“Concerning the Times and Seasons”

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 
 
 

• Featured Article: “Concerning the Times and Seasons” 
• We Are On The Verge Of Seeing Widespread Institutional Breakdowns Throughout Our Society On A Massive Scale 
• A School Horror Story That Didn't Fit the Politically Correct Narrative 
• Christian Growth Is Essential 
• Daily Devotion: Keep A Tender Heart 

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“Concerning the Times and Seasons” – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2021/10/9/concerning-the-times-and-seasons
 
As I think about the times in which we live, Jesus’ descriptions of Satan often come to mind. Below are a couple quotes from the Gospel of John about our archenemy:
 
“He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
 
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:19)
 
I believe we can learn a lot about his nature while remaining true to the context of these verses. He deceives, destroys, and murders. That’s who he is.
 
Keeping these traits in mind, let’s examine how Paul describes the man whom Satan will indwell during the fast approaching Tribulation period (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3):
 
The “man of lawlessness” – The antichrist will not only exhibit great wickedness, but he will also display much contempt for all goodness as well as everything taught in God’s Word. He will be the only standard by which he acts.
 
The “son of destruction” – Destruction and death will characterize the coming antichrist. Some translations use the word “perdition” rather than “destruction,” which also fits his personality. He will bring to utter ruin and death all that he touches during his short time in power.
 
“Why,” you might ask, “am I stating the obvious about this coming evil one?” I do so because I believe the character of Satan, combined with Paul’s description of the coming antichrist, help us understand the “times and seasons” in which we now live.
 
In other words, should we not expect to see these traits in the world around us during the ramp up to the time when the devil’s kingdom becomes manifest on the earth through this coming “son of perdition?”
 
LAWLESSNESS
 
I am often more surprised by the rampant lawlessness of our world than I should be. Is this not what I should expect to see before the unveiling of the “man of lawlessness?”
 
If he arrived at a time when most people adhered to biblical standards of civility and morality, he would not receive the type of welcome that will, in the future, propel him to superhuman status in the eyes of the world, at least for a little while.
 
Scripture pictures a world in chaos during the Tribulation due to widespread violence, wickedness, and a total disdain for anything and everything taught in the Bible. The lawlessness that we see multiplying by the week is preparing many to go along with the future rule of the antichrist.
 
I know he will later deceive and seize power by force, but a great number of people are already cooperating with his evil agenda in advance of his unveiling. The lawlessness we already see will become even worse after the Rapture when the Restrainer is removed.
 
However, there’s even more that points to the antichrist!s soon arrival on the world scene.
 
UNCONSTRAINED DECEPTION
 
When I think of the fake news that permeates all we hear or read about, and see the lies that so many people today believe, Jesus’ description of Satan comes to mind. The Lord described him as “a liar and the father of lies.” Do we not see this attribute of our adversary everywhere we look?
 
The devil represents the total absence of truth.
 
If we are living in the last days, and we are, then should we not expect mass deception to characterize this time as the lead up to the seven-year Tribulation when deceit will rule the day?
 
This has been the devil’s mode of operation since the Garden of Eden. Why should we not expect to see an great expansion of this as the world marches toward the time when Satan’s man comes to power?
 
If the antichrist appeared at a time when the majority of humanity readily identified falsehood and reacted against it, I think he might have a rather difficult time gaining the needed traction to ascend to power. But now with so much of the world blind to reality, common sense, and all the truths revealed in Scripture, this seems to be the perfect environment for the great deceiver to unveil his man to the nations.
 
It’s only a matter of time until we depart and he makes himself known.
 
THE ACCEPTANCE OF MURDER
 
If anything stands out from Jesus’ description of Satan, it’s that he kills; he murders people. It stands to reason, therefore, that the one whom he will embody in the future will do the same. And that is exactly what the book of Revelation tells us.
 
It should also not surprise us, though more time than not it shocks me, to discover that a culture of death overshadows the day in which we live. Could this be just a way that the Lord is allowing the prepping of humanity for the arrival of the “son of perdition?” I think so.
 
In a recent post, I showed the many ways that our society has become accustomed to this culture of death, although most people remain unaware of the evil intent of so many in power. It’s not just the advocacy of the murder of the innocents by governments worldwide, especially in America, though it’s certainly that.
 
It’s also the mandating of deadly vaccines and boosters that not only kill, but do not stop the transmission of COVID-19 nor do they prevent people from becoming seriously ill or dying from the virus.
 
As of October 1, 2021, the CDC VAERs reported 16,310 deaths due to the COVID-19 vaccines along with 20,789 people permanently disabled and 75,605 hospitalizations after the jab. Past research shows that at most, this system captures ten percent of the adverse effects of vaccines. So, it’s likely that in just the U.S., there have been well over 160,000 deaths due to these injections and yet the U.S. President insists on mandating these deadly jabs for everyone.
 
Peter Koenig, geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), compared the atrocities of the Nazis during WWII to the current mandating of the deadly COVID-19 shots with these words (his emphasis):
 
“Today, the Situation is much Worse. In fact, there is No Comparison.
 
All 193 UN member countries are involved. They are subscribed to the same evil agenda. They are under the same diabolical blackmail spell, even the entire UN system doesn’t dare to oppose its tyrannical system. The UN and members of the UN family, in particular WHO, they actually help drive the agenda forward.
 
The people around the world have to be made aware of what’s behind this sinister plan – this outright killing spree.”[i]
 
Pastor Brandon Holthaus wrote this in describing his most prophecy update on October 7, 2021:
 
The markers of a future genocide are shaping up. We [see] the initial signs right now across the world that will culminate in the Tribulation. Today we look at those markers that are stair stepping the world to genocide of believers in the Tribulation.[ii]
 
Although it’s disconcerting, to say the least; what we see today represents the lead up to the unveiling of the antichrist, the one who will embody the deception, lawlessness, violence, and genocide already present in our world.
 
HOPE VERSUS PANIC
 
Both of the men that I quoted in the previous section see the culture of death currently overshadowing our world. However, there’s a fundamental difference.
 
Panic is evident in the article written by Peter Koenig. He sees the extinction of humanity on the horizon, and urges people to rise up against the tyranny of COVID-19, the injections, and the coming new world order. He places all his fleeting hope in a worldwide rebellion against the globalists of our day.
 
Brandon Holthaus also recognizes the rising tyranny of our day under the guise of COVID-19 and related vaccine mandates, but does so in the context of the fulfillment of prophecy. He refers to these edicts as “stair steps” leading to the horrific day of the Lord, which begins after the Rapture. His message, though equally troubling for those outside of Christ, points believers to Jesus’ joyful appearing to take us home.
 
Though not a believer in Jesus or of biblical prophecy, Peter Koenig recognizes the extreme danger of what lies ahead, which is something so many believers do not see or perhaps refuse to acknowledge. Mainstream media Christians falsely believe that their governments have their well-being in mind and that things will return to normal. We are most certainly not headed in that direction at the current time.
 
The title of this post comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” Believers who recognize the signs of the times know that they live in the moments leading up to the Rapture after which the day of the Lord will descend upon the world like a thief.
 
We live in hope, not fear, waiting for our “blessed hope.” We know that someday, perhaps soon, Jesus will appear and we will then appear in glory with Him (Colossians 3:4).
 
For those outside the loving arms of the Savior, they can also have hope if they admit their sins and put their trust in Jesus alone (John 14:6).
 
If you are like me, you increasingly feel the need for more patience and endurance to hang on just a little while longer. I feel the weariness of waiting for Jesus’ appearing during this lawless and oppressive time, but I grasp onto scriptural promises and thereby remain convinced that He’s coming for us soon.
 
Maranatha!
 
 
Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/ . It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks!
 
[i] Peter Koenig, The Covid “Killing Spree” – And the “Robotization” of the Survivors. We Need A Nuremberg 2.0, October 6, 2021, on the Global research website: https://www.globalresearch.ca/killing-spree-robotization-survivors/5757755
 
 [ii] Brandon Holthaus, Prophecy Update: The Religions of Genocide, October 7, 2021: https://rumble.com/vnfslv-prophecy-update-the-religion-of-genocide.html  

 


 
We Are On The Verge Of Seeing Widespread Institutional Breakdowns Throughout Our Society On A Massive Scale - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/we-are-on-the-verge-of-seeing-widespread-institutional-breakdowns-throughout-our-society-on-a-massive-scale/
 
As a country, we have never been through anything like this before. In the months ahead, millions upon millions of highly qualified people are going to be forced out of their jobs because of federal, state and local mandates that will soon be implemented. If you think that this is a good idea, you are crazy. How will you feel if there is a fire in your neighborhood and your home burns down because there weren’t enough firefighters? Or how about if you have a heart attack but you have to wait three hours for an ambulance because there aren’t enough first responders? Those are just two examples of the nightmares that communities all over America will soon be facing as we witness widespread institutional breakdowns on a massive scale. Many had been hoping that politicians would start backing down once they realized the implications of what they were doing, but that hasn’t happened. So in the middle of the most epic worker shortage in U.S. history we are about to see millions upon millions of dedicated American workers be ruthlessly terminated. What our politicians are doing is morally wrong, and it is going to be absolutely disastrous.
 
Just consider what this is going to mean for air travel. Approximately 40 percent of all TSA workers have not been vaccinated, and some genius decided that it would be perfect to put the deadline on the Monday before Thanksgiving…
 
The Transportation Security Administration says 4-in-10 members of its workforce, including screeners, remain unvaccinated against Covid-19 as its deadline looms.
 
The deadline for civilian federal government workers to be fully vaccinated is November 22 — the Monday before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel times of the year.
 
Can you imagine the lines that we are going to see at TSA checkpoints around the country?
 
If you have stood in those lines, then you know how mind-numbing they can be.
 
Of course one thing that could keep the size of those lines down is the fact that there will soon be a lot fewer flights because there will soon be a lot fewer pilots.
 
We all saw what happened when a huge number of Southwest Airlines pilots decided to call in sick for a couple of days. It was madness, and it made headlines all over the country.
 
Well, imagine what would happen if such conditions lasted for months.
 
The co-founder of U.S. Freedom Flyers is using the term “catastrophic” to describe what our system of air travel is potentially facing…
 
On Monday night, an American Airlines pilot who recently co-founded a group of employees in the transportation industry affected by the mandate called U.S. Freedom Flyers told Fox News host Tucker Carlson the mandate’s impact on the airline industry will be far-reaching.
 
“If there’s a disruption in one part of the system, it has a catastrophic effect on the rest of the system,” Joshua Yoder said. “It’s going to affect commerce, it’s going to affect trade, and, ultimately, it’s going to affect the economy.”
 
Our healthcare system will be deeply affected by these mandates as well.
 
Needless to say, hospitals around the country will not be able to serve as many patients as various mandates are implemented, and considering the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic that is very troubling news.
 
For example, hundreds of hospital beds in Massachusetts are already sitting completely empty simply because of a lack of staff…
 
Hospitals across the US are having to limit the number of patients they admit because there aren’t enough staff to treat them.
 
At the TaraVista Behavioral Health Center in central Massachusetts, nearly a quarter of its 116 beds are empty, CEO Michael Krupa told Bloomberg.
 
He said that across the state, there were hundreds of empty beds, and “the reason is exclusively staff.”
 
In the months ahead, hospitals won’t be able to pull people off the streets and hire them to be doctors and nurses.
 
It takes years of intense training to become a doctor or a nurse, and so those that are being fired will not be easily replaced.
 
Police departments all across America are dealing with similar issues.
 
The situation in Chicago is particularly ugly, and it made headlines all over the nation this week. According to a top police union official, the city “will have a police force at 50% or less for this weekend coming up” as a new vaccine mandate goes into effect…
 
“If we suspect the numbers are true and we get a large number of our members who stand firm on their beliefs that this is an overreach, and they’re not going to supply the information in the portal or submit to testing, then it’s safe to say the city of Chicago will have a police force at 50% or less for this weekend coming up,” Catanzara said. “That is not because of the FOP, that is 100% because of the mayor’s unwillingness to budge from her hard line so whatever happens because of the manpower issue, that falls at the mayor’s doorstep.”
 
Catanzara said the FOP would be seeking a temporary restraining order against the city that would stop them from enforcing the mandate, and said the union planned to file an unfair labor practice charge against the city over their failure to bargain with the union over this issue.
 
We all know that the violence in Chicago is already wildly out of control.
 
So what is going to happen when the number of police officers is suddenly cut in half?
 
What Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is doing is utter insanity, but she refuses to back down.
 
The U.S. military is headed for a day of reckoning as well. At this point, “hundreds of thousands” of U.S. troops are not fully vaccinated…
 
Hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members remain unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated against the coronavirus as the Pentagon’s first compliance deadlines near, with lopsided rates across the individual services and a spike in deaths among military reservists illustrating how political division over the shots has seeped into a nonpartisan force with unambiguous orders.
 
Overall, the military’s vaccination rate has climbed since August, when Defense Department leaders, acting on a directive from President Biden, informed the nation’s 2.1 million troops that immunization would become mandatory, exemptions would be rare and those who refuse would be punished. Yet troops’ response has been scattershot, according to data assessed by The Washington Post.
 
If hundreds of thousands of highly qualified individuals are suddenly kicked out of the military, what is that going to do to the military’s ability to defend us?
 
We better hope that no new military conflicts erupt any time soon.
 
I could go through countless more example, but I think that you get the point by now.
 
There are going to be mind-boggling breakdowns throughout our society as we witness a mass exodus of workers from major institutions.
 
Do the politicians that are behind these mandates actually believe that this is a good idea?
 
The months ahead are going to be such a dark time for our nation, and the path that we are currently on doesn’t lead anywhere good.
 
Personally, my heart breaks for the millions of Americans that are being forced to choose between feeding their families or taking the injections.
 
Many are being forced to give up careers that they have spent their entire adult lives developing.
 
The politicians that are responsible for these mandates are beyond evil, and history will not treat them kindly.


 


 
A School Horror Story That Didn't Fit the Politically Correct Narrative – Tony Perkins - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5012
 
When the phone rang, it was every father's worst nightmare. Come to campus, a school official said, your daughter has been assaulted. No one told Scott Smith that she had been sexually assaulted -- that a boy wearing a skirt had walked into the girls' restroom and raped his 15-year-old child.
 
Then, imagine your anger as a parent to find out that the school wasn't going to involve the police -- that they'd decided to handle the matter (which ended up being two counts of forcible sodomy, one count of anal sodomy, and one count of forcible fellatio) "internally."
 
For Scott Smith, it was unimaginable. Standing in the Stone Bridge High School office, blind with rage, he demanded they call the police. They finally did -- on him. "I went nuts," he remembers. "...Six cop cars showed up like a... SWAT team."
 
Later that night, after a hospital rape kit confirmed what his daughter had insisted all along, the school's principal sent out an email explaining the incident with Scott -- never mentioning what had happened to his daughter and where. Even when the attacker was formally charged, administrators kept quiet.
 
A month later, at a local school board meeting, Smith -- like a lot of parents -- sat in shock as the new superintendent responded to the fury over Loudoun County's radical transgender policies by insisting that nothing harmful had ever come of them. "To my knowledge," Scott Ziegler said, "we don't have any record of assaults occurring in our restrooms. It's important to keep our perspective on this," he went on. "We've heard it several times tonight from our public speakers, but the predator transgender student or person simply does not exist."
 
Smith was irate and tried to debate the point but was hauled out of the meeting by officers and charged with disorderly conduct. "I don't care if he's homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, transsexual. He's a sexual predator," he argued.
 
Afterward, Smith and his family tried to stay out of the public eye. That proved impossible last week when another bombshell dropped. Not only did the "predator transgender student" exist, he went on to attack again -- this time at another school.
 
Two and a half miles from the place where his daughter had been held and violated, a different girl was brutally victimized. "If someone would have sat and listened for 30 seconds to what Scott had to say," the family attorney said, it could have been prevented. Instead, Loudoun County, whose extreme policies made the abuse possible, tried to cover up the rape -- leaving thousands of daughters vulnerable to boys just like this one.
 
Scott Smith says it's the most helpless he's ever felt. "It has been so hard to keep my mouth shut and wait this out. It has been the most powerless thing I've ever been through," he admitted. Other parents, aghast at the district's negligence, have turned out in mass to blast the county leadership. "I'd rather save one girl from sexual assault than be politically correct," one woman insisted.
 
Meanwhile, the Biden administration -- sensing the national uprising is only growing -- has decided to try to drive parents like Scott underground. Desperate to contain the uproar in local districts, the DOJ (egged on or in concert with the National School Board Association) is threatening to treat outspoken citizens like "domestic terrorists," citing the arrest of Scott Smith for speaking out against the assault of his daughter as an example in their six page letter.
 
Outraged, 60 members of Congress pushed back, demanding an explanation from Attorney General Merrick Garland for how it could possibly be legal to treat concerned parents as criminals for exercising their constitutional rights. "While some of these meetings may get heated, most of the parents who have been attending these meetings have simply voiced their passions and concerns for their children and their futures," they wrote.
 
"While we agree with you that any threat of violence against these government officials should be condemned and investigated, no government official has the right to claim that a citizen may not speak out against government policies." And yet, the NSBA in a letter to Garland, claims opposing the president's wildly dangerous transgender agenda is tantamount to a public "hate crime."
 
Politically diverse states like Louisiana and Virginia were horrified and publicly denounced the organization for "discouraging active participation in the governance process." Separately, both chapters said they weren't consulted about the letter to the DOJ and went out of their way to say the National School Board Association did not speak for them. Others have told news outlets that they're even reconsidering their alignment with the national association. The debates taking place may be challenging, they agree, but they're also necessary.
 
On what authority, Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) asked, is the federal government even intervening in the first place? They don't have supervision over local school boards -- and yet, the "Department of Justice is [going] into the local school districts to basically intimidate parents from getting involved in what their children are going to be taught? It's very disturbing and troubling to me."
 
As it is to all parents, who are starting to see Washington's heavy-handed education policy infused in their districts from the top down. When did it become the FBI's job to investigate parents for speaking up at local board meetings, they want to know? It didn't. This is just a desperate move by the Left to intimidate parents into silence so they can continue the indoctrination of children.
 
"From where I sit," Rosendale said on Monday's "Washington Watch," "what this looks like is just another tactic of the Biden administration to completely silence those who might question what they're trying to do. And I don't think that there is a more important obligation for parents than to make sure that they are involved in how their children are being educated and what they're being taught."
 
So what can people do? Well, for starters, you can get your local school board on the record about whether they agree with the National School Board Association's claims. (FRC Action even has a sample letter you can use.) Then, ask whether your state or community is a member of the NSBA. Is your district paying dues to the National School Board Association? Because if you are, you're facilitating this type of attack on parents.
 
Maybe you don't have children in the public schools, so you think this call to action doesn't apply to you. But let's face it: every one of us is a taxpayer, and organizations as radical as the NSBA shouldn't have the ability to fight parents using our own dollars.
 
Beyond that, this is an opportunity to hold the people we elected to represent us accountable. These school boards don't just serve the families who have kids in school -- they serve the entire community. So every one of us can -- and should -- show up to these meetings and demand the truth about what's happening behind classroom doors.
 
Because, as Scott Smith will tell you, it might not spare his daughter -- but it could spare someone else's.

 


 
Christian Growth Is Essential - By Grant Phillips - https://www.raptureready.com/2021/10/13/christian-growth-is-essential-by-grant-phillips/
 
Maturing takes time. Whether we’re learning mathematics, science, how to play a musical instrument, cooking or baking, carpentry, or even how to walk, we must start with the basics, then keep adding knowledge upon knowledge until we achieve a goal. There aren’t many of us who can just pick up a guitar and start playing it, but even with the gifted folks, they too must mature a step at a time.
 
The same is true with the Christian life, but it’s much more than just about aging. Everything ages. The Lord expects us to mature, to grow up, as His child just as we mature under the tutelage of our earthly parents. As each birthday comes around (aging), we “should” be a little more mature than we were the previous year. That is normally the case in our earthly lives, but how do we stack up in our Christian lives?
 
Far too many Christians are still spiritual teenagers, and we know that most teenagers already know everything. It’s the parents that are stupid. They’re in their own little world of supreme knowledge that adults just don’t get. Christian teenagers need to continue to develop and work at an adult spiritual attitude toward God and others.
 
And then there are the Christian babies, those who have just been saved, and those who just choose to remain babies. Those who choose to remain Christian babies are the ones who are always whining about something and interested in only their pet desires.
 
Please understand, I certainly am not claiming to be fully mature. No folks, I’m still ripening on the vine. We are all growing in spiritual maturity, and none of us will reach full maturity upon this earth. The thing is, regardless of our level of spiritual maturity, the Lord expects us to continue to grow and not become stagnant.
 
The Lord said through Paul that He wants our faith to grow. “Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand” (2 Corinthians 2:15, emphasis mine). Well, how can our faith grow unless there is something going on in our life that will require us to exercise our faith, just as we exercise our bodily muscles?
 
Sometimes sickness comes upon us, or family problems, or a job loss, or … you get the point. When those times do come in our lives, and they will, we must use our faith in Him to care for us. God knows this and wants us to depend on Him. I have had to depend on Him many times through faith, and so have many of you. Often what we experience is not pleasant. We know that, and it is so much easier to get through it when we depend upon Jesus.
 
David, Israel’s greatest king, experienced much heartache in his life, much from his own doing, but even when he messed up, he finally came around and trusted upon the Lord. He kept maturing, and he said the following about his faith.
 
“The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
 
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
 
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
 
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever” (Psalms 23:1-6).
 
Every Christian is part of the body of Christ, and each part of His body should complement all the other parts. We need Jesus instructing and guiding our very existence. It is He who is our Head and our source of maturity. It is from the Head that every other part of the body needs to grow in faith and action.
 
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15, emphasis mine).
 
Have you ever noticed that when someone is saved, or “born again,” as Jesus says, they are eager to get a Bible and start reading? Also, over a period of time, they may lose much of that enthusiasm. Why is that? I believe it is due to Satan’s attempts at discouragement. This makes it doubly important for those who are more mature as Christians to provide as much encouragement as they can. In other words, we must support each other.
 
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2, emphasis mine).
 
Anyone who has taken care of a baby knows how that baby yearns for milk and will cry until they receive it. Once you put that bottle toward their mouth, they grab at it and are satisfied, but we need more than milk to grow. Basic milk is fine for babies, but as they grow, they will need food they can chew. The same is true with a newborn Christian. Unfortunately, many are not getting the meat.
 
It would be wonderful if each local church could and would provide more mature Christian individuals who would mentor newborn Christians. Some local churches do just that, but far too many do not. Would there be anything wrong in a more mature Christian taking it upon themselves to be this needed mentor? Of course not.
 
With more mature Christian mentors and even classes for those who have recently been saved, these new Christians would have a good start in what is proclaimed in this next verse.
 
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18, emphasis mine).
 
Maturing as a Christian is learning that it’s all about Him, not us. As Jesus Himself said, “Not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42). It’s learning to keep our eyes off us and on Him.
 
Another important aspect is that the Holy Spirit not only lives within us and is our guarantee of salvation, but He is also our teacher and guidance counselor. He wants to work through us to make us more like Christ. There is one very important thing that many Christians don’t consider, though, and that is the Holy Spirit is there to help us mature, but He only uses one textbook, the Bible. How can anyone ever expect to grow in Christ and never crack open the only textbook God has ever provided? The Spirit of God guides us through His Word. Those who think they can “wing it” apart from His Word will remain immature in their spiritual growth. They will always be spiritual teens and babies, never maturing into adulthood.
 
Adrian Rogers used to say, “Someone said the Bible is such a wonderful book. It is shallow enough that a little child can come and get a drink without fear of drowning, and so deep that the scholars can swim in it and never touch bottom.”
 
Hosea said, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6a).
 
However, this doesn’t need to be, for the Lord says, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
 
He continues by saying, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).
 
The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit guides us in our walk through the Word of God to mature us so that His light reflects from us to others (letting our light shine). The goal of every Christian should be to glorify Jesus in our lives through our maturing in His Word.
 
Grant Phillips
 
Email: [email protected]
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

 


 
Daily Devotion: Keep A Tender Heart - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. —Hebrews 3:12
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/keep-a-tender-heart/ - Listen
 
I have two sons, Christopher and Jonathan. Christopher is with the Lord, and Jonathan is a pastor. Both of them were prodigals earlier in life, but I had a lot of patience with them because I knew that Cathe and I had laid the foundation. I believed they would make that deeper commitment to Christ, which they both did in time.
 
When you’re so familiar with the truths of God’s Word, you can become hardened by the very truths that should have softened you.
 
As I’ve often said, the same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. The same message that impacts someone else actually can cause you to have a harder heart. The very truth that should have softened your heart can cause it to become hardened.
 
Jesus’s own disciples allowed their hearts to harden. Before He performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fish, He said to them, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in?” (Mark 8:17 NLT).
 
So how do you know if you have a hardened heart? One indication is that you just stop caring. You don’t care about your spiritual growth, about other Christians, or about lost people.
 
You also don’t want to worship. When you come into church and others are engaging in worship, you stand back and fold your arms. You think, “That’s too emotional for me.”
 
Another indication of a hardened heart is that you’re always critical. You always see the bad and never see the good.
 
The Bible warns, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12 NLT).
 
You make your choices, and then your choices make you. So keep a tender heart. 

 


 


 
FROM THE HEART
    
Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left,
Count for ALL of Eternity!

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"Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey
 
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"AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING"
 
 
 
 
If You Died Today, Would You Go To Heaven?
Find out, visit:
www.thegoodtest.net
www.gotquestions.org
www.wayofthemaster.com 
How to know God
 
 
 
DID YOU KNOW?
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Maranatha! (Lord Come Quickly)
 
 "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is sinking sand."
 
 "Let Us make the short time we have left count for all eternity!"
 
 YBIC-Randy