"Have peace!"
Is peace something that I can go out and get? If I wanted more peace what would I have to do? Is there a passage in the Bible that I can read and automatically get peace?
DOCTRINE #14: HOW/WHY VS. WHAT
We are directly responsible for our HOW and WHY. Our WHAT is a natural effect of our choices. God cares about the HOW and WHY more than the WHAT. God knows all the facts. God knows all the effects. God knows all the WHAT's. God focuses on the HOW and WHY because He does not know the HOW and WHY until the cause occurs, then God immediately knows the WHAT.
Question: Do you believe you are being responsible for your HOW/WHY?
Next Doctrine: Doctrine #15
Table of Contents
If you need it, here is the support from the Word of God...
SCRIPTURE
"1 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people strove with Moses, and spake, saying, Would that we had died when our brethren died before Jehovah!
4 And why have ye brought the assembly of Jehovah into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our beasts?
5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces: and the glory of Jehovah appeared unto them.
7 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before Jehovah, as he commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle.
12 And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.
13 These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Jehovah, and he was sanctified in them." (Numbers 20:1-11)
(The children of Israel needed water, and God said that the rock would produce water for them. The water from the rock was a WHAT, and that effect was not going to change; God knew the WHAT. How God said it ought to happen was by speaking to the rock: using their words to bring forth the water. God said to Moses and Aaron that they did not sanctify God at that moment, because they did not do the Right HOW. Moses struck the rock with his rod, not once, but twice, when God told him to speak to the rock. Moses also said that they would bring forth the water from the rock, this was justifying themselves instead of God. Why did Moses strike the rock? Because he did not believe God, and did not follow God with his HOW. Moses had a Wrong HOW/WHY, but the WHAT (water from the rock) never changed.)
"48 And Jehovah spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
49 Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession;
50 and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
51 because ye trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
52 For thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel." (Deuteronomy 32:48-52)
(God did not allow Moses to enter into the promised land because (WHY) Moses did not sanctify God in the midst of the children of Israel. Moses did not sanctify God in his HOW/WHY. Moses had a Wrong HOW: to justify themselves to the children of Israel. Moses had a Wrong WHY: he was mad at the children of Israel because of their pride. God cares about the HOW/WHY more than the WHAT.)
"7 But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
(The heart is the last internal step before we take an action (HOW/WHY). What we plant in our heart is an effect of our thought processes. The outward appearance is the effect (WHAT). God stated He does not see things like a man according to the WHAT. God looks at the HOW/WHY. God's Thinking is deeper than our thinking, so therefore what He sees is deeper than what we see.)
"1 Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
5 And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
7 And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:1-8)
(There were two WHAT's in this passage: Alms and Prayer. They were Both Right WHAT's. Does a Right What qualify something as Right? Jesus said to us very clearly the difference between the Right HOW/WHY and the Wrong HOW/WHY. When you give alms with a Wrong How it is for public recognition, and when you have a Wrong Why it is to be seen of men. Jesus said the Right How was to give alms privately, and the reason Why you do it is so God can reward you. Jesus then talked about prayer with a Wrong How, being publicly using vain (empty) repetitions, and a Wrong Why, to be seen of men. The right way to pray would be privately (Right How) and why you would pray was so that God would reward you (Right Why). Jesus blatantly referenced that God knows WHAT we need. Jesus shows us that God cares more about the HOW/WHY we are praying.)
"8 And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." (Genesis 3:8-13)
(Do you think that God didn't know what the answers to these questions were? If He didn't then He isn't God. If God knew the answers to these questions, then why did He ask? God knew WHAT happened, and God knows all the effects/the results/the WHAT's. What God did not know was how Adam and Eve were going to respond in that situation to the questions He was asking. If you say that God did, that means He could have prevented them from eating of the tree and it's God fault. God wanted to see their HOW/WHY. He wanted to know their causes regarding why they ate of the tree. Both Adam and Eve justified themselves before God, that means they had a Wrong HOW/WHY.)
"17 To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (James 4:17)
(An action is a WHAT. Whether it is sin or not depends on HOW/WHY.)
"27 If one of them that believe not biddeth you to a feast, and ye are disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake.
28 But if any man say unto you, This hath been offered in sacrifice, eat not, for his sake that showed it, and for conscience sake:
29 conscience, I say, not thine own, but the other's; for why is my liberty judged by another conscience?
30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
32 Give no occasions of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God:
33 even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved." (1 Corinthians 10:27-33)
(Here's a test: Can you recognize the WHAT in this passage? How about the HOW/WHY? The next passage goes into more detail.)
"4 Concerning therefore the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no God but one.
5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth; as there are gods many, and lords many;
6 yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him.
7 Howbeit there is not in all men that knowledge: but some, being used until now to the idol, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
8 But food will not commend us to God: neither, if we eat not, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to the weak.
10 For if a man see thee who hast knowledge sitting at meat in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
11 For through thy knowledge he that is weak perisheth, the brother for whose sake Christ died.
12 And thus, sinning against the brethren, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, ye sin against Christ.
13 Wherefore, if meat causeth my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh for evermore, that I cause not my brother to stumble." (1 Corinthians 8:4-13)
(Eating meat sacrificed to idols is a WHAT. It is sin because of HOW/WHY the food was prepared: to worship another god. But, if you don't know that it was sacrificed to idols, then it is not a sin, it would simply be food. If you don't know if the food was sacrificed to idols or not, and someone weaker in the faith is present, then it is sin to eat the food because it would be a stumbling block for them. The Right HOW is to refrain and be an example to those weaker in the faith than you. The WHY is to help others be saved.)
"15 Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.
16 But shun profane babblings: for they will proceed further in ungodliness,
17 and their word will eat as doth a gangrene: or whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some." (2 Timothy 2:15-18)
(This passage is analyzed in the ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE section below by Wayne Swokowski. Here is a literal translation of the passage: "Prove yourself in covenant with God by handling your words from God's perspective with full scriptural support. Avoid misdirecting conversations where the right words are used with the wrong meaning (definition) because they appear to provide understanding but there is no benefit. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples of these men who damage the faith of some by misdirection through making their paths crooked.")
God knows all WHAT's. WHAT's are effects, knowledge, results, and facts. When you have the causes in place, the effects will naturally happen. We learned that a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. The fruit that is produced is a natural effect of the tree. The causes are the HOW and WHY. We are responsible to align our HOW and WHY to God's. It is our choice if we want to think like an animal, man, or God. God does not make that happen. If He did, it would be His fault for our HOW/WHY being wrong, and clearly, we are responsible. God does not know WHAT kind of tree we are going to be until we have causes (HOW/WHY) in place. If we have bad causes we will have bad effects. When we get wisdom and understanding (align our HOW/WHY to His) we will naturally gain knowledge.
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE
"15 Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.
16 But shun profane babblings: for they will proceed further in ungodliness,
17 and their word will eat as doth a gangrene: or whom is Hymenaeus an Philetus;
18 men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some." (2 Timothy 2:15-18)
Wayne Swokowski is an expert at digging deep to identify the symbolism inherent in the definitions of Hebrew and Greek words used in the Bible. Wayne is a superhero when it comes to words! Here is the result of his research:
"present" (Strong's 3936) paristēmi - to bring into one's fellowship or intimacy, exhibit whom you covenant with
(We just learned about the HOW and WHY. If you are going to have fellowship with God you would see the importance of what He sees as important.)
"workman" (Strong's 2040) ergatēs - to toil with works of words as a teacher
(You are a workman if you toil with your words. The entire purpose of this blog is to understand God's definitions of words so that we can align our lives with His Word! Your maturity depends on the way you can handle and use your words.)
"needeth not to be ashamed" (Strong's 422) anepaischyntos - unable to be of equal value by scriptural support
(Who's thinking is the greatest? God's Thinking! If you think like God then your thinking will be the opposite of man's thinking.)
"rightly dividing" (Strong's 3718) orthotomeō - make a straight cut, a precise surgical singular cut that is perpendicular to the horizon (to make a cut from above, which is God's view, straight down)
(We learned that rhema was the sword that will proceed from the mouth of Jesus and that He will war with words. The only way that we can divide the truth is with a spiritual sword. The only thing that can cut through LOGOS is RHEMA. Our sword is rhema, God's revelatory word that brings wisdom!)
"profane" (Strong's 952) bebēlos - counterfeit the threshhold (entry) in order to misdirect the dwellers
(Man's thinking only supplies an immediate WHY. Man is looking to be comfortable, focuses on the WHAT most often, and if you give a definition to a word that is not God's you can misdirect others. We have seen the Church do this for centuries!)
"babblings" (Strong's 2757) kenophōnia - fruitless discussion, empty sounds [from artificial illumination and tones], fake fire [visual fire with no warmth], to think words that have a different meaning but same sound as true thought and words
(God has one definition for one word. If God wanted to say something else, with a different meaning, then He would use a different word. We are looking for God's definitions and when man supplies his own deeper why he becomes a mystic or a gnostic!)
"erred" (Strong's 795) astocheō - swerve, devitate [miss target by having crooked sights - eye is misdirected]
(These are the mystics and the gnostics. They supply their own rhema, and do not look to prove why they believe what they believe with the Word of God. The result is that God becomes their opinion.)
"overthrow" (Strong's 396) anatrepō - change straight path into a figure eight, the wrong path leads to a wrong place
(The straightest path that we can have is when the Word (logos) of God aligns with our lives. That way we are looking to justify God and His Word, not our own thinking, our own understanding, and our own wisdom. A WHAT can look like a straight path, but the HOW/WHY determines if it is straight or not!)
Thank you, Wayne.
