The "Son Of God"

Reading from the Book of Luke 1:26-35

 ²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Has God ever asked you to do something you never expected to do? No doubt, Mary was very surprised when the angel told her she would give birth to the Son of God. Mary's trust in God, and her obedience and cooperation with God's plans and purposes, is a great example to follow.

Allow God to work in you as He wants to, and know that all His plans for you are for your good.

When unexpected things happen, keep trusting in Him, the Son of God!

A Lighted Path

Reading from the Book of Psalm 119:9-11, 105

⁹Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

¹¹Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

¹⁰⁵Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Have you ever been lost? Do you remember the relief you felt when someone was able to give you good directions?

The best directions we have for living an abundant life is found in the Bible. Hide God's Word "in your heart" by studying and even memorizing scripture verses and passages, so you will not sin against Him and be able to live in His blessings.

What about wandering around in the dark? It can be scary and frustrating! Do you ever feel that you are wandering in life, not sure of which way to go?

Learn God's Word. It is a "lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path."

Inner Mirror

Reading from the Book of II Corinthians 3:18, 4:16

^{II Corinthians 3:18} And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

We change gradually, little by little, or as II Corinthians states, "from one degree of glory to another." While these changes take place, we still make mistakes, and God's forgiveness is always available to us through Jesus Christ. Receiving this forgiveness actually strengths us and enables us to keep pressing on toward new levels of holiness and better inner beings.

^{II Corinthians 4:16} Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Mirrors don't reflect the inner part of us that lasts forever. And when trials knock on our doors, looking cool won't prepare us to victoriously meet their test. The apostle Paul describes the inner man as being renewed day by day as spiritual muscles grow stronger. He wasn't a perfect specimen of health, but Paul survived persecution and imprisonment because he lived his life from the inside out, focusing on eternity.

What's at the core of your life? Are you so focused on looking in the mirror at your outer self that you haven't spent time strengthening your inner person through studying God's Word and praying without ceasing? Try looking at the "inner mirror" of yourself.

Grow Up!

Reading from the Book of Hebrews 5:12-14, 6:11

^{Hebrews 6:11} We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.

It is so easy to begin something, but it takes great courage to finish! At the beginning of a new thing, we get all excited and usually have a lot of support to do it. But when our emotions wear off and all that is left is hard work and the need for extreme patience, we find out what it takes to truly succeed.

^{Hebrews 5:12} In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Do adults drink milk from a bottle or eat only baby food? Of course not! Likewise, as a Christians, we need to be diligent in studying the Bible so we will understand it and be able to apply it to our everyday life. In this way we will grow in our faith and move from spiritual "milk" to spiritual "meat".

In essence we call this "growing up". It is time to "Grow up!"

Stir Up The Love

Reading from the Book of Matthew 24:6-12

⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains. ⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

The twenty-forth chapter of Matthew deals with signs of the end times. Most of them we are very familiar with...wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, and widespread deception. But there is another sign of the end times. Matthew 24:12 says that "the love of the great body of people will grow cold" due to the lawlessness and wickedness in the land.

The "great body" is the church, not the world. The pressure of rampant evil, difficult circumstances, and even the stress of our modern-day lifestyle produce an atmosphere so supercharged with problems that most people totally ignore their love walk with God. Instead they concentrate on themselves, look out for themselves, and try to solve their own problems.

This is something that God never told us to do. If we tend to His business, He will tend to ours. We are to concentrate on representing Him properly, and that is impossible to do unless we are walking in love. As we do that, He gives us wisdom to deal with our problems and brings deliverance from our foes.

We need to sow seeds in other people's lives by helping them, and then God will bring a harvest in our own life. Refuse to let your love grow cold. Reach out to others who are hurting and in need. Pray for people and bless them. Stir up the love in your life!

Open Doors

Reading from the Book of Revelation 3:7

⁷And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

We all need to hear from God each day about many different issues, but there are critical times in our lives that we especially need to know we are hearing clearly from Him. God wants to speak to us, but we have to be careful that we do not develop a closed mindset about how He wants to speak to us.

Sometimes God speaks to us by opening or closing a door to something we want to do. God can open doors of opportunity that no one can close, and He can also close doors that we simply cannot open. I pray that God will open only the doors through which He wants me to pass. I may sincerely think that something is right to do, when it may be wrong. Therefore I depend on God to close the doors I am trying to walk through if I am in fact making a mistake.

Sometimes the only way to discover God's will is to practice "stepping out and finding out." If I pray about a situation and do not feel sure about what I should do, I take a step of faith. God has shown me that trusting Him is like standing before the automatic door to a store. We can stand and look at the door all day, but it will not open unless we take a step forward.

There are times in life when we must take a step forward in order to find out what we should do. Some doors will never open unless we take a step towards them. At other times, we may take a step and find that God will not open the door. If we trust Him for guidance, and the door opens easily, we can trust that He is leading us.

What A Friend We Have In Jesus!

Reading from the Book of John 15:9-17

 ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Some things in Scripture are harder to understand and believe than others. Christ, the Sovereign Creator of all things, the offended Judge who declared the penalty for sin to be death, the One who willingly died to pay that penalty and redeem us from bondage to sin, now calls us His friends. Certainly we would like to consider Him our friend; but are we really His friends?

 

Actually, Christ said, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you". We are His friends by conscious choice on His part, even though He knows more about our inward nature than we will admit to ourselves. He has demonstrated His friendship by the greatest act of love imaginable, when He voluntarily died to save us from our sins. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". Furthermore, for His friends He promises, "Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you".

 

His love for us surpasses human love. "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love that your joy might be full". He has "ordained" us as friends so that we "should go and bring forth fruit, and that our fruit should remain". What joy!

 

There should be a response on our part to His friendship. Almost as a self-evident fact, He states, "Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you", among other things, "that ye love one another".

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Thanksgiving To God

Psalm 75:1
We give praise and thanks to You, God, we praise and give thanks. Your wondrous works declare that Your Name is near and they who invoke Your Name rehearse Your wonders!

Forgiveness

Reading from the Book of Luke 6:27-28,
and the Book of Matthew 6:14-15

 ^{Luke 27} “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
 Matthew ¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.


Luke 6:27, 28 teaches us how to deal with our enemies. Something is missing when we say that we forgive those who have hurt or offended us and go no further.

God tells us in His Word to forgive others, He does not stop there. He goes on to instruct us to "bless them". The word "bless" means "to speak well of." So one of our problems is though we pray and try to forgive those who offend us, we turn right around and curse them with our tongues or we rehash the offense again and again with others. This will not work.

It is not enough to merely say we forgive others, we must be careful not to curse them or speak evil of them even if we think they deserve it. Instead, we must do as Jesus did and pray for them, bless them, and speak well of them. Why? As we read Matthew 6:15 it is because by doing so, we bless not only them, but will receive blessings ourselves too. Hating those who hurt you is like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die. Obviously, anyone who did that would only be hurting himself. Why spend your life angry at people who probably do not even know or care that you are angry? These people are thoroughly enjoying their lives while you are miserable. Release them, let the offense go, drop it, and have the same attitude toward them that Jesus had toward His enemies.

The Indwelling Spirit

Reading from the Book of II Timothy 2:14-19

¹⁴ Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶ Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. ¹⁷ Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

You are bound by your words and by your declaration. You are also judged by them. That is why it is so important to place a guard upon your lips so that what issues forth from them is not only truthful, but also kind, positive, edifying, and in line with the will of God.

You can change your actions and behavior, but in order to do so you must first change your thoughts and words. To do that, you need the help of the indwelling Spirit of God.

Ask Him to help you. He will!

Thinking About Thinking

Reading from the Book of Philippians 4:8
 ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Do you ever think about what you are thinking? If you are not careful, your thought life can lead you into problems. It is important to think before you act, and if you concentrate on things that are true, worthy of reverence and honorable, just, pure, lovely, kind and gracious, virtuous, and excellent, your actions will reflect God's character and heart.

The Bible presents detailed instructions on what we should be thinking about. You can see from Philippians 4:8 that we are instructed to think on good things, things that will build us up and not tear us down.

Our thoughts certainly reflect our attitudes and moods. Everything the Lord tells us is for our own good. He knows what makes us happy and what makes us miserable. When people are full of wrong thoughts, they are miserable, and I have learned from experience that miserable people usually end up making others miserable also.

Take a personal inventory on a regular basis and ask yourself, "What have I been thinking about?" Spend time examing your thought life. Think about thinking.

The Steeple

Reading from the Book of Revelation 4:11
You are worthy, O LORD, to receive glory and honor and power . . . 

Burning most of the city in four days, the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed
St. Paul's Cathedral and many churches. Architect Sir Christopher Wren was
commissioned by King Charles II to rebuild these religious structures. In his design,
Wren included steeples that visually guided men and women to gaze heavenward
above the city's destruction. The steeple image quickly caught on, reminding people
of the Church's purpose: to glorify our Lord and Savior.

Yet tragically, in the busyness of new programs and entertaining fads, churches
can forget their purpose. Do we pamper our congregations with an entertainment
mentality that leads to biblical ignorance? It's not about how smart we are at
directing people toward our particular church. Our purpose isn't to be wealthy,
famous, or praised by a degraded society. Our singular purpose is to pave the
way for His return by sowing the Gospel person-to-person and nation-to-nation.

I'm thankful for the church steeple. It's a fitting symbol for the central purpose of
the Church, apologetically directing people toward the glory of God.
Step outside and gaze heavenward.

Hearts On Fire

Reading from the Book of Romans 12:9-11

⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

Romans 12:11 instructs us to be aglow and burn with the Spirit as we serve the Lord. In order to do this, we have to have our "hearts on fire." How do we keep our "hearts on fire?" I have discovered that the Word of God coming out of my own mouth in the form of prayer, praise or confession is the best way. I can fan the fire. It stirs up the gift within me, keeps the fire aflame, and prevents my spirit from sinking within me. Staying thankful also keeps me enthusiastic.

Also, stay active. There is no point in putting off doing things until later. This is an expression of passivity, and it is one of the greatest tools Satan uses against God's people. The more passive we are, the more our flames diminish. Procrastination and laziness are the cousins of passivity, and they usually all attack in a group. Passive people wait to be moved by an outside force before they take action. But we are to be motivated and led by the Holy Spirit within us, not by outside forces. The best way to be on guard against the spirit of passivity is to do what we need to do now, and do it with all our might.

Remember, everything we do is to be done unto the Lord and for His glory. We should do it through Him, to Him, for Him and with Him. And we should do it willingly, stirred up, and our "hearts on fire".

Call Out To God

Reading from the Book of Psalm 14

¹ The fool* says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.² The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. ³ All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.⁴ Do all these evildoers know nothing?They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD. ⁵ But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.⁶ You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.⁷ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

*NOTE: The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.

 I want to encourage all of my fellow believers to stay strong in the faith. The Scriptures are now being fulfilled at a startling pace, and the signs Jesus told us to watch for are growing more apparent each day. If you feel confused or frustrated and unsure of what you believe, I urge you to call out to God. If you earnestly study the Bible and remain steadfast in prayer, you will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Saviour. 

Despite what the skeptics of this world might say, I have seen God work, and I know that He is our helper in the time of trouble, our great physician in the time of sickness, our provider in the time of need, and our Comforter in the time of sorrow. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by fully surrendering your heart to the Lord. Call out to Him.

9-11 10 years

As we reflect and remember the innocent souls lost, we remember who did this...
^{Revelation 9:11} They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

And we ask, "When, Lord, when?"...
^{Revelation 14:10}The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.

We Will Never Forget!

Rooted and Grounded

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 54:1-4, 61:7

 ¹ “Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD. ² “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. ³ For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. ⁴ “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.

Do you have a shame-based nature? Are you rooted or grounded in shame? The curse and power of shame can be broken off from you through the power of God. We know from Isaiah 54:4 that the Lord has promised to remove the shame and dishonor from us that we remember it no more.

⁷ Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
God has promised that in their place He will pour out upon us a twofold blessing. We will possess double what we have lost, and we will have everlasting joy.

Take your stand on the Word of God. Become rooted and grounded, not in shame and dishonor, but in the love of Christ, being complete in Him.

Resist & Overcome!

Reading from the Book of Matthew 4:1-11

¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

We should not be surprised when temptation comes. Satan deliberately tried to tempt Jesus, and he tries to tempt us. How do you respond to temptation?

Everytime Jesus was tempted, He responded with the Word of God. Be diligent to study God's Word, so that when temptation comes, you too will know what action to take in order to resist and overcome it.

Wait and Listen

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 55:1-13

 ¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. ² Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. ³ Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. ⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. ⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ¹⁰ As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. ¹² You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

The prophets were mouthpieces for God. They were called to speak God's words to people, situations, cities, dry bones, moutains, or whatever God told them to speak to. To full their God ordained mission, they had to be submitted to the Lord, and their mouths had to be consecrated to Him.

Those who desire to be used by God need to allow Him to deal with them concerning their mouths and the things they say. If you want Him to use you, be prepared for Him to deal with you concerning your words so that you are able to represent Him well with your mouth when the time comes for you to speak His Word.

As you wait on Him to show you what His desires are, open your ears to hear. Wait and listen.

Perfect Peace

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 26:1-3

¹ In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. ² Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. ³ You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Peace of mind must precede peace in every other area of our lives. Isaiah 26:3 promises perfect peace to those who keep their mind on God. When we allow our minds to wander and when we think to much about everything we do, we push ourselves out of peace and into turmoil. When we think about the future and the responsibilities we will have, we can be overwhelmed. This kind of thinking is called anxiety. We grow anxious and lose our peace when we spend today trying to figure out tomorrow or when we try to live tomorrow in our minds today.

We will never enjoy the rich and fruitful lives God intends for us unless we learn to disipline our thoughts and resist anxiety by keeping our minds on God.

God promises that He will keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him. Turn your thoughts toward Him and let your mind lead you into perfect peace!

The Foundations Are Shaking!

Reading from the Book of II Samuel 22:8-16

 

⁸ The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry. ⁹ Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. ¹⁰ He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. ¹¹ He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. ¹² He made darkness his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. ¹³ Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. ¹⁴ The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. ¹⁵ He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. ¹⁶ The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

 

Global warming? Global cooling? Who cares? The world is changing. Climate is changing. The world is undergoing a revolution. Most of us in the U.S. are under a heat dome right now, yes. But aside from that oven effect, the sun is getting hotter. For several years I have noticed the rays of the sun; the penetrating, burning rays, becoming more intense. Even on cool days.

Earthquakes, and other geological and climatic events are occurring in diverse places, with increasing frequency and intensity. A 6.5 again in northern Japan. Even sinkholes are more frequent. Great centrifugal forces are altered with the receding or building of ice mass on continental plates. Great stresses result.

 

Volcanos are erupting in many different locations. Dust storms are passing over the Mid-West. Foundation cracks are appearing, many that are consuming houses, cars, etc.

The foundations of the earth are being shaken.

Do we grasp; do we realize, what we are witnessing in history? Humanity itself is undergoing a revolution. Every culture, and government, and economic system on earth is undergoing a revolution.

The hand of God is moving.

The tectonic problems are being caused by the removal of oil (lubrication) and gas (expansion/pressure regulation/shock-absorption/catalyst), and depressurizing of such pockets, as well as that of our water aquifers. Water in the system is coolant/lubricant/catalyst/purger/etc.

The practice of 'fracking'-fracturing-crumbling-mass formations of rock deep within the earth, is the last frontier of 'fossil' fuel, but also the straw that will break the camel's back. It is like a root canal on a tooth, in that it
is taking the life and resiliency from the rock, in terms of its geological placement and function. After fracking, the formations will pulverize and disintegrate. This will lead to different conditions, from compacting, to creation of voids, or vast fluid masses.

The way we go about using our resources (and we need to produce them to use them) is like tapping a maple tree for syrup year round. Sapping it dry, with no regard for its health. It will soon lose its life. All things in nature act this way in a general sense.

Placed in economic terms, this is not capitalism in my opinion. True capitalism is not a purposeful destroyer for the sake of exploitations. Something truly capitalist would preserve its resource to perpetuate the economic return, not rape, pillage, and plunder, seeking what it may devour next. Capitalism is a producer, not a destroyer (abaddon, hbrw, apollyon, grk~Rev. 9:11). Vast amounts of methane, and pollutants are released to atmosphere from fracking, filtering through aquifers that supply drinking wells to vast swaths of people.

"And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth." ~ Rev 11:18

Now, who, I ask, (and this is especially significant for judeo-christian people) is "them that destroy the earth"?
No one believing the Bible can say man has not the capacity to inflict massive damage upon the earth by his actions and use of resources. The time is here for great travail, and great opportunity.

Psalm 115:13 ...he will bless those who fear the LORD--small and great alike

To Be Excellent In A Lions' Den

Reading from the Book of Daniel 6: 3, 10-23

 ³ Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

Daniel was a man of excellence and because of that, the king promoted him to a position of great influence and authority. Daniel was also a man who refused to compromise. Even if his choices endangered his life, he would not compromise. He believed strongly in keeping his commitments, promises and vows and he was willing to endure personal discomfort to do so. The Bible says we should swear to our own hurt and change not. In other words, we should do what we say we are going to do even if it is hard or brings negative consequences.

¹⁰ Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. ¹¹ Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. ¹² So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
   The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
 ¹³ Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” ¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
 ¹⁵ Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
 ¹⁶ So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
 ¹⁷ A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. ¹⁸ Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
 ¹⁹ At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰ When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
 ²¹ Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! ²² My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
 ²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

In Daniel chapter 6, the king signed a decree stating that anyone who asked a petition of any god or person besides the king for thirty days would be cast into a lions' den. Daniel refused to stop praying to God and was indeed sent into the lions' den. However, no harm came to him because God miraculously shut the lions' mouths. The king was so impressed with Daniel's decision and the miraculous way God took care of him that he issued a decree that all the people had to fear and tremble before Daniel's God, for He was indeed the living God.

Daniel continued to pray as he always had. He apparently knew that God's protection could render men's threats totally null and void. If we believe we are doing God's will and then run into opposition, we need to be like Daniel and boldly continue to do as God has instructed us, trusting Him to protect us.

Our God is an excellent God, and He has called us to be excellent too. To be excellent is a decision we must make, and it means we should always go the extra mile to do things the very best way they can be done. And, we should strive to do what we believe God would do in a situation similar to the one we are in. Make a decision today to be excellent!

When the Foundations Are Destroyed

Reading from the Book of Psalm 11:3

"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

 

The word here for "foundations" is not the usual word for, say, a building foundation. Used rarely, a better translation of this word would be "purpose," or "basis." The fear expressed is not that the foundations of our faith might be undermined, but that we might lose our sense of purpose.

 

In the context of the psalm, David was in danger of becoming demoralized by the pressures of wicked desires and evil ambitions all around him, and Christians surely have the same problem today. Why should we try to maintain high standards of doctrinal integrity and moral purity when the people around us--even most Christians--seem to be occupied mostly with materialistic ambition and pursuit of pleasure? If we allow the devil to undermine the very purposes God has for our lives, wandering away from His will in favor of some temporal interest, then why even continue with a pretense of Christian living?

 

David's solution was simply to remind himself that "the LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men". He may allow the righteous to be tried for a season, but we must not forget that "the righteous LORD loveth righteousnes", and that "the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth".

 

When we are tempted to wonder whether it is really worth all the effort, and when our very foundation and purpose for living seems to be crumbling, we should remember that our God is Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of all--that He still is on His throne, and that we who belong to Him have been "predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" Ephesians 1:11.

The Institute for Creation Research

Perseverance, Persistence, Patience, Prayer

Reading from the Book of Matthew 25:1-10, 21

 ¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
   ⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
   ⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
   ⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
   ¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

All ten of the virgins in Matthew 25:1-10 had the same opportunity, but only half were prepared to take. In a society where people needed oil to provide light, five virgins were wise and had extra oil on hand. The other five were foolish and lost out because they did not keep their lamps filled with oil. When the bridegroom came, the five virgins without the oil missed their opportunity to go with him because they were lazy when they should have been working and were out trying to buy more oil for their lamps at the wrong time.

God is an "equal-opportunity employer." It does not matter to Him what kind of background we come from, what kind of parents or family life we have, what color or gender we are, what kind of education we recieved, or what our physical handicaps may be. None of those things make any difference to Him. In Him, we all have equal opportunity. Anyone who will follow His guidelines and do what He tells them to do can be blessed and used by Him. God puts potentail in all of us and if we are willing to develop it, we will see wonderful things take place in our lives.

 ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

In Matthew 25:21, Jesus stressed the importance of being faithful to the work assigned us. We want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." It's not the amount of our work that's important, or the status of it, or the notoriety of it. It's the faithfulness with which we do exactly what He has assigned us. Our lives and labors call for perseverance, persistence, patience, and prayer.

I Am The Way!

Reading from the Book of John 14:5-14

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know^[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” ⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Have you ever been in a car with someone who doesn't know where he is going and who refuses to ask for directions? Many people think there are many ways to God, and they search for truth in different places, ignoring the directions that God gave us.

However, the reality is that there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ. As you follow Jesus, Who is the Way, He will lead you in truth and you will experience fullness of life.

To whatever degree we love God, to that same degree we obey Him. To whatever degree we obey Him, that is the measure of our love for Him. As our love for Jesus grows, so will our obedience.

It is important to see that Jesus has a certain way of doing things, and if we will submit to His way, everything will work out. So often we wrestle and struggle with Him, trying to get Him to do things our way. It just doesn't work. Let Jesus be the Way in your life.

Be A God-Pleaser

Reading from the Book of Exodus 18:17-18

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Moses was a man of many responsibilities. All day, every day, the Israelites came to him for everything. Wanting to please the people, Moses tried to meet all their needs.When God told Moses through his father-in-law that his task was too heavy for him, the message came through loud and clear: "The thing that you are doing is not good...You are not able to perform it all by yourself."

One of the fastest ways for a person to grow weary is to be a "people-pleaser" rather than a "God-pleaser."
People-pleasers have a hard time setting boundaries. But we need to understand that setting limits is wise and is a sign of strength, not weakness. Like Moses we need to learn that we cannot do it all. We are on the road to burnout if we try to keep everyone happy and do everything we think they want us to do all of the time.

Seek to please God alone, and you will experience peace, freedom, and enjoyment you have never known. Be a God-Pleaser.

Stir Up The Love!

Reading from the Book of Matthew 24:8-14

8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The twenty-forth chapter of Matthew deals with signs of the end-times. Most of them we are very familiar with---wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines and widespread deception. But there is another sign of the end times. Matthew 24:12 says that "the love of most will grow cold" due to the lawlessness and wickedness in the land.

The "great body" is the church, not the world. The pressure of rampant evil, difficult circumstances, and even the stress of our modern-day lifestyles produce an atmosphere so supercharged with problems that most people totally ignore their love walk with God. Instead they concentrate on themselves, look out for themselves, and try to solve their own problems.

This is something that God never told us to do. If we tend to His business, He will tend to ours. We are to concentrate on representing Him properly, and that is impossible to do unless we are walking in love. As we do that, He gives us wisdom to deal with our problems and brings deliverance from our foes.

Refuse to let your love grow cold. Reach out to others who are hurting and in need. Pray for people and bless them. Grow to the point that one of your first thoughts each morning in your heart is about how you can bless someone else that day. Express care and concern for your family, loved ones and friends. Stir up the love in your life!

Those Who Gave All

We will never forget those who gave all!

What Time Is It?

Reading from the Book of Mark 13:31-33

 ³¹Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
 ³²But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
 ³³Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

So where is this generation at in this sequence of cosmic events? Jesus instructed us to watch the signs of the times so that we would be better prepared for His coming. But not just His coming: preparation also for the arrival of false prophets, persecution, an Antichrist, and other tribulations. Yes, Jesus commanded us to watch and pray so that we would be able to remain faithful during the "final trial" that would come.

Particularly, our generation is certainly a candidate for the possible arrival of the "lawless one."
What is my mission? In part, it is to better prepare you for these trials. However, my ultimate goal is to prepare you, not for the Antichrist, but for Jesus Christ! For the Lord is near, and He desires to enter your heart now. If you open wide your heart to Jesus, then you are already beginning to live in the Kingdom of God, and the sufferings of this present time will seem as nothing compared to the glory you will taste and which awaits you in eternity.

There are fearful things I sometimes have written in my "blogs" (see also GodsModernDayMartyr). And should they awaken you and drive you to the feet of Christ, then that is a good thing. I would sooner see you in Heaven with trembling knees than know you went into everlasting flames because you were asleep in sin. But even better if you come to the Lord in trust and hope, recognizing His infinite love and mercy for you.

Jesus is not someone "way out there", a cruel judge hastening to sentence you, but He is near… a Brother and Friend, standing as it were at the door of your heart. If you open it, He will begin to whisper His divine secrets to you, putting this world and all its trappings in their proper context, and bestowing upon you the World to come, in this life, and the next. With Jesus, you will hear, see and know what time it is.

The Mighty Oak

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 61:1-3


 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
   instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
   instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
   instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called mighty oaks,
   a planting of the LORD
   for the display of his splendor.

If we consistently believe God's Word, He will turn circumstances from negative to positive, in His perfect timing.

A lot of negative things have happened to me, and Satan used them to sour my attitude toward life and people.  I was trapped in my past because I did not believe I had a future.  As soon as I believed in Jesus Christ, I was released from the past and began making progress toward the good things God had in mind for me. It did not all come to me immediately in manifested form, but believing in God gave me renewed hope that kept me going from day to day. Slowly but surely I began to see changes take place in my life, and each change encouraged me to believe God more.

Believing God is the key to recieving from Him. No matter what has happened to you in the past, if you believe, you can begin to enjoy the good future that is set aside for you in Jesus Christ, and begin to stand strong as the mighty oak.

Balance vs The Beast

Reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes 3:18-22

 ¹⁸I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

 ¹⁹For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
 ²⁰All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
 ²¹Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
 ²²Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

 

A prudent person is balanced. He avoids extremes in the management of his life and faith. People have a difficult time with balance. Ideas concerning the power of words, the mouth, confession, calling those things that be not as they are, and speaking things into existence, is one example of an area in which I have seen people move into extremes. It seems that the flesh wants to live in the ditch on one side of the road or the other, but it has a difficult time staying in the middle of the highway between the lines of safety.

 

Extremes are actually the devil's playground. If he cannot get a believer to totally ignore the truth and live in deception, his next tactic will be to get him so one-sided and out of balance with the truth that he is no better off than he was before. Sometimes he is even worse off than he was.

 

Wisdom is a central theme of God's Word. As a matter of fact, there is no real victory without it, and we are wise to remain balanced in our everyday lives.

The Armor Of God

Reading from the Book of Romans 8:19-22,13:12 and Ephesians 6:10-18

Romans 8:19-22

 ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that^[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

 ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

We live in day in which there seems to be much anxiety throughout the world about what the future holds. There is the economic anxiety of failing monetary systems on a global scale that leaves many wondering what will become of their finances in the near future. There is the anxiety of wars and rumors of wars throughout the world on a scale more fearful than ever before with the existence of nuclear weapons throughout a majority of the world’s powerful nations. There is even the anxiety of where the next earthquake will strike as we are undoubtedly witnessing the increase of earthquakes as Jesus forewarned would happen shortly before His return. Not only have there been increasing earthquakes but also an increase in other types of nature related calamities such as volcanoes, tsunamis, tornados, hurricanes, cyclones and many other unordinary weather occurrences and with a frequency that we have never witnessed before. Even the animal world seems to be in a state of despair with the increase of bees, birds and fish suddenly dying in great numbers throughout various regions of the world. Romans 8:19-22 says that all of creation eagerly awaits the revealing of the Son of God, that the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption and that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs. I believe that the increases of natural disasters that we are witnessing are indeed these birth pangs spoken about in Romans 8:22 from the creation itself before the coming of the Lord.

Romans 13:12

  ¹²The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

The Bible warns us that as we inch closer and closer to the return of the Lord we will be subjected to a world that will wax more and more evil. Throughout the ages there has been a battle between good and evil that exists beyond the tangible world. Many walk through life unaware that they are in the midst of this unseen spiritual war. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” There are spiritual “hosts” of wickedness that are pulling strings behind the curtains of the world’s affairs

As we live in a time where the future is so uncertain with the world tinkering on the edge of nuclear war and of global financial collapse, the secular world wants to provide solitude in material and temporary enjoyments. The only way you will be able to cope in a world that is heading towards inevitable turmoil is to put on the armor of God. I may sound pessimistic about the future but God’s timetable for prophetic fulfillment is right on schedule. All of the end time chess pieces are moving into position. Our present day world may seem like evil is winning but God is still and always will be on the throne and in control. We shouldn't be surprised when we read the headlines and see catastrophes, corruption and wars. Jesus said it would be so but if we are wearing Jesus Christ, then we are prepared.

Ephesians 6:10-18

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

If you live a life of anxiety or fear then may I suggest turning to Christ. It isn't just the right remedy it is the only one! All other remedies are temporary and want something in return. Christ just wants your heart. Christ is a giver not a taker and what He gives is life and in abundance. Spend some time meditating on Ephesians 6:10-18 and get acquainted with your battle armor. Christ doesn't want you living in fear. Fear is of Satan. It is one of his most underhanded weapons but we have armor for it. We have Christ and we have His promises of overcoming the world and of eternal life. We know the end because He has revealed it to us and at the end of the day – we win! In fact we have already won the battle but we are just waiting for it all to play itself out. While we are waiting, be sure to be donning your armor. Satan’s time is running short and he knows it. In these last days he is pulling out all the stops to take as many with him as he can. We live in an era that is chock full of temptations, compromises, deception, lures, and distractions from God then any other generation before. That is why it is so important that we have on our protective armor – The Armor of God.