December 16, 2025

To understand… understanding:

Understanding is said to be the ability to grasp the meaning, significance, or nature of something, often involving comprehension and insight into a subject or situation. It implies a mental connection between knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge effectively.

Comprehension is the ability to understand the meaning or importance of something, or the knowledge acquired as a result.

Comprehension is the ability to understand and grasp the meaning of information, whether it is written or spoken. It involves connecting new information to what one already knows and making inferences to fill in gaps in understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-6 nkjv
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Where does our “own understanding” come from… I think it is basically the sum of our learning knowledge, by education and experience with people and our interaction with the environment all around us, and how these all influence our thinking favorably or unfavorably concerning life… from which we form opinions and interest as well as dislikes… so that we develop prejudices and preferences that we apply to decisions and choices we make.

What if our “understanding” has never been influenced by the Word of God? Perhaps we have only grown up with and around people that dislikes God and have negative and critical opinions and attitudes against religious and spiritual things…? Or perhaps we have only a “religious” view without any inner heartfelt convictions that Yahweh God is the supreme authority of the universe? Not to rule out us being from even pagan birth and oblivious to the God of Israel, or worse yet… hating Israel and their God. This is the real world as our society and cultures exist in today. For this lesson, let us just focus upon the “church” at large and our western culture in general.

The Great Divide:

The Bible says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God… Rom 10:17

For this discussion, I will suggest that “understanding” is connected to faith, and faith is connected to hearing… Now, I will further suggest that true [authoritative] understanding can be defined by hearing God, and being in agreement with His Word.

1 cor 2:14... But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Read 1 cor chapter 2

When one is Born Again [born of the spirit, as Yeshua told Nicodemus, Jn 3:3], there is an inner life-giving force that reconnects fallen man to the almighty Creator, Yahweh God most high. Thereby, we can understand what Paul tells us:

“walk in the spirit, not after the flesh… gal 5:16-18,  “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” In Rom 8:14, Paul says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” WE need to examine ourselves… ARE WE, “sons of God?”

WE CAN’T ESCAPE the Judgment required of the Eternal Law of God if we choose to defy its commandments/instructions… Only being Born Again in Christ [Yeshua] can deliver us from the “natural/carnal” man who’s fleshly mind and desires keep his “own understanding” captive to the devil’s power.

In the Torah [Law of Moses], first five books in front of your Bible, we have Yahweh saying this to Israel… in Deut chapter 6:

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

When Joshua crossed the Jordan river into Canaan to “inherit” [possess] the promised land, Yahweh said to him [see Jos chapter 1 for full context] jos 1:8  “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Notably, in all the admonitions Yahweh made to Israel, you will notice “words” are to be specifically acknowledged and proclaimed… spoken with one’s mouth and be “in one’s heart.” There are many other, "words in one’s mouth and in one’s heart," examples; this one especially:

Romans 10:8-10  “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

An Angel “came for Daniel’s words.”

Dan 10:12  “Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.”

Do you think it is important to pray “words” that are set from your heart to “understand?”

The writer of Hebrews, writes, in Heb 1:3, “...upholding all things by the word of His power…” This “word of His power,” is the same word that Yahweh “spoke” the universe into existence with. Yeshua said, “...for all things that I heard [words] from My Father I have made known to you...” jn 15:15; and, in a like manner Yeshua said of the Holy Spirit who was to come:

jn 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears [words] He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

How important is it to “Hear” the words of God…? The Hebrew word for “hear” is “sama” [h8085] means to hear intelligently with implication on attention, obedience. We in the modern western world so often overlook the original meaning and full implications of the context in which the Hebrew writing was rendered… WORDS MEAN THINGS! They are containers. They convey specific meaning and if simply glossed over, or if we fail to comprehend the significance of their meaning [and expectations of us when God’s Word is given], it can have great consequence.

Let’s come back to the “understand” theme of this devotional… What if some malevolent power did not want us to “hear” and “understand” the Word of God…? Let us consider the very first dispute of the truth… Satan’s deceiving Adam and Eve in the situation of the forbidden fruit of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Yeshua makes it clear that Yahweh’s Word is truth; it sanctifies us [jn 17:17]. What if we are indifferent to it and push it aside with little concern? Would that have any different affect from being “censored” from it by diabolical workers of evil? If you missed it, the devil has no new tricks. His methods, divide, censor, dispute, lies, confusion, and etc., are pressed against truth on many levels in all venues of life. What if you “hear” and yet what you hear is wrong, not true, part true or simply a diversion or other tactic to deceive you? Do you believe such things are really happening in life around you? Now what about the master stroke the wicked powers have been waiting for since the flood… where they corrupted the human race the first time around?

What if Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the tool the devil will use to deceive the last generation; are we the last generation… some think we are? How does “understanding” and “intelligence” fit together? Many things can be factual, but not acceptable to Yahweh as holy or righteous. Here is the bottom line: Yahweh gets to make the rules, we can only make the choices… where will you get your information and what will you use to measure its validity? Is it good or acceptable for your use or not? God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is our lifeline to truth when we couple it with the Torah’s “forever settled” foundation… Speaking, with your mouth the words of eternal truth, and believing in your heart that Yeshua is your saviour and resurrection power, will guard your heart and mind from suggestive thoughts and carnal temptations that AI uses to seduce you away from holiness and righteousness… promising fellowship, pleasure, power, and popular acceptance of men.

I submit that the “unholy spirit,” is the demonic force of “artificial” intelligence that tries to censor your understanding by keeping you from the Word of God [truth], and also tries to substitute itself for the relationship the Holy Spirit wants with you, a believer… Remember Yahweh warns us more than once that He is a “Jealous” God… how would a malevolent source try to encroach upon that bond you have with Yahweh? More and more people are turning to their digital “friend” for companionship and relationship than they are to the Word of God… how is that going to turn out?

Matthew 12:36-38

36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Remember, all "understanding" comes from words... words of truth come from the Tree of Life [Torah/Yeshua]; enticing words to appeal to the carnal mind of man have always come from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When Yeshua, the Word that became flesh, came the first time, words of truth came from his mouth. When he returns, the words of His mouth will be a double edge sharp sword of destruction to destroy all those who choose the fruit from the forbidden tree... could it be that AI draws its knowledge from it?

Where will you get your words for your days ahead….? Only words of life, truth and justice can stand the fire of righteous judgment. Have you ever wondered why only humankind has the ability to speak words? We are the only creatures of creation that Yahweh made to be “in His likeness.” We are told “praise Him” with words and instruments… We are told to bless others with words of love and peace and comfort. Have you noticed lately how many people and groups are divided and are using evil words and judgmental accusations? The false and wicked purveyors of destructive works are gaining ground… consider the “red-green alliance,” both are godless anti-Christ powers working with all kinds of seducing words and simultaneous calls for destruction of western values and institutions. We are in an information war and truth is not winning… but it will in the end. I will end with this, when Joshua was finishing his term of leadership with the conquest of Canaan land, he said these WORDS.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Shalom, John