Monthly Archives: October 2016

Lighting The Way

photo-credit-joey-cyber-largephoto-credit-joey-cyber-largephoto-credit-joey-cyber-largePhoto Credit – Joey Cyber

Lighting The Way

by Fred Hughes

The opportunity to blaze new paths and explore new exciting advancements in almost every area of life is available to more people than ever in all of history! Our civilization is advancing and yet decaying at the same time. How do we reckon with the divide? How do we build on the good and deconstruct those things that are breaking down and giving way to darkness rather than bringing light to this world?

As usual, I seem to have more questions than answers. But these are very important things to consider. When I look at some of the fundamental root causes of the major issues of our day, I see an absence of light (illumination of truth)! Science and education have so polarized their versions of the truth, opposed to Christianity’s expression of Truth, that there is a great divide between the two. In the early existence of our nation, we printed, “In God, We Trust,” on our coins, so that we would not forget the truth about what made our country great. Today, “Global Warming and Man-Made World Peace,” seem to be more of a religion than the Gospel of Christ! Light that reaches into a person’s life and illuminates the heart to true understanding and knowledge is what we are missing today.

We have The Truth, God’s Word, which is altogether true. But, you see, even that truth can not set anyone free! It is the truth that we believe and act upon; that truth is the truth that sets men free! When a person or a nation believes in and acts upon the Truth of God’s Word, the person or nation will be set free. The freedom that the Bible and our founding documents speak of will then come and set men free! “Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!” The Light of the founding fathers of this country was Christ! They undertook a great experiment that free men could live in freedom together. There was no argument as to who they agreed that Light was ( John 1:9 -13). There was no argument as to what light would be taught in their schools. There was no argument that a single Christian denomination should rise above another and become a state church, as the Church of England had done. There was no argument as to what would be the standard to which our newly founded government would comprise the laws and moral ethics by which all free men should live. There was no argument as to how marriage or family should be comprised; they followed the Truth. The Word of God clearly defined those standards. There was Light in the land! That Light is what built the land of the free and the home of the brave! That Light is what men fought and died for. Light, not Darkness and Tyranny, but Light guides us as citizens and countrymen in the ways of uprightness before the one and only true God. The “In God We Trust” of the USA. The Light of the Gospel of Christ!

Are we so arrogant that we think we have advanced beyond the light of God? “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14) That is an awesome promise! But we must remember, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5)

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

The problem is not that God has stopped caring for us! The problem is that we stopped caring for Him! We must rediscover the Light our forefathers were following and pursue Him with all due diligence.

My prayer is for our great country to once again be the world leader in Lighting the Way! We can not afford to lose hope for greater days ahead. Let me leave you with this:

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

by Fred Hughes

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

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When Life Comes Crashing Down

A photo by Anton Repponen. unsplash.com/photos/1CxphuiFS7Y

 

 

 

 

 

 

When things are crashing down upon you – Have Fun! Ride the power of what God says about your life, rather than what circumstance are trying to convince you of.

Joel 3:10b Let the weak say, “I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He (Jesus) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul goes on to say this, in 2 Corinthians 13:4: For though He (Jesus) was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

When things in life start to unravel we have some choices! Let’s consider a few!

1) We can do what a large number of people elect to do; respond in a knee-jerk reaction often filled with rage, fear, cursing, hopelessness, and even bitterness. The unfortunate result of this choice is the collateral damage. Someone close by gets hurt or offended by your response, and almost always your temper tantrum brings nothing of benefit into play. Like quicksand, the more you do, the deeper you sink.

2) Go quiet and bottle it up hoping in time it will all blow away! Ignore it! Hide it! Don’t deal with it at all! Granted, not as much collateral damage, but, oh, the emotional destruction it does to you personally. And still, there is no resolve to the issue. The pressure cooker builds pressure and will at some point blow up! It will blow up your relationships, your health, your job, your “whatever.” Something is going to blow!

3) Wait, plan, Attack! After mentally calculating all possible defensive positions, intellectually assess the situation, and assault verbally and physically, if necessary. You emerge victorious and prove yourself right, or righteous. It does not matter who you destroy.

4) Actually, there are a few other scenarios that we can choose. If you fit in one of them, you will automatically know. I do not have to spell them out. All of these options fail to produce the peace, health, and prosperity we desire. So how do we respond in a fruitful manner?

Choice # 5

5) When we realize our weakness, our inability to really be able to deal with it (whatever it is) and seek help! Help sometimes is found in just adjusting our own attitudes from a road-rage level to one of quiet resolve and cooperation. Other times we need a real friend or co-worker who can help us find the strength we need. But life has a way of crashing in so hard that the only answer is God intervening in our lives.

When we seek Him, we will find Him! He is always there! When we are weak, He is strong! When we need a hiding place, He is our strong tower, our safe place to run to.

According to Hebrews 12: This is a race we must endure until the end. Jesus said, “Low I am with you until the end! To the end of your race and to the end of these things bearing down upon you right now. He is with you always. He never leaves you or forsakes you. What He will do is something like, hand you a surfboard, so you can ride the waves or walk on the water. He can handle the crashing waves by commanding, “peace be still.” He can still keep the Red Sea open until you cross to the other side, my friend! What pursues you is no match for our God.

The answer is Jesus! Choice #5 needs to move to Choice #1 with no other options! Turn what the enemy has meant for harm in your life into a joy ride! Let the weak say, “I am strong!” In Christ there is great strength and joy, so Have Fun! Let God do the heavy lifting. Cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

by Fred Hughes

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org