The Spirit in Our Minds

While reading about today’s bad news, I wondered why our world cannot be peaceful. Reading tales of disastrous global conflicts, I thought leaders must let bygones be bygones.

I turned to my Bible and read tthese words of our Lord: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother, He who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” As Jesus told Peter, letting bygones pass by empowers peace of mind to be everywhere. As a Christian, I try to enrich my days with Bible texts, prayers, and meditations on the true healing belief in following faith.

The situation in current affairs is quite grim. God calls us to educate ourselves and our children in constructive actions. This will contribute to the mighty task of providing power to the peaceful.

We can explain our beliefs, guide others to see how the Holy Spirit can work among mere humans, and allow individuals to choose their beliefs for peace. If everyone lets bygones be bygones, humanity can have blooming good years ahead.

Like most, I can waste my thoughts on silent grievances. Following Jesus’ path and wisdom will help me keep smiling and being kind.

Keep your heart and soul in the right place. Stay calm, explore your inherent attributes, and focus on forgiveness—at least seventy times seven. Doing so gives power to the peaceful. 

When I was little, a show for children had, as two of its characters, a bird and a furry elephant with a pointed trunk. The two talking animals were friends. No one, however, would ever believe the bird when he told the people that the elephant was his friend. Now, the bird would never tell the people that his friend was an elephant. He just told them the elephant’s long name. No one believed the bird, even though the elephant was close by on at least one occasion.

Finally, at the end of the series, the bird convinced everyone to let him take them to where this big elephant was. Then, they all believed he existed. The next show seemed to start the whole series over again because everyone didn’t think that the big elephant existed.

Some people are that way with God. He has revealed Himself to us through nature, but they still ignore Him. I know some people who have been hurt by different circumstances that the Devil used to make them doubt God’s existence. God longs to help them through by showing them His love and mercy. Yet if they refuse to accept His tender love and compassion, they will someday experience His wrath and judgment.

For it is written, “As I live saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Jesus is coming back one day. He is returning for His bride, the church. Everyone will see Him, and they will all know He is God. After this, all who have died without believing will be raised from the dead to stand before Him and give an account of their lives.

If you haven’t, accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you have, stay faithful to Him because He is coming soon. 

The annual mess of autumn leaves in my yard sparked something I had never considered before: the leaves fall because their work is done.

Curious, I researched and learned that leaves fall off to protect the tree. No longer converting sunlight into energy, the dry leaves put the tree at risk for disease and broken limbs. This lifeless foliage falls away in preparation for new growth yet to come. The very things that fed the tree must now fall off for it to survive.

But these fallen leaves serve a secondary purpose. They release essential nutrients that nourish the tree roots as the leaves decay into the soil. This happens when the trees are most vulnerable and cannot generate their own energy. This life-sustaining process is not visible. Likewise, the reason we need to release things (or people) isn’t always apparent. Nevertheless, it is still necessary that we drop dead things so we can thrive.

Our frustrations often stem from holding on to lifeless things. We unknowingly invite disorder and unease by clinging to things that drain us instead of sustaining us. Learning how to let go is vital for our growth. God may prompt us to explore new opportunities or relationships. Doing this may also require us to make room for them.

Unfortunately, dead relationships, habits, and influences rarely fall away. We must choose to release them. Even then, they can stubbornly hang on. Yet our faithful Father eventually sends turbulent weather to shake them off—just as He does for the trees. Every adversity is not an attack. Our storms clear the way for new things to grow.

Take stock of what is dead. Is there anything that stinks? Forget your guilt, regret, would haves, and should haves. Let go of fruitless habits. Make room and look forward to new opportunities. We have far more to be grateful for than God ever asks us to lose. Trust God and let it go.

DANGER …TRAIL CLOSED … NO HIKING

The sign stopped me in my tracks. I was in the middle of nowhere on a solo hike that had gone perfectly fine until now. “Okay, Lord, now what?” was my prayer as I looked around, contemplating my next steps.  

I’m an avid hiker. The challenge of hiking a new trail, seeing beautiful scenery, and capturing unique photos exhilarates me. In extreme weather conditions, with a partner or alone, every day is a good day for a hike.

The most important aspect of hiking is preparation. I spend as much time planning as I do hiking. First, I must consider the trail’s location, length, and difficulty. Then there’s mundane stuff to consider: snacks, hydration, a map, and proper attire. There are other details to ponder, but you get the idea.

Once, I set off on a new trail, map in hand, just as I had done dozens of other times. I had hiked about two-thirds of the trail when a large DANGER sign suddenly loomed before me. Now what? The trail app directed me to go one way, but a clear warning sign told me otherwise. I took a deep breath and studied my trail app, comparing what I saw on my phone to my surroundings and finally decided on what appeared to be the route other hikers had taken instead of the original trail.

Proverbs clearly tells us that we can plan, but God ultimately gets us where we’re going in His timing and in His way. We see examples of this in Scripture with Paul and his intended journeys. Paul always sought God’s will for his life and travels. However, God didn’t always allow Paul to reach all his proposed destinations. Regardless, Paul trusted in God’s sovereignty.

Our spiritual walk with God frequently parallels my real-life situation. The clock, calendar, and needs of others often dictate our lives. Life doesn’t always work out as we script it. Scripture instructs us to plan, but it also tells us to seek God’s will for our lives in the process.

Make a point to regularly seek God’s wisdom and desire for your life through daily prayer and Scripture reading. 

I am a big fan of those wood-fired pizza places that let you build your own pie. I love getting unlimited toppings as I seek to recreate Peter’s vision in Acts 10, where he sees all the world’s animals and is commanded to eat. I’d also like a bit of raw veggies on top after it finishes cooking, but that’s not an option. Health regulations require everything to go through the fire so that no contamination remains.

That’s the way things work in the kingdom of heaven. Tainted desires lead to tainted outcomes, but what God gives us in His grace is a blessing without pain. We see this in the alcoholic and the compulsive gambler, but it’s just as present in the person who dreams that the next promotion will give them the significance they crave, the person who imagines that the next date will fulfill them, or the pizza aficionado who imagines that just a few more spicy toppings will bring culinary satisfaction instead of heartburn.

But those are all lies. The Bible calls it idolatry and offers a solution: give it up. Doing so demonstrates that God has given us more than we need. This is a part of why we give to God, not because He needs our money but because we need to release it. Just as the oven cooks food and the refiner’s fire purifies metal, so also the act of offering up our excess turns what could be a worldly addiction into something that brings joy and blessing as it passes through the cleansing fire.

Of course, God has other options. He can withhold from us what we desire more than Him. Or He can relent and say, “Fine, your will be done,” until our desires enslave us, and we call out for deliverance. Either way, only after we humble ourselves and seek God’s kingdom first is it fitting for Him to add all the other things we call for.

So, what in your life do you mistakenly believe will bring you joy, safety, meaning, or blessing? Let those things pass through the fire so God can cleanse you of any unhealthy dependence.