As of this writing, we are now over 3 years of a post Covid era. The Covid era has had a major impact on lives around the world. Lost family members, friends, loved ones has been at the forefront of many people. Besides dealing with loss of loved ones, many of us are dealing with loss of jobs, loss of health, loss of faith. We are living in fear, living with stress and anxiety. We are living with economic uncertainty, global food shortages, countries at war, water and power shortages. We are dealing with floods, fires, famines, viruses, controlling governments. Sounds like issues of biblical proportions.
These issues are impactful to every culture, country, race, and religion.

The result of the last 3 years has caused many people to reflect inwardly on what is my purpose in life? Why am I here? If you are asking this question I say to you, Congratulations, and enjoy the journey. Enjoy the process. Feel joy that you are to begin a trek, a trek of high peaks and low valleys, a true trek of your life with understanding. This trek will happen at any age, any time of your life, it is “your” time.
The journey I am talking about is your journey to truly find what God’s plans are for you in this life. What is God’s will for you?
As any journey begins you will need to pack your luggage with 5 essentials.
The 5 essentials are:
1. A bible.
2. Faith and belief in God as the creator of the heavens and the earth as outlined in the book of Genesis starting at 1:1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
3. Faith and belief that God sent his son Jesus Christ to earth, a human form in Gods own image, to teach the word of God, to teach the world how to come home to heaven, to die on a cross to pay for our sins and offer us eternal life in heaven.
John 3:16-3:17: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
4. Faith and belief that when Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, he not only sacrificed his life to pay for our sins, but when he died, he released the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) to reside in our hearts and soul as a constant “helper” to guide us to eternal salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
As Jesus took his last breath on the cross;
Matthew 27.50: Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
5. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, believe that his death on the cross gave all of us a chance at eternal salvation.
Romans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
If you are missing any of the essentials, don’t despair. Your journey will be much easier when packing these five essentials. The first one is fairly easy, bibles are in-expensive and I downloaded mine for free on kindle. I use the King James Version (KJV). It was the version I used as a child, so I felt comfortable with this version.
The second essential is a faith and belief in God. This of course is the most essential. If you don’t believe in God, that he is the creator of the earth and the heaven and everything else including you and I, then you should spend all of your spare time reading the Bible starting with the book of Genesis. Praying to God for forgiveness for your sins and offering repentance for your sins. Meditate on the word of God. The Old Testament describes God and his being and purpose. The Old Testament describes God’s mercy, compassion and forgiving ways. It also describes God’s disappointment in mankind and how he manages this disappointment using his annointed prophets, such as Moses, Noah, Abraham and David to name a few. Set your mind free while reading the Bible and let Gods message pour into your heart and soul.
The third essential is faith and belief that God sent his son, Jesus Christ to be crucified on a cross at Calvary to pay for our sins. This was not only the ultimate sacrifice by Jesus, but the ultimate love that God shows us by sending his son to pay the ultimate price for our eternal salvation. One of the best depictions of the time Jesus spent on earth and comprehension and understanding of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is in the New Testament Book of Matthew. Matthew was one of Jesus 12 disciples and was the tax collector for the Romans. He brings an interesting perspective to Jesus short life on earth as he was not only close to Jesus, but was his helpful scribe. Read this wonderful book of Matthew and meditate and pray on your reading. Pray to God for comprehension and understanding.
The fourth essential is to pray for and receive the Holy Spirit into our heart and soul. The Holy Spirit, who resides in all of us as a result of Jesus crucifixion needs to be enabled by your commitment and faith to bring the Holy Spirit to the forefront of your being. The Holy Spirit is your teacher, your conscience, your mentor to stay focused on the word of God. Meditate and pray on the word of God and ask for the Holy Spirit to come in to your heart and soul.
The fifth essential is to accept and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Romans 10:9 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death”. The key take away is your must believe in our heart. Pray and meditation on the word of God in the Bible will help you immensely.

Now your bags are packed with all the essentials. Now go out into the world and enjoy your journey.