“I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”
John 14: 6
12 “Look, I AM coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22: 12-13
Pastors Noreen & Henry Kevern
I Believe
It is clear that we here in the states have a problem. It is almost at the boiling over point. It has been simmering for so long and beginning cover this entire country. And it is not just here in the United States but throughout the world. I really cannot say that it is a new problem because shades of this have been going on for a long time. We have slowly faded farther and farther down the slippery slope and are beginning to go over the waterfall and into the deep, dark waters of hate and despair. We have lost so much and because it has been going on for so long, we do not even see when it started. But it has been going on since the beginning of time. There are times when we have come out of the dark but we are headed back into the abyss if we do not change.
We have become such haters. We have lost the concepts of kindness, forgiveness, peace and joy. We are lazy, mean and downright nasty. We have destroyed marriage, the family unit and most importantly, our relationship with GOD. We hustle, lie, cheat and steal and we are depressed, angry and drink to we are drunk, take dope and are stupid, take drugs and become addicted, so full of pride and all that our lives are show how much we need to come and surrender all to GOD.
It is telling how far we are from GOD. The evil one has filled our lives with such perverseness and it is destroying us. And it seems like no one really cares. We just keep going on, yelling at each other, hurting each other and even physically assaulting each other. Most people do not even look happy. We are so consumed with self to the point that love seems to have vanished. We see a family at Disney, brawling, men hitting women and reporters out of control. It is hard to go somewhere without seeing something that is full of the devil’s handiwork. We are consumed with our phones, taking our lives and the lives of others and text while driving.
And we have legalized sin in the name of freedom.
Oh, how far we have fallen.
As I look around where we are or when I watch the news, I cannot think but how sad it is, so very sad how we have pushed GOD aside.
There is an old saying that goes, “There are two things that one does not talk about, religion and politics.” And the reason is that people tend to fight over both. God does not want us to fight over anything but these two issues seem to cause the most problems. And the main thing between both of them is that they seem to encapsulate our whole nature. We tend to think that these two things are separate and different issues but they are not. When you examine both of them closely you see how they are so much alike.
First let us look at the meaning of both these words.
Religion according to Merriam-Webster is:
1 a: the state of a religious //a nun is her 20th year of religion
b: (1) the service and worship of God or the supernatural
(2) commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, practices
3 : archaic scrupulous conformity: conscientiousness
4 : a cause, principle or system of belief held to with ardor and faith
Politics
1 a: the art or science of government
b: the art or science concerned with the guiding or influencing governmental policy
c: the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
2 : political actions, practices, or policies
3 a: political affairs or business
especially: competition between competing interest groups or individual for power and leadership (as in a government)
b: political life especially as a principal activity or profession
c: political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices
4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person
5 a: the total complex of relations between people living in society
b: relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view //office politics //ethnic politics
When we look at these two words, we see that they have melded together in so many ways.
We are not going to go through a very detailed evaluation of both these words as that would take too many days and a number of books! But we are going to look at some of the things that are the same between them as we see it in today’s society.
We have become a very divided country. It has not just happened overnight but has been going on since the creation of this country and in broader sense, the whole world. But I am going to try and hopefully create a weekly way that will open some eyes so that we can see each other with new eyes.
Families and countries have been torn apart by both religion and politics. Ireland was divided because of the fighting between the Catholic and the Protestants, the United States because of slavery, Scotland and England because of politics, Israel because of religion and so many more. If we look closely between the issues, we would see that religion and politics intertwined and the results lead to death. Originally the word, religion came from the Latin, religio meaning restraint. It has been further studied and the words, re and ligāre meaning to bind. Politics is from the Greek word, politico, meaning affairs of state.
Religion is political in the sense that the different denominations are actually run like the affairs of state and politics becomes a religion when people are so blinded by being bound up in their politics.
We have sunk I believe to new lows. Just reading the news makes me sick. There are way too many sick people out there. I do not know how many were in the past but it seems like every day hundreds and thousands of people do some really awful things. And when someone covers their face so that no one can see them so that they can hurt others is nothing but cowardice. Antifa people are examples of that. They cover their faces so that they can get away with hurting people. I was so appalled the other day when I saw what they did to that conservative reporter. And the yellow vests in Europe are not any better. Acting like cowards and bullies, these people are prime examples of the evilness of the devil.
Anyone who willfully hurts someone, even throwing a milkshake, is nothing but evil. And these new congresswomen, they are bullies as well. And anyone who uses religion to hurt another is a coward as well. Words do matter, but there is a difference is how and what is being said. If you point out to someone that their hair is on fire, you are helping them. But if you call someone stupid, you are hurting them. And we have to stop being offended by people and listen because deep down all people are hurting inside. We need to have compassion and love.
We have lost civility. We have lost our place in the world. We have lost our country and our towns. We have lost the world. But there is hope for all of us. We have to make a lot of changes, starting with ourselves. We have to stop blaming other people and begin to change.
But how can we change?
By surrendering one’s life to GOD.
In a nutshell, let me tell you why. GOD created this world, this universe, and each and every one of us. And when He created us, He implanted inside the desire to know Him. He loves each and every one of us. He created us and wants the best for each of us. But we humans are flawed in oh so many ways. All we have to do is look deeply into ourselves, foregoing all former self and ask GOD into our lives. We have to confess how we have been relying on ourselves and have made a mess of things and now we want GOD on our side so we ask Him for His help. We confess of the sins that we have done and ask for His forgiveness. And He has already done so on the cross. We just have to accept His gift and His love.
It all boils down to this: we have to do something that is so against our nature because the devil has been telling us so many lies. The devil is very real and very dangerous. The devil is a thief and comes to destroy people. The devil will do whatever he can to trick you into believing that you do not need GOD. The evil one yells so loudly that he drowns out for most people, GOD’s voice. GOD is not loud because He is not a bully. He is nothing like the devil. GOD is love: Pure love; Good love; Peaceful love. The devil is evil and that word is in his name. The devil hates GOD and he hates you and me. But the devil is really slick. By using people, he can speak his lies. And when people hear a lie long enough they believe it is the truth.
Are you as tired of the world and how people are acting just as I am? I believe we can help change our world if we ask GOD to help us. It is going to take a lot of courage on our part because we have to do something that is not in our nature. We have to stand up to the devil and tell him to go away. We have to bind ourselves in GOD and in His Word and use His Word as our armor. We have to put on the armor of GOD and be fully vested in Him in every area of our lives. And that is so hard for so many people.
That is why JESUS told us that we have to become as little children and learn from Him. That is what being reborn is all about. It is giving up all our preconceived ideas and coming to GOD with and open heart and an open mind. And allowing Him to fill us with His SPIRIT and to teach us. GOD wants you just the way you are right now, but He loves you so much and wants to change you into the beautiful person that He created you to be.
Can you do that? Can you let go of everything that you believe you know; all the preconceived ideas and just begin again? Can you cry out to GOD to help you to want to change? Are you tired of being depressed, anxious, tired and worn?
I know that it is not easy to do this. Yet for some, it has been easy for them. And that is okay. It does not matter whether you change quickly or if you are a slow learner; all you have to do is your best and not do the things that caused you to sin before. What GOD wants from us is to want Him first in our lives. When we are born, we cannot do anything for ourselves. We have to depend on our parents. And GOD is our parent. Depend on Him. Just like a newborn baby instinctively trusts his or her parents, trust GOD. Belief is a choice. And when we believe in GOD, we have to learn to follow all of His ways. If we do not stop sinning after we accept Him, we have not really accepted Him. Our learning may be two steps forward and one step back, but just keep on trying. And keep on asking GOD to help you. He will. He loves you. We are all GOD’s children. He created each of us and He created each of us differently and with different abilities. He created us big and small, with all different colors. We are a beautiful bouquet of flowers. We are loved by GOD and when we keep on wanting more and more of GOD, we will be changed.
We have to step out in faith. GOD can do all things. We cannot. But when we surrender all to GOD, He will help us to learn to walk in His way, His truth and His life. If we say we believe and then do not walk in His way, His truth and His life, then we do not really have faith.
Life is not easy. Some people seem to have it easy but each person struggles. Think for a moment about Robin Williams. He entertained us and he made us laugh but he was obviously not happy himself. He was missing something and felt like life was too hard and took his own life. I know how he felt, as I have tried to kill myself. Depression and anxiety are not often obvious. I hid mine and I became more and more depressed. We need GOD and we need people to be kind to one another. We need to learn to love one another and to forgive one another.
Forgiveness is so very important to GOD. That is the purpose of the cross-- Forgiveness. Simple forgiveness can change a person. GOD simply gave His life for ours.
Willingly, GOD chose to become human and take our punishment. When I ask the HOLY SPIRIT to convict me of my sins, I am asking for GOD to search every part of me and to show me my sins. And in this journey that I have been on, walking with GOD has been changing me. And I have been a slow learner. I have been a long time in self-doubt and have fallen many times, but each time I pick myself up and cry out to GOD to help me. I chose to get back up and walk with GOD. And now I know that faith is something that you have to believe and not doubt. Doubt is a trick of the devil. Do not let him steal your faith. When we read the Word of GOD, it is our daily bread, feeding us with what we need so that we can fight the good fight of faith. The devil is going to do everything he can to stop us, but just keep calling out to GOD and learn from Him and you will win the prize of heaven.
We cannot do this on our own. We need GOD.; in every way, and every day, to guide us and to teach us, to ask for His help in everything.
We have to stand firm in our faith and in His Word. No matter how much the devil uses people against us, we have to keep on telling the world about GOD’s love. We have to love all our brothers and sisters because we are all created by GOD and for GOD.
And you can ask others to walk with you and talk with you about your faith in GOD. Find a good Bible based church. Join with others and praise the LORD. And seek Him with all of your heart and all of your soul, with all of mind and with all of your strength. And the peace of GOD will fill you with His amazing love. All you have to do is believe.
