Lessons from Life

Cares!


Casting all your care upon Him; for he careth for you.
 (I Peter 5:7)

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Those who have feelings of anxiety often feel like there is no hope and no one understands — and there is no one to help them come out of what they are experiencing in that moment. People with anxiety can often feel overwhelmed with thoughts of what other people’s opinions are about them.  Those with anxiety are worried about the future or something that is unfolding in their lives.

GOD IS THE ANSWER TO ANXIETY! David had feelings of anxiety, but he learned how to overcome his fears. He said in Psalms 61:2-3, “From the most remote place of the earth, I will call to you, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy” (NHEB). The enemy is expert at trapping unsuspecting souls, but it is written: “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 124:7-8).

There are solutions to life that we don’t have and questions about life that we can’t answer. God is there to give solutions and to answer questions. He will amaze you with His problem-solving and answers! He has the ability to take the most complex situation in our lives and turn it around for our good! What a mighty God we serve! He will never leave or forsake us; He proves Himself time and time again!

Can’t you hear Jesus’ words to Martha: “But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41 – ESV).  Like Martha’s sister, Mary, there are times when we are to put away the details and come sit at Jesus’ feet! We are to cast all our cares on Him. He cares for us! This day has enough to deal with, so don’t give undue thought about tomorrow, but seek God’s kingdom (Matt. 6:33-34). We are not to be anxious about anything, but our cares should be given over to Jesus as we pray (Phil. 4:6-7).

He that has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

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How? – (Short Inspiration from the Scriptures.)


“And in the desert you saw HOW the Lord your
God carried you, like one carries a child. And he
has brought you safely all the way to this place.”
(Duet. 1:31 – NCV)

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“How…?” is usually a question we ask or ponder that seemingly has no foreseeable answer. The Israelites questioned Moses many times about the way things were unfolding in the wilderness. Many of them murmured and complained or just simply did not believe that God, through Moses, was able to bring them to their destination. What we do see is a great and loving God, who provided for an estimated 2 million people for approximately 40 years! Our God is God!

God doesn’t give us any details in the scripture above as to HOW He preserved Israel from all the dangers in the wilderness and HOW He kept them from becoming extinct as a nation. We do understand from the scripture that He preserved them by carrying them and brought them to their promised land! “How” is God’s business; our business is to trust!

Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest
the desire of every living thing.
(Psalms 145:16)

You may be asking “how…?” today. Know this…God has a track record and history that those who belong to Him have been sustained. The old are often overlooked in our society, but look to those who are old and righteous and ask them about His power to provide (Prov. 16:31). King David, in the Bible, had come to a long and fulfilled life and his words remind us of God’s faithfulness: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.  (Psalm 37:25)

Look back on your life and see where God has brought you from and, right now, GIVE HIM THE PRAISE! Then…from there…there is nothing else to say but this: Trust God!

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Not Able!


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The Apostle Paul stated: “who is sufficient for these things…” (II Cor. 2:16). He also reminds us that “our sufficiency is of God” (II Cor. 3:5)! He has placed DREAMS [as with Jacob] in our hearts and minds at very early stages in our lives. He has shown many of us what we will be and do, many years prior to those things coming to pass. Others of us have destinies waiting to be fulfilled and things yet to be realized. God has placed quite a few of us in undeserved places, and given us the ability to perform way beyond what we could have been or done on our own. His Spirit patiently directs those who are led by it and He gives us glimpses into the mind of Christ to perform the will of God. Who then is sufficient? Who is able? Who knows the mind of God? Yet…God reveals His plans by His Spirit, bringing us to new vistas…new dimensions. Even when we falter, He is ever present to strengthen us for seemingly insurmountable tasks. God is our strength! We come to learn that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us! And if we need encouragement…there is a spark in our lowly spirits that God has shown us where He alone continues to ignite in His times!

You are not able! You do not qualify to boast of your abilities. They are God-given and without Him we can do nothing! Be humble! Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord!

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A Memorial. Your Memorial?


The Red Sea
When your children ask you, ‘What are these
stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the
Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest
of the Covenant of God as it crossed the
Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are
a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.’”
(Joshua 4:6-7)

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The following is the thoughts of this author’s mental picture of Israel’s Red Sea deliverance based on the Bible along with comments about our memorial:

The Egyptian army pursued the children of Israel into the massive sea bed! Their purpose was to enslave them again or possibly kill scores of them there in a mass grave. God looked at this scene and overthrew Pharaoh’s great army of 600 elite chariots of soldiers, along with all of his other superior fighters on chariots. The one angel of God stood between the fleeing Israelites and the insane Egyptians. At one point…the Egyptian armies were thrown into confusion as a result of God’s presence. He caused their chariot wheels to bog down in miry surfaces of the sea as they retreated…finally realizing God was fighting for His people! Moses stretched his hand out over the sea and the raging sea collapsed over the escaping Egyptians, killing them all! The Israelites meanwhile, continued journeying the opposite route with a corridor of waters (mounted on their left and right) ushering them to the shore on the other side! After safely coming to the land, the Israelites saw the dead bodies of the Egyptians that were washed ashore!

Oh…the praises that must have erupted at one of the greatest deliverances recorded in history! The children of Israel’s praises were encapsulated in the following words from their song!: Exodus, chapter 15 – click here.

After coming forth from the bowels of the Jordan sea, the children of Israel were commanded to set up 12 massive stones (near Jordan’s banks) as a perpetual memorial and to remind future generations of the power of God’s deliverance. These succeeding generations would see the stones and ask what was their purpose. Thus, the traditions of the elders was verbally passed down as generation after generation came to realized the realness of Israel’s mighty God!

Your Memorial?

You should have a memorial…how our great God has delivered you from what would otherwise have been humanly impossible to be delivered from! This memorial should be a place in one’s heart and mind of the power of God. It is a memorial of the past that gives hope for the future!

Never forget where God has brought you from? How He has placed people in your life to change you for the better? Remember your elders and your instructors, those who made a difference during your seasons of unrest. Don’t forget men and women who have helped you. Be thankful!

God has lovingly held back and made many restrictions in our lives! He has also set us free from all kinds of bondages! Like the children of Israel, let’s stop and give memory to the wisdom of a loving God. Israel saw the death of the Egyptians and yet were delivered from death. Look around you and you too will witness violent and premature deaths, as well. But God has spared our lives another day, and so, every new day should be a memorial of the past day. Give thanks and be thankful for these types of memorials are good things!

 

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Stay Away from Murder!


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THE FASCINATION WITH MURDER

Murder is on the increase, not only with those who physically commit such crimes, but also those who are transfixed with their details. Many video games and apps, news reports, and television programs all have one thing in common — murder! Our world has a curiosity, fascination, and even a love affair with the “how’s” and “whys” of murder. We are being fed a steady diet of crime, served up in as many ways as possible to make the viewing and hearing about killing palatable. Murder is a heinous crime that can capture the attention of its listeners and viewers. For those taken in by the sensationalism, at some point murder goes beyond “news”. The news has the ability to feed on the psyche and can become as addictive as any powerful drug. This is a trick of an enemy!

THE EFFECTS OF MURDER ON A SOCIETY

Many know the account of Samson who was fascinated with Delilah’s ways. After Sampson’s hair was cut, he thought he had the strength he once had to fight. He found out at the critical time he didn’t have that strength at all. Likewise, one cannot be consistently curious about murder and think it doesn’t have any negative affect on them mentally and spiritually (Mt. 24:12). The Bible states: “We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.” – I John 5:19 – Berean Study Bible

Copycat killings usually start with one who is intrigued by another’s murder(s). The intrigued person eventually “acts out” what has been sown in their heart. We should stay away from anything that is wicked — and our hearts are desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). We should also know that we haven’t experienced the utter depths of where our hearts can lead us. (“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” – Prov. 4:23/GNT.) A person who is “saved” is not immune from being caught up in the spirit of murder — which is usually in some form of news or entertainment through means of broadcasting. People can be subject to this spirit, whether saved or unsaved (James 4:2; I John 3:14-15). Great spirits from history have a way of returning and affecting masses of people. We see these following accounts in the Bible. During Noah’s day the earth at that time was given over to violence (Gen. 6:13). The apostle Paul noticed that the city of Athens was given over to a similar spirit, which was idolatry (Acts. 17:16). The prophet Hosea took a wife from the land of Israel that was given over to idolatry and adultery. Habakkuk complained of the wide-spread violence of his day (Hab. 1:1-3). History has a way of coming back to repeat itself.

The first murder in the Bible was broadcast for the purpose of showing how dark sin really is, but we see the insatiable drawing power murder has to consume all who are given over to its spell — from those who commit actual crimes to those who are drawn in by the details.

Stay away from murder!

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