The Key to a Powerful Life

Acts 4:13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

This is you. You have no special training in my Word, in the ministry. You are bold when you allow my Spirit to speak through you. And when you are spending regular time with me, people see that – they recognize that you have been with me. That is the key to you having a powerful life. That is key to you making a difference for me in this world. Just spend time with me. Listen to me. Talk to me. Invite my Spirit to work through you. That has been the key to your success forever. Just get back to it. (2022)

Pride

2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall.

And so it usually goes. Pride goes before the fall. It is what led to your enemy and his warriors being removed from my presence. It is what leads to man losing my support and presence. It is what will lead to you losing the same, if you do not seek my help and always always always recognize who I am and who you are. Remain humble. Do not lose sight of Truth. Stay on the narrow path that recognizes Truth. (2022)

Are You Ready?

2 Chronicles 26:9-11 Uzziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the angle in the wall. He also constructed forts in the wilderness and dug many water cisterns ……Uzziah had an army of well-trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit.

Uzziah knew what was important. He protected his people with fortresses and fortified towers. He had an army that was ready to go into battle at any moment – well trained, focused, dedicated and prepared to sacrifice all for what was right and good. Are you ready to be that type of warrior? Have you been preparing your fortified towers? Are you spending more and more time with me, in the Word, in prayer and worship, fortifying your life so that the enemy cannot penetrate your barriers?  Are you focused or scattered? Are you dedicated, truly dedicated, to this war in which you find yourself?  Part time warriors do not succeed. They are easily conquered at the moments they are not focused on the war. Which do you wish to be? Full time, prepared, always on guard? Ready and equipped to do battle for me? Ready and prepared to help your fellows? Or too busy and preoccupied to be full time? Too distracted to be of real use? Choose. I need full time warriors. I need dedication. I need sacrifice. Sacrifice of your personal dreams and desires in order to attend to my commands. Sacrifice of what you want to attend to what your world needs. Time is running out. You stand at the precipice of maintaining your world or losing it to your enemy. Whom will you serve? Because, as you are well aware, each and every one of you serves either me or my enemy. The moment of ultimate decision is here. Choose and attend to the path that choice creates. Choose and do not waver. Choose and do not vacillate. Recognize that every action you take, every thought you think, every word you speak – they all demonstrate your choice.  (2022)

Your People Allow It

2 Chronicles 28:22-23 Even during his time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said, “Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them”. But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Judah.

And so with your Nation. Your leaders serve the wrong gods. They bow down to the enemy. And so, as they serve the wrong god, they bring ruin upon your Nation. They continue to bring about the complete destruction of your Nation. But, as with Judah, it is not all their fault. Your people allow it. You do not rise up and stop them. You do not rise with righteous anger and defeat them, taking back control of your Nation. Until you do so, your demise will continue. Until you do so, your Nation will stay on track for utter demolition.  (2022)

Be a Guidepost

Romans 13:12-14 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. 

This is more true than ever. You are living in the darkest times you have ever experienced, some of the darkest days humanity has ever seen. It is growing increasingly dark. You see it, you feel it, you cannot escape the reality of it. But, it will end. And not so very long from now. So repent. Turn back to me. Return before it is too late. For once it has ended – it has ended. There will then be no time to change courses. Your eternal destiny will be cemented in. Show me to the fallen world. Let them see the hope that is in me – and only in me. You do not know who is watching your life at any given moment, nor the impact you may have upon someone who is lost. Be a guidepost, not a stumbling block. (2022)

Proverbs 20:11 Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right. 

The Crux of the Matter

2 Chronicles 26:5. Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.

So many wonder what has happened to the great and powerful USA. So many wonder why it has fallen so far into the mess that you find it today. So many are unaware of the source of the success your Nation had at its beginning. That source was Me. I gave success to your Nation because it had Me on the throne. I made your Nation successful so long as it was following Me. So long as it was a Nation of believers. So long as it did not elevate nor place false gods in the center of its worship. Today, I am absent from most of your  Nation. I am absent in your government. I am absent in your public schools. I am forced out of private corporations. I am absent in your sports and competitions. I am absent on its streets and in its homes. I am absent, sadly, in many many of the churches that purport to worship Me. I will not honor those who do not honor Me. I will not support nor enrich in any way – be it spiritually, physically, emotionally or financially – any culture that does not recognize and worship Me. That is the crux of the matter. That is the Truth that so many can not or (most often today) will not recognize. Your Nation needs to repent. Your Nation needs to return Me to my rightful place. Your Nation needs to turn on its heels and head in the opposite direction. Your Nation needs to uplift what is good and right and just and stop worshipping self and sin and evil. Until that happens, I will remain absent from your Nation. But do not despair, I am not absent from your hearts. I am not absent from My remnant. I am not absent from your lives. I am with you. I am beside you. I support you. I love you. You are Mine. (2022)

How Will You React?

Job 1:20 “Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship.”

In the space of a few moments Job learned that he had lost everything – all his livestock, his servants, and then, all of his children. What did Job do? He worshipped me. First thing he did was worship me, and acknowledge that all that he had came from me. The times are becoming dark. Many will be harmed, it is happening even now. What will you do if and when it is your turn? How will you react when you are harmed, when you lose your possessions, even your family? Will you turn to me or away from me? The time to be preparing is now, before it happens. Job had been faithful and true for many years before the tragedies befell him. He had been a man of prayer and obedience and faith. So when the horrors of loss hit him, he already had an established pattern of reactions. What will your reaction be? Will you be ready to stand firm in your faith and trust? Will you be able to praise me in the middle of insurmountable fear and grief? As you see advised every day, in order to survive a disaster such as fire, you have to have a plan. What is your plan for the days of persecution and loss that are coming? Have you practiced your response?

True Justice

2 Chronicles 19:4-7 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, but he went out among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, encouraging the people to return to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the fortified towns, and he said to them, “Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case. Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.”

And so in your nation. So many of your judges are merely mouthpieces for those that bribe, coerce or influence them. Look at your Nation today. Those who commit violent acts are immediately released back into society. Thieves are not held accountable. Violent prisoners are released from confinement. Those who protest with violence, burning down businesses, attacking police stations and courts, beating and killing innocents are not only not held accountable but are lauded as “peaceful” and necessary to better society. Those who merely entered a federal building, took pictures, occupied are thrown into prison – solitary confinement even – mistreated and judged harshly, many awaiting trial for over a year while still confined. Evidence is not allowed into the trial. The trials are a sham and yet, your leaders support this form of “justice”. I am a just God. I would have my judges and courts render just verdicts. No favoritism. No politics. No bowing to coercion or monetary gain. You once had such a system, but that was when you looked to me for guidance. When you followed my Word for morals and standards. When you are making your decisions based on what man wants, it is and will be flawed. It is and will be unfair. It is and will be a perversion of all that is right and just. Do not expect any form of real justice until your nation returns to me.

2 Chronicles 19:11 “Take courage as you fulfill your duties, and may the Lord be with those who do what is right.”

Jehoshaphat’s advice to his appointed judges would do well to be heard today. Be courageous. Follow my laws. Represent me above all else. Render verdicts that are just and moral and good. I am with those who do so, and against those who do not – those who pervert my Word, who pervert morality, who pervert true justice in order to gain for themselves, whether they gain freedom, safety, money, position, power. Whatever it is that they seek above me does not matter. I will reject them. I will not be with them. I will not protect them. I will not honor them. And I will not approve them when they stand before me for their final judgment. Woe to them when they are finally held accountable, when they finally learn what true justice is. (2022)

I Win the War

Acts 27:14-20, 40-44 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned……So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach.  But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf.  The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape.  But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land,  and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.

Paul was on a ship that was destined to be smashed into pieces. All aboard should have died. At the very least, Paul and the other prisoners were almost put to death before the rest of the ship jumped and swam to shore. But, I saved them. I saved them all from the storm in open seas. I saved them from drowning when the ship smashed to pieces. And I especially saved Paul and the others from being put to death by the ship’s officers. All seemed lost. The storm was stronger than they. The storm was stronger than the ship. The rocks could not be avoided and smashed the ship to pieces. They were panicked – first about the ship crashing, then about drowning, and lastly about the prisoners escaping and leaving them in trouble. But, I intervened in each and every circumstance. Yes, the boat was lost. Yes, the cargo was lost. But not one soul was lost. Not one person died. And, in the end as you remember from this Scripture, the prisoners did not escape but were cooperative and stayed with the ship’s officers until they were rescued. 

Things seem overwhelming. Your enemy seems to be winning. All seems futile. You think your Nation, your people will not be brought back. But, I am here. I am still on the throne. I am still God of all. I am with you. Does this mean that everything will be great soon? No. There is much more to the process to come. But, these are battles, child. I win the war. (2021)