Although apathy permeates throughout several segments of society, there are beacons of hope that exist. If you are a historian, books contain powerful messages of leaders who transformed their nations. Meanwhile, starving souls searching for the meaning of life, keep on reading, flipping through pages until inspiration is found.
As for me, the Bible has become a well spring, the driving force behind this blog. After reaching 10,000 hits today, I can’t take credit for the articles, titles or words. Rather, I felt compelled to rely on meditating on the Bible, sermons and words that would connect with common struggles people undergo.
Whether you’re talking to someone every day at work for 3 years or writing 1000 different blogs, the longer you go, the harder it becomes to come up with new material. While you might have some good days, conversation and pieces can become stale. Therefore, in my quest to keep a dream alive, I will keep on reading until I receive inspiration.
Depending upon where you live, different phrases express the trouble that you are in. Perhaps, you’re caught in a pickle, in the dog house, down the stream without a paddle or stuck in a precarious situation. However you want to say it, it won’t be long before fate places you into a predicament where only God can bail us out.
Some of you may be like Joseph from the Bible, the envy of your family. Thus, jealousy causes siblings to gang up on you, tease you or inflict emotional scars. You press on only to find yourself falsely accused of someone else’s wrong doing. As your reputation takes a hit, time and trust is the only thing you can do repair others opinions of you. Despite the trials you endure, the Lord’s favor is upon you, showering you with blessings from heaven.
Unfortunately, most people fall into a different category, leaning more toward the prodigal son. Curious, stubborn and unwilling to change, a series of poor choices results in a downward spiral. By now, temptation is long gone, replaced by addiction, bad habits or cravings for temporary pleasures. Call it human nature or self-realization, but until you come to your senses, Luke 15:17, you still think you can save yourself. If this slide continues to the bottom of the barrel in life, your cries for help become more genuine, “help me Lord?”
How many times does God have to bail us out? According to Matthew 18:21-22, forgiveness is suppose to be limitless. If you reach out for help, God will extend hands of grace. Therefore, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, Romans 10:9-13.
When people cry, there could be several reasons. Cries of joy, tears of pain, touched by words, moved by a kind act or mourning after someone dies. In the famous Aesop fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, this story refers to individuals who try to gain attention with impure motives. As for this person, God will not come to their aid immediately, Isaiah 1:15.
However, Psalm 106:44 suggests that a heart felt cry is heard by the Lord. Although you may not receive a reply right away, God’s timing is perfect, Ecclesiastes 3:10-11. Cry after cry is duly noted by God, observing the distress that you and I go through over the course of a week, month or year. Subsequently, each earnest plea is rewarded with a sign, word of encouragement or by a person sent to ease your pain.
According to the Bible, there will be no tears in heaven, Revelation 7:17. Yet, until then, disappointment is a daily reality while calling earth home. In your struggle to stay positive, Ephesians 6:12, don’t try to do this all on your own. Rather, cry out to the Lord, following in the footsteps of David, Psalm 4:1, so that God will come to the rescue.
A few years ago, an atheist neighbor cried out to Jesus late in the evening. When his dog got loose once again, she ran in front of a car traveling down the street. With little time to react, this accident could not be avoided. As his dog struggled to survive, his prayer was fervent, “O Jesus, don’t let my dog die!” On his way to a local vet, this prayer was repeated several times, speeding off in his SUV. Unfortunately, sometimes our prayers don’t get answered or the outcome we desire is not fulfilled, ending in another pet tragedy.
Following the terrorists attack on the United States during September 11th, 2001, millions of Americans dropped to their knees to pray. In this moment of despair, people turned to houses of prayer seeking comfort. When the South Tower of the World Trade Center came crumbling to the ground at 9:58 am, several thousand were thought to be dead. Although nearly 3000 did pass away in 3 different states, desperation led countless individuals to re-evaluate their lives. As a result, families were conceived, relationships renewed and faith born again.
Thirteen years later, the worse is yet to come. If the book of Revelation is correct, there will be 7 seven years of tribulation, unlike anything the world has seen before. Once the prophecies within the Bible have been fulfilled, Jesus will return. Though no one knows the exact day or time, signs have been left as clues to the future in Matthew 24. I won’t speculate like many false prophets of the past, yet God will continue to use desperate times to achieve His will. If you reach a point of desolation, may the promise of Psalm 102:17 lead God to hear and answer your prayers.
One of my favorite summer pastimes is visiting amusement parks across the country. Whether its Cedar Point, Kings Island or one of the 6 Flags venues, there is nothing like the thrill of riding on a roller coaster. This rush of adrenaline creates a sensation that makes you feel like you’re flying through the air. However, for the paranoid, history serves as a notice that some rides can kill.
According to an NBC News report from July of 2014, most amusement accidents occur to children, roughly 4,400 per year or 20 per week during the peak season. The most recent investigation on amusement park death found 52 individuals died over a 15 year people, with the latest victim a woman from Texas who fell out of a 14 story wooden coaster. Despite strict safety regulations, there is no guarantee when the next malfunction will end in disaster.
From a spiritual perspective, there is a reason why God includes guidelines for life in the Bible. If ignored, its easy to wander into trouble, just ask Eve. Meanwhile, the acts of the sinful nature have been added for New Testament readers, warning people of the dangers of indulging in Turkish delights, Galatians 5:19-21. Just as Peter explored Narnia, attractive to the promises of the White Witch, most human beings can’t resist the pleasures of earth. Thus, if you’re not careful, you might develop a taste for thrills that can kill.
If you believe everything happens for a reason, then my first full time teaching position after college was a blessing in disguise. Tucked away in the Monongahela National Forest, I spent the Spring Semester of 1993 counseling, teaching and tutoring junior high students who were considered career underachievers. The learning never stopped, continuing through breakfast, lunch and dinner. My only true break was for 40 minutes, from 12:20-1:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. Titled 20/20 Time, students and teachers spent 40 minutes in solitude either on a hillside, in the valley or along the banks of a stream. The goal of this exercise was to spend 20 minutes reflecting and 20 writing. To my amazement, I developed a love for journaling; eventually inspiring 12 songs that formed my first album, A Simple Confession.
For those of us who love food, eating is like a race to see who can devour a meal the fastest. Yet, for businessmen, savvy entrepreneurs and relational individuals, meals are maximized to get work done, explore new opportunities or develop permanent meaningful lasting relationships. Prior to the rise in youth sports, families spent 30-60 minutes a day at their kitchen table talking . Now, some households eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner, working meals around busy schedules. Although hunger is a natural part of the body, appetites can vary from delicacies to worldly obsessions. Realizing this truth, Jesus introduced a new concept for his listeners to digest, “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Matthew 5:6.
The Psalms of the Bible illuminate how to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Beginning in Psalm 1:1-3, the author compares this type of individual with an evergreen, a tree that stays green throughout the year. Known as conifers, the key to this tree is its root system. When planted near a creek, river or stream, daily nutrients are widely available. The spiritual dimension to this analogy can be found in Joshua 1:8, where meditating on the Bible day and night results in a similar outcome. Therefore, if you want to maximize your own meals, start by consuming the Word of God before every breakfast, lunch and dinner. If this concept takes ahold of your heart, soul and mind, then will resemble the tree in Psalm 1. This leads me to the chorus from one of the first songs the Holy Spirit inspired me to write, Psalm 1.
“I want to be the tree, down by the river”
“I want to be the tree, down by the bank”
“I want to be the tree, that walks and talks like Jesus”
“Reaching out for nourishment by staying in God’s Word.”
Based upon a 2013 CNN article, roughly 224 million roses are grown to prepare for Valentine Day shoppers. Beside candy, roses have become a symbol for this special day, with the average person spending $130 to impress their significant other. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for these expensive flowers to die. Life can be prolonged by adding fresh water daily and trimming the stems. Yet, in the end, the smell of flowers will fade, wilt and end up in the trash.
The human soul can relate to the final resting place for roses. Individuals who are quiet, shy or wonder why no accepts them for who they are, often wilt like flowers. The lack of communication, intimacy and relationships can weigh on a heart, resulting in loneliness. Unless a soul experiences good news, hope or something positive, faith can fade into oblivion. Like a deer that pants for water on a hot summer day, those that thirst for temporary pleasures will taste the sourness of disappointment.
According to the Bible, the soul finds rest in God alone, Psalm 62:1. Though many will try other avenues to fill this void, nothing can satisfy like Jesus; just ask the woman at the well, John 4. Mankind may try to stop the grass from withering and flowers from falling off their stems, yet the only cure to wilted souls is the Word of God, Isaiah 40:8. If the thought of a cold dark winter has brought you down, may the promise of Romans 8:38-39 sustain you when all seems lost.
I guess when you remove the Bible as a source of truth from public education, even the Bible Belt isn’t safe. This likely explains the actions of a high school teacher in Tennessee who kicked a student out of class and suspended for saying, “bless you,” to another classmate who sneezed. Fifty years since expelling God from school, now His children are in danger of experiencing the same fate.
To make matters worse, a professor from the College of Coastal Georgia has banned his students from saying bless you in class. Students taking his Introductory Physics course will have grades lowered if the words “bless you” are uttered. The media’s silence is defying. Where is their outcry like the so called war on women? This isn’t a war against one gender, its against the Creator of mankind. Are these school’s sure about their decisions?
According to James 3:9, students have 2 daily options: to bless or curse. If blessings become outlawed, do these administrations want their student body cursing classes, teachers and the school itself? If the political correct crowd wants everyone to be open minded about gender issues, why are educators closing the door on God? My question to any school official across the fruited plains, are you sure about the stance you are taking?
To some, angels are a myth, a figment of your imagination. For others, the concept of angelic beings is something you grow out of, like a childhood phase. Yet, those who place their trust in the Bible, hold a belief, clinging to the promise of Psalm 91:11, hoping and waiting for the day for this verse to come true.
There appears to be 3 prerequisites before guardian angels are assigned to your side.
1) Individuals need to reach a point of desperation, recognizing that the only safe place on earth is resting in the shadow of God’s wings, Psalm 91:1.
2) In additional, priorities must be reorganized until a trust level develops, leading people to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. Matthew 6:33-34.
3) Finally, to complete the setting for angels to enter the scene, souls must be willing to give up complete control, yielding the reigns of their life to Jesus, Matthew 16:24.
Unfortunately, most Christians want results without the effort on their part. As those who bypass the sweat and tears part of this equation, a lack of results leads to bickering as disenfranchised customers complain to God. Despite these cries, their treatment is no different than that of Israel in Isaiah 1:15. The missing ingredient is perking God’s attention.
Right now, angels are looking down from heaven, waiting to get into the game. However, until the prayers of the saints ask for a hedge of protection, angels will continue to sit on the bench. The words of Jesus is Matthew 7:7-12 are just begging leaders to make specific requests now. “You don’t have because you haven’t asked!” May this blog inspire you to proclaim bold prayers so that guardian angels will be ushered into action today.
Whether you’re young and healthy, worn and middle aged or old and decrepit, the heart serves as a thermostat. Age is a state of mind as the heart regulates the moods of individuals. If the wisest king in history suggested that a heart is the well spring of life, Proverbs 4:23, than the heart is a terrible thing to waste.
Eating right and exercising is just one aspect to maintaining a healthy heart. Inside the human body, an invisible virus is lurking. This cancer feeds on sin, spreading beyond the heart into minds and souls. If left unaddressed, lukewarm spirits can enter the heart. This disease influences actions, encouraging compromise, inconsistency and a life void of passion, Revelation 3:15-16.
In view of this potential disaster, guard your heart by taking your spiritual temperature daily, Matthew 6:19-24. Meditate on God’s Word, the Bible, Joshua 1:8, so that your mind will be steered in the right direction, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Finally, to discourage temptation from entering the equation, put to death any earthly nature that puts your heart in danger, Colossians 3:5-9. By exercising your heart spiritually, fulfilling Matthew 22:37-40 can become a reality.
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