Well.... I had a rough weekend. Either had food poisioning or the flu. Either way, I ended up in an ambulance after collapsing at home. My son, who is only 13, called 911 and took control. My good wife was in Chicago... she felt guilty for not being home... I understand the feeling... but she is the GREATEST wife in the world to me and God had His hand on me as I got to witness my youngest son take action on my behalf when I was down and out.
Now I know that I have two sons that can think on their feet. One, a pilot, has proven that over and over. My youngest, as I said only 13, took control when he had too and handled it calmly and effectively.
God answered my prayer as I got sicker and sicker. Fading fast, I called out to God to put into motion the people that I needed to save me. I was a firefighter/emt years ago.... so I know that I was in a sad state. I needed my youngest son, who was the only one home with me at the time, to take over. But first, he needed to wake up. It was 5am when I got sick. He is a sound sleeper.... so when I called to him in a very weak state, I wondered if he would hear me. He did! He came to my rescue! I had bashed my head on the floor when I fainted from being very dehydrated from my sickness. I had no strength to get to a phone. I was fading in and out when the ambulance got there. I was so week. I was saved from a possible stroke, or worse, by my Billy and the medics.
Only weeks ago I spoke with him about calling 911 if Mom, or his brother Steve, or he, or I ever needed help. It is wise to work with your children to train them in life's unexpected events. Needless to say, I thank God for the wisdom to train Billy, and for his calm and controlled action.
Today I feel pretty good... almost as good as new. See the doc tomorrow. Hope to be fully mended by morning.
A verse from God's word that glorifies Him: Proverbs 22: 6 'Train up a child in the way he should go and, when he is old, he will not depart from it.'
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Stepping out to Fish in a Fallen World System
The world system, a 'fallen' system, 'Phishes' in order to steal. That is why 'Modern Identity Theft', one of 3 types of Identity Theft that I talk about in my new book 'Phishers of Men', uses the term 'Phishing' to help convey to society that people are out there who are trying to steal from you, and not just in the economic sense, but stealing your very character.... usually starting at a early age. So, while that system 'phishes', those that are followers of Christ must also 'fish' as Christ invited us to. So the challenge to His followers is: To counter the evil in the world, are we as Christians becoming 'fishers of men' (as Christ has invited us to be)?
We keep in mind that the Bible says: 'In which times ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; Among whom also we all had our manner of life in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfulling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians 2: 2-3. That same 'power of the air' that Paul refers to, phishes for victims in the fallen world system. Rooted in a fallen state, the enemy prowls like a lion (Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour... I Peter 5:8) by way of the 3 Types Identity Theft, phishing for victims.
The world system is the opposite of what God intended. This 'phishing' is part of an overall 'Anti-Christ' spirit. Christ's 'fishing' is about something far above the world system, it is about the salvation of mankind. Watch for my book 'Phishers of Men' due out this summer to learn about the '3 Types of Identity Theft' that are destroying mankind.
We keep in mind that the Bible says: 'In which times ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; Among whom also we all had our manner of life in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfulling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians 2: 2-3. That same 'power of the air' that Paul refers to, phishes for victims in the fallen world system. Rooted in a fallen state, the enemy prowls like a lion (Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour... I Peter 5:8) by way of the 3 Types Identity Theft, phishing for victims.
The world system is the opposite of what God intended. This 'phishing' is part of an overall 'Anti-Christ' spirit. Christ's 'fishing' is about something far above the world system, it is about the salvation of mankind. Watch for my book 'Phishers of Men' due out this summer to learn about the '3 Types of Identity Theft' that are destroying mankind.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Stand on the Word ... not your reasoning
The world is spinning out of control as we lose our moral compass which I believe is true Christianity. As our world spins further and further into a pit of immoratlity, the follower of Christ must stand firm in the Word of God. We remember that Christ, when challenged by Satan in the wilderness, always responded using the written word of God by starting out His response to Satan with "It is written...". As followers of Christ we must not be trapped into the snares of a fallen world when asked questions about our 'position' on certain issues. There is NO WAY that we can fight on our own to defend the gosspil. Rather, follow Christ's example when He was challenged by the author of lies, Satan. Here is an example that we should all follow:
In Matthew 4:3 Satan said to Jesus, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Jesus used the Word of God to respond by saying, in verse 4, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
In doing this, Christ lays a path for all that follow Him in refering to the scriptures for our responses to questions and challenges that undoubtedly will come our way. Our opinion does not matter! Simply put, we just need to refer to the Word of God for our responses as our defense.
Therefore, read the Word and make it a part of you. A great verse for all of us to keep in mind that will encourage us along these lines is: Joshua 1:8 'This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
A Final Note: The success that Joshua is refering to, in my opinion, is the success that we should seek in glorifying God. We cannot measure our success by what we have, but rather by the treasures that we are building up in the Kingdom of God for eternity.
In Matthew 4:3 Satan said to Jesus, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Jesus used the Word of God to respond by saying, in verse 4, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
In doing this, Christ lays a path for all that follow Him in refering to the scriptures for our responses to questions and challenges that undoubtedly will come our way. Our opinion does not matter! Simply put, we just need to refer to the Word of God for our responses as our defense.
Therefore, read the Word and make it a part of you. A great verse for all of us to keep in mind that will encourage us along these lines is: Joshua 1:8 'This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
A Final Note: The success that Joshua is refering to, in my opinion, is the success that we should seek in glorifying God. We cannot measure our success by what we have, but rather by the treasures that we are building up in the Kingdom of God for eternity.
Fishers of men... or Phishers of men?
We live in a 'fallen' world according to the Bible. Mankind lost his/her place with God in the Garden of Eden. We lost our true Identity when Adam disobeyed God and ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The result of that act is that we are left a fallen creation... in a fallen world creation. In my new book, 'Phishers of Men' set to be release in June or July of 2011, I refer to that event in which all of creation was doomed to eternal death and separation from God as 'Ultimate Original Identity Theft'. Sadly, we gave up our Identity as God's children to a serpent, 'Satan', in the Garden of Eden.
In today's fallen world, Identity Theft has been taken to a whole new level. We are constantly reminded of the need to protect our identity. Thieves steal a person's identity when they obtain a person's personal information and pose as that person in order to steal. To obtain a victim's personal information, thieves use a process that is referred to as 'Phishing'. Whether our identity is stolen by bullies that try to label us, or by thieves that use the internet or other means to steal from us (Phishing), we need to understand that we, followers of Christ, are in a spiritual battle. Jesus invites all that will follow Him to be 'Fishers of Men'.
In today's fallen world, Identity Theft has been taken to a whole new level. We are constantly reminded of the need to protect our identity. Thieves steal a person's identity when they obtain a person's personal information and pose as that person in order to steal. To obtain a victim's personal information, thieves use a process that is referred to as 'Phishing'. Whether our identity is stolen by bullies that try to label us, or by thieves that use the internet or other means to steal from us (Phishing), we need to understand that we, followers of Christ, are in a spiritual battle. Jesus invites all that will follow Him to be 'Fishers of Men'.
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