The Lord is Our Judge

"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, he LORD is our king; it is he who will save us. Isa 33:22

The world is on the verge of worldwide panic. Economic recession and political tension consumes the headlines. Decision makers vacillate because the problems seem so complex and overwhelming. The world has dug itself a financial hole through excessive spending and the accumulation of massive debt. Those who loaned the money to fuel the spending spree and grew wealthy on the interest, are now finding it difficult to be paid back what was borrowed from them. We face uncertain and potentially dangerous times ahead.

As a society, we are like children who have run away from home and found that the world can be cold and dark outside of the confines of the warmth and security of our parents home. We are like sheep who have wandered away from the protection of the shepherd and are standing in the midst of wolves. We have chosen to ignore what our Creator has told us is best and have wandered away from his covering.

The problems we have today are of our own doing. God is not punishing us because he is mad; rather we are suffering from what He warned about. He loves us and wants us to return home. How many times did we read his word and say, "God really didn't mean that, I think we can still do this and be okay." We rationalized his word saying, "the Bible cannot be taken literally, it must evolve with the times. After all, it was written by humans, how could they know what God was thinking?" Or worse many have chosen to completely ignore Him saying, "The Bible is just a collection of fairy tales, that are for weak-minded people, who needs it."

The Holy Spirit through his servant Moses wrote, "The LORD will vindicate his people and relent concerning his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free. " Deut 32:36 Although this was written specifically for the Jews, it certainly applies to the world situation today. "He (God)will say: 'Now where are their gods (money, credit cards, material things) the rock they took refuge in,'" Deut 32:37

Many people say that God is mean, that he brings down calamity on the world. The fact is we serve a good God, one like a good parent wants the best for his children, who loves them and disciplines them when they are doing something they shouldn't. We cannot run our lives without boundaries. The boundaries established by God. When we look at the Bible as a source of things that are written by a cruel God who doesn't want us to have fun, we miss the point. Like a good parent, God does not want us to get hurt. He doesn't want us to suffer economic hardship, so he wrote through Solomon, "the borrower is the slave to the lender." Prov 22:7 No, God wants his children to enjoy life and because he is wiser that us, he has established the best possible set of boundaries to maximize our freedom and safety.

We are in this current situation for only one reason. We have chosen to ignore God's advice and now we must let the mess we have caused unravel itself. Many will lose everything they have accumulated and many will find themselves with no job or home. People will lash out against each other and sadly some may be murdered or assaulted. Some may even choose to commit suicide and others imprisoned. None of it is a surprise to God and none of it was caused by Him! The echoes of what he warned the Jews in the desert are ringing loudly today. History repeats itself.

My prayer. Father thank you that you want the best for your children. Thank you that you would not let us stray too far from home and that as a good shepherd you would gently nudge us back. I pray for an awakening in your people that we may see the error of our decisions and repent from our misdirection and begin the journey back to You. I pray for financial wisdom and blessings in the days ahead and I thank you that you will have compassion on your servants. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!

Are You Ready?

"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." Acts 7:55


While Stephen was being stoned by the religious leaders in Jerusalem he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Acts 7:59 Luke said, that Stephen "saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing (at God's right hand)!" Stephen was clearly serving God no matter what the cost, he was truly "full of the Holy Spirit."


I have been asking the Lord lately to reveal to me what he wants me to do for Him and His Kingdom and although he is silent on the specifics he continues to reveal to me that there will be troubled times ahead. He has given me Jeremiah 13 and 17 as well as Revelation 2 (the "persecuted church" as his words to me. He is clearly reminding me of difficult times ahead for the Body of Christ. These are the days of Noah and we will all need to have the strength that Daniel had in his faith if we are to persevere.


In my study in the Book of Acts, the Lord has made it abundantly clear to me that what Stephen suffered because he chose to tell the truth of the gospel, is an echo of what life soon will be like even in America. Today, verbal stones are constantly being hurled in our direction. The congregations of many denominational churches are shrinking. I believe there will be a day in this country that many Christians will have to seek the underground as they do in China and North Korea. Churches of the future will most likely look like the home churches that were first organized in Stephen's day.

Just as our European brothers and sisters do in England and elsewhere, Christians battle in an increasingly secular society to practice what their moral compass requires even at the risk of their jobs. The rise of socialism and diminishing freedom in the name of societal engineering is driving out ethical behavior and replacing it with moral relativism and a strong centralized government that desires to enslave its citizenry and control every aspect of daily life. The United States is fast becoming a socialist "democracy" with a leadership that is imposing its will upon the people through fear. Christians are the last bastion of resistance and the length of freedom's reign in the United States will be directly proportional to our willingness to endure the "stones."

While we stand and pray for our leadership to seek the will of God for our country, we are preparing ourselves for a spiritual battle unlike we have ever experienced. The Spirit-filled Christian will be the last man standing in a war against tyranny.

Are we ready to take the persecution?

Do we have enough love for Jesus and our fellow man to stand up for what we believe and speak the truth even when the rocks begin to reign down on our heads?

The time is now, to man up and serve the God who loved us enough to hang on a cross so that we could spend eternity with him in Paradise. Lord, give us the strength to endure to the end, like our brother Stephen.

I'm in! Will you join me!

Through Life's Trials

"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;" Rev 2:8-11

In Jesus' letter to the church at Smyrna he writes, "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)....." In these difficult days many of us face job loss and and financial hardship. Stresses of everyday life are magnified as the pressure of the economic crisis enveloping the world weighs heavy on everyone. We as Christians however have cause to rejoice because we have a Savior in Jesus Christ who is with us no matter how difficult the struggle. We are truly rich even in our poverty.

I believe the times we are in will get worse and even in the United States Christians may experience increasing persecution as liberal groups continue to influence our politicians and the affairs of our government. Jesus prophetically predicted this and as he wrote to the persecuted church in Smyrna, " and I know the the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Jesus, encouraged them as he does us now to "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days," because the faithful will receive "unto death, .....a crown of life."

Jesus' message is for today and for all who are and will be persecuted for their faith. Whether it is a reprimand at work or a physical beating, we as believers are or will be persecuted and we must endure to the end. God may not always deliver us from the trials of life but he is always faithful to stand with us as we endure them. Just as He shut the mouths of lions and lead his people as a pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night, God is with us. We will persevere until the end if we trust that he is the "Alpha and the Omega" the beginning and the end. "He that hath an ear, let him hear."