God’s Protection

 

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”. So says the 23^rd Psalm, and that is logical: shepherds learn to love their sheep and therefore want them to do well. In this photo my wife Audrey is the shepherd, she loves her sheep so is providing their needs as you can see.

The other side of this successful arrangement is that the sheep trust Audrey; thus, they don’t stay out in the paddock away from her, but come to her so she can see their needs and supply them. Likewise, if we ask the Lord to be our Shepherd, (as the Psalm implies), then we should come to Him, commune with Him, and tell Him our needs. Oh sure He knows them already, but if we ask for help then we are expressing our faith in Him and “Without faith” there will be no result, (see Matthew chapter 21, verses 21 and 22).

The 23^rd Psalm goes on “He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my Soul, He leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His names sake, Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.”  And I have tried to illustrate it in this picture.(that is you there walking with Jesus), Yes I know that I have shown you these pictures before, but sometimes repetition helps: I have repeated this Psalm to myself many thousands of times, and have been helped and refreshed by it on each occasion. Last week I wrote an article entitled “Demons and Witches” where I quoted the Apostle Paul telling the Ephesian Christians to “put on the whole armour of God” so they could stand against the Devil and “The sword of the Spirit” which is “the word of God” is our only weapon; all the rest is protective armour. The words I have quoted above are part of that “word of God” (the 23^rd Psalm) therefore, we need to memorise words like these so that when troubles appear we can quote them and Satan and His demons will have to leave us alone, just as when Jesus was tempted by Satan He quoted scripture and Satan left Him alone. As you know, police carry their baton, tazer or pistol (or the lot) with them at all times, just in case they find themselves in a dangerous situation; in that respect those weapons are like fire insurance or car insurance. The same applies to praying, memorising scripture and claiming promises as far as we are concerned. Doing that places a protective “screen” around us with Angels to guard us, For example I always start the day with prayer to God, then when I get in the car, before I drive off I quote Psalm 34 verse 7, by saying: “the Angel of the Lord encamps about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” thank you Lord I claim that promise’.

Does this work? My word it does, (if you ask in faith, believing that is). I had payed that prayer about 3 minutes before this car accident happened in 2013 when a large vehicle fitted with a bull bar hit my vehicle at high speed and my car was written off to the extent that the insurance company paid the price of a new car into my bank account within 3 days, which softened the blow a bit. The police came, and the ambulance came but they had to wait until the V.R.A. arrived to break open the driver’s side door so they could get me out. The Paramedic was amazed that I appeared to be in one piece but took me to hospital in the ambulance to be sure; where they X-rayed me and let me walk out in about a ½ hour.

 Someone said “my word you was lucky that you had your car insured”. No I wasn’t lucky; it was just the sensible thing to do. Someone else said “My word you was lucky to escape unhurt from an accident like that”. No I wasn’t lucky, placing my day in God’s hands by claiming His promise to protect me was just the sensible thing to do. My dear friend, if you haven’t done so, please consider giving God control of your life because it can be rough, & then there is also eternity to consider which is a very, very, long time!       Best wishes, Tom.

For Want of Knowledge

 

 I told you this story about three years ago and I am repeating it because I believe it is good value: The body of a 60-year-old man by the name of Timothy Gray was found under a bridge in Wyoming in the United States.

  He apparently died of Hypothermia as it was winter there and he had insufficient clothing to keep him warm in the extreme cold.

It is not uncommon for homeless people to take refuge from the elements under a bridge as it offers some protection from rain and snow, but not nearly enough if you are poorly clad and there is a cold wind blowing.

There was however a double tragedy in this case as the authorities had been trying to locate this man since early in 2011 to inform him that he was heir to a considerable fortune: $19 Million in fact, because a relative, Huguette Clark, had left it to him in her will when she died at the age of 104.

Now I don’t know what problems he may have had, (if any), apart from a shortage of money, but he could have bought a motel, to live in, like the one in the photo, or a lovely house, and still had $17,000,000 spending money left over. What a shame he didn’t know that. Does that make you wish you had a rich relative like he had?  Well, in fact you do! Jesus said He went to prepare a mansion for those who believe on him; so If we do believe and have asked Him for forgiveness we now qualify as Christians, which means we also take on the responsibility of behaving the way God sets out in the New Testament and that means we are now accepted as “children of God and if children then heirs, and Joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17).

To be heir to a place in the Kingdom of God is a remarkable privilege and should be treated as such. After all it is an Eternal inheritance. What Timothy Gray could have inherited pales into insignificance compared to what Christians do inherit! With Holy Spirit assistance commencing right now.

The dreadful tragedy though is that thousands of people are dying every day who do not know that they have the right to be Joint heirs with Jesus, and will therefore never claim that inheritance, just as Timothy Gray didn’t claim his fortune for the same reason. The bible says “For lack of knowledge my people are destroyed”. (Hosea 4:6 and Isaiah 5:13) Isn’t that sad?

Most people know the name of Jesus; In fact, many people I have known use the name “Jesus” or “Christ”, or both, in every sentence they speak, not as a prayer, but as a swear word. Now they weren’t born to think that way; they obviously picked it up from someone who didn’t appreciate that Jesus Christ suffered and died so that they could be forgiven any sin they have committed. And He did that because He loved them so much that He wants them to inherit Eternal life.

The reason I write these articles each week is three fold: Firstly, I want to encourage those who are endeavouring to live as Christians; I have been studying to live as a follower of Jesus for 66 years and may be able to help “younger” Christians and others, in some way, with these articles.

Secondly, I want to encourage those who have just been “toying” with Christianity to “dig a bit deeper” and find the “precious Gold” that is contained in the Bible and in the New Testament in particular.

Thirdly, I hope that those who may have so far ignored Christ, might consider looking more closely at the statements made by the one who loved them enough to die for them, which is quite an unusual thing to do; the bible puts it like this: “For a righteous man some might even dare to die but God commendeth His love toward us in that whilst we were yet sinners Christ died for us”.  Now that is special love, isn’t it?   Best wishes, Tom.

 

Demons and Witches

If I mention the Devil many people would automatically think of a being in a red suit with horns and a long tail with a spear on the end and a pitchfork in his hand; this is, of course, the cartoon character we have grown up with, and most people would dismiss him as a joke. However, when someone speaks of Hell people often think of a very hot place where a character like that resides, waiting to receive sinners and give them a “Hell of a time”. Well the truth of the matter, as outlined in the New Testament, is that the Devil looks nothing like that. Jesus referred to him as “the prince of this world” (John 14:30, 16:11) and, as yet, He does not reside in Hell either. Instead He “roams around the whole earth, seeking whom he may devour,” and far from looking so obviously bad, he appears as “an angel of light”; you see he is a deceiver who is constantly endeavouring to trap people. Mainly by tempting them to make bad decisions.

Anyone setting a trap to catch anything makes that trap as attractive as possible don’t they? e.g. you place cheese in a mouse trap, not because you like mice, but because mice like cheese. likewise, the Devil tries to make his traps attractive to us too. Thus the unsuspecting person is snared before he or she realises it.  “What sort of traps”? Well they are too numerous to list, but it could be that you have been invited to a party where Alcoholic drinks and drugs are freely available. It may be that you find yourself in a position where dishonest or immoral behaviour appears to be acceptable. You may be tempted to drive too fast, and so on.

Then there are even more subtle things like watching lustful movies. “What harm do they do”? Well they can spoil your relationship with others for life and you can even become demon-possessed. “How does that happen”? Well Jesus assured us that Satan (the Devil) has no shortage of Demons working for him and if a demon of lust sees you watching such a movie you are wide open for it to enter and control you. Oh I know that to-day, psychologists, and the like, would not agree that there are demons. But they probably don’t believe there is a God either, so when they treat the serial killer, serial rapist, or paedophile they treat the symptom, (with little success). Whereas Jesus treated the cause by casting it out and then the symptom automatically disappeared.

Witches, Fortune Tellers and Mediums are also a part of Satan’s “box of tricks”. If you studied Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” at school, you will recall that Macbeth looked for advice from Witches and they gave him advice all right, but it was only a half truth, and his downfall was in following that advice. In real life that is also true: Mediums at Séances may appear to call up a relation who will answer your questions but in reality that is not your relation but a “Familiar Spirit” which is a spirit that watched your relation for years and is “familiar” with his or her doings. And it is no good asking that spirit for information as to how they are getting along because you will only receive plausible lies from them. The bible tells us not to have anything to do with these deceiving spirits. A Christian friend of mine was walking across a park and passed a woman praying and commented how nice it was to see someone praying. Her reply startled him somewhat “I am a Witch and I am praying for the breakup of Christian marriage” she said. Now who do you think she was praying to? Certainly not God.

The New Testament makes it very clear that we are in constant danger of attack. Now what do police and soldiers do when they know they are going to be under attack? The first thing they do is to dress in protective clothing; they wear a helmet, bullet- proof vest, solid boots, the necessary gear attached to their belt, a shield to ward off missiles thrown at them, and a baton. Interestingly that is almost identical to the instructions given to you and me in the New Testament but “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (2 Corinthians 10: 4) so our protective gear must be Spiritual. Therefore, the Apostle Paul tells us, in Ephesians Chapter 6 and verse 11 to 18, to “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the whiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places……. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication….” Without that armour of God, we are “sitting ducks”. A young man asked me to write something on witchcraft, so there is a brief summary.  Best wishes, Tom.

One God

 

A long time ago I wrote on the subject of God, and now I feel that I should do so again, because the articles I write are read by people of various religious faiths and I am concerned that some might misunderstand what I mean when I talk of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Actually, when I do that I am just talking as a person brought up in the Christian faith and am using language that comes from the New Testament. Let me clarify one point for starters though: there is definitely only ONE God. However, He has chosen to reveal Himself to us in different ways. Let me give you an illustration of how that works:

We have here a candle. Now if it was on a shelf in the next room and suddenly there was an electricity blackout, whilst I was doing something important, I might call to you and say: “Quickly, bring me a candle.” You would bring the lighted candle and the room would be flooded with light, then I might say: “Now, would you please use the flame to light the fire in the fireplace so we can have some warmth whilst we work”. And the flame would ignite the kindling.

So then, when we think of a lighted candle we think of three separate items that are inseparable when it is doing its job, or should I say that the light and heat are simply two facets of the candle and without the candle they wouldn’t even be there.  Well then, if we look on God as the Candle, then Jesus and the Holy Spirit would represent the Light and Heat.

Let me assure you right now, that it is impossible to explain God satisfactorily, and in endeavouring to do so I feel as capable as a little black ant standing on the footpath outside the Empire State building in New York trying to explain to its friend how the building came to be and how it all functions. Nevertheless, I will try to throw some light on the subject that might help someone.

The bible, (when talking of Jesus Christ), says: “In the beginning was ‘the word’ and the word was with God and the word was God….and the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us”. It also says that “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” So no wonder when Philip asked Jesus to “Show us The Father” Jesus replied “Have I been so long with you Philip, and have you not known me? Those that have seen me have seen the Father”, and in John 10:30 Jesus says “I and the Father are one”. To me Philip’s question is like someone asking the light to show them the candle, not understanding that the light is an integral part of the candle, just as Christ is an integral part of God. So when you look at the candle’s light you are looking at a facet of the candle.

“How can God be in Christ”? Someone might ask. Well God is “Omnipresent,” that is a big word that simply means “everywhere at once”. That being the case He can be in Christ and in Heaven simultaneously (another big word meaning ‘at the same time’). That is not unreasonable either as the same T.V. show can be viewed in thousands of homes ‘simultaneously” too, can’t it? And God is a Spirit so we cannot limit Him.

Now when Christ rose from the dead (and that is something else that is not ‘unreasonable’ either, seeing who He was), He appeared to hundreds of people, ate with them and gave them advice, but finally said that He had to return to Heaven. Indeed, He said “It is expedient for you that I go, because if I don’t go, He” The Holy Spirit, “cannot come”.  Referring back to the candle illustration, I see the Holy Spirit as the equivalent of the “heat” which, like the “light,” is just another “facet” of the candle and is just another way that God makes Himself known to us in order to help us.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be our comforter and helper and bring all things, that He had said, to our remembrance. Of course if we are to “remember” what He said then we really need to first read what He did say as recorded in the New Testament. Because it is hard to remember what you don’t know and have never heard.

The coming of the Holy Spirit was most spectacular: the apostles were all gathered in one place when they heard a noise like a rushing wind and they all received gifting abilities of various types that would enable them to spread the word of God more boldly and efficiently. These gifts are still available to Christians to-day enabling them to accomplish things for the Kingdom of God that they wouldn’t normally be able to achieve. In 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 there is a good explanation of these gifts and we all need to read it.

So you see God wants us to love Him and love other people and “have life, and have it more abundantly” and He is so loving that He even wants to get involved to help us achieve that outcome.  

How good is that?   Best wishes, Tom.

Miraculous Achievements

 

I often pass by two young Palm trees as I go to the Mall and admire their leaf structure but other than that I have taken them for granted as most people do. However, last week the gardener decided to remove one of them so chopped all its leaves off and cut its top off. Looking at that doomed tree I realised that there was more to it than I had considered before.

When those leaves emerge from the stem of the tree they are remarkably folded. If you look closely at what looks at first glance to be a fairly solid block of wood in the centre of the tree stump (beside the unfolding leaf) you will find that it is nothing but tightly folded leaves and as they open look at how beautifully they were folded (somewhat like a Chinese fan or a concertina). Now we know that those Chinese fans are designed and folded by very artistic people with considerable ability and on a table, or similar, where they can see what they are doing. Anyone can tell you that a fan cannot design and fold itself inside a cupboard, out of sight; such work takes know how and brains. See all those very tightly folded leaves in the main stem there, well they were folded in the dark, out of sight. What a neat trick!

Incredibly there are people who claim that trees like this, designed and folded their leaves themselves without brains or know how. Now that would take a lot of explaining. I prefer to believe the Bible when it records that God designed all these things and programmed them to do what they do. What people believe is their business of course, but children should be encouraged to recognise God’s remarkable designs in the world around them and look to the bible for answers e.g. where God says that He made everything and it was “Very  good”.  Now just look at this photo I took in our back yard of Milk Thistle seeds attached to their “parachutes” just waiting for a gust of wind to carry them away and deposit them in a new field. What a remarkable God we have who can conceive such a unique method of spreading seeds and then program a plant to do it.

At first glance this seems very simple but it is so complex it is more than our minds can fully comprehend: each of those seeds is no bigger than a pinhead and yet in effect it is a super microchip, as it contains all the information necessary to develop a new thistle plant and “instruct” it to draw on the soil where it has been deposited and gather moisture chemicals and pigment and convert those items into a dark green stem and leaves and develop bright yellow flowers with pollen to attract insects. Those insects will then fertilise the flowers so that more seeds can be formed and programmed to continue the species. Each plant is therefore a Science laboratory in itself and seeing the plant has no brains we have just got to give God the credit. Talking of giving God the credit; how about this daisy, it grows in very ordinary soil in our yard

where there are no obvious colours and yet its roots suck up the necessary ingredients to make these colours and the plant places them in their right order. But if that wasn’t difficult enough, it does it whilst the flower is folded up in the bud! And the flower is not just a pretty face either: it is the plants reproductive mechanism with its centre being laced with pollen and whatever is necessary to attract insects that will fertilise the seed pod behind it. Now all this is so well thought out that we would expect the plant to have a Science degree in Plant Genetics, if not, it must be that God programmed the plant to do all that. Which is what the Bible tells us. The public schools teach children that these just evolved by accident. How ridiculous and what a direct insult to our Almighty God.        Some more food for thought. Best wishes, Tom.

A Rock Foundation

Can you imagine the horror of the residents of these waterfront dwellings at Colloroy, a Northern beach suburb of Sydney, when they woke up to find that their beach had gone, along with their back yards, boat ramps and swimming pools?  After a day of severe storms and rough seas accompanied by a King Tide.

The caption in the top right of the photo says it all: it was “an accident waiting to happen”. Actually though it really wasn’t an accident, was it? It was a disaster that should have been anticipated, and avoided, after all, if you build a building on a foundation of sand right near the seashore you would have to be blind not to see the dangers. There have been so many precedents for this: year after year we hear about this happening somewhere in the world. In every generation there are those who have to learn the hard way it seems, but I’m pleased to say that some do learn from instruction and the experience of others.

Two thousand years ago the same thing was happening, and in the New Testament, Matthew, in Chapter 7 and verse 26, of his gospel quotes Jesus as describing the problem and drawing a parallel to the way we live with the following words: “Every one who hears these sayings of mine, and doesn’t do them shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” So we see that to build on an insecure foundation like sand has always been looked on as “foolish”. However, although Jesus was brought up in a carpenter’s home and would have heard Joseph discussing this subject with Mary, He wasn’t just lecturing on building foundations at this time, but was advising His hearers (which includes us) to make sure that we build our lives on a rock foundation as He went on to say: “Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”. Actually houses are quite fragile, it is their foundations that give them strength and we are fragile too, as this little pillow (that a kind nurse gave Audrey) states: so even though we may consider ourselves capable and not in need of outside help, Jesus points out that we must build our lives on His word or when the inevitable “Storms of Life” buffet us we will not stand the pressure either. Did you say “what storms of life”? Well they are things like ill health, loss of your job, family problems, marriage difficulties, financial problems and the list goes on. There is no way we can dodge them and if we have made no insurance provision by building our life on Jesus words, then they can make our lives collapse.  If on the other hand, we have made that provision by asking His forgiveness for past sin and keep referring to, and living by, His instructions, then when something like that happens we can claim His promise where He says: “I will be with you in trouble, I will deliver you and honour you, with long life I will satisfy you and show you my salvation”.  This “rock foundation” is absolutely essential and is absolutely reliable; believe me, I know!

Jesus knows what He is talking about, and as with any insurance policy it is a good idea to talk to your “Insurer” and get Him to “cover you” before the storms eventuate. However, if you have neglected to do that and your life is therefore already in trouble, then you need to read Luke Chapter 15 Verses 11 to 31, in the New Testament, and you will see how your Heavenly Father understands your situation and is waiting to welcome you back with open arms as the Prodigal son was welcomed back by his father.  

Best wishes, Tom.

Our Titanic

The Titanic was the largest and most luxurious ship afloat when it set out on its maiden voyage from England bound for New York in April 1912. The White Star Line had spared no cost in its manufacture and was certain that it was unsinkable. Over confidence and lack of wisdom both contributed to its downfall as the captain steered the ship, at full speed, through dangerous waters where icebergs had been seen, and it hit one of them. The rest is history; there were not enough life boats and the band was playing as it went down. The unthinkable had happened.

I believe that this Australia we love so much has now “struck its iceberg” too because successive governments have stopped honouring God; we have even had a Prime Minister who claimed to be an atheist and she is not the only elected politician that thinks that way. If you read 2 Chronicles 14 Verse 8-12, and Judges Chapter 7, in the Bible, you will see how a nation succeeds when its leaders put their faith in God. Three or four decades ago Australia was “sailing along” wonderfully with plenty of industries manufacturing most of the things we need because those industries were wisely protected from the competition of cheap imports by import duties. Our governments have since bowed to “level playing fields” and “free trade” ideas by removing those duties in order to comply with the wishes of the Godless United Nations. This simply means “good bye” to our industries. When I was young, as well as having healthy industries, our Governments owned the Commonwealth bank (on our behalf)  and also the Rural bank, coal mines, railways, electricity, ports, highways,  and many other important and income producing assets. They have now either sold or “pawned” most of these in order to acquire some instant cash.

Federal & State Governments both contribute finance to our Educational institutions and are turning a “blind eye” to the fact that all our youth in the public school system are supplied with a curriculum that denies the existence of God, as children are taught that there is “no sign of intelligent design in the universe”, (What absolute rubbish), and that everything just evolved by chance. In our law courts this teaching would be illegal as the members of a jury must hear all the evidence both for and against before making a decision, therefore children should be told the “God in Creation” side as well as the theory of evolution, and be allowed to make up their own minds. To cap that they have now introduced the “safe schools” program, which is nothing less than indoctrination that will do more harm than good. Also degrading and violent D.V.Ds are allowed to be sold everywhere too. There is a lack of “duty of care” here as these D.V.Ds must damage domestic relationships.  In God’s sight

governments are responsible for the welfare of the people, just as the captain of the Costa Concordia was held responsible for his ship (pictured) and its passengers. In a similar way Government members are personally responsible for “Placing a stumbling block in the path of one of these little ones” as Jesus said, and will receive His Judgement. In Luke 12:48, He confirms this, by saying: “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”, and we take it for granted that those we elect to govern, will protect our children. At the moment, with the Federal elections imminent, the candidates are ignoring this and just making promises that are akin to re-arranging the deck chairs on our sinking Titanic (Australia), which will fulfil Ex-Prime minister Keating’s prediction that we will become a “Banana Republic”. We must contact our local politicians and voice our concern, because if we as individuals do nothing we will also be held responsible by default. Then we must pray and fill the churches with ourselves and our family (the roof won’t fall in) and God might just rescue our nation. Do this and He will at least rescue you and your loved ones. Because when talking to His followers He says: “I will be with you in trouble, I will deliver you and honour you, with long life I will satisfy you and show you my salvation” (Psalm 91), and “He that comes to me” Jesus said, “I will in no wise cast out”, (John 6:37). So God will provide a “lifeboat” for “believers” even if our “Titanic” does sink and turn into a “Banana Republic”.  Something for you to ponder.           Best wishes, Tom.