As we age, we experience more physical challenges. That’s the way life goes in this fallen world. 

While it’s tempting and understandable to grow angry or frustrated at the limitations placed on us by age, it’s also an opportunity to show others—especially younger generations—the power of God’s grace through the way we respond to these challenges.

One of the hardest things for us to do is trusting God in the middle of physical, financial, or emotional trouble.

Remember, our Good Shepherd is always there. Sometimes, we just need to sit quietly, read His Word, and listen for His voice.

In the midst of despair, it’s understandable that we question whether God hears us. But the story of Hagar, the servant of Abraham and Sarah, reminds us that we are never alone.

Pagans in the ancient world tried to appease their deceased ancestors, including through ritual “meals” to feed them in the afterlife.

Those “ancestors” were actually demons, which Jews, the apostles, and the early church (and even the pagan Greeks and Romans) believed were the spirits of the demigods destroyed in a long-ago flood—in other words, the Nephilim who died in the Flood of Noah.

Thanks to archaeologists in Israel, we can see megalithic monuments erected by ancient cults of the dead. And thanks to the Bible, we can see how Jesus reversed the ancient ritual of feeding the ancestors at the Last Supper, which we remember every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

This also gives new meaning to the 23rd Psalm, where David describes our Good Shepherd preparing a table for us in the presence of our enemies! He wasn’t talking about physical adversaries—remember, we don’t wrestle human opponents, but against principalities, powers, and cosmic rulers over this present darkness.

A story from Georgia reminds us of how we are always protected by our Good Shepherd.

In December 2022, a 20-month-old Great Pyrenees named Casper defended his flock against a late-night attack by 13 coyotes. Casper charged into the middle of the pack and in a fight that lasted half an hour, Casper killed several coyotes and scattered the rest.

But Casper wasn’t done.

He jumped the fence and chased down several more coyotes and sent them to their eternal reward. But when Casper didn’t return home the next day, his owners feared the worst. Neighbors joined the search for the heroic dog and discovered more dead coyotes in the woods.

Two days later, Casper showed up in the pen with the sheep. He required multiple surgeries to close wounds on his neck and back, and his tail had to be amputated as well.

The point is this: Even while Casper was missing and his owners thought he was gone, leaving their sheep unprotected, the four-legged hero was protecting his flock—the way our Good Shepherd is always protecting us even when we feel lost and alone.

Remember: You are never alone.

Sharon’s niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. 

ALL OF us have known grief—even our Savior.

When we grieve for a brother or sister who’s been called home by the Lord, we need to recognize that the sadness we feel is for ourselves, because those who are now with Him wouldn’t come back to this world if they could. That may be why Jesus wept for Lazarus. He knew that he was bringing his beloved friend back to a world of pain and sorrow.

So, when we say goodbye to a loved one who knew Jesus Christ as Lord, remember—it’s just for a little while. Meanwhile, rejoice! They are in the presence of our King!

Sharon’s niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. 

We note with sadness the passing of Lynette Hill, a lovely and courageous woman who’d become a friend to many of us in the SkyWatchTV family.

She has graduated and has no doubt heard, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” But she serves as a reminder to make the most of each day for our King, as none of us knows when He will call us home.

SkyWatchTV’s Joe Horn recorded a thoughtful and moving farewell to Lynette. See it here: https://bit.ly/3DRbliS

THE STORY of an infamous murder in Victorian London reminds us of Paul’s warning to Timothy of godlessness in the end times.

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Tim. 3:2–5, ESV)

In the 19th century, Darwinian evolution and the occult teachings of Helena Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy, formed competing worldviews based on the notion that humanity was either evolving into a higher life form or devolving from a race that lived during a golden age. Paul took neither view, but warned Timothy that a rise in godlessness would emerge in the last days. But as Jesus told the disciples on the Mount of Olives, when we see such things, look up because redemption draws near.

AN ODD STORY recorded by Jerome about a 4th-century monk from Egypt, Anthony the Great, raises an interesting question: Are there demons that want to be saved?

According to the story, Anthony traveled into the desert looking for Paulus, the first hermit. After some travel, Anthony encountered a centaur and asked him where to find the servant of God. The centaur pointed and then ran off. Anthony decided to travel in that direction and soon came across another fantastic creature “with hooked snout, horned forehead, and extremities like goats’ feet.”

After praying for protection, the creature offered him “the fruit of the palm-trees to support him on his journey,” and then said this:

“I am a mortal being and one of those inhabitants of the desert whom the Gentiles deluded by various forms of error worship under the names of Fauns, Satyrs, and Incubi. I am sent to represent my tribe. We pray you in our behalf to entreat the favour of your Lord and ours, who, we have learned, came once to save the world, and ‘whose sound has gone forth into all the earth.’”

Is this story plausible? As much as we’d like to think so, we think not. Demons, such as the goat-demon described in this story (and like Pan in our last episode), are the spirits of the giant Nephilim destroyed in the Flood.

Salvation was promised to humans. It’s not likely that satyrs (goat-demons, the se’irim of the Old Testament) would ask for the means by which they could be saved.

JESUS CHALLENGED the goat-demon Pan right in front of the gates of Hell!

What’s more, our friend Dr. Judd Burton (BurtonBeyond.net) believes Jesus timed his trip to Caesarea Philippi and the Grotto of Pan to coincide with Lupercalia, a religious festival devoted to Pan and his Roman equivalent Faunus.

This festival fell on February 15, right in the middle of the nine-day celebration called Paternalia, devoted to the spirits of deceased ancestors—spirits that were, in fact, demons, the spirits of the giant Nephilim destroyed in the Flood.

Then Jesus climbed “a very high mountain,” which could only have been Mount Hermon (the only “very high mountain” near Caesarea Philippi), for the Transfiguration, essentially declaring his divinity on the Canaanite equivalent of Mount Olympus—the “mount of assembly” for the gods of Israel’s pagan neighbors.

WE THINK of February as the time of candy hearts and valentines. But that’s not how it was in Jesus’ day!

From Februus, the underworld god of the ancient Etruscans, to Pan, the goat-god associated with, shall we say, fertility, this month has long been associated with horned deities—who weren’t always very nice!

PRESIDENT TRUMP reportedly drinks a dozen Diet Cokes a day. What?!

Needless to say, between artificial sweetener, carbonation, and caramel coloring, we don’t recommend this for anyone! If President Trump can function on 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night and a regular routine of 3+ cases of diet soda a week, he’s clearly a genetic outlier.

How is your plan to get healthy in 2025 going?

IN A world increasingly run by algorithms and artificial intelligence, maintaining a positive self-image in becoming more difficult.

Artificial images of how we’re supposed to look are all around us. This is driving a boom in the sale of diabetes drugs, which are being sold off-label as easy solutions for losing weight to help us achieve that “perfect” body type.

Here’s truth: Jesus loves you in the shape you’re in. He doesn’t withhold his love waiting for you to reach the ideal size.

That said, we encourage you to eat healthy—avoid sugar, simple carbs, processed foods, and sodas (even diet drinks; it’s wise to avoid things that come from a lab!)—because you won’t be effective at serving our King if you don’t feel well.

Just remember—that perfect body is coming in the resurrection!

THIS TIME of year can lead to the blues.

It may be the post-Christmas slump, a lack of sunshine, or a feeling of being overwhelmed by a to-do list that never seems to get shorter. Often, however, our feelings of depression can stem from priorities that are out of sync with the Lord’s.

It may also be a spiritual attack to exploit insecurities. But remember that no matter how low you feel, even in your darkest hours, you are never, ever alone.

Sharon shares memories of her childhood Christmases in southern Indiana along with a reminder from our Savior, whose birth we celebrate at this time of year, that he gave us “a new commandment”: To love one another, just as he has loved us (John 13:34).

A MYSTERIOUS respiratory disease has emerged in Congo that’s been dubbed “Disease X” by the Africa Center for Disease Control.

The case fatality rate is high, over 6% (compared to seasonal influenza, which is usually around 0.1%). However, many of the fatalities were children who were malnourished, which may have made them more susceptible to the disease.

Meanwhile, another outbreak of something called “Dancing Disease” has emerged in Uganda. We’re keeping an eye on these, using our God-given discernment to sift out the truth from clickbait.

We now have Armored Sheep mugs, t-shirts, and caps in the Gilbert House Store! Log on to GilbertHouse.org/store!

A new study found a link between popular cooking oils in ultra-processed foods and colon cancer in young Americans. What types of oils should we avoid?

The study is still preliminary, but it indicates that seed oils like sunflower, canola (rapeseed), grapeseed, and corn are linked increased risk of colon cancer among young people. Tumors from 80 colon cancer patients were studied and found that these tumors had high concentrations of bioactive lipids, which are tiny greasy substances that accumulate during the metabolic breakdown of seed oils.

Basically, eating foods high in sunflower, canola, corn, and grapeseed oils could trigger inflammation that can lead to the development of cancer. Chronic inflammation can also lead to heart conditions, arthritis, or stroke.

Sharon also discusses Sjögren’s, an autoimmune disorder that may be responsible for her recent issues with her eyes. You can find out more about Sjögren’s at sjogrens.org.

The word “soul” is common enough, but what is it?

It is, in a nutshell, our unique identities—a sort of spiritual thumbprint created by God. It is also His gift to us, His “imagers,” or image-bearers, on the earth.

There are some who believe personalities can be recreated in digital format. That is truly sad, because those who put faith in technology and science over the handiwork of the One who spoke the universe into existence will be sorely disappointed.

The fallen realm has no power to create on its own. Everything from the Fallen is fake.

A reading in Daniel 7 that connects to the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that Satan and his minions have been trying a counterfeit to God’s domain—and they’ll succeed, but only to a point.

SOME THOUGHTS inspired by a random encounter at the hospital over the weekend while Derek was in the ICU recovering from surgery. 

The prophet Isaiah wrote:

The grass withers, the flower fades,

  but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isa. 40:8)

Isaiah’s words, quoted by Peter (1 Peter 1:24–25), remind us that our time in this life is short, but God’s word, which promises us a place in His house (John 14:1–3), is incorruptible and unchanging.

Thank you for your prayers! Derek’s surgery went as well as the surgeon hoped and his recovery thus far is right on track.

Sharon’s niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah.