If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Most of us have heard the song “Amazing Grace” sung somewhere, many in our churches. However, do you know the history of it? No? The author of the lyrics is a man named John Newton. Before he became a Christian, he was the captain of a slave ship. He had heard many old Negro spirituals sung below decks. The author of the music is unknown but John heard from the Lord to give us this awesome and amazing song that has lasted through the ages.
I had seen this some time ago but it was brought to my attention again today. I just had to post it. Here to give you a small history lesson and to sing the song from only the black keys of the piano like most Negro spirituals are done is Wintley Phipps. I do hope you enjoy this as much as I have:
This music gives me God’s goosebumps. I love it so much!
I have come to the conclusion that most folks believe that God is this amazing Sugar Daddy up in heaven just sitting around waiting for someone to beg Him to point and say “Bam, you got it!” when they want something. In fact, I have seen people mad because God didn’t pony up what they wanted as soon as they demanded or begged for it. A few posts back, I was talking about using God like an ATM machine. That is still the case with the people who simply will only believe God if He does it right, the way THEY want it done.
Actually, that has absolutely nothing to do with the scripture they are expecting to use to get what they want. You know the one:
(Mat 7:7) Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.
People who expect God to simply move heaven and earth to give them anything they want are pretty delusional. God loves us. True. He is our Father and does not wish to hold anything from us. But the fact is that there are things that, if we had them, would actually make matters worse for us. Sometimes, I do not see that either but i do not have the vantage point that God has…seeing from beginning to end. I suspect that if we all were able to see our lives as God sees them, we would make incredibly different choices in our lives. But since we cannot, we must give the guidance job to God.
Just wanting, wanting, wanting does nothing to help either you or the people God intended for you to help in the world. The reality is that God isn’t a lottery, a bank, a Sugar Daddy and although He is extremely….the the largest extreme possible….rich, that does not mean that he needs you to be that too. The thing is that He will bestow that on people as He chooses. We must do our part. Our part is to be a good steward of what we are given. We are to get into the Word of God, study as much as possible, learn what God has to say and then go out and do as God has chosen you to do. Yes, you are chosen. He seeks you to seek Him. He loves you so much. Don’t sell God short with the begging and the pushing. God knows what is going on in your life.
Life is not always going to be the way you want it or like it. Things do happen. God will be with you through it all if you let Him. Take the time to be with your Lord and Savior today. It is well worth the effort.
I have a confession to make. There was a time when I believed that I could spot the anti-christ in a heartbeat so I did not think I had to do as much studying or praying as I should. There were things I knew and it wasn’t going to be easy to deceive me, that’s for sure. What does that say about me? I was an arrogant, obnoxious individual when I thought that. Truly, we do not know these things unless we look into the scriptures and study. Then pray.
(Mat 24:4) And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
If Jesus did not think that you could be deceived, He would not have said it. In fact, He says things like that because we are too easily deceived by many people. How many times have you been unhappy or shocked to find out something about a close friend or spouse that you had no idea about even though you knew them quite well? It is especially easy to deceive family members who do not think you are capable of doing wrong things.
These are perilous times. I have said that quite a lot lately. Let me mention it again. These are perilous times. Not only do we need to be in God’s Word, our Bibles every day, we need to be in prayer and talking to God for fellowship, a relationship and information. That one is very important to us. We NEED to know what to do in situations that will come up especially in these times. Those situations might be something you have never encountered before. As I has stated before, things are going to get steadily much worse before they will ever get better.
We are approaching the end of the age. The signs are there. Much Biblical prophecy is finished. Since Jesus died on the cross, the enemy has known that his time on earth was limited. He has stepped up his actions. We must learn to protect ourselves from the attacks that are here and those that are coming. Despite doing everything you know to do, are you having more and more problems financially, physically, emotionally? That should be a real red flag concerning the activities of the enemy in your life. Did you think that it was just “your bad luck” hanging around? This may be tough to swallow but there is no such thing as luck bad or otherwise.
God is in control. Yes, I know. It does not appear to be that way. You can safely say that you have prayed and you were not answered or were answered wrong. Yes, I get it. You wanted something and God didn’t jump and do it for you. And when people die that is not because He wasn’t watching or helping. His ways are not our ways. He has a plan for each of us. The problem is that we cannot usually hear Him enough to get that plan and work on it.
Once again, these are perilous times. It is imperative that you see this. We are heading into the last days of the age. No, I am not going to say that the end of the world is coming. Frankly, that rumor has been going around for a lot of years. It is not accurate. At the end of this particular age, there will be one thousand years of peace with no enemy to bug us. He will be locked up and unable to do his nastiness during that time. But in order to get to that point, we are going to see some rather impressive nastiness in the meanwhile…should we survive, that is.
So, can you be deceived? Yes, of course you can. Do you have any idea who should be President of the U.S.? If you can hear the Lord, He will tell you who needs to be in that position. Now, for those who think they hear the Lord but miss it, they have been deceived. Does that make sense? The problem here is that many Christians are going to say that they have heard from the Lord and want one of the candidates over the other. BUT, Christians are going to vote for both candidates. Who is right and who is wrong? Good question. The ones that are wrong are deceived. The ones that are right are not. Which is which?
The only way that you can answer that question is to be in prayer, seek God’s face and understand what He tells you. Then do what He says. But because we live in a sin-natured world, sometimes it’s pretty hard to hear God over a person’s own thoughts and the interference from the enemy as well. Trust me, I understand that. When I pray, I get some pretty strange things coming through my mind. But things that are not of God are going to be confusing and different from what God’s Word has to say about it.
If what you hear is negative in any way, is going against God, is simply not something that you feel you can do, then it is probably not from God. Oh, there is one thing. Be SURE you don’t feel you can do that something. Often, God will require you to do things that take you out of your comfort zone pretty far. But if the things you are hearing are strange, negative or possibly fit very neatly into a plan you had going anyway, it is highly likely that you are being deceived if you are still willing to do it.
How can we know for certain that we are not being deceived? By going to God for everything in your life. He wants to be part of all of your life, to be your Guide. But He cannot be that if you take back portions of your self so that you are making decisions and He is sitting on the sidelines watching you put yourself into bad situations after bad situations. Take the time to be with the Lord, pray and study. Open that dusty Bible every day and seek what He has to say. You will be amazed at the things you will no longer be deceived by. And enjoy. God is so good. And He loves you!
So many people these days are looking for and likely dreading the end of the world. Some are trying to set dates on when this or that thing will occur as according to the scriptures. The latest person in the news to do so was a man named Hawkins who predicted that the beginning of the end would come on a Thursday this month. That beginning was to include war and destruction. He was wrong. Why is that so important to note?
In Mathew 24, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, it says that no man shall know the day or the hour. Only the Father knows this for certain, not even Jesus has this information.
(Mat 24:36) But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father.
Now I suspect that if the Father is not telling Jesus then it is probable that we humans aren’t going to have a clue until right before it actually occurs. So, date setting seems to be the wrong thing to do. See, if a person is all focused on the one date, their whole life revolves around that date. When it comes and goes and nothing happens, what happens to their faith…in God, in themselves, in what they believe? It is imperative that we live our lives as though Jesus is coming back today but plan for the future as if He may not come back for another hundred years. Do you see this?
We live in perilous times, of that there is no doubt whatsoever. If you do not believe it, look around you. Gas prices are at an all time high and people are struggling to put fuel in their tanks just to go to work. Sometimes, it pays to stay home because the price of gas plus the cost of child daycare exceeds the paycheck. The housing market is reeling from the unwise lending and the loss of so many homes to foreclosure. Security is an issue in this country now that we have been vulnerable to attack on our home ground. Crime is at an all time high. Natural disasters are increasing and intensifying all over the world. For those who say that we have had all this before, do not be hiding your heads in that. This is more and worse than ever before and it is unlikely to change for the better any time soon. That small relief at the pump is going to be gone in a few days. Count on it.
Once again, in Mathew 24, Jesus was clear that all these things do need to come to pass but that we would see an increase in intensity. This is that time.
(Mat 24:6-8) And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Did you see that? All these things are the BEGINNING of sorrows. That does not mean the end of all things. It means that this too is a sign for what is about to come.
In the past, when people thought the end was near, not all of the conditions were met for that to happen. Could Jesus have come back in those days? Of course, He could have. The conditions will be there when it is necessary for them to be there. Remember, God is in control here. He is co-ordinating everything. Yes, we do have sorrow and pain. That’s because we live in this sin natured world and as long as it is that way, we will have that. The future must play out in the way intended.
(Mat 24:14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.
One of those signposts to what will come is this scripture. Only through the system of satellites can we now see that this particular prophecy could come to pass. And it is. With all the television ministries plus the Christian networks we are in the days of the whole world seeing the Gospel preached to all the world. One thing that has really made me a bit mad is all the griping and complaining about the television ministries. There are countless news stories about how they are ripping people off and having lots of wealth. Sigh. Has anyone at all thought about the fact that Solomon was the wealthiest person in the world and that only through God was he so blessed? Now, I do not say that all of them are like that but many honorable and honest ministries are doing the things we cannot or won’t do; feeding the hungry, spreading the Gospel.
I suggest that each of you read Mathew 24 over and over again. This is not to be a stand alone chapter but it does give amazing insight to what is about to occur. No, it has not yet happened. But look at the things that have. Read that chapter and try to deny that things are happening as if they were reading that chapter.
Folks, now is the time to get back to the Lord, seek His face, gather together in one accord. Believe and have faith in the Lord Jesus and the Word of God because there is where your answers lie, not in preachers who are human and can get things wrong. Go to the Source of all things and seek Him. Read your Bible, pray and listen to Him. He will tell you the path He has for you in these very perilous times. Now more than ever, we must get in line with God’s Word and live the life He has set for us.
Once again, we have a couple of prayer requests that need to be given to all who can pray over these things:
1) Tom who is in the hospital. The doctors do not know why his blood pressure bottoms or why he has an elevated white blood cell count. Please pray that they find the problem.
2) Harold-at the ER tonight for headaches and dizziness. Headed home with probable elevated blood sugar. He is diabetic.
3) Fred who is still in the hospital for throat cancer. Please pray that he will come to know the Lord or if he knows Him to strengthen him in this time of need.
Father, we pray for these prayer needs tonight and that each person sees You in all things. Thank You, Father, for being there for us when in time of urgent needs. Please help each of these folks to learn to walk in Your ways, Your word. We thank You for each of the blessings we have received from You each and every day of our lives. We pray this and thank you for it in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
I answered this question on another other blog. I love that question. Gets some people thinking. But it got me thinking because of the variety of answers. So, I will also pose the question…Do YOU believe in God? I find that so many do not. Others believe…sort of. What a dangerous time for people to believe this way. It makes me so sad to see that people will believe so many things that are not of God, not good for them. I do realize that God is a gentleman and will not push His will on anyone. However, sometimes I just want to shake the secular right out of folks.
We are living in the coming of the last days of this age. I say that because it is not the end of the world contrary to what many people believe. There’s that word again….believe. You know, you can believe just about anything if you put your mind to it. You can believe that the ground is going to produce a money tree but that does not make it so. That’s the problem. People tend to believe about anything but what is the truth? Doesn’t anyone want to know that?
I do realize that not everyone is going to be willing to believe that a man was born of a virgin, grew up in this world but never sinned, performed a lot of miracles, taught things that most people would not accept, died on a cross at Calvary and was resurrected on the third day at which time he began to walk the earth for another several days, then rose up to heaven. Yes, that would be a tad hard to swallow for me too if I did not know that I know that is the Gospel truth! God loves you! God loves me too. I originally had a problem believing that but I do now. Awesome!
Does God believe in you? Most definitely! He is the Creator. He gave us everything and believes that we are worth it to become saved from this sin natured world of evil and nasty things. He wants us to know Him better. We can have a close, personal relationship with Him if we will pray and study God’s Word, if we will talk with Him as if we are related because we are related. I am an adopted child of God through Jesus Who died for me on the cross, taking away my sins. Do I still sin? Of course I do but God forgives me each time if I ask Him. What He does not forgive is someone who willfully and knowingly sins and has no remorse. We must be willing to turn away from that sin and run to Him again.
So, the question here is Do you believe in God? I raise my hand high as I say, YES! I do! He is the best thing that ever happened to me…my husband is second and he’s okay with that because God is the best thing that ever happened to him too!!!
Praise!
Tom-out of the hospital feeling much better. Coming to light, a possible reason for almost all of the health problems to date that must be looked into.
Prayer requests:
1) Charley-who is in the hospital. Please pray for him with multiple problems. He is overweight and a normally easy procedure could be life threatening to him is needed. Please pray!!
2) Continuing prayer for Donna with cancer of vocal cords and lungs. Coming home from hospital soon.
3) Fred-continuing prayer for him. He appears to be giving up, falling back on old ways, has diagnosis that says he has no hope of recovery though the doctor would not show up to tell him that. He is very functional and about to be released to his home when one can be found. Please pray for him to be healed and his spirit hear God’s Word on the subject. Please also pray for him to have a home to go to instead of needing a nursing home.
4) A family who appears to be constantly attacked with health and financial problems, one after another with little relief.
5) A newborn who has an infection. Please pray for her!
Father, we pray for these health needs for your children. We know that You said that “by His stripes we are healed” and “with His stripes we were healed”. We agree with that for all of these folks and others that we are also praying for but not listed here. Jesus, we love You and thank You for being our Savior and Lord. We thank You for dying on the cross for us so that we do not have to have these problems! We thank You, Lord! In Jesus’ Name, Amen
1) Donna-cancer on vocal cords and both lungs. Please pray for divine healing!!
2) Fred-cancer of the throat. Told he is terminal and they cannot do anything about it. Please pray that a second opinion gives a different answer and that there is healing.
3) Tom-healing for stomach, arthritis, kidneys, parathyroid problems.
Thank You, Lord, that we can call on You anytime for our requests to You. Father, I pray for these folks to receive their healing from You. We know that You are in charge and that they do not have to accept such reports. We are in agreement that they are healed!! Thank You, Lord!! In the name of Jesus! Amen!
[Tags]
prayer requests, prayer, Christians, Lord, Jesus[/tags]
We know that we are heading into the last days or end times when the scriptures are predicting the times of the end and they are coming to pass. People love to predict the end of the world. I have no idea why since all would vanish if such things were actually true. Now, I realize that we have had such predictors for years. I remember back when I was a kid, according to my nieces it was during the years of the dinosaurs, that there were cartoons and pictures of guys carrying sandwich board signs that said things like “The end of the world is coming! Repent!” and other such oddities. Those have been around since long before I was born. So, what makes it different today?
Not much except that when you read your Bible, you can see that the prophecies for the last days are actually coming true before your eyes. I am especially interested in what Jesus has to say in Mathew 24, aren’t you? We can see more and more wars and rumors of them; the earthquakes are really getting bigger, more of them and more often; hurricanes are causing much more damage, diseases are getting worse and worse especially some that the scientists thought were a thing of the past; people are starving in a world where there are resources enough to feed every man, woman and child every day for their entire lives but there are people who would rather see them starve than give a helping hand. And it is all more and bigger than ever before.
Jesus talked about the signs of the times of the end. He said that it was like birth pains. Any woman who has gone through a birth of a child knows exactly what He means. In our family recently, there was a new birth, a baby girl. She is absolutely beautiful. My niece had to go through birth pains that started small but gained in strength until it was constant. Like that, the world is seeing those same things but in ever increasing pain.
The wars and rumors, the diseases, the hurricanes and tornadoes that are so much worse this year than ever before, the earthquakes that are happening so much more often and so much worse than before. Just think for a moment. Those people who have steadfastly denied that the end times are upon us also said that we have always had the quakes, the tornadoes, hurricanes and so on all of our lives. I know that too. BUT, when I was a kid, there were maybe a tornado or two in a few years time. Now when the tornadoes break out, it is in large numbers all at once. This is totally different than ever before.
However, there is a danger in trying to predict the actual date of such occurrences that are in the Bible. In the last several years, there have been some people who decided that they could tell when the last days were going to happen or when the end of the world was going to occur.
I had some friends who had bought a book by what they thought was a reputable preacher who had predicted the end of the world and when the rapture was going to happen back in the early 80s. My friends fully believing the guy, were putting labels on all their things giving things away to people that they knew would not be included in the event that was predicted…the rapture. When that did not happen as stated in his book, he simply started a new book to put out for more people to believe. I think he had about 4 or 5 books out before he truly was no longer credible. That is amazing to me. He should have not been believed in the first place but if believed then, certainly not after the miss on the dates the first time around.
God is quite clear about not believing just anyone about this sort of thing. Jesus told the disciples not to be deceived. The problem is that those people that try predicting such things are actually deceiving others. It is highly possible that they are deceiving themselves as well if they really believe these things they are talking about. One the other hand, there are those that are strictly in it to deceive as many as possible. One such person appears to be a man named Hawkins who is spreading his own brand of the word of God. He maintains his own little cult in Texas. His prophecy is that the beginning of the end of the world, nuclear holocaust will happen next Thursday, June 12th or sooner. He also states that it will be around the river Euphrates. There is a grain of truth in what he says but it also is a problem for people. I will tell you why.
(Mat 24:4-5) And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many will come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many.
(Mat 24:11) And many false prophets will rise and deceive many.
Those scriptures were warnings by Jesus to those of us who are living in the last days of the age. But it is imperative that people take note that God is telling us not to believe those false prophets. And how can we tell that they are false? Through studying the Word of God so that you know it very well. In the meanwhile, you can also tell by simply noting that it is a human who is bringing this to you. When someone tells you that such things are happening, do not believe the person just because he says it. Prove it out by going to your own Bible and searching out the scriptures for yourself. NEVER EVER believe anyone without doing that. I do not want you to believe me JUST because I say something. Go to your Bible and see it for yourself.
It is quite clear that there are to be many false prophets in the last days of the age. This particular person, Mr. Hawkins, who has a farm in Abilene, Texas, has conveniently been selling people supplies from his own store. He has many, many semi-trailers, hundreds so the media states, full of food and supplies sitting at the ready for “the day” so that his followers can hide from the worst. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this guy has predicted the beginning of the end of the world. This is just the latest in his efforts to get others to believe his stories. It is this very type of person to beware of as a false prophet. Now, he might mean well but he is not following what God has said. And this is deceiving others.
Oh yes, I should mention this one tiny detail about the end of the world. That isn’t going to happen. Read your Bible. God specifically says that after the tribulation time of seven years, the devil will be locked up for a 1000 years and then loosed for a short time. That does not say that there will be an end to the world. So, anyone who tells you that the world is about to end has no clue what they are talking about.
The key to knowing one way or another whether such people are actually prophets of God is to check everything out for yourself. Do not simply believe someone just because he says to believe him. Those who preach the Word of God and are credible will expect and tell you to seek these things out for yourself. Any preacher, no matter how good or nice, who gets upset about you proving things for yourself or doesn’t tell you to read your Bible for these answers is deceiving themselves and you if you believe them. God was clear…there WILL BE false prophets. They actually have always been here but now the devil is working very hard to make us believe his lies for he is the father of them.
We must be wise by seeking God’s face, seeking out His Word and what it says about these things. People like Mr. Hawkins may very well believe what they are saying but it is false. Do not be deceived. We do not need a go between. Jesus took care of that on the cross. We can talk to our Father, go directly to the throne to seek Him.
(Heb 4:16) Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Isn’t it time to spend more time with the Lord? Isn’t it time to study and seek His face so that we will not be deceived by those who know not? Make no mistake, we are living in the last days of the age. I did not say that we are in the tribulation. There are no indicators that we have gone into that period just yet. But it is most definitely close. I will not say when because I do not know when. No one does. Jesus even said that. He said that only the Father knows. Isn’t it time to believe the Lord and stop believing the humans who do not know? Take the time today to talk to the Lord. Enjoy this time. We may not have much left to get close to the Lord.
The truth is that most people do use God like He is an ATM machine. No? How about the fact that most people pay little to no attention to God until they need something. This is one of those things that is really important, especially in these times. We are coming in to the end of the age. Your Bible goes into the Book of Revelation in the last days of the age. We are on a precipice of time and prophecy. It is so close that you can feel it in the spirit realm if you spend any time praying and talking to God at all.
But so many people do not spend that time but they get mad at God if He does not produce exactly what they wanted in the time frame they thought it should happen. That makes God either a handy corner ATM machine to be used only when necessary or, at best, He ends up being some type of sugar daddy that gives and gives and gives. The other end of that is that the person takes and takes and takes without giving anything back.
Now, this is my take on the subject just from reading what God has to say about many things. I believe that when the time comes for Jesus to call His own home, He will only take those who have had a personal relationship with Him and the Father. Does that mean that if you asked Him into your heart that you will be left behind. I did not say that. But it does bear thinking about, doesn’t it.
What type of relationship do you have with your Lord? At times, I have to think about that because I want the best relationship and fellowship I can have with Him. I want my Lord to tell me that He is pleased with His servant. I just wish I was more of a servant than I am. Do you think that? Do you feel that way? You are not alone. I once heard Billy Graham say that he was not sure of how Jesus would see him, that he had done nowhere nearly enough for God. It shocked me. If that blessed man of God does not see himself as having accomplished anything, how can I be seen as a servant??? Actually, God sees us individually and uniquely. He does not compare our works or serving to others. He does compare us to what we are supposed to be. Is that scary or what?
God made us in His image and called us to do His will which includes serving Him. We should be so grateful to be Christians because of the sacrifice on the cross that Jesus made that we would literally do anything for Him. Is that how you live your life for the Lord? Mine is sadly lacking in that area. But I hope I do not use Him as an ATM machine only wanting, wanting, wanting and not giving back to Him.
One of the ways you can give back to the Lord is simply talking to Him and listening to what He has to say. I realize that sounds simple but is it? Most people go about their business not paying any attention to what God has to say at all. I am guilty of that myself so I know that happens. What’s going on? We are wanting what He has to offer but we are not interested in learning all He can teach us. Weird, huh? Do you realize that if you were to listen and learn all that God could teach you, you would not have too much trouble right here on this incredibly evil earth? Why? Because He can teach you how to live here and walk in divine health, be available to serve and help as many as God sends your way. But, the big problem is that we do not want to listen long enough to learn all that. After all, we have our lives to live, right? And Who was it that gave you that life?
It is time to talk to the Lord, have a very personal relationship with Him especially at this very dangerous time in our lives. For those who live in the US, this is going to be a crucial time for us depending on who enters the White House. We are not looked on as the biggest power in the world anymore. In fact, our reputation is quite soiled now. We are not the greatest, most honest country anymore. The truth is that with the housing market what it is, the gas prices doing what they are and the whole security thing going on, we are on our own precipice and it’s about to break off. Things are going to get MUCH worse before they get better. If we are not prepared, we will have all the problems we have now and then some. Will you survive such a life?
Our lives have been truly blessed in so many ways. Despite the fact that we may not be able to always pay our bills, even if we are homeless, we have ways to deal with the problem. There are shelters and places to get food and supplies. We can find ways to live. But in other countries, that is not the case. Look at some of the truly poor countries. People are starving. We do not have that too much in this country. But, and that is a big one, when you see those other countries, if our country does not wake up to what God wants, it will be much like the ones you see that are so poor. Believe me, I did not want to say that but it is the truth and it will happen. We, as Americans, have been too full of ourselves. We MUST learn to walk with the Lord before it’s too late to do it!!!!
It is time to pray, to talk to God, to seek His kingdom because He says that if we do want anything from Him, that we MUST seek the kingdom first. DO NOT WAIT until it is too late. Seek God, seek His Face and begin to do what He wants you to do now!!! And for goodness sake, quit using God as an ATM machine that never runs out. It will.
