Rani Divine's Blog, page 43

Named.

God has a lot of names. I’m sure you know that. And I’m not talking about this whole “we all serve the same god” thing, because I do not believe in that. I’m talking about my God, the God of Abraham and Isaac, of the Bible. He has a lot of names.

But they all start with one, the tetragrammaton – YHWH, Jehovah, Yahweh
The tetragrammaton is the Hebrew name of God. See, there was so much respect for God that they didn’t even say His name. We don’t know if Yahweh or Jehovah is how it’s supposed to be said, but those are our best guesses. Really, He is YHWH, the great I Am. 
But that’s not His only name.
He is…
Avi – FatherEl-Shaddai – God AlmightyEl-Elyon – God most highEl-Gibhor – Mighty GodEl-Olam – God everlastingEl-Roi – The God who seesEl-Deah – God of knowledgeEl-Hashamayim – God of heaven
The Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end Jehovah Rapha – Our HealerJehovah Nissi – Our VictoryJehovah Jirah – Our ProviderJehovah Shalom – Our Peace (nothing missing, nothing broken)Jehovah Rohi – Our ShepherdJehovah Shamma – Ever-presentJehovah Tsidkenu – Our Righteousness
He is all of those things, and more. I came nowhere near listing all His names. 

The point of His names is that no single one can define Him. He’s all of them, at every moment. And He never goes against them. That means He’s never weak, He never falls, He is forever, He knows and sees all, He is both beginning and end, He is forever the God of heaven, forever our healer, our victory, our provider, our peace, He’s our shepherd, the ever-present Almighty one, our righteousness, and so much more. I couldn’t list all His names in this post. I couldn’t. There’s too many, and the list could’ve gone on forever. All goodness is wrapped up in Him, and He has a name for every bit of it. Whatever you need, right now, He has a name for that.
That’s why it’s important to know that He’s not just God, not just YHWH. He’s El-Shaddai, Jehovah Rapha, all of them. He’s perfect in His goodness and in His love.
That’s why I call Him by many names. Because He’s all of them, all at once, for me. And I love Him.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Vain.

Taking God's name in vain.
Many people know it as one of the Ten Commandments, the top ten list of things Christians do or do not do, given to us by God. But not a lot of people know what it means to take the name of God in vain. It doesn’t just mean saying “Oh my God” – there’s a lot more to it than that.
So what does it really mean, to take His name in vain?
1. The obvious
Yeah. It means using His name when we shouldn’t be. Like using His name as a curse, which it obviously can’t be. (Go check out my former post to see what I mean by that). Taking His name is vain means using it in a way it’s not supposed to be used. So if you stub your toe and shout His name because you’re angry at the coffee table, you’ve just taken His name in vain.
If you’d like a more pop culture example, there’s a very simple one in the X-Men Apocalypse trailer. (Have I seen the movie? No.) See, taking God’s name in vain is also when it’s used in regards to someone or something that isn’t Him. Like Apocalypse. And in that trailer, he claimed to be called Yahweh. Not cool, X-Men. Not cool. (Yes, that’s why I haven’t seen the movie)
2. The not so obvious
It also means using His name when it shouldn’t be used. Sounds like the same thing, right? Keep reading.
What I mean here is that this form of taking His name in vain is essentially putting words He didn’t say into His mouth. So if you’re a Christian or not and you say that God told you to do something when you know very well He didn’t, then you’re taking His name in vain. We’re not supposed to do that. God gave us plenty of words to use in the Bible, His Word. Stick to those, and don’t expound too far upon them without His blessing. If He tells you to do something, then yes please do it and feel free to say that He told you. But if you strangle someone to death and say God told you to do it, just know you’ll be taking His name in vain – because God would never do that, and He says so in His Word.
I hope that cleared things up for you! Be sure to come back on Wednesday, when we’ll discuss His many names and why it’s important for us to know as many as we can. It doesn’t mean He’s many different gods – far from it, indeed.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Lovely.

Fear vs. Love
This is the other dichotomy you’ll need to understand in order to get a better understanding of Christianity and what it really is. We’re wired for love. Scientists know this. Fear is a learned thing. Children who grow up among wild animals never learn to fear them. I’m sure you’ve seen that in the many hours you’ve spent on YouTube. C’mon, I know we both do it.
Anyway, fear and love, just like blessing and cursing, are a dichotomy. For those of you who don’t like big words, that means they’re opposites.
Check out 1 John 4:8-19 (NLT):
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. 13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
That’s better than I could ever explain it. Love is what we all attain to. It’s what we all want. Whether you’re a Christian or not, think about it. Your whole life revolves around love. It’s not something many of us think about on a daily basis, but it’s true. Our lives are centered on love, and we’ve learned to fear.
The tricky bit is learning to cut that fear out of our lives and be utterly centered on God. It takes the renewal of the mind to do such a thing. And before you ask, yes, it is scientifically possible to change your brain, to alter the way you think, and even to correct brokenness in your mind.
Check out this video from Dr. Caroline Leaf: 


I highly recommend her book, Who Switched Off My Brain? – you can find copies on Amazon and on her personal website. If you’re interested in learning more about fear vs. love or about how your brain really works and how to live a better life through renewing your mind, I definitely suggest checking out her work.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Blessed or Cursed.

What's the real difference between a blessing and a curse?
Blessings and curses are a big theme in the Bible. They’re recurring throughout nearly every book, if not every single one of them. There are blessings when things are done right, and curses when things go wrong. If you think about it, that’s really how the world is. Your whole life, you’ve been both blessed and cursed by those around you. It’s how life works. So, the Bible isn’t any different. The Bible is real. It happened. And it happened in this world. So of course it’s not any different. God had His people write it down for all of us, to see Him. Even now.
I’m off track. I apologize.
Someone asked me this question when I started the series, and I thought it’d be good to get it straightened out in everyone’s minds. 

Let's start with some simple definitions: 
Blessings are defined as help and approval from God.
Curses, on the other hand, are defined as a prayer or invocation of harm or injury to come upon one.
[definitions from www.m-w.com]
So to boil it down to the simplest possible level, blessings are good and curses are bad. Blessings are what people expect to get when they do good things, and curses are what people expect to get when they do wrong. Of course, that’s not always the way things play out.
However, notice in the definitions that only blessings come from God? That’s true. God is good, and only good and just things come from Him. (note the word just)
Check out Deuteronomy chapter 28. No really, go read it. Right now. 

One column of the chapter is blessings, and the other is curses.
The blessings are what God wants to give us. They’re actually what He gives us. The curses are what we get if we don’t believe, if we haven’t put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus. But the thing that I really want you to understand is this:
God’s not the one who put curses on the Earth.
God created this world and He called it good (Genesis 1). It was good. It is good. Satan is the one who came in and took that away, and introduced cursing. He introduced evil into the Earth, and he is the source of all evil. When something bad happens to you, to anyone, that’s not God’s doing. It’s Satan’s. Only evil can come from the devil, and only good can come from God. That's who and what they inherently are.
The world is a lot more black and white than people like to think.
I hope that cleared up the difference between blessings and curses, and I sincerely hope that you’re enjoying this series! If you have any questions, drop them in the comments!
[love & blessings]
{Rani Divine}

Good.

Good for Evil, Evil for Good
I’ve heard it said many times that in the end times, God will take what is evil and use it for good, and that what is good will be used for evil. And I’m telling you right now that this neither makes sense nor is possible, nor is it written in the Word of God.
What is evil cannot possibly be used for good, because it is inherently evil. It cannot change its ways. And what is good cannot possibly be used for evil, because it is the furthest possible thing from evil.
How then do so many people think that there is this line between them, that good and evil are actually quite close to each other? I’ll tell you. They’re deceived.
See, the Bible is actually very clear that good and evil don’t mix. Things are black and white – there is no gray area. Either be hot or cold. You can’t be lukewarm. (Revelation 3:16)
Check out Isaiah 5:20 –
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Pretty definitive, if you ask me. It doesn't say "when you start confusing good and evil, you're doing great!" it says "woe unto you." That's not a good thing.
Still, I know some of you will still be confused. See, the end times have brought about a change in people. They’re calling good things evil and evil things good. And I’ll give you an example, one that a lot of you won’t agree with me about.
Let’s say you see a young woman walking out of a hospital, having just gotten an abortion, and you applaud her. It’s her body, right? Except that it’s not her body. Her body is a vessel in which another body was living. That little life was murdered, never allowed its chance to grow beyond her womb. But you’ll say it’s good, because it’s her body and she has a right to it.
That’s calling evil good. Because there is no gray, only black and white. Murder is evil, it cannot be good. It doesn’t have the capacity for it. Whether it’s an adult killing and adult or a doctor killing a child before they reach maturity in the womb, it’s still killing. It’s still murder. It’s still a vile act, Biblically speaking. God's Word in no way advocates abortion, nor does it advocate murder.
See? Evil is evil. And in the same way, good is good. They’ll never intersect, because they’re complete opposites.
[love]
{Rani D.}
p.s. If you feel yourself getting the desire to post a comment about how I'm closed-minded when it comes to the topic of abortion, feel free to check out my former blog post on the topic of closed-mindedness, here. 

Simplicity.

Should Christians drink? Should they curse? 
Let me start this one by saying that there are a lot of different kinds of Christians. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of different Christian belief systems, people who profess to believe but don’t follow, and those like me, who are devoted to following the Word of God alone. I don’t buy into theologies and philosophies, I only follow the Word.
This one is one of those that sparks a lot of debates between Christian people. Some of us say that it’s okay to curse, others say it’s not. Some declare that alcohol is of the devil, while others say it’s fine to drink in moderation. Many of them on all sides use the Bible as their code.
For me, it’s as simple as this:
Cursing:
The Bible makes it very clear that there’s a distinct difference between blessing and cursing. Cursing is something that is reserved for very specific circumstances, for times when it’s actually deserved, usually in reference to the devil himself.
With that in mind, I cannot convince myself to curse. I just can’t. There was a time, in the past, where I didn’t mind it. Now, with the understanding and wisdom I’ve gained over the years, it feels wrong. It feels like a betrayal of everything my Lord stands for.
The Bible says that we’re supposed to be a light in the world. We’re supposed to be different. And if we’re cursing, then we’re blending in. I don’t like that.
Drinking:
As per usual, I use the Bible as my guidepost. It’s very clear on what it says, in that we should not be drunk. Now, as the English connoisseur I am, I can tell you that there’s a very distinct different between drinking and being drunk.
Drinking can be just one glass of wine, which is actually quite good for your heart. It can be a casual thing, that never in any way leads to being drunk. And really, Jesus’ first miracle was to change water into wine—and the guests said it was the best wine of the day. That can’t have been nonalcoholic.
Trouble is, there are a lot of people out there who don’t understand this point of view.  They focus on the negatives of alcohol, the bad that it can do.

So I’ll say this: everything is inherently null. It’s people that decide whether things are used for good or for evil. Words are different, because they hold their own meanings, but things have no capacity for good or evil on their own. That’s left to us.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Closed.

Are Christians closed-minded? 
I feel like this is a trick question. But really, everyone calls everyone else closed-minded these days, and I don’t get it. Two people disagree about something, and therefore one or both of them must be closed-minded. Oy.
But to get back on track, there’s a difference between being closed-minded and being devoted to something or someone. Being closed-minded is when you refuse to think a different point of view for no apparent reason, other than the fact that you’re set in your ways. Being devoted, in this case, means loving God so much that I refuse to step out of His path.
Yeah, to some people that’ll mean the same thing, that I’m closed-minded, but I have a faith and I follow it, because I love God with all my heart. I can’t go against Him, because the whole of me is devoted to Him.
Maybe for some of you that still doesn’t make sense, so I’ll break it down like this:
The Bible says to honor your parents.
It’s one of the ten commandments, and I’ll assume most of you are familiar with what those are, at the very least.
But to me, that commandment means that everyone should honor their parents, no matter what their parents might have done or might be doing right now. No matter what, children are to respect and honor their parents.
However, some people will say that’s closed-minded of me. They’ll say that their parents hurt them, that they’ve suffered at the hands of their father and mother, so how could they possibly honor them? They’ll say I’m an idiot and should think about things like that before I say “honor your parents.”
From my point of view, however, I don’t have a choice in the matter. I happen to have amazing parents, but no matter what, even we go back in time to when I was thirteen and everyone in the world annoyed me, I still had to honor them.
Why?
Because Yahweh told me to, and I am devoted to him.
So no, in my eyes I’m not closed-minded. I’m devoted to my faith, to a relationship with the Almighty God. And if that means I don’t fit into certain crowds, then so be it. I’d rather follow Him than walk away from truth, peace, and utmost joy.
What do you guys think of this whole open and closed minded craze sweeping the States these days? Is it worth it to you, or should we all learn to grow a spine? I’ve heard arguments for both, and I leave the floor open for you.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Faith

What is a Christian?
That’s a common question, really. In this day and age there are so many factions of Christianity that when someone says they’re a Christian, no one really knows what they mean. So this month, I’m taking the time to tell you a little bit about what I believe. I’m a Christian, and for me, I mean it in the most literal sense. See, Christian means little Christ, and that is what I ascribe to the most. I am a little Christ, I imitate Him in my life, and I aspire to be as He is. Yes, is. Not was.
So, what is a Christian?
Well, that question isn’t so easy to answer. I can’t speak for everyone, I can’t tell you what the faith means to every single person who holds it, but I can tell you what it means for me.
It means I have faith. It means I know love, and that I love. It means that I follow the Word of God, and that I believe the Bible is true in its entirety. It means that I believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He died, and that He resurrected. It means I believe that Jesus is even now in heaven, interceding for me, for you. It means that I believe in forgiveness, in salvation. 
For many people, that may seem foolish. People these days tend to think that if someone thinks differently from them, they can’t like each other. If you ask me, that’s not the case.
There are things some of you do, that I don’t agree with. But I will not condemn you for them. I was not given the right to judge. I was, however, given a commandment to love. So, even though I may not agree with you, I love you.
Maybe that doesn’t make sense, but that’s the way it works. I don’t have to agree with you to love you. I don’t have to like what you’re doing or approve of the way you live your life, in order for me to love you, to desire to help you get up if you’ve fallen or cheer you on when you’re completing your goal.
To me, in a nutshell, Christianity is this: love.
It’s following Jesus, it’s believing in Him, carrying out His Word, and loving like He loved. It's accepting Him into your heart and becoming a child of God.
Christians, real, Bible believing Christians, love. No matter the circumstances, no matter what’s going on around us, we love. Because when people are filled with love, there is light and life in the world. When people are filled with hate, there is only darkness.
I’m certain every one of you have experienced enough of that to know the truth of it.
So now, when I say I love you, you have a better idea what I mean. I love you. I cherish you. Even if I don’t know you. Because that is the heart of Christ, the heart that is in me.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Thank you

To all of you who submitted for Mavguard Magazine Edition IV, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Today, we start reading.
Today, I’ll go through all of your work and send it to their respective readers.
Today, we start the process of deciding what will go in this edition.
Today, I get to smile big and see how creative all you people are.
I so enjoy this phase of the magazine, so much more than pestering people and asking you to submit. Because now I don’t have to get after you to send something in, to get off your butts and do it. Now, I just get to do what I do best. I get to read. I get to look at your art and see the beauty you created with your own two hands. I get to see just how creative people can be. And I get to be creative, too.
I love you all, you know. I love you, and I’m so glad that you did it, that you took a step toward getting published.
Mavguard isn’t exactly the biggest of publications. It might not be glamorous, and it might not be the perfect place to be published for the first time, but it is a publication. It is a magazine that focused on you, on people. And it’s run by someone who really does love and cherish each one of you.
I’m so glad you submitted.
I’m so thankful that I have this job, that I get to edit your work and see your art. And I’m so very thankful that you trust me to do it.
So today, I just want to say thank you.
To each and every one of you reading this post. Thank you. For your support, for submitting, for reminding us all that we’re together, that creatives united make the world a better place and a far more beautiful one.
Thank you.
No, really, thank you.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Tomorrow

...is the last day. 

After tomorrow, you can no longer submit your work for publication in Mavguard Edition IV.
Maybe you’re thinking you’ll just catch the next edition, that right now it’s too scary and it’ll be easier next time. But if you’re saying that now, then I know you’ll say it again when the next window opens up. You’ll look at Mavguard’s website and you’ll look at your work, and you’ll decide to submit next time. Again. Trouble is, you can’t always wait until next time.
Sooner or later, you need to get out of the boat and walk on water.
If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed.
You’ve made this masterpiece, this beautiful craft that makes you beam with joy every time you look at it. But then, why haven’t you done anything with it? Why not send it in for publication, why not let other people see it and admire it? 
But maybe you don't beam at it. Maybe you think it's only okay. But how will you get any advice on how to make it better, if you don't send it somewhere? 
We’re not a pretend magazine. We’re not a gimmick. We’re a publisher, a magazine, and we want to publish you.
Our primary goal is publication. Of course it is. We’re not looking at your name to see if you’ve been published before, or how well those publications did for you. We’re looking at your work, at the quality of what you’ve created. That’s all we need to know: is your work beautiful. And really, everything is beautiful to someone, isn’t it?
We don’t want to scare you. We don’t want to stress you out.
We only want to publish you.
Won’t you let us?
Go to www.MavguardMagazine.com and submit something. You’re allowed to submit up to five pieces in each category. That means if you’re a short story author, poet, and artist, you can submit up to fifteen pieces, total. That gives you pretty good chances, wouldn’t you say?
So go online and send something in.
Don’t overthink it. Don’t freak out.
Just fill out the form online, attach a copy of your work, and send it in.
That’s all there is to it.
We start reading on July 1, so you won’t even have long to wait. If you ask me, now’s the best time to be sending in your work.
Do it.
I want to see you succeed.
[love]
{Rani Divine}