The Spiritual And Material World

We live in a world that is both material and spiritual. On the material side, we access our world through our five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing. No wonder that the apostle John warned about the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All that is in the world (1 John 2:16). Is easy to become enticed by the things of this world, to you think they will bless our lives.

But the Bible says that God’s blessings are both material and spiritual. He forgives our sins, heals our diseases, and redeems us from destruction, lives us, shows compassion to us, satisfies our life with good things, and even renews our youth (Psalms 103:3-5). The world cannot awkward anything to compare with the door dimensions of gods blessings -spiritual and material. When we are tempted to seek blessings and contentment in the things of this world, we need to look to God’s promised blessings.

Look around you today and counter blessings. Thank God for his provision, and commit all your needs for Him.

The vast majority of mankind never gives a thought of gratitude towards God for all His care and blessings. -Donald Gray Barnhouse.

Daily Bible Verse

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

You, sons of men, how long till my glory returns to dishonor? Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah

But know that the Lord has set apart for himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call on him.

Stand in awe, and do not sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in the Lord.

Many say, “ Who will show us any good?” Lord, let the light of your face shine on us.

You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.

In peace, I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, the Lord alone, make me live in safety.

Why Is Life So Hard

How do we explain what we see in this world? Terrorist attacks, sex, slavery, racism, world, hunger?

We often ask ourselves questions like these quite often. But consciously we really do. We’re so busy living our lives. We really stop and wonder why?

But then something happens to wake us up. Our parents get a divorce. The little girl down the street gets abducted. A relative, or we get cancer. That works out for a while. But then we can often sink back into the denial. That is, until another tragedy hits, another incongruence. Then we are likely to think. Something isn’t right here. Something is really really wrong. This isn’t how life’s supposed to be.

So, Why do bad things happen? Why isn’t the world a better place?

Not surprisingly, but answer can be found in the Bible. But it’s not an answer that many people like to hear, the world is the way it is because it’s the world that we, innocence asked for.

Sound strange?

What or who can make this world different than the way it is? What or who could guarantee that life is pain-free for everyone all at the same time?

God could. God could accomplish that. But he doesn’t. At least not right now. And we Can be angry with him as a result. We say, “God can’t be all powerful, and all loving. If he were, this world wouldn’t be the way it is.

We say that, hoping God will change his position on the matter. Our hope is that putting a guilt trip on him or make him change the way he’s doing things.

But he doesn’t seem to budge. Why doesn’t he?

God doesn’t budge -he doesn’t change things right now —. because he’s giving us what we asked for: a world where we get to treat him as though he is absent and unnecessary.

Remember, the story of Adam and Eve? They ate that “forbidden fruit.“ That fruit was the idea that they could ignore what God said we’re good to them, and strike out on life apart from God. For Adam and Eve, sort of help that they could become my God, without God.

It kind of seems like that’s what we’re doing today. People are trying to become their own Gods. Only God can give and take away lives, there are people body harvesting,

They consume the nation that there was something more valuable existence than God himself, something more valuable than having a relationship with God. And this world system with all its faults came as a result of the choices they made.

Adam and Eve’s story is for all of us, isn’t it? Who hasn’t said -If not audibly, at least, in their hearts. “ God, I think I can do this without you. I’ll just go alone on this one but thanks for the offer.”

We’ve all tried to make life work without God.

Why do we do that? Probably because we’ve all bought into the notion that there’s something more valuable, more important, than God. For different people, it’s different things, but the mindset is the same. God isn’t what most important in life. In fact, I guess, as soon as you do it without him altogether.

What is God’s response to that?

He allows it. Many people experience, the painful result of others, or their own choices that run contrary to God‘s ways…murder, sexual abuse, greed, lying/ fraud, slander, adultery, abortion m kidnapping, ect.

All of these can be explained by people who refuse to give God a access and influence over their lives. They are going about their lives as they see fit, and they end others suffer.

What’s God be with all of this?

He’s not smug. In fact, God could rightly be viewed as leaning forward, compassionate, hoping we will turn to him so that he can bring real life to us.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” But not all are willing to go to him. You just commented on this when he said.: “O Jerusalem Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who sent you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Again, Jesus bring her issue back to our relationship with him.“ I am the light of the world. He who follows me, will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

But what is life is unfair, when bad things happen to us?

What about those horrible circumstances that hit us in life, caused by someone other than ourselves? When we are feeling victimized, it’s useful to realize that God himself and her horrendous treatment from others. God more than understand what you’re going through.

There’s nothing in life that could be more painful than what Jesus endured on our behalf, when he was deserted by his friends, ridiculed by those who would not believe him, beaten, and tortured before his crucifixion, then now to across naked and showing for public display dying I’m slow supplication

He created us, yet allowed humanity the freedom to do this, to fulfill scripture, and to set us free from our sin. This was no surprise to Jesus. He was aware of what was coming fore knowing all the details, all pain, all the humiliation.

Imagine, knowing something that awful what’s going to happen to you. Jesus understands emotional and psychological anguish. The night that Jesus knew they would arrest him, he went to pray, but he took some friends with him.

And taking with him, peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘ my soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch (keep awake) with me. I’m going a little further he fell on his face and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will but as your will.”

Oh Jesus, confided in his three friends, they didn’t understand the depth of his tournament, and when Jesus returned from prayer, he found him asleep. Jesus understand what it’s like to be going through pain and extreme sadness alone.

Here it is summarized, as John described in his gospel: “ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, if the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and he’s on people received, and not. But you are who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. For God sent his son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. For God, so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.,

There is no question that there is pain and intense suffering in this world.

Some of it is explained by selfish, hateful actions on the part of others. Some of it defies an explanation in this life. but God offered us himself. God gives us the knowledge that he has endured also, and is aware of our pain and need. Jesus said to his disciples, “ peace, I leave with you, my peace, I give you, not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

There’s a simple reason to be afraid, troubled, but God can give us peace, which is greater than the problem before us. He is after all God, the. creator. The one who had always existed. The one who created the universe on the backstroke.

Yet, even in his power, he’s also the one who knows us intimately, even the smallest insignificant details. And if we trust him with our lives, relying on him, so we enter difficulties, he was a hold us securely.

Jesus said, “these I have spoken to you, so that in me, you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

He went through our ultimate threat -death – and overcame it. He can take us through the difficult circumstances of this life, and then bring into eternal life, if we trust him.

We can either go through this life with God, or without him.

You might find her self asking, Why is life so hard? Without God, humanity is easily drawn to hatred, racism, sexual abuse, and murdering each other.

Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.“

Jesus Came To Us As A Lamb. But He Is Coming Back As A Lion.

Daily Bible Verse

Psalm 3

Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me.

Many there are who you say of my soul, “There is no help for him and God.”

But you, Lord, or a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lift up my head.

I cry to the Lord, with my voice, and he answered me out of his holy hill.

I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; For the Lord sustains me.

I will not be afraid of ten of thousands of people who have second sounds against me on every side.

Arise, Lord! Save me, my God! For you have struck all my enemy on the cheek bone. Do you have broken the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people.

The Inevitable Misery Of Living For Yourself

One of the barriers that holds nine people back from knowing, do laundry, and being controlled by the love of Jesus, is the idea that true happiness only can be found, if I am free to live for myself.

Leaving for yourself is a default mechanism is an option for every person. This means unless something happens to bring about a change we end up living for ourselves. The Bible says it quite clearly, “ RC clear own interests and not those of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:21).

I want you to see the absolute misery of living this way.

If you live for yourself, you make yourself both the boss and the servant. You put yourself on both sides of the ledger. You are the one who is served, and you are the one who does the serving. They demand you sick. are they demand you must meet. The experience of a person who lives for self is like “ robbing Peter, to pay Paul,” and you are always in conflict.

If you live for yourself, you will be in the strange position of beating yourself up because you are unhappy. See if any of these profiles sound familiar.

The Displeased Beauty

You look in the mirror and see the boss is not happy because they want to have a more pleasing image. Though you have been woven together, wonderfully by God, all you see are the imperfections of face and body. Fashion magazines are where we go for a blueprint of how a young woman you’re supposed t look like in critical and materialistic world. Your self as the boss is perpetually displeased, no matter how much time you spend on going to the gym, or putting on makeup, or dressing to please the world’s tastes, that tells you that you measure up.

So you beat up on your self (the servant) for not being pretty enough of handsome enough no matter what you do. Instead of soaking in God‘s truth, that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you punish yourself with lies that say no one will ever love you because you’re not perfect enough. So you bring to mind the fear associated with rejection from ugliness. You tell yourself to step up and cultivate beauty, of else you will be lost forever in the world that tramples over uninteresting people.

The Disappointed Retiree

When you look at your life, and your self, as the boss says, you should have accomplished more. When you look past the decades, all you see are broken family relationships that have yet to be mended and the years of your unsatisfying work you accuse yourself of wasting time, gifts, and money trying to be someone you never became. You asked yourself you eat good come from my life?

Who’s to blame? Yourself, the servant who turned to drinking wave of memories, and holds himself up in your home. You deserve it, resolved that this life with no contribution to anyone, so there is no use putting forth any more effort. You decide to simply put on a mask at fault contentment for the rest of your days, and hope no one noticed you failed. How many people in your lifetime do you know that done this? I for one don’t want to be that person.

The Frantic Executive

You as the boss, consider your work achievements and bank accounts, and there’s never pleased. Do you work at executive of your life? Who’s job it is you watch over others. You micromanage your self, because money and approval leads to happiness, so, if either is laughing, you are displeased, and irritated at the people that you look out for. (Whether it be family, friend, or at work.) maybe you fear that you failed. Maybe look over at your neighbor as they pull in to the driveway with a brand new car. And think if I would’ve taken care of my finances, my family better. I would have all the things they have. I’ll just have to try harder.

So, yourself as a servant begin to working yourself to death trying get to the point of living like your next-door neighbor. You’ll have to make more money and get your family more organized to be ready buy more expensive items and earn the good glances of others. But you will never be fully satisfied, because at the end of the day, you are no happier than when you were awoke.

The Concerned Parent

Do you ever look at your children and see your opportunity for academic success, good, physical, help, and lifetime of happiness? As parents, we expect perfection, and our ability to guide, teach, and nurture our children. I wish standard issue right children, who reflect positively on all the hard work we’ve done for so many years.

Yet, when are children don’t turn out the way we think they should. We increasingly stress when our children make poor decisions, the have troubles of their own. So, we cry ourselves to sleep and wonder where we went wrong. We become more fearful for the outcome of our children, because we have determined that their success was in your hands. I’ve been their with a adult child, making wrong decisions about their lives. I used to wonder “Where did I go wrong?”

All I can say, is that it’s a good thing. God doesn’t beat us up as much as we beat ourselves up, not just with parenting, but every aspect of our lives.

Our Hard Work

If we consider all the good fruit that we’ve done in our past lives as we boss and servant ourselves around. It is important to see the good fruit in our life over the years. See the kindness, self-control and love we’ve done in all situations over the course of time – that’s how God sees us.

He only wants the best for us, I think of many morning spent studying Bible and praying for my family and spending time with great friends. So instead of struggling through your life, try seeing yourself as God sees you. Sometimes I feel that God has a checklist of our good works and sees us in good shape. A whole lot better than we see ourselves.

When we see that the fruit of humility is missing don’t beat yourself up. Try to understand what we must do to fix our problems, prayer, reading your Bible, and speak to God life a friend, tell Him your wrongs and your rights.

He will show you a way to get rid of the misery we have put ourselves in. We don’t have to be “boss and servant,” over ourselves. When we Give our burdens to God we will receive beauty for our ashes.

Daily Bible Verse

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot of anything the kings of the Earth set themselves, and the rulers to council together against the Lord, and all his anointed, saying, let us break their bond into pieces, and castaway their cords from us He who sits in the heavens, shall laugh; The Lord will hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure; yes, I have set My King on My Holy Hill of Zion.

I will declare and decree; The Lord has said to me You are My Son. Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them into pieces like a Potters vessel. Now therefore; be wise O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you persist in the way. When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Psalm 2

This is a warning to everyone in Government to turn back to God.

God’s Answer To Peace

Follow the example of all that we have imparted to you and the God of peace will be with you in all things.

In Philippians 4, God answers the questions on how to find peace.

Don,t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ. So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.

People have said to me from time to time, “It’s too hard to follow God.” I find it quite easy. Everything we need to live in the world is written down-everything. Yet, Satan tries his hardest to distract us from where we should be going.

Bible Verse Of The Day

Psalm 1

Blessed is the one who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is the law of the Lord, And in His law he mediates day and ad night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings its fruit in it’s season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does will prosper.

The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous, For the Lord knows the way of the righteous. But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Better Health And Less Stress

If you think about it our thoughts are connected to every single area of our lives. They affect or moods, or words our attitudes and even the choices we make. They also affect our emotional and physical health.

Research shows that 75% to 98% of mental, physical, and behavioral illness comes from one’s thoughts. The mind and the body are definitely connected.

We can stress ourselves out by the way we think. If you’re like me, you believe your circumstances are to blame for our unhappiness. But in all actuality it’s the way we think about our circumstances that that usually causes worry and stress.

Stress has been proven to cause issues like muscle tension, headaches, increased heart rate gastrointestinal problems, constipation and diarrhea, it can even cause artery inflammation. And that’s only a few of the side effects. It’s a modern-day epidemic.

But God has given us the answer for worry and stress. In Proverbs 3:5 the amplified Bible the answer is to simply trust. “Lean on, trust in and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”

Trusting God is the greatest stress reliever in the world, and our minds play an important role in the process. We have a choice. We can rely on our own understanding, insight and endless thinking about our problems, trying to figure out everything on our problems. Or we can chose to adopt a trusting attitude and say “God, I don’t know what I’m going to do about this situation, but, I can’t fix this on my own. If you want me to do something then show me.” Meanwhile choose to trust Him and enjoy your life and let God work on your problems.

Believe you me, I used to be a professional worrier. I was good a worrying about my children, my finances. While my husband would be put working on our vehicle, and laughing with the neighbors. I would say to him, “How can you be outside laughing with the neighbors, while we’re struggling to keep the bills paid.” He he would tell me “we’ve done everything we know to do. I refuse to worry and be miserable.”

It would make me so made, but He was right. I was allowing myself to get upset and waste time I could have been spending with my children. The problem was even though I knew this and would give it to God, my thoughts would go directly back to worrying. I caused myself to have a nervous break down, by just worrying about every little thing. I wasn’t until then, I actually realized that I had to leave it go God to work on.

Yes, I still worry and stress sometimes, I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t. But now I stop and pray. I may not understand why my situation is happening but, I know God has a plan to fix it.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27

Do You Believe In Ghosts?

Ghosts. What do you really think about them? If someone pushes us, most will admit how degree of love for scary stories. But what about the reports of real ghosts, even by sincere Christians few questions seem to know what you think. But if we look at the scriptures,we find solid answers, even on this murky subject.

Both children and adults alike wonder about the existence of ghosts. Some reject the notion. Others insist that ghosts exist and cite experiences. their own or friend-to-friend stories- as proof.

But what is a ghost, although definitions vary, the most common one is that ghosts are disembodied spirits of dead people that linger on earth. According to tradition, ghosts are invisible but can permit humans to see them.

Of course, either a thing exists or it doesn’t. No amount of belief will cause ghosts to exist if they don’t; nor could a personal opinion cause ghosts not to exist If, in fact, they do exist. Because a person’s belief in ghosts creates very serious are far-reaching ramifications it’s a topic that no Christian should ignore.

Tales involving apparitions trip down to earth from ancient times. Various languages contributed words such as wraith, phantom, specter, shade, banshee, and poltergeist. Some stories prove nothing, except that the concept goes back a long way. In fact even Jesus’s disciples mistook Him for a spirit when He appeared walking on the sea at night (Mark 6:49).

Most reports of ghost sightings include details that defy logic. For instance, most alleged apparitions are clothed. If a ghost is a spirit of a dead person, shouldn’t the spirit of fear“ after shutting, its earthly body, and its garments? Is want to conclude that pants, shirts, dresses, and medieval armor contains spirit of their own, that faithfully cling to the ghost of a person?

Further challenges of logic stem from stories of ghost ships (like as the Flying Dutchman), ghost trains, and similar accounts. Does a vehicle constructed by human hands gain s “soul” that reappears later?

People who listen to ghost stories around the campfire, understand that their friends have concocted the tales. They wish to embellish a spooky, darn naturally explains the addition of Synthroid decals as ghostly nightgown and horse carriages. But what about people who insist they really did she spirit manifestations, Is it possible that some individuals, including sincere, Bible – believing Christians truly observe supernatural apparitions?

What Does The Bible Say?

Our Creator of the universe -God offers solid answers to man’s questions. His Word, the Bible, is the foundation for understanding both the disable, invisible world, because God is Lord of both the natural and the supernatural. Regardless of whether a question concerns, the origin of life or human souls, the first resource to check is God‘s Word.

The Bible never portrays souls of lingering after death, (the immediate destination of heaven, or hell) rules out this idea. See, Luke 16:22-23, Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:8. Yet Scripture bluntly affirms the existence of immaterial intelligences. Mark 5:2-15 details Jesus’s encounter with a man in-dwelt by a multitude of unclean spirits. Jesus ordered them out, but permit them to enter a herd of swine. In Samaria, Phillip preached and “unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed” (Acts 8:7). Later, Acts 19:14-17) tells of a man inhabited by a demon. The sons of Sceva tried to exorcise it, but the man attacked them. however, these aren’t ghosts; They’re demons – fallen angels, governed by Satan (Matthew 12:22-28).

The very fact that humans can enter human or animal bodies, shows that they pass through barriers that would restrict human beings… demons are not human; neither are they God. But they are super human with superior, intelligence and experience and powers. To deny the existence of demon is not skepticism; it only displays ignorance. Could be unrealistic about their power is foolhardy.

Interestingly, the Bible record, one occasion, when the living appeared to contact the dead. King Saul donned a disguise and visited a medium to summon the dead prophet Samuel. (1 Samuel 28;7-21). An apparition that look, like Samuel appeared to the witch – causing her to cry out in freight

However, this passage doesn’t suggest that séances work, and it absolutely does not condone witchcraft. Some scholars believe that God sent Samuel on this unique occasion. But others, believe a demon was impersonating the prophet based on the fact that he made some false claims. Some believe that the apparition was scented to warn that all of Saul’s sons would die on the next day, but some survived.

Either way, the emphasis is that Saul had sunk so low that he tried to dabble in the occult, which God condemns. The next day Saul died.

Grave Conclusions

No evidence has produced to the single fact that should sway a Christian into believing that the spirits of deceased people can loiter on earth. In the light of the Bible, the only conclusion is that ghost sightings are either the figment of overactive imagination, or else they are demons.

People sometimes genuinely encounter a spirit entity – though not a dead human. Some people encounter demonic spirits, who may mimic dead people in order to deceive the living (1 John 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:1-3).

But why would demons want to deceive the living by impersonating the dead?

As servants of Satan and enemies of God, they would have every reason to cast out on God‘s word, and it’s warning about future judgment. Getting people to believe in ghosts automatically forces them to reject key verses in the Bible, like Hebrews 9:27.

Do you believe in ghosts? The question is huge. Coming to the wrong conclusion about the afterlife had eternal consequences, and the wrong choice on this side of the grave can condemn a soul to eternal agony on the other side.

When my Father passed away I was at his home, looking for some papers I needed. And a seen my Father walk across the hallway. I knew it probably was just my imagination. Sometimes we are very close to our loved ones, our brains create a prediction of what’s “out there.” It is a revised feedback from the world, and forms the bases of what we perceive. Our perception is an edited hallucination. I was so used to seeing my Father in his home, it was the perception of my Father always being there for me. This has a term it’s called “bereavement hallucination.”