  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: Puditat  
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Spiritual: relating to the spirit or soul and not to physical matter; intangible. Collins Dictionary and Thesaurus
This newsletter explores ideas of the spiritual nature that exists in each and every one of us in an open and non-judgemental manner.
Each editor brings to the newsletter their own backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and opinions. Whether you disagree, agree, doubt or applaud the views expressed, let us all show respect to each other. Together we can learn something about the many varied aspects of the spiritual self and enjoy our differences in true meaning of the Spirit of Community.
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Hearing From God
The subject for this issue has been simmering within me for several days. I hope that those who practice other faiths may find it informative.
When someone talks about 'hearing from someone' they are usually talking about a direct and personal message, whether it be verbal or in written format. One thing I strike among 'baby Christians' is confusion over how to hear from God. Most of us would love to hear that audible voice of God speak to us, but in reality that happens very seldom, and with few people. God definitely speaks to us in a very personal way, despite it not usually being an audible voice. So how do we hear from God?
When we believe in Christ as the Saviour through whom we have been forgiven all our sins, and receive baptism in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit becomes our indwelling, ever-present, and direct connection with God.
1. Through Scripture
Reading the Bible allows God to reveal messages to us through His word. When I mean read, it is not merely gobbling up words and moving on to the next chapter, but thinking on the words, munching them slowly and digesting every last ounce of truth and practical application you can. Dwelling on His word is healthy for our spiritual lives and keeps us more even-keeled, but it is also a lot more personal. God quickens specific words to us as we read. He can drop a sudden revelation in our hearts about a few words or a whole passage. We may have read it twenty times previously, but God can show us something special and relevant to you right then.
These terms I've used - quicken and revelation - are 'Christianese'. They both relate to the feeling and knowledge of when God is revealing a truth to you. It can be accompanied by a flutter in your heart, a feeling of excitement or deep sense of wonder, but it always brings a knowledge of a deeper truth. In my experience it is an unmistakeable knowing that God has 'spoken' something to you out of what you were reading. These feelings, when born from God, are delivered by the Holy Spirit, and not of our own making.
2. Through Worship
Whenever we praise and worship God - through singing, speaking in tongues, dancing to Him, etc - we enter into a private adoration of Him and we enter into His presence. If you want to meet with God, then start praising His name! This meeting allows for God to speak to us. Sometime during that praise and worship we must take time to be silent, waiting and listening for what God might want to say to us. Again through a quickening, God will 'speak'. Not audibly, at least not in my experience, but spirit to spirit. When God gives me something which needs to be shared amongst others I get a sensation kind of like butterflies, but not exactly. I know that it must be brought forth for the benefit of others, and the feeling will not dissipate until I have done so. Other times it is like a private smile and I know that God's told me something special, just for me.
3. Through Other People
This could be a whole topic itself. There are many ways, but the main ones are:
Words of Knowledge - a person speaking out something about what you're going through or something in your life that they had no way of knowing beforehand.
Prophecy - a promise from God of something that is going to happen, usually at some unspecified time in your life. Not all prophecies may eventuate, and must be tested against Scripture, through confirmation from other sources, and by time.
Prayer - a person may pray over you in a way that was exactly what you needed, but which the person praying did not know about.
Visits/Letters/Words of Encouragement etc. - God will prompt people to do certain things, often without apparent reason or understanding of why. For example, I once felt a prompting in my spirit to phone a friend. In the natural I knew that was silly because this friend and her family were scheduled to fly out to another country the previous day. I discovered that they had to cancel the trip because she found she was pregnant and though thrilled by the pregnancy, they were devastated by having to abandon their plans to visit family abroad and the loss of a large sum of money from having to cancel flights etc. She needed a friend right then.
How do you know it was God?
Knowing that it was God speaking to you is perhaps the most difficult area to grasp. It is a question that we need to ask on each occasion - "Is this word from God?" This helps us to avoid counterfeit messages, or letting our own emotions or desires colour that which we want to hear.
The 'quickening', though accompanied by physical or emotional reactions, must be primarily witnessed in your spirit. If head knowledge or hype are the only things one feels, then I would look for confirmation that it was from God and not some imagination of our own creating. Confirmation can be gained through reading Scripture to see if God's Word supports what we 'heard'. Hearing the same message from other sources is a great confirmation, and God will often provide a message three times in three different ways or situations and from different individuals each time.
Another way that you may be able to tell is the peace that accompanies the revelation. When a word is from God, there is always peace that accompanies it, even when that message is that you need to get an issue sorted out. Even in the midst of heartbreak, God's peace holds you. If the revelation was positive, this peace will cause a joy beyond what is natural, and is often unexplainable, except by the power of His love.
My husband and I have a dream - a dream so grandiose and ridiculously impossible by human standards that we can't believe it will ever happen, and yet we do believe, very strongly. Whenever we think about it there is such a palpable excitement and anticipation that we can hardly contain ourselves. The dream has shape, purpose, and very specific details as if it were already a fact. One day I hope to be able to share the complete testimony of this dream, for I wholeheartedly believe this is a dream implanted by God and that He will fulfill it.
Till next time:
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This first item has much in it that I do not agree with, particularly so-called 'global wamring'. However, it does make some vital points - that we do need to consider things around us and how we impact them.
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Wow! What a response to my previous issue. I was certainly not expecting the quantity of feedback, and I thank all of you for taking the time to send me your opinions and support.
I just want to make a blanket explanation to something I mentioned in the last newsletter, but failed to adequately expound upon.
The "antismacking law" is not the real name, but a name by which every New Zealander knows the "Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act". This Act removes the right of a parent to use a smack to discipline their child. Smacking is now a criminal offence, although the police do have a certain amount of discretion in whether they take the case to prosecution. It gives children the right to call the police on their parents and report them for smacking - and this has happened more than once since the law came into effect. Although I disagree with the law, my point was actually to the way the government ignored the wishes of its people. The population was heavily weighted against the law.
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 I was heartened to read your editorial in this newsletter. Too many of us seem to be totally unconscious of the size of the footprint we leave on our planet. Would that more would become "aware" but I guess there are too few spreading the word.
Jaye P. Marshall 
I agree too few are thinking about the issues, or thinking and failing to act. Part of that is down to our lifestyles. We are busy trying to earn a living just to get enough food on the table for our children, or to get the latest gadgets or go on that dream holiday that we lose the opportunity to weigh in on larger issues affecting mankind.
Puditat -
What you have captured so succinctly are truly the 'Signs of the Times' to quote Charles dickens -"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" For more than a generation we have stopped asking questions, have been accepting what the media and gov'nt feed us, and this is the result. Question everything, time for change ... Thanks for your insights.
peteranthony
You're very welcome. I wonder when exactly we stopped being an inquisitive people and just started 'going with the flow'?
hi, puditat--
a stirring newsletter, and a call to responsibility. i need to do more!
my biggest issue (among many  ) is animal rights.
locally, i've adopted my dogs and cats from shelters over the years, volunteered at animal shelters, and done my best to donate needed supplies (blankets, food, etc), as well as spent time with the animals waiting for adoption. so much needless suffering, and so easily prevented--my already soft spot turns to goo when i think about how some animals are treated, and how much love they have to give.
internationally, i haven't done anything beyond watch for news stories and pass along the word to anyone who'll listen. 
thank you for this newsletter--i feel inspired to do better. 
"A nation can be judged by how it treats its animals." -Gandhi
Lauriemariepea
I so agree with the quote, but I would add, 'by the way it treats its underprivileged'. We all need to have a more community-minded focus. At the same time we need not feel guilty about what we are already doing for the community. Condemnation for not doing anything or not doing enough is less than helpful. Change is they key. Unfortunately it is the people who do help that often feel the most guilty because they would like to do more, while the ignorant remain happily unconcerned - until something directly affects their status quo.
The issue of governance especially in Kenya-Africa is a great problem. Politicians are always at loggerheads. Their glib talk varies according to which side of the coin they are- the government or the opposition. Their selfish ambitions for power, wealth and influence have made them to pay lip service to the important needs of their country. They desperately hold onto power even as the economy is brought to its knees by their policies or when citizens obliterate each other in the form of ethnic cleansing. The dark cloud hovering over Africa remains a Herculean task for us. The developed countries don't make it any better. May God be with us.
bettraymond
Africa is a prime, highly visible example, in many of its nations, where political regimes act only on their own agendas and where the difference between rich and poor is grossly polarised. My heart certainly lies with many of Africa's children, not just in areas of famine and disease, but in areas of oppression, abuse, and exploitation.
Hello Puditat,
You sure have been
a busy bee,for me to thank
for all the efforts
you have related to-
Issues of nature.
Fatherless children.
I thank you for that and herewith the links to a poem and a story, that reflect my feelings.
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in kindness
embe
Thank you for the lovely feedback and the links.
Regarding "What does it matter?" I firmly believe that in the final analysis, what matters is what you end up thinking about yourself. If you see something to be done and you can do it, but don't, finally you will lower your assessment of yourself. It matters less what others think than whether you are satisfied with your own thoughts and actions.
Zeke 
I agree, to a point. However, many people are quite satisfied with their actions of seeing to their family's own needs, or feel quite noble in donating their spare change to the homeless man on the street - both worthy, but not enough. For them, their conscience is satisfied, and they ride the world's tides without ever stopping to wonder if there's more. At the end of the day, if all we're doing is caring about our own self-assessment, then what exactly is going to keep this world functioning healthily (although I believe it is already far from healthy)? We do not live in isolation but each of our actions or inactions is directly relevant to the wider world.
Puditat, a great newsletter. As a fellow kiwi this touched a nerve with me. There are too many people who think 'I'm only one person, I can't change anything'
Recently there was a news article on the television about a small group of people living in a cul de sac who had planted surveillance cameras to catch boy racers who frequented the neighbourhood. Because of this the police were able to make six arrests and impound the cars. What a great message this sends to other offenders. They're now looking at doing this to catch taggers in Christchurch. I believe more people need to sit up and take notice, we can make a difference with issues we feel strongly about if we pull together and do something about it.
Helen McNicol
I love to see a community work together to effect a change in a problem. This is how it should work. Yes, it is the police's job to do some of these things, but there simply are not enough - it is impossible to have a cop on every street corner, let alone two - for safety's sake. I would love to see more communities making an impact in their own neighbourhoods to start bringing a change in actions vs consequence, right vs wrong. I go all dreamy thinking of what a world that might just bring about. I love hearing from a fellow New Zealander! 
Dear Puditat,
We all get on a soapbox sometimes. At least you are lucky to have a forum. I agree with all your observations and reactions. But what, pray tell, is an "anti-smacking law?" "Smacking" in the U.S. means to hit someone with an open hand, on the bum or across the face.
Sincerely,
Pen Name
Sorry for the confusion. I hope the explanation I provided above helps. Thank you for the feedback.
What is the antismacking law? Does that mean hitting? You were talking about houses, but I can't imagine people going around socking their houses (or even neighbors' houses.)
The article was about New Zealand, but all of this applies to California, U.S.A. except that we don't measure cheese in kilos (and I can't remember the equivalency to pounds.) Oh, and we may be crazy but we don't smack our houses, yet. LOL
Great tyrade. Especially the part about parents not seeming to care about the kids' conduct. When I explain to the parents of a student that the child's conduct was such and such and needs to stop, they just shrug and say, "I tell him not to do that, but he still does it. I just don't know what to do." (Or they just shrug with no comment.)
I thought I was just being an old fuddly to compare then and now. Sigh.
Smiles,
shaara
Shaara, you made me laugh.  I hope that the explanation above helps sort out my ramblings. To do a little conversion for you, the cheese price is equivalent to $5.22 US per pound. In January our butter prices increased by 85% and cheese by 63%. Last month there was a further 14% increase, with prices expected to rise again.
I understand your comments about the students and the parent's reactions. My husband and I have experienced similar reactions with the youth group we run on a Friday night. After a particular nasty few weeks of a 14 year old boy deliberately peeing in the waste paper basket his parents said "he's just doing what boys do". 
Bless you, Puditat ! Your last newsletter was so informative about the world situation. Leave it alone for a bit, and think on what you might consider practicum. Good advice. I loved your spiritual inclusion of the "fatherless" and "the widow". I am always looking out for the welfare of my recently widowed sister-in-law.
VictoriaMcCullough
Can you imagine if every person looked out for the welfare of one single child or widow? I think we would see some amazing changes! This is very much a fatherless generation. Solo mothers try their best, but they are simply not 'fathers'. A lack of suitable male role models further increases this problem.
America's big problems are gas prices and the housing market. Gas prices are soaring out of control and it's causing the price of everything else (groceries, public transportation and even postage) to go up as well. And politics - it's election year. I won't even get into that.
faithjourney
Indeed, many problems are common throughout the world, such as oil prices and the side-effects that has on so many facets of day-to-day living. The political arena, from where I stand, seems too focused on matters vastly removed from the basic survival of their people.
Hey - Kiwiangel,
It is good to know that at least things are consistent around the world. In the US it is the same, maybe worse, because the majority of people just keep doing what they always did, and to me it seems they figure things will just get better - they always do - right? Well, both my parents grew up during the Great Depression, and you know what, that only ended with a world war ... hmmm .... about 150 million people dead, then things got better - what's up with that?
Life is for learning, but so many insist on learning the hard way. Since I don't know you well, I can only offer my own views, and hope at least you see it as a little more than just conjecture.
Long ago there was a land called Atlantis (what we call it anyway) was it just a myth? Regardless of the facts, even if we were to understand its lessons, even as myths ... we would change our ways now!
Another issue is that many have resigned themselves to the second coming, and they are just figuring Jesus will come out of the clouds and make it all better ... that would be nice, but I'm not counting on that ... (we are heading towards him rather than vice versa)
Fear is what we are being sold, the war on terrorism is the best example. I in no way condone my governments invasion of any sovereign nation. The United Nations has become as toothless as the League of Nations was. It is simply a feel good affront to humanities sensibilities.
The person who wrote that he is living with depression is no doubt watching too much TV. The media wants people in fear, the drug companies want you taking their drugs. That is what the masses are good for - making the minority rich. Very few considered WWII and all the deaths to be a holocaust, just the camps ... remember Stalin killed 26 million of his own people, the whole thing is just horrible, the thought atmosphere of the world at that time had to have been a horror to see.
Thought is the answer - we can no longer change the world with protests, we have to change the way we think, if we don't we are doomed like all the rest. Your heart and mind are in the right place, so continue to grow. Watch for the signs, they are everywhere, and listen to your intuition, it will tell you when the time is nigh ... Then and there will those who have prepared for it usher in not the new world order - but The New Earth .
Peace be with you always,
peteranthony
It is scary to think that, as foretold in the Bible, things are only going to get worse on this earth as we ever-near Christ's second coming. Some people use that as an excuse - "well, it's supposed to get bad, right?" There is no excuse for rolling over and letting evil happen or to let society silently decay without an objection. We must all fight to bring life and sense to this world! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. 
In your newsletter "What Does It Matter" I would like to say; " Thank you, I couldn't agree more!"
diana
Thank you!
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Spiritual: June 11, 2008 Issue [#2440]
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