I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

I was talking to my youngest daughter today about feelings, more specifically about being afraid of making people mad, getting in trouble, etc.  She had some very wise words for a young woman.  She said, "I used to be like that, I wanted to make everyone happy, and do everything right.  I could never even take up for myself.  I started thinking about end times and how Christians will be killed for being Christians and (I) DECIDED that I needed to get a backbone.  I didn't want to be 'afraid' to be who I am and have to go to the fiery pits because I was 'afraid' to stand up for myself and the God that loves me."
There was more to our conversation and who knows, the rest of it might end up being another blog lol.  What my mind has been on this evening is we need to DECIDE, we need to CHOOSE how we want to be.  She took action in her life to make sure she did not deny God.
We all need to take action in our lives.  We need to be prayed up and battle ready because we DO NOT know what we will have to face.  I see a lot of going back and forth Pre-trib, Mid-trib, Post-trib.  I'm not going to argue that in this blog post.  What I am going to say is no matter when Jesus comes back, NO ONE said we would not have trials.  NO ONE promised that bad things wouldn't happen to us just because we are Christian.  What God did promise is that HE would be with us.
Look at Daniel, look at Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, Jesus, Peter, Paul, etc. etc. etc.  They were following God, they were true believers and yet they suffered.  I hear a lot of people say, we are going to be raptured out and not feel the wrath of God.  What about the wrath of satan?  and who says we won't be in a battle?  We are in one everyday, that's why we have to put on our armor every single day.
The Bible says in Ephesians 6:10-13,  ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
We are in the battle of our lives, for our souls.  We are fighting the powers already of this dark world.
There may come a day when you have to stand up for God, will you be able to?  Think of the shootings that have been going on.  We are precious children of God, however, look at Job in Job 1:1, 1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.  He was also a precious child of God and in the end God restored everything to Job, because He stood.  When the day of evil came upon him, he stood his ground and when he had done all he could, he just stood.  BUT, he went through a battle, one most of us would not be able to withstand.
We have to decide today for each daily battle that we are going through.  The Bible says, "choose this day who you will serve" in the book of Joshua.  Don't wait around until a fiery trial comes upon you.  Decide today.  So if you end up in the lion's den, or walking in the fiery furnace, looking down a gun barrel with someone saying deny Jesus or die you can stand knowing that He died for you and He will be there to bring you home. Things are wrapping up, I've never seen or heard of so many prophecies coming to pass as there are in our life time but it doesn't mean it's over.  It's the beginning of birth pains.  (I'll let you look that up :-)
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
God bless you and love to all. 

Seasons Come and Seasons Go

Many people my age (let's just say older than dirt lol) will remember a time when the changing of seasons was predictable and easy to distinguish without looking at a calendar or being told. The beginning of fall, the leaves would start changing colors, the green of the grass would start gradually fading into brown, the weeds would finally start dying and most usually (here in Oklahoma anyway) it would get dry. As fall progressed the temperatures would drop and the weather would start getting colder. Next, winter would start setting in, predictions of snow flurries, snow storms, sleet and ice would be given and sometimes it happened, sometimes not, but it still stayed cold, you could still tell it was winter. Then winter would start easing out, the temperatures would increase a little, the wind usually would pick up some. Old timers had a couple of sayings that you don't hear much anymore: 1) If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb (meaning if the winds were high and blew a lot at the beginning of March, it would calm down and be pretty at the end of March and into April, and 2) April showers bring May flowers. You could count on the weather doing what it was supposed to do when it was supposed to do it with few exceptions. Who of us oldsters don't remember the "dog days of summer"? When summer came in the temperatures were tolerable until mid-late July usually through early August when they would climb up into the 90's rarely above 100. Then as August began going out and September, Labor Day rolled in the temperatures would start getting tolerable again. Warm days and cool nights but still not to cool.
In this day and time, it's hard to know when seasons come and when they go. As they say, the times they are a changing. It can be 23 degrees one day in November and 80 the next. It can stay warm enough for a week or two so that the buds on the trees are fooled into popping out and then without warning freeze and kill them. It's getting to the point that you can't tell what season it is and neither can the flowers, trees and grass!

Many people are watching what's going on in the world today and those that know even a little about the Bible believe they see the signs of the end drawing near and they would be correct. However, its not just now coming about. It's been coming for a while. God made sure the prophets wrote about it in the Bible and laced it with plenty of warnings so people would have plenty of time. The way the seasons run together is just one of those signs.
Everywhere you look and everything you see and read right now says, "change is coming", heralding the appointing of the new President. Those of us that have read "the Book" know that change has already been coming. Seasons are changing, things are changing. This world as we know it is changing but the change is towards the 2nd heralding, the 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1-17 :
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. 14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. 16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

So for those who think change is coming, look again, change has been coming. This time Jesus is coming back to stay.

Seasons come and seasons go and things do change, but the Word of God never changes. Be ready.