The last three weeks have been unforgettable. Someone very close to my family had to have a below the calf leg amputation to save their life. The doctor explained that in less than 2 days, they would have surely been dead due to the rate at which the flesh-eating bacteria was spreading. Sepsis had set in unless GOD had shown mercy, this may have very well been a post about their death.
But GOD showed mercy and made it possible for them to receive care from a specialist within the field (who was the only specialist within a 4-5 state radius), and though they lost a limb, they will live. I am grateful.
Interesting enough, this same person had visited my son and I just two weeks prior and visited our church. I asked if they were saved, and jokingly they responded that they were saved on Sundays, but don't let Jesus come Monday-Saturday. I shook my head not knowing what would happen just just two weeks.
Then, this past Sunday my pastor, Dr. Rod Parsley gave a sermon that certainly ranks at the very top I have ever heard in my lifetime. If you are interested in watching it, you can catch it on Youtube.
It was a prophetic demonstration like the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel would display when they begged the Israelites to turn back to Yahweh before the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions. For years, the LORD sent his prophets to warn the people about coming judgment if there was no end to the blatant idolatry and dishonor of the temple of Yahweh.
No one would listen. In fact, Yahweh had already prepared them for the hardness of the people's hearts and instructed them to preach and prophesy regardless of the people's reactions. They were prepared in advance for the fact that no one would hear or take heed.
Dr. Parsley is undoubtedly one of the last of his kind who will preach on sin, repentance, and walking out our salvation with fear and trembling so we are prepared to meet the GOD of all creation. Just as in the days of the prophets Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, the number of false prophets far outnumber the number of those who hear and speak what the LORD is actually saying.
So many prophesied wealth and prosperity on the eve of 2020. It appears that we are living in the time that Amos said there would be a famine of hearing the Word of the LORD. Sadly, the church has been distracted with political, social, and frankly secular agendas that the preparation of the souls of GOD's people has been tossed aside and lamented as being "too negative."
It would seem that the pandemic and global season of mourning we are all enduring would wake people up, but sadly many of us are still believing the soothing words of false prophets who are deceived and leading people astray.
A day will come when every person who has passed through this Earth will breathe for the last time. Someone will share the news that we have passed on and despite the mourning of friends and family, or the shock of others, eventually life will return to normal for those remaining.
But for the person who has passed on, eternity will begin immediately. Some will argue and say that eternity does not exist. GOD does not exist. Heaven and hell are just constructs of the mind. Once we die, we have ceased to be and that is that!
But what if you are wrong? What if when you breathe your last breath, you are ushered before the presence of a holy GOD who judges you based on your time on Earth?
What if instead of resting in peace, you find yourself trying to put together an explanation for rejecting GOD, living without morals and appeasing only your flesh with utter abandon of your spirit?
What if your mind races to recall family and friends who reject GOD as you did and you desire more than anything to return back to your body so you can warn them? I am not trying to scare anyone, but we need to take these things into account.
Someone designed the living body your spirit resides in. Someone created the cosmos and placed the stars and planets in their orbits. Someone sent their only begotten son to redeem you. Someone created the beauty in nature to cause us to reflect. Where did the laws of gravity come from? How is the Earth rotating and flying through a seemingly chaotic cosmos?
For something as permanent as death, we should all soberly take note of how we are living. It will surely come, no matter how young we look, healthy we feel, or financially prepared we are. In that moment when life ends and eternity begins, it is doubtful that anyone thinks of the money they have left in the bank or the amount of instagram followers they gained in the previous month.
The LORD went through quite a bit to make a path back to Himself after our father Adam fell. Knowing that we are only dust and we are prone to make bad decisions, He sent His son Jesus Christ to endure the punishment we deserve for our rebellion, and reconcile us back to Himself. This is because GOD is holy and utterly perfect, and dwells in unapproachable light. The Earth is literally his footstool.
Yahweh never intended for mankind to be separated from Himself. We were created to have fellowship with Him and enjoy a life of meaningful work, family, peace and love. Adam and Eve had all of this at their fingertips in Eden until they believed a lie.
The moment Eve gave more weight to what a created thing said than the Word of GOD, her path to destruction was carved out. We don't know how long Adam and Eve were in the garden before the fall, but we do know that the countdown to their expulsion from Eden began when she began questioning what God said.
We face the same decision today. Will we listen to the LORD or will we heed a wayward generation and godless voice that only seeks to keep us separate from the lover of our souls?
The good news is that a way has been made back to Yahweh for all those who will believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Those who accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as fact and not fiction have the hope of living this life free from the despair and anxiety of not knowing what will happen after they die.
We can also be free from all snares the world offers to entrap the souls of men. Countless people have been set free from hopeless addictions, meaningless lifestyles, mental health struggles that seek to drive people insane or to commit suicide, sicknesses, despair and a life of rebellion.
The LORD is not a respecter of persons and does not look for good people. He only wants those who acknowledge that we are not inherently good within ourselves, but desire to be free from a lawless lifestyle this world enslaves so many in.
Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, so make the decision today.
Jesus loves you and He will not leave you. He is not asking you to get yourself together or take any steps to cleaning up your act. Come as you are to Him and He will empower you to things you never thought possible.
He heals the sick.
He comforts the hopeless.
He provides for those who lack.
He gets alcoholics sober.
He gets addicts clean.
He heals broken hearts and shattered dreams.
He freely gives His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.
He makes all things new.
He opens doors no man can close.
He closes doors no man can open.
He hears our silent prayers when we are too hurt to say them.
He answers prayers.
He is merciful.
The list goes on and on. There is literally nothing too hard, too dirty, or too bad for Him to help.
Call on His name, before eternity calls yours.
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