Tag: The Cold

The Cold Sets In

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The Cold Sets In

Its so wonderful that we are reminded of the perpetuation of life through the seasons on this planet. It’s such a beautiful reminder that life will be a natural cycle, that seasons of cold winters of death, and long periods of struggles will ensue.

As I woke up this morning and found the first frost on my window I am reminded of the scripture that shows us there are many seasons and we must live through them all. Nature is not just something we experience as far as weather, but it symbolizes our own lives. While where I live is entering winter, in my own life I am in spring, the birth of something wonderful, the growth, the warmth of new life, new buds, sunshine, and all the sensations that go with it.

I was in the winter so long I had forgotten what the warmth felt like. I wasn’t sure my path would ever lead me to feel this way again. I trusted in God to show me the way, but I didn’t know if His way would be to grant me love again. Have we ever asked ourselves what we did wrong, or why we were being punished? I often asked God what I was doing to continue being punished for my transgressions. I often asked God what I had to do to change the path and lead me out of the darkest winter. I don’t think I was asking the right questions over the last two years. While it seems my prayers were answered, I learned I need to be specific with my prayers because we don’t always get what we thought we wanted. While God’s blessings, and gifts to us are far better then anything we could have ever dreamt up on our own, and I am beyond happy with who God has put into my life. The catch, I needed to focus on me, I needed to focus on my walk with the Lord, before I could be something for anyone else. I needed to be okay on my own before I could stand with anyone else. I wasn’t asking what I could learn, or how I could grow, I was insistent that someone is what I needed in my life. I was certain that a person would fix me, and the truth is a person cannot fix you, only Jesus can do that. Sure a person can be a band-aid for you, but eventually that will fall off revealing the original wound, that’s not festered, and become so much worse. The cold in my heart was the season needed at the time, and I wasn’t granted the quick fix for it. I was forced to go through the entire healing process, and now, when the time was right, God granted my prayer, albeit complicated, the future is bright and warm.

We cannot rush God because the shortcuts we would take would only cause disaster. I think about the Wrath of Kahn and the Genesis planet. In the next film The Search For Spock David used an unstable compound, which was causing the planet to collapse. David used something as a shortcut because he couldn’t solve the problem. If we rush the process, and we don’t allow the time needed to get things right, our worlds will collapse and destroy themselves also. I don’t know why God sent me someone who lives so far away, but I trust in the Lord, and as I get to know her, I find how amazing she is, and how wonderful we will be together. No matter the distance God will give us what we need, and God will find a way. We must have faith in that process, and not rush it. I know that I am in a season of spring in my life, as I watch the natural world enter the season of winter. I ask you all what season are you in? How long have you been in those seasons? We must take time to ask God for guidance, and understand if we are in an extended season, a negative season, we need to ask what we are to learn, what are we being prepared for, but most importantly, ask how you can glorify the holy name of Jesus Christ in your season.

Trust in your God, and believe that He knows the perfect route for you to take, and do not lean on your own understand, nor should you follow your own path, because I can promise with all certainty your path is not better then that God would have you walk. Do not think you know more then God because you will find out the hard way you don’t. Trust that seasons are a part of life, and follow the teachings in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time [a]to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

3 A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

4 A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

8 A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

Winter can be a beautiful time in your life if you allow yourself to take a step back to see it. While the trees look dead, and the grass is brown, and it’s often gloomy overhead, I have also seen some of the most beautiful snowfalls, the decorations for Thanksgiving, and most importantly the decorations for our savior’s birth. How wonderful the season of winter is and even if it feels cold, and lonely sometimes, you can turn to God and grow and trust that the cold will break, and tomorrow change will be in the air. 

The Common Cold

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The Common Cold:

Something that has always bothered me was how far we’ve come in medicine and technology, and yet we still cannot cure the common cold. The cold is a common virus that infects more then a billion people every year. The most common viral infection is rhinoviruses. Though there is no cure for the common cold, we generally have to rest, drink lots of fluid, and help with the symptoms. Are we doomed to go through life one cold after another, or is there a secret cure out there someplace? A little secret about me, is that I don’t get sick very often. I’ve had less then 2 colds in 10 years. I have always considered myself to be more or less a mutant with my ability to stay healthy. Alas this week my immune system finally succumbed to darkness. I have been fighting off this cold for days now and it’s taken so much out of me I sleep every few hours. I have often wondered in times like these how people do this every year. The same goes for those who don’t know Jesus Christ, the one true cure for eternal death.

John 14:6“Jesus said to him,“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the cure to sin, the overcoming of eternal damnation, and yet with the cure right at people fingertips, people run away from it as if it were the plague. The gospel is for everyone, the cure is for everyone who can give up themselves for the truth. Our salvation was paid for by the ransom of a life, and our cure was bought by the blood of the one true Son of the Father. As much as people have searched for a cure for diseases that effects the human race, we turn our backs on the one cure that matters most and that’s for salvation. Billy Graham once said that sin is a disease. If sin is a disease then we allow it to spread unchecked throughout the world when we stand quiet, idly by while loved ones pass on without ever knowing the truth, which is Jesus Christ. “The cross is office because it confronts people.”(Billy Graham) We as a society don’t want to admit that we are sick. We don’t want to admit we’re sinners, and we don’t want to admit we need help. See, we’re in denial. The sad truth is if we don’t realize the truth soon enough, the fate of our illness could very well be sealed.

The thing with illness is if left unchecked without treatment it can grow out of control and by the time something could have been done, it’s too late. One thing the experts say about the flu is it’s better to get help early on. The flu if left unchecked much like cancer can be lethal. Sin is just as lethal, but it’s the eternal kind. If we aren’t careful sin infects us and like the common cold it spreads to everyone we come into contact with. It spreads like a wildfire uncontained, uncontrolled, and before we know it, everyone around us is sick or dealing with the ramifications of our actions. Unlike the common illness staying locked away in our rooms won’t prevent the spread of sin. Sinful actions send out ripples to our surroundings affecting everyone. The only cure for sin is for us to turn to the Lord and ask for the healing power of the Holy Spirit to cover us. When we turn to Christ it’s like having a limited vaccine. We have revulsion to sin, and even though we can fall off the rails, we can always get back on track. Following Christ will often cause us convictions to amplify in the presence of sinful actions. That doesn’t mean we don’t still sin. Find your cure in the Lord and step away from the plague that’s covering our land.

 

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Knowing Your Weaknesses

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Knowing Your Weaknesses

While I was watching one of my shows recently I confronted a question within myself. What’s something I’m afraid of, what’s something I would consider a weakness within myself? As I watched the show The Flash I found it interesting how his worst enemy is cold, it’s ice because of how it slows down the molecules within his body. The Flash has to be careful with the numerous enemies, villains that he encounters that use cold/freezing powers. You see, knowing your weakness can help save you from whatever may come.

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].” The Devil will search your very soul to find your chink in the armor. Some people can go for a long time without knowing their true weaknesses. The problem is, without knowing your own faults, your own short comings, the Devils ability to find that weakness and exploit it becomes much simpler. You have to be able to mount defenses where flaws might lay.

In any defense of a castle, strategic placements of archers, of cavalry, of spearmen, and of course the knights that defend the gate, all these areas are defended because there can be potential breaches. During the battle of Helms deep for instance, the caldron at the base of the wall, although small, left a weak point in the wall, which using explosive could exploit the fault, and once detonated blew a hole large enough for the advancing army to enter without much effort. This however was not planned for and thus little defense was available to defend an all out ground invasion. While the battle was won the damage done was near catastrophic.

2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Knowing that we are not perfect at that we have shortcomings we are able to anticipate the attacks and plan for them, prepare for them. Then, and only then will you be able to do what is needed to defend yourself.

The Devils attacks will come at any time at any day, and we must be ready to fight. While the enemy we face is that of the spiritual and not of the flesh (at least not most of the time). I know that my weakness is a fear of being abandoned. I fear my loved ones leaving me never to return. In the last year that fear was brought to life and when I was down on the ground and I thought I’d never be able to get up again, Christ lifted me and gave me time to heal from my wounds. When you get knocked down it’s easy to forget what the true importance of our life. Jesus Christ is the light and the only way. Find strength in the word, find hope in the light, because no matter what even the smallest amount of light makes the darkness scurry away. Only in Christ are we strong enough to fight the battles we wage every day. Doing it on our own we are surly destined to fail. Don’t get lost in an infinite loop