One of the most basic needs of human kind is to feel wanted. It is also one of the strongest.

Children long for the love of their parents. Parents may wonder if that need has vanished when their children become teenagers, but yes, the need is still there. Children may join gangs if that need is not being fulfilled at home. Why do they form small cliques of friends in schools? They need to feel wanted.

While love draws them, men and women marry basically to satisfy that need. A solid marriage will consist of two people (male/female) who make each feel wanted, because they are wanted. Each places the other’s feelings over their own in importance, a living example of unselfishness.

Why do some engage in sex outside of marriage (male/female)? One reason is obvious, but could it also be they just need to feel wanted? As Christians, we know that sex outside of marriage (male/female) is a sin against God and should not happen. So we are not condoning it, but maybe we should at least try to understand it.

I believe that God has placed within each human being a need to feel wanted. This need is to be satisfied between individuals through legitimate methods, such as marriage (male/female), and friendships. Ultimately, God desires to draw us to Him. Only in Him can this need reach its peak and never diminish.

Sometimes parents fail children, and they are deeply hurt. Sometimes friends fail friends, and hearts are bruised. Sometimes marriages fail, and a spouse is crushed by that feeling of not being wanted anymore.

Most of us remember when we were children and teams were being chosen for a game, let’s say baseball. The two best players would stand in front and take turns choosing who they wanted on their team. Two things often happen.

You want to be on a certain team. So you’re mentally saying, “Choose me, choose me!” You may or may not be chosen. If not, you feel rejected.

Even worse, everyone else has been chosen by the team leaders, and now you’re the only one left. You’re then reluctantly chosen, or told you aren’t needed.

Have you been shunned from being welcomed into a circle of friends because; you were “ugly,” or “fat,” or “poor,” or, of a different skin color, or not as intelligent, or even too intelligent, or not as talented, or too young, or too old, or not as well dressed, or ……..? Obviously, we could go on and on and on. Everyone has experienced rejection about something at least once in their life. It hurts. Why? Because we’re crying out inside, “Choose me, choose me!” but instead of being chosen, we are rejected, tossed aside like yesterday’s newspaper. We have that need to feel wanted, but often we receive rejection instead.

Whether speaking from the standpoint of a child or an adult, let’s say that we may accomplish something in our life that we are proud of. Maybe we don’t have as much talent as others, but we worked very hard. We did our best, and now feel a sense of accomplishment. It would be nice if someone would offer a compliment. A little recognition would go a long way, but forthcoming is nothing but silence or a quick nod.

Your ten year old comes to you with their test score. They did the best they could do, but you aren’t satisfied. Would that rejection make them feel unwanted? In a child’s mind, yes it probably would. You know they’re wanted, but they may not see it that way.

Thousands and thousands of elderly folk suffer from a deep sense of rejection by their own families. Their thankless children, grandchildren, great grandchildren go about their own lives, totally oblivious of their heartless attitude toward their own blood. I often wonder just how many of the elderly die more from loneliness than anything else. Suffering from a lack of no longer feeling wanted they are left with nothing to live for, so they die. Inside, the child in that old worn-out body is still crying out, “Choose me, choose me!” but no one is listening.

Yes, there are far more lonely people in this world than probably known, since the need for being wanted is usually hidden. If you are one of these, I want you to know that there is someone who wants you. You may be a child, an adult, or an adult in your last years of life, but there is someone who thinks you are important. There is someone who doesn’t care what you look like, what you wear, where you came from, how bad or good you may have been, how smart or dumb you may be, how you smell, or anything else. He wants you just the way you are, because you are important to Him. He loves you and desires to give you His undivided attention and much more. His name is Jesus.

Jesus wants you on His team. Before you ever formed the words in your mind, “Choose me, choose me!” He chose you. He died for you. He is alive in Heaven now, preparing a home for all who will come to His side and be on His team. He has so much love there is plenty to go around. There is always a never ending abundance.

I used to wonder how God could give me all of His attention when there are millions and millions who have come to Him over the last nearly seven thousand years. As a human, who can be in only one place at a time, I can’t explain it, except to say that since God is omnipresent, it doesn’t present a problem. In this life we experience His total devotion to us in our hearts and lives, and when in Heaven with Him, we will understand it completely.

Are you in Satan’s clutches and bound for hell? God chose you! Come stand on His side now. Are you a Christian beaten down by rejection? You’re already on His team! The Star of the team chose you! Enjoy!

“1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:1-12)

“25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26)

Grant Phillips

If you ever watched the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston, you might recall the night the Death Angel came. What an eerie scene as he crept quietly down the streets in a heavy fog. This particular scene reminds me of what is taking place today before our very eyes, and most don’t even see it.

As the Apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy, sin’s advance in the last days will get worse and worse, and so it has. It is moving forward like a large army of foot soldiers, or a swarm of locusts, destroying everything in sight. Satan’s army has certainly made great strides in advancing his agenda with mankind, just as prophesied.

Sin has always been prevalent on the earth, but since Madalyn Murray O’Hair won her suit in the Supreme Court to remove official Bible reading from the schools in 1963, evil has picked up its pace in deceiving mankind.  In rapid fashion sin has taken over the personal lives of millions of people. By kicking God out of the schools, each generation has gotten worse in its love of sin.

The music industry has gone from music that was rich and pure to the vilest garbage that could enter the eyes and ears of a human being. We have gone from the astounding beauty of the classics to obscene noise that vomits out the putrid thoughts of evil minds. This unholy garbage is displayed in acts of nudity and decadence spawned from the depths of hell.

Politics, which has always been corrupt, has enacted laws that are more and more anti-God and produces politicians who are evil to the core. Most of our “leaders” are replicas of the ancient past who worshipped themselves and their evil desires, having nothing but the lowest form of animalistic behavior.

The home, the most important institution from God, except the Church, has been ripped to shreds and is hardly recognizable. Male and female parents married to each other, has been replaced with couples living in adultery, swapping partners, male/male and female/female “mom and dads.” Personal character is a thing of the past, and little demons are being bred and raised with respect for no one.

Businesses have become dishonest and greedy, bringing much harm to millions that just want to make a living and provide for their families. The time of employees giving their best in the work place and employers considering the welfare of their employees is a thing of the past. Now greed abounds, even at the expense of destroying the economical lives of others. (1Timothy 6:10)

Satan has taken avenues that could be used for good, and used them to bring individuals to a new low. He has pushed his wares by television, radio, movies and even sports, and infiltrated and corrupted the minds of many.

I am now noticing that even in our local small town newspapers, profanity seems to be the norm by those who write their weekly articles. These are not individuals who are syndicated either, but local people, who work for the paper as writers, and use curse words to express themselves. Now, I am not one to be shocked by hearing profanity, but what has become of us when it is now commonly used in the local newspaper? Even the publisher, who is a local resident and well-known “church- member” has not abstained from using filthy examples, in the newspaper, to clarify his point of interest. There is no way I can repeat what he wrote, but I will say that one female writer has used the adjective “damn” in her last two articles, and another male writer has used “damn” and “hell” (as profanity) in his last two articles. So the vileness of man marches on.

The Lord said through the Apostle Paul,

“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13 NKJV)

“They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” (Ephesians 4:19 NLT)

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” (1Timothy 4:1-2 NLT)

When I was growing up (now I sound like my Dad) I never heard adults curse, and seldom my peers. A man would never ever use profanity in front of a woman or children. To do so, would be cause for a fight. Today, it not only comes from men, but the women may be even better at it, and even small children are quite adapt at tossing around offensive words.

I like the way the King James Version (KJV) states the last part of 1Timothy 4:2, “having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” Titus 1:15 says, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” The mind and conscience of man in the 21st century has turned to mush. There is nothing but evil on his mind all the day. Sin is growing like a cancer upon the soul of man.

One wonders how much worse this world will get, before the Lord says “that’s enough.” Nothing is taboo anymore. Any vile subject the gutter mind can come up with has been approached and pushed upon society. Nothing is sacred.

My heart goes out to today’s youth, because they have never known and will not know the world I was raised in. It was not perfect of course, but we never even spoke of things that today are openly discussed and practiced by a world gone mad. If the verses above that I have shown are not relevant to today, then we all need to stop studying prophecy and just crawl off somewhere and hide. The fact is, they are very relevant, and there are many more verses just like them that tell us that mankind will sink lower than the animals just prior to Christ’s return.

Homosexually is another area that our world today is obsessed with cramming down the throats of decent people, and practicing their sinful debauchery wherever they please. This sin has never failed yet to bring down every empire of those who practiced it. If it were just this one sin alone, and it isn’t, there is absolutely no doubt that God is going to bring down His fist in judgment.

Do we, generally speaking, even have a conscience today? Have we actually reached the point that it has been seared with a hot iron? Look around you. I have not gone into this subject with any depth at all, but with just the minor picking of the scab that I have presented, is proof enough. God help us. Judgment is coming, but praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ, He will remove His own before He brings down the hammer of justice on a fallen world. Come to Him now. John 3:16.

Grant Phillips