Spiritual Verses

'A profoundly valuable collection, full of fresh perspective, and opening doors into all kinds of material that has been routinely neglected or patronized' Rowan Williams, TLS This rich and surprising anthology is a holistic, global survey of a lyric conversation about the divine, one which has been ongoing for millennia. Beginning with the earliest attributable author in all of human literature, the twenty-third century BCE Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna, and taking in a constellation of voices - from King David to Lao Tzu, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to the Malian Epic of Sundiata - this selection presents a number of canonical figures like Blake, Dickinson and Tagore, alongside lesser-anthologized, diverse poets going up to the present day. Together they show the breathtaking multiplicity of ways humanity has responded to the spiritual, across place and time.

Begun in 1262 AD, Masnavi-ye Ma ‘navi, or ‘spiritual couplets', is thought to be the longest single-authored ‘mystical’ poem ever written. As the spiritual masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition, it teaches how to progress to the ultimate goal of the Sufi path - union with God. Jalaloddin Rumi was a poet and a mystic, but he was first a teacher; in these verses he draws the reader into the complexities of human love and separation and explains the path to divine love through the elimination of self-regard and worldly desires. Drawing on diverse sources from bawdy tales and fables to stories of the prophet Mohammed, these verses are brief in expression yet copious in meaning.

The book, “Spiritual Verses of Sheikh Farid”, is a translation from the Holy Scripture, “Guru Granth Sahib”. The reader’s mind is captured through the concept of the spirituality that reveals the universal truth of life and the divinity of the soul. Farid’s desire to meet God face to face inspired his spiritual poetic expression in his verses. This book depicts the universal concepts of Gods ways of nurturing human soul and mind with positive aspects of life. For a theological worldwide understanding, simple English language has been used and word by word meaning is in English.

The poems were all given to me by Jesus Our Lord and savior. I have written poetry since I was a child during the World War II as we had no toys, dolls, etc. Writing poems and books were all I used to do.

Spiritual Verses of Sheikh Farid in Guru Granth Sahib. Sheikh Farid has penned down his vast experience, which he had encountered during his life long search for the spiritual bliss and a deep rooted desire to meet God face to face. In Saloka 90, he writes. “Farida, your body has dried up and has become a skeleton and the crows find it a potential food source and peck at the palms. Look at the fate of this humble person, even now there is no indication of an approach by God”. Here are a few lessons to be learnt from the (Verses) Kalam / Bani of Sheikh Farid in Guru Garanth Sahib: Go to Church or temple or Masjid or Synagogue of your faith as per the practice established by your elders. There you come in contact with persons of your views and concepts and your faith is enhanced. (Shaloka 70 of Sheikh Farid) Do your prayers as dictated by your religion, as best as you can, it will add up to your spiritual belief in God and will give you confidence. (Shaloka 71st of Sheikh Farid) Pay full attention to the voice of your conscience, which your spiritual leaning keeps it vibrating.( Shaloka 39th of Sheikh Farid) Do not criticize others method of spiritual belief and rituals. It is the voice of your ego which induces you to down size others, better search your conscience. (Shaloka 6th of Sheikh Farid) Do not be a hypocrite, the death equalizes everyone at the end. (Shaloka 26th of Sheikh Farid) Avoid bad deeds, they bring you shame at the end. (Shaloka 59 of Sheikh Farid) Do good even to a bad person, do not let anger over power you, such a way of life will enhance your life span and will give you all the satisfaction you desire. (Salok 78 of Sheikh Farid) All the Salokas of Sheikh Farid depict his state of mind and his eagerness and his whole hearted devotion to God of his faith. He reacted strongly to the cunning and the hypocrite world around him. When he was still young he got so much upset with his surroundings which distracted his concentration of mind on God, that one day he gave up. (Shaloka 2,3 of Sheikh Farid), He said , going door to door to beg for food is so degrading, let me go somewhere, away from the wicked ways of the world. In such a disgusting mood, he folds into a bundle, his essential belongings of daily use, picks up the bundle to go away somewhere. Then he said to himself, where shouId I go? He said, “I am confused, I am not able to find a way out and I cannot think of what to do. The working system of this world is hypocrite people talk nicely on the face but they are indifferent inside”. Then the wisdom comes to him and he drops the idea of going away and he says: My God has done a great favor to me to give me wisdom, otherwise if I had wandered about, I would have suffered and would have been torn to pieces. There are 130 shalokas (Verses) of Sheikh Farid Ji, enshrined in Guru Garanth Sahib, from Page 1377 to Page 1384. With-in these 130 shalokas, there are few shalokas enjoined by Guru Amar Das Ji and some of the shalokas by Guru Arjun Dev Ji, to supplement the thoughts of Sheikh Farid Ji.

Have you ever asked yourself what changed when you were "born again?" You look in the mirror and see the same reflection - your body hasn't changed. You find yourself acting the same and yielding to those same old temptations - that didn't seem to change either. So you wonder, Has anything really changed? The correct answer to that question is foundational for receiving from God. If you lack this basic understanding, you'll forever ask yourself doubt-filled questions like: "How could God love somebody like me?" and "How can I possibly expect to receive anything from the Lord? I don't deserve it, I'm not good enough!" Spirit, Soul, and Body will help you eliminate those and other doubt-filled questions that destroy your faith. If you have trouble receiving from God, this is a must-read!

This book offers a critique of common spiritual warfare practices including binding Satan, renouncing curses, spiritual mapping and exorcisms. Using Scripture, and Scripture alone, Pastor Jim Osman shows that true spiritual warfare is not a battle over territory, but a battle for the truth. The book is divided into four sections: Establishing Biblical Principles, Exposing Unbiblical Practices, Explaining Biblical Perspectives and Examining a Biblical Passage. A biblical approach to spiritual warfare recognizes the Bible as the sole authority, rejects unbiblical and man-made methods, and rests in Christ and His finished work for victory. Many in the modern spiritual warfare movement teach a methodology of spiritual warfare that is more akin to something you would find in a Harry Potter novel (renouncing curses and using prayer mantras to seize territory) than anything described in Scripture. Many of these practices reflect a theology built on anecdotes, experience, and interviews with demons rather than a sound exegesis of Scripture. Footnoted quotations of authors like Mark Bubeck, Neil T. Anderson, and others are compared against Scripture to show that modern spiritual warfare "experts" have abandoned the authority of Scripture and opted for man-made methods to wage spiritual battle. The chapters include a study of the three enemies that every Christian faces: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Pastor Osman answers from Scripture the questions: Can a Christian be demon-possessed? Is Christ's authority ours? and, What about exorcisms? One chapter includes a helpful discussion of the link between spiritual warfare and a believer's sanctification. The foreword is written by international conference speaker Justin Peters (justinpeters.org). This book is being published as an e-book as a fundraiser to finish the new church building of Kootenai Community Church (www.kootenaichurch.org) of which Jim is one of the pastors. All the proceeds go the building fund for the completion of that project. You can see regular updates at http: //www.truthorterritory.com .

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, dwells among us and showers us with spiritual gifts. Here Stephen Binz has chosen key biblical texts to help readers discover how to rekindle the fire of the Holy Spirit and allow Gods Spirit to manifest these divine graces and spiritual gifts more richly within them. He shows how the same Spirit who inspired the prophets and evangelists and who filled the life of Jesus now blows within and among all Gods people.