We are eight months into 2020 and for most of these months, we have experienced the effects of Covid-19. For me, two verses from the song, “Thank You” by Walter Hawkins voice how I am feeling. These verses are:
Tragedies are commonplace
All kinds of diseases, people are slipping away
Economies down, people can’t get enough pay
But as for me, all I can say is
Thank you, Lord, for all You’ve done for me, yeah
Folks without homes, living out in the streets
And the drug habits some say, they just can’t beat
Muggers and robbers, no place seems to be safe
But You’ll be my protection every step of the way
And I want to say
Thank you, Lord, for all You’ve done for me, yeah.
Don’t these verses describe what is happening in our world. We are living in a time of uncertainty with death, sickness, financial insecurity, chaos, and lawlessness taking over our cities and nation. I am finding that this season is causing me to sing hymns and other comforting songs that remind me that my hope is in God and He is in control. Also, I am thankful for peace and clarity of mind as I hear the reports of those that committed suicide because they no longer could handle the stresses they were experiencing.
When my mind wants to pause and rehearse painful thoughts, I put in practice Philippians 4:7- 8 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” because I know it does not matter how long we have to endure this pandemic if I apply the Word to my life daily, I will be victorious while living in stressful times.
On this week President Trump helped broker a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to establish normal diplomatic relations and he hopes more Arab and Muslim countries will join in this deal. Additionally, these two countries in the future will establish reciprocal embassies and sign agreements on investment, security, healthcare, tourism telecommunications, technology, energy, and direct flights.
Most importantly, this deal is supposed to put a pause on Israel’s efforts to annex parts of the West Bank which are claimed by Palestinians. Unfortunately, many Arab nations are looking unfavorably on this as a violation of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative which states no normalization could take place until a Palestinian state was established and Israel fully withdrew from the West Bank.
While some are applauding and praising this deal, I caution believers that this is not the ultimate plan of God. If you know anything about Israel’s history, you realize Jews believe that God has ordained the land of Israel to be completely occupied by them, so many will not happy with the idea of given up their land even if it ushers in peace to their territory. God did give a specific territory to Israel which they have been fighting to maintain for a long time and there are those that will be willing to do whatever is necessary to see God’s plan in fruition.
I know with all that is happening in the world we tend to just focus on America but in the scheme of end-time events Israel is a major player. We need to pray for Israel, pay attention to events occurring in that nation, and remember the scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5: 3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them.” Watch Israel for you will see scripture unfolding.
I woke up this morning singing the hymn “IN TIMES LIKE THESE” which talks about needing an anchor that holds and grips IN TIMES LIKE THESE. Then I found myself singing another hymn “WE HAVE AN ANCHOR” and just in case you never heard this hymn or if you heard it and forgot the words I am going to include it in this blog. The hymn is written as follows:
WE HAVE AN ANCHOR
1 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
2 Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers roar and the reef is near?
While the surges rage, and the wild winds blow,
shall the angry waves then your bark o’erflow?
3 Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
while your anchor holds within the veil.
4 Will your eyes behold through the morning light
the city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
when life’s storms are past for evermore?
chorus:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
This hymn states what the world surely needs and what I pray you have on today.
Presently we are in the midst of Covid-19 and though we would like it to go away, unfortunately, it appears that it will be with us simply because in this country we cannot unite and follow instructions. This week we experienced tropical storm Isaias which left 2.2 million homes and businesses along the East Coast without electricity.
Before the storm in my state, we received the forecast that it would be raining with possible thunderstorms for about eight hours. We also were told that we would be experiencing high winds and possible tornadoes. Well, in my city it only rained several hours but the wind uprooted trees and scattered limbs everywhere.
I was expecting it to flood but that was not the culprit in my area; it was the winds that took down trees that toppled on the electrical wires and poles. Consequently, in some areas, people were told that they would not get their electricity back on for five days.
As you can imagine people were already stressed about their financial status and now, they had to think about the food that they had in their refrigerator spoiling. Praise God, I am happy to report some people were fortunate to get their electricity on sooner and their food was alright.
Also, this week the news reported on well-known persons expressing their anxiety and depression feelings to the media. Plus, reports of suicide are increasing. People are feeling hopeless and don’t know where to turn for answers and relief. It is in times like this we need to be able to declare to our self, “Because of my Savior’s love I have a steadfast anchor that is fastened and grounded to the Rock which cannot move.”
In the fall of this year, along with the flu and hurricane season, we are being told we will probably be experiencing the second wave of the pandemic. Besides these things we have the issues that we are facing such as unemployment, foreclosures on homes, apartment evictions, and unpaid bills. Our world is in turmoil, we are experiencing unprecedented times and if we understand the Word we know things are going to intensify and get worst.
It is important that those of us that know the truth and have the answer begin to speak it loudly and consistently to all those in the hearing of our voice. So, I end this blog saying, “The love of God provides for us the anchor we need during the storms of life and despite all that may happen we will not drift away.”
The song written by Jonathan Butler voices the sentiment of my heart. In it, he first acknowledges the need of the masses, and then he personalizes the need. The song is not lengthy, nor is it hard to remember for it is composed of these two verses which are repeated several times:
We need You Lord, we need You Lord, right now
We need You Lord, we need You Lord, right now
We lift our hands and bow our knees and worship at Your Throne
We need You Lord, we need You Lord, right now.
I need You Lord, I need You Lord, right now
I need You Lord, I need You Lord, right now
I lift my hands and bow my knees and worship at Your Throne
I need You Lord, I need You Lord, right now.
Right in here, I know this is what the world and I need. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve received all kinds of prayer requests from people for healing from Covid-19, cancer, mental health, and other related health issues, financial woes, and comfort for the grieving families over the loss of their love ones. Just hearing the request of hurting people and seeing the confusion plaguing this country brings tears to my eyes.
Covid-19 has us living with so many uncertainties. Decisions concerning the best course of action and plan for our lives are changing continually with the reception of new information. This has caused many to become depressed and suicidal, but for me, I am so glad I know God because He has been my resting place amid Covid-19.
Over the years, I purchased material things, things that I thought I needed, and some of which I packed away and never used. I’ve accumulated stuff, and now as I look over all of these things, I am trying to find ways to dispose of them because I don’t need them.
I have come to realize things are temporary, things are disposable, and things that I thought I needed, things that would make me happy, and my life complete have not. What I should have done was pray and ask God the One I needed for guidance before I purchased the stuff.
To conclude this blog, the point I am trying to say is in everything we need the Lord. We need Him in every area of our life, and this fact in our present world could not be more apparent. We need Him for guidance, support, peace, shelter, wisdom, knowledge, healing, answers, protection, deliverance, strength, prosperity, and salvation. (This is just a few areas of need, I am sure you can name many more).
So, let’s spread the word, and tell this faltering world they need the Lord; He is our answer and only hope.
I was in prayer, praying about Covid-19 and asking God to eradicate it, and while doing this, the words of this scripture found in Isaiah 1:19 resounded in my spirit, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” The Holy Spirit began to minister to me believers all over the world are praying this prayer, but for it to manifest, we must be willing and obedient to follow the instructions. For everyone these instructions are not spiritual, they are practical for we can’t be like people that pray and ask God to keep us healthy; yet, we go outside in a winter snowstorm improperly dressed
This week citizens in Utah met at the Utah County commission meeting to object to their children wearing a face mask when they return to school. In that small cramp meeting room, these citizens refused to distance themselves socially and the majority of them did not have on a mask. Unfortunately, in a couple of weeks, these citizens will probably realize Covid-19 is real if there is an outbreak of case among those that attended this meeting.
The news also shared the story of a former game show host who tweeted, “everyone is lying (CDC, media, and Democrats) about COVID-19.” On the next day following the tweet, he changed his tune because his son tested positive for the virus. Furthermore, this is not new because the news is repeatedly reporting cases of individuals who became sick with Covid-19 after attending a function where they were not socially distancing or wearing a mask.
In Luke 16:19 – 31, there is a story of a rich man and a beggar. The rich man ends up in a place of torment and the poor man in the bosom of Abraham. When the rich man realizes his fate as compared to the beggar, he requested Abraham to send a messenger to his relatives and warn them about ending in a similar position as him. Abraham gives him this response, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” This story reflects the hardness of man’s heart and their unwillingness to listen to wise counsel from multiple sources, which unfortunately ends with fatal consequences.
If people continue not to follow the guidelines established by the medical doctors and leading scientists and if they believe Covid-19 is part of fake news, the pandemic will remain. We cannot function like the people that lived during the times of the judges where everyone did what was right in their own eyes, for like them, we will suffer the consequences for our misguided actions. All we have to do is do our part and be willing and obedient to instructions, and then God can do His part, heal the land.
After the decree of King Cyrus and seventy years of captivity in Babylonia, the children of Israel, namely the tribe of Judah under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Ezra, returned to Palestine. The story of their return is penned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and it shares their struggles, neglect, oppositions, and their accomplishments. Additionally, they rebuilt the temple and their cities in Palestine.
Historians record from the closing of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament to Matthew the first book in the New Testament, approximately four hundred years passed. This time was known as the “Period of Silence,” for during this time, there were no words spoken or written by the prophets. Furthermore, historians wrote about the fate that befell Israel during this period and how they were bitterly persecuted and their religious practices hindered by the series of conquering rulers that took possession of Palestine. By the time of Jesus’ birth, the Roman Republic had taken control, and the Jews were required to pay yearly taxes to Rome, who gave them some political liberty to control local affairs and permitted them some religious freedom. Also, various Jewish parties: Zealots, Sadducees, Pharisees, Essences, Scribes, and Samaritan, all with their own beliefs, could be found operating in Palestine.
Despite their circumstances, the Jews remembered the Edenic promise of the seed of the woman and words of the Old Testament prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Micah, who talked about the coming Messiah, a conquering king who would redeem man and restore the earthly kingdom of Israel. The Jews were expecting someone prestigious to be their king, someone born of Davidic royalty, someone who was scholastically astute and not someone who came from a lowly background or someone who was placed in a manger at birth.
First came John the Baptist heralding, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and then came Jesus. Throughout His earthly ministry, His teaching, healings, and feeding the multitudes caused many Jews to want to make Jesus their king. At one point, they forcibly attempted to take Him and make Him king, but He withdrew from their midst.
Even His disciples whom He walked with for three years, whom He taught privately and gave insight into mysteries and parables, did not understand because after His resurrection and before His ascension, they asked him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”
The outcome of Jesus’s time on earth was not what His fellow countrymen expected. Those of us living in the 21st century, and are privileged to read the Bible in its completion understand that He was not coming solely to redeem the Jews but the whole world. We understand the events that needed to occur before His earthly kingdom reign are manifesting now. Jesus was not what they expected; however, He is whom His bride with expectation longingly await and say, “Even so come, Lord Jesus.”
Last week I blogged on the failure of King Solomon to follow God’s instructions, and thus when Solomon was old, his seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines turned away his heart from the God that blessed Him toward other gods. In this blog, I am going to share more details on Solomon’s failure and delve into why this wise man failed. To accomplish this goal, I must first share some facts from a few scriptures.
Genesis 2: 22-24 shares God’s perspective on marriage, and it says, “A man should leave his father and his mother, cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” Apparently, God’s mandate for marriage was two persons becoming one; He did not mean for multiple persons to become one.
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God talks to Moses about the laws of kingship and He made these points:
- A king was not to multiply horses to himself.
- A king was not to have multiple wives.
- A king was to write and keep himself a copy of God’s law, read it all the days of his life, and turn not aside from them.
Unless I overlooked it, there is no recording of Solomon continually reading and adhering to the laws of God, which was the last thing that God told Moses a king was to do. Maybe if he had done so, he wouldn’t have died outside of the will and purpose of God.
Solomon’s father David had seven wives, plus concubines, and from these unions, Solomon had eighteen brothers and one sister. If he had additional siblings from his father’s concubines, it was not recorded. Furthermore, reading the life of David reveals he, with his multiple wives, had a dysfunctional family, and Solomon experienced sibling conflict because of it.
This family dysfunction was also a generational curse that was passed down from multiple generations before Solomon’s birth, for Solomon’s father and grandfather had several wives. Why didn’t wise Solonom learn from the mistakes of his fathers?
In Proverbs 6, 7, and 9, Solomon gave words of wisdom to his son concerning resisting the seduction of strange women. When I read those chapters, I wondered why Solomon did not heed his own advice for the lust of his flesh caused him to overindulge in promiscuity.
Unfortunately, Solomon’s failure is the same failure believers are experiencing today. In many areas of our lives, we fail to bring our flesh under subjection to the Word of God. Throughout the Bible, which is haphazardly read, the scriptures tell us that we are capable of overcoming, but we regrettably succumb to out flesh rather than our spirit.
I don’t know about you, but I am going to be wiser than Solomon. Solomon died at age sixty, I am a bit older than him, and I aim not to die being foolish. I practice learning from the good and bad experiences of others. So, learning from him, I am going to read, meditate, and follow the Word day and night, and I implore you to do the same.
Solomon, who became the third king in Israel, was the second son of Bathseba and the tenth son of King David. The Bible states in 2 Samuel 12:24 and 2 Chronicles 1:1 that God loved Solomon, was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. Additionally, the Bible states before David’s death he told Solomon, “I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.”
In the early days of Solomon’s reign, God appeared to him in a dream and said to him, “Ask what I shall give thee.” Solomon’s response was to ask for an understanding heart to judge Israel and the ability to discern between good and bad. His request pleased God in such a meaningful way that God told him, “Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”
In his lifetime, with the blessings and favor of God, Solomon obtained fame and adulation. The Bible recorded that all Israel heard of the judgments of Solomon, and they feared him for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him. Furthermore, people from other nations of all socio-economic backgrounds came to hear his wisdom. He was a poet and a prolific writer who penned 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs, some of which are found in the book of Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Psalms. He built the first temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, a majestic palace for himself, and government buildings surrounded by gardens and roads. He accumulated thousands of horses and chariots, and his diplomatic skills allowed him to secure peace with his neighbors and build up Israel’s trade industry.
Unfortunately, Solomon loved women for the Bible states he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. These wives and concubines were Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites, which God had instructed Israel not to marry. Solomon disobeyed God’s instruction which resulted in faulty behavior as seen in 1 Kings 11: 4-9, “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.” The consequence of his actions is seen in verses 9-11, “And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to thy son for David’s my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem sake which I have chosen.” What a sad end for the wisest man of his time who died at age sixty. He was wise, but not wise enough to be obedient to God, for he allowed the lust of his flesh to control a significant portion of his life.
Solomon’s life provides lessons for all of us to learn. First and foremost, be obedient to God’s instruction. Secondly, bring the flesh under subjection to the Word of God and, thirdly, don’t allow our actions to have a negative effect on our future generations. I believe these are vital points to adhere to for success in our Christian walk.
In my next blog, I am going to delve some more into problem areas in King Solomon’s life. So, I invite you to return to this website to learn more about Solomon’s errors. Prayerfully, these blogs will help you and me to please God and not our flesh.
Starting around the beginning of May 2020, I noticed my laptop on which I typed was moving extremely slowly. It was almost seven years old, and it had served me well. I was informed by a few people that my laptop was probably getting ready to die on me, and I took it to be serviced, and its death sentence was confirmed.
One morning after receiving the pending death notice, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to transfer everything that I needed off the laptop to a thumb drive. I am so glad that I did not procrastinate because after I made the transfer, the laptop started acting up. It would freeze up and not allow me to type or see material that I had on it. Thus, I made up in my mind to purchase a new laptop.
Initially, I wanted another Toshiba, but I found out that Toshiba was going out of business and was no longer making computers; therefore, I had to shop around for a new brand. After reading some consumer reports, I decided on a Hewlett Packard. Due to Covid-19 and being unable to go into stores, I ordered it directly from the company. It took several weeks to arrive, and it took me over a week to learn all of the features and set it up to my liking.
I said all of the above to explain why I had not been able to do my weekly blog, which I hope you were missing, but with the help of God, I am restarting.
While unable to post blogs, one thing I have been doing is taking advantage of the many free conferences and seminars being publicized on FB. I can honestly say that during this time, when we have been made to shelter-in many ministries have made their conferences free to the public. Besides on FB all through the day, prayer, teaching, and preaching are being done. The Word is no longer behind the four walls of our churches, but it is going into the homes of the masses throughout the day. Furthermore, I believe there is no reason for us to be discouraged because someone during the day has the Word to fit every situation, and I have been feasting.
In closing, if you have not availed yourself to Word in the many forms and platforms being offered, I strongly recommend you to do so. (There is no need to be hungry when you can eat at any time during the day.) And as usual, I solicit your prayers as I restart my blogging.
The Teacher's Pick 