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GOD'S STORY

GOD’s Story Pt 8: Sovereignty of GOD

Here at Preparing the Bride, I’m telling GOD’S STORY. Presumptuous?! Not when simply looking at scripture, because scripture is the unfolding of God’s story to us who read it.

How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? We learn GOD’s Story. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked. 

GOD’S STORY Part 8 Sovereignty of GOD

GOD is Sovereign. Personally, I have no doubt about the Sovereignty of GOD… But how is it, when GOD is sovereign, that sometimes His will does not seem to come to pass? Is it correct to think His will does not always reign? 

Recently in the UK a new prime minister gained the title but after 6 weeks, she was forced to resign. The day she came into office the stained glass window in Westminster Hall, which is tidal, was completely alight. It was extraordinary and a rare — perhaps even a never before — event. To my mind and my prayer partners’ at the time, this was a marker for the LORD’s endorsement to her office. So why then did she not remain in office?

GOD does not interfere

I think the LORD observes and is grieved by some of the choices mankind makes. But He doesn’t interfere. He gave a gift of a particular leader as our Prime Minister in this example, who was then rejected by some powerful forces in media and banking, and she was forced out. 

I believe the LORD will continue to observe us — all of us all over the world — until He cannot allow the corruption of humanity to grow any deeper. Then the Restrainer, the presence of GOD through Holy Spirit, will be removed… and Jesus will return.

GOD’s course of Action is long-term

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 says, 

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 

This is a reflection of Romans 1 as well, which explains that we are born knowing right from wrong and the truth of the Creator.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”

GOD takes the long view and in doing so, He gives mankind opportunity to discover the Creator and to reconnect with Him. He gives us the opportunity to receive salvation, individually and nationally. He restrains evil. This is His ultimate will. But He gives us the choice to receive or to reject.

The Restrainer — Holy Spirit and His children, Believers who carry Him within —  He holds the enemy and total depravity at bay, giving each persona and each nation the opportunity to embrace the Truth.

Depravity and its reach

We see the evidence of the depraved mind more and more these days in the West, as we ignore common sense and the laws of science, embracing the fancy of individualisation. Evil is not yet fully developed in all its fullness. Even though the world is becoming darker and darker, in GOD’s sovereignty, He holds Satan at bay. 

But when the Restrainer is removed from this earth, what then? I believe this is to be marked by our rapture to Heaven, followed by the earth becoming consumed by depravity…. I shudder! 

Let’s not linger on the thought of a dark world without any goodness, kindness, righteousness whatsoever. 

The LORD’s grief

All the earth’s depravity grieves the LORD! He knows what will come to pass inevitably, but He holds off for as long as possible, for as many as possible to have every opportunity to see the light of Christ, and to receive Him, before His removal of His protection and the ultimate return and judgment of Jesus upon those who have rejected salvation.

What must is be like for the Father who observes?

In my mind’s eye, I can imagine our LORD, Abba Father, who observes our mistakes and waits for us to “knock” (Revelation 3:20) so that He can enter into our lives. 

I can envisage a Father who looks upon His children, wanting to enter into their activities and waiting to be invited. A huge embrace is available to those who call upon Him. 

For those who do not call upon this Father, He prompts them through bringing others into their lives; He gently steers and offers provision, but He does not force anyone to drink the water He offers. 

Eventually, time and opportunity will run out….

The End as we know the Earth

The earth may cease but GOD’s love will never cease. The heavens may fall, but GOD’s power will never decline. The enemy may rise, but GOD will never be defeated. The time may seem short, but His arm extends into infinity.

GOD’s sovereignty may not reveal itself as we would expect, or ask, but it never fails. By faith and through a glance at History, we can trace His eye, His hand, His will. His word reminds us of His promises and on these we can depend, because He is all-powerful.

In Jesus’ name, may we recall and reclaim that which He has already declared in His word.

“No weapon formed against us will prosper and every tongue that rises against us in judgment will fail.” (text) Ultimately, the end from beginning has been ordained and His will will succeed. Amen.

He is sovereign. Let us have no doubt of that.

Categories
Reflections and Poetry

Yet I will trust in You: a poem

Tho the earth stirs

trembles and shakes

Yet I will trust in You

The world tumbles

falls into disrepair

Yet You uphold me

with truth and love

GOD IS our refuge

He truly is our strength

tho men destroy

Yet GOD restores

Hope in Him

He is the light 

tho hope deferred makes the heart sick;

so turn your eyes to Jesus

and know you are saved.

Categories
Reflections and Poetry

The Mathematics of GOD: a reflection

The Mathematics of GOD

GOD: The Mathematician. Where does it say that in scripture? Well, I could stretch a point and refer to the talents: 5 talents brought 5 more, 2 brought 2 more, 1 didn’t multiply by anything to bring more. 

LORD GOD is the god of addition and multiplication. He likes to grow us, to add to our character and multiply our blessings. That is the mathematics of GOD.

GOD’s sovereign perspective

But seriously, I’m talking about how GOD adds up the costs and benefits to our life, looks at the long term, and makes sovereign decisions about nations and individuals. 

We in Western society are in a crisis. Economies are in a global mess; most countries are in huge debt, and certainly in the UK there seems to be low growth and rising interest rates. Human beings are trying to fix the problem but the problem only seems to deepen (witness UK politics and the current state of its government). GOD is adding up the costs and benefits to bailing us out of our own poor choices and hypocrisies, and seems to be saying, “Nope, it’s better if you fail — better to your life — so that you end the hypocrisy, stop the greed, and learn to live reliant upon Me. If only the leaders would recognise the message and act accordingly!

Shocking reality: Death brings Life

Recently I have experienced just how personally GOD’s mathematics has added up in my life. I am actively praying with positive effect as part of more than one intercessory prayer group; I can see GOD is moving in the society and in my sphere of influence. Praise Yehovah!!

As I experience the joy of fellowship in ministry and the praise that is within me for answered prayer, I realise my growth and my industry would not have surfaced without tragedy in my life. 

My husband died eighteen months ago. But in that departure to heaven, I was led to move forward in ways I would not have as a married woman, not because my husband would have resisted it but because I would not had to find the courage to express “my” prayers. I have been pushed to be self-reliant — directly reliant upon GOD’s leading and prompting.

My husband’s passing is a human loss, but it is a heavenly gain and an earthly release. As a member of the Cloud of Witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) my husband is doing as he is called to do in heaven. I am doing the work the LORD has specifically designed for me to do on the earth at this moment in time.

The LORD was pleased with Alan. And Alan was satisfied in this life. He did his assignment on earth. With his passing, now I am released to focus upon the work the LORD has for me to do and I have the courage to do it.

Philippians 3:12-14 is one of my favourite scriptures

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

We must not look back as Lot’s wife did, mourning our losses and regretting the past. Rather, after a period of grief and reflection, we must choose to trust in the sovereignty of GOD and in His perfect mathematics, if we are to complete His plans and purposes, living our lives as He intends for us. In other words, as tough as it may seem to be, loss is also release to live new chapters of our lives, so that we can move forward in ways we most certainly would not otherwise be able to do. GOD gives and He takes away, but mostly he releases us so that our gifts, our purposes, our lives will bring forth multiplication: some thirty, some sixty, some one hundred fold. (Matthew 13:8)

GOD’s leadership

GOD wants His kingdom to be on earth as it is in heaven. He has crafted us to be a part of that kingdom. We must look ahead in our lives, trust GOD’s craft and creation is perfect, and allow Him to perfect us. 

I am a single person again, not by my choice but by the LORD’s hand. This is not because GOD didn’t have the authority, power or will to keep my husband on earth, but so that we would both continue to work for GOD’s kingdom in GOD’s way. 

One day all of us will be with the LORD as we trust and believe in His son, Yeshua Jesus. But in the meantime, when our surrender, our promise to follow Him is sincere, we take what is given to us, trust Him and run with it. Alan didn’t die by accident; GOD didn’t take His eye of the ball and lose the man to his mortality. No. GOD looked at us, did His sums, and decided in His mathematics: Alan in heaven and Sarah on earth would yield the most and best fruit. 

When we look at any loss or tragedy in this light, His light shines into our lives and brings joy, peace and perfect sums.

Hallelujah, GOD reigns!

Categories
Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

Praying GOD’s will be done

What is the significance of praying ‘GOD’s will be done’?

What is Prayer

I have been asking Yehovah GOD about prayer. And I’ve been praying GOD’s will be done. Less and less I’ve felt churned internally and more and more I’ve simply surrendered to His wisdom and His will.

There are some who say prayer is making declarations; being specific is important. Others say it is making requests and supplications, pleading for the LORD to intervene in our situations. Some others think there is a limit to how much we should ask for; I don’t. 

I wonder: Does this question about prayer have an available answer? Or is it a question that is unanswerable on earth?

Before anyone quickly jumps to answer, hold fire and read on…

When my husband was ill, he said the LORD was downloading a lot of information to him about prayer, something Alan (a modest but confident teacher of the word of GOD for several decades) humbly admitted he never “really understood”. Well, before he died, I think Alan learned a lot. Unfortunately, he never had the strength to share more than to say, prayer “isn’t at all what we think it is.”

I thought about what Alan said during his illness and I still think about it. I wonder, “What is it that we are missing, that the LORD revealed to Alan as he lay desperately ill?”

One thing I’ve learned is we cannot put our demands upon the LORD. We can ask, we can intercede; in fact we are called to do so and we must! And yet, that doesn’t mean the LORD will do our bidding.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I think these are most profound words and yet, they are loaded with far more than we can possibly understand.

What does GOD want?

We know from GOD’s word that He wants none to perish (2 Peter 3:9). We know we are asked to intercede (James 5:16). Jesus in Gethsemane surrendered His will to the Father’s. 

There are different occasions for prayer, different types of prayer. Prayer is sharing to the One True GOD our heart and our needs, our fears and our concerns, and for many, it is simply petitioning GOD to hear the prayers and needs of others. Who here has never been part of a prayer chain or prayer group? I think most of us will have been at one time or another. And in fact, there is never more need for prayer than right now, as our society hangs in the balance, sits on the brink of poverty, disease, despair and war… Surely we are in the End Times.

And yet, there isn’t a magic button or a key word to pray that will give us what we ask. No, some receive their requests just as they’re made; others do not. Why is that?

Faith

Some over simplify and insult one another by saying, “You didn’t have enough faith.” That’s just plain ignorant, playing judge and making GOD out to be ungenerous, given that faith comes from GOD — one of his gifts, one of the fruits of the Spirit.

Personal relationship

Of course too, there is the intimate relationship we have the the LORD. He speaks to us and if we will listen, we learn much from Him. In my journey, there have been times when He’s asked me to refrain from certain foods or to wear a prayer shawl. I think this is individual and timely… in other words, I think He may ask certain things of us that He doesn’t expect all of His children to do. And so, I continue to hone my listening skills and to follow. He prefers obedience over sacrifice, remember.

Prayer School

I attended a wonderful prayer school over a period of years. Julie Anderson is a friend, a god parent to my son, and the leader of a prayer school in Central London. She taught me so much about prayer. And yet, still I know so little.

But isn’t that what our journey with Jesus is all about? We start off knowing a little, perhaps little more than simply that He is our wonderful Saviour. We end up learning, discovering, growing, and yet, His will is still what we yield to.

Flesh v Spirit

I have come to the conclusion at this point in my journey, to believe that prayer — for me — is a process of simply sitting with the LORD and waiting, of being still before Him. As I wait, I allow my will to give way to the life within me, the Spirit of GOD. I watch, I wait, I listen, I read the Word of GOD, I pray in tongues, but throughout I am surrendering, asking, seeking: LORD, what do you want to show me? LORD, what do you want me to discover? LORD, what do you want me to pray?

And as I let go of my flesh, as I stop fussing or pushing, fearing or even hoping, as I surrender my will to His, I begin to hear from Him. Sometimes it’s a word. Sometimes it’s a subject, a person, a concern, a situation in the world. But always I receive direction and I pray into it. I have no opinion and I have no personal desire. I just pray.

Then I believe, I am praying His prayer, on earth, as He would pray in heaven. That, I believe, is prayer…. asking for His will to be done on earth, as He would have such matters resolved in heaven.

Final thought for these Last Days

Moses encountered GOD and stood in the gap for the Hebrews, so GOD did not destroy them (Deuteronomy 9). But holding back GOD’s will and His wrath delayed an inevitable consequence: the passing of a generation and the ultimate separation of GOD’s people from their homeland (Deuteronomy 11:26). All this was the result of unrighteousness. Prayer changed GOD’s mind but destruction came inevitably.


If we pray for Righteousness to pour down today, perhaps mankind can change and we can hold back Satan and the Rapture for a time; then more will be saved. But holding back also gives room for more evil, only delaying the inevitable fall of Satan and those he takes with him. 

So we pray GOD’s will…. we must! He sees, He knows, Jesus intercedes, and all is right with GOD.

Moses prayed GOD would hold back His wrath. He did, although more evil came. If holding back wrath delays inevitable consequences, and makes room for more evil to come, then how shall we pray?

Can we pray Maranatha: Come Lord Jesus!? Come quickly!

Shall we pray for rescue, heal, defend, protect?

Shall we pray GOD’s will and Maranatha…. and leave the results in GOD’s hands….

Categories
Reflections and Poetry

Life is in the Blood: ICU – third phase of Covid p3

The Life is in the Blood:

Visions from the LORD, prayers of others

There were so many images of life ahead for Alan, there was so much encouragement from a vast network of believers who were praying, there was so much hope and confidence in the LORD, as I navigated through the time of Alan’s unconsciousness. 

The steadfast prayers of the saints, some of whom I know — and many who got wind of Alan’s illness through that network and were praying through — these were such a huge support which kept me going. In fact, those who prayed for Alan have gone on to pray for us as a family since, and I find it absolutely remarkable how well we are doing in spite of Alan’s passing away. 

I am aware of GOD’s presence and know the prayers of His faithful saints are making such an impact on an otherwise horrible situation.

Two pathways

On several occasions, two parallel paths presented themselves to me, and I always chose the one of life. 

Dream: dressed in black

One morning I awoke from a dream in which I was wearing black — the quintessential funeral clothing. I prayed against anything that could be deemed an obvious interpretation.

I shared it with a prayer network as well, a group of fine prayerful folk, who also prayed against an outcome to Alan’s hospitalisation where I would be wearing black.

Although fleeting, two different paths that would lead from Alan’s intubation: one of death and one of life, came to mind from time to time. I don’t remember anything specific, just that there were two possibilities. I dismissed one.

I always chose to observe the thought, path, expectation that Alan would lived. I thought that was how the LORD was calling me to focus. In hindsight, perhaps he was letting me know it might go either way.

Release to the LORD

Three weeks after Alan regained consciousness, with steady improvement in fits and starts, and doctors at last expecting him to live, Alan was exhausted and asking when he could leave ICU.

I remember as I drove home from hospital the day Alan had stomach pain, the same day Dr M had begun the information sessions to give Alan context for his current situation (as mentioned in the last blog post), I remember distinctly passing the shops I have passed many times, and I said,

“LORD, you said Alan would recover, and I believe You. I turn it all over to you. Whatever outcome you decide, I surrender to…”

Hours later I would get a call to say Alan’s condition had worsened; the stomach pain had been a marker indicating some complications had arisen. Hours after that, I was invited in to hospital; moments after arrival, I was told Alan was not going to survive the night.

We must surrender

In all things, we must trust GOD. Did I give up on Alan? No! Did I give up on the power of GOD? No. What I did was give GOD the freedom to do as He knew best. 

After Alan’s passing, one dear friend said the LORD had told him that… “Alan was tired and just wanted to come home.”

I believe that if my release on that drive home the day before Alan died had any effect, it was to release the LORD to give Alan an answer to his prayer — to be set free from exhaustion and pain.

Categories
Supernatural & Prophetic

Another Storm Coming: Taking it in stride

I awoke this morning from a dream. The dream was a rendering of the chaotic. The message received, “there is a storm coming”.

The last time I had a dream like that, we had a family row that day following the dream.

Today I descended from my bedroom, looked at my emails to discover, my web host server company is closing down its service.

Storm? I’m prepared, or at least I have an attitude of preparedness. “God is in charge,” I wrote to the host of the website, “and we will seek and discover what God has in store for us all.”

So, change is coming. I don’t know the form it will take. Perhaps I’ll be posting at Soaring Post for the last time. Or perhaps I’ll find another way within the next two weeks to write a newsletter and get it out to you.

The storm as I see it, is not weather-related (although tell that to folks in Houston, The Gulf of Mexico, and most recently, Ireland), not even finance-related, but attitudinal.

If I have the attitude of hope and trust in the LORD’s sovereignty, I rest assured, what will come will be for the best.

If I have the attitude of self-determination, I may panic or hurry or fear.

If I have the attitude that I must follow God’s lead and know that step-by-step, He will reveal His strategy, I will be in the eye of the storm, not bearing the brunt of it.

So, I may cease to be an entity at http://laruspress.com or perhaps I can switch things quickly, carry over at an effective cost, and continue on.

Either way, I am open to work hard, pray hard and to follow. Either way, I simply want to be in my Father’s will.

When storms come, we must fight to overcome. But we must also surrender to the Master who allows the storm and trust He has a purpose for us in it.

Jesus calmed the storm,

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:35-41)

When he calmed the storm, he revealed God’s authority over the storm. We who have Jesus can do the same, whether it is a physical storm or a situational one.

But Jesus only did the will of his Father,

Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28)

When we surrender our will to the Father’s, and trust in His authority, we can, like Jesus, perform His will. And we have perfect peace.

So I officially am now surrendering the fate of my website and this newsletter to Him. I am announcing to Him (as if He didn’t already know) that the service provider for my website is having to shut down… which will be a heartache to the provider…

And so I pray that all those who are hosted by him, will have peace and will find God’s way forward. And I ask that God continues to watch over the work of all parties involved and that we will better serve Jesus through this storm.

Amen.

(Thanks to BibleGateway for the quick referencing)

Categories
Politics and Society today

America On the Brink

I don’t write regularly because while I do enjoy it, I am attempting to write only what the LORD leads me to write, when He leads me.

I send out Soaring Post sparingly because, as there is so much that all of our email in-boxes are bombarded with, I aim to be read when I post, and not overlooked.

Today I’m posting and sending about the upcoming federal election in the United States of America. The presidency is at stake. Some say the leader of America is the leader of the free world. Certainly, the country is extremely influential globally in many spheres, namely: morally, financially, culturally. When America has preached righteousness, it has touched the world. When it has preached carnality, likewise it has influenced the world.

The current series I am writing for Larus Press is Preparing You for GOD’s Call.

So, how is the US federal election tied to readers, most of whom are probably not American and therefore, not eligible to vote in an American federal election? There is a vital connection, so I ask you to please bear with me as I explain my thinking…

Sometimes we are called to learn and to grow, while at other times we are called to application. Today, and over the next few days, we as a Nation of Believers in Jesus are called to pray; the days are short. In preparing you for God’s Call today, I am encouraging you to grow in your prayer life, and in particular, your intercessory prayer life. To pray for American and the voters there is the Call.

UNESCO – the world organisation that “encourages international peace and universal respect for human rights by promoting collaboration among nations” (see: UNESCO) has just voted that The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is only an historic site for Muslims, not for Jews, nor for Christians. Perhaps their thinking is that if they grant Arab supremacy, the Muslims will be appeased.

But what does this UNESCO vote signify in the Spirit?

Time is short. Zechariah 12 speaks about the attempt that will come to sever Jerusalem from the Jews; it prophecies the rage and battles that will ensue as a result. We are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122). The war over Jerusalem is inevitable. I say time is short, because the signs that this war is coming sooner rather than later, are increasing.

How is the election in America hinged on the events in Jerusalem? They may or may not be directly connected… What is significant in this US election is that, because the days are short, the state of the nation now, perhaps more than ever before, is critical for its fate. Like the vote over Brexit* – which has touched the hearts of many of my readers as a significant number are British – I think this particular election in America is pivotal to the way GOD sees it: Will America, in these Last Days, be seen by GOD as a sheep nation or a goat nation? (Does this mean that Jesus will only look at the immediate and not at the history of a nation? I do not know. Witness the virgins and their lamps… Matthew 25)

As recorded in Matthew 25, in the Last Days, upon Jesus’ return to earth (to Jerusalem), he will judge the nations and separate those of his (sheep nations) from those who will go eternal punishment (goat nations). I believe the American election is significant to the judgment it will incur as a nation in GOD’s eyes.

So, it is important that we pray for those who must vote. And for those with the right to vote, I say it is important to vote, to vote the way the LORD leads you.

Now this election is very unusual, because both candidates are so appallingly unpopular. Neither is particularly moral, trustworthy or righteous; they do not seem to me even to be “nice people”.

Imagine standing in the polling booth and gazing at your ballot, marking the person you dislike the least. With the bizarre way the candidacies have developed, this is the situation many in the United States face on Tuesday 8th November.

To say the situation surrounding the main candidates in the upcoming US election is bizarre is an understatement. There are several candidates, although only the two main party candidates get national and international press and television coverage. Of the two candidates, one is bombastic, rude to the degree of almost lewd, a creator of a casino empire with multiple sins, yet who defends the rights of the unborn and stands for Christianity in a bold, unapologetic manner. The other is deceptive, sly, cunning – like a fox or snake, she is untrustworthy and is currently under FBI investigation – yet, she is an experienced politician, is cool under pressure, and extremely intelligent. Neither Hilary Clinton nor Donald Trump are particularly moral, though their weaknesses are different. It is almost unfathomable to think these are the choices out of 300 million people. And yet, doesn’t a nation get the government it deserves (French lawyer Joseph de Maistre, 1789, who opposed the bloody French Revolution)? Perhaps it is the American people, more that these two candidates, who are to be scrutinised for how the nation got to this point of amorality.

Now, while American voters must choose the path of their least resistance, the rest of the world awaits.

Perhaps it will be as a Believing American I spoke to recently said… that after the election, the winner will drop dead, or will step aside and a capable american-flagVice President will step in. Nothing is impossible with GOD, and in these times in America, with this particular election, anything could happen!

The Brexit result came as a shock; even those who wanted to leave thought they’d lost before the ballot boxes closed. The election predictions for the US also are “too close to call” at this stage. We don’t know if there will be an acceleration of the liberalisation that Hilary Clinton heralds. Or, if Donald Trump wins, perhaps there will be a turn back to old standards, including both good and bad.

I believe, whichever the result, the LORD knows and has the result in the palm of His hand. But just as He wants that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9), He wants us all to stand in the gap and call for His will to be done upon this once GOD-fearing nation, itself born to give liberty and freedom to all who come to its shores or are born into it.

We don’t know whom the LORD would choose to win this election. One might think to have a leader who wished to abolish abortion would be GOD’s choice (Trump). But perhaps this is not the mind of GOD. Perhaps he wishes Christianity to be persecuted, so that more would come to Christ. What I do believe is that a vote toward morality and truth, a vote that stands for the truth of Jesus, a vote away from selfish ambition and personal gain, could herald this nation as a “sheep nation” and so be saved at the coming of Jesus.

So, as I write to prepare you for GOD’s call, I encourage you to be as one who stands in the gap for the nations and the world. Let us pray for this nation of the United States, with its rich history of defending Christianity and God’s truth. Let us pray that the nation does not get “the government that it may deserve”, but a Godly government that will lead people back to Him. As the world stands on the brink of change, let us draw near to GOD, that He might rescue the nation of the United States from itself, and lead it – and all the nations – back to Himself.

In Jesus’ name, I pray. And everyone says…. Amen.

 

*Brexit is the nickname given by the British media and its citizens regarding the referendum held last June to determine whether the UK leaves or remains as a part of the European Union. The vote was in favour of leaving; therefore, steps have begun in the process for Britain the leave the EU. Personally, I believe the result of the vote also speaks spiritually, declaring that Britain is a sovereign nation. To make a long discussion short, for me, the result of the vote signifies (knowingly or unknowingly by the voters) a rejection of the worldly principles encapsulated in the EU, and that Britain now stands as a Godly nation – a “sheep” nation – before GOD.

 

Categories
Reflections and Poetry

Don’t Blame the Devil

Don’t Blame the Devil

Sometimes rotten things happen to us; but God is sovereign and He knows what we face. He’s here to comfort, to encourage and to help us overcome our obstacles .

When you put these these two ideas together: that God is sovereign and that rotten things can happen, that suggests that God allows rotten things to happen to us, right?

Theology can be argued in so many ways. But if you believe as I do, that God is God – all powerful and all knowing – that implies that He knows when we suffer. So, if He knows, why does He let it go on anyway?

In the past I’ve written that “without opposition, we don’t become strong.” I believe that to be true. Further, while God doesn’t orchestrate rotten things happening, sometimes He allows it, because that is the only/best way to ensure we learn and grow from where we are now, toward who He has created us to be.

When we pursue the Call of God, there will be challenges we must face. I think it’s very important that we don’t get tricked into thinking these obstacles must only be endured or fought. Rather, if we reckon they are for our good, they won’t seem so large, we get a head start on overcoming, and we use the opposition to hurl us forward. When we accept God is in all things, we are spurred on; when we embrace opposition, we discover what God has for us and grow.

Holiness is an old word and a new aim when we are seeking to live a surrendered life which will bring fulfilment, satisfaction in our life’s work, and internal peace – the peace that passes all understanding. As we live a life surrendered to God, we will encounter opposition. We can “do Spiritual Warfare”. But it’s important to note, I think, that before we battle the heavenly realms, we also recognise the LORD is trying to teach us something. If we only look at opposition as something to be fought, rather than something to learn from, we miss God’s reason for allowing the trouble in the first place. If we miss the point, we miss the lesson, and that is a pity. Further, like school, if we miss the lesson, we probably have to face it again, so that ultimately we can overcome.

I believe it is through overcoming, that we draw closer to fulfilling God’s Call in our lives.

Categories
Examining Biblical Scripture

No more fear

How to beat fear in 3 steps: Most of us are afraid of something aren’t we, but it isn’t an enjoyable way to live.

Ready: Would you like to end fear creeping into your life forever? God’s love has already wiped it all away.

Set: The Bible says ‘fear not’ 365 times… that’s once for every day of the year. Why? Because it’s natural for us to fear. Except now that we are alive in Christ, we no longer have a reason to fear. We are supernatural beings! Fear is beneath us. How then, do we stay on top of fear? It’s through love… for when we experience perfect love there is no room for fear.

The opposite of fear is not courage; the opposite of fear is love. Fear can only get a grip on us when there is a lack of assurance that we are loved. The perfect antidote to fear is God’s love – because God is in charge of the universe and He has promised to bless any who make Him their God (Genesis 12, 17).

Steps to Beating Fear:

1. Acknowledge the Sovereignty of God: There is nothing that escapes God’s gaze or His power. All circumstances flow from his desire to bless His children.

2. Embrace the perfect love of God, who knows you intimately (Psalm 139:14) and will protect, defend, guide and teach you in all things, through the Holy Spirit.

3. Press forward, into God’s purposes. ‘Straining forward and focusing on what lies ahead’ enables us to overcome the temptation to fear.

Go:

Choose to walk in the knowledge that God loves you and is in charge. He knows the beginning from the end. There is nothing to fear.