by Christian Mrosek

I was sitting in the garden at my parent’s house on a wonderful day, enjoying the sun. But then, a mosquito bit me. I actually realized the fact that I was bitten while scratching my leg, which only made things worse. This got me pondering. As I found myself scratching immediately after feeling the itching, without really thinking about it, I realize that I still find myself giving in to wrong habitual behavior, without really thinking and battling the temptation.

It is frustrating and even discouraging at times to find myself doing the wrong thing again and again. But what I have learned from that mosquito bite is that, as I never have to scratch, I never have to sin. It is always my decision.

This whole analogy of the mosquito bite, the itching and the scratching with its negative consequences, brought, in fact, many spiritual principles to my awareness. Reflecting on this occurrence, I came to further realize that God will always be there. He will always help me get back up. He knows me better than I know myself. He will always know how to teach me a lesson, and how to encourage me. But I still have to do my part, and it will take much effort. The temptations will not disappear, and it will not be easy to overcome them. But I can do it and I will do it, because God’s Holy Spirit lives within me.

By Louise Amorelli

A few weeks back, with all the rain we had, I knew it was time to mow the lawn. It is definitely NOT one of my favorite things to do, living out here in the country, with about one-two acres, utilizing all my energies with our push behind mower. I try to synchronize darting low-overhead tree branches while making sure to remove peach tree pits lying on the ground and fallen limbs before the mower blade runs them over.  Ready for an “encounter” with ticks and flying insects of all sorts, I proceeded to outfit myself with what I believed was a well thought-out attire, along with bug spray armor. Long heavy pants, a long sleeve shirt, boots and tall socks pulled up around the bottom of my pant legs, were the garb of the day.  A large brimmed hat was my head gear.  Needless to say, I have bug phobia!

A few minutes into my mowing agenda, I was swarmed by a cluster of yellow jacket wasps! I frantically ran in every which way to get them off me! I felt them starting to sting, and so I ran into the house, trying not to let them follow me. I was quite terrified! After disrobing on the back porch and trying to calm myself down, I had four sting bites along with a pounding heart! It was my worst nightmare!  I refused to continue mowing, knowing they might still be lurking about.

After about an hour of reviewing the situation, I realized that if I did not go back out there, I would never be mowing again! I would NOT let them win the battle!  I HAD to break my fear and continue. I prayed that God would protect me, while staying away from the area where I knew they were. God answered my prayer, and I made it through.

I started to think about the spiritual and physical areas in my life, where I am fearful and need to overcome with God’s help, sometimes challenging myself. I know that fear is not of God, and I am not perfected in love if I am fearful. Of course, I need to use Godly wisdom when dealing with each situation and with individuals, always asking for His strength, guidance, protection and peace. But if I don’t stand up in faith to situations or people I fear in this world, then I will not overcome my battles. I know since God is for me, who or what can be against me?… all the while giving glory to God and growing in God’s perfect love and peace that only He can give!

by Joan R. Pope

In 1960 I drove to Florida from Pittsburgh and moved in with my parents. Later–the year was 1965–I was working five days a week at the local newspaper. My boss, the Senior Vice President of our department, called me into his office and said: “This young man here would like a proper introduction to you.” We started dating later that week, and soon he took me to meet his family.

His mother worked daily. All her children (other than her son) were in high school… and, they needed the money. Her husband was my young friend’s stepfather and worked as a day cook…

My new friend’s mother was quite attached to her only son, and she was keenly aware of his interest in me… She told me one day that she frequently visited a local fortune teller and asked whether I would accompany her soon.  I deliberated what I should do. I was not yet a baptized member of the Church of God, although I listened to Mr. Armstrong on the radio as frequently as I could. At the same time, I was receiving the Plain Truth and Good News magazines and the various booklets published by the Church. I was aware of most, but not all of God’s judgments, commandments and precepts. However, I still was not sure what to say to my new friend’s mother without hurting her feelings.

One day my friend dropped me off at her house as she had again invited me to lunch. Afterward she said: “While you’re here, we may as well go see my dear friend the ‘fortune teller.’” We got in her car and drove the short distance to the fortune teller’s small home to get my fortune told.  She knocked on the door several times and declared to me that she had an appointment and wondered why there was no answer to her knock.  While standing on the porch, I noticed a curtain move in the front window. Still, no one came to let us inside. So we went back toward her house, and she conveniently dropped me off at the newspaper office.

The following week, she again invited me to her home for lunch. Afterward, she once more said she had another appointment with the “fortune teller.” I was afraid that I was going to have to go through with it this time.  However, when we arrived at the fortune teller’s home, the same thing occurred; we knocked, and we knocked, and no one ever came to the door.  I was soooooo relieved as in the meantime I was discovering more and more in the Bible as to what GOD says about staying away from sorcerers, palm readers, fortune tellers and the like.

To this day I’m firmly convinced that GOD prevented me from a situation that was seemingly out of my control; though it really wasn’t, as I could have begged off. But, I was still learning and cognizant of the fact that my friend’s mother wanted to find out what I was all about. We did become friends, and she never mentioned the situation ever again.  I still thank GOD for His divine protection from the demons I might have encountered behind that unanswered door.

by Michael Link

I wish I had the ability to freeze time! A thought which has frequently come into my mind, as the workload has certainly increased insofar as the church is concerned, on top of my regular daily activities which include my job, family, and my other “passions” in life. Frustration has also set in, as I have found it difficult to find the time to get things done, especially when my “day job” consumes most of the hours I have available anyway. Yes, even in the summer time, there are never enough hours in a day. Trying to devise a plan on how I can find the time to complete the work I need to get done, brings about another problem I constantly encounter. And that is distractions. I get side tracked. I overwhelm myself. Sometimes throughout the day, while at work, I think about everything I need to do, and what needs to be done when I eventually get home, only to find myself not doing any of it because I am burned out from all that thinking. Instead, I let distractions get the best of me.

So how do I get rid of this way of thinking? The answer should be quite obvious as I know that God will direct my paths and give me a clearer understanding. It involves prayer, and lots of it. Balance is also important.  What is it that I need to get done, not what I “want” to get done? At this point, I’ll do what I can and I pray that God will grant me “more time” so I can complete the tasks I need to complete. God has a plan for me, even though I may not know right now with certainty what the plan is, but He will reveal it in due time.  So as I go through my day, I need to remember what God promises, in that He will not give me more than I can handle, and I will in return do what I can without letting distractions get the better of me.

by Shelly Bruno

I am a creature of habit, and easily tend to get into a routine. I put my head down and plow through the days. But that’s not healthy for many reasons. Sometimes I miss things that should be addressed or even revisited. For example, asking myself “Am I doing what I should be doing?”

The first priority on my list should be pursuing God’s kingdom. He even tells me so in an often-quoted Scripture. But do I do it? Is my routine sliding away from my top priorities?

I had a “check-in” experience last week, and realized I have been pushing my spiritual duties down my task list. Specifically not writing my tithe check first before any other bills. I would get it done, but not in the time frame I should have been doing it. So last week I sat down and wrote it out first–before looking at the stack of bills, the checkbook, or considering what was in the bank account. And later that day God showed me He was paying attention. My husband came home to tell me some good news: that his company had given him a raise (which he was expecting) but what surprised him, was that it was 4 times the amount he anticipated.

Knowing that God is watching and blessing our lives, this was an incredible reminder for me: always put the first things FIRST.

by Manuela Mitchell

As I have become older, I have noticed that I have to be very aware and think harder when it comes to making plans, putting things away or in new places, making sure I have a written grocery list of essentials and posting appointments on the calendar. The times of doing things that I have always been able to do and remember without having to write them down, or even think that hard about, are definitely from the past. It can become very frustrating when I simply forget to do something that I knew I had to do just a few short days ago. Within the past few years, this has happened to me more and more. I have tried to come up with explanations such as, age, health, parenthood, distractions, busy lifestyle, work and diet. I have concluded that all of these things play some role in what I can mentally retain in my life on a daily basis.

As I get older, my life changes in ways that are sometimes out of my control. On the other hand, I sometimes don’t plan accordingly for the activities I have set aside to do. Therefore, I get in a rush and forget to do the simple things that are important and necessary to do before all others. One example of that is prayer. If I wake up late on a day I have to work, that still means getting ready for work, packing lunches, feeding animals, getting my son ready and driving to wherever he is going and then getting myself to work. I will most likely have forgotten something very important–to pray. I will also realize that because I have forgotten to pray, I will forget to do other simple things and not realize that I have forgotten that vital thing until half of my disorganized day is already over.

Recently, I was asked some questions regarding my faith. They were rather simple questions, in my opinion, asked by my co-worker and boss. They pertained to the reason for keeping the Holy Day of Pentecost on God’s selected time. Being Jewish, my boss was observing it on a different day, based on her understanding of the Hebrew Calendar. Our dates did not agree. Immediately, when I was questioned, the Scripture came to mind, “Always be ready to give a defense for the hope that lies in you.” I answered as best I could and in a way that I thought my boss could understand. But after I had more time to think about it, I wished I could have replied in a way that was more detailed. I had simply forgotten how to answer quickly but also strongly, because I had not retained the teaching in the Bible so that I could prove to others my belief.

After that experience, I realized as awful as it is that there have been times when I have simply forgotten to pray, I also need to ask God on a daily basis for my memory to be whole and clear. In accomplishing this I can be more useful in the things that I do daily and be more helpful to the people who are around me. Also, I will become more effective to God. 

by Laura Harris

No. It’s one of the smallest words in the English language, yet one of the most powerful. It has negative connotations, from expressing dissent to denial. But the word can also be self-preserving and liberating.

In my 20’s and well into my 30’s, I had difficulty saying “no” for fear of disappointing my co-workers, family and friends. I would begrudgingly agree and then complain about the task at hand. As a result, I would often neglect my needs and responsibilities. As I’ve matured in age and spirituality, I’ve realized saying “no” is an acceptable and accountable response in certain situations.

Early in my calling, prior to baptism, I worked for an organization that hosted many weekend events. In attempting to be a good employee, I rationalized that I could attend these functions to show support without working. Inevitably, I would field work-related questions and run errands during these activities. After several months of breaking the Sabbath, I felt confident enough in my faith to tell my supervisor I would no longer attend Saturday events. He was very understanding and supportive of my religious beliefs.

In his 9/1/12 sermon, entitled “Your Servant,” Dave Harris states that serving others is commanded by God, but like all things, it needs to be tempered with balance. How can we take care of our neighbor if we are not taking care of ourselves? Henry Cloud, in his book “Boundaries,” discusses how many people take on extra responsibilities in order to avoid conflict. This “fearful niceness” results in burnout, resentment and a sense of being out of control.

When considering a request for help, I need to ask myself:

Is there a genuine need?
Would I or my family be adversely impacted?
Would I be compromising my relationship with God?
 
By saying no to one thing, I am actually saying yes to another.

by Kalon Mitchell

As I sit here writing this, the world is quickly falling apart. Just today I got 15+ stories on my phone about: North Korea threatening to go to war; the EU’s financial issues that are escalating; the US–which is splitting at the seams and continuing on its inevitable downfall. From war to poverty, sadly, this world is deteriorating before my eyes.

And while the world at times brings tears to my eyes because of the injustices and wrongs that are committed on a daily basis, I have to remember that this must all come to pass. It’s hard to deal with it at times. But it is because of the promises of God that I can keep my head up and a smile on my face. In good times and bad, God has never departed from me. He has never let me fall down without being right there to pick me back up and set me back on my course. The spring Holy Days that were just observed help me to remember the great plan that God has in store for all of mankind. With that course in mind I, feel stronger than ever and pray that God establishes His kingdom soon on earth!

by Gilbert DeVaux
 
Before being called into the truth, I considered myself to be self-reliant, and that led me to think too much of my own abilities. I made many mistakes along the way. I lived a way of pride. Now I am no longer on that path. I used to have fear and worries of what was ahead. That was then. Today I can see the foolishness of my past and my way of thinking then.
 
Now that I am older and having had time to reflect on my past, I realize that I am not the same person. I understand that I have to rely totally on the Eternal God, and that I should no longer have the fear and worries of this world. The people of this world put their trust and hope in man, and man fails them over and over again. The world is blind; however, the Eternal has opened my eyes a little. I know that I am not better or wiser than those in the world. They too will have their opportunity when the Eternal calls them. I remind myself each day not to take my calling for granted, and I pray that the Eternal will keep me on His path.

by John Amorelli

“One who worries excessively and needlessly.” “One who tends to dwell unduly on difficulty or troubles.” These are a couple of definitions of the word “Worrywart.” It is believed the expression “Worrywart” was first used as the name for the character of an eight-year-old boy in a 1950’s comic strip, called “Out Our Way” by J.R. Williams.  Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, the phrase “Worrywart” was already in the popular slang vernacular long before the comic strip appeared.

I have to admit, I am sometimes a worrywart. When I worry about something, it affects me emotionally and physically.  I literally may become sick inside and out. Should I be worry-free since I am a true Christian? Jesus says in Matthew 6 not to worry about ANYTHING. But sometimes, I try to cope with my “worry-ship” by trying to escape reality, but that doesn’t resolve the issue.

When I find myself in such a situation, I have to pray to the Eternal to mollify and even eradicate my state of worrying. I counsel with the Church ministers so they can give me Godly guidance and advice. I have to remind myself that God, the Church ministers and the brethren are there for me. There are also the Church of God member letters, publications/booklets, StandingWatch programs, sermons and sermonettes posted on the internet, weekly Updates, Q&A’s, radio programs and my Bible; Godly resources at my fingertips to encourage and inspire me!  I also need to consistently utilize the triad of prayer, meditation and occasional fasting.

So, why do I worry at times? And what is the solution for me? Actually, the answer is quite simple: When in need, I have to ask God to increase my faith. At the same time, I need to focus on others—praying to God for the brethren who are sick and in pain, while trusting in Him and using the Godly tools/resources that are available to me… at my fingertips. It is a big “to-do” list, but it is extremely effective!