Tag Archives: a spirit of confusion

Languishing Language

Posted on May 4, 2023 by expressyourself4him

Prior to Genesis 11, Moses suggests that the earth only had one language. Based upon the account of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9, God sent a spirit of confusion upon the people who had gathered to build this great city. Without reading too much into this passage, God essentially created different languages on this one day. Thousands of years later, 7,117 languages exist today based upon the most recent data in 2023.

You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you, Deuteronomy 4:2.

If I didn’t watch cable news or scan the internet for current events, I wouldn’t have known about the current language war going on across the United States. Children in elementary school are being suspended and a few expelled for not addressing their own classmates by their preferred Pronoun. Meanwhile, parents are being kept out of the loop as confused children as receiving sex change operations without their consent.

But the [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, 2 Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized), 1 Timothy 4:1-2.

Unless I’m mistaken, the month of Match was dedicated to Women’s History Month. According to a recent statistic, approximately 52% of the United States are female. Nearly 2% of Americans identify themselves to be trans-gender. Yet, two major companies in the United States honored men who now identify as women in March. Moses warned about not adding to or subtracting from God’s commands. The apostle Paul points to the source of languishing language: spirits of confusion and demons. May God wake up the minds of Americans up with common sense and biblical wisdom before this nation is destroyed like great empires of the past.

by Jay Mankus

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A Spirit of Confusion

Posted on February 7, 2023 by expressyourself4him

The older I get, the more I become aware of senior moments: forgetting why you initially got up, drawing a blank on the name of a close friend or missing a turn while driving in a car. Some people may blame this on confusion, but when minds wander it’s hard to reign in curiosity. Self-help experts have written countless books on overcoming memory loss while drug companies are always pushing the latest miracle pill to cure spirits of confusion.

Come, let Us go down and there confound (mix up, confuse) their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from that place upon the face of the whole earth, and they gave up building the city, Genesis 11:7-8.

The first mention of confusion in the Bible occurs during the second industrial revolution in the Old Testament. After the flood erased the Nephilim, a civilization of giants, Nimrod appears to be the architect of Babel and the suburbs which sprawled between two large cities. When God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit came to see the progress of this mighty tower, each agreed that it was time for a change. Subsequently, the winds of change brought in a Spirit of Confusion that ceased and ended all construction.

Therefore the name of it was called Babel—because there the Lord confounded the language of all the earth; and from that place the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of the whole earth, Genesis 11:9.

The New Testament provides a solution to this Spirit of Confusion, the creation of global languages. The Day of Pentecost offers a reversal of this confusion in the form of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-6. Eyewitness of this supernatural event were astonished that they were able to hear a stranger speak to them in their own dialect. Like the words of Mary following the news that she would conceive a Savior without having intercourse, anything is possible with God, Luke 1:37, even overcoming a Spirit of Confusion.

by Jay Mankus

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Only the Beginning

Posted on January 30, 2023 by expressyourself4him

As an aging parent, it’s hard to remember what it’s like to live each new day with the excitement of a child. Before the days of childcare, every summer day for me was an adventure. I spent hundreds of hours exploring the woods that run along Naamans’ Creek. One area is filled with giant boulders, more fitting for a mountain than the start of this small tributary. Some days I went fishing, catching eels and large fish for the dam my father constructed in my backyard. This was only the beginning.

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have [a]all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them, Genesis 11:5-6.

Following the earth’s first and only global flood, this pioneer spirit existed in the days of Nimrod. As Noah’s children went off to the four corners of the world, the earth’s population was rebuilt as new frontiers were discovered. According to Moses, like minded individuals gathered at Babel to construct the largest tower on earth. As the Lord saw the determination in their eyes, this was only the beginning of what mankind could accomplish if united under one common goal.

Let your [a]character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] [b]Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor [c]give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [d][I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor [e]let [you] down ([f]relax My hold on you)! [[g]Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? – Hebrews 13:5-6

Fearful that the earth would return to the sinful ways in the days of Noah, God sent a Spirit of Confusion upon Babel. This language barrier snapped the momentum the residents of Babel had built. Yet, this all happened for a reason, forcing human beings to spread out to every continent on earth. Acts 1:8 speaks of a spiritual reunion, but only when everyone in Jerusalem, surrounding towns, and every tribe in the world has an opportunity to receive God’s free gift, Romans 6:23. This is only the beginning is a new call today for missionaries trying to fulfill the Great Commission. Seize each day God gives you on earth.

by Jay Mankus

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When Your Dream Gets Shattered

Posted on January 27, 2023 by expressyourself4him

When my family moved to Delaware in the summer of 1977, I was welcomed into a neighborhood with several kids my age. On rainy days or summer nights, a couple of my new friends invited me over to play Monopoly. Some of these games lasted hours until everyone went bankrupt. except for the winner who had bragging rights until our next marathon session. Losing often as a child helped prepare me for real life when my dreams did get shattered.

 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [in Babylonia], Genesis 10:10.

Moses introduces readers of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, to Nimrod, the son of Cush. When Nimrod laid eyes on the land of Shinar, modern day Babylonia, he thought this would be a great place for a city to be erected. Nimrod was a visionary who may have been the mastermind behind the Tower at Babel. While Moses does not mention Nimrod by name during the construction of this elaborate city, this was likely a major dream and goal of his.

Come, let Us go down and there confound (mix up, confuse) their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from that place upon the face of the whole earth, and they gave up building the city. 9 Therefore the name of it was called Babel—because there the Lord confounded the language of all the earth; and from that place the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of the whole earth, Genesis 11:7-9.

While there are always construction delays in every project, the passage above details something out of this world. Moses’ use of “Let us” refers to God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Moses paints the picture of a spirit of confusion likely in the form of new languages each worker began to think about. Whatever happened on this day, Nimrod’s dream of a great tower was never completed. Like Nimrod, we all have at least one thing we want to accomplish before we die. Therefore, as you endure disappointment, failures, and setbacks in life, don’t give up on your dreams; don’t ever give up, Galatians 6:9-10.

by Jay Mankus

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When You Reach the Top… There’s Nothing There

Posted on April 13, 2020 by expressyourself4him

Shortly after the great flood depicted in Genesis 7:11-12, a new mindset began to form. Despite hitting the reset button, God could not prevent mankind from developing a desire to reach the heavens. Thus, like minded individuals began to congregate in the city of Babel. This idea inspired the construction of a great tower, seeking to reach the top of the world. Unfortunately, before this project was completed, a spirit of confusion was poured out upon Babel.

And they said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower whose top reaches into the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the whole earth. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them, Genesis 11:4-6.

Several thousands years later, order was restored on the Day of Pentecost. My initial question to this spiritual phenomena is why. Moses suggests that God was afraid that a united mankind could physically reach the heavens, making it to the top. Perhaps, an absence of trust and faith separated human beings from their true purpose on earth. Thus, Jesus’ ascension into heaven opens the door for an invisible presence to be introduced. To fulfill his promise in John 16:13, the Holy Spirit is unleashed in the middle of the first century.

And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place, 2 When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words]. 5 Now there were then residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout and God-fearing men from every country under heaven. 6 And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together and they were astonished and bewildered, because each one heard them [the apostles] speaking in his own [particular] dialect, Acts 2:1-6.

When you ask world class athlete’s, business leaders and entrepreneurs about what it feels like to actually reach the top, considered the best in the world, responses are mixed. Some use this as an opportunity to retire on top. Others seek to become part of a destiny, hungry to set more records and reach new heights. However, many are filled with an emptiness as if to say, “is that it.” When accomplishments don’t fulfill the void in your heart, Jesus provides a spiritual alternative, John 10:10. May this season of Easter inspire you to replace your emptiness with purpose and meaning via faith.

by Jay Mankus

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The Babel Connection

Posted on April 19, 2015 by expressyourself4him

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech, Genesis 11:1.

A generation ago, anyone who claimed to have an encounter with an alien or observe a UFO was considered crazy.  In recent years, the tide has turned inspiring shows like Ancient Aliens, Hangar 1 and Monsters and Mysteries in America.  If you listen to the experts on these programs, aliens are given credit for unexplained technological advances discovered by archeologists.  Meanwhile, the Bible and its historical records have been bypassed, disregarded and neglected as a source.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” – Genesis 11:4

Unfortunately, the Babel connection has not been included in this conversation.  According to Moses, there was no language barrier prior to the construction of the Towel of Babel.  Subsequently, people came together to achieve a common goal, to construct a building that would reach the heavens.  Due to their selfish motives, the Lord sent a spirit of confusion upon the people of earth.  Although this project was never completed due to language barriers, the words of Genesis 11:6 suggest technology in the Old Testament was much further advanced than first thought.

The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them, Genesis 11:6.

While most will focus on God’s response to the inhabitants of Babel, early civilizations developed a keen sense of unity.  These spirit of teamwork led to amazing achievements once thought to be impossible.  Following the flood, descendents of Noah made the Land of Shinar their home, making up for lost time, quickly exceeding beyond pre-flood life.  Time and eternity will determine actually who built what, yet for now don’t be afraid to examine the Bible to uncover the mysteries in life.

by Jay Mankus

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