It's Time to Heal the Divide

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Jim Jarrell August 19, 2017 - Filed in Teachings - 2,490 views

  It is Time to Heal the Divide from Jim Jarrell on Vimeo.

  I would like to welcome everyone to the Wednesday evening service for Refreshing Hope Ministries. I do understand that this meeting was started to help those who are in the Fight Against Anxiety and Depression group. I have come to realize that there is a lot more anxiety found in society, than with just those who attend these meetings. I would also like to thank Dion and Sylvia for allowing me to be a part of this ministry.

  As many of you have heard me repeat my friend Marty who says; “God speaks to us through His creation.” There must be so much truth in that statement than meets the eye. I did something on Saturday that I usually do not do, I turned on the television and with a saddened heart, I watched as another riot happened in my own home state of Virginia. As I sat there listening to the reporters interview witnesses, it seemed like God spoke to me very clearly. He said; “How much longer are you going to let this happen?” My response back was: “I am just one old man, what can I do?” I was reminded of Romans 8:31 which says; “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” I understand how true that statement is, so here goes!

  As most of you know, I grew up in a time of change in the USA. Unrest has become a way of life here. I have often wondered why. In my youth, the war in Vietnam seemed to be a huge dividing factor. Another dividing factor was the relationship between the races. It seemed to me that as anyone spoke of these issues, they said things that just made good sense. But like most issues, when the other side of the disagreement was expressed, that made good sense also. I could so clearly see that both sides had their reasoning, and they both had good points. They were so divided in their resolution.

  All through my 20s and 30s, this division continued in society, but I had my own demons to contend with. Sense I did not know how to resolve these issues, I chose to ignore them by using drugs. It seemed the more I used, the farther away these issues were. Then one evening in 1989 I guess God had seen enough. He sent one of His representatives to see me. Ever sense that night, I knew that God had called me to something, I just did not understand what it was until this weekend.

  The making of these videos and posting them on the internet has taken on a whole new meaning for me. They have the opportunity to be seen by so many people in this society. When I first got away from the drug use, one thing became very clear to me, I had made a lot of mistakes in my life. This society that we live in is no different, there have been so many mistakes made. One of the things that I heard early in my recovery was that I could not change the past. I could only change how I handle things in the future. Society again, is no different, the things that have happened are there for us to learn by, but they can never be changed. That seems to be what the enemy is using to keep us divided, things that have already happened.

  The Bible says in John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus also said in John 10:10; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” That fullness of life is available to us, but we have to make the choice for our selves. I do understand that there are a lot of people who do not believe the Bible is God’s written word. I also understand there are a lot of people who do not believe Jesus was the Messiah the Bible talks about. That being said, I can tell everyone that God has made Himself truly known to me and there is more truth in this than most can ever imagine.

  Both God and the enemy are very real, they are just a part of an unseen realm. They can each be seen when ever they desire. The enemy knows full well what is written in scripture, and he is very able to use it to his advantage. The reason we live in such a divided society is that it is written in Mark 3:24; ‘If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” Satin knows that the only weapon he has to use against us is deception. That has been going on ever sense the beginning of time. He knows that if it is written, he can use that for his own benefit. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:12; “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” There have always been those who know the enemy is there and that is who our real battle is with.

  Like a recovering drug addict can never change the things he has done, society is no different. Things that have been done in history can not be changed. I can tell everyone that times of healing can come, but forgiveness has to come first. That is what it took for me to recover from my using drugs. I had to accept the things I could not change and change the things that I could. Every generation on this earth thought they were doing the best they knew how for the society they lived in. The enemy will continue to remind us of the things we have done, it is up to us as a society to decide how we will respond. It is time to heal our society, learn from our past so that we do not keep on repeating it!