I. Introduction
Spending most of my life searching for the truth of life and how it has shaped my ways of thinking how the end of my life will play out, I am closer to accepting the fate that worshiping a faith or religion is an essential part of completing my journey here on this earth. Never feeling like my faith was strong enough to endure some of the most severe tests in life and overcome the perpetual myth that there is no life after death, I have become to realize that God gave me a purpose and that purpose is to strengthen my faith so that will become strong enough to move mountains. As I near the end, I finally understand why I am here, why I did those things in my life and how it all comes together as a message exposed to me by God and his words that strengthens my belief in the Bible, God and religion.
Age gives a person new perspectives and fresh vision of the events in one's life and how they are connected to every purpose under heaven. The perpetual chain of events make more sense at the end of the road than they do at the beginning, the middle or even a partial arrival at your destination, heaven. Reading the Bible one learns the true identity of oneself and how it fits within the historical aspects of your life. No longer distorted but a clear vision of where you have been, what you have done and how you are going to benefit from these experiences makes you realize that controversy, provocation and education are the tools of knowledge and allow pure insight of life as it was meant to be revealed without any hidden meanings or explanations.
Finding one’s true identity takes courage and much faith. Dealing with political and personal setbacks that often result in chaos or disruption in your life are common denominators in your search for peace and understanding. This exposure of the truth and meaning allows you to realign yourself with your inner soul and withstand the social pressures to reject these changes in your morality, your values and your views in life. Notwithstanding social losses or conflict with family and friends, your life will slowly improve to the point where more recent events make sense and the purpose you have chosen this different journey comes together to allow you to understand the journeys from the past shaped your destiny and your future paths to circumstance that many still seek to enjoy or benefit from in their point of life. Looking back allows you to look forward and is the key to understanding your purpose in life, the purpose of religion and God and the role it plays in your new endeavors to seek the truth and dare to speak the truth as you have learned to understand the words of your life, your Bible and your mind.
Most people don’t care as much as to why I wrote this book unless it can show them how to look at a new or refreshing approach to their own benefits in their own lives. Some may consider this book boring and unrelated to their own quest for knowledge or understanding of their purpose in life and how they can acquire the revelations already out there for them to grasp onto and understand their messages. Hoping that the title of the book is not misleading, it does give the reader an opportunity to select or dispose of the book before opening up the first page to read a short paragraph or two so they can answer their own questions whether or not to buy such a book for their own satisfaction and benefit. My ability to hook you into reading the book has to be strong enough for you to continue the longing to read more than two paragraphs and develop a sense of curiosity or interest in the remainder of the book so that you will find what you are looking for.
My connection with you has to be based on mutual reasoning, life experiences, life expectations and life’s benefits in the end of reading the book. You will search for facts, statistics, revelations and quotations that make sense and provide for you wise words to follow on a daily basis so that your conscious is your guide and your mind is your sanctuary where you find the peace you are searching for all your life. Therefore, in an accurate attempt to deliver to you a book of benefits for both health and spirit, I shall engage in a format style that is easy to read, easy to understand and with hopes that this information serves you as another strong link to your search for happiness, freedom and spiritual growth in the Bible, the word of God and the benefits of reaping such insight based on the words of a mere mortal man who traveled the road of hard knocks, faced the travesty of war and conflict and acknowledged the need for spiritual growth for strength and wisdom. Remember that this test of faith that occurs every day of your life is based on constant evil influences created by Satan since the birth of your existence on this earth. Fighting off constant challenges throughout your survival of these malevolent acts that have caused you either much pain or sorrow, you must learn to overcome these obstacles and view your existence here as a blessing from God and maintain a most positive view because of your faith in Him and how his words can shape your own expectations to enjoy life to the fullest but being aware that because life will try to dismantle your strength of faith and conviction towards the golden rule, you must remain strong no matter what is thrown your way as an attempt to derail your faith and belief in God.
II. Trials and Tribulations
One of the most asked questions in life is the infamous “Why does God make us go through these trials and tribulations?” Obviously, the answer to this question is much more difficult to answer as it is a most complicated question that has many parts to the answer and not just one will suffice to satisfy the person who is asking. The very first thing one has to admit is that along the road towards becoming a good practicing Christian, there will be many roadblocks thrown in your way by both Satan and other evildoers. The second thing you have to realize is that God will not and does not make us invincible or insusceptible to such tests of life. Trying to rationalize why there is death, misery, poverty and diseases that kill even the youngest of age, is near to impossible grasp and understand without knowing that although God loves us all, we must endure the human struggles throughout our own lives and make the best decisions on how to handle such events always working with the fact that faith will carry us all over the brink of despair and hopelessness as there are times where no hope or happiness is within our reach at the time of such tragedies. While searching for myself why I was able to endure such tests in my own life I found the words in the Bible both comforting and reassuring that what was happening to me was surely happening to many others basically in the same condition or hardship we often face. Learning that God has not abandoned us but rather loving us, was the first real step to understanding the concept of purposes under heaven.
Reading Ecclesiastes 3:17 I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." Moving on to the beginning of this reading, I came to understand a little bit better what God was trying to say to me as I read the words: From the Bible, Ecclesiastes III (King James Version): 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Embracing these words as part of my own personal purpose in life and jumping back to those younger days in my life I could clearly connect the dots of these words into a rhyme sung by an earlier rock group called The Byrds that echoed loudly on every radio and music player in the land to share these most precious words that make so much sense they are commonly expressed to give reason to untimely events that bring tears and sorrow. Serving my time as a soldier medic in a most unpopular overseas in South Vietnam, I learned as an eighteen year old that life was not fair and life was surrounded by hate and fear of both the unknown and the certainties that good men die and sometimes no matter what you do to try to save them, there is nothing you can do about it.
Learning to kill another human being brought me to the brink of insanity as I pondered long and hard how could I do such a thing when never before in my life have I ever thought about such an act contrary to the commandment of Thou Shalt Not Kill – a rule that must be followed and obeyed with every essential fiber of your own morality. Struggling with this quandary, I went to seek advice from the Army chaplain who was most willing to spend some time with me and discuss this dilemma that was eating me up inside.
There was no doubt his words were comforting to me as I sat there and listened to his wise words about the man-made laws that we are so often mandated to follow against the grain of our own morality and wishes. Getting a word in every now and then I explained to him I was drafted and not voluntarily joined the Army. I told him of my objection to war and how I felt it compromised my ability to love mankind while at the same time, killing them with my struggles to survive in this insane world society had put me in. I continued to question the “good” in this lesson of life and what divine purpose this act has in allowing me to find peace in my heart and mind about the travesties of goodness I have witnessed or participated in.
The chaplain was a patient man and understood my confusion as I was one of many who came to him for advice about such quandaries in a war thousands of miles away from home. I remember him saying to me his own words that went something like this “son, you are following the laws of the land, you accepted being drafted as part of the law, you trained and serve as a soldier of the land that is at war with others thus you are still in obedience with the laws that govern you as a man.” He made sure I knew the difference between thou shalt not kill and the act of “murdering someone.”
He reminded me of the fact that I should act without hate and that my acts are forgiven as long as I do not engage in this act of killing for the hate of it or other human beings. So I became to understand that killing was forgiven but that murder was forbidden and not a justified deed under the sixth commandment.
Today, I am still torn between what was said yesteryear and what I want done when I die. First of all, I accept death as a condition of birth. I accept that the moment we are born, we are destined to die. I have learned and understand the commandment to not kill or murder an innocent person for my former law enforcement background has drilled the self-defense concept into me where I know both consciously and unconsciously what to do when faced with imminent danger of my family, innocent bystanders or myself. My training in the use of lethal force will dominate my thinking and carry me through the crisis just like it has before when I was a soldier and I am confident that I will do the right thing in the eyes of the Lord. I have been witness and present for the serving of two death warrants for inmates on death row and never gave it a thought of how it may feel. I have fought in a war where the face of the enemy was rarely seen until the calm of the fire fight was at hand. So without contemplation between right and wrong in the sense of self defense and defense of others, the other possibilities of taking another human’s life comes to mind in the moral sense of capital punishment and the death penalty. The church priest explained how there are ways today to keep a guilty man locked up for life and ensure he will no longer harm anyone in our society without killing him on the grounds of vengeance or other restitution matters.
He also brought to light the issue of abortion and the taking of the unborn while it is inside the womb and not really perceived by some as a human being but rather as a “fetus material” object. Impersonalizing relationships or transferring things into objects has been the political correct way of looking at things these days. It’s easier to say the fetus was terminated than it is to say, the unborn child has been taken.
Grasping the concept on respecting the dead and how cremating someone creates an inanimate feeling of ashes rather than body and spirit of a person’s corpse and body. Explaining how the body is placed into the casket and buried as a whole versus the depositing of the ashes into the designated container or urn, he speaks of how some urns are mistreated and often neglected or forgotten to exist by family members over the years and how the burial site of a loved one lasts into the memory forever. One must agree that to have respect for the dead, it would enhance the memory of someone you loved if you can go visit the burial plot whenever the cemetery gates are open versus the access to the urn that may be stowed inside a closet or locker for safekeeping and often forgotten.
Life is full of choices and the matter of life and death has never been simple. Rather, it was meant to be complicated so we would give it the amount of attention and respect it deserves when the time comes to honor our loved ones as they pass. Thinking I already knew what I wanted done with my body as I die has changed as have my thoughts on the death penalty as it stands. Do not misunderstand my thoughts. I am simply saying that as I receive more information about life and think more about death, it just isn’t the same as it was before when I was young when I thought I knew exactly what I believed and what I wanted. They say that the fact you go to church gives you wisdom and insight on many things that matter.
Today, I am thinking again on my thoughts of life and death and making sure that whatever I chose to do, it is a respectful decision based on the value of life. Psalm 112 - Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth forever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
As I continued to be raised in the eyes of God and worked hard to become one of his children, I was often faced with financial hardships and marital problems as well. I thought that I was ready for marriage but found out my maturity was most lacking for such a responsible act and failed many times to heed the commandments of the Lord. A sinner by choice and taking advantage of situations that are either honorable or justifiable, I became a lost soul looking for love in all the wrong places. Hiding out at night in the bars and sleeping off a drunk during the day, my life was simplified to be a hell hole to live in. the strangest part of my life was that although sinning and reaping havoc in other people’s lives, I was still seeking the word of God in my experimentation of many churches where I tried to find consoling measures or inner peace with the words that were spoken to me by holy men and educated men in robes or suits.
Taking the Holy water and prayers for self-satisfaction did not find its way into my heart and forgiveness was too much to ask at this point in my life. I felt truly lost and floating in an abyss of self-pity and drowning myself in the liquors available to me by any means possible.
Wanting to be more in the image of God and looking for an escape from these shackles of drunkenness and pity, I searched for wisdom rather than the carnal lust that had tempted me to drift away from the morality I was brought up with by my parents and social influences. Living side by side with the Devil himself, I found out how difficult it was to climb out of this pit of evil and resurrect myself back into the image of being a Christian and God loving person. Loving Jesus in dying while forgiving us for our sins, I knew that sooner or later, I would have to answer to a higher power of my conduct and stormy ways that resembled those of the Devil and not God’s words.
Don’t Walk with the Devil
Don’t walk with the devil for he will steal your soul
Don’t talk to the devil for he will change your role
For you cannot run or hide from his evil ways
As he so often possesses the persons you will admire and embrace
So let me give you some sound advice
Don’t walk with the devil for you cannot afford his listed price
You can find the devil almost anywhere
Don’t ever look into his red eyes with his evil stare
Don’t fall for his tricks or his promises that he cares
For his evilness will tremor your hand and cause you pain
And for certain his wicked ways will cause you to be spiritually drained
Don’t walk with the devil for you will see
What he has done to you and me
Run as fast as you and don’t ever look back
For his influence is worst that an ounce full of crack
Don’t run with the devil don’t you even dare
For your heart will falter and no longer care
About those you love and those you have carefully chosen
Don’t let him trick you into a heart that becomes cold or frozen
Don’t run with the devil for he won’t set you free
He’ll keep you around to spread the seed
Don’t run with the devil for he will make you sow
Every evil seed that is planted on devil’s row
Don’t smile at the devil for he will make you cry
As he makes you forget those scriptures written from above in the sky
Those parables and verses you know so well
Will lead you on his well paved road to a place called hell
Don’t run with the devil, it’s plain to see
His evil was meant to destroy you and me
Don’t look at the devil with his mesmerizing eyes
And never forget he speak his words with nothing but lies
Don’t run with the devil with his trickery voice
As long as you are free you have a choice
To decide to walk hand in hand with the angels of God
And deny the devil what he so desperately sought
So walk with God and his angels true
And keep His word so always close to you
For as long as you speak of our Lord and Son
Your work for God has just begun
And when the devil comes up to you
Turn your head and ignore his evil spells that will turn life into troubles
For both me and you
So you can see that stress and distress is a part of your life you have to learn and cope with as you seek your destiny towards the future. You will be tested daily of your faith to God and as your faith grows with God’s words and strength, your ability to endure the pain, the sorrow and the misery of misfortune will be focused into a strength in character that reflects every word God has taught us to obey, to live and to acknowledge. Tested by fire, by biases and bigotry you will experience different revelations that allows you to build a more godly character that produces the ability to withstand sufferings and produce an internal and external perseverance that builds on hope and contentment just because you now better understand that God loves you and wants you to focus on the positive things in life and not the things that disappoint us. Persevering adversity, suffering and other aspects of life gives us the ability to prove our faith to God and Jesus Christ while strengthening our internal soul to face all things that come upon us.
However, herein this perseverance and coping with adversity there is also the danger of downplaying or marginalizing men’s wrongdoings and make excuses for those who fail to live up to the word of God. Taught that God will forgive our sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice to die for us upon the cross does not allow us to run rampant and make bad decisions or poor choices in the manner we live.
We must by no means let anyone suffer needlessly and offer help to those who need our help as we still have to suffer consequences for our decisions, behavior and sins that are knowingly troublesome to bear at times. We must still set the example of the good book and its contents. We must never give up the opportunity to help those suffering and shape them into positive purposes for His purposes and the ultimate good of all mankind.
The good of enduring trials and tribulations also comes with rewards and blessings by God himself and the spirit within. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:2-4,12). Through all of life’s trials and tribulations, we have the victory. "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ." These verses encourage us to see that although we are in a spiritual battle, Satan has no authority over the believer in Christ. God has given us His Word to guide us, His Holy Spirit to enable us, and the privilege of coming to Him anywhere, at any time, to pray about anything. He has also assured us that no trial will test us beyond our ability to bear it, and “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
III. God’s Will in your Life
The fact that you have sought to strengthen your faith in God brings you to another forum of you faith and religion. You must ask yourself “How do I know what God’s will is for my life?” learning the answer to this most difficult questions requires you to seek out more relevant questions and answers that can only be found in reading the Bible. Before reading the holy words and translating them into a living will or testament for you to follow, ask yourself if what you are personally asking for to do is within the laws or rules that the Bible allows and not forbids. Secondary but equally as important you have to make sure that whatever you are asking for to do or considering to do will help enhance the word of God, glorify Him in the highest and help your grow spiritually with a daily reinforcement of faith and godly character.
If your spirit is united with God but not God’s will, a misalignment occurs. It is likely that whatever you are asking for or considering asking for will not happen or will have to wait to happen. There are no written guarantees in life nor are there in the words written in the Bible. It will develop or ensue when God sees you are ready for such a change and ensures you success if you take each step with prayer, patience and spirituality that focuses on God’s goodness. Examples of such changes are career decisions, marriage, geographical relocations and other significant changes in your life that will impact yourself as well as others. God rarely gives you signs or advice that are specific in nature but often allows us to rationalize our decision making processes by weighing the good and the bad, the pro and the con and the good versus evil.
Romans 12:2 tells us, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Explaining this phrase simply means that God does not want us to make decisions that are sinful, evil in nature or suffering or established to resist his will. The balance in this transformation to request a change is the amount of willingness for you to sacrifice to meet the will of God thus in agreement with his will to follow him first and putting your personal desires second. Loving God first with your heart will allow you to love another with a love that is blessed with God’s will to be happy and blissful “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Therefore, if the Bible does not speak against your considered changes or wishes, then the Bible infers you an allowance or permission to proceed and follow your heart’s desire to truly find God’s happiness with an open minded spirit and a humbling sensation that truly reveals his blessings and willingness to be a part of your life as you desired.
Making changes in my career and marriage carried with it a tremendous amount of praying and wisdom. There was no room for guessing what direction God wanted me to take and although my level of knowledge and maturity had improved multiple times than before, my mind had to make sure my new desires and my new direction was in accordance with what I believed to be God’s will in my life. The manner God influenced my decision making was painstakingly difficult and much more intense than ever before in my life. I had to choose between good and bad and goodness versus evil. The choices were not that hard to make but assurances that I was making the right decisions were for I was watching for indicators in my mind that confirmed that my desires were within God’s permissions to allow me this change in life. Not having the advantage of God literally taking my hand in hand and walking me through the desired process of change, I had to have faith that I was doing the right things at the right time.
Praying to keep his spirit close within me and harnessed inside my heart, I felt strong enough to ask for and receive my desired ambitions through prayer and faith. Some of this guidance came for God’s words written in the Bible, some came from the wisdom of my own father and mother who have always lovingly guided me with patience and love. Serving as a mortal surrogate to God in the highest, I considered every value, every trickle of energy, every beat of my heart to make the right decisions. Taking into consideration of my past where hindsight was “20/20” and a powerful tool for lessons learned and guidance to steer away from those pitfalls once encountered, the truth revealed that with a stronger faith and a more open mind, all things become possible. Eliminating previously engaged confusion and difficulties reassured me that I was on the right track and that God’s will was indeed in alignment with mine. As time passed by, it became more clearer to me why things happened the way they did and how God brought it all into perspective making sense through these experiences that I once thought were mystifying to say the least.
At the boundaries of all these experiences was the fact that in most cases, I felt the hand of God guiding me into the right direction and telling me clearly that my choices were His choices and that harmony existed between the two of us as well as those I loved so very much during this journey in life. I felt that this harmony was God’s way of telling me that I was fulfilling his wishes as well as my own. So what do we need to do to acquire such insight of this eternal guidance of power and desires by our loving God? What type of preparation must we make before we can communicate so clearly that this harmony coexists and the recognition of one’s desire meet the needs of the other?
Reading the Bible gives man insight on almost every question, every situation and every challenge we may face in life. In layman’s term, the Bible serves to us as a handbook does to a new student or an instruction booklet does to the person trying to set up a new device he or she just bought. It would be silly to assume that God would give you the answers but reassuring that he will give you’re the wisdom to find it. We can ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).
Therefore we have established a foundation of mutual understanding between God and mortal man. We have aligned in harmony one’s desires and needs that have the blessings of God Almighty and his guidance as well. Thus with this powerful instrument of effectively communicating with God we have developed a relationship that is built on mutual knowledge, prayer and respect for His words. The compliance of these holy words brings to us a source that is unlimited in perception and guides us through the darkness when we can’t see through those obstacles put there by evildoers and Satan.
Trusting in God is the key element to this relationship and defeating the Devil. Because man is mortal and not divine he or she must continue to make good choices or decisions that pleases God and his judgment of you. We must endure setbacks and pray for resolution in accordance with the holy book educating us to take other avenues or direction. There should be no doubt that whenever you are faced with adversity it is not the will of God to impose punishment but rather, it is his will to follow His goodness according to the quality of the plan. Adversities have often turned into ordeals that become difficult to overcome or conquer. Ordeals are mixtures of wrong decisions or bad timing of the desires imposed. We can’t blame God for misfortune but we can learn to take misfortune and make it work another way.
Persevering and struggling to make ends meet through spiritual guidance and strength, we overcome the most difficult ordeals and reap the rewards of such rebellion in refusing to submit to failure. As we learn from our lessons, we become successful in our retaining and maintaining our spiritual requirements to please God’s will.
The most common saying or the most often quoted phrase in the area of help is not written in the Bible but rather something that was attributed to ole Benjamin Franklin who was quoted in the Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1757 as saying “God helps those who help themselves.” Looking at the Bible for reference to the word “help” you will find Romans 5.6 that reads “"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Isaiah 25:4 declares, "For you have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat..." Romans 5:6 tells us, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” He goes on to say that we are all infected by sin as he says “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23).
IV. Choices
The times in my life reflect both good and bad choices I made in my journey to eternal life, if so blessed by God and His willingness to forgive me for my sins. Taken by force as a soldier in a most unpopular war I became an addict to violence and drugs. Rebelling against society and its rules I propositioned the Devil on more than one occasion to get me what I wanted out of life well within the boundaries of evil and Satan’s ways. Failing as a father, a role model and an upstanding citizen during my early years as an adult and incurable to say the least at that time of my life, I staggered between soberness and drunken ness routinely
The weariness of life in the fast lane took a toll on my life. There were episodes of self-destructive behaviors that were chemically induced with a death wish to end it all through a blatant display of willful neglect of my own life. There is no doubt that because I was exposed to a very traumatic event akin the Vietnam War, I experienced or witnessed acts that are beyond the comprehension of mankind in times of peace. Confronted with daily incidents filled with life or death situations, as a combat medical corpsman I struggled to meet the need to help those injured or threatened with imminent death because of being wounded in a firefight or combat with the unseen enemy everywhere. Such symptoms of what we call post trauma disorder syndrome or PSTD were untreatable at the time for there was no such recognition that such a disability or effect even existed in the minds of those who were leading our government into this war. Offering no treatment and providing no cure for the aggressiveness and the paranoia that this illness spread among our young soldiers back in those days, this infection spread throughout society and caused an upheaval in jails and prisons everywhere.
The psychosis or recurrent and intrusive experiences were most distressing to those afflicted and caused them to be unstable and irresponsible in both behaviors and relationships. The physical aspects of these recollections of nightmares and other trauma triggered events destroyed many families and cost many good men and women their jobs or careers because of the lack of care or treatment available or provided to deal with this phenomenon. These events, best explained as feelings comprised of recreating the experiences, illusions, hallucinations and flashback episodes. This process of self-destruction would completely wear a person down to indefinite and intense distress that was effectively breaking down a man’s ability to rationalize and make good decisions.
As it stood as an adult, I made two choices in life. Having a slim menu in life I could either take it or leave it at the time it was presented to me. What it really came down to was the ability to make choices in the context presented or having no control over the matter at all. Needless to say, whenever faced with these choices, you will not make the correct choice all of the time but being of altered mindset and punitive in nature, even good choices were disregarded at the time. Losing control of your mind often results in the wandering of a lost spirit seeking to grasp onto something firm enough to stop the world from shaking and making some sense out of what is happening around you. The confusing mixed emotions between right and wrong are tampered with conflicting sensations that leaves something less to be desired as it was evilness at its best. Overriding common sense and overhauling existing rules and regulations you instill a sense of fear and competition inside yourself that drives you crazy.
Dealing with the unreasonable rather than the reasonable you compromise your economic ability to pay for things and splurge recklessly into a spending spree that is harmful to everyone in the family circle. Ignoring the bills and other financial obligations you drive yourself into deeper debt and make larger bills you certainly cannot afford to make. Angry and frustrated you become angrier at the world around you and lash out at those who love you as you trash everything and everyone that gets in your way. Free to do what you want to do and having the free will to disobey the natural laws that exist, your choices determine consequences that you hope to avoid but are often the direct results of the very core that determines the severity of your recent failures as the social environment captures your spirit and your soul.
Every choice we make impacts our personal or professional lives. Whether your decisions are good or bad, big or small there is reason to expect an impact one way or another. Joyce Meyer once said “; “Walking in wisdom means making decisions today that you will be happy with tomorrow.” What a great question to ask ourselves before we make major decisions or any decision that can ultimately alter our well-being. “Will I be happy with the decision I make today, tomorrow? We already know that in our lives we have areas that dominates our daily living and affect much more than just personal satisfaction. Whether rich or poor, problems come into everyone’s lives as there is no escaping them. Life is more than sex and money, marriage and jobs and rich or poor.
Life should be a fulfillment of desires that allows us inner peace and lasting happiness that can be accomplished without many of the carnal or social expectations put upon us by an unforgiving society that sees you either as successful or unsuccessful based on your wealth and possessions.
Behaviors should conducive to developing a trusting environment and shared responsibilities that allows a natural balance of sound decision making. This balance is a mindset that is regulated by values and limitations imposed by either yourself or your family on this road to happiness or success. Regulated just like a house thermostat controls the heat or cold inside your house set by a pre-determined temperature that is pleasing to all to be comfortable, this thermostat needs maintenance as well.
Your choice to set it lower in the summer will result in a high cooling bill while a setting higher could in fact save you plenty of money in the long run. These choices are simple but as you get into other areas of making decisions they get more difficult as the subject impacts your life more severely than the other do. So to make good decisions you must have a mindset and a regulator. You must figure out what you want and what you need. You can figure out what you can afford and what you can’t afford and make adjustments accordingly. Basically, your thought patterns are set to follow common sense and thoughtful planning. Each plan has an outcome and each outcome has a consequence. Whether or not the consequences are the desired effects or not is determined by the ability to regulate the process. Variations and deviations impact the process and alter any expectations set on other plans or processes. The human mind controls the process through several methods available to every person and works together to coincide with the desired result. Again, variances will alter the result and can cause the plan to fall apart all together if done reckless and irresponsible in manner.
Making decisions can be based on facts and needs. Sometimes you let your emotions allow you to determine an action that might in fact be detrimental to your desired outcome. Too many emotions can and will negatively change the dynamics of your plans and your family’s livelihood if not controlled or regulated by the means available to sustain such desires. A good example of this is the common pitfall of “keeping up with the Jones’s next door.” Buying a car you can ill afford is a good example of emotional spending or emotional decision making. What may provide you a momentarily sense of joy for a short while can result in a long term commitment that could end up in financial failures. Looking at the Ten Commandments you can find sound advice how to make good decisions and avoid the very traps we fall in when exercising an emotional level rather than the non-emotional tools we possess.
It is likely that at one time or another you will find yourself at the mercy of such emotional distress and make unsound decisions that impacts live so severely. Backing up a few steps and regrouping your senses, you can trust in God to help you as he gave us His word that he would indeed be there in a time of need. Having faith is important and with faith you can overcome this dilemma and hopefully resolve it in a most amicable and reasonable way. There are three steps to fixing the problem of making a bad decision. The first step is to recognize and realize there is a problem.
Big or small you must ask for forgiveness and not beat yourself up too much over this as you work hard to resolve it. The second step is to repent for drifting away from your values and believes that have provided you with more success than failures. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and work on making it right while understanding what you did wrong in deviating from your normal practice of being rational and logical about making your choices. The next step is to reset or renew your mindset as it was once before you make this error.
Through prayer and asking God for wisdom and understanding to resolve this matter, you will find a way to heal yourself from this situation and re-establish faith in yourself in making choices. Prayer and meditation are powerful tools to refresh and restore the mind and renew your spirit.
V. Perseverance
One must ask this question before going any further. What is perseverance and what does it stand for? As perplexing as this question may be to some, perseverance represents the idea that a person is going through something that is causing trouble and strife along the way to correcting the situation and not giving up or surrendering to the opposition or conflicting force. Based on my own personal experiences and those of others, I can attest to the fact that in order to resist or persist in fighting something large or serious one must possess strong characteristics and personal growth to encounter them and overcome them as well.
The reality of this particular character is that if often gives us a lot to think about as we learn more about ourselves in the sense of becoming stronger in faith and the ability to grow in Jesus Christ’s name. thus growth what takes place as we learn to depend on God to carry us through the storms of life as we encounter them so frequently and with hope that they can be resolved with a blessing form God as you pray for the courage to encounter and pray for the strength to overcome the opposing force with full understanding that you will be delivered safely and unconditionally for having trust and faith in God Almighty.
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." - Romans 5:3-4.
Perseverance
When all the world is looming dark
And things seem not so clear,
When shadows seem to hover 'round
Lord, may I persevere.
When it seems everything's been tried
And there's no way to go,
Just let me keep remembering
Sometimes the journey's slow.
I may just need to stop and rest
Along the path I trod,
A time to try to understand
And have my talk with God.
As I gain new strength to carry on
Without a doubt or fear,
Somehow I know things will be right,
And so, I persevere.
By Anne Stortz
from Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul
Perseverance appears to be a very common word discussed in the Bible as there are many references made within the King James Version. Many words are directly quoted to illustrate the strength of the word as well as the human act to acknowledge its qualities that have to be possessed to conquer the both the minor and major storms that exists within our lives.
In Proverbs 3:5-7 it reads “"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." – Another verse states bluntly that “"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." - James 5:7-8
One must sense that perseverance has several elements contained within it that gives mankind the ability to overcome these storms with a little bit of wisdom, faith and trust. Translated into modern times it comes down to taking action and reactions given a time and place where the opportunity to be most effective is the key to either domination or rejection of the evil creation. It would be logical to assert that if personal goals are set low and fairly traditional the number of obstacles obtained along the way would be minimized or fairly easy to recognize.
On the other hand, if personal goals are established fairly high and created in a most untraditional fashion, the expectation of running into complex and more severe obstacles coincide with the degree of possible opportunities that come with such an adventure. Raising the bar to excellence also raises the amount of competition for such a goal.
Along with the competition it is likely to be more expensive to attain funding for such a journey as well as numerous attempts to overcome an unsatisfying and frustrating environment along the way. It can be said that unless you have adequate funding and scholarships or grants to help you along the way, a hardship will occur and demand you work in order to sustain such goals and attain a successful accomplishment at the end of the term.
Perseverance is about attitude, determination self-reliance and intestinal (guts) fortitude to endure the journey and being prepared to take every step along the way with no desire to be defeated by both traditional and untraditional setbacks.
One has to focus on many positive things such as good study ethics, good work ethics, and prepared to take adversities as well as criticism and other obstructions in stride to avoid failure. The incentive to attain a dream or career goal is subject to stumble and may escape you if you fail to prepare yourself for such a fight along the way. Perseverance means balancing work and life needs delicately. It means going forward and not looking back. Waking up every day to tangle with these obstacles can make a difference in how you will be viewed as a competitor or a loser.
For some this dream will elude them because of ill preparedness and a lack of will to deal with the situations handed to them during the course of the climb upward. Some will stumble and settle halfway to the top in order to survive and maybe wait a year or two before beginning the journey further.
Timing is an important element of perseverance and often dictates failure or success. One would think that merely having the energy to get up and go to work and school daily would suffice the trek but often enough, more is required to stay abound of these goals. In retrospect, some will find happiness and contentment. Others will be severely disappointed and look for a new opportunity to do something else in life. It is the inner strength and focus on will and spirit that makes winners come out ahead and loser give up along the way.
VI. Fruit of Life
The fruit of life is what exists within your own life and how you feel about such presence that drives your daily needs and desires. It consists of many things that impact your outlook on life by itself and can be divided into many groupings that cover this reflection of one’s own self. Summarily, it would have to be combined to make the existence whole in existence as a partial presence will only diminish one’s ability to interact with one’s own feelings as well as other’s emotions.
The first category is Love – love is a most important factor as you must see people through the eyes of Jesus Christ. You must exemplify His deep compassion for mankind and the search for the lost ones, the weak, the lonely and the poor. There must be resistance within one’s self to give selfishly, to go the extra mile to help others and acknowledging that God will always come first. The second category is Joy – joy is essential to show a positive disposition even in times of grief. Joy requires strength to remain strong and positive when things go wrong as your trust in God stands unwavering in the eyes of others. Making something better out of something sad, you must exemplify this disposition to encourage others to be content and assured that God has a better plan for all.
The third inner category is Peace – peace should rule the heart and soul. It should be the centerpiece to stay calm during distressing situations or horrifying conditions. Dealing with bad relationships or fractured spirits among family or friends, one must take the imitative to stay calm and be available for guidance and comfort. A peacemaker at heart, this quality is an essential part of mending broken hearts and dreadful occasions including death.
The fourth category is Patience – patience means not to make irrational or hasty decisions or speak with derogatory words in a time of need or understanding. Avoiding jumping to conclusions without the facts makes this an essential component of never surrendering your soul or beliefs to others who don’t care about your feelings. Extending tolerance levels higher than the others, you can provide encouragement and composure to any situation. The fifth category is Kindness – kindness goes a long way in providing a deep respect and consideration to others in need. It also allows persons to deal with bitterness, anger and malice by taking the time to consider the circumstances whenever a wrath of words are released at a moment’s notice and not internalize or personalize such action as a personal attack but rather with a forgiving spirit understand where they are coming from at the time of distress.
The sixth category is Goodness – goodness is how God impacts your life and how you show others you are a caring friend and sincere person when there is a need for compassion or sensitivity to the person’s problem. Sensing a need to uplift other’s lives, goodness characterizes your love for life and God’s way of living. The seventh category is Faithfulness – faithfulness is making promises that you keep. Being a person of your word in a society so selfish today is a remarkable feat to accomplish and recognized instantly by those you share your life with. Being true to yourself and placing God before you is a fidelity hallmark that reflects commitment and loyalty to your word.
The eight category of internal strength and your fruit of spirit in life is Meekness – meekness is a willingness to be submissive to God, Jesus Christ and stepping aside any personal aspirations to be more important than others. It is an attitude of servitude that is easily recognized to be under the influence of God and his verses.
Showing a willingness to accept God the Almighty, you bestow Him his righteous place as King and give to Him everything you possess. The ninth and final category is Self-Control – self-control is the key to life and is self-mastery of one’s own thoughts, words and actions. Self-control is synonymous with self-discipline. Maintaining complete control of your body, your mind, your associated emotions and will, you determine how you will exercise, spend your time, your possessions and your desires while never losing control. The aspect of self-control follows an avoidance to do too much work, too much to eat and other gluttonous behaviors that tempt the evil within everyone’s body.
