For the fire and passion in him were pure and clean as the winds that sweep the hills.”
              –William MacLeod Raine  (Ridgeway of Montana)

    “He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
              –Proverbs 11:27 (NKJV)
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                             “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
                              And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
                              ‘I am the First and I am the Last;
                              Besides Me there is no God.'”
                                    –Isaiah 44:6 (NKJV)

I wrote last week about the Lord telling us not to be afraid.  I used John 14:1, the first part but the second part says, “Believe in God, believe also in Me.”  That is part of our problem, do we really believe in God?  Perhaps a good study for the New Year would be a study in “Who God Is”.  
    We need to, first of all, believe in God.  Instead of looking at Him and focusing on Him we look for immediate solutions to our problems, we want our comfort and care rather than becoming closer to Him.  A good example, a person who is ill usually wants first of all for the pain to be taken care of; remove the symptoms of the disease first.  “Anything which merely gives us relief from the unpleasant symptoms…is not enough…what we should always be interested in, in every realm, is health.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
    This is true in the spiritual as well as in the physical.  In regard to sin, man wants to be rid of the remorse, the shame, and the guilt.  People would rather take a pill, “take one aspirin and call me in the morning” type of attitude than to deal with the real problem.  This is true of spiritual illness as well.  People will go to church, sing with gusto, maybe even go to the front and jump around a little, leave saying that they feel good, but it’s just a “spiritual aspirin.”
    A friend of mine has been writing on the Sermon on the Mount.  One verse has really spoken to me.  

         “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
                      –Matthew 5:6 (NASB)

Many people want happiness, joy, peace, and other things that are included in “blessings.”  However, they are missing the point — “hunger and thirst after righteousness.”  If these other things are your aim, then they will be fleeting or false or you may never find them.  Righteous should be our main aim.  “If you put righteousness as your main aim and if you become so concerned about righteousness and true living that you can be said to be hungering and thirsting after it…you will be filled with happiness; it is something that follows.” (Lloyd-Jones)  As my friend indicated, that is a prayer he has for his family; I have since made it a prayer–daily–for mine as well, that they “hunger and thirst after righteousness.”
    Now, go back to study God.  Look at what the Bible says about God.  Don’t give your opinion, especially if it contradicts the Word of God.  You want to have answers to your problems, your situations, your troubles, cares, and anxieties.  Begin to believe in God.  Recognize Who He is!  This is where it starts.  If you want a calm, quiet heart, it begins with believing in God.  Thirst for Him; thirst for righteousness.

What if’ is a fool’s game that nobody wins.  We’ve got to deal with things the way they are.”
              –Elmer Kelton (The Buckskin Line)

       “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”
              –Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)
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I wanted to do that, I wish I had this, if only I had this job, that would be a better career for me…and on goes the discontent.  People are upset that they no longer can or are able to do things they wanted to do.  Perhaps it is because I am on the elderly side now that I see with a new/different perspective.

         “Better is the sight of the eyes [the enjoyment of what is available to one] than the cravings of wandering desire. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it!”
                   –Ecclesiastes 6:9 (Amplified)

Listen!  Nothing on this earth will ever satisfy the cravings of your soul.  This is one of the deceptions that the devil will throw in front of you.  He will make you crave for something faster, prettier, better.  More, more, I want something better becomes the cry of the soul.
    The enemy of your soul wants for you to indulge in your cravings.  Then he’ll make it so you want more, then more.  Frustration will come, depression will grab hold of you, for you cannot ever satisfy your cravings.  You hunger after the things of the world; your eyes lust after the lure in front of them.  Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, one fruit looked better, therefore it must taste better.  They were not satisfied with everything else, they wanted something more.
    Paul instructs us to be content with what we have.  “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” (Philippians 4:11, NKJV).  If you are given an added blessing, be thankful and content, don’t be wishing you had more, or that you deserved the additional blessing.  Learn to be content.  For example, people are constantly complaining about the weather and there is nothing they can do about it.  Learn to be content in all situations and circumstances… hmmm, it could be worse.
    When God gave Moses the law, one of them was, “Do not covet” (Exodus 20:17).  I would venture to say that all of the previous nine laws could be listed under coveting.  Why steal, why lie, why commit adultery, why make idols?  Because you are not satisfied, you want more.  Be content–only contentment can conquer the constant craving for more.  Enjoy what you have for wanting more is emptiness and futility.
    2021 is here, learn to be content with the Lord.  If you have plenty, be content.  If you have less, be content.  Be at peace with what God has given you.  Do not murmur or complain but give thanks for what you have.  As Solomon wrote, craving more is useless, it will not satisfy.

There are times when we must do that which is not ours by personal choice, but made necessary by external circumstances.  These are the tests which prove who we are.  What is our character?  Can we stand and make the tough decisions which will take us into harm’s way and put our lives at risk, or do we cower and make excuses for refusing to do what is required of us?  You have taken the path of hardship and courage.  Your mission will end one day.  Then, you will see the brightness of the future for the man who lives by truth and righteousness.”
              –Lloyd E. Foley  (Spirit of Lone Warrior)

    “That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
              –Philippians 2:15(NKJV)
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Doctrine!  I’m saying it again–one of the major problems in the church today is that they either do not know the doctrines of God’s Word, or they ignore them.  It is doctrine, the teachings of the Bible, that will get you through the storms, the hard times, the persecutions, yes, and even the viruses of the world.  And, I want to mention that there are all sorts of viruses, not just the COVID.  There are heart viruses, emotional viruses, mental viruses along with the physical type that we are currently seeing.

         “It [doctrine] impacts what we think; it affects our worldview; it determines what we believe is right and wrong; it guides us in life, determines our convictions and standards, and affects all our actions.”
                   –Rick Renner

    Our knowledge of the Bible does affect our worldview, or it should if we are truly practicing what it says.  Our values system, our morals, and our character are all determined by how much we know and study God’s Word.  
    In all that I want to bring to you something from the last part of Matthew.  Jesus is ready to ascend to the Father and He leaves the disciples with these words:

          “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.  Amen.”
                   –Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)

There are many Christians who question this statement of Jesus.  Oh, maybe not verbally but in their actions and how they face life they do.  Too many are fixed upon “feeling” and they focus on that rather than focus on the reality of it.  Some may wonder where God was when tragedy struck or when the COVID hit their family.  I’ll can easily tell them–He was there, right with them whether they “felt” Him or not.  He is always there!  
    Frances Havergal goes so far as to say that Christians call Him a “liar” by their actions and beliefs.  Here Jesus has declared that He is with us always.  Not sometimes, but always!  The way we act in times of troubles and crises seems to say that Jesus did indeed lie.  We say, “‘No!  He is not with me!’  All you can say is, ‘I don’t sense [feel] His presence.’  Yet He was there with you while you said it.  What must He have thought?” (Havergal)
    I am reminded of the storm that arose upon the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus was sleeping in the boat, while the storm raged and continued to grow in strength.  Even seasoned men of the sea were afraid.  They woke Jesus, and He looked at them disgusted at their lack of faith then calmed the storm.  They had not grasped the truth that He was there, in the midst of the raging storm.
    Going into 2021, get this doctrine, this great truth down in your heart.  Believe it, heed it, understand it, practice it, for no matter what, Jesus is with us “always, even to the end of the age”!

Sometimes I think the knot-heads in this world are taking over.”  
               –Lou Bradshaw  (Man With No Face)

    “The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness.”
               –Ecclesiastes 10:13(NKJV)
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                 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
                              –John 14:1 (NKJV)

    There are many believers who are making themselves sick because of a troubled heart or mind.  They live in despair, despondency, fear, and anxiety and this then produces more troubles in the heart.  Why are so many believers fearful?
    I think that one reason is that there is a lack of sound doctrine being preached today.  Paul exhorted Timothy and Titus to “guard the truth.”  Our foundation, therefore our lives must be based on sound doctrine.  But, how can this be if the people in the church do not hear it?  Many Christians today have their foundation built upon an emotional experience, upon hype rather than in the truth of God’s Word.  Many Christians will even go so far as to say “in my opinion” rather than “thus saith the Lord.”  When we do not know God’s Word fears can assail and overcome us.
    So many cannot be still in front of the Lord meditating and contemplating upon His Word.  Lloyd-Jones said, “The greatest need of men and women in this world is the need of what is called ‘the quiet heart.'”  Even in church there is a tendency to let the emotions rule instead of quieting the heart to rid it of trouble.  People today are restless, fearful, and how do they try to overcome it–by more emotion.  There is a false teaching regarding worship–it is not hype; it is recognizing the Person of the Almighty God in all of His glory.
    In this world of turmoil there is the need of a quiet heart.  In this time of fear and depression due to a “virus” we need a quiet heart.  In the day of riots and terror there is a need of a quiet heart.  “My heart will not be really quiet until I have been told the very worst and faced it, and then I can surmount it.” (Lloyd-Jones)  Look at the world, not the fake world of the media; it is full of lies, turmoil, death, sickness, and then look into the truth of God’s Word.  Let the words of the Holy Spirit then begin to flow into your heart.  In the midst of all the world has to offer, our hearts need not be troubled.
    I urge you, as 2021 begins to get into the Word of God.  Tell God your difficulties and problems and troubles then delve into the Word and let the words begin to sooth, to calm and to comfort you.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you and to do that there must be a time of quietness, a time when you can listen to what He has to say.
    Rest in the calm assurance of His quietness; let Him ease your troubled heart.  Rest in Him!  Make the chorus of Manie P. Ferguson’s hymn bring a calmness to your soul this New Year.

         “Bless quietness, holy quietness,
          What assurance in my soul!
          On the stormy sea,
          He speaks peace to me,
          How the billows cease to roll!”