The joy of hope

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12

There are things that are easily and quickly attained and there are other things that take a much longer time to accomplish. Usually the best things are those that take longer to be achieved. Hence, God has given us hope. Hope is to put our eyes on reaching that one day, which is not necessarily just around the corner, when all will be completed. All this looks all right until we put our hope in things that do not suit us. That’s where the problems begin because as our heavenly Father does not allow things to happen to us that do not work out for our good, that which does not suit us we will never achieve and it will be a cause for frustration. Since most do not understand God’s plan for our lives we put our hope in many things that are not aligned with the strategy and the perfect will of God, hence our problems and tribulations.

The word of God is full of fine promises the Lord Almighty has prepared with great love for all of us His children for us to enjoy them in due course. To know those promises we must read the word of God regularly and with an attitude of obedience and respect. For now, we rejoice in knowing that some day, which is not to far, all that causes pain and concern will disappear to give way to joy and happiness. However, we must not forget that these promises belong to those who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord and those who honor Him by being obedient and showing good behavior.Only to God be the glory!

Intentions

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!

The sex trap

My son, give me your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways,
for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
Like a bandit she lies in wait
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
Proverbs 23:26-28

One of the most destructive messages that the world sends daily to humanity is that sexual licentiousness is acceptable and normal. If by normal they mean widespread and prevalent they are right but fornication and adultery are abominable in the eyes of God and directly undermine the stability of the family and thus of society. With the excuse that they are simply carried away by the love they feel, they give vent to their sexual desires and both women and men fall into a trap from which escape is extremely difficult. Freud and his followers wanted to make the world believe that the vast majority of mental and behavioral disorders have their origin in the repression of sexual instincts. The solution, according to the famous Austrian psychologist is to unleash those instincts to release the tension caused by the opposing forces of the Id and the Superego. This liberation of the instincts resulted in a society dominated by the Playboy philosophy, free love, open marriage, free unions, feminism and homosexuality activism, among others.

The word of God teaches that sexuality is a good thing if it is practiced within the sanctity of marriage. Any other expression of sexuality outside the marriage becomes debauchery and sin and as such can only lead to destruction and death. Anyone who possesses wisdom knows the signs identifying the traps that have been lying on his way to catch and destroy him and so he can avoid them. He who is well grounded in the Word of God will be protected and will not be deceived by the false promises of freedom and well-being offered by the world and the adversary to those who want to live by their animal instincts. Find guidance on the word of God and you will get wisdom and joy to boot. To God alone be the glory!

True riches

This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
Psalms 73:12-15

One of the biggest challenges a son of God must face during his pilgrimage on this earth is the prosperity and supposed success of those who openly oppose the commandments of God. The system established by this world is responsible for promoting those who have managed to accumulate wealth, regardless of whether they were obtained by legal or illegal means. The fact is not how but how much. What seems more important is the end and not the means used to achieve it. Everyone dreams to win the lottery jackpot, even those who do not buy the tickets. It seems that the motto “Success equals wealth” was inscribed with fire in the minds of all. The same system is responsible for teaching us ad nauseam that the limitation of resources is a sign of failure and a reason for sadness. Many become discouraged when they see that most of the time honesty does not lead to material wealth.

Wise King Solomon looked at all the things that have to do with life and its purpose. In terms of material wealth he said: “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” and “as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep. ” This is the sad reality of those who live tied to the belief that money is happiness. As we can see, the truth is quite the opposite. Of course, this does not mean that riches are bad. The gift of God is wealth and its enjoyment. The reward offered by the enemy is riches with pain and sorrow. Solomon said, “when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.” Let us therefore pay no heed to the material achievements of those opposed to God and let us look up to him who can really give us a life full of goods and happiness. To God alone be the glory!

Financial wisdom

My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle:
Psalm 49:3-4

In times of misfortune and deception it is very easy to be controlled by fear. When the powerful people realize that we are easy prey of trials, they turn against us with much fury to seek our destruction. They feel confident that because of their great wealth and financial resources they will never be involved in a similar situation. Their reward will be to see their wealth disappear overnight and how all that for them represented a source of security and strength fades to make way for pain and insecurity. This is the main danger of riches. When we have much we feel a sense of security and power that makes us forget God and his protection and we seek refuge under the false shield of the abundance of material goods. When the shield is proven false, and its weaknesses are discovered we lose all confidence that we can keep ourselves alive.

Riches are uncertain. They come and go and are not guaranteed. So we must never put our trust in them or live with the hope that one day we will enjoy a really comfortable financial position that will allow us to live without problems or complications. This is just fooling ourselves. God gives us everything we truly need. And rightly so because if he would give us a lot and we do not know how to handle the abundance, we would soon forget about him, which is very serious danger for a child of God. And if God would give us very little we would fall into such despair that we might be inclined to act inappropriately, bringing sin into our lives and therefore we would be moving away from God. Do not trust in riches but in the owner and giver of them. Pray always according to the perfect will of our Father in the name of Jesus. That is the only real treasure. To God alone be the glory!

Real hope

We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Psalms 33:20-22

Ignorance is something quite dangerous. People who do not know God ─ and even many who do─ are naturally willing to put their hope in anything or anyone. This is how many unscrupulous politicians ─ which one is not? ─ take advantage of this feature of the human race to exploit the ignorant people. Which, by the way it is something that also white-collar crooks do. People put their hope in politicians, warlords, social programs, campaign promises, the lottery jackpot, offers of healing, easy methods to achieve happiness, weight-loss products, saints, witches, horoscopes, psychics, herbs to increase sexual potency, girdles to improve the female figure, creams to remove wrinkles , perfumes to attract mates, capsules that solve all kinds of health problems such as dandruff at the top and corns at the bottom and all that lies between these two afflictions including caries, colitis, cancer and cataracts and financial plans to become a millionaire in a very short time. When people have needs, whoever comes with any offer, whether true or false, will be received with joy and people will pay close attention to him. Whatever the deceiver says , the needy and dispossessed will put their hope in the hope trafficker because they are unaware of who is the only real hope.

Let us stop dreaming and fantasizing and let us put our feet on the ground. The solution is not to create policies to try to solve the problems of society to improve the living conditions of man. Rather, the solution is to transform man so that he in turn transforms society and we can all live in a better world. Neither politics nor religion can do anything for man. Only Jesus Christ has the solution in his hands, dealing with men, one at a time to achieve their transformation by the renewing of their mind and with the love without limits shown on the cross of Mount Calvary. Christ is the only solution, period. Put your hope in him alone. To God alone be the glory!

Decisions

The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:8

Everybody faces ethical and moral dilemmas all the time. It happens so often that many times our decisions are mechanical and instantaneous. These decisions are made without much analysis or much consideration of the potential consequences they may bring on the person making them. In most cases, even for those who have been walking in the ways of God for a while, these decisions are wrong and go against what God has established as good in his word. We hear people say we must follow what our heart tell us. This is a very nice saying but it has a serious flaw. Nobody can give what he has not. Most people do not have God in their hearts and those hearts will not be able to tell their owners how best to proceed as they do not know what is truly good. It is therefore necessary that we always make our decisions in light of the Word of God and for this we need to know his word very well and have it treasured in our hearts.

If we base our decisions on what God’s word says and not on what the world or our emotions tell us we can be certain of acting correctly. The world and the flesh can not be trusted. In fact, together with Satan, the world and the flesh are our main enemies and if we do things according to the wishes of our enemies you can imagine how we are going to end, in defeat! Let us remain, therefore, hand in hand with our Lord and grounded on the instructions God has given us through His word. Then we will have the assurance that we will do things according to his perfect will. Putting our trust in God enable us to make better decisions which in turn will make all things go well. To God alone be the glory!

Parenting

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
Proverbs 27:11

Children are typically a source of pride for their parents. Sometimes things do not work out right and children become a source of shame to their parents. In any case, children’s performance will positively or negatively affect morale and the reputation of the parents because, in great measure, the behavior that can be observed in children is related to the type of upbringing they have received or are currently receiving. Wisdom, whose principle is the fear of God, is something quite rare in individuals, the basic reason is that offspring are not taught to show respect, reverence and obedience to God. The most recent psychological theories recommend that parents try to intervene as little as possible in the process of creation and strengthening of the personality of their children, presumably so the child does not suffer traumas that eventually may result in behavioral disorders. There is nothing more wrong than allowing a child to grow unchecked and according to his own nature because that nature, as in every human being, is sinful and evil. Children must be taught that there are limits and that certain behaviors are morally unacceptable.

Unfortunately, these modern psychological theories are gaining ground rapidly and its disastrous results are already becoming apparent in the trends of society. While it is true that in other periods of history disorder and lack of morals have proliferated, these misguided practices multiply stronger today with the purpose of disrupting the system and considering good as evil and evil as good. As parents we have a responsibility we can not evade. We will be accountable for what we do with the education and upbringing of our children when we appear before the tribunal of Christ. God grant us that we have been able to carry out this important aspect of our stewardship and can be proud and not ashamed before the Lord. To God alone be the glory!

Scoffers

From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
Psalm 73:7-8

The wicked hide their true and grim intentions. As much as they simulate and make an effort to hide what is really behind their actions, it is generally easy to see where they come and what they want. Pride and arrogance make these people feel optimistic about getting their ill will go unnoticed in order to do more damage or more profit. Unfortunately many people, boasting an incredible naiveté come to accept without question all the false promises and lies that these people offer. Many, unsuspectingly end up entangled in the traps of these vile creatures. The product of their misdeeds is erroneously considered by the ignorant as a personal victory and a demonstration of intelligence and leadership.

The children of God must be very careful when they observe the actions of these individuals to not be swayed by their lies and their honeyed words. God has given us the discernment to not be misled by the siren song of these evildoers. The more we rely on the word of God the better we will be protected from the scams and traps that they will try to use against us. let us not neglect, then, the daily study of God’s word which along with the application of that word to our lives will result in strength and intelligence not to believe the lies of these slaves of Satan or get carried away by their bad examples. Close to God nothing can deviate us from the path of righteousness.To God alone be the glory!

Channel of blessing

Anxiety weighs down the heart,
but a kind word cheers it up.
Proverbs 12:25

If anything characterizes this post-modern society is anxiety. The ambiguity and relativism of post-modern thought has rendered the once stable and solid moral foundations useless for a generation adopting every whim of fashion trying to find something that would help them to achieve peace and security. Economic difficulties, the global financial crisis, the rise in crime, increased corruption, the increase of hard to cure diseases, war, terrorism without borders or control, catastrophic events of nature, the inability of governments to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of citizens, etc., all contribute without distinction of race, sex, age, nationality or origin to making human beings feel trapped in a dead-end where no one can help them. This situation will not improve until the Lord Jesus returns for His people. Meanwhile, we the children of God, we must assume our responsibility as a channel of blessing to those who have no one to represent them or simply do not know who is the only one who can give them a solution.

Are you prepared to be the salt of the earth? Have you done anything to confirm that you are the light of the world? Have you been able to show God’s love toward your neighbor? When was the last time you offered a word of hope to someone who felt overwhelmed by anxiety? Have you let the Lord use you as an instrument of peace and blessing? There are many opportunities available to us every day to help others overcome the grieving anxiety. Oftentimes all that is required is a kind word of hope and encouragement that comes from a sincere and committed heart to perform our job as ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Ask God to open your eyes so you can see the enormous amount of opportunities that exist around you to serve him. Holding his loving hand you can be an efficient instrument of blessing. To God alone be the glory!