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The Seal of God

The Seal of God

Jesus sent a message through His friend John telling us that at the end of time (our day), He would send His angels to hold back the final tribulation that precedes His return until His people receive the seal of God:

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:1–3 NIV84, emphasis mine).

This seal is not a tattoo or some other physical mark on the body, but as Paul wrote:

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 NIV84, emphasis mine).

“Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13 NIV84, emphasis mine).

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30 NIV84, emphasis mine).

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and love (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 4:8).

To be sealed of God means that we have received the indwelling Holy Spirit, which via the outworking of truth and love cuts away from our identity, our self, our heart and mind, everything that separates us from God and solidifies us in heart and mind into unshakable loyalty to God such that nothing can cause us to choose to betray our trust in our Savior.

A simple way to say this is that being sealed means choosing to say yes to the leading of the Holy Spirit such that we become so settled, both intellectually and spiritually, into the truth and love of God that nothing can move us from it.

Jesus described this state of being when He said,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NIV84).

Being sealed by God, by the work of the Spirit of truth and love, means that our identity (individuality, self, ego, personhood) is cut away from finding self, security, meaning, value, or worth in anything before Jesus.

But what does this mean practically, and how do we experience it?

The Bible teaches that when Adam sinned, he corrupted his own nature and infected himself with a spirit of fear and selfishness; ever since, every person is born infected with that same corrupting spirit of fear and selfishness (Psalm 51:5; 2 Timothy 1:7).

We come into the world fearful, insecure, needy, and dependent and immediately begin searching for and creating attachments to what provides us security, comfort, a sense of safety, identity, meaning, and purpose. Our hearts want to be free from fear and doubt, free from guilt and shame. Therefore, as children, we attach initially, and appropriately, to our parents and constantly seek to get approval, validation, love, and acceptance from them, which offsets (but does not remove or replace) the spirit of fear and insecurity with which we were born.

As we grow, we seek, find, and form attachments to other things. Some attachments are considered adaptive, like friends and family, but others less so, like food (not for nutrition but as emotional comfort), substances, money, property, position, status, fame, reputation, skills and abilities, achievements, sports teams, objects (Linus’ blanket), lucky charms, alma mater, churches, nations, and organizations like Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, gangs, cults, political parties, etc.

All these attachments to our sense of self, our identity, our heart, are formed in an attempt to make us feel safe, important, valuable, needed, secure, and worthy, to give us a sense of identity, meaning, and purpose in order to offset the spirit of fear, guilt, and shame we inherited from Adam. 

Threatening any of these attachments inflames fear, anxiety, and distress, which typically results in a hostile response to defend one’s interests, whether physical, relational, or legal—we seek to eliminate the threat to our security. This is the cause of the never-ending divisions and conflicts throughout human history.

You see this in people with their sports teams. If their identity and sense of self are significantly formed around their team, they become quite distraught and angry when their team loses.

Some people attach their hearts to their nation, career, race, denomination, family, or wealth.

 

The Only Source

God’s plan for His people (in fact, it is a requirement for salvation because of how reality works) is to cut away from our hearts any source of security, identity, peace, sense of wellbeing other than Him. We are to recognize Him not only as our only source of life, but also as the source of our identity, purpose, meaning, and security. We are to recognize that our talents, intelligence, skills, abilities, health, wealth, everything we have, originate in Him, and that we are His stewards to carry out His purposes in the use of all He has given us. (And His purposes are always for our best good, not His need).

But we are not His slaves; He wants us to be His understanding friends (John 15:15). He wants to lead us to the point that we sever all ties of loyalty that interfere with His calling and purpose in our lives and give our hearts and minds and, ultimately, our first priority in all things to Him, that in all actions we seek to honor Him and bring glory to Him, for it is He that we love and trust above all others. Abraham demonstrated God was first in his heart at Mount Moriah when he was willing to sacrifice his own son (for a deeper dive into that event see our blog Why Did God Tell Abraham to Kill Isaac?).

Placing God supreme in our hearts does not free us from our duties in life, but rather, it strengthens and enables us to fulfill those duties. Parents who prioritize God above their children will be ever more capable, focused, energized, motivated, and enabled with wisdom and strength to fulfill their godly calling to parent their children. People who put God before their spouse in all things will be the most loving, loyal, attentive, nurturing, and healthy spouses, for they will treat their partners like Christ treats the church, and those marriages will be the place where both individuals thrive, mature, grow, and experience the deepest love and peace possible on Earth.

While we are to be in the world, we are not to be of the world; therefore, we must be ready to let go of every other support or attachment in this world rather than betray Jesus to hold onto what we have.

If called like Lot to leave or flee our home, our community, our family, our wealth—are we ready to follow that call, or would that be too threatening, too terrifying, and would we choose to die clutching onto our earthly possessions?

If called like the rich young ruler to sell all we have and give it to the poor and follow Jesus, could we do it, or would our sense of worth, our security, our meaning and identity, be overwhelmed, and it would be too terrifying and fearful to do so, so we cling to our money and lose our soul?

If we like Abraham (Hagar and Ishmael), or those in Matthew 10:34–38, are called to cut ties with family members and send them away, can we do it, or do we find such an act would hurt us too much and we would rather hold on to them rather than to Jesus?

If we are called like the apostles to leave our employment to serve the Lord, are we able to do it, or do we cling to our earthly income to feel safe and secure, only to lose eternal security?

If we are called like Moses to leave a position of power and authority, a place of societal leadership, are we able to do so, or does such a demotion, a humiliation, a loss of status terrify and frighten us, causing us so much turmoil that we refuse the calling, cling to position and power and lose salvation?

If we are called like Paul to follow Jesus at the cost of being rejected by the church of our upbringing, are we able to do so, or would the rejection by our own church be so frightening that we would refuse to follow our Savior preferring the security of denominational membership?

If we are in leadership of a church or one of its institutions and are called, like Caiaphas 2000 years ago, to make a choice between following Jesus or protecting the assets of the institution, are we able to follow Jesus, or would our sense of security be so tied to the organization that we, like Caiaphas, would say, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John 11:50 NIV84).

We are to become like Job, who, despite losing every earthly attachment, still trusted God. The only way we can do this is if we place God first in our hearts now. We must love Him above all others and form identities, our sense of self, our purpose, our reason for living, upon the truth of who He is and who we are to Him—His precious son or daughter that He loves so much He sent His one and only Son to save us. When we place God first in all things and are settled into the truth of who He is both intellectually and spiritually, mind and heart, then we are sealed of God and nothing, no temptation, no lie, no threat, no loss, will shake us from it.  

And because God wants this for us, He allows events to unfold in our lives that put us in a position where we must choose what we value most, who we trust most—God or something else.

So I encourage you, when you experience anything that causes you to feel fear, insecurity, or threatened, go to Jesus and ask Him to help you identify the source. Pray like David for God to search your heart and to cut away any attachments that have formed in your life that are interfering with your connection to Him. Choose to surrender all to Jesus, to trust Him with everything, to recognize Him not only as Savior but also as our Creator (and recreator) and Sustainer, and embrace your relationship with Him as His loving, trusting, and trustworthy steward and friend. For He has promised,

“‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5, 6 NIV84).

 

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Testimony 73

I have been truly blessed by your blogs and other resources. They have helped me to see things in a much brighter light and to reason things out better. Thank you so much for your ministry. Whenever I have the opportunity I pass along your material to my friends.

R. Noseworthy, Newfoundland, Canada

Testimony 75

Thank you so much for everything you do! Because of all these truths, I’m excited to be with Jesus! I always pray everyday, “COME TODAY, JESUS.” Before finding C&R, I was always praying for delays, “NOT TODAY OH GOD. I AM NOT READY.” I just need to share more, talk more bout this truth, so everybody will be excited for Jesus.

J C Shin

Testimony 29

Thank you for all of your work to correct misconceptions about God’s character. So many people that my husband and I have talked to seem to be against the natural law construct and view it as “errant” and “dangerous.” Having learned more about it through your blogs and lessons, I don’t really understand why they view it that way, except that it means they have to relearn theology they have known for their entire lives. But I’m so excited to relearn this. For the past few years I have been questioning how I could trust a God who punishes arbitrarily and is full of wrath for those who don’t obey His commands. That view made me afraid to “mess up” or “not be good enough,” even within my relationship with God. I really appreciated the point you bring out about God not wanting us to serve Him because we are afraid, but because we love Him.

Melissa H., IN, USA

 

Testimony 6

I got the book “Could It Be This Simple?” a few months ago and the reading was wonderful and I was fascinated. I lent the book to a friend at work. She is having a difficult time and the book is helping her to find Jesus and I found this very exciting. She has asked me questions and I can see her life changing.

H. S., Australia

 

Testimony 49

I came into the church at 21, but that is as far as it went. I was so confused about what love is. I couldn’t find it in the bible, because I am not a person that can read between the lines. I have no logic. I have read many, many books; trying to figure out the crux of the matter. They were helpful, but something was still missing. I have become very frustrated to the point of crying out to God, “Where can I go?”  I needed some basics.

I found two books, written by Timothy Jennings, MD, to be very helpful. God showed me that I had lived my whole life in fear. I didn’t even see it. Now, I do. God is so good.  I discovered the “The Remedy”  Dr. Jennings new book, “The God-Shaped Heart!” Oh, I was so excited, I purchased them right away.

I can get rid of most of my books, because “The Remedy” brings the Love of God out so clearly, even I can’t miss it. Now, I want to sit and read my Bible. Wow, what a revelation! It is just simply Awesome! I am so grateful to Jehovah Almighty for hearing my prayer for more understanding! I am so encouraged!

Jackie S.

 

Testimony 11

I would love to have a copy of “Healing the Mind” DVDs to have in my therapy office. I enjoy having clients check out materials to enhance their therapy experience. I have sat under Dr. Jennings’ teaching at an American Association of Christian Counselors convention and respect his work greatly.

K.B., LA, USA

 

Testimony 23

I would just like to add my voice to the many people who, I believe, must have contacted you to express their appreciation for the “Healing the Mind” DVDs. I’ve been listening to your Bible study class discussions for many years and I’ve been personally blessed by your research and teaching about the character of God.

L. G., Oakland, MI, USA

 

Testimony 53

I was so blessed by a friend who gave me your book, “The God Shaped Brain,” while I was sitting in church asking God to please help me learn more about Him and help me not to be so confused and scared. That was about 2 years ago. Your books have helped me to love God even more. I’m not confused or scared anymore! I have listened to all of your bible study classes and feel like I know the wonderful people that attend every week. Thank you for all that you’re doing in spreading the true message about God and His law of love. God bless you and your whole class.

Elssy P., Modesto, CA, USA

 

Testimony 2

I continue to enjoy your lessons every week. The more that I research your conclusions, the more I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has lead you to distill out the essence of human redemption. Thank you for your courageous stand for the truth.

S. G., TX, USA

 

Testimony 20

I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

R. K., Anderson, SC, USA

 

Testimony 5

We listen to your bible studies lessons in our class in Montana. You actually were the main reason I decided to get a laptop, so I can go to your site and listen, read, learn, and print the class notes. I am so grateful to learn the correct view of God and his character. Now, to just have others have an interest in knowing, so I can share it with them. Good thoughts your way.

R. N., MT, USA

 

Testimony 37

Hearing Dr. Jennings’ presentations in person came at a pivotal moment in my spiritual journey that began about nine months ago, when the fault lines inherent in my belief system began to crack under questions that most reasonable people end up asking about God and His nature. These were questions I couldn’t find answers to, and they shook my faith. I was unable let it go any longer and be satisfied. My Christian experience became distant. I was afraid; the fear in me rose like thorns, pushing me away from Jesus. And then someone heard my questions and introduced me to this ministry, and my life has totally changed.

I can tell you that this new, “present truth” message is far grander and life-changing than when I shifted from being an agnostic and then a nominal Christian. It has radically altered my worldview, because it reveals a God that makes sense. It is a revolution. I believe that Dr. Jennings’ message is the final message that must go to the world. If any message could be called “righteousness by faith,” as abused as that term is by the right and the left, this is that message, because Jennings’ biblical message identifies a God who is different, whose character isn’t an impossible contradiction.

I walk this path now without fear. I see people differently, and the Holy Spirit burns in my heart. Many call Dr. Jennings’ message false and compromising, but it isn’t false, because I’ve seen the fruits within my mind and body. It is not compromising, because in this message is the only road to holiness that makes any sense. No longer do I behold a pagan god who is always angry and suspicious. Instead, I behold a God who is freeing and loving, always working for our good, and giving me every reason to love my enemy even to my own death, just as Jesus pleads with us. God is good.

Anthony L., CA, USA

 

Testimony 62

I would like to express my thanks to the C&R team for creating a platform from which people can learn to trust in God and grow. My life is a witness to the effectiveness of this ministry. Without believing the truth about God as you have shown, I don’t know what my life would be like. I had given up on God helping me with certain sins – it was all useless. Given that the scripture is clear and God is so good, how could I have betrayed him so many times? I was a yo-yo christian; spinning up and down. My faith and enthusiasm was driven by discoveries/threats that prophecy is about to be fulfilled. But when I watched your “Healing the Mind” seminar, it was like a light finally went on. I could see God had no plan to hurt me, the danger came from sin, and that He is working to protect me and strengthen me. Thank you for allowing God to use you. The message God gave C&R saved my life!

Antony N. – Hobart, Australia

 

Testimony 28

I have been following your Bible study class for about a year now. I must say I am impressed with how your ministry has grown. I took it upon myself to listen to all your lesson podcasts from the past and they have both enriched me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I have learnt a lot from this class. I have also noticed how the class has grown in spiritual strength. One of the things that benefited me is that now I am not afraid of God. I use to be, but now it has melted away. The second thing is that you helped me to have a real life relationship with God. Now He is my friend that was always there and I love having him with me all the time. Thirdly, because of this class, it inspired me to take over and lead a class. I have called it “Let Us Reason Together,” adapting your inquisitive style and creating a class of free thinkers.

T. Banda, Malawi, Africa

 

Testimony 40

I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

Tom W., Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA