Today is “halloween” and I am thinking about how this “holiday” is celebrated.

A small child wearing a dinosaur outfit and going to grandma’s house to get some candy isn’t an especially troublesome imagery for me.  But, over the years, I have seen many people celebrating halloween by immersing themselves deeply into occultic and demonic expressions.

I imagine that most of these people who dress up as devils, demons, witches, etc., don’t feel that they are really embracing the “dark side” in their halloween celebrations.  I imagine that many - if not most - of them don’t even believe that the devil and demons really exist.  But for some reason, having a brush with evil is an exciting, stimulating exercise for many people. Just take a look these days at the popularity of so-called gruesome “horror films.”

In many churches I have visited over the past several years, one doesn’t hear much mention of the devil, demons, hell. In fact, you can attend some of these so-called “evangelical Christian” churches for many weeks and never hear ONE mention of the reality of hell and who inhabits it.  These days, you can’t fill the pews and pay the bills if you’re going to “scare the folks.” One pastor as much as admitted this to me. I was surprised at his honesty.

What do we do with the concept now gaining much popularity in our culture that hell, the devil, demons, etc. are all outdated myths?

When Jesus Christ willingly submitted Himself to an agonizing death on the Cross at Calvary, He did so to defeat the works of satan and to provide a way to heaven for all who put their faith in Him.

If the devil and hell don’t really exist, then why would a loving Father God have sent Jesus, His only Son, to such a grisly death?

The evil one, satan, the devil, hell, are mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible and scores of times by Jesus Himself. In the New Testament accountings in which Jesus cast demons out of people, he didn’t reason mental illness out of them as some theologically liberal ministers have argued. He literally made demonic ENTITIES leave those people and they frequently spoke to Him as he made them leave and then after they had left (mental illness doesn’t speak to anyone after it leaves a human being).

Satan is the reason for all of the suffering, hardship and heartache in this world. That is why Jesus had to go to a cruel Cross to defeat him and to prepare the way for the new world to come (Revelation 22:1-21).

Have you asked Jesus into your life as your Saviour and Lord? If not, now is the best day to make that decision!

Prayer for today:

Dear Lord, we know that the Word of God tells us that the devil and hell are real. It also tells us that you submitted to a painful and horrible death on the Cross to defeat the devil and his power over us.  On this Oct. 31 “holiday” which we choose not to celebrate, we instead celebrate Your great victory when You arose from the dead after three days to reign and rule forevermore! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

In a few days, voters - including me - will be going to the polls to elect a new president of the United States.

Like everyone else, I hope that the next president will serve the interests of all Americans well and represent to the rest of the world the best that America has to offer.

I know that a president may be able to help to improve my life somewhat on a temporal basis. But I know that trusting in any human being to solve all of my problems is folly.

This nation and the rest of the world have one true hope. He is Jesus Christ.

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.” (1 Timothy, Verse 1).

Jesus Christ is “our hope.”

Prayer for the day:

As the old hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ love and righteousness.” Lord, our hope is in you. We trust in you. We pray that the next president of the United States and other newly elected officials will also put their trust and hope in you as they fulfill their duties to serve the public. But we know that they are human and imperfect. We know that you are the true answer to all of our nation’s problems and all of the world’s problems. We thank you and praise you today. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

A Christian singer, Randy Stonehill, had a song many years ago called “It’s An Awfully Loud World.”

When Randy wrote that song during the 1980s, it was an awfully loud world then - but it has gotten much louder.

One is bombarded by noise around every corner these days. There are the loud stereos with booming bass speakers. People shout to communicate with one another instead of calmly carrying on conversations. There seems to be loud music playing in every store and restaurant.

Sometimes, we don’t have much choice about exposing ourselves to all of this noise. That is why we need to find a way to get away to experience quiet on a regular basis.

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

In the quiet, it is easier for us to connect with God. In the quiet, it is easier for us to regain a healthy spiritual perspective on life. In the quiet, we experience sanity in a world that is becoming increasingly more frantic and disordered.

When is the last time you have sought out the quiet to meet with your God?

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Lord, the world we live in is filled with noise and confusion. Sometimes, because of this, we have trouble hearing from you and speaking to you. Please help us to remember that we can often connect with you in a more intimate way as we come to the quiet. Draw us, by your Spirit, to this special place. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

If you read my book, “My Close Encounter With Jesus Christ,” you will find a fairly in-depth discussion on the question of creationism versus evolution.

The theory of evolution tells of a “Survival of the Most Fit” process in nature. The idea promoted by this theory is that animals that are most able to survive in competition with other animals will ultimately survive. Those who can’t compete will die off.

I was a little surprised to read an article in our local newspaper the other day in which a civic official articulated the “Survival of the Most Fit” concept to describe some dynamics of a Fall festival involving human beings.

People who promote the “Survival of the Most Fit” philosophy to condone aggressive, selfish HUMAN behavior ignore the clear truths of the Holy Bible and the Words of Jesus Christ.

In the Book of Matthew, Jesus tells us about the people who He is most concerned about:

“Hungry….thirsty….strangers….those without clothing….sick…..imprisoned.”

This is exactly the opposite focus of the “Survival of the Most Fit” philosophy.

If we embrace this philosophy, we are equating human beings with mere animals. The Bible (Genesis 1:27) tell us that “God created man in His own image.”

We are called to lift up and care for those who are “least fit” in our world; not to compete with them for “Survival of the Most Fit.”

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.’ ”

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I celebrate my birthday this week. I am getting to the age where I am seeing a lot of people I have known for many years pass away into eternity.

This life is very fleeting. I am well past a half-century in age, but yet it doesn’t seem that I have really been around very long at all.

One day, I will die and go off into eternity. And I will go off into eternity with the beautiful promise from Jesus: “I am the resurrection….he that believes in me shall live.”

How about you? Do you have that assurance? Do you know in your heart that if you died today that you would live in heaven through the power of Christ’s resurrection?

If you haven’t prayed to ask Him to become Lord and Saviour of your life, maybe today is the today for you to take that monumental step.

Prayer for today:

Lord, what a wonderful promise you have made us. Those who believe in Jesus Christ will die in the flesh, but will live on for all eternity in heaven. This is an amazing truth! Thank you, Father God, for your unfailing love, goodness and mercy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Too much preaching and teaching that I see on Christian television these days is about receiving blessings and not enough is about being a blessing to others.

1 Peter 3:9 - “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

Every day, I try to be a blessing to someone in some way. I don’t always accomplish this goal, but I try my best.  I love to be blessed, but it is even more rewarding to be a blessing. Think of what this world would be if every human being set out every day to bless at least one other person.

Prayer for the Day:

Lord, you fill our lives with abundant blessings and we are grateful to you for it. Help us to be a blessing to other people on a daily basis. Keep this in our thoughts as we go about the process of living day-to-day.  May the Holy Spirit fill us with love for other people and give us the courage to express that love as the Spirit leads and directs. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians about a “thorn in the flesh” he had to deal with as he played a major role in spreading the Christian Gospel.  There are many theories about what this “thorn” was, but most commentaries I have read suggest it was some form of chronic illness - such as an eye disease or an serious ankle injury. Since Paul didn’t say specifically what this “thorn” was, we can only speculate.

But there is a lot for us to learn in Paul’s teaching about his chronic problem.  In the first place, Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take away his infirmity. But the answer was always “No.”

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”

Paul’s response to that message from the Lord certainly goes against the grain of much Christian preaching and teaching that I witness on Christian TV programming these days:

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Some Christians believe that to admit having to struggle with weakness is to be, well, weak. But the Apostle Paul tells us that to acknowledge one’s human limitations is to invite the strength of Christ in a powerful way into our lives.

I often tell people that I am a weak and flawed human being.  This admission sometimes seems to disturb some people.  But, in saying this, I feel that I am only being honest.  But they are usually not understanding fully: I am weak and flawed, but Christ IN ME is strong and resolute. When I empty myself of ME, Christ can take control.

Do you want to go through life’s trials, dark valleys and great hardships trying to rely on your own strength? Or, would you rather admit that you don’t always handle difficulties with great strength so that you can  “put on” the strength of Christ?

Maybe you might want to take a few minutes today and read this teaching by Paul in 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 12.

Prayer for today:

Lord, I know that I have weaknesses and flaws because I am a human being. I acknowledge my need for you, Jesus, to be my strength and my righteousness.  Thank you for the difficult times, Lord, because I know that I often learn and grow in Christian maturity more during the hard times than during the good times.  Use my weaknesses to glorify your strength! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Soon after my new book, “My Close Encounter With Jesus Christ” was published, I happened to be talking to a Christian friend who owns a computer company. He said, “Jim, I feel that I am supposed to help you with this project by putting together a website for you. And I want to do this and host it for you for free.”

My jaw dropped. I knew that God was in this kind offer. When you take a look at this website and this blog, you can see that a lot of time, hard work, and creativity went into completing the website. This man knew that I did not have money to pay for such a project.

This man is Scott Polston and his company, Mach 1 PC, is located in Shelbyville, Indiana (510 Amos Road - phone: 398-3572).

If you need any computer help, I highly recommend my friend, Scott, and the other great guys who work at Mach 1 PC. Please pray for Scott, his workers, and his business.

Scott and his guys take very seriously this Scripture out of the Book of James:

“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (James 2:4).

Prayer for today:

“Dear Lord, Scott and his guys teach us about the practice of giving as Christians as the Lord directs and leads. May we follow his company’s example and practice business (or our work for someone else) in a way that will bring glory to Jesus Christ.”

Today, I was reading a newspaper article which told about Hindu and Buddhist priests celebrating the recent naming of a 3-year-old little girl as a “living goddess” in Nepal.  This little girl was forced to endure child abuse to be elevated to this position, including a test in which she was forced to spend a night alone among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes.

According to the article, this little girl will stay in almost complete isolation at a temple and will be not be allowed to return to her family until after she has reached the age of puberty - when a new “goddess” will be named to replace her.

There is a growing movement among some American Christians to embrace the age-old philosophy of “universalism.”  This philosophy operates under the premise that all religions basically lead to the same God and that Christianity is just one of a large variety of paths to choose.

Tell me…….if you are a Christian, do you feel that you have spiritual unity with religions that elevate a 3-year-old child to “goddess” status? Do you have spiritual unity with religions that practice child abuse?

I like what the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham has to say about the religious philosophy of universalism:

“Jesus told his disciples, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6). He did not merely point the way to God. He himself claimed to be the only way to the Father and the source of eternal truth and life.”

Jesus Christ is the way to the Father God.  We should proclaim this truth to the world. It is the “Good News” of man’s redemption through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

Prayer for the day:

“Lord, we pray for people all over the world who are so spiritually confused.  We pray that they would come to know that Jesus is ‘the way, the truth and the life.’ Let us never be timid about speaking this simple truth to those who need to know that Jesus loves them and that He died so that they might have eternal life in heaven with Him.”

On a daily basis in America, many of us discover that someone has lied to us.

*A president of the United States has an adulterous fling and then lies to try to cover it up.

*A pumped-up athlete swears before a Congressional committee that he has never touched illegal steroids and later is discovered to have been lying.

*We are convinced by a salesperson to buy something for a special price and then we later find that this price did not include many extra “hidden fees.”

*The scores of “spam” e-mailings we have to get rid of every day that are full of lies and deception.

All of these are troublesome to me. But it becomes extremely more troublesome to me when someone I love and care about lies to me. The Bible is full of references about lies and lying. From these Scriptures, what can we learn about how God feels about lying?  No. 1 - He hates it and it makes Him angry. No. 2 - He identifies it as coming directly from Satan, the evil one.

So, when a family member or friend lies to me, I become extremely concerned for them because I know they have angered God.

Did you know that Jesus specifically spoke about lies coming from the devil?  Here are His words from John 8:44

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

The devil is the “father of lies.”  So, when a person lies or is deceptive, it is very clear who this person is serving - whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Prayer for today:

“Lord, please help us to always speak the truth. Even when it is difficult. We know that your Word tell us that the truth will “set us free” and we want this kind of freedom. Help us to forgive those who have lied to us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”