The Question (A short story)

Since it has been quite some time since my last article, I feel as though I should explain my lack of content.  As my personal ministry has continued to increase, I have had to take time from other things, this being one of them.  I love writing and conveying those things which I have been give, and those things which I have been taught.  This article will be different than many of the others.  Several years ago I wrote several short stories and since my time to write has become limited I want to share with you one of those stories.  I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, feel free to share it.  Here is the story:

THE QUESTION
In this world one of the most difficult things to endure is heartache.  As children, and I speak from experience, we have our hearts broken by our parents and usually over something as insignificant as a toy.  Children want and desire things, items, or to go places and most times given the answer “no”.  Of course, looking back, it seems trivial.  From the child’s perspective, though, it is heart wrenching to want something so badly and then be denied.  As teenagers and young adults our hearts are usually broken due to failed relationships.  You know, boy meets girl, boy dates girl, boy and girl break up, and so on.  Being on the wrong side of maturity, this scenario does seem to be very catastrophic.  Yet, with age, patience, and maturity these things help us become who we are.  Hindsight being 20/20, we are able to look back and see these things being far less tragic than originally perceived.
When we become adults, the heart aches we go through are quite different.  The loss of parents, children, and other family members usually generate the greatest aching within our hearts.  Seeing someone suffer through sickness, divorce, loss of finances, and drug or alcohol abuse also bring an aching heart to people.  All of these things, from the
time we are children until we leave this life, tear at our heart strings.  This, however, is not the kind of heartache my story contains.  In very rare instances, we can experience our hearts breaking, in a way that gives us joy and inspires us.  If you do not believe that can happen, please allow me the opportunity to change your mind.  By trade I am not a writer, but after telling this story several times to family and close friends I have been convinced to put pen to paper (actually, fingers to keyboard), and tell my story.  We all have stories.  Some are better, some are worse, some are long, some are short.  This one is mine.
My name is Jim Duvall.  I am 46 years old and work as an advertising and marketing agent for a sporting goods manufacturer.  In college I played baseball and played semiprofessional baseball after graduating for five glorious seasons.  I was good, just not good enough.  I took a job with one of the teams sponsors and the rest, you could say, is history.
My job allows me to travel and work with children, showcasing the latest and greatest  equipment.  I have always loved children, my wife and I have four of our own.  I have been married for twenty two years (I hope I got that right, if I didn’t, I’m sorry honey!)  We met in college and for our first official date she invited me to church.  She is a great Sunday School teacher and all the kids love her.  Thanks to her, I too, have learned much.  It was her devotion and dedication that led me to the altar of salvation, then to the marriage altar.
My wife’s name is Natalie.  She has taught Sunday School since she was a teenager and in her adult life she runs
a day care center at the church.  I suppose that Nat’s love for kids influenced me enough to want to work with them as well.  I eventually became a youth pastor, and I have enjoyed that far beyond anything I would have imagined.
Now that we have a little background I can get on with my story.  As I said earlier, my job allows me to travel and showcase our newest equipment.  For the most part I work directly with schools.  Colleges and high schools to be more specific.  Working with athletes and being able to impart the knowledge I gained through my own short lived baseball career is rewarding.  After the demonstrations are over I always stick around to answer any questions the kids may have and sometimes it proves to be a good way to witness to them about my personal life and my faith.  That is by far my favorite part.
Last spring, however, presented me with a rare treat. Our company had come up with some new face shields and batting helmets for Little League players, usually ages 10-12. It had been quite some time since I had done a demonstration for children of that age.  Once they hear that you played anything resembling professional baseball or have met a big name player (which had happened several times), they become awestruck.  From that point on, you have their undivided attention.
I was excited.  Not only would I be able to work with the smaller children, I would be working right in my own community!  I knew some of the children that would be there because they were part of our church’s youth group.  Seeing some familiar little faces was going to be a very special treat and that day was fast approaching.
On the day of our presentation I was greeted by many smiling faces.  As I had anticipated, some were familiar but
most were not.  I waved to the children, told them about myself, who I had played for, and the baseball stars I had met.  I continued by introducing the new equipment we had developed and explaining the differences between the old and the new.  Once the official speech was over, the kids got to try the helmets and our other youth equipment out.
While the kids were busying themselves with the new products I spoke with the coach’s, officials, and principal’s.  I assure you, talking sports with kids is much more satisfying than talking business with adults.  After the “grown up” business was taken care of I spoke with the children again and asked for their thoughts on the new equipment and finished up the official part of my job.
With everyone being dismissed and the presentation being over, as I usually do, I waited around and answered any questions they had.  I offered my usual “semi-professional” advice about batting, fielding, and which products “I” liked the best.  Finally, before leaving, I spoke about my other job of being a youth pastor.  Considering our church is in the same area as the school I invited all of them to our next Sunday morning service.  The following Sunday morning I was surprised and very pleased to see some new faces in our youth group.  One of the new faces in the back seemed quite familiar to me, but I was not immediately sure why.  Youth service being over, I searched for the familiar face of the boy who had been sitting in the back.   The boy, instead, had found me.  From behind I heard “Excuse me, Pastor Jim?”  In both of my jobs I have answered a lot of questions. Some of them you expect. Some of them are silly.  Some are embarrassing. Some make you think.  Some are funny. Apparently, some will make your heart break.

I turned to see the boy who was speaking to me.  I recognized him from the Little League demonstration I had done here in the community.  I’m glad he had accepted the invitation to attend our church.  New faces are always a welcome sight and it gave me joy to know that some children do listen to the parts that are not about sports.
As I faced him, I was met with a question.  No, I was met with THE question.  A question, which, in all its simplicity, filled me with an initially deep sadness.  A question which only a child could ask.  The question was this:  “Pastor Jim, when we get to heaven can you have your company make me a special wheelchair so me and my dad can play baseball together?”
I’m not sure if it was the question or the innocence and sincerity with which the question was asked that brought tears to my eyes.  I had not noticed his disability, but will never forget his question.  Here was a child who was not concerned with a disability, not concerned with being in a wheelchair, but only wanted to be in heaven to play baseball with his dad.  That broke my heart.
With tears streaming down my cheeks and a voice that quivered uncontrollably I made several attempts at talking and couldn’t.  I put my hand on his shoulder, knelt down, and prayed silently until I was able to gain a little composure.  It was with sheer and utter joy I explained that a wheelchair would not be allowed in heaven because Jesus would make our bodies glorified.  Bodies that would run and jump and not get tired.  After explaining the goodness of God and all that we have to look forward to, he was crying tears of joy and saying how he couldn’t wait to get there because his dad was already there waiting on him.
It hasn’t been long since the the story now referred to as “The Question Story” took place.  Each time I tell the story I get choked up.  The question has always reminded how innocent a child really is and how we should all be so lucky to find a part of that innocence within ourselves.

The Love of God

How are we portraying the love of God?  This question should be asked of ourselves when confronting any hot-button issue.  It is so easy to get caught up in being right that we can lose sight of being right in the eyes of God.  There is a quote, and I use it often, that says “the truth, without love, is just brutality”.  I am not making a suggestion to sugar coat anything, but I am suggesting there are, at times, a better approach.

As a Christian we accept the inerrancy of the Bible as God’s Word.  We accept His Word is Faithful and True.  We accept that He is right in all matters, in all judgments, in all things.  When preaching to the choir, that boldness and righteous indignation toward sin is understood, to the sinner, it is indignation toward the person and often misunderstood.  Read almost any debate regarding the legalization of gay marriage here in the United States and you will see many examples.  Being right with God must exceed our need to be right to man.

We do, however, have a job to speak the gospel, be a witness, be a light, expose the darkness of sin, and speak the truth of God’s Word.  We must not be afraid of standing on His truth.  Let me ask, though:  Was it a hateful Christian that led you to Christ or was it someone that reached out in love, compassion, and understanding?   How are you responding now?  I have some bad news, this world will get worse and the love of many will wax cold.  Knowing this does not give us permission to let our love wax cold too.  When love waxes cold, the church must be a storehouse of love from which the world can find an example.  The church, and we as Christians, should have love in abundance and readily available.  We are not called to be like the world, but to be transformed from the world and worldly ways.

For those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, I often hear “…but God loves everyone”.  This is true, and thank God for that.  God even loves the sinners, we must never forget this fact.

Romans:5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The love of God has never been in doubt, it isn’t even what separates a Christian from a sinner.  It is the acceptance of God’s love through Jesus that separates and saves.  For those who are yet in sin, God loves you.  This goes for the homosexual, the liar, the thief, the adulterer, and any other form of sinner.  You know the saying “love the sinner, hate the sin”.  Never doubt God’s love.  Yet, it is your acceptance of God’s love or rejection that will define your eternity.  God is love, and Jesus is His love toward mankind.  Jesus took upon Himself the sin of the world and won victory over all sin for those who will accept Him as Savior.

The choice must be clear.  As a Christian, we must show the world the love of God.  For the sinner, God’s love is Jesus, and if you haven’t accepted Him, you have not accepted the Love of God.  Turn from your sin, ask forgiveness seek His love, His Son.  That gift is available, but like any gift, it can be accepted or rejected.  Unlike other gifts, this one has eternal consequences.  Only love covers a multitude of sin, seek Him while He may be found.  Today is the day of salvation, call upon Jesus now and accept the Love of God, there is no promise of tomorrow.

Where Did You Meet…

We all have a story of how we met our closest friend, our significant other, a distant relative, or maybe even a favorite pet. Do you remember the details? Can you still picture it as though it happened just yesterday?

Did you see them several times before you actually met? Did you hear someone else say their name? Or maybe you read their name on an office door, maybe even on a name tag or badge. Thinking back on that day, do you remember their clothing, their cologne or perfume? Did you meet them by chance or did you purposely start a conversation?

These are just a few of the details and questions that come to my own mind. Whether you remember the smallest details or not, you usually remember the place or setting in which you met. In an office, on the street, in the market, at work, or at church? These are common places to many meetings.

My question for you is this: Do you remember where in scripture you met Jesus? Do you remember the sermon, the message, the song, or the teaching? Where in His Word did you meet Him? Now, let us go back to the second paragraph and ask some very similar questions with Christ as the subject. Did you see Him in others a few times before you met Him yourself? Did you hear others speak His name? Did you read His name and wonder? Did you purposely meet Him? Maybe you just meant to get some information on Him and ended up meeting Him unexpectedly.

I met Jesus in the twenty fourth chapter of Matthew. I had heard about Him and learned about Him from the time I was a small child. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I met Him for myself. When I met Him in His word, He was at the Mount of Olives telling His disciples what would happen at the time of the end. He gave a detailed, passionate prophecy. It sounded so much like the world I live in. I then thought “how wonderful that Jesus was seeing a place and time where He would meet me, and probably many others, in His word”. Since then I have realized the place, time, setting, details, or circumstance did not hold as much value as the simple fact that we met and I accepted Him as my Savior.

It does not matter which sermon led you to the Savior, Jesus Christ, as long as you accept Him. The songs that were sang are now of little consequence, a minor detail in a major event. I am not trying to downplay sermons or songs or words or prayers, they all play a very important, vital part. Yet, nothing compares to the moment of salvation, the perfect work of Christ being made manifest in the life of a believer. It is of little importance where each of us met Jesus, me in the book of Matthew, another in the book of John, one in the book of second Peter, and another in the book of the Revelation, as long as we met Him and accepted Him as Savior. The one common ground we have is this, we all meet Him at the cross.

Ga:2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

There was a time, as a sinner, we drove those spikes into His flesh. The sin of man put Christ on the cross. His work defeated sin once and for all, for everyone that will accept Him as Savior. Once you come to the cross by His blood, our old man is crucified to the cross with Him. No longer are we guilty, for it is not we who live from the moment we are saved, it is He that lives within us! There at the cross, it was He who loved me, it was He that loved you. He gave himself for us. If you have not yet met Jesus, He can be found anytime, anyplace. You can arrange that meeting at once, just simply reach out to Him in prayer, in faith believing, confess your sin and ask Him into your heart, accept His atoning blood to cover your sin, and you too can have a time and place, where you met the Savior. Glory to His name!

Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His Name!

Glory to His Name,
Glory to His Name:
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His Name!

Mortality and Time

As a child it seemed the days passed so slowly, especially during school. The days of summer would come and erase the memories of tests, studying, and what appeared to be endless assignments. Those warm nights, though, would again give way to cooler weather and a return to school. Upon finishing formal education, those days gave way to employment. Time passes, swiftly. The older I become, the quicker the days seem to pass.

Looking back, the days spent in school don’t seem so far away. As a child it appeared that time was an abundant, inexhaustible source. Now, time is priceless and something that must be managed wisely. Seeing the sands slipping through the hourglass of life you begin to realize that no one knows how much sand their hourglass starts with nor how much remains. With age comes the realization and reality of our mortality.

This life, no matter how long we have, is short. Whether forty years, sixty years, eighty years or more, it passes quickly. Life consists of doing, working, going, and countless other things. We get busy, we become occupied, and time passes. Much of it passes and we are blissfully unaware.

Job:14:1: Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

In the process of living it is normal to ponder life, God, religion, eternity. I suspect that many, if not all, have pursued the answer to these subjects. I spend every day offering my life, my being, as a witness for Jesus and the Bible. Some days I succeed, other days are not quite as successful. With the time I have been given, I made a decision to accept Jesus as my Savior. Far too many days slipped by, too many times I said “maybe tomorrow”.

James:4:14: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

There is no guarantee of tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation. Once you die, your works here are finished. There is no second chance to come back and make anything right. This life is all we are given, whether your days are few or many, our days are numbered. A decision must be made with the time you are given. No excuse will be accepted. Lies will be transparent. There will be no reason “good enough” for refusing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah:55:6: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

This day is an opportunity, a moment in time where you too can accept the gift of eternal life. It is a gift. It cannot be bought, it cannot be traded for, it cannot be sold. The giver of eternal life is God, and it is given to all who will confess their sin to God and accept His Son, Jesus as their Savior. If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, let me encourage you to accept Him today, for your tomorrow may not come. Accepting salvation is a simple act, simply pray the following prayer (or something close to it), believe in your heart, and accept the grace of God through Jesus Christ:

Heavenly Father, I have sinned, I have lived a life of sin, I have done wrong and confess my sin to You. God, my sin is against you and I am sorry. Please forgive me. Jesus I ask you now to come into my heart, cleanse me and make me worthy of You. I accept You, Jesus, as my Savior and I thank You for the salvation You have given me now and the gift of eternal life.

If you prayed that prayer I would love to hear from you. I thank God for you, and all that read and share these messages. I continue to pray for you all and simply ask that you do the same for me. May God continue to bless you and all that you do!

You can contact me here:
prophetic.steps@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/propheticsteps

Failing

Prior to salvation through Jesus Christ, we fail. We fail Him, we fail to see, we fail to hear, we fail to understand, we fail to seek His word. Instead, we seek the advice of friends, we look for a better relationship from the world, our time is spent on self. God is neglected.

Romans:3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Failing God is not just for those who have not yet accepted Jesus as Savior. Failure is only permanent for those who die in their sin, those who do not confess and turn from their sin, those who do not accept a relationship with Christ. Those who proclaim Jesus, confess Jesus is Lord, have faithful church attendance, do good for others, they fail too. The difference is, there is grace for the believer. For the unbeliever there is forgiveness. Thank God that we all have a way, through Jesus and His work to be cleansed.

1st John:1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1st John:1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1st John:1:10: If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

While this could be a broad generalization suited for many, I am directing this article at myself. Often, Christians are called hypocrites, holier than thou, and two-faced. Let me confess to all who take the time to read this, I fail. Everyday it seems I find a new way to fail. There are times I fall flat on my face, inconvenient times when I have to “practice what I preach”. Still, I fail.

Recently, I realized a new way I have failed. I have failed to reach those close to me, my friends. I have not taken opportunities to present the gospel, instead, I have made the assumption they know my life, what I believe, and considered it enough. There are friends I have not spoken to in a very long time, friends I have lost touch with, people I may not have another chance to present the gospel to. Failure to take every chance to present the gospel can have eternal consequences, especially for those who do not have a relationship with Jesus and never knowing if we have a tomorrow.

As much as this article is for me, it is just as much for my friends, family, and anyone else who cares to read this. We all fail, in different ways. We all fail to different degrees. One thing that does not fail is the salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ. Today, I will try harder, and even harder the following days. Even on the days I do not feel as though I have failed, I will bow before the Lord in prayer, confess my sin, ask forgiveness and the strength to do better with every day I am given. Time is short, with no guarantee. I am sorry for the times I have failed, so now I will do better to rectify the situation.

I have set up an email account for this blog. If I can be of help to you, if you need prayer, if you have questions, please feel free to contact me: prophetic.steps@yahoo.com or you can comment or send a message to the facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/propheticsteps

We have all failed, we have all fallen short of God’s glory. We must cast those things aside and carry on that His strength be seen, that He be given the glory, for when we are weak, then He is strong.

The Rise of Persecution

Trials and tribulations should be expected by all who choose to follow Jesus. The Christian walk is not an easy one. We must realize that we do not wage war against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities, spiritual wickedness in high places. It is fortunate when our worst days of “spiritual warfare” are when we are faced with temptation, fight the urge to use vulgar language, want to lie, or refrain from doing good when we should. These are very real circumstances, and submission to these things are sin. If this is the worst we face, and I know at times these are bad enough, I also know it could be so much worse.

I am afraid that we will indeed see worse. There is a storm on the horizon gaining momentum, speed, and strength. That coming storm is persecution. In the headlines of media and news, and across the globe on television we see a very open and violent persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Men, women, and children are being kidnapped, crucified, tortured, beheaded, and gunned down because of their Christian faith. I feel a strong burden to pray for those people and the horrible situation they face. Please remember those people in your prayers.

These situations should not take us by surprise. As we see prophecy being fulfilled, we should know that it will continue to get worse. These things have been foretold:

Matthew:24:9: Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

Luke:21:12: But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

2nd Timothy:3:12: Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

I believe we are seeing the very beginnings of those verses taking place. I also believe we are witnessing a very strong faith in Jesus Christ by those people who are more willing to die than deny the Savior. We often read of martyrs from the history of the church and their valiant fight of faith, yet, do we realize that we are also now seeing it in the present?

It is easy to say “well, it isn’t happening here” and carry on with our lives because we do not see it affecting us directly. Those people are our brothers and sisters in Christ, we better care! Their faith to the death should be a witness to you, it doesn’t show their strength, it shows His strength within them.

Luke:21:13: And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

Don’t be fooled though, the storm is coming to you also. The persecution of the church has already begun. Prayer in schools or at school functions has been forbidden. City and state governments must now speak the name of Jesus in whispered voices or behind closed doors for fear of who might hear. Your beliefs may now exclude you from jobs, positions of authority, or show you as impartial or biased. Speaking your belief of Jesus as Lord and Savior could next lead to belief that you are a radical or guilty of a hate crime. You could be taken to court and found guilty simply because you stand on ideas and principles found in the Bible.

Right now, our government tolerates Christianity. We were once a government of the people, by the people, for the people, but we are soon to be a people under a government, unlike what we know today. If you understand Bible prophecy, you already know a change in government is coming. I believe that change is already taking place, but we still see the illusion of what we had. That veil will soon be removed and the persecution we see today will be a fond memory, because Christian persecution will be multiplied exponentially.

Please pray, pray for those suffering persecution to the death, pray for their safety and their lives, that their testimony speak to those who do not yet believe in Jesus. Pray for our churches, our national, state, and local leaders. Pray, if not for deliverance from these things, for strength, patience, comfort, and protection. Remember God’s word for those who suffer persecution:

Matthew:5:10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew:5:12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Handwriting on the Wall (part 2)

In my previous article I discussed a relevent issue from the fifth chapter of Daniel. If you read the previous article, and are familiar with the events in Daniel, then you should have seen the “handwriting on the wall” there would soon follow a part two. Usually, I am not fond of sequels. I will make an exception in this case, because I know there is some unfinished business to discuss.

In the previous article I had discussed the fact that Belshazzar had committed a heinous act and should have known nothing good could come from it. Then again, maybe he did and just did not care enough about the consequences. Once the temple instruments were used for vile purposes, a hand appeared and wrote a message upon the wall. The previous article dealt with misusing the instruments that belong to God and how it still applies today. Let us now move forward to another matter, just as relevant:

Daniel:5:7: The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Daniel:5:8: Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

The king was horrified by the handwriting. His response was to gather all he considered wise, take counsel with them and hope to learn what the writing meant. In his fear he sought the counsel of men, not God. He offered a chair among royalty, a position of power and authority. The men came to the king, and you can only imagine how anxious they might be to ascend to a higher position among men. Yet, none could decipher what the Lord had written.

Today, our kings seek the counsel of men. The leaders today are crafty, well educated, with much experience in affairs of diplomacy, war, spying, intelligence, and finance. When the unthinkable happens, the experts are called in for ideas, strategy, quick fixes and evaluations, predictions of actions and reactions. We, as people, have not really changed that much. I do understand this seems to be a smart solution, but I also understand it is a fleshly solution. Too often decisions are made without the counsel of God, without looking to Him, His Word, His Spirit in prayer. Rarely is a known or perceived man of God approached for insight, understanding or wisdom. The world loves its own.

The king was reminded by his queen there was a man in the kingdom who had served the kings father in similar circumstances and was made head of all astrologers and soothsayers. Daniel, a man of God, was brought in to do what those who were considered professionals or experts could not. You see, right here I am reminded of the verse that says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding”. Daniel seemed to excel in exactly that.

And now we come to the conclusion of the matter:

Daniel:5:23: But hast lifted up thyself against the LORD of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
Daniel:5:24: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
Daniel:5:25: And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Daniel:5:26: This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
Daniel:5:27: TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

Man had exalted himself and his gods, he had misused the instruments set apart for God, lived a life of excess, a life of drunkenness, and promiscuity. The king failed to recognize God, he had falied to glorify God in any way. It is because of all these atrocities judgment came, and it came swiftly.

It is no doubt an awesome thing to go before God in judgment, but that is what we see here at the finish. The king had been weighed in the balance, and came up short. We, as a people, as nations are following suit. Counsel of godly men and women fall by the wayside and upon spiritually deaf ears. Men are too eager to please mankind, to eager to seek after riches and power, and no longer care to glorify the soon coming King of kings, Jesus.

My fear for the world today is this: I fear many of todays rulers throughout the world have seen the handwriting on the wall. The counsel of men is being sought to find the reason for all the calamities in the world, maybe because they are afraid of the handwriting on the wall. Today, the rulers look to “global warming” scientists, they are looking to DNA researchers, to biochemists, to doctors, to environmentalists to ease their concerns. I have a piece of advice for them all, look up!! Look up! Seek the One who has set all things in motion, turn from the ways of this world, save yourself, save your people. Judgment is coming, for nations and for individuals. Seek Him while He can be found, seek Him before you too are weighed in the balance. Only Jesus Christ can balance those scales of justice. Let us glorify Jesus, let us look to Him and pray to be accounted worthy of Him and His kingdom.

Handwriting on the Wall

Have you noticed we live in a world where slogans are everywhere and used to remind us of something? For instance, slogans are one of the most used, most efficient, most reliable ways of advertising. Some examples would be “Just Do It” (Nike), “Made from the best stuff on Earth” (Snapple), “They’re Grrrrrreeaattt” (Frosted Flakes), and “Have it your way” (Burger King). Some of these are a bit old, and probably outdated by now, but you get the idea.

Phrases have a way expressing a big idea using few words. We often hear familiar phrases used in a variety of contexts. Lately, I have heard a phrase used several times, meaning that a person “should have seen it coming”, but the phrase used is: “They should have seen the handwriting on the wall”.

For me this always brings to my mind the fifth chapter of Daniel. This is quite possibly one of my favorite events to read, re-read, and study. It is also a realization, shouldn’t we “see it coming”, should we not be able to discern some of those things which are about to happen? Of course I’m not referring to fortune-telling, nor am I specifically referring to the gift of prophecy. When we are given numerous examples throughout the Bible, when we are given specific actions and reactions, shouldn’t we be able to know what is going to happen? Sure, the consequences of repeated actions may not be immediate, but they are imminent.

In the fifth chapter of Daniel we find that Belshazzar was giving a great feast, a party, and gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels, which had been used in the Jewish Temple. Once those vessels were brought out and used, something happened:

Daniel:5:5: In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Daniel:5:6: Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

The hand and writing caused the king such horror that his bowels were loosed and his knees buckled and began to shake. I suppose the phrase “caught red-handed” could apply here. There is a very important lesson to be learned, you should not mis-use nor tarnish the instruments set apart for the service of God!

1st Chronicles:16:21: He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,
1st Chronicles:16:22: Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Those instruments were created, finely crafted, and sanctified for use in serving God. The equivalent today are those who are saved and serving Jesus. We have been cleansed by His blood, we are set apart from this world, and serving our Lord. We are those instruments, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, serving a risen, living Savior, seeking to accomplish His will in our lives, giving our testimony, letting our lives be a witness, moving in faith, praying always, loving in truth and in deed, all that the glory be His. We offer our bodies a living sacrifice.

Just as Belshazzar was living it up in the world (eating, drinking, and being merry), he misused the instruments dedicated to God. Today, this world is misusing and mistreating the instruments dedicated to God. Belshazzar did not see the writing on the wall and his reign ended that very night. There is coming a point in time where someone in this world will say “we should have seen the handwriting on the wall”, and just as it was then, it will be too late. Be of good cheer, we will suffer things in this world, we will be hated in this world, but I have good news, Jesus overcame this world and by Him, we shall too! To Jesus be the glory forever, amen.

Atheism Does Not Exist (because I don’t believe in it)

The title of this article is written in jest, tongue in cheek. Yet, I believe there is some truth to be found in it. Does unbelief change the existence of anything? If you believe grass is orange, sand is purple, or blood is green, does that make it true? Of course not, it is only a delusion you have created for yourself.

Atheism, the non-belief in God, or even a god, is really just another way of elevating mankind. What you serve becomes your god. If you choose to serve yourself, your needs, your wants, you have become your own god. If you choose to serve your job, your job is your god. If money is the pursuit of your life, money is your god. You begin to see a pattern here.

Psalms:53:1: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Everyone believes in something, even atheists. Some believe in the goodness of mankind, but if you watch the news you can see that disputed nightly. Some believe in science, yet, science has neither disproved or proved God exists. There is no concrete proof for the atheist and their decision of denying the existence of God.

Before you get too carried away in agreement, let us take a step back. Was there not a time where you and I lived in a way that denied His existence? Did we not live in sin, taking for granted our own lives, and fulfilling the lusts of the flesh? Have we not served ourselves, with no regard to God? We have surely walked in those very shoes, and it is because of that walk that we should show compassion and understanding to those that have yet to come to the knowledge of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. We must understand what a privilege we have in the fact that we could be the chosen vessel to introduce a lost soul to the King of Righteousness.

For me, a very troubling aspect of atheism is not the unbelief. It is the attacks on Christianity. This brings to light another question: Why would you waste energy, money, and effort to attack something you believe does not exist? By effort alone you begin to acknowledge the existence of something!

1st John:2:18: Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1st John:2:22: Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

Back to the point, atheism (as I see and understand it) is more akin to the spirit of antichrist than true unbelief. The refusal of atheists to openly attack Buddhists, Wiccans, Satanists, and Muslims really shows a pointed attack on Christianity. Atheists have created their own religion, a belief in unbelief. They have monuments, meetings, teachings, literature, evangelists (to help spread the unbelief), and educational institutions. They have become a religion, which I find ironic. Maybe now you understand or see how fitting this title really is and why I do not believe atheism exists. Then, again, I suppose there are those radicals, those splinter groups, that really do believe nothing. God calls them fools, I am not that brave.

All we can do is present the gospel. Continue to spread the good news, give your testimony, let your life be a witness for Jesus, let your light shine, pray, and be a vessel which God can use to accomplish His purpose. Praise Him, for He is worthy!

The Law

In this modern age, we have the rule of law, which we are governed by daily. Of course there are those who choose to break the law, ignore the law, and think themselves above the law. This does not change the fact that we are governed by law. We have those who make the law, those who enforce the law, those who practice law, and those who are being rehabilitated to follow the law. Yes, the law covers a lot of ground, you could say.

Here, in America, our laws are based largely upon moral and ethical law written by Moses, given by God. I have no specific verses which I want to reference, but you could start with the ten commandments found in Exodus, the twentieth chapter. The law of our land is the Constitution of the United States of America.

When we think about law, it is usually the details or a specific section, not the law as a whole, in which we direct our focus. The times we live in are much more about the letter of the law than the spirit in which it was written. The previous statement really begs for a teaching all its own, and I hope you choose to come back to it and meditate on it.

The reason I chose to write about the subject of law is because there are two points which I wanted to communicate. The first is, there is the law of God, and there is the law of man. Our law, the Constitution, is based on God’s law. Today, however, the law is being perverted, re-written, and misinterpreted to suit the needs of man, and not seeking the will of God. When you realize this, it becomes apparent why the anti-christ is referred to as the “man of lawlessness”. It is not because he does not have his own laws, it is because there is no regard for the laws of God.

The second point, or observation, I wanted to bring to light is; law is based on morals and ethics. If laws are being written, re-written, or misinterpreted from their original context, it is being done so from man’s perspective, not God’s. When you are no longer allowed to identify people by gender, when you are re-defining what marriage is, when you are limiting how and where a person can pray, you are creating law from someone else’s point of view, a man’s point of view. To say we are becoming a God-less country would be correct, instead we are becoming a country with gods.

Choose this day to be a servant to God and His ways. He that gave the law, has also given grace in and by Jesus Christ. Jesus is the more perfect covenant, and though He fulfilled the law, He by no means destroyed the law. We are still responsible for our actions, and I hope to encourage you to see what is happening and pray that spiritual eyes will be opened. We do not serve the law, but the Creator. The way that seems right to men leads to destruction, the way of God leads to eternal life. Look at the law and understand what is coming and from where it comes. Be not deceived, watch and pray. Man continues to give his law, but praise God, for He continues to give grace.