THE GIANTS AND THE THUNDER

For some of you who don’t know me, this story may reveal my age, but to some of you much younger people, it may make you think I’m older than actually am.

When I was in the first grade, once in a while, we would watch a film on a reel-to-reel projector. A vinyl record contained the audio track. We also had records that read books for us with a ding to tell us when to turn the page, but that’s another story.

One time, we saw an animated film about a man who, somehow, ended up in the land of Giants. He was captured by one of them and taken home. I don’t remember if the giant was going to eat him or keep him as a pet.

The Giant’s wife felt bad for the little man and tried to help him escape but her husband caught him before he got away. I don’t remember all the details, but I do remember another giant coming along, and the two giants started fighting over the little man. As they fought, they began moving so fast and swinging their arms so violently that they somehow propelled themselves into the clouds. The point of the story was that the sound of thunder is the noise of the two giants still fighting in the clouds.

As an adult, I understand that this is a fairy tale made for entertainment, but as a six-year-old kid, I thought it was true. I didn’t even realize it was animated. Kids today may not be that gullible, but they’re exposed to many things in movies, and TV shows that are not true. They’re also exposed to many things that are true but are not good. We can expect secular entertainment to be filled with lies and things that are not good for viewers of any age, but you’d think that Christian entertainment would be different. While there are many good, and decent things for Christians to watch, there are just as many that aren’t.

I could write a lot of words here about the many Christian movies that have errors, and even lies in them, but what I really want to do is encourage you to read, and study the Bible so you can see these errors for yourself. Jesus said, You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). He also said that God’s word is the truth (John 17:17). That's the Bible. 

If we don’t know the truth we’re in bondage. We have to believe whatever we’re told, and that’s more likely to be false in this day and age. The only way to know the truth is to know the author of truth. That’s Jesus. He said we would be judged by the words that he spoke (John 12:48). That’s also the Bible. Read and study his words daily. Get to know him personally, and be set free.

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THE GHOST IN THE CLOSET

I attended a small country school when I was young. There were eight grades in the two-story, brick building but the basement held the restrooms and the lunchroom and kitchen, supplies, and other miscellaneous things. The second and third grades met in the same room and had the same teacher while the first grade met in a small mobile home that had been converted into a classroom. I was in the first grade at the time.

One day at recess, I saw a couple of kids run from the room screaming. They told me there was a ghost in the closet in the second and third-grade classroom. I didn’t believe them, though. I don’t think I even believed in ghosts then because I had never seen one. They talked me into going into the closet and looking to see for myself. The ceiling of the closet was very high. When the door closed, I looked up like they had told me to. That’s when I saw it. Something large and white was coming down toward me. Naturally, I started screaming and trying to find the doorknob. When I finally got out of there, I ran back downstairs and out of the building, and into my own classroom without ever looking back. I was scared to death.

As I grew older, I heard lots of ghost stories and saw scary movies and TV shows. I had a few more personal experiences of my own and pretty soon, I became very afraid of ghosts.

I remember seeing a strange-looking bug with wings resting on the screen door one night at my aunt’s house. The next day, I happened to notice it again, but this time it was white and wasn’t moving. It was a ghost. That’s what I thought, but after a few more years of experience, I realize that what I thought was the ghost of that bug was only a skin that it had shed.

When I became a Christian and spent more time reading and praying, God revealed many things to me. Many of the “encounters” I had experienced over the years were made clear. Fear can make us imagine all sorts of crazy things. Sometimes what we see is not imaginary but we misinterpret what it is, based on preconceived ideas. Many times, misunderstanding can lead to fear. Remember when the disciples of Jesus were out on the lake in a boat one night and saw Jesus walking on the water? They didn’t know it was him, and they were scared because they thought he was a spirit. That is, an evil spirit.

The Bible teaches that there is no such thing as a ghost. At least, not what we think of as ghosts, like the spirits of dead people. The Bible teaches that when a person dies, they are asleep (John 11:11-14), and they do not know anything (Eccl. 9:5-6; Job 14:12,21). People stop thinking when they die (Ps. 146:4), they will never return to their house again (Job 7:9-10), and they don’t have anything to do with the goings on here on this earth (Eccl. 9:5-6).

If we encounter a “ghost,” it’s not someone who has died. Even if it looks like someone we know who has died, it’s not them. It’s an evil spirit; An evil angel; A demon. All three of these are the same thing, not something different as some people believe. The Bible is full of stories where demons possessed people. They do it today as well. We have to be careful not to entertain demons. In Hebrews 13:2, we are told that many have entertained angels and did not know they were angels. The same is true for the evil angels. The best defense against these demons is to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Stay in constant communication with Jesus and read and study his word, the Bible every day. We also need to avoid things that are not pure, such as certain movies, video games, and music. We don’t need to allow things into our minds that make us venerable to demons.

I have had several experiences with demons over the years including one with a Ouija board when I was in my teens. I know demons are real and they do not have our best interest in mind. They want to make us fearful and ultimately destroy us, and they will if we don’t rest in the protective arms of Jesus. So, if you’re not there, beware, and fill your mind with holy things. Remember what God’s word says in 2 Timothy 1:7 and 1 John 4:18. God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear, and God’s perfect love will expel all fear.

Watch these 2 videos about Ghosts and Dead People 

Ghosts And Spooky Spirits 

Are The Dead Really Dead?

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TWO SNAKES AND A FISHING POLE

There I was, minding my own business. Fishing in the creek, anticipating that unmistakable jerk on my line that would send my heart racing as I would frantically try to grab hold of the fish before it could get off my hook. It was the middle of the day, and the sun was high in the sky. It was early summer so it wasn’t hot. The trees were green and the sky was blue with only a few small clouds. The air was fresh and clean, and there was a small breeze blowing. That’s when it happened. All of a sudden, I heard a strange noise. It sounded something like air leaking from a tire.

As I turned to see what it was, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There in the field of sage grass, bitter-weed, and cow patties was a pretty good-sized green snake with its head raised above the grass, about a foot in the air. Directly behind it was a larger black snake with its head raised up in the air. It was chasing the green snake and they were both moving pretty fast. I had never seen a snake moving that fast before, and I’ve never witnessed it again.

I don’t know what was going on in either one of their minds. I don’t know if they were playing, or if the green snake was being bullied, or if it had done something to the black snake to deserve whatever it got. All I could see was one of God’s creatures about to be killed and eaten by a larger predator. I had to help.

Everything happened so fast, I’m amazed that I even had time to think, much less time to react, but with my mouth wide open, my eyes bugged out and my heart racing, it occurred to me that there was only one thing I could do. I ran behind them and threw my fishing pole at the black snake. I missed, but I accomplished my goal of distracting the pursuer. The green snake escaped as the black one turned and slithered off into the creek. That was a day I’ll never forget.

Remembering that incident reminds me of something else. The Bible equates Satan to a snake. In a sense, he’s always chasing us, trying to compel us to sin, and ultimately lead us away from God. The Apostle Peter says Satan wants to devour us or swallow us up (1 Pet. 5:8). All he really has to do is distract us from the true path and get our attention off Jesus and on worldly things. Things like music, movies, TV, games, and other things that have nothing to do with God, but promote worldly values. He also distracts us by getting us to focus on things that cause us stress, like our finances, our health, ourselves in general, and a number of other things that can keep us from focusing on God. In verses 9-10, Peter tells us to resist the devil with strong faith, and God will give us strength and peace.

The key to life, both here and in the world to come, is Jesus. That relationship means everything, and there’s more to it than some people teach. Believing Jesus exists is not enough (James 2:19). We have to believe IN him (John 3:16). He has to be living in us (John 14:26; Titus 3:5).

For any of this can take place, we have to be born again (John 3:7). I think that’s why there are so many “Christians” still living just like they did before they were baptized. Many of them haven’t had that new birth experience. It happens more often than you would think. It happened to me. I was a “Christian” for years before I was born again and I’ve heard similar stories from others. Many are misinformed as to what it takes to be saved. It involves more than just repeating a prayer and being baptized. We have to be sorry for our sins and commit to turning away from them. That’s repentance. Without repentance, we can not be born again. If we’re not born again, we will not enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5).

Have you been born again? Give it some serious thought today. That’s something you should be sure of (1 John 5:13). It’s something to seriously consider if we want to make it to heaven. For more details, read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”

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UNPROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONALS

Recently, I had to take a trip to the emergency room. In giving the diagnosis, the attending physician used some foul language. It made me cringe so, that I was sure she saw my displeasure in my expression. Several months before that, the same thing happened at another emergency room when I rushed my friend there from work after she got her hand caught in a machine. That type of language is unnecessary, uncalled for, and UNPROFESSIONAL.

I realize it has become commonplace, but there are still plenty of people out there who don’t want to hear that kind of talk. I know I don’t. I remember many years ago when there was a lot of debate over foul language in TV, movies, and music. People who couldn’t care less said, “If you don’t like it, turn it off. That’s what the buttons are for.” I agree. What we and our children see and hear in the privacy of our own homes is up to us, but we shouldn’t have to be subjected to that kind of language everywhere we go.

I understand freedom of speech, and I’m all for it. I just think when you’re a professional, and you’re dealing with the public, you should be aware that there ARE people who don’t talk that way and are raising their children not to talk that way, and they don’t want to hear bad language or have their kids exposed to it. People who are serving the public should have respect for the people who come into their business. I know you want return customers, so how many do you think may not return because you use bad language?

I’m seeing it more and more in the professional world. I see it in emails I receive from professionals. I experienced it recently in a live training session. I see it in training videos, and lately, I’m seeing and hearing it on the news, and even from our elected officials. Totally unprofessional.

Beside the fact that it’s unprofessional, God tells us in his Holy Word that this kind of thing is unacceptable. It’s sad, but I see many Christians using foul language, and I’m not talking about just when they get angry or hurt, (which is not a good excuse either) but I’m talking about just in everyday life. Like my Grandmother used to say, “they cuss like sailors,” and they don’t see anything wrong with it.

I’m certainly not claiming to be perfect. I’ve said my share of bad words in the past, and I won’t swear on my mother’s life that I won’t again. I want to please God, though, and I need positive influences in my life. Whatever we hear and see regularly, that’s what we become like. If we allow our minds to be constantly bombarded by bad words, they tend to pop out of our mouths when we least expect it. The more we allow that to happen, the more it happens, until we’re just like everybody else. I know this to be true from my own experience.

While I’m talking to you “Professionals,” let me kindly say this: Just because my skin is the same color as yours, doesn’t mean I share your racist views about others whose skin is a different color. Please, keep your opinion on that to yourself, and just give me the service I’m paying you for. That’s the professional thing to do. By the way, there’s only one race; The human race. We’re all the same in God’s eyes.

Just a quick side-note to Christians. Stop putting other denominations down, and making fun of their beliefs. Stop calling them names, and ridiculing them because you believe differently than they do. Instead, pray for them, and maybe try and find some positive way to show them the truth you think you have. If you’ll study God’s word, you’ll discover that’s what we should be doing anyway, instead of acting like a bunch of little school kids who are being raised by Adolf Hitler. If you study the Bible every day, you’ll probably see that some of the things you believe are wrong as well. That’s all part of growing in Christ. We learn as we grow and we need to humble ourselves and realize there are others who don’t have the same level of biblical knowledge as we may have, and that there are others who are far more advanced than we may be.

We don’t all have to agree on everything to be kind to each other. That includes religion and politics. We all have our differences, and we all disagree with somebody, somewhere, on something. Some people are not always nice to others they disagree with, but disagreement doesn’t always equal hate or fear, and it’s okay to calmly tell someone you disagree with them. If someone says they disagree with you, don’t lose your mind. A soft reply turns away anger, but harsh words stir up anger (Proverbs 15:1).

Professionals, you need to act professionally. Show courtesy for your customers, and speak words of encouragement, instead of words that discourage them from returning to you in the future. This will help your business, and you as well, and it will go a long way in making our world a better place to live.

If you’re interested in knowing what the Bible says about how we should and shouldn’t talk, read “What’s Wrong With Using Profanity?”

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2016 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6