The following are words given by participants at the streamed meeting. 1 Corinthians 14:29 says that "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others weigh carefully what is said." 1 Thess 5:19-21 tells us not to despise prophecies, but to test everything and retain what is good.
At beginning of meeting, Scripture Reading Matt 7:7-8 - "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you. For the one who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."
Prophecy - "I'm coming after you, my people, with my Holy Spirit to equip you with even more gifts, even more love and more perseverance to reach the many who still don't know of my power. Many healings will be taking place when you pray for them so they will know how great I am. I am not an uncaring God but a mighty one who loves them. Listen to my Spirit for direction and then move in courage and faith for my will is to reach many."
Confirmation/Scripture Reading Sirach 5:22-23, 28 - "Let no one intimidate you to your own downfall. Refrain not from speaking at the proper time and hide not away your wisdom. Even to the death fight for truth and the Lord, your God, will battle for you."
The Lord keeps telling me to be good, in the goodness of the Lord.
Scripture Reading Baruch 4:5 - "Take care of my people. You are the ones who keep Israel's name alive."
Scripture Reading Sirach 22:27, 23:7-10 - "Who will set a guard over my mouth, and an effective seal upon my lips, so that I may not fall because of them, and my tongue may not destroy me? Listen, my children, to instruction concerning the mouth; the one who observes it will never be caught. Sinners are overtaken through their lips; by them the reviler and the arrogant are tripped up. Do not accustom your mouth to oaths, nor habitually utter the name of the Holy One; for as a servant who is constantly under scrutiny will not lack bruises, so also the person who always swears and utters the Name will never be cleansed from sin."
Scripture Reading Psalm 34:1-4 - "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let's exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears."
Thank you Lord for everything you are doing for us.
Scripture Reading Psalm 34:11-14 - "Come, O son, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life, and covets many days that he may enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."
Prophecy - "I love you with an everlasting love. I choose you. I've always chosen you. Choose me. All I want is to be your choice. Please choose me."
David spoke on "A Matter of Choice" which was a follow-up to the discussion last week. Does God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart take away free will? Do we have a choice and what choices do we make? What are the consequences of those choices? Exodus 4:21 - "Yahweh said to Moses, 'Think of the wonders I have given you, power to perform once you are back in Egypt. You are to perform them before Pharaoh but I, myself, shall make him obstinate and he will not let the people go.'" Between Exodus 4 and 14, there are many statements made regarding the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. 3 different verbs used. 1) Kabed used 6 times. Failure of an organ due to age or disease. It's being heavy. Pharaoh's heart was heavy. It was no longer receptive to outside positive influence. 2) Chazag - to be strong, hard or bullheaded. 12 times, they talk about Pharaoh being bullheaded. 3) Qashah - to be hard, difficult, severe. On several different occasions, God warned Pharaoh through Moses of what he needed to do. But he refused and it says he hardened his heart. Pharaoh hardened his own heart and once that had happened multiple times, then we hear about God hardening his heart. Pharaoh used his own free will to be hardened against God and then God said, "You can continue in your self-imposed hardened heart," and God withdrew, letting Pharaoh's will be done. Pharaoh had chosen the path he was going to go on. Romans 1 - God gave them up to their own desires. In Romans 9:17, Paul argued that God allowed Pharaoh to come into power and that would be used to show the magnitude of divine power that God had over any earthly power. (Those notes from the book, "The Pentateuch" by J.E. Smith.) Catholic Study Bible - "God permitted Pharaoh to be stubborn in his opposition to the departure of the Israelites." So, yes, God used this situation for his glory. The basic biblical principle is those who will not see or hear, shall not see or hear. On the other hand, God can reconstruct the heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. God endures with much patience a person like the Pharaoh in Exodus. If our heart is hardening in a certain area, we can go to God and he will gladly soften it. God's presence forces a choice. Msgr. Charles Pope talks about these deep mysteries, questions about God's sovereignty and how it interacts with our freedom, mysteries of time, mysteries of causality. Msgr. raises several points and the first is that we have the context of connivance. We ought to first consider the context in which these texts were written. Generally speaking, most of these declarations that God hardens the heart come after a significant period of disobedience. God gives them what they really want. Mystery of time and space. God lives outside of space and time. God knows the choices we are going to make. Another mystery is causality. CCC 304. Finally, Msgr. says we're dealing with the necessity of humility. There are things we will never understand until we are with God.
David shared that his daughter's family is all healthy. The cycle of illness in their family is broken. Thank you, Lord.
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