The End Of The Age, And Beyond
by Jack Kelley
(Note: This narrative is a summary of dozens of end times prophecies
from both the Old and New Testaments. Its objective is to present a
readable overview of the times ahead from a Biblical perspective. )
One day soon when many are not expecting it, there will be a sudden
attack against Israel. Even the Israelis will be caught by surprise,
carelessly thinking themselves to be at peace. Israel will have recently
defeated its next door neighbors as foretold in Psalm 83, and destroyed Damascus, ending its reign as the world’s oldest continuously populated city (Isaiah 17:1).
Iran’s proxy Hezbollah and Egypt’s stand-in Hamas will have also been
defeated putting an end to the Palestinian issue for good. In a kinder,
gentler world the Jews would have had a little time to catch their
breath and enjoy a period of peace.
But without warning a coalition of Moslem nations, armed by Russia and
led by Iran, will attack Israel with overwhelming force. Were it not for
one unforeseen factor this force would have easily been sufficient to
totally destroy its target. But long ago the God of Israel chose just
this time to reveal Himself through Israel to the nations. With the
considerable force at His command He’ll intervene to decimate the Moslem
armies. As He does the conflict will go nuclear and warheads will fall
on the Middle East, Russia, Europe and perhaps even the USA.
As the battle comes to an end, the Israelis will recognize the Author
of their supernaturally wrought victory and joyously petition the Lord
to renew their covenant relationship with Him. Jews from all over the
world will begin coming to Israel as the reality of their reunion with
the Lord begins to sink in. Indeed not a single Jewish person in the
world will be left behind in this historic return to the Promised Land (Ezekiel 38-39).
The Missing People and The Man Of Peace
Two other astonishing events will accompany this battle. Just prior to
its beginning untold numbers of Gentile Christians and Messianic Jews
will suddenly disappear with out a trace (1 Thes. 4:16-17),
and just following it a rising leader will offer the world a plan he
says will finally bring peace to the Middle East and prevent anything
like this battle from ever happening again (Daniel 8:25, 9:27). It’s a good thing the church will be gone because they would have recognized him immediately as the anti-Christ.
The disappearance of the Church will bring the
Age of Grace to a close, allowing the last seven years of the
interrupted Age of Law to play out (Daniel 9:27, Romans 11:25).
In seeming to put an end to the hostilities, this rising leader will
help the Jews rebuild their temple so they can return to their ancient
worship system as their covenant requires. He’ll do this, not because
he has any love for the Jewish people or the God they worship, but
because the unseen power behind him has plans to appropriate the Temple
for his own use.
Following directions from the book of Ezekiel, the Israelis will
construct their new temple in an area the Lord had him designate some
2600 years ago. It’s about 20 miles north of the present Temple mount in
a place called Shiloh, where the tabernacle sat for 400 years (Ezekiel 48:1-10).
In following Ezekiel’s instructions instead of trying to share the
Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock, they will avoid the peace
shattering problems they would otherwise have had with the recently
defeated Moslem nations.
Peace, Peace, When There Is No Peace
Unbeknown to most of the world’s remaining inhabitants, who will think
the Utopian Age has finally arrived, the authorization to build the
Temple will begin a seven-year count down to the 2nd Coming (Daniel 9:27).
At first, this man of sin will have most of the world convinced he’s a
real peace maker, even though he commits his forces to war after war,
and causes enormous hardship on Earth (Rev. 6).
Half way through the last seven years he’ll implement Satan’s nefarious
plan for the Temple. He’ll stand in the Holy Place and exalt himself
above everything that is called god or worshiped, declaring himself to
be God (2 Thes. 2:4).
With this declaration, the full force of God’s wrath will be unleashed
on Earth, beginning a period of time known as the Great Tribulation
(Matt. 24:15). Satan will be expelled from heaven and will personally
in-dwell the anti-Christ as the final contest for Planet Earth begins in
earnest (Rev. 12:9, 13:2).
For 3 1/2 years warfare and persecution on Earth will be augmented with
catastrophic judgments from Heaven making it the worst time the human
race has ever had to endure (Matt. 24:21, Rev. 13:5).
Following the rapture of the Church, multitudes will give their hearts
to the Lord and be martyred for their faith as the anti-Christ seeks to
wipe out all opposition to his rule (Rev. 7:13-14).
If the Lord didn’t return when He promised to put an end to it, not a
single person would be left alive (Matt. 24:22). But believing His
promise to return, hordes of post-rapture believers will flee from
Israel into the mountains of southern Jordan, where they’ll be
supernaturally protected, to await His Glorious Appearing (Matt. 24:16, Rev. 12:6).
The War To End All Wars
For his part the anti-Christ will amass huge forces for the coming
battle of Armageddon, with a wary eye on a great army from the East that
will try to sneak in and steal away his victory (Daniel 11:44, Rev. 16:12).
By some estimates several hundred million combatants will be gathered
in and around Israel for this battle, said to be the climax of the War
for Planet Earth (Rev. 16:16).
But suddenly the skies will open and the Lord will appear with all His
holy ones to reclaim that which He’s bought and paid for with His own
blood, shed on the cross (Rev. 19:11-16).
In hardly any time at all the battle will be over, the enemy
vanquished, and the Lord will be established as King of the whole Earth (Zechariah 14:9).
The moment the Lord’s feet touch the Mount of Olives, a great
earthquake will occur. It will split the Mount of Olives in half from
East to West (Zechariah 14:4)
and the old Temple Mount, located directly in its path, will crumble
into the earth to disappear forever. Suddenly a gushing spring will
bubble up massive amounts of clear fresh water from under the New
Temple, just 20 miles to the north (Zechariah 14:8).
The water will emerge from under the south end of the Temple and flow
southward into the ravine created by the earthquake. Soon the water
will become a mighty river, branching west to the Mediterranean and east
to the Dead Sea, filling the ravine. Fruit trees, bearing a different
fruit each month, and whose leaves are for healing, will line its banks.
The inflow of so much fresh water will cause the Dead Sea to come
alive, teeming with fish. Only the southern tip, where Sodom and
Gomorrah once stood, will remain a salt marsh (Ezekiel 47:1-12, Rev. 22:1-2).
Judgment Day 1 … The Tribulation Survivors
One of the Lord’s first official acts after assuming His role as King
of the whole Earth will be to have Satan bound in chains for the
duration of His 1000 year reign (Rev. 20:1-3). At that time the martyrs from Daniel’s 70th week will join Old Testament believers in receiving their resurrection bodies (Daniel 12:1-2, Rev. 20:4)
The Lord will summon the tribulation survivors from all over the world to the Kidron Valley for a series of judgments (Joel 3:1-2).
Using their actions as evidence of their faith, He will separate the
believers from the unbelievers. He’ll welcome the believers into His
Kingdom while consigning unbelievers to the outer darkness (Matt.
24:45-25:46). These believers, still in their natural human state, will
repopulate Earth during the Kingdom Age.
A time of absolute peace and tranquility will ensue, with Satan bound
and all unbelievers taken away, and the Earth will flourish in a way not
seen since the creation (Isaiah 35). Having finally recognized Jesus as the true Messiah (Zechariah 12:10) Israel will arise and shine, once again the pre-eminent nation on Earth (Isaiah 60).
In the skies above, the New Jerusalem, eternal home of the Church,
will circle the Earth in a low orbit and serve as the source of light
for the world (Rev. 21:9-27).
Its unfathomable riches and spacious accommodations will allow members
of the Church to dwell, in a level of luxury and comfort to be envied
even by royalty, with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever.
The inhabitants of Earth will soon discover that the final judgments of
the Great Tribulation have served to correct the ancient errors
introduced into the Earth’s axis and orbit. As a result a luscious
sub-tropical climate will again bless the whole Earth. The water-vapor
canopy that collapsed during the Great Flood will be restored to prevent
life shortening ultra violet rays from entering the atmosphere and
Earth dwellers will once again see life spans nearly 1000 years in
length. Earth will be the Garden Paradise it was always intended to be (Isaiah 65:17-25. Rev. 21:1).
Judgment Day 2… The Great White Throne
During the Kingdom Age, the offspring of
Earth’s natural inhabitants will have the same opportunity to accept
the pardon purchased for them at the cross as people born in the past
have had. As the Kingdom Age comes to an end, those who’ve refused His
pardon will rise up to rebel against the Lord, and upon Satan’s release
will be drawn into his final attempt to unseat the Lord and re-capture
the planet. In just a few moments the rebellion will be quashed, the
rebels destroyed, and Satan will be thrown into the eternal fires to
suffer forever with those who sided with him (Rev. 20:7-10).
All the unsaved dead from the beginning of time will be resurrected to
stand before the Great White Throne in judgment. As their lives pass in
review it will be obvious that they failed to do the one thing God
required of them, and that’s to believe in the one He sent. They too
will be consigned to the eternal fires (Rev. 20:11-15).
The Bible, being the handbook for the Age of Man, does not address
Eternity except to say that there is one, where the saved will dwell in
bliss in the presence of the Lord forever (life) while the unsaved
suffer never-ending punishment (death). You see, everyone ever conceived
exists forever. We all inhabit eternity, the only question being where
we’ll spend it. There are just two destinations, life or death, and we
all have to choose for ourselves. If you haven’t decided yet, there’s
still time but you’d better hurry, because one day soon the final bell
will ring, and remember, the default choice is death. But for those who
choose life, the greatest victory in the history of mankind is just over
the horizon, and if you miss out you’ll literally regret it forever. If
you listen carefully you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/the-end-of-the-age-and-beyond/
Bible Studies, Friends and Fellowship
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
when Jesus talks about the evil spirits coming back
You know when Jesus talks about evil spirits coming back to an empty house?
Matthew 12:43–45, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
I've heard so many different ideas about what this passage means but when you really study it in context with what Jesus was teaching, it's more amazing then any of the other theories you hear. Instead of telling it in my own words though I'd rather share how it's explained by various commentaries as they do a really good job of it:
Finally, Jesus warned these leaders that rejecting Him would be followed by further crimes against Him, for that was the purport of the illustration of the cleansed house. This illustration portrays Israel’s national history. The original unclean spirit is the spirit of idolatry which plagued Israel from the Exodus to the Exile, for only when they were in exile (in the dry places) did the nation eventually exclude idolatry from their national life. They cleaned house, but did not fill the space vacated by idolatry with true religion—as was evident when they rejected God’s Son. Jesus warned them that this empty space would be filled by a system seven times worse than idolatry—and that this would definitely happen. The indication, too, in this illustration is that their hate for and opposition to Jesus will become seven times more vehement.
The evil of any false religious system is that it causes men to lose their souls. Idolatry does this, as does Judaism by rejecting Christ (Acts 4:10–12). The emptiness of idolatry is evident, but Judaism is so close to the true religion by which man is saved that it easily lulls its followers into a false sense of security; so ‘the last state of that man is worse than the first.’ The full horror of Jesus’ declamation that day in Galilee is that Judaism was to become a seven-fold more effective system than idolatry in keeping souls out of the Kingdom.
Please consider this carefully. Fault my reasoning if you can; otherwise, prayerfully consider how you can win Christ’s brethren in the flesh to Him.
The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record
Matthew 12:43–45 Jesus gives a striking parable of the precarious spiritual condition of the nation. The parable is that of a house well swept but unoccupied. The demon having been driven out, but finding no place to rest, returns with seven other spirits, resulting in an even greater degeneration. In using this illustration Jesus clearly indicated that though the Jews had been cleansed from their idolatry by the severity of the Babylonian exile, their unbelief and hardness of heart was in danger of producing an even worse moral condition than when they were idolaters. The moral reformation that had taken place after the captivity should have prepared Israel for the ministries of John and Jesus. Unfortunately, in most cases it fell short in that Israel’s spiritual house was empty. Only by inviting Christ to occupy the position of Honored Guest and Head of the Home could Israel know the full blessing of God. KJV Bible commentary.
The parable in Matthew 12:43–45 might be termed “reformation without inward regeneration.” The Jews came back from captivity purged from their sin of idolatry. The “house” had been swept clean, but it was still empty. They had religion and outward morality, but their hearts were empty and their religion was vain. Consequently, Satan was able to reenter the house with other sins, and the latter end of the nation was worse than the first! In the OT, the Jews worshiped idols, but in the Gospels they killed their own Messiah!
This same thing happens to individuals. How easy it is to “reform,” join a church, and live respectably, without Jesus Christ dwelling in the heart. This “false righteousness” will last only for a time; then Satan will get hold of that empty life and ruin it. Religion means cleaning up the outside; salvation means new life and holiness on the inside. See 2 Peter 2:20–22. Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament
This generation of sign-seekers stood condemned in the final judgment. To show what their condition on earth would be if they persisted in unbelief, Jesus compared them to a man who had found deliverance from a demon (an evil spirit), perhaps through a Jewish exorcist (cf. Matt. 12:27). After the man was delivered, he tried by every natural means to clean up his life and set things in order. But mere “religion” is never effective so the man lacked a supernatural conversion. Consequently he was subject to possession again with more serious ramifications. Instead of one demon possessing him, he became possessed by seven other spirits. His latter condition was worse than his former. The Pharisees and other religious leaders were in danger of that happening to them for their attempts at reformation, without the power of God, were sterile. They clearly did not understand God’s power, for they had just confused the power of the Spirit with the power of Satan (Matthew 12:24–28). Thus they were wide-open targets for Satan. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mt 12:43–45).
Maybe it's just me lol, but to me this was just fascinating! Lately I've been reading the Gospels in a "different way" I guess you'd say. I've been reading them with an eye toward how/when Jesus presented Himself as Messiah to Israel and how/when they rejected Him "officially" (which they did in the portion just prior to this). I've been doing this because it all relates to the end times and how God will be judging Israel because of this during the Tribulation and then saving the remnant to enter the Millennium to keep His promise. Anyway, reading them this way really gives you a different perspective of everything. But I figure that sometimes like now, I should post the commentaries rather then explain it myself so that you guys know it's not just my imagination lol
Matthew 12:43–45, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
I've heard so many different ideas about what this passage means but when you really study it in context with what Jesus was teaching, it's more amazing then any of the other theories you hear. Instead of telling it in my own words though I'd rather share how it's explained by various commentaries as they do a really good job of it:
Finally, Jesus warned these leaders that rejecting Him would be followed by further crimes against Him, for that was the purport of the illustration of the cleansed house. This illustration portrays Israel’s national history. The original unclean spirit is the spirit of idolatry which plagued Israel from the Exodus to the Exile, for only when they were in exile (in the dry places) did the nation eventually exclude idolatry from their national life. They cleaned house, but did not fill the space vacated by idolatry with true religion—as was evident when they rejected God’s Son. Jesus warned them that this empty space would be filled by a system seven times worse than idolatry—and that this would definitely happen. The indication, too, in this illustration is that their hate for and opposition to Jesus will become seven times more vehement.
The evil of any false religious system is that it causes men to lose their souls. Idolatry does this, as does Judaism by rejecting Christ (Acts 4:10–12). The emptiness of idolatry is evident, but Judaism is so close to the true religion by which man is saved that it easily lulls its followers into a false sense of security; so ‘the last state of that man is worse than the first.’ The full horror of Jesus’ declamation that day in Galilee is that Judaism was to become a seven-fold more effective system than idolatry in keeping souls out of the Kingdom.
Please consider this carefully. Fault my reasoning if you can; otherwise, prayerfully consider how you can win Christ’s brethren in the flesh to Him.
The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record
Matthew 12:43–45 Jesus gives a striking parable of the precarious spiritual condition of the nation. The parable is that of a house well swept but unoccupied. The demon having been driven out, but finding no place to rest, returns with seven other spirits, resulting in an even greater degeneration. In using this illustration Jesus clearly indicated that though the Jews had been cleansed from their idolatry by the severity of the Babylonian exile, their unbelief and hardness of heart was in danger of producing an even worse moral condition than when they were idolaters. The moral reformation that had taken place after the captivity should have prepared Israel for the ministries of John and Jesus. Unfortunately, in most cases it fell short in that Israel’s spiritual house was empty. Only by inviting Christ to occupy the position of Honored Guest and Head of the Home could Israel know the full blessing of God. KJV Bible commentary.
The parable in Matthew 12:43–45 might be termed “reformation without inward regeneration.” The Jews came back from captivity purged from their sin of idolatry. The “house” had been swept clean, but it was still empty. They had religion and outward morality, but their hearts were empty and their religion was vain. Consequently, Satan was able to reenter the house with other sins, and the latter end of the nation was worse than the first! In the OT, the Jews worshiped idols, but in the Gospels they killed their own Messiah!
This same thing happens to individuals. How easy it is to “reform,” join a church, and live respectably, without Jesus Christ dwelling in the heart. This “false righteousness” will last only for a time; then Satan will get hold of that empty life and ruin it. Religion means cleaning up the outside; salvation means new life and holiness on the inside. See 2 Peter 2:20–22. Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament
This generation of sign-seekers stood condemned in the final judgment. To show what their condition on earth would be if they persisted in unbelief, Jesus compared them to a man who had found deliverance from a demon (an evil spirit), perhaps through a Jewish exorcist (cf. Matt. 12:27). After the man was delivered, he tried by every natural means to clean up his life and set things in order. But mere “religion” is never effective so the man lacked a supernatural conversion. Consequently he was subject to possession again with more serious ramifications. Instead of one demon possessing him, he became possessed by seven other spirits. His latter condition was worse than his former. The Pharisees and other religious leaders were in danger of that happening to them for their attempts at reformation, without the power of God, were sterile. They clearly did not understand God’s power, for they had just confused the power of the Spirit with the power of Satan (Matthew 12:24–28). Thus they were wide-open targets for Satan. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mt 12:43–45).
Maybe it's just me lol, but to me this was just fascinating! Lately I've been reading the Gospels in a "different way" I guess you'd say. I've been reading them with an eye toward how/when Jesus presented Himself as Messiah to Israel and how/when they rejected Him "officially" (which they did in the portion just prior to this). I've been doing this because it all relates to the end times and how God will be judging Israel because of this during the Tribulation and then saving the remnant to enter the Millennium to keep His promise. Anyway, reading them this way really gives you a different perspective of everything. But I figure that sometimes like now, I should post the commentaries rather then explain it myself so that you guys know it's not just my imagination lol
Petra and Bozrah
We recently had a couple
of different threads that led to the start of a conversation about Petra
and Bozrah and how God will protect the people in those two places
during the last three years of the tribulation, which is referred to as
the "great tribulation". I've always been fascinated by that topic so I
thought I'd post the relevant information here again so we could
discuss it further.
Why Will Jordan Escape The Anti-Christ?
Q. I have learned so much from your teaching since finding your site about a year ago. I have a question about Jordan being one of the only places that elude the Anti-Christ’s control during the Great Tribulation. Why do you think that Jordan is exempt from Anti-Christ’s control (maybe other scriptures in addition to Dan. 11:41), and are there other places that also will be exempt? It seems to me at the present time Jordan is going against Israel in wanting Israel to give back land to the Palestinians.
A. Daniel 11:41 says that Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from His (anti-Christ’s) hand. Edom and Moab occupied lands that belong to Jordan today, and the leaders of Ammon are the Hashemite family, with King Abdullah II as its head. This family has ruled Jordan, whose capital is Ahman (after Ammon), since its inception.
There are several references that when combined lead scholars to conclude that at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, believing Jews will flee to Petra in southern Jordan, where they’ll be supernaturally protected by the Lord. In Matt. 24:16 the Lord warned those in Judea (Israel) to flee to the mountains when they see the Abomination of Desolation. The closest mountains are to the east in southern Jordan where Petra is located. Rev. 12:14 tells of Satan pursuing them across the desert as they flee to a place prepared for them. This desert lies between Israel and the mountains of southern Jordan around the northern and eastern shores of the Dead Sea. And in Isaiah 63: 1-6 there’s a description of the Lord coming from Bozrah in Edom after single handedly defeating His enemies there. Bozrah is the region of Edom where Petra is located. This indicates that when the time comes the Lord will declare Jordan off limits to the anti-Christ and give His people refuge there.
Those who believe Islam will be the end times religion take note of the fact that King Abdullah II is the prophet Mohammed’s closest living relative. This gives him incredible influence in the world of Islam and makes him the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites. If the anti-Christ is also Islamic it seems logical that he would spare Jordan’s leaders as members of Mohammed’s family.
No other country is mentioned in the Bible as being excluded from the anti-Christ’s control.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...e-anti-christ/
Tribulation Children
Q. I am concerned about the little children who are conceived after the Rapture. I know Jesus will return before they reach an age of accountability, so their salvation is assured. But I worry about what their lives will be like during the 70th week, and especially during the Great Tribulation.
Is there anything in scripture to suggest that those innocent little ones will receive some form of divine protection/consolation to minimize their suffering during that period? Will the merciful and loving God “see to their well-being” in some way; even if it is by removing them quickly to His presence?
A. Speaking of the time when the Great Tribulation begins, Jesus said it would be dreadful for pregnant women and nursing mothers (Matt. 24:19). This tells me no special provision will be made for Tribulation children. Through out the Age of Man children have always been the most vulnerable of all in times of judgment. And even in peaceful times multiple thousands die every day of preventable causes. So-called Guardian Angels seem to be more tasked with reporting abusers to God than protecting children from abuse. The one consolation is that little ones always go straight into the arms of the Lord upon dying.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/tribulation-children-2/
Why Will Jordan Escape The Anti-Christ?
Q. I have learned so much from your teaching since finding your site about a year ago. I have a question about Jordan being one of the only places that elude the Anti-Christ’s control during the Great Tribulation. Why do you think that Jordan is exempt from Anti-Christ’s control (maybe other scriptures in addition to Dan. 11:41), and are there other places that also will be exempt? It seems to me at the present time Jordan is going against Israel in wanting Israel to give back land to the Palestinians.
A. Daniel 11:41 says that Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from His (anti-Christ’s) hand. Edom and Moab occupied lands that belong to Jordan today, and the leaders of Ammon are the Hashemite family, with King Abdullah II as its head. This family has ruled Jordan, whose capital is Ahman (after Ammon), since its inception.
There are several references that when combined lead scholars to conclude that at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, believing Jews will flee to Petra in southern Jordan, where they’ll be supernaturally protected by the Lord. In Matt. 24:16 the Lord warned those in Judea (Israel) to flee to the mountains when they see the Abomination of Desolation. The closest mountains are to the east in southern Jordan where Petra is located. Rev. 12:14 tells of Satan pursuing them across the desert as they flee to a place prepared for them. This desert lies between Israel and the mountains of southern Jordan around the northern and eastern shores of the Dead Sea. And in Isaiah 63: 1-6 there’s a description of the Lord coming from Bozrah in Edom after single handedly defeating His enemies there. Bozrah is the region of Edom where Petra is located. This indicates that when the time comes the Lord will declare Jordan off limits to the anti-Christ and give His people refuge there.
Those who believe Islam will be the end times religion take note of the fact that King Abdullah II is the prophet Mohammed’s closest living relative. This gives him incredible influence in the world of Islam and makes him the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites. If the anti-Christ is also Islamic it seems logical that he would spare Jordan’s leaders as members of Mohammed’s family.
No other country is mentioned in the Bible as being excluded from the anti-Christ’s control.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...e-anti-christ/
Tribulation Children
Q. I am concerned about the little children who are conceived after the Rapture. I know Jesus will return before they reach an age of accountability, so their salvation is assured. But I worry about what their lives will be like during the 70th week, and especially during the Great Tribulation.
Is there anything in scripture to suggest that those innocent little ones will receive some form of divine protection/consolation to minimize their suffering during that period? Will the merciful and loving God “see to their well-being” in some way; even if it is by removing them quickly to His presence?
A. Speaking of the time when the Great Tribulation begins, Jesus said it would be dreadful for pregnant women and nursing mothers (Matt. 24:19). This tells me no special provision will be made for Tribulation children. Through out the Age of Man children have always been the most vulnerable of all in times of judgment. And even in peaceful times multiple thousands die every day of preventable causes. So-called Guardian Angels seem to be more tasked with reporting abusers to God than protecting children from abuse. The one consolation is that little ones always go straight into the arms of the Lord upon dying.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/tribulation-children-2/
Matthew 24:12-25
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the
kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all
nations, and then the end will come. “So when you
see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’
spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof
of his house go down to take anything out of the house.Let no one in
the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in
those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight
will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the
sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone
says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not
believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform
great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were
possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
These verses are referring to "the great tribulation" which is the last 3 and a half years of the trib and not the rapture. It's instructions for the Jew's who are present when the AC defiles the Temple because it's at that point that they had better run for their lives to Petra or Bozrah for God's protection. Those are the only two places on this earth where believers (and children) will be safe because God will protect everyone there supernaturally.
When the AC defiles the Temple with the abomination that is what will turn the Jew's to their real Messiah, Jesus, and He tells them in this verse to run for their lives for their lives will be in grave danger just as the lives of the Christians are at this time.
He says it will be especially hard for those who are pregnant and nursing for obvious reasons--it's difficult to run for your life that way, and if it's the sabbath they're in big trouble for they will have to once and for all decide to follow Jesus and not the law.
It will be a big test for them because remember they will have gone back to following the law during the first 3 and half years of the trib and doing their sacrifices and all.
(remember the Left Behind books? It talks about this in those books too) (Yes, I know the LB books aren't theology books lol, but I know many have read those as have I and this portion is correct about what happens at this point in time)
These verses are referring to "the great tribulation" which is the last 3 and a half years of the trib and not the rapture. It's instructions for the Jew's who are present when the AC defiles the Temple because it's at that point that they had better run for their lives to Petra or Bozrah for God's protection. Those are the only two places on this earth where believers (and children) will be safe because God will protect everyone there supernaturally.
When the AC defiles the Temple with the abomination that is what will turn the Jew's to their real Messiah, Jesus, and He tells them in this verse to run for their lives for their lives will be in grave danger just as the lives of the Christians are at this time.
He says it will be especially hard for those who are pregnant and nursing for obvious reasons--it's difficult to run for your life that way, and if it's the sabbath they're in big trouble for they will have to once and for all decide to follow Jesus and not the law.
It will be a big test for them because remember they will have gone back to following the law during the first 3 and half years of the trib and doing their sacrifices and all.
(remember the Left Behind books? It talks about this in those books too) (Yes, I know the LB books aren't theology books lol, but I know many have read those as have I and this portion is correct about what happens at this point in time)
Quote: Originally Posted by jtheb
Excuse my ignorance Why Petra?
Petra is
one of the two places where God will protect His people during the
tribulation. My understanding is that they're near each other and also
near Jerusalem and Armageddon. They will still be able to die from
disease or an accident or things like that, but the antichrist and his
forces won't be able to lay a hand on anyone in those two places. Here are the main passages that this is discussed in God's Word:
Revelation 12:14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
Daniel 11:41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.
Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Isaiah 26:20-21 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.
Zechariah 14:2-3 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle.
It's also in Joel 2 but it's pretty much the whole chapter so I don't want to post all of that.
Revelation 12:14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
Daniel 11:41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.
Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Isaiah 26:20-21 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.
Zechariah 14:2-3 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle.
It's also in Joel 2 but it's pretty much the whole chapter so I don't want to post all of that.
Originally Posted by Pathwalker
I am one of those people Cindy is
talking about that has read the entire Series of Left Behind. To me,
Jerry Jenkens and Tim LaHaye are pretty accurate to what the Bible says
about Children during the Trib. Cindy, I always thought that Petra was
the only place that God would protect His people, during the
Tribulation. It didn't dawn on me to even think about Bozrah til you
showed us Isaiah 63:1. ( Interesting )
I think they're fairly close together Mark. Here's some info on them both:
Bozrah — enclosure; fortress. (1.) The city of Jobab, one of the early Edomite kings (Gen. 36:33). This place is mentioned by the prophets in later times (Isa. 34:6; Jer. 49:13; Amos 1:12; Micah 2:12). Its modern representative is el-Busseireh. It lies in the mountain district of Petra, 20 miles to the south-east of the Dead Sea.
Easton's Bible dictionary.
I did a quick search to see if I could find a map and came across these pictures you might like to see. I did NOT read what is written here so I have no idea if it's correct or not, I'm only posting the link for the photos:
http://www.yeshuatyisrael.com/bozrah.htm
here's some more:
http://www.bibleplaces.com/edom.htm
but I can't find a map that shows the distance between them...
PETRA [PET ruh] (rock)
— the capital of Nabatea, situated about 275 kilometers (170 miles)
southwest of modern Amman and about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of
the Dead Sea. Petra is not mentioned by name in the Bible, but many
scholars believe it was the same place as Sela (Judg. 1:36; 2 Kin. 14:7).
Petra
is one of the most spectacular archaeological ruins in the Near East
and is a popular attraction on Holy Land tours. Most of the buildings
and tombs of Petra are cut into the rose-red rock cliffs of the area.
Petra’s
ruins consist of about 750 monuments, most of them dating from the
second half of the first century b.c. to the second century after
Christ. In a.d. 131 the Roman emperor Hadrian (ruled a.d. 117–38)
visited the city and ordered construction to begin on the so-called
treasury, which has been called “Petra’s gem”—a temple to Isis.
Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary
Many ruins of Roman construction may be seen at
Petra: a triumphal arch, an amphitheater, remains of baths, temples,
tombs, and sections of a road. Above the city is the great high place,
containing sacrificial altars hewn from the solid rock. Such open-air
sanctuaries have thrown light on the High Places mentioned in the Old
Testament.
Petra is reached from the west
by ascending the Wadi Musa and passing through a narrow, high-walled
gorge, known as the Siq. Over a mile in length, this gorge provided
Petra with excellent defense. The city is situated in a basin that is
about 900 meters (3,000 feet) wide and about 1,600 meters (one mile)
long. The city is surrounded by massive sandstone cliffs of a dark red
color.
BOZRAH [BAHZ ruh] — the name of two cities in the Old Testament:
1. The royal city of Edom (see Map 4, B–5), on which several of the prophets pronounced divine judgment (Jer. 49:13, 22).
The Lord is represented as coming from Bozrah, wearing blood-sprinkled
garments, having trodden the winepress of His wrath upon the Gentile
nations (Is. 63:1–6).
2. A city in the tableland of Moab, which also received prophecy of coming divine judgment (Jer. 48:24).
Bozrah — enclosure; fortress. (1.) The city of Jobab, one of the early Edomite kings (Gen. 36:33). This place is mentioned by the prophets in later times (Isa. 34:6; Jer. 49:13; Amos 1:12; Micah 2:12). Its modern representative is el-Busseireh. It lies in the mountain district of Petra, 20 miles to the south-east of the Dead Sea.
Easton's Bible dictionary.
I did a quick search to see if I could find a map and came across these pictures you might like to see. I did NOT read what is written here so I have no idea if it's correct or not, I'm only posting the link for the photos:
http://www.yeshuatyisrael.com/bozrah.htm
here's some more:
http://www.bibleplaces.com/edom.htm
but I can't find a map that shows the distance between them...
In Matt. 24:16 the Lord warned those in Judea (Israel) to flee to the mountains when they see the Abomination of Desolation. The closest mountains are to the east in southern Jordan where Petra is located. Rev. 12:14
tells of Satan pursuing them across the desert as they flee to a place
prepared for them. This desert lies between Israel and the mountains of
southern Jordan around the northern and eastern shores of the Dead Sea.
And in Isaiah 63: 1-6 there’s a description of the Lord coming from Bozrah in Edom after single handedly defeating His enemies there. Bozrah is the region of Edom where Petra is located.
This indicates that when the time comes the Lord will declare Jordan
off limits to the anti-Christ and give His people refuge there.
I would say then that it's this "region" that
God will protect, and that the two main "cities" (they're only ruins
now) there are Petra and Bozrah, and those are the most likely places
for humans to seek shelter in that region.
A lot of the scholars think that the first part of this verse
Revelation 12:14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
Is actually the one and only possible reference to the USA in the Bible. They think it could mean that someone or some group (probably underground Christians just like in Left Behind) sends a plane to take groups of people to Petra and Bozrah. I can't see the official government doing it since at that point the official government of the AC will be out to kill the Jews not rescue them.
While it is possible that the 2 wings of an Eagle is a reference to US aircraft, it's also possible it's simply a reference to aircraft in general. Another very big possibility is that it's simply again referring to God supernaturally helping them escape so it's really hard to tell. That figure of speech is used by God several times in the old testament to speak about His divine help:
Exodus 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Deuteronomy 32:9-11 For the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.It will be interesting to see from Heaven just how the Lord carries this out!
Revelation 12:14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
Is actually the one and only possible reference to the USA in the Bible. They think it could mean that someone or some group (probably underground Christians just like in Left Behind) sends a plane to take groups of people to Petra and Bozrah. I can't see the official government doing it since at that point the official government of the AC will be out to kill the Jews not rescue them.
While it is possible that the 2 wings of an Eagle is a reference to US aircraft, it's also possible it's simply a reference to aircraft in general. Another very big possibility is that it's simply again referring to God supernaturally helping them escape so it's really hard to tell. That figure of speech is used by God several times in the old testament to speak about His divine help:
Exodus 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Deuteronomy 32:9-11 For the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.It will be interesting to see from Heaven just how the Lord carries this out!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Encouraging Lessons from Elijah
I've been studying about Elijah lately and it was so encouraging that I wanted to share it with you. The story begins in 1 Kings 17 with Elijah confronting King Ahab and telling him that there'd be no rain for the next 3 years. He said there'd not only be no rain, but that there wouldn't even be any dew on the ground for all that time, and that the rain would not come again until he said it would. Of course this would cause a horrible drought, which would in turn cause a horrible famine throughout the land. As soon as he delivered the message from the Lord, the Lord told him to go to a specific place by a brook where He had arranged for the ravens to bring him food.
One of the first things I noticed in the story was that the Lord didn't give Elijah a 3 year plan. Instead, He gave him simple one step directions with enough information to carry out those instructions. He told him to go tell the King what He'd said, and it wasn't until after He'd given the King the message that God then told him where to go next. And that was important for Elijah because the King didn't like what he'd been told and as soon as he gathered his wits about him, he wanted to kill Elijah.
So Elijah went to the area the Lord had told him too and as promised, the Lord had ravens provide food for him each day. Again we see that Elijah was provided for daily...not for weeks or months or years in advance. There wasn't a stockpile of food waiting or him either. Nor was he given a nice palace to live in and a big river to get his water from. Instead he had to camp out and make do with a small brook of water that could dry up at any time. I say, "make do", yet Elijah always had more then enough to eat and drink. He was warm when it was cold and cool when it was hot. The point being that God didn't provide him with abundance so that he wouldn't be tempted to rest, or count on the gifts or blessings, but instead would rest, count on, Him.
That's one of the tendencies of our sin nature...to begin to rely on the blessing instead of on the giver of the blessing. Like our pay checks -regardless of where they come from such as our job, unemployment, social security, or whatever, we tend to count on them; rely on them. We forget that our boss, the government or whoever, isn't really the one providing those checks - God is! When God does give us an abundance, we tend to forget Him. We don't need Him then, or so we think. Such as when we have a good secure job and a regular pay check that enables us to pay our bills and have some left over. After a very short time, we forget that this is a blessing directly from God. We tend to consider our pay check, and even our job, as something we've earned and that we deserve instead. While we may still pray and read our bibles, we certainly don't spend time in heartfelt prayer pleading with God, because we don't see any need to do so. We see ourselves as being our own provision with our safe secure job and steady pay check. At least we do till they stop for some reason. When that happens, after we complain and gripe about it, we'll finally turn to God and start pleading with Him in prayer for help. At some point then, we hopefully realize that our jobs and pay checks had become false gods for us, and repent.
To prevent this from happening with Elijah, God didn't give him an abundance. The Lord kept things so that Elijah would have to constantly rely on Him. It was part of his training for the job the Lord had for him in the future. Because we know the story, we know that Elijah is going to do some really awesome miracles; miracles that had never been done before and as big and as profuse as hadn't been seen since the exodus. Elijah needed to grow in faith In order to do things, (which of course he knew nothing about) and keeping Elijah dependent on Him that way, is what caused his faith to grow.
I see this in my own life right now. I'm dependent on God for everything just like Elijah is. The false gods have been kicked out and I've repented of them. Now I'm not just trying to get through one day at a time, instead I'm learning to enjoy living a day at a time with the Lord as my provision. I'm learning to literally rest in Him, the way Elijah learned to do at that brook. To abide in Him every day knowing that my needs will be met and that all I have to do is trust and obey.
Funny isn't it? All we ever have to do is trust and obey, yet we let our lives get so cluttered with "stuff" that we forget. So the Lord brings us back to the beginning once again. Remember that verse, "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord"? Just as the Lord had big plans for Elijah and was preparing him so he'd be able to handle them, so He's also preparing us for our future, and in the same way. I have a feeling that He's got some pretty big plans for us too!
One of the first things I noticed in the story was that the Lord didn't give Elijah a 3 year plan. Instead, He gave him simple one step directions with enough information to carry out those instructions. He told him to go tell the King what He'd said, and it wasn't until after He'd given the King the message that God then told him where to go next. And that was important for Elijah because the King didn't like what he'd been told and as soon as he gathered his wits about him, he wanted to kill Elijah.
So Elijah went to the area the Lord had told him too and as promised, the Lord had ravens provide food for him each day. Again we see that Elijah was provided for daily...not for weeks or months or years in advance. There wasn't a stockpile of food waiting or him either. Nor was he given a nice palace to live in and a big river to get his water from. Instead he had to camp out and make do with a small brook of water that could dry up at any time. I say, "make do", yet Elijah always had more then enough to eat and drink. He was warm when it was cold and cool when it was hot. The point being that God didn't provide him with abundance so that he wouldn't be tempted to rest, or count on the gifts or blessings, but instead would rest, count on, Him.
That's one of the tendencies of our sin nature...to begin to rely on the blessing instead of on the giver of the blessing. Like our pay checks -regardless of where they come from such as our job, unemployment, social security, or whatever, we tend to count on them; rely on them. We forget that our boss, the government or whoever, isn't really the one providing those checks - God is! When God does give us an abundance, we tend to forget Him. We don't need Him then, or so we think. Such as when we have a good secure job and a regular pay check that enables us to pay our bills and have some left over. After a very short time, we forget that this is a blessing directly from God. We tend to consider our pay check, and even our job, as something we've earned and that we deserve instead. While we may still pray and read our bibles, we certainly don't spend time in heartfelt prayer pleading with God, because we don't see any need to do so. We see ourselves as being our own provision with our safe secure job and steady pay check. At least we do till they stop for some reason. When that happens, after we complain and gripe about it, we'll finally turn to God and start pleading with Him in prayer for help. At some point then, we hopefully realize that our jobs and pay checks had become false gods for us, and repent.
To prevent this from happening with Elijah, God didn't give him an abundance. The Lord kept things so that Elijah would have to constantly rely on Him. It was part of his training for the job the Lord had for him in the future. Because we know the story, we know that Elijah is going to do some really awesome miracles; miracles that had never been done before and as big and as profuse as hadn't been seen since the exodus. Elijah needed to grow in faith In order to do things, (which of course he knew nothing about) and keeping Elijah dependent on Him that way, is what caused his faith to grow.
I see this in my own life right now. I'm dependent on God for everything just like Elijah is. The false gods have been kicked out and I've repented of them. Now I'm not just trying to get through one day at a time, instead I'm learning to enjoy living a day at a time with the Lord as my provision. I'm learning to literally rest in Him, the way Elijah learned to do at that brook. To abide in Him every day knowing that my needs will be met and that all I have to do is trust and obey.
Funny isn't it? All we ever have to do is trust and obey, yet we let our lives get so cluttered with "stuff" that we forget. So the Lord brings us back to the beginning once again. Remember that verse, "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord"? Just as the Lord had big plans for Elijah and was preparing him so he'd be able to handle them, so He's also preparing us for our future, and in the same way. I have a feeling that He's got some pretty big plans for us too!
Monday, March 3, 2014
How could God be so cruel???
How could God be so cruel???
How could God be so cruel??? That's what many people think and some are brave enough to say and in fact, it's what Job's wife thought when all those horrible things happened to him. OK, let me be more personal here and tell you exactly how I was feeling after the accident that caused me to become disabled.
I felt betrayed and hurt. I couldn't understand how God could let that happen to me. True, I was no where near as good a person as Job was, but still, I was saved, I was obedient to God and always tried to do whatever He told me to, including studying His Word daily with Him and praying. But that made it even worse, because the morning of my accident, I had prayed for safety! Here I'd thought God would protect me, keep them safe from horrible things like this, and yet He obviously hadn't! How could I ever trust Him again????
Unlike Job's wife though, I didn't turn from the Lord, instead I turned to Him and I told Him what I felt and asked Him why...what had I done wrong? What was I misunderstanding here??? Help!!! And of course, He answered me. It's His answer that I want to share with you all, because with all the horrid trials that so many of have been through, or are currently going through, or may go through in the future, I think it's something we should talk about.
When we ask about things like this, what we're really asking about is God's sovereignty. I've got to tell you though, when I consider God's sovereignty for too long and get too deep into the questions of why, and what it's, and how some bad thing or another be allowed to happen, that I wind up giving myself a headache trying to understand it all.
Because it is so difficult to understand, I freely admit to you that I'm quite sure that I don't completely and thoroughly understand it even now. But you know what? I'm OK with that. I know I have a basic grasp of it and more importantly, I know my God and who He is and His attributes, so I'm ok with leaving the working of the universe and all that's in it to Him and trusting that He really does know what He's doing. I've written this post innumerable times trying to explain His sovereignty and have finally come to the conclusion that I can't do it well enough to satisfy myself. It's something that I understand, but can't seem to put into words very well. So probably the best thing to do is just state the facts to start with and we can take it from there.
First, we know that God is sovereign--He has complete and total power over everything and everyone; He is omniscient--He knows everything there is to know about everything and everyone; and He's omnipotent-having unlimited authority and influence; He's transcendent or exists above time and space and isn't limited by them.
Usually when we're asking why God allowed something to happen, it's because we in our great knowledge, think that He messed up and made a mistake or that He wasn't being "fair". When I got down to brass tacks with Him over my accident, that's exactly what I was getting at. "I was a good born again woman, so it was wrong for Him to let that happen to me." Period. But my thoughts came back to haunt me.
I was "good"??? Really? And I remembered my sins of that day and of the day of the accident, and I even realized that I was still learning what attitudes were sins because it hadn't been that long ago that I'd thought sin was when you broke one of the commandments. So I recognized that even with all the sins I realized I'd committed, there were probably twice as many that I wasn't even aware of yet.
"But they been forgiven!" Yes, they had, thanks to a loving merciful Father who had loved me and saved me even though I didn't deserve it. I was beginning to feel a bit humbled by now as you can see, but there was still a spark of rebellion in me too. "But I'd prayed for Him to keep me safe that day!" And I recalled my husband and my boss telling me after they'd seen the car, that we were really lucky to be alive. "But now I can't work or do anything and You could have kept it from happening at all!" And the Lord led me to Job 38 on. I won't post it all, but just enough for you to get the idea...
Job 38:1–7 (NIV) — Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?........
Basically, the Lord reminded me of just who I was, and more importantly, who He was.
Romans 9:20 (NIV) — But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”
Isaiah 29:16 (NIV) — You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”?
Isaiah 45:9 (NIV) — “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?
Even as I read though, I knew He was being gentle and loving with me and that He wasn't angry. (at least I hadn't pushed Him that far yet) As I read, I thought about it in relation to what had happened to me. Yes, I'd been hurt, but not killed, and could have been killed in either my accident of the one that happened right next to us while the police were there helping us! So really, He HAD protected me, not just once, but twice! I thought, how do I know that if I hadn't been hurt the way I was, that someone else might have gotten hurt worse? I was thinking of a huge quilt and that I was like one colored thread in that quilt. I didn't even know everything about my own thread, much less the thousands of other threads that intersected or interacted with mine at some point or another, and every little thing that happened to me, would also affect them in some way too. And there was also the idea of if I hadn't had the accident, could something worse have happened later? For example, we've all heard stories of people running out of gas only to find out that if they hadn't, and had kept going, they likely would have been involved in a terrible accident that happened exactly in a place they would have been in at that time. The more I thought about all of that, the more ignorant I realized I was.
Then, just as I was feeling humbled by all this, the Lord really surprised me. He led me to Matthew 4 and suddenly I saw something I'd never noticed before: Who led Jesus into the desert to be tempted?
Matthew 4:1 (NIV) — Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
It wasn't Satan, it was God! God led His Son into what we would surely see as a horrible situation! Why??? And of course when I thought of that, I also remembered other things, like the way He was tortured, reviled, and ultimately hung on a cross. Jesus did all that, went through all that, in obedience to His Father's Will for Him. In obedience to Our Father's Will for Him. Of course we know why He did it, it was to save us...Suddenly I was remembering a lot of other things too. What about the disciples What about Stephen being stoned to death? Or all the times Paul was beaten literally within an inch of his life, or stoned and left for dead, or put in prison and mistreated? Or how about how most of the apostles ultimately died??? I think we can all agree that we'd consider any of those things pretty horrible!
Here I was saying it wasn't fair because I was a good born again woman, and yet these folks, who I'm sure were a lot more spiritually mature then I was, and who could more correctly be considered "good", had all been through things much more horrible then my experience. Was that "fair"? Was that good? Yes, we know that because of all those things, the gospel spread like wildfire and millions have been saved, but still..... Do you really think that Stephen understood "why" God was allowing him to be stoned to death when it happened? Or any of the others for that matter? Yet the Lord used what happened for tremendous good. At the time I was asking God about all this, I didn't understand how these things could have worked for their personal good, but I did see that God did use it for good in general and for others. Now I also understand how it worked for their personal good as well, because they will each receive tremendous rewards in Heaven at the Bema Judgment for all they went through; and their rewards won't waste away because they'll last for eternity.
And that brings us a big problem, because most of us think this life is pretty great and don't really see this life as the drop in a bucket that it really is. Compared to what even the worst born again Christian is going to have in Heaven, this life is more like Hell! When we study the Gospel like we're doing in the bible studies now, we find that the Lord was constantly trying to get people to see the eternal perspective instead of just an earthly perspective. We do have the capacity to have an eternal perspective, because if we didn't, the Lord wouldn't tell us to have one. I think part of the reason we don't is because again the church has failed to teach us about this, as they've failed to teach about so many important things. You know how when a woman is pregnant, she's always thinking ahead? She thinks about what to name the baby, what the baby is going to need when he or she arrives, how she's going to take care of the baby, what she needs to do to get the house baby proofed for when the baby starts to crawl and then walk; she imagines what the baby will look like, what the baby will sound like, and how the baby will act and what it will feel like to finally hold her child in her arms... What if when the mother was pregnant, she absolutely refused to think beyond the pregnancy? She didn't think about names, didn't consider what she'd need or buy anything for the baby, didn't talk about the baby and how she would care for the child, or anything at all. Instead, she just continued on as though she was going to be pregnant for the rest of her entire life and that's all that was important. Wouldn't that be totally ridiculous??? Yeah, it would even be pretty stupid! Yet, that's exactly what we do every day! We continue on in this life as though THIS is what's important and as though this is all that mattered! About the only time we peak beyond this life at all is when we consider where we're going to go when we die. Once we've made our decision though, we quickly run right back into this life and stay here. It makes me wonder if we really believe there's a heaven or not. But then, when I think about it, I realize that most people don't study their bibles and so they really don't know what's going to happen to them or what it's going to be like, and most churches don't preach about it so we generally remain ignorant. Yet Paul truly longed to be in heaven, and would have much preferred that to continuing to live this life!
Philippians 1:21–24 (NIV) — For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
And no, he wasn't suicidal! Having studied God's Word myself, I can honestly say the same thing. I understand now that this is just a short prelude and my real life will begin when I get to Heaven. That's my Home, and I am truly homesick and long to there. Yet I can't tell others that, not even other Christians really because they'll think that I'm either depressed, suicidal, or maybe affected because of the pain I live with, or if nothing else, then just plain crazy. They just don't understand. But Paul did, as did the other apostles..
Part 2:
How could God be so cruel??? That's what many people think and some are brave enough to say and in fact, it's what Job's wife thought when all those horrible things happened to him. OK, let me be more personal here and tell you exactly how I was feeling after the accident that caused me to become disabled.
I felt betrayed and hurt. I couldn't understand how God could let that happen to me. True, I was no where near as good a person as Job was, but still, I was saved, I was obedient to God and always tried to do whatever He told me to, including studying His Word daily with Him and praying. But that made it even worse, because the morning of my accident, I had prayed for safety! Here I'd thought God would protect me, keep them safe from horrible things like this, and yet He obviously hadn't! How could I ever trust Him again????
Unlike Job's wife though, I didn't turn from the Lord, instead I turned to Him and I told Him what I felt and asked Him why...what had I done wrong? What was I misunderstanding here??? Help!!! And of course, He answered me. It's His answer that I want to share with you all, because with all the horrid trials that so many of have been through, or are currently going through, or may go through in the future, I think it's something we should talk about.
When we ask about things like this, what we're really asking about is God's sovereignty. I've got to tell you though, when I consider God's sovereignty for too long and get too deep into the questions of why, and what it's, and how some bad thing or another be allowed to happen, that I wind up giving myself a headache trying to understand it all.
Because it is so difficult to understand, I freely admit to you that I'm quite sure that I don't completely and thoroughly understand it even now. But you know what? I'm OK with that. I know I have a basic grasp of it and more importantly, I know my God and who He is and His attributes, so I'm ok with leaving the working of the universe and all that's in it to Him and trusting that He really does know what He's doing. I've written this post innumerable times trying to explain His sovereignty and have finally come to the conclusion that I can't do it well enough to satisfy myself. It's something that I understand, but can't seem to put into words very well. So probably the best thing to do is just state the facts to start with and we can take it from there.
First, we know that God is sovereign--He has complete and total power over everything and everyone; He is omniscient--He knows everything there is to know about everything and everyone; and He's omnipotent-having unlimited authority and influence; He's transcendent or exists above time and space and isn't limited by them.
Usually when we're asking why God allowed something to happen, it's because we in our great knowledge, think that He messed up and made a mistake or that He wasn't being "fair". When I got down to brass tacks with Him over my accident, that's exactly what I was getting at. "I was a good born again woman, so it was wrong for Him to let that happen to me." Period. But my thoughts came back to haunt me.
I was "good"??? Really? And I remembered my sins of that day and of the day of the accident, and I even realized that I was still learning what attitudes were sins because it hadn't been that long ago that I'd thought sin was when you broke one of the commandments. So I recognized that even with all the sins I realized I'd committed, there were probably twice as many that I wasn't even aware of yet.
"But they been forgiven!" Yes, they had, thanks to a loving merciful Father who had loved me and saved me even though I didn't deserve it. I was beginning to feel a bit humbled by now as you can see, but there was still a spark of rebellion in me too. "But I'd prayed for Him to keep me safe that day!" And I recalled my husband and my boss telling me after they'd seen the car, that we were really lucky to be alive. "But now I can't work or do anything and You could have kept it from happening at all!" And the Lord led me to Job 38 on. I won't post it all, but just enough for you to get the idea...
Job 38:1–7 (NIV) — Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?........
Basically, the Lord reminded me of just who I was, and more importantly, who He was.
Romans 9:20 (NIV) — But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”
Isaiah 29:16 (NIV) — You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”?
Isaiah 45:9 (NIV) — “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?
Even as I read though, I knew He was being gentle and loving with me and that He wasn't angry. (at least I hadn't pushed Him that far yet) As I read, I thought about it in relation to what had happened to me. Yes, I'd been hurt, but not killed, and could have been killed in either my accident of the one that happened right next to us while the police were there helping us! So really, He HAD protected me, not just once, but twice! I thought, how do I know that if I hadn't been hurt the way I was, that someone else might have gotten hurt worse? I was thinking of a huge quilt and that I was like one colored thread in that quilt. I didn't even know everything about my own thread, much less the thousands of other threads that intersected or interacted with mine at some point or another, and every little thing that happened to me, would also affect them in some way too. And there was also the idea of if I hadn't had the accident, could something worse have happened later? For example, we've all heard stories of people running out of gas only to find out that if they hadn't, and had kept going, they likely would have been involved in a terrible accident that happened exactly in a place they would have been in at that time. The more I thought about all of that, the more ignorant I realized I was.
Then, just as I was feeling humbled by all this, the Lord really surprised me. He led me to Matthew 4 and suddenly I saw something I'd never noticed before: Who led Jesus into the desert to be tempted?
Matthew 4:1 (NIV) — Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
It wasn't Satan, it was God! God led His Son into what we would surely see as a horrible situation! Why??? And of course when I thought of that, I also remembered other things, like the way He was tortured, reviled, and ultimately hung on a cross. Jesus did all that, went through all that, in obedience to His Father's Will for Him. In obedience to Our Father's Will for Him. Of course we know why He did it, it was to save us...Suddenly I was remembering a lot of other things too. What about the disciples What about Stephen being stoned to death? Or all the times Paul was beaten literally within an inch of his life, or stoned and left for dead, or put in prison and mistreated? Or how about how most of the apostles ultimately died??? I think we can all agree that we'd consider any of those things pretty horrible!
Here I was saying it wasn't fair because I was a good born again woman, and yet these folks, who I'm sure were a lot more spiritually mature then I was, and who could more correctly be considered "good", had all been through things much more horrible then my experience. Was that "fair"? Was that good? Yes, we know that because of all those things, the gospel spread like wildfire and millions have been saved, but still..... Do you really think that Stephen understood "why" God was allowing him to be stoned to death when it happened? Or any of the others for that matter? Yet the Lord used what happened for tremendous good. At the time I was asking God about all this, I didn't understand how these things could have worked for their personal good, but I did see that God did use it for good in general and for others. Now I also understand how it worked for their personal good as well, because they will each receive tremendous rewards in Heaven at the Bema Judgment for all they went through; and their rewards won't waste away because they'll last for eternity.
And that brings us a big problem, because most of us think this life is pretty great and don't really see this life as the drop in a bucket that it really is. Compared to what even the worst born again Christian is going to have in Heaven, this life is more like Hell! When we study the Gospel like we're doing in the bible studies now, we find that the Lord was constantly trying to get people to see the eternal perspective instead of just an earthly perspective. We do have the capacity to have an eternal perspective, because if we didn't, the Lord wouldn't tell us to have one. I think part of the reason we don't is because again the church has failed to teach us about this, as they've failed to teach about so many important things. You know how when a woman is pregnant, she's always thinking ahead? She thinks about what to name the baby, what the baby is going to need when he or she arrives, how she's going to take care of the baby, what she needs to do to get the house baby proofed for when the baby starts to crawl and then walk; she imagines what the baby will look like, what the baby will sound like, and how the baby will act and what it will feel like to finally hold her child in her arms... What if when the mother was pregnant, she absolutely refused to think beyond the pregnancy? She didn't think about names, didn't consider what she'd need or buy anything for the baby, didn't talk about the baby and how she would care for the child, or anything at all. Instead, she just continued on as though she was going to be pregnant for the rest of her entire life and that's all that was important. Wouldn't that be totally ridiculous??? Yeah, it would even be pretty stupid! Yet, that's exactly what we do every day! We continue on in this life as though THIS is what's important and as though this is all that mattered! About the only time we peak beyond this life at all is when we consider where we're going to go when we die. Once we've made our decision though, we quickly run right back into this life and stay here. It makes me wonder if we really believe there's a heaven or not. But then, when I think about it, I realize that most people don't study their bibles and so they really don't know what's going to happen to them or what it's going to be like, and most churches don't preach about it so we generally remain ignorant. Yet Paul truly longed to be in heaven, and would have much preferred that to continuing to live this life!
Philippians 1:21–24 (NIV) — For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
And no, he wasn't suicidal! Having studied God's Word myself, I can honestly say the same thing. I understand now that this is just a short prelude and my real life will begin when I get to Heaven. That's my Home, and I am truly homesick and long to there. Yet I can't tell others that, not even other Christians really because they'll think that I'm either depressed, suicidal, or maybe affected because of the pain I live with, or if nothing else, then just plain crazy. They just don't understand. But Paul did, as did the other apostles..
Part 2:
When we finally can see beyond our
pregnancy, and see this life the way the Lord sees it, we also begin
seeing the things that happen to us now in a completely different
light, because we begin to not just think or believe that this is all
just temporary, we know it is.
Again, here I was, thinking God wasn't being fair because He didn't keep me from getting hurt at all in that accident, and the Lord showed me that I wasn't looking at the big picture. I was still focusing on the "now" or as I put it before, I was still focusing on being pregnant and not on what would happen when the baby came. When I finally began to look past the present, I began to realize that this is just preparing us for our real life. As I studied I began to see that the Lord and the apostles were constantly talking about our eternal lives and the rewards we'll be getting, and what those rewards will be for and warning us of the consequences of disobedience.
I relate most things to parenthood since that's what I'm familiar with, and it seems reasonable too since God is our Father. We're in a kind of difficult position because we're adults and yet we're His children and He has to grow us up so that we'll know how to behave properly in our real lives. So we all need to "grow up" spiritually now that we've been saved.
1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) — Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) — Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
When the bible talks about "growing up in our salvation", we're being told that we're to become spiritually mature. God doesn't want a bunch of spiritual babies inhabiting heaven after all, instead He wants us to be mature adults who can enjoy and appreciate all He's done for us. Just as earthly parents discipline their children when they misbehave, so our heavenly Father disciplines us when we're misbehaving and living according to the worlds standards instead of His standards. Obviously, if we don't know His Word, we can't know what His standards are or what His Will is or even, really know Him, so the very first thing He commands those who are born again is that they study His Word and grow up in their salvation.
Especially now that we're so close to the end of this age though, He is disciplining those who aren't doing that. He also disciplines us for other misbehavior and generally we see that discipline as a trial. So sometimes, that's the cause of our hardships. God isn't like earthly parents who make mistakes, nor does He ever discipline us in anger or to hurt us. His discipline is always to help us and He wants us to know when we're being disciplined and why. That's why He tells us that if we can't figure it out, that we should ask Him for wisdom and He will give it to us.
James 1:2–5 (NIV) — Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Again the Lord showed me that He's growing us up so that we'll be ready for the day our salvation is finally complete....that glorious day when we finally receive our new bodies and leave this awful sin nature behind forever! The Rapture!
You know, we've talked in many threads about how the world seems to have come full circle now. Full circle from when Jesus rose again and the age of the law ended and the age of grace started, to now when we're at the tail end of what the Bible has called "the end times". A lot of people don't realize it, but the end times actually began back then. They didn't just start. That's why I always say we're at the very end of them. Jesus assured His followers that He would return for them and they thought it would be in their lifetime. That's what He meant for them to think, because it was that that gave them the strength to get through all those horrible things that happened to them.
When the early Christians were horribly persecuted, and when they went through severe trials, they could sincerely rejoice because they KNEW it wouldn't be long and Jesus would return and everything they went through till then would be repaid to them 100 times over when He did! So they knew exactly what Paul and Peter meant when they said to "Rejoice in the Lord always" Philippians 4:4 and that they should "rejoice even though "for now" they're going through trials and suffering".
As I also said in that thread, this is another way we've come full circle, because once again, just as He said He would, the Lord has brought the knowledge of the rapture to light to remind us of this and now many of us too realize that He could return at any time.
That's good to know, but there's another part of coming full circle that we need to recognize too. Back then the whole known world was in complete turmoil. Bad economy? Many people then were starving to death! No jobs now? Same problem then! Persecution? They could tell us a thing or two about that! All the problems the world has now, were present then too and just as bad if not worse. It was during this time that Jerusalem was destroyed and later Rome was also destroyed. Knowing this, we too shouldn't be surprised at all that's happening to us.
Yes, us, God's church. The followers of Jesus went through terrible times at the end of their age and the beginning of ours but instead of asking how God could be so cruel as to allow these things to happen to them, they rejoiced knowing that He would work it all out in the end and their trials wouldn't be for nothing. Instead of focusing on what they lacked or how much they hurt, they focused on what these trials were accomplishing in them, what the trials were teaching them; how the trials were helping them to grow up spiritually to be the person God had created them to be for all eternity.
They even realized that some of the trials might not even be about them at all, however that didn't mean they couldn't learn from them. What do I mean about the trials not necessarily being about them? I mean that while God will discipline us, there are also times that the trial we're going through really has nothing to do with us, but is instead to teach others. For example, if someone is going through hardship and has no money etc. if the trial isn't discipline, it could quite well be to teach fellow Christians various lessons and/or to give others a chance to see how they should respond to such a trial in their life when/if it happens; or even to give other believers a chance to respond the way God wants us to when we see a brother or sister in need. It might be to teach others about how God calls us not to just give to others that are in need, but to give sacrificially to them, putting them above our own needs. Or, it might be to give someone a chance to repent of the wrong way they've reacted to that person in the past and now help them; or all kinds of other things. See most of us don't mind being on the giving end of the stick, but when it comes to being on the receiving end, it makes us mighty uncomfortable. That too is another lesson that the Lord might be trying to teach; or He could be giving someone who was once on the receiving end, a chance to be on the giving end. After all He's growing us up to be perfect as He is so He's going to cover all the angles.
Again the problem with our viewpoint is that it's usually way too short, considering only this life, and generally only "right now" and it generally doesn't take into consideration all the other people who are affected by what we're going through and the many different ways they're affected by it. Look at all the people who were and who still are affected by all the things that Paul went through and I'm sure we don't know about most of them.
There are many reasons why the Lord allows these terrible things to happen to us, the children He loves, and we've discussed most of them in threads like the Trials and Tribulations one.
The bottom line is first that the Lord WILL allow horrible things to happen to us; or at least things that we generally consider are horrible. And second, that the Lord allows these things to happen, NOT because He's cruel or mean or unfair, but because He loves us and really does have our best interests at heart. Not our best interests for this life, but rather, our best interests for our "whole" life which unlike unbelievers, will stretch through all eternity. Certainly He wants us to have good things now, but there are times when "bad things" are allowed to ensure that our whole life is the best it can be. This is why it helps to truly know the Lord through studying His Word, because when we do that, then, we can really know we can trust Him and that He would never, ever, betray us.
That my friends is the bottom line of what the Lord showed me all those years ago when I had my accident and cried, "How could I ever trust Him again????" I can tell you all about the Lord and what He's like till I'm blue in the face, and so could many others, but that's something we simply cannot really know in our hearts until we've studied His Word with Him, regularly for ourselves. That's how we grow our relationship with Him and get closer to Him. Those who do are never put to shame as He Himself promises, for when we do, then we know that we can trust Him with our very lives without a single hesitation, worry or backward glance. This is what Peter is saying here:
1 Peter 4:16–19 (NIV) — However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Again, here I was, thinking God wasn't being fair because He didn't keep me from getting hurt at all in that accident, and the Lord showed me that I wasn't looking at the big picture. I was still focusing on the "now" or as I put it before, I was still focusing on being pregnant and not on what would happen when the baby came. When I finally began to look past the present, I began to realize that this is just preparing us for our real life. As I studied I began to see that the Lord and the apostles were constantly talking about our eternal lives and the rewards we'll be getting, and what those rewards will be for and warning us of the consequences of disobedience.
I relate most things to parenthood since that's what I'm familiar with, and it seems reasonable too since God is our Father. We're in a kind of difficult position because we're adults and yet we're His children and He has to grow us up so that we'll know how to behave properly in our real lives. So we all need to "grow up" spiritually now that we've been saved.
1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) — Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) — Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
When the bible talks about "growing up in our salvation", we're being told that we're to become spiritually mature. God doesn't want a bunch of spiritual babies inhabiting heaven after all, instead He wants us to be mature adults who can enjoy and appreciate all He's done for us. Just as earthly parents discipline their children when they misbehave, so our heavenly Father disciplines us when we're misbehaving and living according to the worlds standards instead of His standards. Obviously, if we don't know His Word, we can't know what His standards are or what His Will is or even, really know Him, so the very first thing He commands those who are born again is that they study His Word and grow up in their salvation.
Especially now that we're so close to the end of this age though, He is disciplining those who aren't doing that. He also disciplines us for other misbehavior and generally we see that discipline as a trial. So sometimes, that's the cause of our hardships. God isn't like earthly parents who make mistakes, nor does He ever discipline us in anger or to hurt us. His discipline is always to help us and He wants us to know when we're being disciplined and why. That's why He tells us that if we can't figure it out, that we should ask Him for wisdom and He will give it to us.
James 1:2–5 (NIV) — Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Again the Lord showed me that He's growing us up so that we'll be ready for the day our salvation is finally complete....that glorious day when we finally receive our new bodies and leave this awful sin nature behind forever! The Rapture!
You know, we've talked in many threads about how the world seems to have come full circle now. Full circle from when Jesus rose again and the age of the law ended and the age of grace started, to now when we're at the tail end of what the Bible has called "the end times". A lot of people don't realize it, but the end times actually began back then. They didn't just start. That's why I always say we're at the very end of them. Jesus assured His followers that He would return for them and they thought it would be in their lifetime. That's what He meant for them to think, because it was that that gave them the strength to get through all those horrible things that happened to them.
When the early Christians were horribly persecuted, and when they went through severe trials, they could sincerely rejoice because they KNEW it wouldn't be long and Jesus would return and everything they went through till then would be repaid to them 100 times over when He did! So they knew exactly what Paul and Peter meant when they said to "Rejoice in the Lord always" Philippians 4:4 and that they should "rejoice even though "for now" they're going through trials and suffering".
As I also said in that thread, this is another way we've come full circle, because once again, just as He said He would, the Lord has brought the knowledge of the rapture to light to remind us of this and now many of us too realize that He could return at any time.
That's good to know, but there's another part of coming full circle that we need to recognize too. Back then the whole known world was in complete turmoil. Bad economy? Many people then were starving to death! No jobs now? Same problem then! Persecution? They could tell us a thing or two about that! All the problems the world has now, were present then too and just as bad if not worse. It was during this time that Jerusalem was destroyed and later Rome was also destroyed. Knowing this, we too shouldn't be surprised at all that's happening to us.
Yes, us, God's church. The followers of Jesus went through terrible times at the end of their age and the beginning of ours but instead of asking how God could be so cruel as to allow these things to happen to them, they rejoiced knowing that He would work it all out in the end and their trials wouldn't be for nothing. Instead of focusing on what they lacked or how much they hurt, they focused on what these trials were accomplishing in them, what the trials were teaching them; how the trials were helping them to grow up spiritually to be the person God had created them to be for all eternity.
They even realized that some of the trials might not even be about them at all, however that didn't mean they couldn't learn from them. What do I mean about the trials not necessarily being about them? I mean that while God will discipline us, there are also times that the trial we're going through really has nothing to do with us, but is instead to teach others. For example, if someone is going through hardship and has no money etc. if the trial isn't discipline, it could quite well be to teach fellow Christians various lessons and/or to give others a chance to see how they should respond to such a trial in their life when/if it happens; or even to give other believers a chance to respond the way God wants us to when we see a brother or sister in need. It might be to teach others about how God calls us not to just give to others that are in need, but to give sacrificially to them, putting them above our own needs. Or, it might be to give someone a chance to repent of the wrong way they've reacted to that person in the past and now help them; or all kinds of other things. See most of us don't mind being on the giving end of the stick, but when it comes to being on the receiving end, it makes us mighty uncomfortable. That too is another lesson that the Lord might be trying to teach; or He could be giving someone who was once on the receiving end, a chance to be on the giving end. After all He's growing us up to be perfect as He is so He's going to cover all the angles.
Again the problem with our viewpoint is that it's usually way too short, considering only this life, and generally only "right now" and it generally doesn't take into consideration all the other people who are affected by what we're going through and the many different ways they're affected by it. Look at all the people who were and who still are affected by all the things that Paul went through and I'm sure we don't know about most of them.
There are many reasons why the Lord allows these terrible things to happen to us, the children He loves, and we've discussed most of them in threads like the Trials and Tribulations one.
The bottom line is first that the Lord WILL allow horrible things to happen to us; or at least things that we generally consider are horrible. And second, that the Lord allows these things to happen, NOT because He's cruel or mean or unfair, but because He loves us and really does have our best interests at heart. Not our best interests for this life, but rather, our best interests for our "whole" life which unlike unbelievers, will stretch through all eternity. Certainly He wants us to have good things now, but there are times when "bad things" are allowed to ensure that our whole life is the best it can be. This is why it helps to truly know the Lord through studying His Word, because when we do that, then, we can really know we can trust Him and that He would never, ever, betray us.
That my friends is the bottom line of what the Lord showed me all those years ago when I had my accident and cried, "How could I ever trust Him again????" I can tell you all about the Lord and what He's like till I'm blue in the face, and so could many others, but that's something we simply cannot really know in our hearts until we've studied His Word with Him, regularly for ourselves. That's how we grow our relationship with Him and get closer to Him. Those who do are never put to shame as He Himself promises, for when we do, then we know that we can trust Him with our very lives without a single hesitation, worry or backward glance. This is what Peter is saying here:
1 Peter 4:16–19 (NIV) — However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
My Reflection Part 4
Ruthanne posted:
This is a lesson and I think the Lord is not only working on my faith but Larry's and Steven's too.Larry is terrified we will run out of gas.So he won't put the heat on. I told him this morning,Larry the Lord isn't going to let us run out of gas.Then the devil thru it up to me that we already have!Well,yes,BUT,we ran out on check day so I was able to get gas and work the other bills out so we can make it thru this month.And if we run out again I can write a check and have them hold it til next month(they have done that before for me)Or DAEOC will get their money(MO.Gov.signed a bill that gives mo.another million dollars for heating stuff and each family will get double what they qualify for since gas has gone up so much.You know,I don't know where we will get the money,I just know we will.
Also,along the lines of what you are teaching me now,There was a lady on the radio yesterday talking about growing her faith.I was surprised when ,further on in the show,they said she was 75 yrs old.She had been telling about her faith,yes,but she was really talking about all the circumstances that had happened in her life and that was HOW she had such great faith.The Longer you walk with the Lord the stronger your faith grows.
So,Cindy,I am about 1000 miles behind you but I am on the same road as you since we follow the same Savior.
And we mustn't forget about the respites He gives us when we have fought a hard battle.When our faith has grown and we have seen His provision,our joy is compounded and I take that as a respite.Am I right about that?Love Ruthanne P.S.this is the first time I have even read about the names of God in the OT.Maybe you can start a thread about them and their meanings.I had heard some of them but not all and I always wondered,Love Ruthanne
Ruthanne posted:
You did just fine.And I too look for the permanent respite.I long for it.And I hadn't really noticed that the joy I love so much also means my guard is down.I will have to be more alert.I have a very bad habit of dismissing the devil as the Lord is in my heart and the devil can't overcome Jesus.I need to remember he can still get at us through people,come to think of it,he is using Larry right now to steal my joy and peace.Ok I pray for protection.and ask that His Love strengthens my love for Larry.He can't help the devil using him.I am determined to rest in that blame wheelbarrow!Thanks Cindy.Since I have been on the board this morning I have been freed from anger,worry,and sloppiness in my fight.I am grateful for you and FH,Love Ruthanne
I'm glad it helped Ruthanne and I hope you're able to get some rest today too.
For next time when you come back though, I want to tell you that your joy doesn't mean you've relaxed your guard, or rather it doesn't have to. The Lord has given us His joy to be our strength and not just as a reward. The joy of the spirit doesn't have anything to do with what's happening in our lives on the outside. It has to do with the fact that the Lord saved us and that He's given us all the spiritual blessings that there are. It has to do with our identity being in Him now instead of being in ourselves. We can and should have His joy all the time, no matter what's going on. That's why we can smile and sing praises to Him in the worst circumstances. Because He not only died for us, but because He then gave us His life which He now lives through us when we'll let Him. (by abiding in Him) It can get confusing and be hard to explain, but I'll try to do better tomorrow when I'll have more time. My grandkids are going to be here any time now and I have to get ready.
Ruthanne posted:
I'm sorry to bother you.But.Why is it I have to fight for my Joy?Is it because of the depression?Or the drugs I have to take because of the depression?I can honestly say I have peace and that by the Lord,but joy is a gift to me somehow.I don't understand,but recently I don't understand alot.That is what faith is for.Love Ruthanne P.S.Do not work on this until you have rested and make it an after thought ,after you do all you HAVE to do.I'm not going anywhere
Love Ruthanne
Ruthanne, you don't bother me at all! You know I love answering questions lol, so don't worry about it!
I think a lot of the problem is that the world has taught us a different meaning for many things, including joy. We tend to see joy and happiness as things that we feel when everything is going right or when something extra good happens to us. The world teaches us too that we can't control how we feel, which is the opposite of what God says. So we tend to see things like joy as things that happen to us that are outside our control. As usual, God tells us the opposite.
We experience worldly joy when really good things happen to us. But it's different with the Joy of the Lord. Philippians 4:4 tells us to rejoice in the Lord always and that's a command, not a suggestion. He even repeats it which shows how important this is for us to do. In fact, it's repeated a number of times throughout the bible. We're also told that the Joy of the Lord is our strength, which gives us the reason He wants us to rejoice in Him always. It's for our benefit, not His. But how can we do that when our lives are falling apart and it doesn't seem as though anything is going right? Because, if we're saved, there is something that's going right and that's truly wonderful, even amazing , even in the midst of great physical or emotional pain or hardship, or severe trials.
What is it? It's the fact that the Lord has saved us of course. When we sit and think about all our Lord did for us to save us, all He gave up, all He put up with from us (and still puts up with), all the torture He went through, and the horror of the cross and being separated for the first and only time from His Father when He became sin for us, etc. it's just overwhelming! It's overwhelming that He could love us so very much to do all of that when we still hated Him! He didn't wait until we'd come around and started to think He might be right, He did it all when we hated Him! I could write pages and pages of all He's done for us in saving us, but that's something you can know as well.
It really helps a lot when we also know more about ourselves and who and what we really were before we were saved - how corrupt our minds were and are without His indwelling spirit to guide and teach us. Which is why the unsaved can't understand anything about God, His Word or the Truth and why even many Christians don't understand because they haven't learned that it doesn't happen automatically. Our minds don't suddenly become clean when we're saved and able to know the Truth. Instead it comes as we read/study God's Word with His help; or another way of saying it is through using the mind of Christ. He gave us the mind of Christ when we were saved, but we have to learn to use it, and the only way that happens is when we ask Him to teach us and guide us each time we open His Word. So knowing how corrupt and hopeless we were without Him, helps a lot too.
Another part of our Joy is our blessed hope. Titus 2:13, Ephesians 1:13-14 and Romans 8:22 among other scriptures explain that it was in this hope we were saved. It's the hope, the longing for our new uncorrupted bodies and minds that we'll receive at the rapture, which will be the completion of our salvation - then not only our spirits or souls will be saved, but so will our bodies and minds. Remember, right now we have the Holy Spirit which is our guarantee that God will give us the rest...our new bodies and minds. Perfect bodies, no longer corrupted by sin, with no pain or illness! Minds that are no longer corrupted by sin and that we can use all of! It's going to be magnificent!
Still another part of our joy is knowing that the Lord has already given us every spiritual blessing, as well as everything we need to live a godly, victorious life here and now. The problem is that He's given us the gifts, but often they sit unopened on our tables and they've gotten so covered up with junk that many have forgotten all about it. All we have to do to find them and open them though is study His Word.
But as for having and feeling the Joy of the Lord, right now, even if we're going through some kind of horrible time, or if something terrible has just happened, we have to remember two things. First, the Lord didn't tell us to just "rejoice". He said to rejoice IN HIM. So we're not supposed to rejoice that we're going through a hard time or that something bad has happened or is happening to us. We're supposed to rejoice in Him - in all He's done for us already, all He's doing for us right now (for He works everything out for His glory and our good, and promises to finish the work of our salvation and sanctification that He started in us) and all He will do for us in the future, including our blessed Hope. That means we need to switch our thoughts from dwelling on the thing we're going through, or whatever the "bad stuff" is, to Him and what He's done etc. When we honestly do that, we'll be overcome with His love, His peace and His Joy and generally end up praising Him.
In fact, we can even begin by praising Him for who He is and all He's done and it will lead us into the same paths. That's why He tells us to praise Him. It's not because He has a big ego, but because He knows it will uplift us and fill us with His joy, love and peace. He gives us His grace and that allows His power to be made manifest in us to overcome all those "bad things". Which is why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 —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. *
So you see, in this life, we must choose to praise Him, to rejoice in Him and then we will be filled with His Joy ALL the time and not just when something we happen to like happens. here's some more verses about this.
Ephesians 1:3 —Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. *
2 Peter 1:3 —His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. *
Ephesians 2:14 —For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, *
Nehemiah 8:10 —... for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” *
Romans 14:17 —For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, *
1 Thessalonians 5:16 —Be joyful always; *
Philippians 3:1 —Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. *
Philippians 4:4 —Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! *
Psalm 32:11 —Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! *
Ruthanne posted:
So A mature christian is just so happy that all this is temporary?I see what you mean.Instead of focusing on the ways things are but to focus on where we are going.I am right now,in my walk ,finally moving on I think.I am learning the presence Of Jesus,more and more and Now I think I am supposed to move on to another thing.Rejoicing.When I think of His love and the wonders of His hands and the grace that is mine,no matter what,and I get so happy and so homesick
.Do you think I am on the right track?Of course I know I am but am I trying to go too fast?I think of what you said so long ago,that we seem to be getting our lessons on fast-forward.Well,just a cig. break so back to supper,Love Ruthanne
Catt posted:
Ruthanne, you are beautiful.
Ruthanne posted:
Thank you Catt.What a nice compliment, you are beautiful too,Love Ruthanne
Well, that's part of it hon, the part for rejoicing anyway. It all boils down to love and trust though. We can't rejoice if we don't love Him and trust Him because then we wouldn't believe that He has done and will do the things He said He would. What we're doing is kind of like examining the ingredients that go together in a recipe. We can look at them separately, but if we don't put them together when we make the meal, it won't turn out right, see what I mean?
Ruthanne posted:
Gotcha. Love Ruthanne
Catt posted:
So true, Cindy. Lots of times I have read the recipes and never made the cake .
I had a "duh" moment this morning as I was studying when I realized I left out an important reason the Lord wants us to praise Him. It's because praising Him is one of the most effective weapons we have. Not only does praising God lift our spirits, but it also allows God to pour out His power in us to defeat Satan, the world and our flesh. It's another way His power is made perfect in our weakness, because as we praise and worship Him, rejoicing in Him, we take our focus off ourselves and our problems, and put it on Him... the One who does have the power to change things and work everything out for our good. Then He channels His power into us, which strengthens us, and enables us to do whatever needs to be done in our present circumstances. So, once again we're shown how the Joy of the Lord is our strength!
Fearnot posted:
Thank you for this thread Cindy.
Ruthanne posted:
That is awesome,huh,Cindy.And if we go back in our minds as we worship we realize joy always comes with gratitude and thanksgiving.I guess it's not something we really think of with our conscienceness,but when I read this ,I thought,Thats it exactly! I can't wait to get my morning time started.I have been praying for a hunger of God's word and for Jesus to increase His love in me for Him.Where else can it come from?He IS love.Anyway,I am hungry for the Word!Love Ruthanne
Catt posted:
I printed up the study on Psalms 23.
and sat studying it this afternoon.
I was so blessed. What a delicious spiritual
meal you have prepared for us. I got to take my time, look
up and read the scripture referances from the
comfort of the sofa.
Absolutely Holy Spirit inspired.
Glad you made it Barbara!
Amen Ruthanne, I know the Lord will bless your prayer and He must have a huge smile on His face and be so very pleased!
I'm so glad it blessed you Catt. I have to admit that it's one of my favorite meditations.
Ruthanne posted:
Sorry I have just got back here.I just want to tell Cindy something.You said you were sure God had a big smile on His face and for the longest time my only desire was to make God smile.When I read what you said I took it as an answer from the Lord that at least I made Him smile once and hope to do so many more times,forever ,in fact.Love Ruthanne
I'm sure you will hon. Just keep reminding yourself that He loves you more then we can ever imagine and only wants the very best for his precious child!
Ruthanne posted:
Thank you Cindy.I am loving my mornings,Love Ruthanne
Catt posted:
Is it your time with the Lord that makes your mornings so good?
What a miracle, really truly.
Ruthanne posted:
Yes Catt.When I was first saved the Holy Spirit 'explained?" the things I didn't understand and inevitably,I would have the opportunity to use whatever I had read sometime during that day.And when I prayed I got an answer immediately,either in the Word or from the pastor.Yes I went to church every time the doors opened and took my 2 and 3 yr old boys.I was so close to the Lord then and I feel it coming back,by going back to my first Love.It is such a strengthening thing to start your day with Him.I pray you also feel the blessings of your communion with the Lord and isn't it nice that we can also talk to Him throughout the entire day?It's been a long time coming,Love Ruthanne
Glad to hear it Ruthanne! That's wonderful!
Fearnot posted:
How strange, I read this yesterday, and I thought I posted to it, but don't see it?
Well it was super! One thing I needed to be reminded of again (the more reminders the deeper it becomes a part of me) was this:
"Do you believe you are a beloved child of God and that He has a plan for your life that He is actively working out for you every day? That He will provide for all your needs? If we're not thinking about God's Word and thinking about how He loves us and His plans for us etc. then we can't very well be living them can we? See how very important it is for us to be in control of our thoughts? "
I would like ( with Leonard's permission, he gave me permission) if you could give us (him ) a few scriptures to take his thoughts captive when his feelings of total impatience when people state the obvious to him.
It makes him 'nuts' because he has already thought thru that '3 weeks ago'. He calls it a problem with redundancy.
But also he get furious and angry when physical things don't 'co-operate' ( they fall or don't work right, are in his way...he been know to take his hand and shove everything out of his way onto the floor.
He is impatient he says horribly so. he needs to get things done and it seems like the physical world is against him.
He also says it's misplaced pride ( I think his brilliant ( 180 IQ) alcoholic father pushed him way past his limit as a child and his inability to help his Schizophrenic mom who talked to imaginary friends,( she also was extremely bright taught math at college or High School before going 'mad' so to speak).... and having to get his furious drunk dad out of bars...started those feelings that he has carried all his life.
Frankly since turning to Jesus he is sooooo much improved. However, He doesn't have the patience at this point ( not yet) to do a Bible study.
But I have talked to him about taking thoughts captive and he would really love to have a few 'anti-grumpy' verses to camp on or replace in his mind.
His impatient fury comes on instantaneously and it like he can't be reached till it runs it's course....still he really wants Father word about angry and how to control it by replacing thoughts of rage when things fall, or are misplaced, or won't operate correctly etc.
When that happens i just leave the room and pray for him. it usually only last a few minutes but it's sooooo intense, yet compared to when we were married and he had totally stopped reading scripture etc. is amazing. he short fuse was much much more often. And now he out of it so quickly, appologizes for his "bad temper' and even cracks some jokes which do make me laugh.
So if you can pray and think of any anti-grumpy verses we would be so
appreciative!!! Thank you in advance
I'll be happy to post some scriptures for him. The problems you and he describe are problems that a great many people have, so he's not alone in this at all. That doesn't make it right of course, but at least it lets us know we're not crazy lol. As for the patience one, when people state the obvious or ask the same question for the hundredth time, I've had to deal with that as well. (no, lol, not with you Barbara!) The Lord's shown me how very wrong it is to get upset with them and has helped me to overcome it to a great deal. I still have to watch myself, but at least have it under control for the most part now..
There are a couple of things the Lord reminded me of first: That those of us who are saved, have been given the mind of Christ to use and have been given every spiritual gift as well. Our minds are renewed every time we study God's Word with Him, which clears away that corruption of our minds that's there due to our sin nature. Here's a bunch that I used, and I think that you have most of these in your notes too Barbara. This is a worthy goal and one which will please the Lord. Remember though to ask Him to help you, as we can't succeed on our own.
Proverbs 19:11 —A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 16:32 —Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Proverbs 29:11 —A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
Proverbs 15:23 —A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!
Proverbs 29:20 —Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 14:29 —A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
Proverbs 12:16 —A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
1 Peter 3:8–11 —Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. *Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. *For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. *He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 4:11 —If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 —So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.
Colossians 3:8–10 —But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. *Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices *and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:12–15 —Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. *Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. *And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. *Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Ephesians 4:22–24 —You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; *to be made new in the attitude of your minds; *and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:26–27 —“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, *and do not give the devil a foothold.
Ephesians 4:31–5:2 —Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. *Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. *Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children *and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Matthew 12:34–37 —You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. *The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. *But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. *For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 5:22–24 —But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. *“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, *leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Romans 12:18 —If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Psalm 19:14 —May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 —Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. *It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. *Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. *It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Timothy 2:8 —I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
James 1:19–22 —My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, *for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. *Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. *Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Proverbs 15:18 —A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.
Proverbs 20:3 —It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
Matthew 5:9 —Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
These are some of the basic scriptures that teach us to take our thoughts and feelings captive and why:
Jeremiah 17:9 —The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Romans 1:28 —Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
2 Corinthians 10:5 —We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Philippians 4:8 —Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
1 Corinthians 2:16 —“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Philippians 4:8 —Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Romans 12:2 —Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Proverbs 4:23–24 —Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. *Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
I wanted to write and explain more, but the kids are already here and I have to go. I'll try to get back to you later though...maybe tomorrow...
Catt posted:
Wow!That's a mountain of them. Each one a chewy morsel to meditate on for the rest
of our days.
This is a lesson and I think the Lord is not only working on my faith but Larry's and Steven's too.Larry is terrified we will run out of gas.So he won't put the heat on. I told him this morning,Larry the Lord isn't going to let us run out of gas.Then the devil thru it up to me that we already have!Well,yes,BUT,we ran out on check day so I was able to get gas and work the other bills out so we can make it thru this month.And if we run out again I can write a check and have them hold it til next month(they have done that before for me)Or DAEOC will get their money(MO.Gov.signed a bill that gives mo.another million dollars for heating stuff and each family will get double what they qualify for since gas has gone up so much.You know,I don't know where we will get the money,I just know we will.
Also,along the lines of what you are teaching me now,There was a lady on the radio yesterday talking about growing her faith.I was surprised when ,further on in the show,they said she was 75 yrs old.She had been telling about her faith,yes,but she was really talking about all the circumstances that had happened in her life and that was HOW she had such great faith.The Longer you walk with the Lord the stronger your faith grows.
So,Cindy,I am about 1000 miles behind you but I am on the same road as you since we follow the same Savior.
And we mustn't forget about the respites He gives us when we have fought a hard battle.When our faith has grown and we have seen His provision,our joy is compounded and I take that as a respite.Am I right about that?Love Ruthanne P.S.this is the first time I have even read about the names of God in the OT.Maybe you can start a thread about them and their meanings.I had heard some of them but not all and I always wondered,Love Ruthanne
I think I understand about taking the joy you feel as a respite, but at the same time, we need to be especially alert after a battle because that's often a time when we let down our guard and wind up flat on our behinds because we didn't see an attack coming. The Lord shows us this in many stories in the OT of people who'd fought hard and then "relaxed" thinking they'd won, and then they got hit twice as hard. So as long as you keep alert and continue to guard your heart and mind during your "respite", then you'll be fine.
Part of the problem is that we all want to go on vacation, especially after going through a hard trial. But this whole life is a trial. Our real respite, or vacation, whatever you want to call it, doesn't come until we get to Heaven. The way I look at it is that this life is like my "job" and at the end of my work day, I'll get to go Home and relax. My workday won't be over though until this life is over. Like any job, this life has times when things go smoothly and I can take it easy, but I'm still at work; then other times when things are hard and I want to pull my hair out -but I'm at work, so I should expect times like that too. That's why the Lord tells us to focus on our reward, our blessed hope, our future: our Home with Him and our eternal life. Pay day comes when this life is over.
In the meantime, while we're hear on earth, because we're saved we still have rest, because we can rest in our Lord knowing He is working His Will through us as long as we're obedient. In other words, as long as we're abiding in Christ, then He's the one doing the work, not us. Like in my story above: Jesus is pushing the wheelbarrow across the canyon. All we're doing is sitting in it and either freaking out or enjoying the ride. If we're truly abiding in Him, then we'll be enjoying the ride. If we're freaking out when we're in the wheelbarrow, then we're not abiding in Him and we have no rest. See what I mean?
I hope that makes sense... I'm not sure I explained it very well...
Part of the problem is that we all want to go on vacation, especially after going through a hard trial. But this whole life is a trial. Our real respite, or vacation, whatever you want to call it, doesn't come until we get to Heaven. The way I look at it is that this life is like my "job" and at the end of my work day, I'll get to go Home and relax. My workday won't be over though until this life is over. Like any job, this life has times when things go smoothly and I can take it easy, but I'm still at work; then other times when things are hard and I want to pull my hair out -but I'm at work, so I should expect times like that too. That's why the Lord tells us to focus on our reward, our blessed hope, our future: our Home with Him and our eternal life. Pay day comes when this life is over.
In the meantime, while we're hear on earth, because we're saved we still have rest, because we can rest in our Lord knowing He is working His Will through us as long as we're obedient. In other words, as long as we're abiding in Christ, then He's the one doing the work, not us. Like in my story above: Jesus is pushing the wheelbarrow across the canyon. All we're doing is sitting in it and either freaking out or enjoying the ride. If we're truly abiding in Him, then we'll be enjoying the ride. If we're freaking out when we're in the wheelbarrow, then we're not abiding in Him and we have no rest. See what I mean?
I hope that makes sense... I'm not sure I explained it very well...
Ruthanne posted:
You did just fine.And I too look for the permanent respite.I long for it.And I hadn't really noticed that the joy I love so much also means my guard is down.I will have to be more alert.I have a very bad habit of dismissing the devil as the Lord is in my heart and the devil can't overcome Jesus.I need to remember he can still get at us through people,come to think of it,he is using Larry right now to steal my joy and peace.Ok I pray for protection.and ask that His Love strengthens my love for Larry.He can't help the devil using him.I am determined to rest in that blame wheelbarrow!Thanks Cindy.Since I have been on the board this morning I have been freed from anger,worry,and sloppiness in my fight.I am grateful for you and FH,Love Ruthanne
I'm glad it helped Ruthanne and I hope you're able to get some rest today too.
For next time when you come back though, I want to tell you that your joy doesn't mean you've relaxed your guard, or rather it doesn't have to. The Lord has given us His joy to be our strength and not just as a reward. The joy of the spirit doesn't have anything to do with what's happening in our lives on the outside. It has to do with the fact that the Lord saved us and that He's given us all the spiritual blessings that there are. It has to do with our identity being in Him now instead of being in ourselves. We can and should have His joy all the time, no matter what's going on. That's why we can smile and sing praises to Him in the worst circumstances. Because He not only died for us, but because He then gave us His life which He now lives through us when we'll let Him. (by abiding in Him) It can get confusing and be hard to explain, but I'll try to do better tomorrow when I'll have more time. My grandkids are going to be here any time now and I have to get ready.
Ruthanne posted:
I'm sorry to bother you.But.Why is it I have to fight for my Joy?Is it because of the depression?Or the drugs I have to take because of the depression?I can honestly say I have peace and that by the Lord,but joy is a gift to me somehow.I don't understand,but recently I don't understand alot.That is what faith is for.Love Ruthanne P.S.Do not work on this until you have rested and make it an after thought ,after you do all you HAVE to do.I'm not going anywhere
Love Ruthanne
Ruthanne, you don't bother me at all! You know I love answering questions lol, so don't worry about it!
I think a lot of the problem is that the world has taught us a different meaning for many things, including joy. We tend to see joy and happiness as things that we feel when everything is going right or when something extra good happens to us. The world teaches us too that we can't control how we feel, which is the opposite of what God says. So we tend to see things like joy as things that happen to us that are outside our control. As usual, God tells us the opposite.
We experience worldly joy when really good things happen to us. But it's different with the Joy of the Lord. Philippians 4:4 tells us to rejoice in the Lord always and that's a command, not a suggestion. He even repeats it which shows how important this is for us to do. In fact, it's repeated a number of times throughout the bible. We're also told that the Joy of the Lord is our strength, which gives us the reason He wants us to rejoice in Him always. It's for our benefit, not His. But how can we do that when our lives are falling apart and it doesn't seem as though anything is going right? Because, if we're saved, there is something that's going right and that's truly wonderful, even amazing , even in the midst of great physical or emotional pain or hardship, or severe trials.
What is it? It's the fact that the Lord has saved us of course. When we sit and think about all our Lord did for us to save us, all He gave up, all He put up with from us (and still puts up with), all the torture He went through, and the horror of the cross and being separated for the first and only time from His Father when He became sin for us, etc. it's just overwhelming! It's overwhelming that He could love us so very much to do all of that when we still hated Him! He didn't wait until we'd come around and started to think He might be right, He did it all when we hated Him! I could write pages and pages of all He's done for us in saving us, but that's something you can know as well.
It really helps a lot when we also know more about ourselves and who and what we really were before we were saved - how corrupt our minds were and are without His indwelling spirit to guide and teach us. Which is why the unsaved can't understand anything about God, His Word or the Truth and why even many Christians don't understand because they haven't learned that it doesn't happen automatically. Our minds don't suddenly become clean when we're saved and able to know the Truth. Instead it comes as we read/study God's Word with His help; or another way of saying it is through using the mind of Christ. He gave us the mind of Christ when we were saved, but we have to learn to use it, and the only way that happens is when we ask Him to teach us and guide us each time we open His Word. So knowing how corrupt and hopeless we were without Him, helps a lot too.
Another part of our Joy is our blessed hope. Titus 2:13, Ephesians 1:13-14 and Romans 8:22 among other scriptures explain that it was in this hope we were saved. It's the hope, the longing for our new uncorrupted bodies and minds that we'll receive at the rapture, which will be the completion of our salvation - then not only our spirits or souls will be saved, but so will our bodies and minds. Remember, right now we have the Holy Spirit which is our guarantee that God will give us the rest...our new bodies and minds. Perfect bodies, no longer corrupted by sin, with no pain or illness! Minds that are no longer corrupted by sin and that we can use all of! It's going to be magnificent!
Still another part of our joy is knowing that the Lord has already given us every spiritual blessing, as well as everything we need to live a godly, victorious life here and now. The problem is that He's given us the gifts, but often they sit unopened on our tables and they've gotten so covered up with junk that many have forgotten all about it. All we have to do to find them and open them though is study His Word.
But as for having and feeling the Joy of the Lord, right now, even if we're going through some kind of horrible time, or if something terrible has just happened, we have to remember two things. First, the Lord didn't tell us to just "rejoice". He said to rejoice IN HIM. So we're not supposed to rejoice that we're going through a hard time or that something bad has happened or is happening to us. We're supposed to rejoice in Him - in all He's done for us already, all He's doing for us right now (for He works everything out for His glory and our good, and promises to finish the work of our salvation and sanctification that He started in us) and all He will do for us in the future, including our blessed Hope. That means we need to switch our thoughts from dwelling on the thing we're going through, or whatever the "bad stuff" is, to Him and what He's done etc. When we honestly do that, we'll be overcome with His love, His peace and His Joy and generally end up praising Him.
In fact, we can even begin by praising Him for who He is and all He's done and it will lead us into the same paths. That's why He tells us to praise Him. It's not because He has a big ego, but because He knows it will uplift us and fill us with His joy, love and peace. He gives us His grace and that allows His power to be made manifest in us to overcome all those "bad things". Which is why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 —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. *
So you see, in this life, we must choose to praise Him, to rejoice in Him and then we will be filled with His Joy ALL the time and not just when something we happen to like happens. here's some more verses about this.
Ephesians 1:3 —Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. *
2 Peter 1:3 —His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. *
Ephesians 2:14 —For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, *
Nehemiah 8:10 —... for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” *
Romans 14:17 —For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, *
1 Thessalonians 5:16 —Be joyful always; *
Philippians 3:1 —Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. *
Philippians 4:4 —Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! *
Psalm 32:11 —Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! *
Ruthanne posted:
So A mature christian is just so happy that all this is temporary?I see what you mean.Instead of focusing on the ways things are but to focus on where we are going.I am right now,in my walk ,finally moving on I think.I am learning the presence Of Jesus,more and more and Now I think I am supposed to move on to another thing.Rejoicing.When I think of His love and the wonders of His hands and the grace that is mine,no matter what,and I get so happy and so homesick
.Do you think I am on the right track?Of course I know I am but am I trying to go too fast?I think of what you said so long ago,that we seem to be getting our lessons on fast-forward.Well,just a cig. break so back to supper,Love RuthanneCatt posted:
Ruthanne, you are beautiful.
Ruthanne posted:
Thank you Catt.What a nice compliment, you are beautiful too,Love Ruthanne
Well, that's part of it hon, the part for rejoicing anyway. It all boils down to love and trust though. We can't rejoice if we don't love Him and trust Him because then we wouldn't believe that He has done and will do the things He said He would. What we're doing is kind of like examining the ingredients that go together in a recipe. We can look at them separately, but if we don't put them together when we make the meal, it won't turn out right, see what I mean?
Ruthanne posted:
Gotcha. Love Ruthanne
Catt posted:
So true, Cindy. Lots of times I have read the recipes and never made the cake .
I had a "duh" moment this morning as I was studying when I realized I left out an important reason the Lord wants us to praise Him. It's because praising Him is one of the most effective weapons we have. Not only does praising God lift our spirits, but it also allows God to pour out His power in us to defeat Satan, the world and our flesh. It's another way His power is made perfect in our weakness, because as we praise and worship Him, rejoicing in Him, we take our focus off ourselves and our problems, and put it on Him... the One who does have the power to change things and work everything out for our good. Then He channels His power into us, which strengthens us, and enables us to do whatever needs to be done in our present circumstances. So, once again we're shown how the Joy of the Lord is our strength!
Fearnot posted:
Thank you for this thread Cindy.
Ruthanne posted:
That is awesome,huh,Cindy.And if we go back in our minds as we worship we realize joy always comes with gratitude and thanksgiving.I guess it's not something we really think of with our conscienceness,but when I read this ,I thought,Thats it exactly! I can't wait to get my morning time started.I have been praying for a hunger of God's word and for Jesus to increase His love in me for Him.Where else can it come from?He IS love.Anyway,I am hungry for the Word!Love Ruthanne
Catt posted:
I printed up the study on Psalms 23.
and sat studying it this afternoon.
I was so blessed. What a delicious spiritual
meal you have prepared for us. I got to take my time, look
up and read the scripture referances from the
comfort of the sofa.
Absolutely Holy Spirit inspired.
Glad you made it Barbara!
Amen Ruthanne, I know the Lord will bless your prayer and He must have a huge smile on His face and be so very pleased!
I'm so glad it blessed you Catt. I have to admit that it's one of my favorite meditations.
Ruthanne posted:
Sorry I have just got back here.I just want to tell Cindy something.You said you were sure God had a big smile on His face and for the longest time my only desire was to make God smile.When I read what you said I took it as an answer from the Lord that at least I made Him smile once and hope to do so many more times,forever ,in fact.Love Ruthanne
I'm sure you will hon. Just keep reminding yourself that He loves you more then we can ever imagine and only wants the very best for his precious child!
Ruthanne posted:
Thank you Cindy.I am loving my mornings,Love Ruthanne
Catt posted:
Is it your time with the Lord that makes your mornings so good?
What a miracle, really truly.
Ruthanne posted:
Yes Catt.When I was first saved the Holy Spirit 'explained?" the things I didn't understand and inevitably,I would have the opportunity to use whatever I had read sometime during that day.And when I prayed I got an answer immediately,either in the Word or from the pastor.Yes I went to church every time the doors opened and took my 2 and 3 yr old boys.I was so close to the Lord then and I feel it coming back,by going back to my first Love.It is such a strengthening thing to start your day with Him.I pray you also feel the blessings of your communion with the Lord and isn't it nice that we can also talk to Him throughout the entire day?It's been a long time coming,Love Ruthanne
Glad to hear it Ruthanne! That's wonderful!
Fearnot posted:
How strange, I read this yesterday, and I thought I posted to it, but don't see it?
Well it was super! One thing I needed to be reminded of again (the more reminders the deeper it becomes a part of me) was this:
"Do you believe you are a beloved child of God and that He has a plan for your life that He is actively working out for you every day? That He will provide for all your needs? If we're not thinking about God's Word and thinking about how He loves us and His plans for us etc. then we can't very well be living them can we? See how very important it is for us to be in control of our thoughts? "
I would like ( with Leonard's permission, he gave me permission) if you could give us (him ) a few scriptures to take his thoughts captive when his feelings of total impatience when people state the obvious to him.
It makes him 'nuts' because he has already thought thru that '3 weeks ago'. He calls it a problem with redundancy.
But also he get furious and angry when physical things don't 'co-operate' ( they fall or don't work right, are in his way...he been know to take his hand and shove everything out of his way onto the floor.
He is impatient he says horribly so. he needs to get things done and it seems like the physical world is against him.
He also says it's misplaced pride ( I think his brilliant ( 180 IQ) alcoholic father pushed him way past his limit as a child and his inability to help his Schizophrenic mom who talked to imaginary friends,( she also was extremely bright taught math at college or High School before going 'mad' so to speak).... and having to get his furious drunk dad out of bars...started those feelings that he has carried all his life.
Frankly since turning to Jesus he is sooooo much improved. However, He doesn't have the patience at this point ( not yet) to do a Bible study.
But I have talked to him about taking thoughts captive and he would really love to have a few 'anti-grumpy' verses to camp on or replace in his mind.
His impatient fury comes on instantaneously and it like he can't be reached till it runs it's course....still he really wants Father word about angry and how to control it by replacing thoughts of rage when things fall, or are misplaced, or won't operate correctly etc.
When that happens i just leave the room and pray for him. it usually only last a few minutes but it's sooooo intense, yet compared to when we were married and he had totally stopped reading scripture etc. is amazing. he short fuse was much much more often. And now he out of it so quickly, appologizes for his "bad temper' and even cracks some jokes which do make me laugh.
So if you can pray and think of any anti-grumpy verses we would be so
appreciative!!! Thank you in advance
I'll be happy to post some scriptures for him. The problems you and he describe are problems that a great many people have, so he's not alone in this at all. That doesn't make it right of course, but at least it lets us know we're not crazy lol. As for the patience one, when people state the obvious or ask the same question for the hundredth time, I've had to deal with that as well. (no, lol, not with you Barbara!) The Lord's shown me how very wrong it is to get upset with them and has helped me to overcome it to a great deal. I still have to watch myself, but at least have it under control for the most part now..
There are a couple of things the Lord reminded me of first: That those of us who are saved, have been given the mind of Christ to use and have been given every spiritual gift as well. Our minds are renewed every time we study God's Word with Him, which clears away that corruption of our minds that's there due to our sin nature. Here's a bunch that I used, and I think that you have most of these in your notes too Barbara. This is a worthy goal and one which will please the Lord. Remember though to ask Him to help you, as we can't succeed on our own.
Proverbs 19:11 —A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 16:32 —Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Proverbs 29:11 —A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
Proverbs 15:23 —A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!
Proverbs 29:20 —Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 14:29 —A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
Proverbs 12:16 —A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
1 Peter 3:8–11 —Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. *Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. *For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. *He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 4:11 —If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 —So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.
Colossians 3:8–10 —But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. *Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices *and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:12–15 —Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. *Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. *And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. *Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Ephesians 4:22–24 —You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; *to be made new in the attitude of your minds; *and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:26–27 —“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, *and do not give the devil a foothold.
Ephesians 4:31–5:2 —Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. *Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. *Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children *and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Matthew 12:34–37 —You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. *The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. *But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. *For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 5:22–24 —But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. *“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, *leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Romans 12:18 —If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Psalm 19:14 —May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 —Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. *It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. *Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. *It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Timothy 2:8 —I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
James 1:19–22 —My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, *for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. *Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. *Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Proverbs 15:18 —A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.
Proverbs 20:3 —It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
Matthew 5:9 —Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
These are some of the basic scriptures that teach us to take our thoughts and feelings captive and why:
Jeremiah 17:9 —The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Romans 1:28 —Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
2 Corinthians 10:5 —We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Philippians 4:8 —Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
1 Corinthians 2:16 —“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Philippians 4:8 —Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Romans 12:2 —Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Proverbs 4:23–24 —Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. *Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
I wanted to write and explain more, but the kids are already here and I have to go. I'll try to get back to you later though...maybe tomorrow...
Catt posted:
Wow!That's a mountain of them. Each one a chewy morsel to meditate on for the rest
of our days.
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