​ 
Psalm 34:1-7
 
I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
 
4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.   NASU
 

• Coronavirus Scare 

The coronavirus has certainly done what it could to strike fear in the hearts of all the people in the world. It doesn't matter what country you live in hearing the other "c" word is striking fear in people's lives.
 
I am not sure the best use of one's time is reading about it or watching TV news. I know it is out there and it has put a lot of fear in people's hearts and lives. What good is going to come from this type of fear?
 

• The Antibiotic For Any Fear 

The best way to overcome any fear is believe in and trust the Word of God. For those who trust God and seek Him through prayer have a promise of an angel encamping (lit. "pitching a tent") around us.
 
Now I am not sure how knowledgeable you are about God's angels but believe me when I say, "They can handle any problem coming after God's children".
 
You don't have to fear any virus if you are a Christian. What is it going to do to you? Kill you? What happens to a Christian who dies? His or her spirit is set free to go and spend eternity with God.
 
How is that a bad thing or something we are to be afraid of?
 

• The Best Solution 

I would look up as many scriptures as you need to build up your faith in God's promises. Trust God's Holy Word and fear will not be causing you any discomfort. Read Psalm 34 that I opened this Pump Up with and allow it to give you comfort.
 
Here are some words from Jesus:
 
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
 
Here are some words from John:
 
1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
 
When you love the Lord God Almighty you have nothing to fear. He takes care of His children.
 
Think About This:
 
"When you fear God, you fear nothing else. If you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” – Oswald Chambers

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

​John 5:5-6 - A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?"  NASU 
​

• My First Thought 

I have to admit for many years when I would read these verses I would always think this is a really dumb question for Jesus to be asking. He has been in this condition for 38 years why sure he wants to get well.
 
Who doesn't want to get well? 

• A Counseling Session 

When I was in the located ministry in MD I would counsel people with various problems. It was during one of these counseling sessions that I learned Jesus' question to this man wasn't so dumb after all.
 
I was counseling a person who didn't want to get well.
 
You might be thinking how do you know that to be true?
 
The person would not try any of the Biblical suggestions I was sharing with her. She would not apply the scriptures I gave her to believe and apply to her life.
 
I knew the Biblical answers were correct. I had used them with people many times and they worked when they were applied and they had worked with me.
 
If she would have done this she could have been well. She could have been free from the depression she was living in at the time. She was not willing to even try.
 
It was then I realized she didn't want to be made well. She had grown accustomed to living this way and it wasn't really that bad for her.
 
Jesus' question wasn't so dumb after all. This man had been that way for 38 years. Do you know how different his life was going to become? Did he really want this change to happen?
 
Do you really want to be well? Now I realize this isn't such a dumb question.
 
Some people have learned to live in their condition and to be made well would mean they would now have to learn how to live all over again. This is scary for some and a welcomed challenge for others. 

• How About You? 

What life situation has you fearful? If you were able to have a one on one with Jesus and He were to ask you "Do you want to get well" or "Do you want to conquer your fears"?
 
What would your answer be?
 
Living with certain fears can really handicap you. Your life can not be lived to its fullest when you are being controlled by fears.
 
This is why a Christian must learn to trust Jesus for every aspect of their lives.
 
Ps 9:10 - And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
 
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
 
Heb 2:13 - And again, "I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM."
 
These three passages assure us the right place to put our trust is in Jesus, God, the LORD.
 
Whatever it is you're confronting today trust me it is better to place your trust in the LORD than in yourself, your friends or even your family.
 
Let Him have first place in your life.
 
Think About This:
 
Isaiah 12:2
"Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the LORD GOD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation."
 
Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

I Kings 19:2-4 - Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.
​

• Forgetting God Is In Control

Elijah is making the biggest mistake a believer in God can make:
1. He is forgetting what God has done with him.
2. He believes Jezebel, a liar.

Elijah had displayed great faith in God and defeated 450 false prophets of Baal. He challenged them to pray to their god and he would pray to his God. The God who sent down fire from heaven and consumed the sacrifice would be the true God to be worshipped.
 
Baal failed to answer his 450 prophets, because Baal is not a real god. Yet, the God of heaven and earth did NOT fail to answer his one prophet Elijah.
 
Yet, when it was really important Elijah forgets what God has done.

• What Happens To Us

What causes us to forget what great things God has accomplished with us?

Elijah has just defeated these false prophets. Their god Baal was useless to them but Elijah's God was not useless. He was the true God. We don't worship Baal. He is useless. We worship and serve the only true God.

How can we forget so quickly what He has done for us?

• How Is It Possible Elijah Would Believe A Lie?

Jezebel threatens to kill him and he believers her lie. He runs for his life rather than standing his ground. Why didn't he display his faith once again?
 
He could've said, "What happened to your 450 false prophets is now going to happen to you."

What lie is the devil telling you now that you believe?

• Displaying Your Faith Produces Positive Rewards

In the past you have stood your ground and displayed your faith and you were rewarded.
 
If your faith is being tested don't run because you are afraid as Elijah did. Stand your ground! God will reward your faith.

• We Need To Remember What God Can Do

We would be wise to remember that Jesus Christ was crucified and God raised Him from the dead. God has the power over death. Whatever trial you are facing the worse that can happen is you die physically. Then God will show you once again His power as He resurrects you from the dead.
 
Romans 8:11 - But if the Spirit of Him (God) who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 
 
We can not beat this promise from God. You die in Christ and you will come alive by God's Spirit.

Think On This:
 
Anyone in the world can give up; it is the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else in the world would understand if you quit, that is true courage.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Gal 4:16 - So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? NASU 

• Tell You The Truth 

How do you know who your best friends are? I can tell you. They're the ones who will tell you the truth, no matter what.
 
In the book of Galatians Paul has told the truth to them (The truth is they were no longer bound by the Mosaic Law) and then he asks them this question. "So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?"
 
Who are your friends? They're the ones who will tell you the truth even when it is difficult.
 
I like the way it is stated in Proverbs 27:6 - Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. 
 
Your friend will tell you the truth. The friend that tells you the truth is the one you must never lose. A friend will punch you in the arm so hard it will turn black and blue, but your enemy, on the other hand, will give you a kiss. God says the punch on the arm is better for you than the kiss on the cheek. 

• Can You Identify Them 

Do you know your real friends from your so-called "friends"?
 
Maybe these scriptures will be of some benefit to you today:
 
Prov. 16:28 - A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends. 
Who is the person around you who is always causing some type of drama or is trying to get you away from one of your longtime friends?
 
Prov. 17:9 - He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.
What have you told a friend in private and asked him/her to keep it that way and you find out they repeated what you asked them to keep quiet. This is not your friend.
 
Prov. 19:4 - Wealth adds many friends, But a poor man is separated from his friend. 
One of the curses of being wealthy is it becomes a task to find out if a person wants to be your friend for who you are or for what you have?
 
Your best friends will always tell you the truth and these are the friends you can never afford to lose.
 
Think On These:
 
The Best Antique Is An Old Friend.
 
Blessed Are Our Friends For They Tell Us The Truth When Our Enemies Flatter Us.

A Valuable Friend Is One Who'll Tell You What You Should Be Told Even If It Momentarily Offends You. 

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
​

​Ps 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;…   NIV 

• Not Always Easy 

Have you ever noticed how some scriptures are very plainly penned down for us? This is not one of those hard sayings of Jesus or one from the book of Ezekiel or Revelation. Yet, as plain and easy to understand it is not always easy to accomplish.
 
This plain passage of scripture is from the Psalms. It says, "Be still…" The Hebrew word here means "to relax, be sedate, or to be calm" and while we are doing this take comfort in "knowing" God is in control.   
 
We have an entire Bible written with story after story of God being in control of human affairs. Then why is it we many times lose sight of God's power? 

• We Are Lied To 

Yes, brothers and sisters we are lied to by the evil one. We have been told, "God doesn't care or God is not going to help us." Lies! All Lies!
 
 Paul says it this way in 2 Corin 11:3, "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray…"  NASU
 
The devil tries very hard to deceive us as he did Adam and Eve. Don't let your minds be led astray but let your minds dwell on Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God…" 

• If We Will Practice This Verse 

I believe with all my heart if we will practice "being still, relaxing, or being calm and trusting in God" our life experience will be superb. We all want to experience happiness and contentment in life and God gives us the formula to have exactly what we desire.
 
The question is "Can we let God be in control?"
 
I have to admit this is not always easy for me. I have a very hard time sitting and waiting.
 
In fact, it is many times almost impossible for me. I like to make things happen, but God's word is telling me I need to chill. I need to be still. I need to relax and get out of God's way. He is in control. He has thousands and thousands of years of prior experience in operating this world without me.
 
If we will trust Him, He will manage the affairs of this world just fine without us. 

• My Daughter Was Sick 

When Erin was 2 years old she had a 104 degree fever and we were not able to get it to break. A nurse who attended our church came over and took her temperature and told us we need to get her to the hospital now.
You know I was not able to get my daughter's temperature to break. It was out of my hands. I had no control over this situation. So I did what I knew was best for her and me.
 
I prayed. I admitted to God this was something I was not able to control, but I knew He was not helpless like I was. The fever broke and I learned a valuable lesson that day.
 
There are a lot of areas in life where we are going to be helpless, but there is no area of life where God is helpless.
 
Do you want to experience a better life?
 
Be still and know that God is in Control.
 
Think On These:
 
God is more interested in inner grace than outer space.
 
When we let God guide He will provide.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word