God

A Statistic

Valerie Cullers 7 Comments

Several years ago, I went to Portland for a seminar. At the end of the first day, my friends and I were walking to dinner after dark. We came to a street without a lot of traffic. They crossed ahead of me. I started out when suddenly the light changed, and several cars began coming my way. I stopped in the middle of the street and froze. Time stood still. I knew at any moment I could be hit by a car, that I would soon be just a statistic. I waited a while, and finally, the traffic stopped and the light changed. I was then able to cross. I will never forget how my life was spared that evening.

Have you ever been in a situation like that? You know that without some kind of intervention, you would not have made it out alive? I bet everyone who has a few decades under their belt can recall such an incident. Do we write the experience off as dumb luck, the luck of the draw, or perhaps something more supernatural? I believe the Lord intervenes in our lives to spare us from life-threatening situations. In fact, the Scripture says: “Our God is the God of salvation, and to God the Lord belong escapes from death.” Psalm 68:20 In other words, we can always attribute our rescue to the Lord when we have come through one of these experiences.

Does it surprise you that a loving God would look down on you and save you from something so lethal? I believe He loves each one of us and sends His angelic protection time after time to save us. More often than not, we have no idea that this is happening while we go about our daily lives.

What do we think that this loving God might want in return? When I was younger, I was taught that God wanted me to know Him, love Him and serve Him. That was pretty easy to understand even for my six or seven year old brain. But how do we do that, and where do we start?

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The first place we need to begin is to acknowledge the fact that there is a God and that He does indeed exist. Several years ago, that may have been an accepted fact in most circles, but not today. Statistics run the gamut from those who do believe in God (not necessarily a personal one) to those who believe in a Cosmic Force and then down the line to those who definitely fall on the side of agnosticism or atheism.

Where do you fall on the belief spectrum…personal God, impersonal God, Cosmic force, perhaps no God, or definitely no God at all? Wherever you fall on that spectrum, why not explore the possibility that there may be a personal God who cares for you? Think back over your life and think about the times you have been spared from some life-altering or threatening event. Perhaps there is a personal God who has looked after you all these years, One who is looking after you right now and who would like you to come to the place where you do indeed acknowledge or believe He exists. That would be a good place to start.

Delusion

Valerie Cullers 6 Comments

Delusion – 1. a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions. 2. the action of deluding or the state of being deluded. Oxford Languages

I have had a deep concern lately about deception, especially about the deception that will be coming on the world in the near future. I have already talked about AI. The advancements it has made in the past year are staggering. I have recently seen videos that have been produced by AI that are realistic and almost impossible to tell they were computer generated. For a point of reference, think about the movies you have seen in recent years with their computer generated images. Didn’t the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park seem real? What about the scenes in Star Wars? Those movies were made decades ago and think about the advancement that has been made since then. Now with AI, soon you could watch a person on a newscast with a computer generated image give you the “news,” and you will not be able to tell if it is real or not. Sound too futuristic? Believe me, it’s coming.

Yes, yes, yes, you may say to me…so what? I would say to you that that is just one level of deception that is on the horizon. There is even a deeper level of deception, i.e., delusion, that will affect the people of the world. As many have rejected God and His word, they will be open to the delusion that God Himself will send upon them. As they have rejected the real Savior, they will readily accept the false Christ that is coming to “save the world.” As we read in 2 Thessalonians verses 9-12, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

How scary is that…that a holy and righteous God will actually send people strong delusion to believe the lie? And what lie is this, you might ask? Well, there will be one coming who will look like a man of peace, a man who can solve all the world’s problems, and people will believe him. At one point, he will declare himself to be the God and Savior of the world, and he will be satanically energized and show the world all power, signs, and lying wonders with all unrighteous deception. Sounds pretty far out, doesn’t it? But just think about it.

Already we have people searching for someone who can bring peace to the world; one who can solve all the world’s problems. At the moment, they are thinking in political terms. Where is the person who can bring peace to the Middle East, stop the war in Ukraine, solve the food shortages, put an end to the violence, and have a solution to the economic problems? I know people who are looking at certain political figures and believe their guy is the one who can do it.

When we are looking for a human to provide the world’s answers, we are only a step away from accepting the man who will come on the world scene, one who looks and acts the part. It is not too far out to think that people will fall at his feet. Think about what Paul-Henri Spaak, former Belgian Prime Minister and Secretary General of NATO said, “We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him.” He made this statement decades ago before the world was in the state it is in right now.

This man is coming on the scene, the world is looking for him. The Bible says he will come, and I believe he is alive today, waiting in the wings to fulfill his role in the end times. It is important that we know these things ahead of time so that we can make the right choices now while we still have the chance.

Photo by Gerd Altman, courtesy of Pixabay.

Discernment ~ the Antidote for Deception

Valerie Cullers 29 Comments

Deception – 1. the action of deceiving someone, 2. a thing that deceives. The Oxford Language Dictionary

We live in a world cloaked in deception. In every area of society, lies are told as truth and then expected to be believed. Whether it is in the political, educational, social, or spiritual arena, we are fed lies daily. How do we sort through the fog and get to the truth? Well, for sure, we are going to have to do some digging to find the truth. However, sometimes the lies are so egregious that we wonder how those telling them can say them with a straight face. What we really need is discernment as we make our way through this miasma. What is called for is discernment.

Discernment – 1. the ability to judge well 2. (in Christian contexts) perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding. The Oxford Language Dictionary

Some of the lies we are being told are so obvious we can reject them outright. Others are presented by the media in a way that is portrayed as positive when, in reality, it is just the opposite. Have you ever seen a movie where people are hooking up with one another? It is just a bunch of fun and portrayed as normal. What could be wrong with a simple one-night stand? No one ever mentions pregnancy, STDs, or the emotional wreckage that can go along with the negative consequences of this type of behavior. A person needs discernment, i.e., the ability to judge well, before engaging in this kind of behavior.

What about the lies that are told daily in the political arena? “Age doesn’t matter,” The border is secure,” and “We care about crime,” are just a few we hear spouted daily and are obviously untrue. One doesn’t need much discernment to know they are lies; we just need to open our eyes and see what is going on around us to discover the truth.

Soon, we will need more than human discernment to pierce through the deception that is coming in the spiritual arena. We will need the discernment that only the Holy Spirit can give to be able to sort out the truth. Jesus warns us over and over in Matthew 24 to watch out for deception. It will be the hallmark of the end of the age. Many will be sucked into and fall for the spiritual deception that is coming. As they look for a savior to bring the world peace, they will fall for those who pretend to have the answers to the world’s problems. Jesus said in Matthew 24:24: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”

For your own sake, don’t wait until these things come upon the world, seek the Lord now while He may be found. Get in His word and discover the truth for yourself. Pray for the discernment that only the Holy Spirit can give so you will not get sucked into the lies that are coming just over the horizon.

Photo by Stefan Keller. Courtesy of Pixabay.

Reductive

Valerie Cullers 9 Comments

Have you ever used the word reductive? Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines it as, “of, relating to, causing or involving reduction.” When you use it in a non-scientific sentence, you are talking about reducing something or someone. I have been thinking about that term in relation to Jesus.

You see, Jesus claimed to be many things. The most astounding claim He made was that He was in fact, God’s Son, and one with the Father in essence. His words, not mine, “I and My Father are one.” John 10:30 The one cardinal doctrine in mainline Christianity is that Jesus, God’s Son, is in fact, also God.

Any other characterization of Jesus is reductive. Some claim He was a prophet. Some believe He was the finest man who ever lived. Several offshoots of Christianity believe Jesus was an angel. Some Eastern religions believe He was an Avatar, a special being who came to earth to enlighten mankind. None of these definitions are inherently bad, they are just reductive. They reduce Jesus to something less than He claimed to be.

When deciding who Jesus is, we must take His claims seriously. He is either who He claimed to be or He is a liar. There is really no other choice. If you have decided that Jesus is something less than He claimed to be, then please, read the Gospels and make an informed decision. Is He the Son of God, i.e., one in essence with the Father, or not? Any other opinion about who He really was is reductive.

Image by Jeff Jacobs. Courtesy of Pixabay

If Man-Kind Were Kind

Valerie Cullers 31 Comments

soldier-870372_640Image by Skeeze. Courtesy of Pixabay.

If Man-Kind were Kind, most of the problems in our world would be solved. We would no longer hate each other or covet what someone else has. We would share what we have with those around us, and there would be little lack. There would be no wars, killing, stealing or lying. 

If Man-Kind could make himself Kind, he would have fixed the world a long time ago.  Alas, his best efforts have not produced the desired effect. All of his good thoughts, vibrations, and even his best political efforts have not borne fruit and made the planet a better place to live. If Man-Kind could make himself Kind, the United Nations would be a phenomenal success, and we would be living in a world filled with peace and harmony.

Truth be told, Man-Kind is not Kind and is not able to fix himself. A heart beats within him that is filled with envy, jealousy, and selfishness. He literally needs a miracle to be the Kind of Man he needs to be.

Is there a Kind of MAN who can make Man Kind? There is, the God-Man Jesus. He is the one Kind of MAN who can miraculously give us a new heart; one that is filled with the power to be Kind. 

Since Man-Kind is not Kind, why not give the Kind of MAN a try who can make Man Kind?

The Mystery of Prayer

Valerie Cullers 53 Comments

Those of us who have prayed over the years know that prayer is a mystery. Having read many books on the subject, done many Bible studies and spent literally hours praying, I should have a pretty good understanding of the subject. But the truth is, I don’t. I’ll share what I have learned and what I think I know about prayer.

pexels-photo-267748.jpeg

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

What I have found is that prayer seems to be answered in three ways: Yes, No, or Wait. Let’s take the first, when prayer is answered with a “Yes.” I have seen God work in miraculous ways. I have seen Him heal the sick, raise those who were practically dead from their sickbed, provide jobs, spouses, cars, you name it. It is always a glorious thing when God answers in the affirmative, and it feels great to have participated in prayer when I see those kinds of answers. 

Next, there are those times when God doesn’t answer in the affirmative. The person does not get healed, those who are terminally ill die, a person doesn’t get the job, car or whatever was prayed for. In other words, there is a resounding “No” to the prayer. That doesn’t feel good, and I often wonder why. I know God is on his throne and He doesn’t owe me any explanation, but still I wonder. Some people may tell me I didn’t have enough faith, but I know that isn’t true. I had the same amount of faith when I prayed for other things that were answered in the affirmative. Others may tell me that there must be some sin in my life, or else God would have answered my prayer. I know that is not true either. Yes, God will not hear my prayers “if I regard iniquity in my heart,” but in general, there is always some element of sin in my life. Every thought I think is not one hundred percent pure and loving, and every word I say is not either. That’s the way it is, and no matter how hard I try, that is the way it will always be until I go to be with the Lord. The truth is, in prayer, I can ask God for things, but I am in no position to “tell” God what to do. He is still in charge of the universe and sees the big picture. I am not in charge, I do not see the big picture, and I must submit myself to this truth. I know I can trust Him and that He is still on His throne when the answer is “No.”

Third, there are those times when God seems to be silent and no answer is forthcoming. A lot of times, I have the sense that I have been put on hold, and the answer will come about when the time is right. But when will the time be right? When will I get the job, the promotion or whatever I have been asking for? Of course, the answer is up to God, but usually the answer has something to do with me and my character. Many times, God is waiting on me for my character to develop so that He can put me in a position of greater authority and responsibility. If He allows me into that position too soon, I may fail because of a lack of character development. These are the hardest prayers to wait for, but they are the most necessary. I need to wait patiently during those times and participate with God when He is working on my character. Over the years, I have learned that I do not want to be put in a position of responsibility that is greater than my ability to handle it. When the answer turns to a “Yes,” I am thankful that He made me wait until the time was right.

Prayer is a mystery, and there is no way that I understand all there is to know about it. I will continue to trust God and to pray for things, knowing that I will get an answer, even if it is not the answer I am hoping for.

What about you? What have you found out about prayer? How has your understanding of the subject changed over the years? Let me know so that we can collectively learn together.