NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. -Hebrews 11:1, 6.
We can see that the end of life as we have known it is at hand, and there is a lot to be discouraged about. Yet even in light of the trouble at hand, and the greater trouble that lies ahead, our GOD IS STILL THE SAME! He is still faithful, and full of might. We still have ample time to seek Him, and to reveal His hand of outreach to an unsaved world. The scripture tells us that even Noah did this, and called him a "preacher of righteousness" in II Peter 2:5. Right now we ought to emulate Noah in both faith, and works.
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. -Hebrews 11:7.
A prime focus of this blog is to keep you alerted to Satan's advances in the scheme to bring about a world government under the rule of the Antichrist. There are many aspects to this plan, and they are very evil (although some do not appear that way). This doesn't mean that they will all be fulfilled in the way that the devil desires! Our God puts limits on what Satan is allowed to do, and our believing prayers will cause him yet to stumble more! God wants us to be aware of the evil around us, but not to be overcome by it. The purpose of this particular article is to help you to focus on faith instead of the fear which seems to be so prevalent.To "shore up" our faith we'll look at some scriptures, and a personal example God brought to my mind.
When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. - Isaiah 59:19b. This is a great promise to claim in the midst of this flood of evil.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. -I Corinthians 10:13. Don't believe Satan's lie that your situation is unique to you; others have gone through it as well! And God won't allow more to come upon you than He will enable you to bear.
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. -II Kings 6:15-17. Pray that we receive this kind of faith-based vision! God is invisible by nature, but His presence is tangible for those who believe.
One account that has encouraged me greatly is found in the book of Acts, chapter 12, primarily the first 19 verses. This is about the deliverance of Peter from Herod. Herod had killed the Apostle James, and he intended to kill Peter also. Peter was miraculously delivered from this death by an angel, but what had made the difference? The answer to that question is found in verse 5;
Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Bold type added to emphasize.
It was the prayers of the church that brought the victory! God's answer was so miraculous that the believers had trouble accepting it (verses 14 & 15). We must earnestly seek to pray much, much more. Please read this entire account-the praying believers were stunned that God had actually brought Peter to their door!
Again, it's easy to get discouraged for the times we are living in. The Word of God doesn't sugar-coat it, but instead tries to warn us about it in advance, and in TRUTH. The scriptures that God provides for us contain not only warnings of the bad, but encouragements of the good;
AND at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. -Daniel 12:1 & 2.
The underlining and bold type have been added for emphasis. God is at once warning us of a time of great trouble, but also of the Christian's deliverance. It may cost us our fleshly lives, but we will end up eternally safe with our God. Please see Isaiah 57:1 & 2, Revelation 12:11, and 14:13.
And while we may see the terrible nature of these days, we should not be discouraged from prayer; for God has limited the activities of Satan (Job 1:9-12), and also limited his knowledge. Even the sin-atoning death and resurrection of Jesus himself was hidden to the devil and his lackeys;
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. -I Corinthians 2:7 & 8.
We will even find encouragement to continue in our Christian fight of faith right in the book of Revelation itself. We know that a remnant of believers will be here until the very end; when God raptures the Church and brings judgment at Armageddon on the same day (Luke 17:29 & 30, Revelation 19:7-21). There is a promised "place in the wilderness" for Christians to flee to found in Revelation 12:14. Please also read the note of timely encouragement in Revelation 16:15, as the 2nd coming of Jesus draws near. And in Revelation 18:4 God is calling to HIS people to come out from mystery Babylon (Likely the United States) before it is judged. If God is calling to us in this way, brethren, at this time in 18:4, then we can rest assured that He will never leave us or forsake us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:38 & 39.
As we have already looked at in recent blogs, this Coronavirus scare is a false-flag event. The sickness itself is nothing, but the destructive counter-measures of the governments are sobering. This is a sign that there is a fast approaching storm which will engulf the world. But even now, along with this current troubling circumstance, there is opportunity for good. This Covid-19 clampdown could have been much worse. And with the unjust restrictions that have been forced upon us, we now have time; time which we might not have taken otherwise. Time to PRAY. Time to study the BIBLE. Time to make certain that we and our loved ones are ready to MEET GOD. And it is a great time to do your own research to uncover the TRUTH about Covid-19, and what's really been going on in the world.
Years ago I was working part-time at a nearby department store, about a half mile from my home. On this particular day I finished at 1 p.m., and began walking home. It was a hot summer day, and there was a chance of thunder storms in the forecast. Right from the start of my walk I was hearing thunder, coming from the west, but I saw nothing-the sky was clear and sunny.
But there was no mistaking what I was hearing. By the time I had gotten home, the thunder had grown louder, and there was a small area of dark clouds on the horizon (We live on a hill, so there is a good view of approaching weather). Because I was hearing such profound thunder, yet not seeing much, it occurred to me that this might be a very strong and dangerous storm. And so upon arriving home, I prayed prayers of protection for us, and for the mobile home park we are in.
When the storm finally overtook us, we had about 40 minutes of a very nice rain. There was no severe wind, lightning, or even thunder. To the outward appearance, there hadn't been anything to worry about, right? But we need to remember that when we pray, things can be happening that we may never be aware of. God let me see it this time, for the encouragement of future prayer...
The next day we received word on the damage. The local paper said that there was an estimated $2 million damage from the storm in our county. One woman had heard a crash in her yard, and when she went outside to investigate, she stepped on fallen electrical wires, and was killed. At my wife's workplace, a tree had fallen on the home of a co-worker. Another man at her work said that over 100 trees had been knocked down on his property. All of this was sobering information.
We need to start praying about the time we are in, and what awaits us in the near future. Even if this present crisis seems to pass by us with little damage, it is a forewarning of greater troubles ahead; troubles which the Bible assures us will come. Yet as sure as these troubles are, just as certain are the promises that God has given us to rest on. He is always the same, praise God!
And so when you see the storm in the distance that threatens to overtake us, close your eyes in prayer, and catch sight of Him whom the wind and sea obey. Remember His faithfulness, and His mercy. He may well choose us in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10), but He will be with us in that trial; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bear witness for us in Daniel chapter 3. After having these three cast into that fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar testified that he saw a 4th man in the fire with them, and His appearance was like the Son of God.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. -I Peter 5:8-10.
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