Our spiritual health.....

July 28, 2020

How is your spiritual health?

"Spiritual health is very similar to physical health -- it requires attention and effort." Intentional Faith by Alan Jackson

What are you doing to keep yourself or your family healthy spiritually?  We must intentionally keep in God's Word, in fellowship with other believers, following the Holy Spirit and more!

I hope to do a miniseries on this subject. 

The first is TODAY! 

What are you intentionally doing today to grow closer with Jesus in your daily life?

I have always taught our girls that what you listen to and fill your heart and head with is important.
One of our daughters said today that her husband had noticed the boys were singing country songs as they went about their day.  So what had they been listening to?  Yep, country music!  Her husband said, "We'd better get them back on track listening to Christian music and memorizing the Word!"

We get off track so easily. We must be INTENTIONAL in what we do and how we spend our time. 

So today:  make an effort to LISTEN to God's Word and good music.  We have so much at hand today that we didn't before.  In many ways the digital age is good and bad.  Choose to use it for your good.  Tune in to only Christian radio.  We live in a rural area and can't do that so I have Sirus radio where I can listen to good music and Godly sermons.  I know you can do the same with Alexa or Echo.  These may cost us some money but the outcomes will be worth it. 

Do whatever it takes to fill your hearts and minds with God's Word!  Be strong and spiritually healthy!!

Have a good day!

A lesson from pictures.....

July 24, 2020

Summer gets busy...haven't been able to blog for a bit.  Took these pictures a month ago when I went out to help Gail and Austin with the intent to post here.  Just getting around to it.  It has been really dry.  Our grass did not green up this spring.  

 

Pretty ugly if you look down!!!!

SO... look around and look for some good.  Keep your faith and trust in God.  Remember there is a bigger picture and God has a wonderful plan for us.  

Philippians 4:8

8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

May His peace be with you today and always!! Millie

The Tribulation - a peaceful then violent time to live....

End Times #4 – Tribulation

This is part 4 in the End Times series.  Today we will talk about the Tribulation.

This is a 7 years period of time.  (There is much written about this in Daniel that I have not gone into.)  This time is also called “the day of the Lord” which refers to a time of God’s judgment against both Israel and the unbelieving world.  Joel 1:15 says, “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.” Zephaniah 1:14-15 also talks about this time.  Then Paul talks about it in I Thessalonians 4-5 that this time period will come as a thief in the night while some are saying peace and safety, then destruction will come.  He told us this so we would know what to expect and not to be in the dark about what was to happen.  Remember Christians need not fear this time as they will be taken to be with Christ in the rapture.  

1.        The beginning…..the first 3 ½ years

-          A crisis will probably happen in Middle East that will bring the Antichrist to power

-          The antichrist:

o   Will come to power after Christians are removed from the earth. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-9

o   Most likely will be a Gentile – Rev. 13:1

o   Will rule over a revived Roman empire

o   Will oppose the people of God and try to change the laws of God without opposition from the people

-          The false prophet

o   Will be a man, empowered by Satan

o   A religious leader who will head up a world church that is a mix of many different religions that denies the basic beliefs of Christianity – this church is called a ‘harlot’

o   During the first 3 ½ years will use his influence to promote the Antichrist

o   Then during the last 3 ½ years will destroy the church and direct worship toward himself.  Rev. 17:16

o   He will focus on industry  and commerce and require the mark of the beast on everyone to participate in financial transactions

-there will be 144,000 Jewish missionaries that will convert many Jews and Gentiles to Christianity

o   They cannot be destroyed by the antichrist . Rev. 7:3-4

o   They are Jews from each of the twelve tribes who have come to Christianity after the rapture.  Rev. 7:9,14

-          These first 3 ½ years will be a time of peace. I Thess. 5:3

2.        The midpoint of the tribulation

-          The antichrist will break his peace treaty with Israel and begin persecuting the Jews and Christians.  Daniel 7,9,11

-          The persecution will be horrible and if not cut short no life would be left

-          God’s judgments from Revelation take place – the seal judgments, trumpet judgments, and bowl judgments

God’s love is perfect and He is holy.  That demands he judge sin.  He does that during the tribulation period.  He also gives a last chance for people to come to His salvation.  This choice for salvation comes with a great cost of persecution to the believers during the tribulation.  Ezekiel 33:11 pleads with the wicked to turn from their evil ways.  Why not make the decision to turn from wickedness now and to follow Christ before this terrible tribulation time comes?

Info about the rapture/end times

End Times #3 – Church Age, Rapture

This is the third of a series on the End Times that I have written.  I want to talk a little more in detail about the things that will happen in the End Times.

CHURCH  AGE

The church age is basically a period of time from Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit came upon believers in the early church) until the Rapture.  After the Jews rejected Jesus, God temporarily halted his dealings with the Jews and opened up salvation for Gentiles.  Romans 11:1,25 says that there is a ‘partial hardening for Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”  We are NOW in the Church Age.  

RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

The Church Age ends with the Rapture of the Church.  Rapture comes from a Greek word harpazo that means ‘to snatch away’- the believers are snatched away when Christ comes in the clouds. I Thessalonians 4:16-18 tells us the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout and the trumpet and the dead in Christ will rise first.  That means that the bodies of those who have died as believers during the church age previous to this event  will be joined with Christ.  Their spirits have been with Christ since their death but now their bodies will be united with their spirits and they will join Christ.  Then those Christians who are alive at the time of the rapture will be suddenly caught up together with the dead to meet the Lord in the clouds.  For these believers there will be no death.  Their entire being –body, soul, and spirit – will suddenly be removed from the earth.  I Corinthians 15:51-54 tells us our bodies will experience a radical transformation from mortal bodies into immortal bodies. They will be similar to the body of Jesus after His resurrection.  Our new bodies will be similar to our present bodies but radically superior to them. We don’t see the word rapture in the Bible but we do see the Latin word rapturo  and the Greek word harpazo that means rapture.

Dr. Jeffress in his book Perfect Ending gives 4 reasons he feels the rapture will occur for believers before the tribulation.

1.        Purpose of the tribulation is the redemption of Israel (for the Jews to come to Christ) and for the condemnation of unbelievers.  If this is true then the believers need not go through the tribulation and the judgment.

2.       There is a lack of reference to the Church in Revelation 6-18.  The Church is clearly visible in Revelation 1-5 and again in the return of Jesus in Revelation 19 but the church is not mentioned in the middle of Revelation during the tribulation.

3.       Revelation 3:10 says the church will be kept from the hour of testing.

4.       God promises the believers will be spared from His condemnation.  Romans 8:1tells us there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.  Jesus has taken the pain and judgment for our sins.  We do not need to go through the judgment of the tribulation.

Titus 2:13 says  “to be looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”  Many feel everything has happened that needs to for the rapture to occur and it could come at any time.  Are you ready?  Have you accepted Christ as your Savior so you will be ready to join Him when he returns with the trumpet call in the clouds? If not…admit you are a sinner, accept Christ as your Savior, turn your life over to Him and be ready for the ride of your life!

Hint for the day....

June 15, 2020

Just a very quick, easy to read blog today...

DO SOMETHING TODAY AT HOME THAT WILL 'SHOW' OR FEEL GOOD....not the usual.

If you can do one thing everyday that is out of the usual you will feel as if you accomplished something.

For example:  clean out a kitchen or bedroom drawer, wash a window and the curtains/blinds, clean off your desk, do the laundry all in one day, clean up some piles of stuff that accumulate so easily, straighten a room up that has gotten cluttered.

Last week I was home and babysitting Luci (such fun!) and I cleaned the windows, curtains, and blinds in my bedroom and bathroom.  I felt so excited to get it done.  Didn't take long either!

Look around.....clean up....have fun....feel good!

Overview of the End Times

This is a continuation of a little series about the End Times and what to expect.  Yesterday I wrote a brief essay about why it is good to know what is to come.  Today I want to give you a time line of what we think will happen in the end times.

1.        Church Age- started at the time of Christ’s birth

a.       Romans 11:25 – a time of hardening of the hearts of the Jews so the Gentile could become believers

2.       Rapture – when Christ comes in the clouds to get the believers so they will not have to go through the tribulation

a.        I Thessalonians 4:16-18 Christ will come in the clouds to take the dead in Christ first (those who have believed but died), then those who are alive will be taken up to meet the Lord in the air and be with the Lord.

3.        Tribulation – a period of 7 years that begins with peace and turns violently evil and difficult

a.       Joel 1:15 - ‘The Day of the Lord’ – a time of God’s judgment against Israel and the unbelieving world

4.       Second Coming of Christ – the visible return of Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth

a.       Revelation 19:11,1Thessalonians 4:16 – Jesus will visibly be seen and believers and unbelievers alike will witness Christ’s turn to the earth

5.        The Millennium -1,000 years period where Christ will reign on earth

a.        Revelation 20:1-3 – Satan bound for 1,000 years and

b.       Isaiah 11:4,6,9 -  A time of peace where the wolf will dwell with the Lamb

6.       Great White Throne Judgment – a judgment time for unbelievers and believers

Revelation 20:12-15 -the Book of Life contains the name of the believers, those whose names are not written in the book will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

7.       Eternity Future – a new heaven and earth

a.       2 Peter 3:7,10 present earth destroyed

b.       Revelation 21:1-4 new heaven and earth where believers will dwell with God

Just to say… there are different views of the end times.  I am comfortable with what I have learned about this prophecy and have read from several great teachers.  I will explain in more detail in the days to come why I believe this time line to be correct.

If you’d like to read more I suggest the book Perfect Ending by Robert Jeffress, who is pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas

End Time Prophesy #1

June 12, 2020

My husband, Gail, has recently been preaching a sermon series for our church, Valley Cowboy Church, about the End Time's Prophecy.  It has been very interesting and encouraging to study this. I want to give you a quick 'recap' of what we have learned.  This may take several blogs to get it all down.

WHY SHOULD WE STUDY END TIMES PROPHECY?
1.  It is a major theme in the Bible.  The Old Testament contains more than 1,800 references to Christ's return.  One out of every 30 verses in the New Testament refers to the Lord's return and it is taught in 23 of the 27 NT books.

2.  Understanding prophecy helps us understand and apply the Bible accurately. For example, if we know a scripture is prophesy we can understand it has a certain place for the end times.  I was reading through Matthew lately. I came to the verse about the pregnant mother running to the hills (Matt. 24: 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ) I used to worry about that verse and what it meant.  Now I know it is about what is to come during the tribulation times. If we understand this, we have a peace in our hearts as we read.

3. An understanding of Bible prophecy motivates us toward godly living.  We know the end times will come in God's timing and we want to be found living holy lives.


Watch for more information about this in the days to come. 


P.S.  Earlier this week I put out a blog about hurrying up and getting on with what you are to be doing. One of my daughters said she about over did and it was harmful to her health!!! LOL!! Remember everything is to be in moderation:) Have a good day!