Rabbit Trails Redirect (Volume One)

By D.L. Bollinger

We stumble and fall chasing deceptive false promises of pleasure, fulfillment, spirituality, and convenience, as we blindly follow every rabbit trail that offers to satisfy our selfish, hedonistic, sensibilities of self. -D.L. BOLLINGER

Rabbit

• Language: English
• Publisher: Divine Origin Press, LLC
• Release date: Jun 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781734779523

Book preview

1.pngSeeking the Path of Truth While Navigating the Maze of Deceptions RABBIT TRAILS REDIRECT (Volume One) D.L. Bollinger

Rabbit Trails Redirect is a legacy work that will inspire, encourage and illuminate the reader. And, perhaps agitate, bring up questions. . .the result will be that it will cause one to look more deeply into God’s Word. It’s a great title, we all get distracted, but this powerful opus is anything but a rabbit trail—Bollinger speaks very directly into the confusion and chaos of our world with answers that speak life, truth and clarity. Perhaps no author could desire more than their work not just answer questions but actually spur the reader to action—Rabbit Trails will do just that. This is the book your children and grandchildren should have. Well done Debbie.

—REV. PAUL LOUIS COLE Th.D., CLC, President, Christian Men’s Network, and The Global Fatherhood Initiative

Debbie Bollinger, has written a must-read book that addresses many of the issues facing us today. She subtitled her amazing book, Seeking the path of Truth while navigating the maze of deceptions. It is perfectly descriptive of Debbie’s hard work in providing a clear path through the maze of Rabbit Trails that can easily divert us from following the only path of redemption—Jesus Christ. This is the perfect gift or read for anyone struggling to find their way in today’s topsy-turvy world.

—MIKE EVANS, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Debbie, I had to stop reading long enough to tell you, your book is ministering to me deeply. It is absolutely incredible, and I love it speaks of the redemptive Grace of God. It reeks with clarity, and takes us all back to what matters in life. This should wake us all up, that it’s not self helps and more programs we need, it’s simply the Word of God that He sent to heal us. Thank you!

—LARRY ADLEY, Director/Chairman of the Board Fort Worth Women’s Teen Challenge

Rabbit Trails Redirect is a wonderful spiritual journey mapped by one of the most clever Christian writers in the market. Debbie Bollinger’s style is unusual, thorough and easy to comprehend, if not captivating. You can feel her Spiritual Strength as you read. Filled with wisdom, supported by scripture from the Old and New Testaments, one wonders how a single author can produce such a complete document. The core of the book has an in depth discussion of each of the Ten Commandments, leaving no doubt in the readers mind why each was selected by the Lord to be one of the ten. I learned something new from each Commandment. The words moved me. For the Christian, it enhances; for the non-believer, it must make him/her want more. For all it is a delightful, educational, spiritually enriching experience.

—VERNON B. LEWIS, JR., Major General, US Army (Ret)

I read Rabbit Trails because it is a book about the Word and a book about the heart. Debbie reveals several of the beautiful trails she has traveled and some of the things she learned. As such the book is a delightful and devotional read. I count it a privilege to add my positive endorsement.

—DES EVANS PhD, Pastor Emeritus, Bethesda Community Church

Seeking the Path of Truth While Navigating the Maze of Deceptions RABBIT TRAILS REDIRECT (Volume One) D.L. Bollinger DIVINE ORIGIN PRESS P.O. Box 3440, Grapevine, Texas 76099

RABBIT TRAILS REDIRECT

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VOLUME ONE

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When it comes to the most controversial, divisive, and polarizing topics we deal with as a society today, what does the Bible actually have to say regarding each topic? Are we misinformed? Are we parroting the politically correct dogma we’ve been brainwashed to believe through education, media, and culture?

Rabbit Trails Redirect leads those searching for spiritual clarity, back to the Word of God for answers. Whether Jew or Gentile, Christian or atheist, Believer or unbeliever, this book is not only for those who have never read the Bible from cover to cover, but for every hungry soul seeking the wisdom and truth given to us only by our Creator.

Rabbit Trails Redirect was written as a helpful, abbreviated topical reference guide for anyone in need of quick Biblical references regarding a certain controversial topic and shines a bright light on the path leading to Truth.

Rabbit Trails Redirect (Volume One)

Copyright 2020 by D.L. Bollinger

www.RabbitTrailsRedirect.co

Cover photography by iStock.

Cover copyright ©2020 by D.L. Bollinger

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked esv are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked kjv are taken from King James Version, Public Domain.

Scripture quotations marked nasb are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved

Scripture quotations marked niv are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide."

Scripture references marked nkjv are taken from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked nlt are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked nrsv are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked rsv are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

eBook: 978-1-7347795-2-3

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Rabbit Trails Redirect is dedicated

to my husband Glenn,

my children Branson, Joy, Brendon, Meredith, Lacey,

my grandchildren Ronan Hart, Cora Bourne,

Waylynn Marie, Callaway Wright

and to all those precious ones who follow.

There is no greater legacy I can leave behind than to point the way to the path of Truth found only in God’s Word, the Bible.

RABBIT TRAILS REDIRECT

PREFACE

TOPIC ONE:

Is the Bible the Inspired Word of God?

1. HOW CAN WE BE SURE?

2. CAN WE GET BY WITHOUT THE WORD OF GOD?

TOPIC TWO:

Are They Ten Commandments or Ten Gifts?

1. COMMANDMENTS OR GIFTS?

2. THE MYSTERY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?

3. COMMANDMENT 1

4. COMMANDMENT 2

5. COMMANDMENT 3

6. COMMANDMENT 4

7. COMMANDMENT 5

8. COMMANDMENT 6

9. COMMANDMENT 7

10. COMMANDMENT 8

11. COMMANDMENT 9

12. COMMANDMENT 10

TOPIC THREE:

Our God Is the Same God as Your’s . . . Isn’t He?

1. THE HIGHER POWER

2. THE GOD OF SELF

3. THE CHILDLESS GOD

4. THE SHE GOD

5. THE FALSE GOD OF DO-OVERS

6. THE FALSE GOD OF IDOLS

7. A GOOD PROPHET

8. FALSE CHRISTS

9. THE SON OF GOD

We stumble and fall chasing deceptive false promises of pleasure, fulfillment, spirituality, and convenience, as we blindly follow every rabbit trail that offers to satisfy our selfish, hedonistic sensibilities of self.

PREFACE

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The very best part of Rabbit Trails Redirect is the living, active, and powerful Word of God within it. My prayer for you as you read this book is to allow the double-edged sword of God’s Word to penetrate your heart: cutting away the dead and damaged tissue with His blade of Truth, exposing the new tissue of an awakened heart to the healing power of His blade of Love. The supernatural Love of our Heavenly Father desires to heal, transform, and set free His dearly loved children from every bondage. God does this through His powerful Word! He gave the Bible as a priceless gift. All who choose to accept this gift, will receive His salvation, royal inheritance, and eternal security. God promised that His Word will not return to Him empty.

Isaiah 55:10-11 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (NASB)

GOD’S WORD IS ALIVE!

TOPIC ONE:

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IS THE BIBLE

THE INSPIRED

WORD OF GOD?

HEBREWS 4:12-13 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (NLT)

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HOW CAN WE BE SURE?

John 6:63-64 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe. (NASB)

Since the beginning of the written word, there has never been a compilation of Holy Scriptures (the God breathed Word now comprising the Bible) that has had a greater impact for good on individuals, families, communities, cities, nations, and governments than the Bible. Why is that? What is it about this book that causes all other books to pale in comparison? How has it managed to survive the Dark Ages, religious persecution, Bible bans, Bible burnings, and Communist and Muslim nations imposing the threat of imprisonment and/or death to any individual in possession of one?

What does it contain that would compel someone to give their very own life rather than deny or denounce the Truth of its validity? Isn’t it just black ink on white pages? Isn’t it just an archaic book of stories, laws, commandments, proverbs, parables, prophecy, and promises that were compiled by many different writers living thousands of years ago? Or is it something more?

Although many religions claim to have holy scriptures, there is only one way to answer these questions and that is accomplished by examining the Scriptures themselves. Purely motivated by love, our God and Creator gave us His Holy Word expressly for our redemption. With the blood of Jesus He chose to buy us back from self-imposed eternal damnation, making reconciliation with Him once again possible. This Divine offering explains how we can now enjoy the relationship we were created to have with our Heavenly Father!

God’s Word is faithful, and yes, it is alive! Those who have open hearts and spirits to the Truth, sense it the moment they start reading. His Divine power emanating from His Holy Word immediately starts to transform our clouded thoughts into clarity and turning our fear and doubt into faith. This is why the Bible has stood the test of time, because many have experienced God’s Divine power of salvation and healing first hand. It always has and always will stand regardless of the slanderous vilification and the fiercest scrutiny that has been actuated against it by mankind—God’s creation. Only the author of a manuscript can truly verify its content or validate its authenticity. Who of God’s creation is capable or qualified to speak to the validity of God’s Holy Word? Only God Himself can authenticate His Word and unlike any book ever written, the Bible is "alive and powerful" with God’s eternal power and Divine nature (Romans 1:20), and as many millions can testify, is able to heal broken hearts and transform troubled minds!

He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others—not because He has favorites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition.

—C.S. LEWIS

We as created beings appreciate God’s supernatural artistic ability every time we witness a magnificent sunrise or sunset, nature’s consistent and colorful changing of the seasons, the beauty of a delicate flower unfolding, or the majesty of a snow capped mountain’s reflection in a pristine lake. God’s brilliant design captures our attention as we study the symphony of planets obediently following their Divinely harmonized pattern, watch the ocean’s rhythmic waves upon a sandy beach, a full moon on a starlit night, an unexpected rainbow, or the delicate face of a newborn baby.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.¹

—ST. THOMAS AQUINAS,

philosopher and theologian

After acknowledging God as the Creator of the Universe and the greatest Artist of all Creation, it’s not too difficult to acknowledge Him as the greatest Author of all Creation as well! The Holy Bible contains God’s promises, protection, and provision for His dearly loved children and is given to us in precisely the way and the form He intended.

It doesn’t take an academic scholar or great theologian to comprehend the magnificent masterpiece that is the Bible. What is difficult to comprehend, however, is that He chose to write His masterpiece through common man. God could have let the Bible fall from the sky right into the hands of Abraham, Moses, or Elijah. And later, into the hands of John, Peter, or Paul. Instead, He chose to speak His Word directly to and through humanity. Not perfect, sinless, blameless mankind, but mankind with all his flaws and foibles, resulting in a Divine How To manual pointing the way to Truth and eternal life, attainable only by one who chooses to believe in God’s Word. It is not some impossible plan accomplished by perfect people, but one showing the way for sinful, fallen, rebellious mankind to be redeemed by God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, our sinless Savior who gave His Life for us.

The Bible is not one man’s idealistic grandiose opinion, but a compilation of God spoken promises, commandments, covenants, and communication, given to us through His chosen spokespeople and from Jesus Christ.

This priceless masterpiece is given as a good Father’s gift to His dearly beloved children for our promotion, guidance, encouragement, protection, and provision. In addition to all this, the Bible is the greatest historical representation of the Judeo/Christian culture, providing accurate and authentic documentation of the many generations that have gone before us and shining a bright light for those that will come after.

The Bible gives many eyewitness accounts from the Old Testament of the men and women who had encounters with God, and in the New Testament from those who walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, and the many who were eventually martyred for their unwavering faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They refused to deny Jesus Christ as the true Messiah and the only resurrected Son of the one and only living God, even to save their own lives.

Unlike any other book, the Bible not only contains prophecy but gives us a front row seat to seeing it Divinely fulfilled hundreds of years later; building our faith and giving us hope for the yet to be fulfilled prophecy soon to come. It also gives us the day by day account of Creation which was spoken into existence by the breath of God. We are seeing in our generation that each new God-inspired scientific and technological discovery made by created humans brings further proof, authenticating the Divine design of Creation, and disproving the feeble, arrogant, and defiant attempts of rebellious mankind to explain its own existence through the theory of naturalistic evolution (see: Creation vs. Evolution Rabbit Trails Redirect, Vol. 2).

The Bible wasn’t written from only one place in time, only one point of view, or during only one man’s lifetime. The Word of God spans approximately four millennia covering the beginning of Creation and the prophecy and fulfillment of the coming Messiah. It ends with the foretelling of what will happen in the last days. We are now witnesses of those last days, with prophecies being fulfilled.

The quintessential uniqueness of God’s Holy Word found only in the Bible, resonates from His love for His Creation and protectiveness over His Divine plan to redeem mankind from the eternal damnation of sin through His only Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to earth to sacrifice His life for ours by redeeming our sin with His blood. True Believers in Christ follow His example and live in obedience to God’s Word. Down through the ages fallen, sinful man has hidden his foul intentions for countless abominable conquests, crusades, cruelty, collusion, and corruption under a false cloak of religiosity and Christianity. God’s plan has not been thwarted! From the beginning of time, it has been and will always be, Jesus!

John 3:16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (NLT)

The message of the Bible isn’t hatred, world domination, or subjugation. It’s love. The message of the Bible isn’t Go sacrifice your sons and daughters in a bloody attempt to terrorize the world into fearfully following a god of hate. It is simply to receive the sacrifice already paid on our behalf. God lovingly gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our sins. All we have to do is say yes!

Centuries before Christ walked the earth, the Bible revealed the prophecy of God’s Divine grace to redeem fallen man. Then we witness it exquisitely fulfilled in the Life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ our true Messiah.

Isaiah 53:1-5 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV)

The Bible authenticates itself not only by containing prophecy, but by showing this same prophecy miraculously fulfilled, oftentimes centuries later. The Bible contains multiple God ordained writers spanning fifteen hundred years, yet all of their God breathed writings have been melded together as a meticulously forged trumpet heralding one central theme: God loves His children so much that He provides a way back to Him, and His name is Jesus.

2 Peter 1:16-21 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (NASB)

Many years ago, a well-known Bible teacher and author was traveling to speak at a Christian conference. After inquiring what she did for a living, the man sitting next to her on the plane asked if she could sum up in one sentence what the Bible is really all about? She responded, It’s about reversing the curse!

As we read the Bible, the protective heart of God for His children begins to unfold. Man and woman, each created in the image of God, were living in an indescribably beautiful and perfect garden where fear, guilt, shame, disease, or death had never been allowed to enter, only God’s pure love, enabling them to experience joy, safety and a close and continual relationship with their Heavenly Father.

But from the very beginning of time, man questioned if God really meant what he said. Genesis 2:16-17 says, And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. (NIV) The next thing Adam and Eve knew, Satan in the form of a serpent was distorting the Word of God, causing them to question God’s authority and intentions. In Genesis 3:1, the serpent asks, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? (NIV)

Eve’s response shows that not only did Satan’s manipulating God’s Word confuse and deceive her, but it was also successful in causing both her and Adam to allow doubt and disobedience to enter their way of thinking. It ultimately resulted in their missing the Divine destiny that God had planned not just for them, but also for all of mankind. Our Heavenly Father’s purpose was for humanity to walk in complete freedom and unity, and to enjoy a loving and intimate relationship with Him.

As created beings with a free will to choose right from wrong, Adam and Eve chose a path other than the one God had designed for them and for mankind as well. Their disobedient choice ushered in evil and terror in the form of sickness, torment, calamity and death. The same spirit of lies and deception is operating today. The schemes of Satan haven’t changed! Why should they, when they work so well? All he has to do is cause us to question, Is God’s Word really true? Doubt and unbelief are neutralizing emotions, rendering us ineffective to accomplish the God given destiny for which we were created.

God could have left mankind in this well-deserved state of eternal damnation, but He chose to give us a second chance. He lovingly implemented a plan that, in spite of man’s sinful nature, provides a way to bring us back into relationship with our Heavenly Father and Creator.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. (NLT)

That’s quite a plan! The unbeliever might say, "I deserve to die for my sins, but God sent His only Son to die in my place and all I have to do is believe in the one that saved my life? What would prevent me from jumping at this offer? These are nothing more than questions such as, What if He isn’t who He says He is?" or "How do I know I can trust in His promises?"

God could have left mankind in this well-deserved state of eternal damnation, but He chose to give us a second chance!

IS GOD WHO HE SAYS HE IS?

I believe in God as I believe the sun has risen, not because I can see it, but because by way of it I can see everything else.²

—C.S. LEWIS, theologian

Mere mortal man cannot remotely attempt to either invalidate or add credence to the Deity of God. Were we there in the beginning? Do we have the cognitive capacity to comprehend such a display of supernatural significance, even if we were? Yet ironically, we created beings use our inferior human reasoning to make determinations as to the authenticity and capability of our Divine Creator and His Holy Word.

When studying an architectural marvel, can anyone truly understand much less dissect the intricacies of another’s design, form, and function, not to mention the reasoning, motivation and inspiration behind the design, better than the original architect? It seems unlikely. The same holds true for any work of art: literary or musical masterpiece, rocket ship, satellite design, or the latest technological wonder.

No one can perceive the authenticity or purpose of a design better than its artist, author, composer, designer, engineer, builder, architect, or scientist themselves. Some may come close, but they should do so with respect and reverence for the original design. Yet we ignorantly—and often arrogantly—attempt to speak to the authenticity of the One who created the Universe.

To me, it takes far more faith to believe that the intricately brilliant design of Creation just appeared by accident out of some sort of cosmic primordial sludge, than it does to believe that God is the Intelligent Designer and has a purpose, plan, and a destiny for His beloved and intelligently designed creation. His fingerprints are all over this world we live in—it’s a wonder to behold in both its intricacies and its marvels. Who can look at such design and point to it happening by accident rather than following the Master’s plan? (Also see: Creation versus Evolution, Rabbit Trails Redirect, Vol. 2).

ONLY GOD CAN AUTHENTICATE HIMSELF

Isaiah 40:7-8 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (ESV)

No one but God can authenticate His unfathomable masterpiece of Creation and His Holy God-breathed Word given to us in the Bible, which reveal His endless love and desire for a genuine reconciliation with His children. Would a loving father abandon his children in a wasteland filled with predators and plunderers, and with no guidance or instruction? Would he say, You’re on your own. I brought you into this world, but that’s all I’m going to do. No more help from me. Go figure it out for yourself. Of course not!

This is why God has given us His Holy Word to help us understand His motivation and determination behind the world He created for us. Most importantly, His plan of reconciliation is to bring us back into relationship with Him through the acceptance of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

GOD WATCHES OVER HIS WORD

The Word of God spoken to us in the Bible shines a spotlight on how God watches over His Word. His protectiveness over His Divine instruction to His children shows the heart of a loving Father wanting His children to not only hear His Truth, but to know and obey His Truth, which will protect them from deception.

There is an eternal price to be paid by those individuals, religions, denominations, and cults who choose to distort, denounce, or dilute God’s Holy Word found in the Bible. They repackage it into their own deceptive versions of holy papers, holy scriptures, witness, revelation, audits, rituals, catalogs, study guides or testimony.

The same can be said for those in high religious positions who substitute or elevate the teaching of their papers, or those of their predecessors, to be on par with the teaching of God’s Divine Word found only in the Bible.

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

—VENTURINO G. VENTURINI, author

GOD’S AUTHENTICATION CODE = HIS WORD

Scripture References:

Jeremiah 32:27 I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (NIV)

Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. (NASB)

Psalm 33:6 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. (NLT)

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (ESV)

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (ESV)

Isaiah 40:18,25,26,28 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. (NASB)

Psalm 147:3-5 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. (ESV)

Isaiah 57:15 The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. (NLT)

Isaiah 55:8-11 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (NASB)

Isaiah 66:1-2 This is what the Lord says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being? declares the Lord. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. (NIV)

Isaiah 46:11 . . .I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have planned, and I will do it. (NRSV)

John 6:68-69 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God. (ESV)

Jeremiah 10:12-13 But the Lord made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens. When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses. (NLT)

Psalm 18:30-31 As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? (NIV)

Psalm 145:3,4,13 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. (NASB)

Jeremiah 23:23-24 Am I a God who is only close at hand? says the Lord. "No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in