Saturday, June 20,
2015, 7:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Songs in the Night.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Thessalonians 3 (ESV).
Destined for This
Therefore
when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens
alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of
Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that
we are destined for this. For when
we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer
affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.
We are destined for trials, tribulations, disturbances,
troubles, hardships, etc. Through suffering, we are strengthened in faith and
character. When we share in Christ’s sufferings, we become like him in his
death. We should not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon us to
test us. When we suffer trials of various kinds, they come to test our faith so
that through them we might become steadfast in faith, growing in maturity. We
should count it all joy to be considered worthy to suffer for the name of
Jesus. When the genuineness of our faith is tested by these fiery trials, it
should result in the praise and glory of God. Jesus said that we would be
hated, persecuted, falsely arrested and even killed for our faith in him, but
we are not to be afraid (See: Ro. 5:3-5; Phil. 3:7-11; 1 Pet. 1:6-7; 4:12-17; 1
Thess. 3:1-5; Jas. 1:2-4; Matt. 5:10-12; Lu. 21:12-19; 2 Co. 1:3-11).
Some of us have already experienced such suffering as this
for our faith in Jesus Christ, and for our testimonies for him and for the gospel
of our salvation. Others have not, but their time is coming soon. Some of us
only know this suffering on a level of emotional abuse, hatred, rejection,
etc., while others are presently suffering the reality of the threat of death, death,
false arrest, torture and/or displacement. Yet, in all of this, we are not to
be moved from the hope of the gospel, from our faith in Jesus Christ, and from
giving testimony to God’s saving grace through the blood of Jesus Christ shed
on the cross for our sins. They can kill our bodies, but they can’t kill our
souls. For those of us in Christ Jesus, by God’s grace, through faith, we have
the promise that nothing can separate us from Christ’s love – not famine,
hardship, danger or sword. We are conquerors through him who loves us!
Now We Live
For
this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith,
for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in
vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good
news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and
long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our
distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.
For now we live, if you are standing
fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all
the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly
night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in
your faith?
Right now, in the church here in America, so many people who
claim to be followers of Christ are not walking according to the Spirit of God,
but are conducting their lives according to the flesh. Many of them have bought
into Satan’s lies telling them that God requires nothing of them – no repentance,
no obedience, no submission, no death to sin, etc. And, so they have been
convinced that they can be saved, live however they want, and still have the
hope of heaven when they die. They are being given a false hope. Others were
genuinely born again of the Spirit of God, and began to walk according to the
Spirit, and not according to the flesh, but have since fallen back into sin.
They are in great need of revival.
The spiritual condition of the church here in America is in
critical condition. So many have gone the way of the world and of big business,
and have turned the meetings of the church into a marketplace, rather than into
a house of prayer. Entertainment has replaced true worship of God. Humanistic
teaching and middle-eastern mysticism have found their way into the church and
are, in many cases, replacing true Biblical teaching. The gospel is being
diluted in order to make it more pleasing and acceptable to the sinful world.
The church has adopted worldly (sinful) means and methods to attract the world
to the church. The church’s target audience is not mature followers of Christ.
No, we are to be discarded because we “don’t fit,” but they will help us find
some place where we “do fit,” they say. The church’s target audience, instead,
is the people of this sinful world, who they can mold and shape into the image
of the worldly and ungodly church, not into the image of Christ.
So God, in his great love for us, is sending us some of
those fiery trials to test our faith, and to refine and purify us, and to
prepare us, his bride, to meet her husband when he returns. My heart breaks for
the church in America right now, because so many believers and those who call
themselves believers have been so deceived. So many have been led astray by
master manipulators and tricksters. We live in an age of deception. The beast
of Revelation is rising, and it won’t be long now before he has complete
control over the entire earth, but just for a short period of time. Frequently
I am brought to tears over the sinful condition of those who call themselves
the church, the body of Christ. I pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.” I am in no way anxious for judgment to come, but it
must come so that the church can be revived. God has been warning his church
that this way would come. Judgment begins with the house of the Lord.
My only comfort right now is the promise of revival, i.e.
that God’s people will return to him, and that they will honor him as their
ONLY GOD and LORD. This is my hope.
Abound in Love
Now
may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and
may the Lord make you increase and abound
in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may
establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the
coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
One of the tricks of this New World Order “Beast” right now
is in creating chaos, false flag operations, fake uprisings, riots, and
bombings, etc., and inciting people to hate other human beings, turning black
against white or white against black, Christian against Christian, right
against left, and left against right, and “normals” against “extremists,” etc. They
have been doing this for several years in other countries, and now this has
come to the USA. The purpose is multi-faceted. It is to take over our government,
to persecute the church, to deal with all opposition to this New World Order “Beast,”
and to create such a chaotic situation in our nation that it requires a “savior,”
to “rescue” us. I have seen this M.O. take place over and over again in other
nations. Martial law is coming, as is a coup of our government, and this will call
for intervention from the “international community,” alias this N.W.O. “Beast.”
We will be forced to cooperate with the beast or lose our lives.
I see so many who call themselves Christians so caught up in
all of this, duped by these master manipulators, and quick to judge and to want
to kill other human beings. So, this is a wake-up call. Put your trust in God
alone, and not in humans. Too many lies and deceptions. Too many things are
being faked these days. Hard to know who is real and who is a phony. Believe in
God. Trust in Jesus Christ, not in a president or a government, and not in the
media, which is just an arm (extension) of the global government. Love one
another, don’t get caught up in all this hatred. This is a trap. Don’t fall
into it. Be wise and discerning. Pray for God to open your eyes to the truth.
Satan is trying to get you to hate those who are different from you, even other
Christians. Resist him! Love others! Follow your Lord and not humans. Put on
Christ, not hate. Be ye kind one to another. Love others and forgive others as
Jesus loves us and has forgiven us. Praise God and not men.
Songs in the Night
/ An Original Work / December 18, 2013
“About midnight Paul
and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
And the other
prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84
Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.
I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!
Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.
I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!
Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.
Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!
No comments:
Post a Comment