This came to me as I was waking up this morning, and speaking to the Lord about all the evil that is plaguing this world.
I mentioned to Him (as I do every day as I wake up) how much I’d rather be HOME with Him, than be here, and that I cannot wait for That Day.
His exact response at that moment was, “YOU fight FIRE with FIRE; The consuming fire of God fights against the fires of Hell.”
As I started my morning routine and continued to think more about this and discuss this with the Holy Spirit, I felt led to make this statement.
We ARE in a fight for eternal souls; either mankind ends up in “the lake of fire and brimstone” (Rev. 20:10) because they have chosen NOT to follow God and His Word, or They will become a child of the Living Eternal Godhead while here on Earth, and have the fire of the Holy Spirit of God living and working within them, for the remainder of their time here on Earth.
Again, the choice is up to each individual human spirit, WHERE they end up, and what kind of FIRE they give themselves up to.
I ready today’s “Days of Praise” devotional from ICR, and it rang loudly in my heart and spirit. This is what I have been seeing happening in the churches more and more as the decades have gone by. More church leaders are willing to give up the very callings of God on their lives, and no longer teaching the truths of the Bible, in order to change with the times and follow Satan’s lead instead of God’s. It is creating a recipe not only for spiritual disaster, but imminent JUDGMENT from the Almighty that is prophesied to happen. This is the time of “mercy” that the Lord God has given this generation, since the time of His Son Jesus’ death on the Cross, and resurrection. But this time will not last forever.
Judgment WILL come, and as St. Peter wrote in his letter, “For it is time for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do NOT obey the gospel of Christ?” (1 Peter 4:17). The judgment will start with God’s own—His leaders of the Church, and those who have at one time, committed themselves to teach His Word. Then will be all those who say they are Christians, from whatever branch of Christianity they hail from.
For the Lord Jesus, it will be both a time of happiness and sadness, because He will end up condemning some who have said, “Lord, Lord” (Matthew 7:21), but never really followed Him due to their fear of being “offensive” and hurting people’s feelings with the truth of His Word. They will find out the hard way that there was always to be division and offence in this world, because the truth of the Word of God is exactly what it is written as in Hebrews 4:12–“For the Word of God is LIVING and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, PIERCING to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s Word is hated by those who follow the evil ones who deceive them and turn them away from His Truth, and the father of lies himself—Satan.
May we always strive more each day, to have an ear to “Hear what the (Holy) SPIRIT says to the churches” (Rev. 2:11a), so we do not get caught up in either learning or teaching wrong doctrines, and causing more division between the Body of Christ. Allow the Holy Spirit to do His job here—“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, BUT WHATEVER HE HEARS (from the LORD God) HE WILL SPEAK, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you” (Jn. 16:13-14).
TRUTH offends. TRUTH of God’s Word causes divisions, BUT those who are OFFENDED by those truths, are not really looking to be humbled by His Word. Their hearts are hardened like Pharaoh in Moses’ day. We all know how THAT turned out for him.
A major part of what the LORD God has been doing with me these past few years is written right in 2 Timothy 3:16–learning the right doctrine, for reproof, correction, for instruction in righteousness…”. He has shown me were my errors were, the corrections that needed to be made in my spiritual walk with Him, and now, after “maturing” over these past 6+ years, I will now be able to speak more about it, and pass on the information to you. But truth always comes with some pain—the “faithful wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6). I’d rather offend with the loving truth of God’s Word, than deceive someone with the hateful lying tongue of the enemy.
The Body of Christ has been split thousands of times over, that shreds of the Truth of Scripture has been spread out amongst the Body; some have much of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but are lacking in doctrine, while others have the richness and beauty of the liturgical truths, but do not pray through the Holy Spirit as they ought, leaving them powerless against demonic attacks and also personal growth and maturity in the Word of God.
The Body of Christ has been too busy fighting with one another, causing divisions, making their own gains in this world, and forsaking the reason why they were called to preach and or teach the Gospel of Christ to begin with. Satan loves that, and he makes sure that he keeps them chained up with just enough of the worldly lusts to make them a vessel of dishonor, instead of one to be honored by the Lord Jesus, at the end of their time serving Him on Earth (Romans 9:21-23; 2 Timothy 2:20-22).
Decide whether or not you will be the one who will cause divisions because you want to live in the worldly sense while saying you are a Christian, not becoming a vessel of honor, or–
Be like JESUS, Who caused divisions and offences BECAUSE He not only spoke the truth of the Word, but taught it and LIVED it.
I choose to be like JESUS. If I am to cause divisions, it is only because those who do not like to be called out for their sins of the flesh, the world, and all the lusts they love to live with, hate when I speak the TRUTH. It is “offensive” to them. TOO BAD.
I’d rather be right with the LORD God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit at the End of Days and the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) as a true believer and servant of Elohim and His Maschiach, than standing naked before Him at the White Throne Judgment Seat (Rev. 20:11-15), hearing those words, “DEPART from Me, for I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23).
I just finished my Master’s Degree in Biblical Languages yesterday. I should have been there for the commencement at Liberty University, but I did not want to go alone. It is also Mother’s Day weekend, so emotionally for me, it ends up being a double “whammy”. I should be thrilled and excited to want to celebrate such events, but honestly, my heart is just not in it.
This is the second time I could have celebrated a major event in my life (last time was my Bachelor’s), but because for other reasons, I did not want to go to that commencement ceremony. Nevertheless, no one in my family did or said anything to celebrate the huge achievement with me. But I did hope that there would be a special dinner out with close family to celebrate such an event. It just did not happen. I was a bit surprised, but considering at the time all that happened that previous year (2020), I let it go. I figured there was so much more other things on everyone’s mind, it just was quickly forgotten by them and life moved on.
Now this major achievement has be accomplished, and although because I put something on social media to alert others to finishing my Master’s and I did receive many a congratulations, I fear the same thing will happen again—it will be here and gone without some type of celebration. Who wants to go to a graduation commencement all by themselves anyway?
Unfortunately, I do not have a spouse; my daughter stopped all communication with me last year (end of July), at first acting like she needed time to think about what needed to be said to me on whatever it was she was upset about, but never made a concerted effort to reconcile any differences with me. So I have lost both her and my grandson (soon to be 6 years old) in one fell swoop out of my life. It’s like the breath was taken out of me when that happened.
I have and continue to reach out to her to let her know I love and miss her so much, but so far, to no avail. I have also tried to keep in touch with my other family members, letting them know they are in my thoughts with either a card or text. I’d love to even talk to them on the phone, and have repeatedly said that they can call me whenever, but my phone hardly ever rings. At this point, I’d take a text of “hello” over nothing at all. It seems like from 2020 forward, Jesus’ words, “And because lawlessness will increase, The love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12, ESV), really have come to pass. And it is not just in my family that this has been happening. I have heard it from many people that they are suffering similar heartbreaks in their families as well.
This Mother’s Day will be even a sadder one for me. I do have a step-daughter (I’d rather just call her my daughter) from a previous marriage, as well as a step-son. Since I am away this weekend due to an extended family member’s celebration, I am able to see my “oldest” daughter and her family, and be with her on Mother’s Day. It wasn’t planned to happen that way, but the Lord I know, had something to do with it. He knew of my sadness and broken heart, and made sure I would not be alone this weekend. He truly shows me all the time His love and concern for me.
I also am missing my mother Rose Marcelli. She passed back in April of 1991, but any child who has lost a mother can tell you it still feels like it was yesterday when they left this world. My mom always made sure that whether it was a birthday, holiday, etc., we were celebrating something, and together, especially going on family vacations together. They were awesome times, and I have so many good memories from them. If not just our immediate family, then it was a party with many family members gathered, so we could all celebrate together. I most certainly miss those days.
Most of my family is gone; all I have left are cousins. I will be able to see some of them actually later on today, as a matter of fact. It will be wonderful to see them at a happy event, rather than a sad one (usually wakes/funerals). I can only wish that we all would make a more concerted effort to stay in touch with one another. To have family is a gift from God, and to have the time to spend together with them should not be wasted.
Although I will be around many this weekend, and I am thankful to be invited to both a family party and backyard picnic, my thoughts will be also on those who I have lost, whether they are no longer here like my mom, or those who still are here physically, but do not have any desire to share their life with me any longer, like my daughter and her family. It continues to break my heart, but even the LORD God my Father reminds me now and then, that even as He cannot force Himself into a person’s life, neither can I do the same. Our love for those people will always be there, and never go away, even though they want nothing to do with us.
Would I have liked to celebrate my achievements with my friends and family, and gather us all together like my mom would have? Yes, but it certainly is not going to happen this weekend, nor the next, or the one after that. Is someone going to throw a party for me? No—my mom’s long gone, and I seriously doubt anyone else would step in and do something like that. I’d even would have just like to go to dinner with a bunch of people who care to be in my life. That would have been nice. But one day, hopefully some time this summer, maybe I can get some friends or family together, and we can have a nice day or evening out, celebrating not just my achievements, but all our lives, and just have a good time together.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of where the Lord Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you…” (Luke 6:38). This was not just about financial giving, but giving of yourself to others, in many different ways. You really do get blessed by giving to others, whether it be your money, your time, your kindness, etc.-whatever it happens to be. Somehow, the Lord makes sure it comes back to you, and in a greater amount. The giving part of it actually puts a smile on your face, knowing you are helping others in whatever capacity it is needed. I recently had an opportunity to do that. Suddenly, you forget (even if it is just for a minute or two) about that which saddens you, as you realize you just made someone else smile, knowing that you care about them enough to help them, or let them know you were thinking about them, or included them in a conversation, celebratory event, or even invite them out for a bite to eat. Just a card in the mail does wonders for a person; a lady friend of mine has a ministry of doing just that, and most of the time throughout the year, if it wasn’t for her thinking of me over the holidays and such (even my birthday) I would not receive any cards. Amazing how the Lord puts these people in our lives, to “fill the gap” of those who were there, and no longer are, for one reason or another.
So if you are reading this, and it strikes you one way or another, let me know. If you can relate, let me know. But we who have Christ in our lives must remember, that HE will NEVER leave nor forsake us, even if others do. He will always remember us, love us, care for us, encourage us, strengthen and comfort us, even if there was no one else in our lives. The Lord truly IS the One True Friend that sticks closer to us than a brother (or sister, mother, daughter, etc.).
On this Mother’s Day weekend, let us be thankful for who we do have in our lives, and remind them that they are loved and not forgotten. For those of us whose mothers have passed, I feel your sadness, pain, and the loneliness; BUT, some of us also do have some good memories of all the years we had our mothers in our lives. Let us keep those memories alive through the pictures we have of them, and all the times we had with them. But let us also thank the LORD God, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, to move us forward in faith, hope and love, being the example of a child of God that we can possibly be for one another, as He desired us to be, for all those who we do have in our lives, whether they are a mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, best friend, cousin, etc. Showing our love to one another does wonders to the soul.
I do “get” what the LORD God is attempting to do—wake every single person up out of the satanic spell we’ve been under since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit. I may not like HOW the LORD is doing it, and how much of the evil He is allowing to be infiltrated into our lives right now, but He knows that some will finally “wake up” and realize that this life here on Earth was never supposed to be all that wonderful; especially not after what happened at the Fall—of Angels, and Humans. This is a broken, evil world, and eventually, the Lord needs to destroy it.
Seriously—since then, we lost the power and ability of our higher spiritual “functions”, if you will = close relationship with God, and those of us who have accepted His Son over the last two millennia, still have struggled to live a life that would please Him. The only way to regain some of those higher functions is having a relationship with the Lord Jesus, and NOT the illegal way some others manage to “tap into” those powers. It is ONLY through Jesus Christ. Period. Any other way is satanic and demonically induced.
The rest of the human population is walking around, still under that same Satanic “spell”, and in all reality ARE “the walking dead” – spiritually. They are very OPEN (and most do not know it!) to the very LEGAL demonic doorways in their lives, and every evil entity that finds a “legal” doorway, takes it. Hence the reason why there are more and more immoral people out there, saying and doing things that we never thought in our lifetime we would see or hear, but it’s happening!!
LAWLESSNESS IS abounding, as the Lord Jesus stated (Matt. 24:12). We cannot go hide under a rock somewhere and pretend it’s not going on!! We cannot go on with our own lives, and IGNORE the truth of the amount of evil there is, because ONE day, it very may well catch up with US, or someone we love and care about (esp those who do NOT have the Lord Jesus in their lives!)!
The only ROCK we should be clinging to, is the LORD God Almighty! HE is our ROCK, our fortress, and our deliverer!! (2 Sam. 22:2-3; Ps. 18:2)! HE alone is the ROCK of our salvation (Ps. 95:1)! He is our REFUGE (Ps. 62:7). We should remind ourselves that we ARE to be that “light” (Matt. 5:14; Jn. 1:5)to all those who are in the darkness (evil)! TELL them (and let us remind ourselves as well!) that The LORD lives, and blessed be our ROCK, and exalted be the God of OUR salvation! (Ps. 18:46)
If WE do not tell them, beloved—if WE do not INFORM and WARN them now, we WILL answer to the Judge of all the Earth (Gen. 18:25) for it. IF they refuse—If they choose NOT to REPENT, and go further into the evil that is increasing every day here (and the LORD God is allowing it for a reason!!), it eventually will destroy them.
Let us do our part to continue to inform and warn everyone, and tell them that they DO have a choice—and that choice is to accept the ROCK of AGES (Is. 26:4) into their lives—Jesus Christ!! HE is the ONLY way a human being is to avoid what is soon to come upon the Earth, and also, eternal damnation and destruction.
Walking in the Dark with Faith 