Watch and Pray

Watch! Is what the Lord has been saying to me for some time now. Watching is at the heart of what makes the rapture debate more of an issue than some would think. Satanic misdirections and lies are crafty. Nobody accused the devil of being dumb, he is far from it. It is my understanding that those who refuse to watch today and everyday for the Lord's return have 'taken the bait' in Satan's trap. These people refuse to watch for the Lord because their satanic doctrine tells them that there are many things that must happen before the Lord can or will come back for us and take us home. They are severely mistaken.....

What is it that the Lord has given me this week to give to you? We are to watch, continually, for the Lord, and how we watch (the point of emphasis in this writing today) follows....consider:

Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into ...
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

Mark 14:38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into ...
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able ...
Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

Mark 13:33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time ...
... Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear ...
... Therefore, practice self-control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray. ...the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer

There are many more scriptures that can be cited to make this point. Watching is something we do by/through/with prayer....We watch through continuous prayer. Anyone who has been reading this blog for anytime knows that the Lord has put me on an indefinite "news fast." That means, apart from what I need to do for work, the "news" is more or less off limits for me. That includes all forms of "alternative news" as well. Why would the Lord tell me to completely turn my back on this world and its "news" to face Him instead? Do you really need me to answer that?

We are to be watching, and the way we watch is to be in continual prayer. Over and over again the Lord Himself makes the point by joining "watch" and "pray" at the hip throughout the New Testament. Should this be new news to us? Not really:

1 Thess 5:17 pray without ceasing, We are to pray without ceasing which would me we are "watching" without ceasing through prayer...We find our Lord, what He is doing and saying in His Word and through prayer. That should not be anything new to any of us, but this serves as a reminder of what we should already be doing...

We have been told to pray without ceasing. To pray without ceasing is to have the Lord and his laws always before us. How can we willfully sin against the Lord while we have Him front and center in our hearts and minds? If we keep the Lord and by extension, His Word before us, in our hearts and minds continually, then we will have completed some of what is required of us when the Lord told us to watch, over and over again. The other part of watching appears to be an expectation on our part that the Lord indeed will come back for us just exactly as He said He would....

Mark 13:35 "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the ...
... Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whetherat even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning

Matthew 25:13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the ...
... Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. ... Watch therefore, forye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able ...
... Watch therefore, praying at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things which are about to come to pass, and to stand before the

We are told to watch specifically for the "lord of the house" which we know for a fact is the Lord Jesus. We are told to watch for the Lord our Saviour, not the anti-christ, not the tribulation, not the abomination of desolation, but for the Lord Jesus.

There are some believers who will be on the earth to look for such things as the anti-christ and the abomination that causes desolation, but we are told to watch for the Lord Jesus. According to the Lord's own Word, those who are found ready and watching at the time the Lord comes will be rewarded (Matt 25). Those who are not watching and ready will have the "door" (rev 4, Matt 25) slammed in their face with the admonishment "I never knew you."

We are to watch....always. The Lord never gave us "days off" from watching so we are to do it NOW. If men tell you that the Lord cannot come for us today or tomorrow because a,b,c,x,y,z has to happen first, you can confidently and comfortably call them liars. The satanic lie, which is always subtle and always cunning and crafty always leads to death. The satanic lie to the churches today is that there is no need to watch right now. The satanic lie is all kinds of other things must happen before the Lord will come back for us to take us to where He is. The satanic lie comes to us in the form of other doctrines that are different from the ones preached to us directly in the Word of God.

If the Lord comes back 20 years from now, but I am found watching that day and every day from today until that day, how can I suffer loss on that day? If the Lord comes back today or tomorrow for us, and many are found not watching, because of the satanic lie that they chose to believe, then they could be found not watching exactly as the Lord himself warned us, and do you think they will suffer loss? I don't even want to speculate on it.

There have been two themes that the Lord has had on my mind constantly over the past weeks. 1. Be watching....always, and 2. America is an exact match for the modern day Babylon that is judged very severely in the last days.

I needed to post this today because the Lord reminded me that He had given this to me to write, and it has been days since it was given so what was I waiting for? Well...task completed, here it is Lord :-)

grace and peace

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repealed

Recently a long standing policy in the American armed forces banning homosexuals from "coming out" was repealed. This "historic vote" as it was called in many media outlets was universally praised as "progress" for America. America and americans better think again. America has a sin problem. Each and every day in America, sin and wickedness takes a step forward and godliness and righteousness is pushed backwards. Does America expect to escape the wrath and judgement that is coming while she stands with a brazen face shaking her fist at the Lord? This country is marked for destruction...

Does America think that somehow the laws of gravity and physics no longer apply to her? Does America think that somehow because she has lived in prosperity for so long that the warnings spelled out in the Word of God no longer apply to her? Read the Word of the Lord:

Jeremiah 18 :5Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
11“Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ 12But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

The warnings issued to our older brother Israel are just as applicable to us now as they were to Israel then. America heaps sin upon sin and where is the outcry? Where are all of today's "godly men" (so called pastors=nicolaitans) while darkness steadily makes progress across America today and light cannot find a place in the land? All of America's politicians are rotten to the core. Democrat and Republican are two sides of the same evil coin, they are all rotten and the stench of them rises up to the heavens. Before the people of America get to smug and say to themselves "but I didn't vote for this or that politician" just be aware that all of the rotten greedy filthy politicians in the land are a direct result of the rottenness, greeed and filth of the people.... America has the politicians it deserves because it is rotten from the ground up.

Is our situation in America hopeless? Outward appearance would suggest that the answer is yes, but the Word of God tells us that even when disaster has been decreed for a nation, if that nation will turn and repent of its sins, then the Lord will relent. The key word here is IF that nation will repent. Will America repent of her many sins? That might be a problem when Americans don't think they have a sin problem. So many think they are "good people," therefore they have no need to repent. When Jesus himself asked why someone called him "good" Americans should rethink their position...

Mark 10:17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

Where are the men who are calling for repenatance today? Where are the men who are confessing their sins, the sins of their families and communities before the Lord and asking for forgiveness for this nation of ours whose sins fill heaven with the stench of death? Why would Americans repent when they do not believe they have done anything wrong? America sits like a queen believing herself to be a spotless bride when in truth she has become the queen of prostitutes. Don't take my word for it, open your eyes!

When wickedness walks openly among a people, isn't that their shame and not their credit? Isn't repealing the "don't ask don't tell" policy allowing wickedness to walk openly among us? When a nation calls what is good evil, and what is evil good they have a problem. America has a problem, it's a sin problem. There are "churches" on every street corner yet darkness makes steady progress across the land, how can that be unless the so called "light" within those churches is really darkness? Light drives out darkness every time, no exceptions....so if a church claims that it is a light to the world, yet it does not drive out darkness, then that church is a fraud.

This writing today does not purpose to target any one sin particularly (in this case homosexuality). The target for todays writing is sin in general in America. Go read the entire book of Isaiah, read the book of Jeremiah and see the many chastisements of the nation of Israel. As I read through those books, the Spirit of the Lord within me makes comment after comment relating the sins of Israel with the sins of America. If the Lord condemned the sin then, He condemns the same sin now. Before anyone says "come on man, Isaiah and Jeremiah? That's old news!" I would point you toward the Lord's message to the churches in Revelation 2-3. To each of the churches (5 out of 7 of them), the message was the same....REPENT. That was the message to Israel then, and that is the message to the churches today.

On a broader note, this is another example of how Ameirca is modern day Babylon. America is the queen of the nations of the world. When America speaks, the rest of the world ripples with her words. Was the Lord ignorant of this end time nation that shakes the world (America) when He inspired the words in the Bible? Or did He write to us specifically about this nation? The Lord foresaw America in the course of history and He has written to us about this nation and He calls her Babylon. There are judgements coming on Babylon but neither she nor her people see them coming.

This writer believes that it is the small amount of light and salt that remains in Babylon that prevents her total destruction. Salt preserves, but remove the salt and the rot destroys everything. There is coming a day when the salt and light will be removed. Babylon is fallen, fallen. The nature of Babylon is fallen, she has fallen from grace.

Jer 16:8“And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. 9For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.
10“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ 11then say to them, ‘It is because your fathers forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers. See how each of you is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me. 13So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’

There is a generation of people that has arisen in America that behaves more wickedly than their fathers. Each of them follows the stubbornness of his evil heart istead of obeying the Lord. The leaders in America reflect the wickedness of the people of America. Each year now, people openly talk about having to select the lesser of the evils when they cast their vote, but they never stop to look at themselves and ask why this is? Could I have anything to do with the wickedness that walks openly among us?

These things are written to you today as a call to repentance. We are told to have nothing to do with wicked people, we are to be "set apart." In fact, thats what "church" means. Ek-klesia in the greek means "set apart from the people." What do I hear the Lord saying today? Repent. Each of us should confess our sins, the sins of our families and our nation before the Lord and we are to ask for forgiveness. This writer is thankfull for all the grace, peace and abundance we have enjoyed here in America up through this very day, but I see these days coming to an end due to our severe wickedness and apostasy in turning away from the living God. We must obey, we must submit, or we will be broken and cast away into the refuse heap of history.

The wise among us will heed the lessons of the past. We will internalize the lessons taught to us in the Word of God and use all of our strength to do things that please our Lord. Come out from among them says the Lord...

2 Corinthians 6:17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate ...
... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

Numbers 16:21 "Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put ...
... Come out from among this people, so that I may send sudden destruction on them.

As it was in the days of Noah and Lot, so shall it be when the Son of Man comes. When the righteous come out from among them, then sudden destruction will fall and none of them will see it coming. Noah went into the ark and the rain began to fall, Lot and his family left Sodom and fire and brimstone torched the cities. A day like this is coming again, so let us be found worthy of the escape that is laid before us (Luke 21:36). Let us choose things that please the Lord. grace and peace

Watch

32“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

It is days like today that men fail to watch and instead their hearts are weighed down by the anxieties of life. We have been commanded to watch. If you've been reading the contents of this blog for any time, you remember the attention that has been paid to "doors." The Lord is piecing together a puzzle for us and He hides the pieces in plain sight. Notice what it says in verse 34 above:

34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

We know that there are no idle words in the bible. Each word was used for a purpose to communicate a specific message. The words our Lord uses also piece together the mysteries of the bible for us. In this case, the word "door" is used in conjuction with the word "watch." Where else have we seen these words used?

Luke 21:34“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Can people "escape" through doors? Gee, I wonder how Noah escaped all of the flood in his day? Oh yea, he went through the "door" of the ark and the Lord shut him in:

The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

Noah? Escape? Doors? Yep...

Luke 17:26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be ...
"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also willit be in the days of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the ...
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

The Bible tells us to be always on the watch....always...I am amazed at how many "christians" today cannot grasp the meaning of a simple word. What does "always" mean? If these people cannot figure out what one word means, how will they find the wisdom to determine what a whole sentence means? I'm not trying to be overly sarcastic here but really, if the Lord said we must watch always, and people calling themselves christians refuse to watch always, what does that mean? It means those christians are going to find that they have major, major problems with consequences they cannot begin to fathom today. They refuse to take the Word at face value, therefore they refuse to obey, and why? They have chosen doctrines taught by men over the plain meaning of scripture. In this case, one word is more than these people can handle...they refuse to accept the plain meaning of the word "always."

We are to be watching always, because there is a door that we are sitting by that is going to be opened by our Lord Jesus... 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

He tells the one at the door to keep watch. Where else do we see this "door?"

Rev 3:8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

The Lord has placed before this church an "open door."

Again here we see the same thing, an open door...

Matt 25:10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The virgins who were ready "went in with him" through the open door that is later shut for the foolish virgins, and there it is again, we are warned to "keep watch" together with an open door that is later closed, just as it was in the days of Noah....

Yes, I know the satanic psycopaths like to muddy the water and tell us that what we read here is not until some future time far far away. If it was some future time far far away, the Lord would not have to given us an unconditional command...that is, there is no precondition that must occur before we are to watch, we are simply told to "keep watch." That means NOW.

The foolish virgins will tell you not to bother watching now. They will write you a 200 page e-book explaining to you why you do not need to watch now. That's always the way they work. Instead of accepting the plain truth of scripture as a little child would accept it, they get "creative" with the Word and muddy the water until everything is so murky that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face with an WW2 anti-aircraft searchlight focused on it.

If we do not accept the truths in the bible like little children, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven. If you need to write an essay to explain away a truth like what the word "always" means, then you have bigger problems than I could ever fix. We have been called to a simple faith in Jesus Christ. We have been called to enter the kingdom like little children:

Matthew 18:3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

There are way too many people calling themselves christians today are way way too "grown up" to make it into the kingdom of heaven. They have degrees, and big buildings and large social circles, and worldly respect and egos to match it all. They have these things because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. If, one day they ever embraced the truth, their degrees would be revoked, their big buildings would empty, their social circles would abandon them, their worldly respect would be dashed and their egos would be devastated.

Our Lord came to this world preaching the truth and they crucified Him for it. Think mankind has changed? Think again. The best way to lose all your friends, all your popularity, and all your worldly status is to preach the truth. Don't take my word for it, read your bibles. What happened to the prophets? What happened to the apostles? What happened to our Lord? Get the picture?

We have been commanded to watch...always. This brother is reminding you again today (because I have been reminded) to do what our Lord told us to do: WATCH. We must watch with patience. Many will be those who fall along the path because the Lord did not return soon enough for them. They believe for a little while, then they fall away:

Mark 4:3“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”

Be found watching when our Lord comes back for us. It may be tonight, or we may have decades to wait for Him. What matters is that when He shows up for us, we are found watching like obedient children. grace and peace

Refusal to Repent, Babylon is Fallen

<< Jeremiah 5 >>

Jerusalem’s Godlessness
1“Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
And look now and take note.
And seek in her open squares,
If you can find a man,
If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth,
Then I will pardon her.

2“And although they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’
Surely they swear falsely.”

3O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth?
You have smitten them,
But they did not weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to repent.

We know from what is written in Matt 24 and Luke 17 that the coming of the Son of Man will be just like it was in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. If you remember the story of Lot, the Lord appeared to Abraham and told him that if only a few righteous could be found in Sodom, then the city would be spared. We know the outcome, not even a few righteous could be found, so the city was not spared.

We see this idea here in Jeremiah as well, if only a few righteous could be found, then Jerusalem would be pardoned, but a few could not be found. They refused to repent. This brings us to America and her fate. There is no other country in the world that measures up to America when it comes to meeting all the criteria to be end times Babylon. If America is indeed Babylon, don't you find it ironic that so many within her claim to be "godly" and "Christian?"

The Word tells us that over and over again, the Lord would spare whole cities if only a few righteous could be found in them, but a few could not be found. What will become of America when her sins are stacked up to the heavens. What will become of America when she claims that she is a Queen and there is no other? What will become of America when her nicolaitan priests known as "pastors" claim to be "men of god" yet they know not God?

Part of the reason past cities and peoples were destroyed was because they refused to repent. They did not repent because they did not think they were doing anything wrong, in fact, they thought they were "godly" until the very moment destruction flooded them. Where are the priests in Babylon (pastors in America) that are calling daily for repentance and turning away from sin? You cant find them. Today's babylonian, nicolaitan priests (pastors) wouldn't know what repentance was if it kicked them in the teeth. They do not know what repentance is, therefore they do not preach it. Not only do they not know repentance, they feel no need for it. After all, have you seen the size of their monument to men "church" buildings? Why repent when they have not sinned they say in their hearts.

Todays nicolaitan, babylonian pastors do not preach repentance for sins, and this while the Lord's eyes search the land for one or two men who do what is right so that babylon (America) may be spared from the coming destruction. The bible tells us that "in repentance and rest" is our salvation, but we would have none of it..

Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.

Babylon is fallen, fallen....there are none who do what is right. Everyone is right in their own mind but men do not know the requirements of the Lord, each goes his own way. So, the Lord looks for a few righteous to spare the land from destruction and where can these few be found?

This writer has been struck over the past month or so with thoughts about babylon/America. America is a land where people live in luxury unlike any other nation on earth. The standard of living in America is unparalleled when you compare how many live here with how many live like the "rich" comparatively to others in the world. America is a land of occult idols and symbols, look at her money and the idols she has erected for herself (Lady liberty in NY harbor, the entire construction of downtown Washington DC, what has been imprinted on her money etc).

Things have been so well with America because although she was birthed as an occult nation she also had enough godly seed within her to make her prosper. It is the light, not the darkness within a nation that causes them to prosper. It only takes a little light to drive out alot of darkness. I ask you though, what has happened to babylon's light?

America has been spared the disasters that are coming upon her. Time has been purchased for babylon due to the few righteous that still remain in her. There is coming a time when the righteous will be removed and there will be no more light to restrain the darkness that will overtake this nation. In the meantime, what can the righteous do? We can pray, we can confess our sins, the sins of our family and the sins of our nation to our God they way the prophets did for backslidden Israel. We can reason with the Lord for more good days because of the remnant that exists in the land. Time has been purchased for America, perhaps more time will be given if we change our ways...

If we say that we do not sin, we are liars.

1 John 1:10
... If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. ...

Let us repent, let us confess before God Almighty that we have fallen, fallen so far so fast and it is against Him alone that we have tresspassed. Let us seek peace and pursue it while the Lord's face and favor may still be found.

These are the things I hear the Lord saying to me today. grace and peace

Dec 6, What is the Lord Saying to the Churches?

Recently I believe the Lord led me to go back and read what He has to say to us through the prophets, that is, folks like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc. I just re-read the book of Isaiah and I was impressed with many thoughts. The Lord gives us a panorama of what's going to happen in this world.

First, things are going to be very very bad for those who do not know the Lord, and choose what displeases Him. All those who are plundering this world today, who have no regard for the poor or the ways of the Lord, they will be plundered just as they now plunder others.

As for believers, we see how problems arrive for them. When people who are called by the name of the Lord forget Him and instead seek their help from the world, bad things happen for them. Should a people called by the name of the Lord seek their God or not? People are looking for answers today in all the wrong places. This world does not have political problems, it has a sin problem. This world does not have social problems, it has a sin problem. This world does not have banker problems, it has a sin problem. If you want to know why the treasuries of the world are being plundered by robber bankers today, its the same reason why foreign peoples were sent against Israel in the past...sin and lack of remembrance of their God.

We need to refocus ourselves, re-center ourselves on the basic fundamentals of the faith. The Lord has not asked us to do things that require a Ph.D to figure out, we have been asked to love and be faithful, to seek the face of the Lord and choose the things that please Him. We are told to seek peace and pursue it. How hard is that? It's not hard, its a matter of choice and today everyone chooses their own way instead of the Lord's way.

The earth is staggering under the weight of the sin that is upon it. Those of us who are called by the name of the Lord should seek His face and turn away from our sin. We are not like the wicked of this world. For them, wrath and judgement are coming, for us, redemption and salvation. We cannot however sit back smugly like so many who rest in a false gospel that gives license to do "what thou wilt" as the satanists do and still expect to receive such a great salvation. Paul said we should "work out our salvation" with fear and trembling. John 15 tells us that there are those who are "in the vine" (meaning "in Christ") who can be cutoff from the vine if they are not fruitful. There is a big difference between entering into Christ and remaining there.

John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Remain in me is a command to you and me. We are to "remain" in Him. Apparently many people choose to disregard such instruction since it doesn't fit with their satanic "once saved always saved" doctine. Being cutoff from the vine does not sound "always saved" to me. Disregard at your own peril....

So, what is the Lord saying to the churches today? We were given the old testament as well as the new for a reason. We learn the character and nature of God through His Word. We also learn the character and nature of the mistakes made by our big brother (Israel) in the past. Let us learn how to please the Lord in every way, let us be thankful and rejoice always (yes...always), let us seek the Lord's face every day while He may still be found. Let us put away every thing that hinders our walk with the Lord in any way. Let us not turn to "Egypt" for help as Israel did (read Isaiah for the details) but instead let us seek the Lord for everything.

We were created as highly dependant creatures. We need so very much just to make it through each and every day. We were created with this large dependancy so the Lord could display His infinite grace to us in an ongoing fashion, day in and day out. The Lord loves us, we are His wife, His bride. This world is facing some really bad news these days, and they haven't seen anything yet. We are not the world though, we are children of the Most High God. We are members of the royal household. We have an inheritance that none of us can wrap our mind around. So then, let us keep in stride with the Spirit of God. The sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. He is leading, we must follow.

The Lord has been dropping little singposts along the path in life that I am walking. Those signposts and the guidance they give leads me to believe we have awhile yet before He shows up. Nevertheless, we must be watching and ready to meet Him each and every day.

grace and peace