We have all experienced circumstances that stretch us out of our comfort zones.  But perhaps you have endured trials that seemed even more unrelenting or unresolvable than the norm.  e.g. To turn to the right will destroy a friendship and to turn to the left will cost you your job.  This type of situation has been described as, between a rock and a hard place.  You find yourself asking, How can I get out of this mess?  …it all seems so hopeless and foreboding.

  But there’s good news; Look UP!  The Bible tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1).”  As our refuge, God’s arms are always open so that, like a child who flees into the arms of his father when threatened, we can escape to the arms of our Heavenly Father and find protection and solace.

  Secondly, the verse tells us that God provides strength when we are weak.  We are no match for the challenges of life or for the forces of darkness that prey on the unwary, but God strengthens those who trust in Him.  And when it comes to strength, He is omnipotent (all-powerful).

  Thirdly, Psalm 46:1 tells us that God is, “a very present help in trouble.”  In spite of our pride and independence, not one of us can say, “I never need help.”  But, as you know, good help is hard to come by, especially if we expect to get something for nothing.  But God is always near, and He is always watching and listening for our cry.  He wants to help.

  This is just one verse that speaks of the blessings that God longs to bestow upon His children.  But, this begs the question, Are you a child of God?  It is all about forgiveness for sin and adoption into the family of God through Christ.  The Bible says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12).”

  Some time ago, I was reading an article that supposedly revealed the “true character” of a political candidate.  Someone had attended a church service to observe this would-be public servant in worship mode.  The writer described nods of affirmation as the candidate listened to her pastor speak of future global events as they are described in the Bible.  The tone of the article was, of course, critical.  For a public official who might be called upon to make decisions that affect international policy or diplomacy, any espousal of Bible prophecy, he inferred, could only spell disaster.

  History, as it was recorded (rather than as it has been revised) reveals that our nation was founded upon biblical principles.  The greatest patriots were men and women who placed their confidence in these principles and risked their lives and honor to defend them.  I take issue with this and all journalists who defame the eternal Word of God.

  Understanding Bible prophecy and applying Bible principles would make us a stronger ally for peace loving people around the world.  A political leader with a healthy understanding of foundational Bible prophecies and principles would cease the senseless bargaining with godless world leaders who state their evil intentions in the confines of their nation’s academic institutions and political arenas, and then lie with a smile for the cameras of gullible international media.  An understanding and affirmation of the Bible will not hinder the performance of an honest politician, but will enhance it.

  Perhaps you are reading these lines with skepticism.  Maybe you see this as a religious fanatic’s minuscule effort to mix the affairs of church and state.  My challenge to you is to spend enough time with a Bible to gain a cursory understanding of what it contains.  You’ll discover that the Bible has eternal freshness and relevance.  It could change your life, and save our land.  In fact, we’ll never make it without the Word.

 The problem, as I understand it, has to do with the heart’s inability to move blood, oxygen and nutrients to the organs of the body.  The condition often results in a build up of fluids in or around those organs, making it hard for them to function properly.

 The same process is descriptive of a common spiritual ailment as well.  The Bible often uses the word “heart” with reference to the center or source of an individual’s thoughts, will and emotions.  When our “spiritual hearts” are not working in harmony with God’s principles, all of life can be out of sorts.  It is a common congenital problem…

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).”

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.(Mark 7:21-23).”

 What we really need is a spiritual heart transplant, and I’m happy to say that one is available to us right now.  The Lord encouraged Israel with…

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh…(Ezekiel 36:26).”

 Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection paid the price for your sins.  By faith, you can have a new spiritual heart.

“Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. (Acts 8:22).”

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10).”

  America is engulfed in an age of self inflicted tragedy.  The Parkland, Florida shooting last week was the ninety seventh such event that has occurred since 1982.  In these 35 years 816 people have been killed and another 1,261 have been injured.  The frequency of these shootings has increased steadily and  phenomenally over the past six years.

  Why do these things happen?  The world blames lack of gun control, chemical imbalance, psychosis, problematic childhood, etc., but God says the problem is that our hearts are “deceitful and desperately wicked.”  As a nation, our evils are home grown.  We are allowing ourselves to be desensitized to the effects of life without moral absolutes.  We have evolved into an entertainment oriented society.  We loan our conscious minds to the ungodly men who determine what constitutes “entertainment” in our country.  We are willingly bombarded with their selfish and godless world view through media (of all types), music, and perhaps worst of all, video games.  Those who allow themselves to become addicted, can practice their vile fantasies on screen before they act them out in real life.

  Our society is motivated by greed, and has now produced generations absorbed with self, having no concern for the needs of others.   As a nation, we feel that we have the right to do anything we want, anytime we want, anywhere we want––and all under the guise of “human rights.”  Relativism has become the dominant philosophy of our time.  Right and wrong are determined by the individual, on the fly.

  The solution is really quite simple:  We need to stop thinking “me first,” stop feeding our sinful desires, and return to the judeo/christian values that made our country great.  The solution will be realized one soul at a time.  Each of us must decide whether we will live in our sin or be saved from it.  Jesus said, “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3).”  “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31).”

  Whether you are involved in the corporate world, the political world, the church, or just your own humble home, if you are old enough to brush your own teeth, you can probably relate to what I am about to say––if you dare.

  You’ve probably noticed that we earth dwellers have been endowed with the remarkable ability to pinpoint areas of weakness in the lives of others.  By much patience and practice, we have learned to ascertain the ills of our peers and the “powers that be,” without ever turning the gaze of scrutiny upon ourselves.  The problem, we say, with the corporate administration, the government, the fellowship or family, is the person in the next cubicle, office, pew or bedroom respectively.  If they would just get their act together, wake up and smell the coffee, look at things the way they really are, take a hint, pay attention, get with it, get out of the way, and listen to what I have to say… things would run more smoothly.

  But what is it that keeps us from digging in our own lives for the root of those problems that menace our mission?  We shrink at the question, “Could I be consummately wrong?” … perish the thought!

  Please pardon my sarcasm, but doesn’t it all sound vaguely familiar?  I must confess, I am indeed made of the same stuff that I have described.  It is all too easy to see the faults of others and neglect my own.  Perhaps there’s something about me, some weakness that you have noticed, but I will not.

  Lately, I am reminded of the words of the Psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps. 139:23-24).”

  Lord, forgive me for I am weak.  Grant that I might comprehend the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, and that my first comparison to it, might be of my own puny frame as I stand amazed in His presence.  Amen