What does faithfulness require in a crumbling, collapsing culture?
It requires simple honesty, courage to stand alone if needed, a turning and trusting the Lord. He'll never leave you alone for even a sec.
What does it require here where many people are intentionally walking away from their relationship with the Lord? Not distractions, or apathy, but a U-turn back to the Bible.
What does integrity require in these last days of chaos, of violence, and of lawlessness? It sure doesn't require us freaking out in panic, or require date setting, or spiritual malnutrition.
Date setting is so senseless and it's sin DUH. It promotes apathy instead of vigilance when the later is so needed.
Remember William Miller back in 1833 and recall Edgar C. Whisenant in 1932 too. Their predictions failed more than once, and their followers bailed out even from a relationship with the Lord even though Jesus said not to do that, and that He himself didn’t even know the date. It’s indeed a day for a perpetual awakened walk in the light kind of readiness for the Rapture. Hey Buckaroo, ever met one thief who set an appointment and let you know when he was going to arrive in the Livingroom at your house. Always be ready for Jesus, and remember God is very benevolent and is no thief. This could be the day that we see Christ face to face. It’s closer now than when we first believed.
What's required of believers today is prayer that goes on and on until God's results are seen. But Kurt, why should I bother God with another request and then feel hurt or rejected inside when I don't get the answer in the affirmative? Been there, done that.
Many ask that question these days. They are discouraged. These are also the words of a woman who asks that. She is angry at God. She and her friends really prayed for her pastor and then he died. What do we do when the answer is disguised or denied or what about the disappointment hearing a no, or we hear a wait?
Only fifty two percent of evangelicals believe that the Bible is inspired by God. That's so unprecedented -- that's horrible. Wasn't at all so low before.
In praying we have to move from the mentality of getting to the mentality of relationship. the emphasis needs to move from my desires and what I want to do to God's desires and what he wants to do. Hebrews 11:6. Let's believe that he is that he's rewards those who seek him. that word saying diligently seeking him his emphasized. Our faith should have an object namely God not self.
We go to the doctor we do not know he gives us a prescription we cannot read we take it to a pharmacist we've never met gives us a substance that we cannot read and yet we take it everyday like instructed.. that is faith.
There's not a sheep on this earth who goes out looking for his shepherd... strictly speaking you did not find God, but God found you.
You know there's a legalistic type of so-called Christianity that says you ought to read the Bible, you ought to go to church, you ought to witness, you want to sing praises to God. That's why young people across the nation are going into college and never returning to church. there's a friendship that rewards you for diligently seeking God. God brings me into the joy and gladness of this moment as I sing and praise and pray seeking you. do not throw away your confidence which has great reward.. yes reward but many have thrown away their confidence in God.
What is the reward? Let's begin with joy. My presence is fullness of joy some 16:11. don't let yourself in the Lord and he should give you the desires of your heart.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.." ~ Jesus in Matthew 5:8
You today can enjoy peace with God, the peace of God and help others find peace with God through the Prince of Peace.
Sins like lust, covetousness, theft will indeed cut you off from fellowship with God, but living in His presence is more fulfilling and satisfying than what any sin could bring you. Moses said spoke of the fleeting pleasures of sin for a season. Yes, of fleeting pleasures, of course there is pleasure in some sinning.. but they all bring a bad aftertaste and consequences (many unseen consequences people don't even consider).
God generously rewards those who seek him so let's be those who take him up on this. very crap wrote a book called The pop-up prayer.
It moves you from this: "Please give to me" mentality, and "Please solve my problem" to a mentality of close relationship. We wait for the Lord, but we don't want to become absorbed by the culture around us as you me wait to see Christ face to face. We wait on Him as we actively seek Him. We seek as we wait.
May I ask you. Do you look to God to meet some of your needs, or all of your needs? Do you want to be on fire for God, or just lukewarm spiritually? Look to your Father for all. Go to Him in the Name of Jesus for all you need -- you'll soon be on fire spiritually.
Would you pray something like...
All I really need is You. All I need is Your love, so come and fill this heart of mine. Fill, and refill me with your Spirit. My heart's a desert that at times has run dry. I just need Your Love to carry me by.. or on high. To You. All I need is your agape Love. Come and fill this heart of mine. Send what You can send, pour out what You will pour out. To me and through me. My heart is a desert that at times has run dry. I think you'd love to carry me and others by. Please carry me by.
We've seen a falling away today from the word, from church, from God. That's unprecedented. Just go check out the stats.
The Bible teaches us that in the last days there will be a famine for truth and that's starting to happen now.. even though the availability of the Bible is there more so than ever before
"Behold: days are coming,
Says the Lord Yahweh,
I will send out famine in the land,
Not a famine for bread,
And not a thirst for water,
But for hearing the words of Yahweh.
And they will tremble from sea to sea,
From the north to the east they will go to and fro,
To search for the word of Yahweh,
And they will not find it.
In that day, the beautiful young women will swoon, and the young men because of thirst." Amos 8:11-13
Worse than a food famine, worse than drought, worse than natural disasters, worse terrible mourning losses (and who hasn't had those?), the day is coming, God tells us, when there will be a famine for the truth. Yep, sadly for the Word and people will be falling away from Him and from churches -- they won't even be seeking Him. It's unprecedented like it is here in America today. So many young people are called nones now, because they say they want none of it.
China has cut out all Bible apps, and won't let hardcopies be printed for the people.
Our businesses, schools, and colleges have thrown the Bible out too.. in a day when the Bible is so available to be read by any.
The Gideons have even had much trouble placing free Bibles in hotels and hostels.
People are so thirsty for hope, for pure love, for real news even.
"Disaster upon disaster will come, and rumor after rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but instruction from the priests will perish, as will counsel from the elders. The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and I will judge them by their own standards. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’" Ezekiel 7:26-27
"Therefore you shall have night without vision, and you shall have darkness without divination; the sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them." Micah 3:6 nkjv
According to the United Nations, world population reached 7 Billion on October 31, 2011. The US Census Bureau made a lower estimate, for which the 7 billion mark was only reached on March 12, 2012.
I've been told we are now at 7.5 billion people on the planet.
Right now more than 6 billion people have the word of God available to them on this planet.
"Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts." Jeremiah 15:16 nkjv
Glad for all that can get to a Bible, and yet 1.5 billion people do not have the Bible.
We are starting to see this self inflicted famine for truth on earth. We are seeing a thirst for God as things go more and more haywire.
Only fifty two percent of evangelicals believe that the Bible is inspired by God. That's so unprecedented -- that's horrible. Wasn't at all so low before.
Fifty two percent of Americans falsely say Jesus Christ isn't God, but that he was merely a great teacher (according to one survey I read).
What does God tell us?
"Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." 1 Peter 2:2-3
So how should you and I be in these last days? Choose to...- Be hungry for God and caught by Him, the ultimate Fisher of people (Get hungry for what's so, and then become satisfied in God's Word. Now is good. Right here. Please don't just stay hungry spiritually.- Be a seeker who won't stop. (Real seekers seek and find).- Be burdened for people in their needs.- Be alert spiritually.- Be students of truth, never stop.- Be bold loving shepherds to help guide your friends to the Chief Shepherd, to a spiritually healthy under shepherd, and to what's so according to His Bible. Help them apply the word in their lives so they too can be blessed.- Be evangelistic, (Plant seeds, pray earnestly, go water and tend, and then tactfully reap people into the Kingdom by God's Spirit and His guidance? You know how God is the only one who can save and forgive people, but He can use us with the truth of Scriptures in this. Sure he can so...
What does the Bible say regarding this? "..having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever," 1 Peter 1:23
The spiritual famine, the falling away from God and His Church. Man, it seems like so much of what we are seeing today is unprecedented, and not in a good way. So much is unprecedented in a bad way, and yet God is still working around the globe as well. The Spirit is wooing, is drawing sinners to Jesus. People are coming to Christ by the thousands in Iran these days and yet you'll never see that on the evening news.
We've seen rebellion here before, and perhaps have outright been apart of it like in the 70s. Right now we are seeing the beginning of this other rebellion, the beginning of this apostasy of the Revelation, the falling away from Christ and His Church. So many apostates now, even preachers are going away from the Bible and the Church and Christians and even God? Go look at the stats -- this is a big sign of the end of the age.
Photos by Bethany Land and Ben White. Thanks!
