Signs of the Times

Matthew 24: 4-14

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Greetings my Beloved!

I hope you are having a marvelous day! I continue to stand amazed with the life that God has given me. I am honored to be His servant, and constantly look to please and glorify Him. Yet I look at the world around me, and wonder - how can anyone live their life without the God Almighty? As the end times approach, I see more and more persecution of the church, more and more false prophecies of the Lord's return, and more and more deception within the church. I think it is so important to stay within God's word, knowing exactly His truths. Remember no one knows the day or the hour of the Lord's return, so we should live each day to the fullest. We need not fear the prophecies that are coming to fruition, but recognize the signs of the times, that we may be ready for the coming of our Lord and Savior. Have you stopped for a moment to reflect on your life, to see if you have done what the Lord has called you to do? Let us serve the Lord with all of our hearts, let us be ready for His coming, and know that when we endure persecution ourselves, that the Lord will be our refuge and strength. Things may look difficult in the physical realm, but in the spiritual realm we know that God has already obtained the victory. So what do we have to fear?

Let us take a moment, and pray for our nation. While we know the truth, the truth has been tainted within our culture. As the elections approach, we need to recognize that a man cannot save our nation - only God can. We need to recognize that only God places the leader in the land, so there is no need to worry about who will be elected. At the same time, we should use our God given right to vote, and vote wisely. Don't vote for a political party, or for a person. Vote for the issues at hand. Vote in accordance to God's word. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, or who I am going to vote for (as I still do not know), but what I am telling you to do, is do what I am doing - and seek God and pray. Pray for our nation, our leaders, and what our role will be in all of this. So, I leave you with this prayer:

Oh Lord, our Father, maker of the heavens and earth. You are so majestic and worthy of all honor and glory. As the day approaches for your return, Lord, I pray that we can stay steadfast in your faith. I pray that we can hear your voice clearly, and that we can live according to your ways. I know that our nation is crumbling, and perhaps it is your judgment as we have allowed our nation to go directly against Your truth. I ask for forgiveness, forgive us for not standing up for your truth, and allowing the lies of the enemy to prevail. Forgive us for allowing those around us call good evil and evil good, and we never say a word. Forgive us, for not instilling Your values into our children, and allowing the culture to influence their lives. Forgive us for treating you common, and church as a social club. Forgive us, for not taking action in your Kingdom work, but rather allowing the chaos of our days rule our lives. Forgive us for being self-righteous and showing hate rather than your love. You did not call us to hate others, but to love others. At the same time, you have called us to hate sin, and to call our brothers and sisters out in their sin. Forgive us for not doing this in the church. Lord we want your will to be done in this nation. We want to take a stand, and be your ambassadors here in this foreign land. No longer, shall we be silent. but we shall turn from our wicked ways, and seek for you to heal our land. We love you Lord, and we want nothing more than for you to guide our steps as we prepare to vote this election season. Grant us wisdom, as we study each candidate to make sure we live a righteous life. We praise you Lord, for all of the things you have already done, and everything that you are going to do. It is in your name that we pray, Amen.