"Standing Upright"

"He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation." (Psalms 89:26)
If you really want to know, I was first going to title yesterday's post, Casual Encounters; but then I typed the word into Bing, and you would not believe what came up. I was basing that on the vision I saw while praying, which was a school of fish all swimming in a certain direction, yet, one fish was swimming in the other; and every so often, a random fish would encounter the counter swimmer and follow it; maybe thinking it knew something all the other fish didn't. Now you know how my head works; just don't tell anyone. There is so much tension in the world right now, it would appear that we are on the cusp of something happening. I wouldn't get worried over any of it, because it's all just part of God's last minute awakening; something that has needed to happen for a very long time. To properly understand the meaning of what is being said, one needs to understand the context and value of what it means to be created, governed, and protected; all by the same Unchanging, All-Knowing, Merciful, and Loving God. Things can really get pretty weird and maybe even life-threatening; but if God tells us we are going to the other side of lake, then guess what, We are going to the other side of the lake! As I was praying about this post, I saw a vision of a man fighting a fierce storm; leaning foreword, as into the wind, he was pushing onward, but always upright and standing as tall as he possibly could. One thing that Paul was trying to make Timothy understand, was that he should never feel ashamed of the Good News, not even if the one helping to spread it, such as himself, might be in prison. It is really nothing new, that the general population would be offended by someone who might try and spread the truth. Most people really don't want to hear it, because it disrupts their way of life or makes them uncomfortable. I would call your attention to the Major Prophets, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel; all of whom were not all the popular with the general public, and especially with those in power. It really does not take a whole lot of study and research to understand that the world is at odds with the One True God; people want to make up their own gods, to suit their pleasures and to go along with own way of life. I love the story about when the Philistines put the Ark into the temple along side their god Dagon. They discovered their god face down before the Ark; and when they put back upright, they found it face down again, but this time it was only a stump...
"Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame. He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to bring charges against me now? Where are my accusers? Let them appear! See, the Sovereign LORD is on my side! Who will declare my guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!" (Isaiah 50:7-9) NLT