No doubt you started thinking about your New Year’s resolution months ago. They were good ones, ones that would change things about you that you saw as a great improvement. But did you stop to think about how successful you were in implementing the one that you made last year?  How did it go?

According to some statics, these are the 5 most popular ones that were chosen over the years:

• Exercise more
• Lose weight
• Get organized
• Learn a new skill or hobby
• Live life to the fullest

Psychologist will probably tell you that not even one, as stated, is measurable. This could be the reason why you were not successful. How much exercise were you doing before? Was it consistent? Was it walking, running, lifting weights, or getting up to change the channel instead of using the remote?

Did you seek medical advice prior to deciding to lose weight? How were you going to lose it? Did you plan on starving yourself or cutting down on fast food, sugar drinks and snacks? Were you going to seek assistance in doing so? If you are not the one who prepares your food, you must have buy-in from the cook.

What does getting organized mean? Getting rid of excess stuff in the garage that prevents the car from entering? Stacked up paperwork left over from retirement? Making final arrangements for when you are no longer able to do for yourself? Downsizing from a big house to a smaller one or an apartment?

Finishing that degree that you started but never finished? Setting up that “Ham Shack” (Amateur Radio) to use the license that you pursued and continued to renew for the last two decades? Beginning to use those many tools that you acquired over the years to build bird houses or furniture?

Getting a Passport to travel to places that you always wanted to visit. Completing your “Bucket List” (things you want to do while you still can). Do you plan to do them alone or with someone else. If it involves doing them with someone else, have you discussed it with them? Their list may have changed since you last talked about it.

Here are some suggestions that could make the world a better place:

• Put others first
• Seek a peaceful way to accomplish a task
• Show compassion
• When you feel helpless, ask for help
• Spend more time with positive family and friends

If this sounds too complicated, why not take the advice of the Apostle Paul. Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us (Cor. 11:1). And we have not only the perfect model, but we also have the perfect power who works in us, both to work for His good pleasure (Eph.5:1-2).

Hopelessness is the feeling that nothing can be done by anyone to make our situation better. We are so sure of it that we internalize it and might fail to ask anyone else for assistance. We might be victims of the following.

Focus. The ability to keep our attention fixed on our vision and goals. When we lose focus, we stop engaging in activities that give us a sense of purpose.

Amusements. Entertaining distractions that draw us away from our vision, and goals. They are fun but do not give us a sense of purpose. If we exercise moderation, they can serve as a “lighting rod” for relaxation and recharge.

Diversions. Meaningful activities that serve someone else’s vision and goal, but not our own. Because we get a warm and fuzzy feeling, we can be tempted to spend all out time accomplishing other people’s goals and neglect our own.

Sometimes we feel hopeless because we lose focus with the big picture. We put all our time and resources on one person, one experience, one goal that we think is essential. We forgot about the adage, “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” Why, if we drop it, we risk the chance of all of them being broken at once.

For example, you struggle to attend a school that you were told you were sure to find a lucrative job right away when you graduated, but you found out that this was not the case. Thousands had been told the same thing. You missed the cut by one. They filled all positions in May, but you marched in June.

You find another job that you feel is exactly right for you because you have all the experiences that they sought. In fact, you were so good that you helped train some of the people who started after you. After you said they were ready, they received promotions. When it came time for yours, there was no one to speak for you.

Or you think that because you lost your job that you are hopeless—even though that job could not be essential for happiness since it was supposed to be temporary. Here again, you lost focus. Tunnel vision blinded you again. Let me remind you of some stellar advice from the Holy Bible.

Do not put your confidence in powerful people, there is no help for you there. (Psalm 146:3). Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and find rest for your souls.

Will you try Him today?

Dr. Art Lindsley, with the Institute for Faith Work and Economics, on May 19, 2021, referencing C.S. Lewis, stated: “Beware the Temptation of the Inner Ring.” One of C. S. Lewis’s most memorable essays is entitled The Inner Ring.

It describes the experiences and desires of us all at various stages of life to be accepted within the inner ring of whatever group matters to us at the time. It can be a job or a church. To feel “excluded” or “out of it” is a miserable feeling. However, attaining a slot in the inner circle may test your moral compass.

These desires are not necessarily wrong. Certain inner rings are unavoidable. Someone has to be president of the student government, become a partner, be a leader in a denomination, get a promotion, or be an elder, and it is not wrong to desire that position or influence.

If you get “in,” will you find the satisfaction you seek? The initial rush of excitement will not last. Eventually, you will have to look for another ring to enter. If you are governed by that desire, you will never get what you want. If you succeed there will be nothing left.

This desire which draws us into it can affect our relations at home, work, church, and even the community. If you are not careful, this desire can totally engulf you to the point of virtue or vice. A life sentence if you will. Many times, you might not notice it because it starts out so subtle.

The mother of Zebedee’s children (James and John) came to Jesus with her sons. She got down on her knees before Jesus to ask something of Him. He said to her. “What do you want?” She said, “Say that my two sons may sit, one at Your right side and one at Your left side when You are King (Matthew 20:20-21).

But when you are invited, go, and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he/she may say to you move up higher. Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you (Luke 14:10). Jesus encourages humility.

The author suggests that you focus on your work and let the results take care of themselves. The life you save may be your own.

Proverbs 12:22 states that the Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones, and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. (Luke 16:10).

Lying is harmful to ourselves and to the people we are in a relationship with. Because lies hide a part of ourselves and our feelings, it also becomes more and more difficult for people who lie to know how they truly feel.

As a child, I remember being told by my elders that there’s nothing worse than being a liar. Why, because the elders said that if you lie, you will steal, and if you steal, you will kill. I got much relief from punishment by just telling the truth.   Being raised as an only child probably helped. It would not have made sense to claim someone else did it when there was no one else around.

In the 1980s the term Spin Doctors was used to describe media consultants, publicists, pollsters, and others, hired mostly by politicians or celebrities who wanted to improve their public image after some type of public blunder. Carefully prepared sound bites, edited video footage, and cleverly worded excuses were addressed to the public to purposely disguise the facts. 

The only difference in 2022 is that no specialists have to be hired to do so. Individuals can do it all by themselves. Individuals who are specialists in their fields of study have chosen to ignore those facts and say things as if they were unlearned. The danger in this is because they are experts in their fields, they must be telling the truth.

With others in their field saying something differently, whom do you trust? The nonexpert (ordinary persons) gravitates to the one that is saying what they understand,.or want to hear. So they lose faith in the so-called protectors. What is left is a “bowl of confusion.”

Another form of lying is simply withholding information from the public. Not reporting something that makes the opposition look good. This is just as destructive as deliberate disinformation. This practice has become so accepted that people seem to expect to be lied to.

But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36).

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Here of late it has been difficult to understand and accept the fact that we seem to be out of control in our behaviors to the point that it is scary to leave the comforts of home. Even home is not safe, the job is not safe, and neither is the church; despite alarm systems and sophisticated door and window locks.

It has been shown that there is nothing new under the sun. History repeats itself. We are not talking about ten or twenty years, but thousands of years ago. Here is what was said in 2 Timothy 3., New Testament Bible. 

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  (No specific date is mentioned).

² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy 

³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good 

⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God 

⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people

⁶ They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible men/women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires 

⁷ always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth 

⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men/women of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. (even church people)

⁹ But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men/women, their folly will be clear to everyone. (we are still waiting)

If you really want to be informed about the future, you need not go to any paid source, or the library, just go to one of the sources that you have laying around the house. It has been one of the best sellers for as long as I can remember. About ¾ centuries. Most of us have more than one or two. It is called the Bible.

You just need to pick it up and read a few pages. Try it, you might like it. You will learn that there were times like this when the Teacher arrived. More especially; inequality, division, and groups taking advantage of other groups. The last, the least, and the lost.  

When it comes to the topic of selling your soul, there are more than one Bible verse that mentions it. One of the most popular verses on this topic is from Matthew 16:26, which says, “For what profit is it to a man/woman if he/she gains the whole world, and loses their own soul? 

Another popular verse on this topic is from Mark 8:36, which says, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?” This verse also emphasizes the importance of our soul and how we should be careful not to sell it for anything less than what it’s worth.

Basically, the Bible is clear that our soul is of great value and we should be careful not to sell it for anything less than what it’s worth. So, if you’re ever considering selling your soul, make sure you think long and hard about it first, because it’s a decision you could regret for eternity.

Gary Ryan Blair is the #1 bestselling author of Everything Counts.  “Once you compromise your integrity…you become your own worst enemy. The greatest form of betrayal is betrayal of oneself.” 

If this sounds farfetched, just watch the daily news any day of the week and you will hear words coming out of the mouths of people you once looked up to as being very respected and having some of the sharpest minds, saying unbelievable things with a straight face.

When someone talks about selling their soul, they are usually talking about making a deal with the Devil; giving up their immortal soul for something they want, like wealth, power, or knowledge. Sometimes people sell their soul without realizing it, like when they make a “knee jerk” decision.

Other times, people do it knowingly, thinking that the benefits will outweigh the costs. In the end, selling your soul is always a bad idea. It may give you short term gratification, but it will ultimately lead to your own damnation, says the Bible.

Holding on to your faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 1 Timothy 1:19

God has given human beings the gift of conscience, a sense of right and wrong. But the human conscience was exposed to damage when sin entered into the human experience when Adam and Eve chose to disobey the one commandment God had given them. Since that moment, sin has damaged the conscience of every human being.

I am never amazed when a child gives her/his opinion about life. I listen attentively. One day when I was feeling worse about the class and their negative behavior toward learning, I was taught something. This young man was the grandson of a well-known local bishop.

He said his parents make him go to church every Sunday and he can not see where it makes a difference. I told him that I agreed, it did not make a difference to some people. However, the preacher has been called upon to tell them anyway, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord ” Romans 6:23.

He went on to tell me that, what he has gotten out of all this church-going, all these years, is that people are basically evil? Since I had his mother’s number on speed dial for his behavior, I said, I am going to call your mother and tell her something good for a change. You have been listening!

When you first receive salvation through Jesus Christ, God places His Holy Spirit in you. Part of the Holy Spirit’s role in the Christian life is to pinch you when you are about to say or do something that is not Godly.

I had not been myself lately. I let the negative media get to me. When I was awakened early one morning to pray, I was reminded that I need the Holy Spirit to come back into my life. He will not dwell where he is not wanted.

When we have the Holy Spirit playing that role in our lives, if we obey, we can safely allow our conscience to be our guide. Thank You Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

In the New Testament, the word Agape –is used 137 times as a verb and 116 times as a noun. It is therefore at least as important to be loving as it is to feel love. We were created to be social beings.

The Apostle Paul has just finished speaking about spiritual gifts – the foundation of the body of Christ. He was writing to the Corinthian church.  A church that was divided. There were rival groups fighting for attention and power while more serious issues were being ignored. Not unlike today in our churches.

If I speak in the tongues of men/women, and of angels but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres.

It’s important to notice this because the prior gifts – prophecy, wisdom, charity, for example – are the ones that get the most attention in the world. But Paul notes that if we don’t have love, the most basic of gifts, all the other gifts are meaningless. As explained by Chaplain Samuel Blair.

In marriage, we see the romantic side of love, the love of one for another. It should not be just a feeling or emotion, but it is something that one does.

Love is not cheap, it costs something. It often doesn’t come easily to us, because of that cost. Perhaps that’s why it can be hard sometimes to live this way and to lay our lives down sacrificially for others. It should not always be about Me.

If we spend any time listening or reading the news or what ever medium you use, we can see that our country is sick and ripe for healing. I once called a parent about her child cursing so much, and told her that, “he says that you curse all the time. She said, “I don’t care if I do curse, he knows that it is wrong.”

So, you see, it does not matter whether you blame it on the pandemic, the president, or for whatever you mention, you know that it is wrong. Let us make it clear, hiding behind a position or job will not give us a free get out of jail card. We are each responsible for our actions and our inactions.

Billy Graham said,” The great need in America is not for a new organization. Our need is not for more economic prosperity. Our great need is for a revival in which men and women will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways to the God of our fathers.” (Decision Magazine, 2015)

As you learn to talk to the Lord, you will discover the blessing of the Lord. Prayer will also result in God’s power to bring about change.  James said, “The prayer of a righteous man/woman is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).  We can not do it on our own power.

1&2 Chronicles is written to the Israelites, coming out of 70 years of captivity. It is written so they might realize their heirship, the promises made by God to and through the Patriarchs.

They may have been asking themselves, just as many are asking today, this morning, and years ago. “Has God forgotten us?” The answer to this question is that we have forgotten God. That question has already been answered. “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.

This is what God said to them/us, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land.”

Though this scripture was written some time ago, it still applies to us today. History repeats itself if its present is not changed. Revival will never come from an organization. It will never come from the District of Columbia, where people we have chosen, and continue to do so, seeking a different approach.

If you expect to fulfill your dreams and achieve your life goals, it will require more than stamina, willpower, and inspiration; it will also require planning.

It is not possible to plan for every twist and turn that awaits you on the road to success, but it is possible to plan alternate routes and scenic diversions. A plan B or sometime C if you will.

The word “plan” appears 205 times throughout the books of the bible. I am going to share the ones that I cherish.

Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Luke 14:28 “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he/she has enough to complete it?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no guidance, a people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 20:18 Plans are established by counsel, by wise guidance wage war.

Proverbs 19:2 Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses the way.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man/woman plans his/her way, but the Lord establishes his/her steps.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

Psalm 20:4 May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!

These have worked for me. If I were a betting man, I would say that they will do the same for you given the same circumstances.