The phenomenon of change

The word change is used frequently in our society, with little or no regard as to how or why a particular change came about, better yet, who or what were responsible for the change.

If asked, the average person would tell you that change is doing something different, or rearranging something or someone, which clearly places the responsibility of change from their prospective at the feet of someone else. In observing the dictionaries view, it states that change is to make something different or to become different.

The latter meaning of the dictionaries view began to spark my curiosity, in that the definition placed the responsibility of change to the one that desires the change.

The truth is one can not change what one tolerates! Because in essence, you are literally fueling the very thing or person that you desire to see change in by accepting, tolerating or entertaining whatever it is they’re doing that you feel needs to change. In actuality your behavior makes you a co-conspirator to the very thing you desire change in.

Therefore, we are the principle ingredient in whatever it is that we think needs to change. We’ve been armed with a vision (a better way of doing something) that others don’t see, only to become the reckoning force to bring about the change that they will see.

True change is not dependent on people, situations, circumstances, or how you think others should behave to satisfy the change that you want to see. However, the contrary would suggest that genuine change is dependent on the modification of your view, attitude, position, response and most of all your perception of the situation, which are all initiated from your “MIND” again which clearly indicated change begins with you.

The facts are, situations and circumstances will not change because you feel it should change or because you feel as if you’ve had enough of whatever and others must conform to your anger, abusive language or behavior. You must take the vision of change from your mind coupled with humility and convert it to action (beginning with you) to produce change. The phenomenon of change is observing where change is needed, adjusting your perception and behavior towards it by being constant in your action, and patiently waiting to see the change you desire in the person or situation.

Now, for those that refuse to become the change that they want to see, have simultaneously volunteered for the position that they’re probably not even aware of, and that is the “STATUS QUO” mentality. Status quo is defined as: the existing state of condition or affairs. So, the status quo mentality would be one who accepts their present condition (even though they don’t like it) with the delusional thought that someone or something would change it, with no input from their end.

Folks, God’s word is abundantly clear, he said that we must be transformed or changed by the renewing of our minds (Romans. 12:2). The word renew means to repair or restore. To repair or restore anything strongly suggest that its present condition is damaged or out of order, which now makes change the inevitable for it to operate in its proper functioning state.

The thoughts of wisdom for today is, bring to a standstill, attempting to change others that will only produce a false change to satisfy you. Instead begin repairing and restoring your mind towards that person or thing which will automatically convert to a change in your action and behavior towards them which in turn will cause them to change towards you.


“The change we want to see in others is normally a reflection of God pointing out, the change he want in us”.


By: Kevin L. A Ewing
Kevinlaewing.blogspot.com

WHY ARE YOU WASTING TIME WITH YOUR TEMPORARY?

Life is a beautiful thing, which I truly thank God for, especially when one learns from their mistakes. However it is unfortunate for some of us that we have to make several mistakes to get the full understanding of whatever it is we should be learning.

This article is about making what should have been a temporary relationship into a permanent one. My aim and object is to show you the purpose of a temporary relationship, why it should not be a permanent one, the damage it does when it becomes one and finally the signs of a temporary relationship.

The majority of us at one time or another have had more than one relationship, and for the most part when we take a glance back in time we thank God that we did not make those people whom we thought, we were in love with our lifetime mates. Nevertheless some of us do marry the temporaries and are presently living unhappy lives or should I say incomplete lives.

Like my previous articles it is my desire to use biblical principle as the foundation, and build my points upon that. The scripture that I will be using is (2cor 2:18) in this scripture Paul is preaching to the people in Corinth and this is what he had to say, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Every relationship that you would have encountered throughout your life should be viewed as building blocks to your ultimate relationship, which would be your husband or wife. For the most part, people that jump into relationship and immediately get married, without considering if that relationship was suppose to be permanent or temporary, they are possibly in for a rude awakening.

I make the comparison of relationships to schooling. Just like school, each class gives you enough information for that particular time, because no one class teaches you everything. It prepares you for the next class you will eventually move to, and at the end of all your classes you will then hopefully graduate. Well, relationships are no different, each one was intended for you not only to enjoy, but most importantly to learn from, and prepare you for your life long relationship with your husband or wife.

History will show that people with little to no experience in relationships are more likely to make poor decisions as opposed to people that have more experience with relationships. I want to place importance on experience here because it is vital to what I am about to say next.

You see because we are creatures of comparison it is crucially significant that we gain much experience or knowledge in whatever it is that we are about to venture into. What I mean by creatures of comparison is simply this: whatever decision we select in life we’ve compare it either to a former experience or someone else’s experience, then we make a decision, it is almost like we go into our memory archives and pull out a file that is remotely close to whatever it is we are dealing with at that time and go from there. For instance, if you had a bad relationship where your partner cheated and you decided to end that relationship and go into another, if your new partner does anything that remotely reminds you of what your ex did to you, immediately you throw yourself into a defensive mode. Why? Because again you automatically begin to compare your past experience with you present relationship.

So my point here is; that the quality of your decision making is purely based on the experiences that you have had in that particular area which you are making a decision on. If you have ample experience, chances are you would make a more sound decision as oppose to no experience, your judgment is more likely to be impaired.

People are normally entrapped by their temporary mate’s permanently, because of what they see on the outside. They are caught up by the surface, they are bound or should we say held hostage by their five senses (see, smell, taste, hear, touch) which when left unchallenged can place us in a state of misery. This is why Paul said, “set not your eyes on the things that you see” or things that are governed by your five senses, because these things are subject to change and are in fact changing before your very eyes, but focus on what you don’t see, or what is possibly being kept from you such as that person’s character, which is permanent or eternal like Paul said.

A person’s character should be the deciding factor as to whether or not a person is just a temporary. One might possess a radiant smile, mannerly, a good shape, of even loving from the outside, which are all good but at the same time it is only a superficial image. However with character, even after they would have displayed all the nice outward stuff, are they that same person when they leave your presence? What are they like when they are alone, or better yet when they are in the company of others whom they are familiar with?

Do they maintain that same nice behavior? Or do they possess a Jekyll and Hyde type character? My mother told me sometime ago that a little can tell you what a lot will be like, and I am truly influenced by this statement. The little things that appear to be insignificant in the relationship are a clear sign that there is a lot more where that came from.

A person can not hide who they truly are; the true person always exposes themselves. For example a person may appear to be the sweetest person you have ever met, and then all of a sudden they display a real evil temper, and spew a heap of profanity when they become upset. This is just a sample of the real person on the inside trying to get out and his name is (Mr. Character), the one Paul said you should concentrate on, remember the things you do not see, because he is sometimes very difficult to notice in the beginning, due to what I call the impressing stage.

Mr. Character is usually kept in the dark until that person has achieved their objective with you, whatever that might be (most likely sex). They might give excuses like I don’t really curse like that, or I didn’t meant to hit you or I did not mean to shout at you and the list goes on, what about this one? I did not mean to sleep with him/her it just happened.

If you are the kind of person that does not tolerate the above examples, and you have a certain standard that you have for relationships, then these are the clear signs of a temporary, the sole purpose of these people are for you to learn from them indirectly, because their lives are crammed with deceit and inconsistencies. To remain in this temporal relationship, spells noting short of disaster and unhappiness. These relationships were never ever meant to be permanent; it was just another class, painfully grooming you for the ultimate relationship.

So take a few minutes and look back on your past relationships that did not work out, you know, the ones that hurt so bad you couldn’t eat, you couldn’t think straight, and the all to common ones, being consumed by unnecessary worry and fear. We all have sometime or another experience it, but now that some of us overcame it, we should thank the folks that put us through it because they unknowingly played a hand in preparing us for the ultimate relationship……of course those of us who choose to learn from them.

Friends I would like to add, no relationship that you were a part of was by accident, or mistake. That particular person whom you probably can’t stand to this day, like I said it was all building blocks for what you have now or what you are about to come into soon.

Remember this, in order to know what good is one must experience bad, so all the bad relationships or temporaries as I would call them, were all in an unknowing effort to make you not only appreciate, but recognize what good really is.

The principle of the bible did not say all things were good, but all things work together for good to them that love God and for them that are the called according to his purpose (Rom.8:28).

So as I have clearly shown you the relationship was no mistake, the mistake was trying to make something permanent that was only suppose to be temporal, but in an effort to make us appreciate and prepare us for the next exciting stage of our lives.

Written by: Kevin L.A Ewing

The Synergy of Healing

Ok! So synergy is the combined efforts of two or more things or people to produce more than they would have individually, but what does this have to do with healing?

Consequently, nothing in God’s creation was made to operate or work independent of itself.

If we take a quick review of the account of Creation the understanding carries the under tone of cause and effect, Suggesting that everything that was mentioned in the creation benefited or complemented something else.

It is no different with healing, healing requires combine efforts, and as we are about to go into this teaching on healing, we will look at healing from an unusual perspective, with a view to identify some of these combined efforts.

In most cases of healing, we see the laying on of hands, one being anointed with olive oil, the joining of hands, prayer of agreement and the list goes on which are all correct, but what about confessing my faults to receive healing????

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another that you may be healed (James 5:16)…… wow! Are you saying that my healing or lack thereof can be due to me not admitting my wrong? Yes! This is exactly what I’m saying.

To confess implies one admitting, declaring or acknowledging something. Fault on the other hand advocate a defect, imperfection or being responsible for failure or wrong doing. Finally, to heal is to restore, make whole, to complete or to bring to an end or conclusion.

So, in this scenario we can achieve healing by acknowledging or admitting our defects, imperfection, or just being responsible for our failures or wrong doings to each other, combined with praying for one another.

These combine efforts or synergy will produce more for the individual in healing whatever area of their lives are affected, than any one of the single ingredients would have done alone.

Confession + imperfection + to one another + pray for each other = HEALING


By: Kevin L A Ewing

A Revelation of Faithlessness

A man’s son is possessed with a devil, the man is so frustrated with not being able to bring relief to his son’s condition that he desperately seeks and finds the followers or students of Jesus (Christians).

He now begs the Disciples/Christians to deliver his son from this tormenting Devil. However the Disciple/Christian FAILED!!!!!!!

In his relentless pursuit to bring relief to his son, he now turns to the leader, being Jesus, complaining about the failure of his so called Disciples/Christians to fix what they were being trained to do.

Jesus’ response carried not only the tone of chastisement but embedded in his response was the revelation of why Christians systematically fail at the plots, plans and ploys of their adversary the devil.

Jesus said, “O FAITHLESS and PERVERSE generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to me (Matt 17:14-20).

This scenario is displayed just about everyday in the life of the believer; the believer will continue to fail repeatedly until he discovers why he’s failing. To fail at anything, would suggest that something is lacking, that will normally bring about completion or order.

If I were to turn on my car and it fails to start, then something is lacking or out of order, and I must start the process of elimination to discover the point or points of failure, that once corrected will produce success or restore the person or thing to its proper functioning state.

Jesus used two words to identify the points of failure, faithless and perverse. Faithless is defined as: not having faith, faith is the word of God received, believed and acted upon. Perverse is defined as: to willfully determine to go counter or opposite to what is expected or desired or to deliberately turn away from a command, instruction or order.

So in essence this is what the revelation of what Jesus was saying, “You have failed because you lack confidence in God’s word which made you faithless, further more you willfully turned in the opposite direction of faith by desiring to do it your way which eventually produced fear, because the opposite of faith is fear, which made you perverse, which when concluded produced failure or a dysfunction.

Folks lets not make no mistakes here, Jesus is not talking to non believers, Satanist, witchcraft workers or folks who just don’t believe in him. Jesus is talking to you and me the Christians who are suppose to be fortified with the word, who were bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, equip and armed with the person of The Holy Spirit and surrounded by an Angelic host whom have been given charge over us.

Interestingly enough, Jesus isn’t just making this stuff up as he goes along. His statement is literally a principle. King Solomon in the book of proverbs 16:25 made it abundantly clear, he said, there is a way that seems right to a man, but at the end of his way he is guaranteed failure.

In conclusion folks, review the things God has asked you to do that you’ve failed at miserably. Now apply the law of faithlessness and being perverse. Ok! You seem to have a hard time with this, so let me help you, God said bless your enemies, but you cursed them, God said pay your tithes, but you didn’t, God said do good to those that hate you, instead you rendered evil for evil, God said that is not the mate I desire for you, but you willfully did the opposite, now you are divorced, God said stop worrying about tomorrow, but deliberately like with everything else you do the opposite of whatever God said, and because his word can not return to him void, and he is watching over his word to perform it……….. Then failure will be your guaranteed end result in your decision to travel in the opposite direction of his word.


By: Kevin L A Ewing

WHAT IS TRUTH?

You can not handle the truth! Which suggest, one not being able to handle that which is supposedly, genuine or indisputable.

The entire thought of this statement made me question myself, by asking the question, what is truth? The response became a research project for me, and the writing of this article.

What is truth? Well the origin or etymology of the word truth began its roots in the word true, which is defined as being faithful, steadfast, firm in accordance with the facts or what is real. Therefore on that bases truth is the quality or state of being true.

So, if I said I love my wife, coupled with the fact that I do a lot of nice things for her; according to the above definitions of truth I am in essence speaking truth. As a result truth is the consistency of what I say corresponding with what I do, really?

Let’s put a pin in the information thus far, as we ascertain the opposite to truth. The contrary to truth would be a lie, now a lie is defined as a statement that a person is making that is untrue, in essence suggesting that one’s statement does not correlate with facts or that which is real/true. A second meaning states that a lie is something or someone that deceives.

Now, this is where the conflict comes about with the world’s definition with truth, as you would recall the second definition of a lie, is something or someone that deceives, but what does deceive me? Well guess what? To deceive means to make someone believe something that is not true, or to trick, mislead or dupe them. The word deceives got its origin from the Latin word “decipere” which literally means to ensnare or cheat.

So back to my previous example, I said I love my wife and I am doing quite a bit of nice things for her which consequently equate to my words equaling my actions. Except, she has no idea that I have several affairs, and a few outside kids that she has absolutely no knowledge of. The question now is, according to the world’s view of truth outside of the second piece of information that I have added about my wife and I relationship, was I being truthful with my wife even thou seemingly my words matched my actions according to her knowledge???????????

As with all things and so call facts, it is incumbent upon us to always consult with the manual of life to decipher what is reality and what is fiction. So we’ll look at a few scripture to begin the process of exposing what the world’s view of truth is.

Firstly, the revelation of truth is, truth is not necessarily what one say equaling what one does, truth is not necessarily what one writes or places his/her hand on the bible and swear to, truth is not how serious I appear to be when I make a so call statement of truth.

Folks! I hope you’re ready for this, truth according to the manual of life which is the bible, is clear, and that is truth is: “A PERSON” yes you’ve read correctly truth is a person, and if this person is not revealing truth to you, then I strongly suggest you revisit what you have concluded as truth.

To prove this revelation of truth let us look at (John 16: 13), in this passage Jesus is speaking, and here is what he has to say, “However when HE the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come”.

I have capitalize the word “HE” to highlight the emphasis made by Jesus on recognizing the spirit of truth as the male gender, not only did Jesus distinguished him as a male Spirit in the person of truth, but his responsibility being, guiding us into, not some but all truth.

What I’ve discovered to be so amazing about The Spirit of truth, is that he can not speak truth of himself but only what he hears, of which the Father says he can speak, and apart of that truth is to show those that are open to him things to come or future events (I hope you are listening prophets and prophetess).

Secondly, This Spirit in the person of truth, motives are always designed to glorify God; according to (John 16: 14) which states, “For he receives from God and shows what he has received unto us”. This is why no weapon that has been formed against you can prosper, because the spirit of truth is continuously attempting to show you things to come concerning what is for you or against you.

So far we can see where the world’s definition and The Bible’s definition differ. However according to the bible this is expected, (John 14: 17) states that the world in not interested or can not receive the Spirit of truth, because the world can not see him or know him, but we the believers of Jesus Christ have The Spirit of truth dwelling in us.

Have you ever experience an incident where you met someone for the first time, and when you left their presence you said to yourself, “my spirit don’t take to that person” well this is just one of many occurrences where the spirit of truth is trying to guide and direct you into all truth about someone or something.

What is so enlightening is you did not say your feet, hand, arm or any other body part, did not take to this person, but your spirit, because God reveals information and things by his spirit to our spirit. The Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God in an attempt to reveal truth to his people (1Corint 2: 10)

The question now is, how do I get the truth? Well the bible said that God’s word is truth (John 17: 17) Jesus said, the words that he speak they are spirit and they are life (John 6: 63). Therefore One must tie this in with (John 8: 32) which states that, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus is simply saying, if you would know his word which is truth, his word which is also spirit shall make you free, but free from what you may ask? Free from what you were bamboozled in believing what the world offered and defined truth to be.

The bottom line is whenever you want truth from your spouse, children, friends, and relationships, or what deception is going on behind your back at work, pray and ask God for his Spirit in the person of the Spirit of truth to guide you and unveil truth to you. You have tried treats, raising your voice, stop speaking, and the all too common one, becoming physical all in a fail attempt to obtain truth, when it was really the Spirit of truth you needed to consult with to truly satisfy your desire for genuine truth. Again before you confront the person/s with anger consult God with humility for truth.


By: Kevin L. A Ewing

Love Your Enemies!

The word enemy will almost always be synonymous with the word hater or someone who resists you, or better yet, one who is continually fighting against you.

It is strange for us to see those who hate us as a benefit to our lives. A significant mistake we often make with our enemies is to become enemies to them in return. By doing this, we create the perfect environment for a flesh-and-blood battle that was meant to be spiritual, and it will ultimately lead to our failure. God's word teaches us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12). 

Principalities, powers, rulers, and spiritual wickedness are all spiritual entities (not physical) that influence physical beings (flesh and blood). So, the person or persons you have labeled as your enemy were, and if present, are only performers of the influence exerted on them by one or more of these four evil spirits that are aware of your future greatness.

Now, every enemy that you would encounter in your life has been strategically engineered and purposely allowed by God to enter your life. Surprise right? The reason for this is two-fold. A) God, in his remarkable wisdom, always empowers your enemy with the ability to see in you what you do not see in yourself. B) At the same time, you are being trained and developed through patience, only using the challenges that are continually arising against you to advance you to the next stage of your life.

I mentioned the word 'patients' because it's the only tool you have that can help explain why all this is happening to you. To clarify, let's examine the definition of patience. Patience is the ability to calmly tolerate delays, inconveniences, or annoyances without becoming angry or upset. Building on this critical point, consider what scripture says about patience and its importance. The Apostle Paul states, "Knowing this, that the testing of your faith is producing patience. Let patience do her complete work so that you could become complete lacking nothing" (James 1:3-4).

To better understand what I'm trying to share with you, it's helpful to see things from a spiritual perspective. Looking at it this way, you can recognize that biblical principles are your true strength, replacing physical weapons such as hate, envy, cursing, spite, and revenge. Even if you don't read your Bible regularly, a good guiding rule is to do the opposite of what your enemy is doing to you (Matt. 6: 27-28).

Another word that means the same as 'enemy' is 'adversary.' This word is interesting because one of its definitions is 'an opponent.' An opponent is someone on the opposing side of a contest or a war.

The truth is, you're engaged in a spiritual battle, often without realizing it. This conflict aims to distract, delay, destroy, frustrate, confuse, and ultimately wipe out all hope and evidence of the beautiful and purposeful future that God has already prepared for you.

 Earlier, I mentioned that God has gifted your enemy with the ability to recognize qualities in you that you might not see in yourself. This suggests that their presence in your life is not accidental. I am about to share a biblical story that provides evidence of this significant revelation.

In First Samuel, chapter one, there is a story about a man who had two wives. One wife had children for him, while the other could not. The story says that when the man returned from his yearly worship, he would visit his wife with children and give her plenty of resources, then visit the barren wife and supply her with resources.

The story surprisingly continues by saying that the other wife, who had children for this man and clearly received more resources than the barren wife, became an adversary to her.

Before we continue, isn't it ironic that your rivals or enemies are often in a much stronger position than you—better jobs, more money, well-connected, higher status, or more favor? Logically, why would someone who surpasses you in nearly everything become your enemy? It just doesn't make sense.

Let's examine this more closely: could it be that they perceive someone with immense potential, someone capable of surpassing them physically and materially if given the chance? The term "embellish" means to make something appear more impressive than it actually is, or to enhance by adding details that create a more magnificent appearance. My point is that it is not your material possessions that make them your enemies. Instead, they see in you a greatness that surpasses how you see yourself, validating your future potential and greatness. When they view you this way, they are embellishing you. Unknowingly, this triggers their jealousy, prompting them to use every resource to oppose you.

The story continues with God blessing the barren woman's womb, resulting in her giving birth to Samuel, one of Israel's greatest prophets. During her adversary's taunts and mockery, she prayed more, sought God more, and grew more committed to Him—something she likely wouldn't have done otherwise. The very area where she faced opposition became the training ground God used to develop her for the next stage of her life. My God, I love this!

Folks! You need to understand this—please, do not, and I repeat, do not become an enemy of your enemy. This is why Jesus Himself said, Love those who hate you and do good to those who do evil to you. They are simply characters playing their role in your life to help you grow. You actually need your enemies!

 Jesus Christ could not have been crucified without Judas betraying him. King David would not have become Israel's greatest king without Saul repeatedly challenging him. Joseph could not have risen to become second in command of Egypt without his brothers turning against him. Are you getting this, folks? Good cannot be achieved without opposition from evil; otherwise, we wouldn't understand what good truly is. There must be opposition.

 

Please stop fighting against your enemies and allowing petty conflicts to fuel your anger, bitterness, and frustration. By doing this, you are only prolonging your struggles. Interestingly, your enemies play a role in your future greatness; you cannot become the person God intends for you to be without facing resistance, including the challenges posed by those who oppose you. In fact, the Bible instructs us to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who mistreat us and speak ill of us.

 Alright! If you're still not convinced, let's dig a little deeper. Remember, I’ve repeatedly mentioned that your enemies fight you because they see the potential for greatness in you. They might not tell you this, but they do see it. Even if you are broke, less educated, and among the least of your peers, they still find time to harass you.

Remember Joseph? The young man whose brothers sold him into slavery. The Bible says that his brothers were jealous of him. My question is, why, when they were in a better position than he was? Joseph, being almost the youngest, would have received the least of his father's estate if his father were to die. So again, why did they choose to be adversaries to Joseph?

 The Bible begins to tell the story of a few dreams Joseph had. The first dream, Joseph said, was that he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field, and suddenly, his sheaf arose and stood upright; then his brothers' sheaves gathered around his and paid respect or homage to his sheaf. The dream ended.

 Carefully observe his brothers' response to his dream, and they said, "Shall you rule over us? Or shall you have dominion over us?" The Bible continues by saying they hated him even more.

 Joseph never said he would rule over them. Nor did he say he wanted to have dominion over them. However, through his dream, they saw that Joseph was destined for greatness to the point that they could not keep the thought to themselves. Their hate for him made them verbally express what they really thought of him... Why are your haters always discussing you?

The scripture shows that your enemy sees in you what you don't see in yourself. God Himself orchestrated this because He needed to train and develop Joseph into the future leader and administrator He intended him to be. Evidence of God's hand is found in Psalm 105:17,19-20-21, which says that God sent Joseph ahead of them, sold as a servant, until His word was fulfilled; His enemies tested and prepared him for the next phase of his life. Then the king released him, making him a ruler. The second dream Joseph shared with his brothers involved the sun, moon, and eleven stars paying homage to him. He even shared it with his father, who rebuked him, asking if his mother, brothers, and he himself would bow to him. Think of your boss, spouse, or colleagues as the figures in this dream—those in your circle who have become, openly or secretly, adversaries. Despite Joseph never claiming superiority or ruling over them, they sensed his destined greatness. When you share parts of your life, haters often respond by rebuking or discouraging you to prevent your progress. It’s hard to accept, but everyone who achieves greatness submits themselves to hostile environments. Those opposing you won't fight forever; their opposition usually has a season. Your enemies exist in your life for a purpose: you can't become a world-changer without opposition. The relationship you're enduring, filled with shouting and conflict, persists because you refuse to submit. The key lesson is in your submission.

Stop expecting others or your environment to change; it's unlikely to happen. The change must start with you. In conclusion, the overarching principle that underlies everything I've shared with you is found in Romans 7:21: "I find then a law, that whenever I want to do good, evil is present with me." This means that evil has a legal right to resist your efforts to pursue good or greatness, so accept that reality.

Remember, there can be no goodness or greatness without the assistance that comes from the resistance of an Enemy.

By: Kevin L A Ewing

ewinglakevin@icloud.com

kevinlaewing.blogspot.com

www.kevinlaewing.com

Obtaining God's Direction Through Our Actions

I am always amazed when observing children’s behavioral patterns, especially infants. Think about this for a moment: a newborn comes into the world for the first time, yet this infant has the innate ability to influence or guide adults through their crying. When the baby cries, we quickly respond, using various methods to soothe and comfort them.

We explored different methods, including feeding, rocking, and singing, to find the most effective way. During this time, the baby didn't use any words or gestures, such as finger-pointing, to communicate. Instead, the child's actions were the only way they could tell us what they needed. We had the option to stay still, but that would have only made the child more upset and us more frustrated. Instead, we kept trying different ways to connect and understand.

Many people who have reached this point in the year are somewhat frustrated with pastors, religious leaders, and similar figures who start each year with slogans like, "This is your year," "This is your season," or "God has granted you favor this year." However, none of these promises have come true, and you're no longer interested in hearing more of these messages.

However, they were likely correct; the issue arises when you become inactive in response to what these leaders have said. Many people are under a false belief: when their leader claims that God will bring a turnaround or provide a financial breakthrough, they passively wait, do nothing, and tell others, "Pastor said God will give me double for my troubles."

Our Bible is clear: there is a way that seems right to us, but it ultimately leads to failure or destruction (Proverbs 16:25). When our leaders speak words over our lives, we then mentally plan how it should happen. When our expectations are not met, we become frustrated. Still, God has made it clear that his thoughts and ways are entirely different from ours and that his word cannot return to him without accomplishing what he has spoken (Isaiah 55:8).

God expects you to act when He provides you with a word. Your efforts will bring about the realization of His promise. Some may wonder, Why doesn't God just give me clear direction so I can follow it? The reason is that, knowing all things, He understands that if He simply verbalizes the instructions, you might doubt or overlook them because they don't align with your plans. For example, His command to Adam was straightforward: not to eat the forbidden fruit. That sounds simple, yet we all know how that turned out.

God's word over your life is consistently confirmed through immediate opposition and challenges, NOT because of you! Remember the parable of the sower (Matthew 13). Jesus explained that the wicked one, the devil, comes for the word, not the person. Keep this clear in your mind: it is only because of God's word over you that you face affliction or challenges. The opposition you encounter confirms the validity of the word spoken over you. These difficulties and challenges will push you to act or react in ways you wouldn't normally.

Let's turn to the Bible and examine a classic story that will reveal this remarkable truth to reinforce my point. In Genesis chapter 12, remember how God gently instructed Abram, who would later become Abraham, to step out of his comfort zone and leave everything he knew. God assured him that He would not only make him into a great nation but also bless him richly, making his name renowned and a source of blessing to others. To make all of this happen, Abram would surely need support and resources along the way.

Interestingly enough, after God spoke all these words over his life, guess what happened next? In the same chapter, verse 10 reveals a famine in the land, which would be equivalent to a recession. Abram still believed the word over his life in the face of famine and continued.

The famine prompted Abram to journey into Egypt, something he would usually avoid during good economic times. In verses 14-16, Abram and Sarai deceived Pharaoh, leading Pharaoh to bestow gifts upon Abram, including oxen, sheep, donkeys, servants, and camels. This shows that God's promise over his life was beginning to unfold, albeit not in the way Abram expected. Nonetheless, Abram trusted the promise and embraced the famine as part of God's plan, which ultimately led to great wealth. Praise God, Abram was able to see the bigger picture.

I want to share this: every challenge, problem, or difficulty is like a gentle nudge calling you to take action. Remember, God has allowed these situations to happen; He is all-powerful and could have stopped them. Instead, these moments are about Him guiding you to two essential lessons: A) Trust in His word over your life, and B) Follow the path He shows you.

I would be remiss if I did not include this treasured piece of information. The Bible did not say all things were good. Instead, it says that all things will work together for our good if we love God or are called by God (Rom 8:28). This is vitally important because we often assume that God is not working for us when bad things happen. We then begin to fight what is seemingly not of God instead of investigating where God directs us. Remember the phrase "All THINGS," inclusive of good and evil, and are all supervised by God to lead us to the promises He has made to us.

Ultimately, the guidance to attain a divinely intended outcome for challenging situations such as an unsatisfactory marriage, fractured relationship, demanding superior, stagnant employment, and a seemingly cyclic life begins with personal commitment to righteous actions and the conviction that all circumstances will serve your best interests.

Kevin L A Ewing

kevinlaewing@icloud.com

kevinlaewing.blogspot.com

www.kevinlaewing.com