Take Heed

Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord God: 'None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,' says the Lord God. Ezekiel 12:28

"Take heed, watch and pray;
for you do not know when the time is."  Mark 13:33

In the early eighties there was a fervor concerning the return of Jesus, especially in the Calvary Chapel movement.  The Biblical prophesies were lining up, we were doing some Bible math on generations, and boy it sure seemed Jesus had to come soon.  We read our Bibles along with the headlines and with humble amazement we wondered at the days we were privileged to live in, and set our gaze to heaven.

I'm not getting nostalgic thinking back to the good ole eighties.  I'm thinking that though it's been some thirty years, we ought to be more excited than ever about the Lord's return!  The prophesies we saw in the eighties are being fulfilled with even more clarity...one world government, one world economic system, cashless society, economic and political instability, the worldwide communication explosion, and so much more!  Of course the center piece of prophesy in our time is Israel, and you all know what's happening there even this week.

The day will come when God will say, 'None of My words will be postponed any more.'  Are you watching and praying?
   

Serve The Lord Alone

"They feared the Lord yet served their own gods, according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away." 2 Kings 17:33

There was a guy I worked with who I really enjoyed.  We were both married and had young children so we had a lot in common.  He had a great sense of humor and we had many a good laugh together.  He was a great guy but I knew by he wasn't a believer.  He knew where I stood with the Lord.  I would always look for opportunities to share Christ with him & pray for him.

One day during a long conversation, my chance came and I pounced.  I don't remember how we got around to it, but at a perfect moment I was able to ask him if he was a Christian.  His answer really took me off guard as he said, "of course I'm a Christian, I was born here in America."  I quickly tried to convince him that being born in America didn't make you a Christian, but he would have nothing of that.  He told me he owned a Bible, had visited a few churches, and loved Ronald Reagan, so of course he was a Christian.

I had a tough time trying to explain to my friend what it really meant to be a Christian because he sort of agreed with everything I said about the Gospel, he just didn't live it.  He thought God was cool and Jesus was cool and that made him a Christian. We ended our conversation with him stating that he was a Christian just not a fanatic like me.  I was so grieved by our conversation because it revealed that he feared the Lord but served his own gods.

If Jesus is your Lord, than He is your Lord.  You obey Him, serve Him, worship Him and live for Him.  There is no gray area or middle ground when it comes to Jesus being Lord of your life.  You can't confess Him and serve your own gods.  You can't live a double life, if He is Lord than commit to Him wholly.
   

Watching And Waiting

 "But the wise answered, saying No, lest there should not be enough for us and you;
but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves." Matthew 25:9

In His famous parable of the ten virgins, Jesus teaches the importance of watching and being ready for His return.  The five wise virgins were ready, they had oil for their lamps and were awake awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom.  The five foolish virgins had no oil for their lamps and they were sleeping instead of watching.

The lesson for us to apply is clear.  Oil in the scriptures is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, so when Jesus states that the wise virgins told the foolish to 'buy (oil) for yourselves' He is stating a sobering truth.  The oil of the Spirit is something you can't get from someone else.  You don't get the oil from just hanging out at church.  You can't get it from your parents or spouse or friends.  The oil of the Spirit comes from you having a living vibrant relationship with the Lord, constant in His word and in prayer watching and waiting, not being distracted or lazy.

Look around and take note of the things going on in the world, these are crazy days indeed.  Could it be that the Bridegroom is preparing to return?  This parable of the Lord ought to shake the soul. Do you have oil for your lamp?  Are you wide-awake and watching?

Persistence In The Lord

"But they sent me this massage four times, and I answered them in the same manner." Nehemiah 6:4

One of the greatest examples found in the Bible of a faithful man is Nehemiah.  We can learn such valuable lessons from this man, as he answers the Lord's call to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah was under constant pressure from those who sought to thwart the Lord's work.  In the above verse we see that they didn't come at him just once, but four times. Earlier in the book we are told that messengers had come to bring fear and discouragement not four times, but ten times! Through it all Nehemiah remained faithful and the walls were completed.

Our enemy is very persistent.  It would be nice if he would try to tempt or discourage just once and then leave us alone.  But it is not so.  Our enemy is tenacious and doesn't play fair, if he senses you are weary he'll keep pressing.

There is no pain-free solution to the onslaught of the enemy. As we study Nehemiah, we see that he didn't panic or freak out or give in.  He just matched the persistence of the enemy with his own bulldogged persistence in the Lord.  We need to do the same.  In Christ we are already victorious, so we must steel our minds and hearts and stay the course.  Remember our foe is defeated and each attack of the enemy will serve to strengthen your faith.  Chin up, knees down!
 

Do The Possible

 "Therefore be patient brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain" (James 5:7).

We are not a people who like to wait.  In fact, we have very little patience for anything slow....from our computers, phones, or even lines at Costco.  It doesn't seem to concern God that we don't like to wait. In fact, I'm sure He purposely makes us wait knowing it will mature and develop us.

There is an old saying that was frequently quoted at Calvary Chapel: You do the possible and God will do the impossible.  A good farmer is able to wait patiently for the precious fruit when he has been faithful to do the possible.  He has plowed, planted, watered, and pulled the weeds...and now, waits for the fruit of his labor.  He has no control over the seasons or weather, he is faithful to do the possible and trusts the Lord for things that are out of his control. 

If you are in a season of waiting, let it be a season of growing your faith.  Set your heart on the possible; pray, grab hold of His promises, worship Him, and trust His perfect timing.  As you do the possible, waiting can even be exciting as the Lord is so faithful to bring forth precious fruit to your life.
 

Eternal Or External

 "....For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 15:7

One of my neighbors was doing work on a car in his garage.  He had been working almost every night for weeks, and at times even had an audience watching him work.  I was curious and noticed he was working on a classic sports car that looked pretty sharp.  After some time I saw him working and walked up to say hi and get a closer look.  The car was indeed classic and really looked sharp, only it had one major problem, it had no engine.  He was putting in all this time and work on the car and the most important component of the car was missing, the unseen part, the engine!

My neighbor's car was a good parabolic reminder for me, that God cares more about the internal, than the external.  We are surrounded by a culture that obsess with the external, how one looks, rather who one really is.  We need to be wise and guarded that we view things as God views.  He is more concerned about your heart than about your hairstyle or fashions.  And I'm not just speaking to ladies, guys are just as concerned about the external. So check yourself and make sure you aren't just buffing and shining the outside while ignoring your walk with Jesus, which is the most important component of your life.

White Hats And Black Hats

"And no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light"

When I was growing up, my favorite movies were westerns.  One of the staples of these corny old cowboy movies was that it was very clear who the good guys were and who the bad guys were.  The good guys were clean-shaven with sparkling white teeth and usually donned a white hat.  On the other hand the bad guys looked scruffy and dirty and had probably never taken a bath or washed their clothes.  The bad guys would also mostly have black hats.  These old westerns usually made it pretty easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

The devil is not a character out of an old western.  Though he is evil to the core, he doesn't dress the part, he presents himself as a good guy.  He is clean-shaven with a white hat and friendly smile.  His methods promise life and health, but lead to death.  His deceit is such that he'd love to brew up poison, put it in a fancy package, and display it in the health food section.  We ought never forget that our enemy is wily.

When I worked retail I was trained to spot counterfeit bills by becoming very familiar with real bills.  For us, the best way to keep from being duped by the enemy is to become very familiar with the truth of God's Word.  The more we study the Word and commit it to mind and heart, the more crystal clear our discernment will be.  With the Word before our eyes we'll be able to distinguish between the good guys and bad guys no matter what color hat they might be wearing!