Tag: christianity

The Lord is trustworthy, even in the storm.

Sometimes life hurts. There are days that it gets overwhelming and I sit at my desk and just cry. It seems like there are so many battles, so many things to pray about, so few answers. The other day I sat here, doing a puzzle, and I just started crying. Why, Lord? Why do we pray and pray, and wait and wait, and you do not answer our prayers? I know that you hear me. I know that you have not turned your face from me. I know you listen to every prayer I pray. Why do you not answer? Then I hear His still small voice, “do you trust Me, child?” Yes, Lord, I do. I choose to trust you, even though it makes no sense. Even though I do not understand. 

But even as I heard Him say this, I realized something. If I did not hear Him so clearly, know Him so well, I would have lost my faith in the past two years. The Lord tells us that He tests our hearts. (1Thessalonians 2:4) He has tested me, indeed. Should I share my trials with you? Are they any harder than yours? Everyone has trials in this life. It’s not a competition. We all suffer pain, grief, rejection, persecution, loss, heartache. And we all must wait for answers. And it is in the waiting, that He tests us. It is in the loss, the grief so powerful, one can hardly breath, that we make our choices. Do I get angry and offended with the Creator of the Universe or do I choose to trust Him.

I think of John the Baptist, who sends his disciples to Jesus in Matthew 11:2-10, and has them ask Jesus, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” The question is rather profound when you consider that this man, John, recognized Jesus when they were both in the womb of their mothers. This same man told the world that Jesus was the Coming One! What happened? Jesus tells us in verse 6, “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” 

And there it is! Perhaps you’ve never had someone tell you that God loves to offend us. I wish I was kidding, but I’m not. How else do you test someone’s heart? It is in the offense, in the trial that makes no sense, the outcome that comes out of left field, the phone call that sends you reeling, the rejection you didn’t see coming, that what is hidden deep in our hearts, truly comes out. 

I remember years ago, during another season of trial, where it seemed like everything that could go wrong, every thing that could fall apart, did, that I finally lost it one night. I let God have it. Yes, I yelled at Him, I probably used cuss words, I told Him what I thought of Him. We’ve all done it, if we are honest. But His response shocked me: “I knew that was in your heart, and now, so do you!” Wow. He was right. I had no idea because I tried so hard to be good, to be faithful through the trials. I wanted to be a good Christian, to suffer well. But my flesh failed, as it always will. I repented. Malachi 3:2-3 tells us “For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver”.  When the refiner’s fire is in your life, it will bring up the dross in your heart. And it’s never pretty. But it is only when we see the dross of our own hearts, that we can truly repent. 

And all that brings me to answer the question in the title. How do you build your house on the rock? (Matthew7:24-27) How do you get oil in your vessels? (Matthew 25:1-13).

Both of these parables were a little confusing to me, I must admit. But as I sat here at my desk, talking to Him about my pain, hearing His voice so clearly, asking me if I trust Him, that suddenly I began to understand. 

Paul compares the Christian life with a race. In 2 Timothy 4:7 he tells us “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” What was the end goal? To keep the faith. Faith is not a feeling. Faith is in fact, a choice. And it is in fighting the good fight, in continuing and not giving up, that we keep the faith. When life sucker punches you, and it will, do you keep fighting, or do you give up? Giving up means walking away from God, giving in to my flesh and indulging it with distractions, and, blaming God. It is so easy to blame Him, isn’t it? If you believe He’s in control, then you know He could have stopped it. He could have fixed it. He could have changed it. But He chose not to. Ah, and right there, my friend, is the offense! What do you do with that? 

Yes, right there is where the test begins. Now all that gunk in my heart comes to the surface. And I choose. I choose to look back at my life and see how He came through. Not necessarily in the way I had hoped or even prayed, but nonetheless, He came through. He was faithful to me and things worked out for my good. So, do I choose to once again trust Him, because I know He is good or do I get offended? Sometimes the test is so bad, that it is hard not to be offended. I’m sure you have your own examples, as I do! But I choose to build my house on that Rock, because His name is Jesus, and He is faithful. I choose to have oil in my vessel, because the Holy Spirit loves me and is right here. He has never left me or abandoned me. 

And I do something else with that trial, that you might not have thought about. I will search for hidden treasures in that darkness. (Isaiah 45:3) It is in the secret places, in those dark times of the soul, that we can hear His voice ever so clearly. It is in the pain and suffering, that I hear His voice the loudest. And He shows me things, things I never understood, until I chose to trust Him, when all I saw and felt was pain. And that my friend, is how my faith has grown through these dark days. That is how I have chosen to overcome my fear. The fear that nothing will ever change or be good again. I have learned that trials are for a season. They do not last forever. But what I choose to do during that trial will either draw me closer to Him, or pull me further away. Knowing Him, learning to know His heart, is the most important gift that He can give me and I choose to receive that gift, even in the pain. I admonish you to choose that gift as well.

Look up, your redemption draws near!

Do you believe in dreams? The Bible is full of stories where people had dreams and visions. Usually God gives us dreams for a variety of reasons. Some dreams warn us, others show the future. Sometimes dreams guide us in what to do or what is coming. I think God likes to give us dreams because He likes stories and dreams are a type of story, are they not? Jesus spoke in parables all the time, and are those not stories to help us understand? 

So the other night I had a dream. It made no sense at first but I asked Him what He was showing me because I could tell from the way that I remembered all the details, that it was from Him. I dream all the time, but most of my dreams are not from the Lord. This one was. 

In my dream, I was living in an apartment/condo and I knew that my lease was almost up. 

I was frustrated however, because the new tenant was already moving in. He was setting up his stuff in various rooms and acting like he already lived there. So I went to the landlord and asked him why he had rented my place to someone else. I told him I would gladly have renewed my lease, if given a chance. The landlord just stared at me. I woke up.

So I went to the Lord and asked Him what it could mean. What I heard was this: “Time is almost up, whether you like it or not!” Oh my, now it suddenly made sense to me. 

If you think about it, does this dream not describe what is happening in our world today? Does it not feel like the devil has already moved in, and is taking over like he owns the place? Never mind the theology of all that, lets just cut to the chase. The world has gone mad. Or has it?

The truth of the matter is that Jesus warned us about these last days. He talks about it in Matthew 24 and in Luke 21. Daniel tells us about the time of the end in chapters 9-12. Paul warns us about the end times. I could go on because 30% of the Bible is about prophecy; much is about the first coming of Christ, obviously in what is commonly called the Old Testament. But the majority of Bible prophecy is about the last days, the return of Jesus to this earth, before He sets up His kingdom during the millennium. 30% is a lot in my opinion.

So why are people so afraid of it? Why do so few teach on it? Why are the pulpits mostly silent on this topic? The reasons are many, and sadly, there is no valid excuse. I am no scholar, but if I can talk to you about the fact that Jesus is coming back, so should the preachers. And for that reason, I believe that Jesus is taking ordinary people, like me, to warn you that time is short. Jesus likes to take ordinary people and use them. The 12 disciples were all fisherman and tax collectors. Not a religious leader among them. What I’m trying to say is that if your pastor won’t talk about it, that doesn’t mean it’s not important. 

So what is my dream really saying to you and me? Is Jesus trying to scare us? Well, that would depend on several things. If you are a born again believer, filled with the Holy Spirit, then no, He’s not scaring you. As a matter of fact, He’s repeating Himself with my dream. In Luke 21:28 Jesus tells us the following: “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Jesus is encouraging you! Yes, He’s telling you that even though these are difficult and scary days we are living in, when you see all the signs, which we are, then look up, be encouraged, He’s about to call you home! He’s about to rapture His church. 

Paul describes the rapture like this: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

 I want you to notice something here. Those of us who are alive when the rapture happens, will meet Jesus in the clouds in the air. Jesus does not touch down on the earth in this scene. This is not the second coming, where Jesus sets His feet on Mount Zion at the end of the tribulation, as described in Acts 1:9-11. “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” 

I want to point out something else that Paul says in the verse I quoted above in Thessalonians 4:18. “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” And that my friend is exactly what my dream is about! Jesus wants to comfort those of us who are looking for his appearing. Are you looking forward to seeing Him face to face? Are you searching the clouds, looking up and waiting for Him? Then you are being comforted because that day is near, very near.

Now if you are reading this and that day strikes fear into your heart, and you don’t know how you feel about all this nonsense, may I please implore you to not take my word for it. Read your Bible. Read the scriptures for yourself. And if you need to, repent. Jesus is not interested in scaring you. No, He loves you and fear is not part of of His language. If you’re afraid, it is the devil scaring you. So go to the Lord, read the Word, ask Him to confirm all this to you and repent! Time is almost up. Our heavenly bridegroom is coming soon!

Why keep watch, why be ready?

If you had to come up with one Bible verse or story that sticks out the most to you, one that you cannot forget or that unsettles you, what would it be? Maybe it convicts you, or maybe it confuses you because you wish you understood it better. I’ve had one for several years now, and it just keeps coming back to me. In Matthew 25:11-12, Jesus shares a parable about 10 virgins. Five are called wise, five are called foolish. The parable seems to be talking about the rapture of the church. The five foolish virgins have been left behind. These virgins are upset and they are calling out to Jesus, saying “Lord, Lord, open the door and let us in. His response to them is chilling. At least it is to me. “But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

What?! He doesn’t know them? Then why are they called virgins? Why do they know He’s coming? Why are they finally awake and aware, just like the 5 wise virgins? It is a puzzling parable to say the least. I’m no scholar, but I don’t think it takes a scholar to realize that there are people who think they are Christians, who go to church, but who will be left behind when the rapture finally happens. Can I explain what is really going on here? No. I’m not sure anyone totally understands, although I’ve heard a couple of pastors who have tried. Most don’t even bother. When was the last time you heard a sermon on this parable? I bet never! But even if I don’t fully understand, that doesn’t mean I cannot take this parable as a warning. And what would that warning be? Make sure that He knows me. Let me repeat that. Does Jesus know me? 

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the phrase from some Christian leader, “Do you know Jesus?” Every time I hear it, I cringe. Maybe the better question would be, “Does Jesus know YOU?” Realistically, even the devil knows Jesus.

With that phrase in mind, allow me to share some of the thoughts that I’ve had, as I have pondered this strange parable. Let’s address the elephant in the room first. It’s obviously a prophetic parable, dealing with what can only, in my opinion, be about the rapture of the church. After all, why would some be “left behind”?

I am saddened by the number of people I know who do not want to talk about Bible prophecy. Did you know that almost 30% of the Bible is about prophecy. Much of that prophecy is about Jesus’ first coming 2000 years ago. However, the majority of it is about His second coming, the tribulation, the rapture and the millennium. So why do so few want to hear about it or even talk about it? 

I would venture to guess that it might be because of fear. They are not really sure about their relationship with Jesus and the thought of eternity, dying, or being raptured, is frightening. The majority of churches do not touch the topic, so there is much ignorance in the church. The message of course is that if my pastor doesn’t talk about it, it must not be important. After all, doesn’t the pastor have my best interests at heart? 

I would guess that there is also a lot of false teaching about end time prophecy and therefore there is a lot of confusion in the church. Who does one believe? One pastor says this, another one, says that! And with that confusion is also the idea that prophecy doesn’t really matter. Let’s talk about important things, like the Gospel. We are told from the pulpit, if the topic even comes up, that prophecy is confusing and hard to understand and therefore, not important. But is that really true?

So what does the Bible say about this? 

I became a Christian in the 70’s. I was taught the idea that Jesus was coming back soon. But then I fell asleep like most Christians, and I lived my life. I got married, raised kids, went to church, read my Bible when I had time and didn’t think much about it. Why would I? Life was fairly easy. In the 90’s The Left Behind series of books came out and were very popular. But I think most of us read them like they were fiction, or entertainment, certainly not a warning. If you read them, did you consider them a warning? I bet not.

So what changed? The world! I think many of us woke up after our lockdowns and fear of dying of covid. Too many pastors and friends, family and neighbors died. Everyone knew at least one person who died unexpectedly. Suddenly, we didn’t trust things anymore. Suspicions grew about what we were being told by the media. Some of us woke up. The world began to wake up for sure. There are more unbelievers than you can count, who know something is wrong with the world. They know something big is happening and they don’t understand it. But it frightens them. The church, not so much. We love our naps, don’t we. Coming home from Sunday service and falling asleep in front of the TV is greatly loved. Some of us are too scared to look at what is happening in the world. Some of us just believe that it doesn’t matter, it will happen the way it’s supposed to. Whatever. Don’t talk to me about scary stuff. I’m a Christian and that’s all that matters. 

But if it doesn’t really matter, then why does Jesus tell us repeatedly in the gospels, to “keep watch”? What are we supposed to watch for? And why are 5 foolish virgins left behind? Yes, that verse again. Why are they called foolish? Why does He not know them? Let me share a scripture with you that gives some insight, I think:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:36-44

I want to point out some things that Jesus tells us in this passage.  Life will be normal, business as usual when he comes to rapture His church. Eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage are normal activities. Two people will be together. One will be taken, one will be left. There’s that 50% again. (5 wise, 5 foolish virgins)

We must keep watch, so we can be ready. He is coming at an hour we do not expect and if we are not ready, if we are not keeping watch, we will be left behind. 

Let me leave you with a final thought to ponder on. If you were engaged to be married, and your bride or bridegroom didn’t care, would you want to marry that person? If they never talked about the upcoming wedding, never helped make any wedding plans, scoffed at the idea of setting a wedding date, and spent as little time with you as possible, would you still marry that person? Why not? Because it would become  more and more obvious, if you are wise, that this person doesn’t love you. They don’t care about spending their life with you. Actually, you would realize you hardly know them. They might have looked good at first, but in the end, they were shallow and uncaring. They wanted to be married because of what it could do for them, but they didn’t love you. 

Now, are we not called the bride of Christ? How do you feel about the wedding day? Are you looking forward to it, searching the scriptures to understand it more, talking to Him about it? Are you, as Paul says in 2 Tim 4:8, loving his appearing? If not, then you might want to examine your heart and see if you really love Jesus. Because if you don’t, then He probably doesn’t know you. And that would be a shocking and terrible thing to find out after it’s too late. Wake up my friends. Be a wise virgin! He’s coming soon. Be ready.

Is revival still coming to this earth?

The year was 2008. I remember getting up early in the morning to watch the news about Hurricane Ike, set to make landfall in the Texas coastal area. As I watched the devastation unfolding, I remember asking the Lord some questions. Clearly this was His judgment on that region and I wondered how He could judge the middle of the country. The coastlands seemed obvious. But I was living in the northern Midwest at the time and we hardly ever had bad weather that could cause such calamity. I know these seem like strange questions and thoughts. But if you know your Bible, you know the Lord uses calamity to wake us up and turn our hearts to Him. So I asked Him, how would you judge this region, the one I’m living in? I was just talking to Him, honestly. It was just a question, curiosity. It’s how I talk to Him. I did not expect to get an answer. But I did. Within 48 hours that storm hit Cincinnati with 70 mph winds and brought devastation to our region. 750,000 homes without power. Some of those homes didn’t get it back for days or even a week. Trees down everywhere. It was a bad storm to say the least and yes, I was shocked at how He answered me. This was in September. Fast forward to January 2009. 

I’m sitting in church one Sunday. The preacher is preaching. The Lord begins to speak to me so loudly that I couldn’t miss what He was saying to me. I heard Him say to me, “just like that hurricane came through this region and not one home was left untouched, so my spirit will roar through this region, and not one home will be left untouched by my presence.”

I wasn’t sure what to think of what I heard. It confirmed other words I had heard from the Lord, and also from many prophets who had spoken similar things in times past. But as with most words spoken by the spirit of God, there is always a time of waiting for that word to come to pass. Years went by. Truthfully, I began to doubt that I had heard Him. Maybe, I had just imagined those words out of my own heart. Maybe, I wanted revival so badly, that I had made it up. But did I?

The end of 2019 was not good. There were many false prophets who prophesied things over 2020 that were not true. They all spoke revival, packed stadiums with people hungry for God, good things about to happen. We all know how that ended. Not well. Many people became disillusioned about prophets and rightly so. Instead of revival, we got lockdowns and closed churches. 

I became so disillusioned with the whole prophetic movement that I stopped going to charismatic churches. The funny thing was, I still believed in prophecy. I still believed in the gifts of the Spirit. But I no longer knew who to believe or what to believe about these things. It seemed so confusing. But I also knew that confusion is not of God. 

During this season I began to listen to Christian teachers or pastors who talked about end time prophecy. They talked about the rapture and the tribulation. They talked about the second coming of Jesus Christ. They made a lot of sense, because what was happening in the world was in fact lining up perfectly with what Daniel and John, and even Jesus Himself, had prophesied would happen at the time of the end. I could see end time prophecy unfolding before my very eyes. But there was always that nagging thought, how about that revival I had heard so much about? 

I saw there were two camps in the church. One believed that the end was near, the only revival they thought would happen, no, could happen, would be during the tribulation when millions would get saved because they finally realize that the Bible is true. But there was also the other camp, insisting that revival was coming. I could see little pockets of revival happening, some of them in prayer groups, others in universities or schools. And there was always those words that I had heard personally from the Holy Spirit, that He would pour out His spirit on all flesh. Slowly it dawned on me what that meant. Joel 2:28 says this: “”And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh”. Notice it says all, not some. All flesh. Not the church. All flesh. In other words, the whole world!

Now why would the Lord do that? I asked myself that question because I was still trying to reconcile, or marry the two different beliefs that the two camps held. Are we in the end times? Or is revival coming? 

It’s been my personal experience that when there are two different doctrines, for want of a better word, in the Bible, it’s probably both. For example, predestination and free will. It’s both, people! Some things are predestined to happen, like the first coming and the second coming. There is a day and an hour! Nothing will change that. But, the Lord also says He will have mercy, and He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Why? Because, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 

He doesn’t want to send people to hell. He wants to give all of us, the entire world, a chance to repent before He raptures His church and pours out His wrath on the earth, as shown in the book of Revelation.

It’s funny how things make no sense, and then one day, a light bulb goes on in your mind. Yes, it’s both. Perhaps you have struggled, as I have. Perhaps the shenanigans in the church have left you disillusioned and confused. You’ve watched the scandals unfold over the past year, you’ve heard the false prophecies that did not come to pass and you have grown weary of it all. Let me encourage you with this. Your faith is not in your pastor, some teacher or some internet prophet. Your faith started with Jesus Christ and it ends with Him! He is the author and finisher of your faith, not some man or woman. Seek Him. Seek His word. Get grounded in the Bible. It is the foundation of your walk with Him. When you know the word, it is harder to fool you. 

When the disciples asked Jesus in Matthew to tell them about the time of the end, “Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.“ Why would He make this the first warning? Because that’s the number one sign to watch out for, deception! So be encouraged my friend. Revival is coming, but so is your redemption. He’s coming soon. Be comforted and know that He who has promised is faithful. 

Are you sick of scandal in the church?

I find myself very discouraged these days. The church seems to be full of scandal. It doesn’t matter what denomination you belong to, Protestant or Catholic, the scandals are all around. Unfortunately, just as in the time of Jesus on earth, the religious leaders of today are full of hypocrisy. Both Jesus and John the Baptist called them out for their hypocrisy back then, (“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'”) Matthew 15:7-9. It seems that not much has changed. 

It is hard to watch these kinds of things happen, especially, when they are from people we have listened to, learned from and trusted. Sometimes I find it hard to wrap my brain around how these men or women can do the things they do.  They live one life on stage and another life in their off hours. How can we make sense of all this? We know that Jesus is not fooled by these people. In Matthew 7:22, Jesus talks about a coming day, a day when these people will stand before Him at the judgement seat and He tells us the scene from that day. They stand before Him, arrogantly proclaiming their own righteousness, proudly tell Him about their accomplishments, all done in His name. He is not fazed or swayed by their pride. “Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” I cannot imagine standing before the Almighty, and not being afraid, no, terrified for my life, knowing that He has the power to throw me into hell. Yet these people are not afraid. They are not ashamed of their hypocrisy. But listen to what Jesus says to them in Matthew 7:23: “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” They practiced lawlessness. They said one thing and did the opposite. 

But notice something else about what Jesus says to them. He says “I never knew you”. He doesn’t say, “YOU don’t know me”, no, He says, I don’t know you and I never have. “I never knew you”! That statement is very important, because it gives us some insight into what really happened here. 

The prophet Hosea actually gives us some understanding about this situation. I know it’s not a book often read these days, but I want to show you some things that God teaches Hosea, that will help us to understand what is going on in the church today. In Hosea 2:2-5, the Lord talks about Israel not being His wife, nor Him being her husband (anymore). The Lord tells Hosea that Israel has committed harlotry or spiritual adultery because of all the idols that she worships. He goes on and tells Hosea that because of this idolatry, her children are children of harlotry. At first, this seems confusing. What is the Lord talking about here? Clearly, He is referring to spiritual things, not physical. But bear with me. 

Let me put it to you in modern terms. Any person that considers themselves a Christian, and brings forth a ministry that is born out of anything, and I mean anything, other than intimacy with our Lord, is creating a child of harlotry. This distinction is very subtle and very hard to discern, because only the Lord knows our hearts. If this upsets you, I understand. Many wonderful ministries and organizations have been born out of a heart of giving. What we would call philanthropy. But here’s the kicker. Anyone can be a philanthropist. You don’t have to even be a Christian, you can just be a kindhearted person and start a great ministry, a successful ministry that helps other people. Is there something wrong with this? Not necessarily. 

But let’s  go back to all those people who had great ministries, who healed, spoke prophecies, and cast out spirits. Listen to what Jesus says to His disciples right before He tells us about these people. He says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Matthew 22:21) Jesus told His disciples on the night of His crucifixion “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4. If we want to do the will of the Father, we have to abide in Him, spend time with Him, read His word, listen to His voice, and most importantly, obey Him! 

Ministries, for want of a better word, are spiritual children, spiritual fruit. They are born out of two places: Intimacy with the Lord, or intimacy with idols. That idol could simply be self. 

An example of this would be someone who has been wounded from past hurts. They struggle with self worth and self esteem issues. Much to their delight, they discover that when they help others, they feel better about themselves. It makes them feel like they have value and worth, which is not in and of itself a bad thing. They help more people, develop their talents or gifts, and begin to have an impact on their world, i.e. the church. The problem however is that they cannot feel good unless they are helping or doing. It is a constant struggle for them because, like an addict, the only time they are feeling “high” or good, is when they are actually doing ministry. To the people who know them, they appear to be mature leaders in the church. They are walking in their gifts, how could they not be? 

But what is really going on in their hearts? It’s not about loving Jesus. It’s about loving self.

Jesus told Peter in John 21:15-17, if you love me, you will feed and take care of my lambs (baby Christians) and my sheep.  And you see, that’s where we have to examine ourselves. Why are we starting a ministry? Is it because it makes us feel good? Does it make us look kind and caring to others? Does it give us power, authority, and perhaps a good income? Or are we doing it because we love Jesus and He is asking us to do it. And that, my friend is the difference. Are we being led by the Holy Spirit or our own spirits, or worse, an evil spirit using us to lead others astray?

When I look at these failed leaders, who upon examination, lived double lives for decades, it is quite obvious, at least to me, that their ministries were never born out of abiding with Jesus and obeying Him. These ministries were nothing but children of harlotry. 

Sadly, their hypocrisy reflects badly on the Lord and in the end, people become disillusioned with the church, and rightly so. Let me encourage you if this is you. Look to Jesus. If you belong to Him, realize that He will never lie to you or deceive you.  He is faithful. These evil leaders do not represent Him nor do they work for Him. Do not allow them to steal your faith and your walk with the Lord. 

Are we living in dangerous times?

When you read the word perilous, what immediately comes to your mind? I know I think of the word danger. If you look up the word perilous, the words that are used to describe it are hazardous and extreme risk or danger. It is a word that could easily be used on a warning sign near the edge of a cliff. And yet, Paul uses this very word in 2 Timothy 3:1. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:” Notice that I left the colon, because Paul then goes on and uses 19 or 20 adjectives to describe what the world will look like in the end times. 

Here are the words he uses in verses 2-5: “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

Does this not describe our world today? Sometimes when I’m having a particularly hard day, I read this passage and for some reason, it gives me strength. Perhaps it encourages me that I’m not alone. I remember that there are others out in the world who are experiencing similar difficulties. 

What I do find interesting about this passage however, is that Paul, who no doubt was sitting in a Roman prison, dealing with an empire that was killing Christians for entertainment, certainly persecuting them, never mentions any physical dangers. He never mentions that in the last days we would be persecuted, or thrown in jail, or tortured for our faith, perhaps even killed. That was already happening in Paul’s day and has continued throughout the ages. No, what Paul mentions here when referring to the last days, is entirely about the way people would behave and treat each other. And, if you look at verse 5, he tells us that this is people in the church! (having a form of godliness but denying its power”). I could perhaps handle this passage a little easier if it was just unbelievers who behave in selfish ways. That would actually make sense to me. But Paul warns us that it will be believers who have a form of godliness, that will act this way. I would suggest, that what he is referring to is hypocrisy. 

Sadly, Paul goes on to tell us that we should turn away from such people.

I could go on to describe what this kind of person looks like in today’s world, but I’m sure, if you are still reading this, that you have encountered them yourself. It makes me sad. 

Jesus tells us in John 15:12: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Yet, when I read the adjectives that Paul used in the above passage, I see absolutely no love. The world tells us to love ourselves. The world suggests that you are enough. There are songs that suggest that self love is the greatest love of all. Yet, when I’ve met people who believed those things, I saw only selfish, and often narcissistic behavior. 

So why am I writing this you might ask? I’m writing this because I want to encourage you. If you read those adjectives and like looking in a mirror, you saw yourself in those words, repent. Ask the Lord to forgive you, to give you a new heart and a new Spirit. He is gracious and forgiving. 

If you read those adjectives and you see those behaviors and attitudes all around you and it grieves your heart and mind, then take heart, you are not alone. We are in the last days on this earth as we know it. 

Jesus tells us in Luke 21:28, after describing what the world will look like in these last days, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Soon, very soon, those of us who are His will see Him in the clouds as He calls us home. Paul called it the “blessed hope” in Titus 2:13. He tells us that we should be  “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”.

So take heart, our redemption draws near. And when the darkness envelopes you, when you  feel overwhelmed by the amount of evil around you, look up and smile. Jesus told us to keep watch: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matthew 25:13) Remember, there is a day and an hour! He will not tarry.