Mankind, even in the Church, is full of people with different perspectives; different answers to the issues involving our mind and body. What is truth? What is deception? Are we supposed to multi-task; presume that we know all the answers; or live and let live?
What would the first and second century martyrs have to tell us about the psychology of dying under the latest fad of slow torture. How do methods of slowly destroying the body compare with modern study of slowly destroying the mind, while leaving life in the body?
What are the answers that will solve the problems of life, death and everything inbetween? ...or are we to accept whatever is dished out to us as our lot in life, lived without question?
The bottom line to me and for me; I do believe that we are from the same generation; is the real, true, answers in man's experiences, inventions, drugs, the sciences? ...or in knowing, for real, the mind of Christ and the heart of God? Satan convinced the woman in Genesis that God was deceiving them and that the partaking of the forbidden would not cause them to die, but would make them like the gods.
God chose a different road for me, as a teenager, than the road that you traveled. I was attending a very small Wesleyan College when I had to make the decision of my military registration. I went with the Student Deferment since I was in college.
In Bible all of my tests were A's yet I received an F one semester because of my poor attendance record. I also was offered to try a free sample of LSD by a fellow student on the campus. During this time Nixon introduced the lottery draft. I was so disgusted at the hypocrisy that I saw, at that college, that I felt to change my draft deferment from S-1 to A-1 and let God decide where He wanted me. I was never called into the military, but left that college.
That is the way that I have lived my life, learning to hear and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
When I try to share that with others a problem arises, Most people have different perspectives or ideas as to what "following the Holy Spirit" means. The possibilities are many and varied, depending on background and experiences. From a normal human perspective, each individual believes that their way is "Truth", even when some of the ways may be totally opposite of another's perspective of "Truth".
I did not grow up as a militant, like King David, so I do not feel as though I must prove or defend any of my perspective of life and the answers to life. I can not hope to convince a person trained in the ways of Louis Pasteur, who wants to kill all bacteria, both good and bad, in the human body, in order to bring healing, that Pasteur's methods are not the best.
For some reason, known only to them, they do not see or understand that God designed the body to fight disease and heal the body from the results of attacks. The, maybe, over simplified solution is to find out why evil has the upper hand and then to stop doing what is wrong, or what is feeding the wrong.
This can also be applied to the spirit of man. If people would surrender their minds totally to the influence of the divine, not being conformed to the world's way. The mind of Christ, which we can have, will immediately kill any evil thoughts that the enemy would plant in the mind.
Most people do not want to eat, what they know in there hearts, is good for them. They choose to eat junk that weakens the immune system and take drugs that give a false, temporary fix to one problem, while causing bad side effects.
So most people could not imagine living without the news, weather, social media, and other conformity to the world; walking through the swamp, if you will. While the Kings Holy Highway, which is toll free, appears to be boring with its straight and narrow appearance. There seems to be no reasonable comparison to the adventure and the pleasures of the broad swamp road with all the variety of people to meet and share with.
I do not send any ministry away from my door as they come believing that they have found the answer and wanting to share their idea of 'truth,' that they have found, with me.
I listen, ask questions and share what the Holy Spirit is teaching me. They either listen or say that they need to be leaving.
It is sad, when one really comes to realize the fact, that there are so many, seemingly, good perspectives to the Bible, its purpose and function in the lives of humanity.
What is the Truth and how do we find it? Studying the Bible and Commentaries? Studying the philosophies of man and using what works for each individual? ...or could it be by totally rejecting the world's way in order to hear, learn and understand God's way? Personally I see multiple perspectives and a lot of presumption mixed with deception as people pursue some form of the world's good life; even the humanist's form of Godliness without the supernatural power.
If you seek the Lord with "ALL" your heart, body, soul and mind; rejecting all of the ways of the world, even the 'love' of life itself, you will find Truth and real life!
Even as I write this I see the different twists and perspectives that readers can have and I am sure will take on what I have posted. I can not reveal Truth! Only the Holy Spirit can reveal Truth, giving the wisdom and ability to walk in that Truth!
What is a cow? How do I identify a cow? Man can make some pretty good imitations.
What is human? Will you be able to identify the androids from real humans in 20 years?
What is clean? Using anti-bacterial products all the time?
What is safe? Living by faith in seat-belts, airbags, or a padded house?
What am I and how do I know? I know what I am by the fruit that my life produces when I am suddenly and unexpectedly squeezed. Do people who 'eat my lunch' like the taste? What I do and meditate on when I think that no one will know or see. Etc,
Jesus taught that a good tree can 'only' produce good fruit. A bad tree can 'only' produce bad fruit. That is rather black and white for me. It does not allow for multiple perspectives in my life.
The giants look just as big to me as they do to anyone else! The waves and storms just as threatening as they looked to the disciples.
The issue is, "Do I believe that when God says to move that He will show and/or provide the way, as I trust and obey?" Do I believe the 10 spies that said the giants are to big for us, or the two that said with God we can conquer.
Every man is right in his own eyes, but God knows the heart and weighs the motives. The Revelation says that we will all have to answer for what we have done.
May all know, by experience and fruit, what it is to be grafted into the vine, the Temple of God, to have the Kingdom of God upon you.