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Psalm 107:29 NKJV — He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
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File / Archive
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It was a beautiful day. What else could you expect from what they call, “A Chamber of Commerce” day in Florida. I found myself at my favorite neighborhood golf course. Getting in a round before I met my newlywed wife for dinner. She worked days and I worked overnights and since I had the next two days off, I took advantage of the picture perfect day and tried to do my best impression of Arnold Palmer but ended up playing like Herman Munster. I finished the 14th hole and then I looked up into the sky.
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File / Archive
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The clouds became dark and the sun disappeared. Florida and thunderstorms are a regular occurrence during the summer and everyday at 2pm you can almost count on it. The rain began to fall but what I didn’t expect was the severe storm that followed. While other golfers scrambled back to the clubhouse for shelter, many getting drenched by the downpour, I took refuge in a rain shelter located on the course. The storm was fierce and lasted about 30 minutes and despite the golf cart getting soaking wet, I was safe and dry. When the storm concluded I made my way back to the clubhouse. The manager told me he was concerned about me when the storm was raging because I was the only golfer that was unaccounted for. He was relieved when he saw me driving in. Taking shelter from the storm in a building provided by the golf course was a wise choice. As it turned out, I was the only one who had made it. People were frightened by the sudden thunderstorm and unintentionally put themselves in harm’s way and though no one got hurt, except for maybe their pride, if only they had paid attention to the warning signs they would have been prepared when the emergency came.
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Courtesy of AP
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Could we have taken shelter from the “storm” that is upon us or is something like COVID-19 just to be expected? Daily thunderstorms are expected by the residents of Florida but because they happen so regularly, the residents can take them granted. We are told that the world is not a safe place and we should be aware of its harsh realities. We experience it everyday and we have the tendency to say, “C’est la vie, it is what it is.” We carry on with our lives thinking that the world’s problems are somebody else’s problem and then the whole world stops…including yours and mine.
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Atlanta, Georgia – Courtesy of AP
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Matthew 16:1-3 NKJV — Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; “and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
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An invisible, microscopic virus has put the world on hold. Somehow the news media, celebrities, influencers and the power elite are seemingly dumbfounded by this pandemic but offer very little on solutions and have an abundance of criticism. As we struggle to get back on our feet, our modern day Pharisees and Sadducees have taken the role of taskmasters by defining what is essential and what isn’t. When it comes to the activities that define our lifestyles, they feel, or should it be said, they believe it is their instruction and direction that should be followed and that divine intervention is not necessary.
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Courtesy of CNN
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN that “Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus. God did not stop the spread of the virus.” The comment came while officials of the state of New York could not explain the reason why their state, especially their largest city, New York City, was heavily decimated by COVID-19. Governor Cuomo went on to say, “We changed the trajectory of the virus by our actions. And that’s the real important lesson to me. The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Fate did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did that.” Many in the Christian community were surprised by his comments and then were confused by another comment the Governor made after a spike in fatalities jumped from 671 to 778 over the April 25th weekend of 2020. It was the third-highest number of deaths since the pandemic started. Gov. Cuomo said deaths appear to be slowing, demonstrating that “we can actually control the spread of the virus. Thank God we can control the spread.”
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Not thanking or acknowledging God and then giving thanks shows the instability of their wisdom or solutions when their faith in the Lord is not a priority in their lives. We are reminded of this in the book of James I;
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James 1:5-8 NKJV — If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
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Being lukewarm and self-serving is a trait that most people in the world are taking during a time of crisis. Entertainers and news agencies who have collectively displayed their dislike for the current administration in the White House and other government entities are now in support of totalitarian actions being taken to suppress the freedoms of its citizens. The intentions of the governing principalities may be noble from the onset but it also has become a way to acquire power and control for purely political gain.
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Courtesy of ABC
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Joy Behar, the liberal co-host on ABC’s “The View,” criticized Michigan protesters for refusing to blindly follow the state’s stay-at-home orders and said they should be willing to “sign away their right to treatment if and when they get infected.” Behar’s comments came after thousands of protesters materialized at the Michigan Capitol to call out the state’s order to keep businesses closed over the coronavirus threat. The protests included cars and was called “Operation Gridlock.”
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Threats like this coming from those who come into our living rooms on a daily basis are becoming too commonplace in our society. Coronavirus here, coronavirus there. The coverage is non-stop. Promoting and spreading fear to anyone who will lend an ear to hear. The “storm” is raging and people are running for safety forgetting that a shelter has been provided for them if they would only read the “score card” and see how easy it is to find that shelter named Jesus Christ.
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Jesus at the Door
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Revelation 3:20-21 NKJV — “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
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To find peace in this troubled time we must open up our hearts to the Lord and let Him in. This time of “self-quarantine” and “social distancing” is a perfect time to pray and draw closer to God. We must ask God’s Holy Spirit to re-energize us and give us the strength to go out and minister the loving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though the world may not understand what is essential in life, we as followers of Jesus believe that there is power in His Holy Name and victory in the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross at Calvary.
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File / Archive
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We are weathering the “storm” that is upon us now but we must realize that a larger “storm” is on the horizon called the Tribulation and it will test everyone’s beliefs and faiths. We are not there yet but it is closer than we think. Prayer does work and it is a direct line to the ears of God. The lost and ungodly may not believe it but we must stand for the Lord and keep His commandments for His truth shall set us free.
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John 14:27 NKJV — “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
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