In the heart of every person there is a desire to be safe and secure. Little children are often afraid of being left alone. They also may fear the dark, or the unknown. Children crave the security of being held in the loving embrace of their parents. There they feel confident and protected. As we mature, the desire to be safe and secure never leaves us. This inborn desire was given to us by our Creator. While some men act fearless, in their hearts they may fear the unknown, suffering, accident, or sickness. They may also have an uneasy feeling about what might happen to them after death.

Do you know that the Bible teaches that all men are born in sin and are naturally inclined to do evil? Thus all men are in a lost state and condition. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21-22). Psalm 51:5.

The Bible is a precious book that fills the need of every soul. The messages found in it provide spiritual nourishment. There are chapters exactly suited for your particular need or inquiry.

The following are some of the features and manifestations of the self-life. The Holy Spirit alone can interpret and apply this to your individual case. As you read, examine yourself in the very presence of God. Are you ever conscious of: • A secret spirit of pride or an exalted feeling in view of your success or position; because of your good training or appearance; because of your natural gifts and abilities; an important, independent spirit? Proverbs 16:18; 20:6; 25:14; Romans 12:3; James 4:6.

Jesus established his kingdom when He was on earth. We who have entered it have found it to be a place of deep pleasure and lasting satisfaction. It is a peaceful kingdom. In it we do not make instruments of destruction, neither do we learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4). Earth has had many kingdoms in the past, but they have risen with the strength of their kings and warriors, and they have fallen with their weakness.

Christianity is based on God, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible, which is the Word of God. A Christian is one who believes the Bible and lives the teachings of Jesus Christ. This way of life brings peace and contentment here on this earth and prepares us for a home in heaven.

One of man’s principal goals in life is happiness. Happiness can be elusive. Many are seeking happiness in pleasures and entertainment. They seek to satisfy themselves by doing what “feels good.” What feels good may actually be detrimental to one’s character and inner spiritual well-being.

I can remember as a child living in a very small house on a reserve with my father, mother, and baby brother. The house had two small rooms and an attic. I can remember being by myself on several occasions with my baby brother, eating raw porridge and giving my brother canned milk in his bottle. My mother and father would take off to town to go drinking and not return for a day or more. Many times we sat in a vehicle outside the bar until late at night waiting for my parents. They would come out and give us chips and pop and go back in.

The salvation of the soul is the greatest issue that anyone will ever face. It is the question of where each one will spend eternity. Jesus Christ put it into perspective. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). This should move us to urgently address this issue.

Eternity defies man’s imagination and comprehension. It is not an object, nor a place; it is not a period of time. It has no beginning and it has no end. Everyone from Adam to the last one born will be in it.