Tag: HolySpirit

Virus in the Desert

I’ve written a lot about the Israelites roaming aimlessly in the desert for 40 years. It took them that long to travel about a dozen miles to the Promised Land. And only two of the original Israelites made it. Even their leader, Moses, died before he saw the Promised Land. During that time in the desert all types of bad things happened—plagues, snakes, etc. The Israelites constantly turned their backs on God, and only when they needed God did they run to Him. We are roaming our own desert—and pretty aimlessly, at that—and bad things happen. Today it’s the coronavirus. Tomorrow it will be something else. But we’re not running to God. It seems we’re running away from Him.

I’m not suggesting that the coronavirus is some type of plaque sent by God. It’s a virus, and viruses are a part of life. Some are worse than others. But it’s how we react to this coronavirus that is so telling. We panic. Not that we shouldn’t mobilize to contain and “defeat” this virus. But we don’t need to panic, just like the Israelites did. It’s a surprise they didn’t stone Moses or burn him at the stake.

It’s a given that we are less tied to God than ever. I won’t bore you with stats, but “organized” religion is on the way down. People are increasingly simply not believing in God or turning to their own “spirituality”—whatever that is. Worship of self?

If I have said it once I’ve said it over a 100 times—read the Old Testament story of the Israelites wandering aimlessly in the desert. That’s us. This world is one big desert and we are certainly wandering—and very aimlessly! I have no idea where we are heading. Do you?

Least you think this is a depressing message, it’s not! My focus is on God—Father, Son & Spirit. I know my purpose from the Father, and am trying my best to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and pray for the Spirit to empower me. I’m upbeat. I’m resolute. I’m out to find the Promised Land in life. I’m not a saint. I stumble all the time. But I’m doing my part to lead by example. We change the world one person at a time. It’s why I write this little blog, why I post Bible verses on my Facebook page ever day, and why I try to share with others.

I hope you know your way. Let’s help get everyone out of the desert!    

Purpose, Footsteps & Empowerment

I like catchwords. These are my three catchwords I try to start every day with: purpose, footsteps, and empowerment. Wherever I am, I start my day off at the gym or doing something athletic, except if I’m traveling really early (which happens a lot). Regardless, I start my day by saying “hi” to God and remembering the following: the Father created me for a purpose; I try to walk in the footsteps of Jesus; and I ask the Spirit for empowerment. Pretty simple.

I believe that each one of us was created with a special, unique purpose in life. Living by aimlessly wandering through life without any purpose is just too depressing to me. I have a purpose and always try to stay true to it. I do that by trying to walk in the footsteps that Jesus laid down for us. And that starts with His one commandment of loving each other (John 15:12). And to do all that I ask for the empowerment of the Spirit.

Purpose, footsteps, and empowerment. Simple. And it’s not religious mumbo-jumbo. It’s my way of taking each day one day at a time but with direction. I think the biggest problem we have today is simply lack of direction. As a human race we are aimlessly wandering. Just like the Israelites in the desert.

If you don’t know your purpose in life, simply ask God. He’ll tell you if you just listen. That’s why I list LISTEN as the 1st Secret to Life. You won’t hear God if you don’t LISTEN for/to Him. Once you know your purpose in life walking is easy by just following the footsteps that Jesus laid down for us. That’s why READ is another Secret to Life. It’s all laid out in the Bible. And asking the Spirit for empowerment is also easy once you know your purpose and start the walk following those footsteps.

Spend some time—real time—with God this week. You won’t be disappointed.

Have a FANTASTIC weekend!!!

Time for a Checkup

Need to bring my car in for its 30,000 mile checkup. Also, need to get to my internist right after the New Year for my annual checkup. Also, realized I am long overdue for a Spirit checkup. What??? That’s right—a checkup if I’m living by the Spirit.

A Spirit checkup is pretty easy because the “fruit” of the spirit has been spelled out for us:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness.
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22‬ ‭

So, if you’re living by those 7 qualities—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness—you’re living by the Spirit who is empowering you. Like all of life, it’s that simple! If you’re not living by those qualities you are sick and need a tune-up, some repairs, or time for serious medicine. Certainly, without living by those qualities the Spirit is not empowering you.

Recently, I wrote about 3 key words—purpose, footsteps, and empowerment. God establishes the purpose, Jesus sets the footsteps, and the Spirit empowers your life. You may know your purpose in life—and you do have a special, unique one!—and you may walk (or try to) in the footsteps of Jesus but it all falls apart quickly without empowerment of the Spirit. And you know the Spirit is empowering you if you live by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, and faithfulness. Again, it’s that simple.

Don’t procrastinate (like I did writing this blog). It’s time for a checkup!!!

Have a fantastic day living in the Spirit!

Lost (Hopelessly?) in the Desert

I have written about this before but we (the world) are lost in the desert. We’re moving away from God and, as we do, the acrimony and downright hatred in the world increases. And we have no direction, no goals, and we’re just wandering. If you want a picture of this, and how it plays out, read the Old Testament. Seriously!

I hate to be gloomy because I’m an upbeat person, always trying to see the good. But it’s tough when you see the spitefulness and incessant arguing by the politicians, who we pay (with our increasing taxes!) to fix things—not break them. Riots, wars, and threats of nuclear bombs seem like a day-to-day constant. But most troubling is the fact that we are moving away from God.

It’s startling to think that 26% of the United States population now describes themselves as religiously unaffiliated; meaning, their religious identity is atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” and now stands at 26%. That’s up from 17% in 2009. So, translation, a quarter of the population basically doesn’t believe in God, or at the very least, doesn’t involve Him in their lives. If anything, He is just “he” (lower case intentional). Although an increasing number of people believes that He doesn’t exist.

The Israelites aimlessly wandered the desert for 40 years, taking that time to go about 11-12 miles. They turned their backs on God and bad things happened. All this is playing out now. We are the Israelites and we are wandering, turning our backs on God. And bad things are happening. None of this should be a surprise.

I’m not wandering. The world around me may but I’m keeping my eyes fixed on God—Father who sets my purpose, Jesus who has laid out the footsteps for me, and the Spirit who empowers me. Sorry if this sounds like religious mumbo-jumbo but it’s the only way for me to not get down and look straight ahead.

… this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. Philippians 3:13

Don’t wander. Look straight ahead with a plan. And keep your eyes fixed on God.

Have an AMAZING week ahead!

Purpose, Footsteps & Empowerment

This is real simple. God the Father sets the purpose, that special, unique purpose that we all have in life. And, yes, that includes you! Jesus the Son who walked among us provides the way—Christianity has been described early on as “the Way”—the footsteps we need to follow. And the Holy Spirit provides us with the empowerment to walk the walk—follow the footsteps in pursuing the purpose. Simple.

I could write on and on about this but, again, it’s pretty simple so I’ll keep is brief. One of life’s great secrets is understanding that purpose—special and unique; totally individualized for each one of us—and pursuing it. Jesus laid down the footsteps in His 3-year walk about how we should live our lives. And Spirit is all the empowerment we need to walk that walk in pursuing our purpose in life. And nothing is more fulfilling in life than knowing we have a purpose and pursuing it.

I know, I know. Sounds all too simple and packaged with a bow around it. But as I say and write all the time, God means life to be simple. We are the ones who complicate it. And boy do we complicate life!!! 

Don’t know where to start. Again, simple. Open up to God—Father, Son, and Spirit. Reach out. Talk and LISTEN. Spend some quality time with God. It truly is that simple. You can’t get results if you don’t invest the time. Seriously. It is that simple.

I hope you have a FANTASTIC week ahead on your walk!

Don’t Let ANYONE Take Your Joy!!!

There is only one person in control of the joy that is hardwired into you. And, yes, you are hardwired with joy. More on that in a minute. The point I want to make is that only you can make you feel. No one else can make you feel. And only you can let anyone else steal your joy. You are in complete control of your joy.

God made you. He made you with joy. I know, I know. Things can happen that make you feel less than joyful. A death, a breakup, any kind of loss can be a joy killer. But you are in complete control. No life situation, no person can take away your joy unless you let it or them steal your joy. Yes, it is that simple. God is simple and He means life on this earth to be simple. We are the ones who complicate life. We are the ones who let our joy fade away.

Let go, let God. If you don’t feel joy in your life, let go. Let God do the driving. Give in to Him and you will find your joy. Your joy is in Him, in you. No matter how “down” you may be, let go. Joy is in you and God will help you find it.

Have a day filled with JOY!!! 

The World Will Keep Spinning (Out of Control!)

I’m an upbeat, positive person. How can you believe in God the Father, our Savior Jesus, and our Advocate the Holy Spirit and not be upbeat and positive? But this world of ours is spinning out of control. Why? Because there is waning belief in God, Jesus, and Spirit. Just like the Israelites wandering aimlessly in the desert for all those years, leaving God in the dust as they worshiped idols, we are doing the same. And the outcome won’t be pretty. Sorry!

We had a faith-based shooting this week (and not on American soil). We have rich parents cheating/paying their children’s way into college. We have politicians (on American soil and even including our President) spewing discord and close to hatred. I could go on and on. The world is spinning out of control.

The more we turn our backs on God, the worse it will get. Again, read the story of the Israelites to see how this movie ends. We roam endlessly in the desert of life.

The only thing I know to do is up my faith in God. Listen to His commend (echoed by Jesus) to love one another. I start with all the simple stuff. I smiled a lot this week (at “strangers”). I helped people put up their luggage in the plane bins on my three flights this week. I gave to the homeless. I prayed for all, especially those people who it’s really tough to like, let alone “love.” I tried to do a lot of other things but will stop here. I’m no saint but I tried this week and will try next week.

Change happens one person at a time. I’m doing my best to change this world—from my world. I’m trying. And above all, I’m trying to keep God front and center in my life!

Have a FANTASTIC day and even better weekend!!!

Greatest Day There Ever Was!

Today. The greatest day there ever was. Why? Because it just is. Every day should be the greatest day, no matter what happens. I learned the hard way that life is way too short. This life on earth can be wiped out in an instant. So, treat today as the greatest day ever. And tomorrow the same. And the day after tomorrow. All the greatest days.

I wrote earlier this week about the husband of a friend and work colleague who ran out to the store for some cream. He never returned home. He was in a very freak car accident and died. A life wiped out in a nanosecond. But now he’s in God’s home.

We take this life for granted in so many ways. But this life is a gift followed by the bliss of eternity—if we live this life right. And that starts by thanking God every day for this life. Thanking Jesus for laying down His life for our sins to be wiped away. Thanking the Holy Spirit who is always there to guide, encourage, and empower us. No matter what our situation, we have so much to be thankful for in this life AND for the promise of eternity in blissful peace.

Have a FANTASTIC day and make it the GREATEST ever!!!

The Devil

Real. It’s that simple. Some see a cute little child at Halloween dressed in red with horns and a pitch fork. Some see a hideous monster. But the devil is real, the embodiment of all that is evil. And there’s a lot of evil in this world, I am sad to say.

The devil doesn’t want to be front and center. It works best behind the scenes. I guarantee that some reading this will hear the whisper in the ear of, “Come on! There’s no such thing as the devil. It’s all make believe for the movies.”

But what the devil does best is take little weaknesses we have, work them, and make them bigger. Whether it’s fear, doubt, low self-esteem, or even ego, the devil works behind the scenes very effectively at manipulating us as far away from God as possible. The devil wanted to be God, but that didn’t work out too well. So, it wants to keep us away from God and close to it.

The problem is that the devil not only keeps us distant from God but in the process we lose sight of what life is really about. What are God-given purpose is and how we should be fulfilling that purpose. And when we lose sight of that we get lost in life. Lost in life and bad things happen.

There is only one way to fight the devil. And that’s simply stay close to God. Stay close to the Father who created you, the Son who saved you and the Spirit who empowers you. It’s that simple. Then again, God means life to be so simple. We are the ones who complicate it.

I know this sounds tough to think about. A real demon behind the scenes whispering doubt in our ear, trying to constantly steer us in the wrong director, manipulating our weaknesses, but it’s a fact of life. Not just more religious “mumbo-jumbo” but real life.

The good thing—and real uplifting message—is that God is always less than a heart beat away. You simply have to ask for help. Talk to God. LISTEN to God. Stay close to God. FIGHT. It’s why I say FIGHT is one of the 7 Secrets to Life.

Keep up the FIGHT today. and have a GREAT day doing so in the rays of God’s immense, unconditional love. Enjoy!!!

Desperately Seeking God

That’s what each one of us on this planet is doing. The problem is that most don’t realize it. We are like the Israelites in the desert, aimlessly wandering around. When we are right with God and following Him, everything is fine. When we are not right with God, complain, and follow false “idols” the world is all wrong.

God created us. He is in the very fabric of our DNA.  If you don’t believe that I hate to say you are hopelessly lost. If you believe that, you have to understand that our path forward in life is always towards God. We just have to understand that.

Why is the world so screwed up today? Why is there so much strife, animosity, addiction to more things than you can imagine (drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, etc, etc), and just general hopelessness? Because we have lost our way with God.

A recent study of Americans found that “Even in an era where more of the nation doesn’t ascribe to a higher power at all (10%) or believes in some sort of higher power or spiritual force (33%), a slim majority of Americans (56%) still believe in God “as described in the Bible,” according to the Pew report.” And it’s not much different around the world. Another study found that “The prevailing belief in Western Europe is in a higher power or spiritual force that is not the God of the Bible; in 11 of the 15 countries surveyed, pluralities of respondents choose this option.”

I have a NEWS FLASH for you: This is right out of the Bible!!! It’s like someone had surveyed the Israelites wandering aimlessly in the desert. Traveling barely a dozen miles for forty years. Griping and complaining all the way till all of the original wanders died but two. Those two reached the Promised Land.

I’m not trying to be a downer today but we have to wake up! God is the answer and will always be the answer. Until we realize that, and live our lives like that, we (collectively and individually) will be wandering, complaining, and lost. When times get a little tough, and the seas of life are rough, we have no anchor or safe shore.

What to do about it? Seek God in your life. It’s that simple. God means life to be sooooooo very simple. We are the ones who complicate it. Why? Because we don’t seek and follow God. It is that simple!

Get out of the desert today! Seek God!!! And have a FANTASTIC day doing that!

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