Friday, July 31, 2009

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Along life's road But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. — 1 Samuel 16:14. I usually go from MSNBC to CNN to BBC to CBC to get mixed views on headline and breaking news on the television. Even though the presentation may vary, the facts of the "happenings" remain the same. Our text today is presented by the standard King James Version and so we go to NLT (New Living Translation) to get their take: "Now the Spirit of The Lord had left Saul and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear." The more things change, the more they remain the same! Gone are the "old days" and the ancient way of doing things, so they say. But with all the technology, wealth and material possessions, the contentment that was part and parcel of, in many cases, our parents . . . our grandparents . . . are not to be found even though the cottage is now a chateau. I was speaking to someone recently about the closing down of a landmark store. To be exact, the City Meat Market at Independence Shopping Center. They told me that the store was doing good business until a one-highway thought, forgot about the culture of many years that had been created by the presence of that store. It was the common meeting place of the people from one side of the road to the other side of the hill. And so the business of that whole area went to the financial departure lounge. If one were to do an intense study of the effect of the closing down of that store, you would be surprised of the impacting results. It is a sad thing to lose one's possessions or job, or even a loved one, but no loss can really compare to see a loved one lose their mind. Even more so, it is devastating when the Spirit of God has taken a permanent leave of absence. Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish and he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and goodly; And there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he. From his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. What went wrong from then to the time of our text? From a goodlier person to one riddled with the sickness of depression and many phobias? Is there anyone you know that allowed the pressures of this world, public opinion, financial downturn, political fallout, marital difficulties or relationships to cause the spirit of God to depart from them? One thing I've learned and that is one has to keep up with the young people in order to peep into their world. When I taught music, I kept up with the latest singers, rappers and the like. I keep up with their current "wordology/phraseology." Sometimes you hear them say when one's behavior is not in keeping with the flow, they acting ill, and they are so right. A lot of people's weird actions are due to the fact they are indeed "ill." They are riddled with depression and fear, but are not honest enough to admit. Rather, they make everyone's life a "living hell." In the office, they are known not to conclude outstanding matters. They withhold important information for the overall upward mobility of others and the company, they never have anything positive to offer, and even though the word of God admonishes us not to be afraid of their faces, humanly speaking there is very little one can do not to be afraid. You see, when you disappoint God, you give God His walking ticket and once He leaves, even the city dump puts out a detour sign upon your approach. Today, in the name of Jesus, I rebuke the spirit of depression and fear that has so many on lockdown. I dismiss evil minds and thoughts. We are approaching another year of being independent and from when we first started out as a nation, in many areas depression and fear has taken up residence. In many situations also, when Saul has the cold, others catch the flu. You know it is a simple fact of life — no matter what we may possess from an intellectual point of view, be current with all that is written, we must not do so at the expense of daily reading the word of God. It is strength for our intellectual marrow and sustenance to be endowed with wisdom in these very complex and challenging times in which we live. The answer to many of the ills today as it concerns leadership in whatever department it may be, is that the Sauls that be cannot give hope to any people when the spirit of God has indeed left Saul. So, if Saul is depressed and fearful, what is there to look for. Lord, today we pray that your spirit will never leave us. Please fall afresh on us — break us — melt us — mold us — fill us and use us. We honestly need your spirit, Lord! E-mail me with your prayer requests, concerns and comments to rubyanndarling@yahoo.com or write to P.O. Box 119725 SS Nassau, Bahamas. Thursday, July 2, 2009