Category: Religion

Time is on my side….is it really?


We are not guaranteed any time. Some of us get to live to be 8 or 9 decades old, some make it to the century birthday mark, but those years are not given at birth. We live them, one day at a time, one year at a time, one decade at a time as God wills for us to be on this Earth. It is not something that we have any control over, for the most part. Of course, if you live your life doing dangerous stunts or smoking or drinking all of the time then you can have an effect on your quality of life and its quantity too.

In the Bible, God says that man is allotted “three score and ten“, any years beyond that is a true gift from Him. Right now, I am not far from my three score but I am going to serve Him until He comes again or until my time is up, whichever comes first. Your time and mine are pretty much the same. We all get, if God wills it, 24 hours every day. Part of that we spend sleeping, part of it we are travelling to or from work, part of it we are eating and we usually work about eight hours or so depending on the job we have. So, do you see time as a friend or a master? The reason for my question is that many people rush through life day after day, like they are being pushed or forced to rush through the day. Then, some of us see a day as a gift which God has given to us and we use it and every hour that we have is precious.

This is the way that I have had to learn to live since I became disabled and unable to work at a regular job. I wake up and thank God for the day, then get my coffee and read a few chapters in the Bible. I may get inspired to write a post for this site or one of my other blogs. I make sure that our dogs are fed and the cats too and I try my best to get my son out of bed before noon. God has given me this time to enjoy in life because the age of grace that many refer to as “the Church age” is coming to an end. I don’t know when, but God does and according to all of the prophecies in His Word it won’t be too much longer.

By saying that I mean that I believe that I will be alive when the Trumpet sounds and He calls us home. If you would like to go with me, please consider giving your life to Jesus soon. Pray about it, go to church and talk to a pastor about Jesus. Ask questions about Him, seek Him in His Word and in prayer. Why do I say this? Because, after the church and the dead who are Christians are raised, the world is going to change dramatically and it won’t be for the better. God loves you and knows who you are and where you are in your life, all that you need to do is seek Him out and pray that He would forgive you of your sins, just like He forgave me of mine. I am not perfect, only Jesus can claim a sinless life, but God will forgive you if you are sincere about changing your life and following Him.

The Humble Christ, our Saviour


Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11 KJV
http://bible.com/1/php.2.5-11.KJV

So much need and so little time…


In our country there is a vacuum that is forming in towns and cities, communities and homes and it seems to be going unnoticed by most people, but God knows that it is there. We have pushed Him away from our churches and our homes and our jobs, especially from our own government so the vacuum that has been created is of our own making. We have caused this, we as a culture and people have done this collectively. Why did it happen? What is the purpose of it?

In reality and in truth, we have been fulfilling Scriptural prophecy that God inspired the writers of the books in the Bible to write down. Many people seem to be wondering the same thing that I have for many years: Why is America or at least a reference to it completely absent from the Bible, particularly the prophecies concerning the end times? It is simple really, it is because we are not a powerful nation anymore. We have lost our foundation and our purpose for being. How did that happen? Over the past century, our government and many politicians in the states have gradually taken freedom from us. Just a little bit here and there, nothing that would be missed for a while. But, after fifty years or so the missing pieces begin to add up.

Like taking a rock from a pile of rocks. At one point, after the pile has settled, the rocks are all suspended and touching each other supporting the ones above on the ones below. If you remove a small one from the bottom, it may not make much difference, but if you take enough small ones from the bottom the result can be hundreds coming crashing down. Another illustration would be a large amount of snow packed on the side of a mountain. As long as you don’t disturb much of the packed snow, there isn’t a danger. But, if you disturb enough of it then the whole side of the mountain may come crashing down as an avalanche.

The only difference in taking freedoms away is that the catastrophe won’t necessarily kill you, although many people may die in the aftermath, but the economy of the country will fail eventually. Bit by bit, a little knowledge is taken away, a bit of history is changed so that the next generation doesn’t really know the truth, money is printed to keep the supply up and the interest rates are dropped to prop up the economy. The net result is that sooner or later, the stocks and bonds that were sold to keep everything going are worthless, the money that our economy depends on is not worth enough to keep the value up when the banks come looking for payments on loans. Our creditors in other countries will look at our devalued status and demand payment on the bonds. Sooner or later this house of cards will collapse under its own weight.

Why is this traced back to our character and our heritage of being a country which feared God and used His Word as a template for our laws? Because, without God at the center of our nation and its governance, the wheel will fly apart and our country will be no more. The movement, if you want to call it that, which began at the beginning of the twentieth century is called “progressivism”. By the time that this is published, we will have lost about half of the freedoms that our great grandparents took for granted and it will get worse before it gets better.

Our country and all of the people in it NEED a true revival of Biblical proportions. Similar to the Great Awakening of a couple of centuries past, but even more fervent in scope. We are seeing our country brought down by a few people, those who believe that an altered view of the Bible is needed or those who believe that God and His Word needs to be booted out of the country and all of its institutions and offices all together. Our people, those in the United States but also every person who reads this blog, need to get into God’s Word and pray for a real revival in their hearts and in the heart of the nation itself. Please, take this to heart and look for God in His Word because He is there waiting for you to come and open  your heart to Him.

Prayer…does it accomplish anything?


Last night, I went to a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Not a Bible study like we have been to before, but an actual prayer meeting. All of us prayed for someone or a group of people on our hearts. Many of those in attendance prayed for each person on their hearts, some prayers were long, some were specific about their health problems. In truth, we really had a “prayer meeting” and not just Bible study.

Does prayer accomplish anything? Yes, it does! A sinner’s prayer can bring a soul that has been searching for something or Someone into a relationship with Christ. The prayer which is prayed by a grandmother or grandfather can keep a child out of harm’s way until they can come to know Jesus. A nation which prays and humbles itself before the Lord and repents of its sin of turning away from Him, will be forgiven and their land will begin to heal. Prayer for someone who is suffering from cancer or some other incurable disease or condition can bring relief or healing, if that is the outcome that God sees for that individual, especially if they are to be used by Him in a special way in the future.

Prayer is a two-way communication between you and the Creator. There is no loss of signal, or misunderstood words or problems with interpretation because God knows what you need, He is just waiting for you to ask for Him to fulfill your needs in your life, not your wants! He doesn’t pour out money from Heaven just because you ask for it, but He will provide for your needs at the right time and the right amount in relation to your faith and belief in Him. We all have a measure of faith, but our ability to have a prayer answered is in His hands and His will not yours. Just as Jesus prayed in the Garden for “let this cup to pass from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done” Matthew 26:39

God allowed Jesus to go to the cross and He had to drink from the cup of suffering because that was the Father’s will. The punishment and pain that He felt on the cross and from the flogging beforehand were miniscule compared to the Father turning away from Him and leaving Him as He hung on the cross. The pain from that is what caused our Lord to cry out on the cross in agony as the separation became clear and it was very painful to Him. The abandonment and isolation from His Father is the punishment which Jesus endured for us, because it is the same isolation that we would be subject to feel if we were cast into Hades or hell. We will know the times which we had a chance to choose life with Jesus, we will remember all of those chances that we had that we didn’t take. If you haven’t given your heart to Jesus, then consider it please. Anything that we have to endure here is but a puff of smoke compared to the eternity that you face without God’s presence in your life because of turning away from the grace offered to you while you live today.

Yes, prayer can and does accomplish many things today. Not just in your life or in the lives of your loved ones but God can use your prayers and those of others to affect the world and how things turn out in the rest of the world today. Prayers asking for strength and endurance for those who are persecuted as Christians, God especially answers those because the people being prayed for are praying for the same thing. Thank you for reading and I pray that all who come here will seriously consider accepting the offer of grace that we have been given in this life.

 

What is your view of the World?


Is it evil or good or somewhere in between those extremes? Do you see much of either during your daily commute or at work? In many ways, our world is exactly the way that we have made it. Cruel, uncaring, apathetic toward anyone with a different opinion or belief than you, because yours is right of course! So, what can we do to make our world and the people in it more caring toward one another? Honestly, I really don’t know the answer to that at all. Because we are flawed human beings, we do the best that we can with what we have. If we were taught a set of beliefs and morals then we will act accordingly. If we came up in the slums of Rio or Delhi, orphaned and alone, then we will possibly be like animals, take care of yourself first and foremost and don’t worry about anyone else because they certainly won’t care about you.

There are other places and cultures where we could grow up in a much different set of circumstances and depending upon the beliefs and the comfort that we lived in while we were growing, our values and outlook would be different still. As some researchers have proven in the past, it really is more nurture than nature when it comes to our culture and values and our beliefs or lack of them.

So, can this horrible situation in which the world stands on the brink of our next war, world-wide though it may be, be solved and fixed satisfactorily by an ordinary man? I very much doubt it! Humans will do things and agree on things only if it serves their purpose. Our world is under the control of Satan and his forces and they are causing all kinds of evil in our world, yet God will not allow them to go any further than He allows. We see prophecy being played out in the world and on the news every day, whether you believe it or not this is happening today. Griping about it won’t solve anything, electing an official who shares the same agenda as the last President won’t solve our problems either. Getting back to worshipping God and learning about His ways from the Bible will help get us on the right path. But, there is no quick fix for any of the problems in our world today. 

God does have the answer, but many in the world today will not like it and they won’t enjoy it at all. When the church is taken up into Heaven and the world descends into the chaos which will follow, those who come to power at that time will bring their answer and many will accept it. But…it is a lie, a ruse, one that will plunge the whole world into a war that many millions will die in and that time is also foretold in the Bible, it is called the Tribulation. It isn’t a made up fantasy, it is a time that will purge the world in some ways and burn the world in others. Please, turn to God and give your heart to Jesus before the trumpet sounds and many Christians are taken up.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.…” 1 Thessalonians 4:16

 

Blessed is the Lord!


The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me. He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord , among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
Psalms 18:46-49 KJV
http://bible.com/1/psa.18.46-49.KJV

Salvation, what a glorious gift!


For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8-10, 12-22 KJV
http://bible.com/1/eph.2.8-22.KJV

To The Elect Pilgrims of The Most High God | Part 2 and 3 of 5


God has chosen you as a priest and a servant but also…a bride! Amen!

The Blessings of God


Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:7-10 KJV
http://bible.com/1/gal.6.7-10.KJV

Promises and Blessings


And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, Exodus 23:25

Life sometimes throws us a curve, usually one that we don’t see coming until it hits us square in the eyes. I know, some of you may have thought I would say something else, but it’s the truth. God’s promises are new every morning and they are meant to be for us as well as the Jewish people. Some of us can claim them and some of us never will claim them. It also seems to happen at the worst possible times, but I suppose that is when God wants us to depend upon Him and lean on Him more than we depend upon money or people.

Your life and mine are part of God’s creation and His Kingdom, particularly if we are Christians because we have given our hearts to Christ. We are supposed to be following in His footsteps on a daily basis, not a weekly or every few months or just when we feel like it. Studying the Bible and learning from God’s wisdom about circumstances in our lives, whether we have faced them yet or not, is the best way to learn about Him. Reading through God’s Word at least once every year is not as hard as it sounds and yet many Christians only read what is called out in church on Sunday and maybe on Wednesday night services.

How can you claim God’s blessings and His promises to you and for your life if you don’t know about them in the first place? You won’t know about them if you have never read the Bible, yet that action is severely lacking in churches today. Why is that? Very likely, it is because the Truth of the Bible cannot be ignored and you can’t disprove it. Many people say that it is just a book of stories written down by old men long ago and it doesn’t mean anything. Without faith in God and His Son, Jesus, that may be true, but if you look at the prophecies that have come true from the Bible how can you claim this?

The land of Israel was given back to the Jews in 1948, many Jews have returned to their homeland after nearly two thousand years in exile and their language has been revived as well. All of these are foretold in Scripture and very little is left to happen according to the prophecies in God’s Word before the time of Tribulation will be upon the world. Nobody knows the day or the hour of this time which is coming except God, but I don’t believe that this generation that is alive today will die before it begins to happen.

That could be within the next few years or it may be a decade or more away, but we are living on the edge, the cusp of it right now. The players are moving into position and the time is coming soon. Be prepared. Be watching and be ready!