The Anchor Holds
We live in a very “predictable” world right now. Some may question why I say predictable, when it seems like things you don’t count on are happening every day that astounds many and seems to catch them off guard. But don’t be caught sleeping as the agenda of the evil one is unfurled before us as boldly as possible. Here are some of the highlights.
Kill all Christians at birth if possible and keep them from having any opportunity to first accept Jesus and then live for Jesus. In today’s world we use the term abortion, but in reality it is a systematic approach to rub out the possibility of another Billy Graham, or any other person who would take a stand for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Satan has deceived our world into thinking that a “right” by a person at a certain age overrules the rights of another at a very young or extremely old age. I use the term “very young” to denote the unborn and “extremely old age” to denote those that have worn out physical bodies and minds. This attempt by the evil one has been successful, but many Christians have fought back to keep him at bay, only to be ostracized by others who call themselves Christians. They think that fairness can trump the reality of what the Bible says, and leave out the purity of the Word of God that deals more in justice and righteousness.
Lull those who call the Name of Jesus into a spiritual coma by making them feel secure by what they do instead of who they are. Those who believe in Jesus are “sinners saved by grace” and that fact alone crosses all ages, races, and opinions. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Those who fall into this coma aren’t dead, but just aren’t responding to any Godly interaction. While in this coma state they are breathing and their body is functioning, but “nobody’s home” in the spiritual realm. The jury is still out on what it will take to “wake them up” so they can be useful again for the kingdom. The “Flesh Flu” has these people confused and feverish for the wrong things in life and the purposes of God have exited their thinking and they are wandering in this coma state not feeling anything, and convincing themselves they have escaped the conviction of the Holy Spirit in their lives. But they haven’t. Their lack of living for Christ still has the conviction of a loving God attached to it, so their only way of escaping this conviction is to stay away from church where they experience God’s grace and the draw to come back to Him. This picture isn’t much different than the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness where satan distorted the Word of God to confuse Jesus and get Him to do things that were not right. Jesus used the correct Word of God to battle the devil in this wilderness and escaped the wiles of the devil. Sadly, too many Christians have listened to the evil one and have tried to live their lives by his words, and not God’s Words. They have become moderate in their beliefs and it affects every decision they make. They are not anchored in truth, but are adrift in a world that sucks them into a non fruit bearing vortex. Then they are at a “dead calm.” Dead Calm – Of a body of water, completely still with no waves. Lifeless at best and lost at worst. The ones who are living for Jesus on the stormy seas of life may feel overwhelmed by what is happening around them, but do not despair, God is for you, so who can be against you? A promise to the church at Philadelphia brings great hope in the midst of this struggle. Revelation 3:8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.9 Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Cause a great division between those who know Jesus as Savior and Lord. This last step is a very bold one, but one not taken without some prior conditioning to make it successful. The evil one loves it when those of The Way fight among themselves. Paul met this head on when establishing and writing to the churches he established on his missionary journeys. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, What brand are you wearing? Or in today’s terms What is tattooed on your life? I hope you are still a part of what scripture calls “The Remnant.” It seems there are those God has kept in the forefront of defending His Word and they are being chastised and beat up for doing so. Anyone who stands up in the midst of a crowd of lukewarm Christians and proclaims the truth of God’s Word will face persecution from others who call themselves Christians, but stand they must. We must realize that all of this waffling spiritually will end when Jesus returns and in Matthew 25:31-40 judgment will make everything perfectly clear. Matthew 25:31-40 31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ So what are you anchored to? Is that anchor Jesus? If not, you are drifting at sea and in a dead calm that means you are going nowhere fast. Come back to the vibrancy of an open, honest relationship with Jesus Christ and give Him a chance to fuel your life for living. You will not be disappointed. Reject the evil one and draw near to God, God will draw near to you and your life will begin to make more sense. There you will find contentment and peace. (you know the kind of peace that passes all understanding). There is a better way to live and then there is the best way to live. JESUS is the BEST!!
The Pilgrimage continues….
David Warren