When Christians Don't Believe Prophecy...

In times of tragedy or perceived threat, we will often find the need to come together and reject anything that threatens our security. It is an intrinsic need in life to do this. We see it in the animal kingdom, how prey animals come together at the sight of what would kill them. We saw it in our own behavior at 9/11, and every major tragedy before or after.

However, among those who identify as Christians this causes a disturbing trend. Not that we aren't already dealing with disturbing trends, but this one really baffles me. See, we (and I use that as a very general, loose, and collective term for those who identify as Christians) are good for believing all the "good" verses of the bible. You know the ones: prosperity, long life, coming out of difficult situations, and others. We (again, general and loose) are also good for believing any prophecy that will bolster our current belief or promises our safety. But one thing we (again, well, let's just assume that from here on out this will be a general and loose term) are not good for is believing the warning verses, "if:then" clauses, and prophecies of the bible. And it makes me wonder, what are we learning on Sundays? Is no one going through the bible verse by verse anymore? Or are we only talking about concepts, theories, and funny anecdotes?

I can go on and on about this, but there is one specific thing I'd like to talk about. Lately, there has been a trend of Christians trying to "save" this culture. They are trying to teach people how to "love" and "accept" so as our children don't have to grow up in a "world of hate". They are teaching to unite with the things not of God and keep your judgments to yourself, "The world already has enough of that! Live and let live and let God handle the rest!". They are trying to "take back" the entertainment industry. They are trying to "take back" neighborhoods and cities. They are trying to "take back" politics and our financial system. And, all of this is done unsuccessfully may I add because these industries and causes were not created for believers or the purpose of making them righteous. This whole world lies in the hand of the evil one. This is why we as believers shouldn't be tangled in this world's affairs. They are mere distractions from what we are supposed to be doing. Our command was never to take back culture or live in peace and unity. Our command was to teach the Kingdom of Yahweh-God which will naturally bring division and hate because the world hates His message.

We know [for a fact] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] lies in the power of the evil one [opposing God and His precepts].-1 John 5:19 AMP

No soldier in active service gets entangled in the [ordinary business] affairs of civilian life; [he avoids them] so that he may please the one who enlisted him to serve. 2 Timothy 2:4 AMP

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20

These same Christians are hollering for peace, and forget how the story is written. As long as Yahweh-God is God (and He will forever be) and the enemy is still here, there will never be peace. The two are diametrically opposed to one another. So much so, that the enemy will attempt to conquer and kill believers that continue the message of Christ, and he will succeed! That will be a bloody time and usher in a false peace.

And this is where the bible speaks to warn us of those hollering about peace and safety. The one who is in control of this world right now wants nothing more but chaos and more chaos. And if we look on the back of our dollar bill, we discover why. Because out of this chaos, he will bring his order. And his order will bring about a false peace and safety. Which will be to the detriment of all of mankind that serve him and his ideals. But before this happens, things will have to become so bad that people will want nothing more than to follow someone who can save them. And don't think that this can't happen. We are in the mindset of doing this very thing right now. We look to the government, our guns, our military and police force to save us. We look to the "lesser of two evils" politicians to save us. We look to ourselves and everyone else but the TRUE Savior- Yahshua, Jesus the Christ.

Because we miss this fact and over look the true Christ, this leaves room for the anti-christ to "fulfill" this need - to save people according to his will. And all will gather to worship him because he is going to be able to do what no one else on earth at this present time could. He will provide that peace everyone so desperately needs and looks for outside of Christ.

4 They fell down and worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like (as great as) the beast, and who is able to wage war against him?” 5 And the beast was given a mouth (the power of speech), uttering great things and arrogant and blasphemous words, and he was given freedom and authority to act and to do as he pleased for forty-two months (three and a half years). 6 And he opened his mouth to speak blasphemies (abusive speech, slander) against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those who live in heaven. 7 He was also permitted to wage war against the saints (God’s people) and to overcome them, and authority and power over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8 All the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain [as a willing sacrifice]. - Revelation 13:4-8(AMP)

Oh, everyone will get their "peace and safety", but the Lord will come and correct it in a mighty terrible way...

2 For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night. 3 While they are

saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord]. - 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3(AMP) 

9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast and his image and receives the mark [of the beast] on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he too will [have to] drink of the wine of the wrath of God, [a]mixed undiluted into the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone (flaming sulfur) in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb (Christ). 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night—those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” - Revelation 14:9-11 

The enemy has done such a great job at getting us off of our mission. We are so busy trying to create peace, save a culture, and this world, that somehow people are going to church every Sunday and forgetting the main outcome of our message of Christ. HE'S COMING BACK. And when He returns, He WILL DESTROY THIS EARTH AND CREATE A NEW ONE. How do we forget that?

"Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane. - Isaiah 51:6

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. - Isaiah 65:17

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (vanished), and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed like a bride adorned for her

husband; 3 and then I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “See! The tabernacle of God is among men, and He will live among them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them [as their God,] 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the former order of things has passed away.”5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” - Revelation 21:1-5

So, what am I ranting on and on about? Really it's to make everyone, especially believers, aware that things are not going to get better before Christ's return. We will have to bear the burden of raising our children in a hateful and evil world because the hearts of men are cold and will grow colder. Those joining hands now trying to create peace, will also join hands later under the beast (anti-christ) because the peace outside of Christ they so desperately wanted will be here. And they will be deceived - believers and unbelievers alike. Because the truth is, the only peace that you will find that will be true is in Christ. And the only time we will see that peace is at His return.

So, stay focused. Our job is to win the hearts of men and point them to the Savior of this whole world. Lord, protect us, your children, as we wait Your Son's return....

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time and now and forever. Amen. - Jude v24-25

What the News Won't Tell You

There's tragedy all around us. Every where we turn, people are dying, hungry, hurt, fighting, you name it. The most recent tragedy that has our attention are the murders that happened in Orlando, Florida the weekend of June 11th, 2016.

There is a lot of speculation surrounding this event, just like there have been so many speculations surrounding other events. There's been calls for massive gun control and the debates flare. There's talk of prejudices against sodomy and sodomites (homosexuals) being the cause. There's talk of politics being a motive. The news is not at a loss for words in throwing out controlled propaganda to narrate what has happened with this event as well as others that have passed.

If you have read any of my blogs or Facebook stats, you know I am no stranger to calling out truth and turning our attention to manipulation and propaganda. But this blog won't be about that. So often, I and others get so caught up with the "conspiracy" of things, that we forget the main subject at hand.

These things are not happening because of some evil powers that be that are controlling our minds - the way we think, act, and what we do - to serve their agenda (even though that is true). These things are not happening because people don't have proper gun permits. These things are not happening because of foolish decisions. No, these things are happening because those who are not regenerated in Christ have evil hearts and seek to do only that which is in it.

Woe to those who devise wickedness

    and work evil on their beds!

When the morning dawns, they perform it,

    because it is in the power of their hand. - Micah 2:1

But here's the thing. This world has gotten so good at calling what is evil good and what is good evil, that no one without wisdom can tell which is which. Those who are courageous enough to call out evil are accused of judging and, to be honest, it's true. And there's nothing wrong with judging as long as you are not doing the same sin you are judging. But, these voices are hushed.

See, the news will tell you all you want to hear in order to feed your fleshly thoughts. They'll tell you that these things are the works of terrorists to fuel your hate of other religions or people who look like they practice those religions. They'll tell you that it was a "white cop" that shot another "black man" to fuel your inner racist. They'll tell you that the club was full of sodomite-homosexuals to fuel your sympathy or lack there of for them. They will tell you that it was a ill-gotten semi-automatic used to create the biggest mass murder in the country's history to fuel your need for the government to disarm people and to argue with those who believe differently. Side note, this was not the biggest mass murder in our country's history, it's just the most talked about at the present time.

But, the one thing they will not tell you is that these things are happening because of the evil hearts of men. Why? Because it will cause us to have to do some serious self-evaluation. If these people have evil hearts, then what could I be capable of? Intrinsically, we know we can not cure an evil heart, so we will have to admit our weakness and look for One who's stronger. It will cause us to have to look outside of government to save us. It will cause us to have to look outside of the universe, a created entity for the power to change us. It will cause us to have to admit we can not transcend to a god, but we need the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But, the media and this world doesn't want you to do that. See, if we stay distracted with hate, we never have to recognize our own evil heart and need for a Savior. Look at this beautiful promise Yahweh-God gives us:

The Old Promise: 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. - Ezekiel 36:26-27 

The New Promise: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17 

What the news, media and this world won't tell you is the only way to combat the evil that spews out of human hearts is to have a literal change of heart through Christ. It's just that simple. We don't need marches, vigils, campaigns, laws...we need CHRIST, period.

When we receive the gift that is Christ's sacrifice on our behalf, and we truly become one with Him, our desires, thoughts, aspirations die and become His pure desires, thoughts, and aspirations. Those don't include hate, greed, prejudice, murderous schemes, false love, etc. but, they do include rest, peace, joy, patience, kindness, respect, and most importantly immortality. Yes, in Him we have eternal life. Do you realize how long that is? It's outside of time and that's mind-blowing.

How do we lose our life and gain Christ? I will tell you, it is not through a "Sinner's Prayer". A true conversion has many steps some in various orders, yet is VERY simple....

1. You have to have faith and Believe God exists
2. You must call on Him and Him alone
3. You must realize you have a heart of sin, confess it to Him, and repent
4. Confess Christ as the Lord of your life and your Savior
5. Walk with confidence in your new life FREE from sin.

These steps are explained and backed by verses in this blog. Christ tells us to "count the costs" of following Him. Please take time to pray, and if you would like, read in further detail what this means. The bible tells us, there is nothing worse than to know the truth and then turn away from it! Make sure you know and understand what you are doing.

So, as the world burns, those of us who have and will heed the message of Christ and the cross, stay strong. Our redemption is drawing near. Stay vigilant and faithful. Don't get caught up in the world's affairs. Keep the new heart He has given you pure before Him. He will return....

Take care,
Deidra

Salvation in Christ Broken Down

Many times we hear church people say "Come to Christ and be saved!", or "Let Jesus into your heart!". But, what does that really mean? Sure, a pastor can lead millions in one chanted "Sinner's prayer", but I will assure you, that isn't the same thing as salvation. In fact, it produces many false converts because salvation is never really explained. This process is an intimate one. One that isn't really shared with tens, hundreds, thousands, or millions of people. This is something done between you and the Lord.

So, I'd like to take some time just to go through steps that I have found to be true and helpful in understanding what it means "to be saved". Although I have "Step" in front of the numbers, this is in no way an exhaustive list, and neither are these steps something that must be done. Salvation is the work of the Spirit of Yahweh-God that man can not dictate or conduct. And the Spirit moves how He wishes. But, this is just to get you thinking of some things that others may not teach. Christ tells us to "count the costs" before following Him. And the Word tells us that it is better to not have known the truth, than to know and turn away from it. So, hopefully these "Steps" will help guide you and help you know what you are getting into.

I pray that if you are seeking salvation through Him, that He provides you with a godly council of believers to help you on your journey. I will admit, it is tough, but great things are worth fighting for!

Step 1: You first must forget what the world teaches and BELIEVE Yahweh-God exists...

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6 

Step 2: Call on Him while He is near . This seems like a no-brainer. But, this is important. We have to call on Him and only Him. A pastor can not save us. And we can't continue to think that we "have more time". The old addage says, "time waits for no man". How true it is. Death comes quickly and suddenly. And once it reaches out for you, there is no "after death" chance at salvation. Also the Father declared from the beginning that His Spirit will not dwell with man for forever.

Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. - Isaiah 55:6-7

Step 3: Realize you do have a evil and sinful heart and need to change. If you can't do this, then you will see no need for Someone greater than yourself. God created you. He has the right to take your life. As a sinner, while you are His creation you are not His child. You are His enemy. In reading through the Holy Bible what He can do to His enemies, this should terrify you. But, He had mercy and grace on you. And because of His tremendous patience, love and grace, and because He didn't turn His back on your and leave you burdened with an evil heart, it should make you sad enough that you don't want to become His enemy again (repentance).

10 The kind of sorrow God wants makes people decide to change their lives. This leads them to salvation, and we cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has will bring death. - 2 Corinthians 7:10

Step 4: Confess what you know you have done wrong (lied, cheated, stole, sex outside of marriage, whatever is burdening you) and ask for forgiveness and to have a clean heart again.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness - 1 John 1:9

Step 5: Confess and believe Christ as Lord and your Savior - You must believe that Christ did the work of the cross in that He, being perfect, died in your place (the wages of sin is death) , through the power of Yahweh-God, rose again, and now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on your behalf.

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. - Romans 10:9

Step 6: Once you have chosen to walk this walk, STOP SINNING. The same God that saved you from your sin is powerful enough to keep you out of it. His Spirit dwells in you now. No, you are not just a "sinner" like everyone else. Sinners don't go to heaven and gain eternal life. Yahweh-God calls you righteous. And we should live like it. I think this is a overlooked point, so I'm going to give two verses for this:

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. - Romans 3:23-26

6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life[a] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. - 1 John 3:6-9

Step 7: Last, don't let anyone or anything separate you from His love. The enemy of your soul will play tricks to make you believe this isn't real, or, that because you didn't "feel" anything nothing happened. The enemy, satan, will do anything to get you to denounce what you have done in dethroning him as the lord of your life and placing Christ in His rightful spot.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 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

I know this may seem like a lot, but it's not. When you think about it, if you are coming to Yahweh seeking salvation, you've taken care of at least three of the seven steps already. One thing I know, if you are serious, He is faithful to complete the work He started in you. It is not His desire that anyone perish with an evil heart. The bible says if you draw neigh unto Him, He will draw neigh unto you....

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. - James 4:8

Amen.....

My Dream of Societal Break Down

Image taken from calvarycentral.org

I had been having dreams lately that would leave me in a state of dread, yet waking up thinking “that was strange”. No matter how hard I tried, I could never remember the dreams. I had another this morning and this time I remembered it. I don’t usually share my dreams that are like these. By "these", I mean ones that have spiritual implications. But I feel I should share this one.

My family and I were on a farm trip for bible study. We were to meet in a big covered shelter. It looked like a picnic shelter with barn type décor. Outside of the shelter there was a big pond. Inside there was a small warming kitchen. There was a rafter just above where our son was sitting. Our daughter was still out walking toward the shelter with some other girls. 

As I was coming from the area of the kitchen I heard a hissing sound then a rattling sound. I saw a burgundy type snake slithering down toward our son’s head. He saw it but didn't move out of its way. Instead, he was trying to grab it. So I yelled at him to stop and move. I ran to him and covered his head and the snake went back into the rafters. 

A bunch of people were there in the shelter by this point but I couldn't find my husband. So I kept our kids away from the shelter and away from the other people. I went back to the kitchen and a female minister I knew was there. We talked a bit. Then I heard kids screaming. They were on the rafter and the snake was striking at them. I kept saying, “Get down, where are your parents?!” I looked around and all the adults had gone out of the shelter to watch a presentation on the other side of the field. The kids kept screaming and some were jumping off the rafters to get away. When I tried to help, they cursed me because I was “in their way”. 

The last girl up there tried to jump but she was afraid of heights. I ran to get her a chair thinking that maybe it wouldn't seem so far down. As soon as she was about to get down, the snake bit her foot - twice. She fell out the rafter and I saw it was a young girl I had known from a church we went to. Her leg swelled around her sock really bad. So I carried her over to sit on a chair by the pond. I ran to get ice and the minister was said very nonchalantly, that there was no more. So I told her to call 911 and she said, “It will do no good no one can help her now.” So I kept asking the girl where her mom was and she kept getting smart, having an attitude, and refused to answer. I told her I couldn’t help her without her mom, but she didn’t care. 

The next thing I knew she ended up in the pond. The minister and I watched her float for a while. Then the head of an alligator popped up near the edge of the pond by the shelter where we were. I called for her to get out. She refused. I tried to throw food to the alligator but it had already saw her. There were no rocks or anything to throw so a few ladies appeared and we started clanging pots and pans, thinking it would distract the alligator. The noise made a few adults look over and someone asked what was wrong. So we pointed to the alligator and the girl. The person ran back to the group and a mob of people with guns came running. But by that time, the gator had his head on the girl’s lap. She wouldn't fight. So it grabbed her leg, death rolled, and pulled her under. We could see the alligator thrashing, and I kept telling people to shoot. But, some didn't want to kill the animal and some were trying to read a book to see if it was legal to do so. No one would shoot. Then it got dark.

There are so many meanings to this dream that I see:

• Parents aren't there to cover and keep their kids from danger - I found it significant that the snake/serpent was going for my son's head. And at the moment that I covered it, the snake/serpent receded back to the rafters. As parents, it is our responsibility to cover our children - spiritually and physically.
• Children are in danger and have to save themselves, often getting hurt in the process - In the dream, because the adults were distracted by entertainment and are not watching them, or raising them the children were in imminent danger. They had no one to help them so they had to do what they could to save themselves. No one was there to even reprimand them for climbing ON the rafters, which could have prevented the danger in the first place.
• Society has become more concerned with animal rights and laws than people - A child was dying right before the groups eyes. The group was equipped to stop the problem, but chose the animal and laws instead of common sense to save the child. 
• Even with the efforts of others trying to "save the children",  if a child is apathetic about their life, danger is no threat - The child in the dream that was bitten had no concern for her life. She didn't care that she would die - either by the bite or by the alligator. She was apathetic to her situation. Which could have been because she had nothing to live for. So for her, danger and death was no threat but was welcomed.
• The "present-day church" is not paying attention and easily distracted - This was supposed to be a "bible study" time, a "gathering of God's people" if you will, and people left the covering of the shelter because they were more interested in being entertained. No one knew the snake or alligator was even there among them.
• There will be a select few to sound the alarm and there will be a select few to heed the call - In the dream, out of no where, a few women joined me clanging pots and pans. Because of that, a few men came out of the group and went back to warn the others. 

One thing I did find strange about the dream was that I couldn't find my husband. If anyone knows us we are joined at the hip at least 15-24 hours of the day (the other hours he's at work and in work traffic lol). I don't quite know what to make of it. I speculate because the dream seemed to be about today's society it represented the absence of fathers. I speculate that it may also just be that the Father saw fit to let me focus on what I would do and not what we would do. I don't know.

And here is another thing I don't understand. Why I would have this dream with this meaning when I already know these things. I'm guessing the Father wants me to write it down for someone who will one day see it and it rings true for them? If you are reading this, and you are that person, I pray the Father uses this to help you in some way. Outside of that, I'm not sure.

What I am sure about is that those of us as the Father's people, and as a society as a whole have to wake up and look around. I know things have to happen a certain way as prophesied, but there is still time to wake up and not be a part of it. Parents, protect your children. Church folk, pay attention. Society, let's start to value human life. These things won't cure the ills of this world as it grows colder and darker, but it is a starting point. Let's use our time wisely before time is no more.

WAKE UP