Remember

Noah went into the ark on the 17th day of the second month. That is, he went in on 17 Iyyar, which converts to a gregorian date this year of 11 May.
http://www.hebcal.com/converter/?gd=26&gm=3&gy=2009&hd=17&hm=Iyyar&hy=5769&h2g=Compute+Gregorian+Date

Passover this year will be from 9-15 April.

It appears from everything going on around us today, that we should be in a state of high readiness for the days to come. The closer we get to whatever it is that's about to happen, the more we need to focus on the things the Lord has done. Forget the world and what they are doing. The world has nothing for you. Satan has a wishlist for when he would like things to happen, but the bottom line is, he has to wait, just like we do, to see what our God is going to do, and when he is going to do it.

This brings us to the idea of remembrance. Today, the atheists that have been unleashed on the world want "proof" of everything. They laugh and scoff at faith as if those of us who have it are foolish. This is not news to us, the word of the Lord clearly states that Christ crucified is foolishness to the world, but to us who believe it is salvation. The proof that scoffers seek, we have, however the proof applies only to us. As I look back over my life, and I remember every prayer that has been answered, as I review every act of kindness and faithfullness by our God to me and my family, I have proof, hard evidence for the existence of my God. Satan wants to you to forget what the Lord has done for you and ask "what has he done for you today? Does he still love you? Where is your God now? Will he save you from my hands? etc etc etc. In other words, fear and doubt, nonstop till the very end.

The word of the Lord, and our lives are testimonies, and evidence, proof of things unseen, that are more real than the things around us. Remember what the Lord has done for you. Remember the testimonies of all those who came before us "in Christ" starting with Abraham all the way through today. If the Lord parted the red sea for Israel, will he do it for you? Yep. If he fed them in the wilderness using ravens, manna from heaven and water from rocks, will he do it for you? Yep. If he raised the dead, cured the blind, lepers and sicknesses of every kind, will he do it for you? Yep. Question is, can you afford it? I mean, do you have the faith in your account to outlay for those things?

An escape from all is coming, guaranteed it is coming and its right at the door, but do you have the faith for it? Will the faithless be rewarded for faithlessness? Will you have enough oil to not have to go "buy some" when the Lord shows up (Matt 25)? Time to go on a slight tangent here: regarding the parable of the virgins, do you not find it odd that the Spirit of the Lord tells us "they will go to "buy" some oil from those who sell it? Almost everyone agrees that the "oil" we are talking about here is the Holy Spirit...oil=the Spirit of God, and the foolish virgins go to "buy some." In these last days, churchianity has become big business has it not? They perform "services" (like an oil change for your car) for a fee (tithe) then send you on your way until its time to be "serviced" again. "Service" is a business term. The word "service" has no place in the workings of a family....NONE. "Pastors" are the CEO's of these businesses who charge you a fee for service just like every other worldly business. They sell (supposedly) the kind of oil the foolish virgins went to buy.

Money, money, money and more money, buying and selling, right up to the day the Noah entered the ark...

You need to remember what the Lord has done, both in your life, and in the lives of our forefathers who we read about in the bible.

I believe the Lord gave me a small mental picture this morning, of us standing on the wooden ramp leading into the ark. Our backs are facing the ark, we are standing on the ramp and looking at the world. All the chaos, the hopelessness, the despair, the war, the theft and greed, the coming lawlessness, the demonic filth, the famine etc etc are all before us. We see it just like the world sees it. We however, are not hopeless like they are. People like to say with contempt "how can you say you are in the ark? How arrogant! You think you are going to escape all this, no! You are stuck here with us!" Uhhhh sorry, but how very wrong they are..a promise of escape from all is clearly written. It is a promise that apparently many cannot lay hold of to their own loss. I can tell you for a fact that we are in the ark today.

As we approach passover, we remember who our passover lamb is: Jesus Christ the Son of God. As we approach the day that Noah entered the ark, we remember who our ark of safety is: Jesus Christ the Son of God. If you are "in Christ" you are "in the ark." He is our deliverer, he is our promise, he is our rock and high tower against the enemy, he is our provision, he is our treasure both on earth and in heaven. Without him we have nothing but "in him" we possess everything. Satan hates you for just that reason. Everything he has lusted for from the beginning, and will not have, will be handed to us on a silver platter. Not that we deserve it, but because our God loves us more than we love ourselves, and because his Son, our God paid for it all with his blood.

If you are "in Christ" today, then remain there. Do not fear what they fear. When the world is in panic and fear, stay on your knees before him who loves you. Listen to his words for you today. You have a book full of promises that most people never bother to read. Each promise is 100% guaranteed fact, worth more than all the gold in the world. The day quickly approaches when faithfulness will be rewarded in many many different ways.

Back to the mind picture this morning: As more and more things are happening in the world, and the time draws nearer, it will not be safe to stand on the ramp and watch the world go through its pains. It will be time for us to go inside and the door will be closed. Things are heating up, all the signs are here, right now. I believe its time for the watchmen to begin looking more to the king within the walls, than outside at whats going on in the world. The Lord has been warning for a long long time now. The time has come to turn the focus fully on Christ Jesus and not so much on the signs of the times. After you have seen enough evidence that we are at the time of the end, do we need to keep looking for more?

The answer for everything is two words: Jesus Christ. There is no situation, no problem, no need, no trouble that is beyond his capacity to deal with for you. If you love him you will do what he commands. When he tells you something in his word, you are advised to heed it. Take my word for nothing, you need his words, not mine. You interpret the bible on your knees before him who wrote it. Store up his word in your heart today. That oil the foolish will be looking for in the days ahead cannot be bought....

grace and peace