Whose Am I

The title may seem a bit odd or weird, but whom we belong to matters.  I am not talking about individual’s parents, stepparents, adopted parents, or foster parents; I’m talking about the character of good or evil—the essence of principled values vs. unprincipled deficiencies that a person looks up to and heeds.

Ask yourself, “Whose am I?”  Are your needs met with blessings, or are you struggling, unsure and hesitant?  What entity are you spending most of your time with?  What spirit is directing your life?  Who do you think gives hope and comfort in times of need—Satan or God?  I ask these questions because I know you matter to God.  He loves you profoundly!

With whom have you decided to follow?  Whose are you anyway?  Jesus paid the price for sin when He died on a cross for humanity, whereas Satan is seeking those that he can devour and destroy their lives.  Do you think he would give his life for you or me?  If the answer is no, then why would a person give their life on earth and the hereafter for him?

Not only does a person’s physical makeup suffer on earth when serving the wrong master, the spiritual man will be totally dismayed and separated from God one day in everlasting darkness. 

Jesus offers eternal life in heaven where the light of the Lord shines forever, because He sincerely loves us and shed His blood on the cross for our transgressions.  He died to unite sinful mankind with a holy God.  What greater love is there than this?

Yes, it is certainly a great question to ask one’s self, “Whose am I?”  I want to belong to God Almighty and be able to call Him, Abba Father, which means, Daddy God.  When we accept His Son, Jesus, into our heart, we become sons and daughters of Father God.  We now belong to Him and are members of the family of God.

When you know Jesus as Lord, you can say with confidence that you belong to our Father in heaven.  (Whose am I) is answered with, “I know in Whom I believe!”  Jesus’s blood covers and protects us from our adversary the devil.  The evil one is the dearth that God fends off because we belong to Him.  We have hope in Jesus.  He removes the doubt of whose we are because His love indwells us.

(1 Corinthians 6:20) “For you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Written by,

Papa Boyd

When the Urge Hits

 

What does it mean, “When the urge hits?”  When I was a kid growing up in the bedroom community of Martinez, California, my Grandma Boyd taught me the significance and distinction between number 1 and number 2 when it came to going potty.  Funny, but this training has followed me into adulthood.

I had great bladder control in my youth so I would put it off and put it off until the urge really hit me and then I would run home lickety-split and barely make it to the bathroom in time.

Now, in my twilight years, when the urge hits me and Mother Nature is calling, I usually stop what I’m doing to “see a man about a horse,” as my Grandpa Boyd would say.

Every now and then my night sleep is interrupted when an urge hits me to pray for someone.  I believe there is no distance too great for prayers to span, in that God is omnipresent, which is being everywhere at the same time.  Afterall, He is God, and He can do anything.

As quickly as I awoke, I would easily fall back to sleep when my prayer had concluded.  There is power in prayer; it moves the hand of God when nothing else seems to work.  All we must do is ask and He will do the rest.

(Matthew 7:7, 8) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  Vs. 8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

I love to compose short writings and post them to my blog so that others may glean from my experiences and insight.  In the middle of the night, I have been awakened suddenly with an urge to write.  Inspiring thoughts were motivating me to rise from bed and jot down the ideas flooding my mind.

I have learned in the past that if I do not get up when the urge hits me, the thoughts are gone the next morning.  It is better to not put off something for another time lest a notion be lost because of sleepiness.

It is enjoyable to sit at my computer and reflect on the goodness of God and listen intently to what God is speaking in my mind.  At times it is difficult to keep up with words that are inundating my thought process, but it is rewarding none the less. 

The urge to write is so strong on occasion that it is joy unspeakable and full of glory when my senses are touched by God and the words are flowing like a fountain of living water.  It is amazing what an inquiring mind and open heart can hear and feel when a person turns off the TV, silences their phone, and ceases to search the internet for something that steals time.

To listen is gain, rather than doing all the talking or pounding the keyboard looking for websites to entertain and satisfy one’s curiosity.  Quiet time is the key to spiritual enlightenment.  It is wonderful when God is speaking, and I am tuned into His frequency. 

What better place to listen than the quietness of my home office to be caught up with enlightenment and awe as I quickly type on the keyboard, careful not to miss anything that the Holy Spirit is sharing with me.

As a side note, now and then I will go back and read thoughts contained in some of my writings, which bring tears to my eyes, because I know that God was speaking when I penned the words.  I figure if the content touches the author in this way, others can be touched as they read writings of hope.

When I was newly saved and allowing God to direct my life, while teaching me how to live an overcoming lifestyle, fresh ideas overflowed my mind and feelings came that I had never encountered before, like the time a sudden urge came over me to go into the carpenter’s hall.  It was a bit strange because rollcall was Monday mornings not Tuesdays…this was a Tuesday.

I had been out of work for a few weeks and was getting a little worried.  Building projects were slowing down, because of high interest rates.  I was faithful to check in for Monday rollcalls hoping there was a request for an apprentice carpenter on the bulletin board.  Contractors usually called the office on Mondays, the day when out of work carpenters were there.

The more I resisted the uncanny urge to go in, it became stronger and stronger until finally I had to yield to the puzzling impulse.  I whipped my truck around and headed toward the hall…only to realize later that the pressure I was feeling was the Holy Spirit directing me that day.  This experience was new to me.

I walked into the hall just as one of the union Reps. tacked up a request on the board for an apprentice.  No-one else was there but me.  It was the beginning of my understanding of how God speaks to His children—after all, I was now His child.  He was with me to meet my every need if I remained tuned into His voice and moved in faith.  God leads us into all truth.

I’ve had urges hit me to ask perfect strangers if I could pray for them.  These times were the most terrifying moments as a Christian, but never was I denied, by any person, to pray.  Not only had God laid it on my heart, but He also prepared them to receive an outsider's prayer as an answer to their need.

I did not know their need, but God did.  The Lord chose me to be His hand extended and then leave the rest to Him.  He is faithful and we must trust that His timing is perfect in all things.  

Feeling the urge to pray for someone is like the one I had when I drove to the union hall, which, I might add, landed me a job that lasted over a year—God’s blessings!  That experience of yielding to God and going into the hall was one of the most enlightening days I could have had.  It taught me to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, even when it comes to praying for people I don’t know.

Are you having an overwhelming urge to bow your head and talk to God?  Do it!  Ask for His touch in your life and believe that the urge you are feeling is God speaking.  He is ready to forgive your sins, heal your mind, and cleanse you from whatever is keeping you in bondage.  God can set you free when you call upon the name of Jesus.  Just try Him and see what happens.

(2 Corinthians 5:17, 18) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  Vs. 18 “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Written by,

Papa Boyd

Run the Race with Confidence

I ran track as a young teenager in high school.  My coach wanted me to try out for the 880-yard run, because I had long legs.  The distance was two laps around the football field.  This half mile was a strenuous race at a fast, grueling pace.  I was always exhausted at the end, but the reward of metals I received at meets made all the hard work at afterschool track-practice worth the effort that I put into it.  I had more endurance because of it.

The type of athletic shoes worn with cleated soles, and the wind sprints at practice and breathing techniques, prepared me to win.  My body was made strong for competition and I did well, because of good coaching and personal discipline. 

On occasion,  I experienced what is called a second wind.  It is the feeling of an exhilarating burst of energy that happens when a runner is becoming fatigued.  It is like a breath of fresh air or inhaling pure oxygen.  This sense of bliss was always welcomed when the going got tough.     

I could always hear Coach urging me on and calling out the elapsed time as I drew nearer to him on my first lap, which helped me pick up the pace.  I not only wanted to please him, I wanted to win the race.  He was always there to encourage me with, “You can do it!”

The attitude I demonstrated to Coach and my own state of mind played an important role in the success of each lap and the results at the end of the race.  I always had a made-up mind to endure to the end no matter what shape the track was in or what elements that I had to bear with regards to weather conditions.

Some schools that I competed at were lucky to have a football field or track at all do to the lack of funding in that district.  These unkept surfaces were less than desirable to run on, because of the ruts and unevenness that puddled at times due to the field sprinklers going off or passing rainclouds that dumped water the day before a big event.

The build-up of wet soil on my shoes made it difficult to turn a satisfactory time at the end of the race, but all runners had to tolerate the same degree of challenges as me.  The success or failure to place was dependent upon where the runners landed their feet on the track, careful not to twist an ankle or fall.  The amount of hard work and dedication that athletes did at practices to ready themselves for upcoming meets was invaluable. 

Preparation, both mentally and physically, had a lot to do with winning races.  My dad always said that a good mindset affected the end results of something wanted.  In essence, he was saying that if a person wants something bad enough, they will not give up when the going gets tough.  An “I can do it” attitude plays an important part in winning.

A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins.  Two more phrases that inspire me are: “Keep on keeping on,” and “Inch by inch anything’s a cinch.”  No matter what comes our way, if we maintain a healthy relationship with God and not give up, we will finish the course a winner when we pass from this life to the hereafter.  It takes watching where we place our feet on this road of life and looking out for pitfalls that are filled with the miry clay of sin.

The Lord is always encouraging us saying, “You can make it.”  He is there for us and never leaves us alone to run the race without having prepared us with His Word and breathing into us the breath of Life.  Jesus is at the finish line waiving us home to victory.  The Holy Spirit is our second wind when we become tired and face situations that test our faith.

Our existence on earth is a race.  Instead of receiving a metal at the finish line, we inherit eternal life in heaven as our reward.  Jesus will welcome us across the finish line and place a crown of righteousness on our head, because we endured till the end.  I believe that He will embrace us and exclaim, “Well done!” 

Though metals were nice to display on my varsity sweater for the wins in 880-yard runs, a robe of purest white will be mine along with a crown of sonship, which will be the ultimate prize for finishing the course.

Though ruts of temptation surround me, and the mire of sin tries to slow me down, my healthy relationship with Jesus always provides the stamina I need to finish the race-of-life.  Keeping my eyes on the finish line and Who is cheering me on, gives me the wherewithal to keep on keeping on.  I desire to please the Lord in all things, and yes, I want to win the prize.

The reward at the end is what matters, not the circumstances we face on the journey.  It will be worth it all when we see Jesus and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of the Lord.”

When I cross the finish line and break the blood-stained ribbon, it will be a reminder of the sacrifice that Jesus endured on the cross for my successful run.  He paid the price for sin when He willingly shed His blood and died for you and me.

(John 15:13) “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

With our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, our lungs filled with the breath of God, and our eyes focused on Jesus, all will bring a victorious win in the race we are running.

(2 Timothy 4:7,8) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  Vs. 8 “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

To be a winner takes discipline and courage to follow the Ten Commandments of God, which make the race a successful one.  Remember, Jesus was and is a perfect example of discipline and obedience to Father God, while obeying the Ten Commandments.  He is our example.

If anyone ran the race with purpose, Jesus did.  He endured to the end, thus, teaching us that all things are possible when we trust in God.  Our hope of finishing the race will become reality one day.  We will see God face to face.  Wow!  There is no greater prize than this!  Thank you, Jesus, for making it possible for me to behold the Creator of all things!  I am His child, because of You!

(1 John 3:2) “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Written by,

Papa Boyd

Does It Really Matter

 

Is there such a thing as a little, white lie?  Of course, there is, but the question should be, “Is it the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”  If the answer is no, then I guess it must be a lie any way you look at it. 

Where does a person draw the line where honesty is concerned, or a more sobering question, “Where does God draw the line?”  Does He wink at white lies and look the other way?  Does He overlook it like it does not matter?

One thing is constant and sure, God is holy.  He is perfect in all ways as was His Son Jesus when He walked the earth.  I believe that God expects us to strive for perfection, because the moment we sin, we may be taking a step away from a holy God.

My desire is to draw as close to God as I can, but I am not naïve to think that I have reached the pinnacle of perfection.  I do not think there is a day that goes by that I do not call out to the Lord for help and forgiveness for my folly.  I feel like a child at times that misbehaves and needs to be reconciled with their earthly father or mother.

The Holy Spirit makes me aware of my reckless behavior by convicting me when I step out of line.  He makes me cognizance of my shortcomings.  God desires that I mature and repent, thus, being reconciled to Him, our Heavenly Father.  I do not want to crucify Christ afresh and put Him to an open shame by sinning.

(Hebrews 6:4-6) “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,” Vs. 5 “and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,” Vs. 6 “if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

The Holy Spirit reminds me of my responsibility as a child of God to let the light of Christ shine brightly before others that they can see the glory of God in me.  It is only by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, that those around me can be touched for the cause of Christ.  My righteousness is as filthy rags, but God forgives sin when we ask Him to do so.

(Isaiah 64:6) “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness’s are like filthy rage; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

(1 John 1:9) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The above scripture is God’s promise to us.  Without forgiveness, no one can see God, because sin is enmity to Him.  He hates sin of any kind, because sin is sin; there is no in-between areas acceptable to Him.  It is like a pregnant woman—she is, or she is not. 

The fact of the matter is this; yes, God hates sin, but He loves the sinner so much that He gave His only Son to die on a cross for the salvation of mankind.  Jesus paid the full price for our redemption when He willingly died for our sins.  Though we misbehave, we can be reconciled with Father God when we confess our sins.  He forgives us, because of Jesus.

This manifestation of love is called grace.  God is merciful and wants us to be with Him in heaven.  God’s grace is sufficient for everything we face in life.  He is our strength and high tower.  In Him we are made complete. 

No longer do we have the stigma of sin buffeting us each day, because they have been thrown into God’s sea-of-forgetfulness…never to remember them against us again.  This is how Christians walk in peace—it is the peace of God that passes all understanding.

God’s ways are far beyond our ways and higher than any intellectual personality.  Natural thinking measures lies on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a downright, dirty lie and 1 being a tiny, trivial, white lie.  But remember, it is impossible for God to lie at any degree or level on the “honesty scale.”

Each promise in the Bible that God and Jesus declared to people like you and me is truth and nothing but the truth.  None of them are little, white lies.  If God said it, He will do it!  We need not fret and lose hope if the answer is not immediate?  Giving God a chance to work out the situation is key.  Discouragement, giving up is the lack of faith.  Maintaining proper focus on Him and not the problem is called faith.

(Hebrews 11:1) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

It is the ability of our finite mind to trust the honesty of God.  He is infinite…limitless in power and love.  It is just impossible for our Heavenly Father to lie to His children.  It will not happen.  We can believe with confidence, knowing that God is touched by the feelings of our infirmities.  We can call upon Him and trust that He has all things in His control.  We can walk in peace because you and I matter to Him.

(Philippians 4:6,7) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” Vs 7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The next time I am tempted to tell a little, white lie, I will ask myself, “What would Jesus do?”  No doubt this will give the answer.  Little, white lies matter to God.  Though He may frown on the times we slip and fall, yet He forgives our trespasses when we ask Him to do so.

God does not take pleasure in chastising us, but when necessary, in love He will do what is needed to get our attention to help us become more like Jesus.  His way of helping us grow spiritually is not like some parents raising their children, “Do as I say, not as I do.” 

The kindness of the Lord leads us to repentance, which allows reconciliation that removes the fear of punishment.  We again feel the tender embrace of compassion from Father God.  Once more we are reminded that He loves us with a never-ending love.

The Lord encourages repentance, which helps us grow in grace, rather than allowing us to continue practicing bad habits.  It matters to God, which path we travel.  He is perfecting us in the image of Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth.

(Proverbs 3:11,12) “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction;” Vs. 12 “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

My example of telling a white lie is only a clumsy way in trying to encourage you to be mindful of how to keep an open communication with God.  When we endeavor to please Him and put aside questionable situations and attitudes, it negates the chance of a rift developing between He and us.

We will walk in newness of life and experience the blessings of Almighty God.  When we draw nigh to Him, He draws nigh to us.  It is like taking one step toward Him, while He is taking two toward us.

Does it really matter how we live our life?  Yes, it matters to God, even when we tell little, white lies.

Written by,

Papa Boyd

When Storms Abound

 

A couple of days ago was quite unnerving to say the least.  It was a blustery day with strong winds and driving rain.  Trees toppled and telephone poles broke under the gale-force winds leaving thousands of people without power to heat their homes and sustain perishables in refrigerators.  It was just one more negative event to add to the perils of Covid-19.

Fences blew over, trees fell across houses, cars, and power lines, which made life more unbearable for many people.  As if corona virus were not enough to deal with…people losing their jobs and business, and not having enough money to buy food or pay bills.

I am old and have never seen such unrest and uneasiness around me.  There is so much going on in our government, riots in the streets of America, murders and mayhem throughout the land, while hatred is taking center stage.  The United States of America is becoming a scary place to live and call home.

People are buying guns like there is no tomorrow, because of fear.  Chaos is on every hand, but I do not have to tell you what you already know.  It is how a person handles stress and fear that matters most to the wellbeing of mind, body, and soul.

We need not allow fear to dictate our emotional state of mind, because love casts out all fear.  When we put our trust in God and reassure ourselves that He cares about every predicament we face, fear takes a back seat, becoming subject to the Spirit of God.  The Lord takes up all the room in our heart where fear wants to abide.  He pushes it out and removes it all together.  There is no chamber left in which fear can hide.

(1 John 4:18) “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

Fear reveals itself in many ways.  Hording food and toilet paper, buying generators and storing several cans of gasoline, while remaining behind locked doors to prevent Covid-19 and unwanted intruders from entering are signs of fear.

Watching daily news on television can worry a person, because of all the negative happenings around the world.  Our hope lies in Jesus Christ who overcame the world and provided a way to remain calm during stressful situations.  All power rests in the name of Jesus.  When we speak His name, fear and distress dissipate, and hope arises.

God always makes a way were there seems to be no way when we put our trust in Him.  He leads and guides into all truth and will never leave nor forsake us, because our hope is not in mankind or what the government can do for us, we are sustained by the Holy Spirit, our Comforter.  Hope is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

When we feel like screaming at the top of our lungs and giving up, because of worry, stress, and just the everyday pressures of life, remember, there is One who is bigger than your problem.  The Lord will meet your need when you call upon Him. 

When the blustery storms of life blow your way and you do not know which way to turn, lift your eyes toward heaven and speak the name of Jesus and then believe that He hears your petition, because He will calm the storms in your life if you trust Him to do so.

(Hebrews 4:15,16) “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  Vs. 16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The preceding scripture is telling us that God sympathizes with His children and will come to their assistance in time of need.  What greater promise can a person have than this?

Written by,

Papa Boyd