The Bible clearly tells us about that one generation, the generation that will be alive at the end of this age, would be "The Final Generation" Standing on the edge of eternity.
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:32-35)
I often lay awake at three or four a.m. meditating on God's Word. At such times, the Holy Spirit brings to my remembrance scores of texts from among the Prophetic Scriptures of The Bible.
The Holy Spirit emblazoned on my heart and mind the term "The Final Generation," as mentioned by our Lord in (Matthew 24:32-35). As I meditated on this subject throughout the remainder of the night, the blessed Spirit of God led me to the idea of creating a message, dealing with Biblical predictions, that no other generation ever saw fulfilled in the past 1900 to 2500 years. Instead, I saw that only believers living during the last half of the 20th Century and the first part of the 21st are fortunate enough to see these fantastic predictions happening with break-neck speed and with such rapidity that even prophecy buffs are amazed.
Needless to say, I became exhilarated, invigorated and activated. I could hardly wait to begin the most stunning, thoroughly documented work and spiritually stimulating project, "The Final Generation" this stirring truth in permanent form for this present generation that has found itself, Standing on the Edge Of Eternity, and get it into the hands of millions via the internet. Now, in its completed form, I believe this monumental undertaking to be one of the most important projects ever attempted and here's why.
Among the hundreds of thousands of lukewarm professing Christians who are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" ( 2 Timothy 3:4) and who place prophecy on the back burner because Christ's return calls for preparedness and holiness (I John 3:2-3) such carnal believers declare: "we have always had wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and typhoons. So how can these be signs pointing to Christ's second coming?" By their "ho-hum-it could be another thousand years" actions and words-they actually become one of the signs. 2 Peter 3:3-4 states: "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
To scripturally counter such disparaging statements made by deep freeze, "Laodicean" church members (Revelation 3:14-17) God led me to build a thoroughly documented work around the words of Jesus in (Matthew 24:32-35) where he dogmatically stated: "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near (Christ's return), even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
From that point of time until now, I have extensively researched hundreds of prophecies in both Old and New Testaments, carefully examining every text to select exclusively the tremendous prophecies that only 20-21st Century believers have witnessed. After this exhaustive study, I have come to the only conclusion any honest person can -WE ARE THAT GENERATION -THE FINAL GENERATION - Standing Precariously on The Edge of Eternity!
Think of it! These prophecies, uttered 1900 to 2500 years ago, that only "The Final Generation" would live to see, have happened ... and every one of these predictions has occurred in your lifetime and mine. There's no doubt about it. Yes, you and I are that end-time generation.
" The Final Generation," including you, is alive and awaiting the most glorious moment in history-the return of Christ, when He breaks through the blue as a bolt of lightning blazing across heaven from East to West (Matthew 24:27). Then the prayer uttered for the past 2000 years will be answered: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
I exhort you to read this article immediately. Find out why you are a member of "The Final Generation." This article is literally inundated with the Word of God and documented evidence proving that the king is coming and is even "at the doors" (Matthew 24:33).
http://www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/finalgeneration.htm
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
This Is Your Hour Of Mercy!
To those enslaved by pornography,
Come to Me, the Image of God
To those who are committing adultery,
Come to Me, the Faithful One
To prostitutes, and those who use or sell them,
Come to Me, your Beloved
To those engaging in unions outside the bounds of marriage,
Come to Me, your Bridegroom
To those who worship the god of money,
Come to Me, without paying and without cost
To those in witchcraft or bound in the occult,
Come to Me, the Living God
To those who have made covenant with Satan,
Come to Me, the New Covenant
To those drowning in the abyss of alcohol and drugs,
Come to Me, who am Living Waters
To those enslaved in hatred and unforgiveness,
Come to Me, Fount of Mercy
To those who have taken the life of another,
Come to Me, the Crucified One
To those who are jealous and envious, and murder with words,
Come to Me, who am jealous for you
To those who are enslaved by love of self,
Come to Me, who has laid down His life
To those who once loved me, but have fallen away,
Come to Me, who refuses no soul…. and I will blot out your offences, and forgive your transgressions. I will remove your sins, as far as the east is from the west.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command the chains which hold you to be broken. I command every principality and power to release you.
I open my Sacred Heart to you as a hiding place and refuge. I will refuse no soul who returns to Me trusting in My infinite Mercy and Love.
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY.
Run home to Me, my beloved, run home to Me, and I will embrace you as a Father, clothe you as My child, and protect you like a Brother.
To the one in mortal sin,
Come to Me! Come, before the last few grains of Mercy fall through the hourglass of time…
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY!
Come to Me, the Image of God
To those who are committing adultery,
Come to Me, the Faithful One
To prostitutes, and those who use or sell them,
Come to Me, your Beloved
To those engaging in unions outside the bounds of marriage,
Come to Me, your Bridegroom
To those who worship the god of money,
Come to Me, without paying and without cost
To those in witchcraft or bound in the occult,
Come to Me, the Living God
To those who have made covenant with Satan,
Come to Me, the New Covenant
To those drowning in the abyss of alcohol and drugs,
Come to Me, who am Living Waters
To those enslaved in hatred and unforgiveness,
Come to Me, Fount of Mercy
To those who have taken the life of another,
Come to Me, the Crucified One
To those who are jealous and envious, and murder with words,
Come to Me, who am jealous for you
To those who are enslaved by love of self,
Come to Me, who has laid down His life
To those who once loved me, but have fallen away,
Come to Me, who refuses no soul…. and I will blot out your offences, and forgive your transgressions. I will remove your sins, as far as the east is from the west.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command the chains which hold you to be broken. I command every principality and power to release you.
I open my Sacred Heart to you as a hiding place and refuge. I will refuse no soul who returns to Me trusting in My infinite Mercy and Love.
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY.
Run home to Me, my beloved, run home to Me, and I will embrace you as a Father, clothe you as My child, and protect you like a Brother.
To the one in mortal sin,
Come to Me! Come, before the last few grains of Mercy fall through the hourglass of time…
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY!
This Is Your Hour Of Mercy!
To those enslaved by pornography,
Come to Me, the Image of God
To those who are committing adultery,
Come to Me, the Faithful One
To prostitutes, and those who use or sell them,
Come to Me, your Beloved
To those engaging in unions outside the bounds of marriage,
Come to Me, your Bridegroom
To those who worship the god of money,
Come to Me, without paying and without cost
To those in witchcraft or bound in the occult,
Come to Me, the Living God
To those who have made covenant with Satan,
Come to Me, the New Covenant
To those drowning in the abyss of alcohol and drugs,
Come to Me, who am Living Waters
To those enslaved in hatred and unforgiveness,
Come to Me, Fount of Mercy
To those who have taken the life of another,
Come to Me, the Crucified One
To those who are jealous and envious, and murder with words,
Come to Me, who am jealous for you
To those who are enslaved by love of self,
Come to Me, who has laid down His life
To those who once loved me, but have fallen away,
Come to Me, who refuses no soul…. and I will blot out your offences, and forgive your transgressions. I will remove your sins, as far as the east is from the west.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command the chains which hold you to be broken. I command every principality and power to release you.
I open my Sacred Heart to you as a hiding place and refuge. I will refuse no soul who returns to Me trusting in My infinite Mercy and Love.
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY.
Run home to Me, my beloved, run home to Me, and I will embrace you as a Father, clothe you as My child, and protect you like a Brother.
To the one in mortal sin,
Come to Me! Come, before the last few grains of Mercy fall through the hourglass of time…
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY!
Come to Me, the Image of God
To those who are committing adultery,
Come to Me, the Faithful One
To prostitutes, and those who use or sell them,
Come to Me, your Beloved
To those engaging in unions outside the bounds of marriage,
Come to Me, your Bridegroom
To those who worship the god of money,
Come to Me, without paying and without cost
To those in witchcraft or bound in the occult,
Come to Me, the Living God
To those who have made covenant with Satan,
Come to Me, the New Covenant
To those drowning in the abyss of alcohol and drugs,
Come to Me, who am Living Waters
To those enslaved in hatred and unforgiveness,
Come to Me, Fount of Mercy
To those who have taken the life of another,
Come to Me, the Crucified One
To those who are jealous and envious, and murder with words,
Come to Me, who am jealous for you
To those who are enslaved by love of self,
Come to Me, who has laid down His life
To those who once loved me, but have fallen away,
Come to Me, who refuses no soul…. and I will blot out your offences, and forgive your transgressions. I will remove your sins, as far as the east is from the west.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command the chains which hold you to be broken. I command every principality and power to release you.
I open my Sacred Heart to you as a hiding place and refuge. I will refuse no soul who returns to Me trusting in My infinite Mercy and Love.
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY.
Run home to Me, my beloved, run home to Me, and I will embrace you as a Father, clothe you as My child, and protect you like a Brother.
To the one in mortal sin,
Come to Me! Come, before the last few grains of Mercy fall through the hourglass of time…
THIS IS YOUR HOUR OF MERCY!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
To All Humans: Urgent Recall Notice
The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units, code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Subsequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.
Some other symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion
The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this SIN defect. The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.
Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next,download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.
No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.
WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.
DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace.The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility.
Thank you for your attention!
GOD
Some other symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion
The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this SIN defect. The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.
Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next,download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.
No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.
WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.
DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace.The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility.
Thank you for your attention!
GOD
Perplexity In The Empire Of The Beast
http://lasttrumpetm inistries. org"
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:25-28
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." I Thessalonians 5:1-3
"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke 17:28-30
In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will look at the confusion and instability of the events of our day in the light of Bible prophecy. As we do this, we will clearly see how accurate and precise the Bible is as every detail of prophecy is being fulfilled now in our time right before our very eyes! We are now seeing the empire of the Antichrist rising rapidly. As this happens according to prophecy, nations everywhere would not just be troubled or agitated but in a state of distress. The primary reason for that distress is the accompanying perplexity. At this point we must understand that the word perplexity comes from the Greek word aporia, which means: "unable to find a way out!"
The Scriptures above also tells us that when the people of earth declare peace and safety sudden destruction will come upon them. The prophecy also uses the analogy of a woman with child who is about to deliver. The birth pangs get closer and closer together and ever more intense, and there is no way to back out of what is happening. Thus, the perplexed people of the earth, so familiar with religion and yet so far from the truth, will find no escape!We also know that when the end comes, it will come very fast!
The third portion of Scripture above tells us that life will be status quo and go on normally in all of our human endeavors until suddenly the last day comes. Our Saviour called attention to Sodom and compared the last generation to it. Indeed, the world is now full of crazed sodomites. We also know from the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that the lust-filled homosexuals were blinded by the angels, and the blinded only intensified their lust as they stood near Lot's house. The homosexuals never stopped trying as the demons in them drove them to extreme intensity as they wearied themselves to find the door! Thus, after Lot and his family left the city, fire and brimstone fell on the blinded population of that city.
Even so now in this last generation, a spiritual blindness has engulfed the people of the United States and the world. They are blind to the impending judgment of Almighty God. This is especially true of church leaders. Our Lord said that if the blind lead the blind, they all fall into the ditch!In I John 5:19, we read a very profound verse as follows: "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness."
Here let it be noted that the word lieth in this verse comes from a Greek word that means to "lay complete sprawled out, as if in a state of sleep." Thus, the verse is saying that the people of the last days are completely sprawled out and laying in wickedness. They are fully acclimated to evil with no sense of what is truly right and what is truly wrong. This is the very condition of our day! If you are reading this and you feel a stirring in your soul, yield your heart and mind to the Lord Jesus now! There is so little time left, and soon it will be too late. The Saviour will hear you and save you. You will be safe and secure from the wrath to come!The Rising of a New Beast!
By the time you receive this newsletter, unless Almighty God intervenes, we will have a new President of the United States. I am writing this newsletter on January 16th, 2009, and in just a few days Barack Hussein Obama will become the 44th President of the United States. One of the last official acts of the outgoing President George W. Bush was to declare a state of emergency in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration.
(1) The swearing in ceremony is expected to cost $165 million,
(2) and Obama will be riding in a limousine that is designed to withstand rocket and chemical attacks.
(3) This black Cadillac vehicle has been named "the beast" by the Secret Service.
(4) A security force that is 42,500 strong will be deployed for the event, including the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and a total of ninety-nine other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Command centers set up by FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies will honeycomb the entire area.
(5) It will look like a war zone and is more of a military event than anything else. Except for the presence of the swastika or hackenkreutz, it will look very much like the January morning when Adolph Hitler walked up the steps in his country to take the reins of power. Hitler promised change and economic recovery. He also promised jobs for everyone.On hand for the event will be the religious leader Rick Warren. Warren is the multimillionaire minister and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, who will give the invocation. What spirit will he invoke? Obama also invited Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to give a special prayer.
(6) Robinson is the flaming red hot homosexual activist from New Hampshire, who has been in the news for his extreme actions to promote homosexuality. I see and feel God's judgment coming quickly after this event!A number of amazing signs have happened in the month before the scheduled inauguration of Obama. The President-elect and his family went on a vacation to the island of Oahu in Hawaii in December. They were staying in a "humble" 9 million dollar, five-bedroom oceanfront house near downtown Honolulu. According to the Associated Press, "their Hawaiian vacation was darkened for eleven hours."
(7) It was a power outage that brought darkness to their mansion on the ocean. It happened on a Friday night, which was the first esbat (witches' weekly meeting) after the sabat of Yule, and it was also the last esbat of the year. The number eleven is significant because it is the Aquarian number as Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac in astrology. The sun enters that sign on January 20th, the very day of the inauguration. Washington and the entire government operates on the power of witchcraft and have for generations. Thus, a dark and occult shadow is cast on the event of the inauguration, and dark ominous days are ahead for America!Another event that took place on January 7th, 2009, was the mysterious dinner meeting with Obama and four Presidents. There were five men in all: Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter. The Associated Press made a point of mentioning that this meeting took place exactly thirteen days before the scheduled inauguration.
(8) What did these five men talk about? It was all very private and secretive. I was reminded of a similar occasion when five men went into a cave near Ingolstadt, Bavaria, on May 1st, 1776. It was Dr. Adam Weishaupt, who with four other men, met in the cave at the behest of the Rothschild banking cartel to bring forth a conspiratorial plan to take over the world and present it one day to their god Lucifer. In that cave, these five men consulted with an invisible force that they called the controlling unknown. This "force" gave them the plan to recruit members of their new organization, which would become known as the Illuminati. They would conceal themselves by hiding in the high levels of the Masonic Lodge until they could foment revolutions and three world wars until their objective was achieved. There is much more to this story. When five men gather secretly in the realm of occultism, they represent the five points of the pentacle, a five-pointed star. Those five points are earth, wind, fire, water, and spirit. It was no coincidence that this meeting was thirteen days before the inauguration when Obama is to become president and the sun enters Aquarius. The number thirteen is the most sacred number in the occult.On the 13th day of January 2009, the Department of Homeland Security conducted a test at the White House in anticipation of a possible major incident with emphasis on the continuity of government procedures if an attack occurred.
(9) When the Lord Jesus returns, there will be no continuity of their government; that is for sure!What will happen after this expensive event and the change of power? Incidentally, large portions of all the money that will pay for the inauguration is coming from the very Wall Street executives that received the bail-out money! This was recently reported in the Wall Street Journal.
(10) The new President will be unique in one major way. He will be the first U.S. President to enter into the management of an American empire in decline!
(11) Obama apparently thinks of himself as a creator. He intends to "create" 600,000 new government jobs.
(12) The new President also intends to "create" two trillion new dollars to spend on his programs. This will have a watering-down effect on the value of the American dollar, which is already in trouble. Obama himself stated, "There is red ink as far as the eye can see," and he is planning to cut social security and medicare spending.
(13)On January 5th, 2009, the Business and Media Institute reported that Obama may be inclined to put a tax on dairy cows to help raise money to curb greenhouse gases.
(14) The tax is expected to be $175.00 per cow. The environmentalist extremists believe that the cows give off enough gas from flatulence to damage the environment and ozone layer.On January 14th, incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced that Barack Obama is definitely going to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" program regarding homosexuals and lesbians in the military.
(15) The new President believes that the homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and others of that ilk should be welcomed with opened arms in the military. Do we need militant sodomites in the armed forces?
Is Barack Hussein Obama an antichrist? We know that the Antichrist as a governing beast is spoken of in Revelation, chapter 13. As we study that chapter, we find that even though the Antichrist is a beast, he has the number of a man, and his number is 666. Thus, numbers are important indicators of the Antichrist and of antichrist activity. Here let it be noted that Obama claims Hawaii as his birthplace, although he has never proved that. Using his claim, however, we find some very interesting numbers. We know that Satan told Almighty God in Job 1:7 that he had come from walking to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it. To and fro would indicate latitude, and up and down would indicate longitude. The latitude of the claimed birthplace of Obama in Hawaii is 21.6. Those three digits that make up 21.6 are significant because the number 216 is the number 6 cubed, or 6x6x6=216. Obama was born on August 4th, 1961, which is the 216th day of the year, another 666. We also know that Obama's office in Chicago, Illinois, had an interesting zip code: 60606. In the ancient Babylonian numbering system of letters having numerical equivalents increasing by six for each letter, we find that the words "A messiah Barack" equal 666. We also know from Revelation, chapters 7 and 14, that the number 144,000 represents the people of Almighty God. It is the Antichrist that tries to divide them. If we divide the number 144,000 by 666, we find an amazing quotient of 216.216216. If we divide 144,000 by 216 we get the number 666.666666.We must also remember that Obama's claim of birth in Hawaii is further revealing, because Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The word Pacific means "peace", and the Scripture says that the antichrist will come as a man of peace. We also know that the metaphoric meaning of the word Hawaii comes from "Ha" (breath of life), and "Wai" (fresh water). Thus, in metaphor it means "the water of life." The extra letter "I" would then indicate, "I am the water of life." This is a title that belongs only to the Lord Jesus and not to Barack Obama. Obama is also connected with Kenya, which is no doubt his real place of birth. The word Kenya is actually a feminine word pronounced "Keen-ya," and it refers in feminine usage to the "cradle of mankind" in the native Kikuyu language. The literal meaning of the word Kenya is "the abode of the gods." Even Obama's political roots in Illinois are significant because the word Illinois is an Algonquin word which means, "Tribe of superior men," or In other words, the master race. There is much more that could be said!
The Fall of an Economic Empire!Strange forces are now hard at work in the world, and their objective is a singular and unified monetary system. This is essential in order to control the population of the world and bring them into subservience to a one world dictator. On January 8th, 2009, Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Angela Merkel of Germany, and Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of England, called upon the United States to join them in bringing forth a new world capitalism.
(16) This strange triumvirate of Europe has the objective of a one-world money system. They have already unified most of Europe into the usage of a common currency called the Euro. But united Europe is not enough. Sarkozy clearly stated, "We cannot accept the status quo!"
(17) These three leaders are both mysterious and unusual. Nicolas Sarkozy, the head of France, is actually of Greek origin and comes from the same area of Macedonia from which Alexander the Great came. He is a powerful and demanding authoritarian. Tony Blair is an active occultist and leader in the European Union. Merkel is reportedly the biological daughter of Adolph Hitler by means of artificial insemination, according to the Russian doctor who both developed the procedure and recorded it in his notes and transcripts. Take a good look at Angela Merkel, and you can see the face of Hitler except for the schnurrbart, (mustache). What a strange power of three they make as they proceed with their mission to unify the world under one currency. It reminds me of Revelation 16:13-14 which reads as follows: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For these are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."Will the United States of America ever join such a system and become an interdependent unit of a worldwide universal economic system? At this very time, we are seeing the crashing fall of our current system, and with the massive bailouts going on, capitalism is giving way to socialism and government ownership. On December 31st, 2008, the Financial Times featured the headline "U.S. Stocks Suffer Worst Year Since the Great Depression."
(18) On January 7th, 2009, the Wall Street Journal headline read as follows: "Fed Outlook Darkens on Economy."
(19) The story went on to make dire predictions for the year 2009, including climbing unemployment well into the year 2010!
(20) It is one economic disaster after another in America, and it has been so since September 2008 when the crash began as predicted in the May 2008 issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter. Now we have learned that the giant Bank of America is to receive an additional $20 billion. This was announced on January 16th, 2009. This will make the Federal Government the primary stockholder in this giant bank and ostensibly the owner of it!
(21) This is Marxist socialism in action! They said it could never happen here.Meanwhile sales continue to plummet because people just don't have the money to buy things, even at lower prices. By definition, this is a depression. Ford Motor sales dropped by 32 percent in December, and Chrysler dropped by 53 percent!
(22) In the month of November 2008, employers eliminated 533,000 jobs!
(23) The once highly sought after United States Treasury bills are now bearing no interest at all with a rate of 0.005%. Red China is now the largest holder of U.S. Treasury bills and is stuck with them.
(24) How hard was the fall and crash of the economy in recent months? The pension funds of U.S. companies held a 60 billion dollar surplus just one year ago. Now the funds that so many people depend upon for retirement are in the hole with a deficit of 409 billion dollars!
(25) Many people will be unable to retire! In addition to that, Social Security is in trouble as admitted by Obama, and the baby boom generation is bringing 10,000 new applicants for Social Security every day!
(26) With all of this going on, it is interesting to note that the United Autoworkers' Union keeps and enjoys a $6 million golf course for members at a $33 million lakeside retreat!
(27) It is one scam after another and honesty is now almost nonexistent.The request for government bailouts continue constantly. The steel industry in America, which was once the backbone of our national growth, is now in a condition of collapse. They are hoping for a bailout. (28) The states of America are also bankrupt. Forty-seven of our fifty states are now completely bankrupt and are asking for Federal bailouts in the collective amount of $1 trillion, according to a report on CNN.
(29) Also among the long list of enterprises that are requesting bailouts, there is one that is outrageous and reproachful. On January 8th, 2009, the pornography industry in the United States requested a government bailout of $5 billion of taxpayer money.
(30) The smut industry claims that so many millions of people are watching and reading pornography on their computers that they are no longer buying magazines and DVD's. They also said that America needs more pornography to keep the people entertained and happy. Without a doubt, the United States is a morally depraved nation with an appetite that demands hell's menu. Soon it will all be over!In spite of the economic catastrophe that is now engulfing our nation, an amazing plan is now being put into effect at the behest of the United Nations, which will involve vast amounts of U.S. dollars. I was shocked to read the article in the Houston Chronicle, which featured the headline dated November 13th, 2008, as follows: "Can Ancient Babylon Be Restored?"
(31) The story goes on to tell of plans to completely restore the ancient city of Babylon, Iraq. This ancient city was greatly beloved of Satan. It is the place where the first astrologers drew the first star maps. It is where the first laws were codified and where the Hanging Gardens became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was also the cradle of idolatry, the basis for Freemasonry and all false religions. Truly, this is one of the last signs of the end of this present world!The United States has poured vast amounts of money into Iraq and continues to do so. The United States has now inaugurated its largest embassy ever. On January 6th, 2009, the $700 million embassy took the omens of inauguration, for that is the meaning of that word inaugurate. The fortress-like structure is on 104 acres of land and has space for 1,000 employees. It is more than ten times the size of any U.S. Embassy in the world. This embassy is also six times larger than the entire United Nations' complex in New York City.
(32) Is this more than an embassy? Is this complex some kind of headquarters situated in the area of the Euphrates River, which is the traditional boundary that separates the Kings of the East from the Kings of the West? Soon we will know.Distress of Nations!The world we live in not only has economic troubles, but it also is a world of total unrest, and a Third World War looms largely on the horizon. Our Saviour himself prophesied of this in Matthew 24:6-8 as follows: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." From these words we understand that the end does not come by small wars, but rather by a world war where nations rise against nations and kingdom against kingdom. It will be a whole world at war!Currently, the giant Russian bear is rising up once again. The Kremlin has become fearful of massive civil unrest as their economy is taking a severe hit because of the global economic catastrophe.
(33) It is the battle of the euro against the rouble, and Russia had to devalue the rouble again. (34) The problem is that one of the chief sources of income for Russia is the exportation of natural gas to European nations. Russia also has one of the largest oil reserves in the world in the Crimean oil fields. When oil prices were manipulated downward on the world market, Russia received a heavy economic blow. The dispute is so great that at the beginning of January, Russia turned off the gas supplies to Eastern Europe. In those countries, thousands of businesses had to be shut down, and homes were without heat. It is being called the "new cold war in Europe."
(35) We know that the oil prices are manipulated upward and downward at will by the Illuminati conspirators, and we have all seen that recently. Russia is being forced to react, and that is why that nation is now rising up and flexing its military muscles. Russia is now stationing its warships around the world and is obviously getting ready for something of major proportions.
(36) Russia has also become a strong ally of both Iran and Venezuela and is now building nuclear technology in that South American nation.
(37) The balance of power is also shifting in the Middle East as Russia supplies Iran with missiles and other high-powered weapons.
(38)As reported by ABC News, the recent war in Gaza has resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of people, the vast majority of them being innocent civilians, women, and children. This relentless attack has incited violent hatred for Israel in the entire Moslem world with promises of painful revenge. The dead bodies of the victims were held up at rallies, and the Moslem world is being whipped up into a fever pitch against Israel. Massive global protests are now adding to the hatred.
(39) All of this is leading to a horrifying war that will end with the Battle of Armageddon. In Revelation 16:14-16 we read as follows: "For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."We know that Armageddon is in Israel and that the last war will end there, as well as this present world. God even used Zechariah, the prophet, to describe the effects of the nuclear weapons that will be used there. In Zechariah 14:12, we read as follows: "And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth." This is a clear description of thermonuclear weapons melting flesh, and this prophecy was given nearly 2,500 years ago! God help us all!Great Signs in the Heavens and on Earth!We know from Scripture that in the last days there are to be great signs in both the heavens and earth. Our Lord Jesus prophesied that there would be earthquakes in divers (various) places. The news media usually doesn't say much about earthquakes, but the U.S. Geological Survey reported 326 significant earthquakes with a magnitude of four and above within a thirty-day period from December 6th, 2008, to January 5th, 2009.
(40) In addition to that, and not included in that figure, are the swarms of over 900 earthquakes in the Yellowstone caldera in Wyoming.
(41) Underneath this region is one of the largest volcanoes in the world, and it is overdue for eruption.
(42) Only God knows when this massive eruption will occur. The many earthquakes that are happening around the world almost constantly are far too numerous to list in this newsletter, but here are a few of them: San Francisco, California- swarms of quakes on January 5th, 2009; Pakistan- a magnitude 6 quake on January 4th, 2009; Indonesia- a magnitude 6 quake on January 4th, 2009.
(43) A 4.5 magnitude quake hit the Los Angeles area on January 8th, 2009, and was it felt as far away as San Diego. Costa Rica was hit with a 6.1 earthquake on January 8th, 2009, which sent people running into the streets of the capital as they watched windows shatter and walls crumble.
(44) The list of quakes goes on and on!Freak winter weather has also been sweeping our nation with deadly blizzards, ice storms, and record-breaking cold. Here in Wisconsin we have had nearly fifty inches of snow thus far and wind chill temperatures of 43 degrees below zero Fahrenheit! In Alaska, temperatures went as low as minus 78 degrees Fahrenheit!
(45)Strange and mysterious things are also going on in the heavens, which are no doubt signs to those who are watching and who believe what the Bible says. The little nation of Latvia was recently startled by columns of light that came down from space during the night at the end of December 2008. Many photographs were taken of the colored beams of light that have baffled scientists. Scientists at the website spaceweather. com said, "Truhin's pillars are not the ordinary kind. Even leading experts cannot figure them out. These pillars are mysterious; they have unexplained curved tops and even curved arcs coming from their base."
(46) These are signs in the heavens!There is another strange mystery in space that was a great topic of discussion recently at the American Astronomical Society. The sophisticated equipment of the scientists picked up a sound from space that they described as a very loud roar that is six times louder than anything they have ever heard coming from space. Dr. Alan Kogut of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, had this to say, "There is something new and interesting going on in the universe. The universe really threw us a curve..detailed analysis of the signal ruled out primordial stars or any known radio sources, including gas in the outermost halo of our own galaxy."
(47) What is this strange roar from space? I am reminded of Joel 3:16 which reads as follows: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel."In closing, I pray that we will all be ready for that great day of the Lord's coming. Thanks to all of you who support this end time prophetic ministry. God bless you for your faithfulness! Everyone's prayer requests are always welcome, and we give each one individual attention. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
David J. Meyer
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:25-28
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." I Thessalonians 5:1-3
"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke 17:28-30
In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will look at the confusion and instability of the events of our day in the light of Bible prophecy. As we do this, we will clearly see how accurate and precise the Bible is as every detail of prophecy is being fulfilled now in our time right before our very eyes! We are now seeing the empire of the Antichrist rising rapidly. As this happens according to prophecy, nations everywhere would not just be troubled or agitated but in a state of distress. The primary reason for that distress is the accompanying perplexity. At this point we must understand that the word perplexity comes from the Greek word aporia, which means: "unable to find a way out!"
The Scriptures above also tells us that when the people of earth declare peace and safety sudden destruction will come upon them. The prophecy also uses the analogy of a woman with child who is about to deliver. The birth pangs get closer and closer together and ever more intense, and there is no way to back out of what is happening. Thus, the perplexed people of the earth, so familiar with religion and yet so far from the truth, will find no escape!We also know that when the end comes, it will come very fast!
The third portion of Scripture above tells us that life will be status quo and go on normally in all of our human endeavors until suddenly the last day comes. Our Saviour called attention to Sodom and compared the last generation to it. Indeed, the world is now full of crazed sodomites. We also know from the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that the lust-filled homosexuals were blinded by the angels, and the blinded only intensified their lust as they stood near Lot's house. The homosexuals never stopped trying as the demons in them drove them to extreme intensity as they wearied themselves to find the door! Thus, after Lot and his family left the city, fire and brimstone fell on the blinded population of that city.
Even so now in this last generation, a spiritual blindness has engulfed the people of the United States and the world. They are blind to the impending judgment of Almighty God. This is especially true of church leaders. Our Lord said that if the blind lead the blind, they all fall into the ditch!In I John 5:19, we read a very profound verse as follows: "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness."
Here let it be noted that the word lieth in this verse comes from a Greek word that means to "lay complete sprawled out, as if in a state of sleep." Thus, the verse is saying that the people of the last days are completely sprawled out and laying in wickedness. They are fully acclimated to evil with no sense of what is truly right and what is truly wrong. This is the very condition of our day! If you are reading this and you feel a stirring in your soul, yield your heart and mind to the Lord Jesus now! There is so little time left, and soon it will be too late. The Saviour will hear you and save you. You will be safe and secure from the wrath to come!The Rising of a New Beast!
By the time you receive this newsletter, unless Almighty God intervenes, we will have a new President of the United States. I am writing this newsletter on January 16th, 2009, and in just a few days Barack Hussein Obama will become the 44th President of the United States. One of the last official acts of the outgoing President George W. Bush was to declare a state of emergency in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration.
(1) The swearing in ceremony is expected to cost $165 million,
(2) and Obama will be riding in a limousine that is designed to withstand rocket and chemical attacks.
(3) This black Cadillac vehicle has been named "the beast" by the Secret Service.
(4) A security force that is 42,500 strong will be deployed for the event, including the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and a total of ninety-nine other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Command centers set up by FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies will honeycomb the entire area.
(5) It will look like a war zone and is more of a military event than anything else. Except for the presence of the swastika or hackenkreutz, it will look very much like the January morning when Adolph Hitler walked up the steps in his country to take the reins of power. Hitler promised change and economic recovery. He also promised jobs for everyone.On hand for the event will be the religious leader Rick Warren. Warren is the multimillionaire minister and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, who will give the invocation. What spirit will he invoke? Obama also invited Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to give a special prayer.
(6) Robinson is the flaming red hot homosexual activist from New Hampshire, who has been in the news for his extreme actions to promote homosexuality. I see and feel God's judgment coming quickly after this event!A number of amazing signs have happened in the month before the scheduled inauguration of Obama. The President-elect and his family went on a vacation to the island of Oahu in Hawaii in December. They were staying in a "humble" 9 million dollar, five-bedroom oceanfront house near downtown Honolulu. According to the Associated Press, "their Hawaiian vacation was darkened for eleven hours."
(7) It was a power outage that brought darkness to their mansion on the ocean. It happened on a Friday night, which was the first esbat (witches' weekly meeting) after the sabat of Yule, and it was also the last esbat of the year. The number eleven is significant because it is the Aquarian number as Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac in astrology. The sun enters that sign on January 20th, the very day of the inauguration. Washington and the entire government operates on the power of witchcraft and have for generations. Thus, a dark and occult shadow is cast on the event of the inauguration, and dark ominous days are ahead for America!Another event that took place on January 7th, 2009, was the mysterious dinner meeting with Obama and four Presidents. There were five men in all: Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter. The Associated Press made a point of mentioning that this meeting took place exactly thirteen days before the scheduled inauguration.
(8) What did these five men talk about? It was all very private and secretive. I was reminded of a similar occasion when five men went into a cave near Ingolstadt, Bavaria, on May 1st, 1776. It was Dr. Adam Weishaupt, who with four other men, met in the cave at the behest of the Rothschild banking cartel to bring forth a conspiratorial plan to take over the world and present it one day to their god Lucifer. In that cave, these five men consulted with an invisible force that they called the controlling unknown. This "force" gave them the plan to recruit members of their new organization, which would become known as the Illuminati. They would conceal themselves by hiding in the high levels of the Masonic Lodge until they could foment revolutions and three world wars until their objective was achieved. There is much more to this story. When five men gather secretly in the realm of occultism, they represent the five points of the pentacle, a five-pointed star. Those five points are earth, wind, fire, water, and spirit. It was no coincidence that this meeting was thirteen days before the inauguration when Obama is to become president and the sun enters Aquarius. The number thirteen is the most sacred number in the occult.On the 13th day of January 2009, the Department of Homeland Security conducted a test at the White House in anticipation of a possible major incident with emphasis on the continuity of government procedures if an attack occurred.
(9) When the Lord Jesus returns, there will be no continuity of their government; that is for sure!What will happen after this expensive event and the change of power? Incidentally, large portions of all the money that will pay for the inauguration is coming from the very Wall Street executives that received the bail-out money! This was recently reported in the Wall Street Journal.
(10) The new President will be unique in one major way. He will be the first U.S. President to enter into the management of an American empire in decline!
(11) Obama apparently thinks of himself as a creator. He intends to "create" 600,000 new government jobs.
(12) The new President also intends to "create" two trillion new dollars to spend on his programs. This will have a watering-down effect on the value of the American dollar, which is already in trouble. Obama himself stated, "There is red ink as far as the eye can see," and he is planning to cut social security and medicare spending.
(13)On January 5th, 2009, the Business and Media Institute reported that Obama may be inclined to put a tax on dairy cows to help raise money to curb greenhouse gases.
(14) The tax is expected to be $175.00 per cow. The environmentalist extremists believe that the cows give off enough gas from flatulence to damage the environment and ozone layer.On January 14th, incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced that Barack Obama is definitely going to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" program regarding homosexuals and lesbians in the military.
(15) The new President believes that the homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and others of that ilk should be welcomed with opened arms in the military. Do we need militant sodomites in the armed forces?
Is Barack Hussein Obama an antichrist? We know that the Antichrist as a governing beast is spoken of in Revelation, chapter 13. As we study that chapter, we find that even though the Antichrist is a beast, he has the number of a man, and his number is 666. Thus, numbers are important indicators of the Antichrist and of antichrist activity. Here let it be noted that Obama claims Hawaii as his birthplace, although he has never proved that. Using his claim, however, we find some very interesting numbers. We know that Satan told Almighty God in Job 1:7 that he had come from walking to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it. To and fro would indicate latitude, and up and down would indicate longitude. The latitude of the claimed birthplace of Obama in Hawaii is 21.6. Those three digits that make up 21.6 are significant because the number 216 is the number 6 cubed, or 6x6x6=216. Obama was born on August 4th, 1961, which is the 216th day of the year, another 666. We also know that Obama's office in Chicago, Illinois, had an interesting zip code: 60606. In the ancient Babylonian numbering system of letters having numerical equivalents increasing by six for each letter, we find that the words "A messiah Barack" equal 666. We also know from Revelation, chapters 7 and 14, that the number 144,000 represents the people of Almighty God. It is the Antichrist that tries to divide them. If we divide the number 144,000 by 666, we find an amazing quotient of 216.216216. If we divide 144,000 by 216 we get the number 666.666666.We must also remember that Obama's claim of birth in Hawaii is further revealing, because Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The word Pacific means "peace", and the Scripture says that the antichrist will come as a man of peace. We also know that the metaphoric meaning of the word Hawaii comes from "Ha" (breath of life), and "Wai" (fresh water). Thus, in metaphor it means "the water of life." The extra letter "I" would then indicate, "I am the water of life." This is a title that belongs only to the Lord Jesus and not to Barack Obama. Obama is also connected with Kenya, which is no doubt his real place of birth. The word Kenya is actually a feminine word pronounced "Keen-ya," and it refers in feminine usage to the "cradle of mankind" in the native Kikuyu language. The literal meaning of the word Kenya is "the abode of the gods." Even Obama's political roots in Illinois are significant because the word Illinois is an Algonquin word which means, "Tribe of superior men," or In other words, the master race. There is much more that could be said!
The Fall of an Economic Empire!Strange forces are now hard at work in the world, and their objective is a singular and unified monetary system. This is essential in order to control the population of the world and bring them into subservience to a one world dictator. On January 8th, 2009, Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Angela Merkel of Germany, and Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of England, called upon the United States to join them in bringing forth a new world capitalism.
(16) This strange triumvirate of Europe has the objective of a one-world money system. They have already unified most of Europe into the usage of a common currency called the Euro. But united Europe is not enough. Sarkozy clearly stated, "We cannot accept the status quo!"
(17) These three leaders are both mysterious and unusual. Nicolas Sarkozy, the head of France, is actually of Greek origin and comes from the same area of Macedonia from which Alexander the Great came. He is a powerful and demanding authoritarian. Tony Blair is an active occultist and leader in the European Union. Merkel is reportedly the biological daughter of Adolph Hitler by means of artificial insemination, according to the Russian doctor who both developed the procedure and recorded it in his notes and transcripts. Take a good look at Angela Merkel, and you can see the face of Hitler except for the schnurrbart, (mustache). What a strange power of three they make as they proceed with their mission to unify the world under one currency. It reminds me of Revelation 16:13-14 which reads as follows: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For these are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."Will the United States of America ever join such a system and become an interdependent unit of a worldwide universal economic system? At this very time, we are seeing the crashing fall of our current system, and with the massive bailouts going on, capitalism is giving way to socialism and government ownership. On December 31st, 2008, the Financial Times featured the headline "U.S. Stocks Suffer Worst Year Since the Great Depression."
(18) On January 7th, 2009, the Wall Street Journal headline read as follows: "Fed Outlook Darkens on Economy."
(19) The story went on to make dire predictions for the year 2009, including climbing unemployment well into the year 2010!
(20) It is one economic disaster after another in America, and it has been so since September 2008 when the crash began as predicted in the May 2008 issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter. Now we have learned that the giant Bank of America is to receive an additional $20 billion. This was announced on January 16th, 2009. This will make the Federal Government the primary stockholder in this giant bank and ostensibly the owner of it!
(21) This is Marxist socialism in action! They said it could never happen here.Meanwhile sales continue to plummet because people just don't have the money to buy things, even at lower prices. By definition, this is a depression. Ford Motor sales dropped by 32 percent in December, and Chrysler dropped by 53 percent!
(22) In the month of November 2008, employers eliminated 533,000 jobs!
(23) The once highly sought after United States Treasury bills are now bearing no interest at all with a rate of 0.005%. Red China is now the largest holder of U.S. Treasury bills and is stuck with them.
(24) How hard was the fall and crash of the economy in recent months? The pension funds of U.S. companies held a 60 billion dollar surplus just one year ago. Now the funds that so many people depend upon for retirement are in the hole with a deficit of 409 billion dollars!
(25) Many people will be unable to retire! In addition to that, Social Security is in trouble as admitted by Obama, and the baby boom generation is bringing 10,000 new applicants for Social Security every day!
(26) With all of this going on, it is interesting to note that the United Autoworkers' Union keeps and enjoys a $6 million golf course for members at a $33 million lakeside retreat!
(27) It is one scam after another and honesty is now almost nonexistent.The request for government bailouts continue constantly. The steel industry in America, which was once the backbone of our national growth, is now in a condition of collapse. They are hoping for a bailout. (28) The states of America are also bankrupt. Forty-seven of our fifty states are now completely bankrupt and are asking for Federal bailouts in the collective amount of $1 trillion, according to a report on CNN.
(29) Also among the long list of enterprises that are requesting bailouts, there is one that is outrageous and reproachful. On January 8th, 2009, the pornography industry in the United States requested a government bailout of $5 billion of taxpayer money.
(30) The smut industry claims that so many millions of people are watching and reading pornography on their computers that they are no longer buying magazines and DVD's. They also said that America needs more pornography to keep the people entertained and happy. Without a doubt, the United States is a morally depraved nation with an appetite that demands hell's menu. Soon it will all be over!In spite of the economic catastrophe that is now engulfing our nation, an amazing plan is now being put into effect at the behest of the United Nations, which will involve vast amounts of U.S. dollars. I was shocked to read the article in the Houston Chronicle, which featured the headline dated November 13th, 2008, as follows: "Can Ancient Babylon Be Restored?"
(31) The story goes on to tell of plans to completely restore the ancient city of Babylon, Iraq. This ancient city was greatly beloved of Satan. It is the place where the first astrologers drew the first star maps. It is where the first laws were codified and where the Hanging Gardens became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was also the cradle of idolatry, the basis for Freemasonry and all false religions. Truly, this is one of the last signs of the end of this present world!The United States has poured vast amounts of money into Iraq and continues to do so. The United States has now inaugurated its largest embassy ever. On January 6th, 2009, the $700 million embassy took the omens of inauguration, for that is the meaning of that word inaugurate. The fortress-like structure is on 104 acres of land and has space for 1,000 employees. It is more than ten times the size of any U.S. Embassy in the world. This embassy is also six times larger than the entire United Nations' complex in New York City.
(32) Is this more than an embassy? Is this complex some kind of headquarters situated in the area of the Euphrates River, which is the traditional boundary that separates the Kings of the East from the Kings of the West? Soon we will know.Distress of Nations!The world we live in not only has economic troubles, but it also is a world of total unrest, and a Third World War looms largely on the horizon. Our Saviour himself prophesied of this in Matthew 24:6-8 as follows: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." From these words we understand that the end does not come by small wars, but rather by a world war where nations rise against nations and kingdom against kingdom. It will be a whole world at war!Currently, the giant Russian bear is rising up once again. The Kremlin has become fearful of massive civil unrest as their economy is taking a severe hit because of the global economic catastrophe.
(33) It is the battle of the euro against the rouble, and Russia had to devalue the rouble again. (34) The problem is that one of the chief sources of income for Russia is the exportation of natural gas to European nations. Russia also has one of the largest oil reserves in the world in the Crimean oil fields. When oil prices were manipulated downward on the world market, Russia received a heavy economic blow. The dispute is so great that at the beginning of January, Russia turned off the gas supplies to Eastern Europe. In those countries, thousands of businesses had to be shut down, and homes were without heat. It is being called the "new cold war in Europe."
(35) We know that the oil prices are manipulated upward and downward at will by the Illuminati conspirators, and we have all seen that recently. Russia is being forced to react, and that is why that nation is now rising up and flexing its military muscles. Russia is now stationing its warships around the world and is obviously getting ready for something of major proportions.
(36) Russia has also become a strong ally of both Iran and Venezuela and is now building nuclear technology in that South American nation.
(37) The balance of power is also shifting in the Middle East as Russia supplies Iran with missiles and other high-powered weapons.
(38)As reported by ABC News, the recent war in Gaza has resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of people, the vast majority of them being innocent civilians, women, and children. This relentless attack has incited violent hatred for Israel in the entire Moslem world with promises of painful revenge. The dead bodies of the victims were held up at rallies, and the Moslem world is being whipped up into a fever pitch against Israel. Massive global protests are now adding to the hatred.
(39) All of this is leading to a horrifying war that will end with the Battle of Armageddon. In Revelation 16:14-16 we read as follows: "For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."We know that Armageddon is in Israel and that the last war will end there, as well as this present world. God even used Zechariah, the prophet, to describe the effects of the nuclear weapons that will be used there. In Zechariah 14:12, we read as follows: "And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth." This is a clear description of thermonuclear weapons melting flesh, and this prophecy was given nearly 2,500 years ago! God help us all!Great Signs in the Heavens and on Earth!We know from Scripture that in the last days there are to be great signs in both the heavens and earth. Our Lord Jesus prophesied that there would be earthquakes in divers (various) places. The news media usually doesn't say much about earthquakes, but the U.S. Geological Survey reported 326 significant earthquakes with a magnitude of four and above within a thirty-day period from December 6th, 2008, to January 5th, 2009.
(40) In addition to that, and not included in that figure, are the swarms of over 900 earthquakes in the Yellowstone caldera in Wyoming.
(41) Underneath this region is one of the largest volcanoes in the world, and it is overdue for eruption.
(42) Only God knows when this massive eruption will occur. The many earthquakes that are happening around the world almost constantly are far too numerous to list in this newsletter, but here are a few of them: San Francisco, California- swarms of quakes on January 5th, 2009; Pakistan- a magnitude 6 quake on January 4th, 2009; Indonesia- a magnitude 6 quake on January 4th, 2009.
(43) A 4.5 magnitude quake hit the Los Angeles area on January 8th, 2009, and was it felt as far away as San Diego. Costa Rica was hit with a 6.1 earthquake on January 8th, 2009, which sent people running into the streets of the capital as they watched windows shatter and walls crumble.
(44) The list of quakes goes on and on!Freak winter weather has also been sweeping our nation with deadly blizzards, ice storms, and record-breaking cold. Here in Wisconsin we have had nearly fifty inches of snow thus far and wind chill temperatures of 43 degrees below zero Fahrenheit! In Alaska, temperatures went as low as minus 78 degrees Fahrenheit!
(45)Strange and mysterious things are also going on in the heavens, which are no doubt signs to those who are watching and who believe what the Bible says. The little nation of Latvia was recently startled by columns of light that came down from space during the night at the end of December 2008. Many photographs were taken of the colored beams of light that have baffled scientists. Scientists at the website spaceweather. com said, "Truhin's pillars are not the ordinary kind. Even leading experts cannot figure them out. These pillars are mysterious; they have unexplained curved tops and even curved arcs coming from their base."
(46) These are signs in the heavens!There is another strange mystery in space that was a great topic of discussion recently at the American Astronomical Society. The sophisticated equipment of the scientists picked up a sound from space that they described as a very loud roar that is six times louder than anything they have ever heard coming from space. Dr. Alan Kogut of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, had this to say, "There is something new and interesting going on in the universe. The universe really threw us a curve..detailed analysis of the signal ruled out primordial stars or any known radio sources, including gas in the outermost halo of our own galaxy."
(47) What is this strange roar from space? I am reminded of Joel 3:16 which reads as follows: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel."In closing, I pray that we will all be ready for that great day of the Lord's coming. Thanks to all of you who support this end time prophetic ministry. God bless you for your faithfulness! Everyone's prayer requests are always welcome, and we give each one individual attention. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
David J. Meyer
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
What Right Do Christians Have To Complain About Where America Is Going?
WHY are Christians in America complaining about the direction in which America is being taken?
To me, it seems incredulous that so many Christians are now complaining about the new laws indicating persecution to come to them, the corruption and brain-washing in the school system, the corruption in politics and Washington, DC, etc. WHY???????? The answer is simple. You get what you work for. You REAP what you SOW. This is a basic Bible principle, and it works also in the world, even for non-believers.
What right to passive, sit-back-on-the-sidelines, "we don't wanna get involved" Christians in America, have to complain, when the NWO agenda Illuminati and the unbelievers are collectively working HARDER, spending MORE, and laboring more intensively to bring forth satan's manifest kingdom on earth of Revelation 13...than most Christians are to BRING FORTH THE KINGDOM OF GOD in America?
What right do American Christians have to complain, when they FAIL to perform solid background research, and are deceived by news media bias/blackout, and vote in a MAN OF SATAN'S KINGDOM, (the ILLUMINATI,) whose family is hell-bent on bringing forth satan's NEW WORLD ORDER agenda in America? (George Bush SR and George Bush JR., both of whom are human sacrificing, pedophilic, anti-christ, "kill the Christians against the NWO" Illuminati satanists.)
While satanists labor hard to groom their people to occupy powerful positions of power and leadership in our government, our military, our school and educational systems and politics, where oh WHERE are the Christians with equal zeal infiltrating these critical power bases to effect a Godly and Biblical change in our nation and society?
While satanists pour billions of dollars funding satan's manifest kingdom on earth, the NWO, into power, where are the dollars of the Christians in countering such darkness and funding THE KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS agenda for this world and our nation? WHERE is the support, both spiritual and practical and financial, of the Body of Christ for those of us who labor on the front lines to stand against this raging darkness???
While satanists heap elaborate praise and encouragement and rewards upon those who do their NWO bidding, where oh WHERE is the Christian love and support and encouragement for those standing up for the WORD OF GOD and God's kingdom in this nation? One former satanist, now a Christian many years, admitted to me as I interviewed her: "IT WAS THE BURNING PASSION OF US SATANISTS TO BRING FORTH HIS NEW WORLD ORDER AGENDA...YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW PASSIONATE WE SATANISTS ARE FOR BRINGING FORTH HIS KINGDOM!" HER 18 YEARS OF BEING A FANATICAL SATANIC HIGH PRIEST OVER ONE STATE TESTIFIED TO THEIR INCREDIBLE PASSION FOR SERVING SATAN. Plus, her years of serving the NWO while working in the CIA under "Mr. NWO" Bush Sr himself.
And yet, my Christian friends, these people SERVE A DEFEATED FOE, satan! DOOMED to eternal defeat and destruction for all eternity! HOW then can it be, that these satanists/Illuminati, are MORE dedicated, working HARDER and pouring more finances and manpower as a whole, than the CHRISTIANS ARE INTO GOD'S KINGDOM here in this nation America???
The Illuminati/satanists have indeed poured billions of dollars, countless manpower hours, and millions of lives groomed for various roles of leadership, teaching etc., into bringing forth their satanic NWO agenda. And the dark and bitter fruits of their passionate labors for satan and his kingdom surround us in America today. And YET, many Christians sit around complaining about the terrible inroads these godless secular humanists and antichrist people have made into our educational systems, our political systems, our corrupt law enforcement and judicial and intelligence community, etc. Christians write articles complaining. Christians voice their concerns on Christian radio and even from some pulpits.
YET where oh WHERE are they in the PRACTICAL realms of MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THIS NATION??? "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN," spake the words of Jesus Christ in THE LORD'S PRAYER. And WHO ELSE does God have to DO THE WILL OF GOD ON EARTH, but WE HIS PEOPLE???? And if we FAIL to do HIS WILL ON EARTH, what happens?
Exactly what you see happening in the world and in America today!Personally, and from the word of God, I do not blame the satanists, the secular humanists, the Illuminati, the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles for the wretched shape America is in and the direction America is continuing in. These unbelievers are simply doing what comes natural to unregenerate man under satan and sins's control! God did not PLACE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PERFORMING HIS WILL IN THE EARTH UPON the unbelievers, the satanists, the NWO Illuminati ! (Of course, He has commanded them to REPENT and BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, however.) Rather, as Jesus said, "You are OF YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL AND HIS LUSTS [WILL] YOU WILL DO!" Clearly, the WORD OF GOD places the responsibility UPON HIS PEOPLE, THE BODY OF CHRIST. WE are commanded by our Savor Jesus Christ to BE the SALT OF THE EARTH and the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
WE are commanded to resist satan steadfastly. WE are commanded to CONFESS JESUS CHRIST BEFORE MEN. WE are commanded to take the authority of Jesus Christ given to us, and to "read on serpents and scorpions" . "Jesus Christ was manifested to DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL, " declares the Word of God. And HE and HIS AUTHORITY IS MANIFESTED THROUGH HIS PEOPLE in the world today! And when we FAIL to manifest Jesus Christ in the world around us, when we FAIl to be the SALT and the LIGHT in this world, and FAIL to destroy the works of the devil around us, WE HAVE THE KIND OF AMERICA WILL LIVE IN TODAY!
Let's face painful reality. Most Christians do NOT want accountability in this matter. They are literally sitting back and watching America GO TO HELL "IN A BASKET." They have abdicated their high calling in Christ Jesus, and have allowed the enemy to get away with sin and corruption and murder in this nation. Moreover, the painful reality is that SIN IS RAMPANT THROUGHOUT THE CHURCHES OF AMERICA TODAY. Sexual immorality, abortion, adultery, cyberporn, homosexuality and more have crept into not only our churches, but religious institutions which include TV ministries, Bible colleges, etc. And the FRUITS of the sins and falling short of the Church in America today is manifested everywhere across this nation!This is to the great shame of the Body of Christ and to many who profess to be "Christians." in our nation. YET, none of this darkness is THE WILL OF GOD! When satanists are working harder and more passionately as a whole for satan's kingdom, than Christians in this nation working actively for the Kingdom of God, there is something desperately wrong with this scenario.
One only has to perform practical investigation to see the truth of what I have just written. JUST HOW CRITICAL ARE THE WORDS "Thy will be done on earth...."??? "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN," spake the words of Jesus Christ in THE LORD'S PRAYER. Jesus said, "NOT EVERY MAN WHO SAYS TO ME , 'LORD, LORD' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN."
In light of the wretched state this nation and her man-made institutions of government and religion are in, it is time for those who profess to be CHRISTIANS and the PEOPLE OF GOD, to re-examine ourselves in the light of ETERNAL SCRIPTURES. ARE we laboring to do GOD'S WILL in the world and our nation today? ARE we walking in the light? ARE we bearing fruit? ARE we being used of God to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? ARE we destroying the works of satan all around us with the authority we have been given through Jesus Christ? ARE we united in genuine and passionate love through Jesus Christ, as He prayed, "FATHER, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE EVEN AS WE ARE ONE"?
The warning signs are all around us in America today, that we as a whole are failing, in fact, to effectively make the critical difference, both in this nation, and Christians as a whole in the rest of the world. And when we fail to live up to the high calling of Jesus Christ and the title of "Christian" or DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, we have no right to complain when the consequences of our failure to live up to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus finally come upon us. God has no one else to use, BUT US. "BE NOT DECEIVED, God IS NOT MOCKED, for whatsoever a man sows, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP, " declared the Apostle Paul. And someday, the persecutions I have been steadily warning the Church in America of, is going to come down hard. And it shall even be used for the glory and purposes of God, to purge and refine His people and to judge and remove the sin in our very midst of our churches and religous institutions today.
"Judgment BEGINS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD."
Pamela Schuffert
To me, it seems incredulous that so many Christians are now complaining about the new laws indicating persecution to come to them, the corruption and brain-washing in the school system, the corruption in politics and Washington, DC, etc. WHY???????? The answer is simple. You get what you work for. You REAP what you SOW. This is a basic Bible principle, and it works also in the world, even for non-believers.
What right to passive, sit-back-on-the-sidelines, "we don't wanna get involved" Christians in America, have to complain, when the NWO agenda Illuminati and the unbelievers are collectively working HARDER, spending MORE, and laboring more intensively to bring forth satan's manifest kingdom on earth of Revelation 13...than most Christians are to BRING FORTH THE KINGDOM OF GOD in America?
What right do American Christians have to complain, when they FAIL to perform solid background research, and are deceived by news media bias/blackout, and vote in a MAN OF SATAN'S KINGDOM, (the ILLUMINATI,) whose family is hell-bent on bringing forth satan's NEW WORLD ORDER agenda in America? (George Bush SR and George Bush JR., both of whom are human sacrificing, pedophilic, anti-christ, "kill the Christians against the NWO" Illuminati satanists.)
While satanists labor hard to groom their people to occupy powerful positions of power and leadership in our government, our military, our school and educational systems and politics, where oh WHERE are the Christians with equal zeal infiltrating these critical power bases to effect a Godly and Biblical change in our nation and society?
While satanists pour billions of dollars funding satan's manifest kingdom on earth, the NWO, into power, where are the dollars of the Christians in countering such darkness and funding THE KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS agenda for this world and our nation? WHERE is the support, both spiritual and practical and financial, of the Body of Christ for those of us who labor on the front lines to stand against this raging darkness???
While satanists heap elaborate praise and encouragement and rewards upon those who do their NWO bidding, where oh WHERE is the Christian love and support and encouragement for those standing up for the WORD OF GOD and God's kingdom in this nation? One former satanist, now a Christian many years, admitted to me as I interviewed her: "IT WAS THE BURNING PASSION OF US SATANISTS TO BRING FORTH HIS NEW WORLD ORDER AGENDA...YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW PASSIONATE WE SATANISTS ARE FOR BRINGING FORTH HIS KINGDOM!" HER 18 YEARS OF BEING A FANATICAL SATANIC HIGH PRIEST OVER ONE STATE TESTIFIED TO THEIR INCREDIBLE PASSION FOR SERVING SATAN. Plus, her years of serving the NWO while working in the CIA under "Mr. NWO" Bush Sr himself.
And yet, my Christian friends, these people SERVE A DEFEATED FOE, satan! DOOMED to eternal defeat and destruction for all eternity! HOW then can it be, that these satanists/Illuminati, are MORE dedicated, working HARDER and pouring more finances and manpower as a whole, than the CHRISTIANS ARE INTO GOD'S KINGDOM here in this nation America???
The Illuminati/satanists have indeed poured billions of dollars, countless manpower hours, and millions of lives groomed for various roles of leadership, teaching etc., into bringing forth their satanic NWO agenda. And the dark and bitter fruits of their passionate labors for satan and his kingdom surround us in America today. And YET, many Christians sit around complaining about the terrible inroads these godless secular humanists and antichrist people have made into our educational systems, our political systems, our corrupt law enforcement and judicial and intelligence community, etc. Christians write articles complaining. Christians voice their concerns on Christian radio and even from some pulpits.
YET where oh WHERE are they in the PRACTICAL realms of MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THIS NATION??? "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN," spake the words of Jesus Christ in THE LORD'S PRAYER. And WHO ELSE does God have to DO THE WILL OF GOD ON EARTH, but WE HIS PEOPLE???? And if we FAIL to do HIS WILL ON EARTH, what happens?
Exactly what you see happening in the world and in America today!Personally, and from the word of God, I do not blame the satanists, the secular humanists, the Illuminati, the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles for the wretched shape America is in and the direction America is continuing in. These unbelievers are simply doing what comes natural to unregenerate man under satan and sins's control! God did not PLACE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PERFORMING HIS WILL IN THE EARTH UPON the unbelievers, the satanists, the NWO Illuminati ! (Of course, He has commanded them to REPENT and BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, however.) Rather, as Jesus said, "You are OF YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL AND HIS LUSTS [WILL] YOU WILL DO!" Clearly, the WORD OF GOD places the responsibility UPON HIS PEOPLE, THE BODY OF CHRIST. WE are commanded by our Savor Jesus Christ to BE the SALT OF THE EARTH and the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
WE are commanded to resist satan steadfastly. WE are commanded to CONFESS JESUS CHRIST BEFORE MEN. WE are commanded to take the authority of Jesus Christ given to us, and to "read on serpents and scorpions" . "Jesus Christ was manifested to DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL, " declares the Word of God. And HE and HIS AUTHORITY IS MANIFESTED THROUGH HIS PEOPLE in the world today! And when we FAIL to manifest Jesus Christ in the world around us, when we FAIl to be the SALT and the LIGHT in this world, and FAIL to destroy the works of the devil around us, WE HAVE THE KIND OF AMERICA WILL LIVE IN TODAY!
Let's face painful reality. Most Christians do NOT want accountability in this matter. They are literally sitting back and watching America GO TO HELL "IN A BASKET." They have abdicated their high calling in Christ Jesus, and have allowed the enemy to get away with sin and corruption and murder in this nation. Moreover, the painful reality is that SIN IS RAMPANT THROUGHOUT THE CHURCHES OF AMERICA TODAY. Sexual immorality, abortion, adultery, cyberporn, homosexuality and more have crept into not only our churches, but religious institutions which include TV ministries, Bible colleges, etc. And the FRUITS of the sins and falling short of the Church in America today is manifested everywhere across this nation!This is to the great shame of the Body of Christ and to many who profess to be "Christians." in our nation. YET, none of this darkness is THE WILL OF GOD! When satanists are working harder and more passionately as a whole for satan's kingdom, than Christians in this nation working actively for the Kingdom of God, there is something desperately wrong with this scenario.
One only has to perform practical investigation to see the truth of what I have just written. JUST HOW CRITICAL ARE THE WORDS "Thy will be done on earth...."??? "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN," spake the words of Jesus Christ in THE LORD'S PRAYER. Jesus said, "NOT EVERY MAN WHO SAYS TO ME , 'LORD, LORD' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN."
In light of the wretched state this nation and her man-made institutions of government and religion are in, it is time for those who profess to be CHRISTIANS and the PEOPLE OF GOD, to re-examine ourselves in the light of ETERNAL SCRIPTURES. ARE we laboring to do GOD'S WILL in the world and our nation today? ARE we walking in the light? ARE we bearing fruit? ARE we being used of God to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? ARE we destroying the works of satan all around us with the authority we have been given through Jesus Christ? ARE we united in genuine and passionate love through Jesus Christ, as He prayed, "FATHER, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE EVEN AS WE ARE ONE"?
The warning signs are all around us in America today, that we as a whole are failing, in fact, to effectively make the critical difference, both in this nation, and Christians as a whole in the rest of the world. And when we fail to live up to the high calling of Jesus Christ and the title of "Christian" or DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, we have no right to complain when the consequences of our failure to live up to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus finally come upon us. God has no one else to use, BUT US. "BE NOT DECEIVED, God IS NOT MOCKED, for whatsoever a man sows, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP, " declared the Apostle Paul. And someday, the persecutions I have been steadily warning the Church in America of, is going to come down hard. And it shall even be used for the glory and purposes of God, to purge and refine His people and to judge and remove the sin in our very midst of our churches and religous institutions today.
"Judgment BEGINS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD."
Pamela Schuffert
Saturday, January 24, 2009
How Can I Know If I Am Saved? A Self-Test
Since the evidence of genuine salvation is the presence of the Holy Spirit within the individual, how can this be verified? How can we be reasonably certain about ourselves, as well as others, without being guilty of judging? To answer this, let's take our own case first-there are several "tests" that we can take to determine His presence within us: (all Scripture quotes from Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary).
1. Romans 8:16 tells us: "The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God." First and foremost, we have the unshakable testimony from within us! The indwelling Holy Spirit of God constantly reassures us that we belong to Jesus Christ.
2. The entire book of First John was written as a "test" for determining the reality of salvation. Verse three of Chapter one tells us: "What we have seen and [ourselves] heard we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have (which is a distinguishing mark of Christians) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah." The fellowship enjoyed by genuine Christians is proof positive of salvation. Those who claim Christ, but yet rarely attend church to worship God and associate with other believers, are possibly fooling themselves! A backslidden Christian can stay out of church and away from other believers, but I can guarantee you from first-hand experience that there will never be a time when you will be comfortable with it! On the other side of the coin, verse 8 teaches us that if we deny the existence of sin within us, the Truth is not in us. Verse 3 of Chapter two teaches us that we are genuine and "growing in grace and knowledge of Christ", if we keep His commandments. Verse 10 teaches us that we are of Christ if we love the brethren. Again, those who habitually absent themselves from God's house and do not make it clear that they love being around God's children, are very likely to be tares and not wheat. Verse 15 teaches us that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. "Worldly Christians" is almost a contradiction in terms and those who claim Christ, but yet cling to the value system of this world-are suspect.
3. 1 John 5:13 informs us that the entire Book of 1 John was written so that we can know that we possess eternal life in Christ. Do you know for absolute certainty that, if you were to die tonight, you would go to Heaven?
4. The Word of God teaches that the Bible is incomprehensible to the "natural man"-the unsaved individual. It is a spiritual book and the unsaved person is not only spiritually blind, but 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that he "is incapable" of knowing that which is spiritually discerned. Do you understand the Bible? Does it make sense to you and speak to your heart? Does it convict you of your sin and teach you the right way?
5. The Bible is very clear that an unregenerate individual will not seek God (Rom.3:11). Are you painfully aware of your sinful nature and cry out to God from your heart for forgiveness when you sin? If so, this is one of the signs of having been born again.
Is your soul, your conscience, sorely vexed when you see sin in the culture around you? When you see blatant sin in public, or on TV, or in Entertainment, or anywhere else you encounter it, do you feel a severe vexation in your spirit? The Bible says of Lot, who was foolish enough to live and do business in Sodom: "(God) delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds)" [2 Peter 2:7-8]
If your heart is "vexed" by the terrible sin in our daily culture, that is a good sign you are saved. If your spirit is not vexed by this sin, that is a good sign you are not saved.
6. The Bible says that an unregenerate individual is a slave of Satan and incapable of doing anything about it (Eph.2:2). Have you been able to turn your back upon this world and its sinful ways? Are all of your close friends Christians? If you have been born again, your unsaved friends will drop you like a bad habit! (Just as an illustration, spray a small amount of "WD-40" lubricant on a surface wet with water and watch how fast the water retreats! A genuine dose of salvation is like the WD-40 where reprobate buddies are concerned.)
7. Do you love--really love--Christians and would rather be with them than anyone else? Can you meet a total stranger, find out that they are a believer, and then have instant fellowship with them? Is there "something" in your heart that draws you to them and establishes a closeness which cannot be explained any other way? [We alluded to this feature in Paragraph 2, above]
8. Do you actually enjoy giving to the Lord's work? Do you give generously of your time, talent, and treasury?
9. Do you sin less now than you did prior to receiving Christ?
10. Have other people seen the "fruit of the Spirit" at work in your life? That is, can they see genuine love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc., (Gal.5:22), being wrought in and through you by God's Holy Spirit? Do they sense that you are a different person from the one you used to be?
11. Have you experienced persecution because of your faith in Christ? (Former friends who back away because of your testimony for Christ, are a subtle form of persecution).
12. Are you eagerly expecting and anticipating the any-moment return of Jesus Christ for His Church? If you can truthfully answer "yes" to these questions, you are a child of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within you! If you cannot truthfully answer "yes" to these questions, then you are probably not saved and you need to go to the bottom of this page to the Salvation message and go through the steps in honesty and sincereness of heart so you can be saved!
"You must be born again"The Bible is very clear on the necessity of a person being "Born Again" if they are to receive eternal life. Jesus coined this term, in John 3:3-7, when he told Nicodemus, "You must be born again" to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Since this necessity is so critical, Satan has attacked it with all his might for two thousand years, causing most "Christian" churches to stop teaching this doctrine, even though no one can be saved without undergoing this wondrous spiritual conversion. However, Satan's most effective weapon against being Born Again has been, and still is, confusion.
Fortunately, Jesus lovingly made this transformation process very simple, so simple that even those who are retarded or not educated can understand. There are several steps to becoming Born Again, listed below:
1. Understand that ALL men ever born are sinners. Romans 3:23, says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This message that all men are sinners is amply repeated through Scripture . This means you are a sinner in the eyes of an angry God, Who must punish all sin. Do you believe you are a sinner?
2. Since man is an imperfect sinner, and God is a perfect God, no man can save himself. Jesus made this fact very plain in Matthew 5:48, when He said, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect."!!! If we all have to be perfect in God's eyes, how can there be anyone in Heaven, especially since the Bible declares, repeatedly, that ALL people are sinners? Obviously, no one is going to get to Heaven this way, by trying to be 'good enough' to merit Heaven. Since the Bible says there are going to be untold millions of people in Heaven, there must be some other way to get there, other than by trying to be 'good enough'.
You must also be very sorry for your sins, and want to have them forgiven. This is known as Repentance. The word Repent means to both be very sorry for your sins, and to want to not sin anymore. Repentance means the desire to turn your life around 180 degrees. This does not mean you will never sin again, but it does mean that sin will become the exception in your life, not the rule.
3. When the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ, shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary, He died for the sins of His people in their place as a sacrificial substitute. And in doing so, He suffered the wrath of God the Father upon their sin. He paid the penalty for that sin in His own body and purchased their eternal redemption. This enables Him to give as a free gift His own holiness and righteousness to those who believe in Him and trust Him for salvation. making them absolutely perfect in God. s sight! Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." None of us deserve to be saved; in His love and mercy God extends grace to those who will believe. Grace is defined as "undeserved favor" and perhaps this little acrostic will help you to remember its meaning: G od. s Riches At Christ. s Expense. [The true meaning of GRACE]
4. In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul reiterates this teaching that eternal life with God is a free gift. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast." No man can stand before God in eternity, and boast that they 'earned' their way to Heaven. All people in Heaven will be there only because of Jesus' FREE Gift, which He obtained from God because of His substitutionary death sacrifice on the Cross. Rather than punishing each person's individual sins, God heaped all those sins on Jesus on the Cross Isaiah 53:2-12]
Now, you are probably thinking, 'How can I obtain this free gift of eternal life'? Again, the Bible is not silent. In Acts 16:25-33, the jailer anxiously asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved"? Paul answered "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ..." verse 31". You must BELIEVE on Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. To truly believe, you must place your complete faith and trust in Christ and rely upon Him as your only hope of salvation and eternal life. This is a matter of the heart and you cannot hope to deceive God by putting on an act because He knows everything about you. Many people mistakenly think that by merely believing the facts concerning Jesus Christ. s death, burial, and resurrection, they will be automatically be given the gift of eternal life. But such is not the case. Preachers call that a "head knowledge and not a heart knowledge." Salvation is freely given, but only to those who are genuine believers.
5. In John 1:1, 14, we see that Jesus Christ is God, equal with God, present with God from before the beginning of time, and the actual Creator of the Universe. He is 100% God and 100% human at the same time, which is why He used both titles during His ministry, Son of God and Son of Man. To become Born Again, you must believe this doctrine about Jesus Christ.
Verse 14 is most important, the teaching that Jesus God became man. This teaching becomes a point of separation between the followers of Christ and Antichrist. In 1 John 4:1-3, we see that anyone who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh is the spirit of antichrist. That is just what the Gnostics of that day were saying, i.e., that Jesus the human was not God Messiah come in the flesh; rather, the 'Christ Consciousness' the 'Messiah' Consciousness, came on Jesus at His baptism and left Him on the Cross; they believe Jesus was not God and Man. The New Age Movement and Freemasonry have resurrected this blasphemy with a vengeance.
6. Isaiah 53:6 foretells exactly what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross; "the Lord [God the Father] has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Praise God!! Only the Wisdom, Grace, and Power of God Almighty could conceive of such a gracious Plan of Salvation!! God's Nature is such that sin must be punished. Period! But, God set up a Plan whereby an innocent substitute was to be punished instead of the guilty person. In the Old Testament, God allowed the lamb to be the substitute sacrifice for sin; Jesus then became the ultimate substitute sacrifice, for all the sins of the world. His was the Perfect sacrifice, that never needs to be repeated, and that saves all people forever more.
You must believe in, and understand, this principle of Substitute Punishment, before you can become Born Again. And, you must believe that Jesus Christ became the Perfect Substitute Punishment for YOU, before you can become Born Again.
Now that you understand these Truths, and believe them for your life, you now need to understand how you can obtain this FREE Gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. After all, if I were to attempt to give you a FREE gift, that gift would not become yours if you were to refuse to reach out and take that gift from my hand. So it is here. You must reach out and take this FREE Gift of Eternal Life from the hand of Jesus Christ. How is this done?
Through Saving Faith .
Notice I said Saving Faith . There are types of faith that will not get you saved. You may have 'head knowledge' faith that merely intellectually assents to the facts of Jesus Christ's person, but that is not Saving Faith. You may be in a 'church' or a cult that teaches many truths about Jesus Christ, but who teach that you must do many things to earn your way to Heaven. This is not Saving Faith.
Saving Faith is trusting in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, for your Salvation.
If you think you need to do anything for Salvation except trust in Jesus work on the cross, you are guilty of violating Ephesians 2:8-9 and Isaiah 53:6b. Most cults and false Christian religions err at this point; they add things that are "necessary" for Salvation, or they offer a counterfeit way to Heaven, i.e., Salvation by Baptism.
Do you want this Gift of Eternal Life that Jesus left Heaven and died on a cross to give you? If your answer is, 'Yes', you can immediately have Eternal Life.
Let me clarify exactly what this involves. First, you are going to transfer your trust, your hope of eternal life from what you have been doing to what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross. Jesus will take your sin and transfer TO YOU His right standing with God the Father, what we call His righteousness . This means that though we have failed repeatedly to keep God's commandments, Christ perfectly obeyed all the laws of God. He lived the perfect life, so He could be the perfect, innocent substitutionary sacrifice that God would accept for your sins, and the sin of the entire world, for all who will believe.
Are you willing to repent of your sins right now, and become a responsible member of God's forever family, following Him and serving Him as a member of His forever family, following Him and serving Him as a member of His body, the Church? If your heartfelt answer is, "Yes", then we can go to Him now in prayer, and we can tell Him that you want to cease trusting in anything else for Eternal Salvation, especially in what you can do for yourself. You can place your trust in Him and Him alone for salvation. Before we pray this simple prayer, I need to point our that the Lord Jesus Christ is looking at your heart more than His is listening to your lips. As He promised, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when [after] ye shall search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13).If this is what you mean, then the Lord will hear your prayer and grant you eternal life, right now, in the privacy of your home. Let me pray."Father, I pray that You would grant the FREE gift of eternal life. May thy Holy Spirit draw him or her unto Thyself. Grant him faith to believe Thy wonderful promises. Grant him or her repentance to turn from his sins. Reveal unto him Jesus Christ crucified as the perfect substitutionary sacrifice, today."
Jesus Christ is right with you right now. You are not talking to anyone now, but to Him. If you really want to be Born Again, into the Eternal Family of God through Jesus Christ, pray this prayer, from your heart."Lord Jesus, I want you to come in and take over my life right now. I am a sinner. I have been trusting in myself and my own good works, and in other things. But, now I place my trust in you. I want You as my own personal Savior. I believe You died for me. I receive You as Lord and Master of my life. Help me to turn from my sins and follow You. I thank you for Your offer of the FREE gift of eternal life. I am not worthy of it, but I thank You for it. Amen." Now, allow me to pray. "Father, you have heard the prayer which has been prayed. I ask that in this quiet moment, Thy Holy Spirit will grant unto him Your absolute assurance of life eternal; grant unto him the certainty that his sins are forgiven. Grant that he may hear, in the depths of his soul, Thy voice saying, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee. Go in peace'. Grant, O Jesus, that he may hear Thy voice saying, 'As far as the east is from the west, so far have I put thy sins from thee, never to remember them against thee anymore. [The person] that believeth on Me shall not come into condemnation . He that trusts in Me is passed from death unto life. He that believeth on Me shall not perish but has everlasting life [paraphrased from Psalm 103:12; John 3:1 8; 5:24; 3:16]. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen."
You have just prayed the most important prayer you have ever prayed in your life. If you were sincere in this prayer, I want you to see what Jesus says about what you have just done. In John 6:47, Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me has everlasting life." In your prayer, you didn't hear any angel choirs or see any visions; however, by a simple act of faith, you have placed your trust for your eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. Saving Faith is trusting in Jesus Christ ALONE for your salvation . If you meant with your heart what you just said with your lips, you have the promise of Jesus Christ that He has forgiven your sins, and has adopted you into the kingdom, and has given you eternal life in Heaven with Him.If this sounds so simple you have trouble believing that it could be true, the Bible assures you that it is most definitely true. Over the centuries, man has deliberately complicated this simple Plan of Salvation that most people simply do not know how simple and uncomplicated God has planned Salvation through Jesus Christ to be!! If you were genuine in your prayer, you now have eternal life, and are as assured of it as if you were already there!! This is why Jesus said, that no person can ever take any of His who are Born Again out of the Father's hand.
How can you know for sure that you have been born again? Please do not expect any "earth-shaking" experience, because in the majority of cases it comes about in a rather peaceful way, a sense of relief and a load lifted. There will be no fireworks or brass bands playing, just a wonderful calm that is deep down inside. But with the passing of time, I have found that one of the best indicators of the New Birth is a genuine understanding of the Word of God. Prior to being Born Again, the "natural man", as the Bible calls him, (a lost person), cannot understand the Bible because it is spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). Indeed, it is foolishness to him! So when the Word begins to make sense, to speak to your heart, and convict you of sin in your life, it is a very good indicator that you have the Holy Spirit of God residing within you. You see, a Christian obtains a new spiritual nature by the New Birth, but he does not get rid of the old nature he was born with. That is why it is so vitally important that we "grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit as we walk through this sinful and spiritually defiling world around us. The Holy Spirit literally takes up residence within us when we are Born Again and will never leave us nor forsake us.
Another wonderful evidence of genuine salvation is found in the "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22) that will take place in our daily lives as the Holy Spirit works within us. His presence will be manifested to the outside world by means of the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, faith, etc., they see in us! Then, the Bible tells us in Romans 8:16 that, "The Spirit itself (lit. Himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." In other words, the Holy Spirit living deep within us tells us that we belong to God.
But, He has done much more!! In Revelation 3:20, Jesus promised, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock [He has been knocking at the door of your heart, and you have just opened that door to let Him in]; if anyone hears and listens and heeds My voice, and opens the door I WILL come in to him and will eat with him, and he will eat with Me." Jesus Christ has just entered INTO YOUR HEART through the work of the Holy Spirit, to live in your heart for the rest of your life!! What great news, for now we have the same Holy Spirit power within us that raised Jesus from the dead [Romans 8:11]. In fact, read Romans 8 to see all the advantages we have because the Holy Spirit indwells us daily.Salvation through Jesus shed blood on Calvary gives you a deep, abiding Personal Relationship with His Holy Spirit while you live on this Earth!! As you read the Bible, especially the New Testament, you will come to understand the wonderful depth you can reach between you and your Creator!! Salvation produces a relationship that will deeply enrich your life daily!! You will never have believed, prior to becoming Born Again, what kind of life you have been missing out on for so long!Please write back to tell us if you have decided to become Born Again. We need to give you some practical advice on how to ensure your continued maturity and productivity in the Lord.
When you e-mail us, please put "Born Again" in the subject field.We love you in the Lord. Pray for us in this ministry, in warning people all over the world about the impending New World Order. Satan has been so strong in attacking this ministry.
Because of His Love On Calvary,
David Bay
1. Romans 8:16 tells us: "The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God." First and foremost, we have the unshakable testimony from within us! The indwelling Holy Spirit of God constantly reassures us that we belong to Jesus Christ.
2. The entire book of First John was written as a "test" for determining the reality of salvation. Verse three of Chapter one tells us: "What we have seen and [ourselves] heard we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have (which is a distinguishing mark of Christians) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah." The fellowship enjoyed by genuine Christians is proof positive of salvation. Those who claim Christ, but yet rarely attend church to worship God and associate with other believers, are possibly fooling themselves! A backslidden Christian can stay out of church and away from other believers, but I can guarantee you from first-hand experience that there will never be a time when you will be comfortable with it! On the other side of the coin, verse 8 teaches us that if we deny the existence of sin within us, the Truth is not in us. Verse 3 of Chapter two teaches us that we are genuine and "growing in grace and knowledge of Christ", if we keep His commandments. Verse 10 teaches us that we are of Christ if we love the brethren. Again, those who habitually absent themselves from God's house and do not make it clear that they love being around God's children, are very likely to be tares and not wheat. Verse 15 teaches us that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. "Worldly Christians" is almost a contradiction in terms and those who claim Christ, but yet cling to the value system of this world-are suspect.
3. 1 John 5:13 informs us that the entire Book of 1 John was written so that we can know that we possess eternal life in Christ. Do you know for absolute certainty that, if you were to die tonight, you would go to Heaven?
4. The Word of God teaches that the Bible is incomprehensible to the "natural man"-the unsaved individual. It is a spiritual book and the unsaved person is not only spiritually blind, but 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that he "is incapable" of knowing that which is spiritually discerned. Do you understand the Bible? Does it make sense to you and speak to your heart? Does it convict you of your sin and teach you the right way?
5. The Bible is very clear that an unregenerate individual will not seek God (Rom.3:11). Are you painfully aware of your sinful nature and cry out to God from your heart for forgiveness when you sin? If so, this is one of the signs of having been born again.
Is your soul, your conscience, sorely vexed when you see sin in the culture around you? When you see blatant sin in public, or on TV, or in Entertainment, or anywhere else you encounter it, do you feel a severe vexation in your spirit? The Bible says of Lot, who was foolish enough to live and do business in Sodom: "(God) delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds)" [2 Peter 2:7-8]
If your heart is "vexed" by the terrible sin in our daily culture, that is a good sign you are saved. If your spirit is not vexed by this sin, that is a good sign you are not saved.
6. The Bible says that an unregenerate individual is a slave of Satan and incapable of doing anything about it (Eph.2:2). Have you been able to turn your back upon this world and its sinful ways? Are all of your close friends Christians? If you have been born again, your unsaved friends will drop you like a bad habit! (Just as an illustration, spray a small amount of "WD-40" lubricant on a surface wet with water and watch how fast the water retreats! A genuine dose of salvation is like the WD-40 where reprobate buddies are concerned.)
7. Do you love--really love--Christians and would rather be with them than anyone else? Can you meet a total stranger, find out that they are a believer, and then have instant fellowship with them? Is there "something" in your heart that draws you to them and establishes a closeness which cannot be explained any other way? [We alluded to this feature in Paragraph 2, above]
8. Do you actually enjoy giving to the Lord's work? Do you give generously of your time, talent, and treasury?
9. Do you sin less now than you did prior to receiving Christ?
10. Have other people seen the "fruit of the Spirit" at work in your life? That is, can they see genuine love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc., (Gal.5:22), being wrought in and through you by God's Holy Spirit? Do they sense that you are a different person from the one you used to be?
11. Have you experienced persecution because of your faith in Christ? (Former friends who back away because of your testimony for Christ, are a subtle form of persecution).
12. Are you eagerly expecting and anticipating the any-moment return of Jesus Christ for His Church? If you can truthfully answer "yes" to these questions, you are a child of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within you! If you cannot truthfully answer "yes" to these questions, then you are probably not saved and you need to go to the bottom of this page to the Salvation message and go through the steps in honesty and sincereness of heart so you can be saved!
"You must be born again"The Bible is very clear on the necessity of a person being "Born Again" if they are to receive eternal life. Jesus coined this term, in John 3:3-7, when he told Nicodemus, "You must be born again" to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Since this necessity is so critical, Satan has attacked it with all his might for two thousand years, causing most "Christian" churches to stop teaching this doctrine, even though no one can be saved without undergoing this wondrous spiritual conversion. However, Satan's most effective weapon against being Born Again has been, and still is, confusion.
Fortunately, Jesus lovingly made this transformation process very simple, so simple that even those who are retarded or not educated can understand. There are several steps to becoming Born Again, listed below:
1. Understand that ALL men ever born are sinners. Romans 3:23, says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This message that all men are sinners is amply repeated through Scripture . This means you are a sinner in the eyes of an angry God, Who must punish all sin. Do you believe you are a sinner?
2. Since man is an imperfect sinner, and God is a perfect God, no man can save himself. Jesus made this fact very plain in Matthew 5:48, when He said, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect."!!! If we all have to be perfect in God's eyes, how can there be anyone in Heaven, especially since the Bible declares, repeatedly, that ALL people are sinners? Obviously, no one is going to get to Heaven this way, by trying to be 'good enough' to merit Heaven. Since the Bible says there are going to be untold millions of people in Heaven, there must be some other way to get there, other than by trying to be 'good enough'.
You must also be very sorry for your sins, and want to have them forgiven. This is known as Repentance. The word Repent means to both be very sorry for your sins, and to want to not sin anymore. Repentance means the desire to turn your life around 180 degrees. This does not mean you will never sin again, but it does mean that sin will become the exception in your life, not the rule.
3. When the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ, shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary, He died for the sins of His people in their place as a sacrificial substitute. And in doing so, He suffered the wrath of God the Father upon their sin. He paid the penalty for that sin in His own body and purchased their eternal redemption. This enables Him to give as a free gift His own holiness and righteousness to those who believe in Him and trust Him for salvation. making them absolutely perfect in God. s sight! Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." None of us deserve to be saved; in His love and mercy God extends grace to those who will believe. Grace is defined as "undeserved favor" and perhaps this little acrostic will help you to remember its meaning: G od. s Riches At Christ. s Expense. [The true meaning of GRACE]
4. In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul reiterates this teaching that eternal life with God is a free gift. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast." No man can stand before God in eternity, and boast that they 'earned' their way to Heaven. All people in Heaven will be there only because of Jesus' FREE Gift, which He obtained from God because of His substitutionary death sacrifice on the Cross. Rather than punishing each person's individual sins, God heaped all those sins on Jesus on the Cross Isaiah 53:2-12]
Now, you are probably thinking, 'How can I obtain this free gift of eternal life'? Again, the Bible is not silent. In Acts 16:25-33, the jailer anxiously asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved"? Paul answered "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ..." verse 31". You must BELIEVE on Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. To truly believe, you must place your complete faith and trust in Christ and rely upon Him as your only hope of salvation and eternal life. This is a matter of the heart and you cannot hope to deceive God by putting on an act because He knows everything about you. Many people mistakenly think that by merely believing the facts concerning Jesus Christ. s death, burial, and resurrection, they will be automatically be given the gift of eternal life. But such is not the case. Preachers call that a "head knowledge and not a heart knowledge." Salvation is freely given, but only to those who are genuine believers.
5. In John 1:1, 14, we see that Jesus Christ is God, equal with God, present with God from before the beginning of time, and the actual Creator of the Universe. He is 100% God and 100% human at the same time, which is why He used both titles during His ministry, Son of God and Son of Man. To become Born Again, you must believe this doctrine about Jesus Christ.
Verse 14 is most important, the teaching that Jesus God became man. This teaching becomes a point of separation between the followers of Christ and Antichrist. In 1 John 4:1-3, we see that anyone who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh is the spirit of antichrist. That is just what the Gnostics of that day were saying, i.e., that Jesus the human was not God Messiah come in the flesh; rather, the 'Christ Consciousness' the 'Messiah' Consciousness, came on Jesus at His baptism and left Him on the Cross; they believe Jesus was not God and Man. The New Age Movement and Freemasonry have resurrected this blasphemy with a vengeance.
6. Isaiah 53:6 foretells exactly what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross; "the Lord [God the Father] has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Praise God!! Only the Wisdom, Grace, and Power of God Almighty could conceive of such a gracious Plan of Salvation!! God's Nature is such that sin must be punished. Period! But, God set up a Plan whereby an innocent substitute was to be punished instead of the guilty person. In the Old Testament, God allowed the lamb to be the substitute sacrifice for sin; Jesus then became the ultimate substitute sacrifice, for all the sins of the world. His was the Perfect sacrifice, that never needs to be repeated, and that saves all people forever more.
You must believe in, and understand, this principle of Substitute Punishment, before you can become Born Again. And, you must believe that Jesus Christ became the Perfect Substitute Punishment for YOU, before you can become Born Again.
Now that you understand these Truths, and believe them for your life, you now need to understand how you can obtain this FREE Gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. After all, if I were to attempt to give you a FREE gift, that gift would not become yours if you were to refuse to reach out and take that gift from my hand. So it is here. You must reach out and take this FREE Gift of Eternal Life from the hand of Jesus Christ. How is this done?
Through Saving Faith .
Notice I said Saving Faith . There are types of faith that will not get you saved. You may have 'head knowledge' faith that merely intellectually assents to the facts of Jesus Christ's person, but that is not Saving Faith. You may be in a 'church' or a cult that teaches many truths about Jesus Christ, but who teach that you must do many things to earn your way to Heaven. This is not Saving Faith.
Saving Faith is trusting in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, for your Salvation.
If you think you need to do anything for Salvation except trust in Jesus work on the cross, you are guilty of violating Ephesians 2:8-9 and Isaiah 53:6b. Most cults and false Christian religions err at this point; they add things that are "necessary" for Salvation, or they offer a counterfeit way to Heaven, i.e., Salvation by Baptism.
Do you want this Gift of Eternal Life that Jesus left Heaven and died on a cross to give you? If your answer is, 'Yes', you can immediately have Eternal Life.
Let me clarify exactly what this involves. First, you are going to transfer your trust, your hope of eternal life from what you have been doing to what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross. Jesus will take your sin and transfer TO YOU His right standing with God the Father, what we call His righteousness . This means that though we have failed repeatedly to keep God's commandments, Christ perfectly obeyed all the laws of God. He lived the perfect life, so He could be the perfect, innocent substitutionary sacrifice that God would accept for your sins, and the sin of the entire world, for all who will believe.
Are you willing to repent of your sins right now, and become a responsible member of God's forever family, following Him and serving Him as a member of His forever family, following Him and serving Him as a member of His body, the Church? If your heartfelt answer is, "Yes", then we can go to Him now in prayer, and we can tell Him that you want to cease trusting in anything else for Eternal Salvation, especially in what you can do for yourself. You can place your trust in Him and Him alone for salvation. Before we pray this simple prayer, I need to point our that the Lord Jesus Christ is looking at your heart more than His is listening to your lips. As He promised, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when [after] ye shall search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13).If this is what you mean, then the Lord will hear your prayer and grant you eternal life, right now, in the privacy of your home. Let me pray."Father, I pray that You would grant the FREE gift of eternal life. May thy Holy Spirit draw him or her unto Thyself. Grant him faith to believe Thy wonderful promises. Grant him or her repentance to turn from his sins. Reveal unto him Jesus Christ crucified as the perfect substitutionary sacrifice, today."
Jesus Christ is right with you right now. You are not talking to anyone now, but to Him. If you really want to be Born Again, into the Eternal Family of God through Jesus Christ, pray this prayer, from your heart."Lord Jesus, I want you to come in and take over my life right now. I am a sinner. I have been trusting in myself and my own good works, and in other things. But, now I place my trust in you. I want You as my own personal Savior. I believe You died for me. I receive You as Lord and Master of my life. Help me to turn from my sins and follow You. I thank you for Your offer of the FREE gift of eternal life. I am not worthy of it, but I thank You for it. Amen." Now, allow me to pray. "Father, you have heard the prayer which has been prayed. I ask that in this quiet moment, Thy Holy Spirit will grant unto him Your absolute assurance of life eternal; grant unto him the certainty that his sins are forgiven. Grant that he may hear, in the depths of his soul, Thy voice saying, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee. Go in peace'. Grant, O Jesus, that he may hear Thy voice saying, 'As far as the east is from the west, so far have I put thy sins from thee, never to remember them against thee anymore. [The person] that believeth on Me shall not come into condemnation . He that trusts in Me is passed from death unto life. He that believeth on Me shall not perish but has everlasting life [paraphrased from Psalm 103:12; John 3:1 8; 5:24; 3:16]. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen."
You have just prayed the most important prayer you have ever prayed in your life. If you were sincere in this prayer, I want you to see what Jesus says about what you have just done. In John 6:47, Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me has everlasting life." In your prayer, you didn't hear any angel choirs or see any visions; however, by a simple act of faith, you have placed your trust for your eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. Saving Faith is trusting in Jesus Christ ALONE for your salvation . If you meant with your heart what you just said with your lips, you have the promise of Jesus Christ that He has forgiven your sins, and has adopted you into the kingdom, and has given you eternal life in Heaven with Him.If this sounds so simple you have trouble believing that it could be true, the Bible assures you that it is most definitely true. Over the centuries, man has deliberately complicated this simple Plan of Salvation that most people simply do not know how simple and uncomplicated God has planned Salvation through Jesus Christ to be!! If you were genuine in your prayer, you now have eternal life, and are as assured of it as if you were already there!! This is why Jesus said, that no person can ever take any of His who are Born Again out of the Father's hand.
How can you know for sure that you have been born again? Please do not expect any "earth-shaking" experience, because in the majority of cases it comes about in a rather peaceful way, a sense of relief and a load lifted. There will be no fireworks or brass bands playing, just a wonderful calm that is deep down inside. But with the passing of time, I have found that one of the best indicators of the New Birth is a genuine understanding of the Word of God. Prior to being Born Again, the "natural man", as the Bible calls him, (a lost person), cannot understand the Bible because it is spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). Indeed, it is foolishness to him! So when the Word begins to make sense, to speak to your heart, and convict you of sin in your life, it is a very good indicator that you have the Holy Spirit of God residing within you. You see, a Christian obtains a new spiritual nature by the New Birth, but he does not get rid of the old nature he was born with. That is why it is so vitally important that we "grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit as we walk through this sinful and spiritually defiling world around us. The Holy Spirit literally takes up residence within us when we are Born Again and will never leave us nor forsake us.
Another wonderful evidence of genuine salvation is found in the "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22) that will take place in our daily lives as the Holy Spirit works within us. His presence will be manifested to the outside world by means of the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, faith, etc., they see in us! Then, the Bible tells us in Romans 8:16 that, "The Spirit itself (lit. Himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." In other words, the Holy Spirit living deep within us tells us that we belong to God.
But, He has done much more!! In Revelation 3:20, Jesus promised, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock [He has been knocking at the door of your heart, and you have just opened that door to let Him in]; if anyone hears and listens and heeds My voice, and opens the door I WILL come in to him and will eat with him, and he will eat with Me." Jesus Christ has just entered INTO YOUR HEART through the work of the Holy Spirit, to live in your heart for the rest of your life!! What great news, for now we have the same Holy Spirit power within us that raised Jesus from the dead [Romans 8:11]. In fact, read Romans 8 to see all the advantages we have because the Holy Spirit indwells us daily.Salvation through Jesus shed blood on Calvary gives you a deep, abiding Personal Relationship with His Holy Spirit while you live on this Earth!! As you read the Bible, especially the New Testament, you will come to understand the wonderful depth you can reach between you and your Creator!! Salvation produces a relationship that will deeply enrich your life daily!! You will never have believed, prior to becoming Born Again, what kind of life you have been missing out on for so long!Please write back to tell us if you have decided to become Born Again. We need to give you some practical advice on how to ensure your continued maturity and productivity in the Lord.
When you e-mail us, please put "Born Again" in the subject field.We love you in the Lord. Pray for us in this ministry, in warning people all over the world about the impending New World Order. Satan has been so strong in attacking this ministry.
Because of His Love On Calvary,
David Bay
Friday, January 23, 2009
In The Midst Of Chaos
Christ said: In this world you will suffer persecution, but in such wise that the persecution will not overwhelm, and the attack will not overcome you. Against Christ’s army the world arrays a twofold battleline. It offers temptation to lead us astray; it strikes terror into us to break our spirit. Hence if our personal pleasures do not hold us captive, and if we are not frightened by brutality, then the world is overcome.
At both of these approaches Christ rushes to our aid, and the Christian is not conquered. If you were to consider in Vincent’s martyrdom only human endurance, then his act is unbelievable from the outset. But first recognize the power to be from God, and he ceases to be a source of wonder. —St. Augustine, Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. 3, p. 1316
And where will this power come from? From the descent of the Holy Spirit at an hour which will come in the midst of chaos. For chaos has been sown and chaos will be reaped.
You live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear… Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: In my fury I will let loose stormwinds… (Ezekiel 12:2, 13:1)
At both of these approaches Christ rushes to our aid, and the Christian is not conquered. If you were to consider in Vincent’s martyrdom only human endurance, then his act is unbelievable from the outset. But first recognize the power to be from God, and he ceases to be a source of wonder. —St. Augustine, Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. 3, p. 1316
And where will this power come from? From the descent of the Holy Spirit at an hour which will come in the midst of chaos. For chaos has been sown and chaos will be reaped.
You live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear… Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: In my fury I will let loose stormwinds… (Ezekiel 12:2, 13:1)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Shepherds Chapel
Welcome from Pastor Arnold Murray:"I'm so glad we are able to present yet another format for bringing our unique verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book teaching of the Holy Bible. From the Shepherd's Chapel in Gravette, AR.
http://www.shepherdschapel.com/index.cfm
http://www.shepherdschapel.com/index.cfm
2009 Ten Commandments
1. Just one God.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No tellin’ tales or gossipin’.
4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin’.
5. Put nothin’ before God.
6. No foolin’ ‘round with another fellow’s gal.
7. No killin’.
8. Watch yer mouth.
9. Don’t take what ain’t yers, and;
10. Don’t be hankerin’ for yer buddy’s stuff.
2009 Ten Commandments
1. Just one God.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No tellin’ tales or gossipin’.
4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin’.
5. Put nothin’ before God.
6. No foolin’ ‘round with another fellow’s gal.
7. No killin’.
8. Watch yer mouth.
9. Don’t take what ain’t yers, and;
10. Don’t be hankerin’ for yer buddy’s stuff.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No tellin’ tales or gossipin’.
4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin’.
5. Put nothin’ before God.
6. No foolin’ ‘round with another fellow’s gal.
7. No killin’.
8. Watch yer mouth.
9. Don’t take what ain’t yers, and;
10. Don’t be hankerin’ for yer buddy’s stuff.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Holding Pattern
Many times God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a “holding pattern.” We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us. God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone. There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no food to eat, no interference, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray. When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.
A Few of God's Holding Patterns:
1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed, but God has not healed you yet, you are in a holding pattern.
2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.
3. When you have been praying for the salvation of a loved one and they have not been saved yet, you are in a holding pattern.
4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.
5. When the doors slam shut before you can knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.
When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no Interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. We cannot run from God because there are no mountains that are high enough, valleys low enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden enough from Him. We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting and remember three things:
1. The pattern has a purpose.
2. The pattern has a plan.
3. The pattern has a process.
So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you."
A Few of God's Holding Patterns:
1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed, but God has not healed you yet, you are in a holding pattern.
2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.
3. When you have been praying for the salvation of a loved one and they have not been saved yet, you are in a holding pattern.
4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.
5. When the doors slam shut before you can knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.
When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no Interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. We cannot run from God because there are no mountains that are high enough, valleys low enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden enough from Him. We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting and remember three things:
1. The pattern has a purpose.
2. The pattern has a plan.
3. The pattern has a process.
So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you."
Monday, January 19, 2009
National Sanctity of Human Life Day 2009
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us.
The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My Administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing Federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence, and funding crisis pregnancy programs. In 2002, I was honored to sign into law the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which extends legal protection to children who survive an abortion attempt. I signed legislation in 2003 to ban the cruel practice of partial-birth abortion, and that law represents our commitment to building a culture of life in America. Also, I was proud to sign the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which allows authorities to charge a person who causes death or injury to a child in the womb with a separate offense in addition to any charges relating to the mother.
America is a caring Nation, and our values should guide us as we harness the gifts of science. In our zeal for new treatments and cures, we must never abandon our fundamental morals. We can achieve the great breakthroughs we all seek with reverence for the gift of life.
The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2009, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
President, GEORGE W. BUSH
All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us.
The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My Administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing Federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence, and funding crisis pregnancy programs. In 2002, I was honored to sign into law the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which extends legal protection to children who survive an abortion attempt. I signed legislation in 2003 to ban the cruel practice of partial-birth abortion, and that law represents our commitment to building a culture of life in America. Also, I was proud to sign the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which allows authorities to charge a person who causes death or injury to a child in the womb with a separate offense in addition to any charges relating to the mother.
America is a caring Nation, and our values should guide us as we harness the gifts of science. In our zeal for new treatments and cures, we must never abandon our fundamental morals. We can achieve the great breakthroughs we all seek with reverence for the gift of life.
The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2009, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
President, GEORGE W. BUSH
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Blind Demoniac
Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him….Matthew 12:22
Recommended Reading Matthew 12:22-30
Satan is in the Eye-Blinding Business. The Bible warns that the “god of this age” has blinded the minds of unbelievers “lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
This is why we have friends and loved ones who seem impervious to our testimony and resistant to our witness.Jesus Christ is in the Sight-Restoring Business. The prophet Isaiah predicted that He would come “as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house” (Isaiah 42:6-7).
There’s a great prayer we can echo about this in 2 Kings 6:17. Elisha asked the Lord regarding his servant: “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Let’s turn that into our own prayer for a brother, sister, son, daughter, friend, or spouse who needs the Lord Jesus. And as we pray, we can do so with confidence, “for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12).
I once was lost but now am found; was blind, but now I see.
John Newton
Recommended Reading Matthew 12:22-30
Satan is in the Eye-Blinding Business. The Bible warns that the “god of this age” has blinded the minds of unbelievers “lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
This is why we have friends and loved ones who seem impervious to our testimony and resistant to our witness.Jesus Christ is in the Sight-Restoring Business. The prophet Isaiah predicted that He would come “as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house” (Isaiah 42:6-7).
There’s a great prayer we can echo about this in 2 Kings 6:17. Elisha asked the Lord regarding his servant: “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Let’s turn that into our own prayer for a brother, sister, son, daughter, friend, or spouse who needs the Lord Jesus. And as we pray, we can do so with confidence, “for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12).
I once was lost but now am found; was blind, but now I see.
John Newton
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Ways Of God
Hope you read the message entitled "Biblical Prosperity" on this website. If not, I would recommend you take a look at it first. It will give you a taste of what living the adventure is all about and will set some foundations in place.
Now, assuming you have read that article, let's do some heart searching ... Have you ever asked yourself; "Where is the abundant life that Jesus spoke of?" Or have you found yourself wondering "Where is the true fulfillment of being a radical follower of Jesus to be found?" Or more basically, "Why don't I live the adventure?"
What you are looking for, my friend, is to be found only one place: In Christ. God is not a respecter of persons. I am not special, by a long shot. So what is the real question here?
Inevitably the questions come: "Yea, but what does it look like?" "How does that happen?" "What can I do to begin living a life of adventure in Christ? True living, not just religious rhetoric."
Let's drop back for a moment. Let's look at the foundational scriptures we examined previously. You see, there is something very basic about our life in Christ that most overlook completely.
He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:16-23
Could it be that it's time to have your eyes enlightened. Have you ever considered it possible that you could be spiritually blind? Here the apostle Paul was writing to the Church. These were not unsaved people. They were followers of Jesus Christ. However he was praying that their eyes would be enlightened. You see, it is possible for believers in Christ ... simply not to "get it".
In fact, I want to challenge your thinking just a bit here. Could it be possible that the reason you are not living the adventure is because there are some significant things that you have missed, that you don't "get"?
I want to suggest there is a very basic tenet of Christian teaching that most people miss as a vital part of life in Christ. So very basic in fact, that without it, the adventure remains a mystery. Let's look at the following:
What man [is] he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way [that] he shall choose.
Psalm 25:12
Let's look at this scripture from a different angle ... The man who fears God will be led in God's ways.
We see two important principles from God's Word. The fear of the Lord and the ways of God. Let's look at these individually and then how they intersect.
The Fear of the Lord
In today's modern American culture, there is little to know of the fear of God. Even in the churches. However we find the following about the fear of the Lord in scripture:
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it [is] mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.
Joshua 4:24
And I said unto you, I [am] the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
Judges 6:10
The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
Psalm 19:9
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalm 34:11
The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.
Proverbs 16:6
Now, that is just the tip of the iceburg. There are more scriptures about the fear of the Lord and the fear of God than you can imagine. There are so many it would take several pages just to list them here. However, it is something that is overlooked by so many people.
So what does the fear of the Lord look like? Let me ask you a question - is there anything in the way of circumstances, situations, or people that cause you to fear? Then you do not know the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord gives you great boldness to obey God, even stepping out on a limb to do so. The fear of the Lord led Daniel into the lion's den. The fear of the Lord led the three Hebrew children into the fiery furnace. Yes, the fear of the Lord led many early Christian's to martyr's deaths - on crosses, sawn in two, and more. In fact the fear of the Lord is what led Jesus to go to the cross for you and me. It is the foundation that keeps us true to do the will of God, even if the outcome looks horrible.
When you begin to look at the fear of the Lord, you will immediately discern that there is a battle involved in walking this out. It is a battle of the fear of God versus the fear of man.
Some great examples of people walking fully in the fear of the Lord are folks like: Moses, Jesus, Paul, Timothy, Peter, and the other apostles of the Lamb. To walk in the fear of the Lord is to walk in one of the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ. It is not graduate study material, but in scripture we find that it is nursery tales. The kind of thing that is for children to walk in.
Why then is it such a foreign principle in the modern church? Perhaps this is one of the reasons that people do not walk in the adventure. You see, you must have the fear of the Lord before you can expect to walk in the ways of God. It is a preliminary step.
Some would say - why do I need to do all of this anyway? What good is it all? Let's see what God's Word has to say about that.
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Deuteronomy 10:12
What are God's requirements for living ... seems the fear of the Lord and to walk in His ways have something to do with it. If we don't do these things, how can we expect to live the adventure?
The Ways of God
Let's examine some scripture up front:
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great [is] the glory of the LORD.
Psalm 138:5
Who [is] wise, and he shall understand these [things]? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD [are] right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
Hosea 14:9
And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Acts 13:10-11
Again, there are many scriptures concerning the ways of God. In fact, Jesus Himself is described as "the Way". In the scripture accounts we find that the ways of God reflect His nature and glory, how they are different from the ways of man, and how they are constant and consistent with His Word.
The ways of God are to bring His children into holiness in order to enter into a relationship with them.
We are to walk in his Ways - this is the adventure of truly living. The substance of genuine and authentic living. A life that lives to the glory and honor of God. Demonstrating, not just discussing, the Kingdom of God.
Remember that the man that fears God will be led in God's ways. You cannot have one without the other.
Let's talk about what the Ways of God look like.
The ways of God are love. The ways of God are Soverign. The ways of God are holy. The ways of God are true. The ways of God are eternal.
As you can see, without the fear of the Lord in operation in your life, it is impossible to walk in the ways of God. But let's talk about how this has to do with living the adventure. I want to point out some Old Testament examples for us to consider in all of this.
Do you remember Joshua? What did he do as he led the people of Israel in taking the promised land? There was a pattern that worked every time. And every time he failed to walk in that pattern, he found failure. Do you know what it is?
Let's look at it in three steps:
Humility - He asked God what to do.
Patience - He waited until God showed him what to do.
Obedience - He did what God said to do.
Now, that is a simple pattern isn't it? Or is it?
How did David find success? He did the same. Without fail he inquired of the Lord, seeking His counsel. Then he waited until God spoke to him. Then he followed what God had shown him.
How did others find success in living the adventure? What about Jesus? He said that He only did those things He saw the Father doing. He walked in the ways of God and became the Way for us to follow. Who are we to be like? Our denominational leaders? Our pastors? Our seminary teachers? No, we are to be like Jesus.
This may sound hard. This may sound crazy. But I can tell you from practical experience, living the adventure does not happen if you insist on living your own way. Whenever I find the Lord is doing something magnificent with those around me, I know it is because I have asked Him what to do, have been willing to wait until He shows me, and then I enter into what I see Him doing.
Humility. Patience. Obedience. These are some of the simplest things to explain, but some of the hardest to work through. What does it look like? Probably like nothing you have seen before.
I often find myself in different prayer groups praying for different things. It amazes me how differently people approach prayer. Most have a list of things to pray about and with their natural minds they reach out to God. Now, in His mercy, He often answers our prayers in this way. Not because we are doing anything right, but simply because He is merciful and decides to show us plenty of it day to day. However whenever we approach God in this way, we can't expect to live the adventure. There is no adventure to be lived. Can we envision an adventure and then convince God to endorse it? I have never found even one example of that: neither in scripture or in practical experience. God insists we walk in His ways, not our own. And when we do, He is glorified. In those situations, it is all about what He has revealed and what He has done. He receives all the glory and we have the opportunity to be witnesses to what He actually does in people's lives.
Some Testimony
How does this look for Jeanette and I? Let me explain some things. When the Lord first began to release me into ministry, it was rather untraditional. It has remained so ever since. I don't want to promote this as the only way of doing things, because then I would be promoting something I have done. Instead, I want to share what God has done in my life, so you could begin to ask the Lord how He wants to live through you!
It started with God. I was not looking to minister to folks. However one day God interrupted my life in a profound way, thoroughly breaking my heart to reach the lost. When He did that, He also put a tremendous drive within me to look to Him. I remember asking my pastor what to do. He told me to "wait on your ministering" from Romans 12:17. That was the greatest counsel I ever received. It drove me to my knees in prayer. Every time I went to prayer I saw people going to hell. I saw this time after time after time and it broke my heart even more. I finally was so broken that I had to have an answer from God. I tried a lot of things, but none of it worked. So I prayed and I prayed and I began listening, looking, observing and after about three years of this, God opened a door for me.
I was desperate. By that time I did not want to be like somebody else. In fact, I didn't want to be anything. I wanted God to minister through me and that is what He did. I wanted to hear what God had to say. And without fail He would show me what to do and it became simple to do what He wanted.
Since then I have had opportunity to show others these principles and they too have found God's willingness to lead them in adventures. Every adventure looks different. God deals differently with people, but in the end He desires us to practice humility, patience and obedience in following Him. After following Jesus in this way for over twenty years I find that I no longer have time to waste on the counterfeit of true living. I have only one life to live and I want to live it fully in Christ. Following Jesus does not look like what you have seen before. Most folks do not understand that. Some will even hate you for saying such things. Still, He truly does a new thing. After all, His mercies are new every morning.
Let me share one incident for you, to try to put this into practical application. A few weeks ago I traveled to Seattle on business. Every time I make plans to go on trips I sense God's desire to do something along the way. Therefore I always ask for the Lord's counsel concerning what is in store. This helps me then to listen attentively [put my antennae "up" so to speak] to how the Lord may speak to me. This comes often in a prophetic way, but sometimes it comes through circumstances I find myself.
On this particular trip, the Lord simply shared with me to pay attention closely and that He would bring someone along my path on this trip. Someone that was at a very critical stage in their life. I knew nothing more. But because of what the Lord had shown me, I was looking for an opportunity to share with those that I came in contact with.
I traveled to Seattle early in the morning and arrived for the business meeting in the afternoon. After the business meeting I was tired and went to rest in my hotel. At dinner time I went downstairs to the restaurant. It was literally packed out. When I got there I was told there would be a 20-30 minute wait. I had nowhere to go, so I sat down and waited. While I was waiting a young businessman sat down beside me, also waiting for a table. When he sat down I sensed the annointing of God rest upon me and I knew that this was the Lord saying to me ... "this is the one!".
We spoke about why we were in Seattle. Then things turned interesting. This fellow just opened up all of his life to me and began to share his disappointment in life in general. I shared with him that I had found something worth living for a long time ago myself - Jesus. He was genuinely interested and he then asked me a very pointed question: "What is the reason for living?".
At that point the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance a testimony that I had heard several years ago. I told him there was a seminary student that asked an elderly professor the same question. The elderly professor told him that when he was a boy he was in a Nazi concentration camp. He was separated from his family and felt all alone, imprisoned in a dark dungeon cell that had only one small shaft of light that came in once a day. He was in there with a few other young boys.
After a while, whenever the shaft of light would shine into the cell, the boys would gather around, trying to warm their hands and their feet, since it was so very dark, damp and cold in that dungeon cell. One day when the light was hining in, the boy saw something over in a far corner of the cell. He went over and found it to be a broken mirror, shattered into many pieces. He picked up the largest piece he could find. It was kind of round and he rubbed it on the stone floor to smooth the sharp corners so he wouldn't be cut. Then he stuck it into his pocket for later.
After discovering this precious treasure, the young boy would take that small piece of a mirror out of his pocket, each day the light shone in. He would take that shaft of light, reflect it on that small mirror and shine it into all the dark corners of the cell.
The professor then looked intently at that young seminary student and told him this: We are like that little mirror. The reason for living is so we can shine brilliantly into the dark corners and reflect the light of Christ to those around us.
After telling the story, I shared with that young businessman that it was not an accident that we were sitting together that evening in a restaurant in Seattle Washington, waiting for our table. But it was a divine appointment, in which I had the opportunity to share the reason for living with him.
He told me that he beleived that and that he wanted to know how he could shine the light. I then told him to get a Bible, ask Jesus to reveal Himself to him and then follow Jesus all the days of his life. I told him that if he would do that, his life would never be the same.
He said that was the craziest thing he had ever heard, but he believed me and that he would do what I told him to do. I then prayed for him and right afterward the attendant came and took me to my table.
That's walking in God's ways. I can't cook up stuff like that. As I continue to practice the fear of the Lord, in turning to Him for assistance and help, listening to what He has to say and what He wants me to do, I'm then able to follow Him in His ways. Period.
What Does it Take
What's the bottom line? Complete and absolute surrender.
He is Lord and we are not. It's time to listen to what God has to say. If we are genuinely walking in the fear of the Lord, we will have no other choice. However if we walk in the fear of man, we will want to save our way of life. What did Jesus say about this?
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 16:25
That sounds kind of tough. It is. Are you ready to give up the way you have been praying? Are you ready to give up the way you have been ministering? Are you ready to give up getting the credit for doing things? Perhaps more importantly, are you ready to enter into transition: going from where God was to where God is? That is what it takes.
The old way of doing things was new at some point of time. It was a radical step forward. People had to step out of their comfort zone and step out onto the water so to speak. Nothing has changed in that regard. In order to live the adventure, you have to step away from the old and embrace the new. God is doing a new thing. Don't you know that?
Right now, if you are willing to enter into living the adventure, please pray this prayer of surrender:
Jesus; I need the fear of the Lord to direct my life instead of myself. I confess that I have led my life up to this point in time. I have listened to well intentioned people,some of them great scholars and ministers and yet somewhere along the line I got to listening to what they were doing instead of having my head upon Your chest, hearing what You have to say. Lord, would You forgive me for doing things my way instead of Your way? Lord, I confess this sin to you and ask that you forgive and cleanse me from every trace of this wickedness. Jesus I surrender to You. I want to live the adventure You have for me. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, then I want to pray for you:
Father, I thank You that we are not only priests, but kings too. Priests intercede, pleading for mercy. Kings decree, causing change to occur. Father, I know Your Word declares we are kings and priests unto God. We have been given authority to speak in the Name of Jesus, our King. So right now, in the Name of Jesus, I decree: "Blind eyes see. Deaf ears open. Sound mind function. True obedience begin." Lord, I know that only You can cause these things, but in Your authority and with Your seal of approval, I have decreed these things over those that have happened upon this message. I thank You that You are more than capable of leading us on an adventure far beyond what we can even imagine. Your adventure far surpasses all the adventures we have ever considered. I thank You and praise You for the work of Your Holy Spirit in bringing this about, to Your glory and honor forever. Amen.
I would like to hear from any that have found this message bearing fruit in their lives. Let me know some of the adventures the Lord has led you on. It would be a great encouragement to me and would be a great testimony to what the Lord is doing in the earth, to His glory and fame.
Keep radically following Jesus!
cross posted by
Rich Elliot
Biblical Prosperity
Now, assuming you have read that article, let's do some heart searching ... Have you ever asked yourself; "Where is the abundant life that Jesus spoke of?" Or have you found yourself wondering "Where is the true fulfillment of being a radical follower of Jesus to be found?" Or more basically, "Why don't I live the adventure?"
What you are looking for, my friend, is to be found only one place: In Christ. God is not a respecter of persons. I am not special, by a long shot. So what is the real question here?
Inevitably the questions come: "Yea, but what does it look like?" "How does that happen?" "What can I do to begin living a life of adventure in Christ? True living, not just religious rhetoric."
Let's drop back for a moment. Let's look at the foundational scriptures we examined previously. You see, there is something very basic about our life in Christ that most overlook completely.
He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:16-23
Could it be that it's time to have your eyes enlightened. Have you ever considered it possible that you could be spiritually blind? Here the apostle Paul was writing to the Church. These were not unsaved people. They were followers of Jesus Christ. However he was praying that their eyes would be enlightened. You see, it is possible for believers in Christ ... simply not to "get it".
In fact, I want to challenge your thinking just a bit here. Could it be possible that the reason you are not living the adventure is because there are some significant things that you have missed, that you don't "get"?
I want to suggest there is a very basic tenet of Christian teaching that most people miss as a vital part of life in Christ. So very basic in fact, that without it, the adventure remains a mystery. Let's look at the following:
What man [is] he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way [that] he shall choose.
Psalm 25:12
Let's look at this scripture from a different angle ... The man who fears God will be led in God's ways.
We see two important principles from God's Word. The fear of the Lord and the ways of God. Let's look at these individually and then how they intersect.
The Fear of the Lord
In today's modern American culture, there is little to know of the fear of God. Even in the churches. However we find the following about the fear of the Lord in scripture:
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it [is] mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.
Joshua 4:24
And I said unto you, I [am] the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
Judges 6:10
The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
Psalm 19:9
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalm 34:11
The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.
Proverbs 16:6
Now, that is just the tip of the iceburg. There are more scriptures about the fear of the Lord and the fear of God than you can imagine. There are so many it would take several pages just to list them here. However, it is something that is overlooked by so many people.
So what does the fear of the Lord look like? Let me ask you a question - is there anything in the way of circumstances, situations, or people that cause you to fear? Then you do not know the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord gives you great boldness to obey God, even stepping out on a limb to do so. The fear of the Lord led Daniel into the lion's den. The fear of the Lord led the three Hebrew children into the fiery furnace. Yes, the fear of the Lord led many early Christian's to martyr's deaths - on crosses, sawn in two, and more. In fact the fear of the Lord is what led Jesus to go to the cross for you and me. It is the foundation that keeps us true to do the will of God, even if the outcome looks horrible.
When you begin to look at the fear of the Lord, you will immediately discern that there is a battle involved in walking this out. It is a battle of the fear of God versus the fear of man.
Some great examples of people walking fully in the fear of the Lord are folks like: Moses, Jesus, Paul, Timothy, Peter, and the other apostles of the Lamb. To walk in the fear of the Lord is to walk in one of the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ. It is not graduate study material, but in scripture we find that it is nursery tales. The kind of thing that is for children to walk in.
Why then is it such a foreign principle in the modern church? Perhaps this is one of the reasons that people do not walk in the adventure. You see, you must have the fear of the Lord before you can expect to walk in the ways of God. It is a preliminary step.
Some would say - why do I need to do all of this anyway? What good is it all? Let's see what God's Word has to say about that.
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Deuteronomy 10:12
What are God's requirements for living ... seems the fear of the Lord and to walk in His ways have something to do with it. If we don't do these things, how can we expect to live the adventure?
The Ways of God
Let's examine some scripture up front:
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great [is] the glory of the LORD.
Psalm 138:5
Who [is] wise, and he shall understand these [things]? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD [are] right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
Hosea 14:9
And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Acts 13:10-11
Again, there are many scriptures concerning the ways of God. In fact, Jesus Himself is described as "the Way". In the scripture accounts we find that the ways of God reflect His nature and glory, how they are different from the ways of man, and how they are constant and consistent with His Word.
The ways of God are to bring His children into holiness in order to enter into a relationship with them.
We are to walk in his Ways - this is the adventure of truly living. The substance of genuine and authentic living. A life that lives to the glory and honor of God. Demonstrating, not just discussing, the Kingdom of God.
Remember that the man that fears God will be led in God's ways. You cannot have one without the other.
Let's talk about what the Ways of God look like.
The ways of God are love. The ways of God are Soverign. The ways of God are holy. The ways of God are true. The ways of God are eternal.
As you can see, without the fear of the Lord in operation in your life, it is impossible to walk in the ways of God. But let's talk about how this has to do with living the adventure. I want to point out some Old Testament examples for us to consider in all of this.
Do you remember Joshua? What did he do as he led the people of Israel in taking the promised land? There was a pattern that worked every time. And every time he failed to walk in that pattern, he found failure. Do you know what it is?
Let's look at it in three steps:
Humility - He asked God what to do.
Patience - He waited until God showed him what to do.
Obedience - He did what God said to do.
Now, that is a simple pattern isn't it? Or is it?
How did David find success? He did the same. Without fail he inquired of the Lord, seeking His counsel. Then he waited until God spoke to him. Then he followed what God had shown him.
How did others find success in living the adventure? What about Jesus? He said that He only did those things He saw the Father doing. He walked in the ways of God and became the Way for us to follow. Who are we to be like? Our denominational leaders? Our pastors? Our seminary teachers? No, we are to be like Jesus.
This may sound hard. This may sound crazy. But I can tell you from practical experience, living the adventure does not happen if you insist on living your own way. Whenever I find the Lord is doing something magnificent with those around me, I know it is because I have asked Him what to do, have been willing to wait until He shows me, and then I enter into what I see Him doing.
Humility. Patience. Obedience. These are some of the simplest things to explain, but some of the hardest to work through. What does it look like? Probably like nothing you have seen before.
I often find myself in different prayer groups praying for different things. It amazes me how differently people approach prayer. Most have a list of things to pray about and with their natural minds they reach out to God. Now, in His mercy, He often answers our prayers in this way. Not because we are doing anything right, but simply because He is merciful and decides to show us plenty of it day to day. However whenever we approach God in this way, we can't expect to live the adventure. There is no adventure to be lived. Can we envision an adventure and then convince God to endorse it? I have never found even one example of that: neither in scripture or in practical experience. God insists we walk in His ways, not our own. And when we do, He is glorified. In those situations, it is all about what He has revealed and what He has done. He receives all the glory and we have the opportunity to be witnesses to what He actually does in people's lives.
Some Testimony
How does this look for Jeanette and I? Let me explain some things. When the Lord first began to release me into ministry, it was rather untraditional. It has remained so ever since. I don't want to promote this as the only way of doing things, because then I would be promoting something I have done. Instead, I want to share what God has done in my life, so you could begin to ask the Lord how He wants to live through you!
It started with God. I was not looking to minister to folks. However one day God interrupted my life in a profound way, thoroughly breaking my heart to reach the lost. When He did that, He also put a tremendous drive within me to look to Him. I remember asking my pastor what to do. He told me to "wait on your ministering" from Romans 12:17. That was the greatest counsel I ever received. It drove me to my knees in prayer. Every time I went to prayer I saw people going to hell. I saw this time after time after time and it broke my heart even more. I finally was so broken that I had to have an answer from God. I tried a lot of things, but none of it worked. So I prayed and I prayed and I began listening, looking, observing and after about three years of this, God opened a door for me.
I was desperate. By that time I did not want to be like somebody else. In fact, I didn't want to be anything. I wanted God to minister through me and that is what He did. I wanted to hear what God had to say. And without fail He would show me what to do and it became simple to do what He wanted.
Since then I have had opportunity to show others these principles and they too have found God's willingness to lead them in adventures. Every adventure looks different. God deals differently with people, but in the end He desires us to practice humility, patience and obedience in following Him. After following Jesus in this way for over twenty years I find that I no longer have time to waste on the counterfeit of true living. I have only one life to live and I want to live it fully in Christ. Following Jesus does not look like what you have seen before. Most folks do not understand that. Some will even hate you for saying such things. Still, He truly does a new thing. After all, His mercies are new every morning.
Let me share one incident for you, to try to put this into practical application. A few weeks ago I traveled to Seattle on business. Every time I make plans to go on trips I sense God's desire to do something along the way. Therefore I always ask for the Lord's counsel concerning what is in store. This helps me then to listen attentively [put my antennae "up" so to speak] to how the Lord may speak to me. This comes often in a prophetic way, but sometimes it comes through circumstances I find myself.
On this particular trip, the Lord simply shared with me to pay attention closely and that He would bring someone along my path on this trip. Someone that was at a very critical stage in their life. I knew nothing more. But because of what the Lord had shown me, I was looking for an opportunity to share with those that I came in contact with.
I traveled to Seattle early in the morning and arrived for the business meeting in the afternoon. After the business meeting I was tired and went to rest in my hotel. At dinner time I went downstairs to the restaurant. It was literally packed out. When I got there I was told there would be a 20-30 minute wait. I had nowhere to go, so I sat down and waited. While I was waiting a young businessman sat down beside me, also waiting for a table. When he sat down I sensed the annointing of God rest upon me and I knew that this was the Lord saying to me ... "this is the one!".
We spoke about why we were in Seattle. Then things turned interesting. This fellow just opened up all of his life to me and began to share his disappointment in life in general. I shared with him that I had found something worth living for a long time ago myself - Jesus. He was genuinely interested and he then asked me a very pointed question: "What is the reason for living?".
At that point the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance a testimony that I had heard several years ago. I told him there was a seminary student that asked an elderly professor the same question. The elderly professor told him that when he was a boy he was in a Nazi concentration camp. He was separated from his family and felt all alone, imprisoned in a dark dungeon cell that had only one small shaft of light that came in once a day. He was in there with a few other young boys.
After a while, whenever the shaft of light would shine into the cell, the boys would gather around, trying to warm their hands and their feet, since it was so very dark, damp and cold in that dungeon cell. One day when the light was hining in, the boy saw something over in a far corner of the cell. He went over and found it to be a broken mirror, shattered into many pieces. He picked up the largest piece he could find. It was kind of round and he rubbed it on the stone floor to smooth the sharp corners so he wouldn't be cut. Then he stuck it into his pocket for later.
After discovering this precious treasure, the young boy would take that small piece of a mirror out of his pocket, each day the light shone in. He would take that shaft of light, reflect it on that small mirror and shine it into all the dark corners of the cell.
The professor then looked intently at that young seminary student and told him this: We are like that little mirror. The reason for living is so we can shine brilliantly into the dark corners and reflect the light of Christ to those around us.
After telling the story, I shared with that young businessman that it was not an accident that we were sitting together that evening in a restaurant in Seattle Washington, waiting for our table. But it was a divine appointment, in which I had the opportunity to share the reason for living with him.
He told me that he beleived that and that he wanted to know how he could shine the light. I then told him to get a Bible, ask Jesus to reveal Himself to him and then follow Jesus all the days of his life. I told him that if he would do that, his life would never be the same.
He said that was the craziest thing he had ever heard, but he believed me and that he would do what I told him to do. I then prayed for him and right afterward the attendant came and took me to my table.
That's walking in God's ways. I can't cook up stuff like that. As I continue to practice the fear of the Lord, in turning to Him for assistance and help, listening to what He has to say and what He wants me to do, I'm then able to follow Him in His ways. Period.
What Does it Take
What's the bottom line? Complete and absolute surrender.
He is Lord and we are not. It's time to listen to what God has to say. If we are genuinely walking in the fear of the Lord, we will have no other choice. However if we walk in the fear of man, we will want to save our way of life. What did Jesus say about this?
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 16:25
That sounds kind of tough. It is. Are you ready to give up the way you have been praying? Are you ready to give up the way you have been ministering? Are you ready to give up getting the credit for doing things? Perhaps more importantly, are you ready to enter into transition: going from where God was to where God is? That is what it takes.
The old way of doing things was new at some point of time. It was a radical step forward. People had to step out of their comfort zone and step out onto the water so to speak. Nothing has changed in that regard. In order to live the adventure, you have to step away from the old and embrace the new. God is doing a new thing. Don't you know that?
Right now, if you are willing to enter into living the adventure, please pray this prayer of surrender:
Jesus; I need the fear of the Lord to direct my life instead of myself. I confess that I have led my life up to this point in time. I have listened to well intentioned people,some of them great scholars and ministers and yet somewhere along the line I got to listening to what they were doing instead of having my head upon Your chest, hearing what You have to say. Lord, would You forgive me for doing things my way instead of Your way? Lord, I confess this sin to you and ask that you forgive and cleanse me from every trace of this wickedness. Jesus I surrender to You. I want to live the adventure You have for me. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, then I want to pray for you:
Father, I thank You that we are not only priests, but kings too. Priests intercede, pleading for mercy. Kings decree, causing change to occur. Father, I know Your Word declares we are kings and priests unto God. We have been given authority to speak in the Name of Jesus, our King. So right now, in the Name of Jesus, I decree: "Blind eyes see. Deaf ears open. Sound mind function. True obedience begin." Lord, I know that only You can cause these things, but in Your authority and with Your seal of approval, I have decreed these things over those that have happened upon this message. I thank You that You are more than capable of leading us on an adventure far beyond what we can even imagine. Your adventure far surpasses all the adventures we have ever considered. I thank You and praise You for the work of Your Holy Spirit in bringing this about, to Your glory and honor forever. Amen.
I would like to hear from any that have found this message bearing fruit in their lives. Let me know some of the adventures the Lord has led you on. It would be a great encouragement to me and would be a great testimony to what the Lord is doing in the earth, to His glory and fame.
Keep radically following Jesus!
cross posted by
Rich Elliot
Biblical Prosperity
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