Our Witness

Psalm 126:5-6

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy carrying sheaves with him.

"Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves."  --Old Hymn.

To all of us who are praying for our dear family members and friends who do not yet know the Lord, never give up hope for their salvation. Where there is breath, there is still hope. Ask our Father to touch their hearts with the desire to know His Truth, to be freed from deception, and honestly want to move into the freedom from slavery to sin.

I thought I had invented the phrase, "a downward spiral," in reference to my repeated trying to free myself from the deadly lifestyle I had given myself into, only to fall back into it ever deeper. And God found me very unexpectedly, rescued me from that sin, gave me a brand-new life (in addition to my natural, human life that I still have) that gives me the power to choose what is right over what I regularly had fallen into. He has come into my life to live in my body as His temple, promising to never, ever leave. And He has kept that promise faithfully all the decades since.

What He has done for me, He wants to do for you, too, and your loved ones. Faithfully pray for them every day, and never pass up an opportunity to share what God has done for you. We gain the victory through the Blood of the Lamb (on the Altar of Calvary) and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11), as we are Christ's witnesses, to tell of what we have personally experienced (like in a court of law, no hearsay allowed there).

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Our Attitude Toward Rulers And Authorities

Titus 3:1-2

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities -- to put myself under their authority.

To be obedient -- to change my attitude; I don't know better.

To be ready to do whatever is good -- to be available.

To slander no one -- to not speak evil or criticize anyone.

To be peaceable -- to make peace, to get along with.

And considerate -- to think of the other's needs, to do for the other to meet their needs.

And show true humility toward all men. -- to not be thinking of myself at all, but be focused on the other person instead.

O my Father, I know that no authority exists except what You have given and set up, and that, especially in America, we elect those to have authority over us, so we, as a Nation, deserve the kind of rulers You allow us to set over ourselves.  Help us to obey every righteous law, and to always be ready to do whatever good we can. Keep us from speaking evil against those we don't agree with, to not attack the people, but deal only with the issues involved. Father, please continue to wake up Your people who are citizens of this Nation, to recognize the kind of people we have set over ourselves and how they are bringing us down morally, and let us be Your hands and Your feet and Your voice, to speak Your words to spread Your message, and use us to change the people who rule us to those who will lead us back to Your righteousness and the simplicity of our Constitution whereby we accomplished such overall financial and spiritual prosperity in the past. 

Father, forgive us for allowing such evil to take over so much of our National life by not participating in the responsibilities we have been granted in the processes of how our national life is to function. By our withdrawal into our own personal and family lives we have permitted the enemy to prevail in every public part of life: in our halls of government, our unrighteous business practices, our lower and higher educational institutions and even in our churches. Please lead us out of this mire and quicksand of degradation before it is too late, that America would again be that "city on a hill" shining Your light upon the other nations of the World, before the end comes.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Whose Plans?

Psalm 33:10-11, 18-19

The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. . . . The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

O my Father, You know that I desire to see Jesus coming with all His holy ones. I ask that You would grant me this promise, to deliver me from death and keep me alive in whatever famine would come, regardless of what the nations purpose or the peoples plan. Your plans do stand firm forever, and the purposes of Your heart stand firm and unmovable regardless of what the nations and peoples, mere men, devise.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Ultimate Healing

Revelation 22:1-2

. . . The River of the Water of Life, flowing . . . down the middle of the great street of the City. On each side of the River stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the Tree are for the healing of the Nations.

This is in the New Jerusalem, on the New Earth that has the New Heaven, after this present Earth and its Heaven, the Atmosphere, has exploded, and God has re-terra-formed our world. This is the Eternal Heaven that we all long for.

And the Tree of Life is yielding its fruit each month of every year, for food. And the leaves of the Tree are for medicine, for healing the Nations. We are all broken people, broken societies, broken nations; stained and scarred. Even in our Resurrected state, we will need further healing. God will never give up on us or leave us alone; what He began in us, He will finish, even if it takes all of Eternity to get it done!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Whose Property?

Psalm 115:16

The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to man.

So God, the Creator of everything, has given the Earth to Mankind. The rest of the Universe is God's. And Man, in his arrogance, considers himself the owner of the Universe, to claim for himself whatever areas he is able to reach (Star Trek; Space X; Mars One). 

Puny little Man, do you think that you will be able to build machines that will take you safely to other parts of God's Universe? It is Earth that God has given to us, to take care of and allow it to provide all our earthly needs. The rest of the expanse of Space and everything in it remains God's property.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

A Sinner Who Repents

Luke 15:10

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

O my Father, I know that it is Your miracle whenever You cause a sinner to see himself in light of who You are, and turns around his life. It is all You, Father, to grant the gift of faith and give new life to one who is Your enemy, changing him into Your friend, Your very child. You are a God of miracles, and no one can come to You except Your Spirit draws him. Your grace in accepting us is greater than I can imagine.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Confronted With Who God Is

Job 42:5-6

My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.

God is God, there is no other. Whenever a human person is confronted with who God is, there is no comparison--we are all undone in His presence. Job despised himself and repented in dust and ashes. Isaiah cried, "Woe is me! I am ruined!" when he saw the Lord, who was seated on a throne, high and exalted (Isaiah 6:1-5). Saul, who became Paul, was thrown to the ground and blinded (Acts 9:1-9). And John, who had lived with Jesus for over 3 years, fell at his feet as though dead when he saw Him in His glory (Revelation 1:9-17).

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!