For those who have been around, I have occasionally shared the reason I started this blog in 2016 was because I was working on a book series. At the time, I was writing my test novels (getting a taste for my story, the characters, and actually writing a novel for the first time. These were novels that would not be published, but help me prepare.) While I worked on the series, I wanted to be able to reach believers with the truth of scripture, and so, I started the blog in hopes of doing just that.
The book series was originally inspired in 2013. I have 3 test novels written. I had the beginning of the world for the story figured out, villains, personalities for my main characters, etc. In fact, book one of the series is still a work in progress. But then… a few things started to happen.
Last year, 2020, while the world experienced a pandemic, I experienced finding holes in the theology I once upheld and trusted. (See posts: 1. I Am So Sorry! | Why I Am Privating A Lot Of Old Posts and 2. Thank You All For The Encouragement & Prayers (I Want To Clarify Why I Publicly Recanted) for further understanding.) I realized I was into the Seeker-Driven Movement, and all of the holes that left vague answers (the same ones I used to promote) finally started to get filled in when I received sound theology.
What does this mean for the book series? Well, a better question is, “How does this relate to the book series?”
My goal is to still continue the book series and, in fact, when I paused writing book one, I had not crossed any sections that would need serious editing regarding story development. But here is the problem. The Seeker-Driven Movement is very much focused on feelings and experiences for affirmations of experiencing God. The book series was certainly headed that way, previous test novels shared portions of this theology. So, what I want to be very careful of is to NOT give my readers vague/bad theology, but sound theology that can edify the church body, and encourage non-believers to seek the truth of Jesus Christ.
My origins for my series will need to be changed. I’m concerned readers might think I’m comparing humans to be like angels (as least the prominent characters for the origin story). While other readers may not take the text to mean that, I know others coming out of cults, or those in cults, could take that interpretation. So, some ideas will need to be made more abstract. Some origin ideas will need to be completely changed. The way my God character interacts with my main characters I want to be careful in. Originally, I wanted the God character to be more vocal, and now I see the danger.
In the Seeker-Driven Movement and similar false teachings, people are encouraged to be overly symbolic in how they believe the Lord is speaking to them. We create conversations in our head about what the Lord is saying to us. I used to do this, and posts that have now been privated show this. I do not want my series to promote seeking the Lord in mystical ways.
Even though the new believer has been given a heart of flesh, the heart is STILL deceitful and we know this because the flesh and Spirit rage against each other on a daily basis. Our old way of life (flesh) will still conflict with our new way of life (Spirit). The believer, until his or her death (or until the gathering/rapture), is meant to live a life that is walking by the way of the Spirit. The Christian life is constantly being pruned, transformed, and sanctified. It’s a process (See: What Does Seasoned Salt Have To Do With Suffering?, Ezekiel 36:26, Jeremiah 17:09, Mark 7:21-22, Ephesians 4:22, Galatians 5:17)
We will still struggle with our flesh. We can believe that we are experiencing the Lord and hearing Him in our life, when the reality may be those experiences are not actually Him. It could be demons or it could be our own thoughts, and we want to believe those thoughts are actually God. Again, I used to do this. I would think things and then answer myself in my thoughts, believing the Lord was inspiring those answers. If this was actually true, then those inspired-thoughts would be counted as scripture, and that’s a problem. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
I want to show my readers how to do identify the Lord in a Biblical manner for this reason.
What needs changed for my book series:
- Origin of the story-world
- Changing how the series end, and what the books will cover leading up to it.
- Any interaction regarding God and characters
- Theological pieces
- Particular backstories for some characters, either a whole new story or strong editing
New Direction
One topic that has consistently stood out these past few years relates to false teaching. I think I am going to make my world focused on false teaching, its dangers, and how easily it is for Christians to not notice. I want to focus on misconceptions people have about Christianity, and problems believers often face with their walk. My main characters will be able to cover these concepts in their adventures. This also allows me to keep my main concept of a group going against certain powers (authority/status figures).
As most of my main characters focus on a group of girls, I do want to be mindful of the head of the church and household. This will prove challenging at times, and will change some ideas I previously had regarding some future scenes. It’s probably obvious there is a lot to work through before moving forward, and even then, careful consideration needs to be taken as the story progresses.
There were a handful of readers who gave me feedback in the beginning, and I am grateful they both enjoyed what they read, and the helpful feedback I received. I realize now I need to be patient and not so eager to get beta readers, just because I have a few chapters written. I get OVERLY eager for uh, feedback. #writerproblems101, right? And then…leave people hanging because they caught up…oops. I’ve learned my lesson (I hope).
The story is about halfway done, and the true adventure is almost about to start.
Why would a loving God kill His Son – Please See: Why Did A Loving God Kill His Son? (Does God Hate?)
Scripture To Memorize/Meditate On – (ESV) Romans 5:08, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Community Prayer – April ‘21
Get To Know Me & My Blog
Believer Handbook
Second Blog: Peeking Beneath
Inside Cup 
I know my response is lengthy. I wanted to answer you the best way I could and to be thorough on a response. Your desire to understand truth is beautiful and we need to care about truth. It’s important. The Lord is where guidance comes from, and I agree, we only receive it through Him.
You are right that there are some things in Biblical text people can have different views on. For example, end times people have various views on. Some topics are not as clear in scripture, and so people disagree. But there are other topics related to the core of salvation everyone must agree upon or it falls into heresy. Majority of scripture we should be able to draw similar conclusions.
How do we know what is truth and is not true? Why do some people have different views than others?
We look at context.
God is not confusion. We agree He will guide us and James 1 tells us we can pray for wisdom and God will give it. (James 1:05-06, this also relates to the Holy Spirit, which will be addressed a little later.)
Context is the best way to understand what the Bible is saying and to understand God’s word properly. Upon the scriptures are the building blocks to discern properly because they explain truth and where we can receive the truth. If we discern things using feelings to affirm what is of God and what is not of God, that cannot be tested, and scripture tells us we will be able to test everything to know whether it is of God or not. (1 John 4:01)
God guides us in His holy word.
(ESV) 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”
This is a very clear message. Scripture is from God and scripture teaches us, it trains us in righteousness so that we will be complete and ready for good works. This would include proper decision-making.
How do we discern properly and make the right decisions?
Righteousness is the main focus because righteousness alone will help us with proper discernment, understanding, and wisdom. God tells us in His word that…
(ESV) Proverbs 10:31, “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.”
(ESV) Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
(ESV) Proverbs 1:07, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
You’ll notice in the books of Psalms and Proverbs that wisdom is always connected to understanding, specifically of the Holy One,, and these two connect to righteousness.
Righteousness is connected to God and we can only be righteous through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ who paid our ransom on the cross. Christ justifies us, and then He sends us His Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is here to instruct us of things of Christ. (See: John 16:08-14)
All spiritual gifts are used to point both the world and the church body to Christ. Proper spiritual discernment is to have wisdom that is Christ-like. The Bible is the only place to know what is of Christ and what is not. It is the only place where we can properly train ourselves to know how to discern, and to test whether the things we believe are of God actually are. (See: John 1:01-03, Christ is the word of God. As we see in John 16, the Holy Spirit points back to Christ, His example, and instruction.)
Regarding everyday decisions, (ESV) Proverbs 3:05-06, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
How do we acknowledge Him in all of our ways?
(ESV) Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
Note, that part of loving the Lord God with everything we have within us, includes our mind. We are to properly understand the Lord. Scripture is the only place we receive His word and instruction on everything we need to know about life. The Holy Spirit helps us understand the word of God. If we seek this instruction elsewhere, it can get really confusing, vague, and yeah, people will come up with various, “God told me this, but God told you this..” But again, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows us the scriptures are sufficient alone to help us with everything we need to know and understand.
If people have different views on scripture, and you’re right, they do, it helps to break down what is the disagreement on? What does the text say? What do other parts of the BIble say on the subject? A lot of times, people will look at a verse and say, “Well, this is what it means to me,” and then argue with one another because they have a different view. However, context is not about feeling and what a text means to us. Context is what does the verse actually say, not what we feel it says. If we looked at context, and discussed context by itself, that could solve a lot of arguments and disagreements.
Which goes back to the awesome verses you shared about the heart. So, chapter 16 of Psalm is actually about Jesus, the Messiah, and how Jesus is the answer to the path of life. Psalm 16:10 talks about how God will not leave His Holy One to see corruption. Remember context? Psalm 16 is a prophecy. This connects to Acts ch. 2. We see Peter speak to the men of Israel, and he references Psalm 16. (See: Acts 2:22-39, verses 25-28 is where he quotes David (Psalm 16), and tells how David prophesied of Jesus Christ) But here is a portion.
(ESV) Acts 2:23-24, “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
He then quotes part of Psalm 16 by David (verses 25-28 of Acts 2). Then he says, ““Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.” (ESV) Acts 2:29-31
Regarding “heart” of verse 7 of Psalm 16, the Hebrew breakdown is really fascinating. This word can mean kidney, it could be heart (emotion), innermost being and it could also mean mind. So, what we are looking at based on the context of the verse is most likely conscience. And this connects to the second verse you shared. (Here is a breakdown of the word if you would like to check it out: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3629.htm)
You referenced Job 38:36. The quoted verse you shared I can’t find in other translations. Unless, you were quoting someone else or stating that the verse is about God, which is absolutely correct. But most translations sound similar to this, (ESV) Job 38:36, “Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?”
Chapter 38 of Job is, correctly, all about God answering Job’s complaints on suffering. God is Sovereign. He has wisdom for all that He does. Verse 36 points out that the heart, by itself, does not have understanding. It is the Lord who gives understanding to the heart. The Hebrew “heart,” in this verse, again points to a conscience. (See reference: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2910.htm) An innermost part or thought.)
The conscience is a way to show us the existence of God, morality is a part of us for a reason. Romans 1 explains.
(ESV) Romans 1:16-21, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
In summary, if you made it through all of that… thank you. The Lord does guide us. He does give us a conscience that helps point to His existence, and morality. But we need more understanding because on our own it is not enough. The heart is a storehouse and on our own it stores up sin, our heart is defiled, it is deceitful. (Matthew 15:18 and Jeremiah 17:09) God gives all true believers in Christ a heart of flesh, but that heart must be completely submitted to Christ. It must seek after Him and His ways. We are to die daily to ourselves and submit to Christ because otherwise we deceive ourselves and are sinful. Christ alone is how we become righteous. (Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20-24)
Like Job wondering what the purpose of suffering was, David in Psalm 16 prophesied that the Messiah would lead us into the path of life. Christ is the answer to how we receive understanding, wisdom, and discernment. The Gospel explains how suffering in this life is because of sin. The morality that affects our consciences shows us we believe in justice. There is a reason. God is Just and He requires a payment for sin. (Wages of sin is death) Christ died as our atoning sacrifice so that all who put their faith in Him can be made justified and His righteousness is imputed to us.
How do we know the things of Jesus Christ, Who is the word of God? How do we know how to submit to Him? The Bible. It has all the answers we will ever need. The inspired word of God put forth by the Holy Spirit. The Bible helps instruct us and show us how to discern.
The Holy Spirit is received by all who put their faith in Jesus, who acknowledge their sin and see the great need of their Savior. The Holy Spirit helps us understand scripture, its truth, and how everything points back to Jesus Christ.
When I used to seek after the Lord in dreams and vague ways outside of the Bible, believing my feelings affirmed what was of God and what was not, I was left with a lot of questions, and little answers. Though at times, I “felt” really connected to God, a lot of the time there was silence. But when I started to see how the Bible truly has all the answers I will ever need everything finally started to click and make sense.
I no longer had to rely on feelings to figure out what was of God. I could finally test and know what truly was of Him and what was not. I saw the importance of reading scripture in context, in order, and understanding how it all connects.
God is speaking right now through His word. It truly is living and breathing! Scripture is alive! It is powerful! It holds the knowledge of God, His guidance, and His name is Jesus, the Christ.
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How do you feel that God speaks to us? I am interested in your perception regarding this. Blessings!
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Through His written word, Hebrews 1. Any time that I am going through something I have found the scriptures to have a perfect explanation. It is completely sufficient on its own 2 Timothy 3:16. This doesn’t put God in a box, rather, it shows He is the Living, Breathing, Word. I used to seek the Lord through dreams, symbols, and thinking He spoke to me in my thoughts, but really, it was my own thoughts, not Him. If the Lord, actually spoke to me, like I thought, that would be considered scripture. I can’t lower His authority on His words.
Yet, while feeling I was “so connected” to Him, seeking Him in those ways, I also felt incredibly distant and like He was always so quiet. I didn’t have answers to a lot of things. My answers were very vague, as I explain in my second post why I was repenting. That related to the Seeker-Driven Movement. The false teachings are often focused on feelings and experiences, using both as ways to affirm God, but the actual truth is these methods are lies, vague, a guessing game, insufficent, rely on self, and possibly demonic.
When I turned away from what I used to uphold, I started getting clarity. I started seeing the truth of God all around, exactly as scripture says. I renounced my dreams and seeking Him in symbols. I found Him and I began to understand Him in a way these past theologies and mysticism could never give me.
His word is enough and before I thought I needed more. I was the one who lacked faith. I was the one who was blind to His truth and what was so obvious. Scripture is alive. The words are constantly pointing to Him, our reality, trials, everything. They are not just words on a page, but living and testifying this very second. I put God in a box when I thought I needed Him outside of scripture. I did not realize what His living word meant. I sought after vague things in which I “thought” it was God and now see it was not.
My answer is a lot to take in. Honestly, last year when my views were challenged I spent months researching. Justin Peter’s clouds without water series was helpful and I watched a lot of Doreen Virtue and Melissa Dougherty. All are on Youtube. Mike Winger was very helpful, as well.
I appreciate you asking. I hope what I said was helpful.
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Thank you for explaining. How do you explain biblical stories that discuss God speaking to individuals through dreams? I acknowledge that one should pray for discernment, but I believe that God provided us with gifts. I am not trying to argue, just provide a different perspective. 🙂
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I understand your question :). As I answered, Hebrews 1. God used to speak to the prophets and now speaks through Christ. In the Old Testament and New Testament, dreams or visions were always rare. The purpose related to Christ. The biggest difference is when someone had a dream or vision from God it was never questioned. There was 100 percent clarity, no denying. I used to say, “I believe God speaks to me in x, y, z ways.” That isn’t sufficient or enough to say it’s Him. When it’s God there is no denying. No reliance on feelings. I used to feel strongly I experienced God, that did not mean it was Him. God actually spoke to people. He wasn’t silent for prophets to vaguely figure Him out. If we think we hear an actual voice claiming to be God, then that needs to be tested.
In today’s world, there seems to be an abundance of people who hear from the Lord in experiences. That doesn’t add up, as these moments are few and rare.
The purpose of dreams was to relate to previous scripture and to add new information. However, there is no reason for that today. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 scripture is sufficient. The apostles are dead and it is impossible for anyone today to fit the Biblical definition of an apostle.
There are no Biblical spiritual gifts listed that relate to God speaking to us in dreams about our day to day lives. I do not think the gift of prophecy exists right now. If someone’s dream aligns with scripture, it does not mean it is the spiritual gift. John’s prophecy of Revelation, for example, yes, it did have parallels with other scripture, that’s great. But he also had new information. We can trust John because he was a follower of Christ and the Holy Spirit spoke through him, just as Christ said in John 14.
How do we test proclaimed prophets of today? The same as old. If they preach a false Gospel, a false Christ, anything that goes against scripture. I have yet to hear anyone be sound. Many say things, then twist scripture to fit their meaning, ignoring the scripture’s context. I used to do this.
How does God speak to people in dreams or visions, in today’s standards, to you and can you provide scripture to show where you’re coming from? I do appreciate the discussion. 🙂
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I guess my confusion is how is one to say that the interpretation they have of God’s word is any more accurate than another individual’s perception of God’s word? I believe God guides us every day as we make decisions and while the Bible is one way that God speaks to us, discernment becomes essential when we are making many decisions and intuition is a gift.
“I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons” (Psalm 16:7).
“The answer, of course, is God. At once this both affirms our search for understanding and demonstrates its limits. The wisdom God puts in our inward parts makes it possible for us to yearn for an answer to the mystery of suffering.” (Job 38:36).
I am currently looking more into this as I connect with God and rely on Him for guidance.
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I will pray for your continued efforts. Love this: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Blessings.
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Thank you so much! Yes, I’ve kept that scripture for a few months now. I keep debating when I should change it, but for right now, I think it will stay. 🙂
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