daily word - My Return

Dale Cresap's picture

I promised that I would return. My earliest followers expected me right away, but they were wrong. History has unfolded over many years. During this time my followers in every generation have tried to predict the time of my return, and all of them have been wrong. In addition it has caused needless divisions among my people. What would be a better way to respond to this promise? Does the certainty of my return add urgency to your life, since you don’t know how many days you have left?

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daily word - learn from life

Dale Cresap's picture

Has your understanding of me remained constant throughout your life? Do you study the Bible to refine your concept of me? What else provides you with such guidance? Have your life experiences shown you errors in the way you perceive me and made you revise the way you see me? Don’t be surprised if I come to you disguised as your life. If I do will you recognize that I am teaching you? What is the alternative? To think that you can figure it all out from books, even the Bible? The alternative to learning from your life is not to learn from your life.

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daily word - rituals

Dale Cresap's picture

Do rituals matter? When you pray does it matter whether you kneel or put your palms together, or even close your eyes? If prayer is a purely spiritual matter does your posture matter? I hear your prayers regardless of your physical presentation. Does it make it easier for you to pray if you assume the position? Everywhere you walk is holy ground but it is up to you to decide whether you will take off your shoes or not. Rituals are symbolic and symbolism is real. If some practice sharpens your focus and improves your spiritual awareness and devotion go ahead and go for it.

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The 4 Keys: Am I Doing It Wrong?

Mark Virkler's picture

Question from Megan Montgomery: Hi, in a vision can I visualize myself as a child or an adult? I usually visualize myself as a child. For some reason, I struggle to visualize myself as an adult. I use the visual prayer A Stroll Along the Sea of Galilee. I imagine myself as a child before it says you may turn into a young child. In most of my visions, I am a child. Also, how do I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus as I write? Sometimes my mind goes all over or the vision seems to move (ex: I am dancing with Jesus). I do not know if I am doing something wrong. I ask the Holy Spirit to make Jesus come alive also. 

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daily word - humanizing

Dale Cresap's picture

How do you conduct conversations about issues of substance? Do you divide the world into in-groups and out-groups, with in-groups being those that you belong to and out-groups being all others? Do you assign characteristics by group identification and broad scale judgments against those outside? This is dehumanizing, rejecting the uniqueness of every person. Is there an alternative? Would humanizing conversation recognize the value and unique dignity of every person? Would it be inclusive enough to include the love of your enemies? Can you engage in humanizing conversation?

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daily word - type of righteousness

Dale Cresap's picture

I said that unless your righteousness exceeded the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees you would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This was a shocking statement to my audience who saw these groups at the top of the hierarchy of religious practice. Was it meant to be discouraging and present an impossible standard? The righteousness of the Pharisees was self-righteousness, and they loved recognition. I told my followers to pray in secret and they would be rewarded openly.

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daily word - transformed

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you see the goal of your faith as an act of transformation? The Bible refers to being transformed by the renewing of your mind. You normally think of your mind in relation to education. Does that imply that transformation can be accomplished by education? Have you found that the most educated people are transformed? In scientific terms transformation is a quantum leap. You can no more achieve transformation by education than you can jump to the moon. Yet it is still possible. Transformation is accomplished by encounter with me.

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daily word - deep groans

Dale Cresap's picture

Are all of your prayers spoken? You can pray silently in your thoughts and I will hear them just as well, but speaking your prayers aloud may help you to remain engaged. Are there other alternatives? The Bible refers to groaning too deep to be uttered. Have you ever experienced this? Paul saw things in heaven that he said were not lawful to utter, or perhaps they were inexpressible. Is the essence of your being the sum of your thoughts, or is there a place of pure presence that transcends even that? Are you prepared to be silent in my presence to find out? I will meet you there. 

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daily word - My Return

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you have an end-time scenario? A timeline? Both of them are wrong. I promised to return and I will. Are you familiar with the disastrous history of predicting this event? This alone should make believers wary of trying again. Have you seen anything that causes more division between believers than differences over end-time scenarios? If your view of the end times isn’t making you a better person today then you can throw it out because it isn’t helping you. You should know better.

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daily word - emotional pain

Dale Cresap's picture

Have you ever been hurt? This is a universal human experience. Are you constantly feeling hurt? You know people whose emotional pain is constant, from an endless series of offenses. Woe unto the world because of offenses, and by those from whom the offenses come. But offenses require two parties, a giver and a receiver. Is it as bad to eagerly receive offenses as it is to give them? So if you are constantly being hurt, is it because of others, or because of you? Can you reduce the level of offenses in the world by reducing your own sensitivity to emotional pain?

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