Encouragement

The Hope of a Clear Mind by Mike Ramey

by Mike Ramey
07/24/25
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     I just wanted to take the time to welcome my readership to a new column designed to offer hope in our dark days, something which is lacking in most of our social media and over our airwaves. The purpose of “The Hope Line” is to STILL present things from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective—but with an added emphasis upon turning the gloom away on a variety of topics and allowing folks to warm themselves in the smile of what God CAN do in many instances, and what Jesus HAS DONE in many others.

     I shall never forget the wise words of one of my preaching mentors, Pastor Calvin Word (yes, that was his last name). Blinded at an incredibly young age, Rev. Word managed to come to Christ also as a youth. Word grew up sightless, but he had insight in the Lord. By the end of his life, he had graduated from seminary, pastored three churches, and was a much sought-after speaker and Bible teacher in a variety of denominations.

     Not only did Rev. Word HAVE hope, but he also modeled it for all to see. Word may have lost his eyes, but he keep a great sense of humor that he built over the years, and a wisdom that could lift hearers beyond any negative circumstances. I suspect that when he was an active pastor, those ministers that served under him were blessed out of their socks.

     We would get together from time to time. On one occasion, Word blessed me with some powerful advice which I took to heart and have applied to this day. “Boy,” he told me as he sat in the living room of my home, my wife also within earshot, “you’ve GOT to know the Psalms.” Word—like the preachers of old—kept his admonitions short. He did not believe in wasting words nor actions. In short, through his encouragement to me as a young preacher, he was saying that if you WANT hope, you have to STUDY on hope from the Book of Hope—that being the Bible.

     “The Bible is God’s Talking Book,” Word also noted on another occasion when I was in a Deacon and Minister’s class he was teaching. “You must study it in order to hear what HE has to say.”

     There are far too many people attempting to get hope from many wrong sources.

     I’ve been noticing that there are FAR more counselors and therapists with on line practices since the end of the pandemic, but people STILL seem to be without hope. You’ve seen the commercials…which seem to remind me of the old ‘Psychic Hotline’ commercials of the 80s and 90s. Same type of language and ‘ease’ of which those who may be having mental health issues can click in and—for a small fee—be freed of their problems for the day. I would advise any one seeking counseling to check out the background of the ones offering their services as counselors.

     Many of them are not living upright lives and need counseling themselves.

     A small suggestion that I may offer those who are suffering from mental health issues. You don’t need medication and counseling—in many cases. You just need hope—the kind of hope that is freely available through God in his Word, the KJV Bible. As the old folks used to say: “What you feed on, you will eventually become.”

     If you feed on social media garbage and bad advice from evil, childish and jealous people what do you THINK will happen to your brain box?

     I also find it interesting that those who suffer a loss of hope, at first, lose their joy and peace. An insult at work. A broken relationship. A bad grade in school. The loss of a loved one. The bullying from the jealous people (and or family members) around you. You catch my drift. Your joy and peace are drained away from you and you can’t quite seem to have hope in the future—or even making it to the end of the day.

     Might I suggest turning to the Psalms?

     Yes, I am aware that there are some that don’t like that ‘bible junk.’ However, it is cheaper to buy a KJV Bible and read it than to be constantly spending your wealth on shrinks and meds to balance yourself. God is synonymous with hope. Check out his ‘talking book’ with the 42^nd and 43^rd Psalms. You might be able to see the sun, once again.

     Let me close with this story from my files. Two men suffered breakups from their sweethearts. One man jumped off a bridge because he was despondent over his loss. The other man took his pain, wrote some creative lyrics, sold it to a Country-Western record company, and pocketed a cool $250,000 in fees and royalties. Both of these men lost hope because of a breakup. One let the hopelessness overwhelm him. The other ‘worked it out,’ got his joy and peace back by releasing his anger and bitterness and focused his hope on getting over his setback and getting the ‘mental shortfalls’ out of his mind.

     Whatever your problem, remember this: A setback IS a setup for a comeback!

     More to come.

     Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister, KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and Bible Prophecy Specialist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a Circuit rider of the Funky Electronic Frontier. “The Hope Line” is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996. Catch Mike Ramey’s columns on X (Twitter), Substack, Faithwriters.com, LinkedIn and in fine publications like this one! To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: [email protected]. ©2025 Barnstorm Communications International.