Tom Durst

LIVING IN FEAR OR LOVE

"For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control.”—2 Timothy 1:7 (TPT)

Human behavior at some point is driven by either fear or love.  Many of our fears are at a subconscious level, planted in us constantly by what we see and hear every day.  Love will unfold throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.  As we feed on the Word of God daily we grow in love and fear vanishes because it has no substance or reality to support it (see 1 John 4:18).

LISTENING FOR THE STILL SMALL VOICE

"Now this is the highest form of prayer that you can possibly indulge is communion with God, listening for the still small voice, opening consciousness to truth. There's no higher form of prayer than that. That is communion. . . .  Now true prayer is the ability to receive the presence and power of God. That's true prayer. When you can at will open yourself to the presence and power of God and let it take over, then you are praying aright." —Joel Goldsmith—Extract from the 1951 Second Portland Series of Lectures

BE NOT AFRAID

Words like "do not be afraid," "fear not," etc. occur over three hundred times in the Bible.  Some scholars say 365 times, one for every day of the year.  Emerging from the bondage of fear into the wondrous Kingdom of Love is at the very heart of our spiritual journey.  By the power of God’s grace we may go forward every day.

"For nothing will be impossible with God.”—Luke 1:37 (ESV)

Fear does not stop death

It stops Life

And worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles

It takes away today's peace (Source unknown)

THE ROOT CAUSE OF ADDICTIONS

The root cause of all addiction is based on a deep emptiness of living apart from fellowship with God which is mostly accompanied by a fixation on the world of the five physical senses--especially with much attention given to the pleasures and pains of the human body.  We give away our spiritual power very easily to something in the realm of matter.  We think a certain substance will bring us happiness and well-being and many times it brings hell and suffering instead.  This dependence on and attention given to something in the realm of matter instead of on the all power of God is a primary factor in addictions.  If we empower something in the realm of matter "to make" us anything we are giving away the indwelling spiritual power that is given to all of us (see 1 John 4:4).  I've heard people that would totally reject alcohol and tobacco say "I must have my coffee fix" in the morning.  Really!!  If we look to something in a bottle of pills whether it be a drug or the latest vitamin product to do something for us we are inviting suffering which will not end as long as there is dependence upon something in the realm of the material.

Over the past few decades we've had such fads as aerobic exercise in which the pulse rate must be kept above a certain level to be effective, a super low fat diet and mega-vitamin therapy.  Over time all of these things have utterly failed and what was once thought to be so scientific has proven to possibly be very dangerous and harmful.  A lot of sincere, health-oriented people are still caught up in these things.  I see folks at the gym where I go frantically exercising in an effort to solve some of their problems or beautify their bodies.  I enjoy regular exercise and nutritional eating very much but I don't look to these practices to "make me" something.  I already have everything I need in God for my well-being in this life and that which is to come (see Acts 17:28).  Every dependence upon something of matter instead of the all power of God will disappoint us at some point.

tomdurst1@msn.com

A ROOT OF BITTERNESS

Hebrews 12:15  New Living Translation (NLT)

15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

One of the definitions of "bitterness" is: "anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly; resentment."  This feeling of being treated unfairly may be ever so small but it is in reality a DEADLY POISON that will affect every area of our life, especially our relationships with others.  We may think that we are able to hide our anger but others will sense it and often quietly withdraw from associating with us which will only increase our own suffering and likely intensify our resentment.  If we compromise even slightly with bitterness it will be like a deadly poison and will not only ruin our relationships but will also bring all kinds of sickness and physical problems.  Few people would knowingly drink some poisonous substance but think nothing of allowing anger and resentment to abide in their consciousness.  Even more serious is that harboring bitterness can cause us to fail to receive the enabling grace of God.  Does this mean that God stops loving us if we are bitter?  No, but it does mean that we are cutting ourselves off from partaking of the empowering aspect of grace and making ourselves weak physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially.

With God all things are possible but we must earnestly set our feet on the path of unconditional forgiveness and love.  Then God's grace comes in and we receive His almighty power and what humans call "miracles" begin to happen (see Philippians 2:12-14).  Think about this seriously, examine your own hearts, and without further delay take whatever steps needed to put your spiritual house in order.

"I know from personal experience how damaging it can be to live with bitterness and unforgiveness. I like to say it's like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die. And it really is that harmful to us to live this way."--Joyce Meyer

tomdurst1@msn.com

FEAR IS A KIND OF PRISON

Whatever gets your attention gets you!  When you dwell on such things as pain, sickness, old age, poverty, and death, you are simply choosing to bring more of these very things into your life (see Job 3:25).  God has something much better for His children, yea, His Kingdom with all of its freedom and increasing love, joy, and peace (see Luke 12:32; John 8:32, 36; 10:10; 14:27; Philippians 4:8).  Choose you this day whom you will serve (see Joshua 24:15).

"Your fears are a kind of prison that confines you within a limited range of action. The less you fear, the more power you will have and the more fully you will live.”--Robert Greene

AN INFINITE UNIVERSE

The Infinity of the Universe, no matter how you may think it came about, has challenged the best thinkers for thousands of years.  The physical universe that we perceive with the five physical senses is constantly changing.  It is perceived and interpreted quite differently by people who are looking at the same exact thing.  The Kingdom of God is wholly spiritual and not discerned through the physical senses but only through spiritual understanding (see 2 Corinthians 4:18).  Our challenge is to move from matter-based consciousness, which is so enslaving, into the heavenly Kingdom of love, joy, and peace.  This is indeed the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven—a present reality for all spiritual seekers (see Revelation 21:1-2).

“What quantum physics teaches us is that everything we thought was physical is not physical.” ― Bruce H. Lipton, The Honeymoon Effect: The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth

tomdurst1@msn.com

BREAKING FREE

We human beings, both individually and collectively, tend to repeat the same patterns over and over again, even if they are negative and bring suffering.  This is very important to recognize in order to break free.  Some folks may get some help to break destructive patterns through human methods but unless there is a real change of mind and heart the changes are often superficial and people frequently go back to their old ways, often in a different form.  My own conviction is that it is only the power of God that can truly free us from destructive ways (see Psalm 119:45; Isaiah 61:1; John 8:32, 36; Romans 7:15-25; 8:1-4; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1;  2 Peter 2:16).  Experiencing God and letting Him be first is a path of love, peace and joy, even in the midst of trials and tribulations.  My wish is that everyone experience a freedom beyond what could ever be imagined (see 1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

"Silence is God's first language.." John of the Cross

You may email me at:  tomdurst1@msn.com

YOU SHALL BE A BLESSING

“. . . You shall be a blessing.

Do not fear,

Let your hands be strong.”—Zechariah 8:13 NKJV

When tempted to judge someone based upon their outward appearance we can silently bless them instead.  People sense it when we’re loving them, rather than judging them, and their heart will be touched.  Good always results when we choose to see others through the eyes of Christ even though we may not ever know in what form the good will come. 

“Even when we doubt, God believes in us and never gives up on us.” – Catherine Pulsifer

tomdurst1@msn.com

THE UNIVERSAL HEALING PRESENCE OF THE CHRIST

The healing message of "the Christ" is totally UNIVERSAL and no one person or "ism" is in control of it. I see the term "the Christ” that many Christians use, as "the healing presence of God ever present to meet all human needs." It appears in many, many forms and in ways that sometimes might not be according to our exact beliefs. We need to surrender any resistance to ways that are different than what we think should be the case. "The healing Christ" touches people at their point of greatest need. My wide reading of biographies over these many years has solidified that probably more than any other one thing. I've reflected many times on how "the Christ" touched my heart at the deepest possible level when I was a child and not partaking of any religion. In 1951 when I was turning 14 in earth years I was directed to read the Bible for the first time and other Christian literature. The point is "THE CHRIST" (GOD'S HEALING PRESENCE)  MEETS EVERYONE RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR TIME OF NEED.

tomdurst1@msn.com