The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction

of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the

knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

You probably don’t often think of yourself as being in war. But you are –we all are.

No, it’s not a war of guns and bombs. Those are the implements of the flesh. We

are engaged in a spiritual warfare. The implements we have and with which we fight

are “divinely powerful.” We are equipped with power from God –power with which we

fight and destroy reasonings and thoughts that are contrary to God and His will.

Satan seeks to work against God in every, possible way. He wants to destroy what

the Bible teaches us to be. But we win when we take “every thought captive to the

obedience of Christ.” Think about this: you control your mind. When Satan open

the way for you to think bad thoughts, you can resist by taking control of you mind

and refusing to think of evil things. You literally take your own mind captive, so that

it thinks only good and righteous thoughts. There is no excuse for thinking evil.

Satan cannot control any aspect of your life unless you allow him to control it.

Soldiers have to keep their rifles clean. Dirty rifles can jam and that can lead to the

death of the soldier. As spiritual soldiers, we must keep our minds and lives clean.

Reading the Bible cleans our minds. Serious prayer cleans our minds. Switch off

anything that you would not want to hear or see if Jesus was watching, because

He IS!

You all are fast becoming adults. Learn to think for yourselves as Christ would

have you do.

Love and prayers daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 23:7a, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”

When I was a kid, fewer people worried about what they ate

than people do today. We ate and drank what tasted good;

but today, there is much said about what is in the food –what

is good for you and what isn’t. In fact, it has been said, “You

are what you eat.” Too much of anything might be bad for

digestion.

In the same way, you are what you think. People become

derelicts of society because they think on bad things. Some

bad things come into us through our ears; other things come

through our eyes. And we become what we take in and

think upon. Be very, very careful.

Dr. Michael Youssef is a pastor in Atlanta. I heard him say

the other day that what we do when we first get up sets the

agenda for our lives for that day. Therefore, we should think

first about the LORD and get our minds on the right path.

We do that with the Bible and prayer. So, start feeding your

mind with Him and your will have His strength for the day.

We love you and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

John 15:7-8, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and

so prove to be My disciples.”

Only yesterday, I had a brief conversation with a man who

knocked on my door. I turned the conversation to the Bible,

to which he said, “Our church (Roman Catholic) doesn’t teach

the Bible; but the priests use portions of it in the mass.”

It saddens me to know that some churches don’t teach the

Bible. It saddens me even more when they conceal it on

purpose! I cannot recall ever hearing an explanation on

this passage above. Fruit was always defined as souls. But

that is not what fruit really is! Let me clear all of that up.

If introduces a “conditional sentence,” making the reading

say, “If you abide in Me –maybe you will, maybe you won’t;

and if “My words abide in you –maybe they will, maybe they

won’t; ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.”

The big condition is whether we abide (settle down and

relax and remain) in Him. As for “fruit,” is means possessing

the elements of Jesus’ attributes: love, joy, peace, etc., as

noted in Galatians 5:22-23, where it is called “the fruit of

the Spirit.”

Keep a good thought! Live by the Spirit’s direction. The

LORD will give you what is best for you, whether it seems

“best” to you or not.

We love and pray for you all daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Psalm 73:25-26, “Whom have I in Heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on Earth.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Sometimes life seem futile. We have only Heaven to which we can look forward.

Yet, the psalmist envisions only the LORD. Nothing on Earth is even equal to God.

We often fail to be and do the things that are right in His sight. We even fail to be

and do what is right in our own sight! How can we be rescued? “God is the strength,”

the Scripture says. He strengthens our hearts and the things we need (our portion).

The things we worry about, we should place in His hands. Paul virtually paraphrases

these verses when he says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne

of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16).

When I was younger, I sometime enjoyed being angry. Nana used to rescue me from

my anger by singing this little song:

Cheer up, ye saints of God,

There’s nothing to worry about;

Nothing to keep you being afraid,

Nothing to make you doubt.

Remember Jesus never fails;

So, why not trust Him and shout?

You’ll be sorry you worried at all

Tomorrow morning.

God bless you all in whatever situation you find yourself today.

Just trust the LORD. He is our deliverer.

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

John 20:19-21, “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,

and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,

Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’

20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side.

The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me,

I also send you.’”

Jesus had been their protector. They always felt safe when He was with them.

But when He died, the fear of their enemies –the Jews—returned. They did

what all of us do when we’re afraid; they hid themselves behind closed doors.

Doubtlessly, they wondered what they would now do. Jesus was gone. They

were alone and empty. Did you ever feel like that? We sure have!

But, suddenly, and without the slightest warning, Jesus appeared!! And He

Said, “Peace be with you.” It startled them beyond words! He was there—

in their very midst! He was standing, speaking. He was ALIVE!! Further, He

revealed the scars of His crucifixion. They were not dreaming. It was not

an apparition. They were seeing and hearing Him. The plan He had for them

was revealed. “…as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” They rejoiced

exceedingly. ~ Jesus Christ IS alive! He has a plan for you and us. His plan

is simple, but it requires strength and courage. Just tell others about Him.

Tell them of His death for our sins and His resurrection from the dead. Some

will believe; some will not. But, we are to love them and share with them

that He is alive! The results are not our worry. God bless you!

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas