Category Archives: Devotional

Looking for a Quick Fix

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Observations of Human Nature

There is a process of discipline required for spiritual warfare and spiritual transformation as described in Ephesians 6:10-20, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 2 Corinthians 3:18 and many other scriptures.

Our human nature is impatient with a slow process. We crave instant easy solutions. What if a touch of power from an anointed man will fix all my problems! A little prick will keep my child healthy. A prayer, a touch, and everything can be changed in a moment!

We don’t want to acknowledge our own weakness and contribution to our current circumstance. We don’t want to spend time developing spiritual muscles through prayer, reading and memorizing God’s word. We don’t want to take total responsibility for our health and our lifestyle choices.

We want an easy route. We want a relatively pain-free option. Instant healing.

Discipleship takes time. Maturity takes time. Resorting health is not instant. A daily connection with our holy God through His word – which is accessed and illuminated only through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ will lead us to truth, abundant life, and blessing on our family.

The original disciples spent three years in the daily presence of Jesus, yet they still lacked understanding. How can we expect a faster route? Jesus told the man he had instantly healed – stop sinning. Our problem is our sin. Our tendency to go our own way, respond to our natural urges, seek quick easy answers, and put ourselves first, rather than reflect on the character of God and seek His refinement of our heart.

Our human nature makes us vulnerable to those who offer easy answers. We succumb to a sales pitch for vaccines, statin drugs, knee replacements, psych drugs, etc. These seem to offer a simple solution and are easier than discipline, exercise, healthy food, and positive life-style choices. Natural birth, breastfeeding, and responsive parenting rather than day care or a nanny, seem too difficult. Cultivating listening to the Spirit of God seems like an unattainable goal.

We crave power. We want to see power and victory in our life. The power we need is the power over sin. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would give us power to be witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This power must first be exercised on our own hearts.

Leaders must be careful not to bend to the desires of the people. People want a touch and a quick solution. Leaders feel pressured to provide it.

Colossians 2:23 makes it clear that true maturity does not come through following a lot of rules. “Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” The root of our dilemma is sensual indulgence. How do we overcome that? The very next two verses are key, Colossians 3:1-2 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set you minds on things above, not on early things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

Our challenge as leaders (and as parents) is to guide those we are responsible for into an understanding of how to overcome and restrain from sensual indulgence; fleshly indulgence, satisfying the flesh. We have to grow to maturity ourselves, and lead others to maturity by modeling the behavior.

“Therefore with minds that are alert and fully sober set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. As it is written, ‘Be holy for I am holy.’” 2 Peter 1:13-16.

“We put no stumbling block (obstacle) in anyone’s way so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way…in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;” 2 Corinthians 6:3-7.

The entire chapter of 2 Corinthians 6 is extremely instructive. God grants righteousness. This is described in Ephesians 6. The breastplate of righteousness is one of the weapons we require for spiritual warfare. Righteousness is produced over time as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and control our thoughts and actions.

We need to encourage those we lead that they are God’s temple. God wants to do His work in them. God is able to nourish and protect His temple. They need to honor and protect the temple God has provided for them, not to poison it and expect a good outcome.

Looking for an easy quick solution usually backfires.

Becky Hastings collects information on health and tries her best to discover and share truth. By God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, I was saved, blessed with a husband of over 40 years, and five precious babies all grown up. I now get to delight as ten grandchildren grow! Together we can help each other discover a healthy path in this crazy upside down world.

Uganda Mission Trip

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My first trip to Uganda was in 2014 when I accompanied my husband on a visit to Dominion Church in Kampala. My husband has returned many times to Uganda to minister to pastors and leaders.

In May 2023 I had the privilege of returning with him to Uganda and I was invited to speak to the women at Dominion Church’s annual Bible Faith Conference and at the annual Woman Believer Conference hosted by the Pearl Haven Christian Center in Mbale a town about 225 km or 5 hours drive away. Fully describing our experience in Uganda is impossible, but I wanted a place to store the four talks I gave to the women. I was thrilled to be able to minister God’s word to an eager audience and was blessed to witness life in Uganda and the faithful followers of Jesus persevering despite difficulties beyond our comprehension.

The ladies were a very encouraging and accepting audience and I praise God for the opportunity I had to share the Word of God. All the talks were translated into the local Luganda language so they take a bit longer to listen. You may want to change the replay speed to 1.25 or 1.5! I also must mention that the weather in Uganda was very hot and humid for us! The temperatures throughout the year are pretty stable and every day had a low of 19 and a high of 29 C (that’s 66-84 F). Because of the humidity, by the end of the talks most speakers are dripping with sweat!

Dominion Church Bible Faith Conference, Kampala, Uganda

Theme: ”For out of His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” John 1:16

Day One Workshop for Women: Overcoming Challenges 

Day Two Workshop for Women:  Raising Godly Children

Pearl Haven Christian Center, Mbale, Uganda, The Woman Believer Conference

Theme: The Strength of Faith Hebrews 11:11

Day One: Seeking the Blessing of God 

In this talk I include a short testimony of my journey to salvation through Jesus Christ. At the close of this talk I give an imperfect recitation of 2 Corinthians 4, a passage that has brought great encouragement to me. It was a thrill to be able to share God’s word and I pray it powerfully impacts people to have a hunger for God’s word and an understanding that it is possible to memorize it and hold it in our hearts.

Day Two: The Protection of Faith

At the close of this talk I give a recitation of 1 Peter 1 and explain how this passage brought me comfort and encouragement during 2020 and beyond as we witnessed an unprecedented world wide reaction which filled many with fear.

Becky Hastings collects information on health and tries her best to discover and share truth. By God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, I was saved, blessed with a husband of over 40 years, and five precious babies all grown up. I now get to delight as ten grandchildren grow! Together we can help each other discover a healthy path in this crazy upside down world.

Beware of Snakes

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Photo of a red snake with bands of black an white.

Creative Writing based on 2 Corinthians 11 – an ancient letter written by Paul to the people of Corinth who were facing a conflict about who they should trust, who they should follow, who they should believe.

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the snake’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” v3

For if ‘experts’ come to you and preach a salvation outside of Jesus, you put up with it easily enough. They offer ‘salvation through man-made technology’ or ‘salvation through man-made medicine’.

I don’t think I am inferior to your white coats. I may not have their intensive indoctrination —err training. I may not be eloquent, but I have knowledge. I have dedicated myself to focus on the topic of health and asked the Holy Spirit to guide me with insight and courage to share unpopular information. The U.S. has exported many things to the world. We even proudly export our ‘health care’ when we have an abysmal health track record.

I’ve never charged for my information. I share freely. My husband supports me marvelously.

WHO, CDC, NIH, FDA – these organizations (and many others) are the epitome of false prophets, deceitful workers, masquerading as bearers of truth. There may be some good people working in these places, but these significant agencies have been hijacked and captured by those who would profit from lies.

Are we surprised? “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light!” v. 14

“It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” v. 15

“You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise.” v. 19 You put up with fools who have status, degrees, positions. People who openly defy God yet proclaim their strategies as the hope of mankind.

“In fact, you put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs” or injects poisons into your children. Or mandates poison so you can work, or travel, or attend events. Or forces you to deprive yourself of oxygen. You put up with it.

I admit that I am not that forceful. I will share what I believe to be true and encourage you to make your own decisions. I won’t tell you what to do. I will warn you of the harms of certain medical procedures that are being pushed on us. Get all the information you can and choose wisely.

Holding to the truth may mean you will be rejected by your own family, scorned, maligned. Stay anchored, unwavering from the hope in Jesus you profess.

Do I make mistakes? Yes. Do I know everything? No. Even now, I may be wrong, but you can absolutely trust that I am not lying.

Let God be praised and glorified as we seek the ONLY salvation and ONLY hope for our time, Jesus Christ. 

Becky Hastings collects information on health and tries her best to discover and share truth. By God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, I was saved, blessed with a husband of 40 years, and five precious babies all grown up. I now get to delight as nine grandchildren grow! Together we can help each other discover a healthy path in this crazy upside down world.

Have I been tricked?

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There is a saying that it’s easier to fool someone than to convince someone that they have been fooled.

There is another saying that it’s easier to convince people of a huge lie than a small one.

Once our thinking is built on a foundation of lies or half truths we have a hard time discerning truth. How do we know?

There is another concept I’ve encountered that goes something like this, “Those who control the present, control the past. Those who control the past, control the future.”

Schools throughout the world teach history. Rarely will the curriculums from one country to another align. Sometimes different regions of a country have different history. Information about the past is transmitted to the next generations via curriculum for a variety of reasons. Many Christian homeschoolers carefully choose curricula that will support their Biblical world view. As a resident, turned citizen, of South Africa from 1983 to 2013, I heard a lot of discussion about educational curriculum in light of the profound changes the country experienced. Many past events were revised with a new understanding in light of the release of Nelson Mandela from prison and his election as President of the country that had once considered him a dangerous terrorist.

Rarely is history as clear as we’d like to be able to teach our children. Many of us grew up hearing lots of dates and facts in history class and lost interest in the topic. The intrigues of nation against nation and political rise and fall doesn’t captivate very many. Learning early on that history is boring, we put our attention and energy into areas that are more captivating.

As a retired homeschool mom [all five have long since graduated], I’ve grown to be very intrigued by history and explored a variety of different sources. The reality of the role of propaganda throughout history is undeniable, yet none of us wants to admit we have been a victim of propaganda! Could much of our early education and exposure to media have been part of a tactic to influence or control my thinking? We pride ourselves on our independent thought, yet how independent is my understanding of world affairs both past and present?

One thing I have learned in light of recent crazy events, God’s word is a great place to place my trust. The old testament accounts sound amazingly similar to what we are witnessing first hand today. God’s word is true. God is trustworthy. As I view current events in light of God’s eternal truths, I have more understanding. I also have confidence in our all powerful God!

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities: All things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17

God is still in control. All things are working for His purpose and for our ultimate good.

I found this lecture/interview with Professor Mark Crispin Miller from NYU quite profound. He is a student and teacher of propaganda throughout history. He makes some pretty startling statements in this 30 minute interview.

Video: https://odysee.com/@PandemicParallaxView:6/2020-A-Propaganda-Masterpiece-Prof-Mark-Crispin-Miller-PonP-Episode17:3

or here: https://21stcenturywire.com/2021/07/10/the-global-pandemic-a-propaganda-masterpiece-with-mark-crispin-miller/

Or if you prefer, here is a link to the audio only. https://ratical.org/PandemicParallaxView/mp3s/Perspectives-on-the-Pandemic-2020-A-Propaganda-Masterpiece-Prof-Mark-Crispin-Miller-Episode17.mp3

Here are the highlights:

Mark Cripsin Miller: “It seems to me that the year 2020 and the first half of 2021 have comprised a global propaganda spectacle of unprecedented scale and sophistication. I for one believe that we were subjected to a series of carefully planned psychological operations over the course of 2020 and just beyond. I think it started with the roll-out of the virus. This particular instance of fear-mongering is the most persuasive, the most compelling, the most devastating kind of fear-mongering that’s ever really been used in the history of propaganda and that’s really saying something. We’ve seen the fear propaganda move from the Hun to Communism to Terrorism but now it makes the crucial move to the thing itself. The thing with which previous enemies have been compared. The evocation of The Virus Is All Around Us was enough to turn the wits of millions of highly educated people. It’s a very easy matter to get people to do what you want. Just convince them they’re under attack and that anyone who argues with that claim is putting them at risk.”

“Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government,” wrote Edward Bernays [in 1929], the father of modern propaganda. In part one of Episode 17, Mark Crispin Miller, professor of Media Studies at New York University, discusses the propaganda onslaught that defined the year 2020, when what was dismissed one week is confirmed the next, and why questioning official narratives “necessarily means taking ‘conspiracy theory’ seriously.”

We can feel uneasy and unsettled when faced with such information. Sometimes we prefer to bury our heads in the sand and pretend our fantasy picture of the world is accurate! Understanding that there is something not quite right about the narrative we’ve been presented can actually open up our faith and cause us to grow as we seek to know God and call on Him to guide us as we navigate life with a new understanding. God is faithful. He is calling His children to trust Him. He is still at work building His Kingdom. We need to re-evaluate our tightly held ideas about the world and re-examine everything in light of God’s unfailing truth.

Ultimately we can no longer live in a fantasy world. The adage, “What you don’t know doesn’t hurt you,” is changed to “What you do know won’t hurt you.” 

Becky Hastings collects information on health and tries her best to discover and share truth. “By God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, I was saved, blessed with a husband of 40 years, and have five precious babies all grown up. I now get to delight as nine grandchildren grow! Together we can help each other discover a healthy path in this crazy upside down world.“

What did Jesus say about His return?

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Lightening flashing across the sky

A few reflections. A mini devotional. I do NOT possess all the answers!

My son and I were discussing Biblical prophesy. In light of world events many are seeking to figure out what is going on in the world, and what is coming. I don’t claim to know, but I keep going back to the Bible and I ask myself, What is clear?

In Luke 21 Jesus predicts the temple will be destroyed and the disciples ask Him, when?

Does His answer cover only the destruction of the temple, or does it also cover His return, the event we know as the ‘Second Coming’? I don’t know.

Either way, we can take His words to heart, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21: 34-36

Earlier, in Luke 17, the Pharisees asked Jesus WHEN the kingdom of God would come. Jesus said it’s not something you will see, it is something within you.

Jesus says “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed” referring to the days before the flood and the days before Sodom was destroyed. Both acts reveal God’s judgment, but people were just living life and unaware of the big change that the world would experience. 

Jesus is conveying urgency. Don’t go back to your house to get your possessions. Flee from the judgment. Don’t be like Lot’s wife – attached to the material comfort she had gotten used to.

Jesus says clearly, “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” Luke 17:33

This is clear. The next verses have been interpreted many ways. What are these words of Jesus supposed to mean? Leaving all my preconceived ideas, or previous teaching, what do they say?

“I tell you, on that night” [which night? His Second coming? The destruction of Jerusalem?]. Bear in mind that the original question was when the kingdom of God would come.

“Two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding corn together; one will be taken and the other left.” Luke 17:34-35

“‘Where, Lord?’” they asked.” Who is the “they”? Disciples or Pharisees? Were they asking where those who are taken would be taken to? Somewhat unclear.

Jesus’ answer is wide open to interpretation. “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” Luke 17:37

Wow. What does that mean? One thing is clear to me, Jesus didn’t intend to be clear! If Jesus is not clear, should we seek to force clarity?

What is clear from these words, this teaching of Jesus? The kingdom of God is not what we expect. We need to be ready and watchful. We need to loosen our attachment to the material world. We need to grow our faith and trust in God and His provision. We can pray (from Luke 21:36) that we may be able to escape (with our loved ones) and that we will be able to stand before Jesus. This makes me think of the parable of the talents as related in Matthew 24. We have all been entrusted with life and blessings and one day we will stand before our Creator and give an account of how we used what He gave us.

One thing more, verse 24 says “For the Son of Man in His day will be like lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

It is unclear what “the Son of Man in His day” means. But it will be evident and obvious. Could this be a reference to when the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, unusual darkness had been over the earth, and people came out of their graves at the time of Jesus’ death? This is possibly inferred from the next verse, “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

Think about all the people living in the time of Noah and Lot. We are told that wickedness abounded. But there were perhaps many other people who were just tolerating the wicked, and just trying to live their life the best they knew how. They knew the wickedness happening all around them was evil and perhaps some chose not to participate, but they didn’t hate it enough to point it our or separate themselves from it. They tolerated it. The angels visited Lot. People, innocent bystanders, could have joined Lot and his family to flee the corruption. They either didn’t believe judgment was coming, or didn’t believe Lot offered a legitimate safety option. Noah spent 80 years building the huge structure we know as the ark. During that time he preached and warned. There was ample room in the ark for all who could see the coming judgment and would put their trust in God’s provision to escape it. Yet except for Noah, his three sons, and their wives, all stuck steadfastly with the culture. They stayed with the material life that they knew. They may have been victims of evil. They may have been observers. No doubt there was a wide range of response to the evil and wickedness happening at that time. But only those who fully trusted God and demonstrated it by the action of walking into the ark were protected. 

How do I apply Jesus’ teaching on future events from these passages to my life? Should I have absolute confidence that God will rescue me out of judgment and I’ll sail away before it happens? Did Jesus promise that those who follow Him will avoid all suffering? Most of us recognize the proliferation of evil around us. But do we separate ourselves from it? What does that even look like in 2021? 

The people living during the time of Noah and Lot were just doing the best they could under difficult circumstances, but failed to dig into the heart of God, understand the world from a spiritual perspective, believe His word and warnings, and look to Him for deliverance. Jesus’ death and resurrection ushered in the kingdom of God. Everything changed for mankind from that time forward. This is clear from what Jesus said about John the Baptist, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Luke 7:28.

I cannot fully fathom God’s mysteries. I don’t understand the many references to future events, but I can respond with gratitude. 

Thank you, Lord Jesus, risen Savior, that I have been washed. I am forgiven. I have been ‘taken’. I have been ‘released’ from the power of the god of this world and You will deliver me through whatever trials may come. Help me to offer light to those still in darkness and to love them enough to warn them of the coming judgement. Help me to rightly discern Your word and world events so that I can walk boldly in the provision and protection of Your Holy Spirit. I do not know the future or understand fully how everything will transpire, but I trust in Your provision and protection. Help me to stand strong before you in the strength You provide.

by Becky Hastings who collects information on health and tries her best to discover and share truth. By God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, I was saved, blessed with a husband of 40 years, and five precious babies all grown up. I now get to delight as nine grandchildren grow! Together we can help each other discover a healthy path in this crazy upside down world.