Without fuel the fire goes out....

During my studies this morning, I read this quote in one of the commentaries and it really impressed me as so true: “It is the nature of a fire to go out; you must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed.” I often pray that the Lord will keep my heart on fire with love and devotion for Him and His Word, and pray that for you guys as well, and that's what I was thinking of when I read this quotation. A fire can't burn without fuel and our fuel of course is His Word.

To me, the worst thing in the whole world that could ever happen to me would be to lose my passion for the Lord and His Word. I know that I can't possibly maintain it by myself, so that's why I always pray that He will keep it going for me, and because it's His Will, I know I can trust Him to do so. But I also know that I have to do my part too and stay in His Word every day. Some people make sure they take vitamins every day to stay healthy. For me, I make sure I take my spiritual vitamins every day to stay healthy. It may not have done much for my physical body, but it's certainly strengthened my spiritual one! That always reminds me of what Paul said about it to Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:8 —For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. *

“It is the nature of a fire to go out; you must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed.” So we feed our fire with God's Word, but then how do we keep it stirred? We stir it with fellowship with other believers. Fellowship is very important for many reasons. Remember when Jesus sent out His disciples to preach, He never sent them alone, but always two together.

Finally, we remove the ashes by worshiping God and praising Him. This refreshes our spirits and strengthens us too. Remember that the Joy of the Lord is our strength, and also that we're told repeatedly to both give thanks in all things and to always rejoice.

All three are needed- God's word, fellowship, and praise and worship. We really can't just pick one and leave out the rest or our fire won't burn well or long. I know I didn't do these in the same order as the quotation goes. I just wrote what I thought as I thought it and apparently my mind doesn't always put things in the proper order. That's ok though. I just wanted to share that quotation with you and a few of my thoughts about it. Just a refection to start the day off thinking about the Lord and all He does for us.

Our trials with other people and our future

I wanted to share with you something the Lord reminded me about during my study time today. I was studying in 1 Samuel 21 and continuing about David and all the troubles and trials he went through.

We know that the Lord has plans for our future - both our future here in this world as well as for our eternal future. God doesn't decide, "this person's going to do this, and that person's going to do that". He chooses our futures based on the talents and desires He gives us and then He prepares us for that future. Nothing happens in our lives that is an "accident". God knows in advance what's going to happen, what choices people are going to make, both good and bad that will affect us. So He uses those things to prepare us for the wonderful future He has planned for us. This includes everything that happens to us even before we're saved, for God knows who belongs to Him and doesn't waste time waiting on us to finally make our decision. (Thank You Lord!)

We can be absolutely sure then that no matter what is happening to us, that the Lord is using it to prepare us for that wonderful future. That's partly what His Word is talking about when it says that all things will work together for our good. We can also know that everything is also being used to help us become more and more like Christ.

Then why aren't people more like Christ as they get older and go through more in their lives? Simply because most people don't realize this and they fight against it. Obviously, the unsaved don't know about it and they're not going to actively try to cooperate with what God is using the situation for. Instead they'll fight against it. Of course God know this too and will use that as well. If they are one of His children, they'll eventually be saved and will begin to grow more like Christ. They'll also develop their talents and gain desires that will lead them in the direction the Lord has planned for them.

What is amazing to me is that even though most of us fight God and refuse to cooperate with Him, even so, His Will is done and we will still eventually develop those talents, desires and characteristics needed for the future the Lord's planned for us. I imagine it takes a lot longer then it would if we had cooperated with Him, but either way, it happens.

One of the biggest things He has to teach us is of course to trust Him. That's a lesson He works with us on all our lives, over and over again in many different ways and situations, to grow our faith and trust.

What does this have to do with trials and problems in our lives? Well one of the things we tend to do constantly is to trust other people instead of God or at least in addition to God. So He is constantly having to show us and remind us that other people are going to constantly let us down, or even purposely mislead us -even those we love and those who love us. They can't help it any more then we can help letting other people down sometimes. It's all that nasty sin nature which makes it "normal" for us to do that. It's only because of God's Grace and help that we who are saved can overcome that ourselves.

Often when our problems or trials are being caused because other people have hurt us somehow, it's because the Lord is teaching us or reminding us that we can only trust Him, not ourselves and not other people. Think about it. When something "bad" happens, what's our first reaction usually? Is it to immediately go to prayer and ask the Lord how to handle it and what to do? Or is to to "figure things out for ourselves" or to ask a friend or a "professional" for advice? I have to admit that for me it's often to figure it out myself or ask someone else for advice.

But, I'm getting better! It's only taken the Lord 57 years to get me to come to Him first sometimes.  My prayer is that before I turn 58, it will be ALL the time!

Hezekiah is a wonderful example of this! The story is in 2 Kings 18 and 19 for those who'd like to read it. Hezekiah was only 29 when this trial I'm speaking of began - the King of Assyria attacked them and was very good at psychological warfare. He knew all the right things to say to cause the people and King Hezekiah to doubt God, but Hezekiah held firm to his faith. He even had one of his commanders stand up after they had Judah under siege and announce to them that God wouldn't save them and that God had even told them to come and capture them!  He sent Hezekiah a letter basically telling him the same thing and telling him what awful things would happen to him and the people if they didn't surrender right away.

What did Hezekiah do? At 29 years old, he was more spiritually mature then I am at 57! He didn't hesitate even for a second. After reading the letter, he immediately went to the Temple and spread the letter out before the Lord and prayed to Him about it, asking Him to deliver them and what he should do! Can you believe it???? What a fantastic role model for us! (In answer, the Lord sent Isaiah to him to tell him what would happen and how He would deliver them) I've got to share with you how the Lord did it too, check this out: 2 Kings 19:35 —That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! * The Lord rewarded Hezekiah for his faith and for coming to Him instead of trying to figure things out for himself or getting advice from others first.

Hezekiah didn't react to any of the verbal threats or to the letter. If you read the story, He even told the people not to react to them, to literally "say nothing" when they were taunted. He went to the Lord for directions and help and received them. The Lord absolutely loves it when we ask Him for help and He loves it even more when we trust Him to deliver us and to use the situation for our good. When we cooperate with Him, then we can move toward that wonderful future He has for us much more quickly, as we become the people He created us to be.

It's difficult for us because we tend to live by sight rather then by faith, so when we see and hear someone or many people lying about us or a loved one, or saying things that hurt us in some way, or cheating us, or whatever the situation is, we forget all about the Lord and just strike back. We "stand up for our rights", not realizing that often in the process we're negating all that the Lord is trying to teach us and show us. Forgetting that He told us to "love them" unconditionally, and sacrificially; forgetting that He tells us to put their needs before our own. Or, perhaps I should say "I do things like that" and not "we". Like I said though, little by little I'm learning and I really am getting better. While it's often still my first instinct to react in those ways, I'm now often able to prevent myself from going beyond the first thought and turn and do things God's way instead. Someday I hope to be able to always react to people who I feel are hurting me or attacking me somehow, the way He wants me to. I know from His Word that's one of the things He tries to develop in each of us so that we will become more like Jesus and be ready to fulfill the role He has for our future.

Jeremiah 29:11–13 —For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. *Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. *You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. *

God showed me something incredible about us!

I've been studying in Exodus lately and had gotten to the part where they're making the tabernacle or basically their traveling temple lol This morning, I commented to the Lord that while I'd enjoyed the study and did learn some interesting things, I felt as though I hadn't really learned anything that was really important to me. In earlier chapters I'd seen tons of things that applied to us and that was important, but in these, well, I just really didn't.... know what I mean? I"m talking about Exodus 35-40 mainly. I asked Him if I was missing something and of course I was and of course, He then began to show me. He first told me to go back to when it starts which is when Moses has to go back up the mountain for another 40 days to get another copy of the 10 commandments and hear the rest of the instructions. (chapter 32)

So I went back and the first thing that caught my attention was again how Moses was upset that the Lord had told him that because of Israel's idolatry with the calf, that He would no longer go with them, He'd just send an angel instead. I'm sure we're all quite familiar with these verses but I'll post them so we're all on the same page:

Exodus 33:15–16 —Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. *How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Remember, up till then the Lord had been leading them in a way that everyone could see ever since they left Egypt.

Exodus 13:21–22 —By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. *Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
This was the "cloud" that sat atop Mt Sinai now, that Moses walked into to speak with the Lord and that the Lord told the people that no one else could come on the mountain while He was there. And the glory of God surrounding him like that is what caused Moses' face to glow so that he had to wear a veil to cover it.

OK, so Moses is wanting God to continue to lead them in such a way that the rest of the world will know without a doubt that they've been chosen by Him; that they're different, special and set apart by God. Moses was saying to God that if He didn't go with them like this, the rest of the world would have no way of telling that they were different and because of that, God wouldn't receive the glory He should from all He'd done for them. They might as well be children making up fanciful tales otherwise. Because God was pleased with Moses, He agreed to continue to go with them which was a great relief to all!

The Lord reminded me that just as His presence went with them, it also goes with us all the time from the moment we're saved! This is what sets us apart from the rest of the world too! It's what makes us special, and different from the rest of the world.

Of course I had to say, "but Your Presence with us isn't visible like it was with them!" He reminded me though, that His visible presence wasn't always with them either, but had only been there during that critical beginning. After that, they had His laws, the way He'd told them to worship Him, etc well established in their lives which set them apart from the rest of the world just as much as His visible presence had before. Plus of course they had their prophets, judges, miracles etc which helped as well. God had also commanded them to tell the children of each generation all about this so they would know it so well it would be as though they'd seen it themselves. So their very lifestyle, attitudes, worldview, set them far apart from the rest of the world and made them quite different. (and still does!)

Unfortunately, they got an important part of it wrong. Instead of all they were taught causing them to realize their sinfulness and need of a Savior, they got caught up in the outward actions of obeying laws and rituals becoming proud, forgetting that there was a living God behind it all. They became snobs and instead of being a light to the rest of the world, they wanted nothing to do with anyone else and purposely isolated themselves. Because of that, the nation as a whole rejected Jesus when He came and the rest of the world was given the opportunity to Know the Lord and take over the job that had originally been given to Israel - to be His representative and a light to all.

OK, so what's so great about all this? At the exact second that we were saved, the Presence of God came to dwell within us! I know, we hear that all the time; no big deal. But wait, it really IS a big deal and I'd like to share some reason why it is that relates to all the above. Remember how Moses' face glowed after he'd been with the Lord? Do you know why it did? Was it just because He'd been in God's presence? Well, yes, and no. If we examine the life of Moses from birth to now, we see that he very obviously had grown spiritually a great deal during all this time. By the time they got to Sinai, Moses already had established a very close personal relationship with God. The bible calls Moses, "God's friend" and that's amazing! Because he loved God and was so close to Him, God's glory shined out of him too. See, Moses didn't have to go up into the cloud to talk to the Lord. He talked to God all the time anyway! God had already told Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) back when Moses asked him to continue to lead them all. So the glow was simply the spirit of God kind of "leaking" through for all to see. (sorry, lol, couldn't think of a better way to say that)

Now, the words "My Presence" in that verse is the word that's used for "Spirit" or "Holy Spirit" or "Spirit of the Lord" or "Spirit of God" etc. in other verses in both the old and new testament. At salvation, God's Presence, His Spirit, comes to dwell in us as He will never leave us! Jesus told us that the reason for this was so He could teach us, guide us, protect us, comfort us, etc. Jesus told His disciples that they need not feel bereft when He left, because when He left the earth physically, they would have something even better! Up till then, He Himself had taught them, guided them, protected them, and comforted them etc. but then they would have His Spirit dwelling within them who would continue to do all that for them! What is the purpose of the Spirit dwelling in us though, besides doing all the things just mentioned of course? Yes, He is our guarantee of eternal life, but there's still more. He sets us apart from the rest of the world just as God's presence set Israel apart from the rest of the world!

As we grow in our faith, God's presence in our lives become more and more obvious to the people around us. The more obvious it becomes, the more it sets us apart from others who don't have Him in their lives. The closer we get to the Lord, the more we quite literally reflect His glory to the rest of the world. We are transformed into the likeness of Jesus - not so we look like He did physically, but so that our lives reflect His life, His glory, just as Moses's life reflected God's glory so much so his face actually glowed. Eventually, we will be given our new bodies which will shine with glory just as Jesus's did at the Transfiguration. Remember who was with Jesus then? Moses and Elijah! The two men who had such close relationships with God that they were like His friends...they "walked" with Him. What a wonderful way to be!

Have you ever had someone tell you that you "glowed" somehow? Or that they could see Jesus in you? I'm sure many of you have heard that! What wonderful compliments, but oh how I'd love to hear that from the Lord Himself! I want to truly be so close to Him, that I really will glow from within!

We have the spirit of God in us right now and He's not in us just to go along for the ride. The more active we allow Him to be in our lives, the more it's going to show in our lives and possibly, eventually even in our bodies themselves. The more it shows, the more it sets us apart from the rest of the world, announcing to everyone that we are different; we're set apart from everyone else by God; we're special. We have to be careful not to fall into the sin of pride like Israel did because of that though and remember that part of the purpose of setting us apart is so that we can invite others to join us! 

His presence goes with us in an even more personal and special way then it did with them, for He literally dwells within us. That is just so amazing and yet we rarely think about the ramifications of it and what all it means. God teaches us in the OT when He's teaching about clean and unclean, that if something holy touches something that's unclean, His Holiness makes the unclean thing (or person) clean. It changes it completely and forever. For example, in the story about when the ark was returned to Israel after being captured, they couldn't use the cows that pulled the cart that had the ark on it for anything else. The ark touched the cart making it holy, which touched the cows making them holy. They then couldn't allow the cows to be seen as ordinary anymore or let them touch anything else and make yet more things holy, so they used the cows as sacrifices to God.

You see, God not only taught them that if His holiness touched something it made that thing clean and Holy, but that anything that was considered holy, could no longer be used or considered as "normal" or "regular". Instead it had to be cared for in very specific ways which included a great deal of respect and awe, and could never be used again as it had been.

Back then the Holy Spirit never stayed or dwelled within in a person. He simply would touch a person to inspire them to do the task before them and leave. But now, He actually dwells within us. God Himself dwells within each one of us! How amazing is that????

Yet, we treat ourselves and each other as though nothing is different then it was before we were saved. As though we're not really any different then we were before. Oh sure, we'll say we've been born again and all that, but we don't treat ourselves or each other differently because of it. We don't, because we can't physically see the change that happened with the Holy Spirit came into us. Nor can we actually see Him. But the Lord teaches in the OT that there was no outward change in things that were made Holy when His holiness touched them. They didn't suddenly start to glow, (well at least most didn't lol) get bigger, or more beautiful, etc. Those cows, and that cart, didn't look any different then they did when they were hauling hay the day before. But boy were they treated differently because the Israelites knew that there had in fact been a change in them, whether or not it could be seen.

This is the glorious Truth of what's happened to each of us who've been saved, and yet for the most part, we seem oblivious to it. For the most part we continue to use these bodies in which God Himself is dwelling with us, the same way we did before! Isn't it amazing? That's why Paul urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. It's really absolutely amazing when you spend time and reflect on it all with Him.
 
Here's some verses you can check out if you'd like:
1 Cor 6:19 —Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

2 Cor 13:14 —May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Cor 3:18 —And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

1 Peter 2:4–5 —As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— *you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. *

2 Corinthians 6:16 —What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” *
Luke 9:29–32 —As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. *Two men, Moses and Elijah, *appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. *Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. *
Exodus 33:11 —The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. *

Exodus 34:29–30 —When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. *When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. *

Genesis 5:22–24 —And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. *Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. *Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. *

A time such as this

I was thinking about Esther and how Mordecai told her that perhaps she'd come to be where she was then, "for such a time as this." Of course, Mordecai was saying that because he knew that God is sovereign and always in control. But you know, I think every single one of us could have that very same thing said about us right now. I think we were all born "for such a time as this." I think that's true for the very same reason Mordecai did, and while it's true of every individual all through history, it shouldn't make it mean any less to each of us.

What got me thinking about this is how Mordecai had to get his message to Esther. He had to use one of Esther's servants to give her a message. he couldn't tell her directly. We don't know hardly anything about this person, except that he was one of the King's eunuchs assigned to her and that his name was Hathach. Yet this one man was ultimately responsible for bearing important, life changing information between the only two people in the whole empire who held the salvation of the Jewish nation in their hands.

Realizing that, made me consider the many times throughout the bible that we're told nothing but the names of the people through who miracles were worked or great life changing events took place. Events that ultimately, changed the whole world, considering that we still study them today. Then, there's just as many times when we're told of the event, but not even told the name of the person who was the catalyst for it. Such as the boy who gave Jesus his fish and bread, or the little girl who was a servant and told Naaman to see the prophet, or the people who rescued Paul, putting him in a basket and lowering him over the wall in Damascus, or the men who cared so much they removed the roof so they could lower their friend down to be healed by Jesus, or even the man who gave Jesus and his disciples the use of his upper room that last night, and so many others.

If you're like me, you've probably asked the Lord what He can possibly use you for. I think we all ask that at some time or another, and often feel that because of our situation, or our age, or health, or something... that He can't use us at all. In fact, I'd be willing to bet, that every one of those people I just mentioned probably felt the very same way. Yet we know that God did use them, and used them for very, very important matters!

That brings us to today and you and me being alive for such a time as this. We're living in one of the few times of history that are of major interest. Those few times when everything changes. Like the time of Moses which began the age of the Law, and the time when Jesus was here of course and the start of the church, and the others in between and before Moses. There weren't very many, but each one was the end of one era and the beginning of another one. They were all times of great change and great turmoil because of that. For example, when Jesus was here during the last age, the age of the Law, His death and resurrection put an end to that age and began the age we live in now, the age of Grace. Each of these times are times we look back on and often say, "I would have loved to have been alive during that time!" We say that because we see the great things God did then, and don't pay much attention to all the turmoil, trials and hardships that were also happening at that time.

Today, right now, we are living in one of those times. But because we're living in it, we wouldn't think of "wishing" to live now. We're much to overcome by all the trials and hardships going on. So much so, just like the people who lived during the other transition times, that we can often miss the great things that God is doing. But people who will read of our time will one day say the same thing we have about those other times...that it must have been a fascinating time to live through!

Jesus will be coming for us soon. Regardless of the exact timing of the rapture, we are still in a time of transition between ages. We are living not only or not "just" during the end times, but in the last days of the end times! Compared to when Jesus was here before, I guess you could say it's about the time when our Lord died and rose again for us. Those were the last days of the Age of the Law and the church was born and the Age of Grace began a short time later. So we're very close to the time for the rapture to happen.

Back to the point now of being born for such a time as this. While we may not know how the Lord can use us personally, we can be assured that He is using us. This is one reason it's so very important for us to hold up and stand firm during trials, because we'll never know what small act or word we may say could be one that could change lives or even history. If you think about each of the people I mentioned, Naaman's little servant girl, the boy with the fish and bread, etc. (and I'm sure if we reflect on it a bit, we can come up with many more), I seriously doubt if any of them had a clue that what they did or said would be all that important. Or, even if important to the immediate people involved, I'm sure they never dreamed it would or even could, go beyond that.

We need to know from God's Word that we're each very important to Him, and loved greatly by Him, and that He not only can use us, but that He will use us! Instead of looking at our circumstances, age, health, gender, or whatever, we need to look up in faith that the God of all creation has a plan, and His plan includes using us. For He tells us straight out in His Word that He's planned things for us to do since before this world was created. He knew exactly who would give Jesus that fish and bread, etc, and He knows exactly what word or deed of ours will be responsible for changing lifes. He knows this because He caused each one of us to be born for such a time as this!

If you still need more confirmation about this, think of Esther during her time. When Mordecai told her that, she was sure that she couldn't do anything at all! After all, she was "just a woman" and was shut away in the harem without access to information or other people. The law was against her because no one was ever allowed to just show up in front of the King. Even her race and religion were against her. The officials of that time were against her because they were only going to do things that would ingratiate them to the King, they certainly didn't want to risk anything for her or anyone else. Even the King was against her in his general attitude toward women, for he saw them as nothing more then property and certainly didn't consider that they had any brains. What could she possibly do, besides perhaps pray? We all know what she did and how it turned out. She changed her world even though everything seemed to be against her. All because God was for her, and had a plan for her for such a time as that.

Just as God was for Esther, and each of the others we've spoken about, just as He had a plan for each of them in spite of their circumstances, so He has plans for us. Just as He placed them in specific times in history, so He has placed us during this time. Our time is the end of one age and the start of another. A time of great turmoil and change, but also a time that will work out for God's great glory and He chose us to be born for such a time as this!

If you think about it, it's really kind of funny!

I have no idea what brought it to my mind the other day, but out of the blue, I suddenly thought of all the people I know who believe in a post tribulation rapture. I've seen these people singing songs about the rapture and they seemed so sincere and like they longed for it to happen and couldn't wait for it to happen. And that's the ironic and funny part. Funny in an ironic way if you will.

Think about it. If they have any idea of what the Tribulation is going to be like, how in the world can they sing songs like that and long for the rapture??? If we assume that there is no rapture until after the tribulation, that means that anywhere from 75-95% (closer to 95% - I just don't feel like doing the actual math right now) of every single human being alive, will have died a terrible, fearful, and painful death before the rapture happens. By "fearful" death, I mean a death that will have been preceded by a great deal of fear. By "terrible", I mean a death that's not "usual", not dying from disease or old age or even a simple accident. Instead, dying due to something like a horrible world wide earthquake, or a world wide war, or famine, or terrorism, etc. I said "painful" simply because it will be.

Some people seem to live in a fantasy world thinking that the way things are now are a lot like it will be during the Tribulation or at least the fist half of it. But that's all it is, a fantasy! Just think about the judgments that will be happening:

In Revelation 6 we have the Antichrist, world war, famine, death, martyrdom, a world wide earthquake, the stars falling out of the sky to the earth.

In Revelation 8 we have hail and fire falling and burning up a third of all vegetation, a great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea causing all kinds of havoc and death; a third of the sea turning to blood; a third of the sun, moon and stars turning dark and a third less light on the earth, again causing all kinds of havoc.

In Revelation 9 we have supernatural locust type beasts stinging all unbelievers so that the severe pain causes them to want to die, but no matter what they do, they'll be unable to die. If they throw themselves in front of a car, or jump off a bridge, they'll simply add to their injuries and pain, but they won't die and won't become unconscious; an army of supernatural horsemen kills a third of the humans left alive on the earth at this time! Yet another great world wide earthquake and hail, killing more people!

In Revelation 14 we have an angel flying through the air announcing the gospel and that people should worship God and not the antichrist; we have other angels announcing various judgments to mankind so they can never claim ignorance. They'll be visible to everyone and everyone will hear them. Here we see that there will be a great wave of martyrs for Christ and an even worse holocaust for the Jew's then there's ever been in history. That will actually start sometime near the start of the Tribulation and just keep getting worse and worse. Oh, and of course we have the mark of the beast introduced. We also see a bit about Armageddon introduced showing us that the blood of God's enemies will run so deep it will be around 4 feet deep and about 180 -200 miles around!

In Rev 16 we see unbelievers getting awful sores that again cause a tremendous amount of pain, and again won't allow them to die. The entire sea and all the fresh water turns to blood, and all the living things in the water die; The sun begins to literally scorch the earth and this too causes pain and death; Then complete darkness which also causes great pain covers the earth. The Euphrates River dries up.

In Rev 18 we see the fall of Babylon happen in one day, with great violence; again with much pain and death.

And that's just a brief outline and doesn't contain all that will happen, as there's plenty more spoken about the Tribulation in lots of other books too. Plus, I know I left some things out. But surely, that's enough to show that the Tribulation will make the very worst things we've ever known about in history, look like a Sunday Picnic in comparison. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells us outright that if He didn't intervene that not one single human being would survive it! And in Luke 21, He tells us that men's hearts will fail because they'll be so terrified during this time.

Now, knowing all of that, put that together with these people who think the rapture will happen after the tribulation. Imagine them singing those songs and longing for the rapture. Why in the world would anyone in their right mind long for the rapture if they knew those things were going to precede it???? Personally, I'd much prefer longing for death as soon as possible if I believed that! THAT is their blessed Hope???? They "hope" God will put them through pure hell, keep them alive through it all, and then come and get them? Which of course if He did that, He would then have to instantly turn everyone around and have them all return with Him for the second coming, which also makes no sense at all.

The more I thought about it, seeing in my minds eye those people singing those songs like that, it became clear to me that their understanding of God's Word wasn't even logical, much less scriptural! I felt so sorry for them, and thanked the Lord that although they may not understand it, they too will be long gone before the Tribulation starts. It gave me a very clear view of how Satan blinds even Christians about God's Word when they rely on either other people or their own intelligence instead of the Holy Spirit's guidance and teaching, or when they don't study His Word daily with Him as He commands us to. It's also a embarrassing that they tell unbelievers this garbage, because it gives those unbelievers a very legitimate reason to think that Christians are fools; for who in their right mind would thank a God who told them that He was going to put them through all of that????

No, our sins have already been judged and the sentence carried out on our precious Lord. He suffered the consequences for us so we wouldn't have to. God's wrath is coming against those who have not been saved, not against us, and praise Him, He's promised to keep us from that wrath!

It doesn't surprise me though that things like that are being taught. Many people teach all kinds of "reasons" why the church will supposedly go through the tribulation and unless you understand the purpose of the Tribulation and God's revealed plan for Israel and His plan for the Church, it can sound reasonable. That's what happens when we use our human reasoning though.

See, once you understand that the Tribulation is all about Israel and a return to the last 7 years of the age of the law, you realize too that the Church has no business being here then anyway. It wouldn't make any sense for us to be here. That's another thing that people don't understand. Many people think that everyone that's ever been saved or ever will be saved, is part of the Church - the body of Christ, and that's simply not true according to the Bible. Everyone who's ever been saved or ever will be saved, has been saved by Faith, but not everyone is a member of the body of Christ, the Church. God has a different plan for the Church and for the faithful remnant of Israel. All of the Jew's saved before Christ came the first time are part of God's plan for Israel. They are not part of the Church. All the the Jew's saved after the rapture and during the Tribulation, will also not be part of the church. They will be part of God's plan for Israel. Don't get me wrong...both plans are wonderful and awesome and good, they're just different. And we will all be together, both Israel and the Church, but our inheritances are different and will be according to the plan we are part of. Of course the one part of our inheritances that is the same is that we'll all enjoy heaven together, so it's not going to be real obvious except perhaps during the Millennium.

We tend to see everything as being about us, but it's not. In fact, the Tribulation is all about Israel and has little to do with the Gentiles (or non Jew's) at all except as far as how they will treat the Jew's during the Tribulation and whether or not they'll be saved.

When Jesus came the first time, He came to offer the Jew's the Kingdom - what we call the Millennial Kingdom. But they refused to recognize Him as their Savior. (which of course He knew they would do) Individual Jew's were saved, and started the Church, but the nation itself, refused Him. If they had accepted Him, acknowledged Him as their Savior, then Jesus still would have had to die as the perfect sacrifice, but after His resurrection, instead of starting the Church, He would have set up the Millennial Kingdom that they so much sought after. Because they didn't accept Him, they lost it all. At least for a time. They were set aside, the age of the law was interrupted, put on "hold", and the Church was begun so that the Lord could offer His salvation to all of us. One day, as the prophets foretold, Jesus will take His Church away from this earth, so He can continue the Age of the law for it's last 7 years. During the Age of the law, just as before, God's focus will be on Israel. The purpose of the Tribulation will be to bring the Jew's to the realization that Jesus is their Messiah and save a remnant of them so that God can then fulfill all the promises He made them in what we call the Old Testament. All those promises will be fulfilled during the Millennial Kingdom.

I was totally astonished when I finally took the time to study this all for myself. I was astonished because of how vast and grand God's plans are, and I know that I was only getting a small sampling of them through what His Word was saying. It also astonished me because by understanding all this, it opened my eyes to "why" so many other things were true in scripture. It was like this was the framework of a jigsaw puzzle and once it was in place, all the other pieces just fell into place. It still amazes me to reflect on it!

The bible tells us that more and more will teach and suggest lies until there won't be many left that believe that the rapture happens before the tribulation like the Bible says. They'll even say that the timing of the rapture isn't all that important as far as what we believe, but that's a lie too, for it affects our understanding of everything else the bible says. We've talked before about how the pre-trib rapture will become more and more "unpopular" and even hated, by Christians. But then when you read 2 Timothy 3:1–5 about how Christians are going to act, it makes sense I guess. Sad though.

Romans 5:9 —Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! *
Romans 5:10 —For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! *
Romans 1:18 —The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 —for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, *and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. *
Revelation 3:10 —Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. *
Psalm 91:8 —You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. *
1 Thessalonians 5:9–10 —For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. *He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. *

The Civilized World’s Made Things Harder For Us

The civilized world has taught us that we're independent and don't need anyone but ourselves. We are taught to think of ourselves first, to love ourselves, to be ourselves, to do for ourselves. We're taught that no one can make us do anything and we can do and be anything we want to. We're told anything and everything is ok as long as it makes us feel good and that we should feel good. We're taught how great and wonderful we are. We're taught that the stars are our limit -in other words there is no limit to what we can do. (sounds an awful lot like the tower of Babel to me) It's funny, but the more I study God's Word, the more I find that the world has lied to me about many, many things and has corrupted the meaning of many things as well. As I was studying Deut 5 I came across something surprising that I'd like to share with you. It's something else that our civilized world has made it hard for us to understand and relate to.

Deuteronomy 5:6 —“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

Let's look closely at this first sentence. "I am the Lord your God". Before we can really be saved or have the fear of God or love Him or anything else, we first have to know that He is. As Hebrews 11:6 says: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Now that may seem strange to us, because we rarely question His existence, but then again, if we really believe He exists and is aware of us and all of that, wouldn't we tend toward being obedient to Him a whole lot more? No, I'm not suggesting we don't really believe in Him, but I am suggesting that we might benefit a lot from focusing on His existence and reflecting on it until we really, really knew it. At least, that's what I determined for myself.

I've thought for many years that because we're so "blessed" to live in such a "civilized" country, that we really don't understand concepts such as "God", or "slavery" or things like that. We know the definitions of them, but we don't have any real personally emotional attachment to them. Most of us have had jobs and bosses we may not have liked at all, but we could always quit. When I dwelled on the concepts of Lord's and slaves, and tried to imagine what it would be like to wake up in the morning, knowing that another person owned me and that they could literally kill me at their whim, it was hard to do that and make it "real" to myself. Sure, I can imagine it, but it's more like a fantasy then anything possible, even though I know that there were and are slaves all around the world. When I imagine it, I think I'd "run away" or find some way out of it - I can't make it last in my mind for a lifetime.

Yet, it IS real. God is real. God created us and He sustains our very lives every moment of every day. He can wipe us out en mass, or one at a time or any way He chooses, whenever and however He chooses. The fact that He doesn't do so, doesn't mean that He can't. He can bless us or curse us, give or take away. Yet for the most part, we ignore Him and go on with our lives as though He wasn't there. If we were slaves in this world with a physical Lord over us, we couldn't do that. He'd be in our face constantly and be a constant reminder that if we don't obey Him instantly, He could and just might, have us killed. See what I mean about why I felt I needed to dwell on that and make God more "real" to me?

So first, we need to know that God IS. He is God, He is the Lord. But, there's another word in that sentence that makes a HUGE difference in it's meaning. It doesn't say, "I am the Lord God", it says, "I am the Lord your God". Out of all the other people on this earth, He is MY God and I am His. He's personal. He knows and acknowledges me and wants me to know and acknowledge Him. It's more then that though. Because He's not "my God" and no one else's. He says that to everyone. It's up to each individual to accept Him as their God or reject Him. And that means something very important for each of us and this is what kind of blew me away when I realized it.

Everyone has a "god", it's just not always the One True God. In fact, everyone generally has quite a few gods. We all serve someone/something. That may change according to what happens during the day and how we're feeling, but regardless, we all serve something. It's just that in our civilized world, we don't think of them as gods. The problem with that is that The One True God does think of them as gods and He doesn't want us to serve any one or anything but Him. See, God designed us to be in relationship with Him -with God and so we seek that constantly whether we realize it or not. That's what I've always thought of as the empty "hole" we're always seeking to fill, that will make us "happy" and "complete". It's the something missing that we all search for even when we don't know we're looking for it.

Whenever we're not in an intimate relationship with God, we will be in an intimate relationship with something/someone else, because that's who our hearts have been designed. We have to be in an intimate relationship with something/someone. Many women look for it in a man. Many men look for it in a woman. Others look for it in work or school, money, children, booze or drugs, or books, movies, porn, sex, parties, friends, food, the internet, computer or video games, our homes, gardens, etc. or for instance when we endlessly strive for the approval of others, or the love of others. The things we look for it in aren't necessarily bad in and of themselves, although they can be at times, but they become bad no matter what they are because whether we know it or not, we become slaves to them. (Rom 6:16)

So we're all slaves, all the time. We're simply slaves to different things or people or "gods". Remember too, Jesus tells us that we cannot serve 2 masters. We have to choose. Besides which, God also tells us that He will not "share" us with others. It's Him or them. That's why Jesus pleads with us and says in Matthew 11:29–30 —Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. *For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” * A yoke is what's used to join 2 cows or horses together so they can pull a plow. Jesus used that word because whoever or whatever we're slaves to, we're joined together with. We're "yoked" to them. That's again why we're told not to be "unequally yoked". If you yoke a little cow with a large horse, it won't work. They can't pull the plow evenly. Back to the point though, when we serve someone or something besides God, we are slaves to that and we're yoked to it whether we realize it or not.

And that too is something I really needed to dwell on because generally, in our day and time, we don't realize that. We think we're just hanging out with people or just eating junk food or just drinking, or just running after a man to love us, or whatever. We'd be more inclined to think of them serving us rather then the other way around. The Truth though, is that we're serving them; we're slaves to them. That's why we run to them every time we're scared, or depressed or worried or lonely, or whatever our personal triggers are.

Here's the really bad news for us who are saved. When we do that, we're not just slaves to those things, we're slaves to false gods. They are our "idols". We have put them in God's place in our lives. We can know that because if we didn't have any false gods or idols, we'd be running to the One True God, "our God", when we felt that way. All the various things we each choose as our idols and false gods, generally look pretty good to us. If they didn't, we wouldn't run to them. But in reality, they're cruel masters. For example, those of us who choose food, then must constantly worry about our weight and/or our health because our idol has messed up our cholesterol and our weight. Our false gods have made us promises to make us feel good and they can't keep those promises; worse, they lead to death. But there is a True God who will help us, if we will just choose to take His yoke on ourselves instead. Yes, we will still be yoked to someone, but this God is loving and His yoke is easy and the burden is light.

That brings us to the last part of that first line -“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery". The One True God tells us that He is our personal God and He qualifies that, even though He certainly doesn't have to. He says that He is "our" God because He brought us out of the land of slavery. He doesn't want us yoked to those false idols that lie to us and use us and throw us away. He created us to be in an intimate relationship with Him, not with them. He wants 100% of us though and He wants us 100% of the time. All day, every day. He wants us to be yoked to Him and nothing else. Can you imagine yourself literally yoked to Jesus? That's what I try to do to remind myself that no matter where I go, what I do, what I look at or who I talk to, He is with me. He's not just a passive partner that I'm dragging around with them though. No. In fact, He's bearing most of the burden for me, making my burden lighter, just because He loves me and He's "my God."

Speaking of bring us out of slavery, some folks might say, that's not talking about me, that's talking about the Jew's when He brought them out of Egypt, and so it is. But it's also talking about you and me. Well, at least me for sure, because I know without any doubt at all that He's brought me out of my slavery. He rescued me from myself, from the occult, from the new age, from depression, from loneliness, from fear and worry, and from so many other things that I've been a slave to all my life that it would take too long to list them all. And He's still doing it. He brought me out of that slavery and shows me every time I start to slip back or sneak back into one of them. He says we all are enslaved to various different things, and if He hasn't freed you from those things yet, He wants to and He will, if you will let Him.

When we do finally agree with that first sentence and can say, "He is the Lord my God, who brought me out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery", then He adds a command to it. Then He tells us, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. *“You shall have no other gods before me. * (Deut 5:6–7) Most of us don't even think twice about that statement. I know I certainly didn't used to. Not until I understood what a false god really was. When I finally understood that it could be other people, other things, and put it together with who I ran to when I was hurting, instead of running to Him and His Word, only then did I understand what a false god and an idol was. It's not necessarily some statue in a church that we kneel before, light incense to, pray to or "worship". (although that certainly can be one too). That's often what it was during the time when the Lord brought the Jew's out of Egypt, but times have changed and we worship other things now. Even they often worshiped other things besides their stone idols. Whether the idol is stone, wood, a person or thing, doesn't matter. It's still a false god and an idol and we should run away from it as fast as we can.

Why? Because He IS God. Because He is OUR God. Because He loves us and paid an awful price to bring us out of slavery and set us free from slavery to sin so we could be slaves to righteousness instead. Now our slavery doesn't lead to death, instead His yoke is easy, our burden is light and it leads to eternal life with Him.

This is now something I try to dwell on daily and reflect on it as it's important to let it really soak in. He is God and I am not. (in spite of what I often seem to think) I imagine myself literally yoked together with Jesus and try to hold that picture in my mind several times every day. I'll pick out something I do regularly, like opening the fridge or something like that, and every time I do that, I imagine myself yoked to Jesus to remind myself that He is here and He is REAL and that He is God.

Somehow we have to get past this "civilized" world's training that I'm god and make ourselves realize that we're really not and He really is, and just what that means. How can I love God with all my heart, with all my mind and all my strength if I don't really get what God is, what a Lord or Master is, or what a slave is? How can I fear God if I don't understand those things?

I've chosen the idea of imagining myself yoked to Jesus and remembering Deut 5:6-7 as well as Romans 6:16–23 and reflecting on them regularly every day.

Encouragement In Difficult Times 2

I have learned yet more about my body recently. I'd started to let stuff get to me the other day, so Tuesday night I asked Bruce to take over the cooking for me for a few days at least. I could tell that I needed to really concentrate on resting in order to prevent a bad flare up from the RA/Sjögren's. Well, I was a day late and a dollar short as the saying goes. By the time I woke up yesterday it had hit with a vengeance. Of course that made me feel even more down and the worse I felt mentally/emotionally, the worse the pain got. It was like I was getting a crash course on seeing exactly how my body reacted to stress and my emotions. So I spent a lot of time with the Lord and that calmed me down, but the damage was already done. I'll have to just deal with this flare up, but I've learned a lot from what the Lord showed me concerning it.

I now know for absolute sure that the only chance I have of preventing the pain and being comfortable, is if I keep myself totally stress free. This is going to be a very interesting experiment for the next few months because although we can control our reactions and emotions, we can't control what happens to us. What the Lord showed me was that both can cause the flare ups and or just extra pain. We can't change it when we or a loved one has money problems, gets sick or dies, loses their job, or what the government does, etc. The only thing we can control is how we react to them, our emotions and feelings. I was thinking that since we can't control what happens, and that by itself is stress, then it was a lost cause, but I realize now that it's really not!

If I can really do what Paul did, (be content in any circumstances) and be strong enough in my faith, then I'll no longer have to even consider how I respond to events in my life. Before, I always looked at it as though the circumstance happened, Paul saw it and dealt with it by being content. But that's not it, that's only half of it. Paul's saying he's already content and he stays content even when the "event" happens. So while I was being content, then interrupted by the event and then going back to being content, I was opening myself up to these flare ups. See what I mean? The problem was/is that although I know that God is sovereign, that He loves me and that all will work out for my good, there's always a part of me that has reacted to "bad" things by thinking, "yeah, but I don't like what He's allowing to happen." With the next thoughts generally being along the lines of "is He mad at me, have I done something wrong, etc.". All of which I know is bologna, and although they're no longer generally conscious thoughts, I can tell they're still there subconsciously. That tells me that somewhere deep inside, I'm doubting His love and goodness.

Taking my thoughts and feelings afterward is certainly the scriptural remedy, but it looks like the Lord is taking me beyond that now and wants me to get down to the root of it all. He's asking me to really trust Him - with ALL my heart, mind, and strength, and not just part of it. 95% isn't enough. It's got to be 100%.

When I can do that, then life will be like it was when I was a small child. I didn't worry about if the lights would turn on when I flicked a switch, or if there's be something to eat when I was hungry, or if my parents would be there tomorrow, or how I would get to grandma's house that week. I knew my parents had it all under control and it simply never occurred to me to worry about anything. Well, unless it was a selfish thing like which flavor of ice cream we had. I knew the ice cream would be there, but would it be the kind I wanted that day?  I wish I could say I didn't have that problem anymore, but I do, so that's another thing I'll have to continue to work on too. But, back then, if the lights didn't come on, I figured my parents planned it that way and it was a great adventure, a new game. I didn't see it as a bad thing. I knew everything would be fine no matter what happened.

Of course as I grew up, I learned differently, that my parents weren't in control of everything and bad things did happen. We all learn that. That's the part I have to overcome now though, and go back to being that simple little child that totally trusts my Daddy. Nothing "bad" is going to happen to me, because He simply won't allow it to. Therefore, anything that does happen, isn't really bad, regardless of what it looks like to the world. Kind of a combination of living by faith and not by sight, and being like a little child. When I can really do that, then nothing will be able to shake me. Of course I can't possibly do it on my own, so I'll have to ask the Lord to help me. Thankfully, as He said, His strength is made perfect in my weakness, so I know that together we can pull it off!

The Lord helped me absorb this all even more yesterday because my daughter called me and needed encouragement as her husband lost his job recently, which is pretty scary for them. She told me He'd given her the scripture that "His grace is sufficient for her for His power is made perfect in her weakness", (2 Cor 12:9) which helped, but as she put it, it's still so hard.... She said she didn't see why it was hard because she knew she trusted Him. Which is of course exactly what the Lord's been teaching me about. So I was able to share a story with her that the Lord brought to my mind, that helped us both.

I told her a made up story about this very famous guy who did a high wire act. Anyway, he was going to walk across someplace like the grand canyon, and there was a huge crowd there to watch him do it. Everyone was all excited. He kept yelling to them asking them if they really believed he could do it and they kept yelling back that they did. After all he'd done similar walks and I think he may have even walked across the grand canyon once before too. So they were all sure he'd make it across just fine. Finally, he asks them if they think he could do it pushing a wheel barrow in front of him and again they start yelling, "Yes!" He kept asking if they really believed and they insisted once again that they did. Then came the real question.... He told them if they were positive that he could do it, then which of them would sit in the wheel barrow while he pushed it across? There was dead silence.

That's just how we are with the Lord. Yes, we believe, and we trust Him, we really do. But, when it comes time for us to actually climb into that wheel barrow, we start to have doubts. We start to question. We start to fear and think, what if He can't do it? It's downright scary to be in that wheelbarrow! Which is of course, why the Lord gives us each wheelbarrow times in our lives. To help us see just how far our trust in Him goes. And not just to find out how far it goes, but to help us grow in our faith and trust in Him.

We have to get to the other side and the only way across is to get into that wheelbarrow, so sooner or later, we've got to climb in. Often, the first few times we have to do this, we make all kinds of trouble for Him, trying to jump out, rocking the wheelbarrow, etc, with all our doubts and fears. But He's very patient and thankfully in control, and keeps us safe so that eventually we do get to the other side. Sometimes, we're so relieved to have gotten to the other side, we even forget how we got there and just hug the ground not wanting to ever get up again lol. Again though, eventually we realize that it was the Lord who brought us to the other side and that He got us there safely in spite of ourselves.

You'd think that would make the next time easier wouldn't you? For some reason though, we get so comfortable walking on the firm ground with Him, that each time we have to cross over an area in the wheelbarrow, we're taken by surprise, and up pops all our doubts and fears again. Or so it seems anyway. As we begin to understand what's happening consciously though, we find that this trip helps us do away with our questions, doubts and fears. We find then that each trip really is easier then the one before and our faith does in fact grow. I don't know if we ever get to the place where knowing we have to climb into the wheelbarrow again doesn't bother us, as I haven't gotten there yet myself.

But I am finding myself feeling MUCH more secure now that I understand what's going on. I was able to look at my situation and see it with the mind of Christ instead of with my corrupted mind, and realize that the Lord who loves me dearly is the one that's in complete control of the wheelbarrow. so I have nothing at all to fear. He sustains everything with His powerful Word, including me, so no matter how scary things look to me, I know that He will take me all the way across this trial to the other side of it and that I'll be completely safe the entire time. No harm will come to me.

I think I'm going to try and just enjoy the ride this time instead of squeezing my eyes closed, screaming, and throwing tantrums like I usually do.

2 Corinthians 5:7–8 —We live by faith, not by sight. *We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 12:9 —But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. *
Mark 10:15 —I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” *
Matthew 19:14 —Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” *
2 Corinthians 5:7–8 —We live by faith, not by sight. *

To encourage all who are going through a difficult time

So many of us are going through such difficult times, including me, so I thought maybe I'd share what I'd studied about the following verses with everyone by sharing what Wiersbe says about it and the notes I've written on them. I'll also include some other encouraging scriptures at the end.

Philippians 4:11–13 —I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. *I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. *I can do everything through him who gives me strength. *

As he wrote Phil 4:11–12, every movement of his hand clanked the chain with which he was linked to a soldier. The pillars of Christian character

Paul is quick to let his friends know that he is not complaining! His happiness does not depend on circumstances or things; his joy comes from something deeper, something apart from either poverty or prosperity. Most of us have learned how to “be abased,” because when difficulties come we immediately run to the Lord! But few have learned how “to abound.” Prosperity has done more damage to believers than has adversity. “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Rev. 3:17).
The word “instructed” in Philippians 4:12 is not the same as “learned” in Philippians 4:11. “Instructed” means “initiated into the secret.” This word was used by the pagan religions with reference to their “inner secrets.” Through trial and testing, Paul was “initiated” into the wonderful secret of contentment in spite of poverty or prosperity. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). It was the power of Christ within him that gave him spiritual contentment.

Fog had moved into O’Hare Field, the airport that serves Chicago, and my departure had been delayed. I was sitting in the terminal reading a book and quietly asking God to work out His plans for the trip. Near me was a gentleman waiting for the same plane, but he was pacing up and down like a caged lion, and the language he was using to describe the fog was making the atmosphere more dense! I thought to myself, “Here is a man without any inner resources.” Later, he asked me how I could be so calm when the planes were all late, and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him.

While flying back to Chicago from upper New York via New York City, we had to stay in our holding pattern over Kennedy Airport for more than an hour. When the stewardess announced that we would be landing an hour late, a man across the aisle shouted, “Bring out the booze!” This was his only resource when things were going against him.

All of nature depends on hidden resources. The great trees send their roots down into the earth to draw up water and minerals. Rivers have their sources in the snow-capped mountains. The most important part of a tree is the part you cannot see, the root system, and the most important part of the Christian’s life is the part that only God sees. Unless we draw on the deep resources of God by faith, we fail against the pressures of life. Paul depended on the power of Christ at work in his life (see Phil. 1:6, 21; 2:12–13; 3:10). “I can—through Christ!” was Paul’s motto, and it can be our motto too.

“I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me,” is the way J.B. Phillips translates Philippians 4:13. The Living Bible puts it this way: “I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.” No matter which translation you prefer, they all say the same thing: the Christian has all the power within that he needs to be adequate for the demands of life. We need only release this power by faith.

Jesus teaches this same lesson in the sermon on the vine and branches in John 15. He is the Vine; we are the branches. A branch is good only for bearing fruit; otherwise you may as well burn it. The branch does not bear fruit through its own self-effort, but by drawing on the life of the Vine. “Without Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). As the believer maintains his communion with Christ, the power of God is there to see him through. “I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency” (Phil. 4:13, AMP).

The overruling providence of God and the unfailing power of God are two spiritual resources on which we can draw that we might be adequate for the tasks of life. But there is a third resource-The Unchanging Promise of God (Phil. 4:14–20).

Contentment comes from adequate resources. Our resources are the providence of God, the power of God, and the promises of God. These resources made Paul sufficient for every demand of life, and they can make us sufficient too. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Php 4:11–13).

These words show us that contentment isn't a natural propensity of man. ‎Covetousness, discontent, & murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil. We need not sow thistles & brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: & so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated. ‎Paul says, “I have learned … to be content;” as much as to say, he did not know how at one time. It cost him some pains to attain to the mystery of that great truth. No doubt he sometimes thought he had learned, & then broke down. Don't indulge the notion that you can be contented with learning, or learn without discipline. It's not a power that may be exercised naturally, but a science to be acquired gradually. We know this from experience. Hush that murmur, natural though it be, (take that thought captive!) & continue a diligent pupil in the College of Content. Morning and evening

‎Discontent & ingratitude will steal your joy. True joy is God’s gift to every believer, & yet many Christians seem to lack it. As with peace, assurance, & other benefits of salvation, joy can be forfeited for many reasons. Willful sin, prayerlessness, fear, self-centeredness, focusing on circumstances, & lack of forgiveness are the main culprits. Two of the most common joy-thieves are dissatisfaction & ingratitude. Paul ‎made no demands on God but simply trusted in His gracious provision. Whether he received little or much made no difference to him. In either case he was satisfied & thankful. Don’t be victimized by the spirit of our age. See God’s blessings for what they are, & continually praise Him for His goodness. In doing so you will guard your heart from dissatisfaction & ingratitude. More important, you will bring joy to the One who is worthy of all praise. Drawing Near—

The words I have learned the secret was a technical term meaning “to initiate into the mysteries.” Paul used it here to suggest a kind of initiation by his experiences into being content when either well fed or hungry, & either in plenty or in want. The Bible Knowledge Commentary

‎Existentialism, the dominant mindset of contemporary psychology implies that every man has the right to do whatever makes him feel good. Wrong thinking like that stems from self–centered pride. Some deceive themselves by thinking their sin doesn’t hurt anyone, but sin always ends up hurting. In contrast to self–love, Scripture says we’re to be humble & unselfish, love those who mistreat us, & extend mercy toward those who stumble repeatedly. Those qualities enabled Paul to be content in any circumstances. In contrast, some take all that they hear & see & filter it to see if it wounds them in any way, which will result in instability & anxiety. When others mistreat you, humility will help you keep your balance. Truth for today
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"The Lord's my shepherd...I shall not want." Is that the testimony of your heart? The Lord's my shepherd, I have no needs, I have enough. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Christian people really gave that kind of testimony to the watching world? That we'd found in our God & in the salvation that He provides & in the spiritual resources at our disposal total satisfaction, that we were absolutely content. A satisfied heart should be the experience of every single Christian. Contentment is a spiritual virtue & discontent is a sin. Instead of manifesting to the world satisfaction & contentment that shows our true trust in God & our true heavenly perspective, we get all caught up in the materialistic surge of our society. 7 Keys to Contented Living

“My self–sufficiency, my level of contentment, lies in the sufficiency of Christ to meet my every need. I can endure rain or shine, darkness or light, sorrow or joy, because through Him, I am equipped and sustained.” ‎Despite circumstances, you can enjoy true contentment when you accept the truth that Christ is adequate for your every need—in good times and bad. Help me be content despite the circumstances of my life. O God, my sufficiency is in Your ability to meet my needs. In You, I am equipped to face the challenges of this day. Enter His gates

‎The word content does not mean “complacent.” Paul was anything but complacent! ‎Contentment is actually containment—having the spiritual resources within to face life courageously & handle it successfully. Contentment is divine adequacy. Contentment is having that spiritual artesian well within so that you don’t have to run to the broken cisterns of the world to get what you need. The power of Christ in the inner man is all we need for the demands of life. Resources on the outside, such as friends, counselors & encouragements, are only helpful as they strengthen our resources on the inside.

‎We fight change & rob ourselves of the contentment God can give us if we'll but yield to Him. Those difficulties that you're fighting, & complaining about, may be the very tools God wants to use to give you inner peace & sufficiency. Stop fighting; yield to Christ & you'll learn how to be content. Paul knew that real joy doesn't come from comfortable circumstances on the outside, but from spiritual adequacy on the inside. ‎How does this inner contentment reveal itself? We have a peace that keeps us from falling apart & doing impulsive things; a patience that sustains us when all around us seems to be disintegrating. There's an inner peace & poise that makes us master of the situation—victors, not victims. The bumps are what you climb on.

Apart from Him we can do nothing. While we're abiding in Him nothing's impossible. The 1 purpose of our life should be to remain in living & intense union with Christ, guarding against everything that would break it, employing every means of cementing & enlarging it.. In proportion as we do so, we'll find His strength flowing into us for every possible emergency. We may not feel its presence; but we'll find it present whenever we begin to draw on it. There's no temptation we can't master; no privation we can't patiently bear; no difficulty we can't cope with; no work we can't perform; no confession or testimony we can't make, if our souls are living in healthy union with Christ; for as our day or hour, so shall our strength be. Thoughts for the quiet hour

‎He will not impose upon you one needless burden. He will not exact more than He knows your strength will bear. He will ask no Peter to come to Him on the water, unless He impart at the same time strength and support on the unstable waves. He will not ask you to draw water if the well is too deep, or to withdraw the stone if too heavy. But neither at the same time will He admit as an impossibility that which, as a free and responsible agent, it is in your power to avert. He will not regard as your misfortune what is your crime. Macduff Thoughts for the quiet hour.

The Gr. word for strengthen means “to put power in.” Because believers are in Christ (Gal 2:20), He infuses them with His strength to sustain them until they receive some provision (Eph 3:16–20; 2Co 12:10). The MacArthur study Bible


Ephesians 3:14–21 —For this reason I kneel before the Father, *from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. *I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, *so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, *may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, *and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. *Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, *to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. *

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 —To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. *Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. *But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. *That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. *

Philippians 1:6 —being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. *

Philippians 2:12–13 —Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, *for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. *

John 15:5 —“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. *

Philippians 4:19 —And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. *

Psalm 68:19 —Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah *

Psalm 31:19 —How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. *