One Year® Bible Online Forum

Hello, I fell melancholy and sadness that our country is becoming more immoral. I have a hard time cheering up other people. I pray daily and feel peaceful but it's not the same as feeling joy and hope. I have followed the fulfilling of the prophecies and look forward to the coming of our Lord. It is more difficult everyday to be bombarded by sinful behaviors. I feel oppressed by wickedness where I work, where I buy my food, etc. I'm always accused of being "too honest". How can that be?

Welcome to the One Year Bible Forum,

Current events have left many people fearful of heart and pondering what the future holds. Sin seems to be running rampant as revealed in our daily news of murder and mayhem. Evil’s pervasive influence is felt thru the media; Movies, Music, Television, Books, Magazines and the Internet. Even the planet itself seems to be rebelling with earthquakes increasing in size and frequency.

God made it plain in His Word that evil will increase; that we will hear of wars and rumors of wars and that all these things will come to pass but that surely does not mean the end has come:

Matthew 24:6-7 (New International Version)
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Fortunately, Jesus never speaks gloom without words of comfort and by providing a way of escape. You must not let the terrible things happening around you make you apathetic and not care anymore. Let’s read verses 12 and13.

Matthew 24:12-13 (New International Version)
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Our heavenly mission and goal should always be in our heart and mind to spur us on to continue in God’s work. When things get difficult, we need to live under the shelter of God and his promises. Psalm 91:1-2 tells us what we should do now during this time of spiritual warfare and always for that matter.

Psalm 91:1-2 (New International Version)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

So let me encourage you in this -- do not let your heart be troubled. Rest safe and secure in God, in the knowledge that you are rooted and grounded in the palm of His hand, and no evil or calamity shall come upon you.

In Christ,

Lance Muller
Cartoonbug

When I feel most discouraged about our country, I try to focus on the joy and the hope that comes from acting on endless opportunities around me each day that allow me to share the blessings of a loving heart with those around me who, likewise, are witness to the wretchedness resulting from sinful human choices. At work, in the grocery store, on the street or in our homes... it is possible to share a smile, a comment, an encouraging thought. It doesn't take much to encourage another human being. If we are able to appreciate the actions of Christ on our behalf because of His love for us, seems to me that we have more than enough for which to feel joy and hope. Genuine joy and hope comes easily when we can suddenly realize that the Holy Spirit has acted through us because we took a moment to genuinely act on our love for others because of our love of Christ. Our pain is nothing compared to His. It wasn't His "honesty" about our human condition that makes me love Him. It is that He loves me [and you, and everybody else] and through that love, because of why He shed His blood that allows us the joy and hope of which you are speaking. I wonder if others thought you were being "honest through kindness and thoughtfullness and genuine concern for THEIR welfare, i.e. not being judgmental", they would still think you were being "too" honest. [?]

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. By "too honest" I mean that I won't cheat on my time card or give misleading information to customers, etc. I am always aware of how much words can hurt so I don't talk much just in case something comes out of my mouth that shouldn't. I just had a terrible experience with a boss who did all those things. God said "love your enemies" so that's what I did but it had no effect and I'm left feeling bruised and soiled. There are times when you can't "run from evil".

Cartoonbug said: "Fortunately, Jesus never speaks gloom without words of comfort and by providing a way of escape. You must not let the terrible things happening around you make you apathetic and not care anymore" ...." When things get difficult, we need to live under the shelter of God and his promises."


Fotop said: "I try to focus on the joy and the hope that comes from acting on endless opportunities around me each day" ..." it is possible to share a smile, a comment, an encouraging thought."

“Our pain is nothing compared to His.” ...


AMEN, brothers!!


John 15 ~

18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. 'If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well.

24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'

26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.



John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."



Galations 6 ~

8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.



Mathew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."



Phillippians 4 ~

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.



PEACE ...

IN HIS NAME

You are a precious creation. So is your boss. You chose to respond one way in a given situation and your boss chose another way. You both have been given choice. In the end, Christ will judge us all. That won't be, nor ever is, our task. If I love my enemy, I gain. Loving someone else doesn't mean I'm going to get loved back or that I can expect a change in the other person. It means that I get another opportunity to experience the joy of caring about another precious soul of God's creation. It's like getting to give a wonderful gift over and over again! It doesn't need to bother us if the gift isn't appreciated in the way we want or expect. The Holy Spirit's got plenty up It's sleeve. We don't need to know how our Creator desires to use us for His purposes when we offer to be sent in His name. I pray that your heart will soon heal. Feelings get bruised and soiled all the time. Emotions are nice to have, I guess [speaking as a man], but they are nothing to follow nor take too seriously. Ask the Holy Spirit to help us know the Way... follow Christ and never mind running from evil. Evil will drop way behind you when you are following Christ. There is no way evil is going to go down that path! I hope you will learn to enjoy speaking more. You sound like a person who would be great to work with and to hang out with. I'd especially like to be your customer! [And please keep your boss away from me!!!]

I examine everything I do to make sure that I don't put a "stumbling block" in front of someone else. Iv'e been tripped by others too many times. That makes me tentative and slow to respond, appearing cold and emotionless. When I do react it's with the words of Jesus in my mouth and I think that's what offends people. So instead of worrying about offending people I should just obey God and let him correct me when I misstep. I love God and try to spread that around!

You aren't Jesus and everybody knows that. Maybe you are finding that too many people who recognize your words are like Jesus' wouldn't want to hear from Jesus ~ even if they believed they were hearing from Jesus Himself directly! Christ has already willingly bled on the cross for our misteps. You know that. It's already a done deal. We love God. God loves us. He created you and He created me. It couldn't be better than that! I think it is the Holy Spirit's "job" to "spread" God's love around. We were not made capable of the wisdom and knowledge required. Relax in your faith and your love of Christ and our Father. Maybe if you focus more on allowing the Holy Spirit to use your life to show others how your love for Him leads you to fullness and confidence in the uniqueness of the soul you were created as, you will be able to take your mind more off yourself and your precious heart, rich and full with the Holy Spirit, will be made more available [not "cold and emotionless"] to others [as you are able to show more empathy for the issues of their conern] and they will want what you have and will, like you, may want to enjoy the confidence and fullness in Christ that they see in you.