Excellence in Everything is being lost!

This is so true, the culture as a whole has become sloppy and ugly. Just look at those ripped jeans that people pay big bucks for, its strange that anyone would like them at all.

Uplifted Vibes

sodtSpenro l:maaf92r1h7 Mhcl M9ig4f8thcg8ihlaf910226 0i019Af  · 

"Have you ever wondered why children are no longer taught to write in cursive?"
And no, it is not by chance that they tend to use it less and less.
Writing in cursive means translating thoughts into words; it forces you to not take your hand off the paper.

A stimulating effort, which allows you to associate ideas, link them and put them in relation.

Not by chance does the word cursive come from the Latin "currere", which runs, which flows, because thought is winged, it runs, it flies.

Of course, cursive has no place in today's world, a world that does everything possible to slow down the development of thought, to fill it.

I think cursive was born in Italy and then spread throughout the world.

Why?

Because it was compact, elegant, clear writing.

But ours is a society that no longer has time for elegance, for beauty, for complexity; we have synthetics but not clarity, speed but not efficiency, information but not knowledge!

In general, we know too much and too little because we are no longer (generally speaking) able to put things into relation.

Most people can no longer think.

This is why we should go back to writing in cursive, especially at school. Because this is not just about recovering a writing style, but about giving breath to our thoughts again.

Everything that makes us live, that feeds the soul, that sustains the spirit, is connected to breathing.

Without breath, as the ancient Greeks said, there is no thought. And without thoughts there is no life.

Vivian Parra.-

Storm Warning of the Apocalypse

Fear is What Drives the Rudeness and Meanness

Those who are rude and mean are that way because they are depending on themselves for everything walking in fear of failure.

When we depend on Christ we do not walk in fear and we take each challenge in life as a strengthening of character as well as a learning experience that brings us closer to trusting in Christ.

Those who trust in themselves walk in vengeance against those they cannot control. They live a life of continual anger and fear because in their heart of hearts, they know they are not as perfect as they like to believe.

Humble unsaved people learn throughout their life that they must readjust their thinking and actions to be successful but always have that underlying stress of attempting to measure up.

The Born again believer who is trusting in Christ does not walk by fear, or if they do for a time they quickly learn to take their fear to Christ to be reassured that He is in control.

Those who are arrogant, full of self-exaltation, cannot admit flaws and failures. They blame others for their failures and exact revenge on anyone who would attempt to bring them back to right thinking that could help them grow and change. Because of this, the arrogant person regresses even further into childish responses to disagreement.

Until we can admit our flaws and failures, seek Christ for change in our hearts, we will continue down a path of spiritual and emotional destruction, regressing every day we resist the truth.

Chronic defensiveness in the arrogant person creates a continual distrust and disrespect for those they wish to control but cannot. In this distrust, they accuse their target of things that are not true but the arrogant person wishes were true. Even worse they repeat these lies to others making others distrust their target.

These arrogant people have a habit of keeping secrets to protect themselves while revealing the secrets of others to ruin their reputation. Perhaps the reason they keep secrets is because they believe others will reveal them the way the arrogant person reveals the secrets of others. Sadly though, the secrets the arrogant person reveals about others are fabricated in their own minds, the thing they want to believe about their target but are not true.

Arrogant people are self-impressed causing them to disregard their target as insignificant and even stupid.

These arrogant people crave admiration so much so they don't want their target to have any admiration from anyone else, this is the reason they gossip against their target, to prevent anyone from appreciating them.

There is no love involved in anything the arrogant one does or says. Everything is manipulation and utilitarian, they must not validate anyone who does not elevate them as special causing a continually vengeful attitude.

One thing to remember it that once we have been designated by the arrogant person as being on their "bad list", there is no getting off of that list. And we will be blacklisted in the minds of all their flying monkeys who heard their false story against us but do not have the sense to dismiss their lies as gossip.

Those who live in a continual state of pride and arrogance are dominated by devils, the reason they cannot stop their ways. Devils have convinced them they are superior and worthy of superiority over others who do not deserve love and attention.

Is it possible for someone who has lived their entire life in raging arrogance to change? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that they have the ability to ruin our walk with Christ unless we refuse to let them by remaining in contact with them.

Galatians 5:9

"A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough."

2 Thessalonians 3:14

"Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed."

Romans 16:17

"Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them."

Empathetic and loving people have a tendency to give people chance after chance hoping they saw it wrong or that the person will change. It is wise to walk away until the Holy Spirit is clear that someone is repentant for their continual misdeeds and disrespect. We cannot go wrong when we see the truth and depend on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom.

Never try to change this arrogant person or instruct them, they cannot learn until they repent and have been convicted by the Holy Spirit. The best course of action is to avoid them as much as possible and refuse to be drawn into their drama. Silence is golden when it comes to interactions with evil people.

Once vengeance has taken over the arrogant person there is no reasoning with this or changing it. Arrogant people want to make us think we are responsible for their attitude but we are not, they are and need to repent.

2 Corinthians 6:17

“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

Hallalujah! There is victory in obeying Christ.

Knowing the Heart

People say; "you don't know my heart", but what they don't know is that our our actions reveal what is on the inside.

What we do on the outside is only tip of the iceberg of what is on the inside. Mankind tends to attempt to appear better than what is in their heart. They hide the truth because they know they are wrong or don't have the answer.

When we have seen a woman on the beach in a bikini, it is a reflection of a much deeper problem in the heart. Our heart cannot be different from our outer actions, but often it is far worse than what we show to others.

The mantra; "only God knows the heart" has been taken out of context to mean we cannot know ever what is in the heart of a man. God says it differently than mankind has promoted.

Luke 16:15:

"You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God."

Wow, context makes a difference, doesn't it?!!!

Matthew 7:16-17 " 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit."

Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, / gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Many people can pretend love and kindness for a period of time, but if their heart is wickedness, the false outer self will dissipate at the slightest challenge to seek holiness. No one with a bad heart can hide forever, eventually what is the real them will come oozing out for all to see. Someone with a good heart will want to hear truth from God's Word and highly value learning more about God.

God gave us principles that help us read the heart of a person, we cannot perfectly know someone's heart but there are always clues that give a wicked heart away. Jesus Christ lives in us and He tells warns us about a bad spirit and blesses us with joy at the presence of a lovely spirit.

Proverbs 1:7 " 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

If you have ever been in a group of Christians and they acted as though you did something wrong by bringing Scripture to the conversation to clarify God's meaning, and you were met with blank stares and even anger as though you did something wrong, this is a clue. Of course, over time we put together other clues that give us more information, and then we know if this is someone who will enhance our walk with Christ or someone who will attempt to destroy it.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit warns us before we have any clues, then we pray and ask Him to show us what we are seeing and sensing.

I have been in a couple of groups of people who were lovely, kind and interested in everything from the Bible. These people were delighted to hear from God's Word and they all agreed about what God said.

Romans 12:16-18

"16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people."

How is it possible for a group of people to be of the same mind? There is only one way and that is for everyone to be in the Word of God continually seeking truth as they are led by the Holy Spirit.

In my experience with these two groups there wasn't perfect agreement but there was a desire to find out the truth using God's word, so that we could come to an agreement by leading of the Holy Spirit. No one looked down on anyone else because there was all the fruit of God's Spirit and most of all there was love.

There cannot be agreement when everyone is arrogant and self-righteous desiring to be superior to others. Those who are of this sort cannot coordinate with anyone, they seek one thing and that is to be the center of attention and loftier than others. There is no love in pride and arrogance.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude"

"It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful"

"It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth"

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" "Love never ends"

This kind of love is rare in our day because everything godly has been extinguished from the world and everything wicked has been promoted. Sinful pride is the new normal everywhere, even in those who pretend to be good people for a time but are rude and mean when confronted with their own flaws.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come

3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Christians are now navigating through these mean streets, surrounded on all sides by selfish, rude, and disrespectful people who claim they are not. Their veneer of friendliness is very thin, ready to crack at the slightest perceived offense that does not elevate them as special.

We have all heard the word "snowflake" in reference to the present generation, a little bit of heat, and a person melts as if there was nothing of substance in them that could rationally evaluate life or themselves.

The best things we can do as believers is stay in the word, evaluate ourselves continually, and seek Christ to make us what He wants us to be in these last days.

The longer we are in the world surrounded by worldly people the more likely we are to become like them to some degree if we are not continually seeking Christ for the answers to everything, and then believing Him when He tells us the truth.

The world will chip away at our resolve to follow Christ, it will use every trick in the book of the devil to undermine our walk, but with Christ living in us we can resist and continue to progress in sanctification and holiness.

John 14:1-2 "1Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"

In this passage, God is encouraging us that this world is not our home and that our home is where the love will be all the time with everyone who is there.

I don't know about you but I am looking to this more than ever now as our time is shortened here and we will be going home.

Isaiah 41:10

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."