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building on the foundation of Jesus Christ

Archive for the tag “Victory of Jesus”

21 Apr 2018

One Day

God’s Word is an amazing mixture of stories. It is fascinating to me. Some of it I don’t understand – why God allowed certain things and in others, He judged harshly. There are reasons that we may never understand why God allows suffering and pain. There are reasons too that God will judge at the appropriate time. Some things have a season that has to be endured so that the time is right for God to intervene.

In the beginning, He formed a perfect place. He set the stars in their places and gave light to the darkness; separated the waters to form the sky. He set earth in a perfect place for life. He created boundaries for the water on the earth and the land to be fruitful. He made earth possibly to be a place for mankind to exist. Then on the last day, God made man. He made man with a free will so that humankind would have the choice to worship and honor God. It was a perfect place. Then sin entered the world. And what was perfect became corrupt.

Throughout the Old Testament, the stories seem dark and desperate. God allowed wickedness for a time then would intervene to stop the atrocities. He did it dramatically in Noah’s time with a flood that cleared the earth of such wickedness that it would not have been sustainable for the future of humankind. However, the flood didn’t kill wickedness.

Humankind was spared by one family unit. The family of Noah still had the seed of wickedness in their hearts. Noah’s son Ham dishonored his father and his father cursed Ham’s family line. The land of Canaan is from Ham’s family line – the land that would eventually be captured by the family line from Noah’s other son Shem.

Noah blessed his son Shem because he honored his father: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem” (Genesis 9:26). And God blessed Shem’s family line through Abraham – separated from the rest to be set aside for greater purpose. Abraham was the father of Isaac who fathered Jacob who was also known as Israel. Israel would become the nation hated throughout history. Why? What did they do wrong?

Well, they did everything wrong from the beginning, but so did everyone else around them. Wickedness still ruled in the hearts of humankind. One of the saddest lines in the Bible is found throughout the Book of Judges – “they did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

God had a plan from the very beginning – yes, sin entered the world – but God would intervene at the right time in history to bring about a way out of the sin problem through the son of Israel. The family line of Israel would one day produce an heir to the throne. Not just any throne, but the throne of God. Israel was set aside for this special purpose. The heir would be the greatest enemy of wickedness and wickedness could not let Israel succeed in bringing this heir to life. So from the day that God set Israel apart, wickedness has been trying to take this family line out of the picture. And many times, it looked like the enemy would win unless God intervened.

The Old Testament sets the stage for the New Testament. When Jesus came on the scene, wickedness was still reigning throughout the earth. However, Jesus changes the outcome of wickedness. Wickedness has a time frame. One day it will be put to death forever because of what Jesus did on the cross. He defeated it forever. Yes, it’s still here reigning strong. But one day, it will end. God will intervene once again and stop wickedness forever. Praise the Lord!

Yet, wickedness still reigns today. We still have to deal with all that is wicked in the world. Shootings will still happen – girls will still be enslaved for sex – young boys will still be radicalized for wickedness’ purpose to destroy God’s perfect plan. But one day, God will intervene.

There is a timetable. God’s still setting the stage for what’s to come. I just trust Him to intervene at the right time. I also trust God’s character. He is good and righteous and loving. What He does is right and good. It may not look to loving to let wickedness reign, suffering is still felt by all – we can’t escape it. God has a plan and it’s still in motion. The Books of the Bible tells us so. We are still living it out. But one day, God’s clock will tick the last second off and things will be different from then on. One day. The darkness will be gone forever and wickedness will be put to death forever. I trust God’s Word. And I love how the story ends. One day.

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

“Look, I am coming soon!” Revelation 22:3-7a

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10 Mar 2018
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The Word for Today

Have you ever noticed after a major event – whether it’s unprecedented weather, the solar events of late or even the death of Billy Graham – people voice their belief that Jesus is coming very soon? Anne Graham Lotz, Billy Graham’s daughter, spoke at her Daddy’s funeral about Jesus returning very soon. She talked about the day of Billy’s death related to the death of Moses. The actual day is significant in Jewish history as the day when Moses was taken to heaven (7th of Adar). Moses was taken to heaven before he was allowed to enter the Promised Land. However, he led God’s people to the very edge. Joshua was chosen to lead Israel into the Promised Land after the people mourned for Moses.

It’s interesting to hear Anne’s take on this. If Billy’s death is significant and reflects Moses’ death, then who would bring God’s people into the Promised Land? Who is the modern-day Joshua? It’s interesting to consider the name of Jesus – it’s the Greek form for Joshua. Well then, maybe we are really close to that time. Great! But if we still have to go through the desert for a few more years, then we need to buckle up and be ready to ride the roller coaster that will happen over the next few years.

I don’t know when the Church will be removed from this earth. I do believe it will happen one day, whether I see it from this side of heaven or not. Jesus said it would happen. He said it. I believe it. However, I have been wavering over the whole “pre-Trib/post-Trib” event. I have concluded it really doesn’t matter when it will be. What does matter is the fact we are to be ready regardless of the time of His appearing. We have to be able to endure the hardships until it’s time to meet Jesus face-to-face, whether in death or in the clouds. Only God knows the timing of events, we’re just told to be ready for them. We are told to endure through them so that we will receive our crown of life (James 1:12).

It’s hard not to know the future, what life will bring over these next few years. We might have a vision of how life is supposed to look. I have found though, it’s not always like the vision. Actually, it never looks the same. It’s a matter of trust in God to sort through our desires and refine them to match His desires for us and for His Kingdom. Unfortunately, our plans may have to burn in the fire of God’s refinement before we see anything come to fruition. Just be prepared for it. Trust Him to refine our vision because His plans are the best for us. It will be greater than we could ever ask or imagine.

Maybe this message is just for me. I have trouble enduring any hardship. I typically just quit when it gets too hard. I balk at the first “no” I hear. I turn into the scared little five-year old girl who runs to Mommy or Daddy to take care of the problem. At this time of my life, there is no Mommy or Daddy to run to. Mom died a few years ago and Daddy isn’t able to comprehend my need anymore much less fight for me. However, I have a heavenly Daddy that can take care of any need, any problem, or any fight that I could ever face. Sometimes I forget this though.

Endurance is the key to a greater faith. It’s the purpose of the trial. No matter what we have to get through, we can trust Jesus to lead us to the other side. It’s what He does. We’re called to trust Him in the process. It will always lead us to a better outcome than whatever we expect. No matter if it doesn’t happen as we expect, we are to be faithful in the process. Just do the next thing that Jesus leads us to. Every step has been ordained by God to strengthen us and to make us into who we need to be – who He has envisioned us to be since the foundation of this world. He saw us then and sees us now as that person – complete and fully formed in His image.

So whether or not Jesus is coming back soon, endurance is the word to bring about a greater victory. What a testimony we will have when we finally make it through those pearly gates. I can’t wait to hear yours. It’s going to be epic! The angels are already rejoicing in heaven over the victory Jesus gave us by His blood and we can believe it on this side of heaven. Victory has already been claimed. Endure, my friend. The end is almost here. Wait for it! Don’t quit when it gets tough, it’s just the beginning of something greater. Okay, I needed that; I hope you did too!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Posted in Faith and tagged , , , , , ,
29 Apr 2015
2 Comments

Pop-ups

Last Saturday, Priscilla Shirer had her annual simulcast. Her message was on the spiritual armor that we are given as children of the Most High God. One thing that she mentioned was about the distractions or the deceptions that our enemy uses to keep us from accomplishing our God-given goals. She used the analogy of a “whack-a-mole” children’s game. I have never played this game myself, but I have seen others play it. The one with the hammer tries to nail the “mole” on the head when it pops up from a hole in the board. The game has several holes in which the mole can pop up, but the participant never knows when or where the mole will pop up. What the participant doesn’t see is the person behind the game who controls the mole. Priscilla mentioned that our enemy is the one behind the scene who is causing our distractions or is deceiving us with these pop up “moles.” We are told that we are given a shield of faith to protect us in the midst of our battles. The enemy fires blazing javelins or missiles in our direction. The enemy hopes we will turn aside to put out the fires instead of advancing on the battlefield. I have seen this numerous times when I have started out on a certain path knowing that God was calling me to a task. As soon as I said yes, the enemy became engaged in the battle. He put a “mistaken” identity problem that kept me focused for a few months trying to put out the fire. I began to recognize this deception after a couple of times when it occurred every time I took a step in God’s direction. I started to pray for this “mistaken” identity person every time the name appeared before me. Prayer is one of our most powerful weapons in our arsenal for spiritual warfare! The enemy is very cleaver. When we are not looking for the “mole” puppet master, we can be deceived or distracted by our circumstances. We miss the reason these things are happening to us – it’s not about us at all, but the battle that is being waged over us. It’s the spiritual battle that we cannot see that keeps us from being ineffective in advancing the Kingdom forward. We need to be conscious of our real enemy. We have to realize this is major warfare. The enemy knows he’s defeated, and his time is running out. He only has little time left to make his claim on unsuspecting people. It’s one move against the other; we just happen to be the pawns that the enemy uses to try to hurt God’s agenda. The enemy believes he has a move left that can counteract what God put in place – salvation for the world by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. Each pop-up tries to circumvent God’s agenda that is at work in us and through us. But we are given impenetrable armor that will thwart the enemy’s attempt for our destruction. I must admit; I fail to recognize the enemy. I see the things going on around me and think it’s the people causing the problems when in reality it’s not them, but the enemy using them for his purpose. The people are not the problem. It’s the enemy popping up behind the scenes causing the chaos. Our world feels like it’s falling apart. Our troubles are growing out of control. Reality though, is that the enemy senses the time is growing closer, and he is out for blood – our blood. We are given powerful equipment and powerful weapons to use daily in the battle. No weapon that is formed against us can harm us if we are properly dressed in our battle gear. Watch that mole continue to pop up, but don’t let the puppet master fool you. The One who is in you is greater than the enemy in the world. Stay focused on the truth; live in righteousness and keep the mind protected from the enemy’s schemes. We fight from victory – not for victory! The battle is already won! Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:10-12

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