August 17, 2017
…Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13
Guilt is our friend. If you are like me, it’s a friend you don’t want showing up on your doorstep. But, more than likely, without it you and I would go on in wrongdoing until becoming dominated and defeated by it.
Guilt is an alarm system that points us to our own misconduct. Yet instead of heeding the alarm, we ignore it, rationalize it, deny it, excuse it, drown or drug it. What we rarely do is to use our guilt for good, letting it redirect and thus transform us into better people. We tend to let it consume and destroy us. Much like drinking poison, guilt and the inability to forgive ourselves can slowly eat away at who we are, rob us of our inner peace, and ultimately shatter our spirits.
August 7, 2017
The sun will be turned to darkness…before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Joel 2:31
A few years ago I was teaching through the book of Joel when the ancient words of his prophecy came up off the page. I knew with hair-raising certainty that God’s severe judgment was coming on America! I have taught Joel several times since. Each time has served to confirm with deep conviction that God is warning America of impending disaster and destruction.
In light of Ezekiel 33:1-6 that commands a watchman to be faithful to warn others of the danger coming against the land, I feel compelled to issue the warning once again. The warning is triggered by the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, nicknamed America’s Eclipse. For the first time in almost 100 years, a total solar eclipse will be seen from coast to coast in our nation. People are preparing to mark this significant event with viewing parties at exclusive prime sites. The celebratory nature regarding the eclipse brings to my mind the Babylonian King Belshazzar who threw a drunken feast the night the Medes and Persians crept under the city gate. While Belshazzar and his friends partied, they were oblivious to the impending danger. Belshazzar wound up dead the next day, and the Babylonian empire was destroyed.
June 15, 2017
The light shines in the darkness… John 1:5
Words fail to express my horror, outrage, and grief over the shooting that took place Wednesday morning in Washington, DC when a gunman opened fire on Republican congressmen practicing for a baseball game. What has happened to our beloved nation of America? I think I know at least part of the answer–God is missing. Because we have told Him to get out of our culture, our government, our schools, our business, our marketplace. Therefore He is slowly backing away, taking with Him His protection, peace, and blessing. The impact of His gradual removal from our national life has never been as shocking to me as yesterday morning.
May 30, 2017
One of the …angels…showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.…He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits (200 feet) thick… Revelation 21:9-10, 17
On May 22, Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the Manchester Arena that left 22 people dead and scores wounded. As devastating as it was, the horror was intensified by that fact that the 21,000 seat arena was filled with young people—mostly girls, some as young as 8 years of age. They had gathered for an Ariana Grande concert. The evil viciousness that plotted and carried out such an attack is incomprehensible to our western minds.
May 17, 2017
While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground…I opened my mouth and began to speak…Daniel 10:15, 16
Do you find yourself wishing that God would speak audibly to you like He did with people in the Bible? He spoke to the prophets, the priests, the kings, the elderly, the apostles, the early church, and even to young children like little Samuel. Sometimes, He spoke to the enemies of His people. But whenever He spoke, His voice was so clear to the person listening that there was no mistaking what He had said. How can you hear God’s voice today?
