Does the Devil Really Exist?

Do you believe in the devil [Satan]? Many people don't-- and think he's only symbolic of evil in the world-- [as God is symbolic of good]. Unfortunately, they are sadly mistaken, because the devil is REAL [just as GOD, who created the heavens and the earth and all its inhabitants (Genesis 1:1)]! 

Lucifer [Isaiah 14:12-15] 

"Lucifer: once an arch angel, was by historical reference called - "Light Bearer." Because of his jealousy of GOD, he was cast out of heaven for treason. One-third of all angels followed him. He was brilliant and a leader of heavenly worship. This 1/3 of damned angels actually acted on their own volition, but followed Lucifer's beliefs. He still awaits judgment day where he will again fail to defeat the pious and faithful, but he will still try. Lucifer does not wish to be seen, he enjoys people not believing in him, thus the greatest trick he ever pulled." [Urban Dictionary]

Satan is the enemy of God. He hates Him, all that He stands for and those He created on the earth. Because, he has no power to defeat God, the devil takes out his vengeance on man. This act of vengeance started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve [Genesis 3]. Disguised as a serpent, he deceived Eve, who gave audience to him. She took his advice and invited Adam to join her in disobeying God by eating forbidden fruit. 
Scripture tells us that God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, which had been their home since they were created. 

Satan also goes after those, who are tremendously blessed by God. His objective is to prove to God that man only serves Him because of His blessings [Read Job, chapter 2].  He has been trying to annihilate man since the beginning. When God sent His Son Jesus to the earth as a baby through the virgin Mary, he made an attempt through King Herod to kill the baby Jesus. He was unsuccessful in killing the baby Jesus [Matthew, chapter 2]; but he had all the children two years and younger to be killed by the sword. Before Jesus began His earthly ministry, He was tempted by the devil. "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit [Holy Spirit] into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry [Matthew 4:1-11_ESV]." The devil questioned Jesus as the Son of God and tempted Him in His physical weakness. His effort was to get Jesus to worship him instead of His Father: GOD! Satan is quite prideful and has always thought more of himself than he should!   

Since, Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary [Matthew, chapters 27-28] to redeem us back to God, Satan has been tempting man to disobey God and cause them to think that God is withholding His best from them. He is the father of lies and there is no truth in him. Satan's also the author of confusion. He goes to and fro in the earth seeking whom he may devour [1 Peter 5:8] and does cause terror in some people. Those, who believe in God need not fear Satan: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you [James 4:7_ESV]." Satan preys on anyone he believes he can conquer. He attacks the children of God through sickness, disease and other calamities. He knows man's weaknesses and can be counted on taking advantage of them, when possible and advantageous for him. He even uses those, who believe in and serve him. Although, people worship him and get riches and earthly favor from his hand; in the end they will have no special favors and will be tormented with him. He hates all human beings!

On day, "an angel from heaven--having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain will take hold of the dragon, that old serpent, which is called the Devil, and Satan, and bound him for one thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season [Revelations 10:1-3_KJV].
"When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea [Revelations 10:7-8-- read entire chapter]. 

Satan's wicked reign on earth will come to an end and he will be cast into the 'lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

I invite you to read the poem below:
  

Bow Down

(In this diabolical poem, Satan appeals to the appetite and desires of weak-minded or unbelieving individuals as he seeks the worship that should be given only to God; his suggestions are meant to cause people to disregard God’s Word, to renounce God and Jesus’ Name, to question the reality of heaven and to actually trust him and become one of his.)  In playing the devil's advocate in prose, I show the way the devil speaks to the unsuspecting or those, who choose not to believe in God. It's dangerous to be out of the 'ark of safety' and in a state of indecision, which in itself is a decision. 

Bow down and worship me

I’ll give you whatever you crave

Bow down and worship me

It’s alright to misbehave

You can’t believe the things you've read.

Do you really believe the Word?

Don’t pay attention to what God said.

You’ll be brainwashed with your vision blurred.

Bow down and worship me

I’ll give you influence and fame

Bow down and worship me

Renounce God and Jesus’ Name.

Don’t worry about tomorrow.

Have fun and live for today

Do you really believe in heaven?

That can’t be the only way!

Bow down and worship me.

Your future is guaranteed

Bow down and worship me.

Just trust me and you’ll be My seed!

By now, I trust you're convinced that the devil is a liar, with no future and nothing of  'lasting' value to give you. If you don't know Jesus Christ in the pardon of your sins; your future is dim and damnable! I invite you repeat this short prayer, so you can be born again today.

PRAYER: "Heavenly Father, I ADMIT I am a sinner. I BELIEVE that You gave Your Son Jesus to die for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead. I ask You Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord of my life according to Romans 10:9-10. Jesus, I CONFESS You as my Lord and Savior and receive Your salvation, In Your Name. Amen. Thank you God for saving me!

If you prayed this prayer: welcome to the family of God. You are no longer a sinner, but have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus [2 Corinthians 5:21]. Find a good Bible-believing church and start reading God's Word [the Gospel of John], so you can learn more about God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit and become a stronger Christian. If you have any questions, before you get planted into your new church home, feel free to leave a comment/question at the end of this blog. 

May the peace, grace and favor of God overtake your life! 

COPYRIGHT 2012 • Creative words • Victoria Sellers

2013: A Year for New Possibilities

 

Children and adults alike waited with excitement for Christmas and before they knew it: it came, brought much joy and in a matter of hours, it was gone for another year. With its departure also went the Yuletide spirit and the love that people shared so generously with the needy, unlovely and the unlovable. Unfortunately, this past Christmas wasn't joyous for everyone, because of the loss of loved ones, which makes holidays more difficult to bear. My heart still aches for those, who lost loved ones in the Newtown shooting. I can only imagine how they felt on Christmas morning. After purchasing special gifts and planning to surprise their children, spouses or loved ones; that opportunity was stolen from then in a single act of violence. There's a gaping wound in their hearts and an empty place at their tables. Healing will be slow and painful, but they will heal in time and their hearts will stop bleeding. They will be left with a scar that will always remind them of the tragic day that stole their loved one. 

Once Christmas was over; people resumed familiar routines and went back to business as usual. Before the new year, many people considered resolutions [resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.] they usually don't keep after the first month of the new year. What they really need more than a resolution is to accept the redemption of Jesus. He did all of the work on Calvary to set mankind free from the bondage of sin, sickness and poverty. Jesus came to earth through a young virgin that we might have life; and that more abundantly (John 10:10).  If you don't know Jesus as Savior and Lord; seek new life this year through Jesus. Since, the Lord was gracious, I was given the opportunity to see the new year and look forward to experiencing new possibilities. For some people (me included) it might be employment; for others a better job; for others a new career. The list of possibilities is endless: but we should look forward to better things with excitement. Include God in this year's agenda, because He's been so merciful to you and me. 

God is always saddened by the atrocities in the world, but He gave Adam and Eve a  freewill, when they were in the Garden of Eden. Because of man's freewill God cannot intervene in our decisions outside of prayer. He desires that 2013 that is meaningful and beneficial to you, your loved ones and those who come across your path. He desires that we obey His commands and walk in love, so we can love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If you don't know God's only Begotten Son--Jesus [John 3:16], you can received Him today as your Lord and Savior [Read Romans 10:9-10 out loud]. Find a Bible-believing church or return to the church you attended before you strayed from God. 

Having Jesus in your life is better than having all the money in the world.This world and all of its riches will pass away; but God and His Word will not.  One day, we will die and our physical bodies will rot, but our spirits and souls [who we really are] will live forever. If you know Jesus, you will be with Him for eternity in heaven. If you reject Jesus, you will spend eternity in the abyss of hell with Satan, the father of lies.  The devil knows what heaven is like, because he was created to be with God for eternity as a mighty angel and creator of music. Because of his rebellion against God, he with one-third of the heavenly host was cast out of heaven into outer darkness. Scripture states that hell was created for the devil (formerly known as Lucifer) and his angels; but because of iniquity (sin) hell has enlarged itself [Isaiah 5:14] and many today are have already gone or on their way.

The choice of where you will spend eternity is in your hands. Just as you wouldn't purchase fire insurance after you see smoke coming from your home; you shouldn't wait to make a decision for Christ. You can't afford to wait, because the devil will make sure you never have an opportunity to accept Christ. The day you hear His voice (He does speak to us); harden not your heart! I must be honest about being saved. Some people teach or preach that life will be a breeze after you're saved: that isn't true. Life itself doesn't change, but your 'spiritual' life does. You might still burn your toast or the roast; have a flat tire or lose you job, but you are promised a glorious eternity (after death) with the Lord. God is faithful and will never leave or forsake those, who believe and trust in Him (Hebrews 13:5). Also, He doesn't want to see anyone perish in their sins [2 Peter 3:9]. 

In closing, I want to leave you with these words of encouragement:"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words." [1 Thessalonians 4:16-18_ESV]

CHILDREN: Endangered Species

I don't know about you, but I have become appalled, angry and disgusted with the latest news stories about children. Each story is heart-wrenching, because another innocent child has been abducted, sexually assaulted, murdered and/or dismembered! When, I first hear news about an abduction, I pray that the child will be reunited with his or her family, but with the exception of one girl, who's brother died--that has not been the case. Children are to be and feel safe in and near their homes, but surprisingly, many are abducted near their homes and sometimes assaulted and killed by parents, people they know or in the home of a babysitter. Parents have also been in the news, because they have been killing their own children. It's sad, when children can't be protected by their own parents! Sexual predators are sick, because they have allowed the hurt someone caused them in their early years to fester in their hearts and minds. You must know the saying: "Hurt people HURT people," and it seems they don't get help-but get even. This has become not only personal revenge, but a sport of perversion and complete wickedness against children. Unfortunately, this epidemic is at an all time high!



There is never a good reason for taking an innocent life and it's despicable to take the life of a child. It's wickedness that causes people to do to others what they would not want done to themselves. Unfortunately, because of the depravity of these predators, there are few--if any happy endings for the families. Shocking discoveries only leave the parents to grieve bitterly as they try to sort out the gruesome acts that took the life of their beloved and precious child.

No doubt, they can't forget that it was only hours or a few days before they were able to hold, kiss and tuck their child into bed--maybe with a prayer. Some enjoyed talking about school and assisted their child with homework; others might have had some popcorn and watched a movie together. Unfortunately, ONE violent and perverted act STOLE their son, daughter, niece, nephew or grandchild. They might have even wondered if there was something they could or should have done to prevent the loss of their child. They find themselves suffering from grief with underlying guilt.

When will this nightmare for parents and children end and can it even be prevented? What is it that parents and well-meaning family and friends CAN really do? Well, there's nothing that can be done to the predators until they are caught, arrested and prosecuted. But when you can't stop people from causing you hurt, you must intolerant and fight back in a strategic way to protect yourself and loved ones and set up boundaries for future protection.

When I was a youth, Neighborhood Watch worked, because people were consistent and cared about the surrounding communities and nearby neighbors. Perhaps, there are still some communities that look out for one another.  I have few ideas for consideration. Having a Chaperon Rotation System with stay-at-home-moms or dads would ensure that children get to and from school safely. Also, it could alleviate children having to stand alone, while waiting for their school bus in the morning. Because, sexual predators know they can't be in close proximity of any school, they usually wait until the child is walking home. If an adult is with a child, who normally walks home, they would not be a target.  Adults are usually more aware of their surroundings than children, although children are pretty sharp these day. Noticing unfamiliar cars or new faces of new comers on the block is very important. Predators have body language that must be read. They're either too friendly and charming or very eccentric and just look weird. We all need to be on the look out for strangers in our own communities, because predators could be watching us and becoming familiar with the pattern of our comings and goings. One important thing to remember is that not all sexual predators work alone, so parents need to be in pairs and children should never be alone--but have a buddy, when needed until they meet up with parent chaperons.  

Children need to be trained thoroughly on the DO's and DON'Ts of strangers (men and women), so they will not fall prey to someone, who is really a wolf in sheep's clothing and intends to harm them. If they're approached they should go in the opposite direction and run fast like Forrest Gump to get help! Having chaperons might be a lot of work, but an ounce of prevention with worth a pound of cure and can save the lives of children in communities nationwide and worldwide.  Back to the sheep; Christians need to pray for the protection of children--not just in their surrounding areas or nationwide, but worldwide. This is a 'worldwide' epidemic of sexual evil against ALL children regardless of gender, age or nationality.  Children have become a high-priced commodity in the underground world and in our own cities.

This is serious, so DON'T BE PASSIVE about this epidemic. We need to work together to save all children, because they are are our future. When they are killed-- personal dreams and destiny die with them! Selah!
SAVE OUR KIDS!

GOT MILK?

No matter how old you are, you should remember the infamous slogan: “Got milk?” I remember it well from TV commercials. How important is milk? Parents can tell you it’s important for nourishing their children; and there aren’t too many people in our nation, who don’t drink milk unless it’s not readily available. It seems that we drink it, because we like it and most importantly for it’s health benefits. We can incorporate it in our recipes and use it to complement our meals, desserts, afternoon or late night snacks. Today, besides the familiar varieties like Non-fat (or skim), 1%, 2%, Whole, Buttermilk and Goat's Milk; we also have non-dairy milks like Soy, Almond, Coconut and Rice Dream, which are popular. Just like cow’s milk, these non-dairy varieties can be used for cereals, cooking and baking. Let’s not forget about powdered milk (a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness), which has the same nutrients as whole milk; and canned evaporated and sweetened condensed milk, which many people  also use for cooking and baking.

When I was growing up, the only milk, we drank in our home was whole. My grandmother used half and half for her coffee and when I stayed with her, she would sometimes make me a cup of coffee that contained enough coffee to taste, three (3) teaspoons of sugar and a dollop of half and half to smother everything out. It could have been called Kid’s Java! Another thing I remember about milk, while growing up was that it was delivered by the milkman and came in glass bottles. I will date myself to share a little tidbit related to milk: Although, it’s been over 50 years, since I was a youth, I remember watching a local after school show hosted by Johnny Downs in San Diego, California –my home town. “As one of the shows frequent sponsors was a local dairy, Downs was regularly featured as a superimposed miniature dancer on top of an old-style milk bottle.’ In addition to Mr. Downs dancing on top of a milk bottle, I can still hear the special greeting he shared at the beginning of each show: “Howdy, howdy, howdy, I’m Johnny Downs.” By the way, Mr. Downs hosted this show in the 1950s and early 1960s [For more information on Johnny Downs, visit www.Wikipedia.org.].

Before I started writing this post, I didn’t know who was responsible for the “Got Milk?” slogan, but I gleaned some information that explains how the slogan came about:

“Jeff Manning was hired in 1993 by the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB) as Executive Director to revive the sagging milk consumption in California.” [Jeff had his work cut out for him and shared his feelings about the white liquid]:

“What could you say about milk? It was white and came in gallons. People felt they knew all there was to know about it, so it was hard to find a strategic platform.”

“A month after he was hired, Manning hired San Francisco ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to create a new ad campaign for milk. "We weren't going to turn around a 15-year decline in per capita in one year, but we did believe that at least for certain portions of the population, we could flatten it out and start to move it up," said Manning. . . Goodby and his team used (this) consumer insight as the spark for what came to be called the deprivation strategy: rather than selling milk as a complement to certain foods, instead the strategy became to remind milk drinkers of the anxiety and disappointment that came when milk wasn't available at crucial moments. Working to distill this milk-deprived emotional state into a phrase that everyone might instantly understand, Goodby coined the campaign's well-known grammatically-challenged tag line, "got milk?" For more story details visit: Advertising Educational Foundation.

As infants, we drank breast milk or formula that was eventually replaced with whole milk, which became an important part of our daily diet. Cow’s milk has always been an important staple in households with children of all ages, unless there is some ‘lactose’ intolerance. A tall, cold glass of milk tastes so good, but more importantly, it is good for us and includes benefits like: glowing skin; healthy bones and teeth; it rebuilds muscles; helps in weight loss (with low-fat or skim); minimizes stress (drink a glass of warm milk to relax tense muscles); and promotes a healthy body. Also, milk is a staple that we never outgrow. Today, many adults still drink whole milk but those watching their calories prefer non-fat or 1%. When I drink dairy milk, it is 2%, but I really prefer Soy or Coconut milk above all others. If you choose not to drink cow’s milk, you won’t be at a loss for healthy options.

We all know from personal experience and viewing television commercials countless times that: milk – it does a body good! Now, I’m going to share some spiritual insight you might not know. Contrary to popular belief: you’re not a body; your physical body is the house for the real you. No matter how tasty and beneficial cow’s milk is for one’s body, it has no 'spiritual' benefits. I will tell you later about the benefits of: the ‘milk’ of the Word of God. Scripture tell us that God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and we were made in His image (Genesis 26-28). We are, tri-part beings and are spirit, we have a soul and live in a physical body (1 Thess. 5:23). Because, we are spirit, we need something other than cow’s milk for nourishment and strength. In order for us to be fed and strengthened in this way, we must be joined to God through rebirth or salvation and stay connected to Him-- like a branch is connected to a vine (John 15:1-2). When a person is born into the family of God through salvation, he or she is considered a babe in Christ. Just as we desired our mother’s milk or formula that nurtured our physical bodies during infancy, babes in Christ have a desire for the ‘sincere’ milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2); [The Greek word for sincere is adolos (ad’-ol-os) – meaning without deceit. The Greek word for milk is gala (gal’ah) – milk (figuratively): milk].

The Word of God is also considered seed (Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:24) that when planted in our hearts will produce good fruit and make us healthy, wise and prosperous (totally complete). [A side note: I used to think like many other people that prosperity pertained ‘only’ to having a good amount of money, but I learned that it includes more. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines prosperity as: the condition of being successful or thriving; especially : economic well-being. I like the word well-being for it is defined as: the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous : welfare.]

The right nourishment makes a difference in our growth and overall health. Just as milk and food nourish us from infancy to adulthood, the ‘sincere’ milk of the Word contributes to the spiritual growth and maturity of those connected to Christ. In addition to spiritual growth, we also gain an increase of faith as a result of hearing the Word (Roman 10:17). Just as growth spurts in children result in an increase of appetite and/or an acquired taste for different foods; the same applies tor a Christian, who reaches a state of maturity or full age. The appetite is no longer satisfied with just ‘sincere’ milk, but requires something more filling like the meat (core: the inmost or most intimate part) of the Word (Hebrews 5:14).

I have discovered that no matter how old one becomes, he or she will never outgrow the need for the ‘milk’ of the Word of God. If you are new to the family of God, because you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10), don’t forget to do your part to stay spiritually fit: receive spiritual nourishment daily and as often as possible. There is no danger of consuming too much, but you will grow stronger in the Lord each day. One’s spiritual growth is measured by the intake of spiritual nourishment. Want to learn more about the three levels of salvation, please feel free to check out the following link: http://4bb75ixcyxo8jx55c0mzogiz3y.hop.clickbank.net/

A final word of advice: If you’re only concerned about your body and want to ‘prevent the anxiety and disappointment that can come in your lives at crucial moments’ be sure you’ve got milk! For those, who are connected to Christ and want an increase in spiritual maturity, make sure you’ve got the ‘sincere’ milk of the Word! Selah (pause and calmly think about that)!





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FAITH vs. FEAR

Have you ever thought about faith, what it is and most importantly what it means to you?  Do you think (or believe) that faith impacts your life or do you think that you can live without it?  I believe that faith is vitally  important in our lives and that we cannot live without it; also, without faith, we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is a gift from God: believers have been given ‘the’ measure of faith and there is no amount of money we can pay for it nor can we earn it through good works (Romans 12:3b). I think it’s helpful to define words so we can have a better understanding of how we are to use and apply them to our lives.
Merriam-Webster defines FAITH as follows:

1 a: allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty; b. (1) fidelity : to one’s promises (2) : sincerity of intentions; 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion; b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust; 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially: a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

If you think about it, we actually have faith in both people and things without really considering it  a belief. We sit in chairs and expect them to hold us up; we turn on our televisions, radios and other electronic devices in anticipation of them working as we expect. We can also have faith in people we don’t even know (e.g. airline pilots, bus operators, taxi drivers, doctors, hospital staff, etcetera) and trust them with our lives and safety. This type of faith could be considered sincerity of intentions and we always hope and pray that the people we are trusting, will not let us down or cause us harm.
The most important kind of faith, loyalty or complete trust that anyone can have is faith in God. We would cease to exist without Him and would not have any hope in this life or for the next (Acts 17:28). God loved mankind so much that He gave His only Begotten Son to die for us, so that we would be reconciled to Him (John 3:16). Through Jesus we were redeemed from the eternal destiny we inherited as a result of Adam and Eve’s transgression against God in the Garden of Eden. Without Jesus Christ, we would have been eternally lost. The way that the world believes is quite different from the Scripture way of believing. The popular secular cliché for faith is:”I’ll believe it, when I see it.”  But, believers in Jesus Christ, believe  the opposite: “For we live by believing and not by seeing (2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT).”  It’s easy to believe what we can see, but that’s not faith; but believing in something that has not physically manifested is faith. “Now FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.] (Hebrews 11:1 AMP).
I believe that we sometimes have a tendency to believe in the things we desire [to see], when we are not to have faith in things, but in the Creator of things:God! It’s absurd for us to have more faith in people, who can and will let us down than we do in God! That should not be, for God is faithful, always keeps His promises and has an impeccable track record (Numbers 23:19). Mankind, on the other hand is fallible with the tendency to fall short. Since, we have the tendency to believe in what we can see instead of believing, when we can’t, what can we do to have the faith that will allow us to trust God for something before we see it? The answer is the Word of God. If we are faithful, we can develop faith that will not waiver, regardless of the situation: “So faith comes by hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ“ (Romans 10:17 NLT). What we hear and embrace can either build or block our faith. I believe without a doubt that there’s nothing on earth more effective in building our faith in God than His infallible Word.       
Now, let’s look at FEAR, which is verb denoting action. Again, I am using Merriam-Webster for the definition.

As an transitive verb, it is defined as: 1. archaic: frighten; 2 archaic: to feel fear in (oneself); 3: to have a reverential awe of <fear God>; 4: to be afraid of : expect with alarm <fear the worst>; as an intransitive verb, it is defined as: to be afraid or apprehensive <feared for their lives>.

Looking at the definitions above, we see that fear can frighten us; cause us alarm (fearing the worst) or to have a reverential awe of God and His greatness. Scripture refers to fear as a spirit, that was not given to believers by God, but is a satanic tactic. Fear has the potential to be debilitating in that it can impair our spiritual strength and cause it to diminish if not identified and eliminated quickly. Renewing our minds with consistent doses of the Word of God can help us  tremendously (Romans 12:2).   
Everything positive has a negative or opposite, so let’s look at fear as the opposite of faith, because it’s incongruous and works against faith. I consider fear an enemy of faith, because if allowed, it will cause us to switch our focus on things that are temporary (tangible) and away from the things that are truly lasting (intangible); It will cause us to doubt God and not believe His Word. Fear if allowed can be a strong influential spirit in our lives as it is False, Evidence, Appearing, Real. The devil has an arsenal he uses against believers in Christ, but, God has also given us the spirit of power and love and spiritual weapons to counteract Satan’s collection of weapons and their effects (2 Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 6:11-18).
God does not want us to be in fear, because He knows the emotional damage it can cause us and that it will prevent us from walking in faith and receiving from Him. I find it interesting that each time God sent a messenger to deliver a message to anyone in the Scriptures or whenever Jesus spoke to those during His time of ministry, there was the exhortation to: Fear not! Take time to read the following references (or even better the associated chapter) at your leisure: Matthew 1:20; Matthew 28:5; Luke 1:13; Luke 1:30; Luke 2:10; Luke 5:10; Luke 8:50; Luke 12:7, 32. The love of God is perfect and fear cannot exist with love: “There is no fear in love [dread does not  exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thoughts of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into loves’ complete perfection].
As we continue to dwell in God and His love, stayed armed with faith, the Word of God and the Armor of God, we will be equipped to frustrate the devil; most importantly, we can stop the fear that he uses to paralyze us in an effort to make us ineffective for God and His kingdom. We never have to fear being abandoned by Him, because God said that He would never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5b). Stopping fear in our lives is not a one-time event, but we must be diligent each moment of everyday to guard our hearts and minds to prevent future inroads. We can trust God to keep His promise (Hebrews 10:35) and fulfill His good plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). God has given us everything we need to live a life of godliness, victory and success on earth without fear (2 Peter1:3).     

A Few Thoughts About BULLIES

 

As a youth, I grew up hearing and saying with my playmates: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”  We believed that to be true, but it was only through study of the Scriptures as an adult that I found out the truth: names and words can really hurt. “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose” (Proverbs 18:21 – The Message).  In our formative years, we chose to do what was popular and as school age children and teens, we wanted to be cool, spent time sharing the latest gossip about our peers and maybe even making fun of those we did not like. There were fights (I wasn’t a fighter, but had friends who did) and maybe we encountered a bully or two, but sometimes, those you were initially afraid of ended up becoming a good friend at the end! It was all about communicating and getting to know one another. The bullies during my childhood and teen years only wanted tasty lunches, money, homework assistance or answers to a test they knew they couldn’t pass. The violence that did occur among youth was mostly between gang members. Today, bullies are heartless and have a violent mindset towards their peers.

I recently read an article that was heart wrenching about a seven year-old boy, who was found dead in Detroit in what authorities ruled a suicide. Suicide at seven years old? When I was that age, I don’t even remember if I knew how to spell the word! Thank God, I never had a thought about taking my life. It was reported in The Detroit Free Press, that the mother told police that her son, “had been depressed due to the fact that he had been bullied continuously by the children at school, in addition to the constant teasing he had endured because he was the only boy in the home of eight females.” This article also referenced a 14 year old youth, who was rendered blind in one eye after being jumped by classmates, who accused him of being gay. What happened to being ‘your brother’s keeper’ and having love for your neighbor? I guess some young people didn’t get that memo (I mean text)! Times have surely changed and so have people; many are not getting better but worse with these evil times. The medias of our century have great influence that is generated through the air waves and internet. Their varied and diverse messages can and do impact us all in unexpected and subtle ways. Unfortunately, their negative effects are evident in the behavior displayed by some of today’s children, youth and young adults.

I believe today’s medias have influenced our children, youth and young adults in such a way that it causes them to be cruel, hateful and insensitive toward their peers without a reason. They emulate what they see on television, video games or rap videos. Where are the parents of children and youth who bully and what are these parents teaching their children at home? It’s obvious that some parents are clueless about their children’s aggressive and violent behavior until they are exposed after an unfortunate incident.You would think that young adults would know and show better, but unfortunately, bullying incidents are also taking place in our nation’s colleges and universities. Could it be that some bullies are in the closet with their family, but emulating towards outsiders what they see and experience at the hand of family members? Since, “hurt people hurt people,” personal hurt (or emotional damage) could be the catalyst for the violent acts committed by our children, youth and young adults against their peers. Regardless of the reasons, something needs to be done to bring a complete HALT to this modern-day terrorism.

It seems that no one is exempt from being a target of bullies; children and adults alike have been victimized. My heart goes out to all families, whose loved one could no longer endure the cruel treatment received from classmates or peers. These victims were severely wounded; left feeling worthless and without a desire to continue life. Gone are the days of being safe at school or in institutions of higher learning. It seems that no one is safe: whether an administrator, a teacher or a student; even school bus drivers have become targets for bullies and while doing their job! Parents and guardians send their children to school or off to college for an education and hope they will be safe and have a good experience. Instead, some children end up emotionally wounded by their classmates. Could home schooling become a safety net and a way for parents, who can participate-- to protect their children from peer violence that is found in elementary, middle or high school?

This problem is not yet a priority for our Government legislature, but if it came close to one of the homes of a member, there’s no doubt some action would be taken. Until that time, acts of violence by bullies need to be handled expeditiously by our local law enforcement agencies as a criminal offense. Parents and/or guardians of children should be held responsible and ordered to pay restitution to the families of the victims. Also, students, who bully should be suspended or expelled from school; this means that school officials can’t afford to be passive or inattentive and risk the safety or life of any student in their school. A strong message needs to be sent to all parents of children or youth, who feel the need to taunt or physically attack classmates. Since, there is no acceptable reason for this kind of behavior, it should not be tolerated at any time in any school in our nation. On-site counseling and support groups could be helpful for students, who fear being targeted and don’t know what to do or who to trust.

I consider individuals, who bully others to be cowards, but I also realize the possibility that some of these bullies might be victims, who are acting out the things they have experienced at the hands of individuals in or outside of their families. Some individuals appear normal to everyone, but have deep-seated hurt, are emotionally scarred and are just trying to cope. There has been enough hurt and loss of life as a result of bullying—whether in our backyards, surrounding areas or across the nation at large. We as citizens of the United States should take a stand and develop a NO-TOLERANCE position and do what we can to support any Anti-Bully group or cause in a collective effort. We need to send out a clarion call to action and put those who choose to bully out of commission, make them and their parents legally accountable and if necessary get them immediate help for any emotional dysfunction as well as anger issues. I believe that enough is too much! What do you think? The child you help save, could be your own! Selah (pause and calmly think about that)!

FORGIVING UNTIL . . .

 



Forgiveness is one thing we all want to receive from others, especially God, but then find it difficult to give. Then on the other hand, if we’ve been hurt (emotionally or physically), offended or betrayed, forgiving the offender can be difficult or even seem unfair. What’s so important about forgiveness and what does it really mean to forgive someone? I could present a few reasons why forgiveness is important, but the only one that really matters is that it’s commanded by God in Scripture. The New Testament contains a number of exhortations pertaining to forgiveness, but here’s one: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15 KJV).


Since, we’re commanded to forgive; you might ask: How many times do I have to forgive someone, who trespasses against me? I’m glad you asked, because the disciple Peter also wanted to know and asked Jesus: “. . . Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"  “Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly! Try seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21 Mess).” Did Jesus mean that we should forgive a brother or sister only 70 X 7? That would equal 490 times and then our duty to forgive - would be complete, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, we don’t get off that easy and Jesus hardly meant for us to forgive one another only 70 times seven. Let’s go deeper and look at Jesus’ answer in the King James Version: “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22) What did Jesus mean by the word until? The word until is defined by Webster-Merriam Online Dictionary and the English Thesaurus as: a function word to indicate continuance, awaiting, pending, in anticipation of.
“Until seventy times seven is: a certain number for an uncertain situation. Christ’s meaning is, that a man should be all the days, and every day of his life, forgiving those that sin against him, as often as they repent and acknowledge their fault; and that no time is to be set for the exercise of the ‘grace’ of forgiveness; but as often as there are objects and occasions, though ever so many and frequent, it should be used; and He illustrates this in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant in the same chapter.”
Let’s consider some important points about forgiveness that we don’t think about when we’re hurting: 1. Our enemy Satan knows that when we choose not to forgive others, we are only hurting ourselves and prolonging personal misery. On the other hand, when we do forgive others, we are actually blessed because, as we acknowledge God as our vindicator, we are able to release the offender to the Lord for judgment; also, we can be delivered from a bitter heart, which opens the door for God’s peace. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray using the ‘Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).’ Through praying this prayer, they were constantly reminded that as they asked God to forgive them of their debts, they too should forgive others, who trespassed against them. There would be no point in asking God to forgive us if we did not intend to forgive others. Another important point is: 2. When we don’t forgive others, we are in sin, which separates us from God and our fellowship with Him is broken. In my personal opinion, nothing and no one should be more important than our fellowship with the Father, yet we sometimes justify our unwillingness to forgive others because of the severity of the offense. Voices whisper in our ear: “If I were you, I wouldn’t forgive him or her for what was done to you. That was too much and I wouldn’t take it if I were you!” Yet, God in His great love and mercy gave His Only Begotten Son to die for us, when we were yet in our offenses (sin – emphasis mine) and enemies (haters – emphasis mine) of God. “But if we confess our sins (or offenses – emphasis mine) to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” (1 John 1:9 NLT)
In my personal life, I learned the hard way that not forgiving others only hurt me and that the offenders had no clue that even after several months or maybe longer, I was still unglued about what the offenders had done to me and licking my wounds. In my ignorance, I was not resisting the devil and allowed him to mess with my mind, which was not stayed on the Lord therefore; I was far from being in ‘perfect peace Isaiah 26:3)’ I was constantly rehearsing the offenses done to me and wanted some kind of punishment or personal vindication because, it was sometimes so hard to release those, who had caused me hurt. Thank God, I finally discovered that, although, it was not always easy, it was liberating, when I chose to release to God those, who hurt me. Scripture tells us that God is not (or will not be) mocked and we will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:9), therefore, we can be assured that God will take care of those who have hurt us (and we too will pay for our wrong towards others). One thing I have learned about vindication is that God does not always allow us to see our enemies fall but, if He does, we must not rejoice or God will withhold His wrath. (Proverbs 24:17-18)
Some final thoughts to remember about forgiveness:

• As long as we live, we should await and anticipate forgiving and being forgiven by others. “If we do not forgive others, our faith will not work and everything that comes from God-- comes by faith.” To receive freely from God, we must freely give. (Mark 11:26);
• Don’t give place to the devil by holding grudges. Give way to God, be quick to forgive and do not let the sun go down on your anger. (Ephesians 4:26-27) Forgiveness leads to healing; and
• Let’s practice forgiving others as well as ourselves, when we fail. As we do so, we can learn to love ourselves in healthier ways, let go of hurtful memories and painful events, while we anticipate a brighter future. By consistently applying ‘seventy times seven’ to our own lives, it becomes easier to acknowledge our personal frailties and seek God for His grace, mercy and wisdom to replace the guilt and self-hatred of a painful past with ‘sincere forgiveness.’

Resources:

 

John Gills Exhibition of the Bible, Matthew 18:21.