts, Greek, Hebrew, cipher, Latin, and reversed Latin with many contractions and shortforms, but these are expanded and made plain by the editors. The title of the manuscript, Clavis Inferni sive magia alba et nigra approbata Metatrona, literally means ‘The Key of Hell with white and black magic as proven by Metatron’.

St Cyprian stands with Solomon and Moses as one of the major attributed writers of magical texts from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Amongst his accredited works is this unique manuscript, Clavis Inferni, which was rediscovered by the authors in 2004 languishing forgotten in a London library. After several years of research, they deciphered the cipher manuscript, which although short, is a treasure trove of some of the most significant practices and ideas found in the grimoires. Clavis Inferni is now available, complete with its translation and contextual information exploring the themes of the demon kings, Metatron, St Cyprian and his alleged works.

For more information, together with information on how to order your copy now, see our website at:

http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/sourceworks/cyprian.htm

[ Please note that this book is a Golden Hoard Press publication.]

The book of 1st Kings gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is in the Old Testament (O.T).

It is mostly about King Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel. Solomon was not only a king, but he was wiser than any other man, an architect, arbitrator, administrator, botanist, composer of 1500 songs,  herpetologist, ichthyologist, ornithologist, poet, philosopher, preacher, zoologist (1 Kings 4:32-33). Solomon’s heart was however divided between his love for God and his love for women that led to a divided kingdom in a collision course with captivity. (1 Kings 11:11; Nehemiah 1:26)

1 Kings 11:11
11. Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant (not son).

Nehemiah 1:26
26.  Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.

Jesus says of himself that one greater than Solomon is here (Matthew 12:42)

But where I want you to focus your attention is the similarity that you find in the Coronation of Solomon into Kingship and the entry of Jesus into the Jerusalem as a fulfillment of the prophecy accordingly to God’s prophet Zechariah as stated in Zechariah 9:9.When David appoints Solomon to be King, the King tells three of his trusted men, the Priest (Zadok), the Prophet (Nathan) and the Protector (Benaiah – 1 Chronicles 11:22) and told them to take with them his servants and to cause his Son, Solomon to ride upon his own mule … and anoint him as King over Israel and proclaim saying God save king Solomon. (1 Kings 1:32-34)

Zechariah 9:9
9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zio; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

John 12:15
15. FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF SI’-ON: BEHOLD THY KING COMETH, SITTING ON AN ASS’S COLT.

A mule is a cross between a donkey stallion and a horse mare.

Jesus rode on the donkey, when he entered into Jerusalem, bringing in salvation.
Jesus will ride on a horse (the white horse), when he will return, bringing Judgment.

In 1st Kings, He is the crowned King.

1 Kings 4:32-33
32. And he spake 3000 proverbs (poet), and his songs were a thousand and five (composer),
33. and he spake of trees from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that spring out of the wall (botanist), he spake also of beasts (zoologist), and of fowl (ornithologist), and of creeping things (herpetologist) and of fishes (ichythologist).

There are certain male musicians who while they seemingly have a unisex audience, it’s mainly women who are openly proud fans. Key examples: Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

Then there are those male musicians who seemingly have a feminine audience, yet they also earn the genuine respect of men who recognize their talent despite their charm. Key examples: Michael Buble and Jason Mraz. But the epitome of this category is none other than the 6’ 3”, tattoo-sleeved Connecticut native, John Mayer.

His most romantic songs are typically my least favorite- “Your Body is a Wonderland” and “Come Back to Bed”. What draws me most to his music is a quality found in his lesser hits like “83” and “Something’s Missing”. Half nostalgic, half philosophical.

In reviewing any genre of entertainment, I can’t say any one thing is the best. I can only say what is my personal favorite. Because my favorite is simply an opinion; I am not qualified to declare what is best- that would go beyond a matter of opinion.

That being said, my favorite John Mayer album is his 2003 Heavier Things. It features the hits “Bigger than My Body”, “Daughters”, and “Clarity” (“ah whoo-ew… ah whoo-ew”). Along with its less featured songs “New Deep”, “Home Life”, “Split Screen Sadness” and “Wheel”.

The cover of this album itself perfectly captures the style and direction of the music. It represents a simple sense of timelessness, yet at the same time somehow reminds of me of Eric Clapton and/or Sting between 1988 and 1993.

I say that to say this. John Mayer’s newest album, Battle Studies, is a hybrid of two of my favorite things of his: 1) The album Heavier Things and 2) his very much underappreciated song “I Don’t Trust Myself with Loving You” from his 2006 album Continuum.

Very bluesy: “Fell down on my knees, asked the Lord for mercy, said ‘help me if you please’” (“Crossroads”).

Very jazzy: “Who says I can’t get stoned?” (“Who Says”)

Very soft rock: “I’ve got a hammer and a heart of glass- I gotta know right now which walls to smash” (War of My Life).

I decided half-way through this decade that John Mayer is incapable of releasing an album that isn’t good. I stand by that. Battle Studies is completely up to par with all his other recordings. But just like how Dave Matthews Band will never be able to top their Crash album, in my mind John Mayer will never be able to top Heavier Things.

Actually I see Battle Studies as a direct sequel (yet not necessarily a continuation) of Heavier Things. So in other words, I love it.

A year ago I posted a review of my favorite albums of 2008, and in a prophetic moment, I praised the then unknown song “People are Crazy” by Billy Currington. A few months later it was released as a single and went to #1.

Therefore, I will predict the soon-to-be hits from Battle Studies. The most obvious is the industrial-infused groovy tune “Assassins”. John has never sounded more like an African-American lead singer of an alternative rock band than he does in this song. Maybe it’s because this song has so many Michael Jackson qualities about it.

Like it was written with “Smooth Criminal”, “Dirty Diana” and “Give in to Me” in mind: “I work in the dead of night when the roads are quiet and no one is around… I’m an assassin and I had a job to do… Little did I know that girl was an assassin too.”

Another song destined to be a radio favorite is “Half of My Heart”. Perfect catchy melody. Perfect opening line: “I was born in the arms of imaginary friends.” Perfect choice of a female vocalist to do a song with: Taylor Swift.

The only downfall is that there’s not enough Taylor Swift in this song. She just does background vocals towards the end. Every time I hear it, I keep hoping the song has magically changed since the last time I heard it and that the song has become a true duet like the immaculately crafted “Lucky I’m in Love” by Jason Mraz with Colbie Caillat. Great song though: “Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding to a bride with a paper ring.”

Often when a musician or actor becomes a superstar, showing up in the tabloid magazines, the authenticity of their art suffers. Despite dating Jennifer Anniston and Jessica Simpson (to name a few) and being a Twitter slut, his art hasn’t suffered (just his personal reputation). He’s still got the talent. Just as much as ever. Going beyond the rut of “the same three chords” compositions and “I miss you baby” lyrics.

And not that this takes away from his music at all, but this lifestyle definitely shows up in his song content. Like in “Perfectly Lonely”- “Had a little love but I spread it thin. Falling in her arms and out again. Made a bad name for my game ‘round town.” It’s also evident in the future hit which will inevitably be featured on several romantic comedy soundtracks, “Heartbreak Warfare”.

Gone is the charming, mysterious John Mayer from the beginning of the decade. Gone is the gentleman. Apathy and aimlessness are starting to show up in his attitude and lyrics. I don’t like his music any less because of it. But I do recognize the change.

Though this may actually be hurting him with his current single, “Who Says”, which is his lowest charting single, breaking his string of 5 consecutive Top 10 singles. This song much departs from his former classy charm, containing douchebagery lyrics like this: “Call up a girl I used to know, fake love for an hour or so” and “I don’t remember you looking any better. Then again I don’t remember you”.

Not to mention the song’s constant references to marijuana use. (Around 90% of marijuana users are male, according to Pot Planet, a book written by a “marijuana journalist”.) Like a Playstation 3 or a Hardee’s Thickburger, pot is a female repellant.

John Mayer is suffering from what I call “King Solomon Syndrome”. King Solomon had it all: Extreme wealth, fame, and wisdom. And 700 wives. And 300 concubines (sex slaves). But by the end of his life when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, he said it was all meaningless. None of it made him happy.

At least at an early age, John Mayer recognizes something’s missing.

Two hundred years ago, God began another new nation of people based upon the same principle as Israel.  The United States of America came into existence by attracting people from all over the world.  Every nation under the Sun has contributed to the children born as Americans.  They too do not have one outward identifying appearance.  Yet, they are all Americans.  Different in size, color, and bone structure; but they have given up their original single mindedness concerning a nation built upon One God.  The God of Israel!

This is their mistake.  The singular principle defining Israel is and was their single mindedness toward their One God.  While America has sold their souls by tolerating foreign gods, just like King Solomon did to acquire wealth: and as King Solomon wound up depressed and broken by allowing foreign gods to be worshipped, so are Americans depressed, who will soon be broken if all Americans don’t return to the God of Israel.

If you have ever visited the land of Israel, you might have noticed the thousands of variations of Jews that live together.  Variations of people who traverse from black skin to very white skin, and all the shades in between.  Variations of people who swing from gray eyes to blues eyes, and from brown eyes to black eyes, and all the varying shades in between.

While the Watussi Negro in Africa are all seven feet tall, and Pigmy Negro were all three feet tall, Adult Jews scale from three feet tall to eight feet tall.  This proves there isn’t one definitive marking for all Jews.  The variations of people also run from Far Eastern Asian Oriental appearances to the Hindu people of India.  There are Negro people from many African nations.  European people from all the nations of Europe.  Arabic people from all over the Middle East, Northern people from Scandinavia and Russia.  The list of different races called Jews is as endless as the stars of heaven.  The conclusion is that the Jewish people are not a branch of the original tree, but a human stew forged by God and grafted into the tree.

A colony of people who herded together; who came from every other branch of the human race to form a new tree that would offer life to the other dying branches of the tree.  Hence, God was grafting the Gentiles into the nation of Israel, until the Romans reversed it.  God in His infinite wisdom, and knowing the future, gathered people from every race on earth to create a new race of people who loved God.

Then God purified the new branch through Jesus, and would cause an evil nation to scatter those people amongst the various branches of the human race for three reasons:

1. To establish God’s judgment and justice in the world.
2. To keep Rome from being able to root the Jews out and genocide  them.
3. To give the Jews the ultimate privilege of following in their Messiah’s footsteps who was the Passover Lamb, to be the scapegoats who would be blamed and killed for the sins of the world.

The Jews would become the blood offerings, like the Messiah Jesus who was the firstborn of many who would be guiltless, yet persecuted and killed.  For which reason Moses the High Priest killed a lamb on the altar (signifying the death of the Messiah), and was instructed by the Lord to take another lamb from the goats (signifying the death of Jewish people).

The priest was instructed to take the goat to the edge of the forest, place his hands upon the goat’s head, and let the goat escape into the wilderness, while he said: may the sins of the world be upon you. Then the goat would be hunted and killed by the leopard with wings like an eagle, for the sins of the world.

For salvation is of the Jews! It is the will of God that Jews be sacrificed, like Jesus, for the salvation of the Gentiles.

To be continued…

“I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.”- King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1:13-14

Ecclesiastes will always be my favorite.

I love when I get to recommend a new book! It’s even better when I know that it’s amazing from the very beginning! I just started, but can already recommend it. The full title of it is “The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness” It’s written by a man who was challenged by a friend of his to read a chapter of Proverbs each day of the month. Here’s what he says, “There are thirty-one days in the month, and there are thiry-one chapters in the biblical Book of Proverbs. Every day, at the start of each day, read the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to that particular date. Read two chapters on the last day of the months that have only thirty days. Do that every day, month after month…”

The author took on the challenge and is now extremely successful because of it. Are YOU up for the challenge? Let’s try it!

-Camber

Proverbs 7:24-27                      The Moral to the Story

     The story told by Dad in chapter 7 is a parable – a story that teaches a lesson. Jesus used parables to teach his disciples and the people who followed Him. Aesop’s Fables are the same type of stories. Even though the characters are imaginary, the life lessons are real and this method of teaching holds the interest of the listener to the end.

     Verses 24 – 27 are a summary of the lesson taught in this story. The summary begins with a command to listen and be attentive because the next words are important. So, if you have been daydreaming through the story, pay attention now!

How can one’s heart turn aside to the ways of sin?

What are the two commands in verse 25?

What happens to those who follow temptation?

This lesson ends with the place of the dead. How does this portray the consequence of

destruction?

Give an example from your world of this type of personal destruction?

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today as you faithfully serve Him.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Proverbs 7:21-27                         Responding to Temptation

     Reading through the Bible we find stories of real people who lived on planet earth and faced the temptations that are common to man. These accounts provide lessons of how God deals with people. In them we learn the character of God as he deals with sinful man. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. We are going to review two accounts of temptation found in the Bible. (Genesis 3:1-6; Genesis 39:6-17)

What tool does the serpent use to tempt Eve that is used by the woman in Proverbs 7?

What senses are involved in Eve’s temptation?

Who tempts Joseph in Genesis 39?

What senses are involved in Joseph’s temptation?

What is Joseph’s response to this temptation?

What does this say about Joseph’s character?

What is the outcome of Eve’s temptation?

What is the outcome of Joseph’s temptation?

     The way these two people responded to temptation had significant impact on the world. Eve’s sin was the source of all future people coming into the world sinful. Joseph went to jail because of his refusal to sin and was used to be the savior of his family when they were facing starvation. His family was the foundation of the geneology of Christ who would come into the world to save His people from sin.

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today as you turn away from the temptations brought to you today.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Proverbs 7:1-23                           Life Antonyms

     Sometimes studying opposing forces and antithetical concepts helps with understanding what each means. So we are going to look at opposites found in this chapter. What is the concept for each of the following antonym sets found in this chapter?

     1.  Wisdom / Folly

     2.  Learned / Simple

     3.  Life / Death

     4.  Flee / Follow

     5.  Free / Trapped

     6.  Faithful / Adulterous

     7.  Righteous / Sinner                                                                                       

     The 2nd words describe the characters in this sad story of temptation, sin, and personal destruction. The 1st words are the opposing forces to personal destruction that were available to the young man in the story.

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today as you live faithfully in His wisdom.

 HAVE  A BLESSED DAY!

Rome erred!  They did not believe there was one God of creation, since they evoked things to happen through many different rituals.  They believed in magic and the sorcery of Egypt.  They used the art of exact formulas to cause things to happen.  Their belief did not include one God who was in total control!  Rome learned their practices from Egypt; which was the Chaldean Religion of Babylon.

Rome’s use of religion had two purposes:

1. They used sorcery to cause things to supernaturally happen, good and evil.
2. They used their gods and rituals to appease that inner feeling everyone experiences that causes people to seek their God.

The Roman gods (the specifically named idols) were simply tools.  A tool to make people believe their leaders were the mediators between the ordinary people and the gods.  Rome had many centuries of practice, plus thousands of years of records from Egypt, to perfect their sorcery.

Sorcery is the use of formulas, any formulas, even repetitious prayer, which is used in every Christian Church of every denomination and non denomination, besides all other religions in the world.  Sorcery is the human connection to the demonic spiritual world.  The Roman practice of sorcery gives them access to new inventions, ideas, and solutions to problems.

Access to the spiritual world gave Rome the edge over other nations; maintaining control of their empire by the use of magic, not tricks, but real magic, which is abominable and rebellious to God.  The art of sorcery and magic was performed in Egypt.  God used Moses to perform three miracles in Egypt.  The Egyptian priests duplicated the exact phenomenon, turning a dead wooden staff into a living serpent.  Proving men can evoke demonic spirits who can produce phenomenon far exceeding the normal behavior of natural phenomenon.

This power is still used in Rome today.  It is referred to in the New Testament book of Revelation as lying miracles, signs and wonders performed by the false prophet, which is another name for the “Antichrist”.

The difference between lying miracles and true miracles is not that a lying miracle is a fake miracle, nor slight of hand, or a trick.  The lying miracle is just as real and supernaturally evoked as the true miracle.  The difference between the two miracles rests upon who performed the miracle: whether it is demons or God!

Do you believe there is only one God?  Good!  The demons believe, and tremble!  Rome used religious rituals (sorcery) and gods (idols) to control the masses; to dupe the slaves into working hard for a small portion of what their masters receive from their hard work.  Then their masters trick the public into giving two parts of their small portion back to Rome.  Thus keeping the masses under control and happy all over the world, until today; making the general public believe they’ve received a fair pay for a day’s work: while the masters actually take two-thirds of their earnings back again through taxes and churches.

Somewhat like the company store.  Where the worker had to buy what he needed, and the prices were calculated to relieve the worker of the nice high wage he thought he had received for his work rendered.  Yet, the company store was a devise to keep the worker working because his salary seemed fair; while the company store was owned and used by the boss to get those salaries back into his bank account.

Thus, the rich get richer and the poor remain poor.  It’s no different today, which is why King Solomon said, there is nothing new under the Sun; and Jesus said, the poor will always be with us… .

To be continued…

Proverbs 7:6-23                                   Sudden Death

     If you play with fire, you will get burned! This is a culture proverb that is not found word for word in Solomon’s writings, but these verses have metaphors that apply to the fire burns proverb. Some people live with the attitude that they can mess with danger because they know when to stop. History shows that the law of averages eventually wins and the fatal consequence of living on the edge is death by going over the edge. Pride says, “I won’t get burned!”, causing more daring activity until there is no turning back.

So, we see the young man in this story making the fatal mistake of following temptation.

What animals is he compared to? What is the scenario with the ox?

What is the scenario with the deer (stag)?

What is the scenario with the bird?

  How do these scenarios compare with the situation of the young man?

What was the point of no return for the young man?

     Once temptation is acted upon, and sin occurs, life forever changes. Sometimes actual physical death is the consequence, but the more common change is living with guilt and the separation from God that sin creates. For the person who is a redeemed sinner caught in sin, fellowship with God can be restored by confession and repentance. However, the person must live with the side effects of that sin. Unredeemed sinners do not have the Holy Spirit calling them to confess and repent. They go merrily through life continuing to sin without experiencing the need to restore their relationship to God, unless God changes their hearts. The outcome of their sinful life is eternal separation from God – ultimate death.

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today as you avoid situations that could cause you to sin.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Proverbs 7:21                                 Compels and Persuades

      Does what we allow into our minds through our senses affect behavior? The world is very sensually oriented. The entertainment industry is based on this fact, bombarding people with choices of TV shows and movies to watch. Music moguls produce powerful mental images for listeners, from hip hop themes to romantic crooning. There is a cable channel, The Food Network, that brings culinary content to connoisseurs with epicurean taste. We seem to be controlled by what we see and hear.

     The sense organs (eyes, ears, skin, tongue, nose) tell us about the world in which we live causing reaction to the stimuli that travel to the brain. We see and enjoy the beauty of creation that surrounds us. Our ability to choose man-made content is based on wisdom and discernment, two of the themes in Proverbs. What we allow into our minds is based on the condition of the heart. A heart controlled by wisdom easily moves away from dangerous content; while the heart of a young man lacking sense is persuaded and compelled by whatever enters his sensory organs.

What sensory input overwhelms this young man to the point of giving in to temptation?

What were his options throughout this seduction to sin?

Is he a victim? How?

What do the words persuades and compels say about the young man’s character?  

      What is God telling you about Himelf and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today as you turn away from those activities that can compel and persuade you to sin.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Proverbs 7:6-23                     The Anatomy of Temptation

     What does temptation look like? Proverbs 7 dresses temptation in the clothes of a prostitute, wily of heart. A prostitute is a person who makes a living by having sex in return for money. The phrase wily of heart describes polished skills in underhanded or evil schemes accomplished by deceit.

Where is temptation found (12)?

How does she greet the naïve young man (13)?

What type of speech does she use to persuade him to sin (21-22)?

     Verses 13 – 20 describe the process of temptation successfully creating sin. Explain the following content:

Grabs and greets with a bold kiss (13)

Appeals to the spiritual (14)

Appeals to the physical (15)

Appeals to the sensual (16-17)

Appeals to the emotions(18)

This will be our secret (19-20)

     The appeal of temptation is wholistic; physical, spiritual, and mental. It is also very powerful as the young man sticks around to see what temptation has to offer. There is a denying of possible consequences as the intoxication of seduction to sin occurs. Suddenly the young man acts on the temptation and there is no turning back from the consequences of sin. Sin can be forgiven but, the scars on one’s person will remain throughout life.

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today as you live a life filled with His wisdom.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Proverbs 7:1-23                                The Anatomy of a Sinner

     What are the character traits of a sinner? We don’t need to look far for a specimen because one sits in your skin! The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23) However, there are two types of sinners, redeemed and unredeemed. The sins of redeemed sinners have been taken from their rap sheet, and they have been proclaimed innocent through faith in Christ. Unredeemed sinners are living in complete rebellion against God and will experience full punishment of their sin.

What are the three qualities of the young man in this story (7)?

What quality of the young man is found in verses 21-22?

What is the young man missing in character traits?

In chapter 6 we found a long discussion from the father regarding the consequences of adultery. In chapter 7 the father shares a story that visualizes the point he was making.

What power does the young man need to prevent him from making a wrong choice?

How can he acquire that power?

Who is responsible for the outcome of following temptation?

What could he have done to not sin?

How will this experience harm him?

Is he more likely to repeat his sin because of this sin? (why)?

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy today as you rely on His grace in a world full of temptation.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Proverbs 7:6-23                                The Anatomy of Sin

     The Bible is full of examples of people willfully rebelling against God. In fact, the Bible is the documentation of God providing the remedy for man’s sinful condition. Every human baby is born into this world in a condition of spiritual rebellion that exists until God works in the heart and removes the rebellion through faith in Christ.

     Read John 3:16. What does this verse tell us about God’s work in rebellious hearts.

     Proverbs 7 tells the story of a rebellious heart involved in temptation. Temptation happens as we go through life but it is how one responds to temptation that is the difference between life and death, as we see in this story. There are two things we can control in respect to temptation. We can keep ourselves away from the places where temptation occurs and we can choose to walk (or run if necessary) away from temptation. The young man in this story put himself in the place of temptation and willfully gave in to it.

So who is responsible for the sad outcome of this story? God? The woman? The young man? James 1:13-15 analyzes the process of temptation leading to sin. Read these verses.

Who does God tempt (13)?

Where does temptation start (14)?

What does desire created by temptation become (15)?

What is the consequence of sin (15)?

How does the story in Proverbs 7 parallel this process?

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today for His protection from sin.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

During the tenth century A.D., the last step of the Roman plan was launched.  Rome had completely resurrected its armies and the Roman Crusaders marched out all over Europe conquering and to conquer.  The Jews who were following the teachings of Jesus compromised with the Romans and had 600 years of peace.  The Jewish/Christians crawled out of their Catacombs and surfaced.  The underground days were over.

Jews everywhere throughout the Roman Empire surfaced; allowing their neighbors to know their true identities and beliefs.  Jesus’ original Christianity flourished everywhere for six centuries.  Huge cathedrals were erected with the blessings of the Roman government.  Taxes began flowing into the Roman treasury again.  The chief contributors were the giving hearts of the Jewish followers of Jesus.  No one suspected a double-cross.

So many centuries had passed without incident.  The martyrdom of Christianity was over, at least that was what the peace-loving Jews believed.  They compromised with Rome and would be double-crossed.  They trusted the bloodthirsty red serpent, which destroyed their Temple; their beloved city Jerusalem; and their homeland Israel.

They disregarded the predictions of Jesus Himself, recorded in the Bible.  Predictions they cherished and died to preserve.  The prophecies that warned them about the red serpent, Rome.  The Bible warned the Jewish/Christians that Rome would never cease killing the chosen people of God.  Rome belonged to satan, and satan’s son, the Antichrist, who would never relinquish power to the followers of God and Jesus.

The Jewish/Christians wanted to believe their enemy had repented, even though Jesus commanded them to separate themselves from their unbelieving enemies.  They hungered for peace, so the Jewish/Christians misjudged their enemy, who needed their money to rebuild an army to use against them.

The government would tax the people, build an army with the money, and use the army to control the people who gave them the money.  King Solomon said: There is nothing new under the Sun. The Jews didn’t realize their error until the trap was sprung and it was too late.  They didn’t realize time is a commodity that satan has plenty of.  He can wait six centuries, or a hundred lifetimes, to grab what he wants.  The Romans were ready!

To be continued…