PREPARING FOR THE WORST OR FOR THE BEST?

Severe weather, earthquakes, other natural disasters... Times like these we wonder how best to prepare, how to avoid being impacted by what may come our way. Man is generally pretty adept at taking care of himself in physical matters. But let's face it, there's more that's out of our control than what we can control.

On top of these disasters we are also witnessing wars, rumors of wars, civil unrest, anarchy and lawlessness in general on the rise.

Many, seeing the troubled signs of the times, have resorted to prepping, storing up supplies for months and years to come, in hopes of avoiding any hardship. But the Bible has predicted that a time is near that no amount of human prepping can prepare for the trauma that is coming.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” —Matthew 24:21

The signs pointing to the arrival of this Great Tribulation are shouting loudly now. Bible prophecy is truly unfolding before our eyes. But who is watching? Who is paying attention? Sadly, for the most part, people are asleep to these times and have become so anesthetized from the entertainment world. One doesn’t have to go far these days to find distractions that prevent one from dealing with reality.

The only way to prepare…

There remains but one way to prepare for what’s to come and it's not trusting in Donald Trump or any other world leader. It is in knowing Jesus Christ and trusting in Him for your salvation. Believing in Him and the finished work that He did on the Cross. He did it all for you, for me and the rest of mankind. And it’s a gift, freely given to all who will believe and receive.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” —John 3:16

So how will you prepare for the days to come? Will you store up for yourself goods on earth or treasures in Heaven?

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” —Matthew 6:19—21

Why prepare for the worst when you can prepare for the best. The best is yet to come.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” —Matthew 11:27-29

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” —John 14:1-3

Jesus is not only preparing a place in Heaven for the believer, but He has also promised to take the believer out of the world before the Tribulation begins. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s called the rapture, the snatching away of the Body of Christ, where both those who have died in Christ and those who are alive at the time are taken up to Heaven.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’”  —1 Corinthians 15:51-55

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” —1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

I pray you think on these things and take them seriously. Time is so very short. Eternity is forever. Where will you spend it?

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.

“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” —Titus 2:13

”What do you think will happen on September 23rd?”

“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.”

“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”

—Revelation 12:1-6

SOMEONE ASKED ME RECENTLY, “What do you think will happen on September 23rd?” I answered that I didn't know and honestly I don't. But, I do believe with all my heart, that this is a sign from God, a warning, a heads up (just as I believe this eclipse was). I do believe the Lord God Almighty is doing all He can to get our attention.

“AND BEHOLD, I AM COMING QUICKLY, and my reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” —Revelation 22:12-13

What is this “work” we are to do? It's very simple: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” / “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” —Romans 10:9,13

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” —John 3:16

Jesus paid for your sins and mine. He said on the Cross, “It is finished.” Our part is to believe and receive this amazing gift of salvation that He offers.

I'm very bold about my faith here on social media, but in person I fail miserably in my boldness for what I believe. Let me state for the record then (if I haven't been clear enough) that I do believe with all my heart, Jesus Christ is coming soon.

The signs, His signs, His warnings, are screaming at us. Signs in nature... Signs in civil unrest... Signs in wars and rumors of wars. Just to name a few. These have been occurring for a while now. I've mentioned them for years now here on Facebook. It's time to wake up and face reality.

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” —Romans 12:11

Amazing Grace... Only Christianity

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Think about it... Only in Christianity is one saved by grace alone, by faith alone. All other ways/religions are dependent upon ones own works and righteousness, "What I've got to do to earn my way to Heaven."

So whether you're Muslim, Orthodox Jew, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, Hindu... anything other than a believer in Christ, your faith says you need something other, or something extra, than Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. You could belong to a Protestant denomination or be a Roman Catholic, but if you're trusting in your own righteousness you won't make it to Heaven. Being a member of a church denomination won't save you. Only being a member of the Body of Christ will.

Jesus paid the price for your sins, mine and for the whole world's. He Himself said on the Cross, "It is finished." There is nothing left to do other than to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." (Acts 16:30)

Sounds too easy? It is for us, but it cost God dearly. How can anyone want to remain a slave to some mere, man-made religion that doesn't save you, when God offers such an amazing gift that guarantees you shall be saved?

The world is growing darker and time is running out. If Christ isn't your savior please accept Him now. He loves you and desires for you to know Him.
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Putting on Your Full Armor

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As the world churns darker day by day it's crucial for the believer in Jesus Christ to “armor up.” There's a great battle going on that makes all the world's wars look like playground skirmishes. It's a battle for the souls of men and woman, young and old. It's a battle that's about as old as Creation itself. And the chief adversary in this war is relentless, desiring to conquer and destroy as many souls as he can — especially now, knowing his time is short. (*Revelation 12:12)

The good news is that the believer in Christ has already won the victory since Satan was defeated by the Cross, but the battle still rages. Satan can't take away that victory because the believer is secure in Christ, but he can attempt to destroy our witness. We're saved by the precious blood of our Savior. And we were saved not to sit back and dig our heels into the world's ways, but to be witnesses, testifying of His Good News, that through faith in Him we can have eternal life. (**John 3:16)

So Satan’s work seems to be in overdrive now. Just look at your daily news for details. And so the believer must be prepared to take a stand for what he or she believes and dig their heels into following Christ, desiring Him and to know Him above all else. We were given marching orders to share Christ, to make Him known and to make disciples. If we resist taking this stand then we’re showing how much this world owns us.

The devil will do all he can to trip up the Christian to cause him to fall. Put your armor on. Not armor as the world understands, but the Armor of God. And be prepared to fight. As someone once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

If you don't know Jesus Christ as your own savior, then delay no further in making that decision. I believe that time left to make that decision is extremely short as Bible prophetic signs are unfolding and speeding up. Jesus is coming back to rescue those victorious ones from the coming wrath of God. But even if Christ were to delay His coming you have no idea when your last living day on earth will be. The often quoted question, “Do you know if you'd go to Heaven if you were to die tonight?” remains an imperative one. You can be sure by trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ who paid for your sins and mine.

If you know Christ, or have just come to know Him, I leave you with our marching orders, the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul...

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.“ – Ephesians 6:10-20

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*Revelation 12:12 — “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

**John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
**John16:33 — “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
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An apology – The Shack

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Some of you know that I was involved with designing The Shack book. At that time, over 10 years ago, I was captivated by the story and felt honored to be part of the graphic creation of the book. I was so drawn into it, wanting to know the God it portrayed. There’s no doubt that the story has deeply spoken to many.

I have deep regrets now of not just being involved with it but also in promoting it. The movie release of The Shack has brought all this back to my mind and I felt the need to apologize to all who I may have led astray by my promoting the book. I look back and see how little discernment I had. And I regret and apologize also for waiting this long to publicly share this.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? There are many, but the greatest being that it advocates what is called Universal Reconciliation or Universal Salvation. Meaning, since Jesus died for all then all are saved whether they believe it and receive Him personally or not. This is a grave distortion of John 3:16. One just needs to read the rest of that passage to understand that there is a condition for salvation in that one must believe in and accept Christ as Savior personally:

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” —John 3:18

One is indeed saved by God’s grace, but we have this thing called “free will” to receive or reject His grace, His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Many will still say that the book was intended as just a work of fiction, but the author himself, William Paul Young, is quoted as saying, “The Shack is theology. But it is a theology wrapped in a story.” 

Embracing The Shack, as I did, led me to other books, other authors who had started out on the straight and narrow, having solid Biblical beliefs, but strayed off into apostasy land. Rob Bell, Jim Palmer, Brian McLaren, to name a few of those by whom I was inspired. That “inspiration” led me to the edge of this Universalist belief. I thank the Lord that He pulled me back from that edge.

The Shack’s story wonderfully painted this picture to me of an incredibly knowable and loving God, one full of forgiveness, but without being judgmental. The fact is that there are two inseparable sides to God. He is both love and judge.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him.” —John 3:36

Again, this thing called “free will” has given us the ability to willfully accept God’s gracious gift of His Son, Jesus, who died on a cross to save us from our sins, or willfully reject His gracious gift. Jesus did die for the sins of the whole world, but tragically most of the world has and will refuse Him.

For more on The Shack you can find plenty of reviews online, such as:

https://www.thebereancall.org/content/when-people-say-shack-just-novel-excerpts-warren-smith
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2017/02/10/how-the-shack-distorts-our-view-of-god/
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/e2medianetwork/2017/02/wwutt-shack-vs-bible/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCl3NPrhrgE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCjdAX63uzM

What is it with me and this crazy focus on Jesus?

 What is it with me and this crazy focus on Jesus?
Am I just some wishful thinker of some pie in the sky deity? — No. This Deity has more than proven Himself to me over the past 37 years that I've known Him and grown to absolutely love Him as I know He loves me.

Am I just following the crowd? — If I was it wouldn't be with the minority one with whom follows rolling eyes, laughter and scoffing.

Am I, as the saying goes, "Too heavenly minded that I'm no earthly good?". — No. I am so Heavenly minded that I desire to live my life for Him... for His goodness sake. A big part of that is sharing the awesome Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who has ears to hear, a heart to listen.

“Who in their right mind would follow some religious icon who seems to get one into more pain and trouble (in following Him) than just living a life of: “Live your life for yourself and keep your opinions to yourself.” — That is the easy way out for sure. But then I'd be living a lie.

So who is this Jesus that I so focus on?

He is my Savior. — He saved me from my sins and from a life of fear, doubt and despair. As the classic old hymn goes. “Once I was blind, but now I see.” That's me. That could be you. Without God, namely Jesus Christ, our lives remain in a state of blindness. We cannot see or understand the truth of who God is, who we are, or what we were created to be. (“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.’" – John 3:3)

He is my Lord. — I desire for Him to take hold of my life and direct my paths. (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6). We all choose someone or something as a “lord” over us. Maybe it's another person we follow. Maybe it's something like the desire for money, success or just “the good life.” It's the human condition. We all seek something to fill that fulfillment void.

He is my very life. — Several years ago I was driving to work one morning. It was a time in my life when I was so depressed. I was so frustrated with my life, my failures, the failures of those around me. I was tired of life in general. As I pulled into the parking lot of a favorite coffee spot I heard a voice as clear as day say to me, “Dave, your life is not in these things. It is in ME!” It's taken a long time for me to unpack that. I had much to learn about this One who so loved the world that He gave His one and only beloved Son for me and for you. I still have much too learn, but I know, I know without a shadow of a doubt, that my Redeemer lives and He lives in me. He is my very life.

So what? That's nice for you.

So? So, it's incredible, that's all. It's amazing. This God, the God of the Bible, Jesus the Son of God, the very I AM, is real. So very real. The Gospel shouldn't be news to you. Surely you've heard, seen and read John 3:16 for years. But what does it really mean to you.

Jesus asks you... “Who do you say I am?”

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

I believe that with all my heart. I believe I will see my Creator, my Redeemer, my very love of my life one day... maybe sooner than later. Much is pointing to Jesus' soon coming.

Do you know Him? He so desires to be your life. Don't waste it seeking for fulfillment in all the wrong places.

”Who do you say, I am?”