Being at Rest
Matthew 6:25-26 NKJV — “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
It has not been an easy summer. For that matter, it’s not been an easy year. The year started off with so much promise. People celebrating the new year in Times Square, fireworks, parades and plans to have a renaissance of the roaring 20’s, only better…or so we thought.
What Went Wrong?
Ceremonies canceled, empty streets, food shortages and locked inside. The world turned upside down and people got desperate. Somehow all hope in a safe and secure life was taken away and our faith began to wane. For some, it got personal and life altering. Commitments were broken. People just seem to turn their backs on others without considering how it would affect them. Dreams were crushed and trust became an unrealistic…well, trust (it’s called, mistrust to be more accurate). The crisis of 2020 has put a lot of people on edge.
When tribulations come, the test can be too hard to take. It used to be, before tablets and cell phones, you had to throw a dart on a map just to see where you were going to reset and start again. Now we just point and click and if we find someone along the way then who cares about the past? Tomorrow awaits us and the future looks bright. Now we’re not so sure. Europe, Asia, South America and all nations in between have shut their doors and there’s nowhere to go. The fear of COVID-19 has made nations mistrust other nations and barred citizens from traveling abroad. Our faith in humanity has disappeared. We can no longer trust what our leaders, teachers and news organizations tell us anymore. Our churches are closed. Has God walked out on us too? The world, the ungodly and the devil would like you to think so but not so fast.
Nahum 1:7 NKJV — The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
In these perilous times God reassures us that He is with us. The news outlets, social media or even your closest friend will tell you that the unrest will continue until we give in to the unrighteous and sinful demands of the ungodly. Anarchy, violence, sexual deviance and blasphemy is what we should condone but this is unacceptable in the eyes of God.
Brokenness is not what the Lord desires for us. He wants us to be repaired. He bore stripes on His back and was crucified on the cross so that we could be healed. In the United States revival meetings are taking place. Roswell, Georgia, Spokan, Washington, Tampa, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas are host to continual meetings that have been taking place this year. More are scheduled in Virginia, North Carolina and Oklahoma in the coming months. All this is happening because people are making a conscious effort to boldly trust in God and believe in Jesus Christ in redemption and salvation.
2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV — “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Many times this passage has been used but it is really relevant for the time we are living in today. We can no longer assume that we can go on living our lives as we choose. From the moment of creation God granted us the ability to have a free will and make a choice to live righteously for God or to take our chances with Satan which will surely lead to death and eternal peril. There’s really no way to sugar coat it. We are seeing hypocrisy, murder and rebellion on our streets. We stay hidden in our homes living in fear that death is waiting for us just around the corner.
John 14:27 NKJV — “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Jesus said this to His disciples when talking to them about His upcoming crucifixion but He was reassuring them to have faith, trust and believe that peace and comfort would come to them by way of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts need not to be troubled as long as we continually pray and humble ourselves before the Lord and allow Him to work on our behalf to move any mountain that stands in our way.
1 Timothy 4:10 NKJV — For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
It does seem that we work hard to have happiness just to suffer the indignity of having it ripped away by a society who doesn’t want to change their wicked ways. We are facing obstacles and hurdles that without proper training and guidance from the Holy Spirit we will never be able to clear. We have got to understand that the propaganda of fear and deception are taking aim on our very souls. The time of the great harvest is drawing near and the last thing he wants is for you to be involved in the gathering of that harvest. The enemy of the faith wants you to believe lies and falsehoods as truth. The rose Satan is presenting may look harmless but the thorns that are attached are not easy to overlook.
1 Timothy 4:1-5 NKJV — Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
We are seeing these actions everyday on our daily 24 hour newscasts. Our way of life, how we worship and even our food is being attacked. Marriage is looked down upon and now couples young and old are being told it’s ok to not wed and live in sin. If we receive what God gives us in the spirit of thanksgiving we will be blessed and have joy in this time of trouble. We need to put our trust in God for He will not forsake us.
Eternal Life
John 3:16-17 NKJV — “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. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
The ultimate reward that we can receive if we trust and believe in God is the promise He gives written in John 3:16-17. – People may abandon, mistreat and let you down but the Lord never will. There are many that will tell you that they believe in God but the “Jesus thing” is a little too much for them. We must remember what the Word of God says,
1 John 2:23 NKJV — Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
Jesus died so that we may live. It was foretold by the prophets and fulfilled on the cross at Calvary. Believing in God is the first step. Accepting and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will be the best step of faith anyone could ever make. Receive Jesus today, trust God and believe in Him today. TRUST and BELIEVE.
John 14:1-3 NKJV — “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.
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