Tag: judgment

No Excuse

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Look all around you. There is evidence of God’s everywhere we look, so mankind is without excuse to believe in God. I have friends who say that they cannot possibly believe in a supernatural power whom they cannot see. Well, have they seen the wind? The recent blast of wintry air was a testament to God’s power and His presence. No one can see the wind, yet we know it exists because we dress in layers to protect ourselves from the cold that it brings. Some say that they cannot believe in God who doesn’t control all of the evil in the world. Hmm. Why does evil exist? Not because of God but because of man’s choices. We continue to laugh in the face of God and to refuse to acknowledge His sovereignty and then we claim that we are angry at God because of all of the evil that is taking over the world. Once again. If you want to know the source of evil, check out the choices that mankind is making. Building museums to honor unholy practices of matrimony, exhorting politicians who steal from the people they serve, and in general calling the things that God calls sin as okay. So, once again, there is no excuse. One day, we will all stand before God and give an accounting to Him for our lives. We cannot stand there and say that we had no idea that God actually existed because He shows us each day that the sun rises, the moon comes up, the tides roll, the rains pour down. God is showing us His sovereignty in nature and in all of the creatures around us.

Even the animals know that God exists. Mankind, in trying to establish his own control over his life, has denied the existence of God, much to their eternal detriment if they don’t repent and turn away from such foolishness. God is in control and there is no excuse not to know that and to give Him the glory due His Name.

May the Lord who does indeed exist bless you with the knowledge of His power, grace and mercy.

Scoffers

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

One of the words that is not used often in today’s world but is one that is active is ”scoffers.” These people, according to http://www.dictionary.com are those who make fun of or mock beliefs, especially moral and religious ones. If you don’t look around and notice a boatload of scoffers in the world today, then I don’t think you are paying attention. I am concerned for those who mock God and His coming judgment because the “Day of the Lord” is coming whether they believe in it or not.

Thinking that they are secure in their own worship of self and their own choices of evil, they mock God and are kind of saying, “Uh-huh. Sure. God is going to judge and Jesus is returning. Yeah, right.” Unfortunately for them, that day is coming. We don’t have to know when; we just have to believe and wait.

The Day of the Lord will be a fearsome and terrible day, coming when we least expect it. As one who likes to be organized and prepared for every possible eventuality, I have studied the Scriptures for years about that coming day and what I am supposed to do to be ready. The answer are simple and straightforward, summarized by Peter.

Did you hear that flourish of trumpets that played a “ta=dah” kind of note? Since everything as we know it will be destroyed, we should be living godly and holy lives. We are not to join in with the scoffers, the unbelievers who are digging their own grave to the pit of eternity separated from God. We are to choose rightly, stay close to God and trust that in the end, He will take care of us. He took care of Moses, Daniel, Noah and Abraham and He is no respecter of persons. He loves us just as much and gives us a guidebook about how to be living while we wait. Just as you cannot adequately create a new dish in the kitchen or put together a complicated toy for Christmas without directions, neither can you lead a holy and godly life without the directions that are contained in the Holy Bible.

As you ponder the truth of God’s Word, may you be blessed with peace and the absolute certainty that God is indeed coming in judgment, but there is no fear for those who remain in Him. Have a blessed and wonderful day in the Lord!

We Are Dust

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song1 Comment

The Lord who created us knows that we are but dust from the earth and one day our human bodies will return to the ground from which it was created. But our breath, our soul, the inner part of us came from the very breath of God. That is why I believe that life is sacred and not to be dismissed as not valuable. Today, mankind is generally led around by the current beliefs, whatever they may be. The current term is a being ”woke” but I actually think that the people of the earth are more asleep to the mighty power of God and His judgment that is coming than they have ever been.

Like dust, we are blown around by the winds of change, the opinions of man mattering more to many of us than the truth of God’s Word. My prayer and hope is that there will be a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit that blows into each life of each Christian. If I must be blown around, God grant that it will be with the wind of the Holy Spirit and not the hot air that man produces with his own ideas of right and wrong.

What settles dust blowing around? Rain! The refreshing rain of the Word of God that showers us with His truth about His love, grace, mercy and, yes, the judgment to come. I desire to be refreshed daily so I spend time in God’s Word allowing Him to speak to me. It’s amazing to me that some people never spend time with God and yet they think they have all of the answers to life’s problems. It’s not a possibility for them to have answers since they don’t even know what the questions are. Who made us? God. To whom do we owe everything we are and all that we have? God. Who decides our ultimate fate for eternity? God. I am praying that God will intervene in the sinfulness of our world and send His wind and His rain. But, whether he chooses to continue to strive with mankind or not, I do know that my life in Him is secure and I can trust Him to send His Holy Spirit to guide me and His rain to teach me.

It’s Beginning to Rain by The Gaither Trio

Thankful for God’s Judgments

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture4 Comments

Most times when I was disciplined as a child, I learned something. Hard lessons to learn about not lying, not rebelling, not taking things from others. But I learned that I would be punished. Nowadays, I am thankful for God’s judgments because it is from Him that I am learning to be more like Jesus.

I continue to pray for all who face the final judgment of God, and I am well aware that we learn the lessons about righteousness that He is teaching now or we will live eternity separated from Him because we didn’t accept and learn from Him.

Have a blessed day and look forward to God’s teaching us righteousness. It is for our good always.

Here is a quotation that seems fitting for today:

“A. W. Tozer wrote, “The only safe place for a sheep is by the side of his shepherd, because the devil does not fear sheep; he just fears the Shepherd.”

Excerpt From

Mornings with Jesus 2022

Guideposts

https://books.apple.com/us/book/mornings-with-jesus-2022/id1559464097

This material may be protected by copyright.

Crossroads

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

God is calling us all to a relationship with Him but in our busy lives, we have turned aside and followed other paths. I believe with all of my heart that have passed the crossroads, much like the ancient civilizations of Israel and Judah. We have wandered down the wrong path, away from our roots of faith and God’s blessings. I don’t know if it’s too late to return to the original path, but I know that we, as Christians, need to be sounding the alarm that the path we are taking as a nation is the wrong one. We stood at a crossroads and went the wrong way. I don’t know when it happened. I just see all of the evidence that it did, and I fear for the future of our nation. God’s chosen people was Israel and yet, they ceased to exist for hundreds of years because of their stubborn refusal to repent and acknowledge God as Lord. Israel had the wrong leaders and their priests were not doing their job to keep the people focused on God. Is the U.S.A. on the same pathway to destruction? I fear that it is, but my hope lies in the Lord who will be with His people regardless of the judgment that is to come. We have passed the crossroads and are wandering in the wilderness of sin. All I can say is that we need to turn back, return to God and ask Him for mercy for our ungodly nation.

The Lord God Almighty

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I have been reading and studying the Book of Amos in our Sunday School class and it is an eye-opening look at God’s powerful judgment. The people whom He loved so much that He led them out of Egypt, defeated all of their enemies and led them into a land flowing with milk and honey, that same people were under His judgment because of their falling away and becoming just like those they lived among. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

That’s why God calls us to be in the world, but not of the world. We have to live here on earth because that is where our Creator placed us. We are called to be lights in a dark world and the darker the world becomes, the more our lights will become apparent.

God keeps speaking to me clearly that judgment is coming on the earth. Of course, I don’t know when. No one does. But I do know that He is calling each of us to shine brightly in spite of the darkness that is overtaking the earth. In the book of Amos, God pronounces His judgment on Israel, His chosen people. If they did not escape God’s wrath, how can we hope to do so? The answer is that we cannot. Bummer, right? But the truth is that we can be prepared by humbling ourselves before the Lord and asking what He wants us to do in these days.

God has not changed His identity. He is the Lord God Almighty, Creator of all and He expects His people to continue to follow in the path of righteousness. With changes coming at us fast and furiously, and with darkness all around us, we can cling to the fact that God has not changed and will always be there for us.

I’m not prophesying the end of the world because God already did that. I’m not prophesying about God’s judgment because God already did that, too. It is important though that I pass on to you the gravity of this age and that God wants us to remain close to Him, reading and meditating on His Word and faithfully praying so that we are not caught unaware.

This is a sobering message that I really didn’t know how to share and I still don’t know if I have adequately presented it. I can only write what is in my heart and pray that God will prepare the path of your heart to read, accept and take it the way God means it to be. It is a warning from the Lord God Almighty, in one Biblical book after another. The time is coming and we have to be ready.

I heard someone say in my Bible study group on Monday night that they don’t know if they will be ready for the Lord to return because they want to continue to live, watch their children grow up and get married and meet their grandchildren. Is that not what we all want? And it may still happen! But just in case it doesn’t, we can’t love this life so much that we aren’t willing to let it go in order to be with the Lord for eternity.

May the Lord bless each of you today and give you insight into how you can let your light shine even brighter into this dark world. Be blessed, my friends, so that you can be a blessing.

Judgment Begins in the House of the Lord

On By vickleaIn church, Scripture9 Comments

Our Bible study group is reading a book entitled THRIVING IN BABYLON by Larry Osborne. It’s an enlightening book about God’s judgment and how innocent Daniel was taken to Babylon, not because of his own sin, but because of the sins of his nation. God had called on Israel to repent, repeatedly, in fact, but to no avail. So, God, being the just God that He is, allowed consequences including the Babylonian captivity. Harsh? Yes, but sometimes harsh is the only thing that gets our attention.

In pondering the sins of our nation and how God has called us to repent and the fact that it has not happened on a large scale ( or some would say, at all), I have to say that our nation is ripe for God’s judgment. God has been gracious and merciful with the United States for centuries, but He will not wait forever for repentance. Repentance is change, turning away from sin, not just crying because you’re sorry you were caught. Thus, I believe that the things that are happening in our nation today, with godless leadership who have few morals and no real moral compass, are a direct result of the lack of repentance in our nation.

As Christians, we are appalled at the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ agenda and all of the sin that goes with it. But, are we equally appalled when a young couple comes to church and unashamedly admit that they are living together? God calls that sin, too, but we have come to accept a lot of things as just a change in the culture instead of the sin that it is. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the couple should not be allowed to come to church. What I am saying is that the fact that they are living in sin should be addressed and they should be told that the only clear path to God is repentance, which might mean they separate or even get married. In today’s culture, that is not at all popular. The current belief system is that you need to “try out” living together before you get married and make that commitment. I’m okay with that if you can show me one place in God’s Word that He says living together is okay. Are we equally appalled at those who steal from their employers by turning in false expense reports? Or those who walk away from a long-term marriage because they have “found someone else”? I think you get the idea.

There are many sins in today’s culture, even in the churches that we attend, and God will not be mocked. He consistently points out the sin and we consistently make excuses. My favorite excuse is, “But, God, what I am doing is not as bad as so-and-so and their sin.” Hmm. God may already be dealing with that other person, but if He is dealing with you and your sin right now, that is enough for you to deal with.

Judgment begins in God’s house, not with the pagans. After all, they are already on Satan’s side, so although God’s love reaches out to them, He is very concerned about the sins that we, the ones called by His Name, have allowed to creep into our own lives. We cry out to God because there are millions of babies killed by abortion. We cry out to God when the President of our nation supports abortion and rant about how godless that is. But, do we not see that our own attitudes towards the sanctity of life have led to this debacle? The silence of the Christian community is deafening. How many judge the one getting an abortion instead of reaching out a hand to offer assistance and counseling?

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not surprised at the mess that our nation finds itself in. The church is a microcosm of the nation and the church itself needs to repent. Go back to the last thing God told you to do and do it, no matter how hard it is or how humbling. Then, do the next thing, Then, the next thing. The United States may not be carried off in captivity to Babylon (a wicked nation that is used as an example of evil in the Bible), but we may be more like Babylon ourselves than we are willing to admit.

We All Need the Lord

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song10 Comments

Our world these days seems to be spiraling downward quickly into the abyss of sin. We wring out hands and look up, expecting that Jesus will return soon to save us from this crazy mess. But what if He doesn’t come back, today or tomorrow or even imminently and we are stuck with people who seem to have turned their backs on God and on us, His namesakes? We are representing Christ on earth, so who is to say that those who are devouring each other because of their own unbelief will leave us alone? That is a lot to ponder today and I’m up early to think about it. No, I didn’t arise earlier than usual eager to head off to my recliner and my Bible. I got up early because I was gasping for breath. It started as a little wheeze, progressed to a lot of coughing and wheezing and ended when I got out of bed, using my inhaler and came into the den to sit in my chair. Every breath is a struggle sometimes when you are asthmatic and this was one of those days. I never know when I may have a problem breathing. It has been months, and then this morning, without warning or any triggers that I am aware of, I awakened with my throat closing and wheezing breaths coming from my shallow breaths. It’s scary sometimes, but it isn’t as scary as thinking about the fact that our world as we have known it is ending and we are faced with ungodliness everywhere we turn.

I belong to various online book groups since reading is a favorite pastime of mine. But they are changing to accept the current cultural norms, norms that do not pass the standards set by God. Just about every book that I pick up these days has a character who is gay or just discovering their propensity to be gay. I try not to judge the author too harshly but when I am reviewing, I cannot help but be influenced by the fact that many authors seem to be delving into political correctness because their only goal is to sell books. For the first time ever, I received a book from an author, an autographed copy no less, and threw it in the trash. I wouldn’t dare pass on garbage like that to a friend or relative, so the book went where it deserved to be before being published, into the garbage. The only really safe books to read these days come from Christian publishers like Revell. The same is true of television shows. It is much more satisfying to watch old shows from decades ago than the new fodder that glorifies self-gratification and sin. Turning off the TV has become more common in our household than watching it. My husband, an avid sports fan, has been disgusted with the recent lack of patriotism displayed by major sports teams and athletes at the Olympics. I am one of those who was actually happy that the U.S. women’s soccer team lost to Sweden. After all, it couldn’t happen to a more arrogant and self-serving bunch of women who claim to represent our nation. Like the former football star Herschel Walker, I want to know why they are even in the Olympics representing the U.S. if they don’t love our nation. I also wonder if they have tried to live in another nation that does not offer the freedoms that we do. China and North Korea come to mind. Does anyone really believe that the athletes from these countries would be allowed to display the antics that the American athletes proudly boast about (without ending up in a prison somewhere, that is)? Thus my husband who used to watch all the baseball and football games possible is watching golf and hockey, the sports in which the athletes act as though it’s a privilege to play and don’t “take a knee” or disrespect our nation and the sacrifices of those who gave them their freedoms.

So, entertainment these days is a big old bust. What are we to do? We are to stand and wait for the salvation of our God. If we are under the illusion that the world has never been this bad before, then we have forgotten the history of other great empires like Rome. God has a tendency to humble those who stand proudly before Him and mock His name and His laws. The Roman Empire fell, much to the surprise of all of the jubilant party-goers who thought life was one big party and the only rules were those they made for themselves. God established the rules for living a holy life long ago when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments; Jesus came and died for each of us so that we can stand holy before the Lord. But we cannot fool ourselves into believing that no matter what we do, we are our own little gods. Same sex marriage, that’s okay and even encouraged. Drugs are legal. Living with your boyfriend or girlfriend is accepted. I just completed forms for a new doctor and one of the questions is marital status, including “living with a partner or significant other.” And don’t get me started on what bad examples some churches or pastors are being with their acceptance of the whole gay/transgender agenda! My prayer is that all of these people, including pastors, church boards, authors, television producers, news reporters, everyone who has bought into the great lie of Satan that sin will not kill you, will come to the knowledge of the power and sacrifice of Christ before it is too late for them.

What do I do in the meantime? I worship. I pray. I wait. I found a song on YouTube this morning that I have not sung in a long time and hope that it encourages you as it encourages me. Jesus has not changed. His charge to the church He left behind to continue His work has not changed. The task may seem harder, with more people turning against God daily, but Jesus didn’t say it would be easy to follow Him. He said to follow and that the way would be narrow. We have to navigate our way through a morass of people attempting to divert our attention from what is truth. Calling a lie the truth does not make it one. God’s Word is truth and He does not compromise His stand on things like homosexuality or any other kind of ungodly behavior. We just have to recognize our need for our Savior daily in order to make it through to the end of the race.

I Need Thee by Randy Owen and The Isaacs

Blessings, my friends, for good day and encounters with Godly people who believe and walk in the truth of God’s Word!

God’s Judgment?

On By vickleaIn Uncategorized10 Comments

I have almost turned off all news yesterday and today. I cannot watch as the election shenanigans continue and the votes are taken away from our President. I do not think that Joe Biden is evil, but I do believe that he is bad for America. Nevertheless, the election process and the legal challenges continue and the stress has been too much for me, so I just turn it off. I did read Dr. Denison’s take on the election and this is part of his forum for today.

In America’s Expiration Date, Cal Thomas makes this prophetic statement: “Given the history of other empires and great nations, the decadence that now is tightening its grip on America almost guarantees our demise, or at the very least a radical decline that will leave the country devoid of the liberties we now enjoy but are rapidly exchanging for a license to do whatever we wish.”

God destroyed the nation of Israel because of its sins (Amos 9:8). The less we fear divine judgment, the more we should (cf. v. 10). If a tiny virus can bring the world’s greatest superpower to its knees, what of the judgment of an omnipotent and holy God?

But as we discern and grieve for the sins of our nation, we must remember that it is always too soon to give up on God. And never too late to intercede for a mighty movement of his Spirit.

Methodist minister Samuel Chadwick wrote, “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”

Will you make Satan tremble today?

Article taken from:

Dr. Denison November 6, 2020

I was particularly drawn to the paragraph about interceding for our nation. We need to pray as never before that God will be merciful. I must admit that I had a conversation with God last night (or actually early this morning since I couldn’t sleep) and in my discourse, I just frankly told God that I’m angry about everything that is happening. I honestly told him that in the past I prayed for presidents that I had absolutely no real love for, like Clinton and Obama. And I told God that I just didn’t think I would be able to pray for Joe Biden. He calmed my heart and told me that He would give me the prayers to pray and the words to say when I need them.

Again, when I talk to God, I speak to Him from my heart and my frustrations came through clearly. I have not been able to attend church since March, although my husband has been going to our old church. I, in fact, chose to leave that church in August when the pastor kept preaching from commentaries instead of from the Holy Bible. The big issue was that he never makes it clear that what he is saying is from a commentary, so what he spoke was “extra-scriptural.” To me, that was wrong because the pastor is held to a high standard to preach God’s Word and I felt that He was adding things to God’s Word for the purpose of unnecessary theatrics. After speaking with the pastor, I decided that it was best for me to walk away since he does not see that he is erring at all and my heart sees things differently. I have spoken to the pastor since I left the church membership and even helped him edit a story that he wrote, but the relationship is not what it should be between a sheep and the shepherd. With my trust in my pastor fading and then disappearing, I made the only decision that I could, prayerfully, of course. So, I have been pastor-less, and I told God that I was upset about that, too. He has spoken to me repeatedly that He is my Shepherd so I don’t need to fear. Unfortunately, my husband is on the board for the church and is trying to fulfill his duties there, even while he searches for a new church for us to attend. In the meantime, when I have prayer requests, I have two good friends whom I contact as well as my daughter, and it is to them that I pour out my heart. I do miss praise and worship, so I keep worship music on most of the day, as I do my devotions, write this blog and read my books. But I miss the corporate worship in a way that I can’t describe. I miss the people in the church, but not the errors in the message that made me cringe.

I say all this to just say that we all need prayer, but mostly, our nation needs us to stand together in prayer. We need to stand our ground and pray for God to make things right and to protect us from the coming judgment.

Lauren Daigle “O Lord”