God is who He says He is, not who I think He is.

I confess, my original belief in a higher power was 100% backwards. I molded an image of a god in my own mind. This image stroked my ego and helped me feel good about my ways. My spiritual information was coming from things ‘I’ wanted a god to be. This selfish belief conveniently justified my lifestyle. It made me feel good about the things I did and the person I was.

Who was this god I made? “God created this marijuana for a reason and put it here on earth. It’s all natural. I can smoke it!” – I justified my actions by creating a god to be who I wanted in order to feel good about smoking marijuana. “God just wants me to be happy! It’s ok, I’m not hurting anyone!” – Again, justifying my actions so I can feel good about the choices I made that were contrary to the real God.  The list goes on and on… I continued to believe in a higher power, a god, but the god that I believed in was fully based out of selfish motives. This god of mine so happened to fit perfectly into everything that I did in life. Worth repeating.. I created a god that so happened to fit perfectly into all that my life was. I fully justified myself.

Then, I asked Him into my life and I started to get to know the real God. He started to show me who He was via His own words, and I see now that He was nothing like the god I had created out of selfish reasons, not even close! He was the opposite. Imagine that!!!

He showed me this self-talk, self-reasoning, self-understanding, self-justification, self…self…self. The god that I created looked like me, talked like me, thought like me. It was me and my selfish desires. And He said, “I am the Creator…I created you in My image. I mold you, not the other way around.” I had it all backwards. Praise God for pulling me out of the pits of self.

If anyone is in the same boat, I urge you.. jump out of basing things on your own understanding & let Him tell you who He is, in His own words (the bible). Ask Him into your life, then watch the world as you know it turn upside down (right-side up).

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.
(Proverbs 3:5-8, New King James Version)

8 ” For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 ” For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 ” For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:8-11, New King James Version)

17 “You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.
(Exodus 34:17, New King James Version)

Pertaining to the last passage, it is my opinion that it means both carved images as well as any other image we may form in our mind. If we believe in an invisible god, one that is nothing like the true God, is it not the same as molding a god for ourself?

Have you molded your own god at some point in life? I did.

As far as physical carvened images, the true God of Israel answered this question, in a blessed revelation. Watch the Lord God take a golden calf off from around my neck – Check out this beautiful testimony: Testimony – the golden calf.

God bless you and yours,

joseph

(taken from my blog post Who is God?)

Making friends is on many minds, especially for people moving to new places, or going to a new school or college, as many will soon. How does one do it? And, how does one go from mere acquaintance to “best friend forever“?

I remember, years back, a story of a child who came home from Kindergarten, and announced they’d made a really nice friend, and played with them for a few straight days. When asked their name, the child replied, “I don’t know, we haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Sometimes the easiest things in the world are the things we make look the hardest. Sometimes, we get so bogged down by rules, such as finding out everything about someone, and calculating – usually subconsciously – if we want to spend time with them, we forget to actually try to make a friend.

On the other hand, the opposite can also be true. We decide we’re going to just “hang out” with someone, and they end up leading us down the wrong path because we know nothing about them, and they are actually living a life that’s a bad influence on us, when we should be the leader in a situation.

So, how do we strike a balance?

It’s not like Kindergarten, where you just start playing together, or middle or high school, where you can join a club or watch sports – even if you and your new friends can only commiserate on how bad the team is. It’s not like college, either, where your dorm leader has fun activities and you can sit around and laugh about answers to questions like, “If you were a tree, what kind would you be?”

Or, is it? As noted, we often make things too hard. Yes, some cities have more hurried people who appear less friendly, but there are ways to do it without being led astray by the wrong kinds of friends.

First, Decide Who You Are

It would be easy for me to write, “You have to be a leader.” It’s harder for some people, though. Some are naturally shy and need to really work at it. Some suffer from heartbreak that causes them to be in a shell. Some have difficulty even knowing how to begin a conversation, because their brains are wired differently; I have a very good online friend with Asperger’s Syndrome, for instance. One great uncle, as well, has always had trouble meeting new people.

Still, while everyone’s friend making style is a little different, the Bible says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Prov. 18:24) We can turn to the examples above, from school, to consider not only how to go about finding friends, but also, how to cultivate that friendship with the One who will always be faithful, Jesus Christ.

The Kindergarten Connection

It’s easy to walk up to someone and say, “Do you want to play?” Or, just start playing ball or something with them as they are playing. Kids are often much more open to this than adults. Most kids don’t go through hundreds of scenarios and try to pick up dozens of cues. Sometimes, of course, they might wonder how – or if – some other kid will play with them. But, this is where it’s important, as adults, to encourage children to talk to kids who are shier, who are challenged in some way, or something else.

Adults don’t have playgrounds, or play kickball or hopscotch; about the closest is when great joy causes one to start skipping, which can be good exercise. Even if we did, kids don’t develop into BFF just by playing together, though it can start like that.

Children go from playing together to sharing things about each other. They realize they have common interests. They show compassion when each other is hurting. Even if that is just a shoulder to cry on, sometimes that is the best thing there can be. And, that’s the important thing to take from the “Kindergarten Connection.” Like my initial story, don’t worry about walking up to someone and learning everything before you make a decision. Get involved at a church, volunteer, do something that interests you. Go to a neighborhood meeting – or, if there’s no association, form one. If you’ve moved into an area, have a “Good Neighbor” cookout and invite those on your block. (It’s not hard – just go around with invitations telling them you will have, for instance, burgers and chips, they can bring their own food, and you’re doing it to meet your new neighbors. In an apartment, you can still hang out in the lobby a little and greet people. You don’t have to have a one-hour conversation at first – this is that first recess where you play together.) One interesting idea: Iintroduce yourself at the end – so people recall your name.

Even if you’re not as outgoing as some of these, this site for shy kids and this one on socializing provide other good, encouraging ideas, which can be analogized to adult life, if you’re an adult.

That’s the way it happens in higher levels of school, too – clubs, sports, and other interest groups are formed, because older kids and young adults can handle more structure than little kids, who need time to be kids, too. We think it’s harder because we had good friends where we lived before – and we go from having one or more to having none. Whereas, kids realize they’re starting from scratch, and just figure someone will come along. Or, we’re like the one who takes the lead, and starts doing something, and we join in with them.

Think of it as constant networking and building relationships. You won’t build one with everyone, just like you didn’t become best friends with all 20 Kindergarten classmates; you may have had too different of a personality than a few, you never connected with a few, and one or two might have scared you. You might not have found that BFF till classmate number 2 or 8 or 19 – or maybe it was even someone in a different class! The point is, keep trying those interest groups. Will you find people who aren’t interested? Sure. But, when you start jumping rope on the playground, you don’t have hundreds of kids flocking to you, either. It’s usually just a few at most. However, one or two winds up being one you play with more often. There’s a lot of trial and error. Maybe one group won’t provide a BFF, but it will lead to one, or some other activity will.

Of course, it will then take a while till your new friends learn about you – and maybe even longer till you find someone you can confide in. The wonderful thing is, though, that Jesus knows all about you, and is ready to be the best possible friend right away.

What a Friend We Have In Jesus

The fact He calls His disciples friends shows that He is ready to be the best possible friend right away; but it’s not the only reason. He is God in flesh (John 10:30, etc.), and he created the world; by Him all things continue to exist. (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17, etc.) he created the entire world; each of us, in fact. And yet, He wants to be friends with us.

At first, you might wonder, “What can I have in common with Him?” It’s easy to do, and it’s one very big reason why we don’t pray like we should. But, God says in His Word that He understands our problems, and – while we pretend we can handle them all ourselves – He calls us to go boldly before the throne of grace for help with things (Heb. 4:15-16). He will give us wisdom whenever we ask for it (James 1:5), peace that passeth understanding (Phil. 4:7), and so many other wonderful things.

It’s easy to see, then, how Jesus is such a wonderful friend. He sticks closer than a brother – and a loving sibling is born to help in times of trouble. But, Jesus sticks closer, He will help us through anything. And, the wonderful thing is, He loves at all times.

That kind of love – unconditional love – is hard to find in this world. It’s the kind we want in a best friend forever. Best friends, after all, don’t just let us walk all over them or let us mess up our lives. BFFs are willing to come up beside us and lovingly say, for instance, “That’s not going to be very good for you.” They know us so well, and despite our faults, they love us – but they also love us enough not to let those faults drag us down. And, if someone snaps and says, “Who cares? I’m going to do what I want, and you’re not my friend if you try to stop me,” that BFF is there to support them if that bad choice (getting drunk, going out with a certain person, or whatever else that BFF knows is bad news) leads to horrible consequences.

See, we don’t always do what’s right. In fact, that was the whole purpose of Jesus’ coming to this world in the first place. God made this world perfect. There was no sin in it – no bad stuff. But, people chose to start sinning, and that sin had bad consequences. The worst was, it separated us from God.

God made a way for us to become His friends, though. He reconciled us to Himself, by taking the punishment for our sin. Each person has to pay a price for their sin – unless they let God Himself pay that price for them. What an awesome friend, who would take the punishment for our sins!

That price that was paid was the only price big enough – Jesus came to this world and died on the cross willingly, shedding His blood as he died. Then, on the third day, He rose from the dead. He was able to do this because he was God. And, he is just waiting for each of us to call on Him – each person just needs to repent and receive Him as Saviour. That means to choose not to be a sinner anymore, but to let Jesus change you on the inside. Because, as a true Friend, that’s His job.

In fact, once you have Him living inside you through the Holy Spirit, He will always be an ever present help in time of need. He will always guide you in the right direction, and away from thigns that might cause you pain – He’ll always provide a way to escape problems. And yet, if you rebel against Him, once He has sealed you with the Holy Spirit, he will always be there to lovingly welcome you back. Just like that best friend who, even if you refuse their advice with disastrous consequences – will still love you.

And, you can have such fun with Him, too. He’ll open your eyes to so many good things, and so much joy – why, the Apostle Paul mentions joy dozens of times in an epistle he wrote in prison, the Book of Philippians! Jesus came so we might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

So, how do you get that friend, you ask? Remember that example, where the child just started playing with someone? It’s that easy. Just go to Him by faith. It’s as easy as ABC:

Admit you’re a sinner, that your sin – things you say, think, and do that displease God – keeps you from God’s perfect Heaven.

Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, lived a perfect life, then died on the cross, taking the punishment for your sins, and rising from the dead the third day. And, that this did all that was necessary to reconcile you with Him, and get you to Heaven.

Choose to receive Jesus Christ’s forgiveness on the cross for your sin, and allow Him to enter your heart and make you new on the inside, and to come live in you; let Him give you a heart that wants to follow Him, and not sin. You won’t stop sinning right away, but just like that friend who will always guide and help you, He will begin a work to help you grow closer to Him, and He will complete it, even unto the day of the Lord. (Phil. 1:6)

That’s all there is to it. You can call on Him right now, in fact; whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Rom. 10:13) Just call on Him to forgive you of your sins and save you from that horrible punishment, separation from God forever in a place call Hell; a place only meant for the devil and his angels, but where people go who reject His love and offer of friendship.

He is a faithful friend, though, who will never leve you nor forsake you. And, He wants you to keep drawing close to Him. Not only that, but He wrote His Word, the Bible, to tell you of His grace and mercy, and also of how badly He wants you to avoid His judgment. He also wants us to go out and tell others about His awesome friendship.

Remember, though, that it’s all by His grace and mercy. He is the Creator of the universe. He didn’t have to choose to make us friends. He did, though, because of His great love for each of us – for you, for me, for everyone.

And, He’ll be that shoulder to cry on, that one to confide in, that One who can help you through anything. He loves you more than you can imagine.

Choose wisely students of life! “Learn the lesson or retake the course, it’s that simple.” – Nate Elarton

Introduction:

Let us go deep! Examining ourselves can be very deceptive because we may be blind to certain hindrances in our lives. These hindrances can get involved in the examination process, thus we deceive ourselves. We desire to grow in understanding life and grow in wisdom, but our mind’s eye needs new glasses – the scales need to be removed for a better choice to be made. I urge any seekers of truth to be watchful, pray, take your time, do not trust yourself, and examine everything. When I say do not trust yourself, I say it for very good reason. Allow me to explain -

In my experience, as well as through discussing with others, something very interesting has been revealed (Wisdom). The things we are about to discuss can be foolishness and/or may not be seen because they are contrary to humanistic molds that are upon us (the blinders of self/pride). As mentioned, the very thing this article speaks about is the very thing that will prevent someone from seeing clearly. The blinders, which do not want to be removed, will do whatever it can to stay in tact. If the blinders are removed, we will see that the truth we had once believed is actually a lie. This can become very disturbing to our conscious. We have always worn the these same glasses when viewing the world, it is all we know. Often, our thoughts of life are derived from what the world has taught us. Because of this, it is all we have seen, all we have known, and all we believe in. As far as we’re concerned, what we currently know and experience in life is the truth.

When the blinders are removed (a new choice), there could be a disturbance that feels like we’re on the brink of insanity, but then great peace comes in. The justifying statements we make in life, the blaming of others, the excuses we make to protect ourselves, the foolish stress, depression, etc., all will come to light and be exposed. The blinders will be removed and this causes us to see the real truth, thus everything we thought we were is revealed as a complete sham and a new choice is born. Pride does not want that to happen. The blinders mentioned are our ego, pride, self, flesh, etc. Keep this in mind – Pride does not want to be discovered. Pride will protect itself at all costs. The only way pride can start to crumble is through humility. Once we can admit that we don’t have all the answers and that there are possible challenges in our philosophy, bam, doorways have cracked open. Pride/Man/Flesh/Satan birthed pride, and humility died. It is time to reverse it, turn things back upright, and get this truth revealed. Wisdom and Choice.

Please keep in mind that I’m spiritual and believe in the Son of man. I’m revealing what the Lord has revealed to me. I speak on behalf of spiritual things and not things of man or self. There is a spiritual war going on for our souls and He has helped me in this fight, which I pass on to the reader. If you’ve made it this far and you’re thinking “this is a joke”, then I urge you to put to death the pride and force yourself to continue reading. Freedom is around the corner. The only way to see the kingdom of God is to be born again. Put to death self, and revive righteousness. Only God can do this for you through the His Son the Savior. I do not believe for a moment that this transformation can be fully accomplished without God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit helping us. Prior to the acceptance of Jesus Christ, I was blind and had scales on my eyes, thus these things were foolishness. I tried to help myself and that surely didn’t work out to well. We may think that we can accomplish this without God’s help, and that is each person’s  individual choice. In the end though, it is a ploy of Satan to keep us from our Father. See, this is not self-help, which is another deception. This is revealing the real truth – The bondage of Adam (man, self, pride, ego, flesh, etc.) and the freedom in Christ Jesus. If a non-believer continues to read, then I truly believe that their soul is interested because the Spirit is ministering to you. Why do I believe this? Because I have prayed for you and He answers prayer that is inline with His will. It is God’s will that all are saved. I pray for eyes to be opened, ears to be unlocked and hearts to receive His truth. If you have not accepted Christ into your life, I suggest doing so at this time so that these things will make sense and start ministering to you.

Examination: Let us first look at our beings and then explain each of the 3 parts. (As a side note, this is an area that is debatable in the church and please let the Spirit of God guide you on this topic. This is my current understanding. Regardless, please view the context of the message and not allow doctrinal reasoning to cause the context of the message to be missed): – The soul, which consists of our mind, emotions and our will (our character). The Spirit, which is aligned with God’s mind, emotions, and His will (the character of Christ). The flesh, which is aligned with a worldly mind, emotions, and will (the character of Satan). There is a spiritual war going on and they are fighting for our souls.  The battleground is the mind. “Choose this day who you will serve.” In order to choose wisely, we have to examine very closely the thoughts, emotions and will that we are addressed with. Is it mine (which has been molded by worldly things) or is it God’s? Then we choose wisely once this knowledge is gained. Let me reveal further -

Pertaining to the Spirit’s thoughts, emotions and will, these are revealed in the Word of God, which is Jesus Christ. Our souls are trying to be held captive into an image of Satan (Adam, me-first, ego, pride, being like gods, in control, humanism, etc). Jesus came to save us from this mess. He is revealed in the Word of God and the Word (Christ) guides us to the real truth. When the Spirit ministers to us, it will minister things that are in-line with the character of Jesus Chris. The benchmark of whether it is the Spirit ministering to us or the old-self is determined through the Word. Thoughts of the Spirit are God first, others second, and ourselves last. This is a revival of humility (Christ) that was once dead but has been made alive by being born again. It is a complete reversal of pride and humanism (Satan/Adam). The emotions of the Spirit are contentment, peace, joy, patience, caring, compassion, and everything else that lines up with good good peace. The will of the Spirit is revealed in God’s word and through the ministering of the Spirit of God to our souls.

The thoughts of Satan should be easily recognizable. It is what we have experienced our entire lives. Pride was Satan’s fall, it was Adam’s fall, and it is our fall. The thoughts are me-first. God and others will be placed in second or third place. They are typically thoughts of how I can benefit, thoughts of judging others, thoughts of how I’m bothered, etc. They are basically selfish thoughts. This is where the conscious gets seared and as an animal does, we will dodge such attack on our character, run and hide, cause a distraction, or fight. Thus, we will get thoughts like “He just called  me selfish. It is far from me to be selfish. Who do you think you are?” That my friend is the deception I was speaking of early on. Because it is pride/selfishness that is actually responding. The thing we are revealing here does NOT want to be revealed. The emotions that are part of Satan’s plans for us are the ones we are so use to. Hurt, pain, frustration, anxiety, worry, stress, depression, fear, anger, and so on. The will of Satan is to be like the Most High God. To set oneself up as the most important being, trying to become like a god, and be in control of things in the way that we like them.

The thoughts, emotions, and will of our characters are a direct result of which one of the above-mentioned we end up choosing. This is why it is very important that we examine these things from the Spirit. We have to get out of ourselves, the ways and thoughts we are use to, the emotions we are almost addicted to, and analyze outside of such things. Our minds are constantly bombarded by both sides, assuming the Spirit of God is with us. If we do not have God helping us, we can’t see these things. If that’s the case, we accept the thoughts we have always had, we say it is who we are and it’s okay, and these things are foolishness. We will fight, take offense, dodge and weave, or just run away when addressed with this topic. As in the Wizard of Oz, “Whatever you do, do not look behind the curtain, I cannot be revealed.” It is very sad for me to see people in this state. It breaks my heart. We end up fully accepting that we are the only intelligent being, there is no God, and we can do as we like to do. This is glorification of self, which is the exact thing we are speaking of, and the thing that Jesus wants to set us free from. Even believers of God will fall into this trap. They will justify their actions with things like “God just wants me to be happy!”, “I’m not hurting anyone else”, and/or “God put it here for a reason, for us to enjoy it!” Again, this is glorification of self. Believers, if you have had any thoughts like this, be very careful. It is deception. If that’s the case, please check out my website and find the article: Who is God?

Gaining further knowledge: I may have used the phrase “Wisdom and Choice” in the title, but I think a better understanding would be: “Wisdom is making good choices with learned knowledge.”  I think Wisdom is the application of learned information.  If I touch a hot stove and get burned, I have knowledge that the stove is hot and it burned me. If I do it 10,000 times, I have a lot of knowledge. When I choose to apply that knowledge as to not get burned, that is wise. To touch it again for the 10,001 time, well this is what we will be talking about. We’re ignorant to the knowledge that has been at our fingertips all along because we were once blind. Let’s bring it to light.

I recommend reading this topic of Thought.  If someone doesn’t understand their self talk and emotions, then in my humble opinion, this will be difficult to put into practice. Please stop now and at least read that post.  There is a lot of thinking, reading, and praying required. We should spend time with thought on our thoughts as well as watching what they do to the emotions.  Examine yourself. It is a process of transformation and reading this entry will not accomplish much without putting it into action.  In some, if not all of us, there is a terrible cycle that must be examined and understood.  As a friend once said “Play attention!”

I decided to start this topic because of an email I once received from a friend.  I will get to that in a minute. I wanted to reiterate, what I went over in my posting about thought. If someone has a negative emotion, such as hurt, sad, anger, frustration, guilt, depression, greed, ashamed, embarrassed, offended, etc then examine the self talk that triggered those emotions.  Listen to what it’s saying.  Write down the self talk, the triggered emotions, and how it affected additional thought patterns and/or our outward circumstances. We have to go through this in order to determine where these things are coming from, Flesh or Spirit.

See, we must realize that we are animals.  Ever since we were born, we were learning what it is to be a human being.  We are trained to be a human being like Adam (like man, the world, flesh, etc).  We should examine who our teacher was.  Society, friends, siblings, parents, TV, bad role models, etc.  Who was the teacher that taught us to get angry, to be sad, to get depressed, etc?  Basically, we were molded/taught by society that we must think certain thoughts in certain situations.  Our souls (mind, emotions and will) have been formed into the image of Satan. Christ is now breaking these molds and transforming our souls into His image, assuming we choose Him.

When we keep evaluating our thoughts (the main battle front), we will eventually find the triggers to our emotional state and it will be a phrase that we say in our head – the first phrase, the initial trigger. Write it down.  When we see the trigger, we will know immediately where it came from. Then watch the steps after the initial words – Watch what it’s doing to the body. Does it line up with God’s character in-Christ or does it look like the rest of the world? When we pay very close attention to the things going on in our body, we will recognize how an emotion flushes our body and rational thinking is out the window. If that happens, it is all emotionally based from this point on. For instance, my emotion was anger.  I watched self-talk triggered an emotion, then I felt a warming sensation start at the hips and watched it flood up my body. Even though I knew it was of the flesh, I agreed that I should not be angry in this situation, and I knew it was of the old-self, I couldn’t stop it. Emotions are a powerful powerful drug. If this happens, I highly recommend duct tape over the mouth. lol

Now to that email my friend sent.. The Two Wolves:

“One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.  He said, “My son, the battle is between two “wolves” inside us all. One is Evil.  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”  The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

This is the Holy Spirit vs flesh.  Christ vs Satan.  Good vs Evil.  As the story goes, the winner is our outward actions – an addiction, stressed, depressed, happy, joyful, peaceful, etc.  It is the difference between the secular world and spiritual world.  Salvation vs hell, etc. Now to actually talk about this topic of wisdom/choice, haha.

Wisdom and Choice: Wisdom/Knowledge will help our lives by leaps and bounds.  I see knowledge as those things that are repetitive in our lives whereas we gain knowledge and start to understand them.  Ever feel depressed, angry, frustrated, sad, worried?  Ever run back to an addiction over and over again?  Think about it.  How many times has the same bad emotion or event played itself out in our lives?  After the aforementioned is analyzed and we take the time to write things down, we will see things we have done 100s, 1000s, tens of 1000′s of times in life.  Guess what, we’re going to get the same results the next 1000 times this situation comes up – unless something changes. Oooh, did you get that?  If not, re-read it.  A good word of knowledge.  Learn the lesson or retake the course, it’s that simple. It was kind of funny that I had this knowledge slapping me upside the head for years, and I didn’t even see it. I pray your eyes are being opened.

Here is my example in the next 2 paragraphs: My ex-g/f and I had a common argument.  The topic would be different, but outside of the specific topic, it was always the same circle of events.  I started jotting down the steps of our arguments because we went through the same general scenario every single time.  I thought – “Man, I’ve been here before.  Same results.  Not talking.  Talking of break-up.  Feeling terrible.”  The end result that I just mentioned always started with someone’s thought, then an emotion, more thought, more emotions, words coming out of the mouth (the outward action), and then a full blown argument.  At the time, I didn’t realize these things I were writing down were good good knowledge. I was writing down, step by step, what happened during a repetitive situation.  For example, on my piece of paper I had written down something like: Step 1: I was upset. Step 2: I said something stupid. Step 3: It affected her. Step 4: She responded in like-kind. Step 5: repeat steps 1-4. Step 6: not talking for timeframe. Step 7: talk about break up. Step 8.. you get the idea. One day while we were in the midst of a disagreement, I looked at the notes.  I said to myself – “Hmmm, we’re on step 5.. She’s gonna mention break-up in the next day or so.”  Yep.  I had written down knowledge…and knew where things were going.  huh. HUH. Seeing it yet? 10,000 times..100,000 times. At this point, when a disagreement started, I knew every step along the way.  I knew the beginning, the middle and the end result.  It was the same cycle over and over, in which I had experienced 100s of times.

If we have have this knowledge, then we can change the outcome for the good by making a better choice. Wouldn’t that be wise?? If something does not change with this knowledge in our hands, we are now accepting the fact that things will go down that path again. Here’s where it gets good and deep. Take the list of events, and we’ll use mine above as an example. See that trigger on step 1 (Step 1: I was upset)? Analyze it and break that sucker down.  I asked myself, why am I upset? I realized because I thought something. Then I asked “Why do I think these things?” (analyzing/examining!) Then I came to a determination, “Hmmm, I can choose something else outside of what the world taught me to think in this situation. What else is there to choose? Hmmm, I could choose this, or I could choose that.” So then I examined deeper.. let us go deeper and see God. I questioned, “What is at the root of each of the possible choices? What is the spark?” (dwell on this, seriously..) – Whoa.. Hello God.. Hello Satan.. Zing!

At this point, we are now standing at the doorway of freedom, assuming Jesus is with you and the Kingdom of God is on the other side of that door. This ended up understanding to many other challenges in my life.  It was realized that if my soul chose a humanistic/trained thought, I was in the same boat.. same worldly emotions would come up, and the resulting action was the same. Not wise..  If my soul used the knowledge wisely, I chose the morale governing law of God.. Jesus.. the Spirit. After going through specific negative feelings such as hurt, frustration, worry, stress, depression, etc 1000s upon 1000s of times in my life, I knew them inside and out. I just never could see them! I had knowledge all along and it wasn’t being used, very unwise. Time to get wise.

See: These things that happen in our lives.. repetitively..  “Learn the lesson, or retake the course.. It’s that simple”. Like the wolf story above.  We keep feeding the negative self talk and negative emotions.  So guess who will win the battle?  Our reality is a result of what we think, and what we think is a result of our choice to think it.. Set your minds on things above. Again, we have these habits and molds that are formed throughout life.  When we are born, we are informational gatherers.  We are learning what it means to be “human”.  So as we are learning, what do we experience?  Who’s teaching us?  We are taught via society, our surroundings, friends, family, TV, and have marketing materials in our face constantly. We are trained to act a certain way, believe certain things, get upset when certain things happen, and so on.  We must realize as a society that we don’t need to do these things, we have a choice. Choose to set our minds on things above, not things below.

Jesus will break the chains.  The Truth shall set you free indeed.. How do we break these molds?  Re-training.  We are now adults, and have new knowledge in us, in-Christ.  This is called being born again – Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  By utilization of our Helper, we are now retraining ourselves to make a better initial choice on Step 1 – to think a different thought. His thoughts.  Then everyting flows from there.  We speak differently, we feel different, our relationships are different, and so on. Instead of looking like the rest of the world, we start looking like Jesus Christ.

Now that we know these things, if we don’t spend the time making a change and going deeper, we will be in the same situation again.  What did Einstein say? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Duh. I’m betting that there are many readers that prefer to not be in some repetitive situations again.  Our souls scream out for change.  Take a look back throughout our individual lives, and remember the negative situations we go through.  See any repetitiveness?  Anything look familiar?  Been through similar situations 100s and 100s of times?  Boy, it sure did for me!  We experience certain things so many times that we know them like the back of our hands, and we just think “That’s who I am!”.  No.. That’s who you were trained to be.  Make a change.  Don’t accept what society made you to be.  Be something better for your family’s sake, for your own sake, for the sake of society, and most importantly, for the sake of our Father God. He loves you and wants you in His arms. Choose wisely student of life!

Possible challenge: Sometimes we can’t get out of the rut at all because we are concentrated on being in the rut.  We get consumed by the rut we are in, and we may even say something like “I’m in this rut and I want to get out.  I can’t though.”  <– Stop.  We are what we think. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. If you say it, it’s because you felt it, and you felt it because you thought it, and you thought it because you chose it. Our outside actions and emotions are a result of what we are thinking. Our reality, the things in our existence are born in our thought process. If we think it, we make it so. Choose wisely! As we keep thinking we can’t get out, we won’t.  As in, the effort and thoughts are focused on the actual challenge.  Let it go.  Stop.  It’s a trap of Satan. Keep looking at it, and the challenge continues.  Put the effort into looking to Jesus, calling out for Him to save us, grab the bible, pray!  He will rescue us immediately if we look at Him.  Take the mind’s eye off of the situation (remove the blinders) and look at Him.

Sometimes, I still could not get out of the rut with this knowledge. I forced myself to call out to Jesus: “Save me!”.  And then I forced myself to pick up the bible, even though the emotional disturbance was saying no. He will immediately reach down and grab us, just like as Peter was sinking in the water as he looked at the waves crashing in around him.  Where is our mind’s eye?  On the challenge at hand?  Well, that’s where we will be.  Change what the mind is looking at.  Put it on Jesus, Peace will overcome us immediately, His character guarantees it.

Summary: We have been trained by society, who also does not know any better. It is not their fault, Satan is to blame. We have a generational challenge and someone must break the molds.  We don’t have to get upset, frustrated, depressed, we don’t have to worry, we don’t have to turn to an addiction, we don’t have to argue with people.  We can turn a new leaf and start looking at things differently.  We can place these wordly things on the Cross in Christ-Jesus, and in return, we get His Mind, His Heart, His Eyes, His Ears.. We get His Righteousness in return.  This means we see things totally differently.

Remember, however old we are, we were trained for that many years to be the person we are today.  If there are areas that need adjusting, it’s going to take time to burn the stuff out of us.  Eventually, we start to make better choices and wisely exercising knowledge.  After evaluating for a while, will will start to see a battle going on inside of us.  We will desire to make better choices, but we will not at times. We will still choose things of the flesh that we wish we were not doing.  If we get to a point of thinking we are going insane, we are on the right track and we are ready to bust loose. This will happen because we see both sides of the coin (recognizing the good vs bad thoughts). We may still make unwise choices, and this is the Spirit revealing these things in us. Then, there is no other place to go but the ultimate choice.  Choose God or choose this world. The Word of God will help us in this transformation. Everything that the self-help books have, this has, but it ultimately reveals the real truth and does not mask it/hide it.

Let us always consider the opposite of any negative area we are addressed with (Looking upon the Spirit). What is opposite of frustration? Peace. What is the opposite of sadness?  Happiness.  There are 2 sides to everything and the sides are: in-Christ or in-Adam, Self or God, Sin or Righteousness, Pride or Humility, etc.  They are both warring for our soul, and our free-will/choice decides who we stand in agreement with. In the end, there is one Truth, and His name is Jesus Christ, God, Lord, Holy Spirit, and Father. Remember, we put ourselves wherever we may currently be via our own choices.  No one “makes” our choices for us, we have free-will. The unseen are things that are eternal.  The things we see are temporal.

If you’ve made it this far, then check out the following article when you have time. It continues to head to greener pastures. Enjoy and God be with you, always: GO DEEP!!!

joseph

In an act of love, a married couple have sexual intercourse, a wonderful time of intimacy, during which, if the biological ‘time’ is ripe, the male sperm will impregnate the female ovum and a new life will be conceived.

At no time during that act of intimacy can I imagine the (soon to be) parents shouting ‘STOP’ —–  ‘what if this new life is deformed physically or mentally, will we abort it?’.

Yet these days it seems it is perfectly OK for the mother, or both parents to decide because my fetus is ‘defective’ I don’t want it, and I will kill it now rather than love it into life.

It sounds rather harsh doesn’t it? And yet if you read the report from ninesmen.com you would be left thinking this was so.

Two families are preparing to take legal action against hospitals for not detecting their unborn babies had Down syndrome (DS),  a chromosomal disorder which can affect a child’s development. Both couples claim they would have aborted their unborn children had they known they carried this disorder.

What is Down syndrome?
Down syndrome (DS), also called Trisomy 21, is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically. It affects about 1 in every 800 babies.

The physical features and medical problems associated with Down syndrome can vary widely from child to child. While some kids with DS need a lot of medical attention, others lead healthy lives.

Though Down syndrome can’t be prevented, it can be detected before a child is born. The health problems that can go along with DS can be treated, and there are many resources within communities to help kids and their families who are living with the condition.

I love my Daughter one claimant says!

“Had the presence of Down Syndrome been diagnosed at the time of the first trimester ultrasound and/or at the time of the second trimester ultrasound, a time frame which permitted the termination of the pregnancy, then the (mother) would have terminated the pregnancy,” the statement of claim says.

So this begs the question: What price for a life? ‘I Love her’, but I would have aborted her, and now I want compensation for having had to go through the act of birthing and raising a defective child! Sounds very contradictory to me! Define love please?

I personally find it very difficult to understand how this couple (and others) can ‘sue for a child who was born as a result of negligent care.’

Surely the only negligence here was that the parents did not take sufficient care when having intercourse, which led to the pregnancy in the first place. How can you claim wrongful birth!!

Maurice Blackburn lawyer Kathryn Booth said she was investigating whether appropriate ante-natal management and testing, including an amniocentesis, should have been offered and performed.

In 2003 the High Court ruled parents could sue in the event of a wrongful birth, she said.

New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania have legislated against such claims. But in Victoria, people can sue for compensation for the continuing costs of raising a child to the age of 18, where the child was born as a result of negligent care, she said.

In the second case, Western Health is being sued over a birth at Sunshine Hospital in December 2007.

The parents allege a failure to “exercise reasonable care” of the mother, “advise (her) in relation to the risks of Down syndrome given her age” and “provide (her) with the option of ante-natal screening.

“In the event that Down syndrome had been detected, (she) would have elected to undergo a termination of her pregnancy,” their statement of claim says.

The parents claim to have suffered “depression, shock and anxiety” and “pain and suffering during pregnancy and delivery”.

All life is a precious gift. If you cannot handle this fact, then I personally suggest you do not have children. You think that is a harsh reply from me? How are your two children going to feel, when they grow up and learn, that to you – they were not wanted, needed or desired, because you found them defective. You would have legally had them killed before they could draw their first breath. You cannot handle the stresses of being parents to a Down Syndrome Child. You have put a price on raising them to adulthood.

This seems more like follow the dollar to me – plus a very callused heart. Forgive me sounding so judgemental please.

All I can think of right now is praying for you all. Parents, innocent children, legal practitioners and abortionists!

Father God, giver of all life:
I hold up the families of these two children to your throne of grace.
It seems fairly obvious that they do not know you personally Creator God,
Or the gift of life that you have endowed your human family with.

A life so precious, that you sent Jesus into the world
to save us all from eternal damnation,
through an eternity separated from your love.

Please teach them Father God, that they can obtain forgiveness for their
callus intent, if they turn to you now in faith and love.

Murder is wrong – no matter what the prevailing circumstances.
Your Holy Word tells us in the simplest of terms:
Thou Shalt NOT Kill, no ifs, buts’ or maybes.

I also hold up to you the perpetrators of abortions,
The Doctor’s, Nurses’ and other hospital staff who are complicit,
along with the lawyers and judges responsible for passing the laws
enabling legal abortions in this country.

I plead with you Lord,
Open up their hearts and minds to the Love you have so freely give us all.
Soften their inner being so that they too will freely receive the grace
and the faith they so desperately need to stop these killings from taking place.

For the innocent disabled children Lord,
Send someone into their lives to teach them about real love.
Teach them the real love that Jesus brought to us over two thousand years ago.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, (Jn 14:16)
These are very special children Lord, and are beloved of you.

Humbly I pray.        Amen.

References:

Down’s Syndrome

Herald Sun’s report on the two (suing) families

d. Seek first God’s righteousness

It is stated quite distinctly that; “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb.12:28).

Our worship and appearance before God is to express our gratitude and thanksgiving for his manifold graces, and it must be done in a way that is acceptable to him with reverence and godly fear, but only because of his righteousness are we able to appear before him and worship him acceptably with reverence.

God under no circumstances will coexist with sin, he is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. Sin alienates man from God, and if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Therefore before on can have fellowship with the Father he/she must first be reconciled with him, and what reconciles us with the Father and grants us the boldness and confidence to present ourselves before God and worship him acceptably with reverence is the crucified body of Christ. For it is written; “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior; but now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col.1:21-22).

The apostle Paul further endorsed this belief by saying; “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great High Priest over the house of God, let us draw to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Heb.10:19-22).

Therefore it is imperative that we seek first the righteousness of God even before we can present ourselves before him, and furthermore, practicing his righteousness is what distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil; for thus it is written: “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (1Jn.3:10).

Because of the importance and seriousness of this calling to seek first the righteousness of God, it is imperative that we establish and prove without a shadow of doubt, what is this act of righteousness we should seek first, and when practice differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil.

We can say with Certainty that, it can not be our own righteousness; because it is clearly stated that, “We are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness are like filthy rags. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” We are all under the power of sin as it is written; “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God, all have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one” (Isa.64:6; Rom.3:10-12).

Neither can it be the righteousness from keeping the law, because it is again stated quite clearly that; “Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith, but as it were based on works. They stumble over the stumbling stone.” It is well understood that, “No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law one becomes conscious of sin” (Rom.9:31-32; Rom.3:20).
What therefore is the act of righteousness we should seek first, and when practice differentiates God’s children from the children of the devil?

The righteousness which we are to seek first, and when practice differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil, is having faith in the act of righteousness by which man was imputed with righteousness. And since faith without works is dead, it means demonstrating this faith by whatever symbol that proclaims, represents, and demonstrates this act of righteousness.
It is stated that, “As the result of one man’s act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Rom.5:18-19).

This act of righteousness which imputed righteousness and brought life to all men, is the offering of the body of Jesus Christ which he offered to the Father as a sweet smelling aroma, and which satisfies his will, it is the bread of life that is our righteousness, the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
From the inception of humanity beginning with Abel, offering the Lord his offering, his sweet smelling aroma is the source of man’s righteousness.

Immediately following the scripture which teaches that practicing righteousness differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil, we read the following instructions; “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brothers righteous” (1Jn.3:11-12).

So why did God regard Abel’s offering, and disregard the offering made by Cain? And, not only did he highly regard Abel’s Offering, but he also commended Abel as being a righteous man.
So how did Abel attain righteousness? This is what we learn from the scriptures; “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the first fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord has regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard” (Gen.4: 3-5).

We are further told that, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, by faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings” (Heb.11:4).
The reason why Abel’s offering was accepted, and Cain’s not accepted is because, Abel offered to the Lord the sacrifice, the sweet aroma which satisfies his will, one which depicted the best he could offer for his redemption. For the word of the Lord says clearly, “The life of all flesh is in the blood; and I has given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for ones life.

The priests are instructed by the Lord saying, “You must not redeem the first born of an ox, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.” Again the Lord said to them; “The priests shall burn them (the fat) on the altar as food, and offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. You must not eat any fat or any blood” (Num.18:17; Lev.3:16-17).

The sprinkling of blood and the burning of the fat of clean animals which were offered by Abel, and also the priests the Levites were a type which foreshadowed the real sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the best, the sweet aroma, and only sacrifice that fulfills the Father’s will in presenting the worshiper holy and blameless before him.
It is this secret mystery that was hidden for ages in God who created all things; and that through the church, his manifold wisdom might now be made known to the principalities and powers (Satan and his demons) in the heavenly places.

This secret mystery was according to the eternal purpose which God has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in him. Therefore, the practical righteous which one should seek first and which distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil is faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which is proclaimed and demonstrated by partaking of the bread and wine. As it is written; “For as often as you eats this bread, and drinks this cup you proclaim (demonstrate) the Lord’s death until he comes.”

When God’s people (the church) assemble together, they come to Mount Zion (the Church) and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in joyful assembly, and to the assembly of the first born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a Judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Jesus Christ is the mediator of the new Covenant which he instituted on the night before his crucifixion when he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ And took the cup gave thanks and offered it to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt.26:26-28).

This covenant became in force only after the death of Jesus Christ, and became the means by which we can become ceremonially clean. For so says the scriptures; “He (Christ) entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.’

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when someone has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living” (Heb.9: 12-18).

Therefore the New Covenant which Jesus Christ instituted on the night before his death, became effective after his death, and it is now the means by which one becomes ceremonially clean and can now draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with their hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and their bodies washed with pure water, and Jesus Christ as their mediator interceding on their behalf.

Therefore to put God first by seeking first his righteousness is to offer the Lord his offering at his appointed times. For thus says the Lord; “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: ‘my offering, my food for my offerings by fire (zeal), my pleasing aroma, you shall take heed to offer to me at its season” (Num.28:2).

We were not left in ignorance as to when the due season, or the appointed times are, for they are clearly stated in the book of Numbers chapter 28 and 29, and Leviticus chapter 23. As a matter of fact a holy or sacred assembly is a time God has sanctified and set apart for his people to appear before him, and the specific purpose for this sacred assembly is to offer to him his offering, which is besides or in addition to anything else one offers to God.
For thus says the Lord in the book of Leviticus chapter twenty three, verses thirty seven and thirty eight which reads; “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire, burnt offerings (the Lamb – Jesus Christ), and grain offerings (flour mixed with oil – unleavened bread), sacrifices and drink offerings (wine), each on its proper day; besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, and besides your gifts, and besides whatever you have vowed, and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord.”

It is this act of righteousness that the children of God have become enslaved to, for having been set free from sin you have become slaves of righteousness. God requires that this offering, the food for his offerings, his sweet smelling aroma be offered to him at its appointed time, and has set aside specific times for his children to come together before him, specifically to offer to him his offering, this is why the practice of this act of righteousness differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil.
This is the act of righteousness, that when practice produces holiness, and ultimately everlasting life.

It is this same act of righteousness that when practice, one becomes righteous even as Christ is righteous. Therefore we have been warned saying; “Dear children, do not let anyone deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous just as he is righteous” (1Jn.3:7).
The same way Abel was commended as being a righteous man because he offered the Lord the offering which was pleasing to him, in like manner, we attain righteousness by faith when we offer the Lord his offering, his food for his offerings, his pleasing aroma at their appointed time.

The children of God are distinguished as, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, in order that they may declare the praises of him who called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. They are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

So let us learn to put God first, and do not worry saying, “What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Key #2 to Happiness – Being Thankful!

I don’t think that we can be happy if we don’t have a sense of thanksgiving for the good things in our lives.  Being thankful takes effort.  Naturally, most of us focus on our problems, on what we lack and what ails us.  Let’s face it…every one of us has some areas of our lives that are difficult and confusing.  Some of these challenges are short term and some are life-long burdens.  Some are self-inflicted and some are not our fault.

No matter how positive any one of us may be, there are times when a problem gets the best of us.  I must admit, as I write this, I am preaching to myself as well as sharing my thoughts with you.  Last week at work, for example, I let some of the pressures get to me.  We were trying to keep an important client happy, and everyone (including my direct manager and even the President of the company) had a passionate opinion about what I should do.  Unfortunately, the client had totally different ideas and I was walking that thin line of carrying the burden of keeping everyone happy.  The pressure even affected my life at home.  (My wife would say it wasn’t that bad, but I can see the difference when I don’t have much time for her)

I realize that some of you have much more serious problems.  Some of you might have lost your job or you lost your dream home due to foreclosure…some of you might have been informed that you have some serious illness, possibly even a life threatening one.  A dear relative of ours is living through everyone’s worst nightmare – the untimely death of one of their children in their 20’s.   How can one ever get past such a deep tragedy?  Is it even possible?  A better question is – does God really know what’s going on down here?  Does He see the pain you’re in, the impossible boss, the rebellious spouse or child, the empty bank account, or worse?

These situations are taking you by surprise, but not God.  He tells us that He saw every day of our lives before the foundation of the world – that every day of your life has been recorded in His book.  (God says this right after He tells you that He has more good thoughts about you than there are grains of sand on all the seas of the world)  He has a plan for you that goes way beyond your life on this planet – He has great plans for you throughout all eternity!  Since everyone will have different assignments after life on earth, each of us has to be prepared differently.  God has a wonderful future designed for you!  So you don’t want to be fighting against Him.

Our disappointments, losses and pressures, if not checked, can consume us and make our lives a living hell.  The question is…can we find happiness even when experiencing serious problems?  The answer is yes.  One of the keys to happiness is making a conscious decision and effort to take our focus off our problems and focus of all the good things in our lives…being thankful for those.

Some of you might argue that there is nothing to be thankful for.  On the surface that might seem true…but you’d be surprised.  I admit that this is not always easy but try we must nevertheless.

Personally, when I struggle with problems, I bring God into the situation, eventually.  As a stubborn Austrian, of course, I usually try to handle the problem first by myself… you know, my way!  But without Him, the whole situation inevitably gets worse.  Yes, I usually attempt a fix the hard way but then after several setbacks, I let Him take over.  The earlier in the challenge I surrender the issue to Him, the less pain I experience.  Why is that so hard to remember?   I don’t know why I need to re-learn the lesson over and over again.

Frankly, giving Him our issues is the first thing we should do. Did you know that God actually loves to hear from us about our problems?  He wants to be involved.  He is an amazing God that heals, provides, protects, restores and so much more.  Below are some Bible verses…

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalms 18:2 (NKJV)

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;  Psalms 46:1-2 (NKJV)

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me
up again from the depths of the earth.  Psalms 71:20 (NKJV)

As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.  Psalms 103:13 (NKJV)

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.  Psalms 147:3 (NKJV)

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’  Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.  Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV)

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.  Matt 5:4 (NKJV)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ”Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  ”Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matt 5:10-12 (NKJV)

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  ”But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  ”Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Matt 10:29-31 (NKJV)

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  ”Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  ”For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matt 11:28-30 (NKJV)

We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  2 Corinthians 4:8 (NKJV)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NKJV)

So let’s take some time and think about all the things that are good in your life…your health…your husband or wife…your kids… your job…the fact you live in America…that you have roof over your head…that you can see…hear…walk…talk…and that Jesus died for you.  If you’re having trouble with this, just take some extra time to think about it…it will be worth it.  It’s amazing how many things most of us can come up with.

It is important to write these things down as you come up with these items.  Then read them out laud several times per day.  It’s really amazing what just that little exercise will do help us experience happiness.  Here is what the Bible says about being thankful…

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Phil 4:6-7 (NKJV)

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.  Psalms 118:1 (NKJV)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  2 Cor 9:15 (NKJV)

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  Col 3:17 (NKJV)

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,  Phil 1:3-4 (NKJV)

Keys to happiness exercise:

• Ask God for help (ask Jesus into your life if you have not done so already)
• Write down 10 -20 things you are thankful for
• Read them every day for a week…maybe even twice per day
• Every time a thought about your problem seem to creep into your mind, remind yourself of one or more things that you are thankful for
• Ask others to pray for you
• Feel free to e-mail us with questions
• Sign up for our e-mail reminder as soon as a new key to happiness is published

For related articles – Check out:

How to find Happiness – 15 Lesson – Overview

How to find Happiness – Introduction

How to find Happiness – Key #1 – A relationship with God

How to find Happiness – Key #3 – Learning how to forgive yourself

How to find Happiness – Key #4 – Learning How to forgive others

How to find Happiness - Key #5 – Living in the present

What to do when you’re sick

Don’t Worry

Salvation – What it takes to be saved

Answers for Living

May you find happiness and may God answer your prayers mightily – Amen!

America’s Degeneracy is Flourishing

“Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” Jeremiah 2:21. In this verse God is speaking to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, but is He saying the same thing to the people of America today?

There can be no doubt that the U.S. is floundering. I don’t mean just financially, although that is certainly a very real concern. No, what I’m talking about is the moral and spiritual degeneracy currently permeating our land.

Down we go, down to new depths of depravity. Most people in America haven’t a clue of what’s just around the next bend in the river concerning this nation, still, to some it obvious. America is currently wallowing in total depravity, but too many Americans see only what they want to see. Instead of a united nation, America is horribly fragmented. Increasingly we’re seen as a populous of “What’s in it for me” and “The devil take ya” attitudes. Something’s rotten in America, people, and I don’t think it’s oily fish.

Since America has given God the boot, American’s no longer give God the glory as the provider of their needs. Being thankful for what they’ve received from God has become a foreign concept. Americans have kicked God out of every aspect of life, even many churches no longer allow Him in. Is there still a question in anyone’s mind as to why America is riding the toilet rim?

Because these days are filled with bad news and economic down turns people keep turning to one political figure after another as a cure-all to fix everything, Instead we should be turning to the only One whose great pleasure it is to heal and restore. This One is mankind’s Savior, Jesus the Christ. According to a recent poll taken in America approximately 80% of Americans profess they are Christian. If that be the case, then we need to ask ourselves two very serious questions: First why, if 80% of America is Christian is there a Muslim determining America’s fate? Second, as a nation that claims its foundation stone was the rock Jesus Christ, why have we done a 180 degree turn away from Him and His teachings? America would not be in the toilet today spiritually and morally if we hadn’t turned our backs on God some decades ago.

Since 80% of American’s claim they are Christians, it tells me many are either lying or they don’t really have a clue as to what it means to be born again. It’s impossible to be a Christian without being born again. A person can’t just claim to be Christian yet have no knowledge of what that designation entails. They can play Christian but we can all see where that gets us.

“Ye are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14. God surely planted a noble vine when He planted America, a light to a lost world. But that once very influential light has diminished and is now in jeopardy of going completely dark. Many theologians say America never was a Christian nation, only that God, for a time in the past, could claim a much larger portion of the American populous as His children. After doing extensive research into America’s past I’ve come to the conclusion those theologians may be correct. I don’t doubt 80% of Americans claim to be Christian, but I do doubt their spiritual conversion. And it’s as plain as day as to why I have my doubts.

“Ye are the salt of the earth:” Matthew 5:13a. To be a Christian means we adhere, as best we can, to the percepts put forth in the Bible. In the past we made it known to the world that America was a nation of Christ’s followers. If Americans as a majority are Christian, then they certainly aren’t following the Bible as their guide to living that Christ filled life. “…but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:13b.

God gave us everything we need in His word, and by that I mean He’s given us His commandments which are to be our guide in all life’s endeavors. But how many of the American’s polled who make up that 80 percentile group above actually read and study their Bibles? Or for that matter, how many even believe the Bible to be God’s inerrant word? It’s only my educated guess, but I would guess that only a small minority of those who claim to be born again (Christian) actually study and believe what they learn from God’s word, and even less actually apply what they’ve learned to their lives.

If I’m correct in my assumption, then as a nation we’re in real trouble, and we have been for some time. Our Liberties, those basic freedoms most take for granted have begun to deteriorate and are in danger of reaching levels not previously seen on the US’s portion of this continent. For this reason, the scarcity of true born again believers in Christ, America may well be beyond help when it comes to re-establishing our once revered republic.

How did the United States of America ever go so long without slipping into a totalitarian run country before now you might ask? I believe the numbers of those who actually placed their faith and their lives in Christ’s hands and allowed Him to have dominion over all aspects concerning their lives as well as their families was at one time much higher than the artificially inflated numbers we see today. In years past there were many more truly born again Christians who stood firm on the morals and precepts proclaimed in God’s word. They are the ones who did the voting and they placed their vote for individuals who had morals and were of good character. This just is not the case today; morals of the majority of American government officials are at an all time low. If we are voting for these folks as Christians, we are voting with our eyes closed.

Morals and character are two forgotten godly characteristics relegated to a by-gone era. These two lost biblical concepts are no longer taught in our public schools nor, I would gather by the evidence, in most American homes today. America’s school children are now taught more about sex than any other subject previously taught in those once hallowed halls. Why? It is and has been the agenda with the sexual revolution crowd for many years. It’s the old “anything goes mindset” the current mantra is “Let’s get today’s children indoctrinated in all manner of sexual practices and perversions at the earliest of ages possible” (in Montana sex education now begins with kindergarteners).

At some point in the not so distant future Americans will be living in a society where everything goes and immorality will be overwhelmingly practiced. Promiscuity will no longer be taboo but demanded from every child and applauded when they’ve reached the pinnacle of sexual depravation. “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” Matthew 18:6, 7.

Evil is ever present, and when not held in check spreads like cancer. Who holds evil in check? Holy Spirit filled Christians. The degeneracy of America has been coming for some time now, which tells me Christianity has been diminishing right along. So when we read of polls taken proclaiming an 80 percentile range of Christians in this country know this, something is amiss.

With little or no moral or spiritual education as children, and even less discipline, crime flourishes in America. Thus the national crime rates are continually rising; hence America builds more prisons to accommodate the ever increasing criminal population.

A very real and current danger arising from an over taxed populous is that many local and state principalities can no longer afford to hold onto their prison population. For example, the duration of court assigned sentences are being drastically cut because of a lack of funding to increase the size of county jails and for the jailers who supervise the criminals. This carries over on a larger scale when related to state and federal prisons. So criminals are being released back into the unsuspecting law abiding population long before they’ve paid their debt to society and where they may, with impunity, continue their lives of crime. That old adage of “If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime” is no longer relevant.

So criminals are turned back out on the streets and it becomes a never ending cycle of crimes leading to more crimes leading to more regulations which also become just as impossible to enforce because of the lack of enforcers. And it’s all because America has turned from being a nation made up of moral Christ followers, to a majority of followers of the religion of secular humanism where anything goes. The truth of God’s word is no longer embraced but debased.

The fault for the flourishing degeneracy of America lies with all Americans, but even more so with those who profess to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We allowed this evil to progress by what we allowed to be taught to our children in public schools. When our children, while attending public schools for twelve years, are taught that there is no God, that humans evolved from pond scum, and that our prehistoric ancestors were primates, we must expect and accept the consequences of those teachings.

Ultimately what happens to human beings indoctrinated with the lie of evolution, which is pure satanic, is a migration toward animalistic tendencies. Since those who are taught this lie are being convinced they evolved from an animal with no moral restrictions, they no longer perceive any moral absolutes, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to depravation.

When degeneracy is allowed to flourish in any society, all too soon that society will be transformed into a wasteland no longer fit for human occupancy. A nation that continues to loosen its morals and discards its character will, before long, end up as did the people that existed in the days of Noah just prior to the great deluge. And we all know what happened to those sick and depraved individuals, or do we? The Bible must be believed and interpreted literally to understand the account of Genesis 6 properly and to understand why God sent that worldwide flood. Those who don’t believe history, or who allow history to be changed to fit a more civil concept or even forgotten for that matter, are doomed to repeat it. “But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37.

The key to a moral society is to live by God’s word. When His word is disparaged, or eliminated completely as it has been in our public school system, as well as in many homes in America, moral decay inevitably moves in. How can degeneracy and moral decay be abated? It can’t. At least not without God. Personally, I don’t see God being embraced by the majority of Americans any time soon.

America – 80% Christian? Not hardly. America – flourishing in degeneracy? Now we’re getting to the truth. America – willing to make changes and head back toward God? Not so you’d notice. America – a nation headed for self-destruction? Likely, very likely.

God save us from our own foolishness,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

All scripture is from the KJV

The Fork in the Road – Choose Wisely (part three)

For the purpose of continuing this article I want to take a slight turn, a different direction, which will ultimately bring us back, full circle.

Most people at the local level who are serious about cleaning up their  environment, will watch news articles, maybe even buy a book or join a local environmental group. They may take part in a tree planting exercise, or take an active part in Clean Up Day happening cose by. They will use Envio Bags in preference to plastic bags at the supermarket, and they will recycle where they can. This is all part of being a good citizen of Planet Earth.

So far, so good…… nothing sinister to be seen!

Now consider, as a family, as a group, talking this through. WHY do we do the things just mentioned in the previous paragraph? More than likely, especially with children, the answer will include some reference to ‘saving the planet for future generations’, which is what they are being taught at school, on TV, and probably from their parents. But where did the original idea come from? How far back do we have to go? Is it a recent thing, or have we been doing it this way ‘since forever’?

Let me give you a clue – it is by no means the only answer, but it does form a good solid part of it. Are you familiar with The Earth Charter?

As practising Christians we know through biblical prophecy that the end times will see a system of global governance and one world religion. We know that this framework will be used by the Antichrist to deceive many. You may not realize, however, how close we are to these events coming to fruition.

Since 1995, Mikhail Gorbachev and Maurice Strong have co-chaired a global process with the purpose of implementing the Earth Charter on a global scale and ushering in the one world religion.

The Earth Charter Commission approved the final text of the Earth Charter in 2000, and it has since been embraced by the United Nations, many religious leaders around the world, the majority of world governments and countless Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and activist groups. A little research into the principles and text of the Earth Charter document sheds new light on current political speeches, media reports, and news headlines of the day.

Environmental Groups and NGO’s who participate in the Earth Charter Dialogues are succeeding in their demand for more airtime of ecological disasters, environmental devastation and other sustainable development obstacles. Under the cloak of an environmental crisis and impending doom, they hope to gain wide acceptance of the Earth Charter, which contains much more than a new environmental policy.

How many times lately have you heard the terms “global community”, “globalization”, “world economy”, “sustainable development” or “interdependent world”? These are all phrases that appear throughout the Earth Charter along with other New Age terms such as “circles of compassion”, “triangles of meditation”, “reverence for Earth and Cosmos”, and “Mother Earth”.

Let’s go back several thousand or so years: You remember the Bible event recounting how the Ten Commandments were given to Moses and why?

To make a long story short, the Egyptian Pharaoh finally lets the Israelite slaves go free after Egypt experiences several nasty plagues. They miraculously cross the Red Sea and escape the pursuing Egyptian army, which is destroyed behind them. Moses then leads the people through the desert to Mt. Sinai where he goes up to receive “the Law” from the Creator.

Ten simple rules are inscribed on two stone tablets which Moses brings down with him. But, alas! In the 40 days that he is gone, the Israelites return to Egyptian style idol worship. Moses smashes their golden idol (and the tablets) to pieces, and the Earth opens up to destroy the idol worshippers.

The “covenant” (law) was a promise to the Israelites that their society would prosper if they observed the laws that had been revealed to them and would suffer the consequences if they did not. Moses was instructed to build a special wooden box with carrying poles in which the tablets of the Law were to be stored and transported whenever the tribes of Israel moved their camp. This box, referred to as the “Ark of the Covenant”, was the centerpiece of their tabernacle.

Here’s a synopsis of the basic rules as written in Exodus 20:1-17

• Respect the Creator, who is the only true “God”. Don’t create idols or worship any created thing.

• Respect the life and property of others. Don’t murder, steal, or tell lies.

• Respect the family structure. Honor your parents, and don’t engage in adultery.

• Rest without working on the last day of each week, and remember the Creator.

• Eat only clean, healthful foods.

• Avoid sexual perversion (incest, sodomy, bestiality, etc).

• Use honest weights, measures and money for all commerce.

• …and so on.

I think we are all familiar with the laws as given to us and we know that in our modern society, our governments, our leaders, our schools and learning institutions, even our courts of law, do not place much credence in them. But how does this show that the Earth Charter is going to lead us down the road to perdition?

In the late 1990′s, a document called the “Earth Charter” was drafted by a group of prominent Humanist-Socialists including:

Steven Rockefeller: Philosophy professor. Nephew of billionaire globalist David Rockefeller. Chairman of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Scholar on the works of Humanist patriarch John Dewey.

Maurice Strong: Canadian billionaire and energy industry executive. Long-time U.N. officer and “assistant” U.N. Secretary-General. Organizer of the U.N. Rio Earth Summit and promoter of subsequent “environmental” programs for global management.

Mikhail Gorbachev: Former premier of the Soviet Union and chairman of the Russian Communist Party. Head of the Gorbachev Foundation and the “environmental” group Green Cross International.

Follow the links and read about these people. Learn just which organizations they belong to and how much power and authority they do have.

Continued in part four……………….

The Fork in the road – choose wisely (part two)

Your eternal hope for everlasting life is encompassed in your faith in Jesus.  Jesus would have you be a good steward of your environment right? 

So daily you pray – pray to the earth that is your mother right?

“The earth is not dead matter. She is alive.
Now begin to speak to the earth as you walk.
You can speak out loud, or just talk to her in your mind.
Send your love into her with your exhalation. Feel your
heart touching upon the heart of the planet. Say to her
whatever words come to you: Mother Earth, I love you.
Mother Earth, I bless you. May you be healed. May all
your creatures be happy. Peace to you, Mother Earth.
On behalf of the human race, I ask forgiveness
for having injured you. Forgive us, Mother Earth”
- US Student Textbook, “Prayer to the Earth”

“I pledge allegiance to the Earth and all its sacred parts.
Its water, land and living things and all its human hearts.”
- Global Education Associates, The Earth Pledge

“The spirit of our planet is stirring!
The Consciousness of Goddess Earth
is now rising against all odds,
in spite of millennia of suppression,
repression and oppression inflicted on Her
by a hubristic and misguided humanity.
The Earth is a living entity, a biological organism
with psychic and spiritual dimensions.
With the expansion of the patriarchal religions
that focused on a male God majestically
stationed in Heaven ruling over the Earth and the
Universe, the memory of our planet’s innate Divinity
was repressed and banished into the
collective unconscious of humanity.”
- Envision Earth

“Christianity is our foe. If animal rights is to succeed,
we must destroy the Judeo-Christian Religious tradition.”
- Peter Singer, founder of Animal Rights

Again I ask you to read the quotes, search for the truth in their meanings, see that behind the ‘green movement’ of saving the planet and climate change there is a deeper meaning transitioning, taking place.

Our young ones are very susceptible to these ideas and ideals – they want to be part of the movement to change our way of life, they feel they have a good reason to do this, and are somewhat fearless in their approach. Behind the “Green, Save the Planet” movement is an occult cabal!

“What if Mary is another name for Gaia? Then her capacity for
virgin birth is no miracle . . . it is a role of Gaia since life began . . .
She is of this Universe and, conceivably, a part of God. On Earth,
she is the source of life everlasting and is alive now;
she gave birth to humankind and we are part of her.”
- Sir James Lovelock, Ages of Gaia

Look at it this way, those who want you to save the planet, are leading you down the path that will teach you that there is no God ‘out there’. The Earth is your mother – they even name her Gaia.

GAIA: Pre-Olympian Greek earth goddess, worshiped as mother of all. She mated with her son Uranus and bore Titans, the Cyclops, and Hectoncheires. Worship of Gaia continued after the rise of the Olympians, and she was regarded as a powerful influence in marriage, healing the sick, and divination. She was represented as a gigantic female form. Earlier cultures also had religious concepts of a great earth goddess.

The concept of Gaia as earth goddess has been revived in New Age ecological and mystical beliefs. On September 6, 1970, Otter G’Zell, founder of the Church of All Worlds, one of the early modern Neo-Pagan organizations, had a vision of the unity of the Earth’s planetary biosphere—a single organism. He shared the vision with other church members and wrote about it in 1971 in the periodical he edited, The Green Egg.

Atmospheric biochemist James E. Lovelock had a very similar idea at somewhat the same time and through his books Gaia (1979) and The Ages of Gaia (1988) emerged as the leading proponent of this modern Gaia hypothesis of the earth as a living organism. His books propose a dynamic interaction between life and environment, with earth regulating life, and life regulating earth, virtually a single self-regulating entity.

Reading the news today it is hard to imagine a time when climate change, resource depletion, environmental catastrophes and ‘saving the planet’ were barely mentioned. They now rank among the top priorities on the social, political and economic global agenda. As I said, 50 years ago it was not even talked about by the ordinary person.

GOD – Enemy #1

We come to a fork in the road – choose wisely!

Everyday life can be dull and boring or it can be challenging, it maybe even exciting at times too. Those over the age of (let’s say mature) fifty years, who may or may not have married, had children, a career – or even several career’s, would have seen many things change quite dramatically during their life time.

Governments have come and gone – elections have taken place, so have coups and wars. Those in power, those who make decisions, those who profess certain ideologies etc are no longer with us for one reason or another. New people become the regular faces seen on TV and in cinemas, magazines, newspapers and on the Internet. Their opinions help form our own,and its ‘out with the old – in with the new’……..

Fifty years ago were you or your parents learning about climate change? Perhaps whilst sitting down for the evening meal with the family, the topic under discussion was ‘sustainable development’? Oh silly me, of course if you had described yourself as a ‘greenie’ back then people might have thought you had come from Mars!

Much has happened since then to change our world viewpoint – of who we are, relative to the rest of humanity, some would even say relative to the entire cosmos!

I don’t think there would be too many people who would disagree that we have plundered our natural resources, poisoned our planet and quite frankly, been poor stewards of our environment.

You could take it a step further even, by including space junk in our discussion – we are polluting our cosmos too. A 1999 study estimated there are some 4 million pounds of space junk in low-Earth orbit, just one part of a celestial sea of roughly 110,000 objects larger than 1 centimeter — each big enough to damage a satellite or space-based telescope. We are not very clever are we but we are easily led!

“Save Planet Earth” is the ‘call’ we should all be most familiar with. Even if you have been working deep underground – or in the jungles in darkest Africa, you should be familiar with the “Clean Green” call to save the environment. Some call it the ‘green revolution’ and call for a new relationship between humanity and nature. Undoubtedly it is easy to agree with their ideas.

However, certain aspects of the modern green movement that is permeating every segment of our society are not about protecting the environment.

You don’t have to dig very deep to discover the true beliefs of the influential leaders who are using genuine concerns about the environment to promote an agenda of fear and control. Please carefully consider the implications of the opinions that they so openly and freely express, and like the title of this blog states: Choose Wisely which path you will take, who you will follow and which agenda you take on board.

The young ones of today seem to think they are leading a new revolution, ground breaking as it were, to prepare and plan, and put into action a new planetary agenda that will save humanity from ultimate destruction.

They are goaded along by politicians and NGO’s, (Non Government Organisations) who are themselves being blindly led, in some cases. The Blind Leading the Blind! Our elected politicians are sadly, not always so very wise themselves.

Let’s look at a few comments and quotes from recent history, that can prove that there is a large and powerful lobby, who’s intent is the dis-empowerment of society, and making us all reliant on them…. and them alone!  (References and sources for the quotes below can be found by clicking here)

“The common enemy of humanity is man.
In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up
with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming,
water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All these
dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through
changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome.
The real enemy then, is humanity itself.”
- Club of Rome, premier environmental think-tank,
consultants to the United Nations

“We need to get some broad based support,
to capture the public’s imagination…
So we have to offer up scary scenarios,
make simplified, dramatic statements
and make little mention of any doubts…
Each of us has to decide what the right balance
is between being effective and being honest.”
- Prof. Stephen Schneider,
Stanford Professor of Climatology, lead author of many IPCC reports

“We’ve got to ride this global warming issue.
Even if the theory of global warming is wrong,
we will be doing the right thing in terms of
economic and environmental policy.”
- Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation

“No matter if the science of global warming is all phony…
climate change provides the greatest opportunity to
bring about justice and equality in the world.”
- Christine Stewart, former Canadian Minister of the Environment

“The data doesn’t matter. We’re not basing our recommendations
on the data. We’re basing them on the climate models.”
- Prof. ChrisFolland,
Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research

“It doesn’t matter what is true,
it only matters what people believe is true.”
- Paul Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace

“We are on the verge of a global transformation.
All we need is the right major crisis…”
- David Rockefeller, Club of Rome executive member

“Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the
industrialized civilizations collapse?
Isn’t it our responsibilty to bring that about?”
- Maurice Strong, founder of the UN Environment Programme

I strongly recommend that you look at all the quotes; there is not sufficient room to lay them all out before you here. The link is also referenced in part four of this blog.

You will see that these ‘new ideas’ – ideologies, are not so new after all, and are not of your own mind and thoughts, but have been very carefully planned and processed into our daily lives by some very crafty and dangerous people.

Continued in part two…………………

Put God first is a sentiment that has certainly been embraced by most, if not all professing Christians, but exactly how to apply it differs from one individual to another. It is therefore imperative that we first learn to put things in true and proper perspective.

The worse thing anyone can do is to spend his/her time (life), resources, even destroying very important relationships pursuing what is believed to be of such great importance to God, and ends up to be all in vain.

As a matter of fact, the worse indictment that has been labeled on those who profess to know God is that of vain worship, and this is duly supported by Jesus Christ who said to the Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your own traditions” (Mk.7:6-9).

Jesus also cautions his followers saying; “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers” (Matt.21-23).

Therefore the things one needs to do in order to put God first in his/her life are:-

a. Put things in true and real perspective

It is not just a matter of putting God first at all cost whether it is his according to his will or not, but rather put things in true real perspective, and seek first his will.

God has a plan for man before the foundation of the world, for it is stated clearly in the scriptures, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them.”

We are both the material, and co-workers with Christ whom God is using to accomplish his plan for man. The apostle Paul tells us; “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, his work will be shown for what it is; for the Day will disclose it because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1Cor. 3:10-15).

It is therefore unwise and insensible on the part of anyone who will not try to put things in true perspective and just simply follow trend despite the serious warning given by Jesus Christ saying; “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
The apostle Peter echoed a similar sentiment when he says; “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute” (2Pet.2:1-2).

Since it is the many and not the few that are being led astray, one should not become insensitive and naive to the babble of confusion that plague the Christian religion, and simply take for granted everything that is said and done in the name of God. For thus says the word of wisdom; “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

One cannot afford to be complacent; the stake is too high to have the wrong perspective of God’s order of things, which can cause one to build his/her thesis on the wrong premise. The prize at stake here is enormous. It is not simply granting one access into a kingdom as citizens, but rather being heirs, rulers of a kingdom, and having a glorified body, which varies in glory. For just as there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, and star differs from star in glory, so will it be with the resurrection of the dead.

b. Be renewed in the spirit of the mind

The apostle Paul said; “Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Eph.4:14-19).

Those who put God first in their lives however, did not come to know Christ that way. Assuming that they have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, they will put off their old nature which belongs to their former way of life, and which is corrupted through deceitful lusts, and they will be renewed in the spirit of their minds, and will put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

They will put God first by not conforming themselves to this world, but rather be transformed by the renewal of their minds, in order that they may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. They will set their minds on things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. They will put to death all what that is earthly in them, because the unrighteous, the immoral, idolaters, adulterers, sexual perverts, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Putting God first is to strive to enter by the narrow door; for many I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the house holder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us.’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say. ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity! There you will weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. And men will come from East and west, and from North and South, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Lk.13:24-31)

Anyone who breaks one of the least of God’s commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

c. Seek first his kingdom of God

In consoling his followers the Lord says to them; “Do not be anxious saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matt.6:31-33

The Kingdom of God and his righteousness is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is for this purpose he sent his Beloved Son into the world to die for the sins of man, and resurrected him in glory, in order to fulfill the everlasting covenant and promise he made to Abraham and his descendants.

With regards to the covenant God made with Abraham the apostle Paul wrote, “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that they might receive the full rights as sons.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, so that by faith they might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Because they are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into their hearts crying, “Abba! Father” So they are no longer slaves, but sons, and since they are sons, God has also made them heirs. Heirs to the promise God made to Abraham and his descendants (Gal.4:4-8; Gal.3:14).

In affirming the immutability of the covenant which God made to Abraham and his descendants, the apostle Paul wrote; “Brethren, let us take an example from every day life. Just as no one can set aside, or add to a human covenant that has been duly established so it is in this case: The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The scripture does not say “and to seeds”, meaning many people, but “and to your seed”, meaning one person, who is Christ” (Gal. 3:15-16).

The promise was extended to David from whom Jesus Christ descended and thus says the Lord; “The days are coming, when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety, this is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.’

“For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices” (Jer.33:14-17).

With regards to the everlasting covenant the Lord made with the house of Israel the prophet Isaiah wrote; “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord will perform it.”

Jesus Christ fulfills this covenant by having an everlasting kingdom, and an everlasting priesthood.

For it is written; “If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come – one in the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

For the one of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: “You are a priest for ever in the order of Melchizedek”.

Those who formally became priests took their office without an oath, but Jesus Christ became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest for ever.” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. For it is fitting that we should have such a High Priest, one who is holy, blameless, pure, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

Unlike the other high priests, Jesus Christ does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priest men who are weak; but the oath which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect for ever” (Heb.7:11-17; 21-28).

The kingdom of God is the principal and ultimate objective of our calling for thus it is written; “Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him. You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture in says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the head of the corner,” and a stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall”; they stumble because they disobey the message, as they were destined to do.
But you (the believer) are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may proclaim the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Pet.2:5-9).

It is stated that, “Jesus Christ was slain, and by his blood he ransomed men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and has made them a kingdom of priests to God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev.5:9-10).

The stone which the builders rejected and has become the chief corner stone is Jesus Christ the King of God’s kingdom. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

The first message Jesus Christ preached when he began his ministry was; “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe the gospel.” (Mk.1:14-15). When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he replied, The kingdom of God is not coming with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is, or there it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Lk.17:20-22).

The establishment of God’s kingdom on earth was revealed to the first world ruling king in a dream, and was later interpreted by the prophet Daniel. In interpreting the dream to the King Daniel said, “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed: nor will it be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has made known to you what will take place in the future. The dream is certain and its interpretation is sure” (Dan. 2:44-45).

According to Daniel the kingdom of God will be established during the reign of the fourth kingdom on earth (the Roman Empire). He wrote; “As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it in pieces.” But the court, shall sit in judgment and his dominion shall be taken away, and to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High’ their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall verve and obey them: (Dan. 7:23, 26-27).

The kingdom of God and his righteousness is the principal and ultimate objective for to live in righteousness and holiness. We have been admonished saying; “Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb.12:28-29).

The kingdom of God is our anticipated reward when Christ returns. He will separate the sheep from the goats, and say to the sheep on his right hand, “Come you are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Matt.25:34).

Man’s temporary sojourn here on earth, is to help him learn how to use his God-given talent, ability and resources, and whatever God has placed under his jurisdiction to the glory of God. This helps him qualify for ruler-ship in the kingdom of God. He is expected to be a faithful steward occupying his time and using his resources diligently until Jesus Christ returns, because it is stated that; “He who is faithful in a very little (everything earthly) is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteousness mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

Jesus Christ depicted the establishment of the kingdom of God as, a noble man who went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them Do business till I come. But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading.”

Those who gained interest were commended by the noble man saying, “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities, and to another five cities. But to the one who did not invest his money, what was given to him was taken away from him and given to the one who invested the most. Then the Lord said, I tell you that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me” (Lk.19:12-27).

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

To the core of my knowledge there has only ever been ONE living manifestation of God, and He died in Jerusalem in 33AD. He also rose from the dead and ascended up to heaven, where He will remain until the appointed time of His second coming. (Mk 13:32-33) He suffered and died for our transgressions and opened ‘the veil’ so we may once again be with our Creator God, Trinitarian Family in eternity.

Is “knowing” love so very difficult? Is “accepting” love impossible? God is love! Yet people keep looking elsewhere.

In this modern age there has been an enormous resurgence of cults. Cults that worship everything from the sun above (the cult of Ra) to the ground we walk upon (Gaia worship), and everything in between. There is also a strong resurgence in occult practises.

Is there a difference between a cult and the occult? Technically yes.

Cult or Occult?
These words are sometimes confused because the expression a cult often sounds like the word occult.

Cult most commonly means a religious sect organized around a strong leader and requiring beliefs or commitments not typical of other related groups. It can also refer to a following of a particular religious figure or icon within an organized religion or a fanatical following of a particular entertainer, athlete, film, television show, or historical figure.

Cult is normally a noun, though it can be used as an adjective meaning “having a cult following” as in a cult film.

Occult literally means “hidden” and generally refers to the pursuit of some kind of magic or secret supernatural knowledge or power. It is most often used as an adjective but is sometimes used as a noun.

The verb to occult means “to hide from view,” and is used most commonly in scientific or specialized fields such as astronomy, navigation, or optics.

The latest cult to hit the scene is the Cult of Eckankar.
A Mahanta is the spiritual leader of Eckankar (Ekan-car), a “living manifestation of God”.

Sri Harold Klemp (1942- ) became the 973rd Eck Master in 1981; he now heads the movement as its Mahanta.

Eckankar is a religious and spiritual path, sometimes called the Religion of the Light and Sound of God. Its name can be translated “co-worker with God”. Eckankar members are called ECKists or ECK chelas. (“Chelas” means “student”).

Whether or not to define it as ‘occult’ waits to be seen.

Eckankar does not attempt to evangelize the world by aggressively converting individuals to their religion. They do not actively proselytize. However, they do advertise their presence and distribute literature to interested persons.

Members generally sing or chant a mantra for 20 to 30 minutes each day. HU (pronounced “hue”) is a common mantra; it is an ancient name for God, and is considered a love song to God.

I was reading an article by Marsha West recently on the very subject of HU…. (say it like an outward breath…..) Marsha tells us:

HUers claim that chanting the HU will put you in contact with “divine spirit.” It keeps you centered, focused, clear. “Sing it morning noon and night, wherever and whenever you need it.”

Words to describe HU by the youth of Eckankar (ECK) on a video they made are: Love…discovery…bliss…detachment…divine…silence…infinite possibilities. They chirped that HUing “answers all my questions…keeps me calm…reminds me I’m never alone…reminds me someone always has my back…allows me to love life…focus on my spiritual eyes…let my worries melt away.” “I say, ‘let the blessing be’ and I feel like I’m in a new world.”

I say, “Blessing? What blessing?” The new world you’re entering is the world of the occult! Involving oneself in the paranormal is unwise, unsafe, and even addictive!

The ECK website reveals that HU is an ancient name for God. But the god they sing to is not Jehovah. They sing to the ancient Egyptian god, HU.

“Eckankar uses the singing of HU’s name as a spiritual connection to the Heart of God. They sing the name HU to draw closer to the Divine Being. For the people who follow this faith, the desires are reported to be love, freedom, wisdom, and truth.”

A web search will bring up many references to HU, but specifically seeking an Egyptian reference I found the following:

The Egyptian god Hu was one of the minor gods in some respects, but he was one of the most important gods for those serious about Egyptian deities. Hu is the power of the spoken word. He personifies the authority of utterance.

So far, we know Hu as the personification of Divine Utterance. However, some legends maintain that he was not just a part of creation, but that he was the creator. It is said that as Hu drew his first breath, there was in that sound the essence of his name. Hence, we have the name Hu, which sounds remarkably like the sound of an expelling breath. With each breath Hu expelled, creation took place. The first breath created the Soul of Osiris. His last creation was the Sun.

So it is said that Hu is the Word of God, the first and the last breaths, Hu Hu.

In the beginning was the Word, and The Word ‘spoke’ creation into existence (Genesis1), sounds mightily like their using this in their cultic religious beliefs to me!

But there is not too much similarity from there on in……

ECKANKAR PRACTICES & TEACHING
ECK was founded in 1964 by journalist Paul Twitchell (he met his Maker in 1971), an eccentric, occultist, and self-proclaimed soldier of fortune. Twitchell claimed he was the unique incarnation of God on earth, the “Living ECK Master” and that only through him and ECK could a person find truth and salvation. Not surprisingly, ECK contains all the key elements of a cult.

Here is another dangerous area we should be steering our impressionable youth WELL AWAY FROM.

Chanting, meditation, karma, soul travel – Even if “everyone’s doing it” Christians must not dabble in any crazy mixed up belief system that outright rejects the God of Scripture.

The god ECK founder Paul Twitchell believed in is “ignorant, internally inconsistent, in need of wisdom and education, negative, unawakened, wondering, poor, unhappy, not content with his creation and in need of assistance.” Twitchell also uttered this blasphemy: “You will never find God by searching for Him. He is here and now within you!”

I repeat, ECK is steeped in the occult and devotees who chant/sing the HU will go into an altered state of consciousness (ASoC). This practice can be dangerous!

Learn about and steer your kids away from it if necessary. The age we live in is a dangerous one for many reason, not the least being that cult and occult practices are blooming!

Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone!
The Bible specifically says, without any other possible interpretation, that there is only one God, one faith, one baptism and one way to God the Father – and that is only through His Son Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross. Jesus says that He, and only He, is the way, the truth and the life leading to God the Father and that no one comes to the Father except through Him!

Some references for you:
Eckankar cult

Evidence that Eckankar is a covert occult organization and a front for the Illuminati

The HU sound

Marsha West – To HU or not to HU, that is the question

The HU Page

Egyptian HU reference

The basics of salvation Through Jesus Christ alone

Other Christian informative articles can be found at http://justmeintchristian.blogspot.com/

Shining Perspective

I had just finished my shower. I dried off and was getting ready to brush my teeth and then I hear, “Mommy?” The soft seeking voice of my son breaks the sound of the bathroom fan whirring. The door slowly opens. Then silence. “What are you doing honey?” I ask standing in front of the mirror. (Of course I wasn’t wearing anything because I just got out of the shower, and I had dried off and already hung up my towel to dry.) He creeps into the room and stands next to me. Then he slowly leans into my side. I wrap my arm around him and kiss his head. I ask, “Are you alright honey?” “Yea” he replies and I say, “What are you doing?” His sweet little voice replied, “I’m loving you.” In that moment I realized that God wants me to come to Him in the same way. God wants all of us to come to Him without any hesitation.

Isaiah just wanted to express his love for me. It didn’t matter to him that we had just spent several minutes together, snuggling and sharing a whole lot of hugs and kisses. It didn’t matter that I was completely naked, or that I was behind the closed door of the bathroom. It didn’t matter to him, because I am always approachable. He doesn’t let anything stand in his way of getting to me, there are no boundaries. He comes to me with a love that in uninhibited. God’s love knows no bounds and God longs for us to come to Him in the same way with anything and everything. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. I had just spent quite a bit of time with Isaiah before I got into the shower, BUT it wasn’t enough. God wants me to be like that. He doesn’t want me to have a specific time scheduled for Him, He wants me all the time and He wants me to come with hunger and thirst that only He can satisfy.

That afternoon I took Isaiah to the park. Once we reached the playground, I was five years old. I entered into his world and became a child. I ran, I jumped (I didn’t know I could still do that) I slid down the slides and climbed up all the different ways I could, including walking up the slides backwards. I didn’t care who was watching me, (I’m sure I looked pretty silly) I didn’t care what anyone thought. It didn’t matter; I loved my son, in his way, on his level with no bounds. We giggled while I was the monster and he was “the people.” We went on a journey to Cupcake Island on our jungle gym boat. We loved each other while we rested at the bottom of the slide and talked.  I think that’s just where God wants to meet us. No matter where we are, no matter what we do, He wants to meet you there, on your level, in the way that only He can.

My friend recently told me “God wants to be the one you love to giggle with and tell secrets to.”  I had never had it described quite that way before, but I think it’s exactly what God wants us to do. I think it’s exactly what a child would do. “At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.’” ~Matthew 11:25. “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ~Luke 18:17

Do you find yourself in a difficult spot? Maybe your circumstances have become “impossible.” Maybe the trial at your doorstep is just to remind you that your Father in heaven is longing to hear from you. I know I’ve been given some new circumstances that are bringing me to a new level of brokenness, and dependence on God and God alone. I praise the Lord that He has me in a place where my only option is to wait on Him with faith like that of a child’s. “How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.” ~Psalm 116:5-7

Key #1 to Happiness – A relationship with God

I believe that having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the most important key to finding happiness.

“In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore”.  Psalms 16:11 (NKJV)

Knowing the one who made you, who planned your every feature and personality trait, who saw every day of your life before the foundation of the world – knowing this one is truly the cornerstone and the foundation of happiness.

There are several reasons why we experience happiness through a relationship with God.  Through this relationship, we find our origin, purpose, and destiny, which is a prerequisite to happiness (Read Gen. 1; Eccl. 12:13 and Matt. 25: 46).

It’s part of our DNA and how we were made.

An iPhone without any applications just wouldn’t be the same device.

A bicycle is meant to have wheels, without which it won’t work

A car meant to have steering…without it, it will drive, however, it will not work at it’s potential.

As humans, we’re meant to have deep emotional connections with others, without which there will be a void in our lives that can’t be replaced by anything else.

A baby is meant to have a mom and a dad who loves and cares for them, without which the baby will grow into a person with psychological issues through much of their lives.

When we ignore our need for God, life does not seem to work correctly.  In the same way as the above examples, God made us to have relationship with Him.  In a sense, God completes us.  When we choose to ignore that relationship, we fight against nature and our purpose and therefore elude happiness.

The Bible also says…“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.
Phil 4:6-7 (NKJV)

“Happy are the people whose God is the LORD”!  Psalms 144:15 (NKJV)

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full”.  John 15:11 (NKJV)

Some people mistakenly believe that when we become Christians, we will not have any more problems.  The Bible clearly tells us that we will have trouble in this life.  The good news is that when we have a relationship with him, God becomes our great comforter in times of trouble.  Also check out my article on “Why do bad things happen to good people!”

”these things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 (NKJV)

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”.  Psalms 73:25-26 (NKJV)

“Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope.  This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life”.  Psalms 119:49-50 (NKJV)

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”.   Psalms 23:1-4 (NKJV)

For additional verses check out our article on “Comfort”.

The biggest reason to start a relationship with God through Jesus His Son, the one and only Savior Messiah, is not for happiness…that is just a by-product.  The biggest reason to accept Jesus as our savior is because He was the only One capable of paying our ransom.   There will be a judgment day.  On that day, we will all be judged for our sins.  He does not use a sliding scale but judges by his perfect standard.  There is only one way to have a perfect record…it’s not by being a good person (check out “Are you a good person” – A test), but to accept His Son, Jesus as your savior.  He has paid the price for our sins, however, we need to accept that gift in order to receive it.  Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, there is a peace and happiness that comes from knowing that regardless of what disappointments or losses we face here on earth, our eternity is secure.  This is a peace like no other…in good and in bad times.

How to find happiness – Daily Exercises:

Put the following exercises into your routine daily…even multiple times per day for the next two weeks.

• Pray to God to reveal himself to you (God answers prayer)
• Ask Jesus to come into your heart (read the articles on “Salvation” below and let us know if you made a decision for Christ)
• Get a Bible and start reading it daily
• Find a bible teaching church (see link below)
• Feel free to e-mail us with questions
• Sign up for our e-mail reminder as soon as a new key to happiness is published

For more on what it takes to be saved check out:

Salvation – Questions and answers

Salvation – What it takes to be saved

Who is Jesus

Repentance – Key 1 to Salvation

How to find a church

Are you a good person – A test

May God answer your prayers mightily and may you find true and lasting happiness – Amen!

Additional Resources

How to find Happiness Course – Never miss a lesson – Get notified via e-mail as soon as a new lesson is available!

How to find Happiness Introduction

How to find Happiness – Key #2 – Being Thankful

How to find Happiness – Key #3 – Learning How to forgive yourself

How to find Happiness – Key #4 – Learning How to forgive others

How to find Happiness - Key #5 – Living in the present

Where’s the Church

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1. The Apostle John was given a special preview of future events as they would occur in Heaven. John wrote the book of Revelation approximately 2,000 years before the events he was allowed to see would actually occur. Our Lord Jesus Christ allowed this Apostle a very special gift and John wrote about all He saw as he gazed into the future.

The book of Revelation can be a little mysterious for believers who don’t understand what it’s all about. Many denominations just write this book off as allegory or dismiss it as past history with no bearing on the future of the Church. When I was first saved I asked my pastor about the book of Revelation hoping, as a new believer in Christ, to get some clarification about a book that had fascinated me for years, long before my becoming born again. I was seeking answers from a man who I presumed would be able to enlighten me as to the mysterious writings in that book; he had been a pastor for many years. His response to me was simple, “I don’t understand the book of Revelation therefore I just ignore it.” Consequently I never asked that man another question about the Bible and after a few more painful years at that church, my family and I left that non-denominational denomination. I went on to study my Bible and to place much emphasis on eschatology. I now understand the book of Revelation, and you can too.

There are 22 chapters in the book of Revelation, but after the first five chapters the only people who need concern themselves with the next 17 are those who will be left behind after the Rapture of the Church. Within the first three chapters Jesus addresses believers as well as others who think they are His followers but who are actually living a lie. As we can see from the verse above John is told to explain to all who will read this book of prophecy some of what Heaven is like and also who’s already there.

Remember, the voice which called to John in verse one above told him he would show John the things that must occur “hereafter”, in other words, things that must happen (in the future). John couldn’t have had any idea how far in the future this would occur, but he is sure of his location. He records the events as they occurred as the Holy Spirit directed.

“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Revelation 4:2. John was in the spirit. Why? Because no sinful flesh can enter Heaven “…and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6. Jesus Christ is in Heaven, and in the flesh, but He was and is sinless. His righteousness is perfect.

John was given an awesome gift as was the Apostle Paul; they were both given a glimpse of Heaven, an advance look if you will, into the Throne room of God Almighty. John goes on to explain what he saw there and his explanation is what assures all believers in Christ that they will not see the tribulation week unfold.

“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Revelation 4:3. John was looking upon the Throne of God as God sat on His Throne. He uses the most descriptive terminology possible at that time to provide readers with understanding as he views God’s glory. John hands believers in Christ a most glorious insight into what awaits all those who place their trust, their faith, their lives in Christ’s hands, a peek at Who awaits us at the Throne of God.

John’s next view is quite significant for those who will be Raptured. “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Revelation 4:4. The elders spoken of here by John are representative of Christ’s Church. This is where we who follow Jesus Christ realize that we are, at this point and from here on until sometime just after the end of the tribulation week, assembled before the Throne of God worshiping Him and giving Him all glory, honor and praise.

In Revelation 5:9-10, the twenty-four elders sing a song of praise to Jesus, and they cry out: “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9. In that passage, the twenty-four elders are clearly speaking as representatives of all God’s people, of the great company of the redeemed (Christ’s Church).

“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:10-11.

“The white robes and crowns of the elders seem to indicate that they are indeed human beings – in glory, of course. Angels are sometimes presented in white robes or garments (Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10), but saints also have white robes (Revelation 6:11; 7:9; 7:13-14) as a picture of their imputed righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 3:5-18). However, we never see angels crowned, but believers are and will be (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4).

Therefore, redeemed, glorified man sits enthroned with Jesus, on lesser thrones, to be sure, but thrones none the less. We are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). John, through Jesus’ insistence, gives the Church a wonderful picture of the saints in Heaven, and kneeling before God, and recognizably way before the wrath of God is unleashed on a Christ rejecting world.” – David Guzik

“… four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb…, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:8, 10. At the end of the Great Tribulation the saints will return with Jesus Christ as He assumes His visible position as King and reigns over all of earth for 1,000 years. This is proof positive for all the scoffers and naysayers who reject the Rapture that the saints (those who belong to Jesus Christ) are in Heaven and that we are made kings and priests and that we will reign with Christ on earth. If we are to come back with our Lord to rule and reign with Him, at some point we must have left earth to be able to return to earth. Clearly, the Church will not be here during the seventieth week spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

From this point and throughout the remainder of the book of Revelation, the tribulation and the wrath of God is clearly portrayed with no further mention of the Church (the body of Christ) being on earth. The seven year tribulation week becomes the point where God once again turns His attention to Israel. Even though the majority of Jews are blinded to the truth of the Gospel during the first half of the tribulation week, at the 3 ½ year point of the tribulation week, when the anti-Christ introduces the abomination of desolation, we’re told that all remaining Jews on earth will be saved. And not only Jews but many gentiles will also come to faith in Christ during that final week.

The Bible clearly tells us that through Jesus Christ, and only through Him, can we ever expect to enter Heaven. John was a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ and he was allowed a trip to Heaven before his death. To be in the presence of God Almighty we must be purged of our sins. The only way to be purged of sins is to believe in Jesus Christ; to believe is to accept His truth and His Gospel through faith, faith in the fact that His sacrifice on that cross was to pay the price for the sin of the world, that all might be saved. The Bible is written to everyone and everyone can either accept it as truth or reject it as a fairy tale. Believing the Bible to be a fairy tale, though, doesn’t negate the fact that God’s word is true. Unbelief and the rejection of the truth will only act as a catalyst in the condemnation of that person.

Rejecting the Bible and thereby rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ will automatically place you or your loved ones in the next chapter of the book of Revelation. “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Revelation 6:1-2. Enter the anti-Christ, not Jesus Christ, although Jesus Christ does return on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16. This is not Him, this is a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus. He rules (a crown was given), he rules with a bow not a sword, and he exercises dominion over the earth (went out conquering and to conquer). But the results of his rule show that this is not the reign of Jesus Christ.

I think we can tell much about how a person understands the book of Revelation and God’s prophetic plan by seeing how they understand this first rider. Those who think Revelation is mostly a book of history believe that this rider is Jesus. Those who believe that this is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled, mostly account this rider to be the antichrist. This final satanic dictator over men will be more terrible than all previous dictators. He will rule over men as a false Messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God.

This (anti-Christ) guy is going to demand everyone take his mark and worship him and if they don’t they will be killed (beheaded). From this point on the Revelation of Jesus Christ gets very disturbing, even gruesome. There won’t be any place to hide from the coming horrors, they will be worldwide, fierce to behold, and completely consuming in their vastness. No one on earth during this time will escape the tidal wave of tribulations. Those who miss the Rapture yet become believers during the tribulation week will fall prey to some of the horrors spoken of in those remaining chapters. Most will be martyred for their faith.

Only by becoming a born again believer in Christ now, before the Rapture, can we be assured of our non-involvement in all those horrors. The book of Revelation is God telling all who will read it that they will be blessed by it and that they should see their need for a savior and repent while there is still time. That’s the blessing. Read it for yourself and tell others to read it also. Keep in mind that you only have the first five chapters as a time frame for repentance and avoiding all those judgments which will ultimately prove God’s displeasure with those who’ve rejected His only begotten Son.

Those first five chapters of this awesome book speak of blessings, churches doing well and churches doing not so well, about things going on in Heaven, and about who is surrounding God’s throne. There’s no doubt about who’s there and who isn’t. Besides God Almighty, only angels and believers in Christ are there.

“…to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…” Revelation 1:1. The word “shortly” in this verse means quickly or speedily. In other words, what John was about to witness were things that once they began their succession would bring quick and speedy results. Jesus said the signs we were to be watching for would come on this planet like a woman in labor (birth pangs). We are currently witnessing the beginning of many end times signs spoken of by our Lord Jesus. It seems, according to the book of Revelation, we’re now in the ninth month of labor.

Many will ignore the book of Revelation as my ex-pastor has. Many others will write it off as simply an allegory. Some will read it and dismiss it as having already taken place. God, on the other hand, is quite specific when it comes to this book and its wonderful blessing, and the future it holds. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3. Folks the time is at hand for the prophecies that have been spoken of.

The book of the Apocalypse is a book of prophecy in which we are given the events that lead up to Christ’s return. “Apokalypsis” in the Greek is transliterated Apocalypse, which is translated Revelation in English. Its meaning is more simple than what many perceive it to be. It literally means “uncovering, unveiling, revealing or laying bare a mystery, of things before unknown”. The book of Revelation was never meant to confuse or scare anyone away; on the contrary, it was written to benefit each and every believer in Christ and to open the eyes of the lost.

So, the question is, how will you respond to God’s blessing as it’s associated with reading this book concerning “things before unknown”?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

All scripture is from the KJV