"No Turning Back!"

 "And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned." (Hebrews 11:15 KJV)

  "Don't worry about anything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

 This might just be the same topic from the last two days, as it takes into consideration to what really matter most, and how knowing what the Lord has promised, is not only true, but we have the peace of God in believing it is where we are going. That really makes a very big difference to any reason we might think about turning back to our old life, which, in my opinion, is not possible for those who truly believe that Jesus is coming back to bring them home.  

 As silly as it might sound, but the other night when President Trump was again in a situation where he might have been taken out, the first thing that popped into my head was, 'The Last Trump', which is the trigger that actually sets off the rapture to happen. Not that I am looking for anything to happen, because I do truly believe he has been appointed by God and is doing good; much different than the one who was before him, that much is for sure! 

 We must always be ready for the Lord's return to take up the church; even though we might slack off from time to time, living and planning in this world in which we are Pilgrams! There really isn't any reason to stop living and providing for others; but there is a very special reason that we do our best to be ready...  

"As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go." But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head." He said to another person, "Come follow me." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God." Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say goodbye to my family." But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."" (Luke 9:57-62 NLT) 

"Our Heavenly Home!" - Too

 "For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country." (Hebrews 11:14 KJV)

  "Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."" (1 Corinthians 2:6-9 NLT)

 Looking at it from a little different vantage point, God has been telling us throughout all the Old Testament Scriptures what He has been planning, ever since to beginning; it just wasn't made plainly seen until Jesus Christ came and made all those dots into a picture, that made the mystery plainly seen! Yes, we still don't know everything; but we know enough to see the truth: and it is the Truth that sets us free!

 A message I heard the other day made me realize what that actually looks like, because Truth is the first article the is put on, for us to be dressed in the Armor of God. Truth is the Belt, with which everything else is made usable and with which we can hold both the Shield and the Sword, without having hold up something else; if you know what that looks might like.

 Without the Truth, there really is nothing else that is absolutely absolute! Without the Belt of Truth, you will have no way to completely and sincerely use all the other articles of The Armor of God, for real! 

  Your Breastplate of Righteousness will not shield your heart, because without Truth, you feel as though in your heart, that God has fully forgiven your sins. Your Shoes of Peace will wear out quickly, because without Truth, the Good News won't seem good enough to spread the Message. Your Shield of Faith won't shield you from the fiery darts, because without the Truth, your faith will not be strong enough to stop the devil, with his lies. Your Helmet of Salvation will not protect your mind, because without Truth, you will not truly believe as you should and will not really know His peace. And you're taking up of the Sword of the Spirit, without Truth, will not yield the power, the Word of God should yield!   

 What that all means, unconditionally and completely: With out the Truth, how can you truly believe that Heaven is your Home! Knowing the Truth means that we believe what God has written, and when we truly believe, then everything else will be perfectly fine, no matter what trials we might go through...

"For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for the Christ. So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live." (Philippians 1:21-23 NLT) 

"Our Heavenly Home!"

"For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country." (Hebrews 11:14 KJV)

  "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT)

 Just to set the record straight, I make every effort to express the truth that is throughout the Bible, mostly because I believe it and know, without a doubt, it all is real and cannot be proven wrong; besides all of that, it gives me hope, that is keeping me filled with the joy, a joy this world can never give me! For those who might doubt that the Bible is really true, I would challenge you to read all of the prophecies that are written, just the ones about Jesus Christ, and then research when they were written; you will be amazed! 

 That said, this is the reason we never give up, no matter who says what, or how we might struggle over certain things we just don't understand, which are most likely many! There are so many different ways that people give up, whether it be personal or because of someone else, things just don't go the way they were expecting and feel they let down or abandoned. We are never alone! Everything that could go wrong in this world is because this isn't where be belong, our real home is in Heaven! 

 I truly hope that is what you believe, also, because it is the only real way that you can have peace in any storm and joy in every circumstance...

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not be human hands." (2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT) 

"Seeing With Your Heart" - To

 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13 KJV) 

  "Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my cries for help! Don't ignore my tears. For I am your guest - a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me." (PSALM 39:12 NLT) 

 As with almost every other person who loves the Lord, asking for help is sometimes hard to do; mostly because you feel as though He is already helping, so why try and mess things up, when you know that He is working all things for the good? Thankfully, I truly believe that He loves that we ask Him for help! As a matter of fact, He has made it perfectly clear throughout the entire Bible: "Call on Me, and I will listen!" 

 Hopefully we can all agree that is true, and He really does care about all the things we are dealing with, here on this place we call earth. By the way, earth is about eight light-minutes away from the sun; so, if you really want to worry about anything, that might be an interesting subject to deal with. Fortunately, I know somebody that has it all taken care of, at least for a while! 

 The whole point in all of this, has to do with our ability to totally and completely trust in God, no matter what! We might not know what tomorrow brings, but we can be absolutely certain about the future! At least that is what I'm going with, because the Bible tells me so...

"Therefore, I will always remind you about these things - even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone. For we are not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shinning in a dark place - until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:12-19 NLT)     

"Seeing With Your Heart"

 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13 KJV) 

  "The crowd responded, "We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man anyway?" Jesus replied, "My light will shine for you just a little while longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light." After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them." (John 12:34-36 NLT)

 Last night Pastor Bryan shared something that was interesting about his travels, as he told us that he takes his wife with him the first time he goes to a new location, like Nepal; so that when he goes there again to do ministry, she will picture where he is at, feeling somewhat connected with him. I thought that was really something really close to what I shared the other day, about the dream God gave to Abraham, when He showed him how his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years, making Abraham remember they were real and they were always seen in his heart.

 That reminds of a song we use to sing, many years ago: "Open the eyes of my heart." There really is something that takes place in us, when we actually open up our hearts to not only believe, but receive what we are longing for and make it something real in our hearts! Something to think about, when you are feeling a little down and think you are alone.

 You are never alone! You might think you are, but that is just your mind that creates the illusion that tries to trick you, making feel as though it is safe to do whatever you want. There really is a big difference between believing and receiving; when you know He is living in you, you pay closer attention to what you are doing! It is really a matter of the heart...

"But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: "LORD, who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?" But the people couldn't believe, for as Isaiah also said, "The LORD has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts - so their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them." Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah's glory. Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn't admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God." (John 12:37-43 NLT) 

"Faith That Endures"

 "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16 NLT) 

  ""Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."" (John 14:1-4 KJV)

 I know that I can sometimes get carried away and be, shall we say, over the edge; but this little heart of mine really does want to shine, so I keep trying to let it! When I first started this blog, it basically was to just become something that included Marianne and me, and this spectacular journey. If you have been able to see the home page, then you would maybe have noticed we were in a motorhome, which was one of the times we were leaving on a trip. 

 If you look closely enough, there is a caption up in the left-hand corner, below our names that says, "Count it all Joy!!!." What else can we possibly do? What a miserable life we would be having if all we did was complain and feel as though life was over. When I really can actually have joy in knowing that God is working in both of our lives, for His will and purposes! 

 I don't really get to see everything that God is doing, but I do know that He is doing something and that there will come a time when everything will be revealed, because He has said so. In the meantime, we are meant to rejoice and be glad for what we have been given; even if it doesn't aways feel good, God is always good, no matter what! 

 I have said it before, and I will keep believing it is so: God will absolutely heal my wife, this much I am very sure of, one way or another, she will be totally healed! In the meantime, we must count it all joy, and keep looking forward to that glorious home...

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many people." (1 Timothy 6:12 KJV) 

"God of Wonders"

 "Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable." (Hebrews 11:12 KJV)

  "Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping - believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead - and so was Sarah's womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God's promises. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises." (Romans 4:18-21 NLT)

 As I was thinking about this, somewhat wonderful promise, I could only imagine what it was like for Abraham to gaze up at the stars, seeing that amazing sight, and imagining his descendants filling those skies. What an amazing sight that could have been! As it is now here at my house, I can almost count the stars in the sky, because of the light pollution that drowns out the light of the stars. 

 Being in the pest control industry has made me realize over the years that even the smallest creatures have amazing characteristics, like mites, for example. One time I was at a conference for our industry, when I was given a free magnifying glass that had a light. I saw a small speck on the table and took a look under the glass and saw the strangest looking creature. It had spikes all over its body and almost looked as if it was prehistoric in nature. The thing was a Dust Mite! Which was something my mother always warned me about, saying, "Clean up the dust under or bed, or you will have Dust Mites!" 

 There is just something about God's creation that makes it impossible to not believe that He is a God of Wonders! Once you realize how amazing God is and how incredible He designed everything to work and how He holds everything together, you can only be convinced that He is able to do whatever He promises to do, always and forever...

"Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For he loves us with unfailing love; the LORD'S faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!" (PSALM 117 NLT)   

"The Living Hope"

 "Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." (Hebrews 11:11 KJV)

  "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)

 Okay, so we looked at what Sarah did that was wrong, but now we need to try to understand how God is able to make things right, even for those who might doubt Him, He always has a way! If God says that Sarah was going to conceive, then there is no doubt, she will have a son! Furthermore, the birth of her son was real to her, after Haggar conceived, she repented having made that choice; and when she laughed, it was to herself, but God called her out anyways; so, she knew then, that He wasn't kidding!  

 Having some doubts about doing things God might be asking us to do, is really not all that uncommon; there are always obstacles and hardships that are in the way, but every hardship and obstacle is the way God increases our faith and gives us the reason to trust in Him, more and more. Faith is not our doing; it is God's doing through us! 

 I will never forget Pastor Gary's message about learning how to drown. As he was illustrating what it looked like, he was leaning away from his pulpit, almost as if he was floating on water. The point he was making was that of what most people do when they are drowning, they fight it, and the lifeguard that tries to save them will just let them drown; otherwise, they might get hurt themselves. 

 God obviously won't be hurt trying to save us, but we must surrender and fall into His arms! It really isn't that we give up; instead, we give it all to God...

"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT)  

"Sarah was Able!"

  "It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead - a nation with so many people that, as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them." (Hebrews 11:11-12 NLT)

  "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed to you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:4-8 KJV)

 With some kind of humility, I will try to illustrate what this all means, and why Paul's statement to the church in Corinth has any sort of connection with what we might see in Hebrews 11:11. If you know what kind of things Sarah did, which were wrong, then you would also know that she really didn't think that God was going to give her the ability to have a child. 

 Looking at the obvious things that stand out, the fact that she laughed when she heard God tell her husband that she was going to give birth, was made known to Abraham, because God knew and heard her laugh at what He said. The other very obvious thing she did that was wrong, was offering her handmaiden to Abraham, saying that maybe God was talking about it being her, since they were somewhat connected. Obviously, Abraham was okay with that offering and didn't make an argument over it.  

 This might be a surprise to some, but God used this blunder for good; as it was, the offspring from the child born from Hagar, Ishmael, actually were the traders that came by when Josheph was in the pit. His brothers sold him to them, and they took him and traded him in Egypt. Which then turned into the whole family of Jacob being saved from the famine.

 This was also the connection to the dream that God gave Abraham, telling him about his descendants being slaves for 400 years in a foreign land. God really can make our mistakes work for the good...

"And we know thar all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purposes. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn of many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:28-31 KJV)  

"The Better Promise!"

 "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:10 KJV)

  "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthy body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands." (2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT)

 Not that it makes me give up, but this thing that I do every morning isn't to gain followers or even get some kind of admiration, so it really doesn't bother me if nobody pays attention or cares what I say. This is just something I chose to do, because it keeps me going, day after day! Something is better than nothing, because there were just too many times when I failed to keep my fellowship with the Lord consistent; especially something I did each and every morning, no matter what! 

 The point of yesterday's post was to show how God gave Abraham a vision of what his descendants will go through, which, I believe made Abraham feel for them and care about them: which, actually made him fervently believe they were his offsprings and God was absolutely going to fulfill His promise, no matter what. As for the agreement, or contract that God made with Abraham, it was only two things which passed through the pieces that were on the ground, as the Bible says: "After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses." (Genesis 15:17 NLT) 

 This reminds me of the rainbow which God places in the sky, as a reminder of His promise to never again flood the entire earth. As it has been told, in the original writing, it says, bow, not rainbow. Therefore, if it is His bow that is seen, the bow is pointed upward, towards heaven. Which way will the arrow go the next time He performs judgement on the whole entire earth? Who will be the One who receives His judgement? 

 What an awesome and amazing God we serve...   

""No one has ever 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. "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."" (John 3:13-17 NLT)   

"Believing the Promise"

 "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:" (Hebrews 11:9 KJV)

  "This was Stephen's reply: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appealed to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, 'Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you. So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.

 "But God gave him no inheritance here, not even a square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants - even though he had no children yet. God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 'But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,' God said, 'and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.'"" (Acts 7:2-7 NLT)

 If you have been following this blog for a while, (over a decade ago,) then you might have recalled this message, one which I shared at church, regarding the time God made a covenant with Abraham. As it was, God told Abraham to lay out a portion of dead animals, cut them in half, all except the birds, and they would sign a covenant together. 

 Basically, the way it was meant to work in those days, was the men who made a covenant to each other, would walk among the dead animals, promising to each other, saying, 'Let this, and more, be done to me, if I neglect to keep my part in this covenant.' However, God caused Abraham to go to sleep, while He performed the covenant on His own! If you really think about it, that might have been a covenant the Father made with the Son, who would be a descendant of Abraham many years later. 

 Anywho, the main point of this moment was when God gave Abraham a dream, the one that Stephen was sharing to those who were going to stone him. As I shared before the church, this was God's way to give Abraham more faith about the promise, as he became more positive of their existence, seeing how they would be slaves for 400 years, feeling sadness for them; and seeing them redeemed, and back in the land of promise. 

 As I was saying yesterday morning, God makes a way, one way or another...

"This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."" (Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT)    

"God's Choice!"

 "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." (Hebrews 11:8 KJV)

  "Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD. Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him. Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, you children of his servant Abraham, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones." (PSALM 105:1-6 NLT)

 There is a very special reason I shared what I did yesterday, because the main reason Abraham did what he did, is pretty much like everyone else does: We have doubts! I'm not saying that Abraham didn't have faith, because for the most part he tried to do what God said, even though he sometimes made wrong choices!

 And with that, everything that Abraham did, that was wrong, God used it for good, in one way or another! There are so many examples of this, more than I think we can ever know: as I believe it also works with all of us, that try to serve the Lord in every way we know how, but from time to time we make mistakes and give God a reason to use those mistakes for good; most of which we will never see in our lifetime! 

 Some simple examples are seen in the things we don't see, like the little things that become a really big deal, once they take place. Take Lot for instance, as it was Abraham's choice to bring his nephew Lot on his journey, even though God's call to him only involved his immediate family. Yet, it was one of Lot's daughters that had a son she named Moab, which centuries later brought Ruth into the picture, who was the grandmother of king David. 

 All that I am trying to say, is that this was God's choice to call Abraham, with all his faults and all his wrong choices, God choose him because He had a plan that could not fail, because in was His choice! What He chooses to do, it gets done, one way or another...

"He is the LORD our God. His justice is seen throughout the land. He always stands by his covenant - the commitment he made to a thousand generations. This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel and a never-ending covenant: "I will give you the land of Cannan as your special possession."" (PSALM 105:7-11 NLT)   

"The Faith of Abraham"

   "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith - for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." (Hebrews 11:8-10 NLT)

  "Now the LORD said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from the kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3 KJV)

 Having realized how hard it is to trust in the promises of God, we must understand that trust is a product of faith; without faith, there is no way that we can trust and believe in the promises of God, no matter how good they might sound, if we don't have the faith to believe, we will struggle to have trust in what God has promised. Yes, Abram left home as he was told, but the journey was not without failure to trust that God was protecting him and was going to fulfill the promise. 

 A little example of what that looks like, was when he went to Abram went to Egypt, telling his wife to pretend to be his sister, so that no one would try to kill him, as they might want to take her...

"And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold, now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee." (Genesis 12:11-13 KJV)

"Noah's Commission"

 "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 KJV)

  ""No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house."" (Luke 11:33 NLT)

  We can only imagine what it might have been like for Noah's struggle, with not only building the ark, but dealing with those who were arguing against what he was doing. Some scholarly estimates say it was 50 to 75 years that it took for Noah to build that Ark; while others say it could have been 120 years. Yet, the general belief is placing it around 100; as it is believed that Noah was 500 years old when God told him to build it, and he was 600 years old when God sealed him in it and flooded the earth. 

 Whatever it was, there must have been challenges that caused him to take so long; most likely, he himself may have had doubts from time to time, as to what he was doing. For whatever reason, a hundred years is a pretty long lifetime for anyone in this current age; one can only imagine the ups and downs anyone might go through in the amount of time. 

 This is one of the main reasons that many of us believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, not only Enoch's departure, but that God protected and sealed Noah inside the ark, saving him from the judgement that was about to take place on the whole earth. There are so many reasons for us to believe that the rapture will come; more and more, we see this earth is getting closer and closer; just when we think it has gotten better, it goes seriously worse and out of control. 

 Noah had been given a commission to not only build the ark, but to also save his family; something we all should try and do, because they need us to shine the Light! And right now, in this time we are living in, that Light needs to shine brightly...

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes - the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, " It is through faith that a righteous person has life."" (Romans 1:16-17 NLT)   

"Noah's Big Boat"

 "It is by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith." (Hebrews 11:7 NLT)

  "And it came to pass at end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came to me saying, Son of Man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." (Ezekiel 3:16-19 KJV)

 If you didn't know this, almost every continent on this earth has some version of great flood, and the boat that Noah built to save the animals and his family. This was a really big deal to God; something that He was grieved over, but He had to do it, even though it grieved His heart. 

 It is said that it took Noah almost 100 years to build the Ark, and he was 600 years old when he and his family entered the Ark. You really can't imagine what it was like for him, as those around him, mocked him and made fun of him, because he prepared for the way to be saved from the flood.

 It had never rained before, so just him warning them about what was going to happen, was something that they could not believe; let alone, their lack of fear that they had for God! Genesis 6:5 says, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." 

 Yesterday, we had Pastor Mike share at our church service. He also spoke at our Men's Conference on Saturday, when he made references to the fact that these United States will not be the same place it once was, very soon; because of the wickedness that is taking over, in almost every way, and in every form. This is something that I have noticed too but was hoping that President Trump could slow down the wickedness; at least a little!

 Unfortunately, the wickedness is rising up underground, almost as if it isn't really noticed by many people. We that know the truth, know that the prince of this earth is the devil; and that he is the one that is causing all this, so called wickedness; of which, more and more of our citizens don't think that it is really that wicked! 

 Pastor Mike is making sure that he doesn't remain silent, because he knows that he will be held accountable, if he remains silent. Surprisingly, yet not so much, many of those who are believers, will hear is words and mock him, thinking he is just making it up. That is a lot like Noah's warnings that the earth was going to flood; yet no one listened or believed him...

"Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he was warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul." (Ezekiel 3:20-21 KJV)