Ready to Face God?

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Now, Israel, I myself will deal with you. Get ready to face your God!  I created the mountains and the wind. I let humans know what I am thinking. I bring darkness at dawn and step over hills. I am the LORD God All-Powerful!

Amos 4:12-13

Are you ready to come face to face with God?  That is what will happen to every human being when they leave this earth.  

If you don't see God now and if you don't believe in God now, there will be a day, a final day when you will know for certain that God Almighty is real and that Jesus Christ was the only hope you had on this earth!

If you come face to face with Jesus now, you will be ready to come face to face with God on the Day of Judgement.  You will not be blessed if you don't meet Jesus before you meet God!  

Jesus is the only way to encounter God and live forever.  If you want to be ready to meet God at the Day of Judgement, then meet Jesus while you are still alive on this earth!  Call out to Jesus, come to Jesus, trust in Jesus, and give your heart to the One who gave His life for you!  

"Lord Jesus, may I know You better today, so that I will be ready to meet God and live with You forever!  Praise Your Holy Name, now and always!  Amen."

Climate Change

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God punished the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and this is a warning to anyone else who wants to sin.  Lot lived right and was greatly troubled by the terrible way those wicked people were living. He was a good man, and day after day he suffered because of the evil things he saw and heard.  So the Lord rescued him.  This shows that the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their sufferings and to punish evil people while they wait for the day of judgment.

2 Peter 2:6-9

Climate change, formerly called Global Warming is very high on the priority list of millions of people around the world.  They want us to sacrifice everything to "save the world."  Some make dire predictions about the effects of Climate change, including the end of the world in 12 years!

But I can say with great confidence that the world will not end in 12 years because of human pollution!  If the world ends at that point in human history it will be because God Himself has chosen that year to be the time for the End!

Very high on God's priority list, and it is more important than saving the earth from pollution, is saving the lost from the consequences of their sins! 

Frankly, it is rather arrogant to believe that human beings can control the global thermostat.  But God can turn up the temperature on earth, or turn it down at any time He chooses to do so.  

The Bible clearly says that God rescues the righteous and punishes the wicked, even here on this earth!  If a world wide disruption of the climate happens and even kills many people, remember that it happened at least once before during the time of Noah.  

The best way to stop the terrible suffering that may come because of Climate Change is to turn to God and repent!  If the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had done that, their story would have ended quite differently.

"Thank You Jesus, for rescuing Your people from suffering and for punishing the wicked of this world as they wait for the Day of Judgment.  I pray that every wicked man and woman on earth today will hear about Your love, turn away from sin and give their hearts to You.  Praise Your Holy and Righteous Name, now and forever.  Amen."

The Great Escape

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We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God's own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.  God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.

2 Peter 1:3-4

Do you struggle with sin?  Often it is the same sin over and over.  You think you have finally put that sin out of your life, and then it comes back!  Sometimes its comes back stronger than ever before.  How do you finally get rid of that sin?

These verses in 2 Peter chapter 1 tell us the answer to and solution for the addiction of sin.  God does not sin and when His nature becomes a part of you, you will not sin either!  It really is that simple and that profound.  

You will be like Jesus.  It was the nature of God in Jesus Christ that enabled His human flesh to always say no to Satan!  The Holy Spirit living in your heart will do the same for you.  

A victorious life on this earth is one that is filled with the Nature of God and controlled by the Holy Spirit Himself!  That man or woman will be able by the power of God to escape evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world!

Any other way of self discipline or personal rehabilitation will ultimately fail!  Unless you are empowered by God to overcome evil, you will not overcome it!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for making a way for me to live as You did and have the Victory because of Your Precious Blood!  Praise Your Name Now and Forever.  Amen."

The First Thing To Do

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The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him.  When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, "Here is the Lamb of God!"  John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.  When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, "What do you want?" They answered, "Rabbi, where do you live?" The Hebrew word "Rabbi" means "Teacher."  Jesus replied, "Come and see!" It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.  One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, "We have found the Messiah!" The Hebrew word "Messiah" means the same as the Greek word "Christ."

John 1:35-41

Satan spreads disease like the Holy Spirit distributes the Gospel.  When one infected person comes in contact with a person who does not yet have the disease the sickness often spreads to that person.

When one Holy Spirit convicted person makes even casual contact with someone who doesn't know Jesus, the urge to tell the un-evangelized person about Jesus is often uncontrollable!  

Why is evangelism so hard in my part of the world?  Perhaps it is because, unlike Andrew, the brother of Peter, men and woman are trying to spread the Gospel without ever meeting Jesus themselves!  Once you meet the Lord and encounter Him in your daily life, telling someone else about Jesus can be as easy as talking about the weather!  Will they believe you when you talk about the One who died for you?  Some will and some will not.  Closing the deal and making the sale is not our responsibility.  If you plant a seed and then stand there waiting for the plant to germinate and grow and finally the fruit to come, you will not plant many seeds or see much fruit.  

Some who plant the seed will never see the fruit of their labor.  They scatter the seed wherever they go and trust the Lord to make it grow and bring the fruit.

Just as it says in Colossians 1:6, " The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in that same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness."

"Lord Jesus, may I be one who spreads the Good News of Jesus Christ all over the world.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Beggar and Billionaire

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There was once a rich man who wore expensive clothes and every day ate the best food.  But a poor beggar named Lazarus was brought to the gate of the rich man's house.  He was happy just to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. His body was covered with sores, and dogs kept coming up to lick them.  The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

Luke 16:19-22

This story is certainly a warning to people who are rich.  You can be very successful in this world and go to Hell when you die!  

Often overlooked about these verses is the fact that the poor man who was sick, and had become a beggar went to a place of honor next to Abraham when he died.  So the very encouraging truth for many, many people is that you can be a total failure as far as the world is concerned and still be pleasing to God and honored in Heaven when you die! 

It is not a sin to be rich, but if you are living with the major focus of your existence an attempt to become the "rich man" you are missing so much that God has to offer!  

You can live a life pleasing to Jesus whether you are a beggar or a billionaire.  This story teaches the obvious truth that it is easier to please the Lord as a beggar than it is as a billionaire.  

If you are seeking power, wealth and status in life you will find that all these things will wage war against your relationship with Jesus!

If you are seeking Jesus, you can please Him as a beggar eating the scraps from the rich man's table!

"Lord Jesus I do want to seek You and only You in this life.  You are the only success I need!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

In God We Say We Trust?

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Israel, I, the LORD All-Powerful, was very angry with your ancestors. But if you people will return to me, I will turn and help you.  Don't be stubborn like your ancestors. They were warned by the earlier prophets to give up their evil and turn back to me, but they paid no attention.

Zechariah 1:2-4

Ancestor veneration or ancestor worship is still alive and well in Asia.  Perhaps that is why the culture in China has lasted so very long.  When you worship those who came before you, you certainly must live the way, and do the things they did. Change does not come easily. 

In the West, we do the same thing, just a little differently.  We would never claim to worship our ancestors, but we do follow their example in the way we live, even in the things they did that we're wrong.  

The United States is proclaimed to be an "In God We Trust" country, but consider how we have lived for even the past 100 years.  I have been alive for almost 73 of those years and can tell you that having a "personal, active and interactive relationship with Jesus Christ" for most of my growing up years was considered to be strange, if not insane.  If God "talks to you" even today, it certainly makes you a fringe part of normal society.   Even if you look at some of the movies from the 40's and 50's God will be there, but not as an active or important part of the plot.  Even some of the most G rated presentations ignored God altogether.  Where was God in "Leave it to Beaver," or "Father Knows Best?"

The problem is that today we are about to be swept down the drain of a political philosophy that denies God completely.  The only way to stop the certain death of a way of life that gives men and women the freedom to choose how they will live is to "give up our evil and turn back to God." Freedom and Liberty are from God, not from the Devil.  

For a short time to come, those who love God and hate evil may be able to keep our way of life by voting.  But when the number of those who hate God and love evil grows into a majority.  One election will change everything!  

Don't seek to make us into the country that would please the Founding Fathers.  Rather seek the approval of God Almighty in the way we live as a nation on this earth!  When we do that the future will be bright and America will be Better than Ever.

I know that many of you who read or listen to these blogs do not live in the United States, but the principle is true for your country as well.  Give up your evil and turn back to God!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for the sins of the whole world.  May we glorify your Name in what we do every day, and may we as nations of people glorify You as well.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

When You Say the Name of Jesus

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Then the angel told me, "Put this in writing. God will bless everyone who is invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." The angel also said, "These things that God has said are true."  I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, "Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit."

Revelation 19:9-10

If you are a Christian you may have found it difficult sometimes to tell another person about Jesus.  Even speaking the name of Jesus to another person can seem awkward at best.  

Here is a good test.  Determine that you will say the name of Jesus to the person running the cash register the next time you are at the grocery store.

These verses in Revelation 19 tell us that in order to tell someone about Jesus you need to do it by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Telling the story of Jesus stirs up the Enemy of all that is good and right.  Satan sees it as a personal challenge when you start talking about the Lord!  

When you tell someone about Jesus Christ, you will be attacked by the Devil!  Unless you are moving in the power of the Holy Spirit that attack will be at least painful and potentially debilitating.  

But if you are armed with the Sword of the Spirit and He is living in your heart, you will be able to withstand every attack from the Enemy. Then you will find yourself comfortable in the battle of telling others about the Lord Jesus Christ!

"Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Spirit so I can do battle as I tell everyone I meet about You.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Welcome Speech to Heaven

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Imagine yourself taking the ultimate, cosmic tour and when the bus stops you look out of the window and hear the tour guide say these words!

"You have now come to Mount Zion and to the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the city of the living God, where thousands and thousands of angels have come to celebrate.  Here you will find all of God's dearest children, whose names are written in heaven. And you will find God himself, who judges everyone. Here also are the spirits of those good people who have been made perfect.  And Jesus is here! He is the one who makes God's new agreement with us, and his sprinkled blood says much better things than the blood of Abel."

Hebrews 12:22-24

The moment you arrive in Heaven you will begin part two of a never ending life.  Life on this earth is simply the first drop of rain in a flood much bigger than the one that floated Noah's ark!

In Heaven you are going to see thousands and thousands of angels celebrating and you will find all of God's dearest children!  You will know who they are because their names are written in Heaven.

God is there!  Those who have been made perfect are there.  And most importantly, for those of us who are the children of Adam, Jesus is there!  He is the One who shed His blood to bring us the New Agreement that made it possible for every human being in Heaven to be there!

By the way these verses from Hebrews 12 are not describing an imaginary place.  If you believe in Jesus and give your heart to Him, you will hear the Welcome speech to Heaven after you take your last breath on this earth!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for making a place ready for me to be with You, forever in Heaven.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Slaves to the Work

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That same day the king gave orders to his slave bosses and to the men directly in charge of the Israelite slaves. He told them: Don't give the slaves any more straw to put in their bricks. Force them to find their own straw wherever they can, but they must make the same number of bricks as before. They are lazy, or else they would not beg me to let them go and sacrifice to their God.  Make them work so hard that they won't have time to listen to these lies.

Exodus 5:6-9

The Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt.  When Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh to let the people go, his response was to make them work even harder and to find their own straw for the bricks.

The king said that his purpose was to "make them work so hard that they won't have time to listen" to God!

The truth is that you don't have to be a slave in Egypt to find yourself working so hard that you don't have time to listen to God.  One of Satan's tricks is to either make you a literal slave who doesn't have time to listen to God, or a slave to the work itself with the same result.  Some call it a "workaholic."  You become addicted to work like someone is addicted to alcohol.

It is not the "work" that God wants from you, it is rather a relationship! 

You see, you can work for someone and not know them!  Many people spend long hours working without ever knowing their employer as a friend.  

When you work for Jesus, He is first of all your friend!  If you work for Him, but don't know Jesus as a friend, I am afraid you will be terribly disappointed in the end.  

But if you know Jesus and spend lots of time relating to Him, the work He wants you to do will not be overwhelming!

If you don't know Jesus, moving a mountain is a monumental task.  If you do know the Lord, one word can cast that mountain into the sea!

"Lord Jesus, may Your Power work through me today to accomplish Your will.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

You Are The Villain

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The LORD said: Ezekiel, son of man, the people of Israel are complaining that the punishment for their sins is more than they can stand. They have lost all hope for survival, and they blame me.  Tell them that as surely as I am the living LORD God, I don't like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. So if the Israelites want to live, they must stop sinning and turn back to me.

Ezekiel 33:10-11

Do you enjoy a movie in which the "Bad Guys" get "what is coming to them?"  Or would you rather see one where the villain changes and becomes a hero?  God doesn't enjoy stories of justice in which the death of a sinner is the final chapter!

The soul purpose of Jesus coming to this earth was to change your story into one of triumph rather than tragedy!  

The sobering and sometimes shocking truth of the Gospel is that you are not a "Good Guy" in your story!  You are the villain who will die unless the Blood of Jesus Christ is applied to your wicked heart!

But when you are washed in the Blood of the Lamb, your wickedness is wiped out by His Righteousness!  

So if you have never given your heart to Jesus, don't try to convince yourself that you are really a good person.  You are not good unless His Blood has been applied to your heart!  Then you are now and forever will be like Jesus Christ!

"Thank You Jesus for changing me into someone who can be like You.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Ears of My Heart!

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If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will let everyone who wins the victory eat from the life-giving tree in God's wonderful garden.

Revelation 2:7

I only have one ear that works.  A few years ago my right ear became totally deaf.  Frankly, it was a very "big deal" to not be able to tell the direction from which a sound was coming.  With only one working ear I also cannot appreciate Stereo music.

But even with only one ear I can still listen to what the Spirit of God is saying.  In fact, the Spirit can speak clearly to someone who is deaf in both ears!  

There is a big difference between my physical ears and the ears of my heart.  I listen to the Holy Spirit with the ears of my heart!  When my heart is deaf, it is not because of a loud noise or an illness.  When my heart cannot hear it is often because of sin.  Sin takes away my ability to hear the Spirit as He speaks to my heart! 

Repentance is the hearing aid of your heart!  When you repent of your sin, the message of God for your heart begins to come through, loud and clear!  

It is also hard to hear God when the volume of the noise of this world is turned up loud.  Repent of your sin and turn down the world so you can hear the Lord today!  If you refuse sin and carefully listen you will hear Him!  

"Lord Jesus, help me today to hear what Your Spirit is speaking to my heart.  Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever.  Amen."

The Final Solution

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I tell you that people will come here from cities everywhere. Those of one town will go to another and say, "We're going to ask the LORD All-Powerful to treat us with kindness. Come and join us." Many people from strong nations will come to Jerusalem to worship me and to ask me to treat them with kindness. When this happens, ten people from nations with different languages will grab a Jew by his clothes and say, "Let us go with you. We've heard that God is on your side." I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!

Zechariah 8:20-23

When an atheist becomes a believer the change is dramatic but not complete.   Atheists don't know what is the explanation for everything, but they are "sure" that it is not God!

But the journey to faith is only beginning when you go from total disbelief to an "oh my God, You are real" perspective on life!  This is where you need to be reminded of the verse that says the demons believe and tremble. And certainly Satan believes in God!  Satan is by no means an atheist.

So now you know that God is real.  What are you, my friend going to do about it?  Some people are satisfied to stop at the point of just believing in God.  Frankly, it is not hard to come to a point of believing in the existence of God.  Look at the stars on a cloudless night, or look at a beautiful flower and try to believe that all that grandeur is just an accident of time!  To believe such a thing is really unthinkable. The handiwork of God screams at all the senses of men every where and every day!

Obedience to God is the final solution for your eternal dilemma.  When you step onto the road of doing what God tells you to do, it is then that Relationship with the Almighty becomes Reality.  

If you have come to the point of believing in God, take the next step of being obedient to His Word in every way!  Then your Reality will be a Relationship with Jesus Christ!

"Thank You Jesus for making it possible for sinful fallen human beings to know You and to live with You forever.  Praise Your Name, now and always. Amen."

Silent Before the Lord

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City of Zion, sing and celebrate! The LORD has promised to come and live with you. When he does, many nations will turn to him and become his people. At that time you will know that I am a prophet of the LORD All-Powerful. Then Judah will be his part of the holy land, and Jerusalem will again be his chosen city. Everyone, be silent! The LORD is present and moving about in his holy place.

Zechariah 2:10-13

When my six children were little we would play games while traveling in the car.  Sitting still for hours with no physical exercise was hard for them.  We played games like counting red cars, or even a harder game today of counting white horses.  My favorite game was "The Quiet Game."  The winner was the one who could keep quiet the longest!

I loved "The Quiet Game," but the kids were not so excited about it.  They would always figure out that their parents had gotten tired of the noise.

Did you know that sometimes God wants you to be quiet before Him? 

Of course, there are times when you should lift up your voice and praise God with everything in you. But there are also times when being quietly in God's presence is the most appropriate thing and is pleasing to Him.

When you are quiet before the Lord, you can see what He is doing.  When you are still in His presence you can hear His voice even when it is a whisper.  When you are quiet, your heart is available for the Holy Spirit to lead and direct.

The Lord says both "Sing and Celebrate" and "Be Silent" before Him.  

"Lord Jesus, teach me how to be quiet while standing, sitting and bowing before You!  And while I am silent may I hear Your voice and see Your face!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Faith Makes Men Equal

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Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.  So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised.

Galatians 3:28-29

On July 4, 1776 the founders of the United States signed the Declaration of Independence which says: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Bible does not specifically say, but if men and women are "Created Equal" we quickly lose that equality by the circumstances of life.  Some children are born into poverty, and some into wealth.  Some children are healthy and well fed and some barely get enough to stay alive.  Whatever "equality" we had when we took our first breath quickly disappears!

Equality of Birth always changes or goes away, but Equality of Faith remains forever!  Because of your Faith in Christ Jesus you are equal to every other man or woman of Faith!  People who believe in Jesus are brothers and sisters in the same family and are equal because they have the same Father!  

There is only one way to make all men equal in this world.  That way is Faith in Jesus Christ! 

Today women strive to be equal to men.  People of color work hard to be recognized as equal to those whose skin is not as dark.  The poor want to equally share with the rich in the wealth of this world.

Ultimately efforts at equality among men will often fail.  The Declaration of Independence did not make men equal, but the Declaration of Dependence on Jesus Christ will make you equal with all others who have Faith in Jesus!

"Lord Jesus, help me today to have even more Faith in You than I have ever had before.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen." 

Darkness of Hate?

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My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message you heard.  But it really is a new commandment, and you know its true meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the true light already shining.  If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark.  But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don't cause problems for them.  If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don't know where we are going, because we can't see in the dark.

1 John 2:7-11

The temptation to hate other people is very strong.   I believe most of the "news broadcasts" in the western world are an organized effort to encourage you to hate other people.  Today the news media is very bold about telling you who to hate!  

If you are affiliated with one political party, you are told why you should hate all of the people of the other party!  It goes far beyond politics.  If we are fans of one sports team we find ourselves "hating" those who support our rivals! 

According to these verses in 1 John, when we start hating the lights go out in our lives and we walk in the dark!  Satan wants to make you walk in the dark!  

Truthfully, there is no good reason to hate another human being.  Jesus said to love, even your enemies!  

Check your heart and see if there is anyone that you hate.  If there is someone you hate, you can turn back on the lights in your life by deciding to love instead of hate!

"Lord Jesus, may I walk in the Light today and be done with the Darkness of Hate!  Praise Your Name now and forever!  Amen."

A Frightening Parallel

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God said, "Ezekiel, do you see what horrible things Israel's leaders are doing in secret? They have filled their rooms with idols. And they say I can't see them, because they think I have already deserted Israel.  But I will show you something even worse than this."  He took me to the north gate of the temple, where I saw women mourning for the god Tammuz.  God asked me, "Can you believe what these women are doing? But now I want to show you something worse."  I was then led into the temple's inner courtyard, where I saw about twenty-five men standing near the entrance, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were to the LORD's temple, and they were bowing down to the rising sun.  God said, "Ezekiel, it's bad enough that the people of Judah are doing these disgusting things. But they have also spread violence and injustice everywhere in Israel and have made me very angry. They have disgraced and insulted me in the worst possible way.  So in my fierce anger, I will punish them without mercy and refuse to help them when they cry out to me."

Ezekiel 8:12-18

Aren't you glad that you did not live in Israel when God told Ezekiel how bad it was going to be because of their national sins!

"God's chosen people" decided to turn away from God and worship idols while they engaged in all kinds of behavior that God hated! God's response was to say, "I will punish them without mercy and refuse to help them when they cry out to me."

There is a frightening parallel today with the nation who printed "In God We Trust" on their money and then proceeded to turn away from recognizing Him in any way.  

There have now been joyful celebrations because in at least one State it is now legal to abort a baby even one second before the baby is to be born! Also, the press secretary to the President of that country said that God's will may have been involved in the President being elected.  The reaction has been a national roar of laughter that anyone would think that God would care!

I don't know how to say this with enough seriousness!  God still cares when He is ignored, ridiculed, mocked and disobeyed!  God cares when men and women turn from faith in Him and run toward the "pleasures" of this world.  And God still has the power to meet out His judgment on any nation that rebels against Him.  

Printing "In God We Trust" on the currency of a nation and then celebrating the slaughter of the children of that country cannot go unnoticed by God!

Pray for Revival and let the fire begin in your heart!

"Lord Jesus, the Day of Your Return is closer now than ever before!  May we refuse to wander back into the world as we wait to see Your Holy Face.  Praise Your Name now and forever.  Amen."