Dear John and Doves,A word of encouragement.........."Satan Has Desired To Sift You As Wheat." Luke 22:31?
“Satan wanted to get his hands on the disciples and drive them to fear and utter despair over what was coming up - the betrayal and crucifixion of their Lord.
But in the next verse Jesus says, "But I have prayed for you (singular) that your faith may not fail."
Our heads are not in the sand that we don’t see and feel the daily evil pressing in upon us from all sides.
The Devil is up to no good in all his daily antics. But we were warned in the Bible that perilous days would come. That means “ragingly insane” times!
God’s solution is that we abide in the Faith of Christ!. We MUST depend on
His guidance and leadership in this hour and KNOW that He is our DEFENSE!.
Those that Know their Lord depend on Him when the going gets tuff!
It’s gonna get allot worse, folks. You know that as well as I do.
We, The Body of Christ, live in the hour of GREATEST EXPECTATION!!!
The Rapture appears to be very near, but I Thess says that “that those that are alive and remain” shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The Rapture!
Just think about it, those that are still alive (after some “event” wipes out a whole bunch of folks), and remain, (those supernaturally protected by the Holy Spirit to participate in this GREAT CATCHING UP! ……….( my thoughts inserted )….
God always deals with “Remnants”! Those that are ALIVE and REMAIN!
No, I don’t believe that every believer will make the Rapture, they will have to suffer death because in these last days they “neglected so great salvation”! They fiddled away their opportunities to “Be ye Holy, as I am Holy”! They loved life with the WORLD!
We’re not talking about our salvation experience, we’re ‘talking about our walk with the Lord AFTER we were saved! This is called the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our Soul, that dying to self, to bring us into that place of the Mature man in Christ.
How many opportunities did we take advantage of to be an overcome while in this life?.
How much of the Fruit of the Spirit was Christ allowed to work out in our lives:
Love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, patience, kindness, self-control…….
The children of Israel had to cross over the Jordan and take possession of that which was
Promised to them! That is a “type” of the life we are to live after we are saved! Pursuing Godliness! Overcomers! The overcomers inherit ALL the promises of God!
I believe that the Rapture will be a special reward , a transfiguration, for those that “apprehended that for which they were already apprehended of the Lord!
God has provided each one of us Opportunities to Grow in Christ in this life! I don’t expect to see ANY Carnal believer in that caught up crowd!
Paul said in 2 Tim 4:10
For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica
! I believe Demas is one of many Christians represented here that will not receive a full reward at the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ BECAUSE they loved this present world!
Remember, The Rapture will reveal God’s Glory in Christ shinning forth within us! HIS Character that has been worked out in our lives will be what GLOWS from our New man!
NOTHING of our Flesh, the desires of our SELF, will make it!
SO, what’s important? The things of this world that is soon to be burned up?
Or seeking the Lord with all our heart and living in Faith, depending on Him for EVERYTHING and not being ashamed to be known as one of HIS!
To Believe means
1. To Trust in
2. To rely on
3. To adhere to ALL THAT CHRIST IS!!!
If Christ is our life, then we are co-operating with the Holy Spirit letting Christ live His
Life thru us. If we love ANYTHING more than Christ we are NOT WORTHY of Him!
"How can we differentiate the love, humility, and patience that are out of ourselves from that which is the spreading of Christ? How can we differentiate the “brass” from the “gold”? The best way to differentiate these two categories of things is by our inner sense. However, in order to sense these things, we must have a proper spiritual “nose.” If we are spiritually healthy, we will have a healthy spiritual nose. Many times we will sense that someone has love, but this love is not so sweet. This love has no sense of Christ. There is not the sweet odor of Christ in that love. Rather, this love is full of the self. Again someone may have humility toward a brother, but this humility has no sense, no sweetness, no sweet odor of Christ. We can sense the odor of Christ or the odor of pride in humility. We cannot define it, but we can sense it. We all have to learn to do this. Then Christ will grow within us.
Here we can see how much we need to deny the self, how much we need the work of the cross. The work of the cross is not only to deal with the evil things but also to deal with the good things. It is to deal with our behavior. Strictly speaking, we should not have mere behavior. What we should have is simply life, Christ spreading Himself from within." (Anonymous)
Satan wants us to take our eyes OFF the Prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus to “worry”
About what we don’t have any power over here on this earth! God's solution........
Whatsoever things are true, honest, just,
Whatsoever things are pure, love, and of good report,
If there be any virtue, if there be any PRAISE,
Think on these things...................Philippians 4:8
Our times are in God’s Hand!
These days of Satan's Sifting are Revealing the pure in heart that will be Caught Up to meet the Lord in the air!
Shalom,
George E.