Tag: trust

The Greatest Enemy

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Christendom, Fear4 Comments

I must admit, the coronavirus has gotten many worked up and in a frenzy. Some are afraid to leave their homes and others are even more afraid of coming in contact with other people. The media and politicians have ramped this virus to the point that you would have thought this virus would be the downfall of mankind and the end of the world. Fear has crippled the world at large and this country in particular. Fear has caused people to wear face masks and if one person in some communities contract the virus people run around as though the sky is falling.

Look, it is not my intention to make light of this virus. For some it is lethal. Being sick is no desire for anyone. Hence, certain precautions are necessary for any viral disorder. Even so, this same panic was not prevalent during the time of the Swine Flu. In perspective, the Swine Flu was contracted by about 61 million people in the United States.[1] This resulted in about 13 thousand deaths. There was no widespread panic. There was not the closing down of cities, states, nor the workforce. As I recall, the mentions of it on media did little to instill fear and panic. And, I would argue, rightly so.

As I pen these words, the confirmed cases of the coronavirus are about 77 thousand and about one thousand deaths. Yes, this is tragic. Every life is precious. Still, comparatively speaking, this is a very small number. With a nation of about 350 million people, the number of people contracting the virus is about .00022%. This means that most people will not contract this virus and most do not know anyone infected. So, why all this panic? Why all the fear? What is going on causing panic where all that is needed is good basic care?

While I am not a medical doctor and don’t pretend to understand all such matters. I can say of certainty that Satan comes but to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). The question must be asked as to how Satan (the thief) performs these most nefarious actions. Simply put, if the thief desires to kill who you are in God, he will dangle fear in front of you so that you do not do what God has ordained you to do. You may become fearful of failure so that you will not step out in faith and do what the Almighty has for you.

The thief will also steal your future and motivations from you. He will cause fear to settle on you so that your God-given motivations are snatched from you before you realize what is going on. Before you know it, the gifts that God has given you to build His Kingdom have been lost because the enemy took them by reason of unjustified fear. He will also destroy you with fear. Now, this is not talking about the fear of God which is a reverence to Him. This fear is the unmitigated distortion of facts and truth in order to hold you hostage to the lie. Fear is the most destructive enemy and if allowed will stop the strongest man in his footsteps.

I repeat I am not saying don’t take care of yourselves. Wash your hands. If you are sick stay home. Take care of yourself and others. In doing this, don’t let the greats enemy, fear overwhelm you. Don’t allow and temporary moment in time to impact the rest of your life. So, stand strong. The winds of adversity come but for a moment. Don’t let this fear determine your future and don’t let it snatch from you the very thing God has created you for. You are more than that and the enemy knows it. So, stand.

Remember, the thief comes to steal kill and destroy but that Jesus came that you might have life and that more abundantly. So, go for the abundance and kick fear out of your life.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/estimates_2009_h1n1.htm

Faith and the Faithfulness of God

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Uncategorized4 Comments

     It has been way to long since I posted an article. That was not because I have nothing to say or write but rather because my life has been filled with one thing and then another. My down time had to be down time or my head would have been so full of stuff that my body would not have been able to handle it. This is not to say that things have been bad for me; actually the converse is true. The reason I have not posted, at least in part, is because of the things that God has allowed in my life for the preparation of my future.

     For a number of years now it has seemed that all my work would be for naught. Many things went well against the way I thought they should be. Yet God knew of the work He had for me. He knew that I had to endure certain things and that I would not give up on my confidence in Him. This confidence is the “faith” factor I often make reference to. You see, faith is not a simple feeling rather it is absolute confidence that God will do what He said He would do. That is God’s faithfulness to us; that is God is dedicated to our wellbeing.

    Several years ago I endured some personal tragedies. I lost more than I am will to mention in this forum but that it should be known that my looses were severe and devastating. Yet God found reason to remain with me in that His Word promised that He would never leave nor forsake me. And He did not. I was also promised that I would recover more than I lost. That recovery would not only be a blessing to me but that it would also be an amazement to those that sought my demise. This is why I have been able to maintain my confidence and trust in Him. Despite the disappointments of the past years I have been able to shake the dust off my back and push forward. Some of those accomplishments can be found on my Linkedin page http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=37691076&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile. Still, my accomplishments are not by my hand per se rather by the hand and will of God.

     With that in mind it should be noted that I have been applying for jobs nearly across the continent for over two years. There were many disappointing responses and some who did not respond at all. Yet perseverance is key when trusting God. There will be disappointments as well as blessings.  Both serve to not only under gird the truth of God as well as build faith and confidence in the believer. So, I had to use both to my benefit. Yes, I had to laugh and cry. Elation sometimes occurred while dejection tried to rear its ugly head. Nonetheless faith had to stand with the promises of a faithful God.

     Last week Thursday I was blessed with the opportunity to interview for a position in Fort Worth, Texas. It was an hour long interview with four interviewers. The chief interviewer promised a return call the next day. While I awaited her call I was already planning on making that move. I began to research living and other matters that are important to relocating. God remained working in the background and Friday evening around 6:00 P.M. I received the promised call and was offered the position. I accepted.

     My point is that God is faithful to the faithful. Be encouraged and let nothing deter you from the promises of God. Some will ridicule you as some have me. Others will do what they can to derail you. Do not let these things stop you from being faithful to faithful God. No, it will not be easy so just know that God is faithful that promised.

The Insanity of Christianity

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Uncategorized8 Comments

Those of us that practice Christianity the way God intended have been called many names. Among those names are “Holy Rollers” and Bible Thumpers.” No wonder Christians are called names! We choose to be holy because the Word of God instructs us to be holy and we choose to thump through the Bible so that we can understand what holiness is all about. And when the principles of the Word of God are applied we are called many other names; many of which I cannot bring myself to repeat.

Despite the many names Christians have been called Christianity still thrives and drives others over the brink of name calling. With this it must be true that whoever practices Christianity must be insane. The fact is Christians celebrate a God that has never been seen. We worship and adore One who cannot be seen. I Timothy 1:17 confirms that we celebrate an invisible God with the Words, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Yes, we must be insane to worship the invisible God that created all rather than worshiping images created by own hands.

Our insanity deepens when we begin to obey the Word of the invisible God. You see we are called homophobic simply because God has ordained marriage to be between one man and one woman. Without parsing the term “homophobic” I think it somewhat reasonable to say that the term makes no sense linguistically.  Still it is no wonder that there is much insanity in Christianity. We choose to honor an invisible God that teaches that homosexuality is an abomination. Leviticus 18:22 is the very standard the invisible God has set and by that standard insane Christians live. “ Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Yes, there is much insanity in Christianity.

But not all Christian phobias are so blatant. We are told throughout scriptural text teaches that Christians are not to be conformed to the world rather we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). No wonder there is insanity in Christianity; we are being brainwashed. We live according to the mandate of God and don’t give in to the rudiments of the world. We stand separate and apart from everything that pulls away from God.  We are counted as boring and sticks-in-the-mud all because we have renewed minds. Yes, one would have to be insane to trust and rely in an invisible God that teaches marriage as being a union between one man and one woman who have transformed their minds from the things of the world into the mind of Christ.

I have to say with all boldness that I am one of those insane people trusting in the invisible God Who sent His only Son to be born of a virgin (man that’s insane) Who lived a sinless life pointing men to His Father. This same sinless Man was killed because He was insane enough to do the will of His Father. Yes, there is much insanity in Christianity but I would rather be with insane Christians than with sane infidels.