Ignoring The Obvious!

Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. The LORD will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed. The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. Deuteronomy 28:14-25 NIV

When we choose to ignore God, we choose to be the recipients of His Word–whether it is a blessing or a curse; it is our choice that determines what happens to us in life.

For the unbelieving–they won’t care because they don’t believe and won’t believe; God’s Word means nothing to them except to be an object of scorn and derision. And Believers–true Believers (not those professing to be Christians but have no demonstrable fruit as proof of who they are), should know we cannot afford to ignore God–and the obvious–the benefits or the consequences. For God’s Word was given to man for our benefit that we might stand in righteousness and be a beacon of light and hope for the unbelieving. The problem is–if our behavior and conduct is no different than what the unbelievers do–why would they pay attention to us?

Let’s look at the world of the unbelieving–they lie to get what they want, will cheat others, plot conspiracies to destroy reputations, in the corporate world and in communities. People get caught up on wanting titles and positions and status and will do anything to get what they want. Hollywood accentuates the life of the unbelieving as the means to crush the opposition and to control what others do.

In every day life–we see the results of corporate corruption and greed and when greed needs to be fed, everything in its path becomes food to soothe the craving. Big companies swallow up the little ones without regard to the people who must eek out a living–the best they can and when that becomes problematic, the people–turn to whatever is available–drugs, alcohol, bribery, more corruption–just to survive. And if they ever had a conscience, many turn to suicide–not willing to face themselves or what they’ve done or others and what they’ve done.

In the church buildings (because many have forgotten they are the church), many end up making the church leaders their god, and will do everything the leader wants them to do in order to maintain an avenue to move forward. Those claiming to be Christians will lie and mislead, promoting untruths to pacify a leader who has turned aside from God. Church leaders have been guilty of predatory behavior, sexually and financially; they have cheated the people they lead and planted the seeds of corruption by convincing others to do what they say and to treat others with disdain. The behavior of the leaders have led to public scrutiny and lawsuits and growing unbelief in the leaders, church and God.

Why is this occurring across the land? We have ignored the obvious–we stopped obeying God and chose to obey the lust of the flesh and to follow the leaders who don’t know God. So we should not be amazed that the consequences of our actions are bringing the Word to life in a way that we can no longer ignore God’s Word. If we ever plan to see a change in this world, it is time to turn aside–from everything and everyone–from ignoring God. We can no longer afford to not make God a priority in our lives.

But is it too late? Have we already set the stage for the next act that brings about our destruction for all the world to see? We are on the precipice–overlooking a cliff–with a depth we cannot see with our physical eyes, and once we go over–there is no help, no return–no other chance to get things right with God.

God has said in His Word that only a remnant will be saved from the destruction the enemy has plotted for all who ignore God. Are we included in the remnant? Have we maintained a right relationship with God, securing our destination and eternity to live with Him? Or have we ignored the obvious by choosing to make men and women our gods, following them instead of God?

Though The Word of God applies to anyone who Believes it–regardless of nationality or ethnicity–I believe we can see God speaking directly to Americans at this intersection in our history. Which way will we go? Will we continue to follow lying leaders or will we rise up and take a stand to give God His rightful place in our lives and speak up for justice?

It’s up to us–we all have to choice to make and I pray our choice is God, not men, and we will stop ignoring the obvious.

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Overtaken By His Blessings!

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. Deuteronomy 28:1-9 NKJV

There is so much more within this passage of scripture–blessings through the 14th verse, but then comes the 15th verse to the end–the curses of disobedience. We know the story of what happened to the Children of Israel in their journeys–when they obeyed God they were blessed; when they didn’t, they suffered the curses of their choices.

From the beginning–after Moses met with God–commandments were given and expected to be followed. And then there were added various sundry laws and policies until realistically–God’s people–like now–decided it wasn’t worth trying to keep up. And this is why when God walked the earth in the person of Jesus Christ–He said–Love Him, and Love Your Neighbor–everything He wanted us to do–summed up in two commandments. Why? Because He is love and He wants us blessed beyond measure!

If we love Him, we desire to please Him, and if we endeavor to please Him at all times, we won’t do anything that would create any cracks in our relationship with Him.

If we love each other–we won’t do anything that would cause harm to one another or injury or damage of property. If we love each each other–we lift each other up and encourage one another to stay on the path He has established for us. Loving each other doesn’t mean we have to agree with one another, but we know how to disagree, agreeably, maintaining the love relationship. That’s what God wants from us and when we endeavor to obey, He blesses us–with more love, peace, joy, happiness, self-discipline, and wisdom from on high.

Most of us (I realize not all will feel the same) have a great deal to be thankful for on this day. Some have watched loved ones suffer and leave this life. Some have agonized over the fate of our nation and loved ones abroad. But in the midst of all the turmoil and upheaval, if we look hard enough–we can find a reason to be thankful.

I’m thankful for His love that never abandons me. I’m thankful for the peace within when I know I’ve been obedient to Him. I’m thankful for my family–a husband who loves me and for my children and grandchildren–who I admit–I’ve spoiled with love. I’m thankful for the friends who love me as much as I love them–even when we don’t agree. I’m thankful for life, health and strength and determination to keep moving forward in His name. I’m thankful for the desire He has placed in me to rise up and speak out against injustice, hate and bigotry everywhere. I’m thankful for the wisdom He keeps pouring into me and directing my thoughts and actions in sharing with others.

I am blessed and highly favored, overtaken by His blessings and will continue on the journey He has established for me. And I pray that anyone and everyone reading this today, will feel the same way–overtaken by blessings.

I Will Bless The Lord!

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:7-11 NKJV

Today, like any other day, we have to armor up–and remain steadfast in our faith in God, not people for people will disappoint, but God never disappoints. For has The Word not said that, “God is not a man that He should lie?”

To whom should we look for and to in times of trouble? Shall we seek the assistance of mere mortals who can do no more than we can? Or do we seek The Lord who can speak to our hearts and lead us in the right direction at all times, keeping us on the path of success that He has planned for us?

Has The Word not said, “I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not harm you?” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Are we not reminded through The Word that, “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us?”

Are we not, “More than conquerors because of Him who loves us?”

Has He not declared in His Word that, “We are the head and not the tail?”

We are told that He is the same, yesterday and forever and that He changes not. So if we believe that He does not change–He’s still doing what He does for all of His Children, and we believe we are His, we have to need to worry or fear the outcome of anything. God is our refuge and in Him we can Trust Him to do all things well.

So keep the armor in place–“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 rulers 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.And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:10-20 NKJV

The Word of The Lord is like a two-edged sword, cutting going in and coming out, to the right and to the left, up and down, and when we use The Word to in our battle against spiritual wickedness, The Word will prevail for there is no failure in God.

Are we not reminded in His Word that, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God in pulling down strongholds?”

Yes, I will bless The Lord at all times and His Word shall continually be in my mouth (or typed with my fingers), giving Him praise glory and honor for He is the only one worthy of it!

How We’re Overtaken With Blessings!

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: Deuteronomy 28: 1,2 NKJV

In order to “fully” (NIV) understand how we are blessed by our obedience, we need to “fully” read God’s Word and obey it–completely. What appears to be a stumbling block for many people is their misunderstanding of God’s Word–thinking we are obligated to the letter of the Law instead of the “spirit” of the Law. The Pharisees knew The Law and all of its various postscripts (one has to know what was said in the first five books) and they couldn’t keep it or wouldn’t keep it.

To be honest, it was too much remember, but Jesus came and said two commandments I give you, “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.” How easy is that too remember? Love God, Love others! Obedience brings into play blessings that will overtake us when we observe (do daily) what He says. Verses 3-14 in Deuteronomy list how we’ll be blessed and we need to go back and review the blessings when we think we are tiring of being obedient.

Blessed in the city and in the country–everywhere we go–we’ll be blessed.

Our children will be blessed and everything and everyone we influence will be blessed.

Whatever we produce with the work of our hands will be blessed.

When we come into places and leave them, we will be blessed.

We will be victorious over our enemies every time they attack.

We will be blessed in whatever place or condition we find ourselves.

We will be established–known to all–as God’s Holy people.

All the people in the earth will revere and respect us as God’s people when they see us.

We will be blessed with prosperity in all areas of our lives.

We will never know drought of any kind.

We will be the head and not the tail of every venture we attempt, always at the top and never at the bottom.

All these blessings will overtake us–if we completely and fully obey God--living to please Him only.

So, if we’re not experiencing being overtaken by His blessings, perhaps it is because we have not fully executed obedience–living to please Him, rather than others and loving others even when they are unlovable. Something to ponder and rethink what we do.

I don’t know about you, but I am waiting to be overtaken by all the blessings He has for me and if others don’t want their blessings–I’ll take them, too. Loving to love you all today!

 

 

Praise The Lord and Be Blessed!

“Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who is the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 134)

Who are the servants of The Lord?

All those who proclaim to accept the Work on the Cross as a means of reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ are the servants of The Lord–those who are obedient to His Word–proclaiming what He says to all. If then, we are servants of The Lord–giving Him rulership over our lives, why do we find it so difficult to obey–Our Lord–one who governs?

The simple answer is most people don’t understand how Lordship functions as it once did in England and in other nations. It certainly doesn’t have a place in the United States because we won’t allow anyone to be “Lord over our lives” and we certainly won’t allow Holy Spirit to govern us. When a person was “the Lord” over property (a region, however designated by a king), he was the authority in the lives of those who lived on his land. Here, in America, we seem to forget that when we accept The Word on the Cross, and Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we give Him authority over our lives. A relationship with Jesus is a matter of the heart, not the head (or mind) and we allow Him to govern when we accept His Lordship; if we don’t allow Him to be Lord, all we’ve done is to be religious and ritualistic.

I’ll be the first to admit than granting someone else authority over my life is challenging and almost impossible when it comes to mere mortals. Yes, I obey the laws of the land when they don’t conflict with my relationship with God. But I will not obey the laws of the land when they are in opposition to God’s Word. That’s settled in heaven for me. But when we cannot obey God’s Word because we are more concerned about what people think or being politically correct, then we are not servants of The Lord because Jesus is not our Lord and we therefore lie–if we say He is.

When we’re in a worship service–who are we praising–God or man? Do we lift our hands in praise because we really want to honor God or we simply obeying the dictates of others who have tell us what to do?

Even if we’re not willing to admit where we are in our relationship with God–He knows–He knows our heart. And He knows if we only lift our hands because someone else directed us to to do so, our hearts don’t belong to Him.

I can lift my hands wherever I am–and often do so when I think about just how good He is. I don’t need anyone to prompt me to lift my hands or raise my voice in praise of the God who loved me enough, to come down from heaven, hang on a cross and die for me–in spite of me–and still loves me.

O that men and women and children would really understand how wonderful it is to be loved when we are not worthy! O that those who proclaim to love Jesus would be more obedient to His Love! O that all would begin to worship Him in spirit and in truth! What a wonderful, blessed world this would be if all would honor Him as Lord, obey, and love! Give Him praise and be blessed!

Why Jesus Said, “The Spirit of Truth Will Remind You!”

“But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:13-15 NIV)

The promise of Holy Spirit, our Advocate, Comforter, and Counselor–to those who follow Christ was not just for the disciples of that day, but for all who believe Him because of them. At the time Jesus was telling them about the role of Holy Spirit, He did so because He knew His time here on earth was just about up, but He didn’t want His disciples to be discouraged in His physical absence. A number of things led up to this conversation, but what makes it worthwhile is knowing, we also have access to all Jesus promised through Holy Spirit. But this is why He said it.

John 16:7-12

v. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.

v.8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

v.9 about sin, because people do not believe in me;

v.10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;

v.11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

v.12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear.”

The time was now at hand which the prophets predicted. Jesus was about to submit Himself for the ultimate sacrifice for sin and it was time for Him to return to heaven. But He wanted His disciples to know, they would not be left without benefit of His continued guidance in all things.

Everything He had told them about sin–Holy Spirit would bring back to their remembrance and they would see the results of sin because people did not believe Him. What most people do not understand about what Jesus said about sin was He included all sin, not the variations of sin. When the religious leaders brought the woman who was supposedly caught in the act of adultery, He told her to go and SIN no more. He did not make a distinction between fornication, or other sexual immorality or anything else. He did not say, don’t commit any more SINS, He said SIN no more. Don’t do anything that is a sin according to God’s Word! For those who know His purpose in being here, we know that’s what He meant. And that is why He said, there would be this continuous debate about sin, because people don’t believe Him. If we love Him, we’ll obey Him.

He said Holy Spirit would guide all who believe Him in righteousness–not self-righteousness-but leading all to be in right-standing with God. In order to be in right standing with God, one must know what God has said and be willing to stand on His Word for all times–no matter what current trends may abound. In fact, Paul tells us we are not to conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus. Paul understood that the enemy first attacks and influences the minds of people and then behavior follows the thoughts of their minds. If we have the mind of Christ–through relationship with Him, then we stand on God’s Word and will not fall prey to the enemy’s deceptions.

Then, as for judgment–judgment has already made against the prince of this world–the god of this world, Satan, the prince of darkness (always influencing people to try to hide their wrong-doing), the devil–by whatever name he is known, the lake of fire has already been prepared for him and now he seeks to influence others so he won’t burn alone.

Because He understood that He had given His disciples much to think about and He knew they did not fully understand, He decided not to overwhelm them with more teachings, but assured them that Holy Spirit would continue to teach them and remind them of all they had been taught and show them things to come.

I can imagine that every person who has ever read the Bible in its entirety, more than once–has been overwhelmed by the abundance of information. And most people have their own method of reading and reading in order to get the most out of it the content and understanding the intent. All of the sins–as God gave them–are enumerated in Deuteronomy 28–which I refer to as the book of blessings and curses. Of course they are explained in detailed throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, as well as the rest of Deuteronomy. But as I said, there is much than can overwhelm and simplicity usually leaves its mark.

The bottom line is this–God has a blueprint for our living–designed to put us in a position to prosper, not harm us so we would have a future and our children’s children would have a great future as well. We were meant to have generational blessings, but for those who won’t obey, they have been destined for generational curses. It’s time to break the curses, but it can only be done out of obedience to God’s Word, not political correctness, or succumbing to Satan’s agenda.

Holy Spirit is here–to remind us, to guide us, to comfort us and to be our Advocate when we need Him.

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

What The Righteous Can Anticipate For Obeying God!

“Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.” (Psalm 112:6-8 NIV)

What can the righteous–those in right-standing with God expect? The first verse begins the expectations for the righteous. “Blessed is the man who fears (reverently respects) the Lord and delights in keeping His commands.” And then, the blessings are enumerated along with the curses for those who do not reverently respect The Lord or delight in His commands.

The righteous shall never be moved or ruffled by current events–not wars, nor rumors of war, not the foolishness of politicians or the ungodliness of judges. They shall not be moved the obvious influences of Satan that lead to the deaths of innocents or plots to overthrow. The righteous shall be remembered forever for their attempts to live a life that pleases God and not man.

The righteous shall have not fear or be moved by all the bad news in the world. They will–with every event–look to the Lord for comfort and solace and keep praising Him for His goodness. With every newscast that broadcasts events that cause others to shudder and quake, the righteous will continue to pray, and not be overly concerned about what they see on the surface, for they know The Word and the times in which we live. The righteous understand that certain events must take place as the final revelation unfolds for all the world to see. The righteous are not concerned about their end for they know, their final destination is to spend eternity with Jesus.

As we get closer to seeing those things that must come–we know the end is not yet–but we are getting closer. Satan’s influence in the minds of people can be see in every aspect of our daily lives. He is the author of confusion and chaos and where ever he reigns, we can see the results. When men and women are distraught over who God intended them to be and change to please themselves, it is confusion that ignites the change and chaos that ensues. Throughout history–if one would care to investigate–every time man rises up against God and His intent for our being, tragedy occurs on every front, leaving some shaking their heads, confused because they do not realize we were created for His good pleasure and not our own.

Finally, when the end comes–the righteous will have opportunity to see the look amazement on the faces of all those who attempted to belittle and persecute those who trust in The Lord. For when The Lord returns to claim those who are His, the rest will have only a fiery lake to anticipate–their eternity for unbelief and disobedience.

Of course, there will remain those who continue to pacify flesh instead of seeking God’s wisdom and obeying Him. They will be without excuse for their final outcome for the righteous–those in right-standing with God–have ever continued to point them in the right direction and they refused to see the benefit of obeying our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Heir To The Promises of Abraham!

“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29 NIV)

An heir is a person who has legal claims to an inheritance of someone’s property after they have died. In this passage, Paul reminds us that since we are descendants of Abraham by faith, we have a right to everything he was promised in Genesis 12:1-3.

God promised Abraham that He would make him a great nation, he would be blessed to be a blessing, anyone who blessed him would be blessed and anyone who cursed him would be cursed and in him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. These were the promises made to Abraham “if” he obeyed God.

Whenever we look at the promises in the bible, many of us wait to receive them and even get angry with God if we don’t, but we tend to overlook that one little word, “if” we do, then He will do.

To God–obedience is better than sacrifice. If we’re not willing to obey Him, in all things, then none of the rituals we do will matter.

We can sing praises until our vocal chords are stripped, but if we do not obey Him, it is all for nothing.

We can pray from the time we rise to the time we go to bed, but if we do not obey Him, we’ve wasted our time.

We can tell others how good God is and all about His love, but if we do not obey Him, our words are empty sounds.

Nothing we do–in an attempt to convince others about who God is and what they can have in Him–will matter if we do not obey Him.

When we are waiting to see promises fulfilled in our lives, perhaps we need to stop and think to make sure we are obeying Him. The promises are manifested out of our obedience to God, just like they were to Abraham, when he “got up out of the country of his people” and not before. If we are not descendants of Abraham by faith, we have no promises to claim from God.

Perhaps, it truly is time for reflection rather than frustration with God. It is we who hinder our ability to receive what God has for us, not Him. If we allow the enemy to influence what we think and do, then we can expect nothing from God.

So, who are you obeying and what do you expect to receive from it?

Remembering The Reason!

Because of His Love for us–we have opportunity to love others–and celebrate this season together!

When You See This!

“When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes” (Isaiah 66:14 NIV).

The thirteenth verse of scripture states that, “The Lord comfort like a mother” (paraphrased) and all will see this. Moving on to the next verse, we are told what will happen when we see this.

Our hearts will rejoice–overflowing with joy.

We will flourish like grass–keep increasing year after year and look good (if well-kept and cared for).

Everyone will know that the hand of The Lord guides us and keeps us safe from harm and directs our success.

And…His enemies–those who openly oppose Him–deny His existence and disobey His Word–shall know His fury!

I don’t know about you, but I plan to remain His child and receive His comfort and never, ever become one His enemies!

When we know we are doing the right thing for all the right reasons–we can expect to see His blessings in our lives. But for those who choose not to do what is right, they too can expect–to see His fury.

When I look at our society–on a global level–I cannot help but wonder whether some of the extreme weather conditions we see are the result of His fury–against those who oppose Him. Now, notice I did not say that the weather is a result of His displeasure; I said, I wonder.

No matter what anyone thinks or wonders-we only have to look back at history to understand how God operates–when sin is in the atmosphere, it tends to shake things up and everyone not willing to change their ways–creates an environment that leads to destruction–of many!

So, when we see–the violence that escalates in countries, nation against nation, brother against brother, parents against children and children against parents, disrespect of self and others of such magnitude that children could not possibly understand moral ethics when they do not see any–from anyone–especially those in the public arena. When we see the changes in the environment that threaten the very existence of whole communities, do we understand why or do we just continue to accept sin as a way of life and do nothing to preserve humanity?

The choice is ours–we can receive His comfort or His fury. What are we going to see?

When we see the need to honor and respect--The One who created all things and without whom, nothing was ever created, we will see His comfort–love, mercy, grace and changes in the atmosphere–peace in the land–confirming and justifying our faith in Him.