Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
Truth
Truth
“I See Dead People”
Yes, the title of this blog post is a very famous line from the popular M. Night Shyamalan movie, “The Sixth Sense.” If you have seen the movie but didn’t see the twist coming at the end, like I didn’t, then you, too, were shocked to find out the truth.
I go through life doing my best to take care of it. In the process of doing so, I encounter a lot of people. They all have different stories they can tell. They come from different walks of life and make different decisions, yet I see them.
No matter how someone lives their life, there is only one decision to be made when they come to the end. Where will they spend eternity?
Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Heb. 9:27 (MSG)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom. 3:23 (NKJV)
The answer to that question is straightforward. If one has accepted Jesus Christ, then his actions on the cross, dying for our sins, cover any and all sins; therefore, the recently deceased will live forever in heaven.
If the recently deceased have not accepted Jesus into their life and have asked for forgiveness, then they will die forever in hell as payment for their own sins.
With this being the case, as I am living life, conducting life, if I encounter a person who doesn’t know Jesus, then I, in fact, see dead people. This is why we who have seen the light and have the hope of the gospel need to look for any and all opportunities to share the truth of Jesus with them. They deserve to know there is a better way to live. They should have the chance to live life and to live it abundantly.
16-17 It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”
Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral
18-23 But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. Rom. 1:16-23 (MSG)
Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
Telling The Truth Can Cost You
A father was acting out concerning a relationship. He was unhappy about how it was going, and the other person was not acting the way “he” wanted them to, which upset him to no end. There were some names spoken that were not flattering. The father talked about the situation over the phone with his son, and his son listened, but when he tried to correct his father’s attitude, the father got mad and hung up the phone. When the son called back again, he was rudely hung up on by his father.
The son’s motivation was pure as he wrote his father a letter. He tried to get his father to understand how he was treating people in several relationships and was pushing them away, and people did not want to be around him anymore. The son tried to tell his father the truth as lovingly as possible.
The father went ballistic and set out to get revenge on his son. He lied to his son and tricked him into going down to the bank to get him to sign a document that would remove him from all of his accounts and his safety deposit box. Then he removed his son from the deed to his house and even cut him out of his will. Apparently, he really did not like hearing the truth!
When Jesus walked the earth, he successfully told people the truth. Some heard him and accepted his message, changing how they lived, but others did not. They chose to get enraged.
People may not want to lose control over their life, so they will not accept the truth. Or they may fear not knowing what life will be like if they change. Others are deceived into thinking they are fine the way they are, and some feel they will lose status or power if they change. Then there are those who blame others for their actions instead of accepting the truth.
The truth is; the truth will set you free! (John 8:32)
I know of one pastor who won’t share with his wife what the word of God says about how marriage and the home should be set up. On this matter, he once told me, “You may be right, but you will be alone!” What he was saying is that “he” feared being alone if he dared to share the truth with his wife. The sad thing is the problem in their home of the wrong person being the head of the household transferred into their ministry. Whenever the home is not set up right, or the ministry, people get hurt! And in the case of their church, there is a very long list of people who have gotten hurt and have left. If the truth were accepted, their home life would be different, and the wall preventing their church from becoming a world leader would finally be lifted.
Yes, telling the truth can cost you. It could cost you thousands of dollars, your inheritance, a job, or family relationships It cost Jesus his life which is the ultimate price to pay for sharing the truth. Jesus wasn’t afraid of being alone. You may be isolated from friends and family, but you will live in freedom. If you find yourself alone, know that you are not, for you are in the company and presence of God.
Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
Hearing Aid
As a follower of Jesus Christ for many years, there can still be circumstances that can weigh us down to the point that even for us there can be moments where we might still ask, “Does God exist?” It’s okay when that happens as long as those “moments” aren’t too often and last too long.
Imagine then how difficult it can be for one who has never accepted God and has not had the experience of walking with Him. They are not aware of His goodness and His faithfulness. They have not witnessed His miracle-working power for themselves in their lives. They have not seen God make a way when their back is up against the wall and in the natural world, there is no way! They need help, they need an aid.
May I propose they could benefit from a “hearing aid”? The one who doesn’t know God intimately yet needs you to “tell” them about Him. They need you to list His credentials and share His character. They desperately need to know now and therefore they need you now.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.”
14 But how will people call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher (messenger)? 15 And how will they preach unless they are commissioned and sent [for that purpose]? Just as it is written and forever remains written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” Romans 10:13-15 (AMP)
People are desiring help, guidance, and direction. They want to know what to do and where to turn. They are listening. Unfortunately, if they don’t hear about the hope of Jesus Christ they will listen to the world, and the media, and for the most part their message is not a positive one.
Allow God to use you to be a “hearing aid” for someone. Don’t think you have to know the word of God like a preacher does simply share your testimony and share what God means to you. Tell them of His unbelievable love. They’ll listen.
Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
Irreconcilable Differences
Being in a relationship can be challenging at times for a variety of reasons. When married couples find that changing, or compromising is harder than they think it is worth it they many times end up in divorce court claiming, “Irreconcilable Differences”.
I had to look up what those two words mean.
Definition of Irreconcilable Differences
Noun
- Differences of opinion or will that cannot be brought into harmony, or cannot be brought into an agreement through compromise.
- A relationship that has become relentlessly hostile.
One could make the case that God and Satan declared, “Irreconcilable Differences”! That God and Satan have a relationship that has become relentlessly hostile! Although there is one definite distinction; God had the final say-so when it came to the final judgment of their case. When Satan insisted on being a “god”, in his own eyes, and having the angels worship him God said, “No way! There is only one true God and it is me, and He was not about to compromise.
To this day Satan is working day and night trying hard to appeal God’s final judgment. He is even trying to use people to win his case. He tells them lies, half-truths that convince them of things like there is no God, there is no punishment for sin, or that there is no eternity. In other words, as he told Eve in the Garden of Eden, “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4) People believe him when he tells them, “There is more to life than what you currently have now, and you deserve more. You’ve earned it.”
It’s sad when they buy into his deception. If they are not set free with the Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ then they will stand before God when they die and He will declare with them as well, “Irreconcilable Differences” and they will be forever divorced, separated from the presence of God, and that is called, “hell”!
Please, accept Jesus Christ into your life before it is too late. Ask for forgiveness of your sins, and wrongdoing. Read God’s word, “The Bible”. Learn about the love of God and come into harmony with Him. When all truth is revealed, and it will be, you will be glad you did.
Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
What Happened?
Have you ever wondered, where did it all go wrong? Or, how did they end up like this? I have. You look at someone’s life and you can’t quite figure out how they got where they are today.
I heard it said the other day, “I made a wrong turn on the way to church!” That kind of says it all. Somehow the individual took their eyes off of Jesus and looked instead at what was around them. Kind of like Peter when he was walking on the water. He let his circumstances disrupt his fixed gaze on the Master, on Jesus.
“Church” doesn’t save you, or even just “going to church” doesn’t either! I know a couple of women who “go to church” every time the doors are open, but there is no love of God in their hearts! As a result, people get hurt.
Back to the people who have strayed from the truth; they started looking at what Satan was offering them “now” that would fulfill that longing desire in their heart instead of waiting on God to provide something or someone pure, holy, and a part of Him.
The wonderful truth is this; it’s never too late to backtrack and take the right street to the church. In other words, it’s never too late to return to God. Most likely there is someone who is praying you would and God is sitting on the front porch staring down the road as far as He can hoping to see you come over the horizon toward him! He is waiting with open arms.
Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living
and reorder our lives under God. Lam. 3:40 (MSG)
Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
It’s Not Me, it’s You
Have you ever found yourself in one of those relationships where the other person does something that offends you, or hurts you? And then when you tried to share with them how it bothered you they act out and try to turn things around as if it was your fault. What the heck? Right? It can be extremely frustrating.
I was thinking about this scenario and feeling exasperated. I asked God about it as I do now when I am in need of wisdom and understanding. He is so faithful to provide an answer. He shared with me that when you speak “truth” it can convict. This can make them uncomfortable and they can get defensive. The other thing that may happen is they will distance themselves from you.
It may be they come up with excuses as to why they can’t get together anymore, or stop inviting you to events, or family gatherings. What makes it hard on you is they convince themselves and others that “you” are the problem, but it is NOT you, it’s them!
I know it hurts. It’s not right. It’s an injustice. So how do we handle it? As difficult as it is, we must still love them, and pray for them. Realize you are in good company! Jesus was falsely accused. Some of the people around him, religious leaders of that day, etc. were confronted with Truth. It convicted how they should be living. To push Jesus out of their lives they crucified him. I don’t think your family and friends will go to that extreme so don’t despair.
Keep in mind when Jesus wants to enter a person’s life, heart, He stands at the door and knocks. He waits for an invitation to enter. We cannot force someone to change. Continue to speak the truth in love, and hope that your loving actions will be used by the Holy Spirit to work into their hearts.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me. Rev. 3:20 (AMPC)
Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
“Well!”
You’ve encountered them. You might possibly even work with one. And there is the regrettable chance you live with one. “Who?” you ask. The person who is ALWAYS right in their own eyes. The self-righteous ones. The perfect among mankind.
“Self-righteousness has killed more people than smoking.” John McCarthy
Of course we, the realistic people of earth, know there is no such thing as a perfect person, but don’t you dare tell them they aren’t perfect. They will argue that fact. If you have encountered such a monster then you know how frustrating it can be to do life with them, or to have any kind of interaction with them at all.
If finding fault generated wealth then they would be among the richest people on earth. “Well, if you hadn’t of …” so quickly and easily comes out of their mouths. What shocks me is how deceived they are. It’s like they are allergic to truth. They defend the smallest of actions.
Job, from the Bible, had this issue I believe:
“We’ve all heard Job say, ‘I’m in the right,
but God won’t give me a fair trial.
When I defend myself, I’m called a liar to my face.
I’ve done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.’
Have you ever heard anything to beat this?
Does nothing faze this man Job? Job 34:5-7 (MSG)
The burning question on my mind is this, “Will they dare try to defend themselves when they stand before Almighty God and give an account as to how they lived their life?” Will they try to blame God? Of course God is perfect, as his son Jesus is, and has done nothing wrong. I’ve been talking to a friend lately about this, and I have told them, “It’s okay to be wrong!” In fact, it’s admirable, and respectful when one can sincerely say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
The Bible actually says, “The truth will set you free.” (John 8:31) Of course knowing Truth, or Jesus will set you free. Free from your sins and free from eternal damnation. But knowing, owning up to, and admitting the truth is living free. If you find yourself always defending your actions then stop it! Try being wrong once in a while. You might like how it feels.
Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
Search Me?
23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life. Ps. 139:23-24 (MSG)
It takes guts to pray the above prayer. Most of us don’t want to face the truth of who we really are. And in fact go great lengths at times to hide the darker side of ourselves, from others, and even from ourselves. My pastor last Sunday challenged us to do just that. To have God examine us and see if there was any wrong in us. Whether deeds, motives, or actions.
There are some people that have such an intense time facing who they really are that they try their best to stay busy. One guy I know said he is always looking for the next party. The worst time for these people is when they are alone in the dark and they can’t sleep, their conscience begins to speak. That is probably why these same people medicate themselves before going to bed so they do not have to listen to their inner voice.
That inner voice is doing its job. It’s trying hard to get a person to face truth. Truth they have done some things in life that were wrong and they are in need of having those things forgiven. Another force at work is that of the Holy Spirit. One of his jobs is to draw us to God via the forgiving power of Jesus.
If you find yourself in this situation the only thing to do is yield. Give up trying to write your own religion and accept the relationship that God has already provided. Say to God, “then guide me on the road to eternal life.”
Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
Stop Trying, and Start Believing
I feel so sorry for them. For those individuals who spend their whole life, time, money and energy trying to prove that life came about in some way other than God. That somehow the right two cells combined and evolved and then came crawling out of the water and over time became man? It seems as if that requires more faith to believe than believing in a loving God that made us. Are you aware that Darwin even doubted his own theory? No, of course not! That chapter is not mentioned.
Scientists search tirelessly on other planets hoping for something they can point to and declare, “There is no God” for they think life can start without him.
I feel so sorry for those who fear climate change. Yes, man is probably not helping ourselves by emitting tons of hazardous chemicals and agents into the air. But I ask this question, ”What was the temperature of the earth before the floods of Noah?” After the world was covered with water the temperature had to go down, causing ice to form. How do we know we are now just getting back to what the globe’s thermostat read before it started raining?
Take God at his word. Stop the struggle and the fight to do life on your own. Give up and give in to truth and find love, joy and peace in living life. Ask if you have to this; “God I believe, but help my unbelief.” He will. God will make himself known in a multitude of ways.
Those who truly love me are those who obey my commands. Whoever passionately loves me will be passionately loved by my Father. And I will passionately love him in return and will reveal myself to him.” John 14:21 (TPT)
No one, if they will be honest with themselves, even in the dark when they are alone, and no sounds to distract them, will be truly satisfied with their own answers as to the questions, “Who am I?” “Where did I come from?”, and “What am I to do while I am alive on the face of this earth?” Any answers that may come to mind are false, and only substitutes offered up by the devil. He wants so bad for you to accept anything but God. For he knows that those who find God, find life!
Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
brady, mark a. 