The Roots

All spiritual activity has a root. If you dig long enough, hard enough you will find out where that root came from, what seed caused it to grow. There are two types of spiritual roots/seeds; good and bad. Other variations of those roots are namely: Holy and evil, light and dark. These types of spiritual activity should be examined by the fruit it yeilds. If it is peaceable, joy-filling, calming, loving, kind, doesn't scare you, is not harmful, it comes from God (Yaweh, the Great 'I Am', etc). God is good, there is no bad in God..none at all. If it fills you with hopelessness, depression, fear, is harmful, destructive, even mischevious it is of Satan (Belial, Beelzebub, Angel of light, etc.). Satan is bad, there is no good in Satan..none at all. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." (John 1:5)

Light and dark can not co-exist. Light will always dispel the darkness no matter which one makes the first move. If the dark comes nears the light, the dark will dissipate and of course, if the light goes near the dark..the dark will dissapate.

Ever wonder why there are so many people who dispise true Christians? The Bible describes us as lights in the darkness, salt of the earth (ever put salt in a wound? it hurts!). People who live in darkness and who dispise the light are usually wounded, more than likely by other Christians or a church. So the real salt of the earth, the real followers of Christ can seem to be the ones to shy away from since their very essence (a pun on the salt) seems to rub salt in their wounds and they can't handle being around the light..darkness flees from the light. Yet at the same time, that salt, that light can keep drawing the people to them. They want that flavoring (peace, joy, hope, faith, etc.), they want to be in the light as we are in the light. It draws them.

At the same time, people can be afraid of the light, of the saltiness. It can be scary since some believe they have to give up things or some of their ways on their own. God is a respecter of persons and either He will do it when you aren't even paying attention or He will take care of it in some way such as; take the desire for that undesirable thing away from you so you won't have to worry about it ever again. He loves you, He wants to heal your broken heart, take care of the pain you may be feeling, lift you up and make you whole again, remove fear, take your burdens and carry them Himself. Actually, He already has done that when He died for you at Calvary. He took ALL sin upon Himself and died so you could live in the light without fear of eternal death. It just takes a simple action on your part, ask Him (Jesus) to forgive you of your sin, believe that He has done so.

Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free. Jesus, thank you that you died for me. I believe that you are risen from the dead and that you are coming back again for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a Holy boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am saved; I am born again, I am forgiven and I am on my way to heaven because I have Jesus in my heart. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Be Still

Many people can relate to trying to tame an anxious child expecially when you are in an atmosphere where the child needs to be still and quiet. A movie theater, some churches, during a play, or some other activity that requires stillness and quiet to benefit the fullness of that program or event. If the child has not been taught to sit still and remain quiet there could be some problems. Some of the other people at the event may sneer at you or wiggle uncomfortably in their seats if you don't remove the child until he/she calms down. Even your "Shhh"s can disrupt other's concentration. The same may be for adults, can't sit still, can't focus on the program or can't be quiet so others can hear the program (I have come across those cases and find it rather rude when adults do it).

With the busy-ness of our days and the seemingly constant push to get things done, we have a difficult time sitting down and enjoying a relaxing activity. You may sit down and then start thinking of the things you should be doing. Take out the trash, sweep the floor, mow the lawn, trim the hedges, wash dishes, take the pet for a walk, rake leaves, wash clothes, vacuum, the list goes on.

How many of you have ever heard the verse "Be still and know that I am God'? (Psalm 46:10) Have you ever wondered how that can be possible? If you don't have a devotional time set aside every day and don't have a worship and praise or prayer time set aside, it may be very difficult to train yourself to try to "Be still". Many people have experienced a wandering mind when they have tried, me included. It takes a certain amount of training and relaxing not only of our bodies but our minds also. My mind would wander to things I should, ought to, or need to be doing. Sometimes our mind wanders to a difficulty that is happening to someone else or even to us. Once I gained control of that mind-set, I began to focus on God and put Him first in my thought life. He should come first anyway, it takes time to 'practice His presence'. What I mean by 'practice His presence' is to make Him the ONLY focus at that time. To ONLY speak to Him, to ONLY worship Him, to ONLY dwell on Him, to ONLY think about Him. Sometimes it takes getting on my knees to have a more focused attitude toward Him or even on my face on the floor.

Spiritual serenity ought to be cultivated in spite of the difficulties we face in life. This spiritual calm, that God commands, does not come from a lack of troubles; it derives from a steady, deep reflection on God's ways, His faithfulness, His mercy, His grace, the extreme wonder of who He is.

He is Holy. He is Lord of lords. He is God of gods. He is King of kings. He IS. Therefore, He is WORTHY!! He is worthy of ALL our attention. He is worthy of our time. He is worthy of our affection.

I encourage you, if you haven't yet, to 'practice His presence' and spend some quality time with our Father. To "Be still and know that He is God". Even if it starts out as lasting a minute or two; as you practice, you will become better at it and will start to do it for a longer period of time. Try it, it is AWESOME!