Don't Listen To Glum

Back in the day, there was a cartoon called Gulliver's Travels and one of the characters was called Glum. He was very negative and walked around all the time with his hands in his pockets spewing out negativity:

"It'll never work."

"We'll never make it."

"It's hopeless."

"I told you it'll never work."

"We're doomed."

Most of the time, Glum's travel mates just ignored his gloom and doom message, and always came out of the situation successfully. Our life's journey will experience many Glums along the way. These are people who let life beat them. They are cynical about life and they will try to make you believe that it's not worth trying.

Don't listen to Glum. Ignore Glum!!!

Feed your faith and starve your doubts, and never, never, never let anyone including yourself, cause you believe that it is not worth trying over and over.

It will work.

You can make it.

It is not hopeless.

We are not doomed.

Jesus said, "I got you."

God will make a way when there seems to be no way. Our part is to believe and keep on believing... even until the day when Jesus comes back to collect the church, He will find us still believing and ignoring Glum's message.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

It's Already Done?

The phrase "It's already done!" has become extremely popular in Christian and secular circles. But every time I hear it or see it, I get angry, because I am believing for stuff that I cannot see. I have a passion for things that are not coming to pass. In my simple mind, it is not already done. Don’t try to convince me that it is already done if I cannot see it, touch it, taste it, hear it, or smell it.

But yesterday I received an explanation that is very convincing. If you know that you will not give up until it’s done, then it’s already done. You’ve already won if there is nothing that can get you to quit or give up.

I am always amazed at how people who live on the coast, can experience hurricanes and tropical storms destroy their homes and yet they continue to return and rebuild again and again. I would probably need to move more inland after the first one. But they are convinced that this is where they want to live and hurricanes cannot deter that conviction… so they continue to rebuild.

If we have that kind of tenacity regarding what we are believing for then when life happens, we won’t be easily deterred from our end goal, even though we have many distractions... or may have to rebuild a few times.

Jesus stated in Luke 14, “Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?” We have to become single-minded that we are going to finish. It is already done because I won’t give up until it is done.

The enemy won’t lay out a red carpet and let you pass him by with your dignity intact. He will fight to keep your dreams from coming to pass. But if you know that you will not give up until it’s done then it’s as good as done.

It's already done?  Yes! Finito!

I heard someone say that the grave yard holds many dreams, and that’s because people gave up and did not finish because it got hard… because it wasn’t working out like they thought… or they ran out of resources and felt they had no choice. The Bible says that nothing is too hard for God.

The children of Israel thought they were done for. The enemy was about to overtake them. Moses stretched forth his rod and the Red Sea parted, the wind blew the ground dry and they all got safely through to the other side. When the enemy tried to follow them using God’s provision for them, the enemy was destroyed.

Whatever it is that you’re dealing with, I want you to see your flag planted, even though you're still climbing.

See yourself victorious, even if the situation seems hopeless. It’s not hopeless. It’s possible.

The enemy cannot beat God at His own game. All He needs to do is give you one idea, that will be your rod stretching forth. Your Red Sea parting. It ain’t over till it’s over and it ain’t over yet. In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

It’s already done. We have already won.

Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” And if He be for us, who can be against us?

Christian Virtues & The Ungodly

I was like, "Lord, how long will they continue to prosper and I continue to Struggle (with a capital S)? I am here with clean hands doing the right thing and they get away with every evil and ungodly thing and are doing it with ease. I don't get it."

So, day by day I got angrier and angrier, feeling more and more unappreciated and insignificant. One day I heard a song, Take Me To The King. I stepped boldly into the throne room of God and unleashed a torrent of anger until I was completely emptied out.

Then, during early morning devotion I came across Psalm 73 (game changer). It described my thoughts and answered my questions at the same time. The ungodly will have an end. Though they prosper now, in the end it will not go well for them, unless of course, they turn their hearts to the Lord before its too late.

Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be mowed down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

Psalm 37:1-2

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

Do not fret—it only causes harm.

For evildoers shall be cut off;

But those who wait on the Lord,

They shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 37:7-9

America Refocuses

A man named Todd Starnes, whose political views I do not share, wrote the following article. I heard it read over the radio while I was on my way to work the other morning. It made me weep. There has been so much racial unrest going on lately. Even the KKK has reared its ugly head once again to public protests. Everybody is protesting something or other. In the midst of all the uncivilized racial noise, Hurricane Harvey rolls over the southern gulf coast and reminds America that we are better than we have been living. Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane with winds up to 130 miles per hour. Some areas received as much as 40 inches of rain. Flooding was wide spread and damages was catastrophic, claiming 45 lives in his wake.

At the end of Jesus' sermon on the mount, He said,

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

America is still standing!

Here is Todd Starnes' article that I heard over the radio.

Sometimes it takes something catastrophic to bring Americans back together - to remind us we don't have to be divided by our politics or the color of our skin. As we learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the flood waters did not discriminate. The dirty brown deluge submerged beautiful mansions on tree-lined avenues as well as rundown houses in the inner city.

The wealthy shared rescue boats with those on welfare. But in the face of great suffering - black and white and brown Texans pulled each other from the waters. There was the black law enforcement officer trudging through murky water saving two white children and the white fisherman lifting an elderly black woman into his fishing boat. One of my readers sent me a Facebook video posted by Jim McIngvale, the owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston. Mr. McIngvale told locals if they needed a place to spend the night – just come on down to his furniture store. “We have lots of beds, we have lots of food, lots of water and you can even bring your pets,” he said.

Louisiana's Cajun Navy, an all-volunteer armada, showed up in shallow water outboards and air boats – more than 150 strong. “Hang on, Houston – the Cajun Navy is on the way,” spokesperson Katie Pechon told me. “This is not a government operation – we are all volunteer citizens. Southern Baptists arrived to feed the hungry armed with giant cast iron skillets – filling bellies with meals – home-cooked with a dash of tender love and care. And deputies in Liberty County even helped lead a cattle drive - down Highway 90 - making sure the livestock had safe refuge.

Those are the stories and the images and the sounds that we should remember from Hurricane Harvey. Those are the moments that demonstrate the true heartbeat of the home of the brave. Yes - it's true the great storm washed away homes and belongings - but there was one thing the floodwaters could not destroy -- the spirit of this great nation.