The Spirit of Daniel
Ben Sira 30:21-24 New American Bible (Revised Edition)21 Do not give in to sadness,
or torment yourself deliberately.
22 Gladness of heart is the very life of a person,
and cheerfulness prolongs his days.
23 Distract yourself and renew your courage,
drive resentment far away from you;
For grief has killed many,
and nothing is to be gained from resentment.
24 Envy and anger shorten one’s days,
and anxiety brings on premature old age.
If you remain positive during trials, sadness will not take hold of you. I know people who when they get sick carry their illness to another level. Until you hear the health report from the doctors, positive or negative, you should not worry. This is the time to pray and believe that God will see you through your illness.
We stop worrying by occupying our minds on the things of God, remembering all of His promises and that we are His children. A good Father only wants the best for His children. Being disconnected from God makes you depend on other sources, like yourself, horoscopes, sorcerers, and all other false New Age religions.
Depending On Yourself
When God created us we were meant to serve Him. We have a longing in our soul to be near our Spiritual Father. If your parents did not instill this in you, then you can find your way to God through your life experiences. Many of us get stuck in self-righteousness and can’t see past their cloudy vision. For years you have believed the same self-taught ideology and to break from its belief becomes an insult to your intellect. You question God’s existence but when the world is caving in on you, who do you call on? When all along God has been waiting for you, not for you to fall but for you to finally cry out to Him. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to discern that you need spiritual direction. An arrogant friend of my husband once told me that serving God was an act of weakness. God has blessed this man financially and he lives well. You see, he has become his own demigod, king of his own hill. All the riches of the world is all he needs….until something goes wrong. He is a modern day King Nebuchadnezzar.
King Nebuchadnezzar
When you’re king you lack for nothing, right? No! Because all kings want more. This Babylonian king wanted what the Jews had, and arranged to get it. What Nebuchadnezzar was seeking was The One True God. The king was specific and asked for Israelites from the royal line; they had to be handsome, intelligent, full of wisdom, and able to take their place in the palace with the king (Daniel 1:4). Four young men were chosen for the king, but to Daniel He granted extra gifts. Daniel had the gift of interpreting dreams. This king had prophetic dreams that needed interpretation. King Nebuchadnezzar was a bully; if he did not get his way, you were put to death. none of the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers or Chaldeans could interpret the dream, so they were all sentenced to death along with all the wise men.
Daniel 2:12 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
12 At this the king became violently angry and ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be put to death.
This included Daniel and his three companions. Before Daniel saves the day, he goes into deep prayer with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (their Jewish names).
Daniel
Why did God give Daniel special gifts? Because Daniel would never deny his faith despite all his testings. Daniel refused to bow down to the ways of the Chaldeans by eating their food, or worshiping their gods. Daniel ate plant-based food, and believed in The One True God. He would not defile himself with the king’s food and wine, but, more importantly, he was given the gift of interpreting dreams.
Daniel 2:28 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what is to happen in the last days; this was your dream, the visions you saw as you lay in bed.
The dream that the king had was prophetic. Before giving the interpretation, Daniel explains that only God can interpret dreams. Daniel explains to the king how he, King Nebuchadnezzar, was chosen by God to rule over this land. Daniel never gave himself credit for his special giftings. His humble spirit wins the support of the king, but for only a short time. The king had built a golden statue that he demanded the entire kingdom to worship. Daniel and his friends would not bow down. Of course there were evil agents who exposed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (their Babylonian names). If you’re familiar with the Book of Daniel, you know the outcome: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. This is the last part of Azariah’s (Abednego) prayer:
Daniel 3: 43-45 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
43 Deliver us in accord with your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord:
44 Let all those be put to shame
who inflict evils on your servants;
Let them be shamed and powerless,
and their strength broken;
45 Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,
glorious over the whole world.”
Daniel interpreted the dreams of kings and he became known as a great prophet, but his testings were not over. Satan always assigns evil to bring down godly people. After Daniel is promoted to the service of King Darius, the others who are under Daniel’s supervision became envious and plot to bring him down. This leads to the lion’s den. Daniel again prevails through this trial.
We need to become modern day Daniels. We should never bow down to worship any golden statue when we hear the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, dulcimer, harp, double flute and all other musical instruments (fake news). We should only answer to the sound of God’s voice. I believe in the God Who created all, including science. I know that He will prove to the world what needs to take place to make us better stewards of His Kingdom.
My Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, help us as we go through our trials. When we are tested in the fire, help us to become more pure. When we are about to be devoured by lions, close their mouths. Dear Lord, give us the spirit of Daniel so that we may prevail and have victory. Allow our testings to bring us to a new realm of attaining Your holy wisdom. Amen.
Don’t Miss the Ark
Is God warning us supernaturally? With the recent solar flares hitting into our atmosphere, the experts from NASA are baffled by this cataclysmic event. With all their billion dollars of equipment, nothing can measure the imminent dangers of these uncontrolled flares. There is no preparing for something so ominous that only God can control. St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians warning them about the End Times. The Thessalonians misunderstood the eschatological vision of things to come in 1 Thessalonians; they believed the Second Coming of Jesus was just around the corner. The Thessalonians were so confused that they quit their jobs to wait for the Second Coming. St. Paul must have been so annoyed with their reactions because he had explained the importance of working, which also included labor for the Lord. 1 and and 2 Thessalonians were written in 50 A.D. Thousands of years have passed since these writings, but the world is still waiting for the Second Coming. But who will be prepared?
The Second Coming
For those who are not serving God, the Second Coming can cause great distress. If you are in grave sin the dread of the unknown will torment your spirit. The Bible says that no one will know the day or the hour of the Second Coming.
Matthew 24:36 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
We cannot suffer the Thessalonians’ syndrome by waiting for the End Times to arrive. We are to live a normal life and not be overly occupied with Jesus’ return. The Word of God says that we are to occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13). We do this by living a chaste life that is in service to the Lord. Even though evil is more intense, we can recognize lawlessness as an instrument of the Devil. We must also keep in mind that these evil spirits lead people astray. You see, if you are not in the right frame of mind, the Devil loves to capture your attention through illusions that make sinners believe that this is the hand of God. Satan is a mind player who rejoices when he encounters sinners with reprobate minds.
Many Christians have fallen into this cistern of darkness, spreading End Times fear like wildfire. Yes, today there are many signs but, just as in Noah’s day, people are not paying attention to the obvious harbinger; instead they live a life of sin. It was in full sight: Noah built the ark, but to the rest of the population he was considered a fool.
Luke 17:27 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
27 they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Noah’s Ark
I do not want to miss my ride on this ark. I purchased my ticket when I gave my life to Christ. I want my loved ones to make this trip with me. I can’t buy their tickets, but by praying for them I can save them seats.
When God instructed Noah to build the ark, He told him to make it out of gopherwood. The amazing thing about gopherwood is that this wood cannot be identified. So the gopherwood’s properties are, to this day, unknown. Is it possible that this tree’s species may have been destroyed in the flood? Though some Bible scholars believe that this was some type of cypress wood, there is no solid evidence for their hypothesis. God knew what He was doing because this wood had to withstand 40 days of heavy rain.
Genesis 6:5-6 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Warning of the Flood. 5 When the Lord saw how great the wickedness of human beings was on earth, and how every desire that their heart conceived was always nothing but evil, 6 the Lord regretted making human beings on the earth, and his heart was grieved.
Same Sin
The meaning of the word wickedness is to be morally wrong and deliberately intending to hurt people. The meaning for evil is to be morally bad and causing great harm, especially to society. We are living in the days of Noah, where evil and wickedness have converged and become one. This dysfunctional union has led many in the wrong direction. This is when Satan comes in for the kill. He is logical and a master manipulator; he can spin any evil to make it seem right. A perfect example of this is the controversial matter of transgenders. Nothing about this physical transformation is going to change who you really are and how God created you to be. There is evil attached to this because when young people start taking puberty blockers all seems well, but it’s only a matter of time before suicide takes over their minds. The suicide rate for transgenders is 40%. Satan, the thief of sheep, claims another victory in his quest to rob, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
The LGBQT community and supporters believe that they have science behind them. But according to Deacon Lappert, a speaker for “The International Courage and Encourage Conference,” “but for transgenders do not! They will talk about having the science behind them, but what they have is the smallest level of scientific affirmation. The world literature is showing the opposite. Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm has abandoned puberty blockers, for instance, along with Finland, Holland and the High Court in London.” These countries have stopped using puberty blockers because they realize the harm this is causing the youth. Many parents are sorely wrong in affirming their children’s desire to continue with this behavior. We are called to love our children and to teach them the truth. That truth will guide them to make the right decisions and may one day save their lives. Sadly, we have a president who mandates that all hospitals and doctors perform these procedures on our youth. In California our governor passed a law this past September; AB 1184 states that children can bill their parents’ insurance without parental knowledge or consent for gender-affirming services. This includes sex change operations, hormone therapy and abortions. This is evil personified! May God have mercy on Governor Newsom for allowing this wicked law to pass.
Sin has no covering. The world can attempt to create a safe haven for those who oppose the Word of God, but it never comes to fruition because the truth always prevails. ALWAYS!
My Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that You prepare us for whatever is coming our way. Convert those who are deceived and misguided by Satan. Open their eyes to see the truth. For the parents who are affirming sin in their children’s lives, Lord, touch them with Your loving heart and teach them the truth. Allow these parents to operate in Your unconditional love. Teach them that truth will always prevail. I pray for all lost souls that they would meet You at the foot of the Cross. Amen!
Childhood Life In Brawley
Psalms 71:14 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
It made the front page of The Brawley News: two young brothers were killed by a motorist while they were riding a bike. I knew one of the brothers, Clifton Socky; he was in my fifth-grade class. He and his family lived in Hank’s Court on the same street as me. Clifton rode on the handle bars of the bicycle while his brother peddled. A popular football player from Brawley Union High School accidentally hit and killed the brothers. These deaths froze my heart with fear. Though Clifton was only an acquaintance, I came to the realization that death was real and it that could have been anyone on our street.
We lived outside the city limits, very close to country living, surrounded by fields and fields of carrots, sugar beets and tomato farms. We had two addresses that were both delivered to the same mail box: Route 1 Box 6-H or 1669 East “I” street. Kids like me were always running the streets, some on bikes and others on foot. We played outside in a carefree environment, without a worry in the world. But After Clifton and his brother’s death, I knew I had to be more careful.
The street on which we lived was used as a shortcut to reach Highway 111. We lived about seven houses from this highway. “I”street had one store. Jin Wong’s, was about two city blocks from our home. Jin Wong sold penny candy by the bulk, but this is were we purchased our staples like milk and bread. This is also where I was introduced to potato chips; at ten cents a bag, it was the greatest deal ever! Jin Wong could not communicate in English very well, but money speaks all languages; as long as you paid for the product, life was good. Years later Jin Wong left for a season and then came back with a Chinese wife. I found this a little strange, because to an eleven-year-old he was an old man; in reality he was probably in his early 50’s.
When we got older, my friend Nancy and I would sneak over to the Airport Market which was located on the corner of Main Street and Highway 111. This was considered a dangerous trek because we walked along Highway 111, where the passing of semi-trucks left us with a strong gust of wind as they barreled through the highway. Airport Market was such an improvement over Jin Wong’s; they had better choices of candy and a variety of potato chips. Airport Market had Wampum Corn Chips, with Big Chief Wampum as their logo. This was one of my favorite brands of corn chips. Big Chief Wampum had a speaking part in the commercials, but he spoke in a broken Indian dialect: “Me want a Wampum, a yummy, yummy Wampum.” Poor Big Chief! In today’s world he would be crucified and criticized as an example of racism in its highest form.
J.W. Oakley School had a program to introduce us to banking. I came across my old school savings account booklet, and, as you can see, I was a big saver! To this day I still bank with Bank of America.
Small Town
When I was eight-years-old, our mother was forced to raise us on her own because our father left. My brothers, although, in their teens, worked to help make ends meet. When I was around thirteen, something wonderful happened to me. I received my Social Security card and got a job. My sister Jo and I were both hired to pick tomatoes. This was a wonderful experience. For the first time in my life I felt independent. I remember getting in line to receive my daily wage of $12 cash. I thought of all the potato chips I could buy with this money, but I bought a pair of white Burmuda shorts with a brightly colored turquoise top. I’m not sure what happened, but this first paying job was short lived (three days); maybe it was because of my age or because I was being paid under the table. Only God knows. What I do remember was showing proof of my Social Security number. Sometimes I’d picked up a little extra money by babysitting the Allen kids across the street, but I was only paid 50 cents an hour, so the most I’d ever received was one dollar at a time.
I never felt that we went without. Brawley had a theater, a library and several larger grocery stores than Jin Wong’s. Our main street had several clothing stores, and if we needed more we’d drive down to El Centro. We attended church sporadically because of transportation problems. Brawley was safe and peaceful. It was the only life I knew; I never realized we lived in poverty because our mother made do with what we had. We always had clean clothes and, when there was a shortage in food, God always provided.
Romans 8:31 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
31 What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
When my brothers got older, they discovered the border town of Mexicali, Mexico. The night life was a lot more lively than sleepy Brawley, and in Mexicali you could consume alcohol to your heart’s content. This kept our poor mother up until the boys got home in the early morning hours. I remember one of my brothers getting into a pretty bad car accident. This may have been one of her deciding factors for our move from Brawley.
The Move
As our struggle continued, our mother decided that she had had enough of Brawley. Mother left behind her brother Gilbert and sister Consuelo and their families to be closer to her three other sisters up North in Fresno. Our mom was the bravest person I know. How she managed to make this move was a miracle. I was saddened to leave the only town I knew. I was about to enter high school, but it was not to be. Sas because I was leaving behind my then-boyfriend John, but we promised to stay in touch by mail. It was worse for my sister Jo because she was going to attend a new high school with a population double the size of Brawley High. As far as I was concerned, Fresno was a huge megalopolis with a different school system. So instead of entering high school, I was back in 9th grade because in Fresno junior high included 9th grade.
The Last Visit
The last time I visited Brawley was for our cousin Gilbert’s funeral. I picked up my brother Mike in Banning and then headed to Palm Desert to pick up George. Gilbert’s celebration of life was beautiful. After paying our respects, all I wanted to do was drive by our old house. I had many bittersweet memories of the home our dad built with his own hands. It was disheartening to see that most of the beautiful eucalyptus trees were removed to make room for a sidewalk on “I” street. Our childhood home was gone, and in its place was an empty lot with semi-trucks parked in the back. Our father, who was a great builder of homes, never managed to finish ours. Instead he left us incomplete, just like the house. I was sad to see the empty lot, but I was rejoicing because no one can take away our memories of a past life.
I still have several relatives who make Brawley their home. My cousin Connie and her family still live there. Her daughter Cindy and her husband Joe recently built a beautiful custom home on a huge lot. I’m praying that she will host our next family reunion there.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, we all have sweet and bitter memories of our childhood. I ask that You heal those who hold on to the bitterness. May they move past this darkness in their lives so that they may become complete in You. Jesus, everything we experience in life, whether it be in our past or our current life, You’ve allowed to happen. As we look back, may the good always supersede the bad. Amen.