The Bolt from the Blue

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS

A young man on his honeymoon in Florida was tragically struck by lightning, highlighting the unpredictability of death. The piece reflects on the inevitability of mortality and emphasizes the importance of preparing spiritually for death through repentance and faith in Jesus. Life’s fleeting nature calls for persistent devotion to God.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— A time to give birth and a time to die; (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

From Fox news: “Very sad update: A 29-year-old Colorado man, visiting Florida on his honeymoon with his new wife, was tragically killed by lightning on New Smyrna Beach. The storm was located 6–8 miles inland, and conditions at the beach were partly sunny when he was struck while standing in ankle-deep water. It was what’s known as a “bolt from the blue.”

Death didn’t concern me when I was younger. ‘All that’ (not daring even to say it’s name) seemed so far away. It won’t happen to me yet was my never-voiced thought. But wasn’t it Elbert Hubbard in 1900 who said “Do not take life too seriously—you will never get out of it alive.” Death is a fact and people die suddenly, instantaneously, and in strange ways, said Adrian Rogers, in a sermon I heard 20 years ago and never forgot. “The Day Death Died“.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass. (Isaiah 40:7).

Death can come at any time. It’s not only the elderly, the stage 4 cancer patient, an Alzheimer’s grandfather who pass on. Sometimes death takes its sweet time arriving. Other times it comes as a bolt from the blue.

This young couple had their lives in front of them. Not even 30 yet. Just married mere days before. Their happiness was as sunny as the skies overhead. Yet death came. It arrived and left quickly, striking down the happy man and causing untold pain for those he loved still staring in shock.

The man was no doubt happy at the moment he met eternity. Yet happiness is no insulator from death. For those with a dread diagnosis, sadness, melancholy, and resignation to the inevitable are part of their life from that moment on. The tunnel if life is narrowing with each passing day. They see it coming. But the happy man, looking to the boundless ocean, seeing it as it is- a great bowl of infinite possibilities, endless waves of joy, never saw his end coming. Perhaps he was thinking about he children he and his new wife would have. Or perhaps thinking of their future together as a united couple, growing old together, not even knowing that their growing old would only be minutes long.

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die…(John 11:25-26a)

There are two points. One is that Jesus left his proper place in glory to pour Himself into human flesh, live a perfect life, and die agonizingly and unjustly so he could absorb and exhaust all of Gods wrath for sin. This act of holy and inexpressible sacrifice opened the door to heaven for sinners, if they repent and go through Jesus.

Secondly, HAVE you repented and trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior? He prepared for His duty in the Incarnation every day. He taught, prayed, obeyed God, waited for His time, and died. What are you doing to prepare for the inevitable death that will come? As we have seen, it may not be far off. Or it may be far off and you must be patient to see the Savior. Either way, preparing by first repenting unto salvation is critical. Then, our chief duty in this life “is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever” says the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Prepare for our eventual reuniting with Him by diligently seeking His face so as to grow in His likeness.

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Always working for the Lord. Always, constantly. Don’t sleep, drift, waver, or stumble.

Finally, brothers, rejoice! Aim for perfect harmony, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11)

THE CLAIM THAT JESUS NOW REIGNS OVER THE NATIONS DISHONORS OUR SAVIOR

by Jonathan Brentner

The claim that Jesus is already reigning over the nations is extremely popular in churches today. Many pastors preach that Jesus is already fulfilling the words of Psalms such as 2 and 110 thus ruling over His inheritance of the nations from the Father (Psalm 2:8-9).

In light of the prevalence of such beliefs, we must ask several questions. Does what we see in our world reflect the character of what we would expect from Jesus’ reign upon the earth? Is our current experience of a kingdom the one to which the New Testament says we are heirs?

Please, please don’t dismiss this as a theological discussion with no significance for you. The character and timing of Jesus’ rule over the nations has profound implications for us as new Testament saints.

I believe we can refute the claim that Jesus now reigns over the nations on the basis of the answer to one critical question:

Does what we see in our world at this moment match what Scripture tells us about the character of the Messiah and His rule?

No, it most certainly does not. The claim that Jesus is now fulfilling the words of Psalm 2 not only contradicts the words Scripture, but greatly dishonors our Savior.

For us as believers, this is wonderful and over-the-top joyous news because it signifies that our inheritance of a kingdom will be so much more spectacular and amazing than our current experience in this world.

Let’s examine what the Bible tells us will characterize Jesus’ future reign in fulfillment of the Messianic Psalms (i.e. 2, 110, and many others) because its there we discover just how much the current claims of a kingdom dishonor our Lord.
JESUS WILL END ALL WARS WHEN HE REIGNS

Those who tells us that Jesus now reigns over the nations imply that He now rules over a world filled with wars, violence, and unending ethnic strife. Such a belief directly contradicts what the Bible says about the character of the Savior’s realm.

Psalm 46 tells us that when Jesus rules over the nations, wars will no longer exist on the earth. Psalm 46:9-10 reveals that although the nations will “rage” against the Lord (v. 6), warfare will most certainly not exist when the Lord rules over the nations:


He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

Isaiah 2:4 emphasizes that Jesus’ reign over the nations will be one of absolute peace. Jesus is indeed the “Prince of Peace” and that will characterize His coming kingdom.

Be very sure that when the government rests upon the “shoulder” of the child born in Bethlehem (Isaiah 9:6), wars and ethnic violence will most certainly cease to exist upon the earth. Those who say Jesus is now ruling over the nations do a great disservice to His glorious Name.
JESUS WILL RULE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

During the past fifty years, the worldwide total number of children murdered via abortion exceeds one billion. Sex trafficking has a yearly income of $32 billion and is promoted by pedophiles ruling in governments around the world, including that of the U.S. The explosion of worldwide support for the vile LGBQT+ agenda is far beyond anything I could ever have imagined just a decade ago. Those demanding a Palestine state fill the streets of our world with demonstrations of murderous and demonic hatred toward the Jews.

How, by any stretch of the imagination, can one say that we are now living under the righteous rule of our Savior? Such a suggestion is absurd at best and defames our Lord.

How is it possible that Jesus is ruling over such vile wickedness with a “rod of iron” as Psalm 2:9 tells us He will do when He inherits the nations? How? Does not the suggestion of this sully Jesus’ holy character?

How could a wholly righteous King such as Jesus permit such vile wickedness and rampant bloodshed to flourish within his domain? He would not, and He will not do so when He truly reigns over the nations!

Here are a couple verses that define Jesus’ rule as righteous


Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,

and princes will rule in justice. (Isaiah 32:1)



And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:3-5, emphasis added)

The current condition of our world does not in any way align with the biblical descriptions of Jesus’ righteous rule. The claim that Jesus is now fulfilling the full extent of Psalm 2 is preposterous, contradicts the words of Scripture, and most certainly dishonors our Savior to no small extent.
JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL IN THE WORLD WHEN JESUS REIGNS

When Jesus rules over the nations, justice will prevail throughout the entire planet. In Isaiah 32:1, the prophet states that “princes will rule in justice” during the time that Jesus is King.

Isaiah 11:1-8 tells us that when our Lord rules over the nations of the earth, He will act as a righteous judge deciding all cases truthfully and with “equity.” The words of Jeremiah 33:15 emphasize the Savior’s just rule:


In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

The cries of our world for justice are heard in the screams of pain from the unborn, the suicidal grief of trafficked children, and the horrors of genocide taking place in many places in our world. Be very sure that our Lord hears these cries for justice and will someday soon administer justice through His outpouring of wrath upon this wicked (see Revelation chapters 6-18).

During Jesus’ one-thousand-year rule upon the earth, justice will surely prevail. What we see today is most certainly NOT the just reign of our Savior.
JESUS’ GLORY WILL FILL THE EARTH

The Bible also tells us that someday “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14, see also Isaiah 11:9). I think we can all agree that this is not today.

Although as believers we participate in the new covenant because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, it still awaits a greater fulfillment for Israel. Pay close attention to the words of Jeremiah 31:31-34:


“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The above text applies to Israel. Those who say this is the church contradict its clear message and retrofit the passage with a meaning wholly out or place in the Bible.

The Lord declares in Ezekiel 36:22-38 that through the future restoration of a kingdom to Israel, He will declare His holiness to the nations so that “they will know that I am the Lord.”

When Jesus reigns, the entire world will know that He is God. Some will not like it and many will rebel at the end of His rule, but everyone on earth will both see and recognize Jesus’ great glory and power.

THE FACT THAT WE ARE HEIRS TO THE KINGDOM ASSURES US OF ITS FUTURE REALITY

The New Testament reveals that we also have a stake in Jesus’ rule upon the “throne of David” in that we are heirs to His kingdom (Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 1:11-14; Colossians 1;12; James 2:5).

This assures us of two vital realities:

It’s a future experience for all who know the Savior. Heirs, by definition, do not already possess the fullness of their inheritance. It’s a future reality.


Typically, death has to occur before the inheritance becomes a reality.

Hmmm, that second point doesn’t sound like good news. However, 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 reveals that it’s an extremely welcome truth for us!


I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

Paul says that in our current form, with bodies patterned after that of Adam, we cannot take part in God’s future kingdom (see 1 Corinthians 15:47-50). It’s impossible; we cannot inherit our kingdom in our current mortal condition. To say our current experience equals our inheritance of a kingdom contradicts what the apostle writes in this passage

The over-the-top joyous reality is that when Jesus comes for us, He will make us fit for His kingdom by giving us bodies just like His. This is the exciting news that Paul also writes about in Philippians 3:20-21.

What the New Testament describes as our inheritance of a kingdom will be both amazing and joyous far beyond anything we have experienced on earth. Please do not let anyone damper this wonderful expectation by saying the church is the kingdom and that Jesus is now reigning over the nations. Such a statement contradicts the clear words of Scripture and dishonors our Savior.

The news for us is beyond spectacular. Through Paul, the Lord tells us that we can only experience our inheritance in incorruptible bodies that will never age, get sick, or die (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). We will reign with Jesus for a thousand years and then forevermore with immortal bodies. Wow!!

I will close with words of Isaiah 9:7 where the prophet distinctly reveals the nature of the future rule of the Christ:


Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (My Emphasis)

This is the kingdom to which we are heirs and will forever enjoy. This is our hope.

Maranatha!!

War and Rumors of War Matthew 24:6

So many people, including many Christians, cannot make sense of what is happening in Ukraine. They cannot believe in 2022 something like this could occur and nothing or no one seems to be able to stop it. After all, we are a civilized world now with the voice of reason and we all want peace. Ah, wait a minute . . . . open the Bible, God's Word . . .  start reading.  Almost one third of the Bible is prophecy - some already fulfilled and some to be fulfilled. And because so much of past prophecy has already been fulfilled, we can rely on future prophecies to also come true. God actually tells us in His word the world will become increasingly evil and dark (Matt 24:12).

Man loves to believe that he is inherently good, but the Bible tells us how man's heart is corrupt and selfish (Gen 6:5). Humanists prefer to believe that we will eventually weed out evil and good will remain. Yes, there are stories of compassion coming from the war and we can thank God for those acts of kindness. His Holy Spirit and Angels are working to keep complete darkness from taking over. But the day will come when that very thing will take place and darkness will overtake the world (Joel 3:15). And what is happening today will seem like child's play. God help us.

Yes, God help us - and He does. He has provided a way out and that Way is Jesus Christ. Jesus came to reconcile us with the God who created all of us. Jesus who is God incarnate, took all of our sins upon himself and died a sinner's death in our place - my place and your place. He rose after 3 days, alive and victorious, so that we, too, may have eternal life with him. He defeated Satan and his demons, whose day of judgement is coming. Satan and his demons will be thrown into a lake of fire where they belong. Those who have chosen to repent and surrender their lives to the Lord will be forever with him, joyful and holy. There will no longer be any tears. (Rev 21:4).

So when you read on social media, "whatever your religion or belief," know that isn't true. There is only ONE WAY to the God of eternity - the true God - and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ. ALL other ways will fail and only take you to a destiny separated from God - an eternity in hell. We ALL have an eternal life. Make your choice to believe and surrender to Jesus today. The way things are going, the end could be closer than you think.

Forget Myself

O my God, Trinity whom I adore,

let me entirely forget myself that I may abide in You,

still and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity,

let nothing disturb my peace

nor separate me from You, O my unchanging God,

but that each moment may take me

further into the depths of Your mystery.

Amen

Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880 - 1906)

Live Before You Die - day 17

God may challenge us to think differently about things or to reach out to new levels of faith, but He doesn't create confusion or the doubt and strife that often accompany it.

Jesus's voice comes with an awareness of heavenly peace. Sometimes the Lord speaks words of correction and rebuke.  There are also situations when the word of the Lord is time sensitive and immediate action is required.  But most of the time when God speaks, it is not a driving, demanding, high-pressure, "You have to do this right now or else!"

The voice of our own longings, interests, and opinions can easily be confused with God's voice.  To make sure what we are hearing is from God, we must identify our desires and self-interests and, as an intentional act of our will, neutralize them.  Conversely, the quieter the voice of our own will, the louder God's voice will be.  Therefore, if what you are sensing grows quieter as you silence your desires, then it is not from God.  But if what you are sensing grows stronger as you neutralize your own desires, then it just might be from the Holy Spirit.

God seldom speaks to strangers who have no time for Him, and even if He did, they would not recognize His voice.  He loves to speak to people who love Him and desire to live their lives in His presence.  He draws near to those who, as an act of their will, have drawn near to Him (James 4:8).  The more time we spend alone with Him seeking His face through prayer and worship, the easier it becomes to hear and immediately recognize His voice in our hearts.

We can all hear the voice of God if we will learn to listen. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom 8:14).

Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die

Prayer for January 25

When You, O God, emerge in splendor from your ivory palace, your garments are noble myrrh, aloe, and cassia.  You are the King of Glory, strong and powerful, mighty in battle.  Fling wide the door and unbar the gate so that the King of Glory may enter!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the Lord God who enlightens us.  O Lord, aid us so that we will succeed!  You have removed sin, curses, and death, and you have blessed us eternally in heavenly places.  Give your people power, strength, and victory over all spiritual and physical enemies.  Amen.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.  It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.  Lamentations 3:25-26

Prayer for January 10

Remember, Lord, Your mercy and your kindness, which you have shown since the dawn of time.  Do not remember the sins of our youth, nor our wrongdoing, but remember us according to your mercy, for the sake of your goodness.

Give us true repentance, heartfelt remorse, and grief over our sins, O Lord Jesus - a godly sorrow, one that prepares our hearts to receive your comfort and forgiveness.  Give us the spirit of love, gentleness, humility, devotion, reverence, mercy, and prayer so that we and all the saints may possess your kingdom with love and eternal life.  Amen.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.  Galatians 5:22

Prayer for January 5

Give us this day a heart that is pure in your sight, O Lord, so we might look upon you.  O God and Father of love and peace, grant us your eternal peace and grace so we may at all times prove ourselves peace-loving people and avoid all evil discord and strife.  May we endure with a meek spirit and calm heart any hardship we encounter on this earth, be it a cross or tribulations, disgrace, or merely misfortune.  Since you are our God and Creator, O Lord, reconcile our life and walk with your holy and divine will, for all our works and deeds are in your hands.  We commend ourselves and our families, body and soul, into your care, Lord.  Govern and promote our work, O God, according to your will.  Amen.

Be ye holy; for I am holy.   1 Peter 1:16

Forgive Me

(from the blog -  i am servant )

July 1, 2010

 

I read this quote recently, and it conjured up a variety of counterproductive emotions in me.
“I like to define forgiveness as ‘giving up the right to punish the one who has hurt you.’ That’s what Jesus did on the cross.”
-Jan Silvious

Wow.

I am sure other people dont do this, but I have spent a lifetime perfecting the art of punishing people for their transgressions against me.

I can remember doing it as a child. If someone offended me or mistreated me I made it my unspoken mission to make them suffer as I had.

I used forgiveness as a weapon, a form of strategic manipulation in my ultimate battle to see who was the most ‘right’.

Thats very important to me you see… to be right.

When someone sought my forgiveness I had determined that it meant I was right. They were wrong and I had won.

This distorted view of forgiveness has brought me to disturbing conclusion.
I am wrong.

Over and over again, I am (was, is, have been) wrong.

Coming from someone who spent a lifetime trying to convince the world (and myself) that I am right, this is a horrific admission.

I read an excerpt from my Bible on forgiveness:

“Love is the prime ingredient in forgiveness. Often the one wounded must forgive with an act of the will, giving time for working through feelings and experiencing healing. Forgiveness comes with the removal of past offenses from the mind, followed by meditation on Scripture, giving over to God our hurts, praying for the offender, and serving as a willing channel for God’s grace.

…Forgiveness is the willingness to search for new solutions. (not mine or yours, but a new mutually acceptable way)

You must use words that do not cast blame or create questions. You must be concerned with seeking forgiveness only for your wrong. You must remember that a forgiving attitude does not excuse self, defend self, or accuse another.”
(emphasis mine)

I love the transparent and authentic forgiveness that is God’s perfect design. His recipe is flawless. His way ideal.

I have been on a mission to seek forgiveness from everyone that I have wronged. (and shamefully, the list is long) Some have offered me mercy, some have not. Some hurts run deeper then others.
What I am learning is that through forgiveness, I am truly finding out what mercy is.

“Seeking forgiveness frees you to receive Gods mercy.” (from my Bible, ‘The Womens Study Bible’)
And after I try to amend the wrongs I have done on this earth, I can lay them all at the feet of Jesus, and he wipes the slate clean.

Now, my responsibility doesn’t end! I must seek to change my behavior! To learn from my errors.
But He doesnt hold them over my head… He doesnt whisper in my ear, “You dont deserve this joy Amanda, remember that one time you did that bad thing?”

He whispers, “I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you. You are forgiven.”

The DESERT EXPERIENCE - An Introduction

-by Ken Brown.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My
ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

- It is imperative that every child of God should understand His ways.
- We think in straight lines and fixed points, and move in a
consecutive manner, that is, from point to point (we start and finish
a book; we look forward to something, and look back on something;
we measure progress by time spent or goods produced; when we
travel, we leave a departure point and arrive at a destination point, etc.)

- God doesn't think in straight lines, He thinks in circles. He's
doing many things simultaneously, He's at the beginning and the
middle and the end of many things - all at the same time.
Therefore, He doesn't think of things in the context of time, He
exists outside of time. Time is irrelevant to Him. He is not
affected by time.

- God's timelessness presents a very real problem for us. God
may speak into our life today and we will assume that it's going to
happen today, or very soon. We will probably place it on a time
line of some sort. But, God may be speaking to us from a point
that is still far into our future. The reason is because He is not
concerned with time, and this is why: God does not measure time;
He measures growth! When God deals with us, His purpose is
growth, maturity, and preparation. And, it always involves death to
self! God will draw us into a desert experience with Him to give us
the opportunity to grow (to die to self), to learn to trust Him or to
gain more insight into His ways.

- And, because of the way we think, our first question is always
"How long is this going to take?" We're not having fun. Dying to
self is never fun. But God won't tell us how long it's going to take,
because He understands that if we know how long, we'll just try to
hold our breath until it's over. He doesn't want us to hold our breath.
He wants us to die!...

- For us the practical result of all this is that God has spoken
words into our lives (even though we must be careful and know,
what was spoken by God, and what wasn't). And because of this,
we know He has wonderful plans for us, and that excites us. We
have aspirations for God. We want to do all those great things
He's spoken into us. But, many times what we really experience
is great frustration, because those things He's spoken aren't
happening yet! When you're frustrated, know that God loves
frustrated people. He knows you're frustrated because you care.
Also know that the reason they may not be happening yet is that
God is still measuring growth, not time.

- In our relationship with God, His purpose is to conform us to the
image of His Son. And, He's content to take as much time as
necessary. We, on the other hand, want everything to happen now,
without suffering, pain, or sacrifice on our part. And God's only
response to that is - too bad. Adjust your thinking. I'm doing this my way.

- When God is dealing with us, we must learn the value of doing
nothing. This seems to be a contradiction; but most everything we
do with God (if we do it right) is a contradiction to us...
We have to learn the value of doing nothing before God. That's
why quiet time with God is so great - you don't have to do anything.
Just hang out with God.

You don't have to fast for three days to get His attention, or recite
long prayers to impress Him. Just rest quietly before His presence
and wait for Him. If He doesn't speak immediately, He will
eventually. But, you do have to learn to wait. It's a matter of
respect and submission on your part. God does not act according
to your time, He acts according to His will. Anytime a believer
decides to press in to God and really get to know Him, one of the
first things God will teach him is His Sovereignty! God moves in
His time and acts according to His ways. Religion teaches that
man is the creator and God is what they created. They expect
Him to do what they say, when they say it. Of course, He doesn't.
But they're too stupid and bound up in their own deception to notice.
- Also, God operates on a different noise level than we do. When
we cry out to Him, He whispers back to us. God wants us to learn
to be quiet, even when everything around us is in turmoil. Psalm 46
starts out with an earthquake and a tidal wave and ends with God
telling us to "be quiet and rest assured that I am God (and
everything is under control, regardless of what you see or hear)".

But know this, when you learn how to rest in God, you'll be
accused of not caring about what's going on around you. In this
world, anxiety and hand wringing is the universal sign that you
really care (that, and whether or not you're wearing the appropriate
color ribbon or symbol on your lapel). However, in the Kingdom of
God, anxiety is only proof that you're dumb. After all, you're
supposed to be having a relationship with the Prince of Peace.

- God delights in drawing us into times of intimacy with Him. Later
in this paper we will see just how He does that. In each cycle of
intimacy there are two specific points we must be able to recognize.
The first is submission and the second is obedience. In order for
us to benefit from being in God's presence, we must first
acknowledge Who He is in submission, and then be ready to obey.