The Melody of the Holy Spirit

Two Worlds

There is the natural world, which we have inherited from Adam, and there is the Spiritual world, which we have received from God.

The natural world consists of our self-centered and sinful selves, the ways of the world, and the influence of Satan. The Spiritual world is the Spirit of God and His involvement in His creation.

Throughout the day, we choose in which world to live. When we press our own way or call someone names, we’re choosing the natural world. If, on the other hand, we lend a hand to someone less fortunate than ourselves in Christ’s name, we’re choosing the Spiritual world.

Which world are you going to choose as you walk through this day?

David Wilkerson, God is Faithful, October 10

“A humble person is not one who thinks little of himself, hangs his head and says, “I am nothing.” Rather he is someone who depends wholly on the Lord for everything, in every circumstance. He knows the Lord has to direct him – and that he is dead, ineffective and useless without that direction. ”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you, Jack. You were reading the Bible like a novel. You started in the beginning and planned to read straight through to the end. That’s a terrible plan.”

Jack took on the manner of an unruly student. He was resistive and combative. “Then what is a good plan?”

Jack unfolded his arms and gazed at a stained glass window on the west wall. Manny counted the organ pipes at the front of the chapel. They took a two-minute break to return to a calmer state of mind. That gave the Holy Spirit time to work on both of them.

Manny continued in a soft voice. “I’d suggest you start with the Gospel of John in the New Testament and Genesis in the Old. Read back-and-forth between the two. After that, read through Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the New Testament and Exodus, Psalms, and Isaiah in the Old. Use the same back-and-forth technique. We can discuss where to go after that. If you search online for Read through the Bible in a year, you’ll find all sorts of plans.”

From Finding the Safest Place on Earth https://bit.ly/SafestPlaceonAmazon

BY WHAT AUTHORITY, John 2: 18 & 19

“Then the Jews demanded of him (Jesus), ‘What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this.’

“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.'”

In other words, why should we believe Jesus? He gives us the answer Himself, “Because I rose from the dead.” And we too will rise from the dead to a heavenly home if we put our faith in Jesus. It’s that simple.

This is the link to purchase Safest Place on Amazon. The other wasn’t. Sorry.

bit.ly/SafestPlaceonAmazon

ABOUT THE BIBLE BEING THE WORD OF GOD

“The Bible was written over a period of roughly two-thousand years by forty different authors from three continents who wrote in three different languages. Shepherds, kings, scholars, fishermen, prophets, a military general, a cupbearer, and a priest all penned portions of Scripture. Yet, despite this miscellany assortment of writers and settings, the Bible displays a meticulous consistency. It never contradicts itself or its common theme.

“That could only happen if the real author of the Bible were not forty natural men but God Himself, working through His Holy Spirit to inspire every one of them. The common thread running throughout the Bible is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The Old Testament prophets wrote about Someone in the future without knowing in their natural selves Who exactly they were writing about.”

From Finding the Safest Place on Earth Purchase at https://bit.ly/SAFESTPLACE

We have sinned against you, Lord, as a nation, a state (MN), a city (Buffalo), and as individuals. We have gone our own way. We have done what we ought not to have done. We have left undone that which we ought to have done.

Send us a prophet, O Lord, who will deliver a message of revival into our land in this time. Deliver us from the hands of Your enemies and ours.

Oh my Father, I confess that I was not pure in heart yesterday regarding my relationship with You, nor was I poor in spirit. I did not search for You with all my heart and with all my soul. I did not listen to You through all the watches of the day.

Instill in me a pure heart today that I may follow You without hesitation or deflection and that I may trust in You with all my heart and all my soul and with all my spirit, as I look forward to that glorious day when I will see You face to face for all eternity.

Coffee on the Couch, Part 2

Part 2 of my interview on Coffee on the Couch is now live. The link is

https://bit.ly/coffeeonthecouchpart2

In this podcast interview, Chris (the host) and I cover the following books:

The Bible Revealed in 10 Stories

How I escaped from Depression

Arm in Arm with the Holy Spirit

If you missed the first podcast, this is the link for that.

https://bit.ly/coffeeonthecouch

I got to know the host of this podcast, Chris laFreniere, and will be publishing a book by him called Bipolar Is Who I Am, which will come out by the end of this year.

A Most Important Question

Years back, when I was visiting my mother in a nursing home in Hankinson, North Dakota, I asked her a question to make sure she would be safely tucked away in heaven when she died.

“Mother, if you died tomorrow and were standing outside the gates of heaven, and St. Peter asked why he should let you in, what would you say?”

My mother was a Catholic of great faith, who was choir director of Holy Rosary Church in Detroit Lakes for decades, was the soloist for Bobby Vee’s and Karen Bergen’s wedding, was a prayer warrior of deep conviction, fed transients who came to our back door for food, and was otherwise a very caring and loving person. I was uneasy that she might have brought up all the heavenly works she did to earn her way into heaven, as if anyone could earn their way into heaven by good works. If that were possible, there would have been no reason for Jesus to be crucified.

My mind was put at ease when she said, “I’d point to Jesus and say to St. Peter, ‘Because He loves me and I love Him.'” Essentially, she was saying, “Not because of anything I’ve done but because of what Jesus did for me.”

Over the years, I’ve asked different people why they wanted to go to heaven. Too often the answer has been that they want to see their dear mother, Uncle Louie, a child that died too soon, a spouse of 50 years, or talk to Mother Theresa. “How about seeing Jesus?” I sometimes ask. The answer is often something like, “Well, I guess I’d like that too.”

How about you? What would you say to St. Peter if you died and he asked you why he should let you in?