Can ye not discern the sign of the times?

HOW WE SHOULD REACT TO THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES (Friday Church News Notes, November 30, 2012, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143 by David Cloud ) -

The signs of the end times are everywhere. Our upcoming book The Bible According to the Future contains a large chapter on these. The strange thing is that believers often react to the signs the very opposite of how God intends for us to react. As we witness such things as the spread of globalism, the building of a one-world church, the increase of wickedness, the breakdown of the traditional family, the destruction of that priceless bastion of liberty called America, the normalization of homosexuality, the callous murder of babies, the filthy pop culture, the breathtaking increase in governmental surveillance, we become fearful, uncertain, frustrated, angry, and discouraged, but this is because our minds and hearts are too focused on things of this world rather than things above.

 Too often we have the same short view that “conservative” unbelievers have rather than the long view that comes from the light of Bible prophecy. Doubtless there will be frustration and discouragement, because we aren’t spiritual robots who are unaffected by our environment, but our response should be tempered by the truths of God’s Word. We should respond to the times in a dramatically different way than our unsaved friends and neighbors. When we consider what is happening in the world, we should respond in at least the following ways.

First, we should rejoice greatly in our salvation. “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Pet. 4:13).

Second, we should be comforted that Christ’s return is drawing near. “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Lk. 21:28).

Third, we should be encouraged that God is in control. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Th. 2:7).

Fourth, we should stand in the confidence that the present evil is exceedingly temporary and will soon be cut down. “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psa. 37:7-11).

Fifth, we must do more praying. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Tim. 2:1-6). Desperate times call for more praying, but we are witnessing a dearth of prayer in the typical Bible-believing church. There is lots of partying and lots of activities and fun but not a lot of praying. 1 Timothy 2 ties prayer together with living a quiet and peaceable life and the liberty to preach the gospel, the very things that we want.

Finally, we should be busy in the harvest fields. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:8-9). The Bible plainly says that Christ is waiting because He wants to save souls. Instead of fretting at the signs of the times, we need to rededicate ourselves to proclaiming the gospel to every person in every nation and building sound Bible-believing churches where God’s people can be protected, edified, trained, discipled, and where godly Christian homes can be built and children can be prepared as arrows in the hand of the Lord to go out and do battle against the forces of evil.

Twas the night before Kwanzaa

Twas the Night before Kwanzaa

I receieved this email today.....Happy Stressmas to all!!!

 

Twas the month before Christmas When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying Nor taking a stand.
Why the PC Police had taken away
 The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ' Holiday'.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
the word Christmas will not touch your ears
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words they used to intimidate me.
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
 And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
 The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet MERRY CHRISTMAS Christ is The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season! He is the REASON FOR THE SEASONS! Let every heart prepare him room.  Is there room in your heart for HIM this Season?

In Everything Give Thanks!

Happy THANKSGIVING! 

The Example of Joseph. (Article I found today I wanted to share)

Joseph: An Unstoppable and Shining Example Gen 39: 21-23But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that [were] in the prison; and whatsoever they did there; he was the doer [of it]. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. Joseph is a shining light example of Christian living, and an incredible Old Testament picture of the coming life and ministry of Jesus Christ. His combination of mercy and truth certainly provided him with favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. That does not mean everything went smoothly for Joseph; he suffered through a great deal of pain and heartbreak. If you carefully study Joseph in Genesis the most often thing Joseph did was weep, but through everything that happened, Joseph received the favor of God. 4 things to remember in order to be unstoppable giving both mercy and truth. Be someone of consistency. Joseph gave mercy and truth consistently. When he was a teenager he did right regardless of what others did. Genesis 37:1-3 "Joseph brought unto his father their evil report."  He would have been a lot more popular if he had sacrificed the truth, but he would have lost the blessing of God. Joseph refused to cover for his brothers. He took his responsibility seriously and was faithful to fulfill everything he was asked to do by his father. Joseph's relationship with his brothers was rocky because of the favoritism showed to him by his father Jacob, and this had a devastating impact on the entire family. This family definitely had their share of problems but while Joseph was not perfect and did make mistakes, he remained committed to mercy and truth and consistent.  Don't quit doing right, even if doing right doesn't bring immediate blessings. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery because they hated him so much. They went home and told their father he was killed by a wild animal. Twenty years passed before Joseph met his brothers again but finally, their roles were reversed. Once Joseph was helpless and pleading for mercy he did not receive; now he had the power to mete the vengeance they deserved. Instead, Joseph showed them mercy. He could have let mercy and truth escape him, but he refused to allow that happen. Sometimes we do what is right, and it does not immediately result in positive blessings, but that is where our faith in God comes in. Don't quit so rapidly. Everything is according to God's purpose. Everything that happens to us is according to His purpose. We see this clearly stated in Psalm 105:17 which says, "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant." Stop and think about the events in Joseph's life. Hated by his brothers, put in a pit, sold as a slave, bought by Potiphar, falsely accused, ending up in prison, and forgotten for two full years. How would you describe all that took place? God described it as "sending a man." I don't know about you, but I would prefer a different way to get there! God sent him through numerous injustices to get him to a place where He could use him to rescue the nation of Israel ultimately to preserve the line of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's purpose was accomplished through Joseph's adversity. Keep dispensing mercy and truth. Joseph was successful because he was still committed to trusting God enough to not give up and to keep dispensing mercy and truth, even though he was in prison. Notice that the Lord was always with Joseph. Verse 21 plainly declares it. Joseph was far away from home and all the people he knew, but he was certainly not alone. Joseph could not see God with His eyes, but he didn't need to see Him to know He was with him.  God made all that Joseph did to prosper. As a result, Joseph kept getting promoted. Every time he got knocked down, he got promoted to an even higher level.  Never expect your Christian life to just keep getting better and better with nothing ever going wrong. Your circumstances are going to change. They are not always going to be pleasant, but be resolute and determined to obey the Word of God. Joseph's relationship with the Lord, I do believe, was the key to his ability to keep that vital commitment to dispense mercy and truth. Being a person of mercy and truth is easy when you're prospering and everything is going your way. What will you do if you were thrown in a pit, falsely accused, or put in prison? Will you trust God when you can't see what He is doing in your life? Are you unstoppable? Will you continue to love and care for people even if they don't love and care for you? Are you resolute and determined to live by the Word of God's truth? Whether we are in days of ease or days of difficulty, we need to take heed to Joseph's example to be a balanced Christian giving mercy and truth. Not in our power but only in and through Him can we maintain this perfect balance. Your circumstances may not be ideal and they may be even very painful, but yet the Lord is good even in those times. He is always good. He wants to show you His goodness. If you look for it you will find it. You will also discover His character and attributes in the    prison- like circumstances. Because Joseph was unstoppable, he experienced amazing opportunities to serve.

Make no provision for the flesh, but put YE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

here is a great great article By Dr. Jack Graham

The continuously unraveling scandal that has toppled the director of the CIA David Petraeus and has entangled the top NATO commander in Afghanistan as well as an FBI agent sounds more and more unfathomable by the minute. But, really, it’s a prime example of the severe consequences of immorality.

It only takes a small pin to burst a balloon. When trust is gone and when there is a leak in the integrity and character of a person, the explosion is quick and even startling. What has taken a lifetime of hard work to build disintegrates swiftly with an act of immorality, an act of indiscretion. You sacrifice your integrity, lose your credibility, and forfeit the right to lead.

I often speak to men about the sin of adultery and perversion because of the seemingly tolerant attitude in society toward this sexual misbehavior. And once you cross that line, once you go over the boundaries into sexual sin and engaging in immorality, it becomes easier and easier to justify it.

There are 12 points I share with men on how to maintain their moral purity.

• Recognize your potential for moral failure. Don’t say, “It can’t happen to me.” Don’t say, “I’m immune to this” because you’re not. And if you’re not careful, if you don’t watch and pray, if you don’t develop spiritual disciplines in your life, you’re more than vulnerable.
• Realize you don’t have to give in. Don’t say, “The living Christ is in me and yet I couldn’t help myself.” You have the power of God’s Spirit; the Spirit of the living God lives in you and will enable you and empower you.
• Resolve to be pure; purpose in your heart not to defile yourself. And if you have fallen, you can start over again. And you can say, “From this day forward, God, make me pure and make me clean.”
• Remove all bitterness from your life. Often, when a person becomes bitter, he’s upset about something that becomes an excuse or a rationalization to say, “Well, I deserve this pleasure.”
• Restrain the flesh in all areas. Paul said in Romans 13:4: “Make no provision for the flesh.” That speaks for itself.
• Refuse to give in even for a moment. Fight this all the days of your life. I’ve known men who have lived in moral purity all their days and then at the end of their life made some foolish mistake.
• Run from every form of evil. The Bible says to abstain from every appearance of evil.
• Resist the devil. He’s the author of these lies. He’s the ultimate enemy. And in the name of Jesus Christ you can resist the enemy.
• Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
• Renew your mind in the Word of God. Saturate your heart and your mind. Renew your mind in the washing of the water of the Word of God.
• Rejoice in the goodness and the grace and the forgiveness and the love of God. When you praise God, you are empowered to be pure. Worship Him! Praise Him! Because in the praise … the act of praise itself, we are enabled to overcome the work of the enemy.
• Remember that you will give an account before a holy God and that’s a sobering thought. Paul said, “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? You were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus.”

It takes time to restore trust and credibility and integrity. It takes time, it takes counsel, it takes the Word of God working in your life and cleansing your heart and your soul and your mind and your will, and standing you back up again so that you can make a comeback in your life by the grace of God. And we’re forever grateful for that grace that covers and cleanses all sin.

Dr. Jack Graham is Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, a 32,000-member church near Dallas, Texas. His popular book, A Man of God, challenges men to live with purpose and passion.

Little Psalm 1 Nugget

My Preacher always will write, "Always Remember Psalm 1".  Psalm 1 has some amazing truth to it, and it is a great section of scripture to memorize and meditate on.  God is always in the dividing business, dividing the goats and sheep, wheat and chaff, lost and saved, those walking in the spirit and those walking in the flesh, Godly and Ungodly, hell-bound and heaven-bound.  I was reading it today and God gave me a little nugget that I wanted to share.  Verse 1 says, Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.  That is a powerful truth.  I thought I was doing that well.  I refuse to pay a shrink $150 to listen to my problems and give me ungodly "blame your parents for your problems" counsel.   I didn't listen to CNN for who to vote for.  I wouldn't go to a Priest to find out how to be saved.  I wouldn't ask a Hindu what it means when Jesus said he is the only way. I won't go to Hollywood to learn how to raise a family nor go to a divorcee for marital advice.  And I wouldn't ask an Ex-Church member for advice when I am having a disagreement with someone at the church house. 

Here though is where this verse took on a whole new level.  The Bible says in Isaiah 55:8 that "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord".  Proverbs 3 says to lean not on your own understanding.  Galatians says to walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  Jesus shall be called wonderful, counselor, all Mighty God, Prince of Peace.  The Bible says to hold every thought captive and cast down imaginations.  And Jesus said, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies;" (Matthew 15:19). 

Isaiah 55:7 says Let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,and he will have mercy upon him.  Jesus said He is the TRUTH.  Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Back to that first verse in Psalm 1, Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.  God was showing me that while it is good to separate from all ungodly counselors like those above, it is even more important to not walk in my own counsel.  The Bible says the heart is deceitful ABOVE ALL THINGS AND DESPERATELY WICKED.  The world says follow your heart.  The Bible says if you trust your own wicked heart you are a fool. 

All the things that come out of my heart that are not Godly need to be rejected.  My pity parties, anger, bitterness, hurts, feeling rejected, "lust, greed, envy," pride, covetousness, thoughts how horrible I am and thoughts how wonderful I am, thoughts of quitting on God, thoughts of hopelessness, thoughts of self righteous indignation, fantasies, wicked ideas, hatred, thoughts of running from the problems.  I need to reject those thoughts that seem natural in times of stress and hurt just as I would reject the counsel from ungodly influences above.  My worst enemy is within.   It seems we don't have as much concern over that ungodly counsel and that is the one that has the most influence over us.

I must keep my mind on him, and know that God will keep me in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee. I must keep my heart clean and keep short accounts with God.  I must confess my mental failures and not obey the thoughts that come unless I filter them through God's word first.  I must stay in the Word and meditate on it to cleanse my heart and cleanse my thoughts.  I must yield to God and want his will over my own.  And I must fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. 

If I am thanking God instead of whining about things that seem unclear or unfair, and have a heart of worship, I will have a heart that desires Him more than things that I want.  I must count the cost and see it is worth it to be a clean vessel.  God can use us if we are clean, thankful, and yielded.  My thoughts say I can't.  God says not only "You can," but "I will do it through you.".  I say it is too hard.  Jesus says there is nothing too hard for me and my yoke is easy.  I say this world is too far gone and it is too late to do anything.  God says the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.  I say no one is interested.  Jesus says If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto myself. 

Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.  Often the ungodly is myself.  Praise God for showing me that.  I must let this mind be in me, the Mind of Jesus, instead,  (Phil ; 2: 5-8)  I made up my my mind, by the grace of God, to want his instead.

You are invited to my pity party!

Good evening.  I am having a pity party and you are welcome to come.  I had balloons for it but they burst and the pizza was burnt so I was going to have just plates and snacks but the chips fell and the ice melted and the chicken wings tasted like frogs and the frog legs tasted like chicken and the roast beef sandwiches were supposed to be on weck but the weck was wrecked when the little black things all fell off and it was now only a salted roll.  The condiments couldn't cut the mustard and there was food poisoning from the miracle whip, and those that were deathly ill were all rushed to the Mayo Clinic and had a miracle and survived.  The punch lacked pizazz, and the pizazz lacked punch.  The company was bitter and the coffee was too and we only had a fourth of the half and half left which didn't leave very much.  I thought I had enough Coke, but the 2 liter was only half full. And most thought it was half empty so we just ended up drinking Canada Dry, but really we didn't, as the Falls were still going on as far as I could tell. Though I didn't want to rain on anyone's parade, so instead I just threw some mud.  My pity party was so pitiful that even Humper Humperdink sent in a cancellation and he had better things to do.  I invited the Republicans and they were all excited and promised they would come.  Then someone else was having a bigger pity party and they were also invited and they said they would be there with bells on.  They couldn't decide which party to commit to so they went to neither and spent the evening writing what a wonderful time they had and how much better we were all because they were invited.  The democrats were too drunk to come as they already had been celebrating.  They were excited about our pity parties, and sent a representative to the party.  He stayed for 5 minutes and took 5 of the 6 sheet pizzas and distributed them around the neighborhood.  He then sent me a bill for the gas he used to deliver the pizzas.  I had to furnish the stamp to mail the bill out.  I invited fellow Christians to my party too, and they were all excited, because misery loves company.  We spent the night whining and bellyaching about how the next 4 years it is going to get worse and worse and there is no point to go on.  We were going to play Russian roulette and end our sorrows but recently they had passed some new gun laws outlawing guns.  When someone held us up at gunpoint, \we reminded us of the new ban on guns. They thanked us and put the guns away and instead held us up at knife point.  Well my pity party over all of  sudden. I had invited the Lord Jesus but didn't think he could come.  He showed up last minute just when all hope seemed gone.  He showed up with the food as well.  And he made the non-alcoholic punch out of a mop bucket of water.  It is amazing what he will bring to any pity party.

More ObamaNation

Yes President Obama won the Nov. 2012 presidential elections. Yes it looks bleak.  Someone said the difference between the 80's and today is then you had President Ronald Reagan. And you had comedian Bob Hope and you had folk singer Johnny Cash.  Now we have President Obama and we have no cash, and no hope.  There is not much we can hope for from a supposedly Muslim president who is AntiAmerican, pro-abortion, pro-sodomy, anti Isreal, and socialist.  The problem with socialism it is said is that you eventually run out of someone else's money.

 America, we are in trouble.  But I am not overly disturbed about Obama's camp.  You know where they stand, you know what they are for.  They are proudly and openly for everything the Bible is against.  They are unashamedly against everything the Bible is for. They could care less about who is offended, and they sincerely believe they are the answer to America's problems.  They won't stab you in the back, but they might slice off your head.

 My bigger concern is how much main stream Bible believing Christianity is so against Obama that they were willing to turn to a Mormon former Pastor for help.  Mormonism is a cult.  Mormons teach a false doctrine, and this presidency has caused the average Christian to embrace a cult leader for help because we can't stand 4 more years of Obama.  My question is which is worse?  You know where Obama is coming from.  You may not like his stand but it is clear. He represents the average lost person today.

 Romney represents today's Christians.  No discernment.  No clear stand when the pressure hits.  Tells people what they want to hear.  Self-deceived.  Thinking what he is doing is pleasing to God.  Abortion is horrible, but every aborted baby is in heaven.  How much worse are the souls Mormonism is damning to hell?  And the more souls now exposed to this cult now that it comes across as a respectable alternative religion?

  My question is where were the Christians running to Jesus these past 4 years for our country?  If enough Christians were desperate enough to get through to God with payer and fasting and prayers of repentance for our sins who knows what God would have done.  He could have raised up a true Bible believer to help turn our nation around.  But the bottom line is our hope is not in Obama, nor killing Osama nor Chelsea Clinton's Mama.  Our hope needs to be built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

 I think our problem in America is the Christians are so busy committing spiritual adultery with the gods of our land that they honestly can't cry out against sin. We are luke warm hypocrites. We are getting abortions and fornicating and drinking and lusting and gambling and divorcing and laughing at the perverts on TV and renting filthy PG-13 and R rated movies and sports addicted and junk food addicted and video game junkies and prescription pill abusers and gluttons and covetous and bitter and jealous and gossipers and whore mongers and full of wrath and hypocrisy and self righteousness and we wonder why we don't cry out against the sins of this land. 

We are rich blind and naked and as long as the money is flowing we don't care who is in office or where the next hurricane hits, as long as it doesn't affect "me". It is affecting you and you can't see it.  And it is going to affect you in a much more personal way very soon. Wake up America. Wake up Christian.  The problem right now is far too few  know they are asleep.