Month: June 2020

Trepidation vs. Inspiration

It’s been difficult to write lately.  There is never a lack in God’s Kingdom, therefore it must be me.  I realize today that I lack enthusiasm, hope, and love for my neighbors.  The Holy Fire of God’s Spirit simmers, but not fiery-hot like it should be in my heart.

Forgive me LORD, as I am a weak creature not worthy of Your love or hope; yet I ask to be rekindled once again for service to the Lamb, Jesus Christ.  Although I kneel for no man, I willingly bend both my knees before Almighty God and King Jesus.

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It’s amazing how God works to raise us up from a place of depression, fear, and lack of hope to a realization that we see things from a very limited perspective.  Out of the blue today as we walked together, Mother reminded me that my lack of inspiration is totally my problem – not God’s.  After all, He gave me His WORD.  That is more than sufficient to keep me focused on Him instead of the worries of this life.  Remind me, LORD:

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written:

                “For Your sake we are killed all day long;

                We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

                37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  ~ Romans 8: 35-39 NKJV

Throughout this Covid-19 pandemic and social unrest, I witness people who are experiencing great anxiety.  Many endure depression and/or panic attacks as they attempt to adapt to illness, loss of loved ones to the virus, social distancing, job losses, and (for many) feeling the loss of church attendance through mandated restrictions.  I recently attended two family graveside services unrelated to coronavirus, but very difficult to observe social distancing in the midst of devastating loss.  Yet, the LORD is ever so faithful to comfort.  Both funeral services were perhaps the most beautiful of any I have ever attended.

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The LORD has also blessed me with unexpected but welcome opportunities to meet new people and share the Gospel with them.  That’s Pretty amazing, since I live in a rural setting and am not out and about much in the community.  Two friends approached me to visit my church this week!  HALLELUJAH!  God still works His plan for each of us; no matter what is happening on the earth.  Amen?

Praise Jehovah God for His Covenants with us, His children!  Thank You, LORD, for promising us that we do not walk alone if we believe in Your Son, Jesus.  You are still answering prayers, healing the sick, freeing the captives from sin, and bringing peace and comfort to those who cry out to You.

I am reminded again of Romans 8: 31:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Thank you for following Importantstuff.Live – whether in trepidation or inspiration!

God Bless You All.

Kingdom Divided

Honestly, current events convince me more than ever that we are living in the end times.  I am stunned at how far the enemy has come to overtaking our nation in such a short time.

Or has it truly been short?

Looking back over the past several decades, let’s look at a time when there was all-out lawless chaos in our country.  After the Vietnam War we lost three great leaders to assassination (President Kennedy, presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King).  Rioters looted and burned down major parts of Los Angeles and other cities in the name of social injustice.  History repeats.

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Jerry Falwell then formed the Moral Majority in 1979.  It was headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia (my ancestral roots).  I appreciate the success of the Moral Majority to rally Christians behind support of morality in our nation a lot more now than I did in the 1980s.  I was Oh-SO young then and easily swept into protesting the ESTABLISHMENT.  Of course hindsight is 20/20, but it looks now as if dissolving this morality movement after the Reagan presidency was a mistake.  The thinking of the time was that once Christians were shown the social/political impact they could have in molding the nation for good; they would hold the course in support of moral decency in our society.  Sadly, that has not been the case.

Without going into details of just how far our morals have sunk in America, who would argue that he or she feels safer now than forty years ago?  Division has deadly consequences; for Jesus said,

“How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”   ~ Mark 3:23b-25

He was explaining to the multitude how if the pendulum of evil swings away from God (our Strong Man) too far, then thieves can plunder His house; because the Strong Man (Our God) has been bound (taking away Our Defender) who fights our battles against evil for us.

“No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.”  ~Mark 3: 27

“What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”  ~ Romans 8:31

God’s Word is true.  Therefore, the opposite is also true.

I pray that Americans repent and turn back to God, so that He will heal our land.  Otherwise, Satan reigns free when we give him the okay to break into our house.

This is important stuff, and I welcome your views in the comments.  In the meantime, I continue to pray for our land specifically to repent, turn to God, and stand up for His goodness in love and unity as a nation.  He never lies.  He says in His Word that He will heal our land if we listen to Him and obey Him.

God bless and thank you for following Importantstuff.Live!

 

Photo credit: Canstock Photo Inc / devon