The Voice of Destiny

Soon That Will Be...

It is the after Thanksgiving blahs.  You know, when you feel lousy not only because you ate too much, but because you are disappointed in yourself that you ate too much.  This too shall pass!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is a time to share memories and not gifts that you feel pressured into buying, but know your budget doesn’t allow.  As you get older memories become so much more important than gifts.  Memories not only allow you to reminisce, but they also allow you to discover things about your family you may never have known. 

I have always enjoyed listening to the older generation as they shared all kinds of stories dating back to their childhood when a movie was ten cents and popcorn a nickel.  When you could fill your gas tank for a dollar and cars were hard to come by.  To hear grandparents talk to their grown grand children about when they use to play house or dress up.  I can hear my daughter say, “I remember that!” and smile. 

Then we played a DVD of my aunt’s life.  She just passed away several weeks ago.  I didn’t know her that well, but what I did know was that she was a wonderful person.  Dad sort of narrated the pictures as they moved as a slide show on the TV.  He became pretty emotional as he saw his mother and father in the picture.  “There’s Momma and Dad at their 60^th anniversary” as his voice cracked.  It was then that I realized how important the wonderful memories with our family really are to living a full life. 

I have been reading about the “Good Men Project.”  It is about men sharing their stories of life.  Some of fatherhood, or being a son, but most reflected the man they had become, based on the role model of the father that went before them.  For every good story about one’s father there had to be ten bad ones. 

The one about the last son of eleven children really stuck out.  Listen to a son who is now forty and his father is eighty-seven.  “Many of the things I thought were important when I was eighteen don’t seem important anymore, and many of the things I thought were not, do.  I can’t quite say what I’ve missed, but I want to know things.  I want to know him if I can, and now, while I can.  And, if I can’t, I want to know stories, want to know what happened.”

Somewhere in our lives the past becomes important to our future destiny.  It is a key that opens the door to some of the reasons we are who we are.  Now my Mom and Dad are about to celebrate their 60^th anniversary and I realize soon that will be me.  Hopefully with few regrets!

Do You Believe?

Almost every day on the news you see someone willing to die for their cause. Most likely they are from a radical religious group or a liberal cause. I realize that people of faith in Christ value life, especially their own life, but many times it exposes the selfishness of the Christian community.

Most Christians are opposed to Islamic Jihad, not because of the incredible oppression it places on woman or the hatred they have for Jews, but because it is cramping their life style. It is one part of the cause for the world recession we are stuck in with little light at the end of the tunnel. It seems fewer and fewer Christians want to even hear about what is going on in our own nation. They are tired of the negative talk about abortion, the homosexual agenda, healthcare and a plethora of other issues plaguing our nation. We will just stick our head in the sand and cry out to God for personal blessing while the world around us is seeking for a God that has answers to everyday problems.

No one, including myself likes to dwell on the negative. But how will we be able to solve the problems facing all of us if we choose to ignore these issues hoping they will go away so we can return to our cushy lifestyle. Are we even willing to stand up for the Truth when it runs contrary to the politically correct environment around us. There is new meaning to the scripture that says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Joseph Mattera wrote in his book “Kingdom Revolution”, “While Islam is targeting the cities of America and is probably the fastest growing urban religion today, more and more Christians are fleeing the cities to pursue a non-threatening life of comfort and ease!” Something is wrong with this picture. We are told by Jesus that if we are to come after Him we are to deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Him.

I just don’t see the same passion in the hearts and lives of many who profess to have the answers. Instead they refuse to listen and act upon what they claim gives eternal life! Somehow that lifestyle isn't very convincing. Keep saying you believe while the radical left show their faith, by their works! It is time to stand and be counted in the Kingdom of God. Not in anger or violence, but in Word and deed!

 

Unmoveable!

 
I posted yesterday long before the horrific shooting at the Fort Hood Army Base in Texas.  This morning I went to the Lord to ask if my encounter from the previous night had anything to do with what took place yesterday at the Army base.  I felt the Lord say that it was a forewarning of things to come!  (See my blog from yesterday)

Satan is unleashing everything he can at this time in history to rob man of all that is his through Jesus Christ our Lord.  He is a master at stealing, killing and destroying man’s peace.  His plan is to cause as much confusion as is possible resulting in fear and mistrust between the people on the earth.  Remember “Divide and Conquer” is his mantra!  What better place to strike than in the ranks of our military!

For all that know Jesus this is impossible, for nothing can separate you from the love of God!  Now is not the time to be praying for the rapture!  It is time for us to walk in God’s Kingdom, for His Kingdom is not “meat and drink, but righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.”  This doesn’t mean that we are not aware of what is going on around us.  It just doesn’t affect us in the same manner because we know who we are and what our purpose is!

Paul the apostle was a perfect example of one who walked in the Kingdom of God.  He was warned not to go to Jerusalem.  That chains and persecution awaited him there.  What was his response?  “BUT NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME; NOR DO I COUNT MY LIFE DEAR TO MYSELF, SO THAT I MAY FINISH MY RACE WITH JOY, AND THE MINISTRY WHICH I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD JESUS, TO TESTIFY TO THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD. (Acts 20:24)”

You have a purpose and destiny also!  Now is the time to demonstrate the peace of God to a world that is quickly being swallowed up by chaos.  It is the God of peace that will crush Satan under your feet shortly (Rom. 16:20)!  Remain unmoveable!

Remember to pray for those wounded and their families who have been affected by this horrific incident yesterday.  Pray for the God of peace to rise up in the hearts of His people.  PEACE!

Rise to the Challenge

I had an interesting encounter with the Lord in my sleep last night. There were many dark clouds and much confusion on the earth. Most people had lost hope. In the background I continued to hear these words: “The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord!” Over and over I heard these words from Revelation 11:15. The problem was that it sure didn’t look like it!

My friend, you cannot walk by sight! There has never ever been a situation in the entire history of the world where natural sight ensured victory for those who walked with God! Psalms 11:3 has been a constant verse of meditation for me at this time. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The Message version of the Bible states it like this, “The bottom’s dropped out of the country; good people don’t have a chance”? That is the way it seems, but that is not the way it is!

The kingdom of God is as real as any kingdom on this earth, but it is only manifested by those who understand God’s principles that are totally contrary to the principles of this world. As I continue to say, “The challenge is to return to what was so that you can live what really is.” The greatest challenge to those who understand the mysteries of the Kingdom is not to try to put them into a form that must be followed! Returning to the garden is essential to understanding the simplicity of God’s Kingdom and walking in obedient faith knowing that you possess the keys that overcome the problems of this world.

You are not destined to be a “good person” who has no chance! No! You are great in the sight of God with a God-given purpose for such a time as this. It is time to examine your foundation. Is it full of man’s traditions, hypocritical doctrine of the church, a form of godliness, or do you understand the Kingdom of God that was given to us when Jesus died on the Cross? A Kingdom message that healed the sick, delivered those in bondage, and brought hope to the broken hearted. A message that was not religious, but was revolutionary! It turned the world upside down.

Whether we see it or not, the kingdoms of this world are becoming the Kingdoms of our Lord. The question really is, “What can the righteous do?” The answer, “Rise to the Challenge!” Walk in your destiny by manifesting the kingdom of God to an upside down world that is losing hope by the day! Nothing is impossible with God!