Good Morning

It seems fear is the word of the day right now- With the COVID-19 spreading around the world, financial markets in turmoil, border closings and lock-downs beginning to happen!!! What sane person would not have a feeling of helplessness and loss of control- Well I just read a good discussion of fear from Hal Lindsey Ministries- Of course this is Bible grounded but I will attest that this is all the truth if you have accepted the Lord Jesus into your life- I do not fear, as such, the virus and all that is happening from my life point because I am at peace about it,,, given by the holy spirit !!! I do fear for all the people that are caught up in all this COVID-19 confusion and have a feeling of hopelessness and worry for themselves and their loved ones !!! If you are saved,,, you know exactly what I am talking about,,, if you have not accepted Jesus into your life then please see below the results of making a decision for Jesus !!!

Hal Lindsey:

I’ve never counted them, but I have read that phrases like “fear not” or “do not be afraid” occur over 300 times in the Bible. Clearly, God does not want us to be afraid. In fact, He commands us not to fear.

That’s because, in many ways, fear and faith are opposites. And Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

And yet, when countries around the world are declaring national emergencies, the temptation to fear can grow. When markets falter, and wealth disappears before our eyes, we might be tempted to feel anxiety. The coronavirus COVID-19 is what Psalm 91:6 calls a “pestilence that stalks in darkness.” We know it’s there, and we know it’s deadly, but we can’t see it.

When we’re tempted to fear, what does God say?

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

If your hope is in this world only, then you should be afraid. But if through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, you live in the assurance of heaven, then don’t be afraid. Don’t be moved by any of the things the world is throwing at you.

Cry out to Him as a child would cry out to his dear father – full of faith and trust. Then thank Him for all He has done.

In John 14:27, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

These are difficult days. We should be prudent and plan things as well as we can. But panic? Fear? No! Let the Living God keep you in perfect peace.

Believe me, folks,,, this peace is beyond anything you can explain- Through all the ups and downs of my life and even during the times when I am facing the consequences of my sinful actions,,, The Lord has stayed with me and comforted me through them,,, even though he should have just let me destroy myself !!!

As I remarked earlier,,, if you are saved,,, you know what I am talking about- If you have not looked into Jesus,,, I would strongly advise you do- You will never regret it !!!!!!

 

I believe that we all have to deal with two completely different types of Wisdom in this life- I call them Heartwise and Worldwise ??

God has stated in his holy word that he, as our creator, has placed his word into all of our hearts,,, that is the Heartwise Wisdom-

Worldwise is the Wisdom we experience, deal with, compete with and fight with as we live in an unbelieving world,,,,

So what’s the difference ???

Heartwise comes out of Love, forgiveness, patience, and respect- It is based on giving, rather than receiving !! Heartwise results in a positive experience for both sides !!

Worldwise comes out of Selfishness, self-satisfaction, self-glorification and getting all and more then what I think I deserve !! It is based on receiving !! Worldwise usually results in a negative experience for both sides !!

Heartwise and Worldwise do not play well together, in fact, I would say that that they are complete opposites in most cases !!

My personal case in point with these two forms of Wisdom !!

I recently went through a divorce- The particulars aren’t important, just that we both landed at the same conclusion on how we needed to proceed- The Lord laid it on me to deal with this from a Heartwise perspective, and by so doing, it was a respectful, positive process based on Love rather than animosity- It was good for her and my daughter and we can still deal with each other as we need to where our lives are still connected- Still True Friends and that is a big positive after a divorce !!!!

Now here is the downside, from a worldly point of view, of most any Heartwise action,,, the Worldwise response !!!

Sometimes when I let myself get into a Pity-Party, Woe is me depressed state,,, the Worldwise view raises its ugly head !!! What were you thinking !!! You could have got more,!!! You should have taken more!!! Why should she be happy at your expense,,,, you are a bloomin’ idiot !!! I have even had friends tell me that I was dealing with my heart (Heartwise) and not with my head (Worldwise) A kind way of saying,,, I blow it !!!

So did I,,, blow it ???

Certainly not,, without a doubt not !!! I have a peace about this whole life issue that comes only from God because I tried to follow his conviction- There is no better feeling !!! I can look and deal with my ex-wife and daughter with love and joy as I am a part of their new direction in life,,, both with me and without me !!! Isn’t that the point of Love,,, to help and let people soar forward and free in their lives knowing that they have your support and best wishes !!!!

Heartwise Love is not always the easiest path, in this world,,, but it is always the best path!!!

God Bless Everyone of You !!!

 

Let’s start with a clarification,,,, Gray or Grey ??? I was never quite sure,,, well here it is,,, Gray is more common in the United States, and Grey is more common in the rest of the English-speaking world. Both are acceptable spelling except when used as proper nouns (someone’s name, for instance) or as in Greyhound, species of dog or Grayling, a species of fish- But as for color both are acceptable !!

Thinking back, as I grew up, I can never remember anyone in my family or school or people around me ever using Gray Area to describe a situation- Like my dad, teachers, neighbors and everyone around me, it was pretty black or white,,, i.e,,, Right or Wrong in their thinking- There was never a Gray Area in his judgment,,, it was either acceptable (Right) or Unacceptable (Wrong)- That was that !!! Now don’t get me wrong,,, there was wrong around, but the underlying principle was more that,,, it is wrong if you get caught- Never a question of whether it was wrong or not,,, no Gray Area,,, even with the wrong doer’s in their heart !!

Then I went to college in the late ’60s and early 70’s- This is where the Gray Area came into my world- We were the generation of Lawyers and Doctors and New Age Thinkers ???,,, questioning everything- Is there really a true right or true wrong,,,,, maybe that is a Gray Area (neither all right or all wrong),,, to be explored and taken into consideration ???

So by applying the Gray Area concept,,, nothing could be considered completely right or completely wrong as my parent’s generation viewed it ??!! We were finally free to question everything, and apply our own individual rules to our lives- What a concept !!!

We moved from a God-filled knowledge of Right and Wrong to a Godless filled belief of our own concept of what we felt was right and wrong- All we have to do is look around where we are today to realize the mistake of this Godless filled belief of right and wrong “The we are in complete control of our destiny”,,, the world is a complete and total mess, spiraling out of control and into complete chaos !!!

Who can Rescue us and return us back to the Peace and Well-being and Safety that every heart desires ???

Only the God who placed the knowledge and concept of Right and Wrong in all of our hearts from the beginning that we have run away from !!!

But here is the catch,,, There are no Gray Area’s in God’s word (The Bible) What he says, is exactly what he means and exactly what will happen- If he says “Do Not Steal” that is exactly what he means,, there is no ” do not steal from your friends or during the day or from good people” it is Do Not Steal !!! No outside qualifications and justifications apply !!!

So, for instance, when he says in John 14:6, Jesus told him ” I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.” That is exactly what he means,,, he does not say this is one way, or there are many ways and many truths,,, no he says “No One” can enter into the Father’s (Gods) Heaven accept by accepting, believing and asking forgiveness of your sins through the son,,, The Lord Jesus Christ !!!

So there is one thing I know for sure,,, we are all going to die at some point !! I also believe 100%, the instant after death, we are in eternity,,, there is no going back and no more choices can be made,,, your fate is sealed- You have to make your choice (Jesus or World) while you are here on earth,, no faith-filled Mother, Father, Grandma, Pastor or Rich Uncle can change that fate once you pass on !!!

If you chose Jesus,,, you will go to God’s Heaven he has prepared for his believers- If you chose the World (No Jesus) or don’t make a conscious decision for Jesus,,, you go to Hell !!

It is entirely your choice (while alive),,, and that is in Black and White and Red in God’s word (Bible) !!

I pray you chose Jesus,,,, TODAY !!!

 

So What are we looking for,,, and we are all looking for something !!! We set up all these different associations to try and find what we feel, deep inside, we need. We have friends, clubs, social groups, social media, dating apps, FaceBook, Twitter, boyfriends, and girlfriends,,, none of them seem to fill the longing inside for more than a moment. We go to bars and parties, join specialized groups that we think are like us or that we think we want to be like. We chase fame and fortune, knowledge and wisdom, beauty and beast,,, nothing lasts for more than a moment,,, so we keep chasing- Everything seems to come and go in a flash and then it is gone.

I remember my 25th birthday,,, I was working in a bar in Portland Oregon- I was with lots of friends and seemed to be on the top of the world. This feeling will last forever, I thought !!?? Well fast forward to today,,,, 45 years later and I still have a clear picture in my mind of that night,,, and you know what,,,, it didn’t last forever it was just a moment ago in my memories !!! Just a moment ago ???

We have all heard the ole saying,,,, Body,,, Mind,,, and Spirit. Well, that is exactly what we are.

The Mind is what we learn with,,, filled with knowledge and experience. We try/want to use our minds to guide us in our chosen path through life. Usually, a path of worldly desires, wants needs and self-glorification. Again it is all here and gone in just a moment !!!

The Body,,, now that is just the transport vehicle and temporary place of residence for the Mind and Spirit- It provides a home for Mind and Spirit as we travel through life !!

Now we come to the Spirit. This is where it gets interesting and serious- This is where the longing and emptiness resides. This is where the need to find someone or something more originates from. The Spirit is constantly seeking to be joined back with the Father that gave it to us. It will never be content or at peace until that reunion happens !!! So we will never arrive at true peace or contentment until then as well !!!

So here is the problem,,, The Mind is of the world and wants to finds peace and contentment from the world,,, so it is a odds with the Spirit. The Spirit will never find peace and contentment from the world alone as the world is Material and the Spirit is, well, Spiritual. That is like mixing oil and water and putting it in your transport vehicle,,, before long it will tear itself apart !!!

The only way you will ever find real peace and contentment for you and your Spirit,,, is to reconnect to the Father that created both of you,,, The Lord Jesus Christ. But to do that you have to choose and force the Mind to seek a spiritual direction back to God and away from the wants and desires of the Material World. Therein lie the answer and the problem. You can’t have it both ways and from personal experience over all these years,,, I can attest to the fact that you can’t have it both ways. You can have the Worldly way for a moment before it fades away (like my 25th birthday) or you can choose to let your Spirit reconnect with the Father and you will go from a moment here to eternity with the Father in Heaven.

Here is the verse that guided me to this realization,,, Roman 8:16 – For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. (NLT Bible)

You will never be whole and/or able to end the “What am I looking for” until your Spirit is allowed to join back with the Spirit of God that created us. The Catch ??? You have to Choose,,, it’s your choice and your choice alone !!!!

Trade your moments for eternity with Jesus !!!