In All of Life's Meanders, GOD's There!

I do not know your present circumstance or predicament. But whatever it is that you are going through today, I want you to touch your chest in an act of positive demonstrative prophecy; tap above your heart region - and confess aloud: "I know that GOD is with me!"

There's an unspeakable peace that emanates - even in the tough place - from that knowledge deep within that one that is aware that God is with him/her! The Psalmist says: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for THOU art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me" - (Psalms 23:4).

Life is full of unexpected twists, bends, meanders - and possibly rapids as on river-courses! For example, a couple in love got happily wedded. Then, got pregnant - and were expecting. A prenatal visit at the tail-end trimester of the pregnancy revealed that the baby would be born requesting extra support for the rest of his/her life.

How are they to handle that newsflash?

Life seems unfair. And that's true! Most of life is surrealistic - and could possibly be unfair. However, in all of the unfairness, GOD says "Be not afraid; I am with you. I will journey with you through it all! Count on Me: On my knowledge and expertise rests your peace!" You see, this is where God expects us to completely turn on the autopilot button of our lives; unto Him!

But many of us struggle to find that button in our cockpit, let alone possess the courage to flip it on.

This is that point where faith comes in.

Faith in God. A living faith which is the pillar upon which our lives stand, when indeed, no other pillar seems to be able to hold up and bear the weight. Faith to receive an infusion of divine strength on such rainy, downcast days overburdened with grey ominous clouds. Faith to believe against hope. Faith to look the devil in the eyeballs and tell him exactly what the promise of God is. Faith, the handle we hold on to, and the key which we put in the lock and turn in order to open the shut doors of life!

In other words, doors will shut in our faces irrespective of our racial or ethnic backgrounds. Huge, gigantic mountains will crop up on our ways of travel through life. But here's the beauty of life: The ever-presence of the eternal God Who promises to journey with us; the One Who says "I will never leave you nor forsake you!" This is the One who gives us the supernatural strength to circumnavigate life's struggles triumphantly. Whooo Hooo, and glory to God!

A middle-aged married Christian lady suddenly wanted a divorce from her husband. She just discovered that she didn't love the man anymore - and did not want to continue in the marriage. But the husband held on, fast, onto his vows to God and his wife. Over a period of time, she deliberately had extramarital affairs with different men; but the man still loved her. Debts mounted, piled up by her, but the man paid it all. Many a night into late-night hours, I counseled and prayed with them. One night, I finally pleaded with her for a psychiatric evaluation check-up on her mental state of being. Then, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder - and placed on medicines to help her cope.

The more the days went by, the more she was aggravated. She was just done as "D.O.N.E" could be spelled with her married husband. As all of these dramas went on, their four young children started showing signs of pain, damage, and deprivation. And this was an ugly season for all. Many years later on, she petitioned the divorce, and two years after her petitioning, the marriage finally died. The husband was crushed beyond belief. More, he became bitter against the God Whom he had lovingly served for over three decades. He felt his life was over. But I told him, "No, God is more faithful than you ever thought!"

With counseling arranged for him and the children, life seemed to carry on with a great deal of more normalcy. On the ex-wife's part, she now regrets her suing for the divorce, and wished she hadn't let go of her husband-of-youth!

Today, God has wiped away his misfortune: He had met a beautiful, much younger woman, and fallen in love. They are both married - and are actively serving the Lord. The new wife accepted the responsibilities of a stepmother entrusted to her by fate. They both have a gorgeous set of twins; yet have also become grandparents. Their joys are full of the expectations of fulfilled future. God has wiped away their sorrows.

This is the beauty of Father-God: He wipes away tears. Turns ashes into beauty, and turns captivities around, captive; giving gifts to humans!

God promises in His Word to make all things work together for the good of those that love Him - and are the called according to His purposes even when they had been the factors of the tumultuous upheavals in their lives| Romans 8:30-31.

I do not know of your rapids on life's navigation. I may never know of your past, current, and/or future! BUT I KNOW THE GOD WHO KNOWS ALL THINGS; WHO FORETELLS OF THE END FROM THE BEGINNING | Isaiah 48:3. I am assuring you by His promise, that ALL IS WELL. That through each of life's bends, meanders, and rapids GOD IS there, solidly with you!

This is His message sent through me toward you, today. I pray that you receive it in good faith!

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Written by Dr. Sammy JOSEPH.

Photo credit courtesy PULSE Publishing House, UK (copyrighted).

Visit our PULSE Publishing House Store here https://www.harvestways.org/shop to order his books, and Youtube.com/user/Harvestways to freely subscribe to his messages. Also, please feel free to share. God bless you!

A New, Sharp, Threshing Instrument!

The two southern kingdoms: Judah and Benjamin had been taken captive at the foolish whims of her king, Hezekiah. King Hezekiah had welcomed, entertained, and revealed his entire armory to his espying rival, Merodach-Baladan, the king of Babylon!

Here's the complete picture: King Hezekiah had been sick and stricken with boil, ready to die. God had instructed His Prophet Isaiah to go advise sick Hezekiah to prepare and "Set your house in order; for you shall die and not live!" But the king had turned into a punk: The Bible records that he had then turned his face toward the wall and protested God's perfect will for his time, life and season as he had prayed:

“Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with an undivided heart and have done what is good in Your sight.”

Hezekiah had wept bitterly! Consequentially, before Isaiah had left the palace courtyard, God had re-instructed him to return to the king - and deliver the 'good news' of his answered prayer! The prophet said: "God has heard your protest, and has added fifteen more years unto your reign!"

Protest?

Yes; a protest! That's what it is called: A protest is defined as an action - or writing - expressing disapproval of or objection to someone else's word or deed! So, King Hezekiah's prayer, pleading before God about his good works was an official act of protest at the perfect will that God had laid out for him.

Do you also protest God's perfect, expressed will for your life, season, and time? Or do you wisely say to Him: "LORD, have Your very way in me!"?

Fast forward, to a surreptitious 'Get-Well-Wishes' visit arranged by Hezekiah's Babylonian counterpart. Recovering from a major catastrophe could task any person's mental aptitude: Unfortunately for Hezekiah, he had kissed the palace protocol 'Goodbye'. MerochBaladan's emissary had not been charged with the motive of wishing Hezekiah a buoyant health-recovery alone, but to espy the strength of the robust southern kingdom and seek an alliance with Judah against the Assyrians. So, happily, Hezzy had shown his great wealth and armory to the spies! | 2Ch 32:27-29 NKJV

God had been wroth with Hezzy's departure of common sense in the moment of his rejoicing!

Have you also thrown caution to the winds in your exultation moments? Have you revealed trade and wealth secrets to the spies who posed as well-wishers?

At a Raptor's speed, God had spoken. His Prophet had another message for the happy king, Hezekiah, after the spying entourage had returned home. So, Isaiah had visited the palace with God's message: "Thus says the LORD, the days will come when all that's is in your palace; everything that you predecessors had laid in storage up unto this day shall be carried into Babylon: Nothing shall be left ... Even your sons shall be captives. The Babylonians will make them eunuchs in the Babylonian palace!" | 2 Kings 20:17.

Then replied Hezekiah to Isaiah: "That's fine by me, as long as I have peace in my tenure in office - and this evil news does not happen in my days!" | vs. 19.

That was how stoutly selfish the king had grown. Yes, the gift of those additional years had been granted. But within fifteen years King Hezekiah had managed to wrest, twist, and mangle away from God's perfect will had been born Manasseh, the wickedest and longest-ruling King of Judah. (Five other kings away from Hezekiah - and one-hundred and thirty years later, Jehoiakim would be captured and taken to Babylon in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy).

Then Had Ascended, CYRUS

Then had ascended another world power: Cyrus, the King of Persia! God had raised him to prominence mainly to achieve three objectives: Conquer Babylon, emancipate the subjugated, enslaved people of Judah in Babylon, and render help to the Jews in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem!

Here's another Heavenly truth I have been sent to say to you in light of the catastrophe that our world is experiencing right now in the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022: "Weeping may endure the night, but joy cometh in the morning" | Psalms 30:5. Additionally, God will comfort His people all across the world!

I may not know of your personal situation right now, but God does! He will rouse up, and even raise up the Cyrus' to emancipate His people - and fulfill His perfect will. God's Prophet Isaiah had been awoken from a dream. Or was it a vision? It was definitely not a nightmare: It had been the prophecy of God's help unto His people! Here was how it had sounded in Isaiah's ears, talking about King Cyrus:

“In fact, I have made of you a new, sharp threshing implement with sharp edges; You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and make the hills like chaff.

“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And a high wind will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the LORD, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel." |Is. 41:15-16.

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Written by Dr. Sammy JOSEPH.

Photo credit courtesy PULSE Publishing House, UK (copyrighted). Visit our PULSE Publishing House Store here https://www.harvestways.org/shop to order his books, and Youtube.com/user/Harvestways to freely subscribe to his messages. Also, please feel free to share. Thank you!

Winding Roads Surely Have an End!

The Bible is the complete, spiritual book. It is the book breathed upon and authenticated by the very 'Ruach' breath of the Almighty God. It addresses every facet of the journey we humans encounter on planet Earth en route to Heaven - if we are destined for that Holy place!

Not everyone will enter - and live a happily, peacefully, thereafter-life - in Heaven after their earthly sojourn!

The officiating clergy often is often heard in the final benediction upon the departed, such words of prayer as: "Grant this soul eternal peace with You, Oh, Heavenly Father" as the undertakers lower the casket containing the deceased into the 6 feet x 6 feet burial plot allotment!

Now, I know that this is not what you expected me to write. Or is it?

For the sake of clarity, somebody may be of the placating opinion that: "The only hell there is, is this current one in which I am!"

This statement is both insincere, and untrue regardless of the honesty of the person holding such a belief!

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Heavenly Father Who had become man to save all of the earth's almost nine billion souls taught that there is a spiritual, yet geographic place called Hell! (And it's not hades, the region of the dead, purgatory as the Catholics teach - nor is it Abraham's bosom, for that was emptied after His literal and physical resurrection).

At various times of His teachings, the Son of the living God specifically taught and warned of Hell: For instance, throw a glance quickly at Matthew 13:38-43.

Here, the Savior taught that:

1. Our world of humans is the field;

2. Words that form thoughts are the seeds;

3. There are good seeds and bad seeds;

4. Bad seeds will grow up to become tares;

5. The good seeds are sown by the Son of God, and all those that are called to teach and speak the Words of life, righteously, and who do indeed carry out the mission of saving souls and teaching them unto the obedience of God in righteousness;

6. The tares are the children of the wicked one;

7. The enemy that sowed the tares is the Devil - and his minions the demons that inhabit the hearts of his wicked agents;

8. There will be a gathering - a harvest, at the end of the world;

9. Angels of God are going to gather in the harvest field of the Earth;

10. He - the Son of Man - shall send forth out the angels of God to gather and separate from the good fruits, the tares, and ALL things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

11. These shall be cast - hurled, forcefully thrown - into a furnace of fire (Hell); and that,

12. In Hell, there shall be wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus also taught that "the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Winding Roads Sure do Have an End

I cannot over-emphasize the end of your life's eternal journey. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world already did that: One truth is certain. It's either going to be either Heaven or Hell. You will have to decide your eternal destiny by yourself. Father-God had already surrendered that power of attorney to your will. Jesus counseled you to:

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." - Matthew 7:13-15

No matter how 'winding' your life's journeys are until now, remember, God has entrusted you with the responsibility of choosing Heaven - and not Hell, as your eternal place of abode. Do not make it more hellish it than Also, remember that you will only enter Heaven on the basis of the finished work of Christ upon the Cross; not by any good works or good behavior: "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of GOD. Not of works, lest any man should boast" | Ephesians 2:8-9.

Use the power of your choice, wisely to end well! Winding roads surely have an end. Make yours, a glorious eternity!

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Written by Dr. Sammy O. JOSEPH.

Photo credit courtesy PULSE Publishing House, U.K. (copyrighted). Order the book 'Your New Beginning' to learn more on this subject today at the link: https://www.harvestways.org/product-page/your-new-beginning OR order from anywhere books are sold in the world!