In the path…

There are many people who are in the path of Hurricane Ida and all of us should be praying for their safety. We also need to pray for the workers who will be trying to rescue people afterward since New Orleans is getting hit hard by the amount of rain that they are getting. Pray for those who will be taking care of everyone as well.

This storm was not a surprise to us and it was not sent as punishment from God. It is simply a storm that we have to get through one day at a time and one more prayer at a time. God knows what is happening here and not one thing that is happening is a surprise to Him at all. He foretold all of the diseases and wars and everything that has happened in the past up until today. God loves us and we should love Him because if you are reading this, He has brought you here for a reason. God gives me the words to put here so that you can see them and know that He loves you and He wants the best for you.

All that you need to do is repent of your sins, believe that He paid the price for those sins and ask Him to be your Savior. Then live your life as if you are walking side by side with Him because in Truth, you are! God said that He would never leave us nor forsake us and Jesus told His disciples that He would not lose one person that the Father draws to Him. Remember that when you feel alone and afraid, God is closer than your next breath.

Our Savior and our God can do anything. All that we need to do is believe it and keep our eyes on Jesus for every good outcome that comes into our lives. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus when you have a bad day or some other problem crops up because He will be with you through those times as well. Don’t do like Peter did when he was walking on the water toward Jesus because he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the water and the waves driven by the wind and he began to sink. Then he cried, “Lord, save me!“.

That prayer of only three words is all that you need to come to Jesus. When you are overwhelmed and afraid and know that you need Jesus as your Savior…don’t forget to say them: Lord, save me.

Show yourself approved

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/2ti.2.15.KJV

Obedience is better than sacrifice

22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king. 1 Samuel 15:22‭-‬23 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.15.22-23.KJV

Many times we give our time and our money to the Lord’s work, thinking that will dispose Him to work in our favor. But…God doesn’t need our money, He wants our heart and our obedience more than our time and money. Seek to do His will and purpose in this life so your reward will be stored up for you in Heaven.

Many are called…

Do you know Jesus or just know about Him? It sounds like a trick of words but there is a very BIG difference. In much of the South, people know about Jesus because most of us have been in church since we wore diapers, some of us are wearing them again. What is my point with this post? It is that knowing about a Person or a process is one thing. Knowing that Person as your Savior is totally different by many factors. In the Bible it says that “many are called, but few are chosen“. What does that mean exactly? In the parable about the banquet, the invitations were sent out about a feast being held at this rich man’s house. Most turned away because of some excuse, like many of us do when we feel Jesus’ touch on our hearts for the first time. Then the rich man told his servants to go out and compel many people to come to the banquet and many did come, although not the original group who were invited. That is the difference between Israel and the Jewish people and Gentiles, us. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost of the children of Israel but He was rejected and crucified, although that was part of God’s plan.

Even today when the call has gone to all to come to the banquet, Jew and Gentile alike, there are still a very few who accept His invitation. Everyone is going about their business or their work every day, even with the pestilence of disease all around us. We are told to wear masks and distance ourselves from everyone by at least six feet. Some places are even putting together an identity system for those who have been vaccinated and those who have not. This system will be used to control much more than just your identity. You won’t be able to used services or to buy goods without it. Does it sound familiar?

We have been called by God to be light to the world around us as Christians. But if you are not reflecting the Light of the World then you aren’t shining very brightly for those in need. Have you heard His message of love and compassion and grace but have decided to ignore it for now? Have you felt that need for something or Someone that you can’t quite put your finger on? That is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart. He is telling you that your life needs Jesus in it and your heart needs to belong to Him! Why do I write this today? Because the time of the church age, between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week from Daniel’s prophecy, is about to come to a close. Whether you believe in Jesus for your salvation or not is about to become real whether you go to church regularly or not. If you’ve only heard Bible stories from childhood but didn’t put much faith or belief in any of them, the Alpha and Omega is soon to show up and when He does, much of the world will mourn because they knew about Him and His offer of salvation and forgiveness but they never accepted His gift.

What else is coming?

Jesus tells us this much in Matthew 24:

Temple Destruction Foretold

(Mark 13:1-9; Luke 21:5-9)

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

False Christs

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Witnessing to All Nations

(Mark 13:10-13; Luke 21:10-19)

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The Abomination of Desolation

(Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24)

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before.

The Return of the Son of Man

(Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28)

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The lesson of the Fig Tree

(Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33)

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Be Ready at Any Hour

(Genesis 6:1-7; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:35-48)

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Just ask…

8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew 7:8 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.7.8.KJV

Serve the Lord…

14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 15 but if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers. 1 Samuel 12:14‭-‬15 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.12.14-15.KJV

God’s blessings

We are called…

according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 2 Peter 1:3 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/2pe.1.3.KJV

I’m not ashamed of the gospel!

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/rom.1.16.KJV