"The End of The World As We Know It?"

 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Matthew 24:42-44

I realize the subject of "End Times" is a sketchy one to most people. Everyone has different beliefs about when it will happen, how it will take place, and what we should expect. Some people think Jesus was using figurative language when describing events at the end of time. Others believe his words were literal. I'm no scholar, and I don't proclaim to have this subject down to a science. If you are new to the scene of Christianity and are lost as to what I'm talking about, you can find an overview of what the Tribulation is here: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulation

To be certain of your own beliefs in this matter, I encourage you to do some studying. There are many books written on this subject but the best material is the Word. I don't know about you, but since God created this world, I believe his Book would give the best information on how this world will end. There are many things in the Word that tell us exactly what to do: do not steal, have no other gods before me, do not kill, etc...Sometimes I contemplate the reason Jesus didn't tell us everything in black and white. For example, "Will we go before, after or during the Tribulation?" To be honest, you can probably make an argument for each of those time frames. But I think there are some things we can take from this that ARE black and white.

First and foremost, I believe in the Word. I believe it is inspired by a Holy God, written to us for the purpose of helping us through this life and leading us to Jesus. We can't always agree on specifics in the Word, but we can agree on the words of Jesus. No matter what the details are about the when, where and how's of the Tribulation and End Times, Jesus was sure to give us a definite warning: watch, stay alert, and be ready. I can't predict when the end will come; no man will know. It could happen five minutes from now, five years from now, five decades from now. But I can be sure I'm watching, staying alert and readying myself spiritually. 

If you are a friend of mine, you know how interested I am in the study of End Time prophecies. I love it. It inspires me. It strengthens my faith. It thrills my heart to know the day of my salvation is near. It encourages me to walk out this life with even more of a desire to lead others to Jesus. When I post stories and videos of events going on in the world, my purpose is not to scare you. My desire is for these things to lead you to the cross; to examine the life you live now. To wake up to the things going around you, and heed the warnings Jesus gave us. To see the ongoing world events as the possibility of "birth pains that must happen before the end." When you consider the possibility of the end fast approaching, you slow your life down a bit. You cherish moments more than before. You walk and talk with a little more love. You make it a point to share Jesus with others. 

If you haven't accepted Jesus as your savior, end-time subject aside, today is your day. Believing in Jesus doesn't just secure you a seat in Paradise for all eternity, it redeems you from a life of hopelessness here on earth. "What if you're wrong," you say. Ok, what if I AM wrong? That simply means I spent my whole life with a purpose in mind to be a better person, to love and forgive others, and to lend a helping hand when needed. When my time to pass away comes, I simply led a good life and now I'm dead. 


But, what if you are wrong, my friend? Not only do you lead a hopeless life here on earth, struggling to be the best person you can out of your own efforts, but you now get to spend an eternity in darkness. Eternity in its simplest definition means a place of existence for a limitless amount of time. If the Bible is true, that means your destiny for all time, is in Hell. Now this fact raises a question as well. "Why would a loving God send people to a place of unending torment?" God gives many chances in this life for you to come into relationship with him. Even during the Tribulation, he gives yet another opportunity for you to come to know Him. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)." 


God is a gentleman. He will never force someone into relationship with Him. He wants relationship, not dictatorship. If at the time of your passing, you still have chosen not to be in friendship with him, he will grant your wish, and give you a place for all eternity without Him. After all, wasn't that your desire in life by not choosing Him? God gives the desires of you heart, and if that desire is to be apart from Him, He will grant that as well. 


In my opinion, there are many prophecies that have been and are being fulfilled that are leading up to a fast approaching return of Jesus. I may be wrong. It may be years from now, but either way, are you ready? The bottom line that we can all agree on, no matter what you believe in, is that we will all die someday. The day of Jesus' return may be forever away, but the day of your departure from this earth may be today. Where will your departure lead you? It will be one of two places....into the loving arms of your Savior, or into darkness where you will never be "bothered" by Him again. Your choice. Your desire. Your decision. 

Jesus' explanation for what is to come at the end of time

"My Response to a Pastor's Confession..."

Psalm 34
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. 


If you've listened to the song I have posted at the top of my blog, there is a lyric that completely describes the purpose of my writings:

" I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd

Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud

And I know that you'll use them, however you want to..."

My purpose in this blog has always been to speak my opinions but more importantly to share my ups and downs of my life, and how I deal with them. I'm certain not everyone who reads my blog agrees with my outlook. Some of you may see my approach as "preaching" to you what you should or shouldn't do. I couldn't disagree with you more. Each and every one of my posts are written out of a desire to speak to you what the Lord has spoken to me about situations in MY life. Things that I haven't quite figured out yet. Things that I still struggle with. By posting a blog, I'm not just trying to encourage you, but encourage myself to type out what the Lord is telling me in my heart. It helps to solidify the message when it goes from my heart, to my head, to my fingers. I'm going to be careful about this particular post as I know it comes in midst of a lot of hurt and pain for everyone involved, but I feel it's necessary. 

As most of you now know, the pastor of our former church (Oakleaf) released a confession this past Sunday. If you haven't heard, or seen the letter, it can be found here ("My Sin"). I won't go into details of his letter so in order to understand my blog, you need to read his letter first. There have been many blogs, posts, etc. concerning this confession. I'm not sure what their motives are behind publishing these things. Whether for purpose of gossip, bashing, or anything in between, that is not my purpose.

 In every mistake we make in life, there is an opportunity for inward searching. Maybe we made the mistake, maybe it was a friend who slipped up or maybe a person in the spotlight who fell into sin. No matter who the "sinner" is, it shouldn't be a time for gossip or condemnation. It should be an opportunity for introspect:"Wow. If someone of such stature could fall into that temptation, could I?" It is not our responsibility to figure out motives, reasons or purpose in someone committing sin. It's our job (as fellow Christians) to help them find a way out. Yes, there is pain in midst of sin. Yes, there is anger. There are questions that run through your mind. There are "why's" and "why not's" that will go unanswered. That is a fact of life and everyone will handle their emotions differently. Some will be outraged, slandering the person caught in sin. Some will become bitter at the thought of such scandals. Some will become empathetic because they've been in their shoes. No matter how you handle this, among other situations, I pray you take it as an opportunity to search your heart. This pastor is a human, fully capable of falling into sin. Unfortunately, due to his title of position, this scandal is upgraded quite a bit in people's minds. It's more serious than if the girl next door had committed the same  sin. I understand that. I also understand that as a pastor, he was held to a higher standard than the girl next door. Nevertheless, he is still human. He is still able to fall. 

 No matter what your opinion of this man, he believed in Jesus. He led many people to the Lord and I believe once restoration is complete, he will lead even more down the path to meet Jesus. He is a righteous man in God's eyes because he is made righteous through the blood of Jesus that he confesses to believe in. God is close to him right now. He is beginning the healing process as we speak. I can promise you that if he is seeking God, Michael is in the midst of experiencing some very intimate moments with God. He can use ANYTHING to bring people to Him. I am anticipating God doing an amazing work through this man and his testimony. Keep watching! People will come out of the woodwork with their mistakes. 

That's how God works. When you make a mistake, you have a choice. Turn to God, or turn away. This pastor has confessed his wrong doing, and made a choice to turn to God for restoration. 

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Acts 3:9

God's word, and his promises are true. When Michael made the choice of repentance, God began the times of refreshing. It may take a while to recover from the consequences. It may take a miracle for healing to begin in that family. My heart and prayers go out to everyone involved (spouses, children, etc). But, how easily we forget that our God is a God of RESTORATION. It may take months, years, or decades for the church, the families, and our community to heal from this. It may feel at times, especially to those at Oakleaf who are struggling to stay afloat amid the stones being thrown, that the world will overtake you but remember the words of Jesus: " In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

 I'm taking this opportunity to realize how easily I can fall into sin. It's helping me to guard myself, and my heart, even more. It's caused me to dig deeper into God's word, hiding even more of it in my heart. It's caused me to dedicate more of my day, and my time, in prayer for these families. This pastor's confession has caused me to draw even closer to the Lord. I pray it does the same for you. I pray you can put your stones down long enough to remember your shortcomings....that Christ died for this pastor at the same time, and for the same reason, He died for you.

“When the mask of self-righteousness has been torn from us and we stand stripped of all our accustomed defenses, we are candidates for God's generous grace.” -Erwin W. Lutzer

"You Are What You Think"

" We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 

2 Corinthians 10:4

We've all heard the saying: "you are what you eat!" After going through my early teen years I can tell you that statement is true. I used to drink sodas all day, feast on school lunches (until senior year when we went out for lunch...whohooo!) and indulge in whatever sweets came my way. Well, that was twelve years ago when my metabolism hadn't quite caught up with my appetite. Nowadays, if I were to eat that way, you'd have to have a forklift to get me out of bed. In my "adult" years, I've chosen to eat healthy and make it a way of life. The healthier I eat, the better my body looks and feels over time. 

I've been on both sides of the pendulum. On one side, my desire to eat any and everything overtook me. On the other side, my desire for my body to look perfect overwhelmed me, resulting in me eating foods with no flavor or enjoyment. Somewhere in between was a balance that was only going to be achieved by re-training my mind. Over-indulgence was a sin, and terrible for my body, but so was obsessing over every morsel of food I ate.

Our toughest battles will start and end on the battlefield of our minds. Satan first tempted Eve through her mind. She knew what was right. She knew what God had told her. But, if Satan could enter her thoughts and mix them around a bit, he could get her to fall. He may be cunning, but he's not very smart. He still uses the same tricks he's used since the beginning of time. He even used the same plan to try and tempt Jesus in the dessert: through His thoughts. "If I can get him to doubt who God is, then I'd have him right where I want him...same old dog, same old tricks. I've learned over my twenty-six years of life to keep my mind strong. I know that if I leave my thought-life unguarded for even a second, it will cause chaos in my life. 

God has given us some pretty powerful weapons, ones we tend to underestimate. For example, prayer. If we are ever going to be able to get control over our thought life, it's going to have to begin and end with prayer. Every pit I've fallen into has first began as a thought. If I can turn that thought into a prayer, I'm waging war on Satan. Another powerful weapon is the Word. It's living and breathing. Put those two together (prayer + Word), you've got a recipe for success. It's the same concoction Jesus used in the dessert: he spent forty days with no food or water, all that time in prayer. Then when Satan came to Him, he was prepared with the Word in His heart to defeat him.

 It's time to stop allowing Satan control over our lives. If we are ever going to be successful in the calling God has for us, we've got to tear down these thoughts that are meant to tear us down, and make them obedient to the thoughts God intended for us.

"If constructive thoughts are planted positive outcomes will be the result. Plant the seeds of failure and failure will follow."

"Can I Get a Witness?"

Jeremiah 1:9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth.

---

Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.


Do you have people you look up to? Well, of course you do. Whether it's Michael Jordan, Britney Spears, or Jesus...not necessarily in that order...we all have an image of someone we are inspired by. For me, I'm most inspired by people who stand up for God. It's one thing to casually mention you are a Christian, but it's a different ball game when you are standing up for Christ on national television. Check this out...it's only six minutes, but hold out until the end.





Wow. Talk about taking your faith mainstream! Glenn Beck took a risk and spoke some truth to us. I don't know much about his life or things he's been through. I don't know if speaking that kind of truth was tough or easy for him. But, he was faithful. God put words in his mouth and he spoke them on national television. God doesn't ask us to be perfect before he can use us. He just asks us to be willing. You don't have to have it altogether before you pray with the person at work who's hurting. You don't have to wait until you get your friends to church for them to hear about God. You can be just as inspirational.


"We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the Word of our testimony." There are two ways we overcome the things of this world, first by the blood of Jesus then by the words of our mouth. I've realized throughout my life, especially in my recent years, I can win more people for Christ BECAUSE of my testimony, not apart from it. Yes, there are h u g e relapses of sin spotted throughout it. There are lots of "shocker's" along my paragraphs of life. Nonetheless, it's a testimony. It's an example of a child running from God, God remaining faithful, and that child always returning. Something happens in people when you are honest. They realize they aren't alone in their sin. The struggle they thought would forever haunt them is the same struggle someone used in their testimony...and they overcame it. 


If we are faithful in sharing what He puts into our hearts, it will change the hearts of others. So, never be ashamed of your testimony. If you will be willing to share your life struggles with people, you can quickly become someone to be admired. God doesn't ask you to be perfect, just willing. If you are waiting on God to perfect you until you allow Him to use you, it will never happen this side of heaven...

"God loves you as you are, not as you should be, because this side of heaven, you'll never be as you should be."

"Sack of Guilt"

"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins." 

- Isaiah 40:2

When you are a reformed wild-child, you've heard everything in the book. People, especially the older ones in your life, are quick to inform you how your many mistakes will catch up to you and scar you forever. For the most part, they were right. As much as I hate to say it, they shared a bit of wisdom I conveniently ignored. I'll admit I carried some of the baggage of my mistakes throughout my life. But of all the nagging around me to change my life, I had never heard it spoken tenderly. It was always spoken harshly, demanding control over me more than a desire to see my life changed.


God doesn't want our response to be condemning towards people going through trials, whether they've put themselves in  that situation or not. He wants us to speak tenderly (considerate, loving and sympathetic). Now, I never said that was an easy task. I especially feel like being very harsh when I see my friends walking down paths I took. I know the "lure" of those paths, but I also know the destruction that waits at the end of it. This is when I have to fight my battle through prayer. God can take it. He knows my heart, and he knows my desire to see others not ever have to face the same battles I have. So, in giving Him my frustration about a situation, my prayer turns into intercession. I leave my talk with God feeling like I've done my duty. I can then have the peace to speak to my friend, tenderly - knowing that my talk with God will have more effect than my talk with my friend. He is able to do much more through our prayers.



I think a lot of times, when we walk through painful circumstances in our lives, especially ones we willingly put ourselves in, we take hold of guilt. We realize our wrong, turn the other way, and still carry the guilt of it on our shoulders. How should we help people struggling with this emotion?"...Proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins." Yes, you may have walked away from God. Yes, you may have made a total fool of yourself. Yes, you may be living with some consequences of sin. But God has made a promise that its been PAID for. Stop trying to make up for it. God remembers it no more, and he's ready to give you double for what you've been through. But, you have to be willing to let go of guilt in order to find rest...

 “Stand at the crossroads and look; 

   ask for the ancient paths, 

ask where the good way is, and walk in it, 

   and you will find rest for your souls." 

Jeremiah 6:16

"Seven Years and Many Lessons Ago...I Got Married."

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." 

-St. Augustine

Seven years ago, I stepped into a new life. I remember slipping on my white wedding dress (which actually was a prom dress...hehe:), stepping into my white heels and gently placing my veil to fit perfectly over my freshly created up-do. I remember my nervousness at the thought of walking down an aisle, so many people around and all attention on me. I've never been one to volunteer to be the center of the party, but in a wedding you have no choice. All eyes on you! 

I don't remember much about how the ceremony went, what food we had at the reception or even who all attended. I kept my focus on Nathan. Whether walking down the aisle, dancing our first dance, meeting our guests, my attention and focus was on him. His eyes. His beaming smile. His gentle voice. I loved everything about him. I was head over heels and I'm sure everyone around us knew it. That was our wedding day. Wedding days are blissful, but then life begins...

Our first year was interesting. Getting to know each other, learning our sleep patterns (or lack thereof), making our way through little arguments here and there were all stepping stones for our marriage. In the first few years we faced some battles. We experienced a miscarriage, job changes, moving houses a few times and just making it through the twists and turns of life. We got lazy in our relationship with each other and with God. We started to go through the twists and turns separately instead of hand and hand. For the first time in our relationship, doubt crept in. We didn't really "feel" the lovey-dovey feeling anymore. There wasn't that ambience of passion that used to pierce the air twenty four hours a day. We made the mistake of thinking  marriage was easy and should come natural. Boy were we wrong.




We learned the biggest lesson of our lives: marriage is work. You do nothing, your marriage will suffer. Love is a choice, not always a feeling. It's the same in your relationship with God. It's a choice. Yes, there will be days and moments when you feel the sappy love of God, but there will be many more days you will have to know by faith He is there. By the grace of God, we've made it through things that would've normally torn marriages apart. God renewed a love for each other like we've never known. We celebrated seven years of marriage yesterday. They were by no means all blissful years, but we've worked them out and are now looking forward to some of the best years to come!

John says in Revelation 19:7-8, “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear." We, as we live on this earth, are getting ready to become His Bride. 

Are you dressed in white? Have you allowed Jesus to cleanse you of your sin? 

Jesus has gone away to prepare a place for us and He will be back. I believe, based on the many unfolding events right now, it will be soon! 

Right now, we are walking down the aisle of life. All eyes on us! If we keep our focus on our Groom, we will stay afloat the rough waters of life. It's a long aisle and one we've been pacing down since we were born, but there is a time coming when we will meet the Groom at the altar. We prepare a year or so in advance for our earthly wedding. How long have you spent preparing to meet the Eternal Bridegroom?

Wedding Days lyrics by Enter The Worship Circle

God Loves his family, like a man loves his wife

And the women she is glitter gold, And she dresses all in white

I've seen the wind run round her,

And threaten her with storm

I've seen the mountain shake to crush her

And the oceans raise a hand

But if God is near, She will not fall, And bruise her tender head

If God is near He will keep her from breaking, careful in His hands

If God is near the girl she will dance, and spin the heavens round

Wedding days are always remembered, When true love has been found

"Who's Your Daddy?"

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; 

he drew me out of deep waters. 

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, 

from my foes, who were too strong for me. 

They confronted me in the day of my disaster, 

but the LORD was my support. 

He brought me out into a spacious place; 

he rescued me because he delighted in me."

— 2 Samuel 22:17-20 —

"if we are faithless, 

he remains faithful, 

for he cannot disown himself."

-2 Timothy 2:13-

"So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

- Romans 2:3-4-

Have you ever heard of a ragamuffin? The urban dictionary defines it as a grimy dirty little urchin or waif with ratted greasy hair. Usually female. I read a book called "The Ragamuffin Gospel", which I highly recommend. The book was written descriptively about the struggles and trials of the author's life. Anywhere from being a drunkard to living on the streets. You name it, he did it. He was not female, but he was nonetheless, the perfect description of a ragamuffin. What I loved most about his story was his ability to recognize God's presence in midst of his brokenness, which saved his life. Fortunately for him, God used someone along his path to pull him up by his bootstraps and set him on the straight and narrow path again. 

He began his life as a pastor. He knew the Way, the Truth and the Life. He preached it every Wednesday and Sunday of the week. Somewhere along the way, among the harshness of life we can all face, he gave up on God and picked up a new desire.There were days, in his drunken stupor, after losing his family, career, and ultimately his life as he knew it, he would stay intoxicated around the clock. He no longer cared about his family or their cries for him to stop. He could no longer hold a job, so he was forced to the streets. He no longer had a will to live, or care about the things of life, so cleanliness didn't matter. Every dime he could collect went towards feeding his habit. Food was the last thing on his mind, so he starved by accident. But, somewhere in the midst of his smelly, disgusting, starving life he had a Friend. 

He grew up with a man who had known him his whole life, the good and the bad. When everyone else closed the door on him, this man walked in. He didn't preach to him while he lay helplessly drunk under a park bench. He didn't give him an ultimatum to sober up. He made him lunch everyday. He was there, rain or shine, sitting next to this man he once knew loved the Lord, preached the Word, and walked it out. He never used a condemning word. He never brought up days of old where they served the Lord together. He just loved on him. 

Now that is friendship. It's loving people when they are unloveable. It's reaching out to them in midst of their suffering, knowing your hands are going to get dirty. It's exactly how God loves us. He sees us in our struggles, our addictions, our bondages. He rolls his sleeves up, gets down in there with us, and pulls us out. Not by preaching to us, but by his kindness. Never in my life, among my many times of turning away, did I ever come back to God on basis of a "hell, fire and brimstone" message. It was always through God loving on me in some way. Sometimes it was through a friend who cared enough to ask what's going on. A pastor who gave a testimony of his real life and struggles, helping me realize there was hope. And som

etimes, God himself would speak to my heart in such a loving way. More often times than not, those times were followed by amazing dreams and visions he'd give me about his love for me. 

I'm so honored to love a God that loves me in the depths of my unfaithfulness. A God who will always snatch me back from the hands of my enemy. A God who is not ashamed to roll his sleeves up and come in find me in the muddy trench I've barricaded myself in. And He does all of this...because He delights in me! If you are, like I have been many times, down in that pit right now, trust that you've got a God who is rolling his sleeves up as we speak, and coming in after you.

If He's your Daddy. He's not giving up on you, whether you give up on him or not...

"Living and Breathing: The Power of His Words"

Isaiah 55:11 God’s word will not return to him empty, but will do what God desires and achieve the purpose for which he sent it.

Jeremiah 23:29 God’s word is like fire and like a hammer that can break a rock into pieces.

John 6:63 God’s word is spirit and life.

Acts 7:38 God’s word is living.

Ephesians 6:17 God’s word is part of the believer’s armor—the sword of the Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 God’s word is living, powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, judging people’s thoughts and intentions.

1 Peter 1:23 God’s word is living and enduring, through which people are born again.

It's like fire and a hammer; it's living; it's your armor; it's sharper than a sword; it's living and enduring. That sounds more descriptive of a warrior ready to fight than an object you open and read, right? But it's not. These things describe a book. Not just any book: THE Book, the Bible. Why does God find it necessary to leave us with such a powerful book? Probably because we have an enemy in this world that is the most cunning, deceiving, manipulating adversary you'll ever meet. We need some protection.


Did you know Satan, before the earth was formed, was an angel? Yep. He was the "choir director" up in heaven (Isaiah 14:11-14). He got greedy, wanted to become God and got kicked out of heaven, landing here on earth to wreak havoc. He traded his former occupation for  a new career:  "...walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He definitely didn't get a pay raise in that career change, I'm certain. With an enemy like that (and yes, if you love the Lord, you ARE his enemy, by happenstance), we need some pretty fierce armor. So, what's the importance of God's word as our armor? What does it mean to be "living and active"? To "cut like a double-edged sword"? Is it not just a book? After all, it doesn't exactly have a pulse or anything. 


The Bible is split into two parts, the Old Testament and the New. The O.T. focuses on the law of the land. God was laying out a framework for us to follow: what things are good and bad, how to receive forgiveness through sacrifices, etc: 
"The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction." Exodus 24:12


 The N.T. focuses on the new covenant, which is far better. One where we no longer make sacrifices over and over again in hopes of forgiveness, but we come to the One, perfect sacrifice (Jesus) who makes our sins null and void before God:
"I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."  Jeremiah 31:33-34 


You see, we get the privilege of not just having God's word to look upon, but having it written on our hearts. Because it's now written on our hearts, it's alive and active, because our hearts are beating...pulsing...breathing. God speaks to us through His word, into our hearts, dividing our thoughts from our motives. Our rights from our wrongs. Our soul from our spirit. If not for such a book that can divide these things, we would be consumed by things not even realized. Habits that would go unnoticed. Bitterness would stay locked inside, stuffed away from any light. Things of the flesh would live inside of us, wreaking havoc unbeknownst to us. Your enemy would have the upper hand because you could single handedly destroy yourself! 


Satan knows the power of God's words. It's the reason he flees in midst of it. He knows God is in control. He knows God's Word will not return to Him empty. He knows it will accomplish what God wants. This is a battle. It's more of a spiritual battle that we cannot see, but it's a battle nonetheless. We need to be prepared. We need to have protection. We need what God has given us: the Bible.


Your enemy is roaring louder than ever before. His time is short and he is wreaking havoc on those whose armor isn't raised. And yes, I believe at this stage in our world, his time is shortened even more. He's searching and he's roaring....are you armored up to defeat him? I'm determined to be in this battle on the front line. But my success in this war begins and ends...with the Sword. 

"Let me hear your battle cry tonight. Stand aside or step aside, for the frontline."