To those waitin’ on the Lord today. Yeah to all the busted, broken or heartbroken, to the sick, the tired, the despondent, those disillusioned, to those suffering some sort of church-hurt due to the poor legalistic a.k.a. weird pharisaical and or other selfish choices. To those lonely with angst, to the hopeless, the restless, those backed into a corner with no way out. To the anxious wanting to grow and advance spiritually, to the troubled, to those who are pressed, stressed and or depressed, to those with backslidden friends, those with cognitively twisted loved ones, or family members on the brink of the grave. To those with mental challenges, to those worn out and weary from personal sin, or from a neighbor's wrong-doin', or from other burdens and pains... please firmly grasp and repeat these words after me, believer (even if you feel He's really far away or deaf to your cry (God's near, not far). Even if you've struggled at times with a bit of unbelief but want the doubt out)...
In healthy relationships, you know it’s about respect and candid communication. Ya show honor to. Yep, daily.
Q: How can you be or stay best friends with Someone you don’t spend a lot of time with.. or by staying all silent day in and day out?
Are you feelin' mad at God or at your spouse today? How much time have you prayed about that?
Bitterness is the acid that eats through and wrecks the container it's in. Forgiven people need to be forgiving people.
Cut em some slack, cuz you want them to do that for you ..right? Go vertical first. Stay in touch.. bitter and all irritated are way overacted.
"And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’” 1 Peter 4:8
Why if none are in danger from them, and they haven’t committed a crime where they might go do that again to hurt people.. go and report em? I mean why go all public with your friend’s wrong-doin’s? Would you want em doing that to you? Love covers. So cover em.. and first with prayer.
Remember when Noah got drunk after seeing that horrible ordeal? Lots of unbelievers wouldn't listen to what so.. they wouldn't hear him and they died. But his sons Shem and Japheth in love, took a garment and covered him. Let's be like them today.
Silence can be fatal. Especially in a relationship. But sometimes silence doesn't always have to mean something bad. Men and women react differently to the silence. And that's important to know when cultivating relationships! I say choose to pray together first and also. Choose to edify your friends like your sisters and brothers in church or school on a daily basis. Husbands, listen too, build up your wives and children with the Word. Live as an example. Point them out to Jesus. He is the ultimate Solution for any need a person can experience--can meet them all when I can't.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
Schweigen kann tödlich sein. Vor allem in einer Beziehung. Aber manchmal muss Schweigen nicht immer etwas Schlimmes bedeuten. Männer und Frauen reagieren unterschiedlich auf die Stille. Und das ist wichtig zu wissen, wenn man Beziehungen pflegt! Ich sage, entscheide dich dafür, zuerst und auch zusammen zu beten. Entscheide dich dafür, deine Freunde wie deine Schwestern und Brüder in der Kirche oder Schule täglich zu erbauen. Ehemänner, hören Sie auch zu, bauen Sie Ihre Frau und Ihre Kinder mit dem Wort auf. Lebe als Beispiel. Weisen Sie Jesus darauf hin. Er ist die ultimative Lösung für jedes Bedürfnis, das ein Person erfahren kann. Er kann sie alle erfüllen, wenn ich es nicht kann.
“Er (der Jesus Christus) kam in sein Eigentum; und die Seinen nahmen ihn nicht auf. Wie viele ihn aber aufnahmen, denen gab er Macht, Kinder Gottes zu werden, die an seinen Namen glauben; welche nicht von dem Geblüt noch von dem Willen des Fleisches noch von dem Willen eines Mannes, sondern von Gott geboren sind.”
Johannas 1:12-14
Listen, take heed to His words and principles, Listen to people carefully as well. Express from your heart. Wait on Him.. first. Show honor to Him and to all. Value time with them. You want to be valued right? Reach up first.. early is good.. and then outwards. All your relationships matter gobs, and you matter GOBS to Him as well. Yup, He loves you and has a good plan for your life -- that’s no empty cliché. Even when it looks or feel bad... He’ll make it all work together for good for you, lover of God. ALL of it, some is bad but He’ make it happen for good for you. See Romans 8:28-29. Real lovers seek and love God the most. See Matthew 6:33. We love because He first loved us.Visit.. Fish4souls.org
God by His Spirit communicates. And when the Bible is open and your heart is too for what He’ll say from it... God speaks. Speak to Him, listen well or until well and obey His word.
The Bible is God’s love-letter to the believer. Are you one yet?
God spoke and will speak to your heart, believer. Wait on Him.
God is not hiding from men..all silent like. Nope. Men are hiding from God. Most are not reaching out or are reasoning with Him candidly. He says, Come let us reason together. Like potential close friends as he hopes will be the case. Yep, most people are running from and are hiding from.. and this started in the garden. Remember the fig leaves?
"At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves."Gen. 3:7 nlt
In a sense.. you're not really what you think, but what you think in a sense ..you really are.
Think before you speak even. Yeah, THINK.. asking yourself: Is it True is it Helpful is it Inspiring Is it Necessary is it Kind?
So glad we each can pre-think and make wise decisions. We each can decide on what we allow to run through our minds, and who we will allow to become our close friends that can actually influence us.
Now this might sound really crazy.. but you really don't need a brain to continue thinking. A teacher would say that's ludicrous!
But think about it a bit further. Your white and gray brain matter.. is matter that will one day (fast or slowly) turn to ashes, but your soul in one of two locations will continue thinking and I would say probably a lot clearer than now. Yup, even outside the so called physical tent known as your body, and even be recognizing people, and recalling events that happened in your life while here on earth.
Sup with the white matter? It is found in the deeper tissues of your brain (subcortical). It contains nerve fibers (axons), which are extensions of your nerve cells (neurons). By comparison, the gray matter is simply tissue found on the surface of your brain (cortical). It contains the cell bodies of neurons, which give the gray matter its color. And you and I know what happens to matter. there will be a rapture, a snatching away suddenly where it's changed, or it'll be, in one way or another, perhaps buried. Not really an easy thing to do with loved ones you miss.
On the horizontal plane the one you want to listen to is the spiritual Bible believing person who helps you to ponder, to grow, to consider, to meditate upon, to pray and think wisely as you apply the words of God. Yep, so you can better walk in His will and help others to do so as well.
I have a lot to learn, but am grateful for my brain. Becoming a Christian while living in this body we certainly don’t want to kill off our brains. No, no! I like to challenge believers saying, “Let all of God’s people think, let them obey Him, and let them all praise Him whole-heartedly. All this is more important that merely feeling or walking by feelings, because feelings come and go -- they can be fickle. We indeed are grateful for good emotions, but we don’t let them rule our lives like they are Lord.”
“The only Christian you want to listen to is the one who gives you more of a hunger for God.” ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, But his heart is not with you.” nkjv
"Inevitably, we have to face the reality that God has given us the responsibility of cleansing the thoughts of our hearts. The Holy Spirit and God's Word are available to help us, but each person must decide for himself what he will think, and what he will imagine. Being created in God's image requires that we be responsible for our thoughts." ~
Carothers
Daily I am the air traffic controller responsible for what I allow, or not allow to land in my brain.
What is apatheism? What is an apatheist?
Why are some people so apathetic about what they think about, about their belief in God and regarding other spiritual matters?
There’s a connection -- the human spirit, the person’s mind and their heart are linked an they affect each other.
The Bible makes it clear that our thinking and our hearts are inseparably linked. What we think affects our heart. How we think affects our heart. Likewise, the condition of our heart affects our thinking.
Many Bible passages support this idea. Before the flood, God described the condition of people's hearts in Genesis 6:5:
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." niv
What we think in our hearts, in turn, affects our actions. Jesus Christ himself confirmed the connection in Matthew 15:19:
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."
The sin of murder was a thought before it became an act. Theft also started as an idea before it evolved into a sinful selfish action. Humans often act out the condition of their hearts through their deeds. Our actions and our lives resemble what we think, and or the truth we meditate upon, memorize, apply, and or first pray about.
So, let’s all take full responsibility for our thoughts, our attitudes, our spirit. We must renew our minds in the word (all the counsels of God’s word) and cooperate with God’s Spirit to clean up our thinking:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ~ Paul, Philippians 4:8 esv fish4souls.org
God is the Generous Rewarder and Help of All Those Who Diligently Seek Him!
What can I remind us and encourage us from Psalm 121? This is what I said there. Let's glance back to remember the good things from Nathan's life, then let's look up past these hills here to Christ, and then let's advance spiritually with Him as Lord. Leading all the way Home. We'll have a reunion with our forever Family.
From the lowlands of Palestine up the hill into Jerusalem, this psalm is about the journey of the Jews for the worship of our one God. It's "a song of ascents." Think festival time of year for them, no funeral time. It was thee top priority just the same, and biblical worship needs to be imperative for us as well.
The mountains are places of military advantage for soldiers, but remember that our God doesn’t need an advantage point when fighting for his loved ones.
Our "help comes from the LORD." Believer, He keeps you, He guides you, fights for and protects you, He nurtures, feeds, preserves, and watches over you. He won't sleep so you can sleep. "He gives His beloved sleep." He does the moonlight shift (aka deep night shift) for you.
"In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat— for He gives sleep to His beloved. Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward." Psalm 127:2-3
"The battle is the Lords" -- He has His part in your life daily, and we also have a part to play so to speak ..regarding faith in Him.
"This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God." 2 Chronicles 20:15b
"The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. 3The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name. 4Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea." Exodus 15:2-4
Army solders (Like our son Nathan, a Senior Sniper who we will miss), they are trained to fight effectively and must do that at times (think Just war, there have been some), but we believers never need to fight here in the flesh.
We too can do spiritual warfare by the Holy Spirit as He directs us (like in believing fasting and prayer, in praise and worship too), but Christ ultimately is our victory. He totally conquered the enemy of your soul on the Cross at Calvary. We need never fight in the flesh like when when we are ripped off, suffer huge or smaller loss, or go through really tough times.
Yep, you and I believer don't fight for victory as much as we fight the good fight of faith.. from victory. The victory that was won for us on that tree.
Now hills and mountains are a places of blessing and yet also places of danger for what is up there in many mountain ranges. Did you know that pagans back in the day that Psalm 121 was written used to build their temples up in the mountains to enshrine their false gods. It happened, but we look beyond the hills and mountains for our help up to the Lord Himself. When the outlook ain't so good, we go with the up-look with eyes dead-bolted on Jesus.
The presence of trouble in the valley or hills.. the hazards, the trials, these do not mean the absence of God. Believer, the presence of hard testings here never mean the absence of Jesus.
Prayerfully take a moment to read through Psalm 121:1. It’s "A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore."
“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 55:12-13
Recognize God's greatness--none are greater. Be sure you lift your eyes high enough so that you see by faith the great God who cares for you. The ten spies in Canaan did not look high enough: they saw the giants and the walls but not the Lord far above all (Num. 13:28-33). When things on earth seem too big for you to handle, lift your eyes to God by meditating on Isaiah 40 (note v. 26). He is able and trustworthy! Yes..
God is there for you as your Helper (Psalm 121, verses 1-2). the guy who made the hills is the god who gives you help. he is a God of the hills and the valleys (1 Kings 20:23-30), and His help is available to all who will call upon Him.
God is there for you as your Keeper (verses 3-8). God's people, the pilgrims traveled all together for fellowship and safety because the roads were dangerous. The dangers in modern society are just as great, if not greater. But God goes before you too (see verses 3-4) and He stays awake to guide you and guard your path. He guides you with His eye, He is right next to you (v.5) and over you (v.6), and He will take you all the way safely to Zion (vv. 7-8).
And what goes along with Psalm 121? These words do...
"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore." Psalm 125:1-2 esv
And what’s the wise application for us with Psalm 121? Well, we could look up or within but it's wise to look up to Him.
I will lift up with my eyes even higher than to the hills..even these hills at this cemetery. Yes, to the Lord who is SO for us, for each of us. He fights for us and guess what.. He never loses one battle. Never has, never will.
Q. from whence comes my help? (An internal monologue). The psalmist looks around, within (no good eternal guidance), and then above.
A. My help comes from the Lord.
Would you pray something like this. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Help me Holy Spirit. I will lift up my eyes even higher than the hills to the Lord of hosts, to the Lord of all lords. Help me turn and trust You daily.
He answers every prayer. Yes, No, or Wait--He responds and delights to say Yes. Its been said, “If the request is wrong, then God says no. If the timing is wrong, then God says slow. If you are wrong, then God says grow. But if the request is right and the timing is right and you are right, then God says go.” Have you gotten right with God--am talking about His righteousness (a free gift). Talking about then maintaining a right spirit, right motives and heart, and praying in the Spirit. He delights to bless!
1. He cares for his child. Cast your burdens and cares upon Him, the One who made heaven and earth - He literally sustains every atom in this and all galaxies amen universe. He neither slumbers or sleeps, watches over on a 24 hour vigil cuz he loves you. He works the night shift, He knows the the number of hairs on your head. He sees all, He perseveres you, He knows you well. He loves you and has a plan for you too.
2. Hey, got night fears or insomnia? He is great--the Greatest, He protects you, He revives and never leaves your side. See vv. 5-6.
3. He preserves you, your existence from all evil. vv. 7-8. Every evil is subject to The God who is watching over you.
We grieve at a funeral, but not as others grieve. A burial to us is not an explanation mark or question mark regarding life for us. It's indeed a comma for the believer. Life will go on forever and abundant. As we go out and come in with joy He holds our hands-- He preserves us here, and even through all eternity (v. 8).
"The word 'Christian' means different things to different people. To one person it means a stiff, upright, inflexible way of life, colorless and unbending. To another it means a risky, surprised-filled adventure, lived tiptoe at the edge of expectation...If we get our information from the biblical material, there is no doubt that the Christian life is a dancing, leaping, daring life." ~ Eugene H. Peterson
Fools say that in your darkest moments here God doesn't care, cuz He's not there. But He is and Yes He cares.
If time and aging seems cold, uncaring, and cruel here, just know that God is NOT.
The Lord is our KEEPER.
I don't know what you are struggling with, but you can pray in faith and God will meet every need. Has life here felt treacherous to you? Got Covid or a dangerous variant today, or perhaps Pneumonia, or Parkinson's? Our help comes from the Lord.
The Apostle Paul in the Bible says, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 nkjv
You know how we each can learn from other people, yes from every human.. what not to be, what not to believe, what not to say or do, what to believe, what to say, to do, and what to be in our character too.
I challenge you if I may.. Let's all believe the Scriptures (Jesus did--He can help you get the doubt out). Let's all follow Christ real close with the transparency of intimacy. Jesus prayed like that and believed all the (Old Testament) Scriptures (and even the Bible passages His Spirit would cause to be written right). Let's all seek and love the Lord all the way through. With all our hearts, not half heartedly.
Personally, we still don't know what killed Nathan -- they told us it would take at least three months. It might've been Covid, not sure yet. At the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery (section 19A, plot 786) on Nathan’s marble headstone there, Liney and I were going to put these words for the living who might read:
Know the Lord intimately, with red-hot love follow closely, and fully obey Him according to His Word. Get the doubt out, and put your faith in Him. Then it'll go well for you and your family.
But we had to reduce because the military only allowed us a certain number of characters so we chose this verse:
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:37
I found those kjv words, "Love the Lord thy God" fourteen times in the Bible.. it's that important! You know our obedience to God comes from our knowing, following and loving him.
"And we know with great confidence that God who is deeply concerned about us causes all things to work together as a plan for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose." Romans 8:28 amp
"I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart." Psalm 38:8
We want to see the metal ship floating.. instead of the individual pieces sinking.
You do too I am sure. We want to see the finished tapestry from the front side instead of parts of the the back side with all those tangled looking strings.
Examine yourself to see if you are in Christ. Do you have mere said faith or saving faith? Many here in the Bible-belt have said faith that saves no one. They are nominal Christians that are not born from above.
Been a tough time for many people lately. For us too, like last night right before we bury our second son, Nathan. I always liked his good sense of humor and laughter when younger. I remember he prayed with sincerity and we all liked his causal style of acoustic music. Yeah, I enjoyed that so much. Right along with biblical values Nathan always has his politics right. Was very opposed to abortion and so many of their destructive stances that hurt us Americans.
He got in trouble with the law before, but told us he never ever wanted to become a criminal and he didn't get in trouble with the the police again. Today we will briefly glance back recalling the good things of his life, we will look up past the hills to God.. calling out to Him for some help.. and we will go forward with Him leading us for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We'll advance spiritually, and the Lord being our Helper.. we'll advance the Cause of the Gospel around the globe as well.
Smart dads working together with the moma-bears (and don't mess with them foolish state legislatures and others), they're a powerful team!
It's what we just saw happen in Virginia -- their teamwork.
Prayerful teamwork with the moms and dads pushing back the evil in the Land, and in schools... is powerful. The Restrainer here, and the salt of the earth people, are still working together (with their families in mind).
BTW: Here's a challenge for you. Men, go through the book of Proverbs each month, (one chapter per day). And through the Psalms too, (5 per day).. not excluding the other books. The Psalms of course help you go vertical in worship, and the proverbs help you know how to wisely act on the horizontal plane.. with other people.
Think and "act like men".. men (God said that). Choose to fear God, to know, and fully trust in Him too. In connection with a healthy Bible teaching church and small group. After these Covid days people will see how radically important Christ centered small groups really are.
Am grateful for my parents and all the good things they've taught. Listen, teach your kids and grandkids to fear and walk close with the Lord as well (like the great men of all history did, like if your kids don't or won't with their kids), and to lean into Him, rather than "unto their own understanding" apart from the word." To prayerfully fill their minds with Bible truth and wise applications cuz it goes the distance forever. They're each just one phone chick away from hellish-weirdness today.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
When spiritual, no-spiritual-compromise born again fathers, mothers, and families together worship the Jesus of the Bible, as well as help others in need guess what.. this is well pleasing to God.
“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to .And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God” Hebrews 13:15
Fact: Fools don't and won't see things from God's perspective (that's what God's wisdom is all about juxtaposed to the wisdom of the world), but you indeed can see from his perspective if you want to!
I believe this.. As the men see and go, so goes this nation. And as America goes, so goes the world. And I'm not talkin' about the world's corrupt system here, which will never go as wise people go. So listen up to your Father, think and say and do as He did and is doing...four fingers pointing back at me.
My parents love to talk about how they surrendered their lives to, and by faith came to know Christ after decades of partying. They've both been helping and ministering to former drunks ever since this time.
I was chatting with my mom today and I asked her (Elizabeth Ellen aka Betty) a good question.. "Mom, do you call yourself an alcoholic just so you can go to the AA meetings with dad and speak? Is this your preventative medicine of sorts, and way to share your faith?"
She responded ..at what point does the cucumber become the pickle?.. and after it's a pickle it can't go back to becoming a cucumber again. She said she probably did cross the line with her drinking too much with my dad into becoming an alcoholic but she isn't 100% sure. She likes to be with him at the meetings.
She said that her own dad John F. Beck was one of nine wealthy kids and five of them died from alcoholism. They all as adults had beautiful homes fancy exotic cars, beautiful spouses and kids ..and then lost it all because of drinking.
Her uncle Bill got sober though, but Bob, Fred, Kate, and her aunt Betty died from it.
Yeah, Kate at age 50-something died too. Bob drove off a cliff in Wisconsin accidentally. My mom says that her aunt Kate was a lot like her when she was young, "always raising hell."
Their mom was 100% Irish from the Cudahy family, very rich, but sadly drinking was socially acceptable with the family.. too much to their family's lasting hurt.
Life here seems so brief to me, it goes by so quick and fleeting to me. Listen, please savor every moment with Jesus as your Lord.. in practice not just in theory or religiously like (it's a lifetime and daily goal for each of us). There's so much for me to learn. He will use you to share the Gospel and your own story of faith with others.
Dads, moms, parents.. live for the Lord. Drive far around and away from the bars and drinking parties. Get rid of the stored bottles -- those with the drinking and all haven't helped anyone. Man, personal convictions from the Lord, and daily decisions and habits, and prayers of faith said together with ..and over the kids, and choices of who the close friends will be (with their influence and all their habits too that can influence).. are all so important to take into account.
