JOKERS WILD

I know now.  What is it that I know?  That it takes far more than most are willing to give, to take, to do, to accomplish, to suffer through, to bear and to endure; in order to rise above the level where they are to an astronomical mind-shattering height.  It is the reason why so many just settle where there are and say to themselves, "what will be - will be", and accept the status-quo that life just hands us a deck of cards that we have to play.  Just like the Joker in the deck is wild - so is our God.  Nothing can beat him and I can call forth the life that suits me (yes pun intended) that I choose and not my opponent.  He is the highest entity in which we can throw down against our enemy and know that what I hold in my hand is all that I need - Faith in God.  Retirement was once a goal almost unbelievable and inconceivable for our forefathers, coming from families that hardly produced a high school graduate, not to mention a college degree.  Retirement is now becoming a figment of our imaginations because there is hardly a company around for 20 or 30 years in order for you to retire from - should that be your goal.  Our goals have shifted.  We now want to own the business we bleed, sweat and cry tears for; we want to work less and play more and still be productive. Mogul mindsets are what we have but with a miser spirit.  God said that he would give us vineyards we didn't plant and houses we didn't build and folks, it is out there but we have to get that old way of believing out of our hearts and mind and take God at his word.  All that we used to fall back is no longer there - the system, our parents, our grandparents and securities we mistook for our normal.  Soon all we are going to have to rely on is our faith in God and nothing less.  God once led us by seeing miracles daily, pillar of clouds by day and pillars of fire by night.  However, he wants to bring us into our Land of Promise but now we must possess it and it will only be through the power of faith.  He cannot hold our hands forever.  At some point we must trust him fully.  Therein lies where many are falling short.  Fear will come. Doubt will smolder your fire and you have to use your flint stone of faith to strike up another ember to light your way back to praising God through all of the unknown that lay before us - Knowing that he is God and besides him there is no other.  Faith is the master key that unlocks every door that God wants you to walk through.  It’s hard to fight but even harder to lie down and take a whooping.  When we fight back it causes the length of the battle to lessen quicker than just taking the beating. Some folks will beat you down the street and in front of your friends and family because they know that you refuse to fight back.  Their goal is to embarrass you and to keep you from standing up for yourself.  Our enemy is no different.  Every now and then we may take one for the team but God’s word says in Isaiah 61:7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.