" A Time of Pause"

New Years Eve in the past for me and those I have been acquainted with down through the years was a night of great extremes. There was the one end of the spectrum that was full of reveling and excesses that no other night could bring but New Years Eve. Then there was and is the end of the spectrum that is full of Prayer, Praise and Worship to Almighty God for allowing us to see the end of yet another year that has been full of His Grace and Mercy.

Now, as I have grown not only in age but in my thoughts; New Years Eve has become more than just a time of Prayer, Praise and Worship. New Years Eve has become a time that I really take pause and ponder on all the many things that have taken place the last 364 days. With all the contempt, anger, hatred, malice and envy; I sit in awe at the fact that even with all this there is a better day just ahead and this gives me, what I consider the greatest virtue, Hope.

My hope in knowing there is a better day increases my Faith in the One who is in control of all things; which expands my capacity to not only Love Him more, but to also love my neighbor and yes even my enemy. So, as we begin to wind down the clock on another year let us fervently remember:
1Cr 13:13
There are three things that will endure--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.

My prayer is that you all have a blessed and safe New Years Eve, and Happy New Year.

Blessings.

"Follow the Leader"

I remember a game we played a lot as children, called follow the leader, and the whole premise of the game was just that; to follow the leader. I recall having to follow through the woods, up a tree, on top of the roof of the house only to have to jump off because the leader jumped off.

I don't know what the goal of the game may have been for any of you when you played, but the goal was to stay the leader and the only way to stay the leader you had to go where no one would go. Which sometimes meant you had to go where you weren't supposed to go in the first place, but the idea of not being the leader any longer was far worse to deal with as opposed to the trouble one would inevitably encounter for going and doing the wrong thing.

Sadly, this seems to be the mantra of the contemporary church as we call it today; that they are willing to lead people into areas that saints were never meant to go, all for the sake of maintaining this false sense of true ministry leadership. The damaging truth to this is that far too many people are following these persons away from the fundamental and foundational truths of the Gospel.

Paul said it best,
1Cr 11:1
Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.

Who are you following? And are they following Christ?

"Acting out, not necessary"

I was wondering to myself where the times slips away to during the Christmas break. Just when I was easing into the day to day of leisureness without the urgency to accomplish anything monumental, and I must say it was rather refreshing. The best part was the fact that my wife and I were off from our jobs the same number of days; which is a rare occurrence, and I think she likes when it's a rare occurrence because I have the propensity to aggravate her for some unknown reason; not saying that this is the only time I aggravate her. I guess when she's quietly doing her thing I tend to want her attention on me so I find a way to redirect her attention by what I call "husbandly acting out".



Now, my "husbandly acting out" works to the point where she always stops doing what it is she's doing to ask me why I insist on aggravating her. So, I continue this type of attention getting from her until I see where her aggravation starts leaning over to the anger side, and that's when I stop the "husbandly acting out". It's not that she is ignoring me when she is doing something to occupy her time; it's her way of giving me time to spend with myself and doing the the things I need to get accomplished around the house.

I believe this is the same type of behaviour that some believers find themselves engaged in when they are feeling that they aren't receiving the attention from God that feel they desire or that they deserve. And, with that they find themselves acting out in some way or fashion until the Lord arrests their attention bringing them back in line to where they need to be. The acting out is nothing more than the unrealized truth, that the Lord is forever attentive to our needs, and we must understand that it isn't necessary for us to get this type of attention from Him.

I believe the Lord in His awesomeness allows us to live the lives He wants us to live without always standing over our shoulders asking every moment "whatcha doin' now?" So, don't be like I am when my wife gets quiet, but instead take the quiet times that we experience to relax, reflect and revive ourselves from the demands of daily living.

Take a deep breath and let it out.

"Returns"

The day after Christmas has been one of those days as a child I never wanted to end, because this was the day that all we had to do was enjoy all the toys we received on Christmas Day. Also, the day after Christmas is one the biggest shopping/return days of the year in my estimation.

I was pondering on this whole idea of giving gifts to those you love and not to mention the love that is involved in giving them, only to have them returned to the stores from which they came and exchange them for something they wanted more than what you gave to them.

When the gift that is given is not received in the spirit, in which it is given, then it becomes a natural thing to get rid of it by placing it in the closet, attic or garage never to be seen again.

Unfortunately, this is the same mentality that is taken by most people today when it comes to the gift of life that was given them by God Himself,
Jhn 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

When we understand the importance of this gift and the love in which it was given, it is then and only then will we instead of looking to return it we instead will look to His Return.

"The Best Gift of All Times"

Father in heaven, I thank you for this day as I do for everyday but this day is the day we set aside to celebrate the greatest gift any person or nation could ever receive. I recognize how undeserving we have been but because of your boundless love for the world you wrapped your gift for us and placed it by the Holy Spirit into the womb of a young virgin whom you called "blessed". It was this very gift that wise men came to worship because they recognized the importance of your Divine sacrifice, and it was this same gift Herod tried so desperately to destroy, but your foreknowledge of all things would not allow it to come to pass.

Saying, thank you never seems to be enough for what you have done for us. You have given us the opportunity to bask in the glory of your Divine peace through your Son Jesus and the joy that accompanies the acceptance of that great gift of salvation He brings.

I thank you for 'the best gift of all times' and in my acceptance of your Divine present I yield myself to you completely, and I will spend the rest of my life proclaiming to all of humanity..."that unto you is born this day..."

This is my prayer to you this Christmas Day, in the matchless name of your Son, Jesus, I pray, Amen.

"The Night Before..."

It was the night before Christmas...

How will we spend it?

What will you give?

"Happy Birthday, My Wife"

I have mentioned in earlier post about my wife and how she is the greatest cook and how she stays on me to make sure that I'm taking care of myself, i.e. the doctor's appointment she made for me about a week or so ago for me.

Well, today is her birthday and though I've mentioned the ages of my grandmother and my dad, I will not even attempt to hint at what her age is. I can only imagine what it was like as a kid growing up with not only your birthday two days away from the day we celebrate Jesus' Birthday, but she also shares her birthday with her twin brother; happy birthday, "D".

I know guys say how great their wives are and how they are their best friend, but I say this from the depths of my heart; my wife is not only my best friend she is my greatest supporter and critic all in one. I kind of argued with the Lord when it came time to praying for someone, but I'm glad I lost the argument (the full story another time).

Baby, I love you and I pray that your day is filled with all that you desire from the Lord, you truly are, "A Virtuous Woman".

"The Reason..."

We purchase video games, Ipods, cellphones, flat screen televisions, laptop computers and many other items too numerous to list. We purchase all these things and more in the name of the holiday called Christmas.

We say, "Jesus is the reason for the season" and we recite the Christmas story narrative in our churches and we even have plays to act out what the scriptures describe in the book of Matthew, and we sing the songs that attest to our appreciation and devotion of the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords; yet we bring nothing to Him on the day we have set as the date of His birth.

Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the giving of gifts because I myself give gifts, but I attempt even in my gift giving to remember I'm only able to give to others because God gave to me the greatest gift one could ever receive, Jesus.

So let us remember to give to the One that truly deserves all our gifts, and the greatest gift we could ever offer Him is ourselves.

"Thirst Quencher"

I am what some in my circle would call a "kool-aid connoisseur". I perfected the art of kool-aid making back in the late 70's early 80's when a good glass of kool-aid was practically worth it's weight in gold during that time.

I can remember making upwards of three pitchers of kool-aid in one days time, and sometimes more than that on the weekends. It was as if we couldn't get enough to satisfy the unending thirst we had as children. When my mother saw how much kool-aid we were really going through in a weeks time, she started telling us to drink water instead of the kool-aid. Now, it is true she was telling us to drink water all along but you know how adolescents can get.

Of course this was the time before the bottled water craze really took off, so it was nothing to drink straight from the faucet. I must say, when I really started drinking water the way my mother wanted us to do, it stopped me from being as thirsty as I was drinking the kool-aid.

Which brings me to my close for today. When I was in my world before I accepted Christ in my life, I was drinking from the world's kool-aid pitcher just like a lot of people still are and I continued to be thirsty not knowing why. It wasn't until I was offered a drink of "Living Water" that the satisfaction of my thirst was quenched. So, today I can truly understand and identify with the psalmist in the scriptures, because I now know where and from whom to drink.

Psalms 42:1

"A little patience"

Read Luke 13:6-9 and consider just how fortunate we are that the Lord thought enough of us to give us that special attention we needed and yet need to develop into the people that He is calling us to be in this day. He knows that once He has broken up the ground in which we have become so accustomed to live, with no signs of life, and has nourished us with His love through the life of His blood; we will without prevarication bring forth much fruit to His glory.

"Rend your heart, and not your garments." Joel 2:13

I was reading in my devotion today another article by Charles haddon Spurgeon and I just felt compelled to share with you all again what I believe to very in tune to where we sometimes find ourselves when we aren't watching.

Joel 2:13

Garment-rendering and other outward signs of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common. Men will attend to the most multiplied and minute ceremonial regulations--for such things are pleasing to the flesh--but true religion is too humbling, too heart-searching, too thorough for the tastes of the carnal men; they prefer something more ostentatious, flimsy, and worldly. Outward observances are temporarily comfortable; eye and ear are pleased; self-conceit is fed, and self- righteousness is puffed up: but they are ultimately delusive, for in the article of death, and at the day of judgment, the soul needs something more substantial than ceremonies and rituals to lean upon. Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven.
HEART-RENDING is divinely wrought and solemnly felt. It is a secret grief which is personally experienced, not in mere form, but as a deep, soul-moving work of the Holy Spirit upon the inmost heart of each believer. It is not a matter to be merely talked of and believed in, but keenly and sensitively felt in every living child of the living God. It is powerfully humiliating, and completely sin-purging; but then it is sweetly preparative for those gracious consolations which proud unhumbled spirits are unable to receive; and it is distinctly discriminating, for it belongs to the elect of God, and to them alone.
The text commands us to rend our hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble: how, then, can this be done? We must take them to Calvary: a dying Saviour's voice rent the rocks once, and it is as powerful now. O blessed Spirit, let us hear the death-cries of Jesus, and our hearts shall be rent even as men rend their vestures in the day of lamentation.-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"Happy Birthday, Dad."

I must say that I hadn't always shown nor given my father the honour that was due him when I was a lot younger and a lot more immature. I had taken issue with him on a lot of different things and wouldn't allow myself to soften to any explanation given that would help me to give the proper honour to him.

I was in my twenties and was the father of my own son when I began to understand to a degree some of the possibilities that a father thinks about as he attempts to do what he believes is the right thing to do as it relates to his children and some of the decisions that are made which perhaps will never be totally understood but in hopes that they will be viewed as being done from a heart of sincerity.

I have this day a greater relationship with my father than I have ever had in the past and the honour he deserves from a son I give to him whole heartily and without reservation. So, as today is his 63rd birthday, I want to wish him the greatest day of all days and for him to know that I love him very much and I thank him for being my dad.

"Who do you ask?"

I was engaged in a conversation with my sister/cousin, I call her my sister/cousin because we are closer in our relationship than just cousins. I watch over her the same as I have with my other sisters, and I check to see how things are going for her and what her plans are for the day, etc. I thank God also for the fact that she is a born-again believer and loves the Lord with all her heart, soul, mind and body. Her coming into the Body of Christ is how we became so close in the first place.

We have great discussions everyday concerning the Word of the Lord and how it relates to our lives on a daily basis. The discussion we had today started a couple of days ago when we were talking about supporting ministry financially. I must say that today was our first real disagreement with one another as it relates to this subject.

I'm looking to have a good discussion on this subject from all believers and from those of you who haven't as of yet given your life to the Lord Jesus. I would like for those of you that wish to leave a comment to state your position and lay out your arguement.

Soliciting financial support from believers and unbelievers?

My cousins position on the subject is: "Unbelievers should not be solicited for financial support of the ministry, because it causes a stumblingblock and gives an occasion for the Gospel to be blasphemed among unbelievers." She uses 1Cor 9:12 and 3John 1:7 to support her position.

My position on the subject is: "We solicit financial support from unbelievers in our sanctuaries every week when it's time to raise the offering, and we say that it for the furtherence of the Gospel ministry. We do not make a distinction when we ask; that only those of you in here that are saved give in the offering only. I believe the Lord provides finances even by the hands of those that haven't trusted in His name." I submit Prov 12:14

Alright, let's begin..."Who do you ask?"

"Come unto me"- Spurgeon

"Come unto me." —Matthew 11:28
The cry of the Christian religion is the gentle word, "Come." The Jewish law harshly said, "Go, take heed unto thy steps as to the path in which thou shalt walk. Break the commandments, and thou shalt perish; keep them, and thou shalt live." The law was a dispensation of terror, which drove men before it as with a scourge; the gospel draws with bands of love. Jesus is the good Shepherd going before His sheep, bidding them follow Him, and ever leading them onwards with the sweet word, "Come." The law repels, the gospel attracts. The law shows the distance which there is between God and man; the gospel bridges that awful chasm, and brings the sinner across it.
From the first moment of your spiritual life until you are ushered into glory, the language of Christ to you will be, "Come, come unto me." As a mother puts out her finger to her little child and woos it to walk by saying, "Come," even so does Jesus. He will always be ahead of you, bidding you follow Him as the soldier follows his captain. He will always go before you to pave your way, and clear your path, and you shall hear His animating voice calling you after Him all through life; while in the solemn hour of death, His sweet words with which He shall usher you into the heavenly world shall be--"Come, ye blessed of my Father."
Nay, further, this is not only Christ's cry to you, but, if you be a believer, this is your cry to Christ--"Come! come!" You will be longing for His second advent; you will be saying, "Come quickly, even so come Lord Jesus." You will be panting for nearer and closer communion with Him. As His voice to you is "Come," your response to Him will be, "Come, Lord, and abide with me. Come, and occupy alone the throne of my heart; reign there without a rival, and consecrate me entirely to Thy service." -Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"Happy Birthday, Lil'Ma"

Today is my grandmother's 84th birthday. She has always been a great inspiration and encouragement to me and even though I'm grown and I have my own family now I still look to my grandmother for not only encouragement and inspiration but for the wisdom that the Lord has given to her.

I can even remember how she would always correct us when we would use improper words in a sentence that didn't go together. She utilized corporal tactics to get her point across when we would continue to speak improperly with phrases like... "ain't got no". My lips still hurt today when I think about that Thanksgiving Day when I sat at the table to the right of grandmother and uttered that phrase, talk about pain.

The word of the Lord says, "The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."Psa 90:10

I thank God for allowing my Lil'Ma to yet be here with us, and I know personally that she has had her life filled with both labour and sorrow and she has shown me that even in this she is yet content.

"Rehabilitation"

I went to the doctor's office today at the behest of my beloved wife who made me an appointment after I refused to do it myself. I had been having difficulties with my left hand in that it would hurt to close it. Well, the doctor checked me out and seems to think it is what they call, "carpal tunnel syndrome" or "repetitive stress injury" and she prescribed me an anti-inflammatory and a brace to wear at night.

I started thinking about this and it seems to me to somewhat of oxymoronic in nature, and what I mean by that is, this carpal tunnel thing is due to repeating the same type of procedure but in a way that isn't quite correct thus causing the end result to be a painful manifestation in the body that requires some type of rehabilitation. There are many things that I can think of that I do repetitively everyday but don't need any type of rehabilitation.

This got me to thinking of the importance of the believer to follow the words of the Apostle Paul when he said to Timothy,"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."2Tim 2:15 His encouragement to Timothy to be constant in his studies which for all believers is an ongoing and repetitive process, but to do it the correct way, by rightly dividing the word of truth.

When we do the things that the Lord requires of us in the correct way there will be no need of us having to go through rehabilitation.

"Good Manners"

"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."Luke 6:45

I read an article on the internet concerning the wife of Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, and her family said, "her profanity-laced comments recorded by federal prosecutors don't reflect who Patti Blagojevich really is." I was somewhat taken aback when I read the article, because I've always been taught that a person that uses profanity is in fact showing people the type of person they really are.

I must say also that I'm certain she and her family are going through a very difficult time with all that is happening to them, but if she is the good person that her family is saying she is then where is the profanity coming from?

We must always remember that no matter what life throws our way the responses we give are always a reflection what is on the inside of us. If you are in the presence of those that use profane language on a regular basis then it is certain you will do the same. "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners."1Cor. 15:33

"Saints"

There has always been this stigma with people, young ones in particular that in order to live the life of a christian that one has to walk around with a long face trying to look all somber and pius as if they had been sucking on lemons or drinking vinegar. I can remember older christians hardly ever smiling which tends to keep young people from wanting to be a part of what they were trying to get across.

I've learned that living a christian lifestyle shouldn't be a pressured, walking on eggshell, sorrowful existance. It has been my experience that there is a light joyful feeling when one truly comes to know the Lord Jesus. Christians are supposed to be the light of the world and it's that light which draws people to see what is it about us, not the humdrum dried up looks I've seen on some christians faces.

This is why I prefer not to use the wording of christians when I'm talking about true born again believers. I like using the words that the bible uses when referring to them and that is Saints; so from this post on when I speak of believers the word will be "Saints".

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.Num 6:24-26

"All the saints salute you." 2Cor 13:13

"Better than a dog"

Bishop(top)

Scheeba(bottom)

I have been an animal lover pretty much all my life, and my favorite animal hands down would have to be a dog. I can remember our first dog we had was a Collie and he looked identical to Lassie from the T.V. show. We named him Dino and this was the beginning of my love for dogs. We had Dino for many years and I was the one to train him to do some of the normal things like sit stay lay down, etc. I taught him this one thing where I would take him for a walk around the neighborhood and then I would tell him to go home and he would turn around and go all the way to the house.

I have learned as I've gotten older that the many different dogs I've had through the years all responded favorably to the commands I gave them when it I had established my position as the master and shown them that I was going to care for them. I have always said that dogs know who they can and cannot trust. Today I have two American PitBull Terriers, Scheeba and Bishop, a mother and her son from her first litter. They too are just like the rest of the dogs I've had; in that they have follow my commands too, once I've established that I was the master and they look for the praise and rewards for doing what's expected of them.

Now, if this is the case with animals to know that if they do what is required of them; then what seems to be the problem with us? "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted..."Gen 4:7 The Lord has more than established himself as the Master of all things and has promised to reward us if we just obey him. He is far better to us than we could ever be to any animal that we own, and has a greater reward to give each one of us.

"Persistency?"

I remember how determined I was when we were younger and there was something I really wanted from my parents. I would ask for the particular thing and a lot of the times I wouldn't get an answer right away so I would continue to ask rather often. This would go on for some time until I either got tired of asking and just gave up or I would get an answer that was somewhat definitive.

There were times when the thing I wanted really wasn't necessary for me to have at that time and in time my parent would tell me just that, and I was satisfied with the answer to the point I wouldn't ask for that particular thing again. I've learned as a parent that there are times when we must inform our children that there are some things they just don't need at this particular time, and that waiting for something isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I believe this is how the Lord deals with us when it comes to us asking for things that we think are what we need. When we don't get an answer right away we are more persistent with our request, and the Lord let's us know, if we listen, that it's not something we need and that His grace more than sufficient.

Let's take a moment before we ask the Lord for what we think are the "desires of our hearts", because they may very well be the desires of our fleshly appetites that we need so desperately keep under subjection.

"An Individual"

My parents never put me on the same level with my other siblings, because we all had different personalities. They would deal with my sister in a certain way because she was the youngest at the time and my brother was dealt with differently because he was the oldest.

If our natural parents have the where withal to understand that they have to use different tactics when it comes to dealing with their children; then how much more does the Lord know how to deal with each and everyone of His children?

"...O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known [me].Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted [with] all my ways."Psa 139:1-3

"Recession, and?"

Well, it is official according to the government as reported by the media, we are in a in a full blown recession. Now, I don't think we really needed to have the government tell us anything we already knew for some time. However, with this new so-called revelation that has been given shouldn't sway us from what we know to be true.



We as believers aren't to be so easily shaken by the developments of the economy and the all of the negative things happening with the stock market. We are to continue to look to the very one that allowed the economy to even exist. I like the way David said it..."I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."Psa 37:25



The world lives in wonder not knowing what is next. We live in anticipation knowing that He controls what's next.

"Doing Something New"

I'm the type person that is always looking to change things around in my life to get a new look. Some of my friends say jokingly that I'm O.C.D. because I like things to be neat and orderly. I've been this way even when I was a kid; I would arrange and rearrange my room at least once a week and sometimes twice depending on what flow I was in at the time.

I believe it necessary for all of us to be more flexible with our surroundings and not get bogged down with what we perceive to be the normality of life. "For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!"Isa 43:19

He's doing a new thing are you?

"Honest testimony"

The words of the Apostle Paul:

"This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." 1Tim 1:15,16KJV

"This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I was the worst of them all. But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 1Tim 1:15,16NLT

The testimony of all honest believers..."If God did it for me as messed up as I was; then surely He will do it for you".

"Warrantable"

I work in an industry that provides warranties on the different products that are sold to the consumer. The warranties however vary from product to product and there are various time tables that govern the warranties as well.

It is part of my responsibility to inform the customer, once the equipment is either just delivered or delivered and installed by our company, of the product they have and the warranties that are attached to the equipment and their responsibilities of keeping the warranties valid. The warranties or in and of themselves pretty good, however the warranties do not cover everything related to the equipment. There are parts that are considered wear items and the warranties do not cover wear items, because they are designed to "wear out".

This is the great thing of the assurance we have in what the Lord Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary so long ago, which is there are no wear items that aren't covered. When he purchased our salvation with his own blood he did it once and for all and his blood covers us completely. "...but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]."Heb9:12

"Tests"

I remember having to take all these tests when we were coming through school and they were to determine our development and where we stand as far as our level of understanding. I really didn't particularly care for those tests, because the tests were too generic.

I can remember having classmates that didn't do very well on the tests and the results were that they were placed in a slower teaching classroom when they were fully capable of maintaining in a classroom that was of a faster pace. The same was the case with others that according to the tests were near geniuses and were placed in classrooms that were designed for individuals that needed to be challenged more than other students.

These were the and are even to this day the downside of tests that are developed by persons that I believe are using a generalized way of determining the growth of individuals. These types of growth charts are unsurprisingly used in our churches today. We attempt to gauge each other on where we should be in our walk with the Lord based off of a generalized formula constructed by religion.

Thankfully the Lord doesn't operate in our lives in general terms, but is involved with the development of each believer on an individual basis. Most importantly our tests that we go through as believers are specifically designed for us and the great part about the tests the Lord allows us to go through is that He has already given us the way to pass and that is by His Spirit.

"The Right Tool..."

I had an uncle that taught me a lot of things, but what I remember him most for was how he would teach me how to fix things. I remember a time in particular where he had taken apart a telephone and then handed it to me and told me to put it back together.

He would do those types of things with quite often, and he would say that if you could fix it for yourself then you couldn't be taken advantage of. I was always instructed by my uncle, when I was putting things together or fixing something, which tool to use for which job. The right tool for the job will get the job done right.

The Word of God is that tool for the believer, and it works in conjunction with the Holy Spirit as he teaches us how to apply the right scripture to that particular area in our life. A self check is always in order and when we find a breaking or broken area; then allow the Spirit to direct you to the scripture that will best remedy the brokenness.