The last sixteen months have been a time of testing for us. Buddy Replogle, my close brother in the Lord and DMEA Board Member went home suddenly to be with Jesus at the end of 2019. Soon afterwards, we found ourselves, like you, caught in the grip of COVID-19 Pandemic and the rip tides of politician and cultural upheaval of 2020. Churches pivoted to Online Services, and most of our schedule for revival meetings was cancelled. My Dad was diagnosed with Cancer and began his cancer treatments in June and continued to lose ground to Dementia. Angie's Mom had to have emergency Open Heart Surgery in June as well. Angie and I contracted COVID in September, and it was the worst illness either of us has experienced. In December, my mom contracted COVID and the Lord Jesus called her home on January 4, 2021. Since Mom's "Home Going" Service, I feel like we have been running the "Rat Race"! We have been settling her Estate, which is far more work than I ever knew, and caring for Dad. Dad finished his last treatment in March. Just when we thought we could see the light at the end of the tunnel, our water filtration system burst in our garage at Four A.M in late March.! We were able to shut off the water before it completely flooded everything. However, Angie fell and broke her foot and damaged the soft tissue. She is still unable to walk because the bone has not healed completely 9 weeks later. She is going to REHAB, and we hope she will be walking by the end of June. I have only outlined the major events that have happened. There have been many other personal trials and struggles with the Enemy! However, through it all the Lord Jesus Christ has been faithful to sustain us! PRAISE THE LORD! How have you coped over the last year and a half? I know Angie and I are not the only ones who have been in a time of testing. Although we have struggled at times, the weight of the burden has driven us to our knees and we have found "Rest in the Test". The Apostle James gives us a guide on how to find "Rest in the Test" (James 1:2-8). This passage has four imperatives that every Christian should obey when in a season of testing. First, "COUNT IT ALL JOY"- The LORD has allowed or caused this testing for our good and His glory! We must have the right attitude- OUTLOOK DETERMINES OUTCOME. Does this mean I should be joyful that there has been cancer, death, heartache, injury etc. in my life? No! I can choose to be joyful by counting on the LORD to be faithful to His Promises to me, and HE HAS! The LORD has shown me on several occasions that I needed an attitude adjustment! We all do from time to time, Second," KNOWING"- Know what? In midst of the testing, God is at work to grow and strengthen our faith in Him! Someone once said, "A faith that can't be tested, can't be trusted". Tests are God's mirror to show us how we really are and how much we need to grow! It is in the test that God gives us a greater testimony of His transforming power. We are challenged to not waste our sorrows! Let God use it to transform us to be more like Jesus! I am do not have perfect faith yet, I confess there is till room for me to grow. Third, "LET PATIENCE"- We are called to yield to God's timing and purpose in our testing, and we are to be patient! It is in the hothouse of the fiery trial that patience is grown! If you and I want to find "Rest in the Test", we must yield to our Lord Jesus in surrender and say, "not my will but thy will be done"! There is no other way to have victory than to surrender first! Are you fighting against the LORD? I am not naturally a patient person, and the LORD is revealing to me the depth of my rebellion in this time of testing. I want God to work on my time and my way. Do you struggle with this? Finally, "PRAY"- If we are going to have "Rest in the Test", we must pray! We must stay in an attitude of prayer. We must make time to pray and listen with our Bibles open. What should we ask for at the Throne of Grace? James says we should ask for WISDOM. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes so we can know how to apply the Word of God to our situation! We must ask in faith knowing our LORD will guide us and guard us through the test. I need wisdom and you do too! Have you been talking to everyone but God about your problems? If so, there is the reason you are angry, depressed, stressed, and discouraged! The Devil can't keep God from answering your prayers, bur he can keep you from praying! When we neglect to fellowship and worship with the LORD during times of testing, we open the door to the Devil to establish a stronghold from where he launches his attacks upon us! I have had to confess my sin of prayerlessness many times over past several months. Pray in faith knowing God is faithful! Angie and I have found the rest of "Blessed Assurance" in the Test, You can too if you will obey the admonition of James! Hallelujah, What a Savior!
Have you ever watched a Trapeze Show? This fascinating and breath taking event has entertained audiences for centuries because of the skill and timing of the two highflying partners. I think the most difficult aspect of this event is when the "flyer" must let go in mid-air and trust and wait on the "catcher" to come to the rescue! although the routine has been practiced a multitude of times, the "flyer" must have trust in the "catcher" each time. He cannot become panicked or impatient or else the who timing of the event will be thrown off!! I am reminded that this is a picture of what it means to trust in the Lord as we wait for Him work out our circumstances for His glory and our good (Romans8:28). We are encouraged to "wait on the LORD" in over 40 times in the Bible, and there are many examples of those who "waited on the LORD" like Abraham & Sarah, Hannah, Joshua and many other portraits of those who "waited on the LORD" in the gallery of Scripture. Waiting has never been an easy exercise for people at anytime in history, but the 21th Century Christian seems to be the most impatient of all saints because of our instant gratification culture! We want our prayers answered now, our problems solved now, and out trails over now. We forget that one of the great spiritual disciplines is learning to wait on the LORD. Yes, it is a discipline that must be learned and developed as we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us through the Scriptures "Ways of God" so that we may have spiritual stamina for the journey(Psalms 27:14 & Isaiah 40:31).. Too many Christians want to see the "Works of God" without learning the "Ways of God". A great example of this is seen in the Exodus of the Children of Israel. Despite seeing miracle after miracle, the people were anxious, angry, bitter, and depressed every time they encountered a new challenge on the journey to the Promise Land. They had seen the "Works of God" but had failed to understand the "Ways of God"! In each and every challenge along the way, the LORD had a purposed to teach His ways so that they could learn to trust and obey Him in all that they would encounter as they conquered the Promise Land! Every time I write the phrase "trust and obey" I think of the old hymn we sang when I was a child. I vividly remember the chorus, "there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey". It is true! Over the last 20 months, the events Angie and I have experienced are not what we had envisioned early 2017. However, we are learning the "Ways of our LORD" as we wait to see the "Works of Our LORD" We spent much time praying, praising, and studying the Word on our journey through the doctors appointments, procedures, tests, and one horrific surgery. We have experienced the strenuous stretching exercise of "Waiting on the LORD". We have learned we have much to learn about the "Ways of God". It has not always been easy to do so, but the Holy Spirit has renewed our Hope time and time again Furthermore, as we learn the "Ways of God" we have experienced the overflowing joy of seeing the "Work of God"! In the Summer of 2016, I did not realize the significance that a "supply preaching appointment" would have on our lives over the next three years. I was to preach for Antioch Baptist Church on Father's Day 2016. I continued to supply the pulpit for the fellowship in between revival that Summer and Fall. I accepted the opportunity to be their Interim Pastor for four months beginning in November 2016. However, the Fellowship of "Amazing Antioch" put no termination date upon the interim; I was away preaching a revival during that Business Meeting! This was nothing short of the providential working out of the ways God. I continued to preach revivals and to lead the fellowship as they searched for a pastor. It was during this time my health issues , which had already began to appear in early 2016, continued to become more severe. Yet in all of this uncertainty and concern over my health, the LORD was preparing a way for us! I had to cancel my whole 2017 Spring Revival Schedule because of my HIP REVISION SURGERY and 5 month rehab. At the same time the Fellowship was seeking a pastor. The LORD closed the doors on the Pulpit Committee. I aged to stay for one more year as Interim, My REHAB was slow and painful. after 6 months I was able to preach a limited Fall Revival Schedule. I had no idea that in just a few months I would experience heart arrhythmia issues that would cause me to cancel most of my Spring 2019 schedule. Why was all of this happening? Have you ever asked yourself that question and even asked the Lord Jesus in your prayers? I had all kinds of thoughts go through my minded, and most were from the Devil! As we prayed and sought godly counsel, the LORD revealed his immediate will for us. I was to stay at "Amazing Antioch" and continue the work of the DMEA on a limited basis as I regained my health. The LORD prepared the Fellowship and us for this part of the journey. After four weeks of prayer and discussion with the Fellowship and the DMEA Board, the "Amazing Antioch" Fellowship voted to call Angie and I 100%! Looking back, I can see the Ways and Working of the LORD in all those circumstances! I echo the words of Paul in Philippians 3:12-15! We are "pressing on" as we learn to trust the Lord. Let me challenge you to allow the Holy Spirit to teach you the "Ways of God" so you can experience the "Works of God". The Lord Jesus is preparing you today for what He has prepared for you! This is part of the jy of the journey! Press On Brothers and Sisters I Jesus!
On October 20th, I celebrated six months of recovery since my Hip Revision Surgery! It has been an amazing journey. My surgeon told me it would take a year to recover from the surgery if all went well. He warned us there could be setbacks and difficult, life altering consequences resulting from the surgery. I had to cancel my whole Spring Revival Schedule and accept the fact I would be limited in my preaching for several months! Our world was rocked by this news, but bless God, we were standing on the Rock!! My surgery lasted over 5 hours and I spent four days in the hospital. I had to use a walker for three months. I completed four months of physical therapy, and I am now five weeks without the use of a cane. I had a set back because I strained the ligaments in one of my knees. I sometimes grew impatient. It was frustrating because I was not able to drive for three months, restricted in my activities and limited in my preaching. However, Angie faithfully and joyfully cared for me while taking the full load of our day to day activities and devoting her whole summer off from school teaching to help me in my recovery. She is my rock and prayer warrior! Looking back over this time, Angie and I can testify to the truth of Romans 8:28. During this time of testing and trusting, not every event has been good, but the Lord Jesus Christ has worked all things together for our growth and good, and for His glory! Each step of the way from last December, when I received the call that my Cobalt test came back significantly higher, to this very morning, our Heavenly Father has proved Himself Faithful to us! As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7," For we walk by faith, not by sight". Angie and I trusted the LORD to guide and provide as we claimed Psalms 27:14,Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:4-19,and 1 Peter 5:5-7. HE DID!!! The LORD provided the everything we needed from the doctor to perform the surgery, the date to have the surgery, and the blessing of healing grace since the surgery. The LORD has met our every need in ways that only He can do! We have not gone without anything despite not being able to preach the revival meetings in the Spring and limited preaching over the Summer and Fall. He is Jehovah-Jireh!! Looking back, I can't hardly believe how fast the time has gone by, and we give witness to the fact of His Amazing Grace! I have been preaching a limited revival schedule this Fall as well as serving as the Interim Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Stigler, Oklahoma for nearly two years. The Interim Pastor opportunity came in the providence of God too! I thought I would serve for four Months from mid- November 2016 to March 2017. However, the Church voted to make the arrangement open ended and encouraged me to stay on until the Lord provided them with their mew pastor! They allowed me to preach all my conferences and revival meetings in 2017. They have faithfully loved and ministered to us during this whole time of surgery and recovery. Unless, the LORD sends them their pastor, we plan on being with them until the end next Spring. We are accepting assignments to preach revivals too. Only the LORD could have orchestrate all these circumstances! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! I am reminded of a song sang by the Happy Goodman Family, "I wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now" because that describes how I feel in my heart! God brought us to it and He is bringing us through it for His Glory! This is the joy of the journey my fellows pilgrims! Keep running the Race and keep looking away unto Jesus(Hebrew 12:1-3)! The joy of the journey!
Today, I am planning and packing to leave for my scheduled Hip Revision Surgery tomorrow morning. After surgery, the doctors have advised me that I will have a longer recovery and rehabilitation time than with my first Hip Replacement; I will use a walker for six weeks and will not be able to drive for 8 weeks at a minimum . This is not want I had I mind when I thought about the New Year just a few months ago! I have had to cancel my whole Spring preaching schedule. However, I know the Lord is Sovereign! We may make plans but He orders our steps(Proverbs 19:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:18), and we are always called to joyfully and thankfully respond to His providence! I am so thankful for the truths of Romans 8 which encourage the believer! Like a mountain range with splendid peaks and beautiful vistas, Romans 8 begin with "NO CONDEMNATION " and ends with "NO SEPERATION" and in between is a valley of refreshing spirituals springs in each of the verses that refresh the soul. I can walk in peace know I am not condemned and nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Over 13 times the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Romans Chapter 8, and He is our strength and help! When the Lord changes our plans in order to fulfill His plan, the Holy Spirit enables me to walk on in the strength of Romans 8:28! I do not know what tomorrow will bring. I do not know what the next weeks will be like. I do not know when will be the next time I am given the privilege to preach the Gospel, but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds me today! I am walking in the joy that He is working everything for my good and for His glory! During WW II, the enemy had discovered how to read the encrypted messages of our navy and this caused the fleet to sail there warships with sealed orders. Each Captain was told to leave port and go to a designated spot in the sea upon which time they were to open secret sealed orders of the mission. Today, I am sailing in the providence of God with secret orders to be revealed each new day! Hallelujah, I know the COMMANDER of THE COURSE!
2018 is here and we are past the midway mark of January! Are you still keeping your New Year's resolutions? Did you set any spiritual goals for your life? Are seeking to walk In the special will of the Lord for you, your family and your church? 2018 can be an amazing year in Jesus for you and I! However, too many times we become stranded in the "wilderness" of our wrong decisions and we "wander" like the Children of Israel did. Recorded in the Book of Numbers chapter 13 is the sad picture of a people choosing to walk in unbelief and beginning a 38 year period of "spinning their wheels"! The LORD had brought them out of Egypt so that He could bring them into the Promise Land as promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, they chose to stay in the wilderness instead of believing and experiencing the fulfillment of the promises of God! The Children of Israel had enough faith "to come out" but not enough faith "to enter in" despite all of the reassurances of Moses that the LORD would fulfill His Word. Are living in the "no man's land of in between"? You have been saved from your sins , as pictured in the Hebrews being set free from Egyptian bondage, but you have not entered into living the victorious Christian life, as pictured in Children of Israel entering the Promise Land to possess their promised possession! Are you following the Lord wholeheartedly or Is you spiritual life marked by hesitation, procrastination and frustration which are symptoms of unbelief! Too many of us have had times in which we lived in the "wilderness" of our own choosing and missing the best that Lord had for us! Moses sent 12 men to explore the Promise Land and bring back a report; the committee was split! 10 men said that although the land was everything the LORD the promised, but there were too challenges for them to overcome! Few remember the names of faint-hearted ten! However, Joshua and Caleb gave the minority report of the committee and challenged the people to trust the LORD for the victory! The people choose to believe the unbelieving 10! 38 years later, Joshua and Caleb entered into the Promise Land and experienced the joy of possessing their possessions, while all the others died in the wilderness! Let me challenge you to believe the Lord's promises to you and move in the power of the Spirit to claim all the Lord has prepared for you this year! Live Romans 12:1-2 and you will experience a great year, possibly the greatest year in your walk with the Lord Jesus! Don't wander in the wilderness of your own unbelief!
I am sure you will recognize the phrase, "strike while the iron is hot". The metaphor is borrowed from the trade of the Blacksmith, and it pictures the metal that the has been heated by the fire to right temperature so the it will yield to the fashioning of the his hammer. It is a vivid reminder that we can wait too long to act! Procrastination is one of the besetting sins our church today. We know what we should do, but never get around to it. When I was a child, the politicians in our rural Southern Oklahoma town would visit house to house during election season soliciting for votes. Often they would get a response from folk that something like this," I will vote if I can get around to it". Those shrewd country politicians carried a round wooden disc about the size of a half-dollar that was called a "TUIT". As you can guess it was a round TUIT! They gave them to everyone so they would not have the excuse of trying to getting around to it because they had a round TUIT. I think we should had out "ROUND TUITS" at beginning of ever worship service so that we will have no excuse for not responding to the Word!
Paul reminds the Church at Rome in his Epistle to them, "do not be lacking in diligence" (Romans 12:11) as a prescription for the sin of procrastination. How the church needs this message today! We need to be to be "doers" of Word as James reminds us. Mr. Good Intentions never witnesses, never prays, never teaches, never goes on mission or never digs deep into the Word. It is not that Mr. Good Intentions does not have time, but rather the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God are not a priority! It is time for us to come face with our sin of wasting time and repent before our Lord! We are reminded to "redeem the time" in Ephesians 5:16 which means buy up the opportunities that the Lord has brought into our lives fro His service. I like the word "opportunity"; it came it the English language from the Latin language. It has an amazing word picture. It is a navigational word which met to know when weather conditions, such the winds and tides were favorable for a ship to enter a port. God is at work in the circumstances in your church and community creating favorable conditions! Let us pray for discernment to see the opportunities He has planned for us and church and join Him! Let's not procrastinate! Window of opportunity can close! Let us start praying faithfully today; let us start witnessing today; let us start seeking where the Lord would have us serve today; let us pray fro revival today! Do you experience the "roller coaster" syndrome? If you are honest, you would join the rest of us by confessing "yes" you too have a season pass to the ride. We are "up" and then we are "down"! We sizzle then fizzle! I have know the experience of being inspired at a conference or revival meeeting, and I have know the struggle to remain movtivated days later. Even when maintaing the discplines of prayer, Bbile study and worship attendance, we can still succomb to the cycle. I have discovered there to be many reasons for this common experience: 1. ebb and flow of our emotions 2. ever changing cirumstances such as health and schedules 3. varying intensity of spiritual warefare 4. lack of discipline in spiritual habits. Although, all of these are contributing factors, I submit there is another factor to consider which I call the "seasons of the saints". Just as there are seasons of the earth, winter, spring, summer and autumn, I have discovered there are "seasons" in the saints journey. Each of the enviromental seasons has a purpose which help make the climate benificial for all who live on the planet. The Fall frosts kill the "Rag Weed", Spring rains help the flowers bloom and the Summer sun melts the snows and ripens the tomatoes. I am a fan of the Fall, but there would be no canvass of Fall foliage without the work of the precios three season! I am convinced that we go through seasonal cycles in spritual lives and in each cycle the Lord is at work!Have you experieinced a "winter" when things look drab, become dark and feel cold? Many important processes are happening in the enviroment during winter, and yet most are not seen.The "Spring" of joy and growth could not come without the hidden almost unnoticable work of "winter"! A wise man wrote nearly three thousand years ago, "to everythng there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven"(Ecclestiastes 3:1). The Lord is always at work in the believer's life (Philippians 1"6) and as Lord of the Harvest, He is working in every season of our lives. Praise the Lord! He is at work in us and our circumstances to bring us to where He wants to be! Let me challenge to think about the season you are experieincing now and consider these thoughts: 1. You are in a season now and The Lord is at work. Trust Him 2. There is a new season coming. Be Patient 3. Don't allow the Devil to discourage you. Be Faithful! 4. The Lord is in control of the timing of your "seasons". Be Teachable! Too many times I missed the goodness and blessing of the differing season because I was too busy being discouraged. Let's not do the Devil's work for him! THE LORD IS AT WORK IN OUR SEASONS
PRAYER POWER! Do you believe in the power of prayer? Access to the Throne of Heaven is privilege reserved for believers only! The Christian alone has been given the privilege and authority to approach the Throne that rules the universe because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ(Hebrews 10:19)! Many Christians never get below a surface understanding and practice of prayer. The practice of prayer is one of the most neglected disciplines of the Christian life. Do you want to unlock the vault of Heaven? Do desire the windows of Heaven to open and showers of blessing to fall upon your church? Pray,pray and pray some more! Pray with the confidence of Hebrews 10:19, pray with faith of Matthew 9:34, pray with the conviction of Philippians 4:4-8! Are the circumstances that are defeating our churches a result of the lack of scriptural praying? Our Lord Jesus purchased and gave us this amazing privilege when He shed His blood for us on the Cross. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing by the Heavenly Father(Ephesians 1:3) and access to His Throne is one of the most precious! Let me ask you about your churches prayer meeting. Is it time of urgent intercession before the throne or a cold performance of ritual with no expectation of an answer? One of the signs that our churches need a spiritual awakening is the sad attendance at prayer meetings. Some churches have even abandoned the service altogether! Can any one wonder why the Churches are so powerless and floundering? Could it be that we have cut our fellowships off from the blessings of the Lord because the lack attention to prayer? Yes! There is a great spiritual power outage in the pulpits of this land! Something happens when the church prays, but until the church gets back on her knees, not much of the supernatural will happen! There is still power in Prayer! May the Lord revive His people with a heart to pray and a heart to claim His promises!
Jeremiah was used of the Holt Spirit to paint an image of the tragic result upon a society the rebels against the LORD. The picture is of cisterns that held stagnate, polluted and diseased water in contrast to the fountain of fresh and pure living water (Jeremiah 2:13-14). According to Jehovah, Israel had committed to evils; first, the leaders and people had abandoned the Lord and His Word, and, second, they had been drinking from the stagnate and slimy polluted waters of idolatry. The value of fresh and running water was easily understood by Jeremiah's audience and the illustration was easy to understand; no person in their right mind would drink from a polluted water source when clean and fresh water was available. Yet, this is exactly what Israel had done. Their society was plagued by the spiritual diseases of evil, hatred, abuse, greed, dishonesty and untruth as result of having drunk from the teachings and followed practices of the false religions that replaced the LORD with a god cast in the image of evil man and fashioned according to evil imaginations! Talk about an revealing "selfie"! When error is substituted for truth and the revelation of God disregarded, the outcome is lawlessness and eventual ruin. The principle of the harvest is still in operation; a society harvests the bitter fruits from the seeds of rebellion! God was not mocked 2,500 years ago and He is not mocked today. Our America is in a sad state of disunity, dissension and decline as we teeter on disaster! We have mocked the LORD and dishonored His Name. Today, evil is called good and good called evil. We have lost our moral compass and rejected the North Star of His Truth. We are living in days that also resemble the Days of the Judges, and the phrase, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes", is descriptive of our time. We are destroying the moral foundation of Truth upon which law, justice, honor, respect and responsibility has had a stable footing! These qualities of a blessed society have been replaced by a society poisoned by the false philosophy of the "self-esteem" charlatans who declare every individual as are the center of the universe and has a right to act like spoiled and selfish child. According to these foolish sages, we do not need redemption because we are all good and nothing is wrong in the core of the person; The Bible declares otherwise! Too harsh an indictment? Have you watched the news or read the headlines lately? Where is justice? Why are the words like "responsibility" and "accountability" absent from the national narrative? The truth is we refuse to point our fingers at ourselves and confess the real problem in the soul of this nation. The problem is not the economy; the problem is not the available of guns; the problem is not the high cost of tuition! The problem is we have abandoned the Truth of Truth! We have abandoned the one source of absolute truth who puts all persons on an even playing field and held accountable by consequences; there is God and He has spoken! When a society assumes the posture that it is the master of its own fate, there will be a collision with rocky shores of truth of God's judgement. Sound the collision alarms there is a reality check happening in America today! The only hope for America is a spiritual awakening and a return to the LORD OF BIBLE and that will never happen until the church has a Holy Spirit anointed revival in America. Only then will the Living waters flow and nourish the sickened soul of America back to health!
sAny one who watches the evening news or reads the internet is aware of the growing violence, rage, unrest and rage in our society. Every news cast carries the report of another terrorist attack, murder, rape, reported abuse and neglect of a child or senior adult, domestic abuse and acts of road rage. As a matter of fact, we have become too accustomed to such reports. Seldom is there any out cry in our communities over such evil. We are becoming sensitized and calloused while our courts age bogged down and our prisons and jails are overcrowded! The Bible predicts that in the last days wickedness and rebellion will overflow and many will lose the restraint of love and concern (Matthew 24:12). The Apostle Paul stated that in the "Last Days" perilous times shall come. The Greek for perilous means harsh, oppressive, fierce, dangerous, hard to bear and heavy. When 2 Timothy 3:1-9 is studied, it reads like a editorial column in one of the major newspapers. Take for instance the phrase, "without self-control"; in the "Last days" people will fulfill their desires without regard of the consequences because they can't control their wicked lusts. Sounds like today as we continue to hear new reports of rapes, sexual abuse of children, murder and domestic and work place violence! Just think of all the mass homicides and terrorist attacks the last 8 years! What is going on? I believe we are living in the "Last Days". Another phrase to consider in Paul's catalogue of "Last Days" rottenness is "without natural affection" which means their will be an absence of the natural love and bond which binds and holds families together. For over 50 years, the family has been disintegrating in our culture. The abuses and atrocities committed by parents against their children and children against their parents is prevalent in our times. Divorce rates remain high as marriage is no longer a sacred covenant. The kindness and respect given to workers and neighbors is not found in many hearts is evidenced by the crimes committed in our communities. Another startling indicator that natural affection has diminished the outrage over abused animals as seen by the commercials appealing for money for animal shelters while babes are aborted in the thousands each week. Many would find offense with the comment," stranger's little baby is of more value than your favorite pet"! The last phrase I want you to consider is "lovers of pleasure rather lovers of God". Never in the history of mankind has there been son much available to amuse and entertain us. The advertisers make sure they don't miss out on one opportunity to make the consumer want more stuff. Our society has become so hedonistic in the quest for self-pleasure. The search for new thrilling and chilling pleasures has become our national goal; work has become evil and responsibility a relic of another era! Our land is full of idols as millions bow before them daily. Drug abuse, alcoholism, gambling, prostitution as well as TV shows, hobbies and recreational pastimes have usurped the place of God and become the god of many. Even professed Christians consistenly forsake places of worship in order to bow before the their god on the lake, in front of a slot-machine, at the mall or a movie theater. Regardless of the cost and consequences, the newest experience is pursued. In the mindless pursuit of trival pleasues the heart of a nation is being weaked and sickened; there is a hugh whole in the heart of our culture and there is not enough "stuff", "expriences" and "gadgets" to fill it! While our closets and garages are filled full, our hearts are empty. The Bible stated it would happen, and it is happening now. I believe Jesus Christ is coming soon! Are you "Rapture Ready"? The Devil is squeezing our world like a Python because he desires to deceive as many as possible and take captive as many as possible before it is too late. His doom is sealed Jesus is coming again. Now is the time for all Christians to be on fire for Jesus. The hour is late!
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Doug MillerEvangelist Archives
May 2021
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