Evil World

From a spiritual perspective, it doesn't matter where a person lives because this whole world is Satan's kingdom.  He is an equal opportunity abuser and hates everyone.

People can be senselessly killing each other, starving to death in poverty or destroying themselves with money in any country.  The types of suffering in this world are endless and it doesn't matter the location, economic level, race, size, age, sex, etc.

No matter what country people are from, trials and tribulations are the great equalizer.  The only medicine that takes away this pain is the out-of-this-world love that comes from God.

Our only source for this supernatural love comes from Jesus Christ.  He is our equal opportunity Savior because He loves everyone unconditionally. 

When filled with His love, we receive His joy for any circumstances, and all we need to do is abide in Him and let His word abide in us.  Jesus' help is available 24/7 at any location with sincere, fervent prayer.

Working For Jesus

When the Lord first called me into a ministry, I didn't want to do it.  I didn't grow up in church and didn't feel qualified.

What I had to learn was that I don't need knowledge, qualifications or church experience.  All I needed was to learn from Jesus and be available for the Holy Spirit to use me.

Recently, my pastor asked me to preach this Sunday evening at church.  I already knew this would happen because the Lord woke me up in middle of the night to tell me what to say.

I have asked the Lord to wake me up at night because I'm busy during the day and so He does.  Slowly I'm learning how to work for Jesus by relying on Him, which is not at all what the world teaches.

Thank You, Jesus, for not only being a Great Employer but my Best Friend, Savior, Teacher and Lord.  Jesus is available any where, any time under any circumstances with sincere, fervent prayer!

Obedience Is Best

Before the storms came, I was cleaning out the dirt between the wood boards on my front porch, so there wouldn't be a small pond afterwards.  I began with a screw driver until the boards got too close together and then switched to a sharp knife.

I was tired, crabby, stressed and not open to advice from anyone.  Suddenly, the Holy Spirit told me to stop because I was going to cut myself.

Instead of stopping, I continued and proceeded to argue the point.  This didn't last very long until I cut my finger.

I felt very foolish and pathetic.  Should I go to Him for help or the doctor for stitches?

I decided that I trusted in Christ's mercy more than the medical profession, so I repented and asked for help.  I received His forgiveness, pain relief and the bleeding quit.

While I have no pain and the finger is healing, the wound is still there to remind me of how obedience is best.  No matter what we foolish humans do, Jesus' grace and mercy is only a prayer away!

Follow The Lord's Truth

Apostle Paul wrote kindly to Philemon and gently reminded his dear friend about his responsibility as a believer in Christ Jesus.  

Philemon's slave, Onesimus, had to run away and find Paul to learn the Gospel.  Paul said how he prayed for Philemon to share his faith with others and when Onesimus returned, he must treat him like a brother in the Lord.

The letter Paul wrote to Philemon is a great example of Christ's love in action.  Paul loved his friend but did not approve of the way he treated his slave, so this problem was very diplomatically pointed out.  

When Christians truly follow Christ's lead, they become loving, fair and confident in the truth.  The real truth is not what the world says, but what the Lord declares, which are usually opposites.

Answer God's Call

The prophets in the Bible books of Joel, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi were devoted to the Lord.  

They all received spiritual information to share with others because they followed His will.  No matter how scary, they had more faith than fear.

All people have the potential to be prophets when they answer God's call to serve.  However, the tricky part is following our Creator and not all the other influences in this world, especially our own egos.  

Only with the Lord can we build our faith enough to overcome the fear.

Suffering Is Good

Jonah was told by the Lord in the Bible book of Jonah to preach in Nineveh.  He refused because these people were his enemies and he wanted them destroyed, not saved.

God did not accept Jonah's response and sent a giant fish to swallow him.  After these very confined quarters, Jonah accepted the assignment and was let out to reluctantly complete his task.

All people, at times, need a shove in the right direction to do good.  If humans did not have a Loving Parent to discipline His children, then spiritual growth would be impossible.

Thank God for the many trials and tribulations everyone gets to experience for the opportunity of spiritual growth.  Without suffering, humanity would be lost.

Answer God's Call!

In the book of Amos, the Lord called him to be His prophet when he was tending his sheep.  

Amos did whatever God asked but still referred to himself as a shepherd and gardener.  He answered God because he loved his Lord, not because he was choosing a new career.

God calls people from every walk of life but few answer.  It is difficult leading a spiritual life here because this style does go against the world.  However, people must live for the Lord if they want to spend eternity with Him.  

When people truly love God, they obey Him.

We Must Do Our Best

The Prophet Hosea in the Bible book of Hosea took an adulterous wife for children of unfaithfulness as an object lesson to Israel.  

He preached against their wickedness and did whatever the Lord asked, with mixed results.  However, the outcome did not deter his obedience and determination.

When people truly love God, they must do their best no matter what the results.  

Humans can only help and influence others, not control them because we all have free will.  

The best we can do is to use our free will for obedience and love to the Lord.

Everyone Is Tested

Job accepted and passed his tests of faith in the Bible book of Job.  No matter how bad his life or health became, he still trusted in God.

The only hope humans have for protection in this precarious world is God.  With God, people can cope with any trauma or disaster that comes along.

To qualify for this salvation, we need to follow God's will instead of our own selfish desires.  However, God requires a standard above this physical world, which is even impossible to understand without His help, so call on Him in prayer for guidance.

Think To Stop Mistakes

In Deuteronomy, Moses summarized the Israelites' history of not obeying God and warned against repeating these mistakes.

He wanted them to think for themselves and not blindly follow their families' traditions.

People repeat their mistakes throughout history as a nation, family or individual.  Repeating mistakes are bad habits that come from worldly programing.

To change these habits, everyone needs to stop, think, ask "why?" and decide if this is a good reason.

God wants people to think for themselves, so they can achieve spiritual growth.

Rules For The Unruly

God taught the Israelites righteous living with His 613 laws in Exodus and continued in Leviticus.

The amount of laws and requirements needed to govern people directly reflects their many problem behaviors, which this group had in excess.

With rules on worship now in place, religious leaders became more accountable and responsible before God.  The worst sin humans commit is when they lead others away from the Lord, and there are many examples of this in the world today.

A spiritually barren life occurs when humans worship themselves, others or worldly gain.

Only through obedience to the Lord's wisdom can people learn to grow spiritually, so pray and ask sincerely for His help.

Trust God

Two major problems humans have with their Heavenly Father are trust and expectations. 

With God being limitless, He seems unbelievable and difficult to understand for our limited minds.  The book of Exodus shows many examples of these issues from multiple perspectives.

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites, he said, no, at first and made excuses.  Once the Israelites heard Moses, they expected their lives to become easy and rebelled against their many difficulties. 

Moses expected to be done with his mission within a year but the mistrusting Israelites caused it to become 40.

Everyone has a spiritual mission to accomplish on Earth for reaching heaven.  With help from others, Moses fulfilled his destiny and learned to trust God. 

Anyone can learn how to trust our Creator and follow his or her destiny when on a spiritual journey.

In The Beginning

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, tells the beginning of God's creation and how He loves humans.

The people that returned God's love were obedient to His Will no matter what hardships resulted.  These exceptional humans knew they needed a Father to guide and help them grow spiritually.

Noah loved and pleased God, so he obtained information for physical salvation but witnessed the world's destruction in a flood.

Abraham loved and pleased God but underwent many difficult tests along with his material rewards.

Joseph loved and pleased God but was sold into slavery at 17 until his release at age 30 for a high ranking position.

Being God's beloved children does not necessarily bring riches and comfort.  The Father disciplines and tests His children for spiritual growth with any physical rewards being secondary.

Love God by viewing the eternal picture and striving for spiritual growth!

Use Free Will

Without using a conscious free will, every person is his or her own prisoner and jailer.

Free the mind by questioning and knowing the source of negative emotions and behaviors to create miraculous change.

God's Great Love

God loves us so much that He will not take away His gift of free will to save us from ourselves. We must make our own choices for change to improve our lives.

His purpose for us is to grow as beings and learn how to love. He does not view suffering as bad, but a very good thing that gives a person the opportunity for learning and redemption.

This world is full of pain and struggle because if we do not have the bad, well,  we would not recognize the good. But more importantly, suffering can cause great insight and personal growth.

But when people get their own way, they usually become entitled and selfish, not more loving. Real Love is what Jesus said about "Loving your neighbor as yourself and loving your enemies."