Sign of the Times?

This has been one year of turmoil and surprisingly, for the most part, I have felt peace. I am prone to feelings of anxiousness and at times depression. Every year I ask the Lord for my word for the year. I thought that arise was going to be that word but one morning as I prayed, I heard the word peace. I heard it several times during the week in one way or another. Little did I know how much that word was going to come to my mind that past few months!

I was at Annie's blog and her post talked about all the changes happening in the physical world. And everyone knows about the civil unrest happening all over the United States triggered by the horrible killing in front of our eyes. I try not to watch to much news because it is so depressing. I am spending less time on my cell phone too. I just can't stand all the political decisiveness that our nation has been going through.

Abraham Lincoln said "A house divided against itself, cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free" But he got it from Jesus who said it from the Bible. Matthew 12:25 New King James Version "But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." There is a battle raging and it has been building up for years. What we see on the news or hear is just the surface.

As I Christian, I believe in the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:12 New American Standard Bible "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." These evil forces are having a field day pitting everyone against each other. Then add all the physical things that are happening to our earth including Covid 19.

Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV
5.Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Matthew 24:6-7 New International Version (NIV)
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places."

Yes this has happened for years. But the intensity is increasing. I have been seeing things going down for the past few years, a moral decay that has hurt our great nation. The biggest problem is that the people have take their eyes off of God. Years ago I went to a Bible study and this verse stayed in my mind. "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Pastor explained that people trust in everything but God." One of the things I have had to work hard in is trusting in God. I have wasted hours trying to figure things out logically with my little brain. But over and over His Word tells me to trust Him.

I am a Christian and I believe in my heart that we are getting closet to when God calls His people home, but only He knows the exact time and we have to be ready. I believe the stage is being set to usher in things that point us in that direction. Years ago at a bible study on the book of Daniel, pastor said something that has stayed in my mind. There will be 10 nations that will rule in the end times- the tribulations and the United States is not going to be one of them. He said that something will happen to the United States that will take our power and status away. I have been praying my Pastor would do an end times study and he started it this Sunday, Pentecost Sunday. Pastor said to be bold, so this is me being bold. You can read about Pentecost here.

One of the last things Jesus told his followers was to go preach the Word to all the nations. That Jesus is the Son of God and he is coming back. We will be ready? Crystal Lewis wrote a song called People Get Ready

If you do not know about knowing Jesus, I did this page.

The signs of the times are warning us to be ready. I will keep my mind on the Lord. I will teach my grands about Jesus.

John 14:27 Jesus said "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful."

John 13:35 New Living Translation" Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
They will know we are Christians by our love.

Pray God's will for our nation, and for all people.

Tuesday 4 is taking a spring break but I thought I would add my own thoughts. I saw the lamb and it made me thing of the study I have been working on called The Shepherd and the Lamb. I got the study over at Illustrated Faith. Basically saying that Jesus is both the Shepherd that watches over us and the Lamb that was sacrificed for our our sins. There is a lot of focus during Easter, but as I say, Jesus is the Reason for all Seasons!

I don't think anyone will forget this Easter. It was the first Easter I was not in church in my 64 years of life. But we still celebrated at home and the message was so good! The focus was on how Jesus talked to Mary Madgalene first and then she shared with others.(John 20:1-20) It made me also think of the woman at the well who talked with Jesus and then shared it with others. Back in Bible days, women were considered inferior yet Jesus showed over and over the value of women. This is important because it shows us that Jesus didn't come for just a certain type of people, He came for all of us.

Now back to the Shepherd. John 10 says 14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

We are the sheep of his hand. God can use us to reach others and others are watching how we act as Christians. Do we follow the Shepherd's command to love God and love others?( Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27

I feel like God is speaking to us during this trying time. He is our Shepherd and He wants us to hear His voice. To keep following Him and trusting in Him.
Psalm 95:6-7 "come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 7For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.