Chapter and Verse Ministry
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The Law of Displacement Part 1

by Nicholas A. Catania

July - August 2019

Go to the previous issue.

This month I would like to talk to you about the Law of Displacement.

The word displacement means … "The act or process of displacing, relocating, or moving something."

Born in 287 BC Syracuse, Sicily was a scientist named Archimedes, arguably the most-famous mathematician and inventor in ancient Greece. Archimedes is especially important for his discovery of the relation between the surface and volume of a sphere and its circumscribing cylinder. He is known for his formulation of a hydro-static principle (known as Archimedes' principle) and a device for raising water, still used in developing countries, known as the Archimedes screw. After studying geometry and astronomy in Alexandria, the "greatest intellectual center in the ancient world," according to Scientific American, Archimedes settled down in Syracuse to pursue a life of thought and invention. Archimedes was possibly the world's greatest scientist — at least the greatest in the classical age. He was a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, inventor, and engineer. Many of his inventions, theories, and concepts are still in use today. Perhaps his best-known achievement was his "Eureka" moment, when he discovered the principle of buoyancy and the law of displacement.

As the story goes King Heiron II of Syracuse had a pure gold crown made, but he thought that the crown maker might have tricked him and used some silver. Heiron asked Archimedes to figure out whether the crown was pure gold. Archimedes grappled with this problem but was unable to find a solution to this tricky dilemma, however hard he tried. Archimedes thought long and hard but could not find a method for proving that the crown was not solid gold. One day he filled a bathtub and noticed that water spilled over the edge as he got in and he realized that the water displaced by his body was equal to the weight of his body. Knowing that gold was heavier than other metals the crown maker could have substituted in, Archimedes had his method to determine that the crown was not pure gold. If a glass is filled to the top with water and then ice cubes are added to it, what happens? Just like the water spilled over the edge when Archimedes entered his bathtub, the water in the glass will spill over when ice cubes are added to it. If the water that spilled out were weighed (weight is a downward force), it would equal the upward (buoyant) force on the object. From the buoyant force, the volume or average density of the object can be determined.

Archimedes was able to determine that the crown was not pure gold due to the volume of the displaced water, because even though the weight of the crown was identical to the weight of the gold that the king gave the crown maker, the volume was different due the various densities of the metals. Forgetting that he was undressed, he got out of his tub and went running naked down the streets from his home to the king shouting "Eureka!" which in Greek means I got it. For his experiment, he weighed the crown, a block of gold, and a block of silver. He then immersed each in water, carefully measuring how much water was displaced. By entering the figures into the equation, he calculated that the crown was less dense than the gold but denser than the silver, indicating that it was a mixture of the metals and that King Heiron's suspicions were correct.

The Archimedes principle is still used today in the medical and dentistry field to determine the densities of bones and teeth.

Submarines are designed to travel while completely submerged underwater and rely on the Archimedes principle in order to maintain a constant depth, surface, and dive.

The Archimedes principle is used in the physics behind water-walking bugs in order to create bio-mimetic water-walking robots.

The Archimedes principle as it is typically used can only be used as an approximation in many instances of studying sedimentation profiles, while the generalized principle can account for phenomena such as denser particles floating on top of a light fluid.

The basic idea is quite simple. If you insert one thing into the space, the time, the mind, you exclude the alternative. You have chosen one and not the other. Thus the other is displaced.

The law of displacement also has a spiritual application.

Genesis 1:26-28 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

God placed Adam and Eve in the garden to live and rule over God's creation.

Genesis 3:6-7 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

What happened? God placed Adam and Eve in the garden and they were displaced when they choose to listen to the devil. They made a choice and decided to act.

Here you see the negative side of law of displacement.

Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

Here you see the law of displacement working on the positive side. Jesus Christ came and displaced the devil and everything Adam lost

Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;

You see two things cannot occupy the same place. Either a person is spiritually dead or alive. Life displaces death. Light dispels darkness. The introduction of light displaces darkness.

Remember Adam and Eve they chose and then took action. When you choose to introduce light by renewing your mind you will displace darkness.

This will really help you change things in your life if you understand you have the power to change by renewing your mind to God's Word.

Choose to put the things of God in your mind and they will displace the things of the world. Love displaces hate. Forgiveness displaces anger. Truth displaces lies.

The Law of Displacement is still used in many fields today. For instance; with regard to psychology.

The Law of Displacement in psychology and life simply states you can't have two things in the same space at the same time. You must choose. And that you must choose not to fill the space with anything that you don't want, because it will not allow what you do want.

An example is where one chooses to insert a story in their mind about how awful something or someone is or was. That excludes anything else, such as talking about something positive. Complaining or seeking sympathy excludes happiness.

Why? Because there is no room for it. You have already decided to fill that area with self-pity or complaining. And as long as you continue to confess these negatives you will displace and not allow any positive.

Putting anything negative in the space excludes anything positive.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Please note the individual coming to this verse for the first time is dead in trespasses and sin (Eph 2:5).

The Law of Displacement works by confession. If a person chooses to dwell on their current situation and confess, discuss, explain or try to understand it they will never move from where they are. When a person chooses to receive Jesus as their Lord and everlasting life they must confess it before they manifest it. Continuing to confess they are dead in trespasses and sins and they are lord of their lives will get them the result of that confession. Why because they are filling their life with negative confession.

If a person wants to be happy, the person must make the choice not to insert anything else in the space, no matter the effort required (if the person values happiness the most). If he/she inserts something negative, then he/she is choosing that over something positive - even though the person might protest that he/she wants to choose happiness.

This is self-destructive behavior.

Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

If you are going to change you need to understand this spiritual truth. Abraham called those things which be not as if they were.

To be continued …ÿ

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