This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Jos 1:8
June 2021
We are living in a difficult time in America and the world as a whole because none of us can live to ourselves in this inter-connected world. We need each other and we are affected by each other. We also need leaders because none of us can manage every aspect of life alone and leaders are supposed to be like road signs telling us which way to go to reach our destination. The problem we have today is that few leaders seem to know the way and the chaos of our world require direction signs.
It is unfortunate, even devastating, that many of our past and present leaders have disqualified the one source that claims to know the beginning, the end and has road signs along the way. I am talking about the Bible, the book written by 40 God-inspired men empowered with the Holy Spirit over a course of approximately 1500 years. They acknowledged their weaknesses and disappointment but point us to an All-Powerful Creator who helped them to make sense of their chaos and brought them to clarity. They found truth in the midst of darkness. It would be a ridiculous fable except that these men who did not know each other and lived centuries apart in culturally separated lives from each other all tell coordinated stories that only one mind could relay. Historical narratives are told over and over where people tried to prove they were the supreme leader but were all disproven by a greater power revealed as God, the Creator. He beacons us to come to Him for insight. Like those inspired writers, it might be important to believe this Unconquerable God since none of us knows the way.
The nation of America is trying to disprove a story we have heard through narratives of Israel, Egypt, Babylon, Rome, Greece, France, Germany, The Soviet Union, and England. Great men and kingdoms have tried to exalt themselves as supreme rulers only to be dethroned and thrown down by “Someone” who keeps declaring that He alone is supreme. In that He offers to help us make it from day to day and survive where others have failed, in that He is stronger and more knowledgeable than we are and we are in distress; it might be a good idea to finally listen.
Many people are suspect of some current and past teachers whose instructions have failed over and over. It might be a good idea this time to pick up “the book”, read it for self and ask “the Writer” for help in understanding it. The book tells us that He will speak to us individually if we ask Him to. He sent His Son to show us how to walk the right path.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Joh 3:16
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps. 32:8
There are two spiritual forces operating in this world: the author of good and the author of evil. If we do not decide to listen to and side with the Author of Good, who is the Sovereign God; we can be assured that the author of evil will prevail over our life by default in absence of our choosing. The confusion we are seeing in our world today is because too many people have either made the wrong choice or no choice at all and have connected with the forces of evil by default. Many people do not want to acknowledge that there is a good God, but the evil in the land that we see today testifies that the author of evil is working to destroy our world.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Jas 3:16
The devastation that we have all experienced through our own personal sickness or someone we loved because of the Covid 19 pandemic is one of the things God said would happen if we chose to serve the author of evil rather than listen to His voice (Lev 26:21). We are here now and many of us have lost family, friends, neighbors and leaders. We have the opportunity to decide to do something different, make the right choice and see better results than the nations we read about in history who made the wrong choice. God offers to partner with us for success. Make the Daniel Decision (Dan 3:18) or the Joshua Decision (Jos 24:15). Who would not like to have a second chance to get it right? We have that opportunity today(1Jn 1:9). If we do not make a choice, then we have made the default choice of evil results and more devastation to come. If we decide to try God, read His Word and follow it then He has promised to help make things better from this point forward with direction and a good outcome (Jos 1:8). We each have to make a choice and the decision is too important to leave to someone else. God promises to meet us in the book.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Ps. 119:105
Truth and Life Ministries of Christ with Apostle Joyce Reba Payne 