Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Psalm 107:4-7

When we have lived for some time in the ways of the Lord, we often forget how bad our existence was before meeting the Lord and accepting him as Savior and Lord of our life. Some even become confused and make the mistake of looking at those gone days with nostalgia, as if returning to their former condition, apart from the Lord Jesus, would be a good thing. When having this attitude is easy to err and wander aimlessly. It’s easy to lose sight of our vision and therefore we begin to walk on the wrong paths. Because of the many errors and mistakes our lives fall into chaos and problems pile up on us. Noticing that we are weak, the enemy takes advantage to attack us more viciously. As the pressure increases so does despair and we end up feeling that we perish. For some strange reason, despite our sad condition, we refuse to raise our eyes and cry out to God to deliver us from the tangled situation.

The Lord is willing to eliminate the affliction that affects our lives but we must cry out to him. We must understand that he the power and the authority to provide the solution to our problem. We must believe that he is the only one who can give us a positive response because he has all the power and there is nobody like him. It is he who can guide our feet to return to the right path that leads to his presence. He is the one who can rescue us and take us out of the abyss in which we have fallen. No one else can bestow all these blessings and that should be very clear in our minds and our hearts. Everybody has problems. The difference is whom do we go to have these problems removed from our path. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. You’ll see how the gray clouds disappear to make way for the radiant light of a new dawn. Only to God be the glory!

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,
but one who has insight draws them out.
Proverbs 20:5

Every person is a world unto himself the popular saying goes and it is true, there are many ways of thinking as there are people on earth. The mind and heart have mechanisms to generate and shape thoughts and ideas that respond much to personal experiences of any kind. Facts in the past, however insignificant they may seem, can exert a strong influence on the mindset of a person. It will be difficult to navigate in this sea of thoughts that run through the human mind. Many of these thoughts are kept quiet, in secret, without being disclosed to anyone. However, oftentimes the body language helps us to discern the intentions that lips refuse to utter. A slight change in the look, a small twitch, a slight change in tone of voice, a gesture or a change in posture and movement of the hands speak volumes to those who are trained to detect such paralanguage.

In his daily contact with the world, the son of God should be aware of these little things that can really help to discern the intentions of his interlocutor. We cannot walk through the world naively thinking that everyone thinks and is equal to us and that nobody wants to hurt us. Not that we’re going to become paranoid but we must be aware of the wiles of the enemy. Recall that wisdom and intelligence come from God. If we lack wisdom we have to ask him for it. He will grant us all that will help protect us in this world. Always try to discern those intentions behind the words we hear because not everything that we hear describes in full the true meaning of what we are being told. There is always a hidden background that we must know not to fall into the traps and snares of the enemy. With God’s help we shall be victorious. Only to God be the glory!

A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will not go free.
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will perish.
Proverbs 19:5,9

One of the many negative things that can be attributed to postmodernism is that it paved the way for deceit to spread like fire in dry grass. Today it is difficult to determine when a man is telling the truth or is spreading a lie. Many now emulate the satanic Joseph Goebbels, Propaganda Minister of the Nazi government who said “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” This seems to be the fundamental communication strategy of totalitarian governments, which seek to maintain with lies the power achieved by force and cunning, and unfortunately for many with great success. Today we can also see how people have lost their honor and how a man’s word is worthless. Commitments are broken and testimony under oath is broken without the slightest trace of remorse. Judicial mechanisms in place to punish these violations of commitment and truth are ignored at the convenience of those in power.

The promise of the Word of God which can not be broken and will be fulfilled without fail, is that all these people who enjoy and profit from using deceit and falsehood will be brought to the punishment they deserve. Divine justice will be ruthless in judging those who made a business of lying to their own advantage. In that day, it will be too late for these deceivers to repent of the conduct with which for years they did great harm to their neighbors. Their fate will be to be thrown into the place where “their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” Have you been deceived or cheated by someone in whom you’ve placed your trust? Let God take care of him. Have you been hurt by deceit used with prejudice? God will also take care of that. Let us put our hope in the justice who is to come without fail when God decides it is time. Let us bring our burdens to the Lord Jesus and take his yoke which is easy and light. Only to God be the glory!

“Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
Psalms 89:35-37

Throughout history in different places, regions and nations of the world various systems of government have been developed. We know of absolute monarchies, constitutional monarchies, dictatorships, republics, democracies, autocracies, theocracies, etc., depending on where power resides and how the state is managed. All have their advocates and some, such as dictatorships are widely abhorred and condemned by people who appreciate and defend their freedoms. In any case, all these different forms of government have their pros and cons and none of them is the solution for humanity. God has promised us through His word that there will come a day when all people will be ruled by one king, on whose shoulders will be the government. A victorious warrior who will be called Sar Shalom, Prince of Peace, who will rule on the throne of David and over his kingdom for all generations.

We, the sons of God, look forward to the return of the great King, he who shall rule with justice, love and truth. He shall heal all sickness, soothe every cry and fill his people with joy and rejoicing. He will make a new heaven and a new earth. He will dwell with his people in the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. Everything will be done anew and there will be no more death and curse. The King of kings and Lord of lords will rule for ever and ever to the delight of mankind. Let us wait, then, with patience and fortitude the triumphant arrival of that glorious and wonderful day in which our God shall wipe away every tear and we will see no more death or mourning or crying or pain. We shall see our Saviour face to face and worship him and his name will be on our forehead. It is impossible for us to imagine how glorious that day will be; but you can bet your boots that we shall see it and be glad in it. Only to God be the glory!

Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.
Proverbs 17:12

The vast majority of animals protect their young with unusual violence. They do it by instinct. It is something that is part of their genome and is transmitted from generation to generation. Just a few species use other defensive mechanisms which are also instinctive and are programmed into their DNA as well. We’ve all had the opportunity to observe how animals, domesticated or not, react when someone takes away their puppies. Bears in particular are extremely dangerous and even more when someone fools around with their young. Worse than encountering a bear robbed of her cubs is to have to deal with a fool. Under no circumstance should we descend to the level of stupidity and folly in which these fatal individuals love to move. We have to understand that in spite of the many arguments that we could use against them, they will never budge and will stubbornly remain in their irrational position. They are always looking for confrontation because this is the field where they have an advantage, just because they care little for the outcome of the discussion. They will never concede to those who oppose them, but will defend to the death their folly and ignorance.

Let those who like to foster conflict be visited by the messenger of death as promised and announced by the word of God. Let us avoid conflict with others as far as it is in our hands to prevent it. The Lord Jesus has called us to live in peace. In fact, he is our peace and therefore we should not depart from him to fall into wild provocations . When you see that you’re going to run into a fool, cross the street and continue your way on the opposite sidewalk. You’ll walk a little farther but you will avoid the waste of time and exhaustion that results from arguing with someone who only does it for fun. Look out, if you see a fool get away from him. Do not throw your pearls to the pigs. Only to God be the glory!

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
So he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
Psalms 78:32-33

Our memory behaves strangely. To begin, our memory is selective, that is, we just remember some things and forgets many others. What we forget and what we remember depends greatly on the impact that events have had on our lives. Normally, we only remember what we consider important to us. This says a lot about what we really believe. God has done great wonders in our lives, but how many of them we can recall with precision and at all times? If we forget the great works of God in our lives it is because we have not given to them the importance they deserve and this means that we are not giving honor to God who is the author of them. So it was with the Jewish people when they were wandering in the desert. The Lord gave them protection and guidance. He also gave them water, bread and meat and their shoes and clothes did not wear all those years. Still, the daily worries prevailed over the memories of those great miracles that against all rational explanation they were able to see with their own eyes.

Our behavior is not different from the behavior of the Jewish people. Normally our thoughts are not focused on the memories of the great works God has done for us. This is because we are not giving the importance of these works they deserve. We can hardly bring glory to God if we can barely remember what he has done for us. Would you take a moment now to reconsider all that the Lord has given and has done for you? I invite you to make a list of them. Initially it will be difficult to remember some things but as you progress with the list you will remember more and more. As you make progress with the list you will have before you many reasons to praise God at all times. Instead of complaining about what happens today you can praise God for all he has done for you and it will make your complaints to go the background and even they may disappear completely. Only to God be the glory!

When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
Psalms 73:16-17

If we let ourselves to be guided by the criteria of the world in terms of what counts as success it is very likely that the vast majority of the children of God will end up falling in the category of failures. In the eyes of postmodern society we are perceived as intolerant, inflexible, stubborn and unable to maintain an open dialogue, as though having certainty is something unacceptable. When truth is in our hands, at least in regard to the gospel message of Jesus of Nazareth, it is difficult to maintain an attitude of equanimity and humility and this not because of lack of direction by the Holy Spirit but because of our sinful nature that takes advantage of every opportunity, even the good things, to make us stumble and fall. Instead of feeling compassion, we feel contempt. Instead of love, we feel disdain for those who do not know God and do not want to know him. I remind you and I remind myself that we are in this world not to judge others but to share with them the glorious truth of the gospel. If they accept or not what we offer them, it is their problem and we should not feel bad when we are rejected because, in fact,  they are rejecting the Lord Jesus himself.

Do not look, then, with envy the apparent success of those who reject God and have created a god to suit them, in their personal style, in other words, an idol. As the saying goes, comparisons are always odious. Let us not compare ourselves with them because it makes no sense. Our eyes and thoughts should be fixed in the hope of the imminent return of Christ for His bride, the church. Focusing on the views of those who foolishly oppose the message of salvation is to waste time while many souls are being lost forever. Let us stop complaining and let us learn to live with contentment, which is the key to not getting caught up in the subtle snares of the world. In Jesus Christ we have victory and all that we need. Only to God be the glory!

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
Psalm 66:1-2

People are most curious. Everybody wants salvation but nobody seeks God and if they seek at all, they seek for a god to suit their wishes. They want to believe that there is a god just as they imagine it to be, with the attributes that in their eyes make it a god and yes, it has to be a god who does not judge or rebuke them when they do something wrong. What they want is a self-serve god. Those who have become millionaires by selling books and duping half the world with these ideas suggest that God can be found in the depths of our being and that all we have to do is to focus by meditation within ourselves until a divine spark or something like that shows up. Any strange feeling associated with this process would demonstrate that we are on the right path to find God.

The world is full of tricksters and charlatans. If someone wants God to dwell within him, he must first invite God to come forward, enter and establish his dwelling in the inner being. Since the creation of the universe God has been knocking on the door of the every heart to ask them to let him come in and live with them. But they have ignored the call of God and have dedicated themselves to create their own philosophies and all kinds of religions to feel they are doing something about it. Some even have allowed God to enter but refuse to recognize and thank him for all that God has done for them. It’s like having a girlfriend to whom you never say she is very pretty and neither you mention to her that she makes you so very happy. I do not think such an engagement has a future at all. We were created for the praise of the glorious grace of God. Do you know what we’ll be doing when we are in the presence of God? We will be praising and worshiping God for eternity. Why wait? Let’s start at once! Only to God be the glory!

Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 13:10

Pride, that love of oneself is responsible for many of the calamities that we see multiplying throughout the land. Because of haughtiness nations have gone to war. Because of arrogance exemplary homes and solid friendships have been destroyed . Because of pride unity is lost along with all the territory which until then had been conquered. Because of arrogance the evils we are suffering today originated over ten generations ago. The proud man has turned away from God and not only he has turned away from him but he even curses his Creator. Because of vanity people are following today after satanic fashions and philosophies that glorify evil and all that is abominable. Because of pride thousands of souls descend to hell every day. The truth is that we know of nothing good that has ever come out of pride. So far, and we do not see why things will change , pride accompanied by deceit has become the favorite weapon of the enemy to attack and make souls to be lost.

Some people are proud to be wise, but this wisdom is earthly, finite and imperfect. Their knowledge is riddled with errors that their pride will not let them discern. With their mistakes they lead others to believe the same lies they have believed and have led them to spiritual failure. All of us have at some point been dominated by fatal arrogance. We all know the kind of mistakes that pride can lead us to without delay. When, then, we will analyze the direction taken by our march? Where do we sit down and rethink our tortuous path and correct the direction of our steps? Only in the word of God we can find guidance and strength to get rid of this terrible and painful burden called pride. Let us , therefore, constantly go to the source of wisdom that is the word of God and our heavenly Father will grant us the spirit of knowledge. Only to God be the glory!

The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.
Proverbs 12:12

Bad people live in trouble all the time but pretend otherwise. They are guided by their sinful nature which causes them numerous setbacks and makes them stumble and fall more often than they would like. Their hearts are filled with evil desires, which can adversely impact them in two different but complementary ways. Firstly the principle of reciprocity cannot be violated and every evil thought they produce becomes a boomerang against them which hits them with the same intensity with which they wish evil to their neighbors. Moreover, bad intentions make the evildoers rationalize their behavior and they end up convinced that the end justifies the means so they will do everything in their hands, usually bad actions, to achieve their goal of harming others, falling deeper in their spiritual failure.

The upright, however, allow their life to be led by the Holy Spirit of God, so they don’t have to worry about reciprocity. On the contrary, their good wishes are a source of continuous blessings for them. Also the Holy Spirit imparts them wisdom and discernment so they can realize immediately whether the actions to be undertaken are good or evil before falling into temptation, giving them time to rectify. How do you live? Want to live afraid that your evil desires result in serious consequences for your life? Or do you let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit to live peaceful and confidently? The choice is yours. Seek the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and he will give you life and direction. Follow his steps at all times and do not let the carnal nature dominate your thoughts and your behavior. God will give you a firm victory. Only to God be the glory!