And Now These Three Remain....

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I've been peppering the Lord with questions over the past weeks. I've been asking Him, what are your thoughts on the BP oil spill? What should we/I be doing? Where is your Spirit today, what is the Spirit saying to us today? Etc, etc.

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord responds. In the bible people would ask Jesus questions, and He would seemingly answer in a way that was "out in left field." The Lord does not think the way we think....

Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

Apparently our answers to prayer come the same way today as they did in Daniels day, by angelic messenger:

Daniel 10:12Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

I say this because I ask, and ask the Lord lots of questions, and He responds, and responds, over a period of days. Very rarely do I get an instant response. Remember this the next time you don't think the Lord speaks to you. Our God is constantly speaking in various ways, and at various times. Be patient...

Now, to the point. I ask the Lord about the BP oil spill and what He's saying today, I ask "how do you see what's going on in the Gulf Lord?" How does He respond?

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So.., what does this ^^ have to do with the oil spill and the world coming unraveled at the seams? If you are watching as we are commanded to do..

Mark 13:37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"

You will see people putting guns to their face and pulling the trigger (in the news of course), you will see that people are jumping in front of trains and off buildings. Why, would someone do these things?

Lack of faith, hope and love....

As the world comes unraveled, things will apparently go from bad to worse.

Luke 21:26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth....

The economy has been and continues to be in the tank. We've got natural and unnatural disasters everywhere we look. People's sense of being "in control" is quickly slipping away, which brings us squarely to the point that I believe the Lord was making to me in response to prayer.

The world is spinning out of control and our witness to the world is these three things that remain...faith, hope, and love. We can point out that the book of Revelation is being fulfilled before their very eyes, and people will shrug it off. It's unbelievable but its true. "Christians" the world over are being taught by their hired hand spiritual gurus "pastors" that the book of Revelation cannot be taken literally, therefore nobody can be sure at any time that the Lord's Word is being fulfilled to the letter.

People may be able to shrug off literal fulfillment of every Word written in the bible, but what they will not be able to shrug off is that when all of humanity is staring hell on earth in the face, there will be some....FEW....who will stare the hopelessness, faithlessness, and lack of love down. These few will be full of faith, hope and love in a world that is in a flat spin, out of control. They will ask "how can this person be so full of life and joy in the midst of the world being destroyed?" They will ask "where does their peace come from?"

It will not be some guy handing out tracts on a street corner, or someone going door to door,or some guy standing above you, looking down at you while pontificating in a one way conversation (pastors, sermons, church "services")that witnesses to this lost and dying world. People want peace, not the absence of war type, but the inner tranquility and power type. Every single thing a person does in this life is in some way or another a way to make themself happy. Ask why a person does something, and keep asking "why do you do that?" and follow up with "and why do you do that?" And eventually at the end you'll get to "...I just want to be happy."

The Word of the Lord does not speak to us of being "happy" but it speaks alot on peace, and joy, and hope, and faith. What does a person look like that is overflowing with peace, joy, hope and faith? The wicked despise such people because such people have a treasure that cannot be bought with filthy mammon. Such people have a treasure that is stored and secured in a kingdom that is not of this world.

The Lord spoke clearly to me, these things remain, faith, hope and love. As the world spins out of control, we who are salt and light must continue to preserve (salt) and cast light or "illuminate" (as in the true God's light, not the luciferian lie). What the Lord tells us to do is not overwhelming, it is not complex, it is not hard to understand. We grasp the things we are to do like little children, not like the so called "scholars" of this age who are coming to nothing. We must focus on the few things that are necessary, and discard the many things that are unnecessary. Hold on to your faith, hope and love. Be a light that is set up on a hill for all to see:

Luke 8:16 No man, when the light is lighted, puts a cover over it, or puts it under a bed,but he puts it on its table, so that those who come in may see the light.

You don't have to beat people over the head with your bible today to get their attention. They will probably not say anything to you, but your hope and love will (in some cases) be the tools that open a person to asking about your faith. Don't try to figure it all out, just be open to the Lord and keep your thinking simple, like a child. Ask the Lord every day, "where is your Spirit today and what is your Spirit doing and saying today?"

Why should we care about where the Spirit is operating today, and what He is doing and saying?

Romans 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

In order for the Spirit to lead, you have to follow. A people should inquire of their God. We who are the people of God should be praying continously with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Bottom line? What we have to do today, and in the days ahead is simple....These things remain, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. Keep your walk simple, few things are required. Focus on the vital few and discard the trivial many. Bless the name of the Lord, praise Him and rejoice.

These are the things I hear the Spirit saying today.

Keep the faith, grace and peace