2009......

Happy New Year!


Today, I'm going to post how I am feeling, and what is on my heart as 2009 arrives. I still encourage you, if you haven't already, to read the post at Dancing With My Father - you can find the link on my sidebar under my favorite blogs.

I enter this new year with a sense of expectancy and a strange sense of foreboding. I truly believe that the enemy knows his time is short and the battle in the heavenly realms is heating up. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." The battle has always been hot, and I know that others in times past and currently in many places around the world are suffering physically in ways that I have never known and maybe will never know. I know this, however, never in my life or my walk with Christ have I sensed the battle the way I do now. The enemy of our souls is on the loose and he is prowling after those whose hearts are set on Christ. Throughout history there have been martyrs for the cause of Christ.

Revelation 6: 9 -11 describes what is going on (or will go on) in the realms of Heaven.

"When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also."

I am not a Bible scholar and I do not feel it is my place to try to "teach" anyone - I am simply writing about what I discern as I pray and read the Bible - please, always check things out for yourself and ask God to speak to your heart. He wants to and He will grant you wisdom if you ask Him for it. What I am reading here in the book of Revelation is that when John saw this vision while on the Island of Patmos, God allowed him to see the time in the future when the martyred of God would cry out for revenge. God told them to rest until the full number of the martyred had been killed - then He would pour out His wrath on "those who dwell on the earth." I have no desire here to hash out my opinions on the end times. There is enough of that going on, and people far more qualified than I are teaching and preaching on the subject. You can find much information out there, from every denomination on the subject of end times prophecy. I will tell you that I hope the pre-tribulationists are the ones who are right; that has always been the "side" I have been on. However, in recent years I have tried to spend more time reading the Word and less time listening to "men" and the more I read the Word concerning end times prophecy, the more confused I become. I certainly can read the verses that both sides claim to prove their point and frankly, I don't think that proves either point - in fact, it only proves to make me more confused when I try to puzzle it out. Therefore, I have talked it over extensively with my husband, who the Word says is my teacher (after God Himself, of course), and basically the conclusion we have come to is that God obviously did not desire that man fully understand. He has given us plenty of instructions that we do understand and we have certainly not perfected our walk according to those things. Therefore, arguing over the things that confuse us, only ends up dividing the body. What we do know is that the end will come. What we don't know is exactly when. We are clearly told to be ready, we are clearly told that there will be bad things going on in the last days and we know there will be martyrs for the Cause. Whether we are taken away before the worst of the tribulation comes or whether we will remain here on earth to endure it for the sake of our calling remains to be seen. I don't think there is a man on this earth, no matter how learned, who fully understands what the Father has planned. Even Jesus Himself does not know the day or the hour - therefore, it is a futile attempt for mere man to even try to puzzle through it all.

What should we be doing then? Well, I believe we need to be living in light of eternity. I believe that as this new year begins, we need to grasp the fact that we are living in a world spinning dangerously out of order. In this great country that most of us call home - we have turned our backs on the very basic principles that we were founded upon. We are allowing ourselves as a nation to become just like everyone else and as a people, we have forgotten what we were fighting for. We have forgotten what our ancestors sacrificed to come here; we have forgotten what freedom costs.

Is it too late? I don't know the answer to that. I don't know if we are down to the very end of time, as many believe, or if we are just living in the "end times" as we have been since Jesus ascended into Heaven after the Resurrection. I don't know if we are simply seeing the decay of man, both physically and spiritually, at the same rate that it has been happening since the Fall, or if we are now at the very last, when the Bible says it will be "as in the days of Noah." (Luke 17) I don't know what God is doing, I don't pretend to know the mind of God - but, I do know this. What He has said will happen, will happen. He is not slow in keeping His promises, but He is patient. He is patient because He wants the full number of people to come to Him. He does not desire to see man perish. He desires to grant eternal life to those who will believe.

What I am personally feeling right now is that I have a huge weight of responsibility towards people. First, towards the precious children that God has given me to train up in the way they should go. Right now, Stan and I feel that we have no greater priority than to be sure our children walk in Truth. Because whatever happens, we want them to be prepared - suited in the full armor of God. This earth is but a shadow of our true home, and our true home will last for all of eternity. I want to spend that eternity with my husband and the children God has given us. This is the only thing I can take to Heaven with me, and it is what I am passionate about. As I contemplate 2009, my first resolution is that I will spend every day God gives me training my children according to Truth. I praise God daily that all four of them have professed Him as their personal Savior. They understand that they are sinners in need of a Savior. My heart's cry now is to help them live their lives acknowledging Jesus as Lord. Not simply believing in Him, but believing Him.

Next, we feel a burden to come alongside the brethren. Ephesians 6:18 "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints..."

We are instructed to pray for and with our fellow believers. We were created to live in community. We were never meant to go at this life alone and we will not be alone in eternity. We must come alongside each other and support each other - spiritually and physically. My second resolution is to pray and fast consistently for the saints, both my personal friends, my "internet" friends, and those suffering for the cause of Christ around the world. I truly believe that God is removing the blinders from the eyes of the True Church. I talk to so many others who are sensing new and strange things on the horizon. I believe that we are about to witness things that we have never seen before and we are going to need each other. We have been so blinded by the enemy for so long - our entertainment industry is thriving and the people of God are drying up. There are so few believers anymore who truly study the Scriptures. We listen to others and never open the very Words of God for ourselves. We have so many "movements" that shrink God and put Him in a box or make Jesus out to be weak and "tolerant." Do we have any idea what we are doing? Mike Pearl, from No Greater Joy Ministries (www.nogreaterjoy.org) wrote something that has both disturbed and fascinated me since I read it. Yet, I can't get it out of my head. He recently wrote two articles that I recommend you read. One titled "Bad Times Coming" and one titled "Hope." This quote is from the article titled "Hope."

He said this, “In light of our present darkness I have never had more peace and hope. I am excited about a revival of the Body of Christ. If the church takes a good beating, the fake Christians will get up and walk away, while the blood of true believers will be the seed of the next great awakening.”

Is their still hope for America? Is there still hope for the Church? Mr. Pearl believes there is. He also believes that we will play a huge part in the next awakening - or that our children will. We may pay with our lives, something I never ever dreamed I would be asked to do. About 8 years ago, at our state homeschool convention, a speaker said that he felt that something big was on the horizon. He said that he believed that our children, the ones who were being trained in righteousness, that they were the ones God was setting apart for something that was beyond our wildest imaginations. I wrote that down and it has never fully left my mind. Sometimes when I get that tingling feeling, when I read words like Mr. Pearl's I remember that speaker. I remember that God has called me "for such a time as this." I remember that God uses the weak to confound the strong. It will not be the might of America that carries us through this time. Just as the might of Rome failed in the face of the One who has defeated death, the evil one will not prevail when the saints band together. When we storm the gates of Heaven with prayers and petitions for each other. When we teach our children that there are things worth dying for, and love is one of those things. God hears the prayers of His people.

Revelation 8:4 "And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand."

My final resolution this year is to be a better witness to the lost. I often feel so convicted that I miss so many opportunities to share my faith. I don't want to be seen as some "ultra Christian." I was recently called that exact thing by someone I haven't seen since high school. I don't really think it was meant as a compliment. It did make me stop and think though. How do people see me? I know how most unbelievers see most Christians and it isn't favorable. I don't want people to see me as self-righteous or "religious." I want people to see Jesus in me. I want to show love to the lost and the dying. I don't want to be associated with those tv evangelists who claim to know Christ, but who truly just want money from the unsuspecting women watching their show. I don't want to be associated with preachers who promise prosperity and material blessing if you just have enough "faith." My God doesn't grant wishes like some kind of genie in a lamp. He can not be contained, and he doesn't take orders from man. I want those who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ to know the wonder and the love of the One who died to set men free. I want them to have what I have. I hate being associated only with the things I am against. I will say it unashamedly - I am against abortion and gay marriage.....but, I am also against lying and gossip. I am against a lot of things that I find myself doing, and I hate it. I hate that my flesh wars with my spirit and I hate it even more when my flesh wins. I am against getting angry at my children or arguing with my husband. I am against selfishness and pride. So is God. The good news is, that He is for me - and He wants to be for you. It sounds so cliche to say "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner" - but, think about that for a minute, especially if you don't know Him personally. He does hate sin. He hates it because He is holy and just and it is simply impossible for Him to abide with sin. Do you understand the implications of that? He could never accept me into His presence because of my sin - that is why He hates it. It separates Him from His creation. From us, who He has chosen to love. Please hear me, if you are an unbeliever, God hates your sin because it keeps you away from Him. He loves you and He wants to shower out blessings on you instead of wrath. Let me make it clear, you can not earn your blessings, but He wants to give them to you. All you have to do is acknowledge that you need Him. That you can't save yourself. If I could make just one thing clear to those who do not know Him, to my old high school friends who look at the scripture verses on my Facebook and think that makes me an "ultra Christian" - I would say this.....I know where I used to be. I know the sin I used to wallow in and sometimes I am haunted by the things I have done. But, God, in His infinite mercy and grace, saved me...a sinner. It is not about being good, it is not about deserving anything. It is about love. Pure, undefiled love. Love that none of us can fully comprehend. Love that gave His life that we might live. Nothing else matters. Please hear my heart on this. Nothing you have ever done or are involved in now prevents you from coming to Him. If you have breath in your body, it is not too late for you. I promise you, it will change the course of your life. It will rock the very foundations of everything you thought you believed in. Nothing will ever be the same again.

In the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 in the Bible Paul was talking to a group of people who were refuting the facts about Jesus. Paul said this, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. " It is true. If everything I believe in is not true, then I am wasting my life following after things of eternal value, rather than pursuing a career, wealth, and power here on earth. Many people now view followers of Jesus as weak, non-intellectual and easily deceived. Maybe someone reading this agrees with that. My heart's desire today is to ask you to please, please get yourself a Bible and read the book of John. Read the chapter in Corinthians that I referenced. Ask God to speak to you. Leave me a comment and I will get back to you. This is the single most important decision you will ever make and right now you still have a chance to make it. What if I am right?