Good morning. I�m still waking up, so forgive me if I�m a little slow. Went to bed at 4a, tossed and turned for a while. I really do need to go to bed earlier. I should try going to bed by midnight. Then I�d be able to get up at 6 like I�m supposed to. *shrugs* I�ll get my act together soon.

My Father, good morning. Thank you for giving me another wonderful day of life. Your mercy is truly amazing and I thank you for it. �Glory and honor, power and strength to the Lord. We sing Glory and Honor, power and strength to the Lord.� Awesome lyrics. You are such an awesome God. Thank you.

I call on you, Father, to inspire me in your word today. Show me what you want me to know. Lead me in Study and give me the interpretation which is appropriate for me today. Open my Bible and inspire me, Lord. I want to read what you want me to know. I seek your knowledge. I seek understanding of your words. Inspire me, Father.

Proverbs 28

Ezekiel 13

Hmmm. This chapter reminds me of both myself and Sister. It is a warning against false prophets. I�ve found myself thinking that I have some prophetic gift. I don�t often talk about it, because I don�t get the message to tell a bunch of people what to do, but there are times when I feel like I�ve had a dream or an idea or written something that is prophetic. This is extremely rare with me, but there have been times.

I remember believing that I was going to win the lottery (hey, don�t laugh). I still have the feeling that I will, but when I spoke about it, I put a qualifier on there; I said I was going to win it by February or March this year. Well, that didn�t happen, obviously.

I�m thinking that, like this chapter, the whole false prophet thing may have kicked in � meaning that I may well have just created that prophecy from thin air. Though I still have the feeling that I will win the lottery, I don�t have the feeling that it�s God telling me I will. And, to be honest, I didn�t really believe it was God telling me previously. I was hoping, rather than believing. And, I didn�t buy lottery tickets every time, so that would kind of eliminate the whole winning thing. *chuckles*

There have been a few instances where I would write something. Specifically I�m thinking about after Duncan and I split. I wrote a story, in my anger and frustration, in which Duncan and the woman he chose over me split up and I got to watch her come undone. Now, they have broken up, but not the way I wrote and I have begun a tenuous friendship with Duncan, but it�s not anything earth shattering or surprising. We go for long periods of time without speaking at all.

The point, I suppose, is that just because I wrote about it and thought it was prophetic, doesn�t mean it really was prophetic � of God. It�s entirely possible that I was simply writing out my fantasy � the original idea � and situations happened which most loosely mirrored my desire.

I don�t believe I am a Prophet and I don�t believe that God has called me to prophesy to His people, but I do believe that when I write something, it could well come true. I�ve seen evidence of this a time or two. The events don�t always play out exactly the way I write them, and they rarely involve anyone other than me, but I�ve written myself into a new person a time or two. Not so much prophetic as an example of positive thinking, I suppose.

Sister on the other hand often talks about her prophetic dreams. Mom and I have recently had a discussion on this matter � with Sister � where we wondered how we were supposed to know whether or not Sister�s dreams were truly prophetic or just creations of her fantasy. (Actually, Mom had the conversation with Sister, I was being the interpreter. But Mom and I talked about it after the fact, between ourselves.)

There are two major conclusions I�ve come to in regard to Sister�s prophetic dreams. First of all, as I explained to Mom during the conversation with Sister, Mom simply can�t know if Sister�s dreams are truly prophetic or not and since they are for Sister alone, it doesn�t much matter anyway. Mom will have to take on faith that Sister has had communication from God through her dreams. One doesn�t get proof that someone else�s instructions are actually from God � they either accept it on faith or let it go.

===This is specific to Sister and Mom because Mom is doing the Jewish Mother thing of frequently suggesting ways in which Sister could interact with a possible husband. *chuckles* Mom�s desire is that both Sister and I get married. For me, I can shrug off her insistence, because I�m not really ready� there are steps I want to complete before committing to another person. Sister on the other hand has been loudly and frequently vocal in her desire for another husband. Thus Mom wants to help, via her experience and understanding, in Sister�s attaining a husband.===

(That didn�t come out clearly, but I�m still sleep fogged and not exactly sure how I want to say it. There are dynamics I can�t quite explain, either because they will offend/insult other parties, or because I have no idea how to put them into words. So, just nod and move along)

Anyway, when Mom and I discussed the situation further � the conversation about Sister�s prophetic dreams and all � I realized something. Perhaps this was inspired, perhaps not. I choose to believe it was inspired. Anyway, I realized that in my world, if someone were honestly receiving prophetic inspiration and living by the instructions, as Sister claims, then they would be at peace. This may not be true for everyone, but it makes sense to me. I personally believe that if you�re doing what God has told you to do, you will have an internal peace, an internal calm, a sense of rightness with the world.

It is strictly my opinion that because Sister does not exhibit peace, calm or a sense of rightness, that she is either not receiving prophetic communication from God and/or is not truly living by said communication from God. This is my opinion. I have not asked God if I�m write in my opinion because I don�t care enough. Personally, it�s Sister�s life. If she wants to believe that God is talking to her through her dreams, then so be it. Were it me receiving the dreams she has received, I would think differently.

An example: A few years ago I had a dream in which John Cusak drove me to Church in my Mother�s car. We had conversation and it was a wonderful and refreshing dream. I personally think it was just a dream � fun and enjoyable, but with no prophetic portent. Had Sister experienced this dream, she would most probably claim that it was prophetic and meant that John Cusak, or someone who looked exactly like him, was going to introduce her to a church in which she would find everything she�s been missing in her life. Atop that, she would say that it meant God was telling her this, and that she would develop a romantic relationship with John Cusak (or the look-a-like).

Personally, I think it�s Sister�s Borderline Personality talking when she interprets her dreams. BUT, who am I to say that it isn�t God communicating with her? It�s not my job to say whether or not God gives her prophetic dreams. It is not my job to tell her she�s wrong. God will deal with Sister in the way He thinks is best. It�s my job to love her and enjoy her company and NOT limit her abilities or beliefs.

As I�ve said to her on numerous occasions, she is not my responsibility. She is God�s responsibility and He is far more qualified to deal with and instruct her than am I.

As an addendum, if Sister were saying that her prophetic dreams should be applied to my life, I would question them openly. Since she dreams for herself � receives prophecy for herself � it doesn�t apply to me, thus I can have the �whatever you want to believe is cool with me� approach. She does not and has not ever said that her dreams meant I was supposed to do or not do something. She has never said her instructions were for someone else. I would probably be more concerned if she were trying to tell other people that God told her to tell them what to do. She doesn�t do that though.

The end of the chapter is about mediums and palm readers and such. I�ve not read this before, but it�s interesting to read what God thinks about those who claim prophetic ability without actually having any, and what He will do about them. One name comes to mind here� Miss Cleo. Nuff Said.

Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah asks God why the wicked people prosper and the nice ones are hunted and uncomfortable. Then, God says that first off, we don�t understand His plan (verse 5) and we should not try to second guess God. He then goes on to say that in time, He will destroy the wicked who refuse to repent and turn to Him.

This reminds me muchly of those people who believe that nice guys finish last. I have thought this on occasion � a lot when I was younger, not so much now. Sometimes good things happen to bad people. It is not for me to know what God�s plan for them is. It is for me to keep my eyes on MY responsibility and let God take care of the rest.

When I was younger, I had a real problem with this. I wanted everyone to be nice. I wanted everyone to get along and I wanted everyone who was good to be rewarded and everyone who was bad to be punished. I don�t feel that way anymore. I want ME to be rewarded. *grins*

Seriously, though, I want people to get along whenever they can but I don�t want everything to be nice all the time because I don�t feel I have the right to wish control over someone else. I would like no fighting in this world, but I fully recognize the need for fighting sometimes. I would prefer that there was never another war as long as I lived, but sometimes war is necessary.

War is a form of correction� a spanking. Sometimes it is necessary to be punished. I don�t like being punished, but sometimes there is no way around it. I am of the opinion that if one listens to � and responds to � the first correction, there is no need for spanking. That�s my belief. You can choose to believe it or not as is your wont.

I don�t know, sometimes you just have to let go and let God take care of it. I suppose that�s largely why I have my philosophy on religion / spirituality. Don�t force your beliefs on me and we�ll be fine. I believe what I do because it works for me. I assume that you believe what you do because it works for you. More power to you. If I�m wrong, God will tell me. I assume that if you�re wrong, God will tell you. It�s not my job to tell you whether or not you�re doing it right.

So, enjoy your day.