But back to my theory on the gift and benefit of becoming middle aged.

Do you think it is possible in the economy of God’s grace that the transformation of one’s being from the carefree innocence of childhood, to adolescence, to young adulthood, to middle age, and to old age is cyclical, in that the last stage of one’s life and being on this planet becomes more like the first stage, namely, childlike innocence? This would be in keeping with the words of Jesus Christ, “In order to see the kingdom of Heaven, you must be born again” and “In order to enter the kingdom of God, you must become as a little child.” And let's not forget, "Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven."

Paul tells us that the kingdom of Heaven is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” I have been experiencing these fruits of God’s Spirit in my life as of late and, again, this experience is the antithesis of what I have experienced for too much of my life. And let me tell you, the contrast is like that between Heaven and Hell. To have lived with the burden of self-seriousness (huge ego) and self-consciousness (low self-esteem) for as many years as I have, and to have come out of those imprisoned heart sets and mindsets into the liberty of the Holy Spirit is an awesome gift indeed. ("Jesus Christ is a heart fixer and a mind regulator!") It is something that I would define as becoming truly sane after many years of insanity! A psychiatrist once said that he believed that the reason most people where in mental institutions was because of deep seeded feelings of guilt and shame, and Jesus Christ majors in ridding human souls of both those maladies.

Now, if this wonderfully liberating experience that I've been having is indeed just a part of getting older and “more comfortable in my own shoes,” then let me encourage you young people, there are great things ahead for you. Of course, I believe that there is another major factor at play in my awesome experience of liberation, and that is my relationship and fellowship with Jesus Christ and His blessed Holy Spirit. After all, He has promised all Christian believers to “perfect that which concerns them,” and “to complete the work that He began in them.” Jesus is the Righteous One; He is the Prince of Peace; and He is Joy unspeakable and full of glory! How could a relationship and fellowship with Him, around His Word and in His Holy Spirit, result in anything else but righteousness, peace, and joy? As a matter of fact, all of these words exemplify a condition of mental health, and now that I think about it, how could one remain insane or mentally ill when they have been given, as the Bible teaches, "the mind of Christ" by grace through faith?

For those of you who may be lacking this experience in your life, let me give you a word of encouragement. You don’t have to wait for the cycle of life to take its course, because if you do so without believing in and receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you will never experience the state of restful innocence that I’m talking about. The good news is that you can experience genuine righteousness, peace, and joy (the kingdom of Heaven) right now! But how, you might ask?

Let me tell you how. First, believe the gospel message, repent of your sins and put your faith in God in the person of His only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ by calling on His name in faith. "There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved except the name of Jesus" and "the day comes that whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Next, after having been born again of the Holy Spirit, be baptized in water in the name of the Lord. Next, ask Jesus to fill you with His Holy Spirit and receive the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other languages. (Languages of both of men and of angels!) After this, be sure to remain filled with the Holy Spirit by speaking to yourselves with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs making melody in your heart to the Lord. A human is a triune beings consisting of a spirit, a soul (intellect, will, and emotions), and a body. Therefore we are instructed to pray continuously and consistently with the spirit and with the understanding. Also, be sure to study and meditate in God’s Word day and night so that you may observe to do all that is written therein. (This is the key to true soul prosperity and success.) Now, live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit by following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. And don't forget to get together on a regular basis with like-minded believers and continue to exhort one another to holiness and good works as you see the Day of the Lord approaching. Oh yea, I almost forgot, confess your faults (sins) one to another and pray for one another so that you may be healed!

And now a note of caution. Beware and be advised, the insanity and the madness of this planet and its fallen inhabitants is going to get worse and worse with "the beginning of sorrows," the advent of the anti-Christ and the False Prophet, as well as the coming of The Great Tribulation. During this time God's wrath and His divine judgments are going to be poured forth on this earth. Satan has also come down with great wrath knowing that his time is short. God's wrath will be poured out on sinful humanity. Satan's wrath will be poured out on Israel and the church. But be of good cheer, you elect of God, your redemption draws near! Just remember, my fellow believers, there is no cause for fear; our times and our seasons are in His hands, and no experience in life or in death will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus Christ is coming back in clouds of glory with His fiery angels to rapture His church and return immediately to Israel with them to fight the battle of Armageddon and defeat the armies of the anti-Christ and the False Prophet and cast those two buggers into the Lake of Fire. He's returning to the earth to oversee Satan's binding and imprisonment by a large angel and to establish His thousand year rule and reign on this earth. After this Satan will be loosed from his chain and pit for a season and lead a final rebellion against God. Jesus Christ will defeat him in this final rebellion and cast him into the Lake of Fire. Christ will judge the living and the dead, the saints (for the things done in their bodies, both good and bad) and the sinners (for having rejected Him). These things will happen at "The Judgment Seat of Christ," and "The Great White Throne Judgment." After this Christ will protect His redeemed in a kind of "ark of safety" as in the days of Noah, while this old world and heavens are destroyed, not by water this time, but by fire. After this, He will oversee the creation of new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness, and receive the kingdom of Heaven on earth, as the New Jerusalem, the Holy City of God, The Bride of Christ. This City will be the dwelling place of Jehovah God the Father, God the Son. the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit, the holy angels of the Most High, as well as the redeemed of the Lord. Now, the redeemed of the Lord are those who trust Jesus Christ as Savior, and obey Him as Lord.

In closing let me say, if you are uncomfortable in your own shoes as I once was, and if the Shoe that I've been talking about sounds good to you, then put it on and wear it. U2 can enjoy the great Comfort that comes from an abiding relationship and fellowship with God the Father, through God the Son, in God the Holy Spirit. Oh, by the way, One size fits all because "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."