Where Are We?

The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle. “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time. “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. Daniel 11:16-29, 32-36 NIV  (Read the entire book of Daniel)

The Word of The Lord, Our God!

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When We Learn!

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the LORD’s support and say, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us.” Micah 3:8-11 NIV

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.Micah 4:1-3, 5 NIV

How quickly we seem to forget The Word of The Lord through the Prophets of Old

How soon we remember when brought to our knees by the evil that lurks

Reigning, abounding in the hearts of those who will not learn from history.

There is nothing new under the sun, nothing unknown to God, nothing He cannot see

Before we think–anything–He knows it; whatever we mutter He hears

For He knows our thoughts from  afar, He knows what’s in our hearts

And from the abundance of whatever lies within, the mouth speaks for all to hear.

If we think we can fool God, we do not know God; nor can we fool man for long

For whatever is hidden shall be exposed–for all the world to see,

By those with a heart and desire to serve The One True God–His messengers.

Waffling like a wave on the sea, roiling back and forth, revealing instability,

Promoting fear and hate and bigotry, trying to make nothing be something,

And ignoring what is–the reality of truth versus the delusion of lies,

Fed from within and believed by those who can see through the smokescreen,

The emperor has no clothes and the dictator no power, just gruff and anger.

But all hope is not destroyed, though there be many who try to kill it,

When we learn to trust in The Lord and live His Word, Hope remains

Love turns the tide for all who were in despair for fear and hate cannot abide,

In the nooks and crannies where love will thrive and joy survives.

No matter what things look like–God is yet in the business of taking care

Of His children, everywhere–no matter their skin tone or beliefs, their gender

Or economic status–He is One God–Who Created All, without Him, Nothing would exist.

Though there are some who will persist–hate rules the day and evil in others,

Projection–allowing things from within to color what we see in others,

And Delusion makes us believe our own lies to the point where we cannot see truth,

But truth and love will save the day, when we learn to do things God’s way.

Return To The Lord!

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: “The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?  But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? “Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ ” Zechariah 1:1-6 NIV

There are many people waiting for “revival” in the land. Considering the state of the nation, we may be waiting for a while. Revival–renewing our determination to live for The Lord, receiving a refilling of Holy Spirit–and reviewing and reflecting upon our commitment to promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But where have we gone astray? When we promote man’s ideology over God’s Word, we open the gates of destruction because we forget that man’s fickle beliefs–those that are constantly changing–do nothing more than to confuse and cause doubt. And when confusion and doubt creep into the hearts of people–fear takes the reins and then hatred and bigotry rise like lava until it overflows–leaving in its wake–destruction that cannot be restored.

When a volcano erupts and the hot lava flows–everything in its path is destroyed, nothing left to reconstruct any semblance of those things that were. And this is what has happened in our nation and across the globe–when hate, ignited by superiority complexes–rises and flows over the land into the hearts of people–all resemblance of common decency is destroyed and we wonder why we see such violence in the land.

There is a solution to the problem, but it will take more than a month, more than a year, and perhaps more than a decade to see a recovery of what has been destroyed--complete trust and dependence on The Lord. We know that has been destroyed because all too often we are encouraged to trust and depend on man/woman to relieve our situations.

Restoration of faith and trust can only be accomplished when we are totally dependent on The Lord and therefore, He is waiting for us to return to Him. When we return to doing things His way–based upon His Word–then we can enjoy peace in the land and see an end to the violence and hatred. But we must make a decision to do so now, before it’s too late and all is destroyed, never to be seen again.

The Lord is–the Almighty God–and it is only when we obey Him that we can enjoy all of His many benefits. The first step–recognize who He is and then open hearts and minds to receive His wisdom and obey His Word.

Politicians don’t have the answer and neither do the church leaders who are only concerned about making themselves to be something they are not. They are not God and no one should heed them over God’s Word.

We are all responsible for what we do and we will stand before The Lord on That Day and we won’t be able to blame the politicians or the preachers or anyone else for what we have done when we choose to ignore the dictates of God.

It is time we return to The Lord and learn to love all unconditionally–just as He does.

 

 

Turning From God Leads To Captivity!

“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you. “Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. “Now arise, LORD God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, LORD God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness. LORD God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David your servant.” 2 Chronicles 6:36-42 NIV

When we sin against God and uphold wrongdoing–there is nothing left for Him to do other than to allow us to be held captive to our disobedience.

Whenever the people who know God willfully sin–encouraging others to live in opposition to His Word, He removes His hand of protection and lets the chips fall where they may.

If Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November, it is confirmation that God has removed His Hand from us and will allow us to be held captive because of our unbelief and disobedience. It has happened before and it will happen again.

The only thing left for us to do–is to sit back and do nothing–realizing that when we do, we have only ourselves to blame for the consequences that are sure to follow.

Just as the enemies of God’s people swarmed around them and defeated them and brought them in shackles, holding them captive, then as indicated in the above-passage of scripture, it will happen again–if Believers don’t stand up and be counted, living The Word, and repenting from sin.

This is not a doomsday prophecy, just a reality check for many who either don’t know the history of disobedience or forgot and think it can’t happen to us.

Wisdom, Lord Wisdom–keep pouring it onto those willing to hear and obey!

Defeated Enemy!

“For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you. If any nation comes to fight you, it is not because I sent them. Whoever attacks you will go down in defeat.” (Isaiah 54:10,15 NLT)

The promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” and we can see them throughout The Word!

When storms arise and violence erupts and there is nothing we can do about the chaos swirling around us, we can go to The Word and know the outcome–His love and protection will remain even if the mountains and hills disappear. He will never stop blessing those who live according to His Word and whose desire is to please Him in all things.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the reason many people only look for the blessings–and disappointed when they don’t get them–is because they never understood their part of the covenant–Love God and Obey Him!

And since we can be assured of His continued blessings, we can rest on the knowledge that if the enemy (any nation) “comes” to fight us, they will go down in defeat. Now, that’s something to shout about right there! But now, notice--if we go seek a fight, we are not covered under the blessing–we are only covered if the enemy comes to fight us–not if we go to fight them.

When the enemy comes (in whatever shape or form), stand firm on the knowledge of God’s Word and know they are already defeated–all we need to do is obey God and do whatever He says to do.

When others come to tempt us to do evil–rebuke them in the name of Jesus and start sharing The Glorious Gospel!

When emotions rise and we are tempted to be depressed or influenced by them to harm self or others–stand firm in the faith that God has plans for us and that nothing in His plans are designed to harm us.

When it seems like nothing we do ever turns out right–we must remember that in Christ–we can do all things and do them well. We have the mind of Christ and we will not allow the enemy to steal our joy or kill our faith! We will stand up and face him with The Sword, always prepared to keep him in his place.

When The Mountains Crumble!

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (Psalm 46: 1, 2, 10 NLT)

It appears that all is falling apart, all around us, no matter where we look.

Chaos in The Middle East.

Chaos in Canada.

Chaos in Europe.

Chaos in Asian Countries.

Chaos in Africa.

Chaos in South America.

Chaos in North America.

Everywhere we look–according to media reports–there is chaos and unrest! People are rebelling against governmental authority across the world. Social media provides the means for many to instigate hatred and bigotry against and towards anyone who dares to offer a differing opinion about the state of the world and current events.

For those of us who know and understand God’s Word–we know what time it is, yet we have no need to join in the uproar or fear, we simply need to be still and know–all of this has been predicted and is coming to pass–just as God showed it to us.

Yesterday, I wrote about the devil notching his belt every time someone falls under his influence and at this point, he must have started notches on more than one belt or–the belt he notches–is equal to the circumference of the entire world–and is being notched moment by moment.

Kids killing classmates, madmen running the streets with axes, angry people trespassing government buildings and shooting the innocent–when will it all stop?

When we are convinced as a people–united by the fact that we all belong to the human race–all created by God and Loved by Him and will be obedient to Him–the chaos and destruction will stop, but not until then. Will we see the change in our lifetime–within the next fifty years? It is doubtful, but we can remain hopeful that we will start by turning again to Him to loves us and will never give up on us.

Obedience to Him–our Only Wise God–provides us the space to not fear what man may do, but just know--if we will just be still and not worry, we will see the mighty works of God change nation after nation until peace is obtained throughout the land.

So, while it seems like everything is falling apart and the end is near, just be still and know that He is God and we have nothing to fear–even if we see the crumbling mountains fall into the sea–we have a home in heaven for all eternity. Our future with God is secure as long as we are obedient to Him in all things!

Are We Listening?

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7 NLT)

To whom is John referring? Certainly he is not referring to those who have “physical ears” because just about everyone has physical ears, but he said, “anyone” with ears. The anyone he references is those who have “spiritual ears” so they can hear what the Spirit of God is saying. If one does not have access to Holy Spirit living within, they will not have spiritual discernment to understand those things that occur in the spirit realm.

For those who do have Holy Spirit living within, the message then, is for them. They must listen and understand what He is saying to the churches (every body of Believers).

For those who disparage God’s Word–they do so out a lack of knowledge. They are ignorant to how God operates and so naturally, they tend to denigrate anyone who claims to know and understand His Word. Ignorance–of anything–will always lead to doubt and scorn. Until these people are ready to acknowledge God, His Word is not meant for them, but for those who already profess knowledge of His Word and relationship with Him. This is why, He tells John that the church at Ephesus needs to repent and “turn back to Him” because they no longer love Him or one another. Are we yet, the Ephesus Church–no longer loving God and one another?

This turning back to God is a theme repeated throughout Old Testament scriptures and is still relevant today. The Word going forth from many is that it is time for us to “return to God and His ways” for surely His ways are better than ours. Whenever we “attempt to live” without Godly direction, we miss the mark and chaos ensues.

We have missed the mark and chaos is reigning throughout the land--in America, and across every body of water–unrest resides in the hearts of people and destruction becomes inevitable.

Are we listening to Holy Spirit? Is His message getting through to us? Are we ready to repent and turn back to God so we can be victorious in all things?

If we, as Believers, refuse to listen to Holy Spirit, how can we expect the unbelieving to hear us? Is our message the same as God’s message or are we creating our own to draw people to us, instead of Him?

Believers must hear Holy Spirit and do what He says if we ever expect to see peace and love in the land. We must do things God’s Way and be quick to tell those who do not understand God that we “agree with God” and lead by example–all to come to know Jesus!

Are we listening?

Understand Who’s Talking!

“Do not quench the Spirit;do not despise prophetic utterances.But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;”(I Thessalonians 5:19-21 NASB).

When Holy Spirit is speaking to our hearts or speaking through someone in order to alert us, we should not disregard what is being said. The Word tells us that Holy Spirit will utterances will be heard, but may not be understood in one’s native language, but He will also give us the interpretation of what is being said. Whether or not people believe in “speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance” is not the issue. The real issue is whether or not we are willing to accept what we hear and are obedient to what was heard.

Speaking in tongues as evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is “the evidence” not the tool by which any should use as a means to impress or influence others–as they will–not as Holy Spirit wills. We pray in “tongues” as Holy Spirit directs and when the “gift of tongues” operates in an environment of believers, the purpose is to edify (build-up) the body of believers. When the gift of tongues operates, so does the gift of interpretation and prophecy–these three work in harmony with one another. The gift of tongues is not an gift given for any individual use, but as Holy Spirit determines in order to keep believers moving forward in faith and hope of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 12).

At any rate, when people start uttering prophecy in various places–make sure you understand “who is talking”–Holy Spirit or them. If Holy Spirit is giving someone a prophetic word, the prophecy will align with the Word, not oppose or refute the Word. When prophecy does not align with the Word, know that the person who uttered it is acting out of flesh, not with the direction of Holy Spirit. This not a true prophecy, but a lie in the guise of prophecy (prophelying); the person is not prophesying. We are reminded in this passage of scripture to “examine” everything we hear.

When we determine that what is said aligns with the Word, we can accept it as good and “hold to that”. When it does not align with the Word, we have no obligation to receive it as from God. Of course, the only way we’ll know if the prophecy is of God is by knowing The Word for ourselves.

“Study to show yourselves approved unto God…” and to spot those who are prophelying–attributing what they say from God when it is not. Know that the enemy deceives others who are easily influenced with falsehoods and remember that he is the father of liars. Know who’s talking when they talk by knowing The Word and by submitting to the leading and direction of Holy Spirit–He’ll never lead you astray.

There’s Something About Prophecy!

There’s something about prophecy, especially from a biblical perspective which makes me wonder why people do not pay attention.

Throughout the bible, we are told of coming events–with such detailed accuracy that we could not possibly mistake what we are told. From the prophets in the Old Testament through Jesus and John, all the consequences of sin and disobedience are detailed and even though like then–people didn’t believe what was told to them–events came to pass just like they were told.

If we look back at what Jesus said would happen and understand what John tells us in Revelation, we would have no need to wonder why the relentless weather patterns are what they are. And still we do not change our behavior. The mockers are still mocking God’s Word and other believers; believers are selectively choosing what and who to believe, and the unsaved masses are still waiting for those of us who know God and have a relationship with Him to share the good news with them.

Some years ago, while watching the news and unfolding current events, I believe the Lord spoke to my heart and unveiled a prophetic event, which can be seen coming to pass right now. While I do not claim to be a prophet, I do hear and obey God and I know when He is speaking versus the enemy trying to influence my thoughts. Those thoughts about what is happening now and what will happen by 2020 are written in my book, Turning Force, available on Amazon and Smashwords. I know, like many people who lived before me, there are those who will not take heed to what is said and will scoff at the contents. We won’t know until 2020 how accurate the prophecy will be, but much can be seen right now. People will have to read it for themselves to determine the final outcome. I won’t tell all that was shown to me.

While they are scoffing at the words of one who hears God and obeys, they might want to remember all of those things that were prophesied about the Children of Israel–the good and the bad when they disobeyed–and know that God is not mocked. What He says will come to pass, will come–on His time-table–not ours. A prophetic word is usually given to allow people time to change their ways–it’s a heads-up warning. When people do not change their course of action, God will honor His Word, no matter who gives it.

Perhaps, it is time for all of us to re-visit the prophecies given in the Bible and align them with the events we have seen with our own eyes throughout history and see what we must do. God is still using people to warn us about events. I’m not referencing those who deliberately lie–the doomsday prophets who trick people into doing all manner of foolish things. Their lies are eventually exposed every time they open their mouths. We know who they are–they made the headlines and then simply disappeared from the public after repeated humiliation when their lies were exposed.

A true prophecy will not deter from anything God has already said.

When the end comes–we will have no need to store and hoard anything–it will be the end.

If we have not already determined where we will spend eternity–today would be a good day to do so. According to God’s Word, not mine–we must make a decision to choose Jesus and make heaven our home for eternity.

Repent from sins (according to God’s definition of sin, not mine or anyone else’s), Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, today and love Him enough to live for Him, since He loved us enough to die for us. If you do this–heaven will be yours for all eternity.

In This World!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

Every time I read John, I get excited! I feel like Jesus is speaking expressly to me and I am listening. “I have told you these things…” What things?

All the problems we see within our society–the persecution for being a follower of Christ, the scorners, the spectators, and the haters of all things right, He’s already told us about them. Why are we surprised? We shouldn’t be. If we really pay attention to The Word, we’d know that there is truly nothing new under the sun. The alternative lifestyles that refute God’s Word about righteous living–lies already foretold. The strange things–in weather and things that don’t make sense–foretold. Those in positions of leadership in ministry–openly rebellious against The Word and trying to attempt to make others believe their lives–foretold.

Now He has forewarned us by telling us before things happen so we would know that His Word is true. We need not worry, but simply receive His peace about everything that is happening and know that He has overcome–all the enemy will attempt to use to destroy us.

Hallelujah! He has overcome the world (prince of this world) and so have we because He has given us the means to do so through Holy Spirit! We have no need to fear–Holy Spirit is here–to guide and lead and remind us of all we have been told and to give us insight into those things yet to come.

Don’t let the turmoil and unrest in the world dissuade you or discourage you in your walk with God! Know that He has already provided us a way of escape from all the negative things the enemy has planned. Praise Him for His peace and rest in it!