Even when you are at your loneliest, and most desperate time, you are not alone. When friends and family shun you, you are loved. God is always with you.
You may, or may not, believe in God, but we all go through tough times, feeling abandoned or trapped by circumstances, no matter where we are in our faith journey. No matter what is going on in your life, pray. Pray to Jesus for forgiveness, courage, strength, peace, purpose and Salvation. May one of your purposes be to reach out to one in a similar circumstance, and tell them your story of how, with faith in God, you came through and survived. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 For unto you this day is born in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. CategoriesIdeally, you have all completed your shopping and relaxing with family. I you are like my father was, you are out among the throngs battling for that perfect present. I believe he loved the challenge; me, not so much.
Be safe, be polite, enjoy the time with your families. Have a great Christmas!! There seems to be a lack of Christmas spirit this year; but what can we really expect from a nation that seeks to erase all references of Christ from it's society. Christmas has become Cashmas, or even Blankmas.
As we continue to wash God from our every day life, how can we possibly expect Him to bless our land? We turn away from God, but believe He owes us. How far have we fallen. We worship everything, but the Creator of the universe. The dark spirits of hate, division, and anger will continue to grow and spread, unless we humble ourselves and ask God to forgive us, and our nation, for our sins. God may not be dead, but Christmas is on life support. if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’-Matthew 10:34-36
As Christians we often look at this passage, Ephesians 6:10-18, and think of it as a lesson on defending the Word of God. As I look around at the condition of the world, I wonder if we should consider this passage as more a call to arms and engage the enemy. As Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Let’s look at this passage in that light. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. As we prepare for battle, we are given a pep talk and the tools to do battle. Being strong in the Lord and his power, should give us heart to engage in the fight. The war has been won, and we are engaged in daily battles in which we try to win souls and keep ourselves on the right path. Taking a stand means more than passively guarding the gate. We need to step forward and prevent the enemy from gaining ground. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. If only we could see the enemy, he would be so much easier to fight. Unfortunately, he hides in plain sight. He attacks us, and we don’t realize it until we have lost the battle, a skirmish that came at us from nowhere. The enemy knows are weak points, our desires, and our needs. He sets them before us, temptingly; we struggle, and sometimes succumb to the temptation. We are weak without the Armor of God to protect us. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Once you have put the armor on stand your ground against the enemy. As you become stronger in the faith, and hone your skills, step out and meet the enemy before the attack. Witness to others, be an example in your workplace or community. Study the Bible, pray for strength, and always be on guard. Use the tools that the Lord gives you to fight the good fight. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. In closing, verse 18, gives us our command to pray. Pray, for yourself, and others. Pray for strength and protection of all engaged in the battle for the lost souls, as well as, those that have been saved. As we step into the world to battle the powers and principalities of darkness we must pray for our fellow soldiers for the Lord, and for the Lord’s blessing in our endeavors. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. So there I was with Sally, punching in the directions to our destination in my GPS. Sally turns to me and says that she knows how to get there. As directionally challenged male, I do what we all do; I smiled and told her to just trust the Tom-Tom. Needless to say our thirty minute trip turned into a two day journey. Well, not really two days, but the atmosphere in the car seemed to slow time, and not even the calm voice of John Cleese could break the tension.
After a brief discussion of how my lack of faith had cost us time and almost ruined the day, I realized that Sally was more on target than I had ever imagined. I began to think of all the times I had plugged in an address to go to a business meeting, or meet friends at a restaurant, never doubting that my GPS would get me there, on time. However, when it came to my relationship with God, I was willing to go it alone, not even looking at the map He had provided. I had often joked that people had more faith in their GPSs than the Bible, and Sally pointed out that it wasn’t just people, it was me. It is funny how when my GPS told me to turn on a street, that turned out to be a driveway or a dead end road, I’d laugh; turn around and head on down the road. Yet in my life, when things were going bad, I’d stop grumble and ask God for a short cut. As I learned from reading Proverbs 20:24, “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord, How can then anyone understand their own way?” (Quest Study Bible, NIV) The problem I was having is that I’d sit at my computer, update my GPS, study the route and be prepared. Ah, if only I could say I did the same thing with my personal and spiritual life. There was a time when my life was spinning out of control, and each road I took lead to a dead end, or a long painful journey of self-discovery. By not properly preparing myself, I was driving in circles, running out of gas, and forever lost on life’s highways. Although I had heard, but never experienced this, it seems that most guys won’t ask for directions, preferring to pretend they know where they are going no matter how long it takes to get there. Or ask their significant other to get the directions for them. For whatever reason, we fear asking for help. Fortunately with Sally as my co-pilot, I was able to tune into God’s GPS signal and the road map for my life, the Bible. If we are willing to trust satellites circling the Earth to guide us to our destinations, we can trust the Creator of the heavens to lead us to our final destination in Paradise. “The Lord is good, a refuge for those who trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7, Quest Study Bible, NIV) Don’t wander around in circles, hoping your spiritual GPS can guide you to the Promised Land. Listen to the voice of Jesus, and trust Him to lead you where you are meant to be. "I've decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."-Martin Luther King
Hate is a useless emotion that is the one most often expressed. I have found that hate is draining, and too much work. Think about it if you hate someone, chances are they dominate your thoughts, and through no fault of their own, ruin your day. Their good news is your bad news. You spend days and nights wondering how that person can keep getting off the hook for their actions. Prayers are prayed asking God to teach them a lesson, not a fatal or permanent one, just a life changing one. Of course the lesson we want taught is a bad one, one that brings them down, or ruins their lives, but in a way that teaches them something, we want them to learn. It's always nice to know, that God needs our help designing His lesson plan. May I humbly suggest trying something different? Love your enemies, or at least let them go, and don't think about them. Life is too short to focus on those we don't like for whatever reason. Our time would be better served loving the ones that love us, and showing God's love to others. Hate will destroy you, and what will you have accomplished? Nothing. Work at building God's kingdom, not destroying others. Luke 6:27-36 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” We need to evangelize our communities, in the community. You will not find the lost in church...well perhaps a few....
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john Gregory ParksI only worry about the things I can control; as I control nothing, I have no worries. Archives
January 2023
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