Psalm 18:1-3 ESV
“I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my
rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and
the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved
from my enemies.”
As followers of Jesus Christ, Satan is our main enemy. He is
the one behind all our human enemies. But he has no power over us but what God
allows. He has no spiritual sway over us, and we are no longer under his
control. But we are under human authorities who are under his control, so in
that sense only, he may be able to determine what we can or cannot do.
Right now, the world is going crazy. In America, and in at
least some other nations in the world, we are going through some trying times.
I know they are not yet as hard as what they are going to be, but it is quite
apparent where they are headed. It is obvious that our circumstances are being orchestrated
by others, and that there is a sinister plot afoot about to unfold. How soon,
only God knows for sure.
I believe we are being prepped for what is coming. We are
being conditioned to conformity to a new way of life. I don’t believe life will
ever be “normal” again. The abnormal is now becoming the new normal. And, we
are being conditioned to accepting it that way, too.
So, it isn’t that things are so bad right now. Right now, it
is more that we are being asked to relinquish some of our freedoms, and we are
being asked to do things outside our comfort level, which may or may not make
sense to us. But many of us see these increments of change as steppingstones to
something much greater, but not to something good.
Signs of the Times
Many of us see what is happening in the USA and in the world
as the rising of the beast and/or as the rising of the New World Order. The
signs are there indicating that what this is heading to is the forcing of
compliance, cooperation and unity with a one world government and religion. Thus,
that means that Jesus is coming soon. How soon, only God knows.
But there is encouragement here. Jesus is our Rock and our
strength in whom we take refuge. He is our shield against the enemy of our
souls, and so is our faith in him which comes from him.
God is completely sovereign over all that he has made.
Nothing can thwart God’s purposes, and no enemy will ever prevail over our
Lord. Satan is a defeated foe. He just doesn’t realize it yet. So, God is still
on the throne. Amen?
So, what this means is that Satan can only do what God
allows him to do. But God is allowing him to do evil, even to Christians, and
the book of Revelation teaches us that he will be allowed (via the beast) to
conquer the saints of God, though not to conquer them spiritually. But we will
be persecuted for our faith and for our testimonies for Jesus Christ.
And, when this one world government and religion begin to
take hold, those who are true followers of Jesus will be censored, and they
will not be allowed to buy or sell, the Scriptures teach. I am already
beginning to see a touch of that with something my state initiated.
Restaurants who comply with the new rules will get a seal of
approval. Those who don’t, won’t get it. And, the citizens of our state are
being strongly encouraged to not go to those restaurants without the seal. This
reminds me of the mark of the beast. If we don’t have it, we won’t be able to
buy or sell.
But, and here is the main encouragement here, we can survive
this onslaught. We may be killed, but while we are still alive, our Lord will
give us everything we need to endure it all. He will give us all the strength
we need to persevere and to keep the faith, and to keep sharing his gospel
until he takes us home. And, that is how he delivers us from our enemies.
Psalm 18:4-5 ESV
“The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of
destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of
death confronted me.”
This is definitely on its way. The Bible says so. Christians
throughout the world have had to suffer much persecution for their faith in
Jesus Christ, ever since Jesus was put to death on that cross for our sins.
Jesus said we would be hated and persecuted as he was. He never promised us
that we would not have to be persecuted and put to death for our faith.
In the book of Revelation we read that Satan is out to
destroy the saints of God who hold fast to the testimony of Jesus, and that the
beast will conquer us (have authority over us governmentally), and that we will
be persecuted and put to death (Rev. 12-14). And, this is what Jesus said would
happen to us, too (Matt. 24). So, we shouldn’t feel as though that can’t happen
to us.
So, we should be prepared spiritually, mentally, and
emotionally for this eventuality. We should realize this is coming, and that we
need to be ready for when it hits. We need to be ready to take a stand either
for Jesus or against him, because there is no longer going to be a middle
ground, not that it is permitted now. But this is going to force us on one side
or the other. So, that is a good thing, for too many have been riding the
fence.
Psalm 18:6 ESV
“In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I
cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to
him reached his ears.”
So, as things here begin to unfold, and as it becomes more
and more apparent as to where this is all headed, and how what we are going
through now is just preparation for what is next, we need to call on the Lord
for our strength and for our help. We need to submit our ways to him, and we
must trust him that he truly is working all things for the good of us who love
him.
Truly we are going to be tested in the furnace of affliction
and we will be tried as with fire, and through these trials our Lord will
purify our hearts and make us ready for him. And, he will revive and purify his
church which is now living in open adultery and idolatry against him. And,
during this time of tribulation the gospel will go forth and many will be
saved, too. Glory to God! And, that is much for which to praise our Lord!
But we are not to be afraid of what is coming. We are not to
fear persecution and suffering or to doubt God’s promises to us. We must hold
fast to the Lord, trust in him fully, and rely on his strength and support
through it all.
His
Tender Mercies
An
Original Work / January 26, 2014
Fear not! I’m with you.
Be not dismayed!
God watches o’er you.
Trust Him today.
He’ll lead and guide you;
Give you His aid.
He’ll love and keep you
With Him always.
Walk in His footsteps.
He’ll lead the way.
Trust in His love;
Believe that He cares.
He will not leave you.
Faithful He’ll be.
His tender mercies
Now you will see.
Fellowship with Him
Throughout the day.
Tell Him your heartaches.
He’ll heal always.
Rest in His comfort.
He is your friend.
Your faith He’ll strengthen,
True to the end.
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