"Are You In 'The Perfect Storm' Right Now? There Is Help For You!" (with Videos: One by Dr. David Jeremiah, and Another Video with Pastor Chuck Smith As a Narrator) - Inspirational Weekend

[Island Off Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]

It had rained earlier the day I took the above photograph.  It is the one photo I have taken that comes close to depicting a "storm", which is the subject of this post.  We are referring to the storms of life that come upon us from time to time.  All of us are now suffering the effects of Covid-19 in one way or another; and the same goes for the current world events otherwise; the chaotic and lawless effects of a world gone mad!

The following excellent 29 minute sermon by Dr. David Jeremiah deals with the subject "A Shelter in the Storms of Life".  Dr. Jeremiah tells us what we can do when storms invade our lives.

"Peace is not the absence of stress, peace is the presence of the Savior."   -  Dr. David Jeremiah

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."  -  Nahum 1:7

Many of us tend to not read Nahum often.  But the above verse is so beautiful and comforting. God will deliver those who are His in their day of trouble and danger; and by "a stronghold" it refers to how God is a defense and is our strength and "fortress" by His love and protection of us, His children.

Nahum 1:7 is mentioned in the following 13 minute video below titled : "The Guardian of the World - God is Watching and He is in Control."  Towards the end of the following video, Pastor Chuck Smith (the founder of the Calvary Chapel Churches) is also one of the narrators of this encouraging message.

The message above reminds us that we are never alone!  And, also, to not focus on the problem, but instead to focus on God and Jesus, and He will help you and fight your battles !

"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."    -   Exodus 14:14

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD."  -  Isaiah 54:17

[Boats and Rainbow Bridge, Haleiwa, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii]

One Scripture quoted before on this blog, which rather ties in with the subject matter today, is Psalm 27:14, which follows:

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord."

Psalm 28:7 tells us: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped."

"I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." -   Psalm 34:4

On the above verse at Psalm 34:4, Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary explains, in part : "David found Him [Yahweh] a prayer-hearing God. "I sought the Lord' in my distress, entreated His favor, and begged His help 'and He heard me' , answered my request immediately and 'delivered me from all my fears.'....God by His providence....and grace...works in us to silence our fears and still the tumult of the spirit.  This latter is the greater mercy of the two.  ......  When we look to the world we are darkened, we are perplexed, and at a loss; but when we look to God, from Him we have the light of both of direction and joy, and our way is made both plain and pleasant."

[Rainbow Shower Tree Blossoms]

 Remember always, if you are a true follower of Jesus, and have been born again (a spiritual rebirth from above) then Jesus makes you a conqueror and makes you victorious!

Romans 8:37 tells us: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."                     -   1 Corinthians 15:57

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world,  even our faith."  -     1 John 5:4

Most of you are familiar with the fact that "storms of life" will make you turn more to prayer and reliance on the good Lord.  It will increase your faith, and make you stronger when you see God working in your behalf and helping you in whatever circumstances are troubling you.   And, as you know, sometimes God Himself will send storms to test your faith, and to help mold you into a faith filled servant of His, by teaching you to rely on Him, and Him only.

Hebrews 12:6 explains, "Whom the Lord loves He chastens."

"Afflictions are but the shadows of God's Wings."  - George Macdonald

If you have not yet put your faith in Jesus as the Savior, and  believe that it is only by Jesus' shed blood at Calvary we can find salvation..... that Jesus' redemptive work on the cross made a way for us to have eternal life because He was our substitute and took our sins upon Himself to pay our sin debt in full !  Now is the time to call upon Him and repent and surrender your life to Him.  Pray for forgiveness!   Following are Scriptures to help you :

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."  -   John 3:36

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."    - John 14:6

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."      -  John 3:16

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend.... and life !!

"The Power That Banishes Fear" (With Video by Dr. David Jeremiah) - Inspirational Weekend

The title of this article above - "The power that banishes fear" - is from what Dr. David Jeremiah tells us in the following 13 minute sermon clip:

Dr. Jeremiah tells us that we can "either pray or worry", and that "our minds should be totally on God."  Watch the video for the solution that banishes fear.

Many people the world over are now experiencing fear because of the pandemic.  This post will focus on ways to help us to cope instead of focusing on the virus itself.  

"With the power of God within us, we need never fear the powers around us."  -  Woodrow Kroll

"You and I cannot change or control the world around us, but we can change and control the world within us." - Warren Wiersbe

"Fear cannot get a stronghold in the heart of someone who's full of  the vision and the Majesty of God."  -  David Wilkerson

"Life makes many an attempt to take away our faith.  Things happen to us and and to others which baffle our understanding: Life has its problems to which there seems no solution and its questions to which there seems no answer; life has it's dark places where there seems to be nothing to do but hold on.  Faith is always a victory, the victory of the soul which tenaciously maintains its clutch on God." - William Barclay

Christians have a hope that strengthens them and helps them to endure:

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."  -  Titus 2:13

Concentrate on what is the true center of Christian Life.

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on the things on the earth."  -   Colossians 3:1-2

A wonderful verse to apply here is found at Nehemiah 8:10 b ".... For the joy of the Lord is your strength."

It is true that Christians can feel fear and worry and anxiety, but we should not let it take control of us.  Those feelings should be temporary as we should place our hope and trust in the good Lord.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."       -  2 Timothy 1:7

Psalm 62:5-8 assures us, (5) "My soul, wait thou only upon God; For my expectation is from Him.   (6) He only is my rock and my defense: I shall not be moved.  (7) In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  (8) Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us."

 "Wherefore hast Thou afflicted Thy servant?" -   Numbers 11:11

The above verse was used in a devotion by Charles Spurgeon, and following is a partial quote from a portion that devotional.

"Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith.  If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test......   A faith which can say "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him",    (Job 13:15)    is heaven-born faith.  

"Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope"    (Romans 5:3).  The Lord is honored by these growing virtues" says Spurgeon. "The wisdom and power of the Great Workman are discovered by the trials through which His vessels of mercy are permitted to pass.  Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy.  ...... Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified?"

When we are in heaven, there will be peace and harmony and much love.  We need to endure to the end.  The best way to endure is to have a close, intimate, loving, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His Son.  How do we do this?  Many of you know it is by prayer without ceasing and much time spent in the Bible, the Holy Word of God.  By doing those two things, you will learn more about God and Jesus, and your love for them will grow and blossom and develop into something beautiful and eternal.

Remember that song, "This world is not my home?"  We need to remind ourselves of that when we get caught up in day to day living and cares and worries.  And now, we have much chaos and evil in this old world, and all that is on everyone's mind now is the recent pandemic.   Just remember, this world is passing away but he who does the will of God will remain forever  (1 John 2:17).

Here is a version of the song mentioned above, sung by Jim Reeves. 

Bible prophecy is being fulfilled right now at warp speed.  Not only on a daily basis, but even minute by minute some new conflict or development proves that we are living in the end times and that Jesus will soon return to Rapture true believers to heaven before the 7 year Tribulation begins.  Friends, many things happening today were prophesied concerning the Tribulation period.... they are right now precursors to the Trib.  .... we are not in the Tribulation now, but we are ever so close to it according to the Bible.  It is like God is shaking and stirring up things in an endeavor to wake up as many people as He can and thereby have them turn in faith to Jesus as the Savior before it is too late.   If you are not saved by faith in Jesus as the Savior, Who is the only way to the Father and to heaven, following are some Scriptures to encourage you to surrender to the redeeming power of Jesus :

Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believeth in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.   (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."  -  John 3:36

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"   -  John 11:25, 26

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."     -   John 3:16



Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!

"Fear To Fear" (With Sermon Clips by Charles Spurgeon) - Inspirational Weekend

Big cats are magnificent and quite handsome.   I admire their beauty and regal bearing, but I do not want to be near one in the wild; I do not even want to be alone with them at the zoo except when I am protected by glass and walls and barriers.   Yes, I have a healthy fear where big cats are concerned; a self-preserving fear.  A healthy fear can be a blessing and can show wisdom on our part.

But there is another kind of fear we need to be alert about.  Thus the title of this post, "Fear to Fear".  Charles Spurgeon says it best in this short 2 minute sermon clip:

In other words, "Be afraid to be afraid".   Do not be a coward.  

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone,  which is the second death."    -    Revelation 21:8

The above verse shows us clearly just how God views the fearful....He lumps them together with murderers and the unbelieving and all liars (etc.), and tells us that they will be tormented forever in hell.

Being fearful shows a lack of faith and trust in God.  If it is a constant fear, perhaps you are not truly born again.  You need to get down on your knees and pray for deliverance and forgiveness.  Read your Bible daily and pray without ceasing.   When you develop a close, intimate, personal love relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you will learn to put all of your hope and faith and trust in Him, and any morbid fear will disappear.  

When you are a genuine believer and have truly been born again, the Holy Spirit within you will remove all fear.  Also, to have all fear removed, we must love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength  (Mark 12:30).  

"A perfect faith would lift us absolutely above fear."  -   George Macdonald

"Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles.  If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation.  He that has his trust set upon God does not need to dread anything except the weakening or the paralyzing of that trust."    -   Alexander MacLaren.

"The only known antidote to fear is faith."   -  Woodrow Kroll

So trust and faith in the good Lord will cast out fear.  

Psalm 27:1 tells us, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love."    -  1 John 4:18

Not only does faith in the Lord cast out fear, but also love will set you free from fear as well.   As you grow and mature in faith and in a strong and intimate relationship with God,  your love for Him and for obeying Him in total surrender will increase.  You will love Him with all of your heart and will desire to please Him in everything.  As God answers your prayers and guides you, your love and faith will grow by leaps and bounds.  

Following is a beautiful hymn about not being afraid:

There is One whom we should fear however; with a healthy, reverent fear and with love.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us,  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."  -  2 Corinthians 7:1

It is evident from the Scriptures that we should have a healthy, reverent fear of the good Lord.  Fear to grieve Him, fear to disobey Him, fear to displease Him in any way.  He is our Creator, the Sovereign of the universe, the only true God; therefore we should be in awe of Him and serve Him in humility and obedience.

Following is another 2 minute sermon clip by Charles Spurgeon titled "Fear Only God".  In it Spurgeon tells us,  "He who fears God has nothing else to fear."

Have a Christ centered weekend !

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."   -  2 Timothy 1:7

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you:  not as the  world giveth,  give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   -  Jesus at John 14:27

Two News Articles - The Economy Is On the Brink of Collapse & Possible Catastrophic Space Event

In the above photograph of mine taken at Waikiki Beach, this Black-Crowned Night Heron looks as if he is contemplating what the warning sign is all about.   At least he is alert and (my fantasizing) attempting to take in the information.  In these troublesome times in which we live, we need to stay informed and alert ourselves.  Here is a recent article about the economy we need to be aware of.  In this article are 5 urgent warnings from Big Banks that the economy "has gone suicidal."

Did you hear about the new Obama Executive order about space weather?  In particular perhaps a CME striking earth as it almost did in 2012?   Check out this article. 

In August of this year I wrote a blog post here about the CME  almost hitting the earth in 2012.   A CME is a very large plasma like gas explosion from the sun.  In the August blog post it has a video featuring Brent Miller who is an expert on these type occurrences  and how it relates to Bible Prophecy, in particular part of the trumpet judgments in Revelation 8.  See this fascinating information.

I mention these 2 articles not to be "doom and gloom" and not to put fear in your hearts.   We need to be informed !  Some people would rather not hear all this type current events; they would rather pretend life goes on as normal.   These are not normal times.   It is not the "Happy Days" of the 1950's.    

As stated in my blog numerous times,  you need not fear if you have a close, personal, intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   Things may be worse for true believers before the Rapture occurs, that is true.  Or we may be raptured before much damage is done.   We will

 not go through the 7 year tribulation period, however.  

Romans 15:4 tells us, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

Read the Bible often, pray without ceasing, and God's Holy Spirit will give you hope and keep you from being overly fearful.  The Scriptures truly are a comfort in these perilous times.   

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit."  -  Romans 15:13

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   Jesus at John 14:27