Subject: A Thought of the Week (Which Channel - WGOD or WORLD?) from Brother Michael - 9/2/13

September 2, 2013

 

Brother,

 

I hope and pray all is well with you and your family.

 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6

 

When we want to know what is going on in a school system, we go to the authority, the one who’s in charge of the programs, who has the power, knows the most, and devises the policies, which is usually the principal or superintendent. We don’t go to the third graders to get their reports. We know they are not the all-knowing authorities who can decipher all that occurs in a complex system. Nor do we let the third graders determine the strategies and methods needed to educate themselves and society.

 

Most media, like TV, radio, movies, and the internet, are equivalent to the third graders in terms of their depth of understanding, power, and authority. The media reflects the WORLD system, Satan’s schemes, and our fleshly desires. The WORLD relentlessly proclaims bad news for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Knee-jerk solutions to long-term issues abound, exalting self instead of humbling us to the true King.

 

This steady diet of WORLD messages and attempts at brainwashing will eventually sicken us. Thankfully, there’s an alternative. Instead of focusing on their fickle, ever-changing, bad-news broadcasts, I encourage you to tune into the living WORD – the One who is always the same. He is the real authority and all-knowing One we can pursue for answers, explanations, comfort, protection, instruction, power, and wisdom.

 

Because of our need for quick explanations and our weakness in dealing with discomfort, we want our natural state of broken-heartedness and captivity to sin to go away now. But, we are too lazy to think through multiple aspects of a situation. We have selective amnesia regarding past experiences. We resist developing our spiritual antennae. As a result, we tune into the WORLD.  The media, which is in our face 24/7, becomes our guide and authority.

 

The more we listen to the WORLD, the easier it is to accept that worldview and set of gimmicky answers to our struggles. But the more we read and listen to the teaching of the WORD, the clearer the problems are and the easier the real answers appear in front of us. Then we can bask in lasting hope and peace.

 

Today, I suggest we turn off the tube early. And use that time to dig into our Bible. Let Holy Scripture saturate our minds and hearts. This will help us move step by step along the path of true healing and lasting transformation. Even though we do not know what will happen tomorrow, we can be absolutely sure God is walking alongside all of us. And we are assured of our ultimate destination forever. Big decision: the Bible or the world’s media for our peace, guidance and freedom. So what is it going to be Brother?  Tune into the WORLD, or the true authority, the living WORD?

 

Let us pray, Dear Father God, we are full of fear today. We are in the midst of another storm. We turn to Your Word and we find peace. We pray that the assurance of Your Word will soak into our mind and heart until we overflow with Your Joy, instead of our fleshly fear. We know that peace is Your continual gift to us. Thank You, Lord. We know that You have designed us to need You moment by moment. It is when we take our eyes off You that fear and anxiety creep into our life. We approach Your throne of grace with confidence and trust and ask for Your peace. We pray all of this in Your Holy and Precious Name – AMEN.

 

Have a great and BLESSED week.

 

Remember I am here for you in thought, prayer and action – 24x7.

 

STAY STRONG!

 

Love-Your Brother and Friend in Christ,

 

Michael
(484)431-9336 (Home & Cell)
(484)595-9744 (Work)

Subject: A Thought of the Week (Penny or Gold Nugget – Our Choice?) from Brother Michael - 8/26/13

August 26, 2013

 

Brother,

 

I hope and pray all is well with you and your family.

 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7

 

Several months ago I was working on a project but the project was stalling because a certain problem kept getting in my way. Although the solution was right in front of my eyes, it was hard to see it because I was holding on so tightly to a couple project components. Once I loosened my grip, that is, my dependency on those elements of the project, the solution became crystal clear. Then a refreshing peace quickly followed and soothed my mind.

 

God’s peace is all encompassing, given freely to His followers, and has nothing to do with our current circumstances. Even if we lose everything, if we gain His peace, we are rich beyond measure. When we cling to other items, we are looking for peace in the wrong places, worldly and material items receiving His precious gift of peace will be virtually impossible.

 

Try to think about wrapping our fingers tightly around a shiny penny that catches our eye because it looks so attractive but has very little value. We don’t want to give it up, even though God is reaching out and offering us an unlimited supply of gold. The “catch” is, we need both hands to grab the gold, but we refuse to loosen our grip on that shiny penny.

 

To receive His gifts, we must first open our hands, actually our hearts, to Him. As we do, we can release our cares and concerns into His hands for perfect care and keeping. Once we release our grip on transient, material, and worldly fixes, our hands are open to receive and grab onto the peace He has been trying to give us all along. Keep in mind today the Divine nature of this gift. It is not the world’s peace He gives it is a powerful peace that transcends all human understanding. We can not mimic it or create anything that can compare to it, although we try many ways to create or attain it on our own.

 

You see, we have to grab the right things to find God’s peace. I can tell you that His peace isn’t everywhere. It’s not in a bottle of alcohol, a drug, pornography, sex or love, work, control, the Bahamas, food, thrills, sports, TV, or even our kids. But these are often the first places we look and we are amazed when they don’t bring the peace that only He can deliver. If we really want peace, we have to look in the right places. After His resurrection, the first words Jesus spoke to his disciples were, “Peace be with you.” He knew they needed His Peace and He knows that we all need His Peace today.

 

Today, let’s all look at an area of our life where we feel unsettled. And ask ourselves, “What am I clinging to that prevents me from grabbing the peace God is offering me?” Is it our ego, control, looks, image, money, security, risk-aversion, or kids? We all have areas we exalt more highly than they deserve. Yet not one of them compares to what God offers. We need to allow our hands to release that thing by applying God’s Word, character, and promises. And then feel Him put His peace right in our hand for us to hold onto. Whether you open your heart and look for peace in the right places or not is our decision. 

 

Let us pray, Dear Father, we feel that there are so many aspects of our life that are out of our control. We often feel we are a victim of our circumstances. But we know that in reality we are really a victim of our own thinking and decisions. Our gift of all-encompassing peace is exactly what we need. Even though Your peace is a gift, we sometimes feel unable to receive it. Perhaps it’s because we are clinging so tightly to other things, our loved ones, our possessions, our reputation and even our addictions or sources of false relief. We keep looking in the wrong places. we pray to You, our Lord, that You help us treasure and value Your Peace above all else. Help us  release our grasp on other things so that we may receive Your gifts. I pray all of this in Your Holy and Precious Name– AMEN.

 

Have a great and BLESSED week.

 

Remember I am here for you in thought, prayer and action – 24x7.

 

STAY STRONG!

 

Love-Your Brother and Friend in Christ,

 

Michael
(484)431-9336 (Home & Cell)
(484)595-9744 (Work)