Are we ready or still slumbering?

Are we getting close to the last days? The Bible repeatedly predicts the future and most of the prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled...

Romans 13:11 "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

Mark 13:1 "As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"

The disciple was talking about the Jewish Temple which was still under construction for over 46 years...

Matthew 24:2 "Do you see all these things?" Jesus asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

I'm sure the disciples looked at Jesus with disbelief when He said that. They probably thought "no way"; so much effort, money and time has been put into it, how can it be destroyed? Well, look at what happened in New York on September 11, 2001.

We never thought that the Twin Towers will collapse within two hours. As unfortunate as it was, it did happen and not only the Twin Towers, but the attack destroyed at least two nearby buildings and damaged others. Also, about 3,000 people lost their lives and 6,300 people were injured and not to mention the emotional distress it caused to loved ones, rescue and recovery workers, the American people as well as the rest of the world. Yes, evil does exist in this world and our lives can turn around within seconds and change everything!

Mark 13:4-13 The disciples said to Jesus: "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the signs when all these things will be fulfilled?" And Jesus answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying 'I am He,' and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be eartquakes in various places and there will be famines and troubles." These are the beginnings of sorrows. But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved".

Luke 21:32 "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."

2 Timothy 3:12 "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

John 15:18-20 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. 'If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also."

1 Thesselonians 5:2-3 "For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape".

Yeap - it will be business as usual because no one knows the day or the hour of this event, except for our Father in heaven. However, Jesus told us of these things so we can be prepared and not be surprised. These things will take place regardless, but again due to His amazing Grace, Jesus foretold us in order to prepare us.I can write a lot more on end times, but I will keep it short this time.

There will be more postings on this in the future as I enjoy reading books, articles, and watch documentaries on this subject. I truly believe God has given each of us certain talents, gifts and desires so we can contribute our share to society accordingly for His Kingdom and glory until He returns!

Zechariah 12:2-6 "Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. In that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, 'A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the LORD of hosts, their God.' In that day, I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem."

Luke 21:28 "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

God Bless,
Lucine

Castles in the sand...

Lately, everyone seems to be coming up with "new" schools claiming that their schools will have open-minded staff and that their way of teaching will be 'just & fair' to suit the needs of everyone, also that they will not be affiliated with any particular religion... (Just to mention a few: Oprah, Tom Cruise, and most recently Will Smith).

Well, they are getting further and further away from the "Truth"! The article in the "The Los Angeles Associate Press" about Will Smith's new school, dated Monday, June 30th, 2008, is what prompted me to write this.

Mr. and Mrs. Will Smith are claiming that the new school they are about to open is not going to teach scientology. However, the AP article states "The school will use instructional methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard called study technology".

Well, if you don't know who L. Ron Hubbard is, here is a brief biography from Wikipedia: "Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, (March 13, 1911 - January 24, 1986), was the founder of the Church of Scientology, as well as the author of Dianetics and the body of works comprising Scientology doctrine. He was also an author in numerous speculative fiction genres for the pulp magazines and, later in life, returned to science fiction.....".

So what is scientology? I'd say a religion! What is atheism? A religion! What is new age? A religion! So we can say that there are many different religions in this world. However, we have to be careful so we don't fall into deception and follow false religion. We need to stand firm on truth and solid rock. For me and my brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is the only Truth and Solid Rock! We cannot be lukewarm (whatever goes) Christians. We need to claim Jesus boldly, not in arrogance, but with love, compassion and confidence! Jesus told us not to be ashamed of Him!

I understand that following a religion is a "personal choice" and we cannot force anyone to build a relationship with Jesus. But I also believe that in the end, when we come face to face with the one and only God Almighty, we will be held accountable for the choices we've made while living on this earth. So let's not build our castles in the sand where they will be destroyed, instead let's store up our treasures in heaven on solid rock (Jesus) where they are safe.

Matthew 6:19-24 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."

Whatever is happining nowadays should not come as a surprise to true Christians, because the Bible prepares us that when the end is near, these sort of things will take place. Wide is the gate that leads to destruction and will attract the majority. False doctrines will promote self, whatever feels good to the flesh, whatever quinches the downs of emotions and feeds the inner cravings. We are living in a self-absorbed world. People are shortsighted and want instant gratification. It's not about God any more, it's all about "Me, Myself and I." But what we forget is that we don't belong to ourselves, we are accountable to God! God has equipped us to serve Him, not serve self! We see "self-promotion" everywhere; and Hollywood is a very good example of what I'm talking about!

Luke 9:23 Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

God Bless,
Lucine

Ephesians 6:12

Because we live in a fallen world, we will be going through some storms during our lifetime.

When I'm going through tough times, I find praying and reading scriptures comforts and lifts me up.

I had one of those "down" days yesterday. I woke up feeling miserable - I felt mentally and physically exhausted for no reason. I prayed to the Lord to give me strength for the day. Why was I feeling this way? Why was my endurance low? I had no answers.

Later that day when I shared my feelings with my daughter, she gave me a scripture to meditate on. I was very familiar with the scripture, but I was too busy to apply it to my situation. I was trying to justify and analyze why I was feeling that way. Sometimes as Christians, we take the scriptures for granted or become too involved with daily "stuff" that we forget to turn to them for guidance.

Eph 6:12 "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places".

The Apostle Paul tells us to put on our spiritual armour because our battle in this world is a "spiritual" one. A warfare that is against the trickery and power of the devil, as opposed to a human battle. Even though human beings will certainly play a role in this spiritual warfare, they are being used by these entities for the purposes of accomplishing evil.

Later on I received an encouraging a e-mail from my daughter with a video attachment to lift up my spirit. I just have to remind myself that when I feel doubtful, discouraged and down, all I have to do is read His Word and look around to see His presence through His beautiful and majestic creation.

So the point I am trying to make is that the Lord never said we will have a smooth ride - the storms will come whether we like it or not, but we don't have to go through it all alone because He is with us and He is our strength and shield! God promises us that sorrows may last for the night, but joy will come in the morning!

God said He will never leave us or forsake us. He said to go to Him when we feel weary and heavy laden. He says He is close to the brokenhearted. He holds us in the palm of His hand and comforts us. He gives us His peace that surpasses human understanding.

God is in control of all our situation. When we go to Him with our concerns, He will answer our prayers by using people, scriptures, books, billboards, and even videos to tell us that He still loves us!

God Bless,
Lucine

"Truth" exists regardless...

People often say "we don't believe in the Bible" or "the Bible is no more than a bunch of made up stories" or "Jesus was just a prophet, not the son of God", etc.

These same people who do not believe in the Bible, believe in the "air" that they breathe and the "gravity" that holds them to the ground even though they do not see and touch air or gravity!

So people are very selective as to what they want to believe or not - mainly to suit 'self'.

Romans 3:3 "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness?"

Whether we believe or not and have proof or not "Truth" does not change! The "Truth" remains regardless!

There is one God, in three persons (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). God created the universe and everything within it to make it function flawlessly. God has also given us the free-will to choose our path - His way or the world's way.

Adam and Eve rebelled, and sin entered into our lives, therefore, we're all sinners!

Romans 3:23 "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Penalty of sin is eternal darkness (separation from God), however God doesn't want us to perish. Therefore, He sent His one and only son Jesus to pay the full penalty for our sins in order to give us His "free" gift of salvation. However, accepting Jesus' free gift of salvation is a personal choice.

2 Timothy 3:1-7 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth."

Jesus wants us to reach out to people and share the "truth" with them. However, if they are not willing to listen and accept the free gift of salvation, then we need to move on because we can't force it on them and waste our precious time - we got to move on for His Kingdom's sake!

Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death".

Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it".

Well, Jesus is that narrow gate; an unpopular gate nowadays... We need to be knowledgeable of the "truth" so we don't blindly follow false doctrines and end up at the broad gate.

Acts 17:11 "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what the Apostle Paul said was true".

God Bless,
Lucine