Life Tools

Conspiracy Theories

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools ,

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Which conspiracy theory do you believe?

I recently saw a list of over 75 conspiracies which are currently being talked about throughout the internet. Whether you are into governmental agendas, global warming, UN refresh plans, immigration invasion, vaccine controls, or Elvis Presley faking his own death, they all have a common plot. What we are being told isn’t really the truth.

As a young teen, I learned that people found lies more believable than the truth. When I spoke the truth, people didn’t believe me. However, when I made up some story, they would easily nod in agreement. It wasn’t until my late teen years, after I accepted Jesus Christ, honesty became my bedrock.

I have witnessed the joy of working with others whose word could be trusted. However, I have also worked with those whose lies and half-truths are the norm. My one mentor whose memory wasn’t great would always remind me when you speak the truth it is easier to recall the facts. When you speak lies, you deceive yourself and others. Eventually, over time no one will believe what you say, whether it is the truth or not, and then they will simply learn to ignore you.

Yet there is a conspiracy that is raging throughout the world. One which seems to make circumstances and events come together for an evil purpose. Besides the above Scripture, the apostle Paul also writes in Ephesians 2:2 there is a spiritual force at work influencing people to follow their natural inclinations toward evil. These people unknowingly have become pawns in this world chess game.

The Book of Revelation points at the end time there will be a united world government in control. This government will not be friendly to Christ-followers. Personal freedom will become history and every person subject to the supreme ruler of the state. As we now witness different plots and conspiracy movements throughout the globe, I have to admit the spirit of Satan is very active. You can call it a Biblical conspiracy theory – Satan and his demons are globally moving people toward his goal of global control without God and truth as the foundation.

The good news is Jesus Christ will return and remove the Beast from his throne and restore HIS government on earth. The bad news though is the process from today till then will be a bumpy one with pain and suffering for many. This is what has happened throughout history when God is ignored and people place themselves in the seat of authority without the wisdom nor knowledge of lasting values which leads to a life for all to flourish.

Meanwhile, the only common link between all the conspiracy theories is the lies and unknowns generated by an evil spiritual force moving people away from the Triune God. Eventually, this leads to the inability of trusting one another because of the constant lies being told to hide people from the truth. Then without trust, the system stops functioning, which results in more chaos and untruths, and then brute force is required to make society function again. The end result is violence and destruction; even the downfall of a nation.

But remember, we may lose a few battles between now and then, the overall main stream untrusting culture may also become more and more pervasive, but the Good Book reveals God wins in the end. And we with HIM.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360!
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Competency

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools , , ,

Proverbs 22:29

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

So, you want to change the world?

How best could you make that happen?

The Book of Proverbs has many tidbits of common sense and wisdom which when exercised leads to an impactful life. So, if you want to influence the culture around you, improve the lives of those near you, or simply have a larger platform to share your thoughts and ideas, just become good at what you do.

The concept is easy to understand, but takes the high road of character development to build the discipline and skill set to master. But when you develop the competency in your work where you become the teacher and authority of your subject, the world will eventually take notice.

For example, I dropped off my bicycle to be repaired this week. I have used the same shop for the last 5 or 6 years. There are other shops closer and less expensive, but I choose this shop owner because of his knowledge and skill-set of repairing bicycles. The person worked for one of the largest bike shops in the country for over 15 years and then decided to open his own business. He loves bikes and his work shows his love. He treats each bike as his own and answers my questions in a way that I can easily understand. He is very competent in his work.    

Back in Jesus time, a world without today’s social media, HE became known through his work. He was a super Rabbi. He spoke the Scriptures with authority and in ways that amazed the people. He walked the talk. He healed the sick. He judged with mercy and discretion where people from the far right and far left felt accepted by Him. He was known throughout the land by the common person and the leaders of religion and government. In other words, he was very good at what he did.

And you can do the same.

When you align your natural abilities with the accumulation of your specific field of knowledge, and reach a point of understanding all the finer details where you can quickly apply the wisdom to better serve others, you will be noticed. Why?

Because most people are lazy and don’t apply themselves. Or they take shortcuts to master the material. For example, many students learn the one concept taught by their professors and repeat the same words. There is no depth or constructive value in their work. They are parrots repeating the same jargon without fully understanding all the implications.

We see this within the religious community where every question is answered the same way. You can have twenty people answer the same question with the same verbiage. But the competent one, who has taken the time to fully learn and apply the Scripture, will answer the question in their own words and present the material in a way that allows the recipient to understand in their world of experience. This separates the student from the teacher.

If someone needs their bike repaired, I will easily recommend my person. You probably can say the same for those few certain people whose services you repeatedly use even though they may cost a few dollars more. What do they most likely all have in common?

I bet they are very competent in what they do. And you can do the same.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360!
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Values of Substance & Worth

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools ,

Luke 6:48

…he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

How strong is the foundation of your life?

Jesus asked the same question to his audience back some 2,000 years ago. The conclusion of his spoken words is summarized in the above Scripture. When you study His remarks, statements, and stories, you obtain a short list of the important values of living which lead to a more productive, blessed, and fulfilling life.

Yet many people who poo-poo the Bible without ever reading the Book classify the sayings as old fashion, religious jumbo. Yet those who have digested its contents, and built their foundation of living upon the teachings and wisdom from the Book, can only smile.

You don’t need a college degree, nor even a high school education to gleam the values which a solid, successful life is built upon. The Book contains all the important lessons and tidbits of wisdom when put into practice leads to a life worth living even after all the worldly storms and ugly events dump on you each and every day.

Today’s media and advertisers influence people by emphasizing the outer form rather than the internal character of a person. Human nature wants to look good in the eyes of others. Therefore, we put on a show based on values of form rather than substance.

We put pictures on social media showing us having a great time as if our entire life was one big party. We drive a car which we cannot afford but it gives us the image we want to portray before others. We marry a trophy spouse rather than the one who brings joy into our heart because we are willing to sacrifice everything for them. We borrow funds to live beyond our means and then find ourselves in deep debt without the means to repay. We chase the good life without realizing what the good life truly looks like.

Jesus outlined throughout the Bible the good life. A life built upon the design of its Maker. When one aligns themselves with the Creator of the universe and builds their foundation on the same characteristics which Life originates from, one begins to truly experience and understand why substance is more important than form. However, God’s creation also reveals that form and substance go hand in hand. Without substance, form dissipates into oblivion.

Real lasting values which lead to the good life is patterned after the Creator of the universe. Study His creation and you learn how life successfully works.

Overly educated people have the tenancy to complicate matters by creating life models which seem doable until put into practice. When the abstract hits reality, and the formulas and assumptions fail, they cannot accept their error. But instead accuse others of improperly implementing their methods. However, when you ask the farmer or carpenter who works with their product each day, they can quickly tell you what is most productive and best for the long term. Their education is based on the practical, everyday reality of life.

When your life is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, reality comes to the foreground. The values He instructed and taught His disciples are the ones which are built upon the characteristics of the Triune God. When implemented, one begins to experience life without the fear of having the ground below their feet taken away. The values HE emphasizes are the ones which are true in every generation. They have been tried and proven over and over again. Others may poo-poo them as outdated. But hindsight teaches us why history repeats itself; us humans quickly forget the past and keep repeating the same stupid errors because the superficial values we accept today may look good on the outside, but under a microscope the internal substance lacks long lasting strength and sureness.

Bottom-line: seek and build your life upon values which have been proven over time to bring about the good life – everything else is shifting sand.    

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360!
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved