From Pity to Praise

Free From Fear

Fear is a secret enemy that invades everyone of every age, skin color, and walk of life, it is subtle and can devastating, it poisons our thinking, and robs our inner peace, and squelches our zest for living. It makes us nervous, uneasy, alarmed, disturbed, upset and faint-hearted,

We fear conflict and change, failure and frustration. Some people fear sickness and suffering. Others fear harm will come to their loved ones. Some fear other people and their opinions. Many are afraid to die and face the unknown. Some as not only afraid to live, but also afraid to die.

Fear enters our minds slowly and silently, we hardly tea, size we are becoming victims of its damaging influence. Even a little fear, like a drop of dye in a glass of water, discolors everything. When a thin stream of fear is not stopped our thoughts can be diverted.

Life is complex, we live in a violent world, but outward troubles don’t need to mar our inner peace. It is the fear from within we must face. Fear enters when our most important needs are not met. We saw this during the coronavirus scare. – If you don’t take this vaccine you will die, if you don’t stay six feet apart you’ll be infected. Our souls are made in the image of God, and we should cry out for Him during situations like this. When we don’t call on God, we can expect to be filled with fears and phobias.

Satan takes full advantage of our fears. At every opportunity, he intensifies them and makes them seem even more real and logical. Our way becomes darker and darker, and our burden becomes heavier and heavier until we lose hope of any deliverance.

Satan works best in darkness. He can not work in the light because “God is light, and in Him of no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Satan knows our weaknesses, and in these areas, he presents thoughts and fears. He seeks to destroy truth and confuse us with falsehood. If we keep these things converted in the darkness of our hearts and minds, Satan will continue to do his evil work of discouragment and fear. But He can be defeated and his powers can be driven back when they are exposed to the light.

In all my experiences I have learned that sin causes an overwhelming fear that springs from one’s life in not pleasing to God. It was a tragic day when Adam and Eve embraced the suggestion from satan to disobey God’s command not to eat of the tree in the garden. Through disobedience, they sinned and then hid from God, when He called. In Genesis 3:10 Adam said,

“I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Through generations since Adam, all mankind has come under this shadow of sin. The fear of judgments of God. If we move to a place of repentance it can become a positive force in one’s life. Psalm 111:10 says,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

This is reverential respect and the awe we feel when we see God’s greatness, His righteousness, His judgments, His love, His mercy, His wisdom, and His eternal being. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present. Our existence is entirely in His hands and we are before Him in His creation. We should be afraid to displease God. God’s righteousness condemns to hell those who live in sin.

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries“ – Hebrews 10:26-27

This knowledge brings a fear of sin. As we come to know God as a friend through our repentance, forgiveness, and obedience, our service to Him motivates a godly fear, and by love and thanksgiving for His unspeakable gift of salvation.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears had not been made perfect in love” -1 John 4:18

Our fear of Him is not one that strikes terror in our hearts, but one that deepens our love for Him. When fully applied in our lives, this is one fear that can overcome all others. Why do so many people allow clouds of fear to grip their hearts, trouble their minds, and darker life’s pathway when God’s way is a way of peace and trust?

There’s a story told about a small child who was afraid to walk alone in the dark, but when their father walked beside them and held their hand all fear vanished. The darkness no held no fear, because they loved and trusted their father, and they knew he would take care of them. The key here is for us to be free from fear, we must learn to know our heavenly Father well.

When become so acquainted with God, we can trust our lives completely to Him, placing our hands safely into His. We can humbly ask Him questions that plague our minds, and those sorrows of life that would plague us to despair.

In Matthew 14:24-31 we get an example of this from Peter. When Jesus bade him to walk on the water of the Sea of Galilee. Peter was not afraid until he took his eyes off Jesus and began to look at the waves. Then he began to sink.

When we seek freedom from fear and place our confidence in God, His Holy Spirit will speak to us in a still small voice. And as we look to Him rather than our fears, the storms calm around us. He can then answer our questions and replace our doubt with assurance, and take our hand, and comfort us. By His grace, we can overcome the crippling effects of fear.

The mysterious unknown of the future makes many people feel uneasy. Each morning they wake up to an unpredictable day. They face those “what ifs” as their minds wander down the road of imaginary dread.

“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” -Philippians 4:6

Every morning we have an opportunity to pray and ask God for a blessed day, and for Him to watch over us. By putting the future into God’s hands and trusting Him we can surrender to Him the burden of the unknown. Try it and see!

Many fear the future because they lack direction in their lives. Not knowing where they are going, they have a sense of apprehension. God knows what lies ahead, their lives will not be an aimless journey, but a way home.

God promised to be faithful to those who trust Him even though we face an unknown future. No matter how severe the storms of life are in the dark of night or how high the mountain, He will take you through it.

We all have a desire to achieve things, but we fear that we will fail ourselves, our families, or life itself. We fear we will make a wrong choice or carry out a wrong plan. But God said in Joshua 1:9,

“Haven’t I commanded you! Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

When we place our lives under the direction of our Master, past failures are not final, they can become stepping stones to success.

We all cringe at the thought of bodily pain, the but of criticism, the pangs of loneliness and grief. God will not shield us from all suffering, but He has promised grace to help us bear it. He had promised peace and assurance in the midst of our troubles.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas” – Psalm 46:1-2

If we love the Lord, He will use suffering for our good. Suffering provides an opportunity to know the presence and upholding power of God. It also brings depth of character and an understanding heart. Suffering can either make us or break us. When we are suffering we can get closer to God by praying or reading His Word.

Fear of death is very common in our lives. Saying goodbye is a painful assignment. But when we come to grips with the old age question,

“If a man does, shall he live again?“ – Job 14:14

Jesus came to deliver us from the fear of death. That is why He died and rose again, and that is why He promised,

“Yet a little while, and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also” John 14:19

With Him, death is not a don’t into nothing less, but a shining gateway into a new life.

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you” – John 14:1-2

Have you repented of you’re sins? Repentance brings remorse of a life of sin and a turning away from that old life.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28,

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.”

When you come truthfully, prayerfully, hopefully, you will have peace of mind.

Come and you will know the gentle joys of restful living. God invites us to trust Jesus and be free.

The Narrow Path

“Enter in by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate and restricted is the way that leads to life. Few are those who find it” – Matthew 7:13-14

If Jesus wants to save all, why didn’t He make it easier to be saved, why doesn’t He simply let everyone into heaven?

When I read this as a new believer My first thought “Well, this is a kind of prejudice.” It sounded as though God had rated us on a scale of acceptability and only allowed a select few to enter heaven. But Jesus also said,

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” – Matthew 7:7-8

Jesus made it clear, the path to eternal life is open to everyone who asks.

However, the gate to heaven is narrow in the sense of a requirement for entrance -faith in Jesus. Salvation is found through Jesus. The wise gate. Is nonexclusive, and takes human effort.

Jesus says that the narrow gate leads to a hard road, one that will take us through hard times and difficult decisions. Following Jesus requires crucifying our flesh (Galatians z5:24-26, living by faith, enduring Christlike patience, and living a lifestyle separate from the world.

When faced with a choice between a narrow, bumpy road and a wide, paved highway, most people choose the easier path. Human nature gravitates toward comfort and pleasure. When faced with the reality of denying themselves to follow Jesus, most people turn away. Jesus never sugar-coated the truth, and the truth is that not many people are willing to pay the price to follow Him.

God offers salvation to everyone who accepts it. But it is on His terms. We must come the way that He provided. We cannot create our own paths or try to come using our own efforts. Isaiah 64:6 says that compared to His righteousness we are filthy. God cannot excuse or overlook our sins. He is merciful, but He is also just. Justice requires that sin be paid for. It was at a great cost to Himself, Jesus paid that price. Without the blood of Jesus covering our sins, we stand guilty before God that we rejected (Romans 1:20).

The way to God was closed off before Jesus came, and sin was the road block (Romans 5:12’. No one deserves a second chance. We all deserve to stay on the wide road the leads to destruction. But God loved us enough to provide a path (through Jesus) to eternal life anyway (Romans 5:6-8). However, He also knows that in our self-centered, sin-saturated works there are not many who will desire Him enough to come to Him on His terms (John 6:44).

Satan paved the highway to hell with fleshly temptations, worldly attractions, and moral compromises. Most people allow their passions and fears to dictate the course of their lives. They choose temporary, earthly pleasures over the self-sacrifice required to follow Jesus (Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Matthew 10:37).

The narrow gate is ignored. Most people create their own religions and design their own gods. You can see this throughout the Bible as well as today. So it was with sorrow, not discrimination, that Jesus declared that the road to eternal life is “narrow, and only a few will find it.”

Sanctification

Once we have been adopted into God’s family by His redemptive grace. We have a new way of life, and although will fail and sin, the Holy Spirit if we are listening will say “No, no, that’s not how we act in God’s family.” We make those changes in our lives through God’s grace because we are His sons and daughters, not because we can become a son or daughter but because we already belong to Him.

The process of learning how to act in God’s family is known as sanctification. Sanctification is the process of God’s grace by which the believer is separated from sin and becomes dedicated to God’s righteousness.

It’s growing in holiness because God has declared us holy in Jesus; it is a holy cleansing; it is daily overcoming the power and presence of sin in our daily lives through the power of the Holy Spirit and the work of God’s Word.

My pastor always says “I’m glad you’re not robbing banks and killing people, but there are some sin you need to work on getting rid of.”

It doesn’t happen overnight and the reason it doesn’t is that we haven’t always been part of God’s family. In today’s world we are alienated from God’s family. So, we have been children of disobedience.

“In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience” – Ephesians 2:2

But God saves us and we become part of God’s family and learn how to live as God’s children in God’s family we will become tough, but it will take time. Overcoming our sinful behaviors and living obediently as His children is what the Bible calls sanctification.

Sanctification is sanctifying ourselves from ungodliness and associating ourselves with God and His Word, like the blessed person in Psalm 1:1

“Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand on the path of sinners, not sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the Lord’s law. And on His law, he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.”

In John 17:17 Jesus prayed,

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth.”

Specification is living as those who have been brought from death to life.

“Don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness God” Romans 6:12-13

Sanctification is possible only through God through His grace,

“Now may the God is peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Yeshua Messiah” – 1 Thessalonians 5:2

We need to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

What Would I Sell If I Opened A Shop

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

I live in a small town with only one department store. So, naturally, everything is either cheaply made or expensive mid-grade merchandise. So if I were to open a shop. I would open up a small discount warehouse for good quality discounted items tailored to the needs of the town I live it.

They have these shops in the city but when you live 100 miles from any city it is hard to make a trip on a regular basis. A discount outlet is about clearing our items and offering real savings.

The Curse Of Madness

If you’re trying to figure out what going on in America the Bible tells us. (I am paraphrasing this). In the Old Testament of Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 20, some verses indicate that God instructs Moses to give rules of heaven on how His people should walk and live on earth.

God told Moses, “If you are willing to do what I say, your life is going to be much better. Your spiritual walk will be deep. Your physical body will stay healthy. But, if you refuse to follow me. I’m going to lift the hedge of blessing in favor and protection and you’re going to experience negative circumstances,

The Blessing And Curse Of The Law

I believe this is for America as well,

When Israel followed the Lord obediently, they experienced the blessings and fruitfulness that God had for them (as shown throughout the Old Testament). However, when they walked away from the Lord, being disobedient to the commands He asked of them, they lost their favor with God.

When people choose disobedience, it would follow acts of terror, drought, and a reduction in cattle and the roadways would become desolate. Division is also promised to come to a nation that had failed away from the Lotd’s good and perfect path. These are all issues that America has faced at one point in time over the last 15 years,

If America, which was founded on the principles of Christ, turns its back on God, then what kind of curse would we likely experience?

In Deuteronomy 28:28 it says,

“If you abhor My commandments, if you mock My covenant, if you disobey Me and you go into rebellion, here’s what’s going to happenThe Lord will smite you with madness, blindness, and astonishment.”

This warning is not for individuals but for entire nations of madness, astonishment and blindness is one we must heed today. These are types of trials that lead us out of peace and wisdom and toward deception and the feelings of anger and bitterness. It is this type of madness that leads us to become reactive and furious.

The word madness in Hebrew means “craziness, irrational behavior, being furious in anger.”

This is noticeable in the attack of Bible-believing people with allowing men to compete in women’s sports and irrational, divisive arguments. it living in this emotionally driven nature that the Pharisees were accustomed to, and it is this kind of madness we must be careful of.

The Pharisees would go as far as to make up an outright lie about Jesyd just so they could defend their belief system.

America now faces issues and calamity on many sides. And we are seeing the same issues that Israel dealt with to come to fruition in America today.

The things that God warned Israel of that would happen to them if they broke the covenant are happening in America.

It is time that America intercede for our land and pray Chronicles 7:14

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

This is summarized by a podcast given by Perry Stone

Important Things I Carry With Me

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

I always carry a Bible in my car and amounting oil in my bag. Along with a protection device, because some people put no value on human life.

At One With Yourself

Our distractions are eroding our relationships, time management abilities, and success and productivity. Our society is overlooks what important and failing to honor what matters most. We sacrifice time with our families to be so social media, and television. We give up too many things to keep our minds busy, so we won’t have to focus on ourselves. When do we acknowledge we are distracted and aren’t paying attention to the important things? Our world is suffering greatly because of it.

It seems like there’s a war going on against our alone time and our hearts. I believe all of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

When we are not comfortable with the quiet times, there is usually something in our heart that we are running from. We are we filling our lives with everything we can to keep from thinking about reality.

Isaiah 30:15 says,

“You will be saved in returning to rest. Your strength will be quietness and in confidence.“ You refused.”

The speed and roar of the world makes our inner voices difficult. Satan is seeing to it that our world is embracing more and more noise.

“Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual question and get alone with Him“ – Oswald Chambers

Every day I’m in a battle. My enemy is the world, My time, my attention my loyalties, and most valuable of all my heart. Satan is cunning and crafty with many tried and true weapons at His disposal. His favorites are stress, conflict, busyness, social media, news, peer pressure. Each of these he knows well and wields skillfully.

My weapons are the Word of God, and my stillness of sitting alone praying because satan knows all his weapons are of no use against me. When I begin to feel overwhelmed by everything around me, I know I can run to my Savoir and stop being distracted by satan’s evil schemes.

Change Your Perspective

What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

I started this blog for a couple of reasons, one is to share my insights with others. The other is with the mentality that if I could help one person’s life. Change someone’s perspective and improve their life by sharing what experiences I’ve had and what I’ve learned through then then this blog would be worth it.

Changing Your Perspective Changes Your Experience

Wake Up Sleeper

“Awake you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you” – Ephesians 5:14

Often in the Bible believers are exhorted to awake. They are warned of dangers of spiritual sleep, that such a slumber is like a coma that will result in death unless the believer awakens.

In Proverbs they are called the sluggard. He is the slothful man who sleeps while others work and God casts on him a pitiless gaze. The great prophet Isaiah said, “Arise, shine for the light is come!” Jesus the light of the world has appeared, what are you doing lying down in the dark? Amos addresses the laid back church of his day, “woe to them that are in ease in Zion.” Or you think of the mighty storm threatening death to all aboard a ship while the prophet Jonah sleeps through it all. “What do you mean O’ sleeper?” cries the captain. “Arise and call upon you God.”

In the New Testament, there is the same. This is the era of the new covenant, but Christians can sleep. They can hear the gospel preached with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven but they sleep. These were times of successful evangelism and revival but Christians could still sleep. They see mighty miracles but still sleep. Jesus told His disciples to watch and pray. There were a number if parables Jesus used at the end who He called “wicked and slothful servants. The risen Jesus addresses the church in Sardies and tells them, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”

Paul is constantly exporting churches to take up. He tells the congregation in Rome, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be alert” (1 Thessalonians 5:6).

It is possible to be a true believer in Jesus and become a sleeping Christian to fall asleep. When this state falls upon anyone we cannot say it is because of God.

I remember a young man who came to our church a few years ago and saw us praying in small groups and told the group I was in that he never learned how to pray like we were praying. He grew up in a church, and has been going for over 30 years he never learned how to pray. Sadly he returned to the church he grew up in because that was all he knew and was comfortable there. I urged him to open his noble and start praying straight off the pages of the Bible. Although I don’t know if he did. If you are at a church like that, please don’t stay there because that’s where you are comfortable. There is so much more out there for you to learn and many blessings to be obtained.

God is saying “Wake up!“ and all that God commands he enables us to perform, it is not for us to cry, “We cannot wake up. We are too deeply asleep. Don’t fall into to the “can’t-help-mysel-ism. Listen to what God is telling you and depend on His grace and trust in the power of His Holy Spirit.

Human Frailty And Divine Power

When things are going well, it’s easy for us to think that we are in control. Then small things hit us and we are on our knees.

I was talking with the woman who does my nails. And she was telling me how the coronavirus affected her life. This is what got me to thinking about this.

I think back to the coronavirus. A small microscopic virus hit and everyone was in a frenzy. It’s surprising to me that something so small can disrupt the world. Entire companies shut down, concerts and sporting events were canceled, and the world was quarantined. And we think we are in control.

It amazes me how people who live in relative isolation from God can blame God when something bad happens as if He were a celestial nanny who helps when we call on Him and then stays in a broom closet when we don’t. But that isn’t the God of the Bible.

Being a child of God, however, is a totally different situation. I have removed all trust in myself and placed my trust for all things in Jesus. We are not only forgiven, justified, sanctified, and redeemed, we are adopted into His family. If we believe in His name, He gives us the right to become children of God.

“But as many as received Him, to then He gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, not of the will of flesh, not of the will of man, but of God” – John 1:12-13

The benefits of being His child instill a confidence that no matter what happens we know He is our firm anchor in the stormy seas of life. He is so much in charge that He promises to work in all situations to achieve good in His children.

When I see someone ridiculing God and His child, I see people who think they are in control -the matter of their own fate and the captain of their souls. Psalm 2 gives us a message of human frailty and divine power.

Psalm 2 speaks to the nations and about the coming of Jesus,

“Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? The kings and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying,

God responds:

“The One enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.“

He warns the people:

Therefore, you kings, be wise, be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate His rule with trembling.

But to His children, He promises:

“Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”

It’s sad to me that it takes catastrophic events like 9/11 and the coronavirus to remind us that God is our Father (if we are in fact His children ), and that He had made wonderful promises to us, not to keep us from all harm, but to walk us through the dangers of this world and to usher us safely into His kingdom. To the victorious of those who remain faithfully His children.

Revelation 2:10 tells us,

“Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

We you understand all human security is an illusion. The only thing that is certain is that nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus. “His children know for sure, in perilous times, that neither “trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword can loosen us from God. In these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35 -37)

In Romans 8:38:39 Paul says,

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels not demons, neither present not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, will be able to spectate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And that is more than enough.

In A Alternate Universe

Describe your life in an alternate universe.

In my alternate universe, there will be no evil or pain. No tears or sadness. No greed or hate. With streets of Gold, and precious stones laid in the foundations. Waterfalls and rivers of life to drink from. Everyone would live in their dream house and have plenty to eat and drink without gaining weight. There would be no sickness and joy abound. All the creatures of the world would get along with one another. Beautiful beach and sand within walking distance. That is what I see as my alternate universe.

Stop And Think

Before we speak or act out we need to stop and think. Is it possible we misunderstand or misjudge a situation?

James 1: 19 or Jacob 1:19 depending on your Bible. says,

“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”

Don’t jump to conclusions there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw. My father always told me, not to assume anything, because you will make an ass-u-me. You will make an ass out of you and me.

Proverbs 29:20 tells us there is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.

It’s always better to stop and think. What will your words and actions accomplish? Will your words hurt or will they help? Will you build others up or tear them down?

Ephesians 4:29, tells us,

“Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Before we speak or act, we need to stop and think. Are we rushing to say or do something we might deeply regret later? Are we focused on the good or the bad?

Colossians 4:6 tells us to let our speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt so that we will know how to respond to each person.

Before we think stop and think, is it wise to speak right now, or is it wiser to be quiet? There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.

Another thing my father used to say is, “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all. We really need to take this advice today.

I have a few three questions I keep in the back of my mind before speaking

1. What do I want them to know?

2. What do I want them to feel?

3. What do I want them to do?

Questions I ask myself before I speak,

1. Is it true? Do not speak based on assumptions, speak only what you know is true.

2. Is it kind?

3. Is it necessary?

There’s a golden rule that says, “Treat others how you want to be treated.” think about others the way you want to be thought of. Feel about others the way you want others to feel about you. Speak to others the way you want to be spoken to.

Always ask God for help. God is eager to help us speak wisely.