A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


Showing posts with label God's Revelation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Revelation. Show all posts

August 1, 2022

"The Council For Inclusive Capitalism" & Why It Is a Prophetic Picture of the Beast System in Revelation 17!

 

Once again I am hearing from the Lord to give a warning about the End Times scenario the world is approaching. He has shown me this for several years; my husband and I have taught seminars on this topic; and we have shouted from the rooftops that people need to see where we are headed. Now, the prompting from Heaven is once again heavy on my spirit to show what the Bible has prophesied, and it is time to share it. 

For the last decade or more, in the midst of educating me on the responsibilities of Christians to advance the Kingdom of God, my Lord has shone His Light on information regarding topics such as Agenda 21, the New World Order, Agenda 2030, the Great Reset, and now "The Council on Inclusive Capitalism". You will see that I have included links to quite a few articles on this subject, and that's because there are people smarter than me who can explain what we're facing better than me. I hope you will take the time to read them. This may all sound like complicated and confusing plans to control the world's population, but at their core they are all designed to deliver us into the Beast System of the Book of Revelation.

What is this Beast System? It is a reference to a system of world government mentioned in both Revelation 13 and 17, and is a coalition of nations that seeks to subdue the population of the earth under Satan's orders. Eventually "the system" will become answerable to "the Beast", Himself, who is the Anti-Christ, the "Man of Lawlessness". But we are not quite there yet; first his Beast System must be implemented, as described in Revelation 17:12-13 ... "The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but [together] they receive authority as kings for a single hour [for a common purpose] along with the beast. These [kings] have one purpose [one mind, one common goal], and they give their power and authority to the beast." In other words, nations of the world will give up their sovereignty to develop a one-world alliance (or New World Order), until they ultimately surrender their authority to the Anti-Christ. The Good News for us is found in verse 14: They will join forces with the Anti-Christ, and "They will wage war against the Lamb (Christ), and the Lamb will triumph and conquer them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him and on His side are the called and chosen (elect) and faithful.”

But before we get to that point, we're going to have to go through some bad stuff. And rather than write some long, drawn-out explanations of the different strategies for population control that are [even now] underway, I recommend you read these excellent articles to understand how Satan's plans have progressed: The Truth About The UN's Agenda 2030 ... Pope Francis Calls For Global Government and the End of National Sovereignty ... and The "GREAT Narrative" of the New World Order Exposed and Revealed.

They all detail the various strategies to subjugate the people of the world to an elite cabal of world politicians, business leaders, and cultural philosophers in order to make the world "a better place" or to "save the planet". But there's one big problem with their ideas ... it means individual freedom is sacrificed for "the good of all". And how do they accomplish this noble goal? Well, two years ago, my husband and I presented a seminar called "The Great Reset Meets The Kingdom of God", in which we quoted Klaus Schwab, the "man of the hour" and head of the World Economic Forum (WEF). This is what he said: "The world must act swiftly and jointly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a "Great Reset" of capitalism."

Sounds pretty much like he wants to set Revelation 17 in motion, doesn't it? That's where "The Council for Inclusive Capitalism" comes in. And of course, they want you to believe their goal is "to make the world more inclusive and sustainable"... for instance, energy companies must act for a "just" transition. And they announce that they have 607 actions for inclusive capitalism and 296 member organizations. Who are some of these organizations who have signed on to this global inclusiveness? Fortis Lux Financial, who will promote employee diversity and inclusion; BP who aims to protect the environment by increasing "biodiversity by implementing enhancement plans by 2030" [climate control]; Bank of America who will commit to hire 10,000 individuals from low and moderate income neighborhoods ["equity"] and provide them with skills training; and Johnson & Johnson, who "will leverage digital technologies to combat pandemics and epidemics by enabling global/open access to a vaccination monitoring platform by 2025". 

Does any of this sound like it's good for individual freedom? Brandon Smith wrote an excellent article for Alt-Market.us that lays out the agenda for this Council and their plans for the one-world government that the Book of Revelation prophesies. He cites one of the most chilling quotes I've ever heard regarding this global agenda. It comes from
Clinton Administration Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot, who stated in Time magazine that: In the next century, nations as we know it will be obsolete; all states will recognize a single, global authority… National sovereignty wasn’t such a great idea after all.”

Smith's article goes into great detail to lay out the plans and strategies for The Council, and although he doesn't tie this alarming agenda directly to the Bible, he does make note that the Pope has been increasingly promoting "woke ideology, climate alarmism and one world religion rhetoric in conflict with traditional Christian doctrine." What we Christians, with eyes to see and ears to hear, must understand is that the political, economic, and religious power centers of this world are coming together to form "the Beast" of Revelation 13:7-8, who is given permission to wage war against the saints (God’s people) and to overcome them, and [is given] authority and power over every tribe and people and language and nation. All the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the Book of Life.

We are on the precipice of entering this dark prophecy of the Bible. All the dominoes are set in place. The question is whether they are set to fall in our lifetime. With each step the global elite take with their "agendas and councils", we begin to see the ending Book of the Bible come into view. That old serpent/dragon Satan is coming closer to unveiling the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet, ushering in the termination of national sovereignty and the forced worship of an Anti-Christ system. We can continue to refute the idea that we might see such evil in our world because "we win in the end and Jesus is our victory" [which is true, by the way], OR we can answer God's call in Revelation 13:10 for patient endurance and the faithfulness of the saints [which is seen in the response of God’s people to difficult times]. The choice is ours, and in the meantime, we have work to do ... there are people who need to know the Saving Grace of Christ so that they may enter and partake of the Kingdom of God on earth; they need to be equipped and trained to endure and persevere until the return of the Lord, who will conquer and defeat the alliance of Satan and evil men. For a short time they will succeed in their plans, but I celebrate that it is our Lord who gets to write the end of the story!

Revelation 22:12-13      Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.  

 

 

July 26, 2022

What Was Prophesied Is Now Upon Us! (Part Two)



I have enjoyed my reflections on how God has brought me through seasons of sharing His thoughts on different subjects. During the 11 years of this blog, He has instructed me to warn readers about what was coming against our nation in the physical, while always pointing back to Him. Then He transitioned me to showing what was happening in the spiritual realms against us, and why we need to understand and participate in spiritual warfare. Then He moved me into revealing why we need to see and enter the Kingdom of God and how our status as Kingdom ambassadors interfaces with what is going on in the world, and how we are to impact lives for Him. Now, it is like He is bringing me full circle; bringing me back to warning that the things He first pointed out to me are coming to fruition, and we need to employ everything He has revealed up to this moment to make sure we are seeing His will done on earth. So, let me take us back to a couple of posts that were forewarnings of our current existence ...

God Made A Farmer (February 8, 2013) ... (This post was written over 9 years ago, but it could as easily be about current events). This is what I wrote then: "If you are not aware of the plight of our farmers in this nation, then you've probably had your head buried in your iPad too long. According to an article from The Guardian, we are faced with a significant problem: our grain reserves are at an all-time historic low, due to the drought of 2012 and its continuation into this year. So what effect will that have on our food production and world famine? 

Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Centre in Washington, D.C., and one of the world's "leading environmentalists", says that extreme heat and drought in the U.S. will have consequences for the world's hungry.  "We are entering a new era of rising food prices and spreading hunger. Food supplies are tightening everywhere and land is becoming the most sought-after commodity as the world shifts from an age of food abundance to one of scarcity," says Brown. "The geopolitics of food is fast overshadowing the geopolitics of oil."  He warns that the global food supply system could collapse at any point, leaving hundreds of millions more people hungry, sparking widespread riots and bringing down governments.  According to Brown, the Middle East and Africa are especially vulnerable.  

But here's the caveat to this report:  it is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, known economic globalists, as well as climate theorists.  Furthermore, Gates believes one of the solutions to world hunger is through the genetic modification of foods (think of his unpalatable "impossible meat" in 2022), and he has invested not only in companies such as Monsanto, who have engineered genetically modified (GM) foods, but also invested in agriculture in Africa.  Whether true humanitarianism or something more dangerous is behind his interest and his money, you can guarantee that the world's agriculture will be affected.  These kinds of reports and the genetically modified food technology do not bode well for the American farmer OR the American consumer. 

Neither does the sale of domestic farmland to institutional and foreign investors.  Farmland is an attractive "hedge" for investors looking to put their money into commodities that are safer than the stock market.  And countries such as China, with its exploding population and economy are eying the U.S. exports of corn, soybeans, and wheat.  And according to writer Steve Shenk, "the United States, like a short-sighted trust fund baby, is selling off their financial future along with their source of food for a quick grab of cash today."  Shenk goes on to report, "Foreign ownership of farmland is almost double what it was twenty years ago. In fact since 2004, foreign ownership of American soil has grown by almost thirty percent."  Kind of makes me a little nervous about who is protecting our domestic food supply!"

That was then ... this is now: China's American agricultural land holdings have increased over tenfold in the last decade, and at the beginning of 2020, investments from China held $2 billion of American agricultural land. Add to that the massive drought in this country and the sentiment amongst the current Administration that paying farmers to leave their land fallow is a solution to the "climate crisis", and you have the perfect storm for famine in this country and the world, since we are a major exporter of food to the world.

I ended that 2013 post with this comment: "There will be many who say this is a lot of fuss about nothing.  But are you willing to trust your food supply to the likes of Bill Gates or China? Do you have plans if the price of food suddenly sky-rockets? What about Heirloom seeds to grow your own food? This is something to think about, people! Drought and weather conditions are unpredictable, and so apparently is the world's food supply. Don't take your "daily bread" for granted!"

God is once again highlighting this situation and it is much more dire than it was 9 years ago. I pray that you have prepared accordingly, and that God provides for you and your family.

The U.S. Economy & The Price of Oil: Could The Fix Be In? (November 29, 2014) ... At the time, America was enjoying low gas prices and our supply was growing faster than the demand for gasoline. U.S. car manufacturers were building more fuel-efficient cars, which created less demand for gas, which directly effected the bottom line of oil companies. Although foreign markets, like China and India, were developing a market for increased supplies of gas and oil, there was not a huge desire for exporting our oil.

In my post, I went on to discuss the purpose of OPEC to monitor the oil market and decide collectively to raise or lower oil production in order to maintain stable prices and supply. I had questions about who was lurking in the background, influencing the decision-making.  At the time, OPEC members were primarily from the oil-rich Middle East, with Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia being among the founding members. 

Today, Russia is part of what is known as Opec Plus (Opec +), an informal alliance of non-Opec nations exporting oil. My understanding is that they are producing far less than they pledged. And since there is a huge push in our government for climate control by ending America's use of conventional energy (coal, oil, and natural gas), our oil production has plummeted, while our gas prices have risen astronomically, and we are begging oil from Middle Eastern potentates.

I find it fascinating that God showed me this in 2014, and here is what He prompted me to write: "The American economy is nosediving, and we may not have an oil industry to continue the masquerade. And who would love to see that scenario take place more than Russia? Through our sanctions, we have attempted to compromise their economy.  So, through their alliance with oil-rich Iran, this would be an opportunity to reciprocate. What better way to ensure their leadership in the world's oil supply, while striking a blow to our own status, and more importantly, our economy?"

The rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the NATO fiasco, and the rapidly diminishing reputation of the US are all contributing to the effects of oil shortages in our nation which has enough oil in the ground to fuel our economy for decades -- nearly 2.2 trillion barrels of known oil shale deposits -- the largest in the world, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Yet our store shelves lie bare because of the cost of fuel to truck food and supplies across the country.

The statement I made in 2014 still stands ... "I am no expert on the petroleum industry. And I know these are all fractured thoughts and ideas, but when my spider senses are tingling like they are now, I have to give voice to what my instincts are telling me. Things are not as they seem, and something tells me that the puppet masters are  working their strings and the game is rigged. Is our house of cards about to come tumbling down?"

These issues that I have revisited are still at the forefront of our issues as a nation, and will have great influence on the future of our beloved nation. God revealed them over a decade ago, and yet we seem to have gone further down the rabbit hole. But our answers don't lie in government policies. They are spiritual in nature, and if we don't wake up to that fact and begin battling on that level, well .... all the kings horses and all the kings men won't be able to put us back together again. 

Psalm 2:1    "Why do the nations assemble with commotion [uproar and confusion of voices], and why do the people imagine (meditate upon and devise) an empty scheme?"


July 21, 2022

What Was Prophesied Is Now Upon Us! (Part One)


There are days when the Lord tells me to reflect upon how far we've come; to take a look at what the Holy Spirit was prompting me to write in the recent past, in the hope that I can see what He is showing me now. This December will mark the 11th year that I have been obedient to write this blog because He asked me to encourage people who were beginning to discern that this country was going down a different path than the one we assumed would always be there.

There were many times that I didn't want to share what I received, because the conscience of the American people was not ready to accept it. I knew I would be labeled a "conspiracy nut", a heretic, or worse. But God was showing me through His Spirit, and what I instinctively discerned [in my spirit] from world events, that I needed to alert those with "ears to hear, and eyes to see." 

It's been 11 long years of trying to do that through this blog. There were seasons of great numbers of people from all over the world who responded to what God revealed through my words. I was amazed that someone in China or Ukraine was hearing from God as I was, and that we were united in our desire to share God's promptings so that more people could come to the Saving Grace of Christ. I was blessed to be in community with some very wise men who had the ear of Americans who were "waking up", and through their blogs, podcasts, and books, were getting God's message out. 

So, all of this to say that I listened to God and have gone back to those early posts (many of which I had forgotten I even wrote) to see what He wants to show me in this day. Here are just some of the admonitions He highlighted then...

Facing The Monster (December 22, 2011) ... This post appeared just 11 days after I launched this website, and included short reviews of two books that were brought to my attention. They weren't for the weak-hearted, and helped me grasp the severity of our national situation, and gave me an opportunity to see what the future might look like.  Enemies, Foreign and Domestic shares a possible scenario in which the Government sets up a down-and-out war veteran as a sniper responsible for a mass shooting in a football stadium --- creating a smokescreen for the purpose of eliminating the Second Amendment gun rights of the citizenry. After reading this book I realized how quickly our rights and freedoms could be seized by a tyrannical government, and how important it is to develop a mindset that clearly sees the fallout from that scenario. And the most surprising element of the book? The hero is a WOMAN! 

One Second After is a sobering account of what it looks like if a rogue nation detonated an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) over the continental U.S.  Anything electronic would be instantly rendered useless.  Think about it.....what would society be like without computers, phones, cars, medical equipment, refrigeration?  Answer---in a single moment, we would be thrown into the Dark Ages.  And how many people would be able to navigate that scenario?  How do you think the entitlement crowd will react?  They have been told they deserve all that's been given them, so do you think it's realistic to expect them to not just take it now?  And what about the evil elements of society?  How would you maintain law and order?  And what if you, or a loved one, needed medication to survive?  What does that scenario look like when life-saving medicines are no longer available, or there is no way to store them?

Both of those books are still very relevant for today's world. I ended that post with a challenge to face the monster; just as I would challenge anyone today ... both of these frightening scenarios offer us a chance to be prepared, primed and ready to guide our families and others to safe ground. In 2011, the plots of these books only existed in the imaginations of the authors. Still think so?

The Devil At Work: Human Sex Trafficking (May 10, 2013) ... I used this post to reveal the ugly truth of Sex Trafficking in America. At the time, it was not at the forefront of our national dialogue, although it was a billion dollar, international business hidden in plain sight and covered up by those in power. I wrote of "the long record of this kind of abuse by members of the diplomatic corps and employees of international organizations in Washington... but is it a monstrous problem right here at home. And what every parent needs to know is this: the computer and social media are valuable tools for those looking to exploit your children." 

This sounds like such a simple and benign description these days, knowing how prevalent this problem is in our nation today. I stand by the questions I posed in that 9-year-old post: "I struggle to make sense of this shameful and brutal treatment of our fellow human beings.  Have we lost all sense of our moral compass?  What has happened to our integrity?  Are we no longer able to determine what is right or wrong?  And what about our responsibility to respect other people?  And finally, those who traffic in the human sex trade cannot possibly have any compassion for their victims. This amounts to nothing less than slavery .... an institution that has been abhorred in this country for over a century and a half.  Yet, even in this supposedly enlightened generation, there are people who willingly contribute to this degradation of the human race; and worst of all, their consciences don't seem to bother them as they exploit their prey for the almighty dollar." Sadly, we have only gone further down this road to hell. My questions are still relevant, but the powers-that-be don't even give them a second thought. And God's heart continues to break, as His anger grows.

The Southern Border: What You're Not Hearing (September 10, 2014)... In this post, I shared an up-close and personal view of just how bad it was on the Texas border 8 years ago.  Never mind what you might have heard the talking heads or the White House Press Corps say at the time ... listen to the first-hand account of someone who was living the reality: Rusty is a lifelong rancher along the border of Texas and Mexico. He describes how the Mexican drug cartels are using death threats, assault, and attempted murder to drive ranchers and their families off of their land... "The only thing we [the American public] hear about is women and kids… and when they make huge drug busts, that’s what we hear about.  We don’t hear about the gang-bangers coming across, we don’t hear about the terrorists coming across.  We don’t hear about the violence going down on the border.  I had a rancher call me last week, and begging for help on 15,000 acres.  He had been moved off his ranch because he doesn’t feel safe with his family there.  He’s been shot at and threatened.  We don’t hear that [on the news]."

Perhaps the most frightening information coming from this interview was Rusty's account of the child abductions, sex-slave, and prostitution threats:  "They steal kids. Literally, they steal kids. Depending on how good looking they are, they’re gonna start at $35,000 to $45,000 dollars per kid. Blond haired, blue eyed little boy, little girl, is anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000 dollars, depending on how old they are. The older they are, particularly for girls, the more the price goes up. There’s been some girls that have been missing here, for five years from Brownsville, they were stolen when they were thirteen. One of them was found in a whorehouse in Mexico City. Her parents bought her out [from the cartels]– they bought her out for a million-five."

That was then! Multiply that by 100 and you might get a hint at what is happening today on the border! When God showed me this in 2014, I did not believe that it could get any worse. But the media still is not covering it adequately and so much of the country does not believe it is happening. I was challenged by an old college friend who refused to believe this was nothing but political propaganda, and asked me how did I know any of this was real. My answer: Me and my neighbors are living it!

These are just a few of the stories that God brought to light and prompted me to write about nearly a decade ago. At the time, I was castigated by many commenters for false witness, but I clearly heard in my spirit to warn Christians [who might find my blog and actually read it] to stand up and be counted for! This was a season of writing where God revealed the coming evil in hope that knowledge would bring power to the spirits of His children to resist evil forces that were rising up in our country. As you can clearly discern, the evil has only grown. I invite you to tune in for the next post that will show you where God took me next and what He requested be made known. I pray that we pay attention to revelations of the past while we still have time to repent and be redeemed in our present. 

Jeremiah 11:18   Then the Lord gave me knowledge [of their plot], and I knew it; So, You [O Lord] revealed their deeds to me. 


 


February 27, 2022

Biblical Prophecy of the Seals and Trumpets: How Close Are We?


It's always interesting to see how these kinds of posts are received. When I first began writing this blog in 2011, the Lord began showing me the deeper levels of His Word as I immersed myself in studying the One True God that was, is, and will be. He is still the same God of the Bible today! I saw all the levels on which He wanted to communicate with me ... from the historical aspect; in the cultural context of what was happening at the time; and how His Word was timeless, speaking of His Nature, Character, and Will for all mankind in all the ages. From that perspective, it became obvious that the Bible was also a deeply prophetic Book. What was revealed to the prophets of old also held great consequences for us in the 21st Century. And Jesus, Himself, was a divine prophet; giving us clues of what it will look like prior to His return to earth to judge Evil, and to rule for 1,000 years.

So, in 2012, I found myself leading a small group of believers from various religious backgrounds and denominations in a study of the Book of Revelation. Looking back, I was certainly naive at how difficult it would be to teach to a group that had very little common theological ground to start from. That became immediately clear as the attendees began expressing their views of this controversial Book. Some expressed that their denomination recommended not reading the Book of Revelation at all! Others stated they had been taught that the events in the apocalyptic book had already occurred in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and crushed the Jewish revolt. But all agreed that they knew nothing about the Book and it was time that we discerned its value. After all, God would not have inspired it to be included in the Holy Bible, if He had not intended us to try to understand its message.

The reason I am approaching this subject today is that I recently ran across my notes and became curious to see if I still had the same convictions 10 years later about the prophecies contained in this mysterious book of the Bible. I wanted to see if it speaks any differently to me today. For the sake of this article, there are two prophecies that my spirit highlighted as I reviewed what I studied a decade ago... portions of Revelation 6 and 9, which contain the Seal and Trumpet judgments against the kingdom of darkness and the Antichrist's empire. And I'm going to zero in on the verses that appear to have direct relevance for us at this very time. So, whether you are particularly interested in Biblical prophecy or not, I hope you will find my musings of some significance.

First, let's look at Revelation 6:5-6, which is the Third Seal opened by Jesus and pertains to Famine and Economic Crisis. Scripture reads: When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse [of famine]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance). And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day’s wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

I should point out that this third Seal of judgment follows the second seal, which heralds bloodshed and a world-wide war that "takes peace from the earth". These verses forecast famine and economic crisis which follows war. It only makes sense because there is always a disruption in agricultural operations and serious shortages of food after war. Famine will necessarily bring extreme hunger and death, accompanied by sadness, sorrow, and mourning. The pair of scales in the rider's hand speaks of a severe economic downturn where buying power is dramatically reduced; food supplies will be weighed [and limited] and available at extremely high prices. This is exemplified by the voice that declares a quart of wheat will sell for a denarius, which was equal to a day's wages, and three quarts of barley will cost the same day's wages. [Although barley is considered inferior to wheat, it will still sell for an exorbitant amount]. It's not too difficult to see the economic consequences of inflation in this passage of Scripture, and unfortunately, it's something that we are beginning to experience at a rapid rate. With the world sitting on the tipping point of war between Russia and Ukraine, [which will involve all the nations of NATO], and inflation and food/supply chain shortages, we find that famine is a distinct possibility.

"Don't damage the oil and wine" can be understood on two levels ... first, in revealing this vision to the Disciple John, Jesus could have been providing context to the vision in terms of the culture that John would have understood. This could be a warning to be extra careful in the use of oil and wine, which were basic and essential commodities in John's time, and famine is going to make them very expensive. This portion of John's vision shows just how devastating famine and inflation will be on the general population living on the earth.  But, there is another level that has been suggested, and you can decide for yourselves, whether it has relevance to our time. Could it be that Jesus is revealing that the famine/inflation crisis will not touch the ruling class or the elite, who will still enjoy these luxuries while the rest of the world suffers? If so, then the inequity between the Global Elite and the masses will only result in civil strife, and ensure that the righteous judgment of Christ will rapidly descend upon the Anti-Christ agenda. Understandably, one could ask what is the purpose for God would wanting to protect the oil and wine for the Elite and the wealthy?

I will admit that I am see this prophecy less clearl, but it was  highlighted to my spirit for a reason, so I will present my incomplete and still-developing understanding. It seems that God is pointing to a method by which He will reveal the false authority, false teachings, and wicked and perverse activities of men who are deluded into believing that Satan and his agents will give them favor for their loyal service to the kingdom of darkness. I do not know the identity of the demonic locusts mentioned in Revelation 9:5, but the Bible seems to indicate that God gives permission for the locusts to torment the men who are evil perpetrators of this wickedness; their actions resulting in death, perversion, and depravity upon innocent victims.

God's goal in giving permission for them to be tormented could be that He wants them to see the truth about Satan so they can renounce the devil and be saved. The demonic army that God releases as judgment will kill one-third of the earth, and as hard as it is for the modern Church that sees only God's character of Grace  -- and struggles to contemplate His righteous wrath -- it is crucial that they see this event as His Mercy to wake up unbelievers who will soon go to eternal hell if they don't repent. I simply cannot imagine the depth of the wickedness of idolatry that these evil men have embraced for their own power, status and wealth; and how deceived they are, causing them to refuse to repent. They are blinded to God's displeasure of them and His coming wrath!

When I think of all the evil in the world today -- over 6 million people dead of a mysterious virus and all its after-effects; over 63 million babies sacrificed on the altar of abortion; millions of people trafficked into sexual slavery; burgeoning death statistics of Fentanyl and opiod deaths from drug overdose -- I can understand how God's cup of wrath could be filled to overflowing, and He decides its high time Jesus comes to cleanse the world of these spiritual strongholds of evil: murder, sorcery, pharmakeia, immorality, and theft. In fact, the Bible prophecies that these sadistic and evil followers of Satan will continue their evil ways, "and they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts" (Revelation 9:21). 

But, I give praise to my All-Powerful God because He is revealing these evil agents of Satan and their demonic agendas. He will tolerate such blasphemous forms of idolatry and evil for only so long, until He releases Jesus to return to the earth. I do not know if these particular prophecies in the Book of Revelation point to our current situations or time-frame. But I do know that this is a time of great confusion among men and women; both believers and unbelievers. There is a vast amount of deception being sowed in the earth, and the human race is asking for answers. 

One of the answers that gives me hope is that God will provide a way to understand what He wants us to know from this last book in His Holy Scriptures. In Revelation 10, John is given a little book and told to eat it. He is told it will make his stomach bitter, but it will as sweet as honey in his mouth. I believe God will raise up forerunners who will receive and  "digest" the same message that John devoured. They will taste the sweetness of the revelations of salvation, victory, and justice for the oppressed. But they must be prepared that it will be bitter to their souls because of the worldwide judgment of the wicked, and the persecution of the saints. Powerful and true prophets will arise and lead the righteous to pray and prophesy under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. They will reveal the fullness of God: His character traits of Love and Mercy as well as His intense wrath and righteous judgment.

So, whether we are on the precipice of seeing these prophecies being fulfilled or not, I do believe we are suffering the contractions of their imminent birth. Please join me in praying for discernment for all men before its too late. Pray that they will see the error of believing Satan's lies that he can give them the power and riches to control the world. Pray that God's truth will be unveiled and they will repent of their wicked ways and reject the kingdom of darkness. Pray for the innocent and the blameless! And pray that Evil's reign on the earth is short-lived... Come, King Jesus, Come!

2 Peter 2:9     If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the Godly from trials and hold the unrighteous for punishment on the Day of Judgement.

 

January 18, 2022

How Hungry and Thirsty Are You?

First things first ... I'm not sure why this website was down yesterday and most of today. And to be honest, after wrestling with it during the last 24 hours, I don't think I'm responsible for it being back up, but I am thankful it is. So, thank you for your patience, and thank You, Lord Jesus, for hearing my prayers!

 

Now, for today's thoughts ... My husband, Mark, and I are so blessed to lead a small group of Believers, whose common goal is to first, seek the Kingdom of God in our lives, and then to carry out our assignments to bring the world back into relationship with the One who created it [and us]. We are growing in our recognition that we are all created with an assignment for the Kingdom of God. We are responsible to be accountable for what we achieve for our King while on earth. That sounds like a tall order, and all of us know that we are unable to do it through our own abilities. 

We are a diverse group; coming from different religious backgrounds and faith journeys. In fact, we often find ourselves in the midst of deep conversations as we reconcile our belief systems with Scripture, and as we delve into what the Church has often labeled "the mysteries of God, or Christ". Yet, speaking personally, Mark and I have found that God rewards us with increased spiritual insight when we determine to solve those mysteries by understanding His Truth. 

In fact, as we have sought to know both the Logos Word and the Rhema Word, it has stirred a desire in our hearts and spirits that cannot be quenched. [NOTE: The Logos Word of God is the ability of the Bible to communicate the logical, literal meaning of God's general will through Scripture. The Rhema Word is when the Holy Spirit "quickens" Scripture to speak to your spirit and, oftentimes, the result is a deeper revelation that is imparted to activate your faith for a specific purpose or understanding]. That searching for more in the Word has lead to a consistent yearning that can best be described by what Jesus says in Matthew 5:6 ... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...

And because of that yearning, I have come to understand righteousness at a deeper level. It is God's standard of purity; the perfect consistency between His nature and His actions. Our God is Holy, therefore He cannot tolerate sin, and His Righteousness demands Judgment. Only through Jesus can we obtain righteousness that is acceptable to God. It is Jesus's purity that God sees in us, when we receive Him and seek more of Him. And the more I seek Him, the more hungry and thirsty I am for Him! I can totally identify with David, when he declared in Psalm 63:1, O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 

Simply put, just like David, I cannot get enough of God! This world offers nothing to satiate our hunger, nor satisfy our thirst like what Jesus provides. And that is what each of us in our small Ekklesia share. We may be at different stages in that journey, but it is our hunger and thirst to grow closer to God, and to seek His righteousness, that keeps us in community. And also what makes us different from many of our fellow brethren in faith.

Every so often, someone who has become dissatisfied or disappointed with the mainstream Church will hear of us and visit, with a sincere hope that their discontent can be appeased. We have learned to be upfront and honest in explaining that we go places in Scripture that will most likely be new and even controversial. We are not interested in maintaining traditional doctrine, if it means keeping God in a box and diminishing a fuller understanding of Scripture. We are by no means trying to corrupt or alter Scripture, but rather to strip away any man-made deviations that have obscured God's Truth down through the centuries. That means we may seek answers to our questions in historical documents; apocryphal books of the Bible; Books that were removed from the Canon; the cultural context of Jesus's time on earth; writings of early Church fathers; and other Hebrew and Bible scholars who have studied the etymology of the Bible --- all while taking our findings back to the Bible and comparing them with what Scripture declares as truth. 

It is our hope that others, who have the same hunger and thirst to know more of our God, will join us. We are not afraid to discover more of His unlimited nature. We dare to ask the hard questions that are often brushed aside in Western Christianity. And we are brave enough to consider the unconventional answer. We have confidence that the Lord knows our hearts and we trust the Holy Spirit to guide us to a righteous and uncorrupted revelation. If someone who ventures into our group decides such willingness to take bold risks to gain more knowledge of God is outside their comfort zone, we let them know we understand and it is okay. We don't fault them. We know that this remnant is not for everyone. Our goal is not to gain a huge following. It is simply to feed our longing to know God and Christ more. 

Ultimately, I can only speak for myself when it comes to the reality of why I think God has created this hunger in me [and I am blessed it is present in my husband, as well]. We discern that now, and continuing into the very near future, it is going to be imperative that we identify the forces coming against God's people on the earth. I want to know God's heart and His will for His people, because our studies of the Bible and its history have shown us that the battle will come against those who have faithfully sought the Lord and His will; those who are able to perceive and enter the realm of His Kingdom here on earth to receive our marching orders. He will need the righteous to stand against Evil as He fights for us. And when we understand how He has acted and revealed Himself through history, ancient writings, and even disputed theology, we will be better equipped to fulfill our assignments and purpose. I pray that those who have chosen to play it safe will awaken in time to join the ranks of the remnant, who, by their steadfast faith, will not flinch or shrink back from their calling. 

Lord, let me dwell in Your shelter, but when called upon, let me stand on the spiritual shoulders of those who came before me  ... Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and the prophets; the twelve Disciples; all those who have endured persecution throughout the ages for the sake of declaring mankind's victory in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. While in this life, I hunger and thirst daily for You! Reveal more of Yourself to me so that I may nourish others, and create in them the same yearning for You! Let us quench the needs of our very beings at Your fountain of knowledge and revelation, and come away more convinced than ever of the depths of our God!


Psalm 14:2    The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand (act wisely),
Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance.]

 

July 16, 2020

Why We Have Tolerated The Weeds

    


     Once again, as I've studied familiar Scripture, the Lord has shined His light upon the Word to give me a new and fresh revelation. We are studying Matthew in our Home Church and, specifically, Matthew 13, best known for the richness of the parables Jesus shared with His disciples.
     If you've spent any time at all reading your Bible, then these parables are familiar to you. And if you are like me, my initial understanding of them was that Jesus spoke in terms of simple stories, in order to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. Theses "lessons" were to be applicable down through the centuries to His followers. And I thought I'd done a pretty good job of comprehending what He was trying to teach me. That is, until I discovered His message of the Kingdom. That changed everything!
     It began with the recognition that the Kingdom of God was the central point of the parables, and that the Parable of the Sower is the foundation for understanding all the parables. Jesus confirms this in Mark 4:13 when He asks His disciples, "If you don’t understand this parable [of the Sower], how will you understand any parable?"
     So, Jesus proceeds to explain the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:18-23. How many of you, like me, missed verse 19 completely? How many, like me, were stunned when the Lord shined His Light on this fundamental truth in His Word? He says, The hard path where some of the seeds fell represents the heart of a person who hears the Good News about the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it; then Satan comes and snatches away the seeds from his heart. As we've all been taught by the Church, the "Gospel" is the "Good News" of Jesus Christ. He couldn't make it any clearer in this parable ... He is the Sower bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom into the hearts of men who will receive it! It is important that we distinguish which Gospel Jesus is sowing into the hearts of men in this parable! Check out the various translations in the Bible.... almost all of them identify "the seed" as the "word of the Kingdom".
     As I've written in previous posts (here and here), I am not downplaying or discrediting the Gospel of Salvation, but that wasn't His primary message to the crowds or to His disciples. Salvation is the necessary and mandatory entry point into the Kingdom of God. Jesus explains that quite well in John 3:1-5. Please read that, if you are confused about the difference between the two Gospels. Because, today, I want to show you why this confusion even exists today. And believe me, the Body of Christ needs to understand this truth in this critical hour.
     All you have to do is query the internet about the meaning of the parable of the Sower and you will find such vague and misleading answers as these .... The man represents God and the seed is His message. But what Message? Salvation or Kingdom?.... The moral of the Parable of the Sower is that not everyone who hears the Christian gospel will understand and believe. But which Gospel? Salvation or the Kingdom?
     So, why is it so difficult for the Body of Christ to grasp this important and crucial message about the Kingdom? Jesus made it clear that the Kingdom message was of primary importance to Him. In Luke 4:43, He says, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose. Why does the Church stay focused on the good news of Salvation, instead of taking the next step and sharing that once a person is Saved, they are to see and understand the Kingdom and enter into it? That's why they are here on earth!
     It's taken me a long time to get to the central point of this blog, but here it is .... In Matthew, after presenting the most important parable of the Sower, Jesus then shares the Parable of the Wheat and Tares [or Weeds]. Do you think that is a coincidence? If you believe as I do, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then join me in understanding what our Lord is telling us in this pivotal parable.
     In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus has this exchange with His Disciples, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
     We know from the previous parable of the Sower that the man is Jesus, the good seed is the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the field is the world which Jesus created. So how did weeds get in this field and what does it mean for us? This time, Jesus is more succinct in explaining the meaning of His parable. He says, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil."
     I want you to focus on this small portion of the parable ...  that Jesus sowed the good seed of the Gospel of the Kingdom, but while "his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also". Are you able to discern that Jesus accomplished His mission of sowing the Gospel of the Kingdom into the world, which means the Gospel was received by the sons of the kingdom [the Disciples] and the Body of Christ, or the Church, was born. But after that first generation of Disciples died [were sleeping], others came into the Church and sowed seeds from the Enemy. These seeds represent men who began to alter Jesus's Gospel of the Kingdom, to focus primarily on the Gospel of Salvation. While this Gospel is not wrong and is most important, it stops short of Jesus's full mission for us ... receive Salvation and then enter the Kingdom to bring the government of Heaven down to earth.
     And here is an expanded meaning of what the weeds represent: In the King James Bible, “weeds” is called “tares”, and this is how the Concordance describes them: “A kind of darnel (Eurasian ryegrass) that grows as tall as wheat and barley, and resembles wheat in appearance, except the seeds are black. It is seen by the Jews as degenerate wheat (it has lost the qualities of wheat). The seeds are poisonous to man, producing sleepiness, nausea, convulsions and even death. The plants can be separated out, but the custom, as in the parable, is to leave the cleaning out till near the time of harvest”.
      If as true Christians, we desire to righteously represent our Lord, why have we tolerated these "weeds" in our midst? It's because these “weeds” have grown up alongside the men of the Kingdom since the inception of the Early Church, poisoning its teachings. They introduced denominationalism with all its varied doctrines and traditions, and hid the Gospel of the Kingdom from the Body of Christ. They promoted Salvation as the be-all, end-all of our Christian experience, and these teachings have continued until today. That’s why the Church follows so many wrong man-made doctrine.
     We were unable to recognize the poisonous seeds because they resembled the seeds first sown by Jesus. We did not see what grew from the seeds; we ignored the blackness of the seeds which was a poison that produced apathy and passivity in the Church. We, as the Body of Christ, did not guard against imposters, but welcomed anyone whom we thought resembled us, without doing our due diligence.
     And now, the Body as a whole, cannot be trusted to recognize the pure wheat from the impure (or degenerate) wheat. Centuries of assimilation and accommodation have produced a crop within the Church that includes lethargy, sickness of soul and spirit, upheaval in the Kingdom on earth, and yes, even death. These conditions are the weeds grown from the seeds of Christ's enemy. And Jesus will come and gather them out of His true Church at the end of this age. He will be the One who separates the wheat from the weeds at His harvest. And I believe the Body of Christ will be shocked at what is revealed amongst them.
     But, I also believe this is the season before the harvest, when the Remnant can rise and boldly declare the full Gospel of the Lord ... He came bringing the government of His Father's Kingdom in Heaven; to show us why we were created -- to rule the earth [as images of our Creator] in the same way He rules Heaven. The first and crucial step is to recognize our unrighteous sin, and receive Christ as our Savior, and pledging to be obedient in all His ways. Then we have the credentials to enter into the Kingdom, where we are to spend the rest of our lives as ambassadors of the Kingdom and continuing Jesus's work to bring the heavenly model of God's Kingdom to earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven is not to just be spoken in reverent prayer, but is to be walked out and lived daily! 
     It is not too difficult to recognize that the wheat is ripening and the harvest is near. And I clearly distinguish the wheat from the weeds. The Good News that Jesus came proclaiming includes both Salvation and Kingdom! In this crucial hour, let us not rest on an incomplete Gospel. Let us bring Salvation to the nations and then encourage them to enter the Kingdom, where we might yet save more wheat from being destroyed by the weeds. I praise my Lord for calling my attention to His Word and revealing His truth where I have missed it. Let me be one of the righteous that shine like the sun in my Father's kingdom! Let me be an instrument to grow His harvest! Let's no longer tolerate the destruction that comes with the weeds!

Acts 20:29-30      I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
    

July 3, 2020

Kingdom Ambassadors and Ministers of Reconciliation

     In yesterday's post I made the statement that I believe God will draw forth a Remnant in these days as individuals respond to the move of the Holy Spirit in their lives -- even in the midst of the chaos. Furthermore, people will be drawn to their message and souls will be won for the Kingdom. And I also asked the question, "So where can we go?" and answered it -- anywhere the Lord sends us. So, today, I want to share the testimony of Dr. Charles Karuku and his wife, Pastor Lindsey Karuku. They personify the Remnant and its willingness to obey the voice of God.  Here is their testimony:
     As Dr. Karuku was ending a 40-day fast in late May, he heard the Lord tell him that on the day of Pentecost, He would do a great thing. His wife, Pastor Lindsey, woke up that same morning of May 30th and confirmed that she had received the same message. The day their fast ended is when the riots broke out in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd. They knew that the next day was the Day of Pentecost, and they needed to be on that ground where George Floyd died, and they needed to go and proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, bringing a message of unity. They were to start a movement of unity amidst the racial division that was so prevalent.
     When they arrived and walked the area, praying over it, buildings were still burning; there was smoke everywhere; the National Guard had been called up; and businesses were boarded up and shut down. The protests and riots were in full swing.
     But NOW, the spot where Mr. Floyd died is a memorial in his honor and has been declared sacred and holy ground; a place of true reconciliation between people of all different colors. It is a place where praise and worship exist; baptisms and healings abound; and peace is in the atmosphere. A military veteran, who had been deaf for 15 years, had his deaf ear opened instantly by God. People are being delivered, baptized in water, receiving salvation, and giving their hearts to Christ.
     Dr. Charles Karuku says the Body of Christ is coming together for the Kingdom of God; crying on each others' shoulders and bringing interracial healing and reconciliation. Over 50 ministries and churches have set aside their denominational and doctrinal differences to come together to bring the Light of Jesus Christ into the city of Minneapolis; and they so desperately need it.
     Pastor Lindsey Karuku added that it is not just churches; it is individuals who are stepping up as Ambassadors of the Kingdom of God and riding the waves of the people who have been praying and sowing seeds into this area for generations. The goal and the significance of this movement is to see racial reconciliation in this generation. Praise God that it would be so! What an amazing testimony and an illustration of what the Ekklesia should look like! I bless these two Ambassadors and pray that this movement of individuals responding to the voice of the Lord sweeps this land.
     If we hope to achieve their goal in this generation, the Body of Christ must become Kingdom Ambassadors and Ministers of Reconciliation. But can we as a society, agree on what that reconciliation should look like? Webster's Dictionary defines reconciliation as "the restoration of friendly relations; the action of making one view or belief compatible with another". Simple enough to understand, but I doubt that is going to appease the generations of prejudice, discrimination, and antagonism that exist between the races. Secular society would probably define reconciliation as the urgent need for social justice.
     But how does God define reconciliation? I would tell you that it involves more than forgiveness between the races. It takes two people to reconcile; only one to forgive. In the Old Testament, reconciliation was the covering over of sin with rituals of sacrifice, called atonement. In the New Testament, reconciliation is the restoration to the Divine favor of God when sinners repent and put their trust in the substitutionary death of Christ. Man changes -- is purged of sin -- and reconciliation removes God's displeasure towards us and our alienation from God. It purges our hostility towards each other, and it changes our enmity towards our fellow man to friendship.
     Social justice alone won't achieve the goal of racial reconciliation. We must recognize our need to be reconciled back to God before we can be reconciled to each other. So how do we get there? By doing exactly what the Karukus did ... they fasted and prayed and were obedient to do what they heard the Lord tell them. I can assure you that God is waiting for people with hearts willing to be His Ambassadors and Ministers of Reconciliation. He is looking for Believers with the compassionate and merciful heart of the Good Samaritan who tended to the wounds of the Jewish man he found robbed and beaten on the road. Although the Samaritans and the Jews despised each other, the Samaritan was deeply moved by the Jew's afflictions and cared tenderly for him, paying for him to stay at the inn and recuperate while he resumed his journey. He rose to a higher level of compassion and mercy rather than the dictates of social justice that demand equality.
     We, too, must appeal to the higher power of God who is longing to whisper to us in the middle of the night and tell us His plans for reconciliation between the human beings that He has created. This testimony coming from Minneapolis is evidence that God is in the midst of the chaos that Satan is instigating. It is evidence that He is moving among His Remnant. And it is evidence that we Christians can truly have an impact on the lost and the hurting. You won't hear this reported in the mainstream media, but I can guarantee the angels in Heaven are shouting with joy and praising the Name of the Lord! And I thank our Father in Heaven for this ray of Light in all the darkness. Hope is rising from the smoke and ashes of Minneapolis. May we reconcile with each other as we continue to be witnesses of the Kingdom and our reconciliation with God Almighty. Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 5:19    That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.


    

May 24, 2020

Now Is The Time For "Abiding"!

    
     You can feel the tension among some in the Christian community ... these are times of wariness and fear, filled with apprehension and even despair. We, in 2020 America, and the Western world, for the most part, have never experienced such upheaval in our daily lives as this Corona pandemic has brought. We have lived our lives in consistent uniformity and stability. But now the very foundation of our way of life is being shaken. Our freedoms have been curtailed, and we are hearing government leaders, as in the state of Illinois, voicing the possibilities of confiscating personal property during a "state emergency" such as Covid-19.
     People are out of work, unable to worship in Church together, and I have no doubt that faith is being tested. But now, more than ever, we need to come to terms with our relationship with Christ. We are by no means the first Believers to have their world shaken, or their expectations to be challenged. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Jesus's disciples in those days leading up to His trial and crucifixion, and then the discouragement that must have descended upon them after His burial. All their hopes in Him must have been seriously in question! After all, Peter had been told by Jesus, Himself, that he had correctly identified Him as the Son of the Living God. Yet they knew He had been buried in a tomb like an ordinary man!
     I would venture that many Believers are like the disciples, Cleopas and his companion, whom the risen Christ encountered as they traveled to Emmaus. They did not recognize Him and commiserated about their feelings of defeat and the questions they had about all that had transpired in the preceding days. They were so overcome by dashed hopes that they were unable to perceive His presence in their midst. They had not clearly received the revelation Jesus shared with them at their Last Supper together -- that He would sacrifice His body and shed His blood for the remission of their sins. They were blinded by their disappointment in dashed dreams and had returned to their old ways of thinking.
     But as Jesus began to reveal all that the Scriptures had spoken and prophesied about Him, they were overtaken by a burning hunger within themselves, and begged this stranger to stay and abide with them. Jesus obliges them, and stays to share a meal with them. As He breaks bread with them, reminiscent of what He did at the Last Supper, their eyes are opened and they knew Him!
     I believe that many of us can identify with Cleopas and the other disciples who had followed Jesus. Remember, there were more than just the Twelve who were closest to Him. He had touched the lives of many people who chose to follow Him and be known as disciples of Jesus, of Nazareth. But like them, as we are faced with these confusing times, we are distracted by what we see in the flesh and how we discern world events affecting our personal lives. We have taken our eyes off the promises of our Lord Jesus.
     We long for a return to those comfortable feelings of stability in Him; and the exhilaration of seeing His undeniable and obvious blessings. And in looking back, we are unable to see His continued presence in our immediate circumstances. But if we seek Him, we can still experience that burning hunger for Him, just like Cleopas, and invite Him to "abide". And it's important that we understand the fullness of that word ... to abide is to stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy -- no matter what turn of events might cloud our vision.
     It is easy to look at the realms of politics, global transformation, and the growing limitations of our personal freedoms and begin thinking that everything is out of order according to God's plan. And you can imagine how the Enemy can use these states of affairs to whisper seeds of doubt and unbelief into our hearts. But if we truly belong to Him in spirit, then we will remain abiding in Him. We will know in the depths of our soul and spirit that God orders everything in the earth and the universe -- everything has an appointed time and purpose. God thinks in terms of Eternity. Man views circumstances in short periods of time.
     Have you considered that your success in persevering through these trying times relies much more on what you believe than what you do? It's what you believe about who you are, and what you think God will do for you, and how you call that into existence that will ensure your survivability.  As I said, everything in the universe is ordered by God, and you have been appointed for this time. Your life has a purpose now! And it's more than your job or your physical comforts. God wants to talk to you personally, face-to-face, about what's in your heart [and that He wants you] to accomplish. Just as Jesus did with Cleopas, He wants to reveal to you all that God has ordered through the Scriptures up to this very day -- so that you clearly see and know that everything He did was the Father's will for your happiness and blessing.
     So, even though the world might look bleak now, we need to abide in Christ -- to stay in that state of expectancy that His timing is perfect for our lives; that ALL of His promises for our life are "Yes" and "Amen"! We must not abide in the limits the world is trying to place on us! We have been given the ministry of Jesus in trying times, and they are no less trying than those disciples experienced in the first century under Roman occupation, fearing for their lives as followers of Jesus Christ. No matter what the world throws at us, it is essential that we stay rooted in the True Vine and the knowledge that the Vinedresser has destined us to bear fruit for His Kingdom. And if He is pruning you, then know that it is so you will bear more fruit. It is the season for "abiding"; and it is our time to renew our strength in Christ, not growing weary, nor fading in our purpose!

1 John 2:6    Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.