"There Is Always Hope" - Inspirational Weekend

There will be no negative headlines in this inspirational post....just calming and assuring Scriptures that are full of hope and better things to come.  Also there is a sermon here on hope by Adrian Rogers.   

Hope from a biblical viewpoint is not "wishful thinking" but a "confident expectation".  Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  In a sense, hope is also wrapped up in faith.   Without hope, there seems to be no meaning to life. I have mentioned previously how a few years ago (1998) I literally lost everything and my life seemed hopeless.  I know what it means to do without many necessities.  But that is not what I want to dwell on here, except to say that through reading God's Word and prayer and strength from the Lord, He helped me to hang on and gave me a sense of direction and purpose.   A hope.  Meaning. A close relationship with the Lord.

A favorite verse of mine is found at Hebrews 6:19:  "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail;" .  

Following is commentary by Albert Barnes on Hebrews 6:19:    "Hope accomplishes for the soul the same thing which an anchor does for a ship.  It makes it fast and secure.  An anchor preserves a ship when the wind blows, and as long as the anchor holds, so long the ship is safe, and the mariner apprehends no danger.  So with the soul of the Christian.  In the tempests and trials of life, his mind is calm as long as his hope of heaven is firm.  If that gives way, he feels that all is lost."  Regarding the phrase "And which entereth into that within the vail", Barnes continues :  "The allusion to the "anchor" is dropped, and the apostle speaks simply of hope.  The "veil" here refers to what in the temple divided the holy from the most holy place.  The place "within the veil" - the most holy place - was regarded as God's special abode - where He dwelt by the visible symbol of His presence.  That holy place was emblematic of heaven, and the idea here is, that the hope of the Christian enters into heaven itself; it takes hold on the throne of God; it is made firm by being fastened there.  It is not the hope of future riches, honors, or pleasures in this life - for such a hope would not keep the soul steady; it is the hope of immortal blessedness and purity in the world beyond."

Following is a sermon by Adrian Rogers on how to have a steadfast hope in a shaky world.

The most important thing we can do to hang on during trials and hardships is to keep our eyes on the things above and not on earthly, worldly things and the chaos in our troubled world.   As  Colossians 3:1-2 tells us:  "(1) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

Also we need to keep looking in expectation for the return of our Lord.   That gives hope.  It also inclines believers to purify themselves, to live a godly life now so as to be found "blameless" when Jesus comes again to take us to heaven.   ( 1 John 3:3)

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

Truly it is a blessed hope and we should always be looking for Jesus' return. And to tell lost souls about it and the Gospel of Christ.  

So when the world is falling apart, turn to the Lord for hope and encouragement.  The power of the Holy Spirit will produce joy and peace within you

Enjoy the following nature video and have a Christ-centered weekend.

"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

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

News Alert - Possible War Soon With Russia !

The mainstream media has not reported much if any about the possibility of a soon nuclear war with Russia... and with China as well.   I have known about this threat for a few days and I should have made a post on this blog about it sooner.  This world we live in now is chaotic and unpredictable and you cannot believe everything you hear or read, to be sure.   But this situation now with Russia bears some serious thought as to it being a very real threat.  Here is a link to a commentary on the situation that you should watch.

Following is a video discussing a nuclear war with Russia as well as other prophetic events happening now:

I have written previously about Russia and the Gog of Magog war.  You may read about it here.  I am not saying the Gog of Magog war is the same thing as Russia coming against the U.S.A.   The Gog of Magog war concerns the middle east countries (with Russia and Iran and others) coming against Israel.   That war is also on the horizon.  

Another post I made last year was dealing with current events and not giving way to fear and anxiety.  It also mentions the Psalm 83 war, the Gog of Magog War, and the situation in Syria and how Damascus will be totally destroyed.  You may read about it here.

Be prepared!  And by that I don't mean just stocking up on food and water.  We need to be prepared spiritually.   If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time.  Don't delay! No matter what happens, if you believe in and accept Christ you have a wonderful hope for the future.  Eternity with the Lord !   

We are definitely living in the end of the end times, and speaking of the end times Jesus tells us, at Luke 21:34-36: "(34) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.  (35) For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.  (36)  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. "

"What To Do When God Is Silent" - Inspirational Weekend

In my previous post about "Listening To God",  I wrote that silence from God is often because we have sin in our lives that needs to be confessed and repented of in order to have fellowship with God and to "hear" Him speak to us.  And that is very true.   But there are other reasons why the Lord may remain silent for a time.   Tuesday of this week I read a daily devotion by Oswald Chambers about God's remaining quiet for a season.  Following is a quote from a portion of Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" devotion:

"Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning?  God's silences are His answers.   .............His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself.  Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response?  You will find that God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because He saw that you could stand a bigger revelation.  If God has given you a silence, praise Him; He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes.  The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God's sovereignty.    ........If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy - silence."

The LORD is teaching us many things by His silence.  Also, His silence can create in us a hunger for Him.   Between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament of the Bible there was approximately 400 years of silence.....there was no prophet of God in that time.  Something to think about when you are concerned about God's temporary silence with you.   As Dr. Charles Stanley says, "Silent times are often God's preparation for something else."   

Following is a sermon by Dr. Stanley on the subject of when God is silent:

In this excellent sermon, Dr. Charles Stanley mentions seven reasons for God's silence; eight reasons for the various ways we often respond  (discouragement and doubt, to mention two); and then he gives seven reasons of how we should respond, one of which is that we should "respect the right of God to be silent."   Dr. Stanley says, "What God is after is love and intimacy and obedience."

Just a reminder, we cannot complain about God being silent if our Bibles are always closed.  As mentioned previously, God speaks to us through His Holy Word by the Holy Spirit.  It is our spiritual food without which we cannot grow to maturity in our Christian walk. Read and memorize Scripture and let the words sink deep within you, down deep in your heart and very soul.  Scripture can be like seeds that grow into deep faith and commitment to the Lord.  Faith is also believing God is present when all we hear is silence.

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a worker that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."  -  2 Timothy 2:15

"Keep not Thou silence, O God: Hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God."  -  Psalm 83:1

"The door of the Word only opens to the key of diligence.  The Scriptures claim searching."  -

Charles H. Spurgeon 

Don't let God's silence make you believe that He has totally forsaken you, maybe even forever.  If you are a true believer, He will never forsake you as Hebrews 13:5b tells us: "For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."   

I hope this information will help you when God is quiet and not speaking to you.   But if you will open your Bible and read, and pray, and continue with perseverance, there will be a breakthrough eventually where you will once more hear from the heavenly Father.  

Below is a soothing video to brighten your happy weekend.  

Silence speaks when words can't.  

"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. "  -  Revelation 8:1

"Listening To God" - Inspirational Weekend

First of all, to hear God speaking to us, we have to be willing to listen to Him.  We need to set aside a special time everyday to read the Bible and pray to Him.   The primary way the Lord speaks to us today is through His holy Word, the Bible.   That is how we learn to know God and His will and purposes.  He guides us by means of His Word, and teaches us what we need to know in order to live a full and victorious life, a godly life.   Through His Word and by prayer. we grow close to the Lord and learn to love Him with all of our heart.   And of course, God speaks to us through prayer as well.  But we need to spend time in prayer listening for Him to speak, instead of us doing all the talking.  "Be still and know that I am God"  -  Psalm 46:10a .   It is best to set aside a specific time and place everyday to fellowship with and pray to the Lord.  King David, in Psalm 143:8 prayed :  "Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust:  Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee."   King David spent time with the Lord in the morning, before the day began.  I personally have my quiet time with God in the early morning, before I face the "battles" of the day.   It starts the day off right, and gives you a sense of direction for whatever may lie ahead.  Find a quiet spot in your home, or sit on your patio.  My grandfather used to sit on the front porch in his rocking chair when he read the Bible.   I rarely do deep studying when I sit on my patio, because there are distractions outside.  The point is, study where you are least distracted and can focus entirely on the Lord and His Word.  Journal key Scriptures and insights that you may gain at this quiet time.  The gazebo below looks inviting; a good place to study God's Word if the birds and other things don't distract you overmuch.   

God can also speak through other people and through circumstances.  He knows how to get your attention.   Following is a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley titled "Listening to God."

We also need to have a right attitude in order to hear God speaking to us.  First of all, we must want to do His will.   God pays attention to a heart that is totally surrendered to Him.  We need to desire God's will first, before anything else or our own selfish desires.  Matthew Henry has said, "The first lesson in Christ's school is self-denial."

Psalm 40:8 :  "I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart."

Sometimes God does not answer our prayers right away, and sometimes He is silent.  The silence can be deafening, and causes you to wonder if you have displeased God in some way.....and maybe you have, or maybe not.  Do not let that stop you from praying to Him or stop you from listening for His "voice" through His Word.  Someone once said, "God has not promised to give us answers, but He will give us grace."    Make sure there is no unconfessed sin in your life that is hindering you from hearing from the Lord.  If there is, repent and confess the sin to God and make the necessary changes to stay in fellowship with Him.

Following is a beautiful nature video to grace your happy weekend.   Nature teaches us a lot about God if we will just pay attention.

Psalm 32:8,  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you."

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness."  -  Lamentations 3:22-23

"Have You Received Your Hug From God Today?" - Inspirational Weekend

The other day I was studying the Bible book of Daniel while sitting on my patio enjoying the beautiful day and the rich blue sky, when some long lost "friends" showed up.   I mean my bird visitors that have not been around much lately: finches and the Red-Vented Bulbul with his mate.  I had been missing their visits. Every year in the late Spring and Summer  months I spend much time watching their babies being fed by them, as well as observing the baby birds learning to fly.   You can see more about the Bulbuls  here and also here  It gave me a pleasant and enjoyable thrill to see those birds again.  I said a little thank you prayer to the Lord for the nice surprise visit.    Another hug from God !!

We have to be careful not to worship nature and the birds and other wonderful things about God's fantastic creation, but I know for a fact that God delights in our enjoyment  of His creation, and that was a big factor in His handiwork, that we humans should also take delight in the beauty and fascinating creatures and plant life that sprung from His creative hand.   But I digress.  This post is about receiving hugs from God !   The Internet image below speaks volumes.  

In prayer some time ago, I had told God how much I needed a "hug" from Him; a spiritual hug to give me comfort and encouragement.  Soon thereafter I ran across this image above on the Internet.   It just made me realize that the Lord is always giving me hugs as I read the Bible everyday.   His Holy Word has been an anchor to my soul, as is Jesus.  Hebrews 6:19 speaks mainly of hope of eternal life and heaven as being an anchor for the soul, but I also like to think of God's Word and Jesus in the same light. They all are intertwined.  God's Word is His Love Letter to us, as well as His Instruction Manual to guide us along life's paths.  We are told at Psalm 119:105, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."  So reading and studying the Bible guides us, strengthens us, gives us power, helps us to endure trials and hardships, teaches us how to behave as Christians should, and much, much more. All of that results in many hugs from God.   Most importantly, the Bible teaches us what God's and Jesus' characteristics are, and the more we read, the more we learn to have hearts full with love for the Lord.  God is love.   By reading the Bible and spending much time in prayer, the ultimate reward is a close, intimate, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   You will never be the same once you are filled with the Holy Spirit and in close communion with the Lord.  There will be no desire to go back to your old sinful nature.

We also get hugs from God when He answers our prayers.  Think of how awesome that is.  The Almighty Sovereign God stoops down and takes notice of us puny, tiny specks of dust and even answers our petitions !!  All of the hugs from God are His way of showing His great love and grace and tender mercies for His children.    

"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."  -  Jesus speaking at John 3:16 .

"As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love."  -  Jesus at John 15:9

God and Jesus are all about love, and we should endeavor to be the same way.  

Below is a baby that gives its patient cat some loving hugs.  It is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.   

The above video reminds me of what someone once said: "Remember that life's most treasured moments often come unannounced."   How true.  As when your baby says "Mama" or "Dada" for the first time out of the blue; or when your husband brings you flowers just because he loves you; and a myriad of other simple pleasures that can happen that all remind you that God just gave you a big hug. 

God has used my 2-year-old grandson's affection for me to give me a hug direct from Him above.  We all could go on and on with the lavishness of God's love and grace and hugs if we will stop and take the time to recollect and ponder how good He has been to us.   We need to be generous to others as well with loving hugs to them..... which are really from God. His spirit at work in us.

Following is a video about cats and kittens and their hugs to others.   (Yes, I am a cat lover!)

I hope these videos and the reminder that God loves you and that He gives you hugs all the time has brightened your weekend.  Be happy and enjoy your weekend !  And be sure to thank God for all of your blessings !

"And whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he."  -  Proverbs 16:20b

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:"  -  Ephesians 1:3

"How To Surrender All To God" - Inspirational Weekend

How to surrender to God was a bit of a mystery to me before I was truly saved, and after I was born again, it took a while for it to sink in just what surrendering to Him really meant.  I had been a bit stubborn and self-willed and independent prior to being born again, and the Lord in His mercy was patient with me as He began to teach me and guide me in spiritual matters. 

The word "surrender" is similar to the word "submit", but to me surrender has more of a total and unconditional meaning than the word submit.  Both are like military terms, where one surrenders to the conqueror and lets the conqueror take total control.   In the New Testament, the word submit is from the Greek word "hypotasso", which means to obey, be subject to, be obedient to.  Isn't that a wonderful explanation of how we should feel towards Jesus ?!  It means to yield oneself to His power and authority, give oneself up, and yield to His guidance and direction.   

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"  -  Hebrews 12:9

To obey God is the way of life we should choose.   To disobey God is rebellion.  When you totally surrender to God, He will bless you.  As Dr. Charles Stanley says in the following sermon, you need to surrender all control of your life to God - body, soul and spirit - and let God have His will in your life.

In the above sermon, Dr. Stanley gives 6 excellent ways to fully surrender to the Lord.   If you are truly saved and born again, you will love Jesus so much that you will want to surrender to Him and let Him be in control.   You must be humble !  1 Peter 5:5 tells us, "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.  Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:  for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."    So part of surrendering to God/Jesus is to be humble.  One cannot be proud and at the same time submit to God; it just will not happen.  Remember, being humble and submissive is a choice we make.   If we make that choice, the Holy Spirit will help  to "conform us to the image of His Son"  -  Jesus Christ.  (Romans 8:29).   

As you surrender to the Lord, you should have a hunger for the Holy Word -  the Bible.  The careful study of God's Word will help you to grow spiritually and will renew your mind  (Romans 12:2).  You will grow to know the Lord more intimately, which in turn will mature you and help you to ever more willingly surrender to Him and His will.   It is a process.   

Because God is a loving Father and He knows what is best for us,  He requires us to submit to Him in all things.  By humbly surrendering to Him daily, He will give us blessings and peace that is so far beyond and superior to anything this old fallen world has to offer.   

Many of you may be familiar with that old hymn "I Surrender All."  For those who are familiar and those who are not, here it is in a beautiful video.

One huge hindrance to surrendering to Jesus, which is closely linked with pride, is self-will and stubbornness; wanting your own way all the time.   Besides displeasing the Lord, that attitude can get you into a lot of trouble with people and cause you to fall into serious circumstances.   Proverbs 14:12 tells us: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."  It is far wiser to always seek God's guidance and then submit to His will. In other words, deny yourself.

At Mark 8:34b Jesus said, "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

Think of all that Jesus suffered for our sake !  He was mocked, tortured, and nailed to the cross to die a horrendous death so that we may have eternal life if we believe in Him.   God the Father even forsook Jesus for a time when Jesus was made sin for us as He died.   How could we finite creatures dare to not obey and surrender to Him after all He has done for us !!   We need to show our gratitude for His great love by our obedience and our submission to His will.  Too many people today are very self-absorbed and not spiritually minded.   Christians should not fall into that trap; and if you are a true believer and are often in prayer, asking for guidance, it will not be likely that you are self-absorbed but instead totally committed to the Lord.

Another thing that will help you to surrender to Jesus is to remember that, not only is He our Savior, but he is very definitely our Lord and Master.  We should show honor, respect, and reverence for  the Lord and Master by obeying Him and putting His will first in our lives.  

Jesus Christ will return soon to take His true followers to heaven in the Rapture.  We need to be living a life that He will approve:  a godly, totally surrendered life, and therefore be ready when He returns.

"And behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."   -  Jesus at Revelation 22:12