The History of a 2009 Prophetic Word

Back in 2009 our church brought in two prophetic pastors to witness to the people.  Several times before prophets has visited but until this time Jerry and I has never been asked to come forward.  Much of what was spoken over the both of us I could relate to.  We prayed for others all the time.  We stayed strong in the Lord during difficult times.  We remain optimistic and are firm believers that the Lord makes all things possible.  At the time the word of encourager, hospitality and revelation was spoken over me, I did not receive it.  It fact I told others I had ever felt a calling for many of the things spoken directly over me.  Then almost 10 years later, the year 2018 hits and after the removal of a tumor on my brain the Holy Spirit moved in me and my life.  The ladies encouragement group called Power of Twelve was born and continually since 2018 meets monthly in my home.  It is now 2021 and the ladies group is still an ongoing call from the Lord.  I am sharing the prophetic message as a reminder to me and for anyone else who needs to be reminded the Lord does not live by a calendar or by time as we know it.  He moves when He needs to move.  

Presbytery May 4, 2009 (Main Points – Not the full version)

Pastor Mark Cargill:

I hear this phrase come into my spirit, “Strength for the journey” just “Strength for the journey.”  I believe God want to put within you a fresh anointing for strength.  I speak strength to you Sir.  I speak strength to you, woman of God. 

(Spoken over Deb)

I see you Sister, you’re going to be blessed by the Lord, opportunities and things.  God is going to bring a fresh, I see the word, I hear the word, and I see the word “opportunity” written all over your life.  God is going to bless that.  I believe God want to use you to be an encourager in the House of the Lord.  There is a ministry of encouragement that He wants to do.  I see you actually welcoming people, greeting people, standing at the door and smiling and greeting people and “It’s great to see you”.  There is warmth about you that the Lord wants to release into welcoming people to not only the House of God but welcoming people into your home, into your lives.  And the ministry of hospitality and I believe there’s a grace of serving that is in your life.  Ministry of helps that is in your life.  The Lord will release in a greater way.  I see there is almost like a Deaconship upon you.  Where you just serve and you’re ministering so faithfully.  There’s a strength and stability that you bring to the House of the Lord.  I believe the Word of the Lord is going to flow out of your life Sister. I believe God is going to speak to you.  I believe He’s going to speak to you in fresh revelation.  I speak, I prophesize a spirit of Revelation to be released in new ways over your life.  God is going to speak to you, going to give you visions, even pictures in your mind.  You’re going to see them and receive them into your spirit.  I see you getting words for people.  You’ll be taking a walk, you’ll be out doing different things and the Lord will quicken somebody to your mind and your heart and God will give you a word for them.  I hear the Spirit of the Lord say to you to be bold, go to them and say and speak the word of the Lord to them.  And say this, “I was just thinking of you the other day and the Lord spoke to me about you” and then share it with them and tell them what God is doing in your heart in regards to them.

(Spoken over both)

Both of you are going to have a ministry of prayer.  You’re going to intercede and you’re going to have an agreement that will lay hold of a mountain and jerk it from its foundation and throw it into the sea.  

“I’ve put within you a seed of faith.  You’re to lay hold of those things which are impossible and pray them into possibility.  I’ve called you to stand in the gap for The House and the vision of The House.  To pray for your pastor’s and to pray for the different things that are rising up and things that are needing to be accomplished and needing to be done.  I indeed will cause you to be burdened together with them and the two of you shall pray a prayer of agreement that shall move mountains.”  

This is a good season in life for you.  Get ready for the Lord is ready to smile upon you and to work out that smile into the everyday actions and experiences of your life. 

Pastor Mark Strong:

Scripture says, “Have I not commanded you to be strong and of good courage?  Neither be thou dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”.  I believe that you’re about to embark on a new field.  I see this field that is unplowed.  It looks rocky and you’re like, “I don’t know if I’m up for this.”  But I believe the Lord is.  I don’t know if this is spiritual or natural.  I believe that God is going to put within your faith, put within your heart, a faith to step out and to buy the field.  There is a new direction.  A new way God is going to lead you.  But what you need to understand is that this thing is going to be so fruitful and so vital in terms of what all God is going to bring forth.  I don’t understand all that and I can’t explain it to you but God will make it clear to you.   You’re going to step out in faith, and as you take the risk, and as you have the courage, you’re going to find that God will give you everywhere you place the sole of your foot.  I see how the enemy would want to try to come around and cause you to shrink back.  God would put the marker out there and the enemy would want to push it back, back, back, back.  But the Spirit of God is going to break through.  There’s a great inheritance.  There’s a greater realm of influence.  There’s a greater field that God is going to open into your heart.  I even believe that tonight that as we lay hands, as we pray for you, that there is just an enlargement of faith that is coming into your heart.  I mean a spirit of Possibility and just optimism is going to begin to just fill you.  You know it’s almost like the enemy wants to kind of drizzle a little pessimism over your head and over your hearts.  But I see the Lord say,

“I’m filling you with optimism.  I’m filling you with faith and I’m filling you with a new vitality for life and open doors and opportunities.”

It’s almost like you’re going to start like this, pioneer and a fresh, with you know, “Hey there’s gold in California!  We’re going to go get it in the Name of Jesus.”  And as God moves you the strength is going to be there.  The vitality is going to be there and you will lack nothing.  Your bones are not going to ache.  Your back is not going to ache.  Your heart’s not going to hurt.  Your eyes are not going to grow weary.  You are going to experience the strength of your God.  And you’re going to experience the courage and the force of your God breathing on you.  It’s almost like the Holy Spirit is going to get behind the two of you and He’s going to push you.  You’re going to feel the Hands of God in your back heading you where God desires for you to go.  Because the Lord says,

“What I’ve called you to do is not just for you. But even, it’s for those that shall come after you and for generations.”  

 I believe, listen to this, what a wonderful promise, that your life will be blessed.  Not only will you bless people now, but what God intends to do with you, shall bless generation after generation, till Jesus comes.  God is going to cause you to put seeds in the ground.  He’s going to cause you to put seeds in the ground and long, long after you’ve gone to Glory, long after that seed, that seed that is still in the ground, long after you have gone to your eternal reward,  that seed is going to be here working and working and working.  For God said this promise, He told Abraham, 

“This promise is to your children and your children’s children. Amen!  I have purposed to bless generations through you.  It’s an ongoing blessing.”  

You know a lot of times; I know in our neighborhood, there have been kids that have been caught up in all kinds of stuff.  What happens was their great grandfather was into it, their grandfather was into it and their father was into it.  It’s almost like a bad seed that had been reproduced and reproduced and reproduced.  But praise God, with you, it’s a “good thing” that God is reproducing.  Generations shall be blessed.  So I encourage you tonight, that as God moves upon your heart, step out by faith.  Be of good courage and know the Lord has purposed the two of you to be a blessing to this generation and too many generations afterwards.

What Salvation Means

What Salvation Means 

Our Power of Twelve ladies group has the word ‘salvation’ (Isaiah 12:2) for the month so this week I have been asking the Lord to give me some insight into what that word means to the believer and why salvation is a key part of being a Christ Follower, a Christian, a believer and why salvation should be on the hearts and minds of all people on earth.

 

Merriam Webster defines salvation as follows:

·        deliverance from the power and effects of sin

·        the agent or means that effects salvation

·        liberation from ignorance or illusion

·        preservation from destruction or failure

·        deliverance from danger or difficulty

I love that the number one definition of salvation is deliverance from the power and effects of sin!  But liberation and preservation are of equal value to mankind.

 

Through Jesus Christ, the sins of the world are wiped clean.  Jesus said in Mark 8:35;

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

 

Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, from the time of creation until the end of time, people needed, still need, and will need salvation.  Salvation from themselves.  Salvation from others.  Salvation from earthly life.  We need to be saved.  We want to be saved.  Every single person, at one time or another, during their life on earth, have cried out to be saved by someone or something.  Many look for another human being to be their savior only to find that person cannot save them, especially when death is lurking nearby.

The scriptures speak of a “strong tower”, a “refuge”, a “fortress”.   These are places where a person can go when they have fear of something or need protection from something or someone.  When a tornado, hurricane or horrific storm comes, people seek shelter from the storm in strong, reliable structures that can withstand the power of the storm.  People want to live, so people find the strongest place they can find shelter from the storm.

But where does that person go when the evilness of others comes to rob them of their lives and their possessions?  Where can one go to find peace from the troubles on earth?  Even if they hide themselves in a fortress or behind walls, the evilness is still there, waiting.  People living on earth cannot hide from the evil on earth.  They need to be saved.  They need a savior.  They need salvation.

 

The other definitions of salvation include the words; “deliverance”, “liberation”, “preservation”.What encouraging words to the person living in fear and what a blessing for those who find it!  All human beings want to be delivered from hopelessness, anger, hate, and fear.  They want to be liberated from oppression, cruelty, lies, and addiction. They want preservation from health issues, envy, jealousy, greed, and death.  All people are offered salvation from the sins and grief of this deadly world.  Jesus said all we need to do is come to Him.  He said to follow Him and His teachings while here on earth, recorded in the word of God.

 

Jesus says in Matthew 11:30; “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” We all know the weight of life and living can be overwhelmingly heavy.  Sometimes it is just too much to bear but Jesus offers to lighten the load by coming along side of us with His Spirit of peace and love.  In Matthew 11:28 He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Be sure to notice the word “all”!  The invitation to come to Him for his salvation, His protection, His deliverance, His liberation is for all human beings.  The only action required on our part is to come to Him, to seek Him, to look for Him and to look at Him. 

 

People have to admit the need and want to be saved. They have to admit they cannot find salvation, deliverance, liberation, or protection on their own.  All have to admit the messes they have made for themselves.  People have to be willing to admit the terrible things they have done to others and the hurt and grief caused by these decisions and actions.  All people have said and done things that have caused tears.  All people have put their own selfish desires before the needs of others who are suffering.  As little children we have to be taught to share, give, and love.  Without these positive characteristics we are just like animals and live a life of kill or be killed.  We live a life focused only on ourselves and what gives us pleasure and could care less about others.  We live an empty existence without hope, peace, or love.  We die and become dust.

 

Human beings are born with a desire to live and to be protected from the perils of living on earth.  Human beings have a soul and a spirit even if they do not admit it to themselves.  Human beings need a savior.  Jesus Christ, God Himself, The Great I AM, Creator of the Universe, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lamb of God, came to walk on earth, was killed by the priests and the people because of His teachings of deliverance, protection, liberation, and salvation.  He taught love, peace, generosity, and selflessness.  He sacrificed His body, His life for everyone.  He gave all human beings salvation from the sins of this world by means of His sacrifice on the cross.  He was pure.  He never sinned.  He died for you and me so that we could have salvation from life, ourselves, and others.  He was the sacrifice needed to save the people of this world because human beings are sinful, selfish creatures. 

 

To ask for salvation is to ask to be saved.  When is the last time you asked yourself or someone if they are saved?  Saved from what?  Saved from themselves?  Saved from a miserable life?  Saved from cancer or the ravages of disease?  Saved from death?

 

Biblical prophecy in Revelation 7:10 tells us that at the end of time for this physical earth, a great multitude of human beings “from every nation, tribe, people and language”, will be standing before the throne of God  and before the Jesus the Sacrificial Lamb, and they will cry out; “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

 

John 14:6 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

No fortress on earth will save you in the end. Jesus is the only way to salvation.  There is no other way. It is always a choice to believe or not that you can and will be saved after that last breath. 

The Protection of God

 Our ladies Power of Twelve group has the word "protects" as our word of encouragement this month.  The word is from the scripture in Daniel 12:1 which says, 

At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

This part of Daniel is speaking a prophesy of the end times for the people on earth.  There is a great war taking place between the kingdoms on earth.  The very opening of that scripture tells us the Father will send the arch angel Michael to protect the chosen people of God.  How amazing is that?  Michael is the Chief Prince of all the angels in God's Angel Army.  We have no idea how many angels are in this army of God but in Luke 12:13 there was "a great company of heavenly host" which appeared to the shepherds in the fields when they announced the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  In 2 Kings 12:17 the Lord protected Elisha by filling "the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire."  Riding the horses and driving the chariots was the Angel Army of God.  When scripture speaks of a heavenly host this is referring to an army of angels who are messengers, protectors, fighters, those who come to the aid of God's chosen people.  These angels have over and over helped the people God chose to do His work on earth.  From the time of Adam and Eve until the time when the Apostle John is held captive on an island and prophesies about the end times, God has sent angels to minister to people.  Mary, Joseph, King David, Balaam, Paul, Elisha, Ezekiel, and so many others have seen and or heard from a Messenger of God.  These Messengers are angels of the Lord, sent by Him to relay a message or to protect and guide.  In Matthew 26:53, Jesus tell the disciples, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"  In King David's time, each legion held 24,000 soldiers.  Twelve legions would be 288,000 soldiers.  In the Roman army, a legion could be anywhere from 3,000 (plus auxiliary soldiers, plus garrisons, plus guards, plus cavalry) to 6,000 soldiers putting the army count anywhere from 40,000 to over 100,000.  Jesus is saying in this scripture that He can call out hundreds of thousands of angels to assist Him with whatever He needs done!  In the end of times for earth, Revelation19:1 tells us; 

"After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!  

We have no idea how great a "great multitude" is, but with our Lord you can believe it is numerous, powerful, extraordinary, and beyond our wildest imagination.

Over and over throughout scripture and throughout our lives our Father God has protected us from harm.  He tells us repeatedly, He wants no harm to come to us.  He stands ready to guard us and keep us safe.  He will provide security for us in all ways.  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Do you have faith in the word of God to His people?  

Have you seen times in your life that could have gone one way and caused you great harm but instead something happened to change the outcome of that instance?  

Have you ever had someone show up at just the right time to help you out of something that could have altered the course of your life?

Do you believe in miracles?

A true believer will be able to say yes to many of these questions and maybe yes to all of them.  People with faith and belief in a Father, a Creator, Almighty God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords know in their mind, their heart, their soul that He is real and really loves His children,  His people, those who are called by His Name!  They don't doubt His protection or His love.

When God sends a messenger, or a heavenly host, or an army of angels to His people He is making a way where there seems to be no way.  He is providing what is necessary for the times.  He is caringly and lovingly surrounding us with whatever is necessary to keep us safe.  Since the beginning of mankind the Father has used his angels in the lives of His people and He will not stop doing this for us until the end of times for this earth.  In the new heaven and earth the angels and the people will worship, praise and live joyfully for there will be no sorrow, no pain, no tears and no need for protection from the evil one.  We will be home with the Lord for ever and ever. 

Amen.

Doors (Revelation 3:20)

November 8, 2020 

Doors 

Revelation 3:20 (ESV) -  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The word “Doors” can mean different things.  Doors are meant to keep things out and they are meant to keep things in.  Some are actual real doors with hinges and door knobs.  Others are not physical doors, but doors to our emotions and feelings.  

We fling open physical doors to our family and our friends and invite them in.  We carefully open those same doors to strangers standing on the porch to see what they want or need.  We lock our doors when there is a possibility of trouble or at night to get a peaceful sleep.  

Each one of us have individual emotional and mindful doors. Often times we close doors when do not want to deal with an issue or a problem.  It’s easier to leave it on the other side of the door and not deal with it.  When we lose someone through relationship issues, have financial trouble, have health issues, or when we deal with actual death, we sometimes close those doors because the pain is too bearable to face. 

We have both physical and emotional doors that we hide things behind.  I have closet doors that hide stuff I have accumulated for decades.  I am ashamed for anyone to see all the stuff in those closets.  I have emotional doors that I am ashamed of.  The Lord knows the things hidden behind my emotional doors.

Many times in scripture we hear verses about Jesus knocking on the door and our response to open the door to Him is up to us.  We hear about the Bridegroom coming to the wedding, someone opens the door to Him and after he has entered, the door is then closed. Those who were invited to the wedding are on the inside while many others are left on the outside.  Those on the outside either did not respond to the RSVP for the wedding invitation or they decided the wedding was not important enough to attend. Regardless, they are on the outside of the closed door.

We also have scripture where the Lord asks us to go into our prayer closet to pray and to close the door.  These are the times when the Lord wants our undivided attention.   He wants to have a private one-on–one with us.  Many times as a parent I had to take a child aside and have a heart-to-heart chat about one thing or another.  The conversation was not for all ears to hear.  It was meant for a specific set of ears.  This is the same with the Lord.  He is our father, we are His child.  We can cast everything, both the good and the bad, before Him and know that He hears and understands it all.  He walks with us no matter what situation we are in. 

Jesus is not the kind of God who forces anyone to do anything.  He is filled with love for each one but allows us the free will to choose His way or not.  When we acknowledge Him as Christ our Savior we only need to trust Him with the physical doors of our lives and the emotional doors of our lives.  We just need to hold onto faith that He is for us, not against us.  That He is molding us into a better person.  That He will always love us no matter what. 

The Social Media Dilemma

Today I watched a new documentary call "The Social Media Dilemma".  What an eye opener and what a tragedy for the future of humanity if things do not change in the minds and hearts of all human beings.  This documentary was done by those people who invented the social media platforms used by billions of people in the world today.  These people are worried about the future of mankind.

The following words are from my notes while watching.  I have put them in alphabetical order since they are actually all in the number one position of what I deemed important and what faces the entire scope of human beings on the planet today.  Each person must decide for themselves the importance of social media in the lives of those they care about.

Addiction

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Brainwashed

Chaos

Clueless

Conspiracy

Control

Death

Destruction

Divide

Division

Dopamine

Dystopia

Exploitation

False information makes money

Hatred

Influence

Lies

Manipulation

Money

Power

Program

Psychological

Seduction

Self absorption

Self worth

Social media is a drug

Tribalism

Truth

Truth is boring

Users are associated with drugs and software

Vanity

Violence

War

Zombies

Covid 101

Life moves on and the days pass by, slowly.  Nothing is the same and none of us know who or what is pulling the strings of this bizarre time of life. 

It has been 6 months since the world shut down because of the corona virus.  Covid-19 is the name they have given it.  As of today there have been around 187,000 deaths attributed to the virus in just the USA.  But in just the past week we have learned that only 9,000 have died from the virus alone.  All of the others who have died had other conditions that were causing serious health issues for them prior to the virus showing up on earth.  I believe the corona virus, which is an influenza virus, was just the final blow for these people who were mostly older and mostly of ill health.  Across the globe over 800,000 have died and each death is being counted as a corona virus death.  There have been over 26.5 million positive cases of the virus worldwide.  This equates to roughly a 0.03% chance of dying from this flu virus and a .03% chance of testing positive.

 

At no time on earth has the entire human population been exposed to this amount of testing and with the planet now having a population of 7.8 billion people.  The testing of .032% of the world population is very minimal. But government officials have closed off their countries, closed down their cities, closed down their people for the most part.  Nations are in shut down.  People are out of work.  Children are not going to school.  People are required to wear masks when they are out in public.  People are required to stay 6 feet away from one other.  There are no large gatherings, at least legal gathering.  The riots and protests in large cities are another story.

 

We have come to a time in life where there are no answers to the questions.  From a religious perspective, I can live without the answers, though the questions are still on my mind. Why?  Why with such a minuscule amount of death from only one of a thousand diseases on the planet, have the leaders of nations jumped to this surreal way of handling this virus?  Is there something more sinister at work here? 

 

A very time long ago 50% of the population on the British Isles died of disease.  That was hundreds and hundreds of years ago and modern medicine has eradicated so many diseases in the past centuries.  Why are there so many modern doctors and medical experts so unraveled by this virus?  Because it is new?  The other corona viruses SARS (2003) and MERS (2012) never freaked them out to react with such devastating public consequences.  And by the way, there are no cures or vaccines for those corona viruses today.

 

It's a very weird time of life.  No one has solutions. No one has answers.  No one is telling us the whole truth.  Only God knows how this one will pan out in the end.  It will end though, one way or another.

A letter to my Christian brothers and sisters - Take Heed

 August 29, 2020 - A letter to my Christian brothers and sisters:

If you say that you are a Christian are you doing your best to show others the love, kindness, and compassion of our Almighty Father?  Are you showing the world how Jesus would act and respond in such a time as this?  Are you doing your best to control your opinions, your words, and your actions, to exemplify our Savior?  Or are you Christian in name only and not in action?

I have been there.  I called myself a Christian the entire 8 years Obama was in office and yet I belittled him, called him names, spewed disrespect in my words and actions, and said with my own mouth that I hated him.  I lost several friendships over this type of action and rightly so.  I was not acting Christian in any sense and only hurting many of the people I called friend, even family.  I hope I will be forgiven by the Lord and the people I hurt with my words and actions back then. 

Fast forward, we moved in the President Trump era.  I hear many of my friends and family doing exactly to Trump what I had been doing to Obama and his people.  How can I be offended when I know that I did the same thing to another president?  How can I not forgive my Christian family and friends whose words and actions are far from being any kind of love or compassion when I did the same thing for 8 Obama years?  How can I call them Christian hypocrites when I was exactly the same? 

Nothing I did or said back in the Obama years changed anything that happened in our nation during that administration.  I spewed my hate for the man and it literally had no effect, whatsoever, on his time in office.  He didn’t hear me.  Those closest to him did not hear me.  99% of the nation did not hear me.  The only ones who heard me were the people in my tiny, little circle of life.  My unkind outspokenness only caused grief for some of my family and my friends. 

If you are a Christian and you are acting like I did, I implore you, don’t do it.  Don’t go there.  You will lose some of the people that have brought you joy and smiles throughout the years.  You will look back at yourself and wonder why you abandoned your Christian values over hatred and disrespect for a man you do not honestly know and never will.  You will never sit down and speak with the President of the United States and get to know him.  You do however know Jesus Christ if you are an honest to goodness follower of Christ.  He has told each of us to love one another, not hate those who we do not agree with in values, morals, or even political stance.  (John 13:34-35, Romans 12:10, I Peter 3:8).  He has told us not to judge the actions of others and let him take care of the world and the affairs of the world. (Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:37, Micah 5:15, Jeremiah 51:11).

The word “heed” is defined as; “pay careful attention to; take notice of.”  The words “heed” is in the NIV version of the Bible over 2,500 times.  Do you think the Lord was trying to get his point across to his people that we need to take heed of his words, our words, his actions, and our actions?  I am trying harder and harder these days to choose my words wisely or say nothing at all.  The only way we can save our relationships with family members and our relationships with friends and acquaintances is try our best not to offend with our words and our actions. I am far from getting it all right but I am trying.  If you are a Christian I hope you will try too.

They Lied

                                                        They Lied

 

They told God to get out of the schools.

They told God to get out of the government.

They told the people that sex outside of marriage was fine.

They told the people that homosexual sex was normal.

They told the people that men could marry men and women could marry women.

They told the people aborting an unborn child was nothing.

They told the people the government would take care of all their needs.

They told the people to stay home, not go to work, not go to school,

Avoid all human contact or you will die.

They lied.

They have been lying for decades.

Only God can save you now.

You had better find him before it is too late.

If you do know him, you’d better be talking to others and praying for the lost souls.

There are billions of them.

 

Proverbs 8:35

For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.

 

 

Debrakay

8-17-2020

SUFFERING

 The people suffer and curse their image of god.

The people of the One True God call upon him for relief.

Has God abandoned His people?

Have His people abandoned Him?

Will the Father abandon His children?

Have the children of God walked away from Him?

How many days and years can God watch His people dishonor Him?

Many speak out of the love of God.

He is a God of love.

He is a God of wrath.

How can He be both love and wrath?

A father who loves his children will teach them discipline.

He will teach them that trials and failures bring strength.

He will allow each child a free will to accept or reject his teachings.

When a child turns their back to their father they are left to live their own life.

If the failures and trials become more than the child can bear, they suffer.

Suffering children have a choice to return to their father or continue in their suffering.

The return of the child to the father’s house brings joy to the father.

His arms are open and his love is apparent.

Just as the human father welcomes his child home, the Creator Father does the same.

He calls time and time again for His child to return to him.

His love is immeasurable and eternal.

His wrath and abandonment is the choice of the people.

People are free to choose love or wrath.

People are free to choose God or themselves.

Choose God and receive love and forgiveness.

Choose yourself and live with abandonment and wrath.

 

Matthew 11:28- 30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Where Do We Go Now?

Sunday, August 2, 2020

3:00 PM

 

It is hard to understand what has happened this year.  Two years ago when my brain tumor was found, I was asking the same questions, but at that time it was for me personally.  This time it is about the entire planet and all of it's inhabitants, not just me.

 

The economies of all nations are suffering.  Most have lost more than 10% of it's economy and there seems to be no reprieve in sight. There are people who have lost everything.  They have lost their businesses.  They have lost their jobs.  They have lost their incomes.  As this moves forward, many will lose their homes.  They will have to start completely over.  Of course, that will not happen until businesses open at full capacity.  I honestly do not see that happening the remainder of this year and into the next year.  It will be a very slow recovery and the recovery has not even begun.  Most of the government restrictions are still in place across the world.  Schools are not reopening this month or next month.  Large gatherings for any kind of entertainment are still closed.  For the most case, in Oregon, we have a limit of 10 persons per gathering, regardless if it is a private gathering or a public gathering.  These kinds of restrictions are ongoing across the globe.

 

So what does God think of all of this?  Does he even care anymore about the suffering of the people?  Does he hear the cries of the hopeless people asking 'why'?  Can he or will he, move to end the suffering? 

 

God has watched the suffering of people since the beginning of time.   He also knows that much of the suffering is of our own free will.  As humans, we have chosen to turn our backs on God.  We have chosen not to follow him and his way.  We have obliterated him from the minds of the children and then we wonder why the children are up in arms, are disrespectful, are lost in their own selfish desires and wants.  All across the nations, God has been booted out of the lives of the people yet when there is suffering they turn their screams and cries to him and ask him to end the suffering.  As he hears the people call out to him, his heart of compassion comes along side of them.  He has not walked away from them, ever, but they have walked away from him.  It does not mean he has stopped loving them, ever.  It means he will only come to the aid of the people when they cry out to him and ask for his help. 

 

Over and over throughout time and throughout scripture we have heard the stories of the lost people coming back to the Father.  Mostly it happens during a time of suffering.  When the people of Israel were held in slavery by the Egyptians they had no choice but to do as their slave masters told them.  If they did not, they were killed.  They suffered for 400 years as slaves to the rulers of Egypt.  But the time came when God responded to the cries and led them out of slavery.  It was a tough road with many more years of hardship but they were no longer slaves.

 

Exodus 6:6 (NIV)

Therefore, say to the Israelites:  I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

 

Will it take 400 years for God to hear the cries of his people again?  I have no idea, but it is a possibility.  The United States was built on the premises of faith and freedom.  That was 400 years ago this year.  But America stayed faithful to God up until 50 years ago.  As America walked away from God we watched the people of the nation fall into pits of evil and hellish ways.  The people became selfish and killed their unborn children in the womb.  Both sexes became selfish and lusted after their own kind.  All became obsessed with money and power.  The spiral to hell has continued and is now spinning so fast that one cannot keep up with the evilness and vileness of the human being. 

 

As I see it today, the people of America and the people of the world will continue in their suffering and mostly because of their own doing.  You can't blame God when you don't believe in God.  You can't expect God to help you when you never thanked him for the good things in life.  I would like to be writing a more positive word than words of a bleak future.  I'd like to be a shining light for God filled with words of hope, encouragement, and a pleasant future.  Instead, I am here writing about a suffering people and a God who may chose not to alleviate any of the current suffering.  For 400 years, in just one story, he did not help.  There is another story of the destruction of Jerusalem and the people taken into slavery by the Babylonian nation.  They lived in slavery for 70 years during that period of suffering. 

 

Jeremiah 15:2 (NIV)

And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ ‘Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.’

 

I guess my best hope today is that American's only suffer for 70 years and not 400 years. I don't want to be known as a follower of Christ with only bad news on my lips.  What I would like for God to do in this day and age of suffering is to melt the hearts of those with hard hearts.  To make himself known to the god-hater.  To find a way to speak to those who feel alone in their hopelessness.  To raise up and army of believers to take back what evilness has destroyed.  To bring the people back to their knees before him.  I would like to hear of and see revival in the hearts of the lost and those who have walked away from God.

 

The God that I know can do this.  He can make a way to do this, but only if it is his will to do so.  6 months, 70 years, or 400 years God can make changes in and to the lives of the people he loves.  Our part is to be patient, pray, and watch and see what God can do.

 

The following scripture in the book of Revelation repeats the words from Jeremiah, but then God added the last sentence to give us hope.  Hope in him and his plan.

 

Revelation 13:10 (NIV)

“If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.