Tag Archives: hope

Hope verses Heart-break

Posted on April 25, 2017 by expressyourself4him

Anticipation, day dreaming and utopia are synonyms for hope.  Like an anxious child eager to open presents on Christmas morning, hope is like a promise waiting to be unwrapped.  The only problem is sometimes the hype doesn’t live up to your own expectations.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer, Romans 12:12.

When desires are unfulfilled, a wave of agony, dire and sadness replace inner joy.  In these moments of disappointment, its easy to overreact.  However, if you are not careful, heart-break can lead to depression.  If healing does not occur, hope can fade like the setting sun.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit, Psalm 34:18.

If this blog finds you down in the dumps or recovering from a broken heart, the Bible provides two words of encouragement.  The first urges individuals to rely on prayer in times of trouble.  Prayer serves as a source of hope.  Meanwhile, if your spirit has been crushed by a relationship, tragedy or uncertainty don’t lose hope.  God promises to surround you with either angels, friends or strangers to get you through the tough times in life.

by Jay Mankus

 

 

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Coming Together

Posted on April 24, 2017 by expressyourself4him

History tends to move in cycles, rising and falling as leadership, ideology and worldviews change.  There are moments in time for conquest, peace and war.  Each major event leaves its imprints on civilizations, cultures and society.  At some point, regardless of what you feel, it’s important to come together.

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water, Hebrews 10:22.

The author of Hebrews encourages individuals to do the same thing with God.  This process begins with a sincere heart.  Like the guilt, remorse and sorrow Adam and Eve endured following trespassing against God’s lone rule in the Garden of Eden, modern citizens experience a similar feeling.  This conviction serves as a sign to get your life right with God.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful, Hebrews 10:23.

The final step to coming together involves hope.  One of the ploys the Devil uses is making people feel like God hasn’t forgiven them after publicly confessing sin.  Thus, many place their trust in feelings, not faith.  Thus, clinging to an unswerving hope is what will get you through periods of darkness.  Finally, life isn’t complete unless you begin to spur on others toward love and good deeds.  This mindset sets the stage for truly coming together.

by Jay Mankus

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It Seemed Pretty Innocent at the Time

Posted on April 17, 2017 by expressyourself4him

Hollywood story lines attempt to produce a few basic responses.  Comedies seek to provoke laughter, dramas hope to gain your attention and genres somewhere in between try to imitate life through the art of entertainment.  Despite getting this down to a science, projecting which film, series and program will flop or succeed hasn’t been perfected.  Thus, the concept of pushing the envelope continues, stretching further and further each year.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! – Isaiah 5:20

The idea of a poor school teacher dying of cancer turning toward drugs to provide for his family seemed pretty innocent at the time.  The backdrop to Breaking Bad was original and made sense.  Why would a hard working man want to leave his family with the debt of countless medical bills.  Yet, as chemistry teacher Walter White begins manufacturing and selling methamphetamine, a cult following began during this shows five year run.  Like anything in life, this concept influenced some to produce and experiment with meth.

For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer, Romans 13:4.

My wife flew to Chicago on Wednesday for a funeral of a family member who became enslaved by meth.  While Bryan Cranston was able to evade the law in Breaking Bad, my nephew wasn’t as fortunate.  In real life, most behavior seems relatively innocent at first.  Yet, as you move from the light into darkness, evil stimulates further immoral acts.  By the time most people come to their senses, addiction has already arrived.  While I’m not blaming this hit show for Brandon’s drug overdose, I’m merely warning anyone on the verge of breaking bad.  May God send the Holy Spirit quickly to those who need divine intervention to escape darkness by finding the light.

by Jay Mankus

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What’s Your Mission or Are You Missing Inaction?

Posted on April 1, 2017 by expressyourself4him

In the 2005 film Pacifier, Vin Diesel plays disgraced Navy Seal Shane Wolfe.  Upon the failure of his previous mission, Shane is reassigned to protect a family whose dead father created a secret weapon known as Ghost.  While government officials seek to locate this device, Shane’s new mission is to protect this family at all cost while examining the home for any clues.  Despite a series of set backs, Shane risks his life to complete this mission.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” Matthew 28:18-20.

Prior to his ascension into heaven, Jesus gave his disciples what is now known as the great commission.  This mission was laid out in three stages.  First, begin in Jerusalem, explaining what has happened to the Jews.  When phase one is complete, move on to Judea and Samaria, spreading the good news to surrounding towns and villages.  Finally, go into all the world to share the hope of salvation found in the words of John 3:16-17.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” Acts 1:7-8.

Nearly two thousand years later, God is waiting for you to fulfill a new mission.  Depending upon your personality, talents and spiritual gifts, instructions will vary.  Yet, unless you enlist by beginning your own spiritual journey, Romans 10:9-10, your mission will be unknown.  Lack of clarity helps explain why many are unproductive in this life.  However, as the Holy Spirit begins to reveal to you God’s plan, Galatians 5:25, success is possible.  May the season of Lent awaken souls to see the reality of the mission the Lord wants you to complete while on earth.

by Jay Mankus

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You Are the One

Posted on March 27, 2017 by expressyourself4him

As a boy growing up on the playground during recess, kickball was the game of choice.  Since school wasn’t that exciting, I longed for this time.  The only awkward moment was picking teams, sitting on a bench until your name was called.  While some waited longer than others, it was always great to hear, “you are the one” on my team.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,” 1 Samuel 16:7.

God has a different way of choosing individuals.  While the average person looks at size, strength or stature, the Lord examines the heart.  Subsequently, many of God’s servants often get overlooked in this life, not appreciated like they should be.  When things don’t go your way, its hard to keep a good attitude.  Thus, some get stuck on the bench until the very end, never hearing “you are the one.”

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14

There are others who experience divine intervention also known as God’s providence.  In the case of Esther, she was born into a situation to save the Jews from extinction.  This wasn’t by accident, chance or dumb luck.  Rather, a close relative saw her situation for what is was, an opportunity for serve God for such a time is this. While this blog may find you still sitting on a bench, waiting for God to call your name, don’t give up hope.  The day will come when you hear those precious words, “you are the one.”

by Jay Mankus

 

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The Real Deal

Posted on March 13, 2017 by expressyourself4him

During an Olympic boxing match, the favorite to win the gold medal was disqualified.  Critics of this decision in the media labeled it as “the Raw Deal.”  This nickname stuck with this boxer for a period of time.  However, when Evander Holyfield became the heavy weight champion of the world, he urged his followers professing, “I’m the real deal,” not the raw deal anymore.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:23.

Since this nickname was adopted, others have come forward in various areas of life to claim, “no I’m the real deal.”  The Hardees fast food chain even introduced a value meal called the Real Deal after the former heavy weight champ.  Yet, what separate Evander from most boxers is his devout and vocal testimony of his faith in Christ.  Like any believer he has stumbled and fallen, but God’s grace seals the deal to the promises within the Bible.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life, 1 John 5:13.

Well before Evander Holyfield was born, the authors of the Bible introduced a spiritual real deal.  The apostle Paul refers to a gift from God.  The context is based upon the fact that the sinful actions of mankind deserve death.  Yet, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, Luke 19:10.  The disciple whom Jesus loved takes this concept one step further, claiming you can know for sure.  While many will claim to be the real deal, put your hope, faith and trust in that which is eternal.

by Jay Mankus

 

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Removing the I Can’t From Your Vocabulary

Posted on March 3, 2017 by expressyourself4him

While attending a youth ministry trade school in Minnesota, I was first introduced to the term “red light thinking.”  Growing up everyone hears the words I can’t.  This may be spoken by adults, siblings or teachers.  Whom ever spouts out this expression is suggesting that you can’t accomplish what you hope for, think about and want.  Anyone who begins to believe this will be limited in what you accomplish in life.

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26.

To combat red think thinking I was trained to practice a simple exercise.  After you have taken an assessment of a dilemma, problem or situation, spend any where between five to fifteen minutes to write down as many possible solutions as possible.  This time involves a collection of ideas without rejection, known as green light thinking.  When every angle is considered, then you can go back and scrutinize the unrealistic.

For nothing will be impossible with God, Luke 1:37.

The older I become, the crueler and harsher critics get.  Subsequently, the young, adolescents and adults are bombarded with daily chants of you can’t.  Debbie downers and negative Norman’s pound away dramatically impacting self-esteem.  Instead of facing a world full of challenges with hope, individuals struggle to believe in their dreams.  If this mindset is not stopped, spirits of doubt will eliminate the American dream.  May prayer, a supporting church and voices of optimism propel the hopeless toward a sense of with God I can.

by Jay Mankus

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The Unusual Path to Success

Posted on February 22, 2017 by expressyourself4him

During a sleepless night off, I began channeling surfing to find something entertaining.  Using the scroll down future, I found a show entitled Finding Success Through Failure.  Hosted by John Stossel, this Fox Business Channel program examined unusual beginnings of famous companies.  For example, following a forty dollar fine for forgetting to return a video to the store, the concept to Netflix was born.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us, Romans 5:3-5.

For those entrepreneurs who fail multiple times, Stossel interviewed a couple of guests who honed in on grasping what went wrong during failed ventures.  These people go through a purification process using trial and error as a teaching aide.  Meanwhile, the spoiled, unprepared and weak often quit at the first sign of adversity.  Real life is not a fairy tale.  Rather, there are usually several road blocks, directional arrows and u-turns along the way before you arrive at the dream job.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, James 1:2-4.

When life throws you a curve ball, sometimes you have to reinvent yourself.  Five years ago I had aspirations of becoming a college professor, starting at a new community college.  When that plan was thwarted, I went into survival mode, throwing things up in the air to see what stuck.  Although I have found a home at Amazon for now, I believe I have what it takes to write movie scripts.  While I may not get to the career my choice, I’m ready to take the unusual path to success wherever it takes me.

by Jay Mankus

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Angels with Error

Posted on February 21, 2017 by expressyourself4him

The book of Job, the person not what Trump wants to create, is the oldest book in the Old Testament.  What this means is that Job was finished prior to Genesis.  Why its not clear if Job lived before the flood, he does talk about walking with dinosaurs.  Due to the atmospheric changes in the weather following the flood and lack of dinosaurs mentioned on Noah’s ark, Job could have died prior to Genesis 7.  Another clue is found in the first few chapters of Job’s book, referring to Satan by name twice and angels with error.  All of this leads me to believe Job experienced a moment in time when 1/3 of the angels were kicked out of heaven, falling to earth in the form of demons.

If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error, Job 4:18.

Theology introduces many terms which were created and developed to help common church going individuals to understand the complex.  One of these biblical ideas is the concept of free will.  The definition eludes to freedom given by God to make choices without coercion or force.  This element also applies to angels, also known as cherubs, seraphim and archangels.  The context of Job 4 is Eliphaz, a close friend of Job addresses and begins to contemplate why Job has endured several trials.  While the initial statement refers to trust, one possible explanation is that angels with error, now demons, have unleashed their wrath.

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day, Jude 1:6.

According to Jesus, everyone will face a day of judgment.  While the facts of life will be presented in the form of video clips that include highlights and low lights, this will be a scary day for all.  Nothing that you do now can save you.  What I mean by this is that in the end, there is no one righteous.  All have exercised free will, falling short of God’s glory.  Yet, Romans 5:8 gives the hopeless hope through God’s demonstration of love.  While I deserve hell and damnation, God sent His one and only Son to restore that which was lost, Luke 19:10.  Despite angels with error, eternal life is in reach of the humble by grace through faith.  Reach out today by accepting God’s free gift, Romans 6:23.

by Jay Mankus

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