Turtle Doves

 

 

How do we prepare ourselves for this present onslaught against Christianity, its moral values and liberties? 

Righteousness exhalteth a nation, that is what we DO know—but do we also know what UNRIGHTEOUSNESS does?  Exactly what we see happening--- unless we have retreated into our turtle shell as a Christian believer; one who cannot walk, cannot see, and ends up turned over.  And like that turtle, even if we are able to turn over, we then find ourselves doing a perilous, slow crawl across a highway full of speeding traffic.

 

Like most of you on this precious 5 Doves website, I am convinced of the situation and the soon return of our Lord and the “rapture”, as are most of you. For many years, the ‘church’ has been lulled asleep, enjoying the comfort zone of entertainment and prosperity.  It felt good to be living in this Charismatic day, with meg-opporunity to be on top of the world religious-wise. We strutted our stuff, played the harlot, as the Laodicean church is described. But to remain some small-town log church, preferring to spend its income to further the Gospel worldwide to the unreached rather than building impressive temples of marble, earned us a reputation as “not with it” or looked down upon as “old-fashioned”.  But this old “missionary lady” could not be more proud of its pastors and saints of God who are the “stubborn-few” clinging to the old rugged Cross.  I cannot thank and praised my Lord enough for honoring me to be placed among you.

 

 

At my advanced age, I cannot physically do things I used to do.  I try, but have difficulty even keeping my yard ‘up to snuff’ like I would want.  At 81, I know I have but a limited time on this earth---but so do we all.  Our times are in His hands, not ours.  We must use every moment to ensure our spiritual man is listening to and walking in the pathway He has before us, redeeming that time. He will never leave us, nor forsake us, but we ourselves must continually battle the spirit of the world which would lure us away from it.  Neither spend our days consumed with thoughts of retirement plans and vacations.

 

As I spend these precious hours I have praying at home and listening to the Spirit, I see that the curtain is being drawn, as the evil spirit that has captured this generation worldwide fufills its destiny.  Millions of Christians are being slaughtered, along with Jews and innocent children, as Islamic terrorism spreads its tentacles and  most Americans continue to shrug their shoulders and enjoy their pizzas.  And as I see it, there will never be a replacing of what has fallen aside—the will to do so is simply not there.  The mad rush to enjoy the good life while we can dominates most thinking and motivates what most of us do or don’t do.

 

What will Americans do when our infastructure goes down, our economy collapses, when our tvs and cell phones no long work, gas pumps and fuel tanks dry up; groceries lock their doors, and transportation is non-existent.  That is exactly what will soon happen in this country. 

 

There are also some who live in constant fear of these things, and are enslaved by fear. Suspicious of this and that, alarmed and withdrawn, draining away the peace which Jesus gives us when we walk in His faith.  There is no safe haven, exept in the knowledge and trust we can have in Him, and as we go through the dark days ahead, we must constantly remind them and ourselves, of this fact.  It is our only hope.

 

I DO know this---the Holy Spirit was imparted to His church so that we could glean, as a body, what the Spirit is saying; through dreams and revelations.  Too long has the church failed to use these gifts, not wanting to be “too Pentecostal”.  How tragic this is!  We have even mocked and ridiculed one another when one might speak openly or share, in hopes some other one present might be able to interpret.  The Spirit  desperately wants full control, but is limited by what we refuse to allow.  The “least among us” cowers in fear of rejection and prejudice.  So the Holy Ghost cannot move freely and bless us as it wants.  Thankfully, God has His men and women coming forth with insights and revelations that have been hidden for thousands of years—reserved for these last, perilous days.

 

If we are to survive as the remnant awaiting His return, we will never make it through the ‘lean days” ahead, nor be able to fight and win this battle with guns and ammo, stored-up rice and beans--- but only through a faith and trust in our Living God.

 

It was Joseph, able to interpret Pharoah’s dreams, who could lead Egypt to know what God was about to do for His people. Without the famine, Israel would not have come to a safe haven and prospered.  Then, without their enslavement, Israel would not have wanted freedom to have crossed the Red Sea with Moses. 

 

Without a Joshua and Caleb, Israel would never have occupied their promised land.

 

We must stand, even when it appears others will not stand with us.  We have the Lord to comfort and guide us, to deliver us from all evil, to make a way of escape, to be a hedge about us, and as a church body, we have each other. 

 

We must remember that Saul was blinded and alone when the Spirit led Ananias to cast aside his fears and go lay hands upon him, with encouraging words from the Lord.  I

 

It was Philip who was led by the Spirit to Gaza and the Ethopian eunuch. 

 

It was a praying Peter to whom the Spirit led to a praying Cornelius.

 

Today, can we listen to what the Spirit is saying, though our dreams and visions? and even through the words of others?  We must!  For if we refuse, then we have shut ourselves into a dark prison cell, hoping to escape the mob outside, praying the jailer will remember to bring us food and water as we slowly waste away.

 

If he himself, is still around.

 

 

 

 

MARY E ADAMS