🏳️‍🌈✝️ The warning has gone out to the church. God has said, "Get ready! Prepare for the worst.

Written by John W. Ritenbaugh

November 30, 2017

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JOEL 2:13-15

Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments.”
Now return [in repentance] to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; And He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent].

Who knows whether He will relent [and revoke your sentence], And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering [from the bounty He provides you] For the Lord your God?

Blow a trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment],
Dedicate a fast [as a day of restraint and humility], call a solemn assembly.

Joel 2:1-2

Blow the trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment],
Sound an alarm on My holy mountain [Zion]!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble and shudder in fear,
For the [judgment] day of the Lord is coming;
It is close at hand,

A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and of thick [dark] mist,
Like the dawn spread over the mountains;
There is a [pagan, hostile] people numerous and mighty,
The like of which has never been before
Nor will be again afterward
Even for years of many generations.

Joel 2:12-16

“Even now,” says the Lord,
“Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance],
With fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored];

Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments.”
Now return [in repentance] to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; And He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent].

Who knows whether He will relent [and revoke your sentence],
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Even a grain offering and a drink offering [from the bounty He provides you]
For the Lord your God?

Blow a trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment],
Dedicate a fast [as a day of restraint and humility], call a solemn assembly.

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. [No one is excused from the assembly.]

The warning has gone out to the church. God has said, "Get ready! Prepare for the worst." We are right on the threshold of the greatest period of testing and trial ever to come on mankind, and we must have something to sustain us if we are to endure it.

Jesus said to His disciples that love will wax cold (Matthew 24:12). But "he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved" (verse 13). He hints that some of His brethren will go through that terrible time. If God permits us to escape it, then great. This is why Joel 2:14 says, "Who knows? Maybe He will leave a blessing behind." We do not know for sure if that will be the case with us.

In the past, many in the church of God played an incredible game of being prudent agnostics, of believing but not being truly committed, as shown by their conduct. They were acquainted with God, but not really seeking to know Him. They were just hanging loose, hedging their bets, floating around, ready to go in any direction that offered the most comfortable, non-sacrificial solution. In that circumstance, the church often merely became nothing more than a fraternal organization.

But this is reality: Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master. He owns us. He redeemed us, bought us with a price, and He can do whatever He wants to do with us—and we committed ourselves to Him. Wholehearted commitment is part of the deal. We do not want to be like the Israelites who prostituted themselves in faithlessness, forsaking their covenant with the government of Almighty God.

We in the church are not without warning. God expects us to use the warning to be both comforted and prepared.

— John W. Ritenbaugh

To learn more, see:
Trumpets Is a Day of Hope

Related Topics:
Commitment
Endurance
Enduring Hardship
Enduring Privation
Enduring to the End
Faithlessness
Preparedness
Prudent Agnostics
Warning

More from The Berean, here

 

🏳️‍🌈✝️ Make the choice to live your life in the JOY of the LORD daily.

Rainbow Pastor David

11/30/2017

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JOY IS A CHOICE--one that you face many times each day as long as you live in this world. When you graduate to heaven, indescribably glorious Joy will be yours--effortlessly. You won't have to exert your will to be Joyful. It will come naturally and be constant. 

The journey in this life will be filled with many storms that will either break you or make you a stronger person. If you chose to let the JOY of the Lord rule in your life you will be weather any STORM that you face.

While you journey through this fallen world, I want to help you make increasingly wise choices. You need to become aware--and stay aware--that you can choose to be positive and hopeful moment by moment. Make it your goal to find Joy in the midst of your day. If you notice that you're experiencing discouragement, frustration, or other negative feelings, let those prickly emotions prod you into remembering Me. Seek My Face and talk with Me. You can pray something like, "Jesus, I choose to be joyful because You are God My Savior and nothing can separate me from Your loving Presence."

Live victoriously, beloved, by seeking to find Me in more and more of your moments.　

When You said, "Seek My face,"
My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek." Psalm 27:8 (NKJV)　

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:18　

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

🏳️‍🌈✝️ Much more than this - You can never out give God

"And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this." 2 Chronicles 25:9

A very important question this seemed to be to the king of Judah, and possibly it is of even more weight with the tried and tempted O Christian. To lose money is at no times pleasant, and when principle involves it, the flesh is not always ready to make the sacrifice. "Why lose that which may be so usefully employed? May not the truth itself be bought too dear? What shall we do without it? Remember the children, and our small income!" All these things and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to put forth his hand to unrighteous gain, or stay himself from carrying out his conscientious convictions, when they involve serious loss. All men cannot view these matters in the light of faith; and even with the followers of Jesus, the doctrine of "we must live" has quite sufficient weight.

The Lord is able to give thee much more than this is a very satisfactory answer to the anxious question. Our Father holds the purse-strings, and what we lose for his sake he can repay a thousand-fold. It is ours to obey his will, and we may rest assured that he will provide for us. The Lord will be no man's debtor at the last. Saints know that a grain of heart's-ease is of more value than a ton of gold. He who wraps a threadbare coat about a good conscience has gained a spiritual wealth far more desirable than any he has lost. God's smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; his frown and a palace would be hell to a gracious spirit. Let the worst come to the worst, let all the talents go, we have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Meanwhile, even now, the Lord maketh the meek to inherit the earth, and no good thing doth he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

🏳️‍🌈✝️ Never Give Up

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. – Galatians 6:9

"Never give up, never give up. Never give up to your sorrows, Jesus will bid them depart.” Those were the words that were going through my mind this morning just before my alarm clock went off. As I lay in bed pondering the message of the song, I was reminded again that I keep on going—that I do not become “weary in well doing.”

The word never means “not ever: at no time; not at all: in no way.” The phrase give up means “to surrender; to stop; to relinquish.”

As a career woman, financially I cannot afford to stop doing my best for my employers, so I “never give up.” As a mother, I will always be my children’s mom, even after all of them are living on their own. Part of my God-given responsibility as a parent is to continue to pray for my children and to show them, by example, that the way to Heaven is to keep on keeping on. A Christian’s consistent life will be a testimony to the world, so I must continue with my “never give up” actions and attitudes. 

There are people watching us all the time. They might poke fun or make unwelcome comments about our stand, but the consistent actions of never giving up will pay off in eternity. Only in Heaven will we know the extent of the impact of our faithful walk with the Lord. We may be the one who plants a few seeds, or waters the seeds that someone else planted. We may never see someone get saved directly because of our actions, but the Lord wants us to keep on keeping on.

If we are going to “never give up,” we will never stop praying for this loved one or that problem. We will never relinquish to Satan any territory that he might try to gain.

Listen to the songs the Lord gives you in the night, and NEVER GIVE UP!

More from Apostolic Faith Church

🏳️‍🌈✝️ Watch in Hope

Written By Julie Cosgrove

 November 30 2017

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But as for me, I will look expectantly for the Lord and with confidence in Him I will keep watch; I will wait [with confident expectation] for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Micah 7:7{AMP}

I want to be like Micah. This not-so-well-known prophet tucked at the back of the Old Testament was such a faithful, hopeful man. His kingdom, Judah, was turning away from God more and more. The people sought worldliness and other gods. Judah’s leaders were self-serving and often corrupt. Illicit behaviors became commonplace entertainment. Sound familiar?

He watched the crumbling of his society occur over the reign of three kings, like a dam slowly cracking and dissolving as the tides of change press upon it. God whispered to him that He would soon bring discipline to His people. Micah knew harsh times were coming. Yet he envisioned beyond it to a time when God would once again be revered and the people obedient in their worship.

How could Micah see the future good in the midst of the evil-filled now? He knew God is good, eternal, and all-powerful. He believed in God’s promises to his ancestors. He trusted that his people were still chosen, not by their love for God, but His love for them.

Today, as we see the world around us heading down a different path, let’s try more to be like Micah. Crying out about what is wrong if called to do so, but also praying in hope and compassion for the lost and confused. Let us trust God is still on His throne and keeps His promises. Then, let us watch in hope for Him to move His loving hand in our lives and others’.

Lord, give me a tender heart for the suffering of others and disdain for the degradation of values around me, but also let me pray in hope, knowing that you are in control, you knew about the ways things are since the beginning of time, and you still can bring good out of evil and healing from pain because you love us so dearly. Through your Son, Amen.

Go Deeper ― Be aware of how many times you are negative today. Stop, take a long breath, and quietly turn it into a positive, hopeful prayer.

Read more from The Life, here

 

🏳️‍🌈✝️ The Word of God is LIVING and ACTIVE

To substitute Scripture for the self-revealing Spirit is to put the dead letter in the place of the Living Word. Sebastian Franck

Suzanne DeWitt Hall, Where True Love Is

11/29/2017 


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It is not often that you come across a book that is so compelling and full of the TRUTH.  I know I have talked a lot about this book - Where True Love Is, by Suzanne DeWitt Hall and I am sure you will continue to hear from about the book. Suzanne has done a superb job of putting together daily devotionals that touch your soul and help you see yourself as your Creator sees you. These devotionals will teach you things you have never seen before or you will have an AH- HA moment everyday because Suzanne was definitely be lead by the Holy Spirit when writing this book. When I read today's devotional I knew I had to share it with you. As easy as it would be to put these daily devotionals online, I feel you really need to purchase the book for everyone you care about including your Pastor. May the Spirit of God open your hearts and minds as you read this Day 4: Living and Active devotional from Where True Love Is, by Suzanne DeWitt Hall. Amen, Rainbow Pastor David

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For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Evangelical Christians often proclaim the Scriptures are ALIVE while simultaneously demanding they are unchanging and unchangeable. But let's look at what it means to have LIFE:

The condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.

  While this definition applies to organisms, the logic is transferable. If the Scriptures are alive, they they can't be unchanging. The only things which don't change are those that are already dead or never contained life in the first  place. 

The act of living is a process of transformation and change on all sorts of levels. In the case of a plant, water permeates a seed and swells the cells until they burst forth as a shoot and push out into the air. Then air, water and light are transformed into energy and growth occurs. Eventually flowers come and more seeds are produced and then the plant dies and decomposes and the process of change moves on to some other life form.

The process is similar for pretty much ALL LIFE: insemination, birth, growth, response to stimuli, death. Only dead things don't grow and adapt to the environment. Dead things merely rot.

So LISTEN UP, Conservative Evangelical Christians: you have to choose. Either the scriptures are Unchanging and therefore DEAD, or they are LIVING and therefore EQUIPPED for CHANGE and ADAPTATION, through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT.

I hope you enjoyed that eye opening devotion as much as I did. If you have enjoyed the excerpts I use and then of course a full devotional please go support our Sister in Christ, Suzanne DeWitt Hall and purchase you and your friends copies at Amazon, here