Calm Before the Storm

If you haven’t noticed lately, current events are very much lining up with scripture. On top of earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, etc., our world is on the brink of an economic disaster that is going to make the Great Depression of the 1930’s look like a picnic. Take a look at what is happening in Greece: lawlessness, murder, terror. Folks, we’re not far from that taking place here in the US. In fact, American citizens who live near the US border of Mexico are being robbed, mutilated, murdered and kidnapped right out of their own homes by people who are supposedly just looking for a better way of life in America. Fear of identity theft is leading down the road to a personal ID system that will place a microchip in the hand or forehead of individuals that they will not be able to conduct every day business transactions (bank, grocery store, health care, etc.) without.

Believe me the last thing I want to talk about is judgment and Hell. It is not a popular subject. But the Lord has placed this message on my heart and will not give me peace until I share it. If you are getting this message just know that God loves you more than you could ever know. I have been studying prophecy and the book of Revelation and that is what it does is “reveal”, that’s why most people avoid it, because it’s too frightening. However, this is not a good time to ignore it.

It has come to my attention that most people are just blissfully ignorant of scripture and that my friend is because Satan has all of us very much deceived, as we have been warned. You are just hoping that since God loves you the way you are, that He expects you to stay that way and will overlook our sin. You say that a loving God would not send nice people to Hell just because they are ignorant of scripture. But here is the perfect justice of God. We all deserve Hell because of sin. Sin is anything that comes between us and a loving relationship with God our creator. And sin takes place in the heart before it ever takes on physical action. But God loves us so much that He made a way, One Way; he sent His one and only son to take our place in judgment. No one else has done that, not Mohammed, not Buddha, not the Dahli Lama, not Confuscious. And when we know that, we come to repentance because we are grateful for what He has done for us. It is something that we cannot accomplish on our own.

And you may not believe in the resurrection, but remember that the apostles and several hundred others were eye witnesses who died gruesome deaths on their testimonies. How many people do you know that are willing to do that for something they know not to be true?

And no matter how much we avoid scripture and pretend that it is not true, that will not keep judgment from happening. And if we think our good works and deeds will save us, think again for they are but “filthy rags”. It is the by the amazing grace of God that we are saved from judgment. That’s why it is called “Good News”. Here is the thing, God absolutely cannot look upon sin, that is why we need to be made clean to stand before Him, not naked, but covered with the righteousness of Christ.

You may think that I don’t know what I am talking about, but there absolutely cannot be more than one truth. 2+2 does not equal 3, nor 5, nor 10. Would you risk an eternity in Hell to stay ignorant and hold on to sin? Please take heed and read the scriptures for yourself and ask God Himself to show you the truth. Ask, seek, knock. There you will find love and hope and forgiveness. Use the information that is available to you. If you don’t have a bible, you can put any verse reference online and find it in more than one translation.

Revelation 13:16, 17

Matthew 24:7

2 Timothy 3:1, 13

Matthew 5:22

John 8:4-12

Exodus 20- Ten Commandments

Isaiah 64:6

Ephesians 2:8

Matthew 7:7

Let’s Move a Mountain

How badly do we want for God to heal this nation, our neighbors, the homeless, our loved ones, us? We, even as Christians, are putting much energy and faith in what man can do. Protests, boycotts, calling our government representatives, political movements, and voting are all good things, but where is our faith in the Lord? This country is headed for major trouble, possibly even disaster, hunger and lawlessness. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the Lord, who remains faithful forever. Psalm 146:3-6
Many in our great nation claim to be Christians, but do we really know what our God is capable of and willing to do for us? If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. Jeremiah 18:7, 8 Christian people! This includes us! If we ourselves do not repent of our sins, then how can we expect our nation to be healed? We are called to be the salt of the earth and to shine the light into darkness. But we are so busy with our lives that we have little time for God. Oh yes, we attend church on Sunday and maybe some during the week, but do we spend personal time with our creator, in the word? That means reading and studying our bibles and discovering our individual purpose as well as our purpose as the body of Christ. Do we pray like we tell others we do? Do we fast? That, my brothers and sisters, is where we find answers, truth and the power of Almighty God. It is truly more important than anything else we can do. Do we wait for disaster to take place before we act?
But it seems that many of us are afraid of the truth, because we are just so comfortable with our Hi Def TV and our video games and our junk food and whatever other idols we place before God. Do we seriously believe that God will allow us to remain comfortable if we continue to ignore Him? Look around. Do we see what is happening to our nation, to our neighbors, to our loved ones, to us? If we don’t see, then we are deceived by Satan. This is beyond what we can fix by ourselves.
If we believe the One we claim to follow we need to pay attention to Him. So Jesus said to them, ".....for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:20, 21 NKJV I know, FASTING? And yes, I truly believe that means food. What an unpleasant request, but it does not have to be a major thing. Begin small, maybe give up one meal per week, or sugar, or chocolate, or sodas and junk food for a period of time. This is not a weight loss plan, it is an act of faith and sacrifice for the Glory of God to move the mountains that we need moved. And we need to get a nice fluffy cushion to put on the floor and get down on our knees and ask the Father what to do next. A bible will come in handy too. Psalm 102 is a good place to begin. A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. Psalm 102:1, 2 I tell you if we do not get serious about the power of God in our lives then we deserve whatever we get. So I urge those of you who have not already been called to consider this request. Let us see what our Awesome God will do.