Wind in the Face

KJV John 3:
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound hereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Do I like to ride? There is a certain freedom about mounting the saddle of a motorcycle. Many say it is the modern day horse. Many times the westerner would put foot in stirrup and just go for a wander.
"Where are you going friend?"
With a wave of the hand, "That way!"
It is all right as a Christian to just go that way. We do not always have to have our lives planned out. We do not always have to have a purpose in a journey other than taking the journey. Sometimes it is so satisfying to just wander towards a destination.
Just being with Jesus. No particular objective in mind, just being with Him. Being with Jesus does not always have to involve speech. You do not always have to have a running dialogue with Jesus. What is important is "being with" Jesus.
"Being with" just means that you are in the moment giving attention to that moment or more specifically, giving your full attention to the person you are with. So when you are "being with" Jesus you give your full attention to Him by "being in the Spirit".
"Being in the Spirit" is nothing mystical or hard to do. Jesus gave us a hint:

KJV John 7:
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

"Being in the Spirit" is simply a connection with Jesus by allowing your mind to be focused on your spiritual center of your body, your belly. An area just below your navel. Try allowing your conscious mind to focus on the spiritual center. It is quite a peaceful, fulfilling sensation.
This would be the primary way of "being with" Jesus. It does not mean that you block everything else out, it means that you become engrossed in Jesus while going about your every day life, fully aware of what you are doing yet "in" Jesus.
It is kind of like praying without ceasing:

1Th 5:
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19 Quench not the Spirit.

When I ride I have more than the physical wind in my face, I have Jesus with me in a very real, tangible way.
Today and every day may you be blessed with the presence of Jesus. May you become immersed in "being with" Jesus.
Love and blessings to all.

How Do You Respond to Adversity?

Found this in the latest Bob Harrison Newsletter. This is an incredible true story.

A LONG RIDE TO HARVARD UNIVERSITY

A Los Angeles teenager was one of the most unlikely people to be selected to attend Harvard University, let alone be awarded a “Full-Ride Scholarship.”

Donald Trump once made the following statement:

“The # 1 key to being a successful business person is how you respond to adversity.”

If that statement is correct, then Khadijah Williams has great success ahead of her. A front page article in the Los Angeles Times describes her journey to Harvard University.

As long as she can remember, Khadijah has floated from shelters to motels to armories. In 12 years time she has attended 12 schools while living out of garbage bags among pimps and drug dealers.

When shelters closed or money ran out, she and her mother would pack what little they had and board buses to find housing elsewhere. Khadijah had to learn how to hunt for her next meal, find the nearest bus routes and determine what was a secure place to sleep.

When she was in her junior year of high school, she had to commute by buses from an Orange County armory to school in Los Angeles. She awoke at 4:00 a.m. and returned at 11:00 p.m. Yet in spite of all the challenges, she was able to keep her grade-point average just below a 4.0 (straight A's).

Her secret? At every stop, she pushed herself in each school's gifted student program. She was diligent in her studies, plus she read four to five books a month. In addition, she reached out for assistance to organizations and mentors.

Her reward? A full scholarship to Harvard University.

There is no promise that life is going to be absent of adversity and challenges. However, our response to these negative seasons will determine whether we will fade off into the memories of a distant past or continue to live a life of meaning and impact.

INCREASE THOUGHT How well do you respond to adversity? INCREASE VERSE “The trouble of the passing hour may result in a solid glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Here I sit scratching my head and wondering how one would address a veritable plague among Christians, that being depression.
In my years as a Christian I have suffered very deep bouts of depression. The worst that I remember is in Nov. of 1983. I was a brand new Christian. Shortly after I was Born Again, I went into a deep dark hole of depression. Every day seemed as if there was a spiritual night surrounding me. Everything was dark. I remember sighing a lot and just happy that the day was over and I could retreat into sleep. It was horrid! I felt so alone and helpless. I figured no one would understand and be able to help me and I was right.
Fortunately for me I snapped out of it in less than 2 weeks.
We like to blame the devil for more things than it (remember that satan is only an angel and an angel has no gender) is responsible for. Saying that it is the devil and that you can pray him away has no meaning to a person that is deep in the pit of depression. That person can hardly breath let alone think of how to get out of where he is at. That person will look at you, sigh and walk away. This scripture will help to explain what I mean:

James 2:
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the
body; what doth it profit?

It might seem a bit harsh nevertheless that is how a depressed person would feel. I know because I have been there. It is like giving a drowning man a heavy stone to hold.
Do any of these dictionary explanations resonate with you?

Psychology A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death. Also called clinical depression.

Psychiatry. a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason.

Clinical Depression

–noun

Psychiatry. a depression so severe as to be considered abnormal, either because of no obvious environmental causes, or because the reaction to unfortunate life circumstances is more intense or prolonged than would generally be expected.

Many people in Christian ranks hide their depression because they think it is shameful not to be a perfectly happy Christian all the time. Their smile is on the face while the tears are in the eyes ready to flow.

Let me give you all hope IT IS OK TO BE HUMAN!!

Part of our humanity is occasional bouts with depression whether they are caused spiritually or otherwise. Jesus made us the way we are: human. We are not an angel or are we Jesus.

Psalm 8:
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

We know that this is talking about Jesus. Jesus took on human form for a brief time here on Earth and by doing so took on all the attributes of His creation, man. He knows what we are or will be going through. He know about depression. That is why He has given us other people to lean on and help us through.
Let me proclaim that it is OK to feel depressed and lean on others. Now here is the qualifier; as long as you do not use it to draw others into your emotional state or use it to gain attention. Harsh?? Well we as humans can use depression as a tool to satisfy our deepest needs of love and acceptance. In that case there is no desire to get out of depression only to stay in it to satisfy OUR desires.
Having said that let is be said that we spend so much time focusing on the problems (sin, world, flesh) that we lose our focus of making it to heaven by just being a Christian.

KJV Luke 10:
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Martha focused upon the problems while Mary focused upon the solution or the object of the quest: Jesus and being a great Christian.
The "Parable of the Sower" is the same thing, focusing upon the wrong thing.
I was given this quote a while ago; "What you focus upon expands." That is exactly what we do when we are depressed, focus on the wrong thing ... us.
Let me say this, when you are in the depths of depression that quote has absolutely no meaning let alone relevance because you are unable to focus on anything else other than your depression. That quote will help you keep away from depression once you are back on your feet again.
Let me say again, it is permissible to be human and look how you feel, for a while.
What did David do?

KJV 1 Samuel 30:
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

He encouraged himself in the Lord BEFORE he slipped too fare into depression. It is a temptation to just want top slip into those familiar dark depths, isn't it? Yes slipping into the old ways is a temptation.

KJV 1 Corinthians 10:
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

KJV James 1:
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.


KJV 2 Thessalonians 3:
3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

Please be encouraged. The thing with depression is to always keep on top of it by focusing on positive things. Yes bad things happen to good people however we are able to choose how we wish to respond to situations in our lives. Yes there will be times when we slip into depression yet our time there will be greatly shortened.
The dark tunnel of depression ALWAYS has an end. Jesus is the light at the end of the tunnel and the light in the tunnel.

KJV John 8:
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

KJV John 12:
46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Until I became stronger in the Lord Jesus, I was unable to help myself, I couldn't even pray my way out of the darkness. That is when I turned to understanding and discreet Christian friends to pray for me. It was their prayers that help me out because I was helpless to do anything.
Do not be discouraged if you become depressed there is a way out; Christian friends and the guiding light of Jesus. Once you are out of the dark tunnel you can encourage yourself in the Lord Jesus and face anther day with a truly happy spirit.
May the light of Jesus always guide you. May you moment-by-moment encourage yourself in the Lord. Be blessed and happy.