Shake
Off Weariness and Arise
If you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied [tire] you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? [Jer 12:5]
In North
America, one could say we are in a time of peace (said with tongue in cheek
due to the noticeable and extreme increase in civil/domestic violence).
Many have wearied (including self) due to personal hardships, setbacks,
the overwhelming reality of deception on all levels (governments [global],
historical records, media outlets, in churches, schools, military, civil
servants, and the list is exhaustive).
It is
written that in the last days, there will be a “wearing down of the saints”. [Dan
7:25] It is also written that Satan deceives the whole world. Many thought “not
me”, but now we have witnessed and continue to learn and witness the depth of
evil, and we see that yes, even we ourselves were hoodwinked in one area or
another.
This is not
something to be ashamed of. The Bible certainly does not condemn the ‘whole
world’ (people) for being deceived. It condemns Satan [the ancient
serpent, the great dragon/devil] who deceives the whole world. [Rev 12:9]
So, I listened to what the Holy Spirit has been telling us all. Seek more intimate time with God. Stay in the Word. Go deeper and closer with the Lord. I tarried in ways, but the point is - obedience, commitment ... love.
Yes, I got
weary, as so many of us have and are – but the Holy Spirit kept nudging me and
I made a choice.
I shake off the weariness with the strength that the good Lord has provided, pull up the straps of sandals and stand strong. Not every battle is the Lord’s to fight (see scripture so there is no argument).
However, when the Holy Spirit speaks
through the Word of God (revealing that “the battle is the Lord’s”),
then, like Gideon, we follow instructions and carry on as led.
If we are
led and instructed to sing ahead of the battle, praise God, so be it! If we are led to fast
and pray, thank God for the strength. He is ever with us – dependable,
reliable, Faithful and True [Rev 19:11] KJV
If you
faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. [Prov 24:10] KJV
Wait
patiently for the
Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage (be made strong); wait
for the Lord! [Ps 27:14] ESV
My son,
despise not the Lord’s discipline or be weary of His reproof; for the Lord reproves
him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. [Prov3:11, 12] ESV
Taking a
Stand in Somber Times
 |
| I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me [Phil 4:13] |
These are somber times, and a time to take a stand. There can be no more procrastination, no excuses to justify delay, no compromising, no being lukewarm or sitting on the fence. Our minds must be made up. We must stand against the world, its worshippers and the devil, along with his legions of demons when we stand for the truth, which is Jesus – the Word of God who became flesh and walked amongst us.
When we
truly love others as we are told to do, then we will want to see people
snatched out of the grips of the dark ones (Satan and his evil armies, both in
the spirit and in the flesh). We do not condemn, for we ourselves fell short of
God’s glory. We too needed forgiveness and salvation after we repented.
We cannot
(will not) condone abortion, murder, homosexuality, changing of genders, sexual
perversions of every sort (bestiality, pedophilia, incest, sex slaves, fornication,
adultery, etc) and every other abomination that is mentioned by the Almighty
God and written in the holy scriptures.
As long as
we have breath, forgiveness of sins is available. We all must keep a repentant
heart, and we must let others know that no one is too good or too bad for
salvation. We all need a Saviour, who is the Messiah Yeshua, Jesus the Christ,
for we all missed the mark.
From Adam
and Eve onward, we all have sinned and fell (fall) short of the glory of God. We
are granted undeserved mercy and grace by God. Because of Yeshua (Jesus)
we can be forgiven and set free from the prison in which we were held captive.
[Rom 3:23, 24]
The only
way to be pleasers of people is to compromise the word of God. Folks say that
we are to love the sinner and hate the sin. Ghandi was given the credit for
saying that, although there is evidence that he echoed Augustine, but
rearranged the wording.
Jesus said
that we are to obey the commandments: love God with all your heart, soul,
mind and being, and to love your neighbour as yourself. [Mat 22:37-40]
Letting people continue in their sin and not warning them of the danger of the
second death, the lake of fire [Rev 20:14], and sharing the one and only way
out of that judgment is through repentance and receiving/believing in Yeshua
the Messiah/Jesus the Christ, is not 'love' if we say nothing.
Despite opposing opinion, the ONLY way back to God is through His only begotten Son, Yeshua, who became a living sacrifice WILLINGLY (see 'agape love'), in order to redeem mankind from their sins.
Love takes risks when it is for the good of others. Look at Jesus/Yeshua.
Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. [Acts 3:19] KJV
Repent
therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out [Acts 3:19] ESV
For the
past week or so, I have been about the Father’s business. Come, and meet me at
the (spiritual) river. Let us stand in the gap and pray the prayer Jesus taught:
Our Father,
who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done
in earth, as it is in heaven. (Pray the whole prayer. It takes less than a
minute, yet expands into eternity) [Mat 6:9-13]
No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier. [2Tim 2:4] KJV
When I am
done doing what I must do, I will post an article, likely around Monday. It is
not like days (years) gone by, where articles were consistent unless
interruption came from the internet, hydro or some other unforeseen source.
Yet, these are days for all of us where we go day by day with the Lord – if we
are wise enough to walk with Him.
Keep
strong. Press in (abide). His love is greater than any hatred, and
stronger than any resistance. We are ever learning to trust, and the sure and
true one to trust is our Maker, our Creator. We may not understand a matter; we
may not like the outcome of something, but in the long run, in time to come, we
will understand. For now, we trust and obey; watch and pray.
It is my
thought that we are all called to be watchmen, since we are all at different vantage
points and privy to that which our eyes and ears are open to, and that which
the Lord allows. Shalom in Christ
(The series
ends on the topic of spiritual warfare, witchcraft and God’s Sovereignty.)
in the presence of His glory
Bonita dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com