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

Notes of Faith January 7, 2023

Notes of Faith January 7, 2023

Article by Marshall Segal

Staff writer, desiringGod.org

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Some of us fall out of Bible reading because we fail to make time for it. Busyness crowds out the minutes we might otherwise give to sitting and hearing from God. There’s always something that didn’t get done yesterday or something relatively urgent that’s come up today. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it, just how many things in our little worlds seem to trump listening to the one who made them all?

For others, it’s not busyness that gets the best of us, but a subtle cynicism about reading the Bible. How am I ever going to understand this? It’s hard to keep getting up extra early and setting aside precious minutes when you’re not convinced you’ll be able to make sense of what you see, when you might finish and strangely feel further from God, when you’re chasing a full heart morning after morning and yet often walk away just scratching your head.

If you’ve felt that way before, you’re not alone. In fact, even the men who wrote the Bible know something of what you feel. The apostle Peter says of the letters Paul wrote, “There are some things in them that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). Think about that: Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote books in the Bible, and yet even he struggled to read Romans or Thessalonians (or whatever particular letter he had in mind). If he could write on behalf of God and have a hard time understanding Scripture, we shouldn’t be surprised if we do too.

And I, for one, definitely do. I’ve battled to get through the census records in Numbers. I’ve labored through the kidneys, livers, and “entrails” of the Levitical laws. I’ve grown weary of the repetitive failures of Israel in 1–2 Kings. I’ve sometimes struggled to see what Hebrews sees in the Old Testament. Much of the imagery of Revelation is still a mystery to me. And so, I regularly find these clear and accessible words from Paul all the more meaningful and encouraging:

Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

(2 Timothy 2:7)

Understanding Is Possible

This is an amazing acknowledgment from Paul to Timothy. He says, in essence, “I know some of what I am writing won’t make sense to you immediately, and you’ll be tempted to think you cannot understand it — but you can. So, don’t give up too easily. Don’t assume this is above you. Assume that God can make his words clear to you.”

Those apart from Christ cannot understand the things of God. They flip through the Bible’s majesty and wisdom in vain. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). But not you. If you’re in Christ, you can see things that they can’t. You can understand things that they can’t. Where they see foolishness and irrelevance, you see unspeakable beauty, a radiant window into reality. Not because you’re smarter or more educated or merely a better reader, but because you’re not a natural person anymore; you’re a supernatural you, with a supernatural mind and heart and eyes.

“Because you’re someone new, you can understand more of the Bible than you might think.”

Or as Paul says elsewhere of natural people, “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (Ephesians 4:18). But not you. You’re not alienated from God anymore. Through the cross, he’s brought you near, and in bringing you near, he’s softened your heart and unlocked your mind. The God who flooded all creation with light “has shone in [your] heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). That’s who you are when you open the Bible.

And because you’re someone new, you can understand more of the Bible than you might think.

In Everything

Not only can you understand more than you think, but the apostle goes even further: “ . . . the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” If God lives in you, nothing in the Bible is above you — not the genealogies of Numbers, or the sacrificial laws of Leviticus, or the prophetic visions of Ezekiel, or the apocalyptic imagery of Revelation. With God, all are within your reach.

Lest we think Paul’s talking only about the verses immediately before this one, he comes back to the same reality in the very next chapter: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). As much of the Bible that has been breathed out by God — all of it! — that much is now profitable for you. Even on the most obscure, most confusing pages, God means to teach you, to exhort you, to correct you, to train you, to equip you — he means to speak to you.

“Even on the most obscure, most confusing pages, God means to teach you.”

Before any of that can happen, however, we first have to understand what God is saying — which is exactly where God promises to help us: “The Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

Varied Means of Understanding

None of this means we just sit alone with our Bibles until we understand everything. No, God gives the gift of understanding in a hundred different ways. Remember, most Christians in the history of the world didn’t own a Bible (much less carry it with them everywhere in their pockets). They depended on the regular reading and reciting of Scripture in community. From the first church to today, believers have depended on faithful teachers to rehearse, explain, and model the words of God for them.

And God has multiplied pathways to understanding in our day — first and foremost through our local churches, but then through messages, articles, books, study Bibles, online courses, commentaries, podcasts, and more. So understanding may come in any number of ways. The point here, however, is that you really can understand what’s in this book — everything that’s in this book, Paul says.

Now, to say that we can understand everything in the Bible is not to suggest that we will understand everything immediately and fully. We won’t — and certainly not the first (or second or even tenth) time through. God can give us understanding in every passage without giving us understanding of every part of a passage. He also often chooses to give understanding, not immediately, but over years or even decades. As we keep reading (and living), familiar verses will emerge with new or deeper meaning and relevance. Some questions will be answered slowly. So don’t expect to understand everything now, but expect to understand something now — and then more tomorrow.

Ask God

Up until now, we’ve seen only that we can understand more than we may assume. You should be asking how. What makes this kind of supernatural reading possible? How do the lights come on?

Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

On our own, we can’t understand the Bible. If God leaves us alone with this book, it wouldn’t be worth getting up early, pouring more hours in, and pressing through difficult verses and chapters. We would search and ask and wrestle in vain. But if it’s God who makes things clear, then he can overcome our limitations and blind spots. You can understand the Bible because God will give you understanding. When you read, he’s not just over your shoulder; he’s inside of you — in your eyes, your mind, your heart — showing you what you’d never see on your own.

The one who reveals himself in the Bible wants to make himself clear. He’s not content to have divinely inspired words on the page; he wants them written on our hearts. He wants to see understanding, and satisfaction, and transformation — and so he won’t leave you alone with your Bible. This may be why Paul ends the letter the way he does: “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you” (2 Timothy 4:22). We need the present, spiritual help of God in all we do all the time, and especially in understanding his word.

Think Hard

This understanding, however, doesn’t float down from the clouds and land softly on our heads. No, God gives the gift of understanding through the hard work of reading well. This verse demands almost as much as it promises: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” This won’t come easily, Timothy. Yes, God is the one who gives understanding, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to work for it.

Isn’t it strange that some of us hear that God sovereignly gives understanding, and we assume that means we need to do less? Satan teaches this kind of calculus all year round (and not just in Bible reading).

No, 2 Timothy 2:7 is far more like God’s words to Joshua before Israel entered the promised land:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. . . . Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:8–9)

“I will be with you” didn’t mean “You won’t have to fight.” Along with his promise of help and protection, God gave Joshua a charge: “Be strong and courageous.” Fight all the harder because you know I’ll fight with you and for you.

So, when you open your Bible, be strong and courageous. God will be with you wherever you read. Don’t be discouraged or intimidated. Think harder and longer because you know the Lord loves to give you understanding.

This last paragraph is an interesting use of God’s promise to Joshua in battle with his enemies. But then again, is not sin the enemy of the believer and follower of Jesus? Another issue is that we must be in the battle. We need to be reading, studying, meditating on the word of God regularly, my prayer for all would be that this is every day. No, we may not understand all things the first time we come across them, but God has never failed in His promises.

Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

(2 Timothy 2:7)

Our coming to faith and salvation through Jesus Christ did not mean that we immediately understood everything of God. His ways are higher than our ways! It takes a lifetime of faith and following and seeking and pursuing God and for us to depend on His grace to give us understanding, growing us toward maturity in Christ.

Please keep reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God and trust in His promise to give you understanding and clarity as you live for Him!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 6, 2023

Notes of Faith January 6, 2023

The World of the End

When we consider topics like endurance or perseverance or steadfastness, it’s easy to think of them in the abstract or to project them into the future. When I face opposition out in the future, I’ll make sure to endure rather than falter. Or, When I’m old and at the end of my life, I’ll be sure to remember the importance of finishing strong.

That’s not how it works. The determination to follow Christ regardless of the cost isn’t something that just flashes into our souls at the moment of crisis. It starts now and takes a lifetime to develop. It’s a day-by-day process.

This is a choice you and I need to make now, at this moment.

There are some practical ways to get started and to sustain our progress, regardless of what’s happening to the World of the End.

Determine to Run Your Race

First comes a God-given, incontestable, undeniable determination to live for Christ whatever the cost. Jesus said,

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. — Luke 9:23

Sometime the Lord grabs our ankles, turns us upside down, this way and that way, until we come to our senses and decide to follow Jesus. Still, we have to say, “No turning back.” We have to say, “Though no one join me, still I will follow.”

Make up your mind that nothing will deter you from God’s will, that no one will draw you from His path, that no foe will defeat you, and that no sin will stop you.

The world behind you, the cross before you!

I mentioned earlier that followers of Christ must be prepared to endure trials of various kinds as we seek to finish that race. Jesus Himself promised we would face tribulation.

But here is a principle and a promise that can help us keep striving: those trials and tribulations can actually become fuel for our endurance. No matter what the world throws our way, we can recycle those experiences in such a way that, through the power of God, our pain is transformed into power.

The world behind you, the cross before you!

Don’t believe me? Let’s see what Scripture says:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4 ESV).

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3–5 ESV).

Yes, trials and suffering can make it more difficult for us to run the spiritual course set before us — but they don’t have to. With God behind us and beside us, suffering becomes steadfastness. Pain becomes perseverance. And trials are transformed into a blessed hope that can carry us even toward perfection and completion, where we lack no good thing.

So, how will you handle the bumps and bruises you receive in your efforts to follow Christ? Will you allow them to slow you down, or will you use them as fuel for your faithfulness? According to Scripture, the choice is yours.

Determine to React with Radiance

Speaking of choice, it’s important that we address our own actions and attitudes when we encounter difficult circumstances. In many ways, how we conduct ourselves throughout our spiritual walk is just as important as how we finish the race.

What do I mean by that? Well, I’ve known some lemon-faced Christians in my day who were high on endurance but low on love. They were determined to persevere in the midst of persecution, but they made sure everyone around them knew how miserable they were in the process — and they made life miserable for many others who happened to encounter them in the middle of their race.

Such an attitude is not befitting for servants of the King. As Christians, we are called not only to run with endurance and finish the race but to do so in a way that encourages others to follow us. We have been commanded not only to be disciples of Jesus but to make disciples. And for that to happen, we need to reflect the love and grace and goodness of the One we follow.

My point is this: when we are confronted by all the ugliness Jesus predicted for the World of the End, we can respond by radiating the love of Christ.

We can live, as Paul commanded, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Remember Peter’s commission to the earliest believers, which also applies to us:

What credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. (1 Peter 2:20–23)

Developing perseverance as a believer in Jesus does not have to be a bitter experience. Yes, each of us will need to endure unpleasant seasons — and this will be especially true as we move closer to the World of the End. But we can use those seasons as opportunities to radiate the love and light of Christ.

Excerpted from The World of the End by Dr. David Jeremiah, copyright Dr. David Jeremiah.

John 16:33

33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

NASU

In Christ, we overcome the world and the tribulation it brings. Let us focus our lives more and more on becoming like Jesus living out of this world, citizens of heaven, being perfected for the glory of God. May you truly know and experience the peace of God today and every day for the rest of your life!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 5, 2023

Notes of Faith January 5, 2023

Caregiving: To the Community of Faith

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, You are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to You.

— Psalm 139:7-12

No one can endure a significant loss alone. Still, many people try to, often out of necessity because no one is there for them.

I write this new, final chapter during a global pandemic.

Caregivers are going to be busy for a very long time. There is trauma now; grief will come later, like a tidal wave. You are a member of the community of faith and a caregiver, which means you are going to be busy for a very long time too. You want to be there for suffering people. The number of those people is skyrocketing.

Then again, the community of faith has always been there for suffering people because that is simply what the people of God do.

As you know, caregiving is hard and demanding work. But it is also good and meaningful work.

In this case, hard and good are not opposites, any more than are winter and sunlight. Crises of all kinds invite and challenge us to comfort the needy and to serve the common good of society.

Suffering provides the community of faith with an opportunity to live as genuine followers of Jesus who take care of friend and foe alike.

Jesus responded to the needs of people, no matter who the people were or how unworthy they were.

I have been on both sides of the equation. For a long time, I was a recipient of caregiving, and now I am a caregiver. I have learned a great deal over the years. Caregivers contribute in a myriad of ways. Some excel at quiet listening, others at serving, still others at organizing. In the end, it is not the expression of care that matters so much as the consistency and longevity.

Those who suffer loss need help that goes beyond a card, a meal, a kind word, and a visit, though these contributions are meaningful. They are just not enough.

I was lost after the accident, like a man swimming in open water with no land in sight. I had my own grief to address, which was bad enough. But I had the grief of my children to worry about too, which was even worse. After the initial shock wore off and the adrenaline receded, I began to drown from exhaustion, despair, and utter terror. I was sinking, my arms flailing about and my lungs gasping for air. I thought I would never return to the land of the living or see the light of day again. I could see nothing on the horizon but more water.

Some people — in truth, it was just a few — committed to me for the duration, however long it took and whatever it required.

This small group of people became my caregiving team.

My good friends Ron and Julie Pyle, as well as Monica and Andrea, stepped in to provide child care. Diane and Jack, my sister and brother-in-law, called me almost every day. Sister Florence invited me to her prayer center for an occasional visit, and she often sat with me in silence, a sentinel keeping watch.

Rachel, now a good friend, served as my therapist. A small group of men encircled me. Now, thirty years later, we still meet together. To this day my wife, Patricia, comforts me when I mourn. I could not have survived without these friends, my caregivers.

They said very little. Their presence mattered more to me than their words. They became a refuge for me, a warm and safe home during a long and brutal winter. Being with me, not doing anything for me, met my greatest need. They never tried to solve my problems, which were mostly unsolvable anyway.

They never offered answers, which I had to come to on my own.

They never put me on a timetable, which would have met their needs, not mine. They were simply present, the only visible object I could see on the horizon. That was their gift to me.

People feel uncomfortable around someone who has suffered a catastrophic and irreversible loss. It feels awkward. It is awkward. They hardly know how to respond or what to say. Some ignore loss, as if nothing ever happened. Others try their best to make it all better.

Christians are as guilty of this as anyone, if not more so. They want to make everything better. There is a reason for their discomfort and insensitivity, and it is born out of the best of intentions. Christians believe they know the truth. They assume that speaking the truth will somehow diminish the pain. But truth is no more effective in eliminating pain than a doctor’s word of explanation mitigates the pain of a surgical procedure.

Mere words lack power, even when they communicate truth.

Caregivers believe

Sometimes it is best to be quiet. Job’s three friends rendered him the greatest service when they sat with him in silence (See Job 2:13). Once they opened their mouths, they did more harm than good.

Besides, I did not begin by asking questions, to say nothing of searching for answers. I was simply too confused and immobilized by pure pain to ask even the most basic questions. I sat in that pain for a long time.

I felt utterly bewildered, as if I were staring at words on a page — simple English words that I had known since I was a child — that made no sense to me. The world became a puzzle. I could not understand why the accident occurred. The sheer irrationality of it turned the entire world upside down.

Loss is not a rational experience. There is no way to explain it.

Countless people have said to me, “Just tell me how to think about this,” as if a rational answer would provide a way out. But people who have suffered major loss cannot reason their way out, work their way out, or feel their way out. They can do nothing to escape it. Before they find a way out, they first must find a way in. Once in, they discover that the way out is very different from what they had imagined.

As I made my way in, I did find a way out. But it was not sequential — in, then out — but simultaneous — in and out. I became like a window. Standing outside myself, I looked in.

Standing inside myself, I looked out. I learned how to observe my grief, as if I were a scientist studying myself. I was aware of being studied, even as I did the studying. I was both reflective and emotional at the same time.

I learned over time that the two big dangers in facing loss are to indulge the loss, as if it is death itself, and, conversely, to dismiss the loss and “move on,” as if no death occurred at all.

But I think it is possible to learn from the loss and experience the full force of it at the same time, engaging both head and heart. Standing outside the self, we ask, What is happening to me right now? Standing inside the self, we ponder, What is happening in me?

As I tried to walk this tightrope, a new world opened up before me. Of pain, to be sure. But so much more. Of memory. Of horror. Of confusion. Of darkness. Of beauty. Of transcendence. Of light.

And of God.

But what kind of a God? Not a God of goodness but of terror and mystery, or so it seemed at the time. Where was God during that horrible experience? Was God present? How could God be present? These questions were not speculative and abstract, little more than intellectual curiosities that a search on Google can answer. They were life-and- death questions to me.

How would I be able to survive, especially if there is no God?

What would happen to me if I had to live in this pain forever? If there was no recovery and redemption? If the darkness swallowed me up?

At just this point I discovered why belief plays a central role.

What suffering people choose to believe about reality does matter, not because it has magical power to answer every question and deliver them from suffering, but because it can provide a deeper kind of power and perspective that will help them understand it, grow into it, and carry it.

Every human being believes something, but not all believe the same thing. By belief, therefore, I am referring to Christian belief: God created a good world; human rebellion damaged it; God has acted in history to make all things right; God eventually came as a person, Jesus Christ, to win the world’s redemption. In the end all will be made right, well, and whole again.

It is this belief — Christian belief — that saved my life.

But it was actually not my belief that mattered, at least not initially. It was their belief, the belief of my community: family, friends, pastor, therapist, and the like.

Their faith carried me when I could muster none myself. My community of friends stood beside me, held me, and believed for me.

The stakes were high; they always are. People suffering loss may struggle, wallow, rage, weep, and whimper for months, even years. But eventually they come to a moment of decision. What they choose to believe in that liminal moment will make an ultimate difference in their lives, one way or the other. It may call forth life in them, like Jesus commanding Lazarus to wake up from death. Or it may push them deeper into darkness until they are lost forever, like Judas giving up on God and on his very life.

At this point, caregivers stare into an abyss of mystery. They feel utterly powerless and inadequate, as they should. They wonder if their grieving friends will ever find life and faith again. They have no idea what to do and how to help. It is all too much.

Which is why their belief plays such an important role. It has unspeakable power; it exercises incredible influence. Because it enables them, members of the community of faith, to remain steady, available, and present.

Caregiving almost requires belief in the existence of God — a good God who cares about people, even when He seems absent and cruel; a patient God who stays with people, even when they slip into a terrible lethargy and depression; a redemptive God who calls people into a new and better story, even when they keep returning to the old one; a powerful God who can turn death into life, even as death continues to reign.

A God we see and know in the face of Jesus Christ.

Caregivers believe for suffering people when those people find it impossible to believe for themselves. They are like parents sitting with a child suffering from nightmares. To that child the nightmares are real, more real than reality. Parents know morning is coming, though the child refuses to believe it. But they believe it for him or her. They hold that child tightly until morning arrives.

You hold loved ones tightly until morning arrives. It is what the community of faith simply does.

I thank God for people like you. In the months and years ahead, the world is going to need more of you to stop the bleeding, comfort the grieving, mend the broken, and get people back on their feet.

Excerpted with permission from A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser, copyright Gerald L. Sittser.

Indeed the pandemic has caused a great deal of suffering and the need for caregiving. We as Christians need to come along side those in our flock and friends and neighbors and co-workers that are in need. Sit in silence. Give help where needed and asked for. Be a blessing by giving care, whatever is needed. Caregiving is hard work, so be prepared if you begin to serve in this way. There will be much learning that will take place, spiritual and practical. Be prepared, but go and do, for the glory of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 4, 2023

Notes of Faith January 4, 2023

Those Who Sow in Tears Shall Reap with Shouts of Joy!

A Bottle of Your Tears

When I opened the gift from my friend, I wasn’t quite sure what it was. The small glass bottle was a beautiful cobalt blue, about two inches tall, covered in sliver filigree.

I thought it might be a perfume bottle, albeit a very small one, but her note explained that it was actually a tear bottle she’d found in an antique store in Israel. I did a little research and discovered that tear bottles were common in Rome and Egypt around the time of Christ. Mourners would collect their tears as they walked toward the graveyard to bury their loved one, a tangible indication of how much that person was loved. Sometimes women were even paid to follow the mourners and cry into such a vessel.

Apparently the more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be. But legend has it those mourners-for-hire who cried the loudest and produced the most tears received the greatest compensation.

I treasure this little blue bottle because it reminds me of a profound spiritual truth David wrote about in Psalm 56, when he was at one of the lowest points of his life. David had been captured by his enemies in Gath (he had actually feigned insanity to survive), but he found comfort in the fact that

God saw everything he was going through and caught every single tear he shed.

I love David’s confidence in the mercy and faithfulness of God even when he himself had not been faithful to the Holy One. David knew without a doubt that Almighty God never misses a moment, a tear, or a sigh from any of His children. Do you rest in that truth, or do you question that God loves you that much?

Do you ever feel alone? Have you ever thought, “No one on this earth understands the depth of my suffering”?

If you’ve taken a wrong turn in the road, are you expecting God to hold back His mercy until you get back on the straight and narrow? That’s not the God David knew; that’s not the God of the Bible.

We have a Father who keeps track of all our wanderings and catches every single tear we cry. When we begin to grasp the depth of that truth, we can say with confidence just as David did,

This I know: God is on my side! — Psalm 56:9

Your heavenly Father knows your every struggle and never leaves your side.

We have a Father who catches every single tear we cry.

Five Minutes in the Word

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? — Psalm 56:8 ESV

The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. — Psalm 34:17-18

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. — Psalm 147:3

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! — Psalm 126:5 ESV

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. — Matthew 5:4 ESV

Excerpted from 5 Minutes With Jesus by Sheila Walsh, copyright Sheila Walsh.

God is omnipotent. He knows everything about us…

Ps 139:1-4

O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O Lord.

NIV

He knows our joy and tears and keeps records of all of them. His love for us is amazing, far beyond our ability to understand. Let His love, knowledge, and concern for you give you confidence and peace that you are not alone in your thoughts, pain and tears. God will bring you through such a time to the glorious splendor of His grace and glory.

Pastor Dale