The Pinnacle

Before we can move ahead to God’s fullness we must have a pinnacle experience. We must be brought to a place of helplessness. This is true in everything, personally, and earthly.

We may be placed in God’s prison of weakness and futility after we have had the vision of the need of the world and God’s plan to meet those needs, and after we possess an understanding of what the Lord will accomplish in the Church. For many, the prison of seeming uselessness may be the most difficult test of their faithfulness to God.

The Pinnacle

He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, if you are the son of God, cast yourself down from here, for it is written, He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you; and on their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone. Jesus answering, said to him, it has been said, You should not tempt the Lord your God. When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.

Luke 4:9-13

The three temptations of Christ represent the three ways in which all people are tested.

1. We are tested concerning material survival (turn the stone into bread).

2. We are tested concerning sin and the lusts of the flesh (the kingdoms of the world).

3. We are tested concerning obedience (the pinnacle of the temple).

The third test, that of the pinnacle, as a difficult experience for some of us. In a sense the devil brings us to Jerusalem for this, to the arena of church activity . The three temptations are not normally experienced one-two-three (although they were for Jesus), yet it is true that the pinnacle test is for those who have been saved and now are anxious to serve God,

The pinnacle of the Temple was a wing, or gable, on the southeast corner of the Temple, overlooking the Kidron Valley. There was a drop straight down of 459 feet of more. Jesus was perched on top of this gable. What a foolish and useless place to be,

The Mosaic ordinances were being conducted beneath Him in the Temp,e, according to the statutes He Himself, the Lord of Glory, had given Moses on Mount Sinai and the pinnacle of the Temple. What a contrast when we are removed from the place of glorious revelation and brought into the prison of weakness and futility,

The Pinnacle: God’s prison of waiting. Before we can move on to God’s fullness we must have our pinnacle experience. We must be brought to the place of uselessness. This comes after we have had the vision of the needs of the world and God’s plan to meet those needs, and also when we possess an understanding of what the Lord will accomplish for the church.

I believe our Nation is at that pinnacle right now. God will always give a warning before He brings judgement. We are being warned right now, if we choose not to listen judgement will come.

Now that we understand to a certain extent what should be brought into being, and God’s anointing is upon us, can the world, the devil, or our own ambition or fear get us to act? Can we be tempted, persuaded , worried, frightened, or otherwise pushing into “stepping out in faith on God’s Word apart from the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Jesus was so obedient to God thatHe would be sitting there yet if the season of temptation had not come to a close. Are we that obedient? Will we remain perched on the pinnacle of futility u til God brings us down? Until the angels minister to us?

There are times we must walk in faith. Then there are seasons when God says, “Wait!“ It is not always clear to us what we should do, whether to wait, or to take a step and observe what happens.

We must be cautious but not overly cautious. Each of our moves should be preceded by prayerful at to the mind of the Spirit, as far as possible, and also to the actual results of what we are doing. We must present our body for a living sacrifice I order to prove the will of God.

Sometimes God acts very slowly it seems. At other times He moves like a flash of lightning. Meanwhile the world, the adversary, and our own self-willed nature challenge us to do something, to come down from the our own cross ( if you will). Do something. If you are what you claim to be, demonstrate the now!

Are you listening? God is speaking,

The church have never, to any great extent, faced and overcome the temptation of the pinnacle. This is because the motivation of each demonization is to “get to work and do something or the Kingdom of God” (and America).

The concept of being put into a place of helplessness waiting for God for direction may be difficult to work with in an organizational framework. Yet, the only path to the fullness of fruitfulness and strength is by way of the pinnacle.

We Are All Negatively Biased

Why can’t we pull our attention away from a traffic accident or stop watching the news about the latest bad things that are going on in our world? Why are we waylaid by criticism or unable to get past a minor snub from our best friends?

That’s our negativity bias. We humans have a tendency to give more weight in our minds to things that go wrong than to things that go right -so much so that one negative event can hijack our minds in ways that an be detrimental to our work, relationships, health, and happiness.

It’s something that the News and Hollywood thrives on these days. That’s how they make money and control us.

Have you ever found yourself dwelling on an insult or fixating on your mistakes? Criticisms often have a greater impact that compliments, and bad news frequently draws more that good.

This negative bias is our tendency not only to register negative stimuli more readily but also to dwell on bad events. We feel the sting of a rebuke more powerfully that we feel the joy of praise.

As humans we tend to:

  • Remember traumatic experiences better that positive ones.
  • Recall insults better than praise.
  • React more strongly to negative stimuli.
  • Think about negative things more frequently than positive ones.
  • Respond more strongly to negative events than to equally positive ones.

That’s why the world is in such disarray these days. With all the negative things going on people are effected to the point that the feeling of negativity are just spewing out of us.

This bias toward negative leads you to pay much more attention to the t bad things that happen, making them seem much more important than they really are.

People tend to focus more on the negative as they try to make sense of the world. News and Hollywood are full of negativity these days,which our negativity bias and negative information all around us it will lead to disaster.

We tend to:

Pay more attention to negative events than possible ones. (We have to work more to find the positive in any situation).

We learn more from negative outcomes and experiences.

We make decisions based on negative information more than positive data.

It is the “bad things” that grab our attention, stick in our memories, and in many cases influence the decisions that we make.

Psychological research suggests that the negative bias influences motivation to complete a task. People have less motivation when an incentive is framed as a means to gain something that when the same incentive will help them avoid the loss of something.

This can play a role in our motivation to pursue a goal. Rather than focusing on what we will gain if we keep working toward something, we’re more likely to dwell on what we might have to give up in order to achieve that goal.

Bad News

Additionally, studies have shown that negative news is more likely to be perceived as truthful. Since negative information draws more attention it may also be seen as having a greater validity. This is why bad news seems to garner more attention,

Politics

Differences in negativity bias have been linked to political ideology. Some research suggests that conservatives may have stronger psychological responses to negative information than livers. Some evidence, for example, has found that people who consider themselves politically conservative are more likely to rate ambiguous stimuli as threatening.

Such differences in the negativity bias might explain why some people are more likely to value things such as tradition and security while others are more open to embracing ambiguity and change.

Let’s look at when Donald Trump was president. Gas prices were low, the economy was great, the stock market was booming, but there was negativity being put out about him constantly. Many people focused on the negativity about him, than what good was going on around us. Yes, he hurt people’s feelings when he spoke, but change for America was what we needed.

Everyone seemed to focus on the negativity around him, some even hated him.

Today, we have $5 plus dollars a gallon in gas, the economy is horrible. And the shelves at the grocery stores are empty, we constantly have shortage of something. Some are thriving on this negativity.

The brain’s response

There is Scientific evidence that shows a greater neural processing in the the brain in response to negative stimuli. Studies have shown participants were shown pictures of either positive, negative or neural images. Then researchers observed electrical activity in the brain. Negative images produced a much stronger response in the cerebral cortex than the positive or neural images.

Because negative information causes a surge of activity in a critical information processing area of the brain, our behaviors and attitudes tend to be shaped more powerfully by bad news,experiences, and information.

The Hebrew Alphabet

A while a go I posted that I would give everyone an example of How the Hebrew Alphabet can lead to knowledge of your given name by your parents for your destiny.

So my name is Kathy:

K. Is Kaf in the Hebrew Alphabet which is the 11th letter. If you look at the image above you can see Kaf- the meaning for Kaf are Palm, to open to allow or tame. According to the first letter in my name, with the palm of my hand I have the authority to Stop things in my life or to allow things in my life. I am a very calm person, others around me tend to tame down when I’m around.

A. Is Alef in the Hebrew Alphabet which is the 1st letter. If you look at the image above you can see Alef – the meaning is Ox, Strength, Leader. I am very outgoing. I tend to be stubborn which can either be good or bad. So according to the Kaf and the first letter in my name I am a tame (gentle) leader. I tend to have a lot of strength when it comes to standing up for what I think is right.

T. Is Tet in the Hebrew Alphabet which is the 9th letter but also the number 20. Looking at the image above you can see Tet means Basket, Snake, Surround. So a snake in the basket is charmed. I have a charming effect on people. I have the authority to tame, lead and charm according to the letters in my name so far.

T. Tav is also in my name, which is the 22 letter. Which means Cross, Mark, Sign, Covenant. I have a Mark or sign that I have a covenant with God. God could not keep me from the hardships I have experienced in my life. But I have a covenant with Him.

H. Is Hey in the Hebrew Alphabet which is the 5th letter. Looking at the image you can see it’s Behold, Reveal, Breath. Behold means to perceive through sight or apprehension. I am very perceptive, observant and I always listen to my intuition. Reveal means to show, or demonstrate. I show or demonstrate with right morals and love.

Y. Is Yod in the Hebrew Alphabet which is the 10th letter. In the image above Yod means Arm, Hand, Work, Deed, Worship. Hands or arm in the air means to worship. Work- I’m a hard worker, I never give up because giving up isn’t an option for me. I tend to always do good deed for people around me. I am very caring, and worship/praise God for every thing.

Summary

So, my name is my destiny. I am a very calm person, who either can allow or stop things in my life. I an a Stubborn (Ox) but gentle leader. I can be very charming and tend to tame situations around me. I tend to perceive what is going on with my intuition and am very observant about the things around me. I was not promised a life without struggle as all of us are. I am a hard worker that alway helps or does good deed for the people in my life. I love to worship and praise God.

The book of Psalms in the Bible are prayers for every situation we can experience in our lives. King David worshiped every day. And had 3000 men playing instruments 24 hours a day. David had Praise and Worship around him continually.

The book is Psalms is a instruction book for how to pray. The letters in the Hebrew Alphabet also have numbers attached to them. According to this these are the Psalms I’m supposed to pray everyday.

These are:

Psalms:

1.

5.

9.

10.

11.

22.

There are 26 letters/numbers in the Hebrew Alphabet. So the number 200 would be the 22 letter of the alphabet

It was spoken prophetically over me that I am to be a bridge for people. On who builds people up when they struggle. Because of all of the bad experiences in my life.

A bridge is inherently symbolic of communication and union, whether it be between heaven and earth or two distinct realms. For this reason it can be seen as the connection between God and Man. It may be the passage to reality, or merely a symbol for travel or crossing.

Your personal Psalm will be the number of the Psalm found in the first letter of your name. Example: My Letter is K so my personal Psalm would be 11.

Respond Rather Than React

Whether in an emergency situation or just daily interactions with others learning how to respond, rather than react, can make a huge difference in the outcome of any situation.

What’s The Difference Between Reaction And Response

Reaction is an emotional subconscious decision that is made without consideration for the consequences usually in haste. Commonly referred to as a “knee-jerk reaction.”

Response is the conscious effort to take a step back, breathe, and review the situation, become aware of the present and attempt to figure out the probable cause, and consider the available solutions.

Understanding the difference in reactions vs responses is key to learning how to change old habits and form new habits of responding thoughtfully to situations and avoiding hasty reactions that can result in negative outcomes.

Reacting is a gut response that is often based on fear and insecurities, and many times it’s not the most rational or appropriate way to act.

Much of our lives are spent in reaction to others and the events around us. The problem is that might not always be the best course of action and as a result, they can make other unhappy, and make things worse for us, and make the situation worse.

The truth is, it’s not the most rational way to act. Responding on the other hand, is taking the situation in, and deciding the best course of action based on values such as reason, compassion, and cooperation.

The choice of reacting or responding presents itself to us all the time, whether it’s our mother nagging her child, our co-worker being rude or our spouse not being kind enough., There will always be external events that bother us, but if we learn to respond and not just react , we can make things better and not worse.

Learning To Respond

The main thing to learn Is mindfulness and the pause.

Mindfulness means watching ourselves when song happens that might normally upset us or trigger some kind of emotional reaction. Pay close attention to how your mind reacts.

Then pause. We don’t have to act immediately, just because we have an internal reaction. We can pause, not act, and breathe. We can watch the urge to act irrationally arise, then let it go away. Sometimes that takes a few seconds, other times it means we should remove ourselves politely from the situation and let ourselves cool down before we respond.

Pause and watch the reaction go away.

Consider what the most intelligent, compassionate response might be. What can we do that will help our relationship, teach, build a better team or partnership, make the situation better, calm everyone down, including ourselves.

At first this can be hard. But in time you’ll learn to watch the reaction get better at the pause. Don’t be upset if you mess up- just resolve to be more mindful the next time. Take note of what happened to trigger your reaction, and pay attention when something like that happens again.

Be mindful, pause, then consider a thoughtful, compassionate response.