Is It Acceptable to Participate in The Festivals of Man?

Is It Acceptable to Participate in The Festivals of Man?  Kelly Durant

 

Luke 7:33-35 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

Note: A large populous classifies ‘Christmas’ festivals as pagan, Thanksgiving is controversial for some as well

 

2. I recall when I was a child, being raised in the church, that there were always adult characters that were always somber and serious, and it seems that for them to worship God they had to put on that stiff face of ‘see me here suffering’ for Christ! The subliminal doctrinal communication of many churches for the longest time is church is not a place for worship, pleasure, and enjoyment, the church is a holy place and you are here for your catharsis, for your purging and painful redemption that must be repeated weekly. So, is this really being holy?

 

As a child it is scary to think that religion is some type of bitter medicine that if you don’t take it you are going to get sick and die and go to hell! If there are any children listening to me now, listen to this, when you are a bit older you must go back and re-read all of God’s word to understand many things you missed as a kid only getting the kids version of the gospel! God is love and he wants us happy!

 

The truth of the Word is powerful and only later in life, as a teenager, or as a past 21-year-old adult do you get a full understanding and eye opening after you decide to obey it and live it.  God’s Word does transform you but that is after you get a touch from the Holy Spirit by seeking Him with all your heart, mind, and soul. It begins when you decide to intensely love God! He loved you first, so the closer you are to Him the more you will experience what holiness and love is.

 

3. Where did this concept of having to be sad, somber, and lifeless in worship originate in order to please the Holy God? Or the idea we must never be festive on the holidays? It began with the dawn of the pagan religions! With the sons of Cain who rejected worshiping God as their loving creator and they formed false gods, animalistic and cruel oppressive gods to be worshipped. Ever since the redemption of Jesus on the cross the Gnostics, the hypocrites, the rebellious and stubborn, the Satanic followers and the ‘spiritually lazy ignorant folks’ have been perverting the gospel to be a bitter pill…so undesirable that no one dare try it. Forget those fridge faces! Pray and discern, not everyone in the Christian church is a true believer and follower of Jesus who said we would be happy if we knew what He taught. John 13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

 

Most people think that others will believe what they tell them about their selves; they may be miserable but they lie and say they are happy. Words are only a part of who you are; people are discerning all things about you by the looks on your face be they happy or sad, by the attitudes you express in conversations, and by the feelings they get when they hear your tone when you speak about God and others. Do people feel you love God and others? What do you make people feel anyway, happiness, indifference, or sadness? Do they see you as holy? In church in particular, when you are supposed to be happy and praising God, are you by your somberness figuratively throwing water on the fire of those who are shining for Jesus? Pray for God’s holy fire to purge you so the final result is all the dross will get burnt away and only happiness and joy in the Lord remain! Holiness is happiness! 

 

Churches, or Corps as we call them, are our safe spaces where we can meet and pray and communicate with God. They are places of fellowship where we learn the Word of God, and they serve to have a place to unite us, make us feel love, the love of God and the love of each other. So, these holy and sacred places are supposed to have the function of filling you up with love, and if not then they are not serving their holy reason to exist! If church becomes a ritual, a pain, a bitter pill, then that could be the fault of the theology, pastors, or the people in the congregation for entertaining that unloving and unholy attitude. But the mission is not just behind these 4 walls! It is out where the people are, even in festivals! 

 

4. One of my favorite phrases from the Holy Scriptures is the “Joy of the Lord is your strength”. It is from Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” There was going to be a festival, a holy day, and God was commanding the people to enjoy it! And to share it with all!

 

The Hebrews have several “holy” days a year, and they serve different purposes, some to remember their pain and years of slavery, while others are to be happy occasions. There is a time for everything, but in general when we meet to worship the Lord, we should be doing it with happy thankful hearts. In particular, when we do our praising with music, we all should join in and sing and be happy. If nothing makes you happy about praising God, hearing His Word, and being in fellowship with others, then you had better check your heart and ask God for a repentance and forgiveness for not desiring Him and His people. Pray and get a victory!

 

Conclusively, if God wants the hearts of people happy, which only can happen after there has been a purging of the heart and a full acceptance of forgiveness through Jesus, how is it so many people have a hard time with that? I think it is from guilt! Many people feel unworthy to be happy, so they take on the attitude in church, and in festivals, that they must always be sorrowful to please God. Well, if you are doing something that makes you sorrowful, some sin you will not let go of, then let it go! Repent, and go and sin no more! Don’t be a bad testimony for Jesus by making it look like you are sad and never forgiven and week after week you have to punish yourself with a long face. This is totally the wrong way to practice our faith. A religion that wants to hang a ‘Damocles sword’ (look it up) over your head should be considered a pagan one, a controlling one, and sadly a majority of Christian churches (along with all the false religions of the world) practice this very thing. Please, turn your eyes upon Jesus, it is Him that saves!

 

5. So, there exists the strict somber holy ones but what about the Christian who wants to have too much fun? Not here, but in other places you hear the rumors, “Did you know so and so was seen at the Club last night”. Hum, well, how did you know?! We have the perception that living a holy life should be one of depravity, one where all sins are prohibited except for over eating. Again, this Is not holiness, but night clubs are a bad environment.  We must avoid festivals or carnal gatherings that give the appearance of wrongdoing, or partake in things that would stumble someone of the faith. We no longer have a love for the world!

 

Actually, if you are living a holy life, you will feel complete and so good and happy and blessed and full of the Spirit all the time that you will feel little desire to want to be entertained by the world and be around the people of the world. These are folks that are obviously trying to make their selves feel good by being around others with artificial stimulations (excessive, dance and drink, etc.). These people may laugh with friends but you and I can often see in their eyes sadness, worry and confusion. But more often than not many of the local festivals, national ‘holidays’, Thanksgivings, and Spring & Christmas Parades, are inspirational enough and we should be there in them. Some are harmless compared to other things. We should be representing Jesus and the Salvation Army in local kiosks, my wife and I have represented Jesus and TSA in many dozens of festivals, including 5 de Mayo (s), International Fairs, parades, etc. All festivals need Jesus! 

 

Here is a thought, if Jesus attended parties and banquets even with publicans and sinners, why are we not celebrating with others as well?  Marriages, parties, quincianeros (15-year birthdays), new babies, all are motives to get together with others, even those who are worldly. Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Jesus is saying, go, be friends with those of the world (of course, don’t partake of sins) and by winning them to the Lord, they may have your back one day when you need it! We cannot disqualify ourselves from being with others on holidays and special occasions just because they may not be entirely Christian enough, but by being with them, we have opportunity to tell them about Jesus and our faith.  

 

6. Jesus attended parties. As a matter of fact, the first miracle Jesus did was turning water into wine! The people had already drunk up all the big cisterns of wine and Jesus is making more? Wouldn’t they get tipsy? What does that tell you? He was not against people enjoying life! And these were ordinary folks at this party, not a bunch of holy rabbis debating doctrine. Observe that Jesus attended all kinds of events and mixed with all kinds of sinners so he could share with them all about the Kingdom of God. Are you motivated as He was in this way?

 

Well, in the Salvation Army we can be around people of the world but we do not drink alcohol because Satan messed it up for us. With some of our brothers in our facilities getting over addictions, we just abstain to prevent any temptation. If all the people of the world drank in moderation all could be well, but because quite a few, about 1 in 10 actually, have abused alcohol and changed their DNA into dependency, we no longer drink so we are not tempting these weak ones by them knowing we get to have it and they don’t. For their sake we do without. As God’s people we may do some things in moderation, or even give them up, but not so with the people of the world who are weak without faith, they get out of control!

   Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. We must also recall also that Jesus even said he would not drink wine again until all was finished and then He would drink it again with us, the saints of God, at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. (Which is after His return).

 

7. I contend, we should enjoy the local festivals, parades, and parties and as Christians, we should use them as a means to give our testimonies and win souls to Jesus! Isn’t that what the Salvation Army and true Christians have always done? Aren’t we in the Rose Bowl Parades, and in the football half-times with our marching bands? Did you ever go to Blossom type Festivals? We go in uniform to these often so the people can be reminded we are here doing God’s work, and do you want to pray? I love to be with people having fun and some of you do too, but even if you hate crowds, you should do all things to glorify God and be a witness for Jesus. We are the salt and light and we must make our faces to shine!

 

Listen to this, I met a man before who told me of something he remembered as a U.S. Army soldier from the Korean war, that the young Salvationist girls would give out ‘War Crys’ and tell them about Jesus in the bars! Girls, who is brave enough here to go into the bars and do that?! Well, I wish we could do this again, but laws, and dangerous people make it difficult. But that was beautiful, right?

 

My wife and I have gone door-to door and to businesses hundreds of times in our lives inviting people to receive Jesus by doing the sinners prayer and inviting them to a Corps or Church.  So don’t condemn brave ones on the front lines, festivals are good excuses for us to get involved with the people, and it is your and my job to preach the gospel! By the example of Jesus in parties with sinners, we see this implies by all means possible and ways! When people celebrate something in the world, we should show up and offer them God’s love, Jesus, and our happy filled with the Holy Spirit enthusiasm, which really is worth celebrating! Set yourself on fire for God and the world will come out to watch you burn!

 

8. What is the conclusion? We do all things with the intention of glorifying God! The people of the world with their guilty unrepentant hearts always want to throw stones at those (us) who stand up for Christ or just causes, but just shake it off! Great is your reward in heaven! Whether you are sober seeking God sacrificing in the extreme, or whether you are happy serving God even going to parties, some will love you and others will hate you. Those that reject Jesus will despise you seeing you happy and they will despise you if you are preaching to them convicting them to repent as well! But those who want Jesus will think you are just a friendly person who has happiness to share with them. 

 

Luke 7:33-35 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

The Salvation Army is a holiness movement and we do it Jesus’ way! Our history of taking marching bands and preaching to the lost ones in the East London bars proves we are not afraid to go anywhere, do anything for God and souls, and take care of those suffering. It’s because of Jesus’ blood and the fire of the Holy Spirit! Holiness includes a wholeness of all people included, one of not discriminating against the sinful, addictive, worldly lost sheep who may come to Jesus, that is if someone like you and me are present there to tell them.    

 

My friends, we are to be like Jesus! We need to be out there meeting the publicans and sinners where they are, in their activities and festivals. Jesus did not say, be like John the Baptist, make yourself suffer and eat only wild locust and honey preaching repentance only. We are to go to the parties of our heathen sinful neighbors and be a testimony to them so that they can be happy in Jesus if they would only give Him a try. We are their opportunity to see a whole new perspective: God’s Spirit coming alive in their lives! Go for souls and go for the worst!

 

9. In a final conclusion, some Christians define Christmas as a pagan holiday and we are grave sinners if we participate in it?! What? We know the history, the ancient church placed Jesus’ birth on December the 25^th the same day as Horus, Krishna, Mithra, Buddha, Tammuz, Adonis, Dionysus, Hercules, and Herme’s birthday, so purposely choosing that date was to override the worship of these other so-called gods with Jesus as the focus! God sees the intentions of the heart for holidays. Those that celebrate Jesus are worshipping Him only. We give no glory to the story of the big guy in the red suit…we seek to teach others the real story of Jesus. Jesus, as historians conclude, was born in the spring at the time of the zodiac ram (lamb), marking Him the beginning initiator of celestial time, the creator and head of all things. But isn’t it nice to get family and friends together mid-winter when the weather is ugly? Celebrate Jesus with others! Sing songs about Him! And be joyful! Jesus is the reason for the season!

Thanksgiving Days & The Sacrifice of Praise: God’s Idea

Thanksgiving Days & The Sacrifice of Praise: God’s Idea  

By Major Kelly Durant  11-23-25

 

Ps 107:22

22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Ps 50:14   

14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

Jonah 2:9

9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

 

2. It’s our Thanksgiving Day Sunday! It is obvious from the verses of today that giving thanks to God by sacrificing was God’s idea a few thousand years ago, long before the forming of this country! The verses of Psalm and Jonah today are almost 3,000 years old so we conclude that God wants His people to take special days of sacrificing reverencing Him doing it together with others.

 

Do you know how the U.S. Thanksgiving Day began? It began with a group of Christian Immigrants, immigrants just like you and me! Plymouth, Mass. More than 400 years ago was inhabited by Native Indians, and then one day a ship of Englishmen landed to set up a colony. This happened in 1620 as they were escaping religious persecution in Europe. Under the tyranny of King Henry VIII just a few decades earlier and even afterwards an estimated 70,000 Christians (non-Anglican or Catholic) lost their heads for not submitting to the abusive dominating monarchy that imposed their church hierarchy system on them. Are you not thankful you have not lost your head due to an abusive authority? In history, and even currently today, millions have lost their heads over evil religious and governmental persecution!

 

The problem is these desperate immigrants arrived too late in the year to have a harvest of food that would keep them alive throughout the cold winter. But thank God the Natives, or Indians, had compassion on them and gave them some food in a festival. One of the most common foods then was turkey, along with corn, and other vegetables, it was a fall harvest festival. Historically most cultures celebrate the beginning of spring and this coincides with Easter and Passover; and celebrations in the fall follows the tradition of the Jews as they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. We, as Christians in this new world of America, celebrate Thanksgiving Day. 

 

Thus, the tradition of eating turkey! Many more of those immigrants would have died if they had not been helped! Half the colony later sadly did die of hunger! It was Sqanto, a native slave of the English who taught the new settlers how to raise corn and how to fish. He; recognize it was the Wampanoag tribe that sacrificed their time and food to help these Pilgrim immigrants who were ignorant of living from nature as they had grown up in European cities. God bless the natives!

 

3. But we may deduct that many people have immigrated to many different lands throughout history so what makes thanksgiving festivals so special? Conclusion…

These Christian immigrants took the time to rejoice, and have a party and celebrate, and praise the Lord and thank Him for freedom, life, and new friends, that’s what is special! It is a sacrifice to create a big celebration, many of you here have sacrificed to make lunch specials, and sacrificing your self is what pleases the LORD! Psalm 54:6 I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.

 

Historically it was common that the government authorities, and all the townspeople, would get together to celebrate expressing their faith and thanks to God in the public square. Never succumb to secularists that in this country insist you must keep your faith private and secret! To the contrary, celebrate as is traditional, show God your thankfulness and be public about it anywhere, and everywhere! Be generous and share with others! How ironic that in this country today some people even get arrested for sharing food publicly with the needy! Christians traditionally have fed the needy in shelters and on the streets for many decades and we should not allow bad apples in high places make our traditions un-compassionately illegal.

 

Over 200 years ago congress recognized the importance of the Thanksgiving Day observance, and President George Washington issued a national Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789. He wrote, "Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country”...

He understood the basics of being Christian and he recognized the need to set aside a day to show God that we as Americans are thankful for this land under God!

Ps 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

 

4. Thanksgiving Day in conclusion is about thanking God for maintaining our lives and serves to get us together sharing with others our thankfulness! 

 

In the verses of today we observe that David and Jonah, and all men of God, have always made a special event out of praising God for victories, protection, and supply! The problem in the world today is there is not much of an ‘attitude of gratitude’ anymore! For the past few decades unthankful Godless people have been rudely drowning out the thankful polite God praising people! There are many sins in this nation and many people in power and in the media are like rotten apples that incite bitterness over the past, and they promote hate between races, and insult the goodness of God’s people. But on the first Thanksgiving Day the natives and the Pilgrims were both good people being good to each other! 

 

In our community you would assume people would love to come to worship and thank God for their blessings but instead often they offer only negative comments (the opposite of praise) about personal frustrations. This makes God very sad and angry! God allowed a whole generation of Jews who escaped Egypt with Moses to die in the desert because they were unthankful to Him! 1 Corinthians 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 

 

Thankful people are happy people who recognize God as their provider and they are blessed by God and they make others feel good nearby them! Unthankful people disturb the peace and bring others down with their agendas to divide and sin as they please. They are on a path to their own destruction being unthankful!

 

5. Just think, this country now has about 50 million Hispanics, and about 30 million have arrived within the past 30 years. I personally am disappointed that most all of them are not going to the church of their choice giving thanks to God?! I have read that about 15% do start going to a church of some kind but that is too few! In their countries about 70% go to church! You and I need to awaken more thankfulness in these new immigrants! We already have too many arrogant, Godless, unthankful people in all sectors of society! Let’s encourage new ones to thank God our Savior! 

 

Most immigrants, like the first European ones, recognize that they are strangers in a strange land and they could literally die if they were not having God on their side providing, protecting, and guiding! I know when I moved around in South America I literally cried out to God every time to provide and protect my family because arriving somewhere not knowing how the system functions, not having friends, not speaking the language, and arriving with almost no resources is a situation that will make one desperate and thankful for every place to stay and every plate of food!

 

You who are here today to thank God are special to God!  I am thankful to God for you, and always we must be thankful for our Christian brothers and sisters, because everyone is special to God! Getting together to thank God is comparable to being like that one leper that was healed that came back to give thanks. Ten were healed but only one returned and expressed thanks! Eternally we must praise God and Jesus in recognition of thanks! Sadly, in infamy, there were the unthankful nine others. Never be like one of them!

 

6. In order for one to show one is thankful, one must sacrifice something for God’s work at certain times. You must make a commitment and then keep it.

If you are thankful in life in general, you are always praising, giving blessings, and happy, and you are willing to do anything and willing to give up anything to show God your love and appreciation, and thankfulness to Him!   As David the Psalmist words it, Ps 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High

 

We should all be dedicated to God’s work and to God’s people to have a proof of our thankfulness! Some people serve in shelters and some give food to their hurting neighbors during these holidays, but the reality is you can show thanks anytime!

Serve others with a need! Invite them to eat and tell them about your love for Jesus!

 

It is the tradition of many countries, even here, that when someone has been nice to you and done something special, you invite them to eat with you. Everyone likes to eat, right? What a great way to get to know someone and learn to love and like them!

 

7. Jesus commanded his disciples to travel and basically immigrate or integrate as they preached. No one can understand the full extent of being thankful for a bed and food unless they have had to be at the mercy of others for it! My wife and I have been in this situation many dozens of times in my life! Matt 10:9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. 11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it.  In other words, bless those that bless you! Thank God He never failed us!

 

Back to our U.S. lesson in history, imagine these defenseless Pilgrims in a new land with no homes except the ones they could build before winter, and with no food stored for the winter either! Just think if right now I were to tell you, you are condemned to die in two months! In two months, your life will be over, you will die a slow death of starvation! It would make you desperate! But then if suddenly there appeared a group of strange people of another race unexpectedly put food on your table, just think how happy you would be! The reality is some of them survived in that Plymouth colony throughout the winter yet quite a few of them did die!

 

We praise and thank God this time of year (but we should every day!) and celebrations are good for all of us! And let’s also recall we must thank the Native people for supporting the immigrants because your great-great grandparents were able to arrive here and work and have a life! All of us should thank all immigrants here including Latinos, Blacks, Irish, and Asians all of which immigrated and helped build America’s major cities, railroads and farmlands. The ones before us suffered painfully through extreme hard work and hard times, and their great grandparents suffered as well! People use to die at age 40 something, remember?  We have a super nation full of prosperity with wealthy cities, super highways and mega factories all due to the labor of the many races that make up the population of The United States! 

 

8. Thankfulness to God involves being thankful to those different from you, by accepting and loving them, and respecting them. God’s glory invokes praise for His creation of the entire diverse human race, and the maximum thankfulness we can show Him is to love Him and love one another as Jesus commanded!

 

Because of the lives of those few hundred immigrants that were saved around 400 years ago, we now have a great nation today with many millions of immigrants who are Christian! This is still the most generous nation on earth because many thankful people still have faith in God and want to give back to their communities.

 

Did you know Jesus said He would celebrate a meal with us sort of like Thanksgiving? Let’s look up, Rev 3:20-21

 20'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

Even Jesus offers to eat, fellowship, and celebrate with us! But the food Jesus is offering is not just physical food, it is spiritual which is more important! 

 

It is sad to see people with hungry bodies but we must also see that many people are dying of starvation spiritually! Many of your friends and family are weak and dying inside due to not understanding the roots of why we give thanks to God! Tell them the story of Jesus and take this opportunity to emphasize the story of the Pilgrims. It is your and my job to tell everyone about God’s food, this bread of life, that He offers so ‘whosoever will’ (accept it) can live forever! It is our job as Christians to teach others to be thankful to God for even a cup of water! We must be a light to others in this work of feeding the sick and the suffering! Physical food is just a temporary aspect of life but spiritual feeding is what will keep us motivated to be alive!

 

Now, let us conclude that as we are thankful today, that we will recognize that it is by God and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit through which comes our Salvation. Any of us can die at any moment so being alive today let us, as in the book of Jonah, do our part to be fair with God and honor Him for his goodness and be sacrificial; Jonah2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

 

Ask yourself, have I shown thankfulness and sacrifice to God lately as I really should by being loving and doing something kind for someone else in need as happened on the first Thanksgiving Day?

The Power of Positive Words!

The Power of Positive Words!                By Kelly Durant  11-16-25

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

2. There was a beggar that was blind and daily he sat on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign that read, “I am blind. Please help” As usual with beggars, most people passed him by and few gave anything. Then a young lady stopped a moment and she wrote on the backside of his sign and put it up for people to see. Suddenly, people starting giving 4 times as much, and the man was very happy. What was it she wrote? It was, “It is a beautiful day, but I can’t see it.” Imagine, in just a minute, by changing a few words things became so much better! This must be our goal, to be creatively positive with our words!

The past week I have been contemplating on our need as Christians, and as a society, to learn how to control our tongues better and express our words more positively! Ever notice how way too many people really do not think about what is coming out of their mouths! Like the old saying, they have the ‘foot’n mouth’ disease! I was reflecting on why many things do not get accomplished when people are asked to do something at home, in the church, in the school, in the workplace, and the conclusion is people want to be encouraged to do necessary things not be forced or nagged into doing them out of duty. And that word of encouragement requires being articulate in a positive manner!

Haven’t all the news channels been talking way too much about those who express their selves poorly and offensively, and people shoot their own selves in the foot over wrong words?  It’s time we should examine words. You must apply the Holy Spirit to determine if they are either influencing for the good or bad on those around you and me! 

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Whenever you and I speak on any matter we are exposing to others who we are as a person, what we intend, and we display what good or evil is in our hearts.

3. Today focusing on Community Care and on the elderly we minister to; we must take into account words do affect people for all their life! Maj. Alejandro Castillo said that as a child some of his relatives, who didn’t like how he was an active boy annoying them, would repeat to him, “When you grow up you are only going to be good for planting potatoes!” How sad it is when people put down and humiliate others with cruel words. But I think most of us get very bothered even more so when cruel words are spouted out to children. Just think when you minister to people how many have been belittled and humiliated in their past.

Children love and accept God as good. They have pure faith and Jesus said, Matthew 18:3 “And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  Many times older adults can be like children. But the people who enjoy scaring or humiliating those weaker than them will not go unpunished, in particular if they pretend to be Christians and the kids or adults see them as big hypocrites. Many so called atheists are kids who grew up in homes of hypocritical parents! 

Matthew 18:6 “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Thank God Major Alejandro took this as a negative motivator to study his way to success and become a leader and Bible scholar, but his story is not the usual one, many kids live under the condemnation of the immediate family, and it is the curse of never ending discouraging words producing failed kids and later in life sad frustrated older adults. Bad words produce the curse of never getting anywhere in life due to being consumed by anger, bitterness, envy, and being unrepentant, becoming foolish wasting all good opportunities God offers.  Negative words, especially applied to kids, brings a serious discouragement on them and a great condemnation on the one who said them! 

4. Our goal as a Christian is to always be bringing a word of cheer to all inspiring and loving imitating Jesus, being a light of hope in this dark cruel world full of cursing and evil words. How are we going to become one who speaks from God’s heart? First, we have to change the way we think! That means a heart change to be more like how Jesus was; we need our minds and hearts rewired so we speak the things of God. Most people have a long way to grow yet. I have known old people who curse, so the habit of speaking encouraging words must start today ASAP, it’s never too early or never too late!

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

In the verses of today from Philippians 4:8 what are we commanded to think on? (so, when we speak, we speak of them) “True things, honest things, just things, pure things , lovely things , things of good report; things of virtue and praise, think on these things!”  So, make a filter in your mind, do the words you speak serve the purpose of bringing about more truth, honesty, love, good news, virtues and praise to those at home and to those I minister to? 

5. It is hard to be positive in a negative world! Don’t misunderstand that we are to be sugar coating everything we say all the time! On the flip side of what we consider positive, let’s examine how there is a need for some candid negative words in order to accomplish a positive result.

Recall how Jesus spoke harsh words, but to whom? To people caught in sin, just out of bed fornicating? To tax collecting thieves? To rough fishermen who cursed like sailors?  Or to children or the elderly? No, his harsh words were uniquely directed to those who were supposed to be representing God and leadership for the nation but instead were hypocrites representing Satan!

Matthew 12:34 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Matthew 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

6. Imagine if you were one of these powerful religious leaders, you would not look at Jesus as a sweet motivational speaker full of the positive words like a Joel Osteen preacher! You would look at Jesus and His words as a threat to your little evil empire of control, of wealth gained by exploitation, and deceptive teachings! 

Jesus did not praise other evil manipulators either; for example, politicians were described as having sneaky animal characteristics. Luke 13:31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. 32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. (He is implying he could cast out the devil in Herod!) Herod as evil as he was did not seek to bother Jesus either!

Loving sweet words must always be for sinners who are getting closer to God, converting more and more each week, for people who are listening to God’s word, for people who are in the end suffering inside. Loving encouraging words are for those that are not perpetuating the practice of evil employing direct deception and manipulation as the false religions and bad politicians do.  

7. In general the model here is to motivate people we minister to by convicting words, with loving words. So you and I need to practice new styles of expression and speaking, and not keep on in vain trying to influence by using our own choice of words. For example, people who repeat things like, “How many times do I have to tell you”,…, You never listen to me”…, “Are you deaf”… “I told you so”…should realize that contained within their own words is the evidence their speech is being ineffective and they are not being heard as a communicator. 

When someone communicates to me that I must do what they say, my first thought is I am being commanded and no one I know likes to be obliged and commanded into do anything. I try not to command anyone but if there is an immediate danger or evil, then at that moment it is the time to shout commands like, “Hey, get out the way of that car!” 

Here is the misconception; it appears sometimes that some people speak as if he or she thinks that everyone around them is a brute beast and that they need to talk down to them. People do this most often with children and the elderly. Learn to change your aggressive or ordinary words for kind convincing words or nothing may get done! Like I see in the parking lots around here when someone is stopped for a few seconds and someone yells, “Get moving stupid!”  What happens in these situations?  The problem person reacts to these words and become a bigger problem because they sit there longer, not for traffic or being on the phone, but for the fact that they want to get revenge for being called stupid! 

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

 8. So how long will we live with so much back and forth and empty words that seem to be accomplishing nothing?  We must recognize the power of our words for good or for evil. Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” We must make a huge effort to break old speaking habits!

Some people live in toxic homes where they have heard their parents, siblings, or grandparents, express their selves always in some ugly manner and they keep on repeating the destructive pattern. Today is the day to start a change in how you express yourself. Break away from the ineffective clichés.   Stop the irritating speech that is meaningless and undesirable.

If you are one to like to repeat worn out clichés all the time like, “Oh my God”, then why don’t you replace it with something that might get God’s favor a little better like, “Lord, have mercy!” I know an amazing man of God, a black officer in Philadelphia and that was his favorite phrase, “Lord, have mercy!” and he meant it each time he said it! I’d ask him what is the hardest thing about your Corps? He’d answer, “Well, sometimes the homeless die overnight that sleep by the door so I have to call the police to pick them up; Lord, have mercy!”

9. I do not believe in the doctrine of using words to speak into existence blessings as some false “so called” Christian teachers do. They say to you repeat after me, “I am a child of God (true statement so far if you are Christian), I command you God to send me riches and blessings (wrong now, a false idea of blessings and of God’s workings!) But always take into account your words reap upon you a blessing or a condemnation.  Matthew 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 

Also, don’t talk too much or be as in Ecclesiastes 5:3 b; “and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words”. Here is a reality of words, in the Old Testament if you were caught cursing your parents or pronouncing some destructive prophecy over a person you did not like, you were to suffer “the death”, a sentence of getting stoned to death! God takes seriously our words! I am always reminded of the bumper sticker, “May the Lord give to you all that you desire on me!” This is true in many regards, words will always come back to bite you! We reap what we sew, either words of blessings, or words of cursing! 

Start measuring and thinking hard about the words you will use! Words have many functions but for the Christian they must be pure and for good reason to promote God’s will. Ecclesiastes 10:12 “The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. “  Many words may actually make us tired and frustrated. Proverbs 10:19 “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” Once you have spoken, don’t repeat and repeat. Jesus said in, Matthew 6:7 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Even God gets tired of empty words and only wants prayers from the heart!

10. Why do Jesus’ words encourage us so much? Because He is so positive! All the time, “Love, love God, love one another!”  Matt 5: “Blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek” on and on. Jesus knew how to motivate us not by the law commands but by inspiring us with the promise of eternal life and rewards in heaven! To hear people’s same old words often is a torment, but we are free from discouraging words when we hear Jesus’ words. 

What are you going to do in reaction to this? Think and speak the true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report of virtue and praise things!  Every Christian must pray desperately to change how they express their self! Your peace and future with God and others depends on it! I am included in this as well! Be careful and not be a person who is nice in public but at home complains about everything!  Psalm 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

The words you share at rest homes, with people of all ages can greatly lift their spirits! Here is a great verse to finish this important lesson on our words with, let’s all repeat it…Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”     

Pain: It Is Killing You! (If You Are Not Taking In God’s Medicine)

Pain: It Is Killing You! (If You Are Not Taking In God’s Medicine) Kelly Durant 2-23-14 Re 11-9-25

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

2. Ever since I was little I learned that pain usually occurred as a means of persuasion. For example, when I was 2 I learned not to put paperclips in the wall socket! At age 6 if I wandered too far away down the street while playing, and didn’t answer when my mother called, when I got back I would get a switching for disobeying.  At school at age 8 when I would play wrestle with my friends in the sand pit and when they had me pinned or I had them in an uncomfortable hold, the loser had to say “uncle” to stop the pain of the vice grip. 

Here is a reality we rarely discuss about ourselves: everyone in life must endure pain of all different kinds. Pain abruptly stops us in our tracks and it refocuses our attention on an immediate matter. Pain will cause a reaction! It might be with tears, a slowing down and subduing or humbling, or sometimes the contrary, anger may collectively fester over pain. 

a) Pain exists as a part of our fallen world, from the out-of-control natural world, a product of diseases and sicknesses spread by man’s ignorance and sin. B) Pain also can be something afflicted on us from another source like an oppressive authority applying instruments of pain for dominion. C) Pain additionally may be a consequence of a wrong personal decision, of bad friends, an abuse of a substance like alcohol or pills, or be a consequence from sins resulting from having the wrong kind of lifestyle or belief system condemned by God.

 And here is what everyone fears, that God may be allowing a certain pain in our lives for a reason and we know only He can stop it so you or I ask in prayer, “How can you and I fix this situation, Lord?  How can I please you, God, to make it stop?” Help! Repentance=Restoration

3. Apart from these 3 of many possibilities of sources for pain, there also exists a collective suffering in mass by God’s people that few understand unless they are a child of God and know God’s heart and have suffered in similar circumstance. Almost everyone has seen a movie on the 10 commandants and knows about the Exodus. What was the situation? The Israelites, God’s people, had suffered as slaves for a few hundred years and the people were in pain from the unjust degrading Egyptian oppressors. But God hears the prayers of the righteous and He is our liberator through Jesus, right? Egypt’s gods were no gods at all and Egypt has been dominated by other world powers or their own internal oppressors ever since the Israelites were freed! God is always the ultimate liberator!

Exodus 2: 23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. 

God hears our cries when we are in pain and God chose Moses to lead His chosen out of Egypt. God always has mercy on his children, but each child of God must recognize that it is only His power that can save them from their pain before God will choose to act. God has a loving heart and He hates suffering but it is our role to recognize that He is the power above all powers and the cure for our aching hearts, minds, and bodies.  

4. I know many of you in this room have endured broken bones, endured different sicknesses, and probably had your heart broken as well. I think everyone has endured an intense pain of some kind! Oh, let me not forget the pain of having a baby! With physical injuries or viruses, you have decreased mobility and plenty of time is required to recover, right? Painful periods in life may conduct us to have more alone time with God.

Like it or not, we must accept the fact that certain diseases exist, and they exist as a punishment on the wicked but God protects his own if they/we do not participate in the ways of the wicked. Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

Think about diseases and how they are spread, most sexually transmitted ones come from animals and then they are spread by promiscuity. Because sin abounds today much pain is spread by people who willfully knowingly spread viruses, especially HIV, and others pass germs on by having unwashed hands. Also bio-terrorism (germ warfare) and waste toxins is a new means of destruction. There is a war on humans and for years corporations and governments around the world have, for material gain, knowingly allowed chemicals and toxins to make sick millions of people in communities in almost every major city.

We must always pray for those suffering with cancer and other diseases induced by man’s destructive practices as many innocent people suffer from the sins of others in the community.

5. I think we all hate physical pain! When a tooth hurts you will do anything to make it stop right? God has mercy on us and He created certain plants that (poppy, coca, etc.) can put to sleep certain nerves but these substances were not created for continual use, only a temporary one. The sad part is in most parts of the world the people are so poor (1/3 or more people of the world) that they just have to endure pain with little relief. Drugs are sold mostly to the rich and middle class in wealthy nations, not in the poor countries. Alcohol is a problem as well!

I found an article last week that exposes that 70 million Americans are on pain killers or mind-altering substances, and there are many consequences from this abuse to try and mask pain. All recent mass murders have been done by people or kids abusing pharmaceuticals. Violence and cold-hearted acts are done by people numbed to pain. Almost every reformed prostitute will testify they abused drugs and alcohol to escape the pain of guilt and humiliation. It takes the death of actors to expose that an abundance of killer heroine and fentanyl is currently on the streets of America. Drugs waste away kidneys and livers and minds, killing abstract thinking. Pain relievers have their place but they become Satan’s tools of destruction when abused.   

But here is an interesting thing about physical pain, prayer can alleviate it often as well as a drug! Prayer is an unexplained phenomenon of science. Studies have been done and there is evidence that prayer, especially prayer with others, can relieve pain and even heal. This is the natural remedy God wants us to use more than any other! You must pray to discern when you need a doctor though because it is destructive ignorance to allow an emergency situation to be unattended to! (You also may apply oil when praying, see James 5:14)

6. What about pain from oppression?  I know many people will agree with me they would prefer to experience a physical pain rather than a heart break pain. What do I mean? Many people live heart-broken due to the oppression of their abusive spouse, children, bosses, or in particular by their governing authorities.  In all large cities there always exists mafias, pimps, and corrupt authorities that use people as human capital to be exploited. And look at the Ukraine, Venezuela, and N. Korea (amongst many others) right now; the people there are in acute pain and they are just reliving what Russia, China, Cuba, and hundreds of other nations have gone through throughout the ages. People foolishly empower (because they are deceived) abusers for personal gain! But the gain only goes into the hands of a few!   

Look at the Israelites again, for example. They were suffering in slavery and hard labor, but I think what hurt them the most was the abandoned feeling of hopelessness. They knew that they had a righteous God as their Father, but they felt the pain that He was not blessing them with their own land and nation to live in freedom as they dreamed. They had to endure living under the false gods of the Egyptians and this was humiliating. What a waste of manpower to move stones that were all for the vanity of surrounding a cadaver with luxury. 

But what happened in Egypt? How did God fix the problem of their oppression and heart break?  God raised up a leader to free them! He was the man of God for the hour to free the hurting Israelite people to restore dignity. He was a hero, a savior, a redeemer receiving by divine inspiration God’s laws for the formation of their new nation.  In the same manner Jesus steps up and saves men and women from their own sins and destructions, and from other oppressors around them. Today Jesus is our Savior, hero, liberator, and healer!

7. Normal love relationships involve pain between couples as complications from time to time arise and sometimes there are periods of time of not feeling very close to the other. These painful ups and downs may be caused by the sins of one or both, but normal recovery is expected. But when total abandonment occurs, that is a deep pain that needs a long recovery time. Abandoned abused people need many friends supporting them, and especially they need faith in Jesus to know that He heals all brokenness and all things will come out for the good in the end. (Romans 8:28)

You and I have known of many abusive cases between couples after a divorce or abandonment, but haven’t we witnessed how God often raises up another person to love and heal and erase the pain in the one with the wounded heart?  God has always wanted us to live pain free and happy (remember how nice the Garden of Eden was) but when suffering has come either by injustices, sicknesses, or as a punishment, God is still there to heal. Consider this beautiful promise of God to us and to Israel. He restores and inspires us despite any loss or pain.

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

8. One last horrific thing about pain, there are sadistic people who enjoy seeing others in pain!  Instead of being compassionate like God, Jesus, and a true Christian are, these people celebrate enjoyment hearing about your pain, and instead of rejoicing in God, they get happy over the sufferings of others?!

When you identify a person as being unloving, resentful, revengeful, and merciless, demonic, perverted or demented I suggest you tell them about how God wants to love them and convert them so they leave all their bitterness behind and start over with a whole new life. But if they reject God’s message you have delivered your soul and next I suggest you get out of harm’s way and avoid them so you don’t become the next victim they attack! Tormented souls are always trying to bring pain on to others!

I despise the sewage of the bulk of Hollywood’s productions as they love to glorify violence, they make horror and torture seem amusing and fun. If it were real pain and death, it would not be fun, it would make you vomit in fear and disgust. I have known in my lifetime political people in So. America who are deeply traumatized due to enduring torture (war vets too) and to hear the stories of their suffering is traumatizing! Some of our Cuban friends know what fear and pain is about and thank God you have been away from that for a number of years already.   

9. As we started off reading in Romans that the whole world groans in pain! How true is that!  Not just Venezuela, and the Ukraine are in pain; I challenge you to investigate the horrific deeds done by the Communists, Arabs, and Fascists in the non-Christian countries. (that includes about 5 billion as only 2 billion are Christian and maybe only half of them are really authentic!) Look at the U.S. and its frequent refusal to address the violence, crime, abortion, and drug abuse issues, the sexual trafficking and in-your-face perversions, and the mafias and unions that oppress and exploit their own people. Crime, corruption, lawlessness, and indifference has exponentially risen within the past few years! 

Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.  I get angry when people do not have compassion! I have written poems, I have expressed it as often as I can to do something to heal the pain of others! Jesus did! When I discover a person is just another selfish rat that does not care about the needs and suffering of others, I consider them a condemned unsaved heathen by their own choice and that will get them no mercy from God because they showed no mercy when they had the chance! We need to expose the evil of apathy as often as possible!

10. God’s design is for us to be restored and healthy and healed from our heartbreak in our past. In order to live happy, blessed, and pain free, and be a blessing to others, you and I must first have our own personal pain erased by the touch of the Lord’s healing. It starts with prayer and often happens when a person accepts Jesus. God’s touch can often make you or I cry and weep and this cleans out the heart. We then walk in the path of holiness and love.

I compare this to cleaning a wound. It is painful to have a cloth and peroxide go over the open skin, but if it is not done, infection will set in and the temporary burn of pain will be nothing compared to the long lasting damaging pain of unresolved dirt and destructive issues. Or like a rotting tooth or toe, if not eliminated it will rot the whole body to death in a short time!

We suffer now in our hearts, bodies and minds due to ourselves and others allowing Satan’s destructions to operate by deception. A compassionate Christian feels pain when others suffer, but the Holy Spirit will speak to one’s heart through the Word of God and bring healing. The best thing you can do for others is to heal yourself first, with God’s help, so you will then be able to go out and heal others by sharing God’s hope, faith, love, and prayer! And remember our lives are only a shadow and soon in heaven God will wipe away all tears and suffering and there will be no more sicknesses and death. For the believers in Jesus, the redeemed, the compassionate ones, pain will never be an issue anymore! Let’s pray to heal, to heal ourselves (this takes letting God speak to you about yourself!), and let’s be there present for others who need us in their times of pain and trials!