The Bible has much to say about these

days and times in which we are living!

Written by: Skip Barland

November 22, 2012

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9)

“Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure’.”
(Isaiah 46:9-10)

“Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.”
(John 13:19)

The Bible foretells many signs that would culminate in the last days. Jesus indicated that these signs would arise together as His return drew near (Matthew 24:33-34).

Though many of these prophecies won’t climax until the tribulation period, our generation is the first to see every trend in place.

As the final seconds of this age tick away, these events will come into even clearer focus; and please keep in mind that these prophecies were penned 1900 to 3500 years ago!

How does all of this relate to you?  

Well to begin with, we are definitely living in the last days, that time which has been foretold in the Bible; a time when Jesus warned His disciples to be on their guard, so as not to be caught off guard and unaware!

“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

All these are the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:4-8)

I have long been aware that there is no such thing as coincidence, it is NOT a Kosher word; not when it comes to the things of God and the care which He takes to watch over His Word to perform it (see 2 Chron 16:9); and in the fulfillment of prophecy, in the management of this world’s affaris, and the detail and care which He devotes to caring for and watching over the lives of His covenant children.

Often as we are faced with our own travails and tribulations, which certainly today appear to be on the increase, and certainly in these times it is easy even for the Christian, the one who has placed his or her faith in God, to sometimes question whether God has forgotten us; but again, if we would but check with our Operations Manual (the Bible) we would find that this is a common pattern that has been experienced by God’s covenant children all down through history.

God has already told us, in His Word, that we are to live by Faith, and it even says in Hebrews 11:6 that without Faith, we can’t even please God… so it must be very important that we learn a few lessons on what faith is.

As committed Christians, when our vision and senses are impaired, the same as happens when a pilot of an airplane finds himself in a storm or fog bank, when we are in the dark and are having trouble finding our way, we are to fly by Instrument Flight Rules and not by our sight or feelings, or we will crash and burn.

So in these dark times that we find ourselves in today, let us take our guidance from God’s Word (which are in fact the instruments that we fly by) and let us not be swayed by our circumstances and feelings.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

10 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters,
about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.

² In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. ³ All of them ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.

⁵ Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

⁶ These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, ⁷ or worship idols as some of them did.

As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” ⁸ And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

⁹ Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites.

¹⁰ And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

¹² If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. ¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

What follows may surprise some of you, because as we read our news papers today, along side of our Bible, it’s almost as if we are experiencing déjà vu all over again; and it’s enough to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, as the author of the article below points out.

The following video is something, if you haven’t yet seen it, you need to watch, because it sets the stage for what is to follow, and by that I mean not only in our world and what’s happening in the United States, under this corrupt de facto corporate system we are living under, but I believe it also sets the stage for what is to follow in our individual lives as well.

Jesus forewarned us of these times; and told us that even as we can look at the skies above and predict the weather, likewise we should be able to look to biblical prophecy and tell when the time of His return to earth will be, because it has already been written and foretold.

The following article comes from World Net Daily, and points out an even more amazing detail that God has woven into these amazing prophecies, that He has given to show us that truly we are NOT alone, and that God has not forgotten us.

The same details that we see in Scripture that God takes to watch over His Word, He also takes to watch over His covenant children as well, and that applies to you if you are in covenant relationship with Him.

If you haven’t yet made that decision then I suggest you do soon, before we move any further down this road, that we can read about in the Bible, that we as a nation are presently on, here in the United States and also in the world, as the leadership of this corporate entity that rules our government and also many of the world governments through its banking systems, continue to thumb their noses and resist God, just as we read the pagan leadership in the nations of old did.

If you are searching and are looking for more information on what it means to be a Christian, and if you’re looking for additional resources where you can find some answers to your questions, please click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/needhim

I have talked much in my blogs of late about the state of our government, under this de facto UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CORPORATION; an entity that is first of all unconstitutional, and that our forefathers even warned us against.

In this past election many conservatives, even Christians, were putting their hope in a man who by his own past record, was not that different in his views from Obama; and certainly when it comes to establishing this ominous “New World Order,” both men by their own admission are on the same page.

You need to understand that none of these things that are happening today is by happenstance, but rather they have been foretold long ago, so that we who are believers, may be prepared in these last days to resist Satan’s efforts; and to lead others in the world to salvation, while there is still time; for as we can see that the days are getting darker, certainly we can see also that the time of our Lord’s return is near, and that He is even standing at the door!

I want to make one thing very clear, and that is as the Bible says, we are NOT fighting against flesh and blood here, but we are fighting against principalities and wickedness in high places, who are under Satan’s controlled.

We need to understand that our neighbors and those in the world, even those that are heading up this corrupt de facto system we are living under, these people are NOT our enemies; and we who are born-again need to understand that except for the grace of God in our own lives, and the fact that we were once impacted by the Savior of the world ourselves, then we would probably be right there with them.

These people don’t know what they don’t know, having never had an encounter with Jesus and not knowing Him they are just lost, and it is part of our mission to pray for them; but as our Lord also says in His Word, “That we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

Consider for a moment that our nation was started and founded upon biblical principals, by men and women of faith; and it was we, the Christians, who abdicated the positions of authority in government, and gave the reigns of power over to unbelievers… and so what did we expect would happen?

We desperately need a Spiritual Awakening to happen within the churches of America; and we also need Revival in our land, if our nation is to survive as a free people!

Just know that there is always hope, and however bad things may get, God is still on His throne and He won’t ever abandon His kids.

All we need to do is repent, which means to change the way we think.

As you study your Bible allow the Holy Spirit to be your teacher and guide; let Him rewrite the code of your thinking, the programming of this world that has been so ingrained in our thinking; and let us put on the mind of Christ.

The road back home for all of us starts with our first step.

As a Christian myself, as one who at least has some understanding of God’s Word, I have to add also that our destiny as a nation will NOT depend on what these men and women do, who don’t know the Lord, who aren’t Christian; but rather it will depend on what God’s people do, of those who are called by His name; that just as the Bible instructs us in 2 Chronicles 7: 14, that if we (who are believers) would humble ourselves and pray; turn from our wicked ways and seek God’s face; that God would hear from heaven and heal our land.

Our ONLY hope today is in Jesus Christ!!!

WND EXCLUSIVE

ISAIAH 9:10 LINKED TO 9/11 – AGAIN!

Find out where prophetic verse affecting America falls in ‘One-Year Bible’

WASHINGTON – The No. 1 bestselling Christian book and the No. 1 faith movie of 2012 both deal with the striking parallels between events leading the destruction of ancient Israel and events taking place in America since 9/11.

But the author of “The Harbinger” and the narrator of “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment” documentary based on the book has discovered yet another striking link between 9/11 and the key verse upon which his teaching rests.

In 1985, the “One-Year Bible” was published in many translations around the world – from the Living Bible to the Catholic Bible to the New King James version to the New American Standard and the English Standard Bible.

Those Bible translations provide verses to read each day of the year – from both the New and Old Testaments.

Jonathan Cahn, the messianic rabbi who wrote “The Harbinger” and offers his teaching in “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment” movie, recently discovered that every one of those “One-Year Bible” versions place Isaiah 9:10 on Sept. 11.

“This has been the case since 1985,” said Cahn on a recent Jim Bakker TV show. “It’s been there for years. Millions of Americans have been reading this verse on Sept. 11 for 16 years before 2001.”

It’s just the latest example of dozens of links between the attack of 9/11 in America and the attack on ancient Israel described in Isaiah 9:10, revealed in both the book and the movie. Cahn says the harbingers for America – messages he believes are from God – continue to mount.

On the series of TV shows that aired just after the November election, Cahn said the vote itself has significance in the context of his teaching, which has swept through America and the world in the form of “The Harbinger” and “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment.”

“The leader of a nation can make a big difference,” said Cahn. “When you look at Israel, when you had an immoral king, it led the nation into immorality. When you had a righteous king, it led the nation into revival. It’s not dependent just on the leader. But what the president does, what the Congress does – the laws affect everyone. It affects the preaching of the Gospel, the teaching of the young and the next generation – all of this. What just happened is significant. America made a choice. It was a sign of a turn against the ways of God.”

Cahn also mentioned the effects of Hurricane Sandy on the New York area – particularly on Ground Zero.

He cited the words of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, appearing at the site of destruction and telling a television interviewer: “This is the Ground Zero site. This is a monument to human capacity and human endurance. And, this is New Yorkers’ way of saying we’re not going to give up. We’re going to come back and we will. This city will rebuild and the state will rebuild, and I believe will be the better for it.”

For those who have read “The Harbinger” or seen “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” those words have special meaning.

It was a message all-too-familiar from U.S., state and city leaders in the wake of the 9/11 attack: “We will rebuild. We will come back stronger.”

The words mimicked – sometimes with precision – those of ancient Israel in Isaiah 9:10: “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.”

And that’s the pattern that has been revealed in Cahn’s bestseller and the movie that has been the No. 1 faith film in America for the last 35 weeks.

It continued in the words of some officials in the wake of Sandy’s flooding of New York and New Jersey – including by the governor of New York speaking on network television from Ground Zero.

So what?

Cuomo may blame catastrophic man-made climate change. But Cahn doesn’t.

“A number of years ago, as I was standing at the edge of Ground Zero in New York City, I came across the first puzzle piece of an ancient biblical mystery and a prophetic message known as ‘The Harbinger’ that concerns the future of America,” explains Cahn, who helped write and narrate the two-hour documentary “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment.”

Cahn says he has since found nine harbingers that tie the problems America has experienced beginning Sept. 11, 2001, with parallels that led to the destruction of ancient Israel.

“Before God judges a nation, He sends warning,” explains Cahn. “He sent warning to ancient Israel. He even allowed its enemies to breach its borders in a devastating strike that would traumatize the nation. It was a wake-up call, the call to return to God. But the nation responded with defiance. God then gave nine harbingers of judgment, nine prophetic signs, alarms and foreshadows of what was to come. Now America is the nation in rapid departure from God’s will. And God likewise allowed an enemy to breach its borders in a devastating strike – the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It was, likewise, a wake-up call. But America, like Israel, has not responded with repentance, but with defiance. And now the nine harbingers of judgment have reappeared and have done so on American soil.”

Isaiah 9:10 is a verse in which Israel’s national leaders utter a vow of defiance following an attack by Assyria. It declared that the nation would not repent before God, but would defy Him instead. Cahn reveals in “The Harbinger” – and in even more dramatic fashion in the video – that beginning the day after Sept. 11, 2001, American leaders began repeating that 2,500-year-old vow, word for word.

“Having no idea what he was doing, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate (Tom Daschle) was declaring America as under the judgment of God,” Cahn says. “It was the reenactment of an ancient mystery – and bore the most grave of consequences.”

He continues: “According to the ancient mystery revealed in the Book of Isaiah, if after that first calamity and warning, the nation doesn’t return to God but responds in defiance, it will end up triggering a second calamity. It was because of this ancient key, that, seven years after 9/11, the American economy collapsed. In the days after 9/11, the Federal Reserve slashed the base interest rate in an attempt to defy the consequences of the attacks. That action put us on the path leading to the collapse of the American economy seven years later. In 2008, the government made a second fatal mistake, another ill-fated financial decision, that would trigger the collapse of the American economy. Amazingly, it took place on the seventh anniversary of the uttering of the ancient vow on Capitol Hill.”

Cahn also reveals in “The Harbinger” and “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment” something that readers and viewers universally find astonishing – that New York’s Ground Zero actually represents more than the former financial center of the country. It represents the exact place at which America was first consecrated to God in prayer by the country’s new leaders.

“When judgment came to Israel, the calamity returned the people’s attention to the place where the nation had been consecrated to God – the Temple Mount,” says Cahn. “God was calling the nation back to Himself. What about 9/11? Could there be, in the American calamity, as well, a mystery of return? Could there be a prophetic message hidden in the place where it happened? There is a place where America was consecrated to God in prayer. It is also a place linked to a prophetic warning given on that same day – uttered by the nation’s first president – now coming to pass.”

In 1789, newly inaugurated President George Washington gave a prophetic warning at Federal Hall in New York City. He declared that America’s prosperity and protection were dependent upon its adherence to God. Later, the political leaders of the young nation gathered at St. Paul’s Chapel to commit the nation’s future to God’s purposes. That chapel is located at Ground Zero and miraculously survived 9/11 virtually unscathed.

Cahn, the pastor of the Jerusalem Center-Beth Israel Congregation in Wayne, N.J., says America is uncannily re-enacting ancient Israel’s behavior prior to its judgment and eventual fall. He found a sympathetic ear for his message in WND founder Farah, who produced “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” as a follow-up to “The Harbinger.”

The key to decoding the harbingers, Cahn says, is found in understanding the seemingly innocuous words of Isaiah 9:10, what it meant to Israel and how the history seems to be repeating itself in America today.

These words were first uttered by leaders in Israel and in response to a limited strike by Assyria on the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali – an attack the prophet makes clear is actually part of a limited judgment by God against apostasy. It wasn’t meant to destroy the nation, but to awaken it, according to most commentaries.

But, says Cahn, Israel didn’t take the cue. Instead, the response from the people in Isaiah 9:10 is one of defiance. The brick buildings were toppled, but they vowed to build bigger and better. The little sycamore trees may have been uprooted, but they vowed to plant bigger and better cedars in their place.

God, speaking through Isaiah explains what will happen as a result of their pride and arrogance and failure to heed the harbinger: Bigger and more potent attacks will follow. Because neither the northern kingdom of Israel nor the southern kingdom of Judah truly repents, the first is eventually swept away by Assyrian invaders and the latter is carried off into captivity by the Babylonians for 70 years.

But what does this have to do with the United States of America – particularly what the U.S. experienced on 9/11 and since? Cahn has found some eerie parallels.

“In the aftermath of the attack, the nation was stunned,” said Cahn. “Everyone was trying to make sense of what had happened – this unprecedented attack on America. The very next day, Sept. 12, then Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle presented America’s response to the world. And what did he say?”

Daschle said: “America will emerge from this tragedy as we have emerged from all adversity – united and strong. Nothing … nothing can replace the losses of those who have suffered. I know there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that speaks to all of us at times like this.”

He then went on to read Isaiah 9:10.

“Daschle has no idea what he is doing here,” explains Cahn. “He thinks he’s offering comforting words to a grief-stricken people, but he is actually embracing the spiritually defiant and arrogant words of the children of Israel, proclaiming the ancient and ominous vow of the leaders of that nation. He doesn’t realize it, but he is actually inviting more judgment on the nation.”

It might be of some significance that Daschle, one of the most powerful men in the nation when he spoke those words, later fell into disgrace – to the point where he couldn’t even serve in Barack Obama’s Cabinet.

That might have been the end of the story – if no other top leader in the nation uttered those strange and obscure words after 9/11. But that’s not the case.

On the third anniversary of the attack, Sept. 11, 2004, another powerful U.S. senator running for vice president that year and who would famously run for the presidency four years later, gave a speech to the Congressional Black Caucus.

This time, John Edwards’ entire speech was built on a foundation of Isaiah 9:10:

“Today, on this day of remembrance and mourning, we have the Lord’s Word to get us through,” he said. He then read Isaiah 9:10. He went on to talk about how America was doing just that – rebuilding with hewn stone and planting cedars.

Later, in his first State of the Union Address in 2009, Barack Obama hearkens back to the same theme. And now Cuomo – right back at the site of the original attack.

In “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” viewers get to see these remarkable, largely forgotten or overlooked speeches, which directly link the events of 9/11 and the events referred to in Isaiah 9:10.

But aside from such statements, which could be chalked up to political talk and coincidences, is there anything else linking Isaiah 9:10 to 9/11 and the shockwaves that followed, including two economic crashes?

The video documentary, like the book, is full of shocking parallels. There was actually a very famous sycamore tree felled in the attack on the World Trade Center. It was replaced by trees in the same genus as the cedar. There have been many plans made to rebuild the twin towers bigger and better and a large “hewn stone” was actually quarried out of the Adirondack Mountains in New York and brought to Ground Zero as a cornerstone.

“The parallels are truly stunning,” says Farah, founder of WND, who produced the documentary for WND Videos. “In fact, they are overwhelming in their number and their exactitude. I am persuaded God is trying to tell America something and Rabbi Cahn has found the key to unlocking the message.”

David Verses Goliath

Have you ever felt like this…

Like everything that can go wrong has, 

and that you’re facing your own giants?

 

For many people today I think that is an accurate description of the way they feel regarding our country and the very serious problems we are facing today.

For some, I’m afraid, it’s like our nation just stepped from the frying pan into the fire, with the results of this past election; but is that the case? Yes and no, but then there is God!

For others they are facing other problems and difficulties in their lives, and it is taking everything they have to just keep their nose above water!

For some it may even seem hopeless… but then there is God!

We, who are Believers, can look to our Bibles and see how this patterned has been well established in God’s Word, how that many times God’s people were outnumbered and were facing literal giants, just as happened with this little teenager, this shepherd boy named David!

Part of our training in becoming Christian soldiers is to learn how to face our fears.

Fear is something we ALL experience in life, and sometimes it’s a good thing.

If you’re fooling around with high voltage, fear is a good thing, because it will cause you to exercise caution; and it will most likely keep you alive.

However if the fear you are experiencing is causing you to feel hopelessly outnumbered and out matched, abandoned by God, and defeated; and if you have this temptation to run away, then the Bible says that sort of fear comes from a spirit.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear,

but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

To borrow a line from an old John Wayne war movie, “All wars are filled with brave men, who are scared and would rather be somewhere else;” meaning it’s not the fear that’s the problem, but rather it’s our reaction to fear that will defeat us, if that reaction is causing us to run away and not face our fears.

I am sure that we all have fears that we are facing today, of one kind or another; our giants if you will.

Maybe we’re afraid of losing our home; or our job; maybe you are an employer and you are having to lay off your workers; or maybe you have a loved one who is sick, and possibly dying; it could be any number of things like this that are very real.

What do we do in times like this?

Well the same sorts of problems also existed in biblical times too, among our forefathers.and the saints of old; In fact our problems that we are facing today are no less traumatic to us, than there’s were to them. 

We really need to read our Bibles with that in mind, and put flesh and blood on these characters we are reading about; and not put them on a pedestal; because they were just like us!

I am sure that little David was also afraid, just as we all would be if we had been standing in his shoes!

It would have been so easy for him to ignore it all and look the other way. That’s what everyone, including his brother wanted him to do. That would have been the natural thing to do; but David had already learned not to flee from his fears, after having seen God deliver him from both a lion and from a bear.

David just faced his fears and went ahead anyway, trusting that God would see him through; and so it is with us today… we also have to learn to trust in God!

The way we do that is we have to go through our own minefields in life, our own battle zones, where we are forced to face your own giants, and see the power of God deliver us where we are!

Thank God for people in the Bible like Peter!

Peter gives me lots of hope, because even though it seems like he was always putting his foot in his mouth, and saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time; nevertheless, God could still use him, and He did use him.

Peter didn’t have it all together either, no more than you or I have it all together in our life.

He wasn’t perfect, he didn’t have to be. In fact his worst day was probably the day he denied our Lord three times, after having bragged a few days before about always having Jesus’ back!

What was the first thing that Jesus said to Mary, after His Resurrection, on that Sunday morning? He said: “Go tell My disciples and PETER!”

Through it ALL, just like us, Peter also had to LEARN to trust in Jesus; he had to learned to put his faith in God, after having gone through so many trials and tribulations in his life; just like we do.

He had to learn how to commit it ALL to Jesus!

Well, how does that happen?

Well for that answer we have to look to our Operations Manual for Life (the Bible).

To start with, it happens by our being put in the furnace of life, and our being put through the University of the Holy Spirit, which I am quite sure that many of you who are reading this now are enrolled in, as am I.  Isn’t it fun? 🙂

In 1 Corinthians 10:11 we are told that these things, that are written in the Bible, where written for our example; that we might gain knowledge, wisdom, and direction for our own lives, as we see how God has throughout history interacted in the lives of men.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and even though the times may have changed, and even though we are living in this modern age; nevertheless, as members of the human race, our problems are not that different, as we are today faced with the same sorts of problems as were the saints of old… trying to survive and trying to support our families!

The opposition, our mortal enemy, who is Satan (aka the Devil), he is operating the same way as well; and is using the same tactics and strategy that he used against our forefathers, the saints of old.

It may be a different time, but it’s the same Devil… but of course you wouldn’t know that unless you are reading your Bible!

Have you considered how many times God has even led his people into problems and storms?

Take Abraham for instance; God called him to take Sarah and his servants and to go to a new land, the “Promise Land;” the only problem was God didn’t tell him where it was, it was totally a walk of faith; and then when he finally got there he was right in the middle of a famine.

Take Gideon, who when hiding in the winepress area from the Philistines, God’s angle spoke to him and called him to battle, saying “Gideon, thy mighty man of valor!”

To which Gideon said: “Who me?” God does have a sense of humor, doesn’t he?

I certainly relate to Gideon, how about you?

Even though Gideon and his men were sorely outnumbered, God tell Gideon that he has too many men on his side; and so then God starts whittling down Gideon’s fighting force until there were only 300 men, against a force many many times larger… but those are exactly the odds that God likes!

That way He gets the glory!

In fact God specializes in making impossible situations possible; and making ways in the wilderness, for His kids, where there seems to be no way… and they are called Miracles!

What about in the New Testament, where Jesus sent His disciples into the storm, only to come out to them walking on the water, scaring the bejeebers out of them, because they’re thinking that He’s a ghost?

Then it was our old friend Peter who says, “Lord if it truly be you, then have me come to you walking on the water!”

Peter was learning how to trust His Lord, while in the middle of the storm, and so must we!

Here’s the rhyme and reason for all of this, as God told Moses:

Deuteronomy 8:2-5

² Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

Whatever it is you are facing today, however big your giants may be, please just know this, that your God is BIGGER; and just as it happen with David and with all the countless stories of other saints in the Bible, about how Israel constantly faced impossible odd, and their God was always well able to deliver them; and so He will deliver us as well, if we are faithful to follow and obey Him.

At one time Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked to have him to sift him as wheat; and Jesus didn’t say that He would keep Peter from that trial; but rather He said, “Peter, I will pray for you that your faith fails not,” and so Jesus is praying for us today!

.Apparently somethings can only be learned by going through the fire… and Jesus today is certainly baptizing His church in fire!  Selah

Shalom,

Skip 

“In God I trust”

Come Join the Adventure!

There is much talk in Christian circles today on this subject of Faith; but what exactly is Faith?

It must be important because in Hebrews 11:6 we are told that without it, without Faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE for any of us to please God.

Faith is not JUST positive thinking; however I do believe that being positive is a part of what faith is, or rather it is one of benefits of living in faith.

However positive thinking by itself is just believing in yourself; and there are even churches that teach “Positive Thinking,” as though it were the same as faith; and if I’m not mistaken I believe the term “Positive Thinking” even gained its popularity from a book written by a minister, called the Power of Positive Thinking; but I repeat the fact that one is a positive thinker does not necessarily mean that he or she is a person of “Faith.”

I won’t argue with you, because there is lots of evidence to show that people who follow this teaching in life, for at least some of them anyway, it has paid off for them, as they are very successful, as the world counts success; and truly where I live, here in Southern California, there are many such examples

By success I mean they have made a lot of money and have gained many material things as a result of their worldly success; but again that by itself is NOT what faith is.

Certainly being positive in life is a part of what faith is, but there is so much more to having true faith, than what most have acknowledged, even those in the church.

Maybe some of you have seen this bumper sticker before, “He Who Dies with The Most Toys Wins,” and certainly there are many who live their life this way, as though having earned lots of money and owning lots of things is the end all and be all of life, as if having lots of things is all there is.

However the truth be told, and really it is only those few who have actually gotten a hold of that golden carrot of success in life who can tell you this, and while all the rest of the world is still reaching for it, it is only those who have actually attained it who can tell you, if they will be honest (and I know because I have heard this many times) that in the end, just having lots of things and money is not very fulfilling at all. Those few who have made it will tell you that they are still looking for that something out there that will truly satisfy them and fulfill their life.

Some are thinking that maybe it will be that next “Carrot” that they are reaching for, be it another business, another company to own, and another few million dollars in the bank, maybe that will do it?.

Now I have to say this too, because we all have problems in life, the rich and the poor alike, and there are certainly some things that having lots of money can minimize the impact of those problems; and to be honest, I have to say that I’d rather have the money, then not, because being broke is no fun either, and that condition comes with lots of other problems that most of us would rather not have.

On the other hand, money by itself will not buy back your health, once you’ve lost it; and it wouldn’t make up for the lost of a loved one who has died, possibly a spouse or child (which I can only imagine has to be the worst). I think most of the world would even agree with me about that.,

I can also say that when it’s all over and done with, and when you are lying on your deathbed, it’s definitely NOT the material things of life that you are thinking of at that point.

You are not thinking “if only I had made more money or had gain more toys in my life.”

Definitely NO, not at all, and that’s where the rubber meets the road for all of us eventually.

Listen to what God tells us in His Word about that one who has lived his or her life this way, as described on that bumper sticker:

Luke 12:16-21

¹⁶ Then He (Jesus) spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’

¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘

²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The fact is, as we are told in the Bible, that it is appointed to every man once to die, and then to face the judgment of God (see Hebrews 9:27), where EVERY person will have to stand one day and give an account of their life, and the Bible says that it is ONLY those who have accepted God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ who will be spared what the Bible calls the “White Throne Judgment” (Revelation 20:11-15).

For these people who have accepted Jesus propitious work on Calvary, and have done so by faith, who have also made Him Lord and Savior of their life, the Bible says that they will stand before the “Throne of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10), where the Bible says they will receive rewards for the service they have offered God and to others in their life.

Well, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that it is better to be in this latter group, than to be in the first!

For those who have chosen NOT to live their lives for Christ, those who have either ignored or rejected His message of Salvation and Reconciliation, they will face this White Throne Judgment alone and by themselves, with no one to intercede for them.

This is where “being rich towards God” pays off in spades, because unless you have God’s forgiveness in your life, having accepted His awesome gift of grace (which is unmerited favor) that God has given you through faith in His only begotten Son, who is Jesus the Christ (Messiah), then you will go out into eternity lost forever, having rejected your only Salvation.

God will not force upon you in eternity what you have rejected or have ignored all of your life; and if you have either rejected or have ignored God’s plan for reconciliation back into His family, by having rejected the Gospel’s message, then it will be your decision to face eternity on your own, without benefit of a Saviour.

For many people it is only at the end of their life that they finally realize what the truly important things are, when they are lying on their deathbed, after having spent their entire life chasing after that golden carrot, and the truth is most will never even get it, not even close; but when they find themselves now facing eternity, this is when they finally realize that certain opportunities are lost and are now gone forever; things like having more time to spend with loved ones, and with their children; or being a better husband or wife, father or mother; and having spent their life investing themselves in others; and living it for God… these are the things that in the end are important.

So then, getting back to my original question, what exactly is FAITH and how does it differ from just belief?

Somebody sent me this story today that got me thinking along these lines, and I think I’ll pass it along; because I think it describes what the difference is between Faith and Belief perfectly.

Believing and depending are not the same thing:

Years ago there was a very famous tight rope walker named Blondin. He would often amaze people by walking on a wire over incredible heights.

On one of these occasions, he was performing his act over Niagara Falls. A huge crowd was watching as Blondin moved confidently out over the churning waterfall and back. Turning to his onlookers, Blondin asked, “Who thinks I can push a wheel barrel across this wire?”

They all shouted, “Yes, we believe you can!”. And so he did. On returning, he asked again, “Do you believe I can push a man across in this wheel barrel?”

Again the crowd shouted in great confidence, “Yes!”

Then Blondin said, “Which one of you will get in?”

That is the difference between believing and depending. It was easy for the people to say, “We believe you can do it!” But it’s quite another thing to climb into the wheel barrel and depend on him to do it.

Where are you, in your Faith today; or is what you are calling FAITH only belief?

Are you in the crowd shouting, “God can do it?” Or are you in the wheel barrel praying, “God, I’m depending on You.”

The depending prayer and our absolute reliance on God can and often is very scary, but it’s also the most rewarding way to live.

Let’s all hop in God’s wheel barrow, and live the adventure!

Dependency Checklist:

How can you tell if you are just believing in prayer, or really depending on prayer?

Consider these questions as someone who is in God’s wheel barrow.

• Do I feel vulnerable? Being in a wheel barrow on a tight rope is a scary deal, even if God is the one who’s pushing.
  
• Do I have an alternative? Once you are out on the wire, there is no other way, you don’t have a plan “B”.
  
• Am I willing to accept whatever answer God gives me? – A wheel barrow passenger has no rights, he does whatever the driver says.
  
• Am I carefully listening for His answer, or instructions? – You bet you are! Your life depends on hearing anything He says.
  
• Am I tuning out all other distractions so I can focus on Him? Absolutely, the roaring water, the cheering crowd, all fade away as you train your ear on the Master’s voice.
  
• Do I have hope that God can make a way? Of, course! You would never get into the wheel barrow unless you had faith that He could get you across.
  

The dictionary description for “depend” is, “To rely, to place trust or confidence.”

King David, in the Old Testament, was someone who fits this description. Over and over again he relied on, “the God of heaven” while facing hopeless difficulties.

As a young boy he had to confront a lion and bear to protect his sheep. Each of these struggles prepared him for greater challenges.

He was offered armor by Saul and he refused it and decided rather to believe in God and take Him at His word. His faith and his commitment (his dependency) was only in God, that God cause him to defeat his enemy.  If not certainly David would have been dead!

David took a stand and he depended on God to be true to His word and He was.

David killed Goliath with one stone and he had 5 more in the bag to kill Goliath’s brothers if they showed up. 

Dependency on God’s promises guarantees results in our favor every time.

And in the end this is what really matters:

“Surely the Lord does nothing without revealing

his plan to his servants the prophets.”

Amos 3:7

In the midst of confusion and darkness, God always is faithful to provide us with a message of hope for our future.

With everything that is coming upon the world today, in nature, economics, world division and conflicts, wars and rumors of wars, pestilences of all kinds in different places, earthquakes and signs in the heavens, as in the drastic weather patterns we have seen of late, that has pounded the East Coast, and with all of these things together, it should be all but oblivious to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that our world is in a period of transition.

There is much talk today about the Mayan Calendar and want it means for the end of 2012; and then you have all these other events that are pounding this world today… it’s enough to make your head swim.

Whatever you believe or don’t believe about all of this, one thing is sure, and that is our World today is in turmoil, and it is exactly as our Lord said it would be, just prior to His return.

I ran across this article and these prophecies today, and I thought to pass them along, as I feel they give us a much needed sense of order and perspective in all of this confusion, in the knowledge that for the covenant child of God, as per the promises of God’s Word, things are never out of control, but they are always under His ultimate control.

God’s Word is that which lights our path ahead in times of trouble; and gives us reason to hope!.

From Kathie Walters Ministry –

A DAY LIKE NO OTHER – THEN COMES FREEDOM:

Ian Johnson

Because 31st October is 95 years since the ANZAC forces (Australia & New Zealand Army Corp) saw Be’ersheba in Israel freed from 400 years (to the day) of Turkish Ottoman rule. (The Turks took over on the 31st Oct 1517) I started to do a bit of research and the Lord started to speak to me about the significants of the hour. Actually the day 31st Oct.

It was on the 31st Oct 1517 that Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses to the door of the Church in Guttenberg to bring freedom. So it’s now 495 years since that event.

It was on the 31st Oct 1904 that Evan Roberts returned to his home Church in Loughor. His purpose was to attend a series of meetings to awaken people to Christ. Within two weeks large parts of Wales were in revival.

Quite by chance I discovered that 95 on the Table of essential Elements is Am – Americium and I thought OK that’s US-America.

I heard the Lord speak clearly, He said: “The God of New York has been silenced (The Stock Exchange) and the underground has been halted.(The enemies Kingdom). Now let the God of Israel be seen because there is an exchange of wealth and a release of the Kingdom of heaven on earth.”For those who have ears let them hear. 31st October is an exchange of Kingdom authority and a new season of release. Don’t fear; call out to HIM… nothing will ever be the same.
….
For the USA I hear; “even in the face of the storm, don’t be afraid but call on the name of the Lord”. There is another 31st Oct event coming that will explode into a huge move of God and a transfer of wealth from the enemies’ camp and into the Kingdom of God.

The current Storm is a signal of the transfer of Kingdoms. It just so happens it’s also the 95th Storm with Barometric pressure lower than 960 to hit the East Coast of USA since 1948 when Israel became a nation. There’s that number again, 95.

My friends in the USA have told me that they are feeling the breeze of a fresh move. Hold steady my friends because the storm will try to blow you off course. The Atmosphere in the East Coast of the USA currently is quite unlike anything ever experienced. That because there is an exchange of Kingdoms occurring.

In the same way the ANZAC’s faced impossible odds in 1917 and Martin Luther in 1517 also Evan Roberts in 1904 but then came the start of a move of freedom; so too this October 31st 2012 is a day to mark the turning point in the USA. Don’t look at the circumstances hear what the Spirit is saying in the midst of the storm.

IAN W JOHNSON  HIS AMAZING GLORY MINISTRIES        http://www.hisamazinggloryministries.org

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Prophesied by Chuck Pierce on Sat., July 30, 2011:  

PART 1 – PART 2

From this AM below – WOW WOW

The Spirit of the Lord began to speak, “You will decree a release of one of those scrolls.” I stood up and said, “The Lord would say, “Watch Washington, D.C., for there will come upon the place a physical storm. This storm will be a sign. This sign is necessary and cannot be prevented. This physical storm will rest down and when the storm descends—–the scroll for the government of this land will be unlocked.

“I will unwind a structure that has gotten intertwined with the enemy’s plans. I will reinstitute law in this land that has been removed. I am sending angels in at My command based upon the revelation that is being spoken now, and from those angelic hosts, a land and its governments will be changed.”

(Posted on Elijah List) Note: The name “Sandy” means: “protector of mankind, helper of humanity, defender of mankind.”

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PART 2 – Now take a look at this – Chuck Pierce prophesied this JUST THIS MORNING 10-30-12

Chuck Pierce was leading the morning prayer.  There were quite a few gathered.  I recorded it and will transcribe and send overview later.

This storm was for a cleansing of the foundations, the original 13 colonies (even the seeds laid within the original 13 colonies that have laid dormant will now begin to sprout with this cleansing storm) and the cornerstones and power structures have been cleansed, even the statue of liberty representing the liberty of this nation has been cleansed by the storm and there will now be new liberty coming.  God has given us a second chance.  Redistribution of the wealth that has been held up has been released.  Even the old Masonic cornerstones have been cleansed (this was the hold up).
There has been released a river of glory which has changed the old cornerstones.

WE ARE TO KEEP DECLARING:  PROTECT WITH YOUR HAND BUT WE TRUST THE REARRANGEMENT OF THE ORDER OF THIS LAND. <—Is this NOT what all the intercessory prayer groups have been praying for? For GOD to heal our land?  AMEN GLORY TO YOU LORD!!!

This new river will not be like the old rivers we have walked in.

MORE TO COME LATER – PRAISE GOD…

The Bible is the ONLY book ever written that gives the future as history; and we can know we are in the “Last Days” because of the prophetic signs that have been foretold regarding what things would be happening in the last days.

There are many many examples found all throughout the Bible, where God has provided us with a light for our feet, to offer us encouragement and to give us direction in times of trouble, and here are just a few:

Matthew 24: 37-39 

³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

2 Peter 3:3-10

Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. …

2 Timothy 3:2

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Matthew 24:21

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

2 Timothy 3:1

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

Zechariah 14:12

And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

Daniel 12:10

Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.

Romans 1:27

And the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Zechariah 14:8

On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.

Revelation 9:18

By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

Galatians 5:21

Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Mark 13:10

And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.

Revelation 21:4

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

2 Peter 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

2 Peter 1:20

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.

2 Timothy 3:4

Treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Revelation 20:7-10

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 6:17

For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Mark 13:1-37

And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. …

Matthew 24:38

For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,

Matthew 24:1-51

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. …

Matthew 21:42

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Revelation 6:16

Calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,

Revelation 6:8

And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

James 5:7

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

2 Timothy 4:4

And will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

Luke 21:31

So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

Luke 17:28

Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,

Luke 1:1

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,

Matthew 28:19

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Daniel 8:1-27

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the capital, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. …

Ezekiel 38:16

You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

Psalm 8:8

The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

Genesis 8:22

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

2 Timothy 4:3

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

Romans 9:28

For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”

Romans 1:26

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;

Daniel 12:1

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

Revelation 3:10

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Luke 22:37

For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.”

Mark 13:20

And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

Isaiah 66:8

Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.

Jude 1:18

They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”

2 Timothy 3:6

For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,

1 Thessalonians 5:21

But test everything; hold fast what is good.

John 5:39

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

Luke 21:36

But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Matthew 28:20

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 24:37

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:31

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 16:26

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Zechariah 13:7

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Micah 5:3

Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.

Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Daniel 12:4

But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Daniel 12:2

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 9:27

And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 2:44

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

Ezekiel 38:8

After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.

Ezekiel 38:2-4

“Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords.

Isaiah 28:14

Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem!

Psalm 14:1

To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

Job 37:1-15

“At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place. Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. …

Revelation 3:14-22

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. …

Jude 1:7

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Hebrews 5:9

And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

1 Thessalonians 4:16

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Colossians 2:12

Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:52

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:51

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1 Corinthians 2:9

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

Romans 1:20

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

John 3:3

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Luke 17:30

So will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Luke 16:16

“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.

Mark 16:9-20

[[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. …

Mark 16:1-20

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. …

Mark 9:1-50

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” …

Mark 7:14

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:

Matthew 25:1-46

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. …

Matthew 18:3

And said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 10:1-42

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, …

Daniel 9:24-27

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 7:1-28

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ …

Ezekiel 38:15

You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army.

Ezekiel 22:19

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 40:22

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

Psalm 22:18

They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Genesis 19:5

And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Revelation 21:20

The fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

Revelation 9:21

Nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Jude 1:15

To execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Jude 1:14

It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,

1 John 3:2

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

2 Peter 3:3

Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Romans 6:4

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 1:24

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

Luke 24:25

And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Mark 16:16

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Joel 2:32

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as theLord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Job 26:7

He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there. (But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly sought it out. …

Deuteronomy 30:19

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Acts 1:6

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Luke 23:34

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Isaiah 53:1-12

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

This just in from Kathie Walters Ministry — A DAY LIKE NO OTHER – THEN COMES FREEDOM.

Ian Johnson

Because 31st October is 95 years since the ANZAC forces (Australia & New Zealand Army Corp) saw Be’ersheba in Israel freed from 400 years (to the day) of Turkish Ottoman rule. (The Turks took over on the 31st Oct 1517) I started to do a bit of research and the Lord started to speak to me about the significants of the hour. Actually the day 31st Oct.

It was on the 31st Oct 1517 that Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses to the door of the Church in Guttenberg to bring freedom. So it’s now 495 years since that event.

It was on the 31st Oct 1904 that Evan Roberts returned to his home Church in Loughor. His purpose was to attend a series of meetings to awaken people to Christ. Within two weeks large parts of Wales were in revival.

Quite by chance I discovered that 95 on the Table of essential Elements is Am – Americium and I thought OK that’s US-America.

I heard the Lord speak clearly, He said: “The God of New York has been silenced (The Stock Exchange) and the underground has been halted.(The enemies Kingdom). Now let the God of Israel be seen because there is an exchange of wealth and a release of the Kingdom of heaven on earth.”For those who have ears let them hear. 31st October is an exchange of Kingdom authority and a new season of release. Don’t fear; call out to HIM… nothing will ever be the same.
….
Read More Link on Right

For the USA I hear; “even in the face of the storm, don’t be afraid but call on the name of the Lord”. There is another 31st Oct event coming that will explode into a huge move of God and a transfer of wealth from the enemies’ camp and into the Kingdom of God.

The current Storm is a signal of the transfer of Kingdoms. It just so happens it’s also the 95th Storm with Barometric pressure lower than 960 to hit the East Coast of USA since 1948 when Israel became a nation. There’s that number again, 95.

My friends in the USA have told me that they are feeling the breeze of a fresh move. Hold steady my friends because the storm will try to blow you off course. The Atmosphere in the East Coast of the USA currently is quite unlike anything ever experienced. That because there is an exchange of Kingdoms occurring.

In the same way the ANZAC’s faced impossible odds in 1917 and Martin Luther in 1517 also Evan Roberts in 1904 but then came the start of a move of freedom; so too this October 31st 2012 is a day to mark the turning point in the USA. Don’t look at the circumstances hear what the Spirit is saying in the midst of the storm.

IAN W JOHNSON  HIS AMAZING GLORY MINISTRIES        http://www.hisamazinggloryministries.org

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Prophesied by Chuck Pierce on Sat., July 30, 2011:   PART 1 – PART 2 From this AM below – WOW WOW

The Spirit of the Lord began to speak, “You will decree a release of one of those scrolls.” I stood up and said, “The Lord would say, “Watch Washington, D.C., for there will come upon the place a physical storm. This storm will be a sign. This sign is necessary and cannot be prevented. This physical storm will rest down and when the storm descends—–the scroll for the government of this land will be unlocked.

“I will unwind a structure that has gotten intertwined with the enemy’s plans. I will reinstitute law in this land that has been removed. I am sending angels in at My command based upon the revelation that is being spoken now, and from those angelic hosts, a land and its governments will be changed.”

(Posted on Elijah List) Note: The name “Sandy” means: “protector of mankind, helper of humanity, defender of mankind.”

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PART 2 – Now take a look at this – Chuck Pierce prophesied this JUST THIS MORNING 10-30-12

Chuck Pierce was leading the morning prayer.  There were quite a few gathered.  I recorded it and will transcribe and send overview later.

This storm was for a cleansing of the foundations, the original 13 colonies (even the seeds laid within the original 13 colonies that have laid dormant will now begin to sprout with this cleansing storm) and the cornerstones and power structures have been cleansed, even the statue of liberty representing the liberty of this nation has been cleansed by the storm and there will now be new liberty coming.  God has given us a second chance.  Redistribution of the wealth that has been held up has been released.  Even the old Masonic cornerstones have been cleansed (this was the hold up).
There has been released a river of glory which has changed the old cornerstones.

WE ARE TO KEEP DECLARING:  PROTECT WITH YOUR HAND BUT WE TRUST THE REARRANGEMENT OF THE ORDER OF THIS LAND. <—Is this NOT what all the intercessory prayer groups have been praying for? For GOD to heal our land?  AMEN GLORY TO YOU LORD!!!

This new river will not be like the old rivers we have walked in.

MORE TO COME LATER – PRAISE GOD…

Riding the Waves in life… and enjoying the adventure!

Colossians 3:17,23

¹⁷ Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men.

We have a choice in life in everything we do. What is our motivation and our purpose?

Are we just pursuing personal ambitions and goals in order to gain material things that we want, or maybe even things we need?

There’s nothing wrong with making plans and having goals, because certainly you will get to your destination easier with a map and a plan, than you will without; but for most people unless you are pursuing your life’s goals with a joyful and teachable heart, and also with enthusiasm, then you will many times get frustrated along the way,and quit prematurely, before ever finishing your project or achieving your goal.

That word “enthusiasm” is very interesting as we study its etymological roots:

Enthusiasm — from its source in Greek.

Enthusiasm first appeared in English in 1603 with the meaning “possession by a god.” The source of the word is the Greek enthousiasmos, which ultimately comes from the adjective entheos, “having the god within,” formed from en, “in, within,” and theos, “god.”

Over time the meaning of enthusiasm became extended to “rapturous inspiration like that caused by a god.”

Translated the word means “in or along side with God,” in other words whatever you do in word or deed, or in life, do it enthusiastically with God; and then God’s JOY will see you through. For the Joy of the Lord is our strength!

Many people will try as they will to focus on being disciplined and achieving their goals and sticking to their plans, and if you can do that consistently then that’s great; but most will fail because they make the process a drudgery, and will labor, sweat, and struggle every step of the way, and then quit with that goal or project unfinished.

What’s the point? You’ll fail about a third to half the time, and then feel like a failure for not being disciplined or sticking to your goal or plan.

In contrast, if you do the exact same thing with enthusiasm, as unto God and with God, and at the same time let go of the expectation you’ve set for yourself and just have fun doing it, enjoying the process, then you may find a different result. Let the JOY of the Lord be your strength.

Let’s take a few examples:

• If you set out on a really tough 3-day hike through some mountains, and make it through the first day and night but get too tired in the middle of the second day, is that a failure?
  

It is a failure if you are mad at yourself for not getting to the end, for not being disciplined. It’s a success, though, if you decided at the beginning to do it just for fun, as unto the Lord, and had a great time while you were doing it.

• If you start writing a book but only get about halfway through, is that a success or failure?
  

It’s a failure if you expected to get finished and are disappointed in yourself for not sticking it through to the goal. It’s a success if you decided to do it for fun, as unto the Lord, and had wonderful time writing.

• If you start an online venture and it doesn’t take off and you have to call it quits after a year — is that a failure?
  

Well, by now you know the answer. Have fun doing it, do it as unto the Lord, and it’s always a success.

The key is we are to seek God for wisdom and guidance in everything we do, first and foremost; and this is especially true if this is an important life goal that we are pursuing.

Next it is our persistence over time that will cause us to succeed.

Don’t think that you are a failure just because you fail a few times; the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is that those who have succeeded have learned not to quit!

The fact that you fail along the way is normal for most people. You learn from your mistakes and you keep moving forward, that’s the key; but you do so with enthusiasm, meaning you do it with God, and that makes all the difference in the world. It then becomes an adventure, and a learning experience.

If you go for a walk, a run, a hike, do it for fun, with joy, as unto the Lord, not just for the benefits that you might get. The benefits are an important part of it and are a motivation, but we must learn patience and long-suffering in the process. It is the process that is most important to God and our attitude while under pressure that He looks to.

Most people are merely thermometers and only reflect their environment; God is rather looking for us to be thermostats, which change it, by our very presence.

Do experiments in your life; try different things, and whatever you do, do it for fun, do it with joy, as unto the Lord; and not just because of the desired results.

If you persist, and don’t quit, the results will come in time; just probably not on the first time you try.

Life is a process that includes successes and failures, they are a part of the trip, so get use to it; and if you persevere to the end, you will succeed.

That’s the message of the Bible, as Paul describes it, when he tell us that we are in a race. We discipline ourselves and we train our bodies in order to win the prize, but the key thing in God’s Kingdom is that Jesus has already won the race for us; and the way we win is that we don’t quit!.

Wake up each day with expectation and excitement for what God has in store for you today; and then move forward throughout your day remaining connected to Him; acknowledging Him in all your ways, and being sensitive to His leading and direction moment by moment.

Merely enjoy the process instead of struggling always for the goal. Recognize too that any interruptions and/or delays that you may experience along the way may just be a part of that process, and should be accepted. Rejoice in the Lord, in EVERYTHING give thanks, for this is the well of God, in Christ Jesus for you!

This one is hard for me; but I have to always remind myself that, as promised in His Word, God is directing my steps.

Every waking moment should be lived this way..

It shifts everything. It doesn’t only determine whether something’s a success or failure — it changes your attitude while you do anything, while you’re talking with someone or reading or watching something. Your mood lifts, you are kinder to others, you have a smile on your face.

Do handstands. Dance. Bound up a hill. Sing with your child. Write something with a light and lifted heart. Be love, and compassion, and joy.

Enthusiastically live your life always connected to your Source (who is Jesus) and whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord! Selah

Shalom,

Skip

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…

And all of life is about our learning to follow Him!

Now either you believe that or not, that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; that He is Lord (God incarnate — God with us, who has come in the flesh); and that He alone is the author and Creator of your life.

If you are one of those who call yourself a Christian, then you know that our whole faith rests on this one point, that Jesus is Messiah and He is God with us, and yet there are many people (and I know because I was once like this myself) who claim to be Christian, but their lives don’t show evidence of that fact, because Jesus has not yet been made Lord of their lives.

There are many today who only have a casual relationship with Jesus, kind of like dating with no commitment.

Jesus makes it clear in the Bible that not everyone who says he is a Christian is. What makes the difference is who is sitting on the throne of your heart?

Matthew 7:22-23

²² When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ ²³ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’

 

Obviously these were the ones who were active in ministry, whom Jesus says He never new;  let alone those who were just nominal Christians.

 Many people say that they are spiritual, something we hear a lot today (which really just means they live by their own rules, and the god they serve is either one they create in their mind, or that of a group or cult whose beliefs do not line up with the Bible); they may be religious, and maybe even go to church every now and again, or maybe not; but this one thing they all have in common, until such time as they are Born-again, is that they have not yet learned that to be a Christian means that you die to yourself, you pick up your cross daily, and you live your life for Jesus 24/7, one day at a time.

God very patiently and long-sufferingly waits for us to notice Him, that He really does love us; and that He has provided for each of us a way to come home and to be reconciled back into His family, but only through faith in Jesus Christ!

The fact is God speaks to every individual, if we would only learn to pay attention with an open heart to what happens to us moment by moment.

For us to discern God’s voice in our daily activities, there remains but one single duty for each believer, and that is to keep his or her gaze fixed upon the Master, and to live one’s life in the moment.

Do you find that all too often your world in a whirlwind; are the gathering clouds that are forming over your life giving you anxious thoughts, as this world seemingly is spinning out of control; are your problems, your trials, and your difficulties occupying most of your attention?

If this sounds familiar, then might I recommend that you read the following verses of scripture, from the Psalms:

Psalm 46

God Protects His People

¹ God is our protection and our strength.
He always helps in times of trouble.
² So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes,
or the mountains fall into the sea,
³ even if the oceans roar and foam,
or the mountains shake at the raging sea.
Selah

⁴ There is a river that brings joy to the city of God,
the holy place where God Most High lives.
⁵ God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken.
God will help her at dawn.
⁶ Nations tremble and kingdoms shake.
God shouts and the earth crumbles.

⁷ The Lord All-Powerful is with us;
the God of Jacob is our defender.
Selah

⁸ Come and see what the Lord has done,
the amazing things he has done on the earth.
⁹ He stops wars everywhere on the earth.
He breaks all bows and spears
and burns up the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ God says, “Be still and know that I am God.
I will be praised in all the nations;
I will be praised throughout the earth.”

¹¹ The Lord All-Powerful is with us;
the God of Jacob is our defender.
Selah

This is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible, in verse 10, where God says for us to “Be still and know that I AM (is) God!” 

If you will remember “I AM that I AM” was the name that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai, when Moses asked “Who shall I say sent me?”  

What I believe is the significance of this name “I AM that I AM” to us is that the Lord, though He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He is only available to each of us, to commune with us, in the space of the present moment… one moment at a time.

All too often we are of a divided mind; if we aren’t fretting over some anticipated problem tomorrow (95+ percent of which never happens and so all that is wasted energy), or we are regretting some mistake or wrong that happened in our past.

Either way we are missing out on communion with God, because God, who is eternal and therefore exists outside of both time and space, is only available to each of us in the space of the present moment, one moment at a time.

So instead of our just reacting to life’s problems with anxious thoughts, as we do most times, we need to still our soul; take time to back up, open our hearts (our spiritual sight and ears) and ask God to illuminate the situation. Nothing is ever out of control in the life of a believer, and as believers we certainly are NOT exempt from having trials and tribulations, as does the world. In fact, the truth be known, once you gave your heart and life to Jesus, you were put on Satan’s hit list!

Listen to what the Lord is saying in the following scripture:

Isaiah 50:10-11

 ¹⁰ Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
That person may walk in the dark
and have no light (understanding).
Then let him trust in the Lord
and yet depend on his God.
¹¹ But instead, some of you want to light your own fires
and make your own light (in your understanding).
So, go, walk in the light of your fires,
and trust your own light to guide you.
But this is what you will receive from me:
You will lie down in a place of pain.

As Christians we are God’s occupational force in the earth, and we have signed up to be His representatives, His Ambassadors, in the earth. As such we are not here to represent our interests, but we are here to surrender our will to His.

We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart, lean not on our own understanding; in all our ways we are to acknowledge Him, and then His promise is that He shall direct our paths. (Prov 3:5-6)

We each have to choose to be constantly listening, and responding to his many nudges throughout our day. Kind of like when you get up in the morning and you want to know what the weather is going to be for that day, you turn on the radio and then continue your morning routine, with one ear tuned to when the weather report comes on.

In other words, what God is saying to us is, we are to live our lives normally, and live each day going through our normal routines and activities; but at the same time we are to keep that connection with Him throughout our day, so that when we hear His still small voice or we feel His nudge, we will respond… as He may say: go speak to that person, or go do this or that.

God doesn’t always send us an angel to give us a message, and He doesn’t always speak through what we would call supernatural means either. He doesn’t have to because if you are a true Christian than God is closer to you than your next breath.

He may at times speak in those supernatural ways, through angels or in a thunderous voice, but those times are few and far between; and I believe they only happen when it is warranted because of the urgency of the situation; but most times God comes to us in very natural and ordinary ways.

Like he did with little Samuel in the Bible, who hears his name called three times, thinking each time that it was his master Eli who was calling; until on the third time Eli told him that it was God who was calling him.

If God had come to that little boy with some earth shattering sign or manifestation in the middle of the night, he would have scared him; but no God comes to us in ways that are very normal, and he speaks to us in ways that if we aren’t careful we can miss Him completely because we weren’t paying attention.

The reason He can do this is because His Spirit lives inside of each of us, that is if we are Born-again; and so His voice most often will come up from the innermost part of our spirit-man, and will most often come to us as a thought or in a vision, which we can completely miss, unless we are paying attention. 

It’s kind of like the way a woman learns to dance, when she is a good dance partner, she is very sensitive in anticipating the next move of her partner, so that they may move as one. Likewise, we have to learn to dance with God, through the Holy Spirit’s leading and nudging in our life.

The only condition necessary for this state of self-surrender is for us to learn how to live in the present moment, where the soul, light as a feather, fluid as water, innocent as a child, responds to the ever present wind of the Spirit, in every movement, just like a floating balloon.

John 3:5-8

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

It is that very connection to God, in faith, and our moment by moment submission and obedience to God in the present moment, moment by moment, that is the secret to our learning to receive from God and to hear His voice.

There is no difference between the Sacred and secular, for God’s influence and power permeates all things, even the most trivial.

From God Calling:

Join the adventure of a lifetime, give your heart and your life to Jesus; make Him Lord of your life, and then enter into the University of the Holy Spirit, that you may learn to discern His voice and His leading in your life, moment by moment. Selah

Have a blessed day.

Shalom,

Skip