Category Archives: Poetry – sortof

No need to fear

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Terrible judgment is coming on the earth.
The Scriptures predict it.
All around us we see signs.

Jesus said we should watch
And notice the signs.

Daily we are exposed
To the rampant evil in our world.
Our hearts cry out for justice
As evil dominates
Nearly every realm of life.

Our food, our health, wars,
Parental rights, personal freedom.
There is predicted climate chaos,
Drug addictions, our toxic environment,
Destruction of the planet.
Slavery, human trafficking, hunger,
Racial inequality, discord.

Some seek to change or fix
What they see is broken
The only fix apparent to me,
is the fix Jesus provides.

The fix every individual human heart
Desperately needs.

Yes, there is coming judgment
Against the evil plots we see all around us.
But we don’t need to fear
We can look forward to the return of Jesus –
Whom God raised from the dead*
Whom the disciples saw ascend to heaven
Forty days later.

He is the one who has rescued us
From the terrors of the coming judgment.*
As we embrace God’s message with joy
Realizing “God loves me,
And has chosen me
To be among His very own people.”*

Ever confident that
He will rescue me.

*see further 1 Thessalonians 1

12Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

Vanquishing Darkness

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The extent of evil
Oozing in every sphere of life
Forces me to seek the LIGHT.
Wholeheartedly.
Unreservedly.

Not on my terms or conditions
For how can I impact or dictate
To the LIGHT?

I seek the totality of the pure LIGHT.
The LIGHT of truth.
The truth that brings healing; wholeness.

The truth that seeks good;
Demands justice.

The truth that fully accepts.

The truth that does not conform
To my ideals or expectations.

I must conform and align
To Truth.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
spoken by Jesus, recorded by Matthew 5:14-16

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
spoken by Jesus, recorded by John 8:12

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
spoken by Jesus, recorded by John 8:44

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
spoken by Jesus, recorded by John 14:6

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Author: Becky Hastings, a forgiven, cleansed sinner who seeks to walk closely to the LIGHT of Jesus Christ and seek truth every day.

 

Only Two Teams

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soccer-or-baseball-1531255-639x651God provided Jesus.
God, the Creator, Originator, Designer
“Jesus, the image of the invisible God
Firstborn over all Creation
For by Him all things were created…”[1]

If we reject Jesus, we reject God.
“Anyone who isn’t with Me, opposes Me, and
Anyone who isn’t working with Me
is working against Me.”[2]
Strong words.

All who reject Jesus reject God
All rejecters end up on the same team
With all the other rejecters.
They may not realize it.
They may think they are distinctly different
In every major characteristic,
But at the root, the life source,
They are the same.
Like a large tree with many branches,
All information that rejects God,
Is anti-God.
The source of all anti-God information is Satan.
John tells us “This great dragon—
The ancient serpent called the devil,
Or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—
Was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.”[3]

That one. God’s enemy.
He inspires a wide variety
Of anti-God information and beliefs.

Our foremost preoccupation
As followers of Jesus:
“Love the Lord your God with
All you heart, soul, mind”[4]
(Yes, you can think)
“And love your neighbor as yourself.”[5]
Jesus claims our loyalty

“If anyone is ashamed of Me and
My message in these adulterous and sinful days,
The Son of Man will be ashamed of that person
When He returns in the glory of his Father
With the holy angels.”[6]

finger-post-in-the-morning-sun-1553708-1279x852Jesus made clear claims
To His Oneness with God.
The disciples witnessed both His words and actions.
They saw him die.
They saw and touched His resurrected body.
Peter said, “For we did not follow
Cleverly devised stories when we told you
About the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power,
But we were eye-witnesses to His majesty…”[7]

Both Jesus and Peter referred to and respected
The Old Testament records:
“We also have the prophetic record
As something completely reliable and
You would do well to pay attention to it
As to a light shining in a dark place.”[8]

The Bible is a collection of
66 ancient manuscripts.
It doesn’t claim to be
the last word on every subject.
Aliens, crop circles, pyramid structure, other anomalies
Are not answered in the Bible.
But it does present the most significant
Coherent account of the central events –
Including the foundational conflict on earth with
Dialogue and a story line.

God created everything.
He made a species “in His image”
So He could have a relationship with them.
He wanted the people to choose Him
Not be coerced to allegiance.
His previous created species, an angel line,
Had been seduced by a leading angel to rebel.
God’s archenemy enticed 1/3 of the angels and
Then set about trying to seduce the human race
To defy God.
All humans since have been born with
The same defiant spirit – like an infection
That spreads
But God
Stepped in. He devised a plan.
He chose a people to demonstrate His grace
To all the world.
Through that people, the Hebrews,
He demonstrated His power and
He gave them a written record
This record is a blessing to us.

Deception is rife.
The written record keeps us anchored.
Every fact can be viewed
Through the written record.
How does this information align?

Jesus warns us:
“Make sure that the light
You think you have
Is not actually darkness.”[9]

In light of any upcoming devastation, the most significant thing to be sure about is eternity. All the hectic events happening in the world and all the hectic predictions of what might happen in the future, propel me to want to be anchored on truth that is sure.

DSC_0062Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Navigating our world is challenging. God’s word is my compass and guide.

 

 

[1] Paul, Colossians 1
[2] Jesus, Luke 11:21
[3] Revelation 12:9
[4] Jesus, Matthew 22:37
[5] Jesus, Matthew 22:39
[6] Jesus, Mark 8:38
[7] Peter, 2 Peter 1
[8] ditto
[9] Jesus, Luke 11

 

History Can Be Hard

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George OrwellGeorge Orwell has often been quoted,

Who controls the past controls the future.
Who controls the present controls the past.

An expanded re-write might be: He who controls the popular understanding of history controls the future. He who controls the present (especially the media and education) has total control over historical interpretations.

So, who is in charge of our future?

Truly understanding history, figuring out how to look at historic events from all angles and determine bias, is critical to knowing what is going on in the world today.

Most people aren’t that interested in history. It takes time to wade through evidence and facts to get an accurate view of history. Deception has been developed to such a great extent, with more information (and intentional disinformation) available than ever before, that we can be overwhelmed to try to make sense of history.

That’s why I seek God and an understanding heart through a knowledge of the Bible as a priority. The power of the resurrected Jesus Christ – in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge – is the key to interpreting life, past, present and future.

DSC_0062Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Navigating our world is challenging. God’s word is my compass and guide.

Uncertainty

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SONY DSC

SONY DSC

I am a writer, truth seeker and conference speaker

I pray daily that through Jesus, God will anoint my mind, my writing, my connections

No one knows everything;
No one has all the answers.
The nature of deception
is you don’t know when you are deceived.
God is the source of all truth.
It is His desire to lead His people
into TRUTH.
TRUTH is ultimately found in Jesus.
Absorbing ourselves in Jesus
Will lead to discovering TRUTH
In every important area of life.
Absorbing ourselves in seeking truth
Will ultimately lead to Jesus.
To understand the conflicts of today
You need to know the foundation of all conflict.
There are many interpretations of history,
Ultimately it is HIS story –
The work God has been doing
In the world from the beginning.
Satan told Eve lies. She questioned God and
God’s intentions for her and for mankind.
Satan continues to spread lies,
Manipulating humans
to doubt God and rebel against Him.
There are many theories
about what’s wrong with
Our world and how to fix it.
If we leave God out of our thoughts
We’ll never get the big picture right.
If we don’t acknowledge the conflict
Between good and evil;
The existence of Satan;
Realize His tactics, strategy and goals,
We are especially vulnerable to deception.
What if much of the history we’ve been
Taught is actually manipulation –
Distortions designed to fool us?
What if much of the news reported
in our present world
Is a distortion of facts
Designed to impact our behavior and response?

I don’t have all the answers,
But many rational intelligent people
Are asking questions.
Serious, important questions.
About the Reserve Bank, the economy,
wars, Presidential Assassinations,
current events, journalism,
media ownership, health treatments.

Jesus was sent to earth by God.
His purpose was to bring salvation
to all nations – not just Jews.
He was promised by God LONG ago.
Jesus is the fulfillment
of God’s promise to ALL mankind;
A light to reveal God.
“This child is destined
to cause many to stumble,
But will be a joy to many others.
He is the revealer of the
deepest thoughts of our hearts.“[1]
“In Him all the fullness of the Godhead
dwells in bodily form.”[2]
He has shared His fullness
with those who accept Him.
“You have been given fullness in Christ,
Who is head over every
power and authority.”[3]

There is no need to fear.
Jesus wants to connect with you.
Once connected, He lives in you.
He is more powerful than anything you will ever face.
He will lead you to truth, light and life.

DSC_0062Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus, seeker of truth and health. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the very real dangers threatening the health and freedom of today’s parents, providing information to navigate towards joyful family living!

 

  • [1] Simeon, Luke 2:34-35
  • [2] Paul, Colossians 2:9
  • [3] Paul, Colossians 2:10

Leaders and others

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(Reflections from Mark 14:33-71)

Righteous, God-fearing, clear thinking,
compassionate leaders are hard to find.
A leader that starts that way
has a difficult time
maintaining his integrity
in light of his power and position above others.
Power truly corrupts.

Jesus was taken before the leaders –
the main stakeholders of the time –
for judgment.
Mark tells us,
“They took Jesus before the High Priest,
leading priests, elders
and teachers of religious law.”
The ‘important’ people;
The people of standing in the community;
The people who had the ability
to determine your future;
The people you didn’t want to offend.

Yet the entire High Counsel
Found no substantial evidence.
There was nothing in anything
Jesus had ever done
That they could fault.

Yet they wanted desperately
For Him to die.
They were worried about
Their own positions;
Their careers;
Their authority.

So they tried to get false witnesses
To make up stories;
To tell lies;

To support their desires,
Their conclusions.
Important people make significant decisions.
They rebel against God,
Deny His power and authority.
Their decisions reverberate to
Impact communities, countries, the world.

Small people also deny God
In our own small way –
For self-protection.
We don’t want to stand out in the crowd;
Don’t want to put ourselves in jeopardy.
We are afraid to declare our personal experience
with the living God.
We curse ourselves instead;
Seek to blend into our culture.

While Jesus faced the significant leaders,
Peter blended in the crowd of onlookers.
Jesus was cursed – He was taking our curse.
Peter cursed Himself,
“A curse on me if I’m lying –
I don’t know this man.”

Inside Jesus was declaring His Godhead:
I AM
Outside Peter wallows in fear.

Where am I today?

There is hope
Peter’s life profoundly demonstrates hope.
From coward to confident.
Read the book of Acts.

How did he do it?
A contrite heart, he broke down and wept.
Seeking Jesus, desperately running
To the news of His resurrection, He
Experienced hope, restoration and power.

The bold power of God
Working through Peter.

God is looking for agents of
His power on earth today.
Leaders who will maintain Him as Lord
Despite any responsibility they receive.
Leaders who will not fear man,
But Fear only God.

God is looking for small people
Willing to proclaim Jesus
As their source of hope and truth.

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Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!