Habits

'If these things are yours and abound,
you will be neither barren nor unfruitful
(2 Peter 1:8)

Your God may be your little Christian habit--the habit
of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day.
Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if
you begin to worship your habit, instead of what the
habit symbolizes. The right thing to do with godly
habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until
they become such an automatic expression of our
lives that we are no longer aware of them.
(Oswald Chambers)

Shout 'Victory!'

Here is a verse that we tend to skip over because it does
not seem to reflect our lives!
'....for everyone born of God has overcome the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even
our faith.   (1 John 5:4)

Below are quotes from two saints. Really good!

Charles G Trumbull (1872-1941) wrote this:
The secret of complete victory is faith: simply believing 
that Jesus has done and is doing it all. Victory is entered 
upon by a single act of faith, as is salvation. Victory is 
maintained by the attitude of faith.

But suppose the believer, having experienced the
miracle of victory over sin through trusting his Lord's
sufficiency, comes, somehow, to doubt that sufficiency?
At once victory is broken, and he fails. This is possible
at any moment. And, at once, if there should be failure
through unbelief, comes a real peril.

The lie of Satan is whispered in the ear, 'You have
sinned; and that proves that you never had the blessing
you thought you had: you never had the Victorious Life.'
This is a lie, of course, as are most of Satan;s attacks.
They used to say at the Keswick conferences, 'If you
should fail, shout Victory!' Not with any idea of
denying the reality of the failure, but in recognition
of the fact that Jesus has not failed, and that there may
be instantaneous and complete restoration through
faith in His unimpaired sufficiency.

Edward Dennett (1831-1914) penned this:
'There are seasons when many believers feel as if they
can not get into the presence, or obtain the ear of God...
Surely it would prove an antidote to Satan's
temptations at such times to remember, that if we 
cannot pray ourselves, Christ never fails to bear us 
up in His prevailing intercession.

The effect of this truth should be to dispel our gloom
and coldness of heart, because we would be led to look
away from ourselves, expecting all from Him and His
continual ministry for us before the throne of God.'

A Revived Church

I opened an old hymnbook today from my
Intervarsity days in College and the hymn
brought up deep desire. If the words were
true fifty years ago, they are certainly
relevant today:

"O Breath of Life , come sweeping through us,
Revive Thy Church with life and power;
O Breath of Life, come cleanse, renew us,
And fit Thy Church to meet this hour.

Oh Wind of God, come bend us, break us
Till humbly we confess our need;
Then in tenderness remake us,
Revive, restore; for this we plead.

O Breath of Love, come breathe within us,
Renewing thought and will and heart:
Come love of Christ, afresh to win us,
Revive Thy Church in every part.

Revive us Lord! Is zeal abating
While harvest fields are vast and white?
Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting,
Equip Thy church to spread the light."
Bessie Porter Head (1850-1936)

The hymn was birthed from a scripture:
O Lord, will You not revive us again?
(Ps 85:6)

Reader, could you not copy it and pray
the words daily? The hour is late and God
is not real to many who claim His Name.

Cleaning Toilets

Cleaning toilets,
what a far cry from spending the night with the King!

This morning I woke up with The Voice speaking sweetly,
'You have stopped being thankful.' Such a gentle stab.

The King has my number. I have been grumbling and if
I'm not careful I will turn into a grumble.

There is a chorus I learned long ago and it goes like this:

'In everything give thanks
For this is the will of God
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God
In everything give thanks
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.'

What a way to clean bathrooms! In no time they sparkle.

Glad He woke me and spoke to me of His sovereignty.
The day is certainly not going my way...

The song I'm posting is one I want sung at my funeral:
Now I am sure I have your attention!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol6H3LAb72w

One Night with the King

One Night with the King is the title of a full length film
which brings the book of Esther to life.

This weekend Glen and I watched this movie--again.
One of my favorites! Hadassa, was an orphan raised by
her Uncle Mordecai whose grandfather was taken to
Babylon by Nebuchadnezzer. The book of Esther comes
after the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament.

The story of Esther is a romance that brings together
a poor Jewish teen and a King! This King was King of
the Meads (Kurds today) and the Persians (Iranians),
whose kingdom covered the land from India to Ethiopia!
The book of Esther hardly mentions God, but He is the
central figure behind the action.

The book opens with a week long feast given by the
King for all his officials and servants. The last night
all of Susa feasted at the Kings request and
Queen Vashti was called to show herself. She refused.
So, out goes the Queen and out go the soldiers to bring
into the castle all the beautiful young maidens in the
kingdom. Hadassah was caught in the net. She called
herself Esther of Susa so as to hide her Jewish heritage.
In a split second her life changed forever. The young
woman wallowed in Myrrh baths for six months and
was then slathered with ointments and spices for another
six months. Talk about soft skin! Esther found favor
during the process and was advanced to the head place
in the harem. Esther is then chosen by the king to be
his Bride and his Queen.

Wow! I pause. A poor Jewish teenager becomes the bride
of the King? This only happens in fairy tales, does it not?
But hidden in every woman--I cannot speak for the men--
is a life long dream of marrying a prince and living happily
ever after! Well, those of us who claim Christ as Savior
and Lord have been promised toa King. We are engaged and
sealed, which means that we are co-heirs with our Lord and
will reign with Him forever! Reader, a true understanding
of this will banish depression!

So, did this Esther live happily and at peace after the
wedding? She did not. For the wicked Haman plotted to
have all the Jews in the kingdom killed on a single day.
Esther was asked by her Uncle to go before the King to
get him to change the edict. However, even the Queen
could not go before King without his invitation, to do so
meant death. Esther told Mordecai that she and her maids
would fast and pray for three days,
'Then I will go to the King, though it is against the law, 
and if I perish, I perish.'
Well, most of you have heard the story of how Esther was
received, her petition granted, and the wicked Haman
hanged. Then the Jews were allowed to defend themselves
on the day set for their death.

This evening Jews all over the world will celebrate Purim.
They will read the short book of Esther, exchange gifts and
feast. This woman saved her people, and probably herself
by trusting God to go before her and give favor with the
King.

Back to our place in this time of history. The hour of the
wedding supper is at hand. May your lamps be trimmed
and your flasks be full of oil. Your King is at the door...
'At midnight there was a cry, "Here is your bridegroom!
Come out and meet him."'

Against Despair

'Rise, let us be going.' Matt 26:46

'The disciples went to sleep when they should have kept
awake, and when they realized what they had done, it
produced despair. The sense of the irreparable is apt to
make us despair, and say--"It is all up now, it is no use
trying anymore." If we imagine that this kind of despair
is exceptional, we are mistaken, it is a very ordinary
human experience. Whenever we realize that we have
not done that which we had a magnificent opportunity
of doing, then we are apt to sink into despair,; and Jesus
comes and says--"Sleep on now, that opportunity is lost 
for ever, you cannot alter it, but arise and go to the next
thing." Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom
of Christ, and go out into the irresistible future with Him.

There are experiences like this in each of our lives. We
are in despair, the despair that comes from actualities,
and we cannot lift ourselves out of it. The disciples in
this instance had done a downright unforgivable thing;
they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus,
but He came with a spiritual initiative against their
despair and said--"Arise and do the next thing." If we are
inspired of God, what is the next thing? To trust Him
absolutely and to pray on the ground of His Redemption.

Never let your failure corrupt your new action.'
Oswald Chambers

Arise and Eat!

'Arise and eat' (1Kings 19:5)

'The angel did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the
scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable; he told
Elijah to do the most ordinary thing, viz., to get up and
eat. If we were never depressed we should not be alive;
it is the nature of crystal never to be depressed. 
A human being is capable of depression, otherwise
there would be no capacity for exaltation. There are
things that are calculated to depress, things that are of
the nature of death; and in taking an estimate of your-
self, always take into account the capacity for
depression.

When the Spirit of God comes He does not give us
visions, He tells us to do the most ordinary things
conceivable. Depression is apt to turn us away from
the ordinary commonplace things of God's creation,
but whenever God comes, the inspiration is to do
the most natural simple things--the things we would
never imagined God was in, and as we do them we
find He is there. The inspiration which comes to us
in this way is an initiative against depression; we
have to do the next thing and do it in the inspiration
of God. If we do a thing in order to overcome
depression we deepen the depression; but if the
Spirit of God makes us feel intuitively that we must
do the thing, and we do it, the depression is gone.
Immediately we arise and obey, we enter on a higher
plane of life.' (Oswald Chambers)

Reader, some days it may seem hard to get out of
bed, not because of exhaustion, but because it seems
to be too much effort. But, if you arise and step out of
bed, turn the water on for a shower, sing His praises,
and get dressed, the day will suddenly have promise!

Arise from the Dead!

'Arise from the dead' (Eph 5:14)

All initiative is not inspired.
A man may say to you, 'take your reluctance by the
throat, throw it overboard, and walk out into the
thing!' That is ordinary initiative. But when the
Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, 'Buck up,'
we find the initiative is inspired.

We all have any number of visions and ideals when
we are young, but sooner or later we find that we
have no power to make them real. We cannot do the
things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to
the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come
and say--
'Arise from the dead!' 
When the inspiration of God does come, it  comes
with such miraculous power that we are able to arise
from dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable
thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes
after we do the 'bucking up.'
God does not give us overcoming life; 
He gives us life as we overcome. 
When the inspiration of God comes, and He says--
'Arise from the dead,'
we have to get up; 
God does not lift us up.
Our lord said to the man with the withered hand--'stretch
forth thy hand,' and as soon as the man did so, his hand
was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do
the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God
because He gives life immediately.
(Oswald Chambers)

Dear reader, what an encouragement this is to respond
to God immediately, to even hear his still small voice.
This past week we received some news that threw us
into crises. Did we stop and pray? No! We talked, and
talked It was soon repeating itself. Wasted hours of
sulks. Suddenly, I opened my mouth and said to Glen,
'We both feel terrible, come kiss me.'
He did. He then spoke saying,
'That is the nicest thing you have said to me all evening!'
Both of us moved under the inspiration of God.
Immediately the situation was defanged.
The situation has not changed but we have!

The victory!

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Cor 5:17)

'We must be careful of any counterfeit victory.
Victory which you must achieve by working
for it, is counterfeit.

Victory gained by a gradual conquest over evil,
getting one sin out after another out of our life,
like pulling weeds out of our garden, is likewise
counterfeit.

We enter into victory when we enter into Christ.
We only begin to grow as God desires after we
have entered into His victory. In real victory,
Christ does it all.

We do not dare to help. When the Lord Jesus
by the Holy Spirit works in our life to give us
victory, it is a miracle every time. If it is not a
miracle, it is not victory.
Charles G Trumbull

'The Christian's victory is not over others, but
over himself. His sword is drawn, not to slay
his fellowman, but to slay himself.
He wins by losing.
He triumphs by being defeated.
He lives by dying.
His crown is a crown of thorns.
His throne is the cross.
His weapon is not strength, but weakness. '
FJ Huegel

Reader, the Christian life is all backward and
often feels like it is upside down. It is ever
and always--
Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Shout for joy!

Psalm 33 is a psalm for dancing

'Shout for joy to the Lord
Praise benefits his people.
Give thanks to the Lord with instruments
Make melody to the Lord
Sing to Him a new song with loud shouts!

Why? Because:
The word of the Lord is upright
His work is done in faithfulness
He loves righteousness and justice
The earth is full of his steadfast love

He made the heavens and its hosts
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap
He puts the deeps into storehouses.

The Lord looks down on the men whose hearts
       He has fashioned
He observes their deeds.

The warhorse is a false hope for salvation
       by its great might we will not be rescued.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on them that
       fear Him,
On those who hope in his in his steadfast
       love
That He may deliver their soul from death
And keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord
He is our help and shield
for out heart is glad in Him
Because we trust in his Holy Name.

"Let your steadfast love, O Lord be upon us
Even as we hope in you."'

Dear reader, we have an awesome God, as in glorious,
majestic, beautiful! He made the heavens and the earth.
He has His eye on us. When nothing and no one can
be depended upon, we have Him. He is a God worth
waiting for.

Rise, shine, and give God glory! (You are so loved)

Stay Awake, Be Alert

Scripture says, 'Don't sleep, stay awake, be alert. How
do I stay awake and alert? At this moment the rooster is
crowing. It reminds me of how he is always between us
and the hens. He is very alert when Glen goes into his
area at night to close them in. The rooster eyes him with
suspicion. He is alert to what is going on in his territory,
and well he should be, for he has many enemies.

Another picture comes to my mind. A new Mom goes to
sleep but is awake the instant the baby cries. Even if she
is deeply asleep with many things going on around her,
she is alert to the sounds her baby makes. As the months
go by she can recognize the different sounds he makes
and sleeps through those that are normal, but the cry of
pain will always open her eyes as she lands on her feet.

I think this is what God means when He tells us to stay
awake and be alert:

'But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, 
not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only 
the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not 
know when the time will come. It is like a man going 
on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his 
servants in charge, each with his work, and commands 
the door-keeper to stay awake--for you do not know 
when the master of the house will come, in the evening, 
or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the 
morning--lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 
And what I say to you I say to all: 
Stay awake.' 
(Mark 13:32-37)

Reader, the emphasis is on the unknown! So, since we
do not know exactly when our Lord is coming, we are
to remain alert, awake, and keep doing the things He has
told us to do.
Really, it is so simple!

The Midnight Cry

The world is headed for chaos. Muslims are awaiting their
Mahdi who will come in the chaos; some of the
Orthodox Rabbis in Israel claim that they have met the
Messiah and that he will be revealed soon. However,
the church seems to be sleeping--at least in the west.
The excuse? 'Because we cannot know the day or hour.'

Today I will give a short summary from Matthew 24:

 No one knows the day or the hour--only the Father--
HOWEVER, It will be like the days of Noah before the
flood came and took them all away.
THEREFORE, Stay awake, for you do not know on 
what day your Lord is coming. If you know when a 
thief will come in the night, you would stay awake and 
protect the house.
THEREFORE, you must be ready because the 
Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 

THEN the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the 
bridegroom. Five were foolish, and five were wise. For 
the foolish virgins had no oil in their lamps, but the wise 
had flasks of oil with them.
The bridegroom was delayed and all slept.
AT MIDNIGHT the cry went out to meet the bride-
groom. The five wise virgins who were ready went in 
with Him to the marriage feast but when the five foolish 
virgins came to the wedding feast, the door was shut. 
(NOTE) All of the virgins were saved, but not all were
ready and looking for the bridegroom. These were left
behind to be part of the judgement.

THEREFORE, WATCH, for you know neither the day
nor the hour.

Reader, I do believe that we are living in the Days of Noah
just prior to the Rapture, which will be followed by the
seven years of Tribulation. Seek the Lord with  all of your
heart, forgive, surrender to the Lord's will in the moment.
Make Him your chief desire.

'Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have 
strength to escape all these things that are taking 
place and to stand before the Son of Man.'  

To get the long versions of the days we are in go to:
Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 and 21.

For those of you who would like to get deeper into the
signs for this season I would suggest you visit the
website of Daniel Valles who reads his Bible and
watches for the signs of today that point to the time we
live in:
www.informedchristians.com

Peace and Safety

In November there was a terrorist attack in Paris and
following this attack a number of leaders in the world
came out with the phrase, 'Peace and safety.' Two of
these came directly from the Pope; one came out as a
resolution from the United Nations. Why is this some-
thing of interest? It is found in one of Paul's letters to a
persecuted church that was looking for the Lord's return,
but was afraid they had missed it.

'But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no 
need that I write to 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.

But ye, brethren are not in darkness, that that day
should overtake you as a thief...Therefore let us not
sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.'
(1Thes 5:1-6)

We have been looking at the signs that will surround
the coming of our Lord. In November the sign of
sudden destruction--the beginning of the Day of the
Lord, the tribulation--was mentioned seven times by
world leaders.

I have always thought that the rapture would be done in
a thief like way, but, no, it is the coming of sudden
destruction that is like a thief.

Paul goes on to say, 'But let us who are of the day, be
sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and 
for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our 
Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we
wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Wherefore, comfort yourselves together and edify 
one another...' (1Thes 5:8-11)

Put on faith, love, the hope of salvation, for we are not
of the night but of the day, comfort and edify one another.

We who are born again in Christ have not been appointed
to wrath, the wrath poured out during the seven year
tribulation, so why does Jesus say we should 'watch and
pray and be alert?'

That will be covered in tomorrow's blog.

Signs in the Heavens

In the last couple of blogs we looked at the signs of
Noah and the sign of the fig tree. Did you know that
God gave the sun, moon, and stars for signs as well
as for seasons?

'And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of 
the heavens to separate the day from night. Let them 
be for signs and for seasons..."'Gen 1:4

There have been a number of signs in the moon, stars,
and plants over the past few years. 2014 and 2015 saw
four blood moons--called a Tetrad--falling on four
Jewish feast days over an eighteen month time frame.
During this time there were also two eclipses of the sun.
The Tetrad finished in September of 2015.

Joel describes the wonders which will precede the
Day of the Lord, the tribulation:

'And I will show wonders in the heavens and on earth, 
blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be 
turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the 
great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Joel 2:30,31

Many believers looked at the celestial events as just
interesting. 'After all, over three months have passed
and everything remains the same,'

Jesus also speaks of signs in the heavens:

'...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 (people) and the 
waves roaring (terror)...

And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in 
a cloud with power and great glory. And when 
these things begin to pass, then look up, and lift up 
your heart; for your redemption draws nigh.'
Luke 21:8-11, 25-28

Have there been any signs in the heavens since
September? Well yes. There was a full moon on
Christmas Day, which is unusual, and we are
currently in a four week period where five of the
planets are lined up just before sunrise: Venus,
Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and Mercury. The planet
Venus changes back and forth from an evening
rising to a morning rising. Right now Venus is
called 'The Morningstar.' Our Savior is also
called The Morningstar!

Reader, In the Narnia Tales by CS Lewis, Caspian
is taken to a tower in the castle where he could view
an unusual configuration in the heavens. Caspian
was told that the planets were showing great changes
ahead. Likewise, in The Last Battle by Lewis,
the stars demonstrated ominous events in the future.
Two thousand years ago a Star announced the
Savior's birth.

I realize that my topic and the way I am writing is
not my normal style, and my readers have lots
of ideas on this wonderful subject, but there has
been so much lately in all areas that center around
His coming, that I have wanted to sort out. YOU
have helped me do just that. How? Because I wanted
to write out my findings and it is nice to send them
somewhere!

The Sign of the Fig Tree

In the last blog we looked at what the world will look like
just prior to the Rapture. Today I want to look at a tree, the
fig tree.

The fig tree represents Israel.
(Hosea 9:10; Joel 1:6-8; Luke 13:6-9)
The disciples asked Jesus, 'What will be the sign when 
all these things are to be accomplished?'
Jesus says:
'From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch 
becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that 
summer is near. So also, when you see these things 
taking place, you know that he is at the very gates. Truly 
I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all 
these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away 
but my words will not pass away. '(Mark 13: 28-31)

When Jesus spoke of the fig tree the disciples knew that
He was speaking of the land in which they were living.
Was it perplexing to them? However, in 70AD everything
changed and the Jews were moved out of their land. The
disciples were still alive then. For 2,000 years, the Jews
lived without a country and experienced ongoing
persecution. Prior to1948, theologians expressed doubts
that the Jews would ever be a nation again. It was during
this time that much of the church decided that 'She' was
the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel and then
Replacement Theology became mainstream. It looked like
the 'fig tree' had been cut down and was dead. But wait!
After the Holocaust, in which despair became a window of
hope, Israel became a nation in a single day. (Isaiah 66: 7,8)
No scattered nation has ever come back to their original
land with an intact language after being scattered. The fig
tree was in full bloom. Only God...

OK, back to the prophecy: 'The generation that sees the
birth of Israel will not pass away until ALL these things
take place...My words will not pass away.' All includes the
tribulation. Psalm 90 states that a generation lasts up to
80 years. The 80 years from the planting of Israel is up in
2028. If you subtract the seven years of the tribulation,
it comes to 2021. Before the planting of Israel again, no one
could predict anything, but now we understand the season.

Jesus goes on to say that of 'the day and hour, no one knows...
Be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know when the 
time will come.'

Reader, it appears that we are only five or so years from the
tribulation--or closer. Are you ready? Are you watching for
Him? Are you even awake? Or, have the cares and worries
of the world dulled your mind to the lateness of the hour?

The Days of Noah

The early church expected the return of Jesus any
minute and Paul addresses this in his letters to the
Thessalonians, who were experiencing great
persecution. Paul wrote this letter about 50AD,
long before John received the Revelation from Christ.
Throughout the church age each generation has
looked for the coming of the Lord, but the imminent 
return of Christ before the tribulation fell out of favor
from about 300AD to the 1800's when John Darby
began to teach and write about the rapture of the
church. People started setting specific dates. Then,
'No man can know the day or the hour,' became the
by-word, the mantra, that has merged into a complete
lack of attention to end time events. (If you can't
know the day or hour, then why bother looking into
prophecy?) The church, on the whole, is no longer
watching, and frankly, not interested. Life is full,
meaningful, busy. The cares of this world capture our
attention with every headline. BUT, is it possible to to
know the season in which Christ will return? Yes. I
believe that the scripture itself testifies to this. I will
cover one sign mentioned by Jesus today and another
sign in the next blog.

...Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in
the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and
drinking and marrying and being given in marriage,
until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the
flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as
it was in the days of Lot--they were eating and
drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,
but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire
and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them
all--so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is
revealed. (Luke 17:26-30)

Things are fairly normal these days, however, if you
peak into the sixth chapter of Revelation, life for the
whole world changes and billions die. At least one
quarter of the population dies in the first few months
of the Tribulation. Those seven years will not be a time
of planting, eating, drinking, selling, buying, building. It
will not look like the days of Noah.

Reader, are you ready, alert, watching, eager for the
return of your Lord? We are almost out of time.

What Time Is It?

According to  my clock it is 12:30AM, but what time
is it according to God's clock? Our Lord said that we
are able to look at the sky and know what the changes
will be in the weather, but we fail to discern what He
is doing.

'And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Him 
they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He 
answered them, "when it is evening, you say, 'It will be 
fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning it will 
be stormy, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know 
how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you 
cannot interpret the signs of the times."'(Matthew 16:1-3)

You cannot interpret the signs of the times...

I have delved into scripture on the topic of the 'end times'
for many years, but recently God has opened my eyes to
what is happening on earth and in the heavens that point to
the lateness of the hour. Our enemy knows his time to reign
and rule is fast approaching, but the children of God seem
clueless. Have any of you seen the trailer of the movie,
Through the Looking Glass coming out in May? Have you
noticed that every trailer is connected to 'time' in some way?
Plus, there are many references to doors. CERN is busy
trying to open gates into other dimensions. Do you realize
that entertainment is a key way to pass along messages, that
the movies in recent years often depict what is coming?
Aliens are a big theme. When one is being entertained the
filter for truth turns off. The opening and closing of the
Olympics is telling us what time it is. The half time of the
Superbowl in the last few years has been very blatant with
songs, dance, and symbols of the hour. Ads contain
messages also. Pay special attention to what you see on
Sunday.

Reader, now that I my eyes are open, I see more clearly what
God is up to, but also what our enemy is doing and saying.

The Lord says, "wake up," it is later than you think!

The Rapture

Is there going to be a rapture?
Is there scripture to back it up?
Are there signs to watch for?
Can we know the season of Christ's return?

I have been pondering these and many other questions in
regards to the Second Coming. I was thinking today that
the first coming of Christ was a secret, but then I did a
little digging and this is what I found:

A virgin would bear a son, Isaiah 7:14
The Messiah would come as a baby, Isaiah 9:6
This baby would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2-5
Exact time that Messiah would be killed, Dan 9:24,25.

The Jewish leaders had the truth for hundreds of years;
the scribes penned the truth, but no one was watching for
the arrival of their Messiah. When the wisemen came to
Jerusalem to inquire about the birth of the Jewish King,
the chief priests and scribes had to search out the answer.
No, they were not ready. Since the Jewish leaders of the
day were totally ignorant of this awesome event, the angels
were sent to a bunch of illiterate shepherds to give  them a
sign: 'You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths
and lying in a manger.'

The 'Rapture' is a politically incorrect word in the church
today. Men schooled in Seminaries and Bible Schools
actually fight over when or if there will be a rapture of the
church. It is a subject rarely preached on. Prophecy has
a huge place in scripture and much of it not yet fulfilled.

I was five years old when I was found by Jesus and in
walked my new best friend. We attended a Presbyterian
Church and it was there that I first heard about the Rapture.
By then I was six years old and it captivated my
imagination. I dreamed about the rapture, but deep down
I thought I was too little to be noticed and would probably
be left behind. One night a full moon came out from behind
a cloud and woke this little girl who promptly sat up and
said, 'Wait for me, Jesus!' (Laughter in heaven.)

In the late sixties I was living in New York City and the
huge buzz was about the coming of Jesus in the Rapture.
Stories floated around about people picking up hitchhikers
who would suddenly say, 'Jesus is coming soon,' and
promptly disappear. Yes, at least one part of the church
was watching and getting ready for the big event.

That was then and this is now. I am not sure when the
subject of the Rapture faded away or why. Perhaps it
was because people were date setting and it was easier
to ignore it than be disappointed. Whatever the reason,
the percentage of Christians looking for the return of
their Lord is pretty low. Here is what Peter says:

'I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of 
reminder, that you should remember the predictions 
of the holy prophets and the commandment of the 
Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this 
first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days 
with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They 
will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming...?"'
(2Peter 3:3-7)

Well, reader, prophecy has suddenly come up to the
front burner in my thinking. I am doing a lot of
research and will write up my findings. I will look
at Biblical promises, the signs that are taking place,
and what the Enemy of the church is saying and doing.
He is actually quite busy because he reads the Bible
and knows his time is short.

What is Fruit?

'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains
in me and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from
me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Nothing? I can do nothing? This just took the wind out
of my sails.
I have spent my whole life trying to do something for
God; working for God.
Isn't that what the Christian life is all about?
So, just what is fruit, anyway?

"Fruit is the over-plus of the tree's life, over and above
what it uses on itself, for self-existence.

Fruit has the flavor of the tree, is separable from the tree,
can be given away, is such as to be a blessing to others.

Jesus showed us we are so united to Him, as branches to
Vine, that His life flows into and through us, manifesting
itself as fruit. That is, we are so to appropriate and live
His life as not to use it up on ourselves, not, as is often
said, in 'trying to live the Christian life.'

What self-centerdness! Rather, to let Christ so realize
His own life in us that His very quality of life, with all its
power to bless, is manifest through our transformed,
yielded, self-effaced personalities.

Should there be no such fruit, we defeat the very purpose
of our being 'in Christ,' but as we abide, draw upon Him,
the inexhaustible Source, and yield ourselves to His
in-flowing, there results an out-flowing of His life in
'fruit.'

As we learn better to abide in Him, the fruit becomes
'more fruit.' But Christ is satisfied only when 'more'
becomes the abounding 'much fruit.'"
Norman B Harrison.

One more thought:
"Fruit is not produced by making fruit an object, nor by
thinking of fruit; it is the outcome of having the
Lord Jesus as one's object, of thinking of Him. He is
the one True Vine who precedes and produces fruit."
Hannah Whitall Smith

Reader, the name of the website is
His Victorious Indwelling. It is impossible to produce
fruit that lasts, eternal fruit, out of my own resources.
But, I continue to try...

www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com

Rise; Shine

Here are some blurbs from the Psalms I read yesterday:

Psalm 1  Blessed is the man whose delight is in the
law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and
night.

Psalm 31 In you, O Lord do I take refuge
                 Let me never be put to shame.
                 Be a rock of refuge for me
                 A strong fortress to save me.

Psalm 61 Lead me to the rock
               That is higher than I
               For you have been my refuge
               A strong tower against the enemy.

Psalm 91 He will cover you with his pinions,
                and under his wings you will find
                       refuge
                His faithfulness is a shield and
                       buckler.

Psalm 121 The Lord will keep you from evil
                        He will keep your life.
                  The Lord will keep
                         your going out and coming in
                  from this time forth and forever more.

Reader, when the enemy comes in like a flood of
filth into your mind and tells you that you are not
loved by God, that you are on your own, pick up
your Bible and read the psalms. Take a verse of
truth, write it out, read it, delight in it, believe it,
receive His love, trust in His goodness. You will
be blessed according to psalm 1 and tomorrow
you will rise and shine!

His Doing?

'This is My doing.'
1Kings 12:24

'The disappointments of our life are simply the hidden
appointments of love.

'Dearest child, I have a message for you today. Let me
whisper it in your ear so any storm that may arise will
shine with glory, and the rough places you may have
to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but
let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a
pillow to rest your weary head:

This is My doing.

You did not come to this place by accident--you are 
exactly where I meant for you to be"'
Laura A Baxter Snow
Streams in the Desert February 1

Sometimes I am hit with something so big it crushes me
flat, but most of the time it is the 'little foxes,' the steady
drip of daily issues that wax and wane. Issues that tend to
be repetitive and completely unsolvable through my own
manipulations. Reader, do you notice how often you walk
through the same part of the maize--the rut keeps getting
deeper--but the cheese is never at the end?

Papa, it is time to change this thing out!