The New "Normal"

There's something curious about the way the Lord made us. Throughout history, humans have proven that they can adapt to almost anything. Leave a person in the same circumstance for a little while and they just adapt to it, it becomes their "new normal." This is where we find ourselves today. In spite of the constant drumbeat of bad news from the lame stream media, life goes on. In spite of the prognostications and predictions that many make and have made, life goes on.

This may prove to be problematic for the "powers that be" because bad news, like many other things, has a shelf-life. Propaganda has a shelf-life. For example, just after 9/11 GW Bush rammed the un-Patriot act down our throats without anyone in "Con"gress ever reading it. Why? The powers that be understand the message of the book of ecclesiastes, for everything there is a time and a season.

So we find ourselves today, the stock market has leveled off, and is even doing some slight climbs, the housing market is bad, but people expect that as part of the "new normal." There's a slick politician in the white house who promises the world and delivers nothing (as usual), again, normal. Aside from the 700,000 or so folks getting laid off each month, we appear to be stabilizing. So what?

The "what" is this: we should be on our highest alert, most ready for the escape in good days/normal days. Have you ever heard the saying "there are no atheists in foxholes?" When all hell is breaking loose, when times are really bad, people tend to seek the Lord for relief. When times are good/normal, people forget him.

Deuteronomy 6 :10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

No, times are'nt great for most people, but the days are becoming normal. The shock of the stock market collapse and the housing bubble bursting, and the daily rape and pillage of taxpayer funds by the elite are all "has been" shock items, now they are all in a normal day, day in and day out. With this "new normal" setting in, what should we keep in the forefront of our minds?

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

So guess what? It's going to be "business as usual" on the day that we have our Noah/Lot experience and all hell breaks loose. The day that Noah entered the ark....the same day that Lot left Sodom. Up till that day what was going on? Eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, planting, building...normal things, day in and day out regular things. What we do not see in the pre-flood, pre-brimstone days are the spectacularly bad events which are coming in the soon to arrive time of Jacob's trouble.

So this morning I ask the Lord "what is your Spirit saying to the churches today?" What do I perceive his voice to be saying? Do not be complascent in this "new normal" time the world has entered. Adopt the mind of a soldier, ask yourself what you can do today to improve your fortifications, how can you improve your fighting position, in essence, what can you do today that will advance the kingdom of God, even if it's only a microscopic movement.

I believe the Lord impressed me yesterday with the idea that there's no such thing as "small things." Consider the way the Lord brings men to their knees: microscopic bacteria and tiny little atoms. The tiniest of micro-organisms has wiped out millions of people in a period of days. The tiny little atoms that are the building blocks of all things, can be split to destroy cities in a matter of seconds. All of the most important things in life are invisible to the eye. Love, faith, peace etc etc. So we should seize the day..today to do the small things that really are not small at all. Consider the kind smile to a stranger that convinces them not to committ suicide today when they were on the verge of it. How much did that smile cost? What was its effect?

Return to the fundamentals of the faith. Pray, internalize the bible. Do not make the mistake of thinking that tomorrow will be like today. If the sun is out this morning, realize that clouds and thick darkness are coming. If you hear laughter this morning, realize that a day is coming in which all merriment will cease. A day of thick darkness is coming. Yesterday I had a moment of grief, seeing in my minds eye the multitudes who will die in their sins. If we realized how final this all is, how long eternity is, I think many of us would change course quickly.

What has the Lord tasked me to do? Point out the apostasy and idolatry of today's "christianity." Remind people that he meant every word written in the bible. Not one promise will go unfulfilled. One of those promises has to do with an escape from all that is coming. And last but not least, Matt 7:14-28....put in right squarely in front of people's faces. Few will be saved, many will say to him on that day "Lord Lord" and he will call them evildoers and send them away saying "I never knew you." If you are reading this right now, you have been reminded of a time that is coming in the future. Because it is future, you have time to adjust course today. One of the most loving things one person can do for another is to warn them of future danger. I am not warning you today HE IS. I remind you of things he has written to men for over two thousand years.

I was reminded yesterday of a man who wrote a book saying that he had died and went to hell, then was revived to come back and tell about it. The only point I want to make from his story was this: he said that when he was down there, he knew (somehow..he was in his spirit body) that there were BILLIONS down there. Billions of souls crying in torment.

Put the puzzle together guys, every piece has a place that it belongs. Our God draws us to him with the carrot, and he pushes us from the backside with the stick. People have been warned today in every way imaginable. Bad news (even from the media) can serve us. Focus on what's important, forget the rest. We have entered a time when my spiritual radar is not piercing very far into the road ahead. I have no sense whatsoever today that time is short, or if we have years to go. That to me, IS A WARNING, because it is out of the ordinary (for me).

I have been burdened now for years with the message "time is short," and now I don't hear that. It's as if we've been motoring forward in a boat and the engines just cutoff. The noise and commotion that the forward movement made has ceased and now there is just stillness, quiet. Its an ominous quiet. What this means to me is: be ready, be watching, expect the Lord to do what he said he would do. Be ready for the sudden swift shock that will sweep people head over heals in fear and confusion. The time to get ready for a storm is before the storm ever gets here. The time to train as a soldier is before the first shot is ever fired. The time to get ready for that door in heaven to open (Matt 25, Rev 4) is TODAY.

Be ready to leave this earth today, while at the same time maintaining your patience to wait for years. We are called to daily watchfulness and readiness for our Lord's return. This is a stake in the heart of the mid-trib/pre-wrath/post-trib teacher.

If you want to shut down the argument with any mid-trib/pre-wrath/post-trib teacher in one question then ask them this:

Luke 21:36 commands us to pray that we may be counted worthy to escape all, are you obeying that command?

If they answer "no" then ask them why they are willfully disobeying the Lord's command?

If they answer "yes" then ask them to check into an insane asylum because a person who prays to escape all, when they teach, preach, debate and argue that there is no escape from all..is insane.

To be even clearer on this issue, the mid-trib/pre-wrath/post-trib person is in effect denying that Noah entered the ark before the flood. They are denying that Lot left Sodom before the fire and brimstone fell. Unfortunately it appears today that many people will be surprised when the Lord actually does exactly what he said he would do. Why...WHY will people be surprised? They did'nt believe him, they did'nt believe he would do exactly what he said he would do. There are many reasons why men choose to believe the bible like they eat at a buffett restaurant, take a little of this and a little of that, and leave all the rest. Unfortunately for these people, the Lord serves up his word in a take it his way or leave it restaurant.

Avoid the trap of this "new normal," while the world is falling asleep again, be in a state of high watchfulness and readiness. While others are looking for the anti-christ to show up, be looking for our Christ..Jesus Christ to show up. There will be no warning bells or whistles or anything else to signal the day of the escape. On the day the Lord told Noah to enter the ark, the world went about its business as usual. On the day that angels escorted Lot out of Sodom, the world went about its business as usual. A repeat of these things is coming soon.

done for today. grace and peace