God's Compelling Purpose

He...said to them, "Behold, we 
are going to Jerusalem..." 
Luke 18:31

Seeking to do "the will of the Father" was the one domin-
ating concern throughout our Lord's life. And Whatever He 
encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success 
or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. 
Oswald Chambers

Reader, we in the west have a skewed understanding of God's
will. We are so used to entertainment, free time, full bellies,
uninterrupted sleep, that anything to the contrary cannot pos-
sibly be God's will. The Christians in China have to take
Prison Theology 101 as part of their journey. We heard one
testimony recently where a man spent two months in prison
and in that time all 5,000 prisoners heard the Gospel. He did
this by singing during exercise time and was joined by his sec-
tion. The music carried to the next section where the song was
learned and also sung and so it went. The guards were not able
to silence him completely. At the end of the
Cultural Revolution it was estimated that there were 800,000
Christians in China. Now there are one hundred million. Not
only that but since the Tianamen Square incident where thou-
sands of protesting students were killed, the college students
are coming to Christ in droves. They realize that there is no
hope in changing the political system, that there must be
something more, something outside of themselves to die for.  

Anxiety, Worry, Doubt, Fear

And which of you by being anxious can add a single 
cubit to his life's span. Matt 6:27

Anxiety, worry, doubt, and fear! The worry list presented 
by most is nearly endless and usually includes relation-
ships, personal responsibilities, children, finance, the 
future, job security, health. These are indeed things for 
which you are responsible; it is your job to see them 
through. Now imagine you can step back, and examine 
the worried, anxious you sitting in a chair. How would 
you describe yourself at your worst moments? Very likely 
you feel stupid, worthless, weak, angry, condemning and 
like a failure and a liar. As you contemplate your weakness 
and all that you must do, how do you feel? If with all your 
responsibilities  you are full of such weakness, how can 
you be filled with joyful expectation? You must perform,
but you know your limitations and so you worry over the 
outcome.

Now imagine that sitting in the chair next to you is another 
person, Jesus. How would you describe Him? His eyes are 
filled with compassion. The warmth of His countenance, 
accompanied by His strength and confidence, is stirring. 
His empty hands are held open; of course there is nothing 
in them, for you have given Him nothing. Your powerful 
Lord sits there inactive, resting, waiting, doing nothing.

The weak you seated in the chair is exhausted, because in 
all your frailty you had attempted to push uphill a wheel-
barrow filled with all your cares. Within just a few short 
feet you had given up, angry that those you trust had not 
come to your aid.

The point is that the source of your anxiety and fear is trust-
ing a weak self. Do you see why you need Jesus? You were 
not created to carry all the concerns of life; you were crea-
ted to be dependent. You cannot fly, and neither can you 
carry anxiety. The only One Who can--Jesus--must carry 
the anxiety of every person. But how can He carry what He 
has not been given? Ps 46:10 is clear: "Cease striving and 
know that I am God," or literally, get your hands off. Why 
do you keep your hands on? There is only one reason: un-
belief. You cling to belief in your own ability to do a better 
job than He would. Ps 46:10 goes on to say, "I will be 
exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

"Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 
'What will we drink?' or 'with what shall we clothe our-
selves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; 
for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these 
things." Matt 6:31,32
Anxiety does not suit the disciple
Michael Wells from My Weakness for His Strength Vol 2

Reader, many of you have experienced anxiety this past
weekend over the many signs that seemed to portend His
coming. Then you realize that all the problems you hoped 
would disappear--are still with you! The verse below is
one I need to ponder in these difficult days.

Cease striving and know that I am God...

Below is the website of Abiding Life Ministry and if
you scroll down you will find a brief biography of the
author. His wife Betty is now running the ministry but
only by His strength! There are some great books to
purchase and I would recommend, Sidetracked in the 
Wilderness and My Weakness for His Strength, vol 1 & 2. 



https://www.abidinglife.com/about-abiding-life/

The Revelation 12 Sign

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under
her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve
stars.  Revelation 12:1

Reader, I don't know what you have seen and heard re-
garding this sign that appears in Revelation 12 about
mid point in the tribulation, but it has caught my atten-
sion. I have found all sorts of information as to its
meaning, from the rapture to terrible things coming
upon the earth. The 'sign' will appear on September 23
of this year.

Today I found an article by Danny Faulkner, a PHD
who is the lead Astronomer at Answers in Genesis. He
has spent most of his life watching the stars and he has
answered my questions as to what is true and what is
not true about this sign on September 23, 2017.

I have posted two articles on this subject below. In the
first one there is an 8 minute video.

https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/stars/what-will-happen-september-23-2017/

The second article is more recent and goes into more
detail based on the questions that have come in.

https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/stars/are-stars-lining-september-23-lords-return/

Jesus says that 'no man can no the day or the hour' 
but there will be signs that his coming is near. Matt 24
So, we have to be ready at all times!

Adversity

In this world you will have tribulation; but be of 
good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33

God does not give us overcoming life--He gives us
life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds
our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no
strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow,
or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the
moment. A saint can "be of good cheer" even when
seemingly defeated by adversaries, because victory
is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.
Oswald Chambers

Reader, as we wait for His coming, God wants us
to lean on Him and receive His strength moment
by moment. We are to exchange 'our weakness for
His strength.' God does not 'help those who help
themselves,' but instead is delighted when we lean
on Him. I love this verse, "Who is coming up from
the wilderness leaning on her beloved?' SS 8:5.
Surely we often walk in dry places and, for me, I
cannot make it on my own...
. 

High Watch Time

Behold I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will 
sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and 
we shall be changed.   I Corinthians 15:51-52

It appears that Paul had only two months, or eight weeks
to establish the Thessalonian Church. He gave them the
Gospel but he also gave them something else. He talked
about the coming of the Lord. Paul sent Timothy to them
because their afflictions were so great he wanted to make
sure that their faith held. Timothy returned to Paul with
a good report--they were strong in faith--and with many
questions, of which the coming of the Lord to take them
home, was high on the list and begins in 1 Thes 4:13. The
last two chapters of this book are filled with information
concerning a catching away of the saints and how Paul
believed that it could happen anytime. At the end of chap-
ter 4 he says this to a very young first century church,
'For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a 
cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and 
with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead 
will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will 
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet 
the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the 
Lord. 
Therefore, COMFORT one another with these words.'
(I want to comfort you, especially those who are suffering.)

Reader, the next couple of days we have the Feast of Trum-
pets on the 21st and the Revelation 12 sign on the 23rd,
The rapture which has always been considered 'imminent'
meaning that nothing has to take place before this event,
does not have to happen on a Feast Day or any other special
day. However, God may attach it to this fall feast. Jesus ful-
filled all three of the Spring Feasts and then sent His
Holy Spirit to fill the new believers on the Day of Pentecost,
another Jewish Feast. While all of those feasts have been
fulfilled, none of the fall Feasts have as yet been fulfilled.
It is something to consider.

There are many ideas out there about the end times. I have
studied them all, and for me, the only one that makes sense
from a Biblical perspective is that the Lord will take out his
church before the Father sends his wrath upon the world.
We are not appointed unto wrath...1 Thes 5:9.
I think this is the biggest thing for me because what loving
father would pour out wrath on his son's future bride? ( I am
not talking about 'tribulation' that has been promised to all
who believe, but God's wrath.)

I am adding a talk by Mark Hitchcock given in 2013 on the
various points of view and why he believes that the church
will be removed before the tribulation. Again, it is something
to study because it is important that we are looking for Him.
It helps one avoid sin if he knows that Jesus can come any
day! (I look up every day.) By the way, everything is now set
up for a one world government and the rule of the Anti-Christ.
I did some blogs in the past on this topic. I believe His com-
ing is very soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32o8s8PaiM8

Entirely His

Let patience have its perfect work, that you may
be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:4

Ultimately, God will allow nothing to escape; every
detail of our lives is under His scrutiny. God will bring
us back in countless ways to the same point over and
over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to
that one point until we learn the lesson, because His
purpose is to produce a finished product.
Oswald Chambers

Reader, I can remember going around the same hill
over and over and over. Eventually, I  discovered
what it was all about, but had suffered longer than
I really needed to.

The Receipt

...God made alive together with him, having forgiven our
trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood
against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nail-
ing it to the cross. Col 2:13,14

He said, 'It is finished' 
The word for finished in the Greek means:  COMPLETE,
THE DEBT DISCHARGED, ACCOMPLISHED, PAID
IN FULL

Reader, He is risen and all those who confess Jesus as Lord
and Savior are on the other side of the grave! But, how can
we know that Jesus rose from the dead? Tell me, when you
pay off a debt what do you receive to show that the debt is
paid? You receive a paper saying that you have paid what
you owe. In the scripture above it states that He canceled the
debt, our debt, by nailing it to the cross. So, did He leave a
receipt? Yes, I believe that he left a physical receipt that even
lists all that He did for us when He died on the Cross. Are
you curious enough to listen to a 28 minute discussion of the
Shroud of Turin? Frankly, I was blown away by the testi-
mony of a man who has studied the Shroud many years, and
who has talked to those who were able to handle it in 1978
when it was open to study for five days. Russ Breault has
produced five DVD's on this subject on different levels of
investigation, and come to the conclusion that it is the cloth
that wrapped Jesus when He was placed in the grave. Even
in the short time given for the interview I heard things I had
not heard before and I believe that God has preserved the
testimony of the resurrection of His Son on this cloth for
such a time as this for we have the technology to prove that
it is a forgery! Not only does the cloth speak of the past but
also the future as we wait for the day of His appearing.

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall 
also bear the image of the heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15:49

There is an image of a man on the cloth. Whose image is it
and how was it made? The implications of what has been
found should encourage every one of you! I believe that this
is one of the most important blogs I have put out in the last
five years!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxrdTgcx3Ek