Luke 21:25 & 29-35

25 "Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations, bewildered by the roaring sea and waves.

29 Then He told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they put out leaves you can see and know for yourselves that summer is already near. 31 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. 34 "Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly 35 like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth.

One of the most amazing things about studying the Word of God is that each time you read it you see something new. As I went to pull my scripture text of Luke 21:29-35, verse 25 jumped out at me and I could not help but include it as well. The majority of the chapter is devoted to the disciples asking Jesus about the end time and when it will come. Jesus describes various events that will take place, but says that no man will know the time. He does say though, that we will see the season approaching and we will be able to tell by the signs around us. I have written more than once in these journals about prophecy being fulfilled around me. I feel with everything in me that the time is short. If your first response to that is disbelief,

2 Peter 3:3 First, be aware of this: scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, following their own lusts, 4 saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation."

Today is the time and now is the hour. If you are one who is waiting to get right with God, I urge you to do it now. If you are saying “I’ll do something for God right after __________”, I’m telling you to do it now.

People get ready, Jesus is coming.

Sincerely,
Deborah

1 Cor. 6:17-18

1 Cor. 6:17-18 17 Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. 18 I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.

Come out from among them and be separate. Why is it that this is the hardest thing for Christians to do? Why do we prefer to be conformed to the world even as we see it in a downward moral spiral? I am watching with great interest the proceedings in Rome along with the rest of the world. I find it fascinating that there is said to be a push, mostly from the Americans, for the new Pope to make major doctrinal changes in the church. These would include allowing priests to marry, ordinating female priests and relaxing the ban on birth control.

No matter how you feel about Catholicism in general and these issues in particular, they are “separating features” for this church. They are part of what gives this church it’s distinct doctrine and appeal. If the sweeping changes that are proposed come to this church in the months or years to come, I see us as one giant step closer toward the end-time “One World Church” that is vanilla in flavor, bland in doctrine and careful not to offend anyone. What a slap in the face to the millions of martyrs who suffered and died rather than accept a watered – down gospel. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Catholics among us. Know that we are praying for your loss and for your Cardinals as they meet with God to make this all important decision for the leadership of your church.

In His Service, For His Glory
Deborah

Galatians 6:7-8

Galatians 6:7-8 Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, 8 because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

That flesh is always out there tempting us. "I gotta have more food. I gotta have more clothes. I gotta have more drugs. I gotta have more sex. I gotta have....." Daily we are bombarded by the world's message that "we deserve....we've earned....we're entitled to. But Paul says if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption from the flesh. All we need to do is look around to see the truth in that statement. We have more consumer debt than any other nation. As I mentioned yesterday, diabetes is epidemic in our country. Some colleges have sexually transmitted disease rates as high as 75%! Men and brethren this ought not to be!

I have difficulty putting into words the sense of urgency and the clarion call I feel. Like a watchman standing on the wall, everything in me screams "Look out! Can't you see the approaching enemy!" We are dulling our minds, our thoughts and our hearts with the filth of this world. Way too many of us are so embroiled in this world system that we don't even see a problem with it! I have even had Christians tell me this is the freedom that Christ brought us.

James puts it the most clearly of any writer in chapter 4, verse 4.
4 Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy.

It should not be OK for us to immerse ourselves in fornication, vulgarity and abuse in our viewing, listening or reading mediums. It should not be OK to be thousands of dollars in debt and still using our credit cards. It should not be OK for us to be suffering from preventable diseases because of our eating habits and sedentary lifestyles. James says to be conformed to this worldly mindset is to cheat on God! To commit adultery on the vow we took to serve Jesus Christ with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. That should not be OK.

In His Service, for His Glory,
Deborah

I Cor 6: 19

There once was an elderly carpenter ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave and live a more leisurely life with his wife and extended family. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go after years of faithful service and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. He then handed the key to the carpenter. “This is your house.” He said “My gift to you!.” The carpenter was shocked…and ashamed! If he had only known he was building his own house he would have done it all so differently.

Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.

I Cor 6: 19 Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

What kind of house are you building? While the above story could have so many applications in our lives, I want to focus on our physical temple. Are you using shoddy workmanship and inferior materials? This issue has been brought to the forefront in our house as our shoddy workmanship has started to lead to health issues. My husband is 200 lbs overweight and is dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and gout. I am 25 lbs overweight (at 4’10 in that is more significant than it sounds) and have just had to go on high blood pressure medication. Unfortunately, we are not alone. Diabetes and obesity are at epidemic levels in our country. Even our children in America are dealing with obesity issues.

While I don’t think we need to look like Greek gods, I think it is important for us to take care of ourselves. We need to get enough rest, eat right, take vitamins and deal with health issues before they become a crises. When we are dealing with problems brought about by not taking care of ourselves, not only are we not at our best for our family and employer, we are not at our best for God. It directly impacts the amount and quality of ministry that we are able to provide.

Our house is currently in a re-modeling program. Does yours need one as well?

Sincerely,
Deborah

Psalm 101: 3

3 I will not set anything godless before my eyes. I hate the doing of transgression; it will not cling to me.
Video input is very strong and very important. I believe it was Francis Bacon that said “the eye is the window of the soul.” What you feed your heart and mind is what is going to be manifest in your life. When the saints of God are exposed to lust, greed, malice, envy, jealousy, adultery, murder, etc., etc. That necessarily has an effect on their walk with God.

I had a pastor that put it this way; would you let a couple walk into your house, lay down on your living room floor and have sex in front of your family? Would you let a man with a gun run through the rooms of your house shooting at people? Would you let a visiting couple use graphically obscene language and stand by quietly while one partner physically abused another?

Yet many of us allow this kind of activity to go on before our eyes on a regular basis on both the television and the theatre screen. Furthermore, we see no problem with exposing our children to it, and then wonder why they are angry, violent and disrespectful.

Romans 12:2 says 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Your mind can be transformed for good or for evil. When you see an advertisement for a new product that you just have to try, your mind has just been transformed. When your psyche has become numbed to the vulgarity and obscenity that it is faced with on television every day, it has been transformed.

I challenge you this week; while you are enjoying your video input, be it television, movies, computer screens or video games, ask yourself this simple question. If Jesus were sitting here next to me, would I be comfortable with Him watching this? If we are honest, I think we will be surprised and a little shocked at how often the answer is no.

In His Service, For His Glory
Deborah