ACT

Hebrews 5:13-14 - For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

I read Oswald Chambers' devotion for today. Although I may have read it one way today and next year will see it in another light, it fell in line with things I'd been pondering lately. It dealt even more about truth, a subject I can't shake. His opening statement was: It is essential to give people a chance of acting on the truth of God. The responsibility must be left with the individual, you cannot act for him, it must be his own deliberate act...The paralysis of refusing to act leaves a man exactly where he was before; once he acts, he is never the same. My view on the word act for today is knowing the truth of the Bible.

I've been thinking lately, and have discussed with friends, how we are seeing a definite change in the way life is presenting itself. It's a growing concern and one that will affect our lives. But those who see it through the eyes of God have a totally different slant on it. We see it because we have acted as far as learning from the Word of God. If we refuse to act, as Chambers said, refuse to learn, we will be exactly where we have always been. Our heads will be buried in the sand. But this is a decision you need to make on your own.

Again, life is all about God. It's all about His Word and the truth in it. Although we see a positive thing happening politically, I think it's minor in the grand scheme of life. We see where there's a great number of people who still don't get the fact that what's happening is askew. These past midterm elections might bring about some positive change, but it's still going to be an uphill struggle to undo the wrongs. And some still believe it is God who needs to be acknowledged as the One who is able to bring about the changes.

If we choose to hear what God's Word has to say, if we crave the meat and not the milk, we can see where we are going. The Bible makes it very clear. 

A few years ago we would not have believed all that we see would happen. There have been some in the past who have claimed to know that Jesus was returning soon. They even told us he'd return on a specific day at a specific time in a specific year. And He didn't. Those who have some knowledge of the Bible know that there still are certain things the Bible tells us need to happen before Jesus will return. They just have not happened. But little by little my friends and I see the changes taking place right before our eyes.

My thoughts, not quite my prayer, have been that Jesus would return quickly before the things of this world get so out of hand. But I know, as do many others, that we will have to go through some difficult times before God releases us from these present and future troubles. And there are still many who need to know what truth is. That's why it is not my prayer. My thoughts/prayers are only "Come, Lord Jesus, come. Open eyes."

Dig into the Word of God and see for yourself. Don't believe me. You may not find it in your church. Some churches will not acknowledge the hard things of God's Word, (they desire to share only the milk). They are afraid of being called lunatics or fanatics because they talk about uncomfortable subjects, don't want to scare off possible congregants, are afraid of offending. We need to know these meaty things...even if we don't see Jesus return in our lifetime. It can't just be hinted at; it needs to be preached. We need to keep the prophetic word alive. 

We need to be prepared. We cannot live as if everything will continue as we've known it most or all of our lives. Troubles will occur. And when they do I wonder how many are going to understand what just happened? When one knows the truth, it's freeing. I know we're in for some tough times. When is only something God knows. But by all accounts, it's creeping in. And it's creeping faster than before. Today's news shows this, although mainstream news media don't recognize it through the eyes of God.

It is important to know the signs of the times...through the truth of His Word...to realize that what we see happening in this world is to get us to open our blind eyes, to turn ourselves back to God and trust in Him. These signs are from Genesis to Revelation. We're somewhere at the back of the book and our time is drawing to a close. We need to instill this revelation to the generation(s) behind us. The Church must take a stand. We all need to know and speak the truth, despite the hardness of the word. But...we don't need to be fearful. There is hope.

I mentioned one time about how the Jewish priests wore little boxes, phylacteries, on their foreheads or forearms. They contained scripture, and were to be as reminders of God's Word... They believed the Word had to be passed down from generation to generation, that it never be forgotten. Who is willing to do this? Act.

Desire to know the truth...of God's Word. It is good for our knowledge. We all need to see where we are headed so that we will not be surprised. Continuing to believe that man will be able to control and change circumstances is a slippery slope. It must start with trusting God. Psalm 119:50 tells us that This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life. When we have this knowledge in our  hearts we can know that despite our troubles there is a good ending. Without that knowledge there is only confusion and fear. As Chambers suggested, act...a good place to start is to get into God's Word. Once you act you will never be the same.

Romans 15:4 - For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.