“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Deuteronomy 6:4 (NKJV)

The following is a portion from Chapter 4 of Exit Strategy “The storm of the Lord ….”

 

“We are waiting for Jesus but God is coming first!”

Does our patriotism overshadow our Christianity? It often does because it (and Christianity) originally had some semblance of righteousness. God will not take a back seat to patriotism when the nation has chosen to forsake Him. The majority voted for a party that wants God to be relegated to the imaginary, the inconsequential or wants all gods to be equal. With no God, they have no sense of consequences. Oh my, we are seeing the consequences, the very dismantling of the system that made it possible for them to choose. Faint not, God knows.

“It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue.” John Adams

(Source: John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, 1854), Vol. IX, p. 401, to Zabdiel Adams on June 21, 1776.)

Dare we ask ourselves, in being offended, could both (political) sides be deceived and not just “them?” Is it possible Satan hates BOTH sides (ya think?) and has deceived all of us into ungodly reactions through this turmoil we are seeing? You bet’cha!

Man we have been duped for destruction! The topic or offense does not excuse our angry reaction. It is the biblical hope of our enemy! God’s word is the enemy’s only weapon! If he can get us to violate it, God will be forced to do what He must do. His Word will judge us!

The choice is ours as to the Word of God judging us or not. I would have said, “We know the Word,” but the crux of this book is that we do not understand His words exactly. We honestly thought we did but He is now revealing the proof that we must make a course change. The blessing is that we can be blessed if we will change our thinking, our course. Our destination is still the same.

Once reconciled to God, we are accountable to God. If we do not do as Jesus commands us to do, we are not His friends! He lovingly died for His friends. If I do not do as He commanded, if I did not learn to love as He taught, then I am not His friend, I am an adversary of the kingdom of peace and grace, of God and His eternal will. If this is me then Jesus may as well have not died for me! (John 15:13-14 NAS) He tried to include me but I rejected my responsibility of obedience to His Lordship, His commandments.

As we shudder at the horrendous acts of people that think we have no God, do we wonder where God is? In opposition to His commands, has our hatred or anger been hindering the Lord’s return? I believe it is very likely that it has. Because of God’s mercy and grace, His patience that none should perish in their anger and hatred, in their unresolved family conflicts, He waits. Maybe now we know where He is!

It is God’s grace that He has waited this long! Oh yes. God knows that Satan knows; un-forgiveness can and will rob us of eternal life. Why don’t we know this? Because we have been taught otherwise? Some of us have. Are we “eternally secure” once we make a confession? Is that a relationship? No it is not. God never looked for a confession. He looks for convictions! He looks for commitment based on understanding that, by the power that lies within, sweeps aside worldly and religious understanding for the “saving knowledge” of Jesus Christ; knowing Him yes but much more His intention that, knowing and acting upon what He knew and taught will then save us eventually. What is our will? That will always be the question.

Is there no test to pass, no proof of Christ within us? Even Paul’s instruction, “If you confess,” “if you believe in your heart.” (Romans 10:9-10) is a test! There is no salvation without our involvement, because we are the self-willed subjects of God’s salvation effort.

We must recognize our need for a Savior. We must ask and then make Him Lord by obeying His Ways. Our ways are not His ways. Our ways take us careening off course toward a deadly destination over a horizon we are headed for helter-skelter in our self-righteousness. Like a car racing, air-born over the top of a hill, our brakes are of no use at that point.

His ways and only His Ways, qualify us for eternal life. What are those Ways?

Because, there is a Way, I must follow it. Because there is Truth, I must seek it and know it. Because there is a Life I can gain, I must gain it. (John 14:6 (NASB77)

On talk radio yesterday I heard a moderate Muslim say, “It is ok to deny our faith if our life is being threatened.”

It is our faith that says, “…whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.”

Jesus also said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  Matthew 16:25 (NASB)  [Context: What we believe matters! Which life are we seeking? ]

Paul writing cryptically, about capture and duress, to the believers in Rome says, “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”  Romans 10:9-11 (NASB)

Choose ye this day, which life do you want the most.

Now join the church around the world and prepare yourselves. This preparation will start a revival like none other.

If you are on Facebook, please consider sharing this post. Do not share if you are concerned about feedback.  In boldness and concern, step out of the boat. Jesus is out there in that storm!

Please … forward this post or others. Souls are in jeopardy.

“If we remain in His grip, how far from His heart can we be!”

In the guardianship of Christ,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

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