"You and I best be believing that this fight can, and will, be for 'Our Finest Hour'!" -- KeithAndBrendaLee Shealy
Last week, when I (Keith) was listening to a friend's fears concerning a mass spread of the coronavirus, he asked if I thought we in America run the same risk as in other countries. He also wanted to know, if we are at risk, what would I suggest each of us do to defeat it. I'm not a physician of course but, after I thought about how I could set his mind at ease, I gave him my personal opinion that the deadly effects of the COVID-19 are not nearly as much of a risk to the lives of our citizens, per capita, as to citizens of other countries like China and Italy. He was quick to respond by asking, "Why? Why would this thing be called a worldwide pandemic by those with brilliant medical minds, yet you're able to say that we don't run the same risks in America?"
We've had friends over the years who travelled to many different countries around the world. Several of them had spoken about how much cleaner the United States is compared to every other country they had travelled to for work or vacation. Why do I mention that? Because, when it comes to starving the coronavirus or any other bad viral bacteria, we've got the best conditions and practices right here in the U.S. with our good sanitation, healthy eating habits, and overall hygiene. Just to hear me say that helped our friend feel better. He candidly replied, "You know, as simple and obvious as that point is, I hadn't even thought of that." I also told him that it's times like these that can come to remind us to sterilize our souls, the inward man of the heart, every day. Just as we focus our efforts on keeping our bodies healthy and prepared to maintain us in our life, our spiritual being needs kept as well. We are fighting against all kinds of "germs" that constantly attack our body, soul, and spirit, being in the world. The process of sterilization is crucial to our lives in critical times like these. As we pay special attention to our physical health, we cannot allow fear and misplaced focus to cost us the important attention we must pay to the principle thing of the remaking of our soul.
Just as coronavirus is able to spread in the natural, unclean spirits are able to spread in the spiritual realm, I told our friend. He replied, "I don't get it. What does that mean?" In order to keep my answer short, I explained simply that we fight against "spiritual germs" that are no less deadly than germs in the natural realm, but they are called "unclean spirits" that we identify with. To further explain, a few examples of those "unclean spirits" are fear, intimidation, anger, worry, anxiety, and greed, all of which can be passed to us through the lives of those we are exposed to, much like we know germs and bad bacteria are able to spread in the natural. Through the lives of people who have been exposed to people "infected" with unclean spiritual germs, the unclean spirits are able to spread as well. So you see, it all gets back to staying clean using sterilization, physically and also spiritually!
As soon as our conversation finished, The Lord reminded me, by the wonderful Holy Spirit of course, something I learned earlier in life concerning the process of sterilization in the physical realm. This may help better explain the crucial importance of using cleanliness by sterilization to defeat unclean germs, both in the natural and in the spiritual. I remember the first time when I heard the name of Florence Nightingale. I was a little boy and my dad was working in the medical field developing the designs, production, and sales of new medical devices and equipment. It was through Dad's work that I learned about the remarkable accomplishments of Florence Nightingale, and so much so that her legacy has been imprinted on my mind ever since. During his time in the medical field, Dad accomplished a rather mammoth feat. He designed and took to market thirty-eight new medical devices, each one of them needing a unique and note-worthy product name, slogan, and sales campaign. To me, that was perhaps the most exciting part of the entire development process.
Every time I would see Dad come home with that easily-recognizable smile and spring in his step, I would just drop what I was doing and follow him into his office. One day when I was about ten years old, Dad came home excited about a new product in the trademark process that was just months from being introduced to market. That particular day is when I heard of Florence Nightingale for the first time. In the mid-1960's there was a real need for a more effective way to sterilize medical instruments such as scalpels, needles, and syringes. The product Dad had been developing was a device that would be capable of substantially reducing the transference of germs that were increasingly taking the lives of people in surgical and recovery hospitals. If you know anything of the profound sterilization processes that Florence Nightingale fought to implement, and the fierce resistance and hospital regulations she had to fight, you know just how mightily God used her brilliant discoveries in saving countless lives, both then and to this day. When Dad told me his plan to associate his new sterilization device with Florence Nightingale, referring to her as "the mother of modern-day sterilization", I remember thinking how fitting that was.
Florence Nightingale lived from 1820 to 1910 and is well-known in England as "the mother of nursing." She was just 16 years old when she is known to have said that "hearing the voice of God" it was confirmed in her heart that she was being called to care for the sick. In short, God had given her the wisdom to know that, if she could provide more sanitary conditions on the battle fields, in hospitals, and in homes, she could help to greatly increase the chances of sick or injured patients to survive the deadly diseases that occurred at any uncertain time. As a matter of fact, her first assignment as a military field nurse for the British was to oversee a filthy, disease-riddled, rat-infested military field hospital during a war against the Russians. The lives that she and her nurses saved in the first few months were in the thousands, just by their implementing sanitary work conditions. As a result of her training up new nurses in the crucially-important practice of sterilization, facility cleanliness, and feeding patients nutritious, sanitarily-prepared foods, the mortality rate improved so much and so quickly that Florence received worldwide acclaim and was awarded the highest honors of a number of different nations. Also, she accomplished all of that despite the sad fact that her mother and dad, high society folks, were ashamed of the noble career path she had chosen. Among the many revolutionary ideas of Florence Nightingale and her life's work, she also is the inventor of the pie chart.
As you may well-imagine based on my brief dissertation of Florence Nightingale and her storied life and victories over unsanitary conditions, God used her as a gift to all of us. With that, we would like to share this little poem we've put together, in the fashion and spirit of Sir Winston Churchill's famed rallying cry to the British people during Germany's brutal attacks and bombings over London in World War II. We hope it'll make you smile as you read, "We'll Fight!"
"We'll fight these COVID-germs at every turn, in the inside and outside air,
we'll fight'em in bathrooms and kitchens too, we'll fight'em everywhere!
We'll fight'em in our houses round, up noses and even our britches.
We'll fight'em on steering wheels, on desktops, and in frig's.
We'll fight'em on our hands and faces, in nooks, crannies, and ledges.
We'll fight'em in their dens and caves in unexpected places.
We'll fight'em up, we'll fight'em down, we'll fight'em side to side,
we'll fight those germs and devils both... 'til each of'em has died!"
And the greatest gift of all, God-given by way of the cleansing, purifying blood that His Son Jesus Christ shed in His suffering and death on the cross for us all, whosoever will ask Him will be saved. Let's reflect on our Father's promises to each one of us, individually, in Isaiah 54:10-17, "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith The LORD that hath mercy on thee. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of The LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of The LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith The LORD."
We close with letting you know we are praying for you and all who stop here to read this blog, standing together with believing that this can be "Our Finest Hour". We pray in The Name of Jesus Christ, by His Authority, for God to raise His hedge of protection around you. We will continue to be warring in prayer on your behalf, and will continue praying for you once this unpredictable fight is past.
You and I best be believing that this fight can, and will, be for 'Our Finest Hour'!"
If you haven't already, write God's promises on your heart, "... No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper... (Isaiah 54:10-17)."
HEAR the podcast testimony that set Keith's affections firmly on God; Warring Angels are what God had in store that night, something that no one could imagine possible or be prepared to endure...The Night That Changed My Life Forever!
We, too, can know without a doubt that, if God gave those who have gone before us the strength, the help, and the resolve that they needed to finish their course, just like He did for Florence Nightingale, then He will most certainly do the same for us who ask Him. So we, now, are just as capable to initiate, perform, and finish the missions that He has assigned us to complete, as well as those before us have.
Thank you for taking time to hear our hearts and thank you for your friendship that encourages us. The financial support and prayers of our sponsorship family is making this work possible, fanning the flame in our hearts big-time! We invite you to become a part of our sponsorship team, by giving your financial gift to help us, and we pray The Lord blesses you 100-times over for that support toward sending us into Jesus Christ's harvest of souls in these final hours.
Every gift is appreciated, tax-deductible, and helps.
Mail tax-deductible contributions by check or money order payable to:
Toward The Mark, Inc P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
Every gift is tax-deductible and helps. Thank you for sowing your financial seed into this work and mission that God has given! May God bless you with a 100-fold return on your gift of generosity!
Toward The Mark, Inc P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
Every gift is tax-deductible and helps. Thank you for sowing your financial seed into this work and mission that God has given! May God bless you with a 100-fold return on your gift of generosity!
We INVITE YOU...
see and hear, also follow and share, more TowardTheMark work and messages:
see and hear, also follow and share, more TowardTheMark work and messages:
~ "TTM SingingSgt" on Twitter
~ Keith and BrendaLee Shealy "How To Activate Your PASSION" on TTM's Podcast Channel
HEAR full-podcast (TTM110) to fan the flame in your heart for what God wired you to do and be, with HIM (48 min, 01 sec):
Thanks for reading and sharing this PRESSIN'IN Blog message from Toward The Mark! May God bless you in the fulfillment of your heart's deepest desires w-i-t-h Him!
ONE MORE THING...
Would you offer your testimony by writing to tell us how you would personally describe your personal SALVATION EXPERIENCE?"
Our sincerest hope is that this blog enables The Lord to strengthen you in faith and oneness with Him. We would also like to invite you to take advantage of even more messages available for encouraging you, and for your friends and family members as well, especially available in one of our most-requested Toward The Mark books entitled "Letters From The Front." We want to personally invite you to get your personal copy today.
Sin Makes Ya Stewpit
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The Cart's Before The Horse;
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The Crisis of Eroding Integrity
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The Fruit's at the End of the Limb
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Too Quick to Compromise
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The Rarest of All Breeds
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Please...Stop Stinkin'
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3 Keys to God-Pleasing Faith
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Let It Go!
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Understanding the Fear of The Lord
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Into The Secret Place
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Give to Give!
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This collection of twelve teachings, when taken to heart, will help you emerge triumphant over seemingly impossible situations... "LETTERS From The FRONT" available at TowardTheMark online. We are eternally grateful for our loving Toward The Mark Family who, by their friendship, financial support, and faithful prayers, make this resource and all of our TowardTheMark INC work possible!
Would you write and let us know how this message has fanned the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His Ways, and God's Plan for your life? If you would like to request a special order of "LETTERS From The FRONT" or any of Keith Shealy's Toward The Mark resources, when you send us your donation request, simply mention "COMPLIMENTARY COPY PLEASE" for an extra THANK YOU copy that we will be happy to include in your shipment. Also, if you have questions about our work, resources, or giving tax-deductible donations, please click here to e-mail us. We welcome you to also feel free to write to us by mail at: TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
May you be specially moved, blessed, and strengthened as The Lord God writes His message in your heart.
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