Author: Ron Outland

I’ve looked at this chapter before as to how I would have met a woman I wanted to marry a few years ago, but long story short, she’s had a few boyfriends by now (she’s still with the third man she’s dated), so I’m not really sure what’s going to unfold. She was pretty happy that I wanted to marry her when I typed something on a Facebook post, so I said, “I’m the happiest man in the world!” But we still haven’t met, and obviously, she’s not single again, so I’m hoping for anything from Christ in the future. But the marriage thing isn’t why I’m writing this down. In fact, I don’t even wish to think about it right now. Besides, I want to get closer with Jesus. And this chapter is found in page 8 of my NKJV Bible, pages 10-11 of my NASB Bible (Old Testament), pages 17-18 of my VOICE copy, and pages 18-19 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.

This chapter is how I found out that sexual immoralities we could pull off sometimes don’t mean the one doing it is an unbeliever. Not that I want to do that, of course 😅 I just wish we did better with our bodies. But anyway, ten years went by after God had promised Abraham countless descendants, both of Israel and of Christ (Genesis 15:5, also Galatians 3:6-9) Despite that, he stood firm in the promise, but he was becoming uncertain it would happen… I think that’s why he was having sex with Hagar, the Egyptian servant girl he had. (It’s important to note that slavery was everywhere, but Abraham didn’t believe in that or condone it. I know I don’t.) Even with Hagar being pregnant, she got conceited and Sarai (Abraham’s wife) got mad and clamped down on her super-hard (talk about a cat-fight between two women in envy of each other; that’s not right, for 1 Corinthians 13:4 says love is not jealous, so neither were godly women; see 1 John 3:15 (for jealousy is hateful)) — all this began to make entire nations wrestling with Israel for generations, even to this day. Ishmael was simply the first of Abraham’s descendants to turn on his family, for we see across the Bible that they wanted to take many opportunities to humiliate them, but not all of them did, I don’t think. Too bad that Ishmael eventually had a descendant that founded the Islamic religion in 622 A.D. It’s pretty violent, if you ask me. But more of that later, probably in the next post. I do pray for all of them to become Christians, though, the descendants living today (they went to the land now called Saudi Arabia).

Also, before I began writing this post, I started thinking of the Sanctus Real song written nearly 15 years ago called “I’m Not Alright” — they’ve released an album with that song on it; you can watch a video among many online. They’ve released several albums, but they’re no longer making music today. I don’t remember why… but anyway, it got me thinking: did I not go anywhere because I was convinced that God wouldn’t move in my life again if I did, or if I didn’t? (I’m speaking of when I had moved into my mom’s house again five years ago, but I’ve since moved out; hopefully I never live with a parent or sibling again.) And if that were the case, why did I endure so much because of it? I miss when I could be openly confident in proclaiming Christ’s Name because I knew little to no abuse would happen by others. Maybe I couldn’t really do it because the sinister reality of extremist religion was unfolding, and now, five years later, I might be canned if I said anything spiritual, so that Christ might be put to death in the U.S. and in many parts of the world this time. (Disclaimer: I’m simply using an expression; I don’t believe Christ can die again (see Romans 6:9), but I am saying that there’d be no more believers left in the U.S. anymore, and likewise many parts of the world; we’d be in trouble if that happened, and knowing how successful evil can be, I pretty much have no chance in getting a fourth person saved at this point even though I pray my niece would become Christian.) Indeed, maybe I’m stuck not being able to say anything in or out of work because God knows that the reality that Amos 5:13 briefly summarizes can sometimes happen. I’m praying that one day the “Christian” terrorism is gone, but I can’t expect all of us to survive the onslaught of the ridiculous crusader mentality. For it’s not “convert or die,” it’s instead showing mercy to everyone. I think that’s where people think Christ is useless, which is a stupid assumption in my opinion. It is true that we can honor the past without looking backward, though. Too bad that the face of Christianity is not being recognized as Jesus; instead, the expression that calls itself godly is looking a lot like radical Islam. I fear that Jesus will never be recognized as the Centrepiece anymore, not now, not 20 years from now when my niece turns 21 (she turned a year and a half today; congratulations!) — not ever. If He doesn’t take His people up into the heavens soon, He’s not God. Remember the El Paso shooting that happen a week and a half ago, and another incident that was also occurring in Dayton, Ohio? They (and numerous other incidents like this that have happened in fairly recent times) all have one thing in common: worship of right-wing politics! We could be next on their hit list!

But even so, I really have enjoyed what Christ has done since 2014, even though several years have gone by since I last heard anything from Him about going to the Pacific/Asia area to get many people saved there, except maybe the billion-soul harvest in which a billion (or more) will be saved like simultaneously. Thank God nothing can stop this from happening, though 😇😇😇 I do wish the culture and the church weren’t working together (in some circles, at least) to eliminate every last godly man, woman, and child who didn’t submit to the extremism I talked about earlier, though. It reminds me of the 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 passage, actually. They follow the Pharisees in killing everyone who had even the slightest trace of wonder or curiosity, just as they had sentenced Him to death and later spread a deceptive rumor about faking His resurrection. It’s not as though Jesus didn’t rise again, for death couldn’t hold Him (Acts 2:24). And many people who might read this post would hate and thus reject Him and become more conceited than Hagar, even though they know all this! On the contrary, they (like the Babylonian king/regent Belshazzar in Daniel 5) have exalted themselves against God in heaven! Thus He will announce that they won’t make it to New Jerusalem. I don’t address anyone in particular; I just wish no one else would be killed because of Voldemort recruiting people to take over the world lest Christ actually gets a permanent death this time.

I hope you’re not discouraged by anything I’m saying today; I just wish I could get more people loving Christ and others as I do. I might actually hesitate on sharing this… but if you do read this, what are your prayers for today? Leave one in my e-mail: ron.outland4727@gmail.com! I’ll read each one and write them down, then stick them to my bedroom walls so I remember them! I’ll see you in the next chapter (the next few are quite diverse, but Isaac isn’t born until chapter 21). Ciao!

Here, we see God giving Abraham and his descendants (and their spouses, I guess) some lands we now know as Israel, which is interesting, but if you’ve read some of the other Old Testament books before, you’re probably wondering, “If God’s so good, why did He send the children of Abraham to kill everyone in the land?” First, I’m like, “What? That’s kind of a weird question,” and second, I don’t think God wanted any peoples eliminated. Besides, if Jesus later says that the Gospel will be preached to all peoples first, and only then the end will come (Matthew 24:14), doesn’t that mean if any people group has been eliminated before, there’s at least a disciple of Christ in each of them by now? But even so, genocide is NEVER God’s heart or will. Indeed, this passage is found in page 8 of my NKJV Bible, page 10 of my NASB Bible (Old Testament), page 17 of my VOICE copy, and pages 17-18 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.

I should also mention that in those days (and for a very long time after that), the tribes fought each other constantly. I’ll say this repeatedly throughout my notes in case you don’t forget 😊 — I believe it’s no human right to eliminate any people group for any reason. Remember that Revelation 11:18 warns that God will destroy those who destroy the earth… and people are artistic because God made each one, including the homosexuals. Indeed, to be “cheesy,” earth without art is just “eh” 😂😂😂 it’s not worth it for any other people group to be destroyed. I’ve read about the Edomites (some of Abraham’s descendants through Jacob’s twin, Esau, both of whom are two of his grandchildren through Issac, his son of the promise (spoiler alert!)) having no future, but I think Jesus meant salvation for them, too, even with Obadiah’s strong words throughout his 21-verse book (it appears right before Jonah). It’s a real shame that many people believe that they should exclude others for the sake of being godly. This was never in Jesus’ heart. Didn’t He keep running off to the despised people of His day? We should do the same thing if we’re truly His. Indeed, I’m actually convinced that although most of the nations in the Middle East have behaved quite maniacal and evil in the past (with exceptions, of course), the U.S. has become more evil than this, just as Israel had done with her neighbours in 2 Kings 21. No wonder God called for a removal of the people from that place (2 Kings 21:10-15). I’ve let you know beforehand, so don’t worry. I especially believe this because gun violence is not only worshiped, but embedded into the very fabric of the U.S. itself. Just think of a few things, will you? Sandy Hook (2012), Trayvon Martin (2012), the 2016 police brutalities, and more recently, last weekend’s El Paso shooting… they’ve all got one thing in common, guys: political intimidation! We could be next! [silence] But thank God that people can be saved anyway… although if this continues a while longer, we might not have salvations happen anymore. God will not stand for this.

Have any prayer requests? Drop them in my e-mail: ron.outland4727@gmail.com! I hope you’re not offended by my words, but this is important. But I’ll read each e-mail you send me, and then write the prayer requests on paper and tape them to my bedroom walls 😁 I’ll see you in the next chapter!

I must be honest, it’s been difficult for me to read many Bible passages without the temptation to enjoy the disgusting things the authors recorded (but didn’t delight in) many centuries ago. I wish I could fight off the demonic influence better! I’m describing this as, to the best of my knowledge, similar to a mixed martial arts match in which I’m outnumbered. Thank God He’s always around to fend off anything that had rebelled against Him under Lucifer’s rebellion (including the devil himself), but I need to find out more of how He does it. It’s true that angels encamp around each believer (Psalm 91:4), yet to discover what exactly anyone’s doing I can’t find out right now, for not only do I want to not be nosy, but also… I don’t enjoy anything that has incensed God in the past, particularly the slave trade Noah’s descendants had (re)established. For Jesus said that His return will happen similar to the flood in terms of a cultural climate (Matthew 24:37), and Revelation 13 tell us that slavery will still be around 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I wish I could end the enslavement across the entire planet! Yet due to these Scriptures, before it’s eliminated, the Tribulation will have already begun (read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 for some of the events prior to its beginning and how it will start). I’m just going to warn you right now; you’ll probably see me mention Revelation’s events a lot… I don’t know. But one thing I can say is that while people left and right are getting saved, Satan and his servants are building the Third Temple to usher in the antichrist’s rule so that he can have a religious center to deceive the Jews and others who have seen something biblical in the past, for he’ll declare himself to be God (see Daniel 11:36-39). I’m going to say, though, wouldn’t it be hilarious if I stood in the middle of that temple and I said, “I AM NOT GOD!!” 😂😂😂😂😂 That’d be crazy, don’t you think? But I’d enjoy every minute of this comedic timing 🤣🤣🤣 I’d hate to see anything satanic, though.

Anyway, I won’t say anything else about future events in this post (in the previous one, refer to where this passage is located) — I’m sorry if I’m a little late on when I’m doing this. I’ve just been freaking out about finances (I don’t want to mention any of them here, either), but at least I can get a better position in my Fry’s store 😇😇😇😇😇🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙏🏼👊🏼 (that one was a bro fist #poundit #dudeperfect — I wanted to give you the links to the hashtags on Instagram but decided not to because there’s some inappropriate posts people have made; I’m sorry) — Wow, I went off-topic… but anyway, the judgment that happens from God… that’s actually never happened before, for it’s not the case that any believer gets judged by Him (John 5:29). Indeed, God’s never been interested in punishment before, and He won’t start now. I wish people would mention the fact that Jesus said no one needs to go to Hell for any reason! Didn’t He die for everyone? Are the people who say otherwise really His disciples? But the iniquity I mentioned in the previous post, I think — I believe I’m just repeating the words I wrote because it’s just been two weeks, not that I believe a majority of people who come across this blog don’t want to believe in Christ, maybe I just need to remind myself — it won’t reach its full measure until the events of Joshua happen, several hundred years later, after this episode of Genesis occurs. But unfortunately, people are still trying to fill up the measure of their iniquity today. I don’t want to do this! But 1 Thessalonians 2:16 tells us that God’s wrath will come to them even though it’s no anger issue I imagine someone might say He’s got; it’s not even anger God would have! We see that in Isaiah 54:9-10, this grinds to a halt with Jesus’ death and resurrection until some unknown date in the future (to not scare you, I’ll finish this chapter shortly) — I’ve always believed God would delight in mercy to others… I guess not everyone wants to agree with me on this. For we still have many opposing the billion-soul harvest coming up not only to my generation, but to our children, and our children’s children… and so on. I think Satan’s scared of all of us. I’ve seen many 80s and 90s kids do amazing things, and year after year, they somehow manage to survive for themselves and perhaps even their aging parents who are fed up with them because they’re more compassionate and progressive, like how Jesus is, in fact. And that’s a huge reason why I want to emulate Him in everything. We were born for such a time as this, ladies and gents.

In the meantime, you might be wondering, “Why didn’t God free the Israelites in Egypt sooner? Doesn’t slavery offend Him? If so, why did He wait for hundreds of years?” Those are good questions. But I guess people have learned that iniquity offends God, and so that they can take advantage of Him, they do many good things to conceal their hypocritical character. As a result, we have systems all over the world that Jesus rejects, just as He had rejected the system the Pharisees had set up (see Matthew 23). He was pretty angry with them when He spoke those several woes! Yet He died so we could be free from that. I don’t know why anyone would still commit hypocrisies… shouldn’t they have learned from the Pharisees by this point? But I guess Satan has learned the axiom Jesus had spoken in Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much [privilege], much [responsibilities] will be required, and to whom they are entrusted with much [gifts], of him they will ask all the more” (NASB). Thus he knows he can’t interfere with anyone who loves Christ for too long, Satan hates it, but I’m glad Jesus blocked him out of many places by now! It’s similar to in the Harry Potter series when Voldemort learned that Harry’s mind was good so he could not control it and fled, explaining why Harry’s scar didn’t hurt throughout Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, both in the book and in the movie. But I think Satan has learned a few tricks since then. Have you noticed that there’s another large influx of gun violence and worship of politics in the world? It’s true that another election is coming, but even so, I don’t want to see any of this. I know there’s a highly charged atmosphere already, and ignoring it doesn’t seem to work anymore. If there’s no honest politician who can erase any greed left before next year’s election in early November that year, I’m afraid we’ll have a repeat of the previous one three years ago. Thank God you can simply unplug from this and enjoy Him anywhere, but with so much obsession of biased information, it’s actually pretty hard to do. But if I find it really hard to enjoy Him easily due to lack of strength against the demonic influence politics brings, I’d rather enjoy some Super Mario Maker 2 content online, and perhaps get a Nintendo Switch with a copy of the game (both made by Nintendo) myself, than listen to these. (Just a note: this blog is a hobby I enjoy doing, and I do not intend to promote any businesses unless explicitly mentioned as a recommendation to a friend or any family member, and even then, I do NOT have partnerships with that.)

Have any prayer requests? Drop ’em in my e-mail: ron.outland4727@gmail.com! I’ll read any that I see and write it down on a piece of paper (or maybe a sticky note or two) and post them on my bedroom wall! It won’t be long before I finish this chapter! (About time, am I right?)

First of all, I’m sorry I waited too long to give this to you, but it’s 11:55 p.m. somewhere in this world, like how it’ll be in Hawaii three hours from now. If you don’t read this before midnight tonight, don’t worry, you can blame me for watching Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) first. (We were going to get Alita: Battle Angel, but the DVD wasn’t released yet, so we rented Shazam! — but then Jonathan wanted to sleep, so I put in that Marvel movie instead of the other ones. I would’ve made a double feature for myself, but I wanted to write this. This was written before midnight on July 18th.)

Anyway, I’m here to give you a pretty important piece of information concerning the history of Israel, as we now see it, nearly 4,000 years later. Abraham has multiple descendants over the next three generations, and ten of them put their brother, Joseph, in the hole, sell him to slavery, and report him dead. (I’m like, “Eck! That’s really reprehensible!”) But over time, the land of Canaan suffers a famine, and Joseph liberates not only himself and his family, but everyone around him! (You can read chapters 37-50 for more details, as I won’t get to them now.) Then an evil king, who, unlike Joseph’s king in his day, enslaves the Hebrews, but then some crazy stuff happens… you can read from there through the end of Judges 16 for some more information (and on how Israel’s leadership system worked before David was born). But as for this passage, it’s found in page 8 of my NKJV Bible, page 10 of my NASB Bible, pages 16-17 of my VOICE copy, and page 17 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.

Most of these five verses explain Abraham’s family’s future briefly, though I added a few more details in that previous paragraph, but I once watched a video (I think it was by Perry Stone) in late 2012 after I had read this chapter when I was doing my first round of Bible notes (this and chapter one were the only chapters throughout the entire thing in which I never wrote notes for, but I did put one in the beginning, yet removed it later, as it wasn’t chronological) — I really don’t want to say it, but the man explained that based on verse 16 of this chapter, only when iniquity is full, judgment occurs. He had said the four levels were sin (missing the mark, which we all do daily though I want to do what’s right), trespass (sub-consciously going out of bounds when it comes to something we should do), transgression (violating something knowingly), and iniquity (not caring about wanting to do good but only taking pleasure in evil, and without the fear of God) — I really don’t want to say anything else about this, but these days, my heart is in great sorrow and in deep dismay, for right-wing politics is gaining too much ground, and I think those who promote those unforgivable ideas not only want to eliminate the good around them, but all across the world. Revelation 11:18 says that God will destroy those who destroy the earth, and I think that includes wiping off an entire species or ethnicity. Fortunately, though, God’s heart is not judgment. It’s not as though it has occurred yet, but there have been many episodes of retribution from Him in the past, most notably the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the absence of any life for nearly 1,900 years — between the Second Temple’s destruction in A.D. 70 by Titus and the Romans and when Israel was restored in 1948 as a result of the Nazi regime ending just three years before.

But even so, God’s heart has always been restoration, and I don’t want to preach fire and brimstone at all, even though we’re just a few chapters before the controversial Sodom and Gomorrah account. I’m going to warn you right now: it’s not because of homosexuality that those two cities and their neighbors got destroyed. It’s not as though we should freak out about any sexual sins as much as the unholy injustices occurring all over the world (though lust is a pretty scary thing, and as a result, I won’t go to any strip clubs; I hate them so much!)

I’m going to show some people this post over the next 12 days (I won’t do that with anyone I don’t know, but if you are reading this for the first time and don’t know me, that’s ok 😊 but I still am on the fence on making my website public), and hopefully, I get some good reactions. I pray people would respond to this with the reality that good prophesies can undo the bad stuff our nation’s caused for so long. I do believe still that the U.S. is the Babylon of the 21st century, and preaching the gospel anywhere is difficult, not to mention that our country ranks 127th out of 163 nations when it comes to safety and such… you can find this information and the top 10 safest countries as of this year in this video, brought to you by General Knowledge of YouTube. (Sidenote: I found that other videos when I searched for “top 10 safest countries in the world” also have the thumbnail saying that the U.S. is not safe — we need to do better lest anyone create an even more ridiculous and unbiblical reality than the one we already have.) On the plus side, when WatchMojo.com made a top 10 video about what the Europeans consider strange about the U.S., at least that one had honorable mentions; otherwise it would’ve just been a prophetic indictment. I think it’d be pretty fun to explore other cultures firsthand! I just wish I could travel on a bargain…

If you need prayer for anything, please drop a request in ron.outland4727@gmail.com! I’ll read the e-mails (if there are any) and write them down and post them on my bedroom walls! And speaking of top 10 lists, I don’t have many ideas, but I can give some good opinions about some Mario games even though I’ve played about 20 of them (though I played Mario Kart 64 and Super Mario World until I was blue in the face). But I still want to honor Christ in everything, including any gameplay on a Nintendo console or something. Anyway, I’ll see you in less than two weeks! Ciao!

You may not know this, but today’s the ten-year anniversary in which I became Christian in 2009. It is also the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 launching for humans to set foot on the moon for the first time. I learned this first by watching Men In Black 3 (then finding out something about the moon landing online — totally real, by the way, I do not discount anything that happened).

I still don’t have any leads on the deli job, though. I wish I could get a transmit message from the store to where I’m at without even having to use the phone to call them, for that just seems super-annoying. But while I write this down, I have to ask: why do people question anything we see that’s real? Where do people get some conspiracy stories from yet get hateful about the people Christ created? Those questions I don’t have clear answers to, but this much I can tell: people know but don’t believe the truth.

I did manage to jump in the pool at my backyard, though. I would’ve gone to a waterpark today, but I wanted to savor the memories Sarah and I had made when we went on June 29th. I pray we are able to spend plenty of time in the Six Flags waterpark in northwestern Phoenix when we can… and also (this came as an afterthought) I would’ve spent a little too much going anywhere today, I think. Not that I didn’t want to spend any time with my niece (I thought there was a swimming class today, but my brother told me otherwise), but I just don’t have any cash. Still, I pray to get some help soon, for I owe too much to pay off for my student loans early next month. I’m working over 20 hours this week, which would be great for savings-wise, but whatever. Indeed, I don’t think I can make the first payment even with the deli job (I owe more than $300). How will my family react to this? I just don’t understand why anyone would get me to college and then screw something up before I even get to start 😓😖😭😭😭 and it’s hard to remember encouragement even from God when I’m stuck with too many payments and not enough hours at work. Pray that I might escape this madness…

If you also have a prayer request, send one (or multiple) in my e-mail: ron.outland4727@gmail.com! If I see any e-mails, I’ll write them down and put them on my bedroom walls! I’ll make two posts about Genesis 15:12-16 in the next two weeks, and the first one will be tomorrow night. See you then!

Remember when you first saw something awe-inspiring? I can only imagine what your experience was, but I thought the good I saw in my childhood should never be forgotten. I especially want to remember Christ now, more than anything. I’m more interested in bringing Him up anyway. Besides, this passage can be found in page 8 of my NKJV Bible, page 10 of my NASB Bible, page 16 of my VOICE copy, and page 17 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.

We live in a time where obedience to Christ is either characterized as religion, or more commonly, immaturity (if it’s actually of Him), but four thousand years ago, Abraham was willing to give to God what he knew He wanted, so he brought Him some sacrifices, seeing that they were shadows of Christ, Who came about two thousand years later. The news of such obedience, more being done several hundred years later (Exodus 14), allowed Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites, to give God the praise He deserves (Exodus 15:1-18). Indeed, such heroic deliverance can only come from Christ! I think that’s the thing we hesitate to remember (though I don’t want to forget) — let’s just cut to the chase: I just saw much of the 2003 Daredevil movie just moments ago, and I could get some interesting vibes from remembering how much I wanted to be like one of the Marvel superheroes as a kid. But I didn’t realize until mid-2009 that even they needed saving, and I certainly wasn’t going to conclude I was one of the best men who had ever existed, so I decided to follow Jesus when I messed up so bad I wouldn’t get out by any human means. The tale is thrilling, if I can say that, but now is not the time for me to tell it.

Do you have any prayer requests? Drop ’em down in my e-mail: ron.outland4727@gmail.com! I’ll read the e-mails (if I have any) and write down your prayers on my bedroom wall! I’ll head out, now, because I want to get my medication refilled (it’s a long, painful story) and maybe head to the waterpark between the clinic and the house I’m now typing this in. See you in the next one!

I don’t want to release a long backstory that would surely bore you to tears, for I may be able to do that with anyone if I explain anything long enough. But there are many reasons why I have my blog title the way it is, one big reason being that I get to have plenty of fun, new experiences along the way. It’s kind of a core reason why I named it “Ron And His Stories.” Besides, it could be decades before I am finished with this round of Bible notes, and I hope to, by God’s will, go through every chapter, even if it’s just one note per chapter for awhile. I think Jonathan has become annoyed with me saying I’m writing this post, but I then clarified I didn’t want to post a lot of personal information or history on this one. So this time, I’ll keep it brief, mainly speaking on the Scriptures and inviting you to use them yourself. This passage is found in page 8 of my NKJV Bible, page 10 of my NASB Bible (Old Testament), page 16 of my VOICE copy, and page 17 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.

Abraham still didn’t believe God’s promise or anything from Him very well, but He took him outside and showed him the stars, saying, “That’s how many descendants you’ll have!” (Verse 5, NLT) Thank God Abraham believed Him right then and there, and was justified immediately as a result (verse 6). I found it difficult to remember when I was assaulted mentally by a thousand contradicting thoughts (I won’t speak of its sources now), but I knew I had accepted Jesus because I had said that His Father was a better parent to me than anyone who had taught me anything or wanted me to emulate them — and during that moment in late 2009, it was before I had even heard of the whole “children of God through Christ Jesus” thing. So I was convinced, especially when I found a better environment in terms of Christian fellowship. I think we can all doubt Christ at least once, but Romans 4 is a good chapter to help you be faithful by His power, just as He is faithful to all (2 Timothy 2:13).

Of course, now, I’m waiting on a deli position still, praying that Jesus would tell the hiring manager to give me the job and that actually happening, but even if nothing happens, I can praise Him anyway. It’s really an echo of Daniel 3, just like in Hillsong United’s “Another In The Fire” song. Some of the lyrics go like this: “Even if He doesn’t, I ain’t bowing to this world.” But I think many are awaiting a promise from God that, thankfully, is perfection. It’s not as though anything can ever be “too good to be true” — that’s ridiculous Reformed thinking; total Calvinistic and thus man-made/demonic nonsense and not Christian. If you want to listen to the song on YouTube, click here.

We need to get better on hoping for the best, for God’s promises never fail, yet they don’t seem widespread. I guess they’re not, but anywhere is a good place to glorify Him. Even if you’re hurting in your heart, He is forever faithful 💖 I wish to remember this for myself better, and not let abuse get the better of me this time, for our world has some pretty wack policies. Sometimes, you can’t find truth anywhere. But it’s unbiblical to assume that something’s so good it cannot possibly be true. Read that last sentence again. Let it sink deep into your core being. I want you to remember this for the rest of your life. If we don’t, God won’t be forgiving. He’s always able to help you with that, though 😇

Have any prayer requests? Write one in my email: ron.outland4727@gmail.com! It should be scriptural, but many prayers are good. But any prayer exalting politics will be immediately rejected (though it’s not a bad thing to pray anyone would become Christian). Let this sink deep into your heart, too.

I’ll see you later!

There’s so much I want to cover in this chapter I don’t even know where to begin! I can’t fit it all in this note without it being uninteresting for you, and I know you wouldn’t even be paying attention anyway (but I pray the Holy Spirit speaks to you through this note and in all notes afterward), but I don’t think people would be insubordinate to God overnight. I don’t think you even need to read my notes; what matters is if you read the Bible. But better safe than sorry…

(This chapter is found in page 8 of my NKJV Bible, page 10 of my NASB Bible (Old Testament), pages 16-17 of my VOICE copy, and pages 17-18 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.)

This chapter starts with God coming to Abraham in a vision. He promised to give him a huge amount of descendants, and he believed Him! He also repented of his old lifestyle because he was convinced God was able to fulfill the promise for him. This is explained in more detail in Romans 4. He later obeys Him in a strange way seven chapters from now, but Christ began to live in him from that day forward. Also, I noticed that the VOICE edition put in italics that the vision was a kind of waking dream at the end of verse 1. Then I realized that when we daydream, we can get visions from God… but also demonic deceptions and frightening things can come from an evil spirit. I believe we should focus on Jesus, for His visions are never unscriptural, nor are they strange to one with common sense. But I don’t want to spend so much time talking about that that I forget why I’m even writing this note, for I’m not willing to lose focus on the subject. Still, in early 2013, I realized that Paul was explaining the relationship each person can have with God based on Abraham’s example while he was writing Romans. For I read into John 8:56 based on this story. Indeed, a relationship with God through Christ Jesus one can have as His adopted brother or sister… it makes common sense, right? It’d be nonsensical to say to your child, “You are not mine.” And God won’t disown His children, for we won’t deny Him, and Jesus had said in Matthew 10:32 that whoever confesses His Name here on earth, He will acknowledge them before His Father in Heaven. Besides, disowning your own son or daughter is an unforgivable sin (see 1 Timothy 5:8), and God is incapable of any sin, no matter how small or large. It was from this I gained an awareness I was really Christ’s (and also on calling His Father a better parent before I had even heard of the whole “children of God” thing; see Romans 8:14-17, but this confession was after mid-2009). Wow, I went off-topic…

The following several verses tell us that Abraham wanted to know for sure how he’d get the land he’s promised from God (we’ll get to where it is near the end of this note), so He had him bring some creatures, cut them in two except for the birds (this isn’t commanded today; thank God), and when something came to pluck their flesh, he swatted them away. I think that was just something God wanted him and a number of other people to do in a particular season… sometimes, we can do something good, but it’s just not the right time, so it’s not really practical to carry it out. For instance, I heard that the deli at my Fry’s store is hiring, so I asked about it (you can go full-time, pretty much), and I decided to wait a few days because I hadn’t mentally prepared myself for the job (I only just found out two days ago it’s not that hard; it’s just busy), and thank God I don’t need to get a food handler’s card before my training begins! But I’ve tried twice to find the deli manager since then and I was unsuccessful in both occasions. For yesterday, she wasn’t there, and this morning, I came too late, for there was inventory I didn’t know about. Oh, well… I’ll try again tomorrow afternoon before I clock in for work at the front end (remember, I’m a courtesy clerk trying to pay back his debts).

Next, God lets Abraham know what is to come for the next several generations (I counted them, there are seven generations that pass between him and the people descended from him). It’s spelled out in more detail throughout the next 50 chapters (until Exodus 15), put on hold for about four more books after that, and brought to completion at the end. It’s a doozy, actually, so spoiler alert: Abraham’s descendants (the Israelites of the late 15th century B.C. onward) don’t do so hot. They actually become a byword to the nations around them (1 Kings 9:7), even to this day. But don’t be alarmed: more and more people in Israel throughout the generations will be saved, just as Paul prophesied in Romans 11:26, saying, “All Israel shall be saved” — meaning those God knows will accept Him. And now that I said this, you might think, “Whoa, Ron, isn’t foreknowledge a thing in the church that divides?” Well, actually, the foreknowledge I’ve heard about… too often that is indicated as if Jesus didn’t die for everyone. I think that’s ridiculous. For there are many passages across Scripture that say Jesus died for each person. The Greek for Romans 14:15 and 1 Corinthians 8:11 (matching with Romans 8) even mention that people from whom Christ died can reject Him. The Bible doesn’t say that anyone’s left out of His sacrifice. Anyone who says otherwise is committing a capital offence against Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 8:12). So in other words, don’t be afraid to say something good to your neighbor or coworker. But don’t do it in a way that freaks them out. Pray for others instead 😊🙏🏼🙌🏼 — sometimes, that’s all you can do. But it’s different for everyone, just as it was for God’s prophets in the Old Testament (Isaiah-Malachi). Besides, God wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4); He doesn’t want anyone perishing (Ezekiel 18:32). These truths I hang tightly to, and I fight for them tooth and nail. You won’t hear these in most churches!

The final verses (17-21) mention the lands in which the people the Israelites would dwell in — God gives those lands to Abraham right then and there. Not a bad design for that time, don’t you think? Today, we have nations in which there can be more than a billion people, but it’s been nearly four thousand years since God spoke the things mentioned here, and many people have made babies with each other (how each of them did it, I don’t know; each story is a strange one to the next though it usually happens with a woman getting pregnant), but thank God that people can become Christian in any generation and people group. The last people group, the Jebusites, David placed his kingdom there a thousand years later (2 Samuel 5), and he named the capital city of Israel Jerusalem.

Have any prayer requests? Drop one (or multiple) in my email, ron.outland4727@gmail.com! What are your thoughts on this blog post? Leave a comment below, and I’ll see you in the next one. (I’ll do some more notes on this chapter, for this has some pretty important material.) Sayonara!

DISCLAIMER: I do not believe that going against anything God says is a good idea. But when someone exalts a particular commandment as if it should be chief among the reality of God’s love or even if they promote idolatry with this like it should be worshiped or something, that’s always bad news. It’ll throw off everyone. By the way, this passage is found in page 7 of my NKJV Bible, page 9 of my NASB Bible, pages 15-16 of my VOICE copy, and pages 16-17 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.

I was going to write about Melchizedek some more, and also connecting this enigmatic Man with other trippy things found across the Scriptures, but I believe that people are getting the terms “obedience” and “sacrifice” in 1 Samuel 15:22 mixed up, twisting the Word to fit their religious delusions. The 1/10th of everything that Abraham had given to Him — that I think is a worshiped doctrine in the Church at large. It’s not a thing in New Zealand (thank God!), but here in the U.S., it’s always a nightmare to hear something like this, for this kind of deceptive preaching is quite popular and widespread. Someone can even tout the Malachi 3:8-10 passage as if it were a central theme to Christ’s beliefs (but He and He alone is the centrepiece of everything we should believe; see Hebrews 3:1). I’ve heard things like this before. Thank God it’s not required for any salvation prerequisites, nor is it necessary for growth. In fact, the whole unit of 2 Corinthians 8-9 allows for any gift to God from one’s heart. I’ve grown up in a church in which my mom had been giving to it and having me and my brother do the same… but we didn’t know the truth behind their hypocrisy, and I frankly decided after high school that churches like this weren’t worth my time, though it took a while for me to find out how un-Scriptural it was (and still is) — for I believed any church could be godly. But godliness is usually mocked by those “churches,” so it can be difficult to find another church if you don’t know where to go. Thank God that Two Rivers Church is a Bible-based community, flowing in the Holy Spirit constantly. If not for that (or Hillsong anywhere in the world), I’d be toast. My, I went off-topic…

Abraham gave to God from his heart, not out of some religious obligation! The law of Moses wasn’t even around in those days (see Romans 5:13). Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, Paul wrote (Romans 5:14); it’s kinda ridiculous that people didn’t look forward to Jesus, and even when they studied the Scriptures, they rejected His Spirit speaking to them. I don’t believe it was a monetary thing anyway, the 10% of the spoils Abraham took with him. (The word “tithe” is ridiculous, so I’m avoiding it when I can.) Cash offerings to God He won’t reject if you do it in love to Him, though. But there’s a time and a place to either give or not give, not to be stingy or encourage such things, but finding an appropriate balance. People are dying because they have no food, you know? Besides, you can read more of the book of Hebrews to find interesting information about both Melchizedek and Jesus’ family tree, likewise of how the old covenant is a shadow of the one we have now.

Anyway, I hope you find this helpful. Do you have any prayer requests? Write to me on ron.outland4727@gmail.com what you want prayer for, and I’ll write it down on my bedroom walls! I may also give you feedback, I don’t know. But I’ll see you in the next one! 😁

This chapter is kind of an enigma. Four kings fight off five other kings? This isn’t right… but I’m more disturbed that Lot was captured so that he never recovered, though Peter writes much later that Lot was a righteous man (2 Peter 2:7). This chapter is found in pages 7-8 of my NKJV Bible, pages 9-10 of my NASB Bible, pages 15-16 of my VOICE copy (there’s a note about Melchizedek near the end; I’ll comment on that in a second), and pages 16-17 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy. I don’t want to write much on this, by the way; I’ll likely make a note on verses 18-20 later, maybe later tonight, for I’m making a pizza right now 😋🍕😇

Someone noted in the Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) version (footnote z, page 16) that Moses made an explanation where the cities were located, for this happened several hundred years before the Israelites arrived in the land this was set in. It’s really neat 😊 but it’ll be hard for anyone to recognize where this is if they don’t know where Israel is. Still, Jesus said that Abraham didn’t do satanic deeds when some Jewish people were confronting Him about truth and freedom (John 8:40) — I’m referring to killing Jesus; which is something that unfortunately, was unavoidable after He had done three years of ministry. Still, Abraham had hated idolatry his whole life, seeing that he had destroyed all the idols in his father’s shop in his childhood (see here for more thoughts on this). It’s too bad he had lots of things stolen from him, though. But at least Lot is in good hands here 😌

The most interesting part of this chapter is the Melchizedek figure. The writer of Hebrews said he was without parents or genealogy, having neither a beginning nor an end (Hebrews 7:3) — I think Melchizedek was Jesus in disguise. Sounds strange, yeah, I know, but when you see this much godly personality about someone like this, it can only mean Melchizedek was Jesus, albeit briefly. This I don’t think happens often, but we can give to people in need because we’d be entertaining angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). Abraham gave a tenth of everything he had to Him… for what I don’t know. I don’t think this is required for anyone in terms of monetary giving to any church to stay with Jesus or to even receive Him in the first place. But if you want to give from the heart, He loves it (2 Corinthians 9:7)!

The next four verses after this speak of the king of Sodom (remember, the people were chief reprobates; see Genesis 13:13) — oh, my pizza’s done; time to cut it! (a few minutes later…) I’m letting it cool down for five more minutes, for it’s very hot. Anyway, he wanted to give Abraham the spoils if he’d give his people to him. I’m like, “That’s not a good idea.” I don’t know what he was thinking… but I don’t think he acted on God’s authority, the king of Sodom. Indeed, he was probably the one who was making such incredible arrogance and stinginess happen (see Ezekiel 16:49), as other kings may have done before. But at least everyone had chances to repent and believe Jesus, for Abraham wanted to see Him one day (John 8:56). I know I only want to do what’s right and see Him. I pray I’m not dealt a fate worse than death as a result…

Anyway, on an unrelated story, I saw lots of Super Mario Maker 2 content for the Nintendo Switch on YouTube, and I’m very excited to see video footage of whatever creative levels I imagine millions of people will create from their levels! It’s really cool, for God loves creativity like this. When I first found out about it, I thought, “Wow! This is already better than the first game for the Wii U, released in 2015!”

Have any prayer requests? Drop them in an e-mail on ron.outland4727@gmail.com! I’ll write each of them down in my bedroom walls! I’ll see you in the note on verses 18-20! Ciao!