Category Insights on Scripture

Junk Mail

Allen Frederick 1 Comment

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:13-15 (ESV)

Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny. Edwards, Tryon http://quotationsbook.com/quote/10739/

Several times a week I must clear it out of my mail box or it will pile up endlessly. Although I do not subscribe to any of these services, there seems to be no end to the number of advertisements awaiting my perusal in the weekly mail delivery. Try as I might, there appears to be no way to end this onslaught from these peddlers who invade my privacy without warning and without an invitation. Their incessant barrage into my home is unstoppable. I would like to pull the plug on these worthless paper- peddlers and forbid them access to my mail box. But alas there is nothing I can do to stop the inflow. The best I can muster is to clear out the mailbox and pitch the unwanted solicitations into the nearest garbage pail. Eventually all those offers will come back to haunt me from the landfills around the country. At least for now I am rid of the pesky things.

We are surrounded by messages each and every second. Our lives are bombarded with noise and triviality. We are constantly being solicited with thoughts and advertisements vying for our attention. This is why the Bible warns us to think only on those things that show merit and hold true lasting value. If I took the time to read every piece of junk mail that infiltrated my mail box, I would be spending time doing a worthless activity and I’d probably be tempted to spend hard earned money on some useless gadget or gizmo.

My virtual email box is even worse with the constant barrage of SPAM mail I get on a daily basis. This is even after the spam filter picks out a good bit of it. How many times am I going to get the same offer for this, that or the other business opportunity, or offers for augmentation of one portion of my anatomy or another. Never mind the fact that these are not always gender specific. I mean I get woman’s care product offers as well as male enhancement offers. Come see this, come do that, write to me and the list goes on and on and on.

 

 

Internet Security Barrier Antispam Sunbelt iHateSpam 4

Someone, somewhere has to have way too much time on their hands to be producing all this junk mail and spam email that circulates around the world. But they, like the producers of junk mail, know that there is a market for their services. Otherwise, they would not produce it. The sad facts are, if a message is repeated often enough and loud enough, it oft times supplants legitimate thought and reasoning. Advertisers know that if a person sees a message enough times and it is presented in a provocative enough way, many people will actually buy what they are advertising, whether they wanted it or not.

Thus is the nature of mass-marketing. Therefore junk mail purveyors will continue to produce their endless reams of merchandising paraphernalia. Oh how I wish there was a spam blocker for the US postal system.

Spiritual junk mail is just as real and pervasive as actual junk mail. Our minds are bombarded with sights and sounds, scents and sensations, each and every moment of our lives. Some of these thoughts are worthy of our attention but many are not worth the time it takes to ponder them. Yet we are constantly bombarded to the point of mental overload. Even our night thoughts have a tendency to be invaded through dreams and imaginations. Therefore it is important that we watch our thoughts carefully and on what things we spend time thinking about.

What we take the time to meditate on and ponder, become the thoughts that eventually lead us to take action. If we fill our conscious minds with worthwhile thoughts, then we can reasonably expect to produce worthwhile actions, but if on the contrary, we meditate on negative and evil thoughts, those too will eventually produce actions that could result in death – death to ourselves or others. Hate, lust, envy, murderous rage, greed and covetousness are all evil thoughts and produce a harvest of evil actions which produce evil results.

Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (GW)

The enemy of our souls, knows all too well that if he constantly pounds our thoughts with negative input, sooner or later our actions will start to represent those very same thoughts. Therefore it is important that we filter out these spiritual spam messages on a constant basis.

Mass marketers and satanic forces, both understand the power of rapid and consistent repetition. They both understand the human mind’s capacity to retain information, long after the initial exposure to the message is removed. It is those mind images, that make it imperative to wipe the hard-drive of our minds, clear of all negative images, on a regular and consistent basis. We must then replace the negative with what is wholesome and uplifting. If allowed to clutter our thoughts unabated, those negative images will eventually lead us to take action which will produce negative consequences.

If we do not clear the junk mail from our minds then, just like our mail boxes and computer inboxes, our minds will overflow with all those negative junk messages and crowd out anything meaningful and hopeful. It is imperative then, that we constantly battle junk and spam.

Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. Romans 12:2

So therefore, until there is no longer a market for their services, I will have to continually filter and discard spam and junk mail on a regular basis. Knowing that if I do not initially discard all these attempts to alter my behavior, I will become much more likely to act upon one or more of these offers and end up wasting money on some “too good to be true” offer which I would later regret having succumbed to. In spiritual matters the results of reacting to unsolicited offers could be deadly.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

 

 


 

 

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Zeros and Ones

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

blessed2c

010001000110111100100000011101000110100001100101001000000111011101101111011100

100110101100100000011011110110011000100000011000010110111000100000011001010

11101100110000101101110011001110110010101101100011010010111001101110100*

see end of article for translation of this binary string

Snowflakes!

“Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a coalmouse asked a wild dove.

“Nothing more than nothing,” the dove answered.

“In that case I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coalmouse said. “I sat on a fir branch close to the trunk when it began to snow. Not heavily, not in a raging blizzard. No, just like in a dream, without any violence at all. Since I didn’t have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,471,952. When the next snowflake dropped onto the branch–nothing more than nothing — as you say — the branch broke off.”

Having said that, the coalmouse ran away.

The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on peace, thought about the story for a while. Finally, she said to herself, “Perhaps there is only one person’s voice lacking for peace to come to the world.”

image Binary code is the language of computers. A series of instructions that tells the CPU how to handle the data stream. If you were to simply look at a binary code string you would see nothing more than zeros and ones. Unless of course you understood the basic language of a computer. 01000001 does not mean anything to the average person but in the hands of a computer programmer those ones and zeros spell out the capital letter ‘A’. To think a digital picture is simply a series of zeros and ones, on or off, yes or no, true or false. These are the basic instructions utilized by a programmer to get the desired output.

As Christians, we are part of a master plan much like those zeros and ones are a part of the binary code of a computer program. When lined up in the right sequence wonderful things can happen. What happens when one of those lines of computer code becomes corrupted? The whole program comes to a crashing halt. If a zero is supposed to be a one then instead of the predicted results you will get unpredictable outcomes.

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Just like one snowflake alone does not seem to make much difference when joined with other snowflakes, their combined weight of ‘nothing more than nothing’ can cause a pine branch to break. Zeros alone will not cause a computer to operate, but when you add just a single one you begin the journey toward a positive output.

As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist (be the one), fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5

Timothy admonishes us to endure hardships, to put up with opposition, to withstand the storms and fulfill the ministry set before us. Each of us, who have been redeemed from the curse of sin and death, have been placed in the body of Christ to do our part. We have gone from a zero to a one. It might appear that by yourself you seem so small and unable to accomplish much, but together with the rest of the body of Christ you are able to accomplish greater things than you could have imagined. Evangelism is simply each “one” making another “one”. Each on fire Christian ignites another. Simply turn an off to an on, a zero to a one.

How could one person chase a thousand or two people make ten thousand flee? Their rock used these people to defeat them and the Lord gave them no help. Deut 32:30 (GW)

Where else besides binary code can 4 = 100 or 27 = 11011? In scripture we find similar arithmetic where God was able to route thousands of the enemy by a few men of God because he fought with them. In His math 2 = 10000. So you do not have to be many, just be a one in the right place and God can do great things through you. Now if we all line up in our rightful positions in the body of Christ and be ‘THE ONE’ we will see great things of God accomplished for and through us.

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. Revelation 3:15

God does not want you to be a ZERO but to be number one. To be number one you simply have to be “turned on”. God desires for us to be hot not cold. He wants us to be “on fire” for Him and the work He has set out before us. Be the “one” placed where God can use you and watch how much happens when we hold our ground as “one” in the binary code of life. Or do nothing and be a zero, a place holder, turned off, and tuned out. The choice is yours, choose to be a “one”.

* translation to above binary code string is: do the work of an evangelist.

Evacuation Route: by Pam Davis

Allen Frederick 4 Comments

 

Evacuation Route
Image by Radio Rover via Flickr

With all the problems currently facing us on the economic front, with what seems like a tsunami of sorts swirling in over our heads as we try to stay afloat in the sea of financial uncertainty, I thought this article put into perspective what really is important in life.

 

Those facing a devastating hurricane must decide what is the most important things in their life to take with them, and what must be left behind. Those who fail to heed the emergency management warnings may face lose of life or serious injury.

The handwriting had been on the wall for quite some time that we were facing a financial house of cards. Those in authority to warn people in the path of its destruction did everything they could to hide the seriousness of the approaching storm from those who would later suffer the full brunt of the storms wrath. The only way to have avoided this particular storm was to not be in its path when the storm hit. Now those same officials who failed to warn the people are making matters worse by trying to cover-up their involvement in the house of cards construction and it’s later demolition. Congress would better serve the public if they actually had an EVACUATION plan in place that could be implemented instead of trying to cover their tracks.

Thank God the bible has an evacuation route already prepared for those who wish to listen. If we heed the warnings found in scripture we can build our financial homes on solid foundations and not upon sinking sand. If we heed the warnings found in scripture we can build our lives upon a sure foundation as well, and though the storms of life may buffet us, yet we can weather the storm because he have our priorities in order. If we heed these warnings we can plan our evacuation route long before the time comes when we need to implement the plan.

RAMONA, CA - OCTOBER 30: A real estate for sa...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

As the stock market continues to fall, as home values continue to decline, as the economy continues to falter, now is the time to take stock in what really is important in life and then rebuild upon that foundation so that you can escape future storms that are bound to come. Today is the day to plan your evacuation route and plan for the future using sound biblical foundational truths.

Guest author Pam Davis now presents: Evacuation Route

Life in The Sunshine State is not always a vacation paradise. Even there residents have to face the reality of nature. You take the bad with the good, where ever you live. In this case that means the possibility of Hurricanes. In recent years Florida had the fury of many. Their power, their destruction is embedded in memories. In a storms path Real Estate is leveled, communities and their people are scarred. When the Hurricane Warnings were issued the call rang out: “Evacuation Mandatory.” The Emergency Management authorities had done their work. The evacuation routes were prepared, streets and highways properly marked. If residents and tourists would follow the directions of authorities , they could leave the danger and flee to safety. Problems always develop when a evacuation is ordered. Many people underestimate the seriousness of the storms threat. They decide to stay put, hunker down, and ride out the storm. It can mean the loss of life or serious injuries.

 

Another problem faces those who do evacuate, as they face critical decisions of what to take with them., and what they must leave behind. We are often unaware what a “tight grip” our possessions have on us! At the approach of a Hurricane people are forced to meet this issue head on.

In the Spiritual realm a force more powerful than a Hurricane is lurking. Sin, Evil, Temptations, are all growing, building, gaining strength, as they approach. Do we have to see the destruction? Do we need to have our lives leveled, bear the scars forever? No! God has given us His Evacuation Route! He has made a way of escape.( I Corinthians 10:13) The choice is ours, stay where we are or flee to safety. Will we take “Seriously The Seriousness” of sin? Can we see it as God sees it, leading to death, Eternal separation from Him, for those outside of Christ? To Christians, will we face the reality that sin causes a break in our intimate fellowship with The Lord, and a loss of fruit bearing? Or, as those who decide to take their chances, and sit out The Hurricane, will we choose to “dig in our heels” and remain in the Approaching Storm of Discipline And Judgment?

OK, so if we do take the provided way of escape; what about our baggage? We are told to cast away our sin, anything that weighs us down in our race ahead.( Hebrews 12:1) Christ tells us that to those who leave all behind we will gain Eternal Life. We are also told not to look back..( Luke 9:62)

Our way of escape is always there, is always open. It is never stopped , due to a traffic jam, as evacuation routes often are. So, do not face the powerful Storms of life alone! As Hurricanes are named alphabetically, our way of escape is JESUS, THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, A-Z!

I am a wife of over 40 years, mother and proud granny. I was born in N.Y. State, currently reside in central AL. With a past career in Radio announcing our family lived across the nation, later worked in the child care ministry. Now, I am living the dream of writing. All things are possible!

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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The Luck of the Irish

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

image001A View from the Nest

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Insight from the Journey across the Sky

25 You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the promise that God made to our ancestors when he said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendant all people on earth will be blessed.’ Acts 3:25 (GW)

9 So people who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the man of faith. Gal 3:9 (GW)

Although I am half Irish I have to admit I am not what you would consider lucky. I do not recall ever winning a game of chance and do not even think about betting on a race or playing the lottery. If there is some sort of magic to luck then I am certainly no magician. Perhaps luck is a state of mind. If you think you are lucky does that help make you lucky? Do thoughts of winning games of chance improve your odds of actually winning? Can you ’Think and Grow Rich’ like the book title would indicate? Is there something magical about the Emerald Isle that translates into the Irish being lucky?

Perhaps, because I am not a full bloodied Irishman, my luck has yet to manifest. Perhaps I am only half lucky because I am only half Irish. I guess I should blame my mother for not marrying an Irish gentleman. Yeah that’s it blame it on genes. You would think it should be my heritage to be lucky like the Irish, considering I am part Irish. But alas the only thing Irish about me would seem to be my gift of gab, which I gather one gets from kissing the "Blarney Stone" which I really do not recall ever having done. Oh well, I am still partly Irish and that must count for something.

To be an Irishman one has to be born of Irish ancestry. To inherit Irish genes you must have Irish blood running through your family tree. Just by donning green apparel on St Patrick’s day does not make you Irish anymore than wearing a cross around your neck makes you a Christian. You have to be born Irish, and you must be born again to be a true heavenly citizen.

There are advantages to being a natural born citizen. I am a natural citizen of the United States but not a natural born citizen of Ireland. Although I have Irish blood running through my family tree I did not inherit the rights and privileges of a naturally born Irish citizen. I could not therefore go to Ireland and be treated like a citizen. I would have to apply for citizenship to the Emerald Isle in order to be eligible for the benefits afforded citizens. It is the same with my heavenly citizenship. I had to make an appeal, I had to follow the citizenship rules in order to be adopted into my heavenly family. Now since I have been adopted I can claim benefits afforded family.

My citizenship papers have been signed by the King of King and Lord of Lords. He has written my name in the membership list of all those who applied for citizenship into Heaven. I now belong to two worlds, this one and the one to come. DUAL citizenship! WOW I am a citizen of two worlds. I have two homelands, my current one and the one I will be traveling to one day.

Just like I am part Irish and part German, I can also say I am part sinner and part saint. I have sinners blood running through my veins but also the blood of Christ and the saints of old as well. I am both mortal and immortal because I have the promise of eternal life with my citizenship papers from Heaven. While here on earth I am only mortal. Not lucky perhaps. Not too bright perhaps. Not wealthy perhaps. But blessed none the less, because my new home is awaiting my arrival. It is a place where there is no need for luck, nor any need for wealth. I do not have to chase after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow because the one who placed the rainbow in the sky has promised me a home on golden streets. Now that is some POT OF GOLD wouldn’t you say?

I may not be considered lucky like some would call lucky, but I can truly say my life has been blessed since leaving behind my natural birthright and trading it for a new heavenly birthright.

So this St Patrick’s day I shall wear green for my Irish ancestry but I shall also wear the scars and stripes of my Lord and Savior who died for me so that I could become a citizen of the new earth. I may not be a lucky Irishman but I am surely a blessed man thanks to Jesus Christ.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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Length of Days

Allen Frederick 1 Comment

image001A View from the Nest

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Insight from the Journey across the Sky

>Pr 1 (RSV) My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;2 for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare will they give you. Proverbs 3:1-2

Springtime...
Image by bfcfranco via Flickr

Ah yes, spring is in the air. The days are starting to get longer and the sound of the song birds are again gracing the air. Flowers are starting to sprout everywhere I look, and dark threatening storm clouds are being replaced with the lazy fluffy-white clouds of spring.

 

I am so glad each year when spring rolls around. The dark grey nights of winter so dampen my spirit that I can hardly wait for spring’s arrival, when those dark nights give way to the much brighter spring days. The icy cold winter air is gradually replaced with warm spring-time breezes. Ah yes, springtime!

I guess the thing I like most about springtime is the longer days. I could not imagine living in a place that got less than eight hours of daylight each day. I can not imagine how those who live way up north can handle long periods of darkness. I enjoy the sun. I enjoy the warmth of it, the brightness of it, the glow it gives the earth. I am not a sun worshipper but I surely do prefer daylight to nighttime. I guess you could say I am a child of the light. J

Anyway while driving the other day I came to realize that the days were getting longer and I thought of this verse from Proverbs that speaks to length of days. I do not know about you but I really like long summer days when the sun remains in the sky ‘til way past eight o’clock in the evening. To be able to come home from work and still have several hours of daylight left to enjoy before night sets in, is a real treat.

The “spring time” of life should be relished and enjoyed because the darkness of old age moves fast upon us. When we remember to put God first in our life, and to honor His word and His ways, He promises us ‘length of days’. I am not saying it will be endless “springtime” but it surely sounds like the long, cold, dark, nights of winter will be kept at bay, at least in a spiritual sense.

I like taking God at His word. I have read and heard of the wonderful things he has done for those who put their full trust in Him. Therefore, I am claiming my extended spring time and the abundant welfare he promises. There is only one catch. I have to keep His commandments. With my whole heart, I have to obey His word. Then I will be able to see the length of days, full of the sunshine He promises in his word.

God causes the sun to rise and He surely can extend the daylight hours in our lives if we let him by adhering to His commands. If you take time to stop to think about what His word commands us to abstain from, they are all things we should avoid because they bring about a shortening of life. Wisdom dictates then if we obey the Lord’s commands things should go well with our life.

Of course even during the summer we have the occasional summer storm, but it is still nice to know that the sun will remain in the evening sky far later then it will during the wintertime. That is comforting. Let the length of days begin. J

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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Length of our days: Focus on Judaism and the personal life

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