"The Mark"

 "But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?" (Hebrews 3:17 KJV)

  "Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites." (1 Corinthians 10:9 NLT)

 Having been in the wilderness, so to speak, I can relate to what it feels like when you just don't have the hope you should, especially when it seems things are never going to get better. Not that I don't have any hope for the life after this one, because that hope is pretty much all that I can really trust in; I am talking about having hope for this life, and what happens here, on planet earth.

 I took my wife to the movies the other day, to see the kid's movie, called, "Elio." It was okay, somewhat enjoyable, until the movie started to end and the credits started; then they announced how this movie is to give people the sense that they are not alone, and that there is life out there in space. 

 Actually, it was rather interesting how they showed the 'space' to be, as if it was taken from the Bible. I am talking about how heaven shows up, as if a window opens up, and there it is, right in this atmosphere. Something like we see in Ezekiel; or in Acts when Stephen sees the heavens open. 

 What it reminded me of was the Rapture, which I believe will be soon coming, and how the world will believe that the people taken were abducted by aliens. It's just one more sign to show us that things are falling into place! 

 Anywho; this verse from 1 Corinthians 10:9 is to show us the 'test' that was put to Christ! Simply put, the test was not multiple choice; there was only one way that people were saved that had been bitten, and that was by looking at the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up on a pole.  

 There is something about missing the Mark that has power to save...

"Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony. But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has even gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life."" (John 3:10-15 NLT)    

 

"Nevertheless"

 "For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt be Moses." (Hebrews 3:16 KJV)

  "For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls! In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and all night by a pillar of fire. He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them water, as from a gushing spring. He made streams pour from the rock, making the waters flow down like a river! Yet they kept on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved. They even spoke against God himself, saying, "God can't give us food in the wilderness. Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out, but he can't give his people bread and meat."" (PSALM 78:13-20 NLT)

 There are several different points that need to be made about the way we should receive this great salvation we have been given, as one that we use the most, as we share God's mercy, is that He saved us from going to hell. Yes, that is wonderful and should be something that gives us great joy and peace; but it is not the main reason that we must appreciate what He has done for us! 

 The first point that is sometimes forgotten about, is the heart of the Father; as it was, He offered His one and only Son, to be a sacrifice for our sins! This was something that hurt, even though He knew that the outcome would be greater than the actual torment; seeing His Son tortured and hung on a cross, is not something that brought Him great pleasure, to say the least! 

 But He did it for us, that we could have our sins removed, and so we could be set free from death! Yes, I said death, because with Adam sinning, we were separated from God and the life we should have had was cut off, because of sin. We were all born in sin, being separated from God! Longing for something to make our hearts whole, without even knowing what we were missing. 

 Then we acknowledge the Son, Christ Jesus! As He suffered and died to allow us to have fellowship with the Father, once and for all; His sacrifice on that cross gave us life, the life that was taken away by Adam's sin in that garden. 

 With that, what is the big deal about being saved from hell? If God really wanted that to be the reason to love Him, He could have just destroyed hell or made another way. But He choose to do it the hard way, making it count! There needed to be a punishment for our sins, in order for justice to be made, because God is just and holy...

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." (1 John 4:9-10 NLT)   

"Obstinate"

 "While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." (Hebrews 3:15 KJV)

  ""I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice. My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver! I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice. Those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries."" (Proverbs 8:17-21 NLT)

 This message from Proverbs is about wisdom, as most of you should know; and this verse we are looking at today, which continues the verses from the last few days, is also about making the right choices. To be perfectly honest, my choices are sometimes not the right ones! I hate to admit it, but there must be some sort of issue God still hasn't fixed in me; most likely because I refuse to let Him do it! 

 Much of what I have highlighted over this past week or so, is those who have been, shall we say, less than perfect. David being one, who God said he was, "a man after my own heart," which, from all the many messages that I have heard about that, it basically just means that David believed God had a heart of mercy and grace! No matter how bad he messed up, he knew that God still loved him! 

 It is hard sometimes to remember that, because we forget how much God loves us when we have made some terrible mistakes. And yes, I said mistakes! When Jesus was hanging on that cross, just before He died, He said, "Father, forgive them, for they no not what they have done!" This is because most of what we do that offends God, we don't really realize the condition of our hearts while we are doing them.

 When Nathan met up with David about his great sin with Bathsheba, he used an illustration of a poor man that has his neighbor take his precious little lamb, (which he treated like his child,) and feed it to a friend that was stopping be for a visit. David was furious, and wanted to know who that man was, and wanted to punish whoever had the nerve to do such a thing.

 Nathan said to David, "You are that man!" And he reminded David of what he had done...

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you." (PSALM 51:12 NLT)   

"Keep Holding On" - Too

 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;" (Hebrews 3:14 KJV)

  "My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins - and not only our sins but the sins of all the world." (1 John 2:1-2 NLT)

 For the last couple of days, I have heard several messages about this particular passage from John, especially that portion that says, "We have an advocate that pleads our case; Jesus Christ!" Yesterday was more direct than Monday, so it made me think that the Holy Spirit was really trying to stir up some hearts. I know He did mine, because there are times when I do get discouraged; mostly because I sometimes don't feal as though I have what it takes! 

 We really need to understand that the enemy of our souls is not nice; you can see that being illustrated in the Book of Job, as he really does not care how hard we suffer, especially when we start blaming God for the situation we might be dealing with. If that might be something you have felt, then you need to repent and tell God how sorry you are for blaming Him!

 Unfortunately, there are certain people that will use Isaiah 45:7 to validate the idea that God is to blame for everything that happens: "I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things." (NLT) It is not God's fault that man cannot obey Him! 

 Why else did He need to send His precious Son down here to die on a cross for our sins? It was man's fault that Jesus had to come and die for our sins, not God's! Everything that God did was for man's life to live in perfect splendor; everything was put in place for man to enjoy a beautiful earth; but Adam had to do the one thing God told him not to do! 

 That said, I am 110% sure that we will see Adam and Eve in heaven, because they realized that they sinned and were forgiven by God! That is something I feel is the most important thing God loves to do, forgive us of our sins! It was so important to Him, that He sent His Son to make it happen.

 Yesterday, Pastor Mike, got a little hard on Jonah, saying that he was an evangelist without compassion for the lost. This was because God wanted him to tell Nineveh to repent; and he knew that if they did, God would forgive them...

"And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. "Death is certainly better than living like this!" he exclaimed. Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?" "Yes," Jonah retorted, "even angry enough to die!" Then the LORD said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?"" (Jonah 4:6-11 NLT)   

"Keep Holding On"

"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;" (Hebrews 3:14 KJV)

  "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad - for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world." (1 Peter 4:12-13 NLT)

 Then again, sometimes we might not get the opportunity to comfort each other; as it goes, sometimes we are dealing with things that cause us to be too busy with our own issues, we don't have the time to deal with anyone else; or so it goes.   

 By the way, it might sound strange to some, but putting your own issues aside to help others, might be the thing that makes you least worried about yourself! God is more than able to take care of your issues, as He always has in the past. Think least about yourself and more about others! 

 I know quite a few people that will say that is a stupid thing to do. 'If you don't care for yourself, how can you care for others?' is what they say. There are certain things I know that I must do, and then there are certain things I know I need to not do: worrying about something that is happening in my life, is not one of the things I should do...

""Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"" (1 Kings 19:11-13 NLT) 

"Comfort One Another!"

 "But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (Hebrews 3:13 KJV)

  "But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like others. Stay alert and be clear headed. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation." (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 NLT)

 We must be looking after one another, not to be judging each other, but to comfort one another and lifting each other up. I know it might not be done as often as it should, because I might have someone comfort me, maybe once a month! Most everyone at church knows my situation, but I really don't think they know how to comfort me in that situation; so I try not to judge! 

 Besides this, we just need to encourage one another in the basic manor of living! It doesn't need to be about strength or weakness, but just about counting on the Lord and loving each other, regardless of the situation, we all have something that God is working on, in our lives. With some it might just be the ability to share Jesus, which is really not that hard to do, if you have been encouraged in the way to do so!

 I have shared this before, because it is something we must experience in order to know that it is so. When we share Christ with anyone, whether it is a believer or someone that needs to know about Him, we are being energized and filled with the Holy Spirit. It is as if there is a river of life flowing through us, as we share our testimony of what Christ has done. 

 Don't neglect to share with each other, because your testimony might be something that encourages them, and gives them the ability to share with someone else. To be perfectly honest, we really don't share with each other as we should...

"Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us." (1 John 3:21-24 NLT)    

"Don't Become Stubborn"

 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12 KJV)

  "So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body." (2 Corinthians 5:6-10 NLT)

 One of the last retreats I went to at Woodleaf, started out with this very interesting statement from the first speaker: "We only keep the sins that we like!" That might not sound as if it is some kind of mystery or something we really don't already know; but it is something that is true and hard to overcome. This might be news to some, especially to those that love their bodies: But your body belongs to the Lord! 

 There are certain things we might do, thinking that they are not all that harmful, as if they don't matter all that much, because no one sees what we are doing; but guess what: God sees, everything! Do you count on God to hear you when you pray? Then you must also believe that He sees you and knows everything you do. 

 It is really not something that I am making up! People do it naturally, all the time, without even thinking about it, it just comes naturally, because it is our human nature. It started with Adam and Eve, as they hid in the Garden, covered in fig leaves; as if God didn't know what they did, or where they were hiding. 

 It happened with David, as he plotted to have Uriah killed; being frustrated that he refused to go into his house to be with his wife, David didn't even think about God's ability to observe everything he did. It was as if he was stepping away from God, therefore God was not watching! But He always watches over us; He even sees the things within our hearts, even though we don't...

""Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can't come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Simon Peter replied, "Lord, where are you going?" And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later." "But why can't I come not, Lord?" he asked. "I'm ready to die for you." Jesus answered, "Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter - before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me."" (John 13:33-38 NLT) 

"The Peril of Unbelief"

  "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says:

"Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled." 

 "And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn't it the people who made God angry for forty years? Wasn't it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn't it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest." (Hebrews 3:12-19 NLT)

  We have come to that part of the message which has been the test of many Retreats and Conferences I have attended; besides the portions of Scripture still ahead, there are many times that this one quote is addressed, over and over again: "They will never enter my place of rest." 

 With that, I must say with every bit of belief that I can hold firmly in my heart: If we believe in Christ Jesus, and we have accepted the Salvation He has given us, we will be saved! 

Do you believe...

"Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:11-12 KJV) 

"Missed Opportunities"

 "So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)" (Hebrews 3:11 KJV)

  "For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. You have the authority to correct them when necessary, so don't let anyone disregard what you say." (Titus 2:11-15 NLT)

 Not that I have figured anything out, because as soon as I think I have something figured out, it has a tendency to fall apart, and I need to start all over again. This includes those things which cause us to sin, as we think that we have the ability to resist the old temptations, but given the opportunity, we don't. It is not because we don't have the ability to turn away, because we absolutely do; but it is because we like whatever it is that we do, even though it hurts! 

 Besides all of that, we have something different within us to change anything that is wrong in our lives, if we would just make the right choices. As it was for the children of Israel, they had everything they needed, but not everything that they wanted; so they missed out on something special: God's rest! 

 To be perfectly honest, this is not something we take away on our own; it is something that is looked forward to, as if it has already been established. If there is a better way to explain it, I would say that it is a lot like Abraham's trust in God, as the Bible says, 'Abraham looked for a city built by God.' So, in other words, the place of rest was not here on this earth but was a place to look forward to. 

 Therefore, we can't take it away, because it has already been established; but what we can do, is to neglect to enjoy the opportunity to be going there; not to say that it won't ever happen... 

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT) 

"Out of the Way"

 "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways." (Hebrews 3:10 KJV)

  "So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. Then they will not be like their ancestors - stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God." (PSALM 78:7-8 NLT)

 If you have been paying attention to anything going on in the political world, then you might have seen the results of the election in the primary for New York mayor. This is surely not your grandfather's Democratic Party! I think I voted Democrat in the 1976 election, which was the actual first time I ever voted. If memory serves, it was when I was at the recruiting center for the Navy, and everyone was given a ballot and instructed how to vote. I voted for the Peanut Farmer, Jimmy Carter! 

 Anywho, we shouldn't get too worried about what is happening in these elections, because the time is quickly coming when everything will be out of our control; or should I say, the control of those who are left here on this earth! If you ever get a chance to listen to Pastor Mike, he was pretty fired up yesterday, as he was sharing about all the pieces starting to fall into place. 

 As to my post yesterday, that was just my way of venting out some of my emotions; something I try hard not to do, because I try not to complain about anything difficult in my life. Seriously, I seldom complain to God, so why should I complain to anyone else? 

 We all have a cross to bear, in one way or another, so try not to complain! Instead, share what God will do through the cross that you bear; not that it is a burden, but a blessing...

"As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him, "Listen," he said, "we're going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead."" (Matthew 20:17-19 NLT) 

"Experienced" - Too

 "When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years." (Hebrews 3:9 KJV)

  "Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. So please don't lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored. When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And my you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:12-19 NLT)

 Please try and hear me out, as I try myself to make this understandable, it still might not compute to all that listen, without some sort of experience in the same arena; we all have separate journeys, some more difficult than others, but we all have the same love that carries us to the very end! 

 Paul was incarcerated in prison, yet he was not actually in chains and without freedom; even if he actually was locked down and bound in chains! That might not sound logical to some, but when we have God's blessing and we have purpose, we are given freedom beyond what most people can comprehend. It is really just a matter of what God's doing in our lives; the more we make ourselves available for Him to work through us, the more we experience His great love; and no matter what our situation is, we are just fine with where God has us, even if it is being locked up in prison.

 I know that I have shared this before, but it is something I feel needs to be shared again. When I was in jail, after getting saved and starting to fellowship with other believers, I began to feel as though God had me where I was for a purpose. The more I shared with others about Jesus, the more I felt free and really didn't feel as though I was incarcerated. 

 When I was taken to the main County Jail for my first early-release hearing, I came into the room, where I saw my wife and my boss seated there to stand up from my release. No sooner than when I took a seat, and the woman in the middle of the panel call out my name, saying, "Mr. Norrup, release denied!" To which I instantly proclaimed, "Praise the Lord!" 

 If you could have seen the faces of my wife and boss when I said that. They looked at each other as if I didn't really want to come home. That night I spoke to my wife, and she asked me if I didn't want to come home, But I assured her that I really did, but at the same time, I felt God still had something for me to do. 

 With that, coming to this current situation, being the condition of my wife. I feel as though this is a lot like being incarcerated; except it is more regarding my wife's situation more than myself. That said, we are one! So we are pretty much both incarcerated in the same situation; except hers is more restrictive and hardest to understand. 

 I love my wife with all my heart, and I hate to see her in this condition; it causes me to breakdown from time to time, begging God to heal her or take her home; yet He keeps showing me that He is still at work, in some way of another...

"But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently to those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT)      

"Experienced"

 "When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years." (Hebrews 3:9 KJV)

  "John's two disciples found Jesus and said to him, "John the Baptist sent us to ask, 'Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we be looking for someone else?'" At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. Then he told John's disciples, "Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard - the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, 'God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.'"" (Luke 7:20-23 NLT)

 As I finished yesterday's post, I was reminded about the children of Israel's complaint to Moses, over and over, they kept saying the same thing, "Was there not enough graves for us in Egypt?" Even though they saw His great and awesome power, over and over, they still would complain whenever things looked as though there might be a challenge or a need. 

 A little challenge, and we think about needs and wants, as if there isn't a way for God to work things out! Having crossed that experience as often as I have, you would think by now I would stop the worry and try to just be thankful for waking up! God is so faithful, as soon as we have a little resistance, we should just relax and remember how faithful He has always been. 

 The crazy thing about the complaints the people had, is, they actually did end up dyeing in the wilderness! The thing that they tried to blame God for, actually became what they experienced! Wouldn't it be nice if we just kept praising God for all the good things, and maybe we wouldn't experience so many things that don't seem that good...

"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death." (James 1:12-15 NLT) 

"Proving"

 "Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:" (Hebrews 3:8 KJV)

  "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm." (Ephesians 6:11-13 NLT)

 Something to consider, if you are having any doubts about your walk or the confidence you have in God's ability to keep you firmly in His mighty hand. As difficult as it might be to teach ourselves how to stay on the right path, God's way of teaching us, although it might not come with instructions, it does cause us to be stretched and turned inside-out! 

 We can do it the easy way, or we can let God take us through the wilderness; sometimes we don't really have a choice, but most every time we have assistance. When the children of Israel marched through the wilderness, they had God showing them the way, providing a cloud by day and a fire by night. Those were two very obvious things to go by, but God uses other things too, whatever it takes to get us to pay attention. 

 As for me, I am really hard-headed and don't get the message as much as I should. Call it a work-in-progress; but I seem to be stuck in loop, that keeps starting the progress over and over again! Which, if you have studied the children of Israel's journey through the wilderness, it isn't all that strange for us to keep making the same mistakes again and again...

"His disciples came and asked him, "Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?" He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use parables, For they look, but they don't see. They hear, but they don't really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, 'When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes - so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.'"" (Matthew 13:10-15 NLT)  

"Warnings"

 "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice," (Hebrews 3:7 KJV) 

  ""Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David."" (Isaiah 55:3 NLT)

  You must pay attention to what is going on in this world, because we are getting closer and closer to the Lord's soon return! I was listening to Pastor Jack the other day, speaking to Tony Perkins; they were talking about all the things which needs to happen to set up the beginning of the Tribulation; which is something that most of the church believes will happen after the Rapture. 

 There are some that still hold to the theory that the Rapture will happen, either in the middle of, or at the end of the Tribulation; but the Tribulation is God's wrath being poured out on the earth! We who hold to the belief in a pre-tribulation rapture, believe that Jesus will come for His bride before it all starts. This is because He is protecting His bride, and the massive amount of those who will be saved during that time, after that event, will be triggered because they will see the truth of what they had been told. 

 I know that there are many people who think differently, and we all should just get along; but if it makes any help to anyone sitting on the fence, Jesus will protect His bride from the wrath to come! There are several different reasons that this is shown throughout the Scriptures, but the most important is that the church is not mentioned during that seven-year period. 

 Anywho! I am very curious as to what comes next, after having been up most of the night listening to all that happen, and how secret everything was made to happen. It was really quite impressive to see how it was pulled off, almost as if there were angels that worked behind the curtain to hide what was going on. 

 We must understand that God protects Israel, especially in these times right now, with the coming time of the Tribulation! The children of Israel will be amazingly changed... 

""Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me! You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god. For is was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. "But no, my people wouldn't listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes! Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him; they would be doomed forever. But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock."" (PSALM 81:8-16 NLT) 

"Living Hope" - 3

 "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end," (Hebrews 3:6 KJV)

  "Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory." (Romans 5:1-2 NLT) 

 Regardless of what anyone might think, our past is something that is just that, in the past; and there is no way that anything we have ever done can be undone. That said, the forgiveness that we have been given by what Christ did on that cross, is more than enough to undo anything, which basically means, we are justified in God's sight: Just as if we have never sinned! 

 We can dwell on the past, if that is what you think makes you cautious and careful to stay out of trouble; but if you really want to experience the freedom and peace that your salvation has given you, you really need to look forward to sharing in God's glory! In other words, don't dwell on the things which cannot be changed, but focus on the things which can, looking forward to those things which God has provided for you to do. Like an anxious servant, looking for the next adventure the Master has you to do.

 Anywho, that is what I remember most about what works best in this life of serving our King; so that is what I think I will try to keep doing! Try is really not the right motivational word for getting things done, because we fail so often to get it right; but with the Lord's help, trying becomes something that basically means: Just showing up...

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24 NLT)