SEPARATING THE SPIRITUAL FROM THE PHYSICAL
THE HIDDEN MEANING
INTRODUCTION
In these next scriptures, we at VAL-TE’ believe freeing your mind from negative influences requires making active decisions about which foods, people, and environments to expose yourself to and which ones to avoid. Then Immanuel, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Immanuel answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Immanuel answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” And Immanuel answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Then Immanuel returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. Luke 4: 1-14 NKJV
Biblical Word
SIN – From that time on Immanuel began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elder, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Immanuel turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16: 21-23 NIV
Reference
2 Thessalonians 2: 7-12 – The Mysterious Wickedness is already at work, but what is going to happen will not happen until the one who holds it back is taken out of the way. Then the Wicked One will be revealed, but when the Lord Immanuel comes, he will kill him with the breath from his mouth and destroy him with dazzling presence. The Wicked One will come with the power of Satan and perform all kinds of false miracles and wonders, and use every kind of wicked deceit on those who will perish. They will perish because they did not welcome and love the truth so as to be saved. And so God sends the power of error to work in them so that they believe what is false. The result is that all who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in sin, will be condemned. GNT
Significance
Negative Influence (An unseen force or energy that can disrupt your spiritual well-being) – We at VAL-TE’ also believe often manifest itself as negative thoughts, emotions, or behaviors, potentially stemming from external sources like people, places, or situations that drain your positive energy and hinder your connection to a higher power or inner peace. If life is a human body, then sin is an untreated disease capable of producing adverse effects on an individual. If life is a river, then sin is mercury or arsenic that pollutes it. If life is a garden, then sin is the army of slugs that eat your tomatoes.
