Let Gladness Prevail

 Let gladness prevail.                                                                                          

Our lives are far too short to suffer needless pain and sorrow. I am saddened by the many I see struggling with life’s issues. Why is it that people fail to understand God’s generous provisions for their needs? What is so hard about understanding how God operates? It’s all laid out very plainly in the Word. But I suppose I shouldn’t wonder. I was once lost in time, trying to define what God was telling me because I was reading from the King James version for one thing. The “thee’s“ and “thou’s” kinda messed me up for a while.  

Now I wish that I could share more of what God has done for me, with and through those around me. Understanding came slowly because I was a poor student for one thing, but as I began to retain more and of the “nuggets” God lays out for us, I saw things clear up substantially.  

I never have been very timid about talking to others but when it comes to sharing about the Lord, it seems to bring out my shy side somehow. Why is that? I think it may have something to do with exposure. Yes, being exposed as to what you believe can be a bit intimidating, coupled with whether or not your peers accept or reject a belief. Our lives get complicated, it’s true, but wouldn’t it be nice to have all of our idiosyncrasies out of the way long enough to form closer relationships with those we love or want to know and love? 

Being judged for who or what you are can often bring a crisis into our lives. The supposed ‘new’ norm of the time can easily separate people from each other. I’m referring specifically to the notion that a person can be any sex they choose at any given time. Where does that come from? How did that catch on? It used to be a simple answer to define what sex a person is, but lately, people are acting strangely. It’s as though others have no say at all about personal ideas presented. “Either believe the way I do, or get out of my way!” It’s quite one sided. Getting ‘canceled’ is somewhat like a social death sentence in many ways. We used to consider the other person’s feelings and allow an individual his or her right to believe what they believe; right or wrong. Most of the time when someone realized that they were wrong, it was an easy process to say, ”my bad”...”sorry, I was wrong”, and get on with life. Not anymore. 

God gave us free will so we could choose who or what we want to believe. However, He also set up guidelines to go by that ultimately keep us safe from evil consequences and help make us successful in life’s arena. The ‘laws’ are designed to show us the best path through life and strengthen our minds and bodies. That is what brings wisdom into play. Wisdom and experience; two close friends. 

It looks far worse for us when we make bad decisions and ‘get off of the pathway’. It just doesn’t bode well for the creation to tell the Creator how to do things. We didn’t design ourselves. We are designed by a Spirit and we have a spiritual component that must be nurtured and taught and exercised and loved. Otherwise, we miss out on a great deal of the ‘completeness’ that God has for us. His love is so great that He made provisions for every situation in life and if we ‘listen’ closely enough we will most certainly get the answer we need to make that all important decision. 

Since the mind is such a wonderful and complicated ‘machine’, we can also reason that whoever ‘invented’ our minds must be quite complicated as well. The unsearchable nuances, the emotions and feelings, the strengths and weaknesses that combine to make each one of us an individual are so vast it seems unfathomable how the Creator can keep up with each one of us; even down to how many hairs we have on our heads. Incredible. 

And consider the plan that made it possible for us to be forgiven for whatever we do that does not line up with God’s laws. That plan provides a way to restore the relationship between each of us and God after the fall of man so long ago. Only a supernatural being could have come up with that. 

Consider healing. How does our body know to target bad cells with good cells to overcome sickness? Only a loving, generous God would set up strategies to combat evil automatically; before we ever get sick. 

With the plan of life, individual life; no two are the same. How awesome is that? You are wonderfully made. An individual unlike any other individual and equipped with power from the Spirit God Jehovah that is more powerful than anything else in existence.  
now learning how to use this power is another story. It takes total surrender and devotion to our Creator. That’s the only way; God’s way. 

About now I’m sure there are a lot of eyebrows going up and eyes rolling and probably a lot of questioning and scoffing, but I see it plainly spelled out in God’s Word. You just have to read it for yourself and then make up your mind. Don’t trust what someone else tells you. That can be misleading. Read it from God’s own Word. It will come alive to you and open your heart to real truth; God’s truth. 

If you want to be right, search out the truth for yourself. Ask God to show you and He will. That’s one of His great promises and one He likes to keep. Talk to Him in private and ask Him to show you what you need to know. He will. Once you really ‘hear’ God, you will understand real truth and want more of God’s truth in your life. Lies will fade away and leave you empty and unsatisfied. That’s one way to spot them. Truth will fill your heart and mind with power and knowledge. There’s nothing else like it. 

We don’t need to rely on a man for truth. If a person is honest that is good, but how do you know that he or she is truly honest and telling you ‘real truth’? That would be nice but in today’s world there are many dishonest people. People that are after something you have that they want, and they will do or say anything to get it. That’s dangerous. It can cost you everything; even your very life. Beware, be smart. Check things out for yourself and don’t always rely on something said to you as being the truth. 

Let Gladness Prevail. 

Our Lives Are Not Our Own

 And what about freedom? 

We seldom see anyone that refers back to the founding fathers. They were certainly a breed apart. Our nation is in deep turmoil; baited into heresy and hate by the evil one. He knows his time grows shorter and shorter. The toll he’s racking up is impressive to say the least. It doesn’t seem as though we want to use the power we have for any good reason. Selfishness is an ‘addicting force’ overcoming our young ones   glued to the glass screens; blinded by ‘shiny things’ that go bump in the night. 

‘Our very lives hang in the balance’ as they say. Hanging is a quite descriptive word. We ‘hang’ on every word someone says. We ‘hang out’ with our friends. We ‘hang on’ when things get so fast that we lose our grip. We ‘hang together’ when found guilty as a group. 

How much longer before ‘the break’, ‘the crash’, the end? Something has to happen. The direction we are going dictates it. It is far more difficult to stop a falling object than a rising one. 

The thoughts and intents of our hearts are more or less ‘out in the open’ these days. “Coming out” has become as much of a sport as it is an action of discovery. People make a show of their darkness; no more hiding or disguising the sin. Rather it’s blatant even and overt to the extreme. The definition of guilt in open display; defiant and brazen and cruel. 

Then how do we overcome? How do we succeed when all else fails? Where do we turn for the answer? Simple; so simple, yet people make it hard, so they don’t have to try. “Oh, it’s too hard...I just can’t do it!” 

For one thing, we aren’t the ones ‘doing it’. God and only God can make the changes that must be made. "Our lives are not our own. We are bought with a price” and that price cost the very blood of the Son of the living God to accomplish. 

Surrender. That’s our only option. We can’t defeat God. The Devil has already lost that battle; long, long ago. What are we thinking when we try it? For some ‘free will’ means total stupidity. I’m reminded of the small Chihuahua that takes on the Bull Mastiff. Who do you think will win? Duh, I ‘doh-no.’ 

Let’s stop fooling ourselves by doing things ‘man’s way’. Search out the answers where they were written down for us so long ago. Where truth originated. Stop thinking we are so much smarter and stronger than everything else and ‘listen’ for the still small voice that leads us to peace and joy and ...freedom ...and salvation. 

“Our lives are not our own...”