Romans 5:5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

Today, people need to be encouraged. The challenges of life have imprisoned many and as a result, they either engage in taking desperate measures for survival or giving up altogether. When no relief is in sight, you brace yourself for the next crisis to occur. According to The Suicide Data and Statistics from 2020, 45,979 people died of suicide, which is one death every 11 minutes, 12.2 million adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.2 million adults made plans, and 1.2 million adults attempted suicide. These are adults and do not include children! Fortunately, there are several organizations and institutions organized to address this critical issue. Some employ methods requiring medication to control the urges of those who are suicidal. Conversely, some individuals choose suicide by police interaction, where the individual will place himself in a threatening situation where deadly force becomes necessary to neutralize the threat. What many do not realize is that most of the treatments are temporary, for when the pressure returns or resurfaces in a different form, the individual is right back where they started. 

Hopelessness imprisons the soul which contains the mind, the will, and the emotions. The person may be relieved on furlough, but eventually will have to report back to the duties of reality. The problem must be addressed at its root, when lovelessness, or the lack of security that exists in true love, is at the core. When the security is attached to a fragile object of affection, the disappointments experienced from failing to meet the person’s expectations will produce a downward spiral of emotions from which some never recover.  A broken heart, a failed relationship, or rejection in many forms appear to minimize the person’s value. Additionally, how that person is seen through the eyes of others may cause them to devalue their own worth or to become so emotionally callous that nothing in life matters. Sustaining and hope-inspiring love cannot be found in a person, but it may work through a person. God is the source of love, and although He is defined by many qualities, His primary attribute is love. Love is not just what He does, but it is who He is.  

It is imperative to not be anchored to the person, but trust in the Lord who works through the person. God promises that He will never disappoint us as people often do. Paul remarked, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Choosing to follow Jesus leads us to a glorious future and a hope that will never let you down. It is a contagious hope, and for those who possess it, they will become the instruments in His hands to distribute this hope to a hopeless generation.

Lifeguards operate with the knowledge that the possibility of drowning is evident when people gather together in pools, beaches, or lakes. As watchmen, they spring into action when someone goes underwater without the skills or strength to maneuver as they ought. Similarly, laws exist to protect the innocent and to indict the guilty. Currently, there is a tsunami of laws that were modified over time to create turbulence on the sea of life. Unfortunately, many Ministers of the Gospel, who indeed function like spiritual lifeguards, are standing on the sidelines with their hands folded. When one life is lost by neglect or murder, the protective shield is removed, thus creating a climate of violence. History verifies this point even from the beginning when Cain slew his brother, Abel. As a result of Cain’s action, the innocent blood of Abel cried out from the ground and the environment was cursed. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6). To “forget” is to fail to hold in mind. Plainly speaking, this equates to being a forsaken people and not hearing from Heaven nor having any regard for what God has to say to this generation.

The sin of forgetfulness or absentmindedness is a curse for having ignored the origin of life. What one refuses to remember, he eventually will have the tendency to forget. God created all things and life did not merely begin at conception, but life began as a thought in the mind of God. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:3). His Divine Providence preceded His acts of creating. Yet when He is forgotten, laws overrule the Law of God and identity is lost while values are minimized. Life does not mean the same, therefore all pertaining to life is reduced to its chemistry rather than its truest value and potential. God asked the question in Isaiah, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?” Today’s response would be emphatically “yes!” She can forget that the child in her womb is in fact a child, a part of her being with the capacity to express life and model the life from which the child originated. She, for the sake of convenience, can abort the future growth and development of every future blessing within her womb. However, God continues by saying, Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. (16) See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

Your walls are continually before Me” (Isaiah 49:15-16). 

Spiritual Lifeguards or proclaimers of the Gospel message must inform and remind people of the value of life from the womb to the tomb. Then, make them aware that life does not end at the tomb, but the soul that is carried within the unformed body is eternal. We are to guard life and inform those living that life is sacred and a gift from God. Therefore, it is to be treated as such and the whole earth groans when life is cheapened and discarded as excessive waste. Violence gets out of control when man is in control rather than submitting himself under the governance of God.

 “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows.” Gal 5:13-26 (MSG)

The progression of freedom can lead to two conclusions—either to greater degrees of freedom or to a freedom that leads to bondage. When one becomes encumbered in expressing liberties independent of the Liberator, his actions will eventually inhibit his freedom of expression. “He who the Son sets free is free indeed.” The opposite is also true, as he who seeks freedom outside of the will of God will be ensnared with unexpected entanglements. The saga continues to repeat itself from history to this present time. Adam and Eve chose to yield to the temptation by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The eventual consequences of their choice led to the discovery of their nakedness. The end result of their liberation was not only nakedness alone, but also self-consciousness and the fear of being exposed without a covering. True liberation demands taking a leap of faith into the unknown. It is freedom from the familiar into a new experience and a new life. It is required of those who seek after freedom to have a goal and a vision for a bright and glorious future. The question is, who will be there to catch you when you take the leap of faith? The children of Israel were set free, but ended up wandering in the wilderness. What would have been a short journey required forty years of uncertainty. “Without a vision, the people cast off all restraints.” 

Additionally, pursuing freedom for freedom’s sake is a misnomer. Israel was being set free to worship God in the wilderness. They were to turn the wilderness into a sanctuary, and God proved Himself by providing for them while they were there. Yet, much more would have been provided if they had understood their reason for being in an unfamiliar place. The freedom to worship God sharpens one’s perception of reality. It postures the worshipper to receive the revelation and insight to navigate through life and to lead the way for others. When we are free indeed, we are free to love others. And as result of loving others, we are free to serve them. A difference is made through those who are truly free. Only the Son of God can make you free by releasing you from the bondage of self, Satan, and all other entities that offer pseudo-freedoms but cannot deliver on their false promises. 

The relationship between God the Father and Jesus is a continuing story that preceded Creation. In the beginning, God is and before there was a beginning, God was and will always be. He is Father and Son in One mysterious union. As gravity is subordinate to a restricted environment, so is the succession within the numerical system. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—One God, One Spirit, One mission. When God created time, He sent for His only Begotten Son within the fullness of time, and through Him, He introduced His love to the object of His affection. “For God so loved the world, His creation, that He gave His only Begotten Son to the world.” The Son was given to restore both mankind and the whole of His Creation from the bondage and corruption in the world as result of the Fall. Sin entered the world through the interference brought forth by God’s enemy. The eternal love experienced by mankind and nature was interrupted by a cancerous contagion. The disease of sin had become so widespread that the pandemic was unrecognizable by its victims. Unfortunately, it is the tragedy of every generation; lovelessness, hard-heartedness, lusts, greed, and selfishness emit from the hearts of those who know no better than to heed the familiar voices of their peers who suffer from the same condition. 

Thankfully, God’s love is laser focused, as it penetrates the sin barriers erected over lifetimes and generations. Only His love can restore God’s creative order that is modeled throughout His creation. Contrastingly, a fatherless generation is a godless generation. Jesus came to share His Father with us while we were sons of disobedience. But now, God has sent His Son that we may enter in the eternal relationship that preexisted time. The story of redemption was historically conveyed through the Prophets to the fathers of the Tribes of Israel. This would bind fathers and sons through godly instructions given to families. Now His Word is embodied in flesh and He now speaks through Jesus Christ, His Son. And His Son speaks through His Church, the Body of Christ. As Christ is made known through His Body, every father has the responsibility to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to and through the Church. 

Governmental and political parties, along with Law enforcement officials, are searching for answers to dilemmas of our day. The statisticians are measuring the continuing decline of morals and ethics while passing laws that reinforce what they attempt to curb. When God is not acknowledged as Father, biological fathers have no established pattern for how to model their fathering. Even those who attempt to do their best at providing come up short not knowing where they went wrong. Fortunately, The Spirit of the Lord will send the spirit of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.  

It must be pointed out for one to fully realize how important a mother really is. When we take the time to cease from our daily efforts and ponder the value given to the second person of God’s creation, we cannot help but thank God for such a wonder. Yes, fathers originate the process, and that began with God our heavenly Father. Our word “father” comes from Pater in Hebrew meaning, “brought forth from,” and that which is produced must be developed if it is reach its destiny. The seed would remain impotent and eventually die unless it was not deposited into the womb. There it is nurtured and protected in order to be formed into the idea of its original design. Who but God could have thought of such a wondrous plan as to take two distinctly different people and use them as His instruments to bring forth life? Not only does God place this miracle within her physical body, but also within her mind and soul lies the passion and desire to see that life become all that God intended for it to be. Within the womb is God’s creative genius, and outside of the womb is the demonstration of His love. The continuous love of a mother provides an environment for a child to grow up knowing that he or she is cared for. The world is a vicious and violent place to live, and people, not knowing who they are, will act out various roles of reality given to them by those that they admire. Their twisted thinking often leads them to violate the ethical code of humanity. They lose sight of their purpose and have no idea of life’s truest meaning. But the mother, the symbolic source of nurturing, serves as a reminder that there still remains a person that cares, and therefore, there must be a God that cares.

If love exists anywhere, it reminds us of the fact that love still remains. If it remains, it must generate from its origin. Therefore, if there was no other indication that God is the same, the dynamic of a mother and child would be enough to reveal to us of this truth. Jesus in His lamentation over Jerusalem expressed this love for His people. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37) Not only does a mother provide and protect her children, but even in the animal world, that protective love is exhibited. You may threaten to rob a mother of her valuables, and even threaten to take her life, but woe be unto you if you threaten to do harm to her children. She will do whatever is necessary to protect that which was brought forth from her own womb. It is an extension of God’s love through Jesus Christ for His own. She is there regardless of the life altering decisions made by her children. She is willing to express her love but the only way to know it is when it is fully received.

When Jesus was being crucified and hung on the cross, He took time out of his suffering to speak to John, His disciple, saying, “Behold, thy mother.” What He was saying to John was, “John, take care of mother and treat her as your own.” Why was this moment so special? Jesus was expressing His appreciation for the thirty-three years of nurture and love received from her. He was reminded of her value in His life and the encouragement He had received from her throughout the many years of life and ministry. He was saying to John, “Treat her as I would treat her. The acts of kindness that I received…treat her as if it were you instead of Me.” Now as we celebrate our mothers, let us remember that God gave her to us as His gift. Love her as Jesus loved His mother, as the potency of His love is expressed through her. 

Thomas Paine, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, wrote, ‘these are the times that try men’s souls.”  The deluge of pressures converging during these tenuous times raises questions within the heart and soul. Here the bravery of men is addressed, especially for those who fought in the war even at the expense of possibly losing their lives. Yet, he contrasted their bravery with the summertime soldiers who would only engage in the battle if conditions were convenient. Like in the time of Paine, we are currently at war. The battle is for the souls of individuals and the soul of this generation. The crisis today is the unbelief in Christ and those who are misguided by and through the philosophies of men. Unfortunately, the tragedy of our day is that many do not realize it. 

As it was in the days of Noah before the Flood, business goes on as usual. Nothing about their routine is changed. Spiritual apathy has defined this generation. As we engage in a global crisis, the simpleminded are only capable of seeing the effect of it from day to day and contributing factors are not given any consideration. As ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our primary assignment is the preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Only through preaching God’s Truth, which transcends human wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, will people be prepared to take the right stand and defend the right causes. The minister must first be called or recruited by God, and then must answer the call by abandoning self and permitting his life to be hidden in Christ. Only then can he meet the criteria to speak as the oracle of God.  His message is the message of God’s Kingdom, which is God’s rule and reign over all His creation. 

The battle is the cataclysmic collision between two opposing kingdoms—the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of Light. The deceptive strategy of the devil camouflages his agenda, which causes individuals to interpret all things as the kingdom of self. Many choose to focus on self-image, self-gratification, and self-awareness while he comes to steal, kill, and destroy their souls. The disruptive nature of spiritual light exposes the character of those that would otherwise operate with their motives undetected. The closer we come to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the more turbulence will be experienced within the culture. As it was when Simeon prophesied about Christ when he came to earth, he remarked, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” Luke 2:34-35.

The closer we come to the return of the Lord, a higher the price that must be paid by the faithful as evidence of their loyalty to the His standard of righteousness. The devil knows that his time is short, therefore he is using every piece of his arsenal at his exposal. Yet there will be faithful servants standing who have set their sights on things above, and who daily choose not to grow weary even if the whole world stands against them. 

Human existence on earth is like a classroom for continuous learning and where we learn what it means to live with purpose. The previews experienced in this life are but a dress rehearsal for our eternal home. The Holy Spirit is a gift from Heaven that leads and guide us through those things known to God alone. As the Spirit of Truth, he teaches us through the inspired instructions of those appointed by God, and the challenges of everyday life. In God’s economy, nothing is wasted. If we maintain our confidence in God’s love, even the pains of rejection, disappointments, and abandonments are but steppingstones into a bright and glorious future. The Apostle Paul said, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Phil 3:7-9). If those things are considered as loss, then what knowledge did he desire to attain and where was that knowledge to be applied? It was obvious that he anticipated a higher level of communion that required a higher degree of knowledge. He sought after the knowledge of Christ in relation to His fellowship with the His Father, God. Jesus Christ came to the earth from Heaven, born of a virgin and suffered the severest of abuses to learn what it meant to be fully human. In exchange, He came to instruct and lead those that would follow Him that they may enter the glory of sonship with the Father.

This will give us a different perspective on the things that happen to us. Our histories are but reflections of God’s Divine Providence working towards a bright and glorious future. Even death itself is but a passageway from the lesser to the greater. Since all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, that is, those who are called according to His purpose, we then can endure all things with courage. Whatever was a part of our history was leading to our destiny. As George Santayana famously remarked, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” There are endless cycles that hold the individual captive and do not create any traction to move forward. As a result, the individual spins her wheels, not weaving a tapestry of beauty, but rather, casting sparks from the friction created when condemned to meet the same mistakes time and time again. God will not promote you to the next challenge until you have mastered the previous one. It may be the same challenge in a different form, or the rephrasing of challenge designed to free you from a fault, but the question that always remains is what did you learn while going through whatever you had to go through? There was a treasure contained within that challenge. The Holy Spirit was there to reveal to you an aspect of Christ never known by you before. What you are intended to gain will have eternal worth in your heavenly home. 

While there are many things that God gives you in this life that can take with you on your journey, just be sure that you are headed in the right direction. When you arrive there, those things that may have appeared to be senseless will make all the sense in the world. It will then make sense because it came for the Source of all wisdom, knowledge, and glory. The wisdom attained will produce the fulfillment never even imagined within the limited realm of time and space. But the life’s lessons learned is for the eternal glory in the place that it fits in best. Your Eternal Home!   

“When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)

There are times when the pressures of life appear to surmount without any relief in sight. Every person has faced this challenge at one time or another and has wondered if he or she possessed the ability to keep moving forward.  St. John of the Cross, a writer in the 16th century, referred to this experience as “the dark night of the soul.” It is like entering a dark tunnel and not being able to see the light at the end. Moreover, the Psalmist describes it in language depicting the condition of the heart when he says, “When my heart is overwhelmed.” He did not say, “when my heart was overwhelmed, but rather, when my heart is overwhelmed. It implies that the dreadful place of an overwhelmed heart is not a once in a lifetime occurrence, but the experience will more than likely be repeated. In that strange and unfamiliar place, our faith is being tested. He is giving instructions from his own personal life experiences, and it is probable that there was a time when he did not know what to do. Hopelessness leads to despair, and then a kind of death occurs within the soul. Even though the body maintains its motion, it ceases to live within its members. The hollow feeling causes the person to be held captive as a prisoner to the moment as the entry level of the initial pain arrests the soul.

In order to press past this stage, it requires reaching beyond our current references and trusting in the One who knows what would otherwise be unknowable. He is higher than the heights of those things that stand in our way and would otherwise obscure our vision. Authentic faith catapults us into the future with confidence. When we are blinded by uncertainties, we are suddenly surprised by God’s grace. He reveals Himself as being greater than the problem. His grace appears in abundance and surpasses anything we could have imagined. Additionally, His Spirit was with us all the while. His objective is to lead us to the Rock of Ages—a stable and steady place where we can place the weight of our lives upon its surface. As we stand on the Rock, we are stilled so that we may see the glory of the Lord as He leads us from grace to glory.

Although there remains many things unknown to us, the difference now is what we learn after learning to trust in the Lord. No longer leaning to our own understanding, we submit all things to Him. All future planning then takes into consideration the unknown, yet trusting the One who knows all things. Without fear or trepidation. all plans are submitted to Him. “If the Lord wills, we will do such and such.” Every plan is preceded with a prayer of submission. To accept His will as being for my good and for His glory. His thoughts and plans for us are to give us a hope-filled life and a glorious future. The Rock that we stand upon is higher than I.

A proclamation is taking ownership of what we speak. When His Word becomes life within us, then we can proclaim it with confidence and conviction. The Spirit of grace upon our lives will arrest hardened hearts to hear us, and His power will convert sinners into saints. Otherwise, our words apart from God’s perspective are like a dog howling at the moon—noisy and aggravating. Spiritual messages conveyed through heartless vessels neutralizes its effectiveness. They become empty words reduced to cliches and routine recitations used to impress or entertain those who have itching ears and are acclimated towards the eloquence of speaking skills. They cause more harm through their spiritual impotency than good. 

The proclamation of God’s goodness is prophetic. It is the convergence of His goodness of the past, His goodness in the future, and its present representation in our lives. God has always been good, He will be good, and therefore, we can speak with confidence in saying, God is good! We speak of His glory by faith. The gift of faith holds us fast while we face the dilemmas and circumstances of today. We do not waver in our confession because we have placed all things into His Hands.  “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4:13). The spirit of faith is what we share with those who have gone before us. It is the continuation of the legacy of faith once for all delivered to the saints. We then enter the experiences of those who have kept the faith to the end. Our declaration then becomes our proclamation. We proclaim what we have declared as truth, we speak what we believe, and we arrive at a level of believing even when there appears to be no evidence to support it. 

To shout out is to proclaim from the deepest recesses of the soul and to speak loudly with confidence. The shout has the capability to even awaken those who are hard of hearing. Figuratively speaking, it is to live life out loud. It is for the witness to overcome all timidity and ambiguity while precisely conveying the message that awakens slumbering souls. People will then be able to clearly distinguish the difference between God’s Word from what has is politicly correct and popular. Conversion requires the change of heart, mind, and attitude. If the message can easily fit into the repertoire of ordinary life without conviction that leads to a radical change, it is merely a message of accommodation rather than transformation. Yes, our humanness by nature has placed us in a hopeless situation and there is nothing we can do to raise ourselves up to the level of meeting God’s expectations. But His Truth through Jesus Christ came down to our level to lift us up beyond what we could do for ourselves. This is the message that we proclaim—the message of Jesus Christ who came to save us from our sin nature. We have the opportunity today to proclaim God’s goodness as His Son leads many sons to glory! 

God sent His greeting through angels to the shepherds while they were tending their sheep at night. This greeting provides evidence that God does not discriminate when addressing humanity as He introduces His peace to the world. “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10). He made it evident that even from the lowliest person, what was being proclaimed to them would be proclaimed through them, and would reach the farthest parts of the earth. His glory would descend from the Heaven of heavens and reach the ends of the earth. The suddenness of the proclamation was without forewarning. The time would come when the angel would make his announcement and the heavenly host would burst forth into praise; (14) “Glory to God in the highest.”  The highest degree of glory for the highest good for mankind. His promise would be fulfilled as was declared, “but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Num 14:21).

Good tidings are proclaimed with excitement and enthusiasm. God wanted to deliver His good news of the Gospel more than the people were eager to receive it. It was the proclamation of peace, the peace of God and peace with God. Not only had God devised the plan, but the set time had come for His plan to be revealed. The Gospel message contains good tidings of great joy. Tidings expressing the good will of God, through His eternal purpose and intent for mankind, transcend the separation caused by his rebellion for the good of others in the end. (Deut 8:16b) He would not allow the sentence of death to be the end of what His love was capable of accomplishing, but the good news of the Gospel was that His mercy extended beyond the darkened conscience caused by overt rebellion. It was the violation of the Word that caused death, and now, the Word became flesh to validate the Truth of the Word. The Man Jesus Christ, revealed as the last Adam, succeeded where the first Adam had failed and a new and a living way was being blazed for us to return as individual men to the Father. 

The earth once existed without form and meaning. After God created the order for His creation, he established man to tend the earth and rule over His creation. Sin had invited meaninglessness to return while every manner of confusion was given permission to dominate what God had created. The god of this present age has caused man to redefine and recategorize what has been clearly made evident. “The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace” (Isa 59:8). Christ came to provide us a choice. We are no longer condemned to the solitary confinement of the world’s way, but now the way to life has come! He came to bring peace on the earth and good will towards men. We can now sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. And Heaven and nature sing. Let Heaven and nature sing. Let Heaven, let Heaven and nature sing!