So many lies. So many
secrets. So many things hidden, covered and disguised in order to fool, to
deceive, to manipulate. So much fakery and hypocrisy. So many pertinent facts
and details willfully withheld, and purposefully omitted, in order to deceive naïve
and unsuspecting minds and/or to protect the dishonest, the crooked, the shady
from being found out and having their dishonest dealings uncovered and the
truth exposed.
Persecutions and Afflictions
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 2 Thess. 1:3-5 NASB
We live in a time of great
deception. Even within the gatherings of the church, liars, manipulators and deceivers
abound, even among the leadership in many congregations. Many pastors are even
being trained in manipulation, in lying, in deceiving, in trickery, in using
gimmicks, marketing schemes, and in how to use people to their advantage and in
how to dismiss them if not needed any longer, or if not wanted altogether.
So many people are caught in
a web of deception, trying to cover their tracks, clearing their internet
browsing history, lying about their behaviors, faking one thing while living
another. So many people living in sin, addicted to sinful practices, unwilling
to tell the truth, unwilling to repent, to own up to their sins. So much
betrayal, abuse, adultery, deceit, story-telling, conniving, cheating, taking
advantage of others, hatred, violence, killing, raping, and mind-games going on
in this world of ours, in our homes, in our governments, and even within the
church.
In America, our government
portends one thing while lives another, or is in reality something different
entirely from what they project to their citizens. They are hypocrisy
personified. The real deficits they are complicit for are their shortfalls in
telling the truth, in revealing pertinent facts, details and specifics about
their comings and their goings, their history, their actions, etc. Some things
have come out into the open, but they represent a very small percentage of the
truth. So much is still shrouded in fakery, in lies, in entertainment, in
distractions, and in twisting of truth in order to deceive.
The Shutdown
The real shutdown of our
government that has taken place is not in the temporary halting of some minor
government functions, but it is the obstruction of truth, the undisclosed
secrets, the hidden agendas, the deception concerning our history, and the
withholding of information or details about historical and current events and
their participation in these situations.
The real shutdown is all the deception
about this nation, and by our government, and with regard to all their abuse
and mistreatment of others, and all the killings, the raping, the destruction
of lives, property, lands, the persecutions, and the coups of governments that
have taken place, at their hands, and which have been covered up, blamed on
others, and represented falsely so as to make them look like the good guys and
the others the bad guys, when it is the other way around.
A Christian Nation
Our nation is called a
Christian nation, and yet our leaders are persecutors and murderers of
Christians. Many people in this nation call themselves Christians, and even
pastors, and yet they, too, manipulate, kill, steal, cheat, abuse, betray, use
others to their advantage, and then lie about it, cover it up, then fake
Christian lives, or fake good behavior, while they are doing evil behind closed
doors, or while they are hiding their histories in order to protect their own
reputations, unwilling to repent for fear of being found out, discovered, and
the truth brought into the light and exposed.
And, because all this is
going on, many people are being taken advantage of, killed, raped, cheated on,
lied to, deceived, manipulated, and betrayed, etc. The government in the USA is
betraying and cheating on their own citizens by their union with the New World
Order beast of the wealthy and powerful of this world, and who they work for in
bringing the world into submission to this beast. Many pastors are
manipulating, mistreating and abusing people in their churches, and even their
spouses. And, many church members are mistreating one another, lying to each
other, and cheating on their spouses.
So, this is written to
encourage those who are being mistreated, lied to, abused, persecuted,
betrayed, and taken advantage of, for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ and
his gospel of salvation. You are commended by God for your perseverance and for
your faith in the midst of all these persecutions and afflictions, and for your
love you show to one another, despite how you are being treated, in return. Your
faith and your love and your perseverance in trial will be rewarded, so don’t
give up, and don’t lose heart, for you are sharing in the fellowship of Christ’s
sufferings, and these sufferings are not without purpose, but good will result
from them.
To Give Relief
For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed. 2 Thess. 1:6-10 NASB
If you are suffering
persecution and abuse for your testimony for Jesus Christ, one day you will
have complete relief from your suffering, when our Lord comes again to receive
his bride to himself and to judge those who don’t know God and those who do not
obey the gospel of our Lord. Then, he will wipe the tears from our eyes, and we
will have no more pain. Amen!
He will take out his vengeance
against those who afflicted and persecuted us for our walks of faith in Jesus
Christ, who did not repent of their sins, and who did not turn to our Lord in
obedience to his gospel. Since they chose to protect themselves from the light
of the truth, while they were on this earth, they will be cast away from the
presence of the Lord for all eternity.
Work of Faith
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thess. 1:11-12 NASB
But, it isn’t as though we
can’t have some element of relief while we are still here on this earth. He can
heal our broken hearts, and free us from the burdens we bear, and take away the
sting of it all from our hearts, and he can fill us with his peace and with his
joy, and we can learn to rest in Him, and lean on him, and believe in his
sovereignty over our lives despite whatever turmoil we might be facing here on
this earth until He returns.
And, not only that, but we
can grow through these times of suffering, becoming more like Jesus, and we can
learn more how to love others with his love, and have hearts of compassion for
the hurting, and we can mature in our walks of faith, and learn perseverance,
and learn, too, to depend on God and not on ourselves. And, God can use our
sufferings, too, in the lives of others to encourage their hearts, and for the
advancement of his gospel and of his kingdom work. So, it isn’t all without
purpose.
Sometimes God will allow us
to go through these tough times to make us into the people he wants us to be to
be used for his purposes in the lives of others, so he calls us out into the
deep, and he stretches our faith, and through it all he strengthens us in
purpose, and he uses us in ways we never thought possible. For, when we are
weak, we are strong in him and in his mighty strength, when we put on the armor
of God, and we walk according to the Spirit, and we don’t give up, but we keep
persevering in what God has called us to do, without fear of man or what he
(they) might do to us.
Oceans /
Hillsong United
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the
waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your
embrace
For I am Yours and You are
mine
Spirit lead me where my trust
is without borders…
Friday, February 9, 2018,
5:57 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these encouraging words, these words of hope,
of purpose, and of healing.
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