As I was on my way to work yesterday, I had a number of things that were running through my mind. Everything from wanting to be home with my children, to being thankful that I have a job to go to. I was thinking about that video I posted the other night, and of course, the first thing I thought of was a way to pick it apart and criticize myself in the guise of self improvement. I was pondering the fact that I have zero upper lip and the thought of cosmetic injections crossed my mind. I thought about the way it would sting. Then the Lord put it on my heart that we are so quick to put ourselves through physical discomfort for the acceptance of worldly beauty. Yet, at the very same time, we don’t want ourselves to ever be emotionally or socially uncomfortable, or to feel out of place by speaking up with the Word on the Lord’s behalf. We fear speaking up to the very children He created; the children He wants us to share His LOVE with.
Why do we chase after the acceptance of this world, of the people in it? Why do we long so deeply to be part of a group or to be seen as beautiful? Why do we gauge our value on the amount of "respect" that we have shown to us from others? We climb corporate ladders, taking on mounds of responsibility, slowly weeding out any time we had left for our families and deem it success. Why do we care? We say things like "I want to be respected," "I just want to fit in," or "I just want to blend in, I don't want to be on their radar as an outcast." True success is peace of mind, relationship with the Lord and a pure heart. Truth is, you already fit in, just the way you are. YOU were already chosen to belong.
Romans 1:1-6 (NLV)
1 This letter is from Paul. I am a servant owned by Jesus Christ and a missionary chosen by God to preach His Good News. 2 The Good News was promised long ago by God’s early preachers in His Holy Writings. 3 It tells of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was born as a person in the flesh through the family of King David. 4 The Holy Spirit proved by a powerful act that Jesus our Lord is the Son of God because He was raised from the dead. 5 Jesus has given us His loving-favor and has made us His missionaries. We are to preach to the people of all nations that they should obey Him and put their trust in Him. 6 You have been chosen to belong to Jesus Christ also.
1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
The other day I was sitting in my car and I saw two birds fighting over a piece of discarded food. The passion they were fighting with struck me. What do WE get that passionate about? Toilet paper? Food, water, clothing, margaritas after work, it's all temporary. None of it matters. What matters most is what’s swept under the rug every day. What matters most, is what we refuse to make time for, or refuse to believe in. It's the Word. It's time spent with the Lord. We sweep it aside by saying things like “I’ll get to it tomorrow, I’m tired” or “It’s been such a long day, I’ll get to it this weekend before church". The next thing we know, our Bible has a layer of dust on it, and we are wondering why we live each day going from one frustration to the next, waking up just to wish it was time to go back to sleep.
1 Peter 5:6-7 (NLT)
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
John 16:33 (NIV)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We wonder why we can't find peace in times like these. We wonder why everyone panics over the threat of an illness. I wonder why we are more concerned with catching a bug than catching Hell for all eternity. I wonder why everyone turns their heads when it's beyond obvious that the Lord is trying to get our attention. Many are put off when Christians begin to speak about eternity, when we address the fact that there is a Hell. Sorry, but I have seen it, it's real and it's closer to so many of you than you want to think. Yes the Lord is LOVE. Yes the Lord is SALVATION, MERCY and GRACE. Yes, the Lord can change your life in an instant. I'm living proof of that. Yet, the Lord gave us all free will. Free will that can easily negate everything good, by our own disbelief, disobedience, or even a luke warm countenance. It's time to step it up a notch and begin to take the Lord seriously. I have a feeling He is running out of patience.
2 Peter 3:9 New Living Translation (NLT)
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
I've seen so many people looking to cards, looking to books or looking for psychic intuition regarding the times we are in. I've seen people point to words written years ago saying, this is happening now, look it's here in this book. It was talked about on this show, it was in this magazine, it was on the news! Look, look! As I scroll through my news feed, holding my Bible that is basically a written guide to the things that are coming and I think to myself, they have no clue, and it truly breaks my heart. It took me 35 years and the Lord basically slapping me in the face with His truth, His existence, His Spirit and His love for me to realize what I had been missing all of my life. If you think that I'll simply shut up about it one day, you're wrong. If you think that I'll speak on the Love of the Lord, the way He can change everything about your life, your mind, your priorities, and your frustrations without speaking on repentance, turning from your sins to your best ability, and doing what you can to change your own life, again, you're sadly mistaken. The Lord will help you as much as you are willing to partner with Him to help yourself. It's laying down your pride, its being humble, it's the realization that we know absolutely nothing in terms of knowledge. Worldly knowledge means nothing to the Spirit.
Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
John 7:17 (NIV)
17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
Proverbs 15:7 (NLV)
7 The lips of the wise spread much learning, but the minds of fools do not.
When I was in prayer the other night, I was once again praying for a "hedge of protection" around my family. I've heard that phrase used multiple times in prayer. It's in scripture in Job. The Lord decided to show me what it really means. As I was in prayer, I saw rolling hills. I saw myself and my children in a small house in the lower valley. The grass was green and the wind was calm. As I continued in prayer, I began to see hundreds of angels ascending down from the heavens. Their effortless movement was almost like the steady pace you'd see on an escalator. They swiftly surrounded us. They were shoulder to shoulder in a line, two to three deep, that surrounded the small home that my children and I were in. Their countenance was warm but stern. It reminded me of soldiers that were on duty but without arms drawn. They were tentative, they were protective, they released a sound peace of Spirit that spread over the entire land. It was so serene, so warm, but there was an underlying urgency that felt as if a war could break out at any given moment. A war they were ready to fight and have been eager to win since the beginning of time itself. The sky darkened and the wind began to blow, the ground shook. They were firmly standing guard, ready for war. I felt that the Lord wanted me to convey how close to war we are. I felt the need to convey the peace that is available in Him during these times of trouble. Times of trouble that I fear are so much worse than a two week confinement due to an illness. The ground is shaking, the wind is blowing, soon the very ground we stand on will be split apart. Evil will have its day, week, or year, and then the Lord will have His eternity. Are you ready for that war?
Would I be out of line to address the fact that there is a war in the heavens over your very soul? Angels fighting demons over your salvation. Do you not see it? Do you not feel it? Days that are better than others, days that are wore than others, days you feel on fire for the Lord, days you feel forgotten? If we live by our feelings, we will become lost in this tug of war. We need to have the unshakable foundation of the Word, the Truth. We need to have an unshakable relationship with the Lord through time spent seeking and worshiping Him. Are you prepared for war?
To the Lord, YOU were worth dying for. Don't hide your face in times of trouble. Don't deny His existence to believe in anything else. I can assure you, it's not worth it. We can think and agree that in order to build a building from the ground up, there had to be an engineer that designed the building. We can agree that someone designed the electrical system, the duct work, the plumbing. We can all agree that someone would have to design such a building. It couldn't magically come together on it's own. It couldn't morph into a building from a small pie of bricks, metal, pipes and wires, and cry evolution. Yet, here we are, refusing to believe that the Lord designed our nervous system, our skeletal system, our skin, our muscles, our brains. We refuse to acknowledge the creator of our own complex nature. We hide behind pride, saying things like "there is something, some energy, some force but it can't be the Lord". Wake up! He designed YOU, on purpose. You're you for a reason! So find Him and realize it's HIM before it's too late.
To the Lord, YOU were worth dying for. Don't hide your face in times of trouble. Don't deny His existence to believe in anything else. I can assure you, it's not worth it. We can think and agree that in order to build a building from the ground up, there had to be an engineer that designed the building. We can agree that someone designed the electrical system, the duct work, the plumbing. We can all agree that someone would have to design such a building. It couldn't magically come together on it's own. It couldn't morph into a building from a small pie of bricks, metal, pipes and wires, and cry evolution. Yet, here we are, refusing to believe that the Lord designed our nervous system, our skeletal system, our skin, our muscles, our brains. We refuse to acknowledge the creator of our own complex nature. We hide behind pride, saying things like "there is something, some energy, some force but it can't be the Lord". Wake up! He designed YOU, on purpose. You're you for a reason! So find Him and realize it's HIM before it's too late.
Isaiah 42:13 (NLV)
13 The Lord will go out like a powerful soldier. He will be ready like a man of war. He will call out, yes, He will call out a war cry. He will be strong against those who hate Him.
Matthew 24:6 (NLV)
6 You will hear of wars and lots of talk about wars, but do not be afraid. These things must happen, but it is not the end yet.
Revelation 12:7 (NLV)
7 Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against this dragon. This animal and his angels fought back.
Psalm 140:7 (NLV)
7 O God the Lord, the strength that saves me, You have covered my head in the day of battle
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