Storm All Around You

Jon Thurlow

Shhhhh ... Listen

Luke 2:13-14

And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Can you hear them; the angels and a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God?

Here, dear one, are the lyrics to Storm All Around You:

I know there are creatures all around You
I know there are lightnings and thunderings
I know there's a storm all around You
Holy holy holy

Verse 2
I see seven lamps of fire burning
I see a sea of glass mingled with fire burning
I see the Son of Man with eyes of fire burning
Burning burning burning
Interlude

Oh woah
(REPEAT)

(Hallelujah)
Chorus
Halle-halle-hallelujah
For the Lord God omnipotent reigns
Halle-halle-hallelujah
For the Lord God omnipotent reigns

Bridge
Everyone in the temple cries glory
(REPEAT)

Hallelujah Lord

If you have ever wondered what repeating a refrain over and over again in heaven, will feel like, have a listen to this God glorifying song of praise. It hints at the prophesies found in the book of Revelation, and soulfully gives us a glimpse of how marvellous it will be, to praise God for eternity.

https://open.spotify.com/album/41Lezz...

I pray you are edified and lifted heavenward this day. 

This blog commemorates Mark Dersham ... one of God's favourite faithful saints. Mark could see into heaven.

My, Aren't You Gorgeous

Eyeball to eyeball, my mother faced the doctor that had just moments before, removed the last of her stitches. He spoke about skin care, and the importance of noticing when a spot becomes a permanent body resident, and how vital it is, to look for suspicious changes that may be sinister in nature. Sure, basal cells are the kind one would want if they had to choose a form of cancer, but even basal cells have a propensity to be problematic! Suddenly, without warning, I see my mother reach both hands forward toward the young doctor's face: My, aren't your gorgeous, were the words she uttered, as she grinned in his immediate, up-close-and-personal direction. 

I have to smile in the remembering. While the charming and very handsome man did his professional best to warn my mother of the potential dangers ahead, since she had already had surgery to remove naughty cells that did not belong on healthy skin, all my mother could do was notice how gorgeous he was. Never shy, always willing to compliment others, my mother went in for her own variety of truth telling, without a care in the world about what he was saying. 

Ahh, the hospital, with all of the fabulous staff. We had a good time, each visit my mother had to be seen, cut, sewn back together again, and have stitches removed.. Is this strange to you, dear one, to read? Mom had some nasty basal cell carcinoma they told us, that had to be sliced out of her back. Cheerily, mom took the news and did what any wise woman would do: she put on a robe, lied on her side on a table, and patiently got needled unto she couldn't feel, got a swatch of flesh removed, and continued to lie there while the surgeon of plastics, sewed closed the wound. How he did this is a wonder of ingenuity to me, and I am grateful for his skills, let me tell you! The fact that we had to go back and do some of it again, to get the wayward rascals that escaped the first time, was a bit of a set back, but clearly, it was not insurmountable: mom does what she must minus complaining, and she heals faster than you and I can blink. The second round, while mom lied on the table, was kind of funny. The doctor warned, You will feel a sting (or something to that effect) when the freezing needle goes in. As he proceeded, mom started to say Ouch repeatedly. It delights me each time I recall the expression on the faces of the surgeon, the resident surgeon learning from him, and his attending nurse. They were pained to think she was feeling pain ... I quickly eased their minds and said, She is joking. Suddenly, the tension in the room evaporated, and all returned to their cheery dispositions.

There was another bit of hilarity though ... my little sister wanted to see the swatch of naughty flesh that had been cut out of moms back, and when she saw it in a picture I sent her, she asked, They giving you fries with that piece of fish? My son, when I suggested he take a picture of the thing that used to ride uninvited on my mom's back, cheekily replied, What, and use it as a screen saver? This brought a chuckle up and out of the surgeon as he did his handiwork. 

I know, dear reader, what cancer is and how destructive it can be. I do not make light of illness, suffering, pain, or the discomfort that accompanies the malfunctioning of the body. I have an opinion about doctors and hospitals that does not match the thoughts of the majority, of the masses. When sick, so say some, a person can find ways to heal themselves and when that does not work, they can go to a learned professional for some advice ... and suggestions ... and the ill person gets to choose what they will do from there. 

I got an oil change recently, and the gentlemen that serviced my car offered my son and I bottled water on that hot day. The service man that drove my car in and out of the oil change bay, left my car door opened for me, and waited until I was safely in, before closing the door for me. The staff, that served my mom were gracious, kind, thoughtful, and willing to allow my son and I to stay with mom while she had her surgeries ... these people, the oil changers, and the cancer removing-then-sew-her-back-up team, are one and the same to me. There was excellence on both fronts; commendable, personable, delightful professionalism, with a flare for tender and sweet excellence in patient or customer care.

Medicine men and mechanics are equally, wonderfully, uniquely made, and so are you and I, dear reader. We each have an offering, and how we interact with, and love one another is ultimately, all that matters. 

The young handsome stitch removing doctor I mentioned earlier, grinned back at mom with his face in the palm of her hands. while continuing to speak his precautionary messages. He spoke things she already knew, which reminds me to always remember, we must never underestimate what others know, or what they are capable of: he was being dutiful, and so was mom. It was his due, to have her cup his face in her elder hands and tell him, My, aren't you gorgeous ... She was not dismissive, she was attentive, just like he was with her. They both smiled, and as we left, I hoped to never see his handsome face again, because hospitals and doctors are what I most, want to avoid. 

We leave an impression, don't we dear one? We can leave a sour taste in another's mouth, stamp an image in their memory that is hard to revisit, or we can be like honey on the tongue and lips, and a savoury scene when eyes are closed and last experiences are revisited. Jesus is the sweetest word on my lips. Jesus is the kindest image for my mind, and the softest place in my heart. Jesus can be seen and felt in the hands of careful cancer removal surgeons, and mechanics too, that hold car doors open for the weaker sex, otherwise known as females. 

Jesus is the Man/God that we must modelled ourselves after ... wouldn't you, agree, dear one?

John 13:34

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

NOTE: The giraffe looking in on the scene, was in the room with us, when mom had her memorable exchange with Mr. Gorgeous. 

Commissioned Work

Consider with me, the Great Commission. Gospel ministers are sent, after hearing a call. Cup your ear, dear reader, and listen: What do you hear?

Paul and Silas heard something similar to: Go here, go over there; go from town to town and share the Good News. When you are persecuted in one place, leave off, for now, and go to the next, and the next, not out of fear of insult, injury, and imprisonment, because those things are guaranteed (you will get danger pay in the end, with your reward in heaven), but because I have commissioned you to tell all who have ears to hear, that Jesus Christ, the Messiah prophesied and promised in the Old Testament, is the same Jesus that was recently in our midst, performing wonders and miracles, suffering and dying on a cross for the sins of the world, and rising again by the power of the Holy Ghost, resurrected on that third day to let the whole world know, he is the incarnate One we can trust as our King and Lord. I paraphrase, and suggest that you go directly to scripture for the elegant words to be found there. Never trust a mere human for glorious Truth, go right to God, dear one, he is the Author of life!

Consider now, another very different and opposing commission, of a foul nature. There were trouble makers everywhere the ministers of the gospel travelled. Out of petty jealousy and envy, Paul and Silas were followed, harassed, and harangued. Like stink, vile and putrid men were commissioned to follow apostles and disciples, and try to undo, the good that had been done. Matthew Henry says it best:

The persecution that was raised against Paul and Silas at Berea, which forced Paul thence. 1. The Jews at Thessalonica were the mischief-makers at Berea. They had notice that the word of God was preached at Berea (for envy and jealousy bring quick intelligence), and likewise that the Jews there were not so inveterately set against it as they were. They came thither also, to turn the world upside down there, and they stirred up the people, and incensed them against the preachers of the gospel; as if they had such a commission from the prince of darkness to go from place to place to oppose the gospel as the apostles had to go from place to place to preach it. 

He continues:

Thus we read before that the Jews of Antioch and Iconium came to Lystra on purpose to incense the people against the apostles, ch. 14:19. See how restless Satan's agents are in their opposition to the gospel of Christ and the salvation of the souls of men. This is an instance of the enmity that is in the serpent's seed against the seed of the woman; and we must not think it strange if persecutors at home extend their rage to stir up persecution abroad, Matthew Henry's Commentary, Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 180. 

Matthew Henry states, The New Testament is to be examined by the Old. Which brings you and I to the beginning, so that we are enabled to understand the middle and the end, of the story of humanity. 

We have God, in the beginning, and he hand crafted a man, and from him (his rib), woman was shaped. Then there is the matter of a talking snake, slithering his way onto the scene to see what trouble he could stir up. Out of envy and jealousy, that creature wanted to put enmity between God and his image bearers, and just like many a silver tongued devil, this original soul sucker, mentally manipulated Eve and Adam, to rebel against God and his commands. 

Does this not sound too familiar to you? Is it not the ancient of ancients in all story telling themes? 

When mention is made of enmity between Satan's seed and the woman's, we see the children of the Devil and the children of God through Christ as Saviour, at war with one another. I will simplify here because I simply must, since there is absolutely no need to convolute or confuse. I reiterate: The Word of God is SIMPLE, and yet, many a man has made a mess of things, when there was no mess to make. 

We have God, and he made all living creatures, and inanimate objects too, by his power. Lucifer is a created being that miserably hated being so, meaning, he preferred to bite the hand that made him, rather than glorify and sing praises to God Almighty. Think with me, how many people behave similarly? Goodness asks that we behave in honourable, compellingly noble ways, and yet, we are like dirty rascals, dumpster diving, and coating our souls in filth with our repugnant attitudes and self-indulgent behaviours, until of course, we are bitten and smited with regret and remorse. Christ purifies and washing us clean: Christ lets us know, there is another way; you can stop sullying yourself. The preachers of the gospel are like deodorizers, and a breath of fresh air, that help us cleanse our ways, and give new life to our bodies and spirits. It is always about souls for those that speak of Christ, compared to the seed of Satan that endlessly want you and I too dirty ourselves, by using our minds and bodies in the most despicable ways. 

Turn on your TV and find there every possible message that directly goes against God's will and way. Walk about your town or city, and see flags and symbols erected at schools, churches, shopping centres, that blatantly indicate rebellion against God's commandments. I don't need to be specific, do I? Rather, let us take a look at you, dear one, to see what indicators there are that you have perhaps, purposely, or inadvertently, joined forces with the enemy of your soul:

1. Do you support gay pride, and wave a flag as an encouragement for these poor, disenfranchised, misguided humans?

2. Have you voted for a man or woman that supports the freedom to choose to kill their own offspring in the womb?

3. Are you complacent with euthanasia, otherwise referred to as self-murder?

4. Do you dabble in occult activities? Taro card or palm reading, paying fortune-tellers, seance attendance, ouija board. Do you have lucky charms, and wish people good luck?

5. Are you fornicating? Are you having sex with someone, or many someone's, or living with a person and engaging in intercourse?

6. Do you have sex with someone that has the same genitalia? Meaning man with man, woman with woman?

7. How about pornography? Do you watch TV programs or movies with copulation as, Just part of the story-line or show? Do you watch pornography in secret and whenever you get the chance?

8. What about saying, JESUSSSS, or CHRIST, when you are exasperated?

9. Are you married and fantasying about someone other than your spouse?

10. Are you married and having sex with someone other than your spouse?

11. Do you lie, cheat, steal?

12. Do you get high on drugs?

13. Do you get drunk?

Man alive, I could spend the day asking questions about the sin factors that drag souls away from God when indulged, but I do not want to belabour the point, since the real message is this: There are commissioned workers, and some spread the Good News of the gospel, which is that Jesus Christ is Lord, while others follow closely on their heels, endeavouring to cause upheaval and strife, discord and disease, amongst God's people. 

God's commissionaires speak truth, with the light and love of Christ in their eyes; Satan's commissionaires speak lies, with death and eternal darkness blackening theirs. 

We have all felt the pull to the dark side. We have all said and done what God commands us not to do, and fallen short of the glory of God. And, when we didn't know better, sinning felt terrible, but we managed to acclimate, and easily excuse and repeat our sins; conversely, once we know Christ, and are washed clean of the filthy sin that soils the soul with ashy soot, sinning becomes repugnant and despicable, and course correcting to Christ becomes more natural, especially when reading The Bible is a daily habit. 

We have commissioned work, you and I. We answer to a Master, or a master. If you doubt this, then perhaps you can seriously consider the concept of spiritual warfare now, in this very moment. 

I have to go, but will return to talk with you some more on this matter. In the mean time, might I suggest you take the time to think about your soul and how valuable it is to God, and how despised it is by the Devil and his seed? 

God loves and is called Love.

Satan hates, and is devilishly diabolical. 

You live for One, and die by the other. I pray you know Jesus Christ as your Lord, this very day, dear one, and sin no more. 

Do Thyself No Harm

What if someone cried, or bellowed, in a loud voice, Do thyself no harm. Would this startle you, and have you stop in your tracks to consider, Am I harming myself, and; If so, how? The apostle Paul saved a man from self-murder by shouting out these words in the dark hour of midnight. I consider this command to be a warning, and an encouragement too, to do myself no harm. 

Here is what Matthew Henry has to say on the matter, page 171, Acts To Revelation, Volume 6: 

Paul stopped him from his proceeding against himself (v. 28): He cried with a loud voice not only to make him hear, but to make him heed, saying, Do not practice any evil to thyself; Do thyself no harm. 

Matthew Henry points out that injury to self, taking one's own life, is doing harm. He proceeds to link all self-harm, including self-murder, to sin:

All the cautions of the word of God against sin, and all appearances of it and approaches to it, have this tendency, "Do thyself no harm. Man, woman, do not wrong thyself, nor ruin thyself; hurt not thyself, and then none else can hurt thee; do not sin, for nothing else can hurt thee. 

The expression, You are only hurting yourself, comes to mind, when I think of sin and how it insinuates itself into our thinking, affecting our heart rate, and having us barrel our way right into self-stimulated trouble. Isn't self and other murder symptomatic of a sinful society? Isn't it a curiosity, that killing self, or an elderly person, or someone that is emotionally in turmoil, or a babe in the womb, is now the encouraged norm, when clearly, life is our greatest God given gift?

I think of Job and God's response to him, when Job attempted to curse the day he was born. God silenced him by letting him know, that he, God, is not to be challenged or imputed, given he is Sovereign, and chooses to give life to each living, breathing creature. How dare we, as the created, decide to harm what is not ours, including ourselves, or any other human, when every soul belongs, to him. 

Ezekiel 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 

Do thyself no harm is a matter of accountability. Might I suggest that when you do yourself injury, you pass along similar tendencies to the next generation. Is it not so, that alcoholism seems an inherited trait? Am I off-roading to imply, that physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, are learned behaviours that repeat themselves, from father to son to grandson; from mother to daughter to granddaughter? Any combination of relations can be used in this example of learned behaviours. Sin is deprivation, a dire and drastic form of deviation from God's commands, and we are promised the death of our own soul, when we indulge our inclinations, by giving in to temptation. 

I know you harm yourself dear reader. I don't need to know you personally to make this statement. We live in a carnal world soaked in sin; we are tempted to over eat, over drink, under exercise. We are encouraged to have sex for pleasures sake, and to kill would-be offspring, or put off having them, if the timing for raising a child just isn't quite right. The elderly are considered people to be suffered, temporarily, and put away from society to play bridge or paint by numbers, while housed in expensive apartments with no one visiting them, because it is their children's turn to live wild and free. We are, ultimately, encouraged to indulge our pleasures, at the expense of our health, relationships, and the ultimate price of sinking our souls into the pit ... but not by God, O no, he does not want this for any of his creatures. 

You, dear reader, indulge your own brand of self-harm. This is a matter to be investigated and discussed, either with God solo, or with a trusted Christian friend that will hear you, and love you to the cross of Christ, and right into his throne room. 

Do thyself no harm. If you belong to Jesus, you are a living stone, and the temple of the Holy Ghost:

1 Peter 2:5

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 3:6

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 

1 Corinthians 6:19

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Do not practice any evil to thyself; Do thyself no harm. Man, woman, do not wrong thyself, nor ruin thyself; hurt not thyself, and then none else can hurt thee; do not sin, for nothing else can hurt thee. 

I have living stones that are a curiosity to me. The picture included in this piece of writing is of blooming, living stones. I had no idea this plant produces flowers; flowers are God's gift to us, dear one, crafted to delight in their unique and intricate beauty. 

Are you a blooming, living stone of the temple of God? 

How can such gorgeousness be treated crassly, ignobly, and roughly? 

You must be gentle with yourself; kind and gracious, as though you are precious and sweet, hand crafted in the image of God. No abusive self-talk or maltreatment. Allow your conscience to speak truth to your mind; course correct, recalibrating to Christ, when you have veered away; and know that sin does not have to be the boss of you, because you are a thinking, feeling, capable human being, that does not have to suffer the consequences of bad choices, when you realize, you no longer have to continue making them! 

Sin no more is not just a possibility, it is a probability, when God is your focus and The Bible is your life manual. As living stones of the temple of God, we are richly blessed and when we bloom, it is a delightful display for our God to look down upon from heavenly heights. 

Do myself ... do thyself, no harm, dear one. Sin not, do not wrong or ruin thyself, or practice evil. Do not hurt yourself, and all will be well with your soul. 

At Midnight - Part 2

When last we met, the keeper of the jail brought them out - Paul and Silas - and next, they were asked the question: Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30)

What must I do to be saved ... 

The keeper was saved from self-murder just moments before this enquiry. He had been asleep, in the dark of midnight, when there was an earthquake, doors opened wide, and shackles were loosed from wrists and ankles. All prisoners were free to leave, and yet, all remained in their cells. Paul, discerning what the guard would do to himself, cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. The keeper, called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling (Acts 16:28, 29)

This turn of events is astounding. Consider with me a prison guard, respectfully addressing prisoners as Sirs, and asking the question, What must I do to be saved? The fright of his life, along with being instructed not to harm himself, had him trembling, and brought him to his knees, before men that knew the answer to his question. 

Do you wonder too, what you must do to be saved, dear reader?

When your spirit and body part ways; when the corporal is severed from the soulful, what will become of you?

Clearly, the man knew there was more to this life, than just being in his body. One of the lessons for me from reading this account of salvation, a prison break for the keeper, is how powerful God is, and how mighty the gospel truth can be for those that hear it and believe. It helps me immensely, by giving me the freedom to share the Good News, without worrying about pulling or pushing people into the family of God. It is never human effort, persuasion, or coercion, that saves souls; it is always hearing about Jesus Christ as Lord, and for those that hear and believe, there is joyful delight. 

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, you and your house (Acts 16:31)

Does this answer to the keepers question resonate with you? 

Does it appeal to your spirit to be saved via the Redeemer of your soul?

What about your family members? Does it concern you, when you consider what they believe about life, and the after life?

And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes: and was baptized, he and all his, straightway (Acts 16:32-33)

Word of the Lord

Spoken to him and all that were in his house

He washed their stripes the same hour

Was baptized, he and all his, straightway

I promised in our last time together on this subject, an order, a structure to being saved, and what follows soon after:

1. The word of God must be spoken to a person. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)

2. The hearer, must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believe on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24)

3. There is a change of heart, and an immediate change in behaviour. In the case we are viewing, we see the keeper, the prison guard, washing the stripes, the whip inflicted gashes and slashes, on the backs of Paul and Silas. This is a sign of repentance, and a willingness to show humility in the admittance of wrong doing.. The keeper displays tender compassion for the men that had not long before, been treated violently in their innocence. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart. O God, thou will not despise (Psalm 51:17)

4. Straightway, he was baptized, he and all his. Baptism follows straightway, immediately, on the heels of salvation. How marvellous for the prison keeper and his household, to hear the word of God; to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; and his Father that sent him; to have the assurance of passing from death unto life - escaping, being saved, from condemnation - now that is a real jailbreak, to say the least! - and to have their sins washed away, while calling on the name of the Lord: 

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16)

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16)

From here, dear reader, there is newness. There is a joy in the Lord that is unmatched and unsurpassable, by any other pleasure. To know and love God, to feel his love poured out, is a deep and abiding bond of affinity, one that cannot be broken, and lives into eternity. Only those that belong to him, know of what I speak. 

Let us take our last look into the home of the jail keeper.

And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house (Acts 16:34)

We read of a middle of the night baptismal celebration and feast, with recently sprung from jail prisoners, Paul and Silas. They are now honoured guests in the midst of new family of God members. This scene makes my nose tingle with the start of tears. In a few short hours, this band of new believers have formed an eternal bond, in Christ as Lord. The messengers of reconciliation, Paul and Silas, are richly rewarded for their steadfast commitment to sharing the gospel ... souls saved and celebrated ... what could possibly be better than this?

Praise be to God on high.

NOTE: As ministers of reconciliation, we are promised persecution. Paul and Silas were maltreated by the unsaved, but here we see what can happen in the life of one man, and as a result, what the outcome can be for an entire household, that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. What must I do to be saved ...

This, dear one, can be your story too: an unlikely prison break, where you, as former captive to the carnal world, can be set free. 

Strength Training The Soul

Consider with me, dear reader, the value of exercise. Walking is a fabulous form of physical activity, and requires no equipment. Strength training, using body weight as a form of resistance, is yet another way to get, and stay, in good shape, meaning all your body parts stay were they were originally placed, resisting the pull of gravity. 

Why don't more people engage in physical activity? Do you have an answer for this question? People get up, shower, shave, get dressed, brush their hair and teeth, make their way to work, all while using their bodies to accomplish tasks; and yet, it seems the thought of exercise is repugnant to most people, when asked about their exercise routine. Eating habits are commonly a shame filled subject: overindulgence leads to self-deprecating thoughts and feelings, with a consistent monologue of negative comments directed internally at one's own character and being. We think badly of ourselves when we feel out of control, and when we decide to do something about the situation, it is a relief when we commit, and get results. Thankfully, our bodies are designed for exertion, and if this were not the case, we would not be able to get up and go, to work, to airports, to parks and playgrounds. 

I am particularly fond of the effects of resistance training using body weight, or free weights. I have seen reconfiguring happening in my clients when they start the process of strengthening their bodies, one workout at a time. It is outstanding to see, what half an hour twice a week can do for the commit to fit clients I work with; that isn't our subject though, dear reader. What you just finished reading is a prelude, a setting up of a theme, that I am calling strength training the soul. We will intertwine the concepts since the body and soul are intricately, intimately united. 

How does one go about strength training the soul? Let's pare this theme in slices that can be easily digested. 

1. Commit to truth telling. The soul, like the body, needs to be exercised. Lies misshape, causing malfunctioning. Truth aligns our insides and outsides. For instance, if I tell myself a lie, then repeat it to you, our foundation will be shaky, and our trust factor will shift with every bit of information exchanged. Physically, if I tell myself that donuts eaten daily, or fries consumed Fridays, minus any form of exercise, will not make me fat, then I am fibbing while adding flub to my gut. If I take you along for the food fun, and we both agree there is nothing wrong with what we consume, then we are colluding with one another while encouraging unhealthy habits. Lies told, lies shared, lies unquestioned, form a web of deception that traps the pretenders and holds them captive. 

Honesty about consequences is the only way out of this type of trap. What we speak and do, ought to be true, and when we commit to truth telling, we are forced to take responsibility for outcomes, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Truth telling can be a painful experience initially: it means we no longer have excuses or romantic/sentimental explanations for things we have said and done. Truth telling is a form of confession for sins committed. It is worth the suffering of shame to come clean as a truth embracer and teller. 

2. Commit to character development. Integrity is admirable, and when someone has this character trait, they can trust themselves to be themselves, no matter where they are, who they are talking to, or interacting with. A person of integrity is trustworthy, dependable, decisive, and has a clear conscience. Doing what is right when everything is going wrong; choosing to take what is known as the high road, when retaliation and recompense are demanding to be satisfied, suggests that a person has integrity. Jesus did not bend or bow to the demands of his persecutors, nor did his apostles and disciples. I always appreciate these men of valour, these godly examples of un-compromised integrity! It does not take courage to display integrity, all one needs is commitment, to truth, and strength is gained with every flex of this spiritual muscle. 

3. Do not compromise. Man alive, this one is a challenge well worth the internal duel. Compromise is crippling, and our society with its, You do you mantra, gives us the impression that we must accept, It is what it is (another common sentiment repeated ad nauseam). I say, So be it. So be it, dear reader, is definitive. So be it is final. So be it means, that if you and I are committed to truth, committed to living lives of integrity, we will accept that not everyone feels or thinks as we do. This does not mean we agree with their "version of truth", or that we "agree to disagree", it means that we stop, look, read, interpret, comprehend, and digest the differences we are witnessing, and then decide to proceed from there, without letting loose the grip we have on truth. In other words, we do not weaken our stance and begin to limp, in order to make someone else feel more comfortable in their wobbling. 

During the covid crisis, there was much embracing of lies bought and sold. Characters were compromised and corrupted, because fraud was consumed quickly, like fast food empty calorie full meal deals, The road to truth is paved with shards of emotional and spiritual glass, strewn in front of us, like bottles broken and smashed by each of us as individuals, and each of us as parts of the collective. It is painful, soul shattering, to think of the anguish covid has caused. Our only prospect of healing the hurt is truth, un-compromised, and never sullied by insipid lies. Covid caused a cancer that festers, and it is a sign and symptom of a sickly society. Covid must not be given any quarter; it must not be granted a reprieve: covid has been cuddled and coddled, and somehow excused as a witness, despite its being the vehicle of mass murder. Compromising on this truth is unacceptable, because it is a lie told and repeated too many times, and acts as a block to the freeing of conscience. 

4. Pay attention to your conscience. We know right from wrong, and that is why we lie; I read this idea long ago, and I have to agree. We lie to ourselves and others when what we want, is not what we ought to have. I may want to eat and drink without counting the calorie cost to my body, but that is not what I ought to do. I may want to avoid and evade responsibility to God by pretending I have done nothing wrong and have no sins to confess, but that, would be a lie, and my conscience will be pricked and pester me, causing a low grade emotional fever, if I don't come clean. Conscience is a gift from God that assists in character development: conscience is our personal character strength trainer, and when listened to, those lie shards of broken glass on our path, get swept up and tossed in a garbage can, never to be seen again. When we are honest, there is a purity that starts to shine through ... grin, this is such a lovely thought, isn't it, dear reader? 

Of course, strength training the soul is not a 1-4 step-by-step process, it is more like a minute-by-minute string of choices we make, based on the circumstances we find ourselves in. The bottom line, is truth telling, without compromise, builds character, and strengthens our trust factor, giving us a sense of wholeness and integrity that is trustworthy. 

I want to be trusted and I want to trust, don't you, dear one?

Jesus is my model of excellence, and he is known as the Truth. Imagine that, being known as a truth teller ... grin again, that is a goal worth setting and embracing. 

Handsome Devils Part 5 - At Midnight, Part 1

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25)

Do you recall, dear reader, how all the trouble started? Paul and Silas were off to a prayer meeting, when Paul stopped, and in Jesus name, commanded a spirit right out of a damsel that he was holding captive; this enraged her money making masters, the ruling magistrates, and the multitude, to the point of Paul and Silas being caught and dragged to the marketplace, where they were wrongfully accused, whipped/ flogged/stricken repeatedly, after which they were thrown into the deepest, darkest, dankest part of the prison, and put in shackles. In this scene, it is midnight, and we find these men of God praying once more, and singing praises so loudly, that the other prisoners heard them! I don't know about you, but sometimes, with a paper-cut, I can feel the slice when it is brand new, and the pain persists until the wound begins to heal ... now picture Paul's back with deep red blood encrusted wounds, and Silas's back too, gouged, with flesh ripped apart by a barbarous, spiky whip, applied by a strong man whose job it is to inflict pain, and suffering following the injuries. These servants of the living God were praying and singing. Is that what you would be doing?

Many a person seems comfortable accusing God of wrong doing. Many a man, or woman, will blame God, wanting to whip him with their words, and pound him with their fists, for their hurt, their wounds, their suffering. Some, when they accuse God of wrong doing, suggest he is capable of evil, when they say things like: Why is God doing this? Why is God allowing this? If there is a God, how could he be so cruel? How, indeed, dear reader ... we have proof of his benevolence in Jesus Christ, the ManGod that, despite having the command of angel armies, never once lifted a finger to inflict pain on another, but rather, received without retaliation, the whip upon his back, and the spit upon his face, from his own creatures. God incarnate gave us a glimpse of God the Father, and to suggest he is anything but perfectly kind and long-suffering, tolerating us rather than snuffing us out for all we have said and done that is untoward, is to be very misguided, and backward in our thoughts and beliefs. 

Despite the whipping and the prison cell, Paul and Silas were completely free of all restraints. They, the apostles and disciples, were promised persecution for sharing the gospel, but this mattered not, considering Who they knew! The prison scene delights me to no end. I can hear the resonant voices of these faith filled men, singing their hearts out in unison without self-consciousness, praising God, loving their master. We are prisoners of the world before we know Christ as our King ... these men were set free in their souls, and it mattered not, where they were, who they spoke to or were accused by, they could not, would not, change their tune. 

Can you hear the singing too, dear one? Now get ready for a shake-up earthquake:

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed (Acts 16:26)

Suddenly 

Great earthquake

Foundations shaken

Immediately all doors opened

Every one's bands loosed

Who, please do tell me, can keep someone imprisoned, when God Almighty is the one, that sets us free? The masters of the fortune telling damsel, the magistrates that acted as judges in the city, and savoured the flavour of being the ruling class, and the multitude that preferred their idol demon gods and economy, over and above the one God spoken of by the apostles and disciples, wished harm upon Paul and Silas; they inflicted bodily harm, but could not touch these men where it matters the most. Here are Jesus' words of warning and encouragement, found in Matthew 10:28

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell

We return now to the prison scene, and the excitement that is astir inside that depressing place, that is now bright with hope, as captives are divinely set free of their shackles, after witnessing the opening of barred doors, following the earth shaking of the foundations: 

And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (Acts 16:27-31)

At this point we must change the name of our series to At Midnight, leaving behind the Handsome Devils, as we move toward heavenly light. We see the keeper, or prison guard charged with the careful watch of prisoners in shackles, kept secure behind locked doors, suddenly coming awake to see those doors opened wide. Presuming the prisoners had left their respective cells, he was ready to self-murder, and this makes perfect sense, since taking his own life was preferable to the public humiliation of being killed for not doing his job. This, was not the first jailbreak we see in the book of Acts, and we may presume this prison keeper was well aware of what happened to the fellas that failed to keep Peter under lock and key. The Word spreads, dear one. 

How terrible it is, to punish someone that is no match for God and his power. How very vulgar, base, and vicious, the rulers were, to take the lives of guards, that were clearly incapable of holding prisoners captive, when God simply and easily, sets them free. It is kind of funny to think that man in his ridiculous self-importance, believes he can do as he pleases without repercussion, and without stoppage. God has his ways, and while there are many mysteries to marvel at, we can be clear on this: God is purposeful with all he does, and his timing is perfect. 

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas.

I just have to laugh here. It is now past midnight, and we are in the wee hours in a prison without light. Cell doors are opened wide, and since all the prisoners are awake and loosed, with their shackles and chains dropped from their wrists and or ankles, one might presume that some would take the opportunity to leave the joint but no, Paul says, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 

1. It is dark and Paul cannot see the keeper with his drawn sword

2. They, meaning the prisoners, not just Paul and Silas, are all here

3. The keeper calls for a light, and sprang in, trembling, to Paul and Silas' cell

4. He fell down before Paul and Silas

Well now, how about that? That earthquake shook up a whole lot of fellas in a short span of time. I wonder, is it rattling your cage a little, dear reader? How are you reacting to the scene? Paul stopped a jailer, the one that placed him in the worst cell in that prison, from harming, or in other words, killing himself. How marvellous!

The keeper's reaction is precious. He goes immediately to Paul and Silas, not the other prisoners, and falls down trembling before them. His life has been spared in the darkness, and when the lights came on, he went directly to the men of God and inquired, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Dear reader, is this your question too? Are you imprisoned, a slave to your fleshly desires, your attachment to the world, and the idols you worship and adore? Do you feel the pinch of shackles, and feel the oppressiveness of enclosure, with a barred door locked from the outside, holding you prisoner in a dark and dank cell? 

Here is your open door, set you free answer, to that question of yours: 

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Saved, from what? From earthly, damning trappings, from oppressors that care not for your soul and would have you killed for daring to challenge them; from life without God; from eternity in hell. Saved, by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ ... you and your house! What a promise, what a gift, what a magnificent prospect!

The keeper, the guard in this scene, knew to go to God's men. The Gospel was spreading widely and rapidly, and the Good News was out. This prison guard, after laying down his sword, dropped to his knees before would be prisoners, realizing that he needed rescuing and saving, and that they had what he wanted. 

Do you, want what the early followers had; a faith that is fearless in Christ?

I do ... it is the breath and savour of life to consider being just like Jesus, whipped and yet forgiving, spit upon, while praying for the lost. A perfect example of humility in a world that wickedly spins out of control ... how glorious the overcoming can be. 

We will continue our series, At Midnight, with Part 2, but until then, I invite you to find out how this part of the grand story finishes: go to scripture yourself, and learn what happens next. There is an order, a structure to being saved, and what follows soon after ... go find out for yourself, don't wait for me, or anyone else, to instruct you on the ways of God. God wants to be with you, just you. Isn't that delightful to know?

Spiritually Inert

We have sown the wind and we reap the whirlwind ... 

You are invited to meander with me, dear reader, as I wander the halls of my memory to curate some thoughts I have about dictators, indoctrination, and obedience to miserable malevolence. 

Fornication, let us start there, shall we? We have been taught that we are animals, with urges that must be gratified, urges devoid of significance or meaning, or we might lose our minds. Masturbation, sex with strangers, sex outside of marriage, living with someone and having sex with them, multiple partners, whether there be serial monogamy or a series of one night stands; sex with him, her, it, a furry ... anything and everything goes. I have met many a female, impregnated, outside of what used to be referred to as holy matrimony. These women quickly discovered that the partner they physically meshed with while exchanging bodily fluids, was a good-for-nothing loser that cared not a whit for them, or for the child they had mutually produced. Alternatively, a woman could just terminate, meaning have the baby exterminated, as an unwelcome pest and interruption, to her messy, sexually active, life. I knew a twenty-something year old, that took the morning after pill, following nights of soaking her brain in alcohol, and sex with pick-me-up men. 

What if a person has urges, but does not indulge them, and the feeling passes? What if auto=erotism minus conscience, was not promoted as a way of self-satisfying? What if pornography wasn't so popular, and normalized? What if women kept their skirts down, their pants pulled up, and decided that their private parts weren't for public display or tampering? What if women, decided that just because they had previously had sexual intercourse, it does not mean that the broken seal is indicative of a free-for-all attitude, whenever an invitation is sent their way, or they experience an inch they believe requires scratching? It is pretty easy for a female to have sexual partners: good looks are not a requirement, willingness is all that the male needs to see, as a signal for agreement. This is why beer googles are so popular ... 

Many a poor soul bought the bull-crap sold and packaged as acceptable, that they are an animal, just like all the other creatures God hand-crafted. I tell you what, this type of indoctrination takes time, and we have arrived at a point of almost no return. The masses unwittingly obey a miserable, malevolent dictator, as he works his way through classrooms, demeaning in a deplorable fashion, in the form of wicked teachers that feel more than comfortable speaking corruption to vulnerable souls, held captive and silenced in their seats, made to listen without speaking unless spoken to. The training ground for twisting a mind, a heart, a spirit, is, IN OUR CLASSROOMS, including the UNIVERSITIES, where books are no longer available, because professors are the main source for the pushing of propaganda. 

I now meander in a slightly different direction ... come with me dear one? Capitalism, is now considered communism, and visa versa. The age old spinning of meaning to throw people off the scent of truth continues ... shock of all shocks, we need to pray for the truth to prevail, before these tangled young people fornicate and speak, and misbehave their way right into hell. 

I don't know about you, but I have had to fight and struggle my way out of the bag that invisible hands threw over me, and tried to close, so I could't breath, or think, or see. It was The Bible that had me enraged at the lies I had suffered and been force fed: thankfully I had parents that believed marriage is a life long commitment; thankfully, I always had a voice of reason and truth speaking contrary messages that ran against the current, that threatened to take me away from all that is good, true, and righteous. 

I made so many mistakes, missteps, errors in judgment. I was, and am, a moral type of person, and yet, I was a half-ing, with one foot wanting desperately to take me onto the heavenly path, and the other dragging behind, mired in carnal mud. YUCK, I say, YUCK! 

It is my aloneness, my being with God more than I am with humans, that has cleansed my soul, washing away the muck, so that I can declare, I AM NOT AN ANIMAL, just like the elephant man did! Ha, that is kind of funny, isn't it, dear reader?

The Bible teaches us who God is, who we are, and how elegant, and glorious it can be, to model ourselves after righteousness, making us shiny-shiny, and tastefully so. We are not to be like pigs, sticking our snouts in places they do not belong; we are humans, created in the image of God. We must not demean ourselves or each other. We must not accept being dictated to, or having propaganda shoved down our throats, so that it is regurgitated, and spewed back out, to coat and cover others. 

To my shock and dismay, years ago I had an elementary school teacher admit to me that she is a socialist ... I wonder, would she be okay if men came to her door, and told her that her children must remit half their part-time job earnings, while sharing their rooms with strangers, because what they have is not their own, despite working for it? My father was killing communists when he was twelve ... now a days, killing capitalists is encouraged; but then again, the devil is a spin doctor, and anyway he can get you and I to hate to the point of making murder okay, is a victory for him and his kind. 

My driving point is this: people are spiritually inert. They lack the ability, and strength to move ... they are "chemically inactive", or should I say, soulfully suffocated, and mostly dead. Morals do not play a role in the lives of most people: we see this with their foul language, their disgusting activities, and their rudeness toward one another. I watched a woman via instagram, on a plane, that was intoxicated with drugs, alcohol, or both, pulling the hair of a seated woman, in the row behind her: she started spitting, while continuing to spit insults, and it took many passengers and some staff, to get her hands off of the victim, and start to remove her from the scene. This woman clearly felt entitled to drink or take drugs to the point of publicly humiliating herself, insulting and assaulting other people, and disrupting a whole plane full of passengers that were trapped with her on board. And that, dear reader, is exactly what our school aged children and young adults are exposed to: wicked socially and morally corrupt teachers, professors, and instructors, and behaviours that used to shock us, but are now not only acceptable, but must be tolerated. 

We have sown to the wind and we now reap the whirlwind ... is it any wonder our children are confused, and our young adults wander aimlessly in a haze of marijuana and vape smoke? 

They have no purpose, because without God, they are just like tumbleweed, blown across a bone dry desert, without an oasis in sight. Even professing Christians are dry as dead bones, without any marrow to enliven them, because they do not know God through his word, but make things up about who he is and what he wants from and for us ... God Lord, we need to recalibrate to Christ, and this is an individual activity before it can become a united, arms linked assault, against the demonic forces that want to damn all humans everywhere. 

God's not there, so i don't care, seems to be the attitude, except, he is there, and here, and everywhere, all the time. If there are things you will not do in front of your parents, employers, or closest friends, or say in their presence that you are confident they would not approve of, perhaps it would be a good policy to follow, not to do or say things in front of an all knowing ever present God! 

Thanks for travelling with me. There are some things that needed to be said, and I hope they challenge wandering away from God Christians. You cannot have the world and him, you must prioritize, or lose ground, and perhaps your soul too. Apostasy is real, and disobeying our Father in heaven, is not only unwise, but dangerous in countless ways. 

I could go on, but you must go now .... hopefully right into prayer, confession, reconciliation, and his Word.