Rafael Elizalde

An Earnest Child of God With a Heart After God Desiring True Freedom & Indescribable Peace. Finding Integrity in the Relentless Pursuit of Truth

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

How to Hear God’s Voice - 4 Simple Action Steps

1 Consume: Listen to & read the Protestant Bible

2 Pray: Have two-way conversations with God

3 Write: Jot down what you believe God is or might be telling you

4 Talk: Converse with at least 2 others regularly doing these 4 steps

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@AndrewBolis Hustle

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@fwdemail Do you support MFA for mail accounts?

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@heygurisingh Build

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@heygurisingh Claude

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@AndrewBolis YT

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@recap_david REAL

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

Not long ago, in this galaxy, not far away, someone @amazon introduced Echo Studio with immersive spatial audio & @Dolby Atmos.

One could almost hear @AmazonAlexa saying...

"Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station."

https://t.co/spC1AIgrTg

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

Many are happy for @taylorswift13 & @tkelce about their engagement. @AppleMusic has a playlist titled 'So, it's gonna be forever' with "her most romantic and hopeful songs." Found myself thinking How can they keep their marriage from going down in flames? https://t.co/w9kNY5uCkn

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

4/5 Marriage has a 100% chance of success when we follow the 4 laws God gave in Genesis 3 that govern, guard, & guide. Your ego/flesh is ruling you, wanting to destroy/harm your relationship, when you don't follow the roles & plan God gave in Ephesians 5.

https://t.co/JRTSYQXG2m

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

Only the lovely are lovable.

Yes, at times some are harder to love than others. I've yet to meet a person who's unlovable. Someone is lovable because of who they are; the intrinsic value given to them by their Creator, not because of what they do or fail to do.

You are lovely.

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@ItsAustinAI Sent

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

Me, texting loved ones to remind them I'm here for them.

Superman got noth-ing on me. I'm only one, call away. 👂🎹🎙️

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

Hey there, "Christian." 👋🏼

Jesus in our true Hero because Jesus saved us. Our Savior is our Hero. Jesus is our Savior.

So you like Wes Huff, cool. It's easy to like the guy since he claims to be pursuing Truth in a world that seems to be happy to be bamboozled with confidence alone. And, well, he's proving it with his actions and the way he treats others. He's respectful of others and doesn't appear to be mostly talk. His walk seems to match his talk.

Friendly fist bump @WesleyLHuff 👊

That said, remember that Jesus in our Hero. Wes Huff isn't our hero.

Neither is someone important, like, say, the Apostle Paul for that matter.

A long time ago Paul wrote TO the Corinthians something that is also FOR us today.

In 1 Corinthians 3 the Apostle Paul communicated this;

"3 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?

5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building."

That was 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 NLT

See https://t.co/PelBFBS4DF

Messengers, planters, people who water, gardeners, and the rest of God's fellow workers are like heroes in that they carry and further The Gospel of the Savior, but let's not confuse them with the true Hero of this, our reality.

The true Hero is THE Hero... of this story of reality.

In The Story of Reality, Jesus (with a title of Messiah / Christ / Savior) is the Hero of the entire story. We follow Jesus, the Savior. Jesus is our Savior, our Hero!

So even if Wes- or anyone of God's workers- get things right or make mistakes anywhere, that's cool either way. These workers do not need to be perfect to point to the Perfect One. It's kinda cool that in the end; imperfection points to perfection anyways, isn't it? I think so.

Let's follow our Hero; Jesus.

After all, that is who Wes is pointing us towards when he testifies about the Protestant Bible. So instead of saying something like' "I follow Wes Huff," how about we say; "I follow Jesus" and have the things we DO with our lives be the evidence of what we SAY with our words.

Peace! 🕊️

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

Full lyrics for ‘Shake Loose’ by LaNell Grant

Haha, shake loose.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Shake. Haha.

Aye... aye... aye... aye.

The bars clean, the beats mean, but, I somebody mama though.
Hope that when they Googling my name, no shame will follow them.
Hope they know that fame is not the same if they don't follow Him.
And hope they know a gain is not a gain if they lose sight of Him.

But if you stumble just get back in line and follow.
Keep it humble if the Truth is hard to swallow.
Keep it a buck, even if it hurts your follows.
And hold your head if they walk you to the gallow.

Shake loose.

You ain't gotta be the same way now.
You ain't gotta worry what a hater got to say now.
Lean a little closer smell the roses like hey ya.
Never sell your soul no matter how much they pay ya.
Let 'em know your daddy raised you right (raise you right).
Let 'em know he showed you where the light was.
Righteous, evade the vipers, pointed like a sniper, waiting for the right time to...

Shake loose. Shake loose. Shake loose. Shake loose.
Shake. Shake. Shake. Shake.
Shake loose.

Hol' up. Shake the right way though.
They always got something to say though.
They always try to flip it another way though.
I'm just trynna to get Life and stay low.

We can get it cracking like crab shells, but if they fill a bucket will we finally stack well?
Division is a subject and we never did add well.
I'm just hoping that we grow up and we handle our flack well.

So shake like you on heads of snakes (move now).
Drop like you won't stop (tear the roof down).
Lean like you have seen (how He moves crowds).
Mean 'cause you've been cleaned (tell them wipe you down).

Where do we go if we gone get down?
I see now reason we should miss out.
We got good reason to get this loud.
If they gotta problem we just look them in the eye and

Shake loose. Shake loose. Shake loose. Shake loose.
Shake. Shake. Shake. Shake.
Shake loose.

I don't wanna hit no nerve, but I got rhythm and my rhythm deserves to shake loose.
I've been waiting my turn for just the right song and just the right verse to shake loose.
You know I'm sayin', so shake loose.
Know I'm sayin', so shake loose.
You know you with it so shake loose.
So shake.

I don't wanna hit no nerve, but I got rhythm and my rhythm deserves to shake loose.
I've been waiting my turn for just the right song and just the right verse to shake loose.
You know I'm sayin', so shake loose.
Know I'm sayin', so shake loose.
You know you with it so shake, so shake.

Aye, aye.

You know the beat gone bang, a little (c'mon).
I just wanna do ma thing, a little, c'mon.
You know the shoulders gone shake, a little (yeah).
Just make sure you move the right way, a little, c'mon.
You know I'm saying c'mon.
Yeah I'm saying c'mon.
You know you with it c'mon.

Aye... aye... aye.

You know the beat gone bang, a little.
I just wanna do ma thing, a little, c'mon.
You know the shoulders gone shake, a little.
Just make sure you move the right way, a little, c'mon.
You know I'm saying c'mon.
Yeah I'm saying c'mon.
You know you with it c'mon.

Aye... aye.

Shake loose. Shake loose. Shake loose. Shake loose.
Shake. C'mon shake. C'mon shake. C'mon shake.

Aye, shake loose.

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

You ain't gotta
be the same way now
worry what a hater got to say now

Lean a little closer
Never sell your soul

Let em know
you daddy raised you right
showed you where the Light was

Been waiting for the right verse to

‘Shake Loose’ by @ProducedbyNell

https://t.co/XXnQ5hRkg6

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@MKBHD Looks like @Jaguar is taking that American romantic comedy-drama TV series on @netflix Emily in Paris seriously. 😉

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@MAstronomers Nice. 😉 *plays the theme*

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

@SpaceX Wow! Truly awe inspiring. 🚀

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

God Is Good. God Loves You. Listen to God. Freely, Willingly, Responsibly.

TLDR; Don’t give up, instead; listen to God's Voice.

Per my understanding of the Protestant Bible…

1) Claiming to be a Christian is not a requirement to Eternal Salvation; believing is.

2) When someone truly believes Jesus, they follow Him.

3) People can see themselves and other people follow Jesus; it is possible.

It is possible to know if we're internally (and thus see that we're externally) following Jesus.

It is possible to see if others are externally following Jesus (and thus infer they're also likely to be following Jesus internally).

Our knowing doesn't have to be perfect to be certain about Truth. We can be certain about Truth if our imperfect knowing is dependent on God's perfect knowing. When we listen to God, we're listening to Perfection, even if we receive Perfection imperfectly; due to the reality of our brokenness.

4) Jesus didn’t ask for perfect followers. Jesus pursued and pursues imperfect people. Jesus wants imperfectly obedient followers.

God changes us through the process of following Jesus.

5) Following Jesus inwardly and externally is a sign that someone believes (is with) Jesus.

6) While it is not always perfectly possible for us to tell who’s a Jesus follower or not, it is possible for us to know who is a Jesus follower with the Holy Spirit’s help.

7) Don’t give up, instead; listen to God's Voice.

God's Voice leads you to the Truth, which is to also say; to clarity, to Freedom, and to Fulfillment.

In this life God (Elohim, the God of the Israelites) can reveal things to you and me (us) or to you or me (individuals) that He can’t or won’t reveal to others for a number of reasons.

God has secrets and He's willing to reveal some of them to you. If you want some of God's secret revelations, for your life and maybe even the lives of others, yes, you can have them.

That said, know that God can’t reveal some things because He freely and willingly limited His power when He made us in His image.

God often won’t reveal some things, no matter how much He wants to reveal them, because He respects the freedom of choice He gave us. He won’t violate His own design; He got it right the first time. What design? Nature. Us. His Creation.

Just because things are (Creation is) broken now doesn't mean He broke them. We did that.

That's part of the story of Reality that Christians believe; in the beginning, He made things, and He made them perfect. Then we (humanity) broke things and He faced a choice.

In his Grace and Mercy, He chose to make all things new. He's still doing that. This can be hard for us to experience, live out, and understand.

One of the hardest things about all of this for us is simply choosing to focus on God’s voice in our lives above all the other voices.

In this life, although Victory is already assured, there IS a competition for you and me. A competition that in His infinite Grace and Mercy, God allows.

A competition for our hearts, our wills, our affections (attention, focus). A competition because we're valuable. No more valuable than God; valuable because He made us in His image. He set our worth then and it continues to this moment.

Amazingly we get to freely and willingly pick sides; to side with the True Victor (because that competition has already been won), or with another who sometimes seems to have the appearance of victory.

Appearances; such tricky things.

Darkness attempts to shade (hide) lies (itself). Darkness wants to alter the truth and it cannot so it lies to you to try and get you to believe it was and is successful.

Light illuminates (exposes) lies and the darkness. It preserves the truth. Light is clarity.

The darkness I'm talking about here leads to death and destruction.

Light leads to itself as embodied in the Life of and from the God-Man some call their King: Jesus (The Prince of Peace).

You feel that tension, don't you? Between darkness and light? Yeah, it's there. That tension is the equivalent of death and life. It's a tension because of their temporary and eternal appeals to us.

This is not like the ying and yang; Jesus' teachings don't (thus the Christian worldview doesn't) equate them. One really is more powerful than the other and are separate. A thought on power will come in a moment.

A lot of people in the dark believe they can see clearly because they aren't using God's measures; they're using their own or someone else's measures. They're willingly or unwillingly lowering the bar, if you will; God's high standards (as compared to our own standards).

If God is Good, if He is truly Loving, then His Standard is, and His Standards are, the Truth (which is to say; Reality). And what does God's Voice lead you and I (us) to? The Truth. God's Voice leads us to Reality.

But what does that matter, some say?

Some live for power (force), not truth (clarity).

That's a challenge for us, isn't it?

We can get our thoughts so twisted up: 'clarity can be forced' or 'force is clarity' (those are examples of our twisted thinking; or stinkin' thinkin')

Really? Where did those thoughts and ideas come from?

I wonder what God's Voice says about all that.

Yeah, we're back to that. We always get back to this if we care about Truth enough that we want to make it Supreme in our lives.

Why come back to God's Voice? Because of God's Grace and Mercy. I'm in awe of Him. His attributes and gifts are of such high quality. But each has to learn that for him or herself; even if it is true for all.

Someone told me all of those good things originate from Him, and that all things live and exist through Him, and that all things are directed to Him. Oh yeah, I think that was God's Voice. 😉

Who's voice are you seeking 👀 and listening 👂 to right now?

Remember; God's Voice leads you to Truth, Clarity, Freedom, Fulfillment, Peace, and more good things. It'll even lead you to True Power; Ultimate Power.

We were made in God's image and God chooses for Himself and those He Loves so, like Him, we must choose for ourselves and those we claim to love also.

He's not forcing us to pick or choose anything. God's design for us was and still is that we freely, willingly, and responsibly choose.

God is Good. God Loves you. Listen to God.

Wanna look into how and what it's like to listen to God? Check this out... https://t.co/3bUmbDXFtU

[Rafael Elizalde @getraf]

How to Hear God’s Voice - 4 Simple Action Steps

1 Consume: Listen to & read the Protestant Bible

2 Pray: Have two-way conversations with God

3 Write: Jot down what you believe God is or might be telling you

4 Talk: Converse with at least 2 others regularly doing these 4 steps