Cynical vs Skeptical

lCynical:

bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic.Cynical

Skeptical:

1.

inclined to skepticism; having doubt: a skeptical young woman.

Peter in the bible was a bit of a cynic, in that, he denied that he would deny knowing Christ, but deny he did and then felt contemptuous of himself after he did it. John 18:25 But Christ loved him anyway and forgave him. What a marvelous god we serve!

Thomas was very skeptical in that he needed to actually put his fingers in the very places that Christ had been injured on the cross in order to actually believe that Christ has risen from the dead. When He allowed Thomas to do that he, Thomas fell on his knees saying My Lord and My God. Christ said "you have seen me and believe , blessed are they that have NOT seen and believe". John 20:27

Someone once called me a skeptic, in fact I was at a woman's conference and went up for a word from God from the speaker, I never thought in a million years that I would be called a skeptic. Why, I thought I was one of the world's greatest believers, Ha, God had my number, He knows what goes on in the deepest recesses of our hearts, you can't fool God! Not that I was trying mind you but sometimes we don't even know what is down there and it takes a conference or a man or woman of God to draw it out by the power of the Holy Spirit, then we can begin working on it.

This woman was laughing and speaking to me, not mocking, she must have gotten a deep revelation from God about me and thought it was funny, I never thought I was a skeptic, but from that point on my faith in God and His word was strengthened.

I thank God He has given me a soft and pliable heart, a heart He can work with. Some of us go through life with unforgiveness, bitterness and a hardened heart, not just against God but against each other or supposedly, the hand that the world has dealt us.

A person once said to me "why should I believe in God, what has He ever done for me"? My response was "what have you ever done for Him"? This person in my opinion is a cynic.

I was prodded by the Holy Spirit to write this article, I'm not sure why but perhaps some who read this will see some cynicism or skepticism in themselves and will bring it before the Lord so He can reach down in those depths that only you and He can see and get rid of it!

Psalm 23, the conclusion

Verse 6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! No matter what comes our way, we as Gods sheep know nothing can come our way that the Shepard will not surround us with goodness, mercy and love. He may discipline and correct us. We may not see it as goodness, mercy and love at that time but as we look back we must realize He loves us.
Regardless of our behavior, God's love is not dependent on our behavior. Jesus is the same today, tomorrow and forever. He is steady in all things despite our unfaithfulness. God always has our best interest in mind and it is always, goodness, mercy and love.
Sheep that are managed well have the most beneficial manure of all livestock, they leave deposits behind that are most beneficial for the land. What are the deposits that we leave behind? Do we leave goodness, mercy and love behind? Do we leave good deposits in other peoples lives? Isaiah 52:7 . Do we go around spreading good news?
Do we proclaim peace and good tidings? Do you want to spread blessings and ultimately bless God? Do we ever think of it that way? We must leave people in better shape than we found them. Are we a joy to the Shepard? Or are we those few that He has to constantly watch and worry about?
The sheep come back to the home ranch at the end of this year long journey, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". There are no predators here, a place of security and peace. No worries on the ranch with the Shepard. A deep devotion has developed between the sheep and the Shepard. The house of the Lord refers to family and the sheep are so content they have no desire to wander, no craving to be anywhere else. God joins us to a flock and with this joining there is contentment. When we have been through battles with each other it binds us together. When we look back at different trials and difficulties we have gone through does our heart grow fond of God or cold and hard? There has not been one time that God has not been with us. As long as we stay in God's presence there will always be quiet contentment, we will lack nothing because God will care for us always!

House of the Lord= contentment and peace
Heaven= no fear, no sickness, one day we will enter the ultimate house of the Lord!

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them that bring good news, breaking the news that all is well, proclaiming good times, annoncing salvation, telling Zion, "Your God reigns!" Message Bible

Psalm 23, the continuation

I feel I was amiss when I just dropped the remainder of Psalm 23. Ms Heidi did a bible study on this and it was so amazing that I decided to blog about it and then got half way through it and just didn't finish. Well, I'm here to tell you I really started to feel like I started something and then just didn't finish. Most of you who know me, know that is not my style so here I am to finish this project.

After reading this I think you will view Psalm 23 in a little different light. Please go to the first half of this blog and read the beginning, as I am going to begin where I left off. I promise you won't be sorry.

I will recap just a little. Remember the 23rd Psalm likens us to sheep in a fold and Our Lord as our Shepard. Sheep are skittish little guys and can't do hardly anything for themselves, so that is why the Shepard is always nearby, to keep them(us)out of trouble and to guide them(us)along life paths.
Conditions must be perfect for the sheep to sleep. If they fall down they need help getting up, isn't that a lot like us? In order to get a good night sleep they need to be free from fear, one small rodent could set them all off. If there is peace within the flock the sheep will rest well.
The sheep's body consists of 70% water, the Shepard needs to find clean water for them or they will drink dirty water and get very sick and even die.
If sheep are left to themselves they will follow the same path over and over, doesn't that sound familiar? They(we)need the Shepard to guide them(us). Our Shepard never leaves us! Even when we go through "dark valley's", He is there, all we have to do is feel or look for His presence.

That was an overview of what was writtena nd talked about and now I will start from verse 5 of Psalm 23.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
The summer ranges are where the Shepard leads His sheep and they are called "table lands". The Shepard will decide where the best of everything is for the sheep. The best grazing ranges, the best watering holes. "You prepare a table before me". The Shepard will also seek out the poisonous weeds because sheep will eat anything and the Shepard will keep the sheep safe. God prepares us and the way for us, He will always go before us and He prepares the way for us. We may not know, but God always knows. Do we realize Jesus prays for us? I didn't know that, He intercedes for us Romans 8:31-39. He is always beside us wherever we are at, He has been there and prepared the way for us, He has cleansed the water for us, pulled the weeds and prepared the "table". The Shepard watches for predators in the summer season. The predators know when the Shepard wander off and are "cast down" that is when they "pounce" on the sheep. God as our Shepard deals with our enemy when we don't even realize it. Psalm 23 consists of a full year of a sheep's life.
Oil, sulfur and tar, a handmade concoction that the Shepard makes and it is only used on the head of the sheep, reasons:
1-to protect from nose and nasal flies. Summer can be a type of torment from flies. Flies lay eggs in the nose of the sheep and can cause great distress and even death. Once the oil is applied they become at peace. They know the oil protects them from these pests. Oil is indicative of the Holy Spirit throughout the bible. John 16, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit. The need of the oil of the Holy Spirit to anoint us, the head area is the place of most trouble, our minds bring the stumbling blocks. The anointing brings peace, rest and contentment. Wash with the oil daily, allow the Holy Spirit to wash over our minds, it's a daily wash!
2-Protects them from contagious diseases, "scab" disease highly contagious, irritating and can be deadly. As most Christians, the contamination comes through our minds. Philippians 4:8, this is what we are suppose to think on. Another reason we need the Holy Spirit to wash over our minds is, internet, TV, movies, news and so on leads to contaminating our minds.
3-To protect sheep from one another. As summer moves to autumn changes happen in the sheep. Season of mating, great battles ensue between Ewes and Rams. Rams butt heads to gain favor of the Ewes. The anointing of the oil once again, the Shepard slathers their head with the oil so they slide off one another. God also protects us from each other. The bible makes it very clear that wee are to love one another. We need to love all. Love people but not condone sin. The oil of the Holy Spirit anoints us and prevents us from hurting each other and causes us to love. God anoints His people.

Will continue with verse 6 in a few days, I promise not to drop the ball again!!!