Will it be a Happy New Year?

As I sit and await the ticking down of the last minutes of yet another year of the many I've lived, I can sit and wonder - what will the next year hold? Will it bring blessing or cursing? Health or sickness? Prosperity or need? But as I wonder all this, a more important question arises: In what or Whom do I put my trust? I just wrote some emails to friends and a little verse came to mind for it: Looking back, so many reasons to praise Him...Looking forward, so many reasons to trust Him. How true. God has so faithfully demonstrated his love and care for our family through the years by revealing more and more of Himself to us, by walking with us through life and teaching us by His Holy Spirit, by lovingly chastising us, by showing us over and again the sterling integrity of His Word which is a reflection of His nature - to a degree that we can rest in WHO HE IS. No matter what may come, we can rest and trust! He will order our steps! He will keep us! He will finish what He has begun in us! He will lift our heads above our enemies! He will train us for battle! He will never leave us or forsake us! His joy will be our strength! Oh, there is so much to anchor us in peaceful waters for our spirits no matter what stormy depths swirl around us and dash up against us. God, who has called us, is faithful.

From the Puritan treasury of heartfelt cries of faith, Valley of Vision:

O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me
except the days are passed in Thy presence,
in Thy service, to Thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides,
sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise;
testify Thy love,
advance Thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father as my harbour,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to Thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.
May Thy fear be my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.

May His kingdom come! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My Glorious Hope

I am wending my way through the gloriously full book of 2 Corinthians and found myself at chapter 4 today. Oh, how I love Bible study! I also love my Amplified Bible because I do not know Greek and Hebrew and it has been such a help in getting the heart of what is said in the Scriptures into my heart. My children joke that I am on intimate terms with it because it speaks the same way as I. Perhaps!

Anyway, chapter 4 starts with "Therefore" so I genuinely spent prayerful reflection on what I'd already read previously, asking the Spirit to help me link it with what was said after the "therefore". (As the well known phrase says, "to find out what it is "there for"!) Paul had been talking about the power of the Holy Spirit, so my conclusion seemed to be able to be paraphrased, "Since God is the power behind everything we do and we are graced to be ministers of the Gospel because of His mercy to our formerly wretched carcasses - we can have great hope and expectation for the future!"

It's a pretty heady mystery to consider the sovereignty of God in conjunction with our part in being saved by faith. I won't even go there for this post because I'm tired and have a headache! Even the renowned Systematic Theologian, Wayne Grudem, concludes that it is 'mystery'. I doubt I could bring any more clarity than him, but it IS a fascinating filter to attach to your Bible reading glasses - you see God's hand and our part pretty consistently intertwined throughout Scripture.

Today's reading got me thinking...Here Paul had just said that God is driving the car, but in verse 2 he specifies ways that he has purposed to be able to commend himself - and thus, the Gospel- to every man's conscience. We have renounced disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man's conscience. (2 Cor. 4:2 AMP)

These are specific things that Paul and his team did in light of the fact that they were reaching out to ones who had their minds blinded by the god of this world. Seems to me that the Gospel could be breaking through more in this season of history if all of the ministers of the Gospel made some radical commitments like Paul.

I'm never guilty of mincing words - the church looks too much like the world! We have obviously not renounced disgraceful ways! I see Christians reading things, watching things, dressing in things, talking about things that exhibit NO sanctification awareness -or desire- in their lives. Paul says in Romans 1:1 - that he was "set apart" to preach the Gospel. The word holiness is defined as 'set apart'. See the connection? He was set apart to be changed - transfigured by the Word of God into the very image of Christ from one degree of glory to another. (See 2Cor.3:18) I look around and I see a 'tolerant' church, a 'loving' church unwilling to confront sin and call it what it is. Is it loving someone to let them walk complacently in sin? I think not! "Faithful are the wounds of a friend," it says in Proverbs, and I fear we are in superficial relationships as the Body of Christ that cannot be classified as friendships under that criteria. I long for true Christian fellowship.

Then there's the second behavioral aspect to which Paul committed himself and his team: not dealing craftily. Let me just say that I am meeting more and more limping Christians who have been stumbled by the deceit and trickery of pastors who were nothing more than hirelings aspiring to assets in this world, peddling false doctrines and compromise to keep the numbers coming in along with the tithe checks. sigh. Paul also mentions quite a few times that he is preaching "in the presence and sight of God." Oh, that many pastors today had such a fear of the Lord! If they had a revelation of the glorious hope that is the eternal glory - not a passing splendor like that of the dead law - but an eternal glory borne of the living, liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ. That they could all say with Paul, "Since we have such glorious hope (such joyful and confident expectation) we speak very freely and openly and fearlessly." (2 Cor. 3:12 AMP)

The line between ministers and congregations is fading. We are all called to be ministers of the Gospel. We are all called to radical commitments, as was Paul. May God give us a heavenly-mindedness that enables us to walk boldly and courageously into a fruitful tomorrow to the glory of God! All because of Jesus, our shining Glorious Hope.

Emerging From the Darkness

I've spent the last 3 years or so of my life sorting through false doctrines (doctrines of demons-1 Tim.4:1) and crying out to the Lord Who sustains me for wisdom and discernment to cut through the myriad layers of deception that enshroud us in this evil age. It has been anguish to my spirit to see the enemy of our souls so succeed within the Christian church today. "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." We have entered into an age of apostasy. Lighthouse Trails, Roger Oakland, Gary Gilley, Ray Yungen, Sonlife Radio with Frances and Friends have all been used mightily by the Lord in supplementing my searching of Scripture for Truth. It has been extremely humbling to see how unscriptural my own foundation had been, being led by false shepherds in a charismatic stream and admitting that I trusted them more than I searched the scriptures to see if what they were saying was true. (Acts 17:11)

What is even more disturbing is to see the segue of this apostate movement (largely known as The Emerging Church) into the political realm of this nation and into the world. My heart sinks with the weight of history reminding me that civilizations last at best for 200 years. I see political candidates holding the lowest regard for integrity and advancing dark agendas through deceit and shaking hands with their enemies (Believers for Barack) knowing all the while that their intentions are not honorable. I contemplate the recent institution of sharia law in Great Britain and I shudder that noone in my country, which is also experiencing sharia law in judgements from benches of supposed justice, is talking about it. I hear of bunkers being built nationwide and angry city dwellers being recruited to attack the very freedoms that allow them to be angry. The enemy is insidious and wily and he is gaining ground in the USA.

Meanwhile the church sleeps. Distracted by the agendas of wouldbe world dominators aka pastors (Rick Warren and the Purpose Driven Church proponents), the church is being led like sheep to the slaughter. Many are being added in physical principal, perhaps, but the numbers in the roll book of heaven are not increasing in kind. Why? Because church has become a place where sin, repentance and the cross of Jesus Christ are dirty words which ought not to be spoken lest they discomfort some. To keep their pockets lined and agendas secure these peddlars of half-truths have eliminated the true gospel and substituted doctrines of demons which feed people's fleshly appetites for self-promotion as well as feeding the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16) The Word of Faith movement is indicted in this accusation.

All over this nation, a remnant is wandering looking for likeminded adherants to the Cross and finding little succor. We know that God's justice cannot sleep forever as Thomas Jefferson trembled to recall, and we also know that God is longsuffering and merciful. Years ago I was impressed deeply by the verse in Isaiah 51 which reads: "Listen to Me, My people, and give ear to Me, O My nation; For law will proceed from Me, and I will make my justice rest as a light of the peoples."

May what is coming in this land ultimately serve to bring many into Truth and into the Kingdom of God eternally!