Swine/Avian Flu

As I watch this thing develop, I am more interested in what our government is not doing than what they are doing.

I see from news headlines that just about every other country in the world is taking measures to restrict entry into their countries, guess which 2 countries are the only ones NOT taking measures to seal off their borders, restrict entry? You guessed it: the US and Mexico.

Gosh, ya think if the country just to the south of you was known to be the epicenter of a new global pandemic you might want to seal the borders....sealed like an airtight Ziploc bag. The US government is "concerned" and they are holding press conferences, and lots and lots of meetings! In other words, they are doing nothing, nada, zip to prevent this thing from running rampant throughout the world.

Ok, so what's the point? The point is, the "powers that be" through their actions are tipping their hand to us. The cards they are holding all have skulls and crossbones on them. The most crucial moments in any emergency, pick one, are the initial moments, the first actions taken. The first things that happen, the opening moves on the chessboard often determine the outcome of the entire game. We know the opening moves in this game: keep the borders wide open, let the infected in, then let this virus do its work on the population of the United States (and the world). From the point of view of the "powers that be" this couldn't have happened at a better time. What a coincidence huh?

What's the important takeaway from all this information? Time may be shorter than many think. Maybe Jesus will show up in a couple months, but many of us could be dead in weeks. Is that possible? Yea. Is it probable? It depends on whether or not you are "in Christ." Let me ask you a serious question today: why should we fear this new angel of death (swine/avian flu) that has touched down on earth? Why? Why should we fear what the world fears? We are not them, they are not us. We have promises..guarantees that they do not have.

I will give you one example, one place to look for these promises today. There are many, here's one:

Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

As I write this..just now it has dawned on me why the Lord has been on this topic of faith with me. You have read it here for months now, the importance of faith and belief. Is it starting to make sense to you now? Before us today we have a clear example of how what you believe, may determine whether you (and your family) live or die in the weeks ahead. If this angel of death shows up at your doorstep, and you kind of/maybe believe the promises of our Lord, will that be enough to keep the angel outside your doors?

Let this sink in really, really deep: 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Is there anything confusing about that statement? No, its plain and straightforward and it is fact. While the masses panic and order their useless pharmaceuticals, you have a promise from the God who caused the angel of death to passover our forefathers in Egypt. Do you remember reading here that everything done for them was also done for us "in Christ?" We are one, everyone who ever died "in Christ" that is to say "in faith," they are one with us who are in Christ today.

This avian/pig flu thing may just be another "cry wolf" event just like the avian flu has been for years. Then again, it could be the real thing. I was reading last night that the Spanish flu killed 40 million people and it only had a 2.5% lethality rate. This thing, this flu has a 7.5% mortality rate. That's a 300% more lethal agent of death than the Spanish flu. Combine that with the fact that there were many less people on the earth back then and we are looking at a minimum of 120 million people dead. Oh yea, and back during the Spanish flu, they didn't have mass transport, jets, everyone owning a car etc etc.

Am I trying to scare people? Nope, since when are truth, and facts scare tactics? The bottom line here is this. We may be seeing the first concrete example of how faith meets fear on a mass scale, before everyone's eyes and we see plain as day results from it. If someone stands on the promises of our Father and everyone else around them is getting sick and dying, but the sick/death never touches them, will that be evidence? Yea, but the world will still say "they were lucky." Yep, I've been "lucky" over and over and over and over again. Here's a newsflash for the world: that kind of "luck" doesn't exist. Las Vegas was built as a monument, a standing proof of how the worlds "luck" is foolishness for men. Las Vegas was built as a testament to people losing their shirts in the pursuit of "luck."

We have promises that in the coming days will prove their superiority to silver, gold and everything else men desire in this world. What would a man give in exchange for his life? The woman with the issue of blood knew that if she could just touch the edge of our Lord's cloak, she would be healed. The centurion knew for a fact that if the Lord gave him his word that his servant would be healed, it would be done. The Lord marveled at such faith saying he had not seen that kind of faith in all Israel. That's quite a statement isn't it? A centurion, not some religious person, not a rabbi, not a priest (or "pastor") was found with the most faith in all Israel.

I believe the Lord has given me a picture of how the future will unfold (not when..how). I have a picture of our faces pressed up against a pane of razor thin glass that separates us from the time of Jacob's trouble. Does that make sense in the context of what we know about the coming of the Son of man? Just as in the days of Noah and Lot? The same day that Lot walked out of Sodom, fire and brimstone fell.

In the same way that people today do not believe there is an escape from all (even though it is clearly stated in the bible) they refuse to believe it, to their own loss. Also, people do not believe the Lord's promises regarding things like this: 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

The teachers and preachers of this world have faith right up to the edge of their pet doctrines, but not in all the promises of God. We could soon see the outcome of faithlessness in this world. Our faith must be real, we must pray and really believe that what we pray for will come to pass. I am amazed that the Lord has brought this to the forefront of my mind over just the past couple weeks. Go back and re-read the postings here for the past week or two. The theme is "prayer, faith, belief."

I take no credit for anything written here. If there is any merit to any of the words written here, they are a credit to Jesus Christ alone. I don't put my name on this blog because the writing here has nothing to do with me, I am a nobody. The focus here is on YOU and Christ Jesus.

We may be dealing with another media scare fest here, or hundreds of millions of people may really die. Either way, it does'nt matter. We who stand day in and day out looking for the return of our Lord are striving to be found "in him" pleasing him in every way, every day. We cannot please our God without faith:

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for
... Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him mustbelieve that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

he rewards those who diligently search for him.

Search for him and you will find him if you search with all your heart. Half hearted attempts get half hearted rewards. There's no guarantees that those who "kind of" want to find the Lord will ever find him. Where are the men and women today with the centurian's faith? When the reward of faith is life, and the penalty for faithlessness is death, you could say this is serious. This applies both to the life lived in the flesh as well as life after death.

The time for "playing church" has been over for a long time now. The time for "being the church" is long overdue. Either you "are" the church or you are not. You cannot "go to church" because we who are "in Christ" are the church, wherever we go, there the church is.

It's time to take a serious look at what you believe and why you believe it. "Why?" is the most important question in the languages of the world. Why do you believe?

Whatever happens in the days ahead, focus yourself on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe, have faith, pray, consume the word of God in your bibles. Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The consequences for faithlessness in the days ahead could be life and death. Take hold of the promises of our Father in heaven, wrap your arms around them, then chain yourselves to them, and refuse to let them go EVER...till death do you (not:-) part.

Done for today, know that we are dearly loved children of the Most High God, grace and peace