Pastor, Speaker, Author, Counselor
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The real pandemic our nation is fighting is hatred and racism, our history is filled with the bloodshed of men, women, and children who were slaughtered for no other reason than the color of their skin or their economic value.
We have fought wars over this that further divided our nation, at the cost of over 600,000 lives, and sadly we are still fighting some of these battles in our streets, in our neighborhoods, and in our homes, this madness must stop. We cannot erase our nation's history, it will not go away, and we shouldn't want to, if we try to erase it, we will only be doomed to make it worse by refusing to acknowledge it and make the changes we need to make, what we can do is make every effort to not repeat these atrocities, we start by simply having mutual respect and love for one another as human beings. Our nation's history has been far from perfect, but we still live in a great nation where the majority of people do love one another, yes we still have a small segment that refuses to change their way of thinking and we need to hold them accountable, no matter who they are. I am heart broke over the hatred, racism, and violence, I want all people to live free from the fear that too many faces unnecessarily, hate. There is only one cure for this hatred and racism, that is people surrendering their hearts to God and repenting from their sins. Hate and Racism are issues of the heart, they are sinful, this is a spiritual battle not physical, sadly there is physical violence and abuse that spawns from the spiritual battle, only God can change the heart of mankind. God help us I pray! God made it clear, we are to love Him with all our hearts minds and souls and love our neighbors as ourselves. If we could only do two things in this world to change it, shouldn't we do our part, and let God do His. Racism and hate are taught, children have a natural tendency to love, they repeat what they hear and see, let's teach them about God's plan of salvation, His word and ways, it's time His creation returns to Him. It is time every voice is heard, there is no room for hatred, racism, or evil in our world. God's word says this: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB “And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. ”Matthew 22:37-40 NASB “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”1 John 3:15-24 NASB “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:5-10 NASB “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalms 34:1-3, 8-18 NASB
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The world is searching for hope, the very hope you and I as sons and daughters of God carry in us. How will they know that hope unless you and I proclaim it by the way we live and the words we speak?
We are not long for this world, and yet this world consumes our hearts, minds, and souls, we don’t dwell on eternity for we cannot see past today or fathom the depths or length of it. When I look at the world around me, I don’t see what most people see for God keeps changing how I see things, I don’t see people of different nationalities or people of different religions, I see people, and this I know; Christ died for them as He did me, it doesn’t matter where they are born, who they are born to, what they have done or will do, what matters is Christ died for them, rose from the grave for them and is calling them to Him and we need to let them know. There is no person beyond the grace of God, salvation, and forgiveness is for all who ask Christ to save them. Let’s not be entangled in the things of this world, they are temporary, yes let us enjoy all God has given us, be good stewards of it but let us focus our time, talents and treasures on the things of God that have eternal meaning, while there is light let us walk in Christ so others will come to Him. Christ will soon return and what will matter then is not what we do or did to glorify ourselves, but what we did and do to glorify Him. God’s word says this: “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.” 2 Timothy 2:1-4 CSB “Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t make plans to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:11-14 CSB “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace. Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.” 2 Peter 3:10-18 CSB Having lived with the Corona Virus in my family and home, we have seen some of what it can and can't do.
My family and I were all together in our home, around each other day and night for 45 days straight, after my wife and son tested positive for the CV-19, add a couple more weeks before they were diagnosed, when the symptoms started. My Doctor and health department were telling us we need to isolate them away from us , or we should go somewhere to stay until we see what happens, (I fall into the super high-risk factor because of my health and especially my lung issues.) Well you really can't self-quarantine in a home of 5 people, my wife and I continued living as we always had, around each other and sleeping together every day and night, I never had one symptom, or did our younger son and daughter. We were not letting fear drive us, we did not leave our home though so we would not spread it to others. We are in the hands of God and He protected us, that is the only reason I believe I never came down with the virus or our other children, and my wife and son never became worse, we prayed together for protection, and my Doctor recognizes that. My wife and son are virus-free and none of us took any medicine, to stop or fight the virus, again none of us, (you need to understand if someone has a cold and they sneeze around me I get it, really.) Even though we survived this some of our friends and family have not, we have lost three friends to this and have had a couple of friends lose their parents, it is heartbreaking and we have seen the destruction that this virus causes first hand, there can be no words of comfort when you cannot go see your loved ones as they wrestle with death alone because of this disease, and it happens so rapidly you barely can wrap your mind around what is happening. There is no one size fits all for the symptoms or cure for this Virus, it affects everyone differently. We should never sacrifice living for fear of dying, we all will die unless the Lord comes soon, isn't it time to start living? But letting fear guide us and destroy our families and the Nation is foolish, people are smart enough to wash their hands, stay out of each other's faces and avoid contact when at all possible, basic hygiene and common sense are two of the best defenses against this virus, adults are not toddlers who need to be told what to do by any government agency, ever. The government has said we can't protect you from this, and they can't. It is time to let everyone return to work, with caution and common sense, and get our Nation back to work, stop the fear-mongering, and start living again. If your a high-risk individual like myself and my family now, you can take all the precautions you can but you can't stop living, we lived by faith with the Virus in our lives and in our home and we will continue to do what we can and live by faith now. God's word says this: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:1, 3 , 6 CSB Those who don't believe Jesus is God, or those who are agnostics or atheists who don’t believe in a Creator, have a tendency to say ”they see no evidence of God.”
We know better, and we can easily refute their disbelief with one simple answer; I am the evidence! You have a past that Christ rescued you from, whether you thought you were a good person who did all the right things and found out that you were hell-bound without Christ, for no one can earn their way into heaven, or if you were rotten, vile, rebellious and hell-bound without Christ, it doesn’t matter. Jesus Christ came to you personally, revealed Himself to you, and saved you. The evidence is our changed lives , for we are a new creation in Christ, old things have passed away and a new life has now begun. We should live and rejoice daily because He works in us daily still, so if someone wants evidence of Jesus Christ, tell them your story for we are the evidence the world needs to see and hear. God did not save us so we may sit in buildings, occasionally yell Amen and raise our hands in a worship service, He saves us so others may see His love, His glory, His grace which is available to all. If you’re not being the evidence of a saved and sanctified life, then you need to repent and start living as God called you. We need to start today proclaiming what God has done for us, and in us, so others may see the hope of Christ and eternity and be rescued from sin and death. God’s word says this: “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death.” Revelation 12:10-11 CSB “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 CSB “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 CSB “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. John 3:1-21 NASB “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone — rejected by people but chosen and honored by God — you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:1-5 CSB “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:16-26 NASB |
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