Ingenious Trap

 

Ingenious Trap

Strong's Greek: 454. ἄνοια (anoia) -- Foolishness, …

From a compound of a (as a negative particle) and nous; stupidity; by implication, rage -- folly, madness.[i]

INGENIOUS - Translation in Greek - bab.la[ii]

Strong's Greek: 3803. παγίς (pagis) -- Snare, trap - Bible Hub

The term conveyed by Strong’s Greek 3803 paints the picture of a hidden device laid to catch the unwary. Across its five New Testament occurrences, the Spirit employs the image to expose …[iii]

Ingenious act: Learn the meaning of ingenious, an adjective that describes someone or something that is very clever or inventive. Find synonyms, antonyms, example sentences, word history, and related …[iv]

          The enemy of our souls sets up ingenious trap for all mankind. He hates humanity because humans were created in the image of God; (Ref. Gen.2). The Bible portrays Satan as a master deceiver and a counterfeiter of truth and comes as ‘an angel of light’.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light; 2 Cori. 11:13-14.

      He has great influence on the minds of many, who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience. He does anything in order to promote his kingdom of darkness, and his ministers and instruments do the very same.

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers are also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works; 2 Cori. 11:15.

        Today, his wiles and schemes are very influential. This is partly accelerated by internet, increased communication technology and found in all well established world systems. Religion, business, education, medicine, holistic healing and alternate health, self-help, arts, science, dance and most of all through media.

             The ‘Wiles of Satan’; wiles mean ‘ingenious trap’ or ‘snare’. The sad thing about this is; that his traps seem so real and convincing and very often even the elect fall a prey to it. One will not be able to detect the trap, because it is genuinely ingenious. Does this sound alarming?  

              Unless one is grounded in God’s word; anyone can fall a prey to his snares. One may think that his snares are only good ideas, godly, innovative and worthy to consider to move forward. This is a very cautious matter.

         The hurt one experiences, is not necessarily a bodily hurt, but a spiritual hurt. Spiritual hurt is worse,  a secret poisoning and infection in their souls. This is dangerous because this rob them of their purity, authenticity in Christ and their inner peace is tossed.

Strong's Greek: 5590. ψυχή (psuché) -- Soul, life, self, inner being

5590 psyxḗ (from psyxō, "to breathe, blow" which is the root of the English words "psyche," "psychology") – soul (psyche); a person's distinct identity (unique personhood), i.e. individual …[v]

       Heresy is a poison of one’s soul. This works slowly and secretly, but will be utter bitterness in the end. A dangerous example: many new translations in Bible, in today’s society/world. This in-fact helps the ‘ingenious trap’ and its momentum to greater heights. We have to remember that originally Bible was scripted mostly in Hebrew and Greek.

He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person; Prov. 24: 8.

 “Hebrew, a master of mischief. The sense is, Though he cover his wicked devices with fair pretences, and would be better esteemed, yet he shall be noted and branded with that infamy which is due to him.” (Poole)[vi]

          For ingenious trap to succeed, to be very effective and influential ‘Satan’ has to come as ‘an angel of light’.

Satan said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Isa. 14:14.

           He did not say that he will be the Most High, but he would be like the Most High. But, here is the antidote for his ingenious trap: the enemy’s power was crushed at the foot of the cross, on The Calvary Mountain. This does counteract that particular poison orchestrated by his wiles and schemes.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death; Rev. 12: 11.

Food for thought from the Story of Daniel

       Daniel was an young Jewish man of noble lineage who became a great prophet of God. When King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, where he was chosen to serve in the royal court. In Babylon, the Hebrew youths are groomed for the civil service.

Calvin wrote that “Nebuchadnezzar knew that the Jews were a stiff-necked and obstinate people, and that he used the sumptuous food to soften up the captives.”

The ancient Hebrew word defile carries the thought of polluting or staining (see also Isaiah 59:3, Zephaniah 3:1, and Malachi 1:7).[vii]       

        Daniel decided that he might not defile himself. Refusing the food, and trying not to follow the patterns of Babylonians would have branded him as being uncooperative, and could have spoiled all chances of advancement. Because many other Hebrew youths did eat the food and followed the patterns for their advancement!

        Satan uses a similar strategy against believers today, wanting to indoctrinate us into the world system. He wants us to:  Identify (name) us in reference to the world; Feed us what the world offers; Educate us in the ways of the world. He also uses his people against God’s people.

The name Daniel (meaning God is my judge) was changed to Belteshazzar (meaning Bel’s prince).[viii]

       Daniel realized that his relationship with God touched every area of his life, including what he ate. Significantly, the root of sin goes back to eating forbidden food (Remember the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden!). In the process of scheming from the enemy of their soul, the ingenious trap did not work for Daniel and his friends. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to communicate to these young men, “look to me for everything.” Daniel and his friends refused, insisting that they would look to God.

 

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[i]https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=greek+word+for+folBible Hub https://biblehub.com › greek

[ii] bab.la https://en.bab.la › dictionary › english-greek › ingenious

Βρείτε όλες τις μεταφράσεις του ingenious στο Ελληνικά όπως δαιμόνιος, μεγαλοφυής, πολυμήχανος και πολλές άλλες.

[iii]https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=ingenious+trap+in+Greek+words

[iv] Merriam Websterhttps://www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › ingenious

INGENIOUS Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

[v]https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=soul+in+Greek

[vi] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/proverbs-24/

[vii] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/daniel-1/

[viii] I.Bid.; enduringword.com

With the Voice of Singing- Part 3

                                                 With the Voice of Singing- Part 3 

Come, let us praise the LORD! Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us! Let us come before him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise; Psa. 95:12; ESV. 

God is worthy of your praises. Songs are heart felt expression of our desires to God, and it is prayer!  With the addition of music to the words, it becomes a song….(la..la..la)… Singing allows you the chance to express how you feel about God. 

Simple Definition of song. : a short piece of music with words that are sung. : the act of singing. : a series of musical sounds that are produced by a bird or an animal (such as a whale)[i] 

Strong's Hebrew: 2170. זְמָרָא (zemar) -- Song, music

The noun זְמָר appears four times in Daniel 3 (verses 5, 7, 10, 15), each time in the phrase “all kinds of music.” The setting is the plain of Dura, where King Nebuchadnezzar erects a [ii]

           For Hebrews, music is primarily vocal and that is servant of the Word and it is very ideal to say expression from heart.

            For example: certain portions of their Scriptures like Magnificat, Lord’s Prayer, and Phil 2:5-11, are sung from very early times and it still exists. In the Old Testament days, Temple instruments were talked about and much less about tunes, and music. Saddening to know that after the destruction of the Temple Music was subdued.  

        Hymns presented the theology and were written to promote Orthodox values and Biblical ideas. Hymns in general were syllabic and that is one note per syllable. This  is not melismatic which has many notes per syllable. One syllable for one note is very interesting, and I was excited to see this in an Exhibition in Germany!

Hymn writing was natural in Greek culture, and Ephraim the Syrian, Hilary Poitiers, Jerome, and Ambrose are early Hymn writers. Spiritual songs are generally melismatic and that is having many notes per syllable, and jubilations are songs based on ‘Alleluia’.  Vocal music became central to the celebrations of Eucharist and Agape.[iii] 

Alleluia melodies became very popular during the time period and ‘church modes’ were catalogued and from the neumes of medieval notations, modern music notations were developed. The point I am making emphatically is that songs are indeed prayers and they flow out of our heart which is the seat of emotions. 

[ Testimony! My grand-daughter  5 years old….singing to God with her own words, making music of her own, from her heart for more than 20 minutes, allowing herself to sleep. It is all about God, His love for her, how God is her best, how she loves Him and with emotions…which can break any heart to tears! ….(recorded without her knowledge by her mother). The point is it comes naturally for humanity!] 

       Songs are inspirations of our heart and the words are formed, and it can be sung when one is happy or sad. There is a place for lament as well, and there is a Book called Lamentations in the Bible! When music is laid the words of our heart becomes a song.  In a corporate setting in a church we can raise our voices together in words or singing and this becomes prayer to God.

        Do you know that music is art and science together? There is a tremendous connection and goodness of music to our nervous system, and neuroscience authenticates it.

            In the early days usually voices did not accompany instruments; usually trumpets, and shofars are used to bring order in a public place and also to lead a procession.  Both for Hebrew music and also for pagan singing, harps were used to enhance worship. They used some other sweet stringed instruments as well. Churches and synagogues shunned the pagan, sensual music, and singing with one voice the Scriptures; and choirs became part of the worship later.    

       This applies to singing in other cultures too. It was very interesting to witness personally the singing of Solomon Islander’s in my recent visit. Very often they sang Scriptures, worship songs and hours of prayer were observed for different needs, even singing at the Lord’s Table seemed to be the norm.

Music and Neuroscience

[Music provides and provokes a response, which is universal, ingrained into our evolutionary development, and leads to marked changes in emotions and movement. Through music we can learn much about our human origins and the human brain.

      Music is a potential method of therapy and a means of accessing and stimulating specific cerebral circuits. There is also an association between musical creativity and psychopathology. Through music we learn much about our human origins and the human brain and have a potential method of therapy by accessing and stimulating specific cerebral circuits.

       Functional neuroimaging studies of music and emotion show that music perception engages emotion-related brain net works,  and that music can modulate activity in limbic and paralimbic brain structures such as the amygdala, NAcc, hypothalamus, hippocampus, insula, cingulate cortex and orbitofrontal cortex.][iv]

*NAcc, means nucleus  accumbens or formerly as the nucleus accumbens septi, (Latin for nucleus adjacent to the septum’)

But how does music affect our brain? 

Along with triggering a release of the feel-good hormone dopamine, science has shown that listening to music may boost our cognitive function, potentially relieve symptoms of anxiety and stress, and help us to stay focused. If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.[v]   

         Neuroscience points to the written word of God: we have the Book of Psalms, and mostly they are songs.

The psalms comprised the ancient hymnal of God's people. The poetry was often set to music—but not always. The psalms express the emotion of the individual poet to God or about God. Different types of psalms were written to communicate different feelings and thoughts regarding a psalmist's situation. Most individual psalms involve and symbolize the praise of God for His power and beneficence, for his creation of the world, and for his past acts of deliverance for Israel. They envision a world in which everyone and everything will praise God, and God in turn will hear their prayers and respond.[vi]

 

           Listening to gentle music has a calming effect on our nervous system, and on our souls! Praise and worship songs  before the sermon in churches has a calming effect on audience. I have known of surgeons who play gentle music in operating theaters. One of my client who plays his violin before his sessions. The common thread here is, they all said that music calms them before a major task!  

        The most important things is: We can discover the heart of God, as we sing along with the poet!  We begin to fathom, that God’s heart is for man and when he is on a stormy, rugged path. God is able to still the situation,  calm the storm and bring peace. This is so good for our soul. 

                                                              Keep on singing!

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[i] Song | Definition of Song by Merriam-Webster

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/song

Simple Definition of song. : a short piece of music with words that are sung. : the act of singing. : a series of musical sounds that are produced by a bird or an animal (such as a whale)

‎Folk Song - ‎Art Song - ‎Fight Song - ‎Part–song

[ii] The noun זְמָר appears four times in Daniel 3 (verses 5, 7, 10, 15), each time in the phrase “all kinds of music.” The setting is the plain of Dura, where King Nebuchadnezzar erects a 

[iii] Ephrem the Syrian - Wikipedia

Ephrem wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as prose exegesis. These were works of practical theology for the edification of the Church in troubled times. 

[iv] Music and the brain: the neuroscience ...National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC5618809

by M Trimble · 2017 · Cited by 111 — Through music we can learn much about our human origins and the human brain. Music is a potential method of therapy and a means of…

[v] How does music affect your brain? | Live Science.

[vi] Insight for Livinghttps://insight.org › resources › bible › the-wisdom-books

These encouraging emails are sent to your inbox seven days per week. The Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. Chuck Swindoll Sermons. Paws & Tales. Listener Favourites. Radio Theatre. Types: Sermons, Bible Studies, Paws & Tales.

Deception

                                                   

Deception 

 Visualization is it Biblical? 

          Deception is portrayed throughout the Bible as a tool used by the enemy to lead individuals and nations away from the truth of God. It is fundamentally opposed to the nature of God, who is described as the "God of truth" (Isaiah 65:16). Engaging in deception distances individuals from God and aligns them with the father of lies, Satan (John 8:44).[i] 

Strong's Greek: 539. ἀπάτη (apaté) -- Deception, deceit, delusion

Strong’s Greek 539 describes the spiritual and moral phenomenon of deception—an intentional leading astray that blinds the heart to truth and thus opposes the redemptive purposes of God.[ii]

           Deception is a very powerful destructive force and is warped in lies. This affects relationships, and spiritual lives of anyone who is caught up in the spiral of deception. A good example is, the Fall in Genesis 3, they were deceived. From Genesis to Revelation, Bible teaches us the importance of truth, and the harms that comes along with deceitful behavioural patterns in our lives.

Neuroscience reveals that deception is a complex behavior          involving various brain regions, cognitive processes, and evolutionary factors that 

shape how humans lie and interact socially. Deception is not merely a social behavior; it is deeply rooted in our brain's functioning. When we lie, several brain regions are activated, including: prefrontal Cortex; anterior cingulate cortex; and amygdala.^[iii]

 For the deception to be very effective and influential ‘Satan’ has to come as ‘an angel of light’ and we/one need  know and spot his claims and statements. Satan said,

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Isa 14:14. He did not say that he will be the Most High, but he would be like the Most High.

The original deception which occurred in the Garden of Eden is happening today.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” Gen 3:4-5.

If the enemy of our souls can blemish the reputation of the Divine Law, the commandments of God, as unreasonable and uncertain to humanity, he is on the road to victory in his manipulation and has succeeded.

Visualization (or visualisation), also known as graphics visualization, is any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message. Visualization through visual imagery has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas since the dawn of humanity.[iv]

απεικόνιση, οραματισμός, οπτική αναπαράσταση, νοερή απεικόνιση are the top translations of "visualization" into Greek. The act of visualizing, or something visualized. [..] computing: the visual representation of data [..] And here, you can actually see how visualization is being used.[v]

         Creative visualization refers to the practice of seeking to affect the outer world via changing one's thoughts. This is also the norm in psychotherapeutic solutions of feeling with people and their trauma in a nut-shell. In the process, the soul (intellectual property endowed from God) of the person gets further messed up. We shall discuss further on this later.

One of the first Americans to practice the technique of creative visualization was Wallace Wattles (1860–1911), who wrote The Science of Getting Rich. In this book, Wattles advocates creative visualization as the main technique for realizing one's goals; a practice that stems from the Hindu Monistic theory of the Universe that is subscribed to by the book.^[vi]

         Using clever and deceptive words, and manipulations anyone who has a world view away from the Bible, can blur moral issues and excuse their sin.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isa: 5:20-22.

“They flatter themselves by imagining that what is sin is not sin, or by some excuse or idle pretence they lessen its enormity. These, then, are cords, wicked ropes, by which they draw iniquity.” (Calvin)

“With vain and deceitful arguments and pretences, whereby sinners generally draw themselves to sin.” (Poole)

         The reason that Deception in any format  is wrong is simply because it takes the glory, devotion, trust and worship from the One who created us and it was given to man and the rebellious spirits who deceives men into self-glorification. Glory belongs to God alone who is wise.  

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly; Jn. 10: 10.

       The grace that does not change my/our life style, will not change my/our soul. Only the lover of our souls can supply in abundance the grace that we need.  Abundant life is with God the Father, through Lord Jesus Christ because He is the way the truth and the life. And only His Spirit will be able to guide and lead us in this path of truth. Every believer who has Christ’s Spirit abiding in them has a special Royal Privilege and calling to challenge the validity of the New Age message that ‘we are gods’!

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[i]https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=deception+biblically

[ii]Bible Hub https://biblehub.com › greek

https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=deception+Greek+w

[iii]https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=deception+and+neu

[iv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visualization_(graphics)

[v]https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=Greek+word+for+vi

[vi] Wallace Wattles - Wikipedia

Wallace Wattles was an American New Thought writer and a socialist activist. He is best known for his book The Science of Getting Rich, which explains his …