I’ve been having trouble this morning getting onto blogger – so please excuse the delay in this posting. Nevertheless, here I am – ready to say something…

Isn’t everybody ready to say something these days? It seems a never-ending circle of people, some earnest, some not so much, just wanting to say something. Well, this is what I have to say.

What is interesting to me is the number of commentators on the tube these days. Depending on the channel that you are watching, you will get a different spin. We have political commentators, sports commentators, life commentators – you name it – there is somebody there to tell you what you just heard and/or saw.

Because I spent a great deal of time in school, I am beginning to find this annoying. Or perhaps it is because we are in the campaign season that I’m noticing this more. A speech from a hopeful candidate comes on, and after they are done speaking, and before I can analyze the content of what I’ve just heard – here comes some commentator to tell me what I just heard. I think this makes us lazy thinkers. How will we ever analyze the issues as presented without that commentator's thoughts running through our minds??? – ahhh that’s why they do it – for the spin factor.

Although it seems like it, I’m not begrudging the commentators. I just wish that they would have less to say – and that they could say it a bit more objectively – with a lot less spin. I wish that they would put things in the light of Christ and examine the issues through the lens of Scripture. But, I guess I’m only dreaming.

This is what I know. God is sovereignly in control of all things. And, He will have the very last say-so on all matters. I wish that we could step back and look at things from His eye view. Scripture is in place for a reason – to guide us. We don’t need commentators to help us understand what we just heard and/or saw on the television. We are all given a brain to think with. We do need the Lord to help us understand His Word and how we can apply it to our lives. All that is going on is not about us – this is a spiritual battle.

I’m ready to say this morning, that knowledge of the Scriptures is what we need to make the best decision about anything. We need to think and react according to the Scriptures – not just some of the time – all of the time. But the snag here is that sermons don’t come in 30 second soundbytes. We need to want to spend more time learning what is right.

I’m ready to say this morning, our nation is perishing for lack of knowledge (Hosea: 4:6). But, the snag here is that although we buy Bibles, we don’t really want to spend the time cracking them open and reading them for comprehension and understanding – not just glossing over them like a novel.

And, finally, I’m ready to say that there is a remnant – you and me – we can work to become more effective witnesses for the gospel. We can begin with prayer and study of the Word and we can affect change. But, the snag here is that we have to believe that the Lord can return at any moment and we have to want to make sure that our loved ones will be with us in paradise.

We can do this by beginning to say something that has substance and value. We can say this by sharing the gospel message with everyone that we see and hear.

What are you ready to say?

In the beginning of relationships, for most of us, trust is inherent. It’s given. Not because we know this person but simply because we want to know them and draw ever closer to them. It’s one of those “innocent until proven guilty” situations – I trust you until you prove to me that you cannot be trusted.

The funny thing to me is that sometimes we flip our faith in reverse. Instead of trusting God at the beginning of our relationship with Him, some of us do not rely on God and trust Him until we have run out of other options. “It’s one of those – I’m not going to call you until I have to” situations – I’m not going to trust you unless I have no other option.

Considering that the Bible tells us that man is sure to disappoint us and that God will never – why is it then that we have such a problem trusting God more than we trust man?

One reason I believe this may be the case for some is that God is intangible. You cannot touch Him nor see Him. You have to trust and believe that He is there. In the midst of trouble, we as a people like to reach out and touch – feel an embrace – hear a voice. We like to be soothed by the tangible. So we lay our trust at the feet of those we know, see, and hear.

There may be several reasons why we lay our trust at the feet of people. But I want to encourage you today to disregard those reasons and lay your trust first at the feet of your Savior – Jesus Christ. He has come to us, lived among us, suffered for us, died for us, rose for us and has now ascended to the Throne, where He intercedes for us. But, He has not left us comfortless – He has left a Comforter – the Holy Spirit that dwells within us – if we would only trust and believe that He is there.

Would you examine your trust levels today? Where have you laid your trust?

Soundbytes are on my mind this morning. I remember in High School that we were warned against listening to only part of a story. That's a soundbyte - only part of a story. And generally that part is the part that promotes the displayer's viewpoint. So, therefore, if you want to know the whole story, it is best to listen to more than the soundbyte. That seems pretty simple doesn't it? But that is not what happens today.

So many times, those soundbytes that we hear on our favorite news channels or that we see on our computer fail to show the full context of the story. We get the spin. So many things are taken out of context that the originial meaning is lost.

This spin does not limit itself to just the television and computer. Some take the Scripture out of context as well and try to make it apply to their agenda.

This is a time to be WISE. This is a time to stay prayerful. The enemy is looking to destroy us with accusations and lies. We are people of the truth and therefore, we must seek out the truth and not let anyone feed us just the soundbytes. I encourage you today to make the investment in getting the full context behind everything that you hear and see. It will be worth your effort.

Have a great weekend!

Sanya