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How Bambi The African Elephant Disproves The Theory of Evolution

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment
Bambi the African Elephant. Photo Credits: https://www.memphiszoo.org/

I went to the Memphis Zoo with my grand boys yesterday. They were smitten with all the animals, but the rhinos were definitely at the top of their list. The elephants are always my favorite. They are surprisingly agile for their size, super smart and live a very long time, especially in captivity.

One of the elephants we saw was Bambi, pronounced “Bom-bee.” This sweet girl had no tusks. She had never grown any. The elephant keeper explained that Bambi, and many tuskless elephants like her, are the result of mankind affecting  nature in a negative way.

Elephants need their tusks to break tree limbs, and strip them of their bark to eat. Because Bambi doesn’t have tusks, she has to resort to other less efficient means of working her food. The possibility of Bambi having a baby with tusks is slim because she carries this defective gene.

In the wild, poachers kill elephants for their ivory tusks. Hence, the healthiest and most genetically superior animals are killed, and the genetically weakest animals survive. The result is a lineage of animals with genetic abnormalities who have to learn to survive the best way they can, yet never with the maximum potential of earlier predecessors.

THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

This got me to thinking about the theory of evolution. This theory claims that all animals came from a single cell creature. (which would have had to become “alive” at some point, but I digress.) Through millennia  of eons past, these living organisms split to become multi-cell organisms, then simple reactive creatures, and finally, intelligent animals, capable of making decisions and forming relationships…

LET’S THINK ABOUT THIS

  • In the wild, African Elephants are being poached for their tusks. The elephants that remain produce a lineage that is weaker genetically, and are less superior in health and physical ability.
  • A defective cell cannot produce a healthy cell. Hence the presence and power of cancer.
  • Any living thing that is genetically defective will produce offspring with less genetic integrity, not better.
  • An organism or creature that wasn’t strong enough to make it to the next level of maturity, would not then produce a stronger offspring the next time around. It would continue to produce weak offspring which would not survive. The so called “evolution” process of that lineage would cease at that weak point.
  • Have you ever heard the saying, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link?” This is so true, because it’s at that point of weakness that the chain will break under stress. The same is true for any living organism. It is only as strong as its weakest cell. It’s at that point of cellular weakness that the organism will “break” under stress. 
  • We even see this same digression in human family lineages. The likelihood of a biological family with a genetic disorder passing this defect on to their children is probable.

CONCLUSION 
Millions of years of cellular defects can in no way produce the vibrant, healthy, intelligent creatures that we see in our world today. On the contrary, the magnificent menagerie of creatures we see today are only a shadow of the perfection that God created only six thousand years ago. That’s right. In only six millennia, BECAUSE SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD, every generation of living organisms has declined in intelligence and beauty.

God created the earth, every plant and animal, as well as the first man and woman in perfection. Had they not sinned, they would have lived and reproduced in this perfect state forever. When they did sin, however, DEATH began to work in their bodies. As a result, everything and everyone must suffer death at some point. 

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31)

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12)


The entrance of poachers’ influence into Bambi’s genetic lineage can be compared to a disease or natural obstacle that would hinder the growth and maturity of any living creature. Until Jesus comes back for His people, and sets this sinful world aright, humanity and every other living thing will continue in a state of decline, not in a process of evolution to a higher form. Let’s put our trust in Him instead of a theory full of weak links.

Leave me a comment to let me know what you think. 

Warm Regards, -Pat

 

Saying Nothing Is Saying a Lot

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

It was mid-February, and we were on the train, riding from Liverpool back to London. I enjoy people watching, and imagining what the lives of the people around me are like. Whether in an airport, hotel lobby, subway, or restaurant, there is never a shortage of people to imagine about. The train ride was approximately two hours, so I had extra time to observe the two teenagers sitting across the isle and diagonal to us.

From my vantage point, and perspective, they seemed a bit obnoxious. Not because they did anything wrong, but they were louder than the other passengers. Every few minutes, they would erupt into a raucous laughter that made me think maybe they had been talking about us.

They were dressed differently. Different than us, anyway. Even though my husband and I were dressed in casual clothes, the same as them, their attire was sloppy and teenage trendy. Their hair was unkempt, yet styled…How is that even possible? They had piercings and tattoos. All in all, their personalities were edgy, and they seemed a bit sketchy to me.

Just before we arrived in London, a conversation was struck up between the four of us. I’m not sure who asked first, but we began to tell them that we were from the U.S. They asked where in the U.S., and we told them Tennessee. The young man said he didn’t know where that was, but the girl immediately said, “Oh, I know where that is! That’s where they don’t like black people!”

This was so not what I expected her to say. It felt like a slap in the face. I immediately and defensively responded with, “That’s not true!,” not being able to think of anything more eloquent or explanatory to say. She was very adamant in her viewpoint, and didn’t hesitate to come back at me with, “Yes, it IS true! I learned about it in world history. You all hate black people.”

The train had already pulled into the London Station, and everyone was standing up and grabbing their bags. I wanted to defend myself and my people by assuring her that I had plenty of black friends, I use to attend a church with a one-third black congregation, I’m one of the least prejudiced people she would ever meet, and would my black friends please stand up and vouch for me?!?!

In the end, all I had time to lamely call over my shoulder as we went one way, and they went another was, “That was a long time ago!” She called something back to me in reply. I didn’t make it out completely, but I think it was something to the effect of, “Sure. Whatever,” with an eye roll. Rotten kids.

I was so embarrassed. And offended. I had been wrongly labeled by a ragged, obnoxious, hole-punched misfit…whoooo apparently was well studied in world history, and wasn’t afraid to speak out against injustice wherever she perceived it…Heavy sigh…I was busted. Ironic, isn’t it, that I was offended at being labeled by the very people who I had been labeling for the last two hours?

The truth is I really don’t consider myself prejudiced, at all. The truth is I do have plenty of black friends, as well as many other shades of color from all over the world. I hope they know that I love them, and that I don’t consider myself better than they are in any way.

The truth is also that to not say anything is actually saying a whole lot. Not saying anything is saying, “I don’t want to get involved in your difficulty. The truth is that racism is still a HUGE deal in the U.S., and we must say so, and stand against it. Saying nothing is saying a lot.

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” (Acts 10:34-35)

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;” (Revelation 7:9)

#georgefloyd #icantbreathe #endracism

WAKE UP! It’s Later Than It’s Ever Been.

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

One day when I was a young girl, I woke up and walked out of my bedroom, and immediately sensed something different in my home. I didn’t know what it was, but everything felt strange. The atmosphere. The light coming in the windows. My family was acting strangely, not going about their normal morning routines. They were all sitting around the tv watching evening shows. I was extra hungry. Everything was just off.

I had put on my clothes like normal, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. My mom gave me a peculiar look, and said something to the affect of, “Well, there’s not much use in getting dressed now. It’s almost time to go to bed.”

I’m not sure of the rest of the conversation, or why she had let me sleep, (Maybe she thought I was sick.) but I finally realized that I had literally slept all day. My natural rhythm was out of whack for days.

The worst part was the loss of all that time. Time that I could have been doing what kids my age did. Playing with my dogs, gerbils and Barbie dolls, riding my bike and reading my library books. It felt like time had sped up, and gone on without me.

Time Will Speed Up In The Last Days.

There is coming a time, and I believe it has already begun, when the length of days will be shortened because of God’s grace to His Church. Such difficult and evil times will come upon the world, that even the Church will be at great peril of being lost but for this gift of grace.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)

“For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.” (Mark 13:19-20)

The Dog Days of Summer Are Gone.

Remember when you were a child how summer days just went on and on? When kids and dogs had nothing better to do than hang out, just beating the day’s heat with a cool glass of lemonade and the swish of a tail.

I use to think that it was just the mark of childhood. As my own kids were growing up, however, I noticed that they began to exclaim that Christmas or their birthday had come around very fast. They just couldn’t believe another year had gone by. When I was a kid, it seemed a lifetime between Christmases and birthdays.

I don’t believe this speeding up of days is my imagination. Nor is it the imagined result of growing older with adult responsibilities. I am convinced that the days are literally being fast forwarded through.

Length Versus Number

Some believe that the actual number of days in the endtime will be shortened. I cannot believe this to be true because scripture gives us a very set timeline to gauge when we are living.

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Daniel 12:11)

On the contrary, scripture very specifically tells of a time that the length of our days and nights would be shortened by one third. I believe that time has begun.

“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.” (Revelation 8:12)

What Will We Do With Our Days?

Considering that we are all Sheltering In Place, and knowing that our days are shorter than ever, how will we spend them? We are limited from doing some things, but are they things that really matter to the Kingdom?

If we are going to be proactive for the cause of Christ, now is the time. For the time being we can still reach out over the internet and all venues electronic to be a witness. We can write, call, text, video teach, and of course, there’s never been a better time to pray like we have never prayed before. Jesus, Himself, said…

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)

Be Careful What You Plant.

~ Pat Vick ~ 2 Comments

February 20, 2019

When my husband was a boy, he wanted to plant a tree in his yard. He trekked through his several acre yard, across the country road, and into the woods to find the perfect tree to transplant.

He was delighted to find a beautiful specimen with perfectly spaced limbs. Back home he trudged, carrying his precious cargo with him.

He spent quite a while digging the perfect hole, and planting the little tree. When he was finished, he stood back and imagined a beautiful full-grown tree that would cast a pleasant shade over that area of the yard, and a home for countless birds.

After his lengthy project was completed, he proudly showed his little tree to his mom. Her heart sank as she saw what he had planted. A Sweetgum Tree -the nuisance of any yard.

I can imagine the wrestling in her mother’s heart. Should she tell him right away, and send him to get a different kind of tree? But she saw the swell of her sweet boy’s chest, and the proud look of accomplishment on his face…Surely it wouldn’t live long…and then she would comfort him, and help him choose a more appropriate tree baby.

That tree was a fighter from the start. It thrived through hot summers, frigid winters, ice storms, hail and high water. Yes, that little tree was destined for big things.

Today that little tree has become a little boy’s dream. It stands 30 feet tall, casts a fabulous cooling shade, and is a safe haven for countless country critters.

Don’t you dare try to walk barefoot in that area of the yard, though. And Heaven help you if you’re not wearing protective gear while the lawn mower is running. And by all means, wear sturdy shoes that keep your ankles from turning easily on uneven surfaces.

Many of us are reaping the effects of things we planted in our youth. Even if we have come to the Lord, others must still deal with our past choices.

It’s a new day. A disciplined day. Let’s be aware and take responsibility for what we plant. A little tree can grow up to be a big nuisance…or worse.

“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” (1 Corinthians 3:8)

The Danger of Backsliding

~ Pat Vick ~ 6 Comments

It was one of the most tragic things I have ever witnessed. I was riding with my husband in the tractor as he carried round hay bales to our cattle. It was a cold and sloppy winter day. As we came through the gate, the herd followed along with the tractor, bawling their impatience with every step. 

My husband moved the empty hay rings over several feet to more dry areas, and then lifted each bale high over a ring with the hay fork attached to the tractor, and set them down inside. The cattle began shoving their faces down into the delicious hay, pulling out big mouths full. They stood chewing in the cold drizzle with mud covered legs and frosted breath. 

There was no pasture grass this time of year. The cattle’s survival until late spring rested solely on the hay delivery and their ability to get to it.

We sat in the warm tractor and watched them munch. We always spent a few minutes counting heads, taking note of whether a new calf had been born, and the general welfare of the herd.

It was only then that we saw it. The mud covered mound down a small incline from the hay ring’s previous location. We had assumed it to be a partially eaten hay bale that had been trampled into the mud. The horror of what we were seeing settled over both of us at once. My husband spoke the sickening words first, “I think that’s a cow!”

He got out of the tractor and slogged through the mud, waving the herd out of his path. He leaned over the mud coated mass to find she was still breathing…barely. 

Cattle moving under their own steam can be tricky to get where you want them to go. When they are sick or weak, it can be even more difficult. It looked as though she had slid backwards in the mud where she couldn’t get the traction she needed. She had become mud caked in her struggle to regain her footing. The other cattle had quite literally walked on top of her to get to the hay while she got weaker and weaker from lack of food in the cold.

If she had any hope at all of surviving, we had to get her up out of the mud pit that she had backslid into. We had to get her eating again to give her body nourishment and warmth. My husband did the only thing he knew to do. He used the hay fork on the front of the tractor to lift and scoot her, as gently as possible out of the pit to a flat and dryer spot of ground. Even then, you would never know she was a cow under all that mud except for the periodic puffs of frozen breath.

I wish I could say that we saved her. We tried the best we could, but ended up losing her that day. Our best efforts weren’t enough. We were too late.

This painful memory always causes me to think of my Christian brothers and sisters who have left the faith, or at least put their walk with God on hold to pursue their own agenda. Wealth, Sports, Recreation, Fame.

Whatever it is they choose to pursue, they feel like they are at a safe enough spot to be able to come back to the God’s House whenever they choose, not realizing the precarious position they have gotten themselves into. They don’t realize these things they have chosen to pursue will eventually suck them down so deep that they can’t get back.

We much keep better check on those we love. We must keep them connected to the local church. We must make sure they are being fed the Word of God on a regular basis. We must be aware of tell tell signs that they are losing their hold on Truth, and their footing in the Kingdom of God. We must engage them in honest conversation, and insert ourselves into their lives consistently.

The only thing sadder than a Christian backsliding, is a Christian backsliding and being trampled by fellow Christians, just taking care of themselves, completely unaware that their brother or sister has fallen. God, help us to be concerned.

I SMELLED YOUR COLOGNE AGAIN TODAY FOR THE TENTH TIME, AND CRIED.

~ Pat Vick ~ 7 Comments

I smelled your cologne today, as I do at this time every year. I only take your shaving kit out once a year. It’s just the way you left it. Manicure kit, razor, bottle of prescription medication, a ziplock bag of discolored granules -perhaps epsom salt, and your cologne. I wouldn’t dare spray it. I can’t imagine the fragrance on anything or anyone but you. Ten years; ten sniffs.

I draw the smell in, and I am hugging you again. Ferociously. I am enveloped in your arms and plaid shirt. It’s always plaid. Even though you wore suits and dress casual attire so often, you liked to think of yourself as a rugged kind of guy. To be held in your arms again, if only in my imagination, is a delight. I notice your shoulders and arms are more sinew rather than the bulk they use to be. I think you’ve decided to get healthy in your mature years.

For a moment, my face is against your chest, feeling your heartbeat and the reverberation of your voice as you say, “Hey, Patty!” You were the only one who called me that, one of my many aliases, the evidence of being adopted at seven. There was no one nickname that stuck. Everyone just came up with one of their own for me. You called me Patty, or Sister, which you called both of us girls. When you said Patty, it had a softness to it, like a caress. I wish I could hear you say it again. I’m so thankful that I can still remember the exact way your voice sounded.

My mind drifts back through the years, picking up the special memories, and leaving the rest. Sifting the wheat, and gifting the chaff to the wind. Click To Tweet

Remember when I was in junior high, and our class took a trip to the Capitol? You asked if a friend and I could go back to your office with you, separate from the group. I admit I loved the looks of admiration. I was a Princess for the day. Remember how I asked you to pose for a picture like you were taking a business call?

Remember when you took us yard selling and ran out of gas? Always pushing it to the very last thimbleful. That must be where I get it from. We had to coast down the hill, through an intersection, into the gas station.

Remember when Logan went to his first prom? I called you and told you, and you said, “And Mama’s a little sad,” and I cried. You knew exactly what I was feeling. There were two more proms that you never got to comfort me through. They were so handsome and beautiful. You would have been so proud. Your oldest grandson has made me a Memaw three times over. Three boys. Can you believe it? I wish you could bury your face in their bellies and smell their fragrance, just like I’m smelling yours.

Remember when you showed up at the office out of the blue? I didn’t even know you were in town. You took me out to eat, and bought me a milkshake. You reminisced about your days as a boy, seeming puzzled at where all the years had gone. You said, “I still feel like that little boy inside.”

You memorialized the dogs that you had loved as a boy, and talked about the one you had at the time, a schnauzer named Hercules. You said, “He’s the best dog I’ve ever had. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost that dog…I’m tired of losing people I love.” I knew it was more about the people than the dogs. Thank you for letting me glimpse your heart that day. I wish I had the time back to share with you the dogs…and people that I’ve loved and lost.

I should have known that day that something was amiss. You were always just so larger than life. I couldn’t see you any other way. Tough as nails. Invincible. Frank P.

Remember when I called, and you seemed distracted. You finally had to confess that you were at the hospital having a blood transfusion.

…A blood transfusion…

Suddenly, you were mortal, after all. Then it was a blur. Calling the siblings, and asking if they knew. No. You had decided to walk this path alone. Why do people think that’s best for everyone? We had hardly any time at all to say goodbye. To say, “Thank you,  I love you,” or “How dare you?”

Hospice came.

Family came.

People I didn’t know came.

Death came.

We did have that one last special moment, ten years ago today. While breathing in the last breath you ever breathed out, I held your hand as you crossed over.

I smelled your cologne again today for the tenth time, and cried.

Senator Frank P. Lashlee June 30, 1937 – June 18, 2008

Warm Regards, -Pat

As always, please feel free to leave a comment, share to social media, email me: PAT@PATVICK.COM and SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter.

INVITATION TO SHARE

-How do you choose to remember loved ones who have passed away?

-Have you been successful at “sifting the wheat, and gifting the chaff to the wind” from relationships with deceased loved ones?

-What does this phrase mean to you?

THE RESURRECTION & THE DEATH

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

Photo Credit: Aldiha Kjelland, Via The New York Times, April 1, 2012

Spring. New life. Hope in the air. Easter time. The resurrection heavy on our minds and hearts. That’s when the “The Incident” happened. So suddenly.

My brother and I were eight or nine years old. Our mom had gotten us each a baby chick for Easter that year. They were just so precious. Mine was pink and His was green. (That was before they knew the colored dye was harmful to their health.) They acted like they thought we were their parents. Running up to us and cheep-cheeping frantically to be fed, following us around the patio as fast as their little legs could carry them, and nestling close to our necks with their eyes closed as we cradled them. Our babies.

The primary care of our babies naturally fell to me, as I was the more responsible parent. Don’t get me wrong; Bryan loved his chick. He was a boy, however, and had other manly responsibilities. One of which was fighting wars by blowing up plastic green army men with firecrackers in the sand pile. The other was playing in the NBA with a nerf basketball and rim that hung off our parents’ bedroom door, in which he was all the players, the coaches and the crowd -for both teams, simultaneously.

(Insert radical crowd noises and eye roll here.)

Bryan loved to be on the go, and I enjoyed staying at home. So it was on this day when the accident occurred. He was gone to town with a family member, and I was going to spend a few hours keeping our babies company.

Our house was a brown brick, Spanish style, U shaped home, with a patio in the center. That’s where our babies lived in a cardboard box.

I thought I would construct a more suitable living quarters for our babies, instead of the crude cardboard habitat they were living in. It was going to be very sturdy. I used a heavy castiron fire pit grate for the outside wall. Nothing was going to get in to our babies. I played with them for a few minutes, maybe half an hour. Very proud of myself for being able to construct such sturdy living arrangements for the chicks.

As I stood up to go inside, feeling assured they were content and safe, I bumped the iron grate wall. That’s when it happened -the incident that made me a murderer.

It happened so quickly. I didn’t actually see the wall fall, but the aftermath is imprinted in my mind for a lifetime. I remember the colors mostly -green and red and pinkish brown all squished together like the inside of a marble. Apparently, baby chicks are very fragile. I had killed my brother’s baby. My own chick was chirping frantically, and eyeing me suspiciously.

While I was standing there in horror, wishing I could have a do over, I heard the car doors shut. Not only did I have to deal with my own heartache and guilt, but now I had to face my brother and tell him what I had done, all before the aftermath was even cleaned up

My brother probably hasn’t thought about our baby chicks and “The Incident” another time over the years. The fact that I’m writing about the incident over four decades later, should tell you how it impacted me. It was quite a heavy burden for a nine year old to bear.

I remember feeling shocked, frightened, horrified, regretful, ashamed, and sickened. Are these feelings familiar to you?

All of us carry burdens quietly throughout our lives. Burdens that weigh down our spirits unnecessarily. Jesus really is our Burden-bearer. He tells us in His Word that He desires to carry our burdens for us. He desires to give us rest in Him.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Apostle Peter sure knew a thing or two about carrying heavy burdens. After all, he denied the Lord Jesus three times after he declared that he would die with Him if need be. Never again has a rooster crowing sounded so heavy.

Yet, we see Peter on the Day of Pentecost preaching the keynote message of salvation and approximately 3,000 people being added to the Church that day. Just as Jesus had said he would have the Keys of the Kingdom, he used those keys to unlock the gift of salvation on that momentous day by instructing the crowd:

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

In his first epistle, Peter eveals how he accomplished this.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

ALLOWING JESUS TO BEAR OUR BURDENS INVOLVES:

1. HUMBLING -God does not humble us. We must humble ourselves. This begins with true repentance.
2. CASTING -God does not take our burdens from us. We must exert the effort to “cast” them upon Him physically, emotionally and spiritually.
3. ALLOWING -God does not force us to move past an unloaded burden. We must choose to allow Him to carry it for us and move forward. This involves forgiving ourselves.

WHAT KINDS OF BURDENS DOES JESUS WANT TO CARRY FOR US?

1. Things that we have willfully done, said or thought.
2. Things that we have accidentally done, said or thought.
3. Things that we have unknowingly done, said or thought.

WHAT KIND OF BURDENS ARE YOU TRYING TO CARRY ALONE?

During this Easter season, my prayer, and Jesus’ great desire, is that you will finally take advantage of His sacrifice, and cast ALL your burdens upon Him.

I know from experience they can get extremely heavy.

Warm Regards, -Pat

The Depths of Despair Are No Place For a Christian

~ Pat Vick ~ 4 Comments

Photo by Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

Just this week when things in my world were going splendidly (which should always give us pause), there was a glitch. A wrench in the gears. A leak in the boat…You get the idea. Something unexpected and potentially catastrophic occurred. In a moment, I went from being emotionally on top of the world to the backside of the desert. I received news that made my heart turn to lead in my chest.

My first reaction was disbelief. Immediately after I realized this new turn of events was really happening, I was engulfed by a wave of negative thoughts:

I should have known it was too good to be true. I was foolish to think it would go smoothly. We’ll probably never be truly peaceful. I’ll never let myself hope like that again.

Wait. What?

Those weren’t even my thoughts. An enemy had done this. Planted tares of negativity and hopelessness into my mind, and disguised them as my own thoughts. The Holy Ghost immediately rose up in me and helped me to think Truth. He helped me to remember how the Lord had recently turned this same horrible situation into a masterpiece. He had just given us beauty for ashes, and it only took one bump in the road for us to forget. I had gone from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair that easily.

In the beloved children’s book, Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Anne asks Marilla, “Can’t you even IMAGINE you are in the depths of despair?”  To which Marilla abruptly replies, “No. I cannot. To despair is to turn your back on God.”

According to God’s Word, I must agree with Marilla.

 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6)

If we allow ourselves to sink into despair, we definitely are not manifesting faith. Instead, we are letting negative emotions take over our thinking. When people are consumed with doubt, fear and unbelief, they cannot pray in faith. They cannot say to this mountain, be removed and cast into the sea.

This is the woeful condition that satan wants to trap us in. He knows that for every second he can get us to think negatively, it is  more probable that we will speak negatively. Once we speak negatively, we set an alternate set of circumstances in motion. What blessing the Lord wanted to bring, is derailed by our careless words.

Once we speak negatively, we set an alternate set of circumstances in motion. What blessing the Lord wanted to bring, is derailed by our careless words. Click To Tweet

How do we stop this landslide of negative consequences?

RECOGNIZE
First, we must recognize the attack for what it is. A trap of the enemy. We must know enough of God’s Word to recognize the devil’s work.

REMEMBER
Second, we must remember how God has worked on our behalf in the past. When was the last prayer that God answered for us? When did we feel defeated, and yet He intervened?

REMIND
Third, we must remind ourselves of all the wonders that God has specifically done for us. We must remind ourselves that we are children of the Great King.

RESIST
Fourth, we must resist the devil, submit ourselves to God, and he will flee from us. We must resist his influence in our lives and his impression in our minds.

RETURN
Fifth, we must return to the path of faith in God. We must begin to pray with power. Begging is not mountain-moving prayer. We must pray with the spiritual authority that Jesus name permits us.

REFUSE
Sixth, we must be aware of how the enemy works, and refuse to be deceived again. We must refuse to be emotionally corralled into a trap of despair.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;”(2 Cor. 4:7-8)

Within just a few minutes of giving in to the feelings of despair, I remembered the goodness of God toward me. I stopped feeling sorry for myself, and started praying. I spoke faith-filled words in Jesus’ name until I felt them. I repented to the Lord of losing faith so quickly, and asked Him to forgive me. I committed to trust Him. After all, He has proven time and again to me that He is able to turn any situation around in a moment of time for His glory.

In case you doubted, He did it again, and He’ll do it for you! Praise God!

Warm Regards, -Pat

INVITATION TO SHARE

-Have you ever found yourself in the depths of despair even when you know God has been so good to you?

-What steps did you take to get out of that negative frame of mind?

-What scriptures would you share with someone who is struggling with despair?

As always, feel free to leave a comment, subscribe to my newsletter, and email me: Pat@PATVICK.COM.

 

A Lesson On Living (Not Dying)

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
(Psalm 118:17)

Death is inevitable. This reality strikes fear into most people’s hearts, but when you learn the lesson of this thing called life, it will bring you comfort. The truth is you cannot live to the fullest until you acknowledge your mortality. Then, and only then, can you start truly living.

God’s Word instructs us to number our days. When you consider the brevity of twenty-four hours, then you can begin to appreciate a week, a year, a decade and a generation. You must then ask yourself, what can I do with this allotment of time that God has granted me?

I visited in the hospital today with a friend who is on a heart transplant waiting list. Even though his body is weakened and frail, he is possibly more alive than he has ever been. His senses were heightened. Every word was chosen meticulously for the meaning he wanted to convey. No trivial conversation polluted his speech.

He’s living for today. This minute. This hour. This breath. And it’s enough, because he knows it’s all he’s promised. He doesn’t feel cheated, as it’s all any of us are promised. Right now. He has simply learned to appreciate the gift of now.

How can I make now worthwhile? What can I talk about that will bring value to this moment? What can I think about that will proliferate goodness into the gift of now? What eye contact can I make that will infuse depth into this conversation? Will they feel the gratitude that I am willing my flesh to convey in this embrace? These are the questions he is asking himself, and we should ask ourselves, while we are living.

His eyes follow his wife around the small hospital room with admiration as she organizes their lives. Forty years of til death do us part, and all they know for sure is they have this moment. They’ve said all the things, and tied up all the loose ends. All that’s left to do is love deeply and hope, “and hope maketh not ashamed…” (Romans 5:5)

My friend was surrounded with lines, and probes, and beeping things. He was also surrounded with books. Two stacks within touching distance, and one under his hand. Lifelines. Why does a man who isn’t promised tomorrow read books? Why does he give himself to learning and growing? Because he isn’t dying. He’s living.

Also within reach were prayer cloths. A multicolored stack, as varied as the people who sent them. Flimsy little scraps of material that shouted, “YOU ARE NOT ALONE! WE AGREE TOGETHER IN JESUS’ NAME THAT YOU ARE VICTORIOUS! YOU ARE NOT DYING! YOU ARE LIVING!” I could tell by the way he pulled them close and gave them a squeeze that he believes their message.

I knew he had figured it out, this thing called living, as he spoke about people. Family members, grandchildren, Church family, visiting ministers. This one called. That one said. Lord Jesus, bless them. The law of kindness was in his mouth, and thankfulness was in his eyes, as he spoke about the people. He’s learned that stuff and flesh are temporal, but souls are eternal.

The final way I knew he had decided to live, wasn’t in what I saw, but what I felt and heard. The witness of God’s Holy Spirit declared to everyone in the room, and spilled into the corridor with utterances assuring,

“LIFE is here!”

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.“ (Ezekiel 36:26)