Daily Manna from Heaven

by Dr. Harold Sala

“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” -Ezekiel 22:30

“A tree is best measured when it is down,” says Chuck Swindoll. Michael Powell would agree with that statement. In his desk, he keeps three sets of CAT scans: one which shows a shattered pelvis; a second showing it held together with pins; and a third, fully mended.

In 1987, Powell, who then was 24 years of age, was involved in a terrible automobile accident in Germany which left his spine broken and his pelvis shattered. His dad was General Colin Powell, and the son was following in his father’s footsteps but earning his promotions entirely on his own.

But with the accident a military career was ended. Lesser men would have resigned themselves to a life of excuses, but not Michael Powell. He went to law school and specialized in communications. Eventually appointed to the US Federal Communication Commission, Powell became a man with future instead of an excuse from the past. He says, “Opportunity knocks for everybody, but everybody doesn’t have their bags packed.”

Those three images, however, which he keeps in his desk are a reminder that life is uncertain. He says, “You’re guaranteed nothing and it can end as randomly and as spontaneously as it comes into being.” He says he just doesn’t “have time for the negative stuff, for negative people or worrying about some ill.”

A tree is best measured when it is down, not when its towering boughs are piercing the sky.
Disasters or difficulties often come as challenges or opportunities. Some, failing to recognize them, do spend the rest of their lives moaning and complaining; and others count their losses, regroup and determine to get on with their lives.

They are the real winners. I’m thinking of the great Chicago fire that devastated the city. Marshall Fields saw his struggling dry goods store consumed by the fire, and later standing at the site of the charred remains and ashes, he vowed, “On this site I will rebuild the greatest department store the world has ever seen.” In time, he did just that.

A certain street preacher stood on a corner and with an open Bible began to preach to the crowd of farmers. One distraught farmer, not much caring for the message, took a sack of potatoes and began to throw them at the street preacher who quietly began to group the potatoes with his feet, then eventually picked them up, took them home and made potato soup with them.

OK, what’s the defining factor that causes a Michael Powell to regroup and set new goals when his world crumbled, or caused the street preacher to make potato soup out of the missiles that were hurled at him? In one word, it is attitude.

You have no say in what happens to you in life—the automobile accident, the economy that puts you out of work, or the virus that sidelines you in the hospital, or the stark reality that you are going to have to raise your three children without a husband. But your attitude determines your response to the situation.

Attitude is a choice, a conscious decision that you make. When you understand that God is sovereign and that He is not indifferent nor ignorant of what has happened to you, this helps you understand that He can be your strength and stay, your refuge, the one to whom you can turn, and your help as you redirect your steps in the future.

Although a tree is best measured when it is on the ground, it doesn’t have to stay there and eventually rot or decay. When life knocks you down, get up and ask, “God, where do we go from here?” The real test of your character is what it takes to stop you.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. Revelation 12:12

A few years ago, Tom Clancey, an accountant turned author, wrote an intriguing book entitled Red Storm Rising. In this book he pictures a terrible accident which takes place in the Soviet oil fields and destroys most of the Soviet oil reserves. So to regain this vitally needed commodity, Russia launches World War III against the NATO nations to recoup their Middle East reserves.

The fictional situation which Clancey describes isn’t totally different from the motives which drove Saddam Hussein to strike neighboring Kuwait in 1991, an act which sent shivers down the spines of men and women the world over, causing people everywhere to ask, “Are we facing Armageddon, or a Third World War?”

Presently, the players on the chessboard of the Middle East are all very powerful, and though it is possible that the board will have changed drastically from the time I record this program until you hear it, right now the major powers of the world primarily focus on four prominent players: Russia, Israel, Iran, and Iraq.

In biblical days, Iran was known as Persia, Iraq as Babylon, and before that it is well possible that the Garden of Eden was located in the Tigris Euphrates river valley which is modern Iraq today. Ancient Babylon was a powerful force to be reckoned with, reaching its zenith of power under Nebuchadnezzar, who laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed it in 586 B.C. 

Then Babylon was overthrown by the Persians, and eventually Alexander the Great conquered Babylon. In the seventh century, an Arab army overthrew the Mesopotamians, and eventually the Ottoman Turks seized the country and held it until World War I. In World War 2, Iraq, as it had become known, wanted to throw its lot with Hitler and fight with the Axis, but the British, not taking well to that idea, invaded Iraq and overthrew it.

Today, Iran is one of the most foreboding and unpredictable military powers in the Middle East, with military hardware from Russia and France, components for chemical warfare from Germany, and a rapidly developing potential for nuclear capabilities—something that doesn’t make you sleep better nights.

Iran has a population of some 70 million people, about 90% of whom are Shiite Muslims. Its army is well equipped and apparently disciplined. Now its nuclear capabilities are well developed. Many believe that the Gaza conflict in early 2009 was fueled by Iran, who chose to equip and use the Hamas Palestinians to fight their battle.

Could the present situation precipitate the Battle of Armageddon, described in the Book of Revelation? Of one thing I am certain: two players figure largely in the battle of Armageddon. One is Russia; the other Israel. It is possible that Russia knew what was planned for the morning of August 2, 1991 as the result of more than 3000 Russian military advisors’ being in Iraq when it invaded nearby Kuwait. Some believe the Russians had to know, and did nothing about it. They tacitly endorsed what took place. It is also certain that Russia will be one of the nations that attack Israel when Armageddon finally takes place.

The key or pivotal nation that will be the focal point of distress in the battle of Armageddon is Israel, whose military forces are among the best in the world and whose citizens are naturally nervous and concerned about the possibility of being targets for attacks. Israel has said repeatedly that the red line surrounds neighboring Jordan, which means that an attack on Jordan would be considered an attack on Israel.

Where do we go from here?

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by Dr. Harold Sala

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. Philippians 4:6, Living Bible

One of the reasons we tend to worry is that life can quickly get out of control. Someone you care about, someone you love, isn’t listening, isn’t responding, or just doesn’t get it. Say, for example, you are responsible for someone or something, and your best effort isn’t enough. You can’t walk away from the situation. Quitting isn’t an option. It may be a teenager, an aged parent who depends on you for help, or a family business which seems to be going the wrong way.

What do you do? Pondering this situation, a woman who is the primary caregiver for her parents, both of whom are elderly and in failing health, quoted Philippians 4:6, which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Then she wrote, “It seems to me that anxiety is inevitable. We love people and because we love them, we assume the care of them because they cannot care for themselves.

At some point we realize we cannot make them happy or even comfortable, let alone meet all of their needs. Love and responsibility combine to become concern, then worry, and then full-blown anxiety. In some cases, added to that anxiety is lack of appreciation for what we are doing—the ‘never enough’ syndrome.”

Yes, life has its moments of anxiety and concern. So what do we do? If you can relate to the situation I’ve just described, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Exactly what is my responsibility before God in this situation? Paul wrote that each of us “should carry his own load” (Galatians 6:5). So you have to ask, “How much is enough? Is too much expected of me, or am I selfishly hesitant to give when someone is totally dependent upon me?”

2. Am I doing what I’m doing out of love or a sense of duty?

3. Am I depending on a show of appreciation to feel good about what I’m doing? Some things have to be done as unto the Lord without an expectation of thanks or appreciation. Yes, I’m fully aware that hurting individuals who are on the receiving end of the care process often forget that sacrifice is required to be there on demand—something that merits gratitude.

4. What part must I do, and what part must I leave to God to handle? This, of course, is a judgment call, and it isn’t always easy to determine. Giving care grudgingly keeps you from being blessed as a caregiver and creates guilt for the one in need of care.

5. Could I enlist the help of others so that I have the resource to do what only I can do? Like rescuing a drowning swimmer who can pull you under water, you have to decide when you’ve given out everything you have to give and enlist others to provide care.

6. When anxiety turns to worry, am I turning this over to the Lord? You know the commands, like, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7), and “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers” (Philippians 4:6, Living Bible). The tough part is doing it.

7. Am I praying with thanksgiving every time I feel anxious? It’s OK to remind yourself that God really is in control, and thank Him that though you cannot see beyond the immediate problem, you know God will take you through the valley.

8. Have I focused on the fact that God cares for me? I am the object of His care, His interest, and His love, but never His anxiety.

A final thought: Casting your anxiety, your worry, your cares upon Him is a command; it is also a privilege, a great privilege, for you are putting your care upon One who is both powerful and loving, One who is in control of what you cannot control. That makes the difference.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” -Matthew 5:4

A paradox is not two doctors walking down the street, but a statement which seems contradictory in itself but is yet true and can only be resolved in a different plane. Such was that which came from the lips of Jesus when he addressed a large crowd of hurting people and said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

Mourning and being blessed at the same time seem to be contradictory, but they are not. Those who cannot give vent to their emotions and mourn what should be mourned never find emotional healing within. Simply put, there can be no comfort where there is no grief.

As I prepared today’s guidelines, I sat at the old kitchen table in my father’s home where I grew up. Dad was almost 89 at the time and was fighting a losing battle with melanoma. Soon thereafter, he finished the race and entered the presence of the King. Here’s what I wrote, “I am experiencing the grief that Jesus described. Everywhere I look in this house my heart is touched with memories.

In the basement is the old train track for the Lionel 027 which Dad put together. Everywhere are pictures of children, grandchildren, and friends. The old Seth-Thomas mantle clock in the hall has stopped working but it reminds me of hearing its chime day after day as a lad. Playing the old pump organ which mother so enjoyed makes my eyes cloud. Of course, I grieve. Only one whose heart is stone would not.”

But grieving is God’s way of purging our hearts of the deep emotions which need to find expression. Though it defies human logic, it is true, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” By whom? First by God, whom Paul described as “the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Then we are comforted by the promises of God’s Word. Paul says that “we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4, KJV). Morning and evening, Dad and I have read the promises of the Word and have reminded ourselves that these truths are certain and that we can trust them. Then we are also comforted by friends and loved ones (see 1 Thessalonians 4:11).

When you face grief, I would encourage you to appropriate three simple guidelines which have been of help to me.

Guideline #1: Externalize your grief.

This means talk, communicate. In these last few hours together, Dad and I have talked about fishing trips together, about outdoor experiences, of vacations. We have laughed and cried and thanked God for His goodness. Getting it out of your heart is part of the secret to getting on with life.

Guideline #2: Internalize your faith.

There are some things which your head tells you are true and which your emotions challenge. These truths you must take by faith. No, I have never seen anyone who was dead and rose from the grave. Do I believe that someday we will be together again? Yes, with all my heart. When Mable Clark lost her husband and people would say, “I’m sorry you lost your husband, she would snap back, “I didn’t lose him; I know exactly where he is.” 

Guideline #3: Eternalize your hope.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians who had faced the loss of loved ones and reminded them that Christ will return, and that our bodies will again rise from the grave. Then he said, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

Jesus was right. Strange as it may seem. Those who mourn are blessed with the comfort that can come only by releasing your grief. It’s a fact.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” -Matthew 5:3

Captain Scott O’Grady’s world came crashing down on June 2, 1995, when the lights on the instrument panel of the F-16 he was flying lit up like a Christmas tree. His plane had been hit by a missile over Bosnia. As Scott hit the ground and ran for cover, his world would never be the same. In his book, Return with Honor, he said, “As I huddled in the Bosnian woods, I didn’t feel like Captain O’Grady, fighter pilot. I was just a scared guy named Scott, getting by on his wits….

My priorities were slapped into line during that week in June.” Yes, he was dramatically rescued, but according to his own confession, those seven days when he was hunted like an animal and he knew that one false move would result in his death forever changed his life and his priorities.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Scott O’Grady understands what poverty of spirit is because he’s been there. In all his life he never had so little but discovered so much. He learned that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
I hope you will never face trauma as did Scott, but if you are to inherit the kingdom of God, you must, nonetheless, experience the same poverty of spirit which confronted this lucky young pilot.

Question: What was Jesus talking about when he used that expression “poor in spirit?” Poverty of spirit and poverty-stricken are not the same thing. Jesus is not saying that being poor is a great asset–not at all. But He is saying that those who are destitute of resources and strength and cannot help themselves are candidates for God’s help, which brings His kingdom to their hearts and blessing to their lives.

The same word which is translated as poor is also used in Luke’s gospel of the beggar Lazarus. A second word also translated poor is one which means that one has so little money that he must work, just as most of us do today. But this word means you are so poor that you have to beg as did Lazarus.

Most of us, however, find it very difficult to bring ourselves to realize we are spiritually destitute, that we have exhausted our resources, and that God is our only hope. No wonder we try to fix things ourselves instead of saying, “God, this is absolutely beyond me. I am completely incapable of handling this. I throw myself on your mercy and want your help.”

In his autobiography, Alexander Solzhenitsyn told of the growing oppression when he was persecuted for his opposition to communism. He told how they raided his home and took his books and papers. Then, he recounted, they took his family and his freedom, and put him in prison. Most men would be devastated, but not Solzhenitsyn. They had taken from him everything that people consider to make life worth living, yet, according to his confession, he said that he never felt stronger than when all the treasures he had were within him, ones which no one could ever take from him.

Friend, are you beginning to understand what being poor in spirit is about? It is the profound realization that your resources are depleted, that you no longer have a quick-fix or a simple solution, that there is no hope apart from God. And then what happens?

As a beggar knocking on heaven’s door, you will be met by the Prince of Peace Himself who will not turn you away but will open the door and bless you. Jesus said it Himself, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Don’t take my word for it. Focus on this first great promise in Matthew 5.

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VIRTUAL LIASONS

by Dr. Harold Sala

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” -Proverbs 23:7, KJV

It began as a computer exchange with an unidentified woman on the Internet, a woman he had never met. The exchange took place on a computer screen. Besides they were separated by God only knows how many miles. She was an unknown person. But that’s not the way it ended. The man’s wife ultimately sued him for divorce because of what eventually happened between him and the woman he met online.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Internet and the realities of cyber-communication, the Net is a vast conglomerate of services and communication tools. Today’s program can be found on the net and will be downloaded in many different parts of the world. In some cases, what you are hearing right now will be translated and again put on the net to remote corners of the world.

But the Internet is also like a two-edged sword. It also has the capacity of bringing people together, who are absolute strangers, and allowing them to carry on conversations about a vast number of topics from gardening to bird watching. It also allows the anonymous expression of sexual feelings and thoughts which are intimate and belong only to a husband or a wife. There is no physical contact between the two individuals, but believe me there is emotional contact, and in some cases vivid sexual expression. Cybersex is the word which has been coined to describe the relationships which take place via computers, phone lines, and the Internet.

Sexual betrayal—whether it is on the Internet or takes places in a secluded spot far from home—begins when you take the commitment of trust made to a mate and share it with someone else. Emotional infidelity always precedes the actual act of betrayal.

Dr. Avodah Offit is a psychiatrist who has authored a book entitled Virtual Love based on the lives of patients who have ended up coming for help whose marriages and lives have been affected by liaisons established through the Internet. Offit believes that the affair starts with emotional infidelity, when a person begins thinking about another individual, fantasizing about that person, hoping to establish contact.

But it isn’t real, it’s only fantasy! Don’t you believe that for a minute. Every sin that has ever been committed began with a thought. But the more you think about something, the more you are unable to resist your curiosity, and the more you justify what you are doing.

James put it, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:13-15). If Paul’s injunction to “avoid the very appearance of evil” is to be applied to the Internet, it means hitting the button of your mouse to avoid satisfying your curiosity.

Fantasy is a denial of the real, and can be a betrayal of the genuine just as much as an actual sexual encounter with someone. Keeping yourself pure takes place between your ears. Its part of your thinking, and you must learn to discipline your thought life and to feed your soul with what is good, what builds you up and what enriches your life. The wages of sin are heartache and death no matter where they are brokered.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” -Matthew 5:8

The head may be the center of the intellect, the control center of the human body, but it is the heart which has captured the interest of lovers and the fancy of poets because the real emotional issues of life come from the heart. Long ago, Jesus put this truth in focus when He said, “… out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

It is your heart, not your head which reveals the real kind of a person that you are. When Jesus taught the multitudes in the greatest sermon ever preached, He pronounced a special blessing upon those whose hearts are pure, something which has nothing to do with your social background or church affiliation. “Blessed are the pure in heart,” He said, “for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).

OK, then, if you want to see God, better learn how your heart can be pure. The very thought of a pure heart in a world of moral corruption leaves us feeling inadequate, short of the mark, and frustrated because we feel that we can never be good enough to qualify; at least that’s how I feel.
What’s the solution? We know the problem–it’s what’s within, not what people see without. We camouflage the dark thoughts and feelings, not wanting others to see what we are really thinking. We understand the dark pronouncement of Jeremiah, who lamented, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We can identify with that; but is the heart beyond cure as Jeremiah said?

God not only identifies the problem, He provides the solution as well. He says, “And I will give you a new heart–I will give you new and right desires–and put a new spirit within you. I will take out your stony hearts of sin and give you new hearts of love” (Ezekiel 36:26, LB). That’s good news! A transplant! No, not someone’s partly worn-out model which they can no longer use. Its re-creation, a touch of the Creator which changes the way you think, the way you act, and the way you relate to people.

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy,” says Hebrews 12:14, adding a somber warning, for “without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Our English word holy conveys an image of someone who is a monastic or a recluse, but it really speaks of purity of heart which comes because God has touched a life and changed a heart.

This is both God’s work and ours. The changed heart is the result of conversion, and this is totally His doing, but the part which we play is the deliberate choice where we come down on the side of decency and rightness.

This business of being pure in heart isn’t a quick fix, but a lifestyle and a choice which sets your feet on a path which leads to God. Forgive me for certifying the obvious, which may not be very obvious at all: Life at its longest is short, very short, and sooner or later we face eternity. When Jesus pronounces a blessing on the pure in heart and says they shall see God, it is the positive assurance that heaven is a reality and that the crown goes neither to the swift nor the powerful.

It’s within the grasp the smallest, the least significant, and even the poorest. The crown of life belongs to the man, the woman, the teenager, even the child whose heart is pure and upright before God, something which is not an impossibility at all. That is good news, friend, very good news!

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