The World as We Know It

Slander, meander, and gander, not candor,

Inviting, enticing, spicing, and dicing,

Twirling, and hurling, and whirling, unfurling,

Outrageous, egregious, rampageous, contagious.

The world as we know it, not pretty, tis true,

The world should not live now, not inside of you.

The Spirit of God should now live in your heart,

And from God you now should not ever depart.

As Christians we are to be loyal to God,

As Christians we’re not to live now like a fraud.

We are to be faithful in all that we do,

We’re not to live now like we ain’t got a clue.

The Bible will tell us right now how to live,

As those who by faith did their sins God forgive.

We are to live righteous and godly pure lives,

Whose faith in the Lord, when it’s tested, survives.

An Original Work / April 24, 2023

Gossip

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil..” (Romans 1:28-30 ESV)

“For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” (2 Corinthians 12:20 ESV

“Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.” (1 Timothy 5:13 ESV)

Please pay careful attention to this definition of gossip:

Greek Interlinear definition: psithyristḗs - “Secret Slanderer.” Wow! That says it! “A whisperer; a sneaky gossip (a ‘back-stabber’); a backbiter, quietly (secretly) destroying another person’s character – i.e. covertly, not out in the open, but rather operating ‘in a corner.’” (source: Bible Hub .com)

So, this is not about anyone accidentally saying something about someone else that perhaps they should not say. But I will say here that we should, as Christians, ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this. And if we begin to say something about someone that we should not say, we should stop, even in mid-sentence, and not continue just because we already got out the first half. And if someone asks us to say the rest, we can just say, “I shouldn’t say more,” or “The Holy Spirit stopped me, so I will not continue.”

I believe if we read these three passages of Scripture mentioned above in their full context that we will see that gossip, at least in the New Testament, is always used in the strong sense of how it is defined in the Greek interlinear. Although all of us need to put a guard over our mouths, and watch what we say, and as soon as we realize we are saying what we should not say, that we should stop, and not continue, there are those among us for whom gossip is their intent, and their intent is to do others harm, not good.

And good people’s reputations are being destroyed by those who exercise such deliberate gossip/slander with the intended purpose to destroy their characters, so that other people will turn against them and hate them and want nothing to do with them. And Jesus had this done to him, and so did Paul, which is one of the reasons that Paul had to periodically come to his own defense, but not just for his own honor, but so that the honor of the gospel message that he was teaching would not suffer harm.

But, at least Jesus and Paul appeared to both be aware of the falsehoods that were being said about them and so they were able to come to their own defense. That isn’t always the case. Sometimes we are gossiped about in ways we have no knowledge of, at least not directly. We might be able to tell that other people’s attitudes or actions or words towards us have changed, and we might wonder what brought about that change, but without any direct knowledge of words spoken against ourselves, we can do nothing. And we should never accuse without knowledge.

But this kind of gossip, as defined above, has real power to destroy people’s lives and their reputations and to turn many people against them, just on the power of one person’s words against them. So, please do not believe everything you hear anyone say about anyone else, whether good or evil. Test what you hear, in prayer, against the teachings of the Scriptures (in context), and via getting to know people personally without relying on other people’s opinions of them. For not everyone has good intentions. Not everyone tells the truth.

There are many evil people out there, out of spite, hatred, violence, pride, jealousy, envy, bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness, who willfully do what they know to do to destroy other people's lives and reputations. And indeed they do this underhandedly, secretly, deviously, with much hate, and covertly, so that their “victims” have no knowledge of what is being secretly said about them behind their backs. And if other people listen to them, and believe them, then they may also end up treating the victims unjustly.

So, we all need to be careful with our words and with what we say. And we should all be examining our own hearts and minds and attitudes and intent on a regular basis to make certain that we are doing and saying what we should, and not what we shouldn’t. And all of us need to stop, even in mid-sentence, if we begin to say something we know we should not, rather than to keep going because other people now want to hear what we were about to say. And not one of us should be deliberately gossiping about others.

But on the receiving end of this, none of us should be listening to what is defined here as “gossip.” But let me say here that it is not gossip to report sinful behavior among those who are professing Christians if those who are sinning against others are unwilling to stop their sinning and to repent and to do what is right. And “unwillingness” is shown in attitude, actions, words, and behaviors, and not just in words which may or may not have any truth to them. For many make promises not kept. Lip service alone is not enough.

For both Jesus and Paul called people out publicly by name who were sinning against the body of Christ and who were doing harm to the body and to the gospel, and who had the potential of leading others astray. They, and the other apostles, too, warned against “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and against false shepherds of the people and those who were sinning against the body and who were spreading lies and false teachings and sinful attitudes and thinking and behaviors.

Now, if we are able, we should first talk to the people, if these are people we know personally, and we should confront them gently with their sins and call for repentance and walks of obedience to the Lord. If they profess faith in Jesus Christ, and if they are among those who are followers of Christ, and so they have the potential of spreading what is wrong, but they are not willing to repent of their evil, then we should take the biblical steps to correct these situations. Sadly, though, not many people will cooperate with that.

Anyway, it is not wrong to call out sin and wrong teaching if we have first of all taken the appropriate steps to try to get others to make things right, where that is possible. For we are to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness and we are to warn against false shepherds and false teachings. But it is wrong if, out of spite and hatred and a desire to cause others harm, we secretly and deviously speak evil about them behind their backs and if, in so doing, we willfully turn others against them so that others will hate them.

And we who follow Jesus Christ with our lives should not be entertaining bitter and resentful and hateful gossip intended to do others harm. We should refuse to listen to secret slander and back-stabbing which is intended to destroy another person’s character and reputation. And we should not believe everything we hear others say about someone if we cannot verify that for ourselves. And we should not reject and/or mistreat others based upon secret slander (gossip) that we hear about them.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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He Trains Our Hands for Battle

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

    who trains my hands for war,

    and my fingers for battle;

he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

    my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

    who subdues peoples under me.” (Psalms 144:1-2 ESV)

I used to believe that humans had power over me that God could do nothing about. Why did I think that way? Because I grew up under the authority of the worst kind of abuser, my father, and God did not rescue me physically from his abuse. So I saw God as my comforter, and I went to him in prayer all the time, and he did comfort me in my suffering, but subconsciously I believed God did not have the power to rescue me physically from my persecutor. I even said to him once, “But God, you don’t understand!!”

And so throughout my life, when I would face persecution after persecution, mainly from pastors of “churches,” or from others who professed faith in Jesus Christ, although I endured much, and I persevered much, I had my breaking points, too, where the weight of it all got to be more than my emotions could handle. And this is because I did not fully comprehend the sovereignty of God over my life nor what he was trying to teach me through these persecutions and false accusations and personal rejections.

But after getting beat down time after time after time, the Lord finally got through to me the understanding of his sovereignty over my life, and that these situations that I kept coming up against were for my good, in reality, for the Lord was indeed training my hands for war. And it reminded me of his words to Jeremiah, “Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them” (Jeremiah 1:17). For the Lord was preparing Jeremiah for a ministry where he would be hated and opposed, but the Lord would be his strength.

So, depending upon God’s calling on our lives, he may take us through some serious trials and tribulations in order to train our hands for spiritual warfare. For I can attest to the fact that if you are someone who is following the Lord wholeheartedly, as the Scriptures teach we all must do, and if you are out there on the front lines sharing the full gospel (the whole counsel of God) with the people, and not the altered version that so many are teaching these days, and if you are refuting the lies of the enemy, you will be opposed.

But, if we are indeed following the Lord with our lives, and if we are trusting in his sovereignty over our lives, believing that the things he allows to come into our lives are in preparation of our hands for spiritual warfare, then we can be those who put our trust and our hope in the Lord despite our circumstances, and despite all opposing forces coming against us. And we can trust him to deliver us through our circumstances even if he doesn’t deliver us out of all of them. For we can take refuge in him.

“I will sing a new song to you, O God;

    upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

who gives victory to kings,

    who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

Rescue me and deliver me

    from the hand of foreigners,

whose mouths speak lies

    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” (Psalms 144:9-11 ESV)

But there is an upside to all of this. When we learn to understand and to accept God’s complete sovereignty over our lives, and that what he allows in our lives is, although painful, for our ultimate good, then we can sing a new song unto the Lord and in praise and worship of him. For now we have a different perspective than we had before. And now we have a much clearer understanding of his will and purpose for our lives, and for why all those bad things happened to us. He was/is training our hands for spiritual warfare.

And when we get to this place of understanding and acceptance of our trials and our tribulations and their purpose in our lives, it will also give us a new freedom and a new sense of purpose for why God created us, and for what purpose we exist, and of how all those painful circumstances fit in with his plan and his purpose for our lives. And from the Lord and from that understanding of purpose we can draw much strength and determination to keep moving forward with God in his power and strength and wisdom.

And the Lord may open wide all sorts of new opportunities for us that we may not have ever even imagined. I know he did that for me. He took me out of these market-driven and flesh-driven “churches” (businesses of men), and he placed me on the internet (my mission field) where I have been able to serve the Lord in the way he intended for me even from before he created me in my mother’s womb. And he has me writing out what he teaches me from my times with him daily in his word and posting these on the internet.

And these writings, but not due to anything I am doing, are going to people all throughout the world in multiple nations. All I do is write what the Lord teaches me and then I post these writings on the internet on multiple sites and then the Lord takes these where he wants them to go. And over the years he has added on songs and poems and memes and video talks, too, which then expands the ministry to which he has called me as it is reaching people with the gospel via multiple platforms. To God be all the glory!!

So, the encouragement for today is to look past the trials and the tribulations you are presently facing, and look to God, and seek his face, and see what he has for you. For none of what you are going through escapes his notice, and it all serves a purpose when we learn to respond to our circumstances with the understanding that all this is ultimately for our good. And God will bring good out of these trials if we will let him, and if we will not be consumed by the trials to where we can’t see God and his working.

Yes, we are still going to be persecuted if we are truly following the Lord with our lives, so this is not a promise that now life will be easier for us. In fact, it will probably be much harder, which is why we needed a history of abuse and persecutions in order to prepare us for worse to come. So if we can keep that perspective, it will help us to stay strong through the persecutions that are yet ahead. And we will be able to set our faces like flint (Isaiah 50:7) and not cave to opposition or to temptations to retreat.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

I Will Call Upon the Lord

Words and music by Michael O'Shields

I will call upon the Lord

Who is worthy to be praised

So shall I be saved from my enemies

The Lord liveth and blessed be the Rock

And let the God of my salvation be exalted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZIigMiXfuE 

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Hurting and Lonely

Are you hurting, feeling lonely,

Feeling sometimes it’s you only,

Not sure others feel what you do,

Not sure they know what you’ve been through?

Do you have those who berate you?

Do they mock you, trick you, hate you?

Try to make you think you’re crazy,

Try convince you mem’ry’s hazy?

Many do this. It’s their habit

To suppress the truth, to hide it.

So they cast the blame on others –

Sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers.

Try convince them that it’s their fault,

They’re the ones who brought things to halt.

If they’d only done things that way,

Things be different, not be this way.

You are not alone, I tell you.

Many people feel what you do.

Many folk live with abusers

Who are haters and they’re users.

Take advantage: weak and helpless,

Those who’re trusting, those who’re selfless,

Those who’re loving and who are kind,

Those who have good will in their minds.

Be encouraged, you’re not alone,

Others have traveled where you’ve gone.

Some survived it, some left behind,

Some, in Christ, true hope they did find.

Best solution: Trust Jesus Christ.

Give Him ev’ry part of your life.

Let Him lead you where you should go,

Then true hope in Christ you will know.

An Original Work / June 10, 2022

Abusers and the Abused

Psalms 62:3-4 ESV

“How long will all of you attack a man

    to batter him,

    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

    They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,

    but inwardly they curse. Selah”

This passage of Scripture is somewhat open to interpretation, so it can be applied in different ways. But the main gist of it appears to follow the subjects of abuse and persecution. And the abusers and the persecutors appear to be liars and those who are manipulative, who are also two-faced hypocrites, saying one thing outwardly but the opposite in secret. This would be like someone who will profess one thing with his lips (out loud) and then turn right around and journal or tell someone else the exact opposite.

And this could be about a lying cheating spouse, who declares with the mouth faithfulness, purity, love, and truthfulness, while in private is committing adultery via the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life. Or this person may say kind things to the spouse in person but then blast the spouse to someone else or in writing. Or this person may be giving a false impression of something outwardly while something else is really what is going on, which is being kept hidden from the spouse.

But this subject is not just about marriage relationships. It is about all relationships, or it is specifically about the relationships God’s people have with other humans who are mistreating them in some way or another. And when I say “all relationships” I do not mean that this is an example of all relationships but that this isn’t just about Christians and marriage relationships, but it is about non-Christians, too, and any relationships. It is just that Christians have the Lord as their rock, and so they lean on him.

For there are a lot of nasty and hateful and abusive people out there in the world, and some or many of them may also be professers of faith in Jesus Christ. And some of them could be pastors of churches, too, or priests, or parents or spouses or children or actors or government heads or teachers, and the list goes on. But the thing about these abusers is that they appear one way outwardly, and they may be very winsome and charming, and so you may be drawn to them, but they can have a nasty bite in private.

And because they are liars, and they are two-faced, and they are charming and manipulative, they can gain many supporters, and they may lie to these supporters about who they really are, and they may even try to gain their sympathies, and they may even lie to these supporters about the person they are attacking and battering. So, if the ones being abused try to speak up and to say they are being abused, others believe the abuser over the abused and so the abused get no help and they may even get more abuse.

And this happens more often than most people probably realize or are willing to accept. But the abusers do often get away with the abuse while the abused end up being treated as though they are the ones in the wrong, instead, which only just adds more abuse on top of what they are already experiencing. For the abusers take pleasure in falsehood, and they will claim one thing while the opposite is true, and since they are abusers, they have no problem at all letting the abused take the fall and to be more abused.

Psalms 62:5-8 ESV

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

    for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory;

    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

“Trust in him at all times, O people;

    pour out your heart before him;

    God is a refuge for us. Selah”

But the encouragement for Christians is that our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is our rock and our salvation, and not just salvation from sin, but salvation from the impact of our circumstances on our lives. Even if we are being abused by anyone, and not all abuse is physical, and so not all abuse leaves physical scars, and so a lot of abuse goes unreported because it is not physical and so it can’t be proven, God is still our refuge and our strength and help. Yet, it may just end up in a “he said she said” situation.

But our Lord did not promise any of us that life was going to be easy, or that we would not have to suffer. In fact, he said we would be hated and persecuted as he was, and he was continually hounded and falsely accused and harassed and verbally attacked by his adversaries. So, we are to rejoice in the Lord in our sufferings, and we are to trust the Lord with our life situations, and pray for wisdom and for guidance and direction, and not let other people’s treatments of us shake us. But we must rest in our Lord.

Hated and Persecuted: [Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/379406352

Her Story

I know this is a subject that not many people want to talk about, but this is a huge problem in the church today in America. It is the “elephant in the room” that no one wants to mention, and so it is not dealt with. But childhood and spousal abuse and sexual addiction and adultery are real problems that are not adequately and biblically being dealt with today. 

And so that leaves many children and spouses in abusive situations. And the answer is not always for them to go someplace else. Sometimes “someplace else” is actually worse. And that doesn’t actually solve the problem or help the addict to be free. So, we the church need to step up and deal with these issues, and give support to the hurting, and exercise godly correction to the unrepentant. For this is happening in Christian households a lot!

Her Story

Lost and all alone, and feeling so unloved,

Father was abuser, not felt mother’s love.

Felt so utterly hopeless, no way out it seemed,

Not the fairy-tale childhood that of many dream.

Frightened of her father, terrified it seemed.

Tried she to escape him. Life not so serene.

Never knew what hit her. All came by so fast.

So many abuses, numerous and so vast.

She believed in Jesus. Trusted in his love.

Sought him out for comfort. Looked to him above.

Trusted in his promises. Believed in his Word.

Best words coming from his love that she ever heard.

Met the man she’d marry, life with him to share.

Not the perfect romance. Loved him everywhere.

Not turned out like magic. Not a fairy tale.

Didn’t turn out like she’d hoped. Marriage for her failed.

Turned out he’s an addict, much like was her dad,

And he would not change for her, which did make her sad.

Then she remained with him as a faithful wife

For she did still love him, to stay with him for life.

Through it all she learned to not put trust in man,

To put her hope solely in God, to follow His life’s plan.

She learned to trust Him with her life, always, ever now,

And when life kicks her in the gut, to Him her life she vows.

An Original Work / September 10, 2022

Are You Being Abused?

“Fear not, for I am with you;

    be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

“Behold, all who are incensed against you

    shall be put to shame and confounded;

those who strive against you

    shall be as nothing and shall perish.” (Isaiah 41:10-11 ESV)

Are you being abused? Are there people in your life who are taking advantage of you, and who are mistreating you in ways that are not visible and can’t be proven? This describes many people in this world. I believe women and children are primarily the most vulnerable, although I know that is not true in all cases. And who are the abusers? Often they are family members, like spouses or parents or even siblings or cousins, or they are pastors or priests or counselors or doctors – people who are supposed to love and protect you, and also those who claim to be Christians.

But the thing of it is, if you have no physical proof, and if the abuser does not own up to the abuse, but he tells lies, instead, if you are a woman or a child, especially, chances are you will not be believed, but the abuser will be believed, instead. I am not saying this is true in all cases, but it does happen, and probably way more often than is being reported and that we are aware is happening. And sometimes the person you go to for help will actually support the abuser and will come against you and attack you, instead. And this should not be! This should not be happening, but it is!

But the comfort for the abused who are followers of Jesus Christ is that we are not to fear, for God is with us. He is our God, so we are not to be dismayed. He will strengthen us, and he will help us, and he will uphold us with his righteous right hand even if no one else believes us, and even if no one else will love and support us and give us encouragement. We can cry it all out to the Lord. He hears our cries, and he will come to our aid. He may not always remove us from such difficulties, but he will help us to be strong through it all so we can comfort others when they are suffering, too. 

For our God is absolutely sovereign over all that he has made. And those of us who are his followers are in his hands. And he is in control over everything that comes into our lives. And he will help us through whatever valleys of darkness he takes us through (Psalms 23). So we are not to be afraid, no matter what comes into our lives, for our Lord will guide us in what to do and in what to say. We just have to keep trusting him and following him wherever he leads us, and keep trusting that he is going to see us through it all, and all will be used for good if we do not give up the fight.

Are You Being Abused

Video Talk

October 23,2022 (this is from 2 years ago)

https://youtu.be/HkG0GLOkHiw

Caution: This link may contain ads

His Tender Mercies 

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

https://vimeo.com/379513308