Perseverance Of His Saints

Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”  Revelation 14:12-13 NASB

Now is the time to stand our ground on an upside down playing field - by meditating on God's Word, by daily reading the Bible, praying out loud and declaring out loud that Jesus Christ is the risen Saviour, praising the Lord in the worst and best of moments ……. And on top of that we must step forth trusting God’s teachings and covenant that we learn about in the Bible, living out our daily lives for His glory, for His kingdom..... we cannot halt in fear of rejection, or dwell in the comfort of complacency, lets be people who reach out past our awkwardness to chat with those we encounter. God is moving their lives onto our paths and our lives onto theirs so that many may hear the stories of redemption and in turn pray to Jesus for mercy and salvation. 

And if talking with someone is not always an opportunity, pray for them! Jesus teaches us that through our active and intercession focused prayer life we can be voices TO God, active in blocking the enemy from stealing and robbing peoples lives of peace, of health, of faith, of eternity with Him. Yes Lord! Hallelujah! 

Revelation 1:1-6 NASB The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In the greeting to the churches in Revelation 1:4-5,  Jesus pronounces grace and peace. In the writings of the New Testament, it is grace followed by peace. and Im learning that it is because no one can ever have the peace of God before receiving the grace of God. Only the grace of God through Jesus Christ can give us true peace that reigns even in the midst of battles, turmoil and the difficult times of life.

Jesus Christ chose to walk among His people, He came to restore that which was lost—our connection with God. It is through salvation that Jesus restores our identity as children of God. When we put our trust in Jesus, are saved and born again, Holy Spirit fulfills the Lord’s intent for us to live in oneness with Him. 

What gifts our mighty God has given us! Life! The conversations of prayer. The songs of worship! We can speak to Him, freely, honestly, because we are chosen and beloved from the moment we take our first breath.  I know we look for outward signs that we are qualified to be loved by God, but Jesus, shatters that preconceived idea. He doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up, He finds us where we are and calls us to follow Him.   

Jesus Christ is salvation for all who believe in Him. By His understanding of man’s darkness and His mercy, compassion and forgiveness for all who would put their faith in Him Jesus reaching out fir you, has His mighty hand on your shoulder,  - no matter who you are or how badly you’ve messed up He is here with you. 

1 Peter 1:6-9 NASB In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

He takes a tattered, broken, marked person and makes us better than ever before. When Jesus goes to work on us we become unrecognizable to the people who knew us before.  God’s definition of restoration doesn’t just mean putting us back together, but it means to go above and beyond in making us better than before. We’re always in far better shape after Jesus has gone to work on us than before. It doesn't mean we won’t suffer or feel the crushing because we will - but God restores us.