I call upon the Gods above, the ones of benevolence and of love, come down to me from above, come to this place and come to me from time and space. No one is to blame for suffering an evil he or she cannot avoid. Some people are under spiritual attacks and have been for years and spend hours praying for God to deliver them. Life can be hard when you have no one to turn to for comfort, but the good thing is God is always there. If you begin to see that everything you have counted on, may be taken away, it becomes much harder to take for granted. In the battle of life, the adversary takes enormous numbers of prisoners, and many who know of no way to escape and are pressed into his service. Every soul confined to a concentration camp of sin and guilt has a key to the gate. The adversary cannot hold them if they know how to use it. The key is labeled Repentance. The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed in strength the awesome power of adversary. Having a grateful attitude is essential when going through spiritual warfare. It is precisely under crisis conditions when we have the most to gain by a grateful perspective on life. I am tired, in pain, and would like nothing more than to rest and not have my daily life feel like it is a job of which I cannot seem to take a day off and rest. However, in the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize and heal and bring hope. Being thankful for life can help us cope with hard times. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7

It is a great challenge to raise a family in the darkening mists of our moral environment. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity. No one feels good about losing a job, home, or when good healthy has taken a devastating hit on his or her retirement portfolio. However, trials and suffering can actually refine and deepen gratefulness if we allow them to show us not to take things for granted. Our national holiday of being thankful, Thanksgiving, was born and grew out of hard times. The first Thanksgiving took place after nearly half the pilgrims died from a rough Winter year. We have been entrusted with the most sacred gift God can give us, which is life. We should be full of love and joyful about waking up every day. In times of uncertainty, though, people realize how powerless they are to control their own destiny. God grant that we will come to our sense and protect our moral environment from this mist of darkness which deepens day by day. The fate of all humanity hangs precariously in the balance. And may we have the protection of God who is our father and our Savior, and may we merit the love and blessings of his Son, our Redeemer, in whose name, even the name of Jesus Christ, I bear witness, amen. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7

The great work we will do will be within the walls of our houses. No other success can compensate for the failure in the house. Nevertheless, with great conviction, many of us believe that one day the wicked influences will be overruled. The eternal sealings of faithful and divine promises made to us will save us, and our posterity. Sooner or later, we will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after us and invading our lives with blessings. However, people who are knowingly involved in evil and refuse to repent and find great joy in making others suffer will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins. Consciously cultivating an attitude of gratitude builds up a sort of psychological immune system that can be a source of support when we go through hardships. Even the wicked, if their path leads them to our loving Heavenly Father’s heart and home, the painful experiences will not be in vain. Pray for the careless and disobedient; hold on to them with your faith. And for those who are living right, but experiencing undue hardships, trust on and you will see the salvation of God. There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resilient to stress, whether minor everyday hassles or major personal upheavals. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7

The contrast between suffering and redemption serves that the evil idea has been more destructive of happiness, no philosophy has produced more sorrow, more heartbreak and mischief; no idea has done more to destroy the family than the idea that we are not the offspring of God, only advanced animals, compelled to yield to every carnal urge. No greater ideal has been revealed than the supernal truth that we are the children of God, and we differ, by virtue of our creation, from all other living things. Romans 8.14-17 reports: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to children of God. The Spirit testifies within our spirit that we are God’s children. Now, if we are God children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory. Gratitude maximizes happiness in multiple ways, and one reason is that it helps us reframe memories of unpleasant emotional impact. We look for beneficial consequences in negative events. We may look at how a stressful event has shaped who we are today and has prompted us to reevaluate what is really important in life. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7

Processing a life experience through faith in God does not mean denying negativity.   It means realizing the power we have to transform an obstacle into an opportunity. Reframing a loss into potential gain, recasting negativity into a channel of optimism. 2 Thessalonians 1.3-4 reports: We are bound to thank God always for our family and friends that our faith grows exceedingly and the charity of every one of us toward each other will be around us. So that we ourselves glory in us in the churches of God for our patience and faith in all our persecutions and tribulations that we endure. The spirit of God testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. When we cry out to God, the Spirit of God somehow comes alongside us with our spirit, and gives us assurance that we are truly God’s family. This testimony appears to be an inner witness in the heart, a sense that yes, God really loves us. We know we trust God. We have his promises. We see our lives changing and growing. All these pieces of evidence lead our spirit, our hearts, to have a measure of confidence that we really are his. God’s immediate presence and love comes to us when we increase of faith and gratitude in life. We find ourselves deeply assured that we love life and we love ourselves. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7

 While we pass laws to reduce pollution of Earth, any proposal to protect the moral and spiritual environment is shouted down and marched against as infringing upon liberty, agency, freedom, the right to choose. Interesting how one virtue, when given exaggerated or fanatical emphasis, can be used to batter down another, with freedom, a virtue, invoked to protect vice. Those determined to transgress see any regulation of their life-style as interfering with their agency and seek to have their actions condoned by making them legal. The adversary is jealous toward all who have the power to beget life. He cannot beget life; he is impotent. He and those who followed him were cast out and forfeited the right to a mortal body. His angels even begged to inhabit the bodies of swine. And the revelations tell us that Satan seek that all people might be miserable like himself. The rapid, sweeping deterioration of values is characterized by a preoccupation—even an obsession—with the procreative act. It is never too late to enter into the Kingdom of God through the promises of God. Your Earthly inheritance awaits. At this point, you should know who you are and who God predestined you to be. Others may have become very successful without acknowledging the fact that the Lord allowed them to obtain wealth. Refocus and use your God-given talents under the direction of our loving, Heavenly Father. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7

Now, if we are children of God, then we have an incredible future. With limited knowledge, we know we must be faithful and diligent in carrying forward our duty to be good children of God and to obey the laws of the land. Remarkable and miraculous things happen when we do so. God works in us and through our circumstances so that we will be conformed and he implants Christ’s nature in us. We become more grateful in our character and attitudes. We are able to talk to God and relate to him as a loving Father, and our Heavenly Father loves us deeply. 1 John 3.1 reports: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. He understands us and has compassion on us as his children. As his children, God promises to take care of our needs. Many of the benefits of that inheritance await us in the future. This inheritance includes the new Heaven and Earth, our glorified and resurrected bodies, and residence in God’s coming kingdom. “I have learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave person is not the one who does not feel afraid, but one who conquers that fear,” says Nelson Mandela. As long as God is with us, we will never be alone. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7