Tag Archives: intelligence

Christian Soapbox, Nathan Dooley

CARNAL INTELLECT VS SPIRITUAL INTELLECT

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Now that you’ve punched me in the face, and hopefully discovered a new perspective apart from the carnal. The next process in gaining knowledge for understanding that spiritual perspective of truth is the practical use of such wisdom—by restraining yourself from punching anyone else in the face. I say that jokingly, but in our day and age of intelligence the carnal perspective is cut to quick about the subtlest things which invokes all sorts of emotional instabilities and chaos to resolve what then becomes worse and worse. The solution is a spiritual intellect.

As a reminder from my previous post linked above, the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword; that sword of the Holy Spirit is experienced upon listening and or reading scriptural texts; the sword pierces through soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, even able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. But why the heart, and not the intellect? Because the life blood encompasses the heart of the entire body (temple of the Holy Spirit) that indwells within, and mankind has received the blood transfusion of Jesus Christ for redemption. That blood is mankind’s justification for righteousness gifted at the cross where Jesus took the wrath on our behalf.

However, the natural instinct to the carnal mind is to save him or hers’ own soul as if I or you had the power to do so, and that is—in my opinion—the greatest scheme of the devil, “Save your own skin.” Save it from what, or who, exactly?

The carnal mind becomes it’s own worst enemy because it’s also the enemy to the Spirit of God. That sword of God’s word is judging our motives. And I don’t think I can stress that enough as someone who related to the carnal perspective (only); the war between the carnal mind and spiritual mind is surreal.

I hate my carnal way of thinking because of the sin that means to seduce me into the lake of fire. I mean, writing that, let alone reading it—the lake of fire—is felt. Anyone with a conscience experiences the certainty of that truth, but the carnal intellect reacts in fear because it knows this truth, and that’s also why it must die. The carnal intellect will deceive at all costs for survival to godship, not repentance, but to be “God”. And no person understanding that, suppressing the truth it’s of, will survive the judgement, because they chose to save their life (carnal intellect) rather than lose it.

For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?—Matthew 16:26

  • The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.—Matthew 10:39
  • For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.—Mark 8:35
  • For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.—Luke 9:24
  • Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it.—Luke 17:33
  • The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.—John 12:25

“Oh but the world is so presently intoxicating and addictive by what cannot be changed. Why not enjoy it?” The carnal man continues… “It’s not intoxicating or addictive…it’s reality! Pass me another ‘virgin’ (opportunity)!” Only to meet the inevitable—unrecognizable—consequence by what appears as freedom to reality. Don’t believe that mindset, it’s a lie straight from the pit of darkness masquerading as light. And that way of thinking is what it means to be carnal (fleshly) minded only.

There may be some—or many, even—that think in terms of social science as though justified by it, “Society agrees that murder is unjust warranting judgment, as long as it’s not discriminatory.” Yah, I won’t even wish “good luck with that” it’s so contradictory. It’s also weak when weighing to measure that system of justice with the value of life, or death even, rather. Because if a criminal like Adolf Hitler, Ted Bundy, David Koresh, Jim Jones, and the list goes on and on with “life” (death) sentences in prison up 1000+ years…

I might be wrong to ask, but how can anyone think that a death sentience is a means for solace? Do the research on the most prolific serial killers and see for yourselves the amount of uncounted victims to families without solace, and dare I say that if anyone blame God for such evil they’re worse off than the serial killers.

It’s a stark reality when falling into the hands of the living God!

For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:30-31
I die devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Then you will walk securely | P3-V23

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24  When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

In our few previous devotionals we’ve looked at our Lord as He stayed the course until, ultimately, was put to death by crucifixion. Jhn 19:30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. But lets not forget, remember our proverb, 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble.

Death could not keep Jesus bound by the boundary described as sin just as the apostle Paul said to the Romans, Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Because this Jesus of Nazareth had walked and lived in the flesh of humankind yet, without sin, and so death could not keep Him, the Lord defeated death by His cross; again Paul says to the Corinthians, 1Co 15:56-57 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are free!

We have the victory!

We are no longer bound with shoes that cause us to stumble into death, but our shoes are off because the feet of Jesus is the ground on which we stand—Holy ground. Take your shoes off! For Jesus is Holy ground! Exo 3:5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Act 7:33 “But the LORD  said to him, ‘REMOVE YOUR SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND.

Our salvation is made secure by where Jesus is right now, at the right hand of power! Mat 26:64Jesus *said to him, “You have said  it  yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” By grace through faith we stand on Holy ground, keep your feet in the Word of God, don’t turn around!

Don’t shrink back!

Don’t be a coward!

We have work to do, a duty to fulfil, as faithful laborers in the service of God!

Lets go!

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V23) Commentary
They are safe and may be easy,

  • (1.) In their motions by day, v. 23. If our religion be our companion, it will be our convoy: “Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely. The natural life, and all that belongs to it, shall be under the protection of God’s providence; the spiritual life, and all its interests, are under the protection of his grace; so that thou shalt be kept from falling into sin or trouble.’ Wisdom will direct us into, and keep us in, the safe way, as far as may be, from temptation, and will enable us to walk in it with holy security. The way of duty is the way of safety. “We are in danger of falling, but wisdom will keep thee, that thy foot shall not stumble at those things which are an offence and overthrow to many, but which thou shalt know how to get over.’
I die devotionals, Nathan Dooley

A gentle answer turns away wrath

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Proverbs chapter 15; I die daily devotional.

1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.

GENTLE ANSWER

But don’t get it twisted because the truth when ‘spoken gently’, might effect to reveal the wrath of God in someone. For instance, the sadducees and pharisees; in both Matthew and Luke chapter 3 verse 7 it says, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?“. I mean, if I were in their shoes at that time, “ouch!”. That would hurt and might provoke me to anger if I were NOT honestly seeking forgiveness from what John was exposing. The sin condition to look for is—defensiveness and justification (John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”).

2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable,
But the mouth of fools spouts folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
But he who regards reproof is sensible.

CODEPENDENCY

A lot of the times, the issue we face as a people of relations is codependency. We depend upon family telling us who we are or friends giving us the help we think we need, but there is only One Person Who has the authority over—the course, and outcome—of all life! These proverbs will help train and guide us out of the sin of codependency!

6 Great wealth is in the house of the righteous,
But trouble is in the income of the wicked.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
But the hearts of fools are not so.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
to the LORD, But the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination
to the LORD, But He loves one
who pursues righteousness.
10 Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes
the way; He who hates reproof will die.

Without knowing it (possibly); you Reader, have a tremendous power that these proverbs emphasize. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable and 4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life! Our tongues’ possesses the power to affect a person’s condition just as the tongue that wrote these proverbs are affecting us right now. Me and my wife had talked about codependency today and she said something remarkable! “God is who brings value to a person and gives them their identity”—Laura Dooley. I told my wife that I was going to tweak that quote uh-bit, to read, “God breathes value [soul] in a person and gives them their identity [born to be a child of God]”. What I didn’t tell my wife was that… I’m going to steal it and use it in this post (hope that’s okay honey haha’ *as author pulls’ neck collar* and *eh em* clears throat; moving on!)

11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD,
How much more the hearts of men!
12 A scoffer does not love one who reproves him,
He will not go to the wise.
13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
15 All the days of the afflicted are bad,
But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

TRANSFORMATION

When we use our faith to workout the meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:45…“The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.—we experience a process of transformation from the death of our soul to a life-giving spirit! It starts from within our hearts. And from our hearts to our minds—Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD
Than great treasure and turmoil with it.
17 Better is a dish of vegetables where love is
Than a fattened ox served with hatred.
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
But the slow to anger calms a dispute.
19 The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.

LET THIS CUP PASS

Codependency is especially seen in parents to their children and vice-versa; the love there, is so strong, that the nature of it is possessive. And without wisdom, becomes destructive. Because not even God our Father took the cup away from His only Son when it came time for Jesus to be crucified—“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”! If there were some other way—let this cup pass from Me—Jesus pleaded with His Father; yet Jesus, trusting His Father, drank that cup so we could be saved and made alive to an eternal life in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. You might think you love your child or children, but can you provide your child salvation from death and make them alive to an eternal life? Then respectfully and gently I say… God loves your child infinitely more than your capacity to fathom that depth of love God is for you and your children in Jesus Christ.

21 Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
But a man of understanding walks straight.
22 Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they succeed.
23 A man has joy in an apt answer,
And how delightful is a timely word!
24 The path of life leads upward for the wise
That he may keep away from Sheol below.
25 The LORD will tear down the house of the proud,
But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

I pray and ask Lord for understanding, and thank you for a path that leads straight because of your name, Jesus. Lord please help us to find our counselors for success, and thank you for the joy we get to experience upon the purpose you give us to do while here on this earth. Lord, please bless us with wisdom as we exercise our faith, and thank you for tongues that speak a language of your truth and salvation. Please forgive us our sin, tear down our pride and establish our boundaries. In your name, Jesus. Amen.

26 Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD,
But pleasant words are pure.
27 He who profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The LORD is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 Bright eyes gladden the heart;
Good news puts fat on the bones.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Being human in all our complexity can be quite difficult to work with at times. Our emotions are very informative when we pay close attention to what we are experiencing and why. When the brains and hearts of people are not in sync it’s definitely noticeable, but the question is how to engineer a fix to a broken human system? The answer: kill em! That was a joke, but in a weird-kinda-way that’s happening to us already—so that method is taken. What’s next!? Well… the next thing would be to reeallyyy listen, pray, and process, until it’s time to speak or do something. That practice is especially useful with an inquisitive heart because you’ll want to be ready to ask questions for more insight into the condition that person is facing/experiencing. Navigate what people are experiencing with internal questions first, then trust how the Holy Spirit will use you in that situation—which could be that you’re presence is enough. Don’t force or expect healthy change that is not dependant or contingent on you, but the work and will of God in that person. Committing these insights to memory for practice when the time comes will prove a heavenly treasure. That’s been my experience anyway.

31 He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof
Will dwell among the wise.
32 He who neglects discipline despises himself,
But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.

1 Kings 19:11- So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”