|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Seeing things as God sees them in troubled times.
Last modified Sept. 2, 2020 |
|
|
| |
Click here for the main page |
| |
"Words" and Thoughts |
| |
Some stuff that came to me on this topic in 2016 and which are just as true today. |
|
1 - Eyes |
|
|
Our interpretation of and response to upcoming events in America hinges primarily on which set of “eyes” we are viewing them through, i.e. those which see things from an earthly/ American perspective or those which see them through the eyes of the Person, purposes, plan, and power of God. (Article “ Two Kingdoms”) |
|
|
Mt. 6:22-23, “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (nasb) |
|
2 - The Body of Christ |
|
|
We must be prepared to function as the Church, the Body of Christ, in the midst of any kind of chaos, disruption of services, government overreach, persecution, etc., and we must be able to do that without the institutional church as we now know it. |
|
|
We must experience the life of the Kingdom of God and be given to His purposes in a way that enables us to survive, and even to thrive in making Him known to people in need, including those presently inside of and outside of the Body of Christ. |
| |
|
The Church, the Body of Christ, is first of all relational, not institutional. We are in relationship with God the Father, through Jesus His Son, and we are in relationship with fellow believers. These relationships are spiritual in nature and they are essential. |
|
3 - Troubles/Refinement |
|
|
Troubles will provide the setting for our refinement, but if we don’t feel the need for refinement we will miss that opportunity. Some will then crash emotionally under the weight of the stress; reject God because He didn't protect them; betray their brothers/sisters in an attempt to protect life as they have known it; and/or yield to deceptions that propose to protect them. |
|
|
My hope is that we will search our hearts and that in the end we will have turned to more directly face our Lord Jesus and will have more fully surrendered to His rule as Lord of our life. That will benefit us greatly regardless of what the future holds for us in America. |
|
4 - Post-Election '12 Awakening |
|
|
On Election Day 2012 Elaine and I were in a cabin out in the woods in Virginia. (Yes, we had voted.) We went to bed knowing that our guy would win, but when we got up the next morning we learned otherwise. I was dumbfounded and downhearted and immediately felt myself starting to slide into depression. It's not something I do very often, but this was BIG. This was devastating for the country I loved and considered my home. |
|
|
And then came a gentle but clear voice to this effect. "Americans have spoken. The die has been cast. For you it is no longer about America, it is about who I am and what I am doing on the earth and how you can be part of that. All is well and you are secure if you will walk with me in the days that lie ahead." |
| |
|
THAT - - is a rock to stand on, and I do! |
|
5 - The True American Patriot |
|
|
The despair that our current political and social chaos offers can serve God's purposes by drawing our eyes and hearts toward Him. The measure of our insecurity and fear indicates the measure to which our personal identity and sense of well-being is connected to things "American" instead of to our unchanging God. Intercessory prayer for the Church and our nation is the American Christian's most patriotic duty, without which all else is ultimately ineffective. We may vote, we must pray. |
|
6 - The Past and the Path Matter Too |
|
|
The future of America is predicated not only on where we’re at now. It is impacted by where we’ve come from and how we got here from there. |
|
7 - Seekers Whom God Rejects |
|
|
Those who think that if we pray God will certainly free America from the consequences of our rebellion against Him, should read Ezekiel 14:1-11 and 20:1-9. What does 20:9 mean for today’s “America,” a nation who has posted the 10-commandmants in our courthouses and other public places; who puts “In God we Trust” on our money; and who is known around the world as a “Christian Nation?” |
| |
|
Not copyrighted - use as you wish. |
| |
|
Ken Stoltzfus, P.O. Box 228, Kidron, OH 44636 |
|
|
