So Many

But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.  Matthew 16:2-4 NASB

This week and in the weeks ahead there will be so many world reasons to be distracted and so many theories and experts and scholars speaking out, please let’s each remember that our intentional time with Jesus, the time we spend deeply prayerfully reading the Bible is absolutely essential for living now - we cannot possibly keep our heads above water and be joyful, dynamic, and powerful Christians apart from a daily walk with Christ. The time is now, like we shared last week, decided now! Jesus is calling Christians to repent of all our sins, He is open to receiving us as we dedicate our journey to Him, with all our love, trust and faith, with full surrender. 

It will make the difference between success and failure in our salvation walk.  It will make the difference between being complacent in the comforts the world offers and stretching out of those comforts to help others. It will make a difference in our habits, in our prayer life, in our Bible reading, in our giving, in our testimony, and in our church attendance! United as the body of Christ, able to withstand the adversary as it seeks to overthrow God’s creation. 

We get to hang out with Jesus, forgiven, with full assurance that God is going to deliver the person who puts their trust and confidence in Him.  praise God! Because down through the centuries in times of trouble, temptation, trial, bereavement, and crisis, God has brought courage to the hearts of those who love Him. The Bible is flowing with assurances of God’s help and comfort in every kind of trouble which might cause fears to arise in the human heart. Because these could very well be the days taught through God’s living Word. 

Matthew 24:29-31 NASB But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Knowing that this is not our forever home God’s people can look through the darkness bravely, without fear, discouragement, or despondency - into whatever seasons the future holds, it’s moments of turmoil and hope, peace and loss.

Because my Brothers and sisters, God Hears Us. Yes! Keep that prayer conversation with Him as regular as your breathing. We are to pray in times of adversity, to prevent becoming faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, to avoid becoming boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We need to pray in times of security, so we will not rely on our own merit and becoming self-sufficient fall away from God’s Will for us.