We Share Jesus As We Anticipate His Return

from Love Worth Finding Ministries

We hear the news. Stories of war, natural disasters, and disease fill our ears. We remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:6-7 as He spoke of what the world will look like just before He comes again: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” We hear of food shortages, see rising prices and read Revelation 6:6, which talks about two pounds of wheat costing a day’s wages.

And so, we ask: When will Jesus return and rapture His bride, the Church? We’ve been waiting for 2,000 years! The answer, as it was in the Apostle Peter’s day, is soon and very soon. Peter warned us that “scoffers” would ask, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4). Echoing Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 24:6 to “see that you are not troubled,” Peter further encouraged us: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). That “longsuffering” should point Jesus’ followers toward evangelism as we await the Rapture.

We will not know the date and time when Jesus will come for us, but Pastor Adrian Rogers likened our wait to a walk at the edge of the ocean. If the ocean’s edge is the Rapture—the doorway to forever living bodily with Jesus—our feet are in the sand, just touching the water. It is not that we have been journeying to the ocean from 2,000 miles away; we are at the surf’s edge.

“Now some people have the idea that…we’re way over here, the Second Coming of Jesus is off over there somewhere, and we’re just maybe trying to get to it,” Pastor Rogers said. “No, no, no, no, no. Friend, we’re right on the edge; we’re just walking along the seashore. We are living on the edge of eternity.”

In other words, eternity isn’t in front of us; it’s right beside us. Everything that needs to be fulfilled prior to the Rapture of the Church has been fulfilled. From the First Century through the 21st Century and now into the 22nd, we have been living in the “end times.” We look around us and observe that the days are becoming, as Pastor Rogers said, “gloriously dark.” We have the eyes of faith to understand the times and sense the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He may come at any moment.

What do we do in the end times?

How then, should we live? We live in hope because we know the promises God gave us in His Word are true. We live with our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. We live longing for and prepared for the return of Christ. We are watching for Him. While our hearts stretch toward the unimaginable above, our arms are stretched out in love to reach others beside us… before it is too late.

This is an active form of waiting as we work to bring a harvest to Jesus; we do not waste our precious time and our precious lives on lesser pursuits. We concentrate on the heart of the Gospel: Jesus died for our sins, He was raised, He is coming again. We do not fear the darkness, knowing that Jesus will always lead us in the light of His Word. Finally, we are aware that the enemy too knows the time is short, so we stand firm, with our feet planted in the truth of God’s Word. We withstand the enemy’s most clever schemes to tie us to this world so that we will point others toward the far better inheritance we will receive… in the twinkling of an eye.

Revelation fulfills the Gospel; Jesus is coming again.

What is the Gospel? In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul tells us the Gospel is, “That Christ died for our sins, He was buried, He was raised again the third day.” The unfolding of this Gospel began in Genesis and continued throughout the Old Testament with prophecy about the first coming of Jesus. The heart of the Gospel was lived out in Jesus’ lifetime with His sinless life, His vicarious death, and His triumphant resurrection. In our days, the “Last Days,” Jesus continues to live out His Gospel in believers who share His love and bring others into the family of God.

The Book of Revelation gives us a glorious window into how God’s promises will be fulfilled; it explodes with a cosmic celebration of the triumph of the Gospel; it brings full circle the story of redemption that began in the Garden of Eden.

While the Book of Revelation contains many themes, ideas, symbols, and prophecies that may be debated by theologians, the critical message of the book is something all Christians may easily understand. The Book of Revelation is about one central person, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1), for one clear purpose, “to show His servants—things which must shortly take place” (Revelation 1:1), with one comforting promise, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3).

To obtain this blessing as a certain prophecy for each believer, we must see Jesus high and lifted up; He is the hero of all redemptive history. We must be His bondslaves because those who are not committed to Him cannot understand what He “shows His servants” as He pulls back the curtain and grants us a heavenly perspective. And we must “keep the things which are written,” being faithful to share Jesus in the face of opposition to the Gospel and refusing to compromise with the culture.

For an introduction to The Book of Revelation from Pastor Rogers, read the article: An Introduction to the Book of Revelation.

We will be with Jesus and like Jesus.

We don’t know when the Rapture will take place, but we know it will be beautiful for those who belong to Jesus. A preschool girl was playing in a Sunday school class, busy with her doll and a tea party set, when she heard the voice of her father who had come to pick her up. She abandoned the toys and ran to the door. Caught up into her daddy’s arms, she wrapped herself around his neck and exclaimed excitedly, “I knew you’d come back”!

She was too young to tell time. Her father’s appearance at that precise moment was a complete surprise. But she trusted Him. She knew he would come for her. That is how we are to live—going about our business, enjoying all God has given us, sharing the Gospel, and trusting Jesus—as we prepare for the Rapture. The Lord’s appearance will be at a surprising time, but it will be both highly relational (we will be “caught up” to Him) and transformational (we will become “like Him” in our glorified bodies).

The Apostle Paul explained to the Church at Thessalonica that this relational and transformational reality will be both for those believers who have died previously and for those who are living at the moment Jesus returns for His own.

Paul wrote the following to comfort us when we grieve the death of a Christian loved one: “But I do not want you to be ignorant brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. …We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16).

Jesus is going to shout with a voice that literally wakes the dead who belong to Him. In an instant, “we who are alive and remain,” Paul said, indicating that he expected to be among the living at the time of the Rapture, “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:17).

All of this will happen, Paul told the Church at Corinth, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

This is why believers rightly ask, “Where will you be when the trumpet sounds?”

For more about the Rapture and what it means to be “caught up,” read the article, What is the Rapture?

Christians should not fear the Great Tribulation.

The Rapture we await is not only a joyous reunion but also a rescue.

The Book of Revelation speaks of God’s wrath poured out on the entire world, and those who do not know Christ are right to be anxious. In fact, they should be downright terrified.

Following the Rapture, the Bible says the next seven years will be the worst time in our planet’s history. The Book of Daniel describes this period called the Great Tribulation: “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time” (Daniel 12:1).

During this seven-year period, a false Christ, the Antichrist, a man who, as Pastor Rogers says, “will make Hitler look like a Boy Scout,” will gain worldwide power. The Bible prophecies a ferocious end to the Antichrist and to all those living on Earth who do not belong to Jesus. This end comes on “The Day of the Lord.”

Jeremiah 30:7 says of this horrific day, “Alas, for that day is great, so none is like it.” “None is like it.”

“There’ve been unmitigated horrors of war, of torture, of ethnic cleansing...of earthquakes,” Pastor Rogers said. “But there’s never, never, never been a day like this.”

The Apostle John, speaking prophetically in the past tense as if having seen it already occur, says of the Day of the Lord, “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Revelation 6:15-17).

It will be the most cataclysmic and terrifying day in history; yet, Pastor Rogers said, those who are now believers should not fear this Day. Instead, we should be concerned, as Jesus is, about sharing the Gospel so that others are spared from that time.

“The church will be taken out at the rapture,” Pastor Rogers said, “God chastises His children, but He never pours His wrath on His children. But there's coming a time known as the Day of the Lord when God is going to pour out His wrath upon this world, and I'm going to tell you this, that even now, right now, the raging waters of God's wrath are furiously pounding against the dam of His mercy.”

For more about the believer’s rescue from the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, including Scriptural support, read the article, The Second Coming of Jesus.

The beast of Revelation is Satan’s offspring.

Believers living today will not face the Antichrist spoken of in Revelation. The Antichrist—also known as the beast, the son of perdition, the little horn, and the man of sin—will come to power following the Rapture and during the Great Tribulation. According to Revelation 12 and 13, the Beast is a malevolent dictator.
The beast rises to power during social agitation.

Revelation 13:1 references the beast “rising up out of the sea,” a symbol for society in great turmoil. Because the Church will have been taken out of the world through the Rapture by the time the Great Tribulation begins, society will be in chaos and wickedness will be greatly increased.
The beast has recognizable satanic attributes.

Revelation 13:1-2 symbolizes the beast with “seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name,” and says that “the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” Revelation 12:3 symbolizes Satan in this way: “Behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.” While Bible scholars may debate the exact meaning of each symbol, Pastor Rogers says it is clear the beast is Satan’s spawn. “If there was ever a man whose father was the devil, it is the beast. Jesus, who was God in flesh, could say: ‘He that hath seen Me hath seen My Father’ (John 14:9, KJV). The beast, who will be Satan in the flesh, will be able to say: ‘He that hath seen me hath seen my father.’ The beast will be the visible expression of the invisible devil.”
The beast will be seductive and charming.

When the Bible speaks of the beastly characteristics of the Antichrist, it’s talking about his nature, not his appearance. Revelation 13:4 says that the world during the time of the Great Tribulation will worship not only Satan but also the beast, saying, “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” The beast will not appear hideous, Pastor Rogers said. “No doubt he’ll be handsome, charming, clever, greatly intelligent. He’ll be a global charmer.”
The beast will be driven by sinister ambitions.

While Jesus came “to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10), the beast will have a five-point game plan:To deify Satan: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast” (Revelation 13:4).
To defy the Savior: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies… against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven” (Revelation 13:5-6). Pastor Rogers said, “remember Antichrist means anti-Christ.”
To destroy the saints. “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Revelation 13:5-7a). The beast will want every true believer in Jesus Christ destroyed. Tribulation saints, who come to faith after the Rapture, will face torture and murder. “It will be the devil’s last fling against the people of God,” Pastor Rogers said, “and this ravenous beast will drink his fill of the blood of the martyrs.”
To dominate society. “And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation” (Revelation 13:7b). The beast will have global control.
To delude sinners. “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Pastor Rogers said of the beast: “He wants to keep them damned and doomed.”
The beast will have a highly effective press agent.

A minister of propaganda will present the Antichrist to the world. Revelation 13:11-12 says, “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast.” Pastor Rogers said, “Remember that there is an unholy trinity. The devil always mimics God. The Holy Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What is the unholy Trinity? The dragon (Satan), the beast (the Antichrist), and the false prophet (the propagandist).”

For more about the beast and the false prophet, including the mark of the beast, read the article, Beware of the Mark of The Beast.

Look up, not around.

While we are blessed by reading the Book of Revelation and understanding Christ’s instruction to us, it may be distracting to continuously relate the symbolism in Scripture to current events and world personalities. And it is fruitless to try and set a date for the Rapture. Our job is to share the Gospel and make disciples.

“God doesn’t punch a time-clock when He goes to work. He doesn’t wear a wristwatch. God is not concerned with time,” Pastor Rogers said. “I'll tell you one thing: It's two thousand years nearer than it's ever been before. Jesus Christ is coming. I’ve stopped looking for the signs and started listening for the trumpet.”

Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time?

KEVIN DEYOUNG | MAY 11, 2010


I imagine there are plenty of Christians who rarely feel the sting of conscience or the pangs of regret. But I also know many, many Christians (including the one I see in the mirror) who easily feel bad for all the things they are not doing or are doing less than perfectly. In fact, I’m convinced most serious Christians live their lives with an almost constant low-level sense of guilt.

How do we feel guilty? Let me count the ways. We could pray more.
We aren’t bold enough in evangelism.
We like sports too much.
We watch movies and television too often.
Our quiet times are too short or too sporadic.
We don’t give enough.
We bought a new couch.
We don’t read to our kids enough.
Our kids eat Cheetos and french fries.
We don’t recycle enough.
We need to lost 20 pounds.
We could use our time better.
We could live some place harder or in something smaller.

What do we do with all this behind the scenes guilt? We don’t feel stop-dead-in-our-tracks kind of remorse for these things. But these shortcomings can have a cumulative effect whereby even the mature Christian can feel like he’s rather disappointing to God, maybe just barely Christian.

Here’s the tricky part: we should feel guilty sometimes, because sometimes we are guilty of sin. Moreover, complacency as Christians is a real danger, especially in America.

But yet, I don’t believe God redeemed us through the blood of his Son that we might feel like constant failures. Do Peter and John post-Pentecost seemed racked with self-loathing and introspective fear? Does Paul seem constantly concerned that he could be doing more? Amazingly enough, Paul actually says at one point “I am not aware of anything against myself” (1 Cor. 4:4). He’s quick to add, “I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” But it sure seems like Paul put his head on the pillow at night with a clean conscience. So why do so many Christian feel guilty all the time?

1. We don’t fully embrace the good news of the gospel. We forget that we have been made alive together with Christ. We have been raised with him. We have been saved through faith alone. And this is the gift of God, not a result of works (Eph. 2:4-8). We can be so scared of antinomianism, which is a legitimate danger, that we are afraid to speak too lavishly of God’s grace. But if we’ve never been charged with being antinomian, we probably haven’t presented the gospel in all it’s scandalous glory (Rom. 6:1).

2. Christians tend to motivate each other by guilt rather than grace. Instead of urging our fellow believers to be who they are in Christ, we command them to do more for Christ (see Rom. 6:5-14 for the proper motivation). So we see Christlikeness as something we are royally screwing up, when we should it as something we already possess but need to grow into.

3. Most of our low-level guilt falls under the ambiguous category of “not doing enough.” Look at the list above. None one of the items are necessarily sinful. They all deal with possible infractions, perceptions, and ways in which we’d like to do more. These are the hardest areas to deal with because no Christian, for example, will ever confess to praying enough. So it is always easy to feel terrible about prayer (or evangelism or giving or any number of disciplines). We must be careful that we don’t insist on a certain standard of practice when the Bible merely insists on a general principle.

Let me give another example. Every Christian must give generously and contribute to the needs of the saints (2 Cor. 9:6-11; Rom. 12:13). This we can insist on with absolute certainty. But what this generosity looks like–how much we give, how much we retain–is not bound by any formula, nor can it be exacted by compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7). So if we want people to be more generous we would do well to follow Paul’s example in 2 Corinthians and emphasize the blessings of generosity and the gospel rooted motivation for generosity as opposed to shaming those who don’t give us much.

4. When we are truly guilty of sin it is imperative we repent and receive God’s mercy. Paul had a clean conscience, not because he never sinned, but, I imagine, because he quickly went to the Lord when he knew he was wrong and rested in the “no condemnation” of the gospel (Rom. 8:1). If we confess our sins, John says, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We aren’t meant to feel borderline miserable all the time. We are meant to live in the joy of our salvation. So when we sin–and we’ll all sin (1 Kings 8:46; 1 John 1:8)–we confess it, get cleansed, and move on.

This underlines one of the great dangers with constant guilt: we learn to ignore our consciences. If we are truly sinning, we need to repent and implore the Lord to help us change. But if we aren’t sinning, if we are perhaps not as mature as we could be, or are not as disciplined as some believers, or we are making different choices that may be acceptable but not extraordinary, then we should not be made to feel guilty. Challenged, stirred, inspired, but not guilty.

As a pastor this means I don’t expect that everyone in my congregation should feel awful about everything I ever preach on. It is ok, after all, for people to actually be obedient to God’s commands. Not perfectly, not without some mixed motives, not as fully as they could be, but still faithfully, God-pleasingly obedient. Faithful preaching does not require that sincere Christians feel miserable all the time. In fact, the best preaching ought to make sincere Christians see more of Christ and experience more of his grace.

Deeper grace will produce better gratitude, which means less guilt. And that’ s a good thing all the way around.

Obedience versus Relationship

 

Obedience to God is all about relationship
By James Washington For The St. Louis American



I’m sure I’ve written on this before, but I thought the significance of obedience was important enough to repeat here. It occurs to me that obedience to God is, or certainly should be, an exercise in ‘want to’ as opposed to ‘have to.’

The analogy given in church is simple enough. When parents enforce rules and discipline with regard to their children, if the child is to respond out of respect and love, a relationship must exist between parent and child.


If a wholesome relationship does indeed exist, then the child’s love for the parent will result in that child wanting to comply.

If all one does is obey the rules because of the consequences and punishment associated with disobeying the rules, then the rules generally get thrown out the window when the rule-maker is no longer around.

I guess what I’m saying is that when grounded in love, people want to respond favorably according to the wishes and will of the person who is the object of that love. By our very nature we want to look good in the eyes of someone we’re trying to impress.

Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.’’ John 14:23.

Examine this use of the term “obey.” What Christ is saying is the same thing that many a mother and a father believe about their kids.

First and foremost, we all know the things that would upset mom and dad. We know this because they spent a lifetime (yours) instilling values and integrity into your character.

You might still do things they wouldn’t condone, but you certainly know the difference between the right and wrong of it because of your upbringing. That upbringing, if nurtured in the spirit of love, reveals to all of us the source and nature of the consequences and the resulting discipline.

It’s all about love. Y’all know that ‘this is going to hurt me more than it’s gonna hurt you’ thing.



Christ is merely reminding us that if you love him, then obeying his rules, his teachings, which were given to us out of the love of the Father, should come from the heart. Our desire to please should override our mere compliance to the rules.

The point is obedience to God has so much more to do with wanting to do the right thing for the right reason, than doing the right thing because it is law, punishment notwithstanding.

One is the result of relationship and the other is the result of fear of consequence.

Throughout scripture, Jesus constantly refers to the love of the Father. How many of you do what your mother would expect of you and your mother has been dead for many a year? How many of you pass those same expectations along to your kids? Why?

I submit that you do this because of the relationship you had/have with your mother. That’s why I’m convinced that the key to understanding obedience to God is establishing, or for many of us re-establishing, a relationship with the Almighty. This is achieved by studying his word, getting inside of his commandments and examining the life of Jesus Christ, who because of a love thing with his Father, carried out Hhs Father’s wishes to the letter.

“I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.’’ John 14:30-31.

To obey should be an act of love. Our goal should be to understand God’s love for us and to simply do our best to return it; acting accordingly, so to speak.

May God bless and keep you always.

There Will Be a Day

 

There Will Be a Day :: By Dennis Huebshman
Published on: July 12, 2022 by Admin10 Category:General Articles


From Matthew 24:6a-8; “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”

Luke 21:11 expands on this; “There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from Heaven.”

Going on to Luke 21:26-28, “people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Even though we see what we believe are the “beginnings” of the above signs, they represent a part of the Tribulation/Wrath 7-year period of time spoken of in Daniel and Revelation. Some may try to say we are already in that time, but as 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us, the antichrist or “lawless one” cannot appear until the force that restrains this “mystery of lawlessness” is out of the way. He represents the actual time of the Tribulation that starts right after he gets a 7-year peace treaty signed with Israel and the rest of the world.

For those who are true believers in Jesus as their Savior, what we are seeing are signs that tell us we will be leaving here soon. The prelude that is taking place could be classified as insignificant compared to what will happen after we’re gone and when Satan’s forces are fully released on this earth. That movement is presently gaining ground, and the changes taking place are troubling. It’s difficult to imagine just how much worse it can get.

It has been said that the United States, which has been a considerably strong force in the world up to now, is not mentioned in end-times prophecies. Looking at the worldwide view of this country today, events that have taken place very recently have taken our reputation down. As our strength and status get less and less in the world’s eyes, this country is being prepared to be absorbed into a “new world order” led by a “one-world government” of which there will be no real lead nation. The really sad part is, our population that will be here will be ready for this to happen and will willingly accept the change.

It is no accident that the current administration of the U.S. is in office. God put them there and is not surprised by anything that is taking place. In fact, He is allowing it to happen according to His ultimate plan. In Philippians 4:6-7, we’re told, “do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Seems simple, but the Father knows all of our concerns. We need to realize Satan’s forces are constantly at work, and anyone who is a follower of Jesus is being called a “hater.” Because we do not accept the abominations that some lifestyles are indulging in, it does not mean we hate the people. Jesus told us to love all our brothers and sisters because each one has an immortal soul, but that does not mean we have to accept their lifestyles. He will accept anyone who will repent and call on Him to save them from eternal condemnation.

For all who have received and accepted Jesus as our Savior, our eternity is set. God does not make promises that He will not keep (Titus 1:2). An event described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, commonly called the Rapture, will take place. It is to keep all the Shepherd’s flock from going through the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10). We were told this would take place before the Tribulation, and I, for one, am eagerly looking forward to it.

In the meantime, we do not need to be just waiting and doing nothing. We need to be in prayer daily, asking the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of any loved ones who are not truly saved. It wouldn’t be too much to pray this more than once a day. Being a “prayer warrior” is special, and the effects can be amazing.

There will be those who will choose this world over all else. Jesus knew that more would accept their current lifestyle and not be prepared for eternity. He spoke of the two pathways in Matthew 7:13-14. He stated the path to eternal life is narrow, and there would be few on it. Our hope is that through our prayers, we may get some of those lost souls off the broad path that leads to eternal destruction.

The day is coming soon, and our Jesus will be calling us up to meet Him in the air. This will not be the occasion that takes place at the end of the Tribulation where they will “see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Actually, the Rapture will be over in considerably less than one second.

Jeremy Camp wrote and released a song in 2008 called “There Will Be a Day.” It is a testimony to the promise of the Lord to take us Home. It’s a day that all Jesus’ followers are waiting for, and the Father knows we are longing for it. Please consider the message.

1.) I try to hold on to this world with everything I have. But I feel the weight of what it brings and the hurt that tries to grab, The many trials that seem to never end. His word declares the truth that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew.

(ref) But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings, That there will be a place with no more suffering. There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more. We’ll see Jesus face-to-face, but until that day, we’ll hold on to You always.

2.) I know the journey seems so long; you feel like you’re walking on your own. But there has never been a step where you walked out all alone. Troubled soul, don’t lose your heart, ’cause joy and peace He brings, and the beauty that’s in store outweighs the hurt of life’s sting. (ref)

3.) I can’t wait until that day, where the very One I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced (wipe away the tears), to touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery; Oh, this is why, this is why I sing.

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more. We’ll see Jesus face-to-face (x2). There will be a day He will wipe away the tears; He will wipe away the tears; He will wipe away the tears; and there will be a day.

For all who have received and accepted Jesus, we know that we will not be here much longer. As another song line stated, “All my trials, Lord, soon be over.” Once we’re Home, all this will be lost in the past.

For all who have not chosen Jesus as their Savior, please read Romans 10:9-13 for the simple steps to do so. Consider that the Son of the Living God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, has provided you with the opportunity to have eternal life with Him for the asking. He paid our passage in full with His precious blood shed on crucifixion day. He conquered sin and death on resurrection day.

The alternative is to be forever separated from Him in a place of darkness, and there will be no relief ever. He is available 24-7 to receive your call, and please know you have not sinned so greatly that He won’t forgive and accept you if you truly ask Him to be your Savior.

It’s absolutely each individual’s choice of where they will spend eternity. Please choose wisely; please choose soon. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, and that could be the day and time the Father has chosen.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Be Careful What You Consume

                                   from the blog Breaking The Chains Biblical Recovery Ministry . . . . . . .


June 4, 2020 | BtCBRM | Make A Comment | Red Flags and Warning Signs

The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. (Proverbs 14:15)

Every Spring we have problems with ants and once our peonies bloom, they become more of a problem. A few days ago I noticed several very small ants in our kitchen behind our faucet, scouting for food. I went to the cabinet and pulled out an ant bait. I laid it on the area behind the faucet and dripped some onto that counter and continued with my work. Periodically I’d come back and see that they were checking it out and eating some of it. By the next morning, I saw a few ants laying around the area like they were in a coma while the others must have gone back to the nest. I left both the ant bait and the ants alone and continued on with my day. At night I poured a little more out as there were now more ants coming around it and then I went to bed. By yesterday morning there was an army of little ants all over the poison. I even watched some walk around the ones that were now dead and laying there. As I watched the ants eat the poison, and knowing that I had a few plates sitting right beside the sink that had some crumbs of good food left on them, I thought “they are distracted from finding the good food and are eating the bait without even realizing they are being poisoned”. If the ants would have scouted a bit further, they would have found the proper nourishment that could have kept them alive, but they ate the sweet poison instead. The ants were drawn to the bait because it appealed to them through their senses. It’s sweet and easier to consume and bring back to the nest and share it with the other ants. This bait is very effective and the ants will leave a trail of the bait for other ants in the colony to follow to the new food supply. In the meantime, the main poisonous ingredient is messing with their digestive system and slowly killing them. Due to its delayed effect, it gives the ants enough time to bring the poison back to their home, their colony, and share it with the other ants. Even when some of the ants die, their bodies will still emit the poison, further causing the living ants to be poisoned and eventually die. Instead of the ant having control over my house, the bait I used allowed me to have control over the ant colony without even going outside to look for it. I simply had to use something that appealed to their senses and they did the rest by sharing it with the other ants. At this point, I probably sound like an evil person, but I’m not. I just don’t want ants overtaking my house.

The ant really is a remarkable creature. They are hard workers, planning and preparing for the future. They store or invest what they have gathered through the summer to supply them for the winter (lean months). They work together to accomplish the mission. However, the one flaw they seemed to have (which I’m sure there are others) is that they couldn’t detect the poison in the ant bait. The liquid looked good, smelled good and tasted good to them, therefore appealing to what they like through their senses, but it was poisonous. Because they thought it was good food, they shared it with other ants in their colony, therefore poisoning the rest of the ants. They simply could not detect the difference between good food and poisonous food that was being given to them and by not knowing the difference, it cost them their lives and the lives inside their colony.

If this can happen to ants, how much more can it happen to us? Are you able to detect when you are being “fed” something good or something poisonous both spiritually and in your day to day life? Can you tell the difference? Can you tell if you are being baited by a person, a situation or the enemy? Proverbs 14:15 states:

The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps.

Proverbs 22:3 states:

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

The word, simple, means one who is naïve or lacks wisdom. A prudent person is one who is wise, careful and cautious. We are called to be wise, careful and discerning. Where do we find wisdom and discernment? From God!

James 1:5-6:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

When we ask God for wisdom and discernment, this will eliminate the chance of following our thoughts and flesh or a direction others wish for us to go into that could harm us or those around us. We must be careful not to consume anything that may be false which can lead us in a wrong direction and possibly take others with us. This can happen through false teachings, media, gossip, opinions, etc. We must investigate what we are being fed and compare it to the Word of God. Is it godly? Is it considered gossip? Does it promote good change or destruction? Is it safe or dangerous? It’s imperative that we bring what we hear or see before the Lord and seek His wisdom and discernment on it when we are unsure. We must seek Him for guidance and truth.

Psalm 32:8:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

We must realize that the enemy will take every opportunity to draw us away from God and jeopardize our walk with Him. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned of this and to be alert for it:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

He will try to entice us, or bait us, through our senses by what we see and/or hear. He knows how to manipulate through utilizing our environment because he knows what buttons to push in us that will cause us to react. In other words, he knows how to get to our flesh. He can do this utilizing our surroundings, our weaknesses, people, and what we like or dislike. He can utilize other people or situations to tempt us away from doing what is right which can eventually cause us to justify our incorrect thoughts or actions.

We must walk with two feet in the spirit, not one foot in the spirit and one foot in the world. By doing the latter, it will be difficult for us to know truth from lie because we are ingesting worldly views, causing us to be double minded, which will slowly kill us.

Galatians 5:24-26:

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Take a moment to think about what you are feeding upon and consuming. Is it Godly or is it worldly? How is it affecting you? Does it cause you anger and misery or joy and peace? Will it produce a good outcome or harm to yourself or others? Does it fall in line with the Word of God or the world?

Whatever your concerns are, take it to the Lord and ask for His wisdom, guidance and truth on the matter. Then be patient and wait for His answer. You won’t be disappointed.

Hymn Prayer

 From noon of joy to night of doubt our feelings come and go;

our best estate is toss'd about in ceaseless ebb and flow.

No mood of feeling, form of thought, is constant for a day,

but Thou, O God, Thou changest not; the same Thou are always.

I grasp They strength, make it my own, my heart with peace is bless'd;

I lose my hold, and then comes down darkness and cold unrest.

Let me no more my comfort draw from my frail grasp of Thee:

in this alone rejoice with awe, They mighty grasp of me.

Thy purpose of eternal good let me but surely know;

on this I'll lean, let changing mood and feeling come and go;

glad when Thy sunshine fills my soul, not sad when clouds o'er cast,

since Thou within Thy sure control of Love dost hold me fast.

John Campbell Shairp, 1871

Grateful Praise

 For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth over and around us lies,

God of all, to You we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night, 

hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light,

God of all, to You we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind's delight,

for the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight,

God of all, to You we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love, sister, brother, parent, child,

friends on earth and friends above; for all gentle thoughts and mild,

God of all, to You we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise.

Folliot S. Pierpoint, 1867