Dear God!
"I'm Tired Of All The Bad News!"
by Gail Ramsey

Dear God!

Help! All I hear 24-7 is about war, bombing, death, and terrorism. I'm finding it more and more difficult to stay in a peaceful state of mind. Even my patience with family and friends seems in short supply. What can I do?

Your Peace-loving Daughter, Mary

Dear Mary,

Guard you ears! Over and over in God's Word, we are instructed to guard our hearts and to keep watch at the gates. What are the "gates"? The gates of our physical temples are our eyes and our ears.

Your ears, Mary, are like your mouth they eat whatever words they hear. They swallow whatever you feed them. Your ears and your eyes are the gates to your heart. Eat the right words!

One of the greatest examples of how Jesus dealt with this issue is in Mark 5:35-36 when Jesus was on the way to Jairus's house to heal Jairus's daughter. As they approached the ruler's house, some came out shouting to them saying "Your daughter has died." Jairus was faced with hearing the worst possible news about his precious daughter whom he loved greatly. Jesus also heard what was said, but He ignored the evil report and replaced it with words of faith. Jesus didn't permit those words of fear to settle in for even a second! Instead He said to Jairus, "Do not be afraid, (seized with alarm and struck with fear) only believe."

Because Jairus chose to believe the words of the Lord, and not those negative words from those around him, he received his request, his miracle. Jesus took the little twelve-year-old girl by the hand and said, "Little girl arise", and "immediately she arose and walked." That's what always happens when we choose to believe God and not the bad reports of the world; because God is faithful, and He never fails.

The Israelites never entered their Promised Land because they chose to believe the bad report instead of the good one. Joshua and Caleb, on the other hand, "ate" the words of God that had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. They said, "Let us go up at once and posses it; for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30) consequently, they were allowed to enter. They replaced words of fear with words of faith.

The rest of the Israelites believed the bad report and became fearful. "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. (verse 33). Fear entered their ears, moved into their hearts, and took them into the wilderness for 40 years!

Which will you choose to eat: the Word of God, or the fear in the world? They both come through the same gates: your eyes & your ears.

Gail Ramsey, an ordained minister, portrayed the role of Susan Moore on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She had other roles on the TV programs Mike Hammer, Generations and California Dreams. Today Ramsey leads Semeion Ministries where readers can write her at 4610 Virginia Ave, Longbeach, CA 90805.

May Home