Notes of Faith January 17, 2023

Notes of Faith January 17, 2023

Do the Will You Know

The First Step for Further Guidance

What is the will of God for your life? An air of mystery surrounds the question. God’s will can seem elusive, ambiguous, difficult to discern — a land without maps.

Is this the right job for me? Would God have us get married? Should our family move to the city or the suburbs? Is God leading me to full-time ministry?

Such questions send us searching for clarity — praying, thinking, pro-con listing, often second-guessing. What is your will, O God? And how do I find it? Depending on your charismatic convictions, you may do more: wait for impressions, read signs in your circumstances, lay out a fleece. I once flipped a coin.

We understandably agonize over such decisions. What job we take, whom we marry, where we live — these choices change the course of our lives. Yet because of their very importance, they also can distract us from the primary ways Scripture speaks of God’s will. Like hikers who pay more attention to each new fork in the path than to their compass, we can easily lose our basic sense of direction by fixating on one decision after the next.

Thank God, then, that in all our most difficult decisions, we have a compass:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9–10)

This familiar prayer may not offer the direction we long for — an unmistakable nudge, a whisper from heaven — but it does offer the direction we most need.

‘Your Will Be Done’

“Your will be done” is a prayer with levels and layers of meaning, a multiple-story petition.

On one level, we ask, “Your will be done on earth.” In the broadest sense, the prayer settles for nothing less than a transformed, transfigured earth — an earth where God’s revealed will is no longer ignored, neglected, or despised, but done with the same angelic zeal, the same seraphic joy, as his will is done “in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

On another level, we ask, “Your will be done — not mine.” Here we follow the example of our Lord Jesus, who not only taught us to pray these words, but prayed them himself: “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). We who follow Christ will never come close to the agony of this moment; like Peter, James, and John, we ever remain on Gethsemane’s edge. But in our own anguished hours, “Your will be done” is likewise for us an opening of the hands, a bending of the knees, a bowing of the head to God’s painful yet perfect plans.

And then, on a third level, we ask, “Your will be done in me.” As wide as earth and as high as heaven, the prayer nevertheless turns back to us, bidding us to ask not only that God’s will would be done everywhere out there, but also everywhere in here — right now, today, in every part of my life.

Which returns us to our beginning question: What is God’s will for my life, and how do I walk in it? Beginning from the Sermon on the Mount and broadening from there, we might answer with two simple sentences: Do the will you know. Discern the will you don’t.

Do the will you know.

We’ll see in a moment that Scripture gives direction for discerning God’s will in unclear situations. But as we’ll also see, Scripture gives a fundamental prerequisite for such discernment: attentive obedience to what God has already revealed. Doing the will you know is necessary for discerning the will you don’t.

“Doing the will you know is necessary for discerning the will you don’t.”

And not only necessary, but far more important. Consider the words of Jesus in the chapter after the Lord’s Prayer: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Heaven hangs on doing the will of God. And the will of God here is no hidden key, no secret whisper. As Jesus says three verses later, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man . . .” (Matthew 7:24). In the most basic and crucial sense, the will of God is found in the words of God.

Imagine a man who, after hearing Jesus’s sermon, says to his friend, “That’s all well and good, but I still wish I knew God’s will for my life.” His friend would be right to respond, “Weren’t you listening? God just told you his will for your life! Embrace poverty of spirit, meekness, and peace. Let your light shine. Kill anger, lust, lying, and vengeance. Pray and give and fast in secret. Don’t worry; seek the kingdom. Enter the narrow door. Build your house on the rock. That’s God’s will for your life.”

How many of us, like this will-of-God seeker, wonder what job we should have while neglecting godly diligence in our present job? How many seek his will for whom to marry while not pursuing a biblical vision of singleness in the meantime? How many ask God where they should live while overlooking neighbor love and the local obedience Scripture so clearly prescribes?

Far better to know and obey this will, always available and ever clear, than to have the greatest situational insight and neglect this will. Or as the apostle Paul might say, if we discern the right decisions to make, and if we receive all impressions and leadings, and if we gain all guidance, so as to choose the right paths, but do not obey the plain words we already know, we are nothing (Matthew 7:21).

Discern the will you don’t.

At the same time, the very Scriptures that give us God’s clear will also tell us to seek his unclear will. “Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord,” Paul tells the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:10). And then he writes in Romans,

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

And now we see why hearing and doing the will of God we know is the prerequisite to discerning the will of God we don’t. Right discernment depends not merely on a clear mind or an intelligent mind, but on a transformed mind — a mind, John Piper writes, “that is so shaped and so governed by the revealed will of God in the Bible, that we see and assess all relevant factors with the mind of Christ.”

We can see this discernment process at work even in the life of Jesus. In Luke 4, for example, Jesus decides to leave Capernaum to “preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well” (Luke 4:43). The decision was by no means a simple one: the people of Capernaum didn’t want Jesus to leave (Luke 4:42); neither did his disciples (Mark 1:36–37). But Jesus knew his Father willed for him to preach the gospel broadly (Luke 4:43). And so, after spending time in a desolate place (Luke 4:42), he applied the clear will of his Father to an unclear situation through patient, prayerful discernment.

Let the emphasis land on patient and prayerful. Discernment often will not come easily or quickly. Gathering the appropriate words God has spoken, understanding how they relate to our present situation, rightly weighing all relevant factors and friendly counsel, praying for wisdom all along the way, and obeying what you know in the meantime — this is no small task. But it is God’s normal method of guiding us through the hundreds of moments when we stand before two (or more) paths, none of which has a sign that reads, “Go this way.”

“In a world without maps, our best compass is an increasingly Christlike will, informed by an increasingly renewed mind.”

In a world without maps, our best compass is an increasingly Christlike will, informed by an increasingly renewed mind.

Led by the Spirit?

Some, at this point, will wish to say more — and understandably so. “What about the leading of the Spirit?” they might ask. “What about dreams and visions and impressions?” Three responses are in order.

First, at times, the Spirit does indeed lead his people in a more manifestly supernatural manner. In the life of Jesus, we might remember when “the Spirit . . . drove him out into the wilderness” after his baptism (Mark 1:12). Even more clearly, we might recall how God led Peter to Cornelius, and then led Paul and his team to Philippi, through visions (Acts 10:9–16; 16:9–10). And so he may sometimes lead us.

Nevertheless, these instances of striking guidance take place within the larger framework of doing and discerning. The Spirit came to Jesus in baptism (Mark 1:9–11), to Peter in prayer (Acts 10:9), to Paul on mission (Acts 16:6–8) — in other words, he met them in the midst of their present, intelligent obedience. Unless we too are willing to follow the Spirit’s more typical paths, we cannot expect him to lead us down unusual paths — nor can we assume we would recognize those paths or rightly walk them.

Second, such manifestations of the Spirit may prove dangerous if we rely on them too much. Those who say, “Lord, Lord,” in Matthew 7 did not lack powerful spiritual experiences; they did lack obedience to God’s clear will (Matthew 7:21–23). Ironically, some who are most eager for a spectacular method of finding God’s will can be most prone to neglecting the ordinary opportunities for pleasing God right in front of them.

And third, the renewed mind’s rigorous application of the Scriptures to unclear situations need not sidestep the Spirit’s ministry — not when done humbly, prayerfully, and God-dependently. In fact, as J.I. Packer writes, “The true way to honor the Holy Spirit as our guide is to honor the holy Scriptures through which he guides us” (Knowing God, 236). The Bible is no dead letter, but the living breath of the living Spirit. Those who listen well to Scripture listen to him.

Decisions from Our Knees

Lest we forget the obvious, “Your will be done” is a prayer, a request that God would do in us what we cannot do in ourselves. Apart from him, we cannot know the will he reveals, we cannot obey the will we know, and we certainly cannot discern the will we don’t know. And so, we bow our heads, lift our hands, and say, “Our Father in heaven, . . . your will be done” (Matthew 6:9–10). The best decision-making happens from a kneeling soul.

In all your decisions, then, don’t neglect to do the will you already know. Then, with that will clear in your mind and alive in your life, do the hard work of discerning, as best you can, what might please God most in your work, your relationships, your home. Weigh the factors; seek counsel; view the matter from several angles. And through it all, ask him again and again for his good, pleasing, and perfect will to be done in you.

We can fulfill the will of God if we will yield to the Holy Spirit within us. No, we will never finish this battle until we are taken from this world to the next. But God who calls us His own will fulfill His plans for His creation. Do you want to be a part of His plan on earth? Join me in fervently seeking Him and His will for your life. He loves you and desires you to love Him and worship Him. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 16, 2023

Notes of Faith January 16, 2023 The Dangerous Prayers of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. is widely regarded as American’s leading advocate for nonviolence and one of the greatest leaders in world history. Dr. King led the American civil rights movement from December 1955 until his untimely death on April 4, 1968. During those thirteen years, more advances were made toward racial equality in America than in the previous 350 years combined.

Born on January 15, 1929, at the family home in Atlanta to the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King, the young boy grew up to follow his father into the ministry. In 1951, he moved to Boston to attend school. While there, he began dating Coretta Scott, a student at the New England Conservatory of Music. They married in 1953. In 1955, he graduated with a doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University School of Theology.

I have a dream...

— Martin Luther King Jr.

During the late 1950s, Dr. King launched a campaign to achieve legal equality for African Americans in the United States. His strategy involved utilizing acts of nonviolent resistance, the power of communication, and grassroots efforts, which together achieved seemingly impossible goals. Dr. King also served as the spokesperson for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which ultimately led to the end of racial segregation on public transportation. In 1963, he led the March on Washington, which drew 250,000 people to the national mall and influenced Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act, making it illegal to discriminate against minorities.

Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and his “Letters from a Birmingham Jail” are among the most revered messages in American history.

He is the only non-president to have a national holiday to memorialize him, and at age thirty-five he became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

O God,… we thank Thee for Thy Church, founded upon Thy Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon Thee… Help us to realize that man was created to shine like the stars and live on through all eternity. Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace, help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow, will rejoice in one common band of humanity in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen.

— Martin Luther King Jr.

Excerpted from Dangerous Prayers by Susan Hill, copyright Thomas Nelson.

We celebrate a national holiday today when maybe we should be celebrating the hard work of Dr. King and continuing the dream for work that still needs to be done. May our hearts and minds be diligent to be what the Lord made us and calls us to be. Mankind is one in Christ and one in created nature having the same life giving blood in our veins and for believers and followers of Jesus the same eternal life giving hope. May we, followers of Jesus work and pray fervently to draw closer to one another daily until the Lord Jesus comes and makes this a true reality.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 15, 2023

Notes of Faith January 15, 2023

Begin where you are. This simple sentence, tucked away in C.S. Lewis’s book Letters to Malcolm, has the potential to transform your prayer life. In four basic words, it ties together a biblical vision of prayer that avoids two errors that often smother our thanksgiving and adoration of God and hinder our requests to him, especially in relation to earthly blessings and goods. Consider these errors, and whether you recognize them in your own life.

The first I’ll call worldly prayers. Such prayers, though offered by a Christian, are in reality no different from those that an unbeliever might pray. Twice in Matthew 6, Jesus draws a contrast between the prayers and aims of the Gentiles and the prayers and aims of his followers.

When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7–8)

Do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. (Matthew 6:31–32)

Jesus criticizes both the manner of unbelieving prayers (empty phrases and many words) and the aims of unbelieving prayers (anxiously seeking earthly provision and material goods). Christ’s warning implies that his followers can wrongfully imitate unbelievers at precisely these points. We can seek material blessings as our highest goods, anxiously craving and desiring them. And then, we can attempt to manipulate God into providing us these blessings, treating him like a butler who exists solely to supply our earthly needs and preserve our earthly happiness.

False Spirituality

In reaction against the danger of worldly prayers, some Christians fall into a second error, which we can call false spirituality: a pious refusal to pray for earthly goods at all. Because we see the danger of worldly prayer around us, we begin to regard praise and communion with God as the only true forms of prayer.

The only blessings we thank him for are spiritual blessings, the kind set forth in Ephesians 1. Thus, we praise him that he chose us, predestined us for adoption, redeemed us by Christ’s blood, forgave us for our trespasses, and sealed us with his Holy Spirit, all to the praise of his glorious grace. Likewise, the only requests we make to him are for spiritual goods — for holiness, for help to walk in his ways, for filling with the Holy Spirit.

Clearly, such prayers are good prayers. The falseness comes from the word only. We may not use this word directly, but we may still subtly begin to operate according to it. The only requests that truly please God are those for spiritual things. The only thanksgiving that truly honors him is gratitude for spiritual blessings.

This attitude ignores the plain and simple fact that Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). What’s more, it ignores the litany of passages in the Psalms where the psalmists seek God for deliverance from earthly enemies, ask him to supply earthly needs, and render him thanks for earthly kindnesses. The Bible is filled to the brim with thanksgiving and supplication for earthly provision and blessing.

And so, to avoid both errors, we offer spiritual prayers for earthly goods. And “begin where you are” can help.

From Pleasure to Thanks

Lewis commends this principle as a way of fostering worship and adoration. We often find that spiritual blessings, being invisible, feel abstract to us. However much we may want to summon a heart of worship for God’s attributes, character, and saving acts, our hearts struggle to get off the ground. Lewis’s principle encourages us to begin with the concrete and the present.

The earthly blessings that surround us, however minor, are present to us in ways that help us to begin. A warm shower, shoes that fit, a satisfying breakfast of biscuits and gravy, indoor heating in the middle of winter, the laughter of your children, a hug from your spouse — all of these are concrete blessings, extended to you with kindness from God. “His mercy is over all that he has made” (Psalm 145:9).

“Direct your attention to the mercies that press upon you at every side, and see them for what they are.”

Thus, Lewis says, rather than try to conjure up feelings of adoration directly, direct your attention to the mercies that press upon you at every side, and see them for what they are. They are beams of glory, striking our senses, giving us pleasure, and inviting us to chase them back to the sun. Every pleasure, Lewis says, can become a channel of adoration when we experience the pleasure and then frame it rightly as a message of kindness from our generous Lord.

Lewis, therefore, encourages us to attend to our pleasures and then to give thanks for them — to say, “How good of God to give me this,” elaborating on this with all the concrete specificity we can muster. “Thank you, Lord, for the smoothness of the table, the softness of my socks, the sweetness of the honey, the silliness of my son, and the wisdom and compassion of my wife.”

From Thanks to Adoration

Then, having given thanks, we follow the sunbeam back to the source, turning thanksgiving into adoration. “Such earthly blessings, O Lord, are simply the far-off echoes of your own bounty and goodness. These are but the fringes of your ways, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

From our first breath in the morning to our last conscious thought as we rest our head on our pillow, Lewis encourages us to receive God’s earthly kindness, to give thanks for God’s earthly kindness, and then to leap from that gratitude to the heights of worship, weaving in the spiritual blessings of redemption, forgiveness, and sanctification all along the way.

“The higher does not stand without the lower,” Lewis reminds us (87). And that’s why we must begin where we are.

One must learn to walk before one can run. So here. We — or at least I — shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so on the lowest. At best, our faith and reason will tell us that He is adorable, but we shall not have found Him so, not have “tasted and seen.” Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are “patches of Godlight” in the woods of our experience. (91)

Daily Bread, Heavenly Bread

The same principle applies to our requests. Though the Gentiles seek for earthly goods (food, shelter, clothing), Jesus does not tell us to cease praying for such gifts. Instead, he exhorts us to “seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), and then to pray for our daily bread.

We see this in the Lord’s Prayer itself. The request for daily bread is sandwiched between “Hallowed be your name” and “Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.” In other words, our requests for earthly provision are framed and animated by our desire for the sanctifying of God’s name and the coming of his kingdom.

Framing the prayer for earthly provision in this way enables us to avoid the foolishness of unbelieving manipulation that Jesus condemns. How many of us have earnestly desired some earthly good, but instead of asking God directly for it, have asked instead for some spiritual good in hopes that he’ll see our spiritual request and throw in the earthly good for good measure? Is this not the equivalent of piling up empty phrases and many words in order to trick God into giving us what we really want? Is there not a fundamental dishonesty at the heart of such pious prayers?

Instead, begin where you are — with the desires and needs and anxieties that you actually have. The daily needs are real, and we are taught to ask for them directly. Bring them before God honestly, with no pretense or fakery. No doubt, our earthly desires are often excessive or misplaced. But the best way to reorder them is to bring them to God and let him do the moderating and refining.

“Prayers for daily bread lead naturally (or supernaturally) to prayers for heavenly bread, for the bread of life.”

In this way, we can begin where we are, but unlike unbelievers, we can press beyond where we are. We don’t seek merely the earthly provision; we seek God’s kingdom first, above all, as our highest good. Thus, as with gratitude, we ask for the earthly good, and then we press through the desire for the earthly good to a deeper desire for the heavenly good. Prayers for daily bread lead naturally (or supernaturally) to prayers for heavenly bread, for the bread of life.

Your Heavenly Father

Finally, don’t miss what ties all of these prayers together — the goodness of our heavenly Father. Why don’t we pile up empty and manipulative words for what we need? Because our heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). Why don’t we anxiously pursue earthly goods? Because our heavenly Father knows that we need them all (Matthew 6:32).

And this presses home the goodness of beginning where we are and asking for daily bread. Just the other day, I was burdened by an earthly problem. I could see no earthly way out of it. And so, I bowed my head and asked God for help. “I don’t know what to do, Lord. You will have to do something. Make a way.” Thirty minutes later, the answer came, clear as a bell.

Had I not prayed for the provision, I might have missed out not only on the blessing (since God does truly answer prayer) but also on the kindness and care of “our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). When I begin where I am, I pray to him who knows my needs before I ask, and who tells me to ask anyway, because he loves to give good gifts to his children (Matthew 7:11).

Can we all say a hearty amen?! God know us, loves us, and cares for us from eternity past to eternity future, and of course, the right here and now. May we rejoice in His love and care and yearn to draw closer to Him all the days of our life! Start where you are . . .

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 14, 2023

Notes of Faith January 14, 2023

Accept the Gift of Himself

Begin Again

I had heard about You before, but now I have seen You. — Job 42:5 TLB

It all happened in one day. One day he could choose his tee time at the nicest golf course in the country; the next he couldn’t even be the caddie. One day he could Learjet across the country to see the heavyweight bout at the Las Vegas Mirage. The next he couldn’t afford a city bus across town.

Talk about calm becoming chaos...

The first thing to go is his empire. The market crashes; his assets tumble. What is liquid goes dry. What has been up goes down. Stocks go flat, and Job goes broke. There he sits in his leather chair by his soon- to-be-auctioned-off mahogany desk when the phone rings with news of calamity number two: the kids were at a resort for the holidays when a storm blew in and took them with it.

Shell-shocked and dumbfounded, Job looks out the window into the sky that seems to be getting darker by the minute. He starts praying, telling God that things can’t get any worse... and that’s exactly what happens. He feels a pain in his chest that is more than last night’s ravioli. The next thing he knows, he is bouncing in an ambulance with wires stuck to his chest and needles stuck in his arm.

He ends up tethered to a heart monitor in a hospital room, his only companion the beeps and alerts of medical machines.

Not, however, that Job lacks for conversation.

First there is his wife. Who could blame her for being upset after the week’s calamities? Who could blame her for telling Job to curse God? But to curse God and die? If Job didn’t already feel abandoned, you know he does the minute his wife tells him to pull the plug and be done with it.

Then there are his friends. They have the bedside manner of a drill sergeant and the compassion of a chain-saw killer. A revised version of their theology might read like this: “Boy, you must have done something really bad! We know that God is good, so if bad things are happening to you, then you have been bad. Period.”

Does Job take that lying down? Not hardly.

“You are doctors who don’t know what they are doing,” he says. “Oh, please be quiet! That would be your highest wisdom.”1

Translation? “Why don’t you take your philosophy back to the pigpen where you learned it?”

“I’m not a bad man,” Job argues. “I paid my taxes. I’m active in civic duties. I’m a major contributor to United Way and a volunteer at the hospital bazaar.”

Job is, in his eyes, a good man. And a good man, he reasons, deserves a good answer.

“Your suffering is for your own good,” states Elihu, a young minister fresh out of seminary who hasn’t lived long enough to be cynical and hasn’t hurt enough to be quiet. He paces back and forth in the hospital room with his Bible under his arm and his finger punching the air.

“God does all these things to a person — twice, even three times — to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them.”2 Job follows his pacing like you’d follow a tennis player, head turning from side to side. What the young man says isn’t bad theology, but it isn’t much comfort either. Job steadily tunes him out and slides lower and lower under the covers. His head hurts. His eyes burn. His legs ache.

And he can’t stomach any more hollow homilies.

Yet his question still hasn’t been answered: “God, why is this happening to me?”

So God speaks.

Out of the thunder He speaks. Out of the sky He speaks. For all of us who would put ditto marks under Job’s question and sign our names to it, He speaks.

For the father who holds a rose taken off his son’s coffin, He speaks.

For the wife who holds the flag taken off her husband’s casket, He speaks.

For the couple with the barren womb and the fervent prayers, He speaks.

For any person who has tried to see God through shattered glass, He speaks.

For those of us who have dared to say, “If God is God, then...,” God speaks.

He speaks out of the storm and into the storm, for that is where Job is. That is where God is best heard.

God’s voice thunders in the room. Elihu sits down. Job sits up. And the two will never be the same again.

“Who is this that obscures My plans with words without knowledge?”3 Job doesn’t respond.

“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.”4

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you know so much.”5

One question would have been enough for Job, but it isn’t enough for God.

“Do you know how its dimensions were determined, and who did the surveying?” God asks. “What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”6

Questions rush forth. They pour like sheets of rain out of the clouds. They splatter in the chambers of Job’s heart with a wildness and a beauty and a terror that leave every Job who has ever lived drenched and speechless, watching the Master redefine who is who in the universe.

God is never irritated by the candle of an honest seeker.

Have you ever once commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you ever told the daylight to spread to the ends of the earth, to end the night’s wickedness?7

God’s questions aren’t intended to teach; they are intended to stun. They aren’t intended to enlighten; they are intended to awaken. They aren’t intended to stir the mind; they are intended to bend the knees.

Has the location of the gates of death been revealed to you? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell Me about it if you know! Where does the light come from, and how do you get there? Or tell Me about the darkness. Where does it come from? Can you find its boundaries, or go to its source? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!8

Finally Job’s feeble hand lifts, and God stops long enough for him to respond. “I am nothing — how could I ever find the answers? I lay my hand upon my mouth in silence. I have said too much already.”9

God’s message has connected:

Job is a peasant, telling the King how to run the kingdom.

Job is an illiterate, telling e. e. cummings to capitalize his personal pronouns.

Job is the batboy, telling Babe Ruth to change his batting stance.

Job is the clay, telling the potter not to press so hard.

“I owe no one anything,” God declares in the crescendo of the wind. “Everything under the Heaven is mine.”10

Job couldn’t argue. God owes no one anything. No explanations. No excuses. No help. God has no debt, no outstanding balance, no favors to return. God owes no man anything.

Which makes the fact that He gave us everything even more astounding.

How you interpret this holy presentation is key. You can interpret God’s hammering speech as a divine in-your-face tirade if you want. You can use the list of unanswerable questions to prove that God is harsh, cruel, and distant. You can use the book of Job as evidence that God gives us questions and no answers. But to do so, you need some scissors. To do so, you need to cut out the rest of the book of Job.

For that is not how Job heard it. All his life Job had been a good man. All his life he had believed in God. All his life he had discussed God, had notions about Him, and had prayed to Him.

But in the storm Job sees Him!

He sees Hope. Lover. Destroyer. Giver. Taker. Dreamer. Deliverer.

Job sees the tender anger of a God whose unending love is often received with peculiar mistrust. Job stands as a blade of grass against the consuming fire of God’s splendor. Job’s demands melt like wax as God pulls back the curtain and heaven’s light falls uneclipsed across the earth.

Job sees God.

God could turn away at this point. The gavel has been slammed; the verdict has been rendered. The Eternal Judge has spoken.

Ah, but God is not angry with Job. Firm? Yes. Direct? No doubt. Clear and convincing? Absolutely. But angry? No.

God is never irritated by the candle of an honest seeker.

If you underline any passage in the book of Job, underline this one: “I had heard about You before, but now I have seen You.”11

Job sees God — and that is enough.

But it isn’t enough for God. He will give Job a chance to begin again. The years to come find Job once again sitting behind his mahogany desk with health restored and profits up. His lap is once again full of children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren — for four generations! A new beginning indeed.

If Job ever wonders why God doesn’t bring back the children He has taken away, he doesn’t ask. Maybe he doesn’t ask because he knows that his children could never be happier than they are in the presence of this One he has seen so briefly.

Something tells me that Job would do it all again if that’s what it would take to hear God’s voice and stand in His presence. Even if God left him with his bedsores and bills, Job would do it again.

For God gave Job more than Job ever dreamed. God gave Job Himself.

Job 13:4–5 TLB.

Job 33:29–30.

Job 38:2.

Job 38:3.

Job 38:4 TLB.

Job 38:5–7 TLB.

Job 38:12–13 TLB.

Job 38:17–21 TLB.

Job 40:4–5 TLB.

Job 41:11 TLB.

Job 42:5 TLB.

Excerpted from Begin Again by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 13, 2023

Notes of Faith January 13, 2023 Emotions of Grief

Through a Season of Grief

Grief that comes with loss is overwhelming. Emotions are so heavy, we can stagger beneath the weight. Scripture becomes even more precious during bereavement because we remember that God will never leave us alone. Lean in with this excerpt from Through a Season of Grief.

Your Emotions

Your emotions can be intense, draining, and hard to hold back; they run deep and are tangled up inside you.

Everyone goes through some unexpected emotions, and it helps for you to identify and sort out the emotions that apply to you. This is part of the healing process.

Which emotions have you experienced during the grieving process?

denial

rejection

guilt

anger

jealousy

fear

pain

loss

sorrow

apathy

rage

confusion

anxiety

sadness

inadequacy

envy

dread

anguish

betrayal

distrust

loneliness

helplessness

disappointment

resentment

vindictiveness

depression

bitterness

dismay

abandonment

lack of control

Jesus can identify with your sorrows.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. — Isaiah 53:3

Lord Jesus, You alone know my suffering and pain. Please sort through these emotions with me. Amen.

Sudden and Unpredictable

Emotions during grief do not occur in an orderly fashion. You cannot follow a checklist and mark off the emotions you are finished with and then move on to the next. They come suddenly and unpredictably.

“People ask me, ‘How are you doing?’ And I say, ‘Wonderful.’ One moment I’m sobbing uncontrollably — I carry Kleenex around in my pocket — and the next moment I’m so exhilarated with joy with all that God is doing in my life,” says Dr. Jim Conway.

Circumstances will change. People will change. Surroundings will change. But the Bible leads you to the one sure thing:

I the Lord do not change. — Malachi 3:6

Almighty, unchanging God, I grasp on to Your hand as my emotions confuse and overwhelm me. You alone cannot be moved, and I am confident that as long as I remain in You, I, too, will not be moved. Amen.

Out Of Control

Not only are your emotions unpredictable, but they may also seem uncontrollable. This changing nature combined with the intensity of the emotions can cause you to feel disoriented, forgetful, and over-powered.

“There was this overwhelming feeling of being out of control... overwhelmed and watching life pass by,” says Cindy following her daughter’s death.

Your response to these uncontrollable emotions can be confusing to you as well as to others; for instance, sometimes you may want people with you, and sometimes you do not. You may also act in ways you later regret.

Job expressed this sentiment:

If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been impetuous. — Job 6:2–3

Precious Lord, You know the desires of my heart. In my confusion give me peace to know that You are in control of all life and You do not make mistakes. Amen.

Jesus can identify with your sorrows.

This Can't Be Happening

Although your mind knows the facts, your heart is often reluctant to accept the death of someone you know and love.

“You may have a tendency to deny,” says Dr. H. Norman Wright. “Denial covers over the sharpness of the pain.”

Denial is a process that occurs during grieving to minimize the struggle. This is a natural and transitional part of your healing journey. Randy shares how he experienced denial after his sister died, but over time, he found that denial was impossible: “After the funeral I was basically in denial. I tried to dive into my work and forget about it. It’s taken a long time. Little things will remind me: things that she did, places she went to. Things like that will all of a sudden bring this very empty, hollow feeling inside me, where I can’t breathe. I feel like the air is just sucked out of me. It’s been five years, but trying to deny it or to ignore it is not possible.”

You may be tempted to “dive into” your work and fill your mind with anything but the truth of the situation. But the book of Proverbs tells us to be open to the truth and to pursue it:

Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. — Proverbs 23:23

Jesus, give me the courage to face the truth. With Your help I know I can do it. Amen.

Isolation

Sometimes you just want everyone to leave you alone. So you build a protective wall around yourself, not only to keep other people out, but also to guard against unwanted emotions. You may think you are playing it safe, but instead you are blocking out the healing.

There are people who love you and want to pray for you and want to talk with you,” says Dr. Tim Clinton. “If you allow that to happen,

God puts great salve on deep wounds.”

Doesn’t that sound wonderful—a great salve on deep wounds? Jeremiah cried out to God for just such a thing and found Him to be faithful and true.

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? — Jeremiah 8:22

‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares’.

— Jeremiah 30:17

Faithful God, bring me out of my self-imposed isolation that I may be healed by the Balm of Gilead—Jesus Christ. Amen.

Suppression Can Lead to Explosion

Are you quelling your emotions within you and consciously keeping them at bay? Think about the amount of force and energy this involves. Your emotions may be packed in so tightly that the pressure could build up to the point of possible explosion.

“You can delay the grieving process by denying it or just not allowing yourself to cry or to face it,” says Dr. H. Norman Wright. “It’s like you put a lid on your life and on your emotions. It is a form of repression, and whenever you repress any of your feelings, you bury them alive. Someday there will be a resurrection, but you will not be in charge of it. It could come through depression. It could come out through explosiveness.”

In the midst of overwhelming emotional suffering and pressure, Jesus looked to God with determination.

And being in anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. — Luke 22:44

Holy God, may my resolve to release my emotional pressure and to seek You be as earnest as Jesus’ prayer. Amen.

Anger: Your Strongest Emotion

The Bible instructs you to be angry!

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. — Ephesians 4:26 NASB

Anger by itself is not a sin, and it is one of the most common emotions associated with grief.

“I went through that shock and denial period for about three months,” says Dora after the death of her daughter. “Then suddenly, as the shock wore off and the reality set in—anger. Intense anger. Just wanting to wail, to scream from the depths. There’s no way I could express as much anger as I was feeling.”

You need to release your anger in a way that is productive for healing and not harmful to others around you. To release your anger does not mean to lash out, to throw a fit, or to lose control of it; releasing your anger involves the open and honest expression of your emotions in a way that is physically, mentally, and emotionally freeing. You can do this by expressing your anger to God in prayer (don’t hold back!). You can release your anger in the presence of a person who will listen quietly and neither judge nor offer advice. Another healthy way to release anger is to write down every angry thought that comes to mind until you cannot think of another angry sentence to write. Some people find that expressing their anger out loud—and loudly—in a private place is helpful.

The fact that you should “not let the sun go down on your anger” means you should deal with it when it is present. Don’t go to sleep and forget it, only to have it come back in greater strength later.

Holy Spirit, grant me the freedom and opportunity to release my anger in a way that helps, not hurts. Amen.

Excerpted from Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard, copyright The Church Initiative, Inc.

Grief is a very difficult thing to understand and process. Perhaps you are in need of checking out one of our local ministries, “New Hope Grief Support Community”. David Leonard is a close friend and director of this ministry. Give them or us a call should you be interested or discover that you are in need of wise counsel and support.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 12, 2023

Notes of Faith January 12, 2023

Are we seeing the rise of the prophesied Ten Kings?

Tim Moore: When the prophet Habakkuk prayed that God would send a wakeup call to His people, the Lord responded: "Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days — you would not believe if you were told" (Hab. 1:5).

Today, we too can look at the nations and observe and be astonished at how God is moving. The forces of evil are on the march! So, let's look at some examples of what's going on in the world as of late that have prophetic implications.

Kings of the East

Nathan Jones: We're witnessing the ongoing movement prophetically towards the formation of the Gog-Magog coalition as described in Ezekiel 38-39. Russia's Putin, Erdogan in Turkey, and the leadership of Iran have been making great strides in forming this coalition. They've been working together more often in joint ventures where once these nations used to be enemies.

It's interesting that when we read from Bible prophecy, such as in the book of Daniel, how in the end times the Bible describes the rise of kings, and in particular, the Ten Kings. In modern-day terms, Putin is basically the Czar of Russia as he's been made president for life. Then there's China adding to the geopolitical mix as Xi Jinping has also been made president for life. He actually had the last head of the Communist party escorted out of session while he ascended. Both of these men rule essentially as kings.

Kings of the West

Nathan Jones: So many democracies are giving way to Socialism, and the Communist countries are giving way to kings to lead them. This move away from democracies to sovereign elects appears to be the trend that's happening more and more, even in the West. Western elites try to pull greater power to themselves as the World Economic Forum rules behind the scenes, and increasingly more often than not, right out in front.

Tim Moore: On both of these movements, let's look at Brazil. Brazil stands as the largest and richest country in South America. This nation recently moved from a conservative president to one that is considered very socialistic, as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is committed to the same kind of Marxism that has destroyed Venezuela. So, we can expect more upheaval within that very large and powerful nation in South America.

And, yet another extreme, we witnessed the shortest-lived British prime minister, at least in modern history. Liz Truss lasted only a matter of days before she resigned and was replaced by a new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who had been Britain's Chief of the Exchequer. That powerful post lends itself to implementing the WEF's Great Reset, which is the globalists' economic agenda. Expect Sunak to be beholden to the banks and to other creditors who hold vast amounts of the United Kingdom's debt.

Nathan Jones: We've also recently saw a major world player — Queen Elizabeth — passing from the scene due to her death. Her son, the now King Charles, has at last risen to the throne. King Charles is a major globalist player whose vast fortune is simply unbelievable. Some estimate that he potentially, through his new position, owns a sixth of all the land on the planet!

Kings of the Middle East

Tim Moore: There's yet another massive political shift that's been largely ignored by the American Media, and that is a change of government in Israel.

Nathan Jones: Yes, one of the bright spots in politics is that Bibi Netanyahu has won back his prime ministership. If he can keep his coalition together, politics in Israel will take a right turn. After five elections in four years, the Israelis are very tired of having to run back to the election booths. The fragility of the Israeli government shows how weak its system is.

Biblically, that system of government via the Knesset will one day also be replaced by a king — Jesus Christ. The Messiah will return to rule and reign as king over Israel and over the entire world, and His kingdom will be headquartered in Jerusalem. So, Israel's current weak system of government will inevitably fall apart and likewise be replaced by a king — the King of Kings.

Dissenting Kings

Nathan Jones: We've also have some interesting players dissenting against the globalist agenda. The new Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has been calling out the rising globalism that we're all warily watching. Even Putin himself, who is no hero of the globalist cause as he's purely a nationalist, has been striving against the tide of globalism rising in the West.

Tim Moore: If Vladimir Putin continues his push-back against the globalist's economic agenda, the West is going to repudiate him, causing western society to embrace globalism even more fully. And that leads to yet another major political event brewing, as the nationalistic Trump, also a dissenter to globalism, has announced he will be running for U.S. president in 2024.

Nathan Jones: Instituting a global government requires certain catastrophic disasters. The globalists tried with COVID, and for the most part, failed. I believe the ultimate disasters — the Rapture of the Church and a subsequent worldwide economic collapse — will likely be the key events that will push the world into totally accepting globalism.

This sharp rise in globalism, as prophesied in the Bible, reveals that eventually, the world will fall under the reign of ten kings who will create a global empire under which one supreme ruler will emerge — the Antichrist.

The King of Kings

Tim Moore: The Lord said in Psalm 2 that the nations are in an uproar and the peoples of the earth devise a vain thing. The kings of the Earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel against the Lord and against His anointed. We see what's been happening already with all of these various kings rising up in the nations. These ascending kings have rejected any kind of allegiance to God nor show any respect for His moral law.

Even the leaders of this country — the United States of America — have increasingly been rejecting any kind of allegiance to the principles handed down in Scripture, which is why they now embrace abortion, transgenderism, and gender confusion. They cannot even define what a man or woman is, let alone explain traditional marriage. Our country has rejected God and His Anointed and our society now openly flaunts our wickedness.

Nathan Jones: Jesus revealed in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 that one of the major signs of the end times that He said would point to His soon return would be an increase in fearful events socially, politically, and economically. And what have we been seeing? An increase in fearful events socially, politically, and economically, and they've been happening all across the world.

China's economy is supposedly about to collapse. We're seeing the United States about to lose the Dollar as the world's fiat currency as we go bankrupt due to Congress' out-of-control spending. We just saw the FTX cryptocurrency collapse due to corruption. These are all fearful events that call to attention our need for a solid foundation.

Our firm foundation does not rest on any social, political, or economic system that this world creates. The only way that we can be safe and secure and stand on solid ground is when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. He is the true foundation that gives us firmness and calmness in a sea of pandemonium.

I enjoy reading and trusting in the prophecies of the Bible. If so many have come true perfectly, why would we not believe that the ones yet future are going to happen?

I also believe that our minds get too easily trapped in the things of this world, politics, pandemics, global warming, critical race theory, human sexuality, thinking there could be the possibility of some human other than a man or a woman! Our focus needs to be on God, to know Him intimately, love Him completely, and serve Him eternally. If we prepare ourselves with God’s Word, prayer, and righteous, holy choices in daily living, the earthly things will not bring us conflict in our mind, rather we will have the peace of God through the storm. It appears that the world is headed quickly toward facing the judgment of God. Have faith and trust that the Lord has done, is doing, and is going to do His will to fulfill all Scripture, bring more honor and glory to His name and for you, your ultimate good!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 11, 2023

Notes of Faith January 11, 2023

Where You Go, I Go

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” — Ruth 1:16–17

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. — Romans 12:15

You may feel like you are all alone in the depths of your pain, but you’re not. An army of fellow fighters is also digging their heels in, refusing to give up on dreams of a new kind of beautiful life. If you are walking through the loss of a child, know there are other families walking through the same loss. If you are walking through the loss of a marriage, know you aren’t the only one picking up the pieces. If you are walking through the death of a dream, know there are thousands of others dreamers out there who are grieving with you. If you are facing a diagnosis you never saw coming, know you and your loved ones aren’t the only ones receiving bad news.

Although your loss or circumstance may feel unique, remember that around the world — possibly even in your own neighborhood — people are courageously walking down a similar path, wondering how the world keeps spinning while their life is changed forever. Find these people.

Find the fellow warriors. Find a community that sees you and understands you at a depth no one else will ever be able to reach. Solidarity is powerful, and it is available to you...

One of my favorite stories of the power of solidarity is that of Ruth and Naomi. If you’ve read the book of Ruth, you might be familiar with this tale of two women: a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law, both unexpected widows, who fought hard to find their way forward after a series of horrific tragedies.

Following the death of her husband and sons, Naomi decided to make the long journey back to her native home. She tried to convince both Ruth and her other daughter-in-law to let her go alone, urging them to stay in their own country with their own belief system. Naomi argued her daughters-in-law were young enough to possibly marry again one day. But Ruth refused to leave Naomi’s side, and in doing so chose to walk away from everything she knew. “Don’t force me to leave you,” Ruth said.

Don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us! — Ruth 1:16–17 msg

Find the fellow warriors.

Ruth’s words are powerful in this heartrending moment of the story. Were it a scene in a movie, I can imagine the score playing in the background, the buildup, the tension, and the emotion of this pivotal exchange. Ruth made a life-altering decision to be with Naomi. Not only that, but because of the strong cultural divides at this time in history, Ruth knew she would be considered an outsider, an outcast, or even an enemy of society if she went with Naomi — but she was willing to go anyway.

Those of us whose culture values and praises independence may see this as an extreme choice. As I read this story I couldn’t help but wonder: Why? Why would Ruth ever choose to sacrifice herself like that? The only answer I could find is love. Because she loved her mother-in-law too much to let her suffer alone. This is the kind of solidarity that takes your breath away. Powerful, moving, rare, unbelievable sacrificial love.

Later on in the story, we see redemption for both Ruth and Naomi. Ruth met and found favor with a kind and generous man named Boaz, who looked out for her, let her glean his fields, and even provided extra food for her to take home to Naomi. As she began to see God’s handwriting a new kind of beautiful story, Naomi said:

God hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good! — Ruth 2:20 msg

Solidarity, faithfulness, love, friendship, and redemption: It’s the formula for a really great story, one we could read over and over again. Not only are we are reminded of the power of solidarity through the story of Ruth and Naomi, but we are also reminded of the goodness of God. Although we might not see our circumstances as good right now, like Ruth, we can choose to stay faithful, to work hard, to love sacrificially, and to fight for a way forward even when the path looks grim. May we all strive to be as good of a friend as Ruth was to Naomi. May we all strive to find the solidarity they found.

Perhaps the key to surviving, thriving, and encountering God’s love in a circumstance we never saw coming is through people — the people who would love nothing more than to be invited into the messy, level-zero rebuilding process with us...

A brand-new widow daunted by an unforeseen future and overwhelmed by grief called me looking for the same reassurance that I had once needed. I can confidently say my answer to her was the same answer I would give to anyone sitting across the table from me today: It will be okay. I don’t know how it will, I don’t know who it will involve, but I know there is always a way through to okay. Maybe even better than okay, perhaps even more beautiful than we imagined okay could ever be. I’m not there yet, but I haven’t lost hope that better than okay is still waiting in the future for me.

Excerpted from Rebuilding Beautiful by Kayla Stoecklein, copyright Kayla Stoecklein.

Heb 13:5

I will never leave you nor forsake you."

ESV

This is all I need, no matter the circumstances of life. As long as I know my God is with me, nothing can take away my hope in Him!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 10, 2023

Notes of Faith January 10, 2023

God's 2-Minute Warning

From all indications, 2023 will be one fascinating year! The va((ine lies are being exposed, but the global march toward a One-World Government continues unabated.

Europe is really a mess, especially where they are cutting back their food production. They are hoping to move people off farms to cities to more easily manage people.

In the Netherlands, considered one of the breadbaskets of Europe, they are shutting down thousands of farms—ostensibly due to climate change.

But there ARE recent positives as a lot of Globalist/Satanist lies are being exposed:

> Elon Musk is showing hard evidence of government working with social media to control everything! Quite illegal! (Of course if the law was actually being adhered to, Hillary and a lot of others would be in jail)

> Florida opened a criminal investigation of Covid va((ine crimes. That will be quite interesting to see play out.

> Roe vs. Wade was struck down as a federal issue and assigned back to the states. Hundreds of defenseless babies are being saved daily.

> And it’s definitely good news that the longtime lie—that the va((ine is “safe and effective”—is now turning to “the va((ines are ‘dangerous and deadly.’”

A recent survey shows over 50% of the population believes that. Surveys and stats from around the world confirm what we’ve known from the beginning.

In fact, a recent poll says more than one in four people know someone who’s died whom they believe died due to va((ine complications. Wow! (2)

But Also Recent Negatives:

In the U.S. we’re continuing to see a lot of “died suddenly“ people. And, not surprising, they were all vaxxed. The jab is the only common denominator.

They can’t keep the lid on the true reasons for all these deaths forever …. But they’ll sure try. The Globalists/Satanists have no conscience. The controlled media still says the vaccines work and advocate getting the poisonous injection. They're still running ads 24/7 trying to get more people to take the poison.

But what they’re not admitting is that the va((ines are working because they are reducing the population of the earth, slowly, so as not to tip people off to what they’re actually doing.

Pictured with lipstick tube in her mouth, Lithuanian TV host Agnė Jagelavičiūtė, 42, was all in-your-face about getting the Covid va((ine, posting this on Facebook that she believed it was scientifically proven to be “safe and effective.”

She recently died due to pneumonia, which is, in essence, blood clots in the lungs. Bummer for her. RIP.

Her attitude toward those who disagreed with her reminds me of the verse about mockers in the last days—

…in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 2Pet. 3:3

Which reminded me of this verse:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Gal. 6:7

Which, in turn, reminded me of this Old Testament verse:

but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy. 2Chr. 36:16

Hmmm….well the Bible also says there is nothing new under the sun! So that may be a foreshadowing of what’s ahead.

That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Eccl. 1:9

It’s just another proof that knowing scripture is better than having thousands of LIKES on Facebook.

And as millions witnessed on Monday night football, defensive back Damar Hamlin had a heart attack and collapsed on the field. Medical personnel got his heart working after about 9 minutes as stunned viewers watched in disbelief.

He’s reportedly doing better in the hospital. But watching his collapse on TV looked just like hundreds of other va((inated athletes all over the world who collapsed. We’ve linked numerous clips about this in the past. If you somehow missed seeing one of those reels, here’s one: CLICK HERE

The controlled media at first tried their best to say Hamlin’s heart attack was due to a hard tackle causing Commotio Cordis, which is the result of blunt force to the chest.

That theory was preposterous and quickly fell apart because Commotio Cordis can only be caused by a direct hit by something small like a baseball or hockey puck, and hitting a very specific spot on your chest.

Dr. Peter McCullough, a heart specialist, said the video clearly shows it was not caused by Commotio Cordis. But the controlled media rolled out everything they could to show it was not the va((ine that caused Hamlin's heart attack.

But the dirty little secret is that since the va((ines were rolled out and demanded to be taken to play sports, 279 US athletes are now confirmed to have died according to an Epoch Health article.

I bet you didn’t hear that on the controlled news!

Below is a chart that we included in our APRIL 2021 eNews when the CDC stealthy warned us about the va((ines being dangerous and may cause heart problems. It’s interesting looking at this list today.

Hey, they have proof they quietly warned us. But all the while they were loudly proclaiming that they were “safe and effective.” See how that works?

The 64 thousand dollar question is, how many more jabbed people will die from these problems they warned us about?

Ed Dowd, a no-nonsense former Wall Street guy is using death data to show there are over 2,500 people dying per day in unexplained excess deaths in the U.S. Another 5,000 per day are disabled. Per day!! All year long.

CLICK HERE to watch Ed Dowd's explanation of 7,500 deaths and disabilities happening per day in the USA.

How long before the cat’s out of the bag that 2 to 3 million people per year are being cut out of the American work force? As this continues it will majorly affect our economy, real estate prices (in blue states) and employment in every sector.

Thankfully, the Bible says when we see these things happen, know that our Rapturous Rescue is getting close.

When Jesus said just before Rapture would be JUST LIKE the days of Noah, we can conclude that the world in Noah’s day was blinded by sin and knew not what was about to come upon them.

The only people who knew what was coming on the earth were Noah and his family. They knew exactly what was happening. Especially when God told them it was time to load the Ark!

“For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth” Gen. 7:4

Let me repeat…God told Noah the flood was coming in seven days so it was time to load the animals! And Noah would have shared this information with his family.

I guess this was similar to the 2-minute warning in a pro football game... to make sure you know time's almost up, it’s almost over.

As I’ve said before, I would have loved to see a replay of that conversation Noah’s family had at dinner that night!! Imagine preparing for over 100 years and then hearing “Get ready, it’s happening in 7 days!”

If I was a son or daughter-in-law I think I would have been high-stepping all week loading the ark! Seven days is certainly enough time to load two of every breathing kind into the ark. Especially since God brought the animals to Noah inside the ark!

So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. Gen. 7:15

On the 8th day, it happened. Eight is God’s number for new beginnings. There were also eight people on the ark.

on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. Gen.7:11

So let’s think about this … for Believers, God shutting the door is our equivalent of the Rapture and Noah and his family represent the Church today. Like Noah’s family was safe and secure when God shut the door, Believers will be whisked away, rescued safely, before the coming tribulation.

But that begs the question—does that mean that “just like” Noah and his family were warned the tribulation would begin in one week that the Church will be warned 7 days before our exhilarating exit? Hey, “just like” means “just like.” Just saying.

I have no idea how the Lord will warn the entire Church we are days away from the Tribulation beginning. But it seems to me that somehow God will convey that to us!

I can promise you when I hear God telling us Believers that we’re 7 spine-tingling days away from the Rapture, I’ll wet my pants!

I don’t THINK that finding Solomon’s gold in Israel is the trigger. But we do have Compass contacts currently excavating for “ancient artifacts” down near the end of that tunnel from Jerusalem to Jericho.(1)

If those Israeli archeologists were to discover Solomon’s gold treasures before the last trump is blown on Rosh Hashanah on September 17, oh boy, time to change the underwear.

And don’t forget, Matthew and Luke tell us we’ll have a working economy with food, water, construction, weddings and engagements right up to the Rapture.

And Revelation 18 tells us we’ll have electricity and parties right up to the Rapture.

The world will be caught with their collective pants down. But not Believers! Especially if we get a 2-minute warning!

CQLJ! (Come quickly Lord Jesus!)

BP

Hope you were able to read all the way to the end. These Christian friends are interesting in their prophetic hopefulness and could be right in their understanding on Scripture. We don’t need anyone other than the Holy Spirit to tell us that we are in the end times and that each day we are coming closer to the return of Jesus and Him fulfilling His own Word to come back for those who believe in Him.

Are you ready?

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 9, 2023

Notes of Faith January 9, 2023

Article by David Mathis

Executive Editor, desiringGod.org

Sadly, a few professing Christians today seem only to see their God as fearsome. Meanwhile, and far more sadly, countless unbelievers seem not to fear their God at all.

This is a tragic reversal in our fallen age: that a few, who could feel safe, do not — while many, who should be frightened, are not. This tragedy will be remedied in the end, but those of us who know ourselves secure in Christ want to help, when we’re able, bring genuine emotional comfort, or appropriate discomfort. Perhaps recovering an often-overlooked attribute of God — that of his majesty — could help us unsettle sinners and freshly settle true saints.

Greatness of His Majesty

Scripture’s first explicit mention of God in his majesty came with what was the world’s greatest deliverance until Calvary. After ten horrible plagues, Egypt’s pharaoh had finally acquiesced and let the Israelites go. But then he changed his mind, made ready his chariot (with hundreds more, Exodus 14:6–7), pursued God’s people into the wilderness, and came upon them with their backs to the sea, and seemingly nowhere to flee. Then, to the astonishment of both Israel and Egypt — and all who would hear the account far and wide, for thousands of years — God parted the sea. The Israelites walked through on dry ground, and when the Egyptians followed, God brought the waters back upon them to their destruction. As Exodus 14 ends,

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (Exodus 14:30–31)

Exodus 15 then breaks into a song of praise to God for his stunning rescue — and here, for the first time in Scripture, God’s people praise him for his majesty:

Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,

your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries . . . .

Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:6–7, 11)

The choice of the word majesty says something profound about the worshipers. Majesty attributes to God not only great size (verses 7, 16) and strength (verses 2, 6) but expresses awe and wonder in the mouths of his people.

God’s foes flee in terror, but his friends declare his majesty.

Through Two Sets of Eyes

Here, on the shores of the sea, a great distinction between “my people” and “not my people” emerges: God is “awesome” in the eyes of his chosen (Exodus 15:11), and awful in the eyes of their foes.

As early as the fifth plague, God had specified to Moses that he would “make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die” (Exodus 9:4). God then reiterated this distinction when forecasting the tenth and final plague: “But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (Exodus 11:7).

So too, Moses himself, in the months to come, would plead this very distinction when interceding for the people, face to face with God on Mount Sinai: “Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:16). This “distinguish[ing] between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean” would be institutionalized for centuries in the old-covenant tabernacle, sacrificial system, and priestly service of the nation (Leviticus 10:10; also Ezekiel 44:23).

Fearsome: For Them, Against Us

In Exodus 14, the Egyptians were the aggressors, hunting down Israel in the wilderness and charging into the sea after God’s people — until “the angel of God,” that is, the pillar of fire and of cloud, pivoted on them to their horror.

The pillar had “moved and went behind” Israel to protect the nation from the onslaught of Egypt (Exodus 14:19–20). But when God’s people had gone into the sea on dry ground, and the Egyptians pursued and went in after them, the pillar then “looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic” (Exodus 14:23–24). Now the tide turns, just before God releases the tides. In terror, the Egyptians turn to flee. But it is too late.

“Divine majesty terrifies those at odds with the one true God.”

Not only does God burn with frightening strength to scare Egypt, but the song of worship in chapter 15 celebrates that news of this event will soon spread to make all Israel’s foes tremble: Philistia, Edom, Moab, and Canaan (Exodus 15:14–16). Divine majesty terrifies those at odds with the one true God. Even as his people praise his majesty, so they mention the terror of those arrayed against him, or pondering flight from him. “Will not his majesty terrify you,” asks Job, “and the dread of him fall upon you?” (Job 13:11, see also 31:23).

So too in the early prophecy of Isaiah. Three times in short space, he tells of those, set against God, who soon will seek to hide “from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty” (Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21). The one who is “majestic in holiness” to his prophet will be threatening, indeed terrifying, to any who have set themselves against them, if they would only open their eyes and see.

Awesome: Against Them, For Us

As imposing and awful as this majesty will appear to his enemies, so it inspires a comforting and reassuring awe in those whom he protects. As Moses declares to Israel, who is on God’s side, seeking his help and protection, God will wield his strength for their good:

There is none like God . . . ,

who rides through the heavens to your help,

through the skies in his majesty. (Deuteronomy 33:26)

Again, his redeemed ask, “Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). For them, the same imposing size and strength that incites horror in their foes is majestic love and comfort. “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed” (Exodus 15:13). For his people, God’s majestic power inspires the awe of worship:

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 148:13–14)

For his own, in his city, “there the Lord in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams . . . . the Lord is our king; he will save us” (Isaiah 33:21–22). The largesse [laar·zhes] of God which throws his foes into a panic means safety and salvation in the mouths of his friends.

More majestic still is Psalm 45:4, which speaks not only to a Davidic king on his wedding day, but also anticipates David’s greater descendant to come, the long-awaited Christ:

In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!

It is the king’s own people — those who know him as their sovereign, and themselves as his people — who see their Anointed ruler as majestic. Majesty is a word of awe in the mouth of his redeemed.

Holy Fear to Holy Awe

What about those few professing saints today who seem only to see their God as fearsome? And what about the many unbelievers who don’t seem to fear God at all?

For both, time will tell. The unbelieving Egyptians didn’t exhibit any fear, until, all of a sudden, in an instant, the pillar of fire pivoted on them. Then they panicked. So will it be one day soon with all who set themselves against the majestic God. Then they will fear.

“Holy fear leads to holy awe.”

But for his saints, who claim the name of Christ, and yet find themselves dogged by seemingly intractable fear, rather than awe, when they think of God almighty, we end with good news. The holy awe of worshiping his majesty is not at odds with a holy fear of his size and strength. In fact, such holy fear leads to holy awe. Exodus 14 ends with holy fear: “Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord . . .” But knowing themselves to be his covenant people, this fear did not lead to panic, but faith: “. . . and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31). So Exodus 15 begins with praise.

When we glimpse the greatness, power, and glory of God’s majesty, we should indeed fear ever turning our back on, and fleeing from, such a God. And that is a holy fear we seek not to banish but follow its leading to faith, which leans into him, receives his stunning provision of safety in Christ, and enjoys his majestic final protection against any and every foe.

Greater is the majesty and glory of God than our minds conceive. We should indeed experience a reverent fear when we look upon the glory of God. And yet, this same God has compassion and love on those created in His image. Though they were disobedient His love constrained Him to provide a way for intimate relationship and communion. God so loved . . . Jesus took the form of a human life, lived a perfect, sinless life, was obedient to His Father even unto death to be a sacrifice for our sin, and rose from the grave the first of many who would believe in Him to be given eternal life. Who is this who does what cannot be done, who heals the sick, lame, blind, deaf and mute? Who is this who speaks to the wind and waves and they obey Him? Who is this that speaks to demons and they also obey? There is fear expressed in all of these events, fear of the Creator sovereign God who is in control of everything all the time, and those who express a reverent fear, knowing that this God loves them, protects them, and has prepared a place for them to be with Him forever. Let’s make sure we have the right fear of God knowing we belong to Him, even part of His family, children of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 8, 2023

Notes of Faith January 8, 2023

Power of Your Words

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. — Proverbs 18:21

Do you take time to really think about the words you say? Are there times when you say things you don’t mean about yourself, your family, or your friends? Have you ever been in an argument and said something you wished you could take back? What about when mean words are directed at you? Do they hurt your feelings? And what about good words? How do you feel when someone says something nice to you or when you say some- thing nice to someone else?

Before I got married, I was given so much advice. Some of the advice was really good, and some of it I’m still trying to figure out. However, there was one piece of advice that has been a blessing to me, my wife, and my kids: make sure you wash your wife with words. In other words, shower her with positive words—speaking well of her, telling her how beautiful and talented and smart she is, reminding her what a great wife she is and what an amazing mom she is.

Our words have power. You can speak words to people and they may not believe them right away, but over time, if they hear the words enough, it can impact how they see themselves and change who they are. For instance, my wife is gorgeous. She is talented and gifted in teaching the Bible, and she is also a great wife and mother. She’s always been beautiful and talented, but she would tell you she feels more beautiful now than she did in the past because of how I’ve washed her with my words. I don’t do it in an insincere manner. I just make sure I am telling her consistently how wonderful she is.

Parents, if you tell your kids they are strong, obedient, intelligent, and all-around good kids, you will help shape who they are. And if you say three simple words, it will have a profound impact on their self-confidence, stability, and courage, and it will give them the ability to show love to others in the future. These three words are, “I love you.”

Our words have power.

Some kids go through life never once hearing their parents say “I love you.” I never knew that was true until one day I was meet- ing with a high school guy in my youth group. As he was leaving, I told him, “I’m proud of you. I love you, bro.” It stopped him in his tracks, and he turned around and teared up, saying, “No one has ever said they love me.” I gave him his fist bump and said, “It’s all love here, bro.” We parted, and I was stunned by his words. I didn’t realize that was a real thing. We can change that narrative.

The tongue holds the power of life and death. And just as speaking well about another person encourages them, the opposite is also true. Speaking badly about your parents, spouse, friends, kids, brothers and sisters, friends, coworkers, or even yourself can be very damaging. If you gossip, lie, speak unkindly about some- one, call others bad names, or use your words as weapons, you are actually speaking death over others or yourself. That’s why it’s so important to think before you speak. If you don’t, you may end up saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person, who will be hurt because of your wrong words.

Words hold weight, which is why we need to watch what we say. Our words should revitalize others and build them up. We all know how it feels when people say mean things about us. Don’t be the person who hurts other people’s feelings. You have a choice to either build others up or tear them down with your words. In order to make the right choice, we need the power of the Holy Spirit.

God wants us to be careful with our words and to carefully think about what we are saying and how it will affect someone else before we open our mouths to speak.

Do you like to speak well of others, or do you find yourself talking negatively about other people? How do our words reflect what is in our hearts? How can we do better at being a family that speaks well of one another and of others.

Dear God,

Our words have so much power! Help us use them to build others up rather than tear others down. Please help us to speak well of others and to be a family that encourages others and speaks words of positivity. Amen.

Make a list of declarations that your family will speak over each other daily.

Some suggestions: You are smart. You are kind. You are talented. You are beautiful. You are honest. You are a good friend. You are a hard worker. Before bed or at breakfast or any time you are all together, speak these words over one another. You can even take it outside your family and start speaking these declarations to kids at school, coworkers, neighbors, friends, and anyone else you spend time with.

As a family, memorize this verse that gives encouragement to recognize the power of words:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. — Ephesians 4:29

Excerpted from Building a Family of Faith by Andy Dooley, copyright Andy L. Dooley.

I don’t remember hearing “I love you” from my father, although I know he loved me by the things he did. And saying “I love you” can be flippant and insincere if we do not have actions that follow the words. If you use those words with anyone, make sure that you follow them up with appropriate action to give your words value. Memories of my father are all good because of his actions. Be a blessing to others and show that you love them in all that you say and do. Follow the lead of Jesus and His love!

Pastor Dale