Friday, September 5, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
CONFIRMATION OF JUDGMENT ON THE USA
August 14, 2014
I watched Pastor Patrick Winfrey's video titled Destruction of America imminent, get ready NOW!!!! I posted it here a few days ago. In the video he was given a bible verse from the LORD in Jeremiah 11:11 which says Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them". I was thinking on that verse as I was just about to go to bed and I heard in my spirit: Nahum 1:6. I read the old testament a few times in the past but I didn't recall anything about Nahum so I looked it up. It was confirmation to me that backs up what Pastor Patrick was saying. Here is the verse: Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him.
Those bible passages were written for Israel but there are parallels to America today. Americans have been very blessed. The hand of the LORD has been upon this nation as we sent out our missionaries all over the globe to spread the gospel. Although we continue doing the Lord's work till this day, we are also the leader in pornography, abortions, and the gay agenda, which is Satanically inspired, and that has placed on a slippery slope. We are on shaky ground with God.
God only tolerates so much indignation and then He acts. He's been trying to get the attention of America for some time now with remedial judgments meant to bring us to repentance. For He says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. The Lord does send natural disasters, pestilence, and even other nations to punish those who turn away from Him. When His people do not repent, He sends wicked rulers to rule over them and this is what we are experiencing here and now in America, and yet, we still don't repent and seek Him. Amazing!
God has already done His part when Christ died once and for all for all sin. Now it's up to us to repent, pray, and seek Him. He has brought on this country floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, sink holes, wild fires, and drought to name a few.
Just look at the news, it is replete with graphic horror scenes of violence in the streets. The love of many has truly waxed cold as is states in Matt 24:12. We are there! We are living in the time that Christ warned about. We are in the days of Noah!
So we are faced with a decision. Do we get our spiritual house in order, knowing full well that the watchmen have sounded the alarm that Jesus is coming, or do we roll over and hit the snooze button and enjoy a little more slumber? Haven't we been asleep long enough? Look what has happened while the church was sleeping! A day is coming, and soon, when God will make that decision for us if we don't wake up and do something about the deplorable state we are in. Romans 3:10-12 says "there is none righteous, no not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one". What a sad state to be in and yet that is exactly where we are but no one knows it because we have allowed ourselves to be blinded by the enemy.
No man knows the day or hour of Chirst's return for His bride but we can know the season of His return. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Period! There is nothing we can do to gain salvation other than to repent, confess, and believe. There is no magic prayer or sequence of words that we must say to be saved, but only to have a repentant (sorrowful) heart, and faith to believe that Jesus, son of the most high God, came to earth to die for our sins (past, present, and future) and He (Jesus) rose to life again. If we believe that and confess with our mouth that He is LORD, we will be spared His wrath that is coming!
We are not promised another moment. Not one of us knows the moment of our death or the rapture of the Bride. Only God knows such things as these. We can however, know where we are going once that moment takes place.
Phillipians 2:10 says that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that ever tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We are all going to do it. Every one of us, every angel fallen, and not! Not believing does not make you exempt.
As God's special gift, He imparted on us free will. Each of us must make up our own minds to choose for or against Him. I've made my choice. I'm putting all my eggs in the Jesus basket, are you?
I watched Pastor Patrick Winfrey's video titled Destruction of America imminent, get ready NOW!!!! I posted it here a few days ago. In the video he was given a bible verse from the LORD in Jeremiah 11:11 which says Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them". I was thinking on that verse as I was just about to go to bed and I heard in my spirit: Nahum 1:6. I read the old testament a few times in the past but I didn't recall anything about Nahum so I looked it up. It was confirmation to me that backs up what Pastor Patrick was saying. Here is the verse: Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him.
Those bible passages were written for Israel but there are parallels to America today. Americans have been very blessed. The hand of the LORD has been upon this nation as we sent out our missionaries all over the globe to spread the gospel. Although we continue doing the Lord's work till this day, we are also the leader in pornography, abortions, and the gay agenda, which is Satanically inspired, and that has placed on a slippery slope. We are on shaky ground with God.
God only tolerates so much indignation and then He acts. He's been trying to get the attention of America for some time now with remedial judgments meant to bring us to repentance. For He says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. The Lord does send natural disasters, pestilence, and even other nations to punish those who turn away from Him. When His people do not repent, He sends wicked rulers to rule over them and this is what we are experiencing here and now in America, and yet, we still don't repent and seek Him. Amazing!
God has already done His part when Christ died once and for all for all sin. Now it's up to us to repent, pray, and seek Him. He has brought on this country floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, sink holes, wild fires, and drought to name a few.
Just look at the news, it is replete with graphic horror scenes of violence in the streets. The love of many has truly waxed cold as is states in Matt 24:12. We are there! We are living in the time that Christ warned about. We are in the days of Noah!
So we are faced with a decision. Do we get our spiritual house in order, knowing full well that the watchmen have sounded the alarm that Jesus is coming, or do we roll over and hit the snooze button and enjoy a little more slumber? Haven't we been asleep long enough? Look what has happened while the church was sleeping! A day is coming, and soon, when God will make that decision for us if we don't wake up and do something about the deplorable state we are in. Romans 3:10-12 says "there is none righteous, no not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one". What a sad state to be in and yet that is exactly where we are but no one knows it because we have allowed ourselves to be blinded by the enemy.
No man knows the day or hour of Chirst's return for His bride but we can know the season of His return. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Period! There is nothing we can do to gain salvation other than to repent, confess, and believe. There is no magic prayer or sequence of words that we must say to be saved, but only to have a repentant (sorrowful) heart, and faith to believe that Jesus, son of the most high God, came to earth to die for our sins (past, present, and future) and He (Jesus) rose to life again. If we believe that and confess with our mouth that He is LORD, we will be spared His wrath that is coming!
We are not promised another moment. Not one of us knows the moment of our death or the rapture of the Bride. Only God knows such things as these. We can however, know where we are going once that moment takes place.
Phillipians 2:10 says that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that ever tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We are all going to do it. Every one of us, every angel fallen, and not! Not believing does not make you exempt.
As God's special gift, He imparted on us free will. Each of us must make up our own minds to choose for or against Him. I've made my choice. I'm putting all my eggs in the Jesus basket, are you?
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Saturday, June 14, 2014
MY REAL MORNING COFFEE!
June 14, 2014
Summer is here and kids are out of school. What a difference that makes. I'm on a good schedule and then BAM! Schedule's blown and now I'm on an entirely different schedule - a new one of my own making, though I marvel at how fast the process takes place and it's hard to get back to the old schedule which was working so well.
I used to send my child off to school and when my house was quiet, I would pray. I like to start the day out right. When I can't pray before leaving the house in the morning, I feel as if something isn't right. It isn't that God is angry with me that I didn't pray, or bad things happen to me throughout the day. It is just that closeness that I crave and feel as if something is amiss when I don't have it. Jesus is my morning coffee!
This morning I opened my eyes and my first thought was to roll out of bed and pray while the house was still quiet but I didn't. I stayed up much later that usual and I was more tired that usual so I rolled over and fell back to sleep again and didn't wake until my six year old came bounding in my bedroom, nagging me like an annoying alarm clock with no snooze button.
Once my day starts, it's busy and I don't have many opportunities to spend with the LORD. Today was no exception. The Holy Spirit was nudging me to go pray and instead I had my coffee and checked emails. Again, He nudged me to go pray but this time it was breakfast that was the pressing issue.
Before I knew it, it was time to get ready for work. I thought (again) that I'd have time to get some prayer time in before heading out the door but my mom called with a request that would require me to leave even earlier than I had planned, leaving me no time to pray. That is always the case when you are busy. Things happen that make you even busier yet, it never fails.
Do you know what one of the biggest lies the enemy tells us? - That we have plenty of time and can "get to it later". Imagine waiting in a doctor's office and you are told "he'll see you eventually. Or your sitting at a red light and it will turn green "one of these days". That kind "of thing doesn't sit well with us. We get so annoyed when the person in front of us doesn't gun the engine the second the light turns green - horns are blaring. Why then, do we do that to God? We start out with good intentions, then He slides to the #2 position and before we know it, we stop reading His word everyday, we stop praying and praising Him, we might even stop going to church. Satan is all happy with this. He whispers lies in our ears that we have nothing to worry about, it's all good. God will always be there for us. We can come to Him anytime we want (just not now). And the sad part is...we buy the lie.
I was being selfish this morning, plain and simple. There is no way around it. It was pure unadulterated selfishness on my part. I wanted to do what I wanted to do and so I did and then felt horrible after that I didn't give God two minutes of my time.
For me it was a lack of praying; for you it may be something else that He is calling you to do and you are dragging your feet, perhaps it's coming to Christ for the first time or after backsliding. Whatever it may be, soon the decision will be made for us, only not by us, but the LORD and Hebrews 10:31 tells us "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God".
We are told in Isaiah 55:6 seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Next time I will be more in tune to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my heart - I won't be selfish, and will seek Him early.
Blessings to you all. May God grant you the will to seek Him will all diligence while He may be found.
James 27:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Summer is here and kids are out of school. What a difference that makes. I'm on a good schedule and then BAM! Schedule's blown and now I'm on an entirely different schedule - a new one of my own making, though I marvel at how fast the process takes place and it's hard to get back to the old schedule which was working so well.
I used to send my child off to school and when my house was quiet, I would pray. I like to start the day out right. When I can't pray before leaving the house in the morning, I feel as if something isn't right. It isn't that God is angry with me that I didn't pray, or bad things happen to me throughout the day. It is just that closeness that I crave and feel as if something is amiss when I don't have it. Jesus is my morning coffee!
This morning I opened my eyes and my first thought was to roll out of bed and pray while the house was still quiet but I didn't. I stayed up much later that usual and I was more tired that usual so I rolled over and fell back to sleep again and didn't wake until my six year old came bounding in my bedroom, nagging me like an annoying alarm clock with no snooze button.
Once my day starts, it's busy and I don't have many opportunities to spend with the LORD. Today was no exception. The Holy Spirit was nudging me to go pray and instead I had my coffee and checked emails. Again, He nudged me to go pray but this time it was breakfast that was the pressing issue.
Before I knew it, it was time to get ready for work. I thought (again) that I'd have time to get some prayer time in before heading out the door but my mom called with a request that would require me to leave even earlier than I had planned, leaving me no time to pray. That is always the case when you are busy. Things happen that make you even busier yet, it never fails.
Do you know what one of the biggest lies the enemy tells us? - That we have plenty of time and can "get to it later". Imagine waiting in a doctor's office and you are told "he'll see you eventually. Or your sitting at a red light and it will turn green "one of these days". That kind "of thing doesn't sit well with us. We get so annoyed when the person in front of us doesn't gun the engine the second the light turns green - horns are blaring. Why then, do we do that to God? We start out with good intentions, then He slides to the #2 position and before we know it, we stop reading His word everyday, we stop praying and praising Him, we might even stop going to church. Satan is all happy with this. He whispers lies in our ears that we have nothing to worry about, it's all good. God will always be there for us. We can come to Him anytime we want (just not now). And the sad part is...we buy the lie.
I was being selfish this morning, plain and simple. There is no way around it. It was pure unadulterated selfishness on my part. I wanted to do what I wanted to do and so I did and then felt horrible after that I didn't give God two minutes of my time.
For me it was a lack of praying; for you it may be something else that He is calling you to do and you are dragging your feet, perhaps it's coming to Christ for the first time or after backsliding. Whatever it may be, soon the decision will be made for us, only not by us, but the LORD and Hebrews 10:31 tells us "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God".
We are told in Isaiah 55:6 seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Next time I will be more in tune to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my heart - I won't be selfish, and will seek Him early.
Blessings to you all. May God grant you the will to seek Him will all diligence while He may be found.
James 27:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Friday, June 6, 2014
ARISE, WAKE FROM YOUR SLUMBER AND FIGHT!
June 6, 2014
ARISE, WAKE FROM YOUR SLUMBER AND FIGHT!
As I was praying this morning the LORD gave me this word:
Now is not a time for slackness on the part of My people. Wake up, and see the darkness that has come. It surrounds you. Rise up! Take the armor that I give you - be clothed in it and fight the good fight.
My people you are living in dangerous times. You will need My protection, and you shall have it. In this time of worry and strife, you shall have provision at My hand. You are more than conquers in Me. You are heirs in My kingdom; don't let the enemy tell you otherwise, for he is a liar and the father of lies. He roams the earth seeking the weak as his prey. Be strong My people, that he will flee from you. For he will see that you are in Me as I AM in the Father, and he will run from you.
Push back the darkness that creeps into your lives. Don't allow it any access, for it will surely take over if you do.
I have given My people a time of rest to refresh you in body, mind, and spirit, but now I say to you, the time of rest is over. It is time to charge forward and win souls into My kingdom. My great harvest is at hand and I AM sending out the workers to gather in the lost. The enemy knows this - he knows his time is very short indeed and he works tirelessly to interrupt My plans, but he will not succeed.
Pray for those you know who need an outpouring of My grace. Pray for your families, friends, and neighbors who have not yet, accepted Me and My free gift of salvation. Pray for those who are sitting on the fence, who think they know Me but they do not. Pray for the workers going out into the harvest fields that I will refresh them anew with a zeal for the lost that they will be successful in the task that I have set before them.
And pray for yourselves that I will continue to cover you with My precious and holy blood that no harm shall come to you. Be strong in Me and don't waiver in your walk with Me. I will surely do amazing things and bring you safely home.
Ephesians 6:10 -17 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Revelation 12:12 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time".
James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
S.O.S.
June 5, 2014
The other day I was sitting at a traffic light when I looked over and saw a tow truck next to me. I've seen a hundred of them but never noticed this one special feature - the part of the tow that goes under the vehicle to lift it up was in the shape of a cross. How ironic that the most important part of a tow truck was shaped like a cross. There there to help us when we break down but who do we call when we break down spiritually, emotionally, or physically? Shouldn't it be JESUS, the One who created us and loves us unconditionally? Why is it that so often when we find ourselves in a tough spot, we look to others around us, or we look to crutches like cigarettes and alcohol to comfort us? Shouldn't our very first thought be to bring our cares to Him? He tells us to do just that - Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28) Don't we trust Him enough to love us and care for us? Why then do we repeatedly look elsewhere first? Matthew 7:9-11 says: Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Isn't it interesting that Jesus refers to us as "evil" and yet we give good gifts to our own. How then can a completely Holy God give bad gifts? He is simply incapable!
Just before this verse in Matthew 7:7 Jesus tells us "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. An important observation here is that we are told that EVERYONE who asks receives, not just some people, the absolute righteous perhaps (because we know there is no such person) but everyone. Why then do we ask and not receive? Is there some secret? The key to asking for things is to first make sure it is in alignment with His divine will. God is not going cause us to win the lottery so that we can buy our dream house, because He knows that will ultimately corrupt our walk with Him. Secondly, we must believe that we will receive what we ask Him for. Believing Him for what we don't see yet, is our faith in action. Mark 11:24, Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. So we must first, make sure that what we are asking for isn't going against the will of God and secondly, we need to exercise our faith and BELIEVE that He will provide those things that we are asking for.
Remember: Jesus is way more than just a tow truck driver who is there when we need Him to get us out of a jam. He created us, He loves us, and He seeks a relationship with us. He is always there even when we don't feel His presence, even when we sin against Him - He is faithful to forgive us when we repent and turn back to Him.
The LORD does use other people to bring comfort to us when we need it, but we should never make that person an idol, nor any other thing that steals away our affection and consumes our time.
The other day I was sitting at a traffic light when I looked over and saw a tow truck next to me. I've seen a hundred of them but never noticed this one special feature - the part of the tow that goes under the vehicle to lift it up was in the shape of a cross. How ironic that the most important part of a tow truck was shaped like a cross. There there to help us when we break down but who do we call when we break down spiritually, emotionally, or physically? Shouldn't it be JESUS, the One who created us and loves us unconditionally? Why is it that so often when we find ourselves in a tough spot, we look to others around us, or we look to crutches like cigarettes and alcohol to comfort us? Shouldn't our very first thought be to bring our cares to Him? He tells us to do just that - Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28) Don't we trust Him enough to love us and care for us? Why then do we repeatedly look elsewhere first? Matthew 7:9-11 says: Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Isn't it interesting that Jesus refers to us as "evil" and yet we give good gifts to our own. How then can a completely Holy God give bad gifts? He is simply incapable!
Just before this verse in Matthew 7:7 Jesus tells us "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. An important observation here is that we are told that EVERYONE who asks receives, not just some people, the absolute righteous perhaps (because we know there is no such person) but everyone. Why then do we ask and not receive? Is there some secret? The key to asking for things is to first make sure it is in alignment with His divine will. God is not going cause us to win the lottery so that we can buy our dream house, because He knows that will ultimately corrupt our walk with Him. Secondly, we must believe that we will receive what we ask Him for. Believing Him for what we don't see yet, is our faith in action. Mark 11:24, Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. So we must first, make sure that what we are asking for isn't going against the will of God and secondly, we need to exercise our faith and BELIEVE that He will provide those things that we are asking for.
Remember: Jesus is way more than just a tow truck driver who is there when we need Him to get us out of a jam. He created us, He loves us, and He seeks a relationship with us. He is always there even when we don't feel His presence, even when we sin against Him - He is faithful to forgive us when we repent and turn back to Him.
The LORD does use other people to bring comfort to us when we need it, but we should never make that person an idol, nor any other thing that steals away our affection and consumes our time.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
THE DESERT, THE OCEAN, AND THE RAPTURE
May 18, 2014
Lately I've been feeling pretty dry in a spiritual sense. We all go through through those dreaded drought periods in our lives when we feel like animal hide that's been baking out in the hot desert sun all day, parched and cracking. We reach for our water canteen only to find it empty and dusty.
These are the times when we start to wonder what the LORD is up to in our lives. Did He forget about us? Is He busy elsewhere? The answer is NO. and NO. He's never too busy for His beloved children and He says in His word that He neither leaves us, nor forsakes us. So what is going on here?
The desert times can leave us feeling anxious, numb, vulnerable, and even alone. It is a time when God wants to draw us closer to Him so He can teach us something. If life constantly goes our way, what learning is there in that? What type of appreciation would have for the things He has given us if we never experience need?
Jesus admonishes us to run the race as to win a prize, to endure to the end, to do all we can, and then stand. As with every race, there is always the occasional hurdle to get over, the noisy crowd on the sidelines, distracting us. Why would He tell us to do all we can and then to stand? What does He know that we don't? He knows that Satan is going to throw all he's got as us to get us off track and make us lose our focus. He's going to trick us, trap us, and trample us underfoot unless we're rooted in Jesus like a tree by the water's edge.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but it's leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.
We are expected to be rooted in Jesus Christ, Who is our living water, and Who nourishes us in times of drought, protects us from the heat, AND we are expected to still bear fruit during those times. In other words: Don't give up!
With that in mind, I prayed last night about my spiritual dryness, begging God to give me some encouragement. He brought to mind the days when my family used to go to the beach for vacation. I would go out shelling for hours looking for that perfect shell for my collection. With every wave of the ocean, I got excited to see what it brought in, never getting distracted by the people on the be each, or the crashing waves. I didn't even feel the scorching heat of the sun beating down on me. It's the same with life, when we are SO focused on Jesus, we won't be distracted by the roar of the worldly crowd, nor the scorching heat of the devils attacks against us. I was encouraged to keep running the race, to keep my focus on Him and to take that same attitude of endurance because the rapture of the Bride is truly just around the corner.
Lately I've been feeling pretty dry in a spiritual sense. We all go through through those dreaded drought periods in our lives when we feel like animal hide that's been baking out in the hot desert sun all day, parched and cracking. We reach for our water canteen only to find it empty and dusty.
These are the times when we start to wonder what the LORD is up to in our lives. Did He forget about us? Is He busy elsewhere? The answer is NO. and NO. He's never too busy for His beloved children and He says in His word that He neither leaves us, nor forsakes us. So what is going on here?
The desert times can leave us feeling anxious, numb, vulnerable, and even alone. It is a time when God wants to draw us closer to Him so He can teach us something. If life constantly goes our way, what learning is there in that? What type of appreciation would have for the things He has given us if we never experience need?
Jesus admonishes us to run the race as to win a prize, to endure to the end, to do all we can, and then stand. As with every race, there is always the occasional hurdle to get over, the noisy crowd on the sidelines, distracting us. Why would He tell us to do all we can and then to stand? What does He know that we don't? He knows that Satan is going to throw all he's got as us to get us off track and make us lose our focus. He's going to trick us, trap us, and trample us underfoot unless we're rooted in Jesus like a tree by the water's edge.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but it's leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.
We are expected to be rooted in Jesus Christ, Who is our living water, and Who nourishes us in times of drought, protects us from the heat, AND we are expected to still bear fruit during those times. In other words: Don't give up!
With that in mind, I prayed last night about my spiritual dryness, begging God to give me some encouragement. He brought to mind the days when my family used to go to the beach for vacation. I would go out shelling for hours looking for that perfect shell for my collection. With every wave of the ocean, I got excited to see what it brought in, never getting distracted by the people on the be each, or the crashing waves. I didn't even feel the scorching heat of the sun beating down on me. It's the same with life, when we are SO focused on Jesus, we won't be distracted by the roar of the worldly crowd, nor the scorching heat of the devils attacks against us. I was encouraged to keep running the race, to keep my focus on Him and to take that same attitude of endurance because the rapture of the Bride is truly just around the corner.
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