Did I Hear Correctly? (Eagle Village Tweener Years #1)

David wrote: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.  He brought me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm” (Psalm 40:1-2).  The writer of Hebrews wrote: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6)

Hey Gang:  If I were to write a book on the things that I learned in the development of Eagle Village, chapter one would be titled, “He who waits for the Lord will go through many frustrating experiences while He hones the wheel for action”.  Three words that I would emphasize throughout the book would be commitment, patience and obedience. 

There was no question in my heart and mind that God clearly sent an Abrahamic message to me: “Pack it up and go where I lead you to go.”  But as one very wise seer said to me shortly thereafter: “Be advised, at the same moment God placed His call in your heart and mind, Satan also placed a “bull’s eye” on your back!”

At the moment we received our call to close up our California life and go where He would lead us, we entered a three-year wilderness experience where I cried out daily, “Did I not hear your voice, Lord?”   A property had been offered for us to come and take four boys into our home and nurture them into a better lifestyle. Then, if the Lord provided the way, we would see if it was His will that we expand to six or eight beds.    We were advised that the interest was strong for more beds and a group of men had consented to become the legal entity on which Eagle Boys Village would be anchored.

But, the days turned into weeks which turned into months and my questioning increased: “Did I hear Your voice Lord, or was this a figment of my imagination?”.  Finally, after the passage of a year I was advised that if this project was going to become a reality, I was going to have to come to Michigan and be the legs of its development.

Did that give me peace of mind?  In no way!  As the husband of one and the father of four, my first concern was, what if I did not hear God correctly and I was about to place my family in jeopardy!  Our cry was we needed some sort of assurance from the Throne Room of heaven before we put up the for-sale sign.

And assurances He gave!  While cutting the grass one day, a neighbor approached me and said, “I under-stand you are going to sell your house and I would like to buy it.”  Really, I didn’t know that.   This was followed by several other surprise events: the income tax return came back in record time and, we learned, the county for which I worked had been making payments into a retirement program for me.    We now had sufficient funds to make the trip.  The hardest decision - I had to part with my sports car.

I close today's epistle with this revelation learned in the heat of battle: “If you feel God is calling you for an Isaiah call “Here am I Lord, send me!”  and you are waiting for God to send you a taxi to provide for your needs, you will probably be waiting at the taxi stand this time next year.  We learned very quickly that Jesus command to His disciples, and to you and me, was a very simple but powerful word - “GO”.  That “GO” is a trigger word that moves His children into action!

As Paul Harvey said, “Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story.”  

Blessings, 

Gramps

Have You Been Up To Your Armpits In Alligators Lately?

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

Hey Gang:  Do you know what God's desire is for you today?  Paul answers this question in Ephesians 1:19-19a: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe."

And how do we make this happen?  We don't. "It comes through the working of the strength of His (God's) might which He brought about in Christ" (v.19b-20a).

One of the first lessons I learned as a new Christian was that God is a compulsive decorator.  If you are sincere is your commitment to Him as Lord of your heart, be advised He will place you on the potter’s wheel and begin to cut and scrap and whittle in an effort to make you into the image of His Son.  

I suspect this might account for some of the discomfort we feel- for heart surgery can be a very uncomfortable trip through the wilderness.  We don't mind it much when a new coat of paint is added, or new carpet laid, but we can become a wee bit testy when He begins to dig into the crevices and deal with those sacred bangles and beads that we want to hang onto or hide. 

God's intent for His children? "That we not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psa. 1:1-2).

So, lads and lassies, notice God's promise in verse three: "You will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers" (Psa. 1:3).  So, which are your? “A tree firmly planted by the water?” or "…chaff which the wind drives away" (v.4b).

      Blessings,

      Gramps

Hallelujah, The King Is Coming!

“Then there will be two men in the field, one will be taken and he one will be left” (Matt. 24:40). For this reason you must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (Matt. 24:44).    

Hey Gang:  In the nearly eight years that Gramps Morning Messages have gone out, and I pray have been a blessing to those of you who have availed yourself to them, I have refrained from including messages that pertain to one third of the Bible- namely prophecy.   My reason for neglecting “What’s truly happening in our world today” is that in the few sharings I have been blessed to be a part of, there is always those who say, “I want nothing to do with all that scary stuff”.

This morning I am going to break that basic rule and share a tiny bit and I pray will be something you will tuck away in the recesses of your heart and mind;  there are signs and wonders that I feel are so very important for God’s children for this day.  

We have just been privileged to be observers of a profound event - the movement of our US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  I am not up to speed as to how this fits into the prophetic picture of the last days, but I have done some serious research.  SOO, if there is interest I will do a follow up Morning Message on this topic.

This I will share this morning.  Our President by saying “Yes, I will do it and move the Embassy - as the congress approved years ago”- was, I believe, a very gutty move.    (Just a side-bar note pertaining to our President before moving on.  I believe all would agree that since his election, there has been a virtual war in the Belt Way and in the press against him.) 

Since his election I have received a steady diet of materials pertaining to this war.  It is not my intention to give you my assessment of how this fits into the prophetic word, only to say his election must be ordained by the hand of God- for Satan is so very upset and doing all in his power to removed him.    

Sometime ago I happened to tune into a round-table discussion that included a dozen or more of the more visible prophetic gurus of our day.  (Another side bar comment – careful, there is a heap of stuff being circulated that has absolutely no biblical foundation.!)

When asked for signs, Jesus began by saying, “Be careful that you do not be deceived”.  He and Paul also warned there will be a whole barn full of false prophets and teachers trying to lead folks down the Prime Rose Path, as the Age of the Gentiles comes to an end.  Keep in mind Jesus’ safe guard against that path is examine all things carefully in Scripture and with two or more witnesses.

Getting back to the round table discussion of the prophecy guru’s: the question was asked, “What, in your opinion, is the most profound sign of the day that shows the dooms-day clock is rapidly winding down?

As they went around the table, there were as many suggestions as there were participants.  Several suggested the greatest sign was the miracle of May 14, 1948, when Israel became a sovereign nation once again. 

To this was added many side-bar issues pertaining to the establishment of Israel as a nation.  One could write a very long dissertation on all the fulfilled prophecies pertaining to what has happened in that tiny nations that is about the size of New Jersey.  Again, if there is interest a future Morning Messages could be forthcoming.

As they went around the circle, each had their opinion.  When it finally reached the last guru his response was short and to the point “convergence”. He said all the things you have said here today are no longer on the cutting board of things to come- but are reality today!  But far more important is all the signs given by the Lord in Matthew 24 that are converging before our eyes.

So, my friends, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).  Thank you, Lord, for this truth!

Blessings,

Gramps

PS- Question?  Is there interest level of folks out there for Gramps to change the format of the Morning Messages as follows?

1.        Drop to one Morning Message per week?

2.       To continue the present format one day and a message of fulfilled prophecy one day a week?

Would appreciate hearing from you!

You Are Something Very Special

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well" (Psa. 139:14).

Hey Gang, As I have traversed through this life on earth, I have grown more amazed daily at the magnificence of God's creation, namely me.  I have been amazed with the unlimited capabilities of the control center that God placed in our brains.  I have read, and heard it said many times, that the average person uses but a tiny bit of our capacity.   Have you ever taken a moment or two just to take a deeper look at the center of your electrical system, your brain? 

God placed this magnificent miracle in each and every person whom He created.  You do believe you were created by God even before time began, don't you?  Paul made this clear in his letter to the Colossians: "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him" (Col. 1:16).

I woke up this morning with the song "We Shall Behold Him" running through my electrical system.  I wish I could say I always wake up with a song on my heart but that would be an untruth.  But within a few moments the song passed, and the challenges of the day became my focus

Now for the goodie of the day! God also gave us the ability to program our electrical systems to bring honor and glory to our Creator.  I have often used the analogy that we have knobs on the inside of our foreheads that are designed to hang knowledge on so that God can pull out of us when the need should arise. 

Here is a question for you to ponder this morning?  Can God pull out of you knowledge that you never put in?  Oh, I know that God is all powerful and can do as He pleases, but do you think He might depend on you to put into your brain those things that He can pull out? 

I do believe that is what Paul was talking about, in his letter to the Romans, when he wrote: "I urge you, brethren by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God  which is your spiritual service of worship."   That is the principle, now he gives the application "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:1-2). 

So, good and faithful believers in Yeshua, your task for the day - take a few minutes and hang a new piece of knowledge on one of those knobs in your head so that God can use it to mold you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Blessings,  

Gramps

Destination? Where Are You Going? Part Two

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully.  Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (II Cor. 9:6-7).

Hey gang:  And now, as Paul Harvey would say, And now, the rest of the story!” The Scripture of the morning, when tie-bared with Luke’s words, “Give, and it shall be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will be measures to you in return” (Luke 6:38) is the base line of Jesus words, in Mathew 25:40: “Truly I say to you, to the extent you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me”.

On the day Teddy gave Mrs. Thompson the gift of a broken bracelet and a half bottle of perfume that smelled like lilac blooms, she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic and began to teach children.  Teddy became very special to her mind but more so to her heart.  As she worked with him, his mind came alive.  The more she encouraged him the faster he grew.  By the end of the school year he was among the top students in her class in attitude and academics.

A year later she received a note under her door from Teddy, “You are still the best teacher I have ever had in my life.”  Six years later she received another note telling her he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that she received another letter saying that although it had been a rough four years, he would soon graduate from college with highest honors and she was still the best teacher he had ever had!

Then four years later another letter came telling her he had gone even further in his education and she was still the best teacher in the world and it was signed, Dr. Theodore Stoddard. MD.  

The story does not end there.  You see, there was yet another letter in the spring.  Teddy said he has met this girl and was going to be married.  He explained that his father had died and he wondered if Mrs. Thompson might agree to come and sit at the wedding in the placed that was usually reserved for the Mother of the groom.

Eagerly, she said, “Yes”.  She made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me!  Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.”

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, “Teddy, you have it all wrong.  You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference.  I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”

Eagle Village will soon celebrate fifty years, since two very young and inexperienced people received the first five boys into our camping program; these boys fit the description of Teddy.  At the time we did not know how very fortunate we were to not have much in the physical areas to work with.  Our dependence was totally on being spoon-fed from the Throne Room of Heaven. 

As I have written this story, there has been a steady parade of faces that have passed through my memory.  I wish I could say they all turned out like Dr. Stoddard, but such is not the case.  We have also learned that some had to go through some tough times before their hearts were opened to the seeds planted in our Chapel Services and the love that was poured into them through our staff.

We will celebrate our fiftieth anniversary with a Founder’s Day on June 23,2018.  Please set that date aside and plan on coming to join Eagle Village in celebrating 50 years of helping youth and families.  For information please contact Barb at 231 832 7249 or bfrahm@eaglevillage.org.

Blessings,

Gramps  

Destination? Where Are You Going?

“Do not fear!  Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.  The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” (Exodus 14:13-14).

Hey Gang:  I call them the empty-eye-syndrome generation.  When I look into their eyes I see no vision, no joy, no hope.  Rabbi Cahn, in his monthly letter to his spiritual family, wrote the following:

“Imagine you’re on a plane that’s about to leave and someone sits down next to you. You get to talking with him and he asks you where you’re going, and you tell him.  And then you ask him where he is going, and they answer, “I’m here to go anywhere.  I have no destination.  I’m just here to leave the airport.”  Would that not be ridiculous?  Virtually no one gets on a plane just to leave somewhere; they get on a plane to go somewhere! “

His name was Teddy Stoddard, and this was his first day in Mrs. Thompson’s fifth grade class.  She started her first day of this new class in the same way she started every year by telling the class she loved each one of them and her heart’s desire was that all would do well and grow up to be very successful people.

But this year she made her speech with tongue in check for she knew that she had a boy named Teddy, that she had watched the year before and noticed he did not play with the other children, his clothes were messy, and he constantly needed a bath.  Add to this, Teddy could be very unpleasant.

Teddy lived up to his reputation and soon settled into his norm of unpredictable, usually negative behavior to the point that Mrs. Thompson enjoyed placing “F’s” on his failed papers.

And then one day, she had reached her wits end and knew she could not endure this young lad’s behavior one more day, but before expelling him from her class she went to the office and spent several hours going through Teddy’s record. 

She discovered, in first grade the teacher wrote: “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh, does his works well and has good manners.”  In second grade she read, “Teddy is an excellent student, well-liked by his classmates, but troubled because his mother has terminal cancer”.  In third grade, it stuck out in very bold print.  “His mother’s death has been very hard on him and his father does not seem to take much interest in him”.  His fourth-grade teacher wrote: “Teddy, is with-drawn and doesn’t show much interest in school, has few friends and often sleeps through class.

After reading the record Mrs. Thompson’s-heart was filled with shame and felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas gifts wrapped in beautiful paper and Teddy brought a bracelet with missing stones and a half- filled bottle or perfume, in a brown paper bag.  The children laughed but Mrs. Thompson stood and put the broken bracelet on and a dab of the perfume on and thanked Teddy for his kindness.   After class Teddy went up and said to her, she smelled just like his mom.  She said, she cried for an hour after Teddy had gone home.

The story of Teddy Stoddard is one that is very special to me, for I have seen this story repeated a thousand or more times in my years of providing a shirt-tail for the Teddy’s to grab hold of.   I do not want to leave the story here, for the rest of the story is a perfect example of God’s promise that - if we are willing to take up our cross daily and reach out to a hurting person, God will richly bless our efforts.

I pray you will tune into the next Gramp’s blog and see a real live miracle take place in the life of a young lad who was like the guy on the airplane – he just did not know where he was going.

Blessings,

Gramps

Is God Getting Our Attention?

"Thus, I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.  Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble. and the earth will be shaken from its place in the day of His burning anger." (Isaiah 13:11, 13)

"From the Lord of Hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flames of a consuming fire. (Isaiah 29:6).

Hey Gang, They say the past fires were the worst fires in the history of the nation.  They say the winds in the storms have been the worst in recorded history. They say it has been the worst tornado season ever.  They say there is activity in the heavenlies like they have never seen before.  Blizzards in April, record earthquakes!  Is God trying to get our attention?     

Joel Rosenberg in his book Implosion wrote, "Yes, I believe something has gone terribly wrong with the American experiment. Our families are imploding. Our national debt is exploding. Experts on the left and the right warn we are on an unsustainable trajectory and urgently need to change course. Yet, too, many in Washington, Academia, the Media and even the Church are in a "business as usual" mode. As result, millions of Americans fear the ice is cracking under our feet". 

William Bennett, the Republican former Education Secretary and Drug Czar in the Reagan and Bush administrations, notes that "Since 1960, even taking into account recent improvements, we have seen a 467 percent increase in violent crime;….a 461 percent increase in out-of-wedlock births; more than a 200 percent increase in the percentage of children living in single-parent homes; more than a doubling of the teen suicide rate;….a doubling of the divorce rate."...53 million creations of God have been sacrificed on the altar of Molech (abortion).

The question was put to Joel: "Is it too late to turn it around?” His response: “No, God gives us the key to restoration in the following passage: "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive your sin and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).

So, those of you who read this message who are younger than I, which probably includes all of you, have you humbled yourself before the Lord of lords and Kings of kings this morning?  Have you prayed diligently for the healing of our land? Have you examined your heart and placed all those things that grieve the Holy Spirit at His feet for cleansing?   Keep in mind that Jesus said, "I come quickly!"

Blessings,

Gramps

A Common Sense Adage

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My Righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).

Hey Gang:  Time for a little humor this morning from John DeVries, founder of Mission India.  As President of Eagle Village, I found myself before groups of folks on a very regular basis sharing the good news of what God was doing at the Village in the lives of our kids.

An Old Salt, who also did a heap of public speaking, shared a piece of advice very early in my days of speaking and it became the backbone of my introductory comments.  He said, “Always begin your comments with an endorphin”. Now if you do not know what an endorphin is, it is a little ditty that gets the juices flowing in our brain. Pick out the one who laughed at it and speak to him. 

    

John used short stories and endorphins in his books which tended to keep me glued to his books.  In one he used the following story that hit my funny bone.

  

“Imagine that it’s Sunday morning about ten minutes before worship time at your church and that I’m going to be preaching there.  You notice me pushing a big old car down the road.  It dawns on you that I am the guest preacher, and it’s clear that I’m not going to be there on time.  I’m right in front of a gas station about a five minute drive from the church and I’m passing the station!

You slam on your brakes, hop out of the car, and ask me, “What’s the matter? Why are you pushing your car? I reply that my car happens to be out of gas.  “Why, then, are you pushing it past the gas station?” you ask.  “Push it into the gas station and fill it up.” 

But I protest, “I don’t have time to stop for gas, I have only ten minutes left to get to church.  I can’t be distracted by anything.  I must be on my way!”

Do you get the message?  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, those who come to me I will in NO WAY cast out”.  But, if you do not take the time to fill your gas tank (to come to Him), the way and truth and life, He cannot pulled out of you what you have not put in. 

What John is saying here is prayer-less lives are like gas tanks running on empty.  Now hear this Old Man – God knows our needs and the business of our lives. Getting up fifteen minutes early is a sacrifice that He loves and honors. 

I recently read an article entitled “How to Survive in Very Tough Times. Point three on the list was, 'Always Keep Your Car Filled With Gas, for you have no clue when something will happen and you cannot access a gas pump. Excellent advice for those who recognize the perilous times we live in. 

Keep in mind, when the alligators begin to rise and you are in need of help right now, God can only pull out of you what you have put in.

So, polish your armor, fill your lantern with the Holy Spirit and put yourself under the care of l

the One who still’s the waters and remember you are about to enter the mission field.

Blessings,  

Gramps 

"Lord, Help!" Continued

"Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Col. 3:1-2).

Hey Gang:  In the last Gramps Morning Thoughts it was suggested that most folks do not like change.  We like our rocking chair with iced tea and a nice cool breeze; but we also know from experience, "that is not God's way".  Grunting and grinding on the potter’s wheel leads us into God's path of righteousness.

When we announced we felt God had called us to sell everything, uproot our family and follow the example of Abraham and place our family in God’s hands to lead us where ever He choose, an old gent gently reminded me that with that call from the Throne Room came a bull’s eye from the pit.  Now, fifty years later, I have a much greater understanding of the red flag that he was waving in front of my eyes. 

As mentioned in the last morning message, we learned that Paul's method of teaching was to give us a principle and then expand on the principle giving us instruction on how we should go about implementing the principle. In Colossians 3:1-17 Paul expands on how one can "seek the things above".   

In step one Paul gives us the bad news, “…we must die to self’ (3:5).  Wait a minute, Lord, did you not put a free will in my head?   “Yes, but I also placed a will inside of your dome of intellect to choose whether you will follow the black dog or the white dog. Will you take up your cross and follow Me or choose to go your own way.”

In step two Paul tells us we need to do some deep soul searching and ”…put off’ (3:8) all those things that grieve the Holy Spirit. He lists some of the more common sins that tend to get us in trouble with God and with our neighbor like- ‘anger, lying, abusive speech, wrath and malice.’

“Putting off” is of little value if we do not replace it with something that prevents the evil one from returning with his cousins.  He says step three is to “…put on”  the new self, who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (3:10).   Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing one another's burdens, and forgiving each other.  Beyond all 'PUT ON LOVE'.

Paul's fourth step - the glue that binds -"let”.  “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body", and "let the word of Christ richly dwell with you" (3:15-16a).

Notice Paul closes this teaching, on how to live an effective life for Christ, with a final word of advice: “Whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (3:17).

This ‘Change Process’ was an integral part of our workshops with hurting families; however, there was always one or more who would say, ‘I tried it and it did not work!’  My comment: “Perhaps you need to go back to the beginning and check out Paul’s prerequisite to triggering the process!”   

So, my friends, if you are having problems walking with the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, perhaps you should take Sword in hand and get alone with Abba Father and check out the ‘Therefores’ and ‘if’s’ of your daily walk!

Blessings,

Gramps

"Lord, Help!"

Are You Willing to let God take you firmly by the hand and lead you into a radical life-change?  Paul gives us the good news: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death, for what the law could not do, God did!” (Rom 8:1-3).

Hey Gang:  How many times this week have you asked yourself the question: "Should I or should I not?".  I don't know about you. but I have learned that I can become very caustic when someone or something tampers with my comfort zone. In nearly every case the decision shakes down to, will it feed the white dog or the black dog - of my mind  and heart

I have learned, in my tenure on this earth, that I cannot suddenly change from that which I am, to that which I should be.  To think that suddenly I can do a 'U" turn and go a different direction is the foundation of failure and discouragement.  As one old hillbilly said, "We 'er' what we 'er' and unless we work very hard we will remain what we 'er'.” 

Paul tells us: "Be not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7).  A man walking across the prison yard passed by an inmate who was sewing a tarp together. The man remarked to the con, "Sewing?”.  The con’s response,” No, "reaping!".  As I have gained in maturity I have learned that, if I don't put the tools exactly where they belong when I am finished with a project, I spend a heap of time hunting.  And, I might add, frustrated with my neglect. That too is reaping! 

In my study of the Word I have learned that Paul was a very organized man.  In his writing we find he presents a principal-and then develops the principle for our implementation.  In Colossians three he gives us a formula for change; but notice there is a trigger word that is a prerequisite to implementing the process.  The prerequisite, “if"  “if you have been raised up with Christ!"  The prerequisite that triggers the principle is, "If".  

"Keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God".  Again I draw your attention to the key word in this phrase, "Keep".  In the words of Pastor Wilkerson: ”We need to recognize the "seeking things above" is not a natural trait of the human mind.  It takes diligence and constant vigil to keep seeking things above!”

Paul gives us a principle in Romans 12:1-2 about how to do this.  He wrote, "I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship".  And then the key: "And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". 

So, be advised the black dog will be nipping at your heels today.  He may even present you with some great opportunities - but beware Satan gives nothing without a huge price attached. 

We are advised throughout the Word to examine everything carefully and keep the good and trash the bad.

Blessings, 

Gramps