I Wish We'd All Been Ready

There is an old song by dc Talk called I Wish We'd All Been Ready that couldn't emphasize more the importance of doing as the Lord commanded and reaching the lost. The day is coming when it will be too late to share our faith and even though we don't know when the day is, there is a lot of evangelicals who would say the day is approaching. We feel it. We know it.

We also know that the Lord tarries so that more can be saved. He longs for His Kingdom to be filled with people that love Him!

..."There is no time to change your mind. The Son has come and you've been left behind. I wish we'd all been ready"...

This is why I continue to press on for the faith to let the millions know that the day of judgment is coming, whether we are alive when He returns or not. As it says in Hebrews 9:27, And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

..."The Father spoke, the demons dined. How could you have been so blind? There's no time to change your mind. The Son has come and you've been left behind"....

I don't want anyone to be left behind much less myself which is why I examine myself to make sure that I am remaining in the faith. And, no, I can't do it all. But as laborers for His harvest we are supposed to be reaching out to warn those who are traveling down the wrong path to destruction.

Oh, that day will be here when He will appear in the clouds and all doubt about His existence will be erased forever. All thoughts about turning from our sin when we get around to it will be forever moot. For some it will be more than they can take as they realize that it's too late. As a person who is sharing her faith more and more I don't want anyone that is supposed to hear the gospel to realize it's too late. This is why it is not a waste of my time. Each passing day I get more and more devoted to the cause of spreading the truth of the gospel. Because, unfortunately, the Bible does say that some will be left behind. What a sobering thought! But, oh, how I long for his glorious return!

..."A man and wife asleep in bed, she hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone. I wish we'd all been ready. Two men walking up a hill, one disappears, one is left standing still. I wish we'd all been ready...

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Luke 17:34-36)

You can't help but wonder when you read that verse just what it could mean. Did the person that was taken say all they could to change the other person's mind? Where they praying for that person enough so that the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit could be done in their heart? Did they open their mouth at all and say anything even if it meant losing them as a friend? I think the worse thing would be to look back with tears in my eyes and be thinking that I hadn't done my best to reach them. Even through all my faults and failures I hope that I can still be an example of Christ. I don't want to have to look back and say that I didn't try. What is a waste of time is for me to be a friend but not say anything or be praying for an eternal work of salvation in a person's life. That is a waste of time.

When the Lord returns it will be to establish His kingdom and gather those that are true followers of Him. My heart aches for those who refuse to see. The bad fish will be cast away and left behind. I do not wish for anyone to perish.

Matthew 14:34-50 says, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Even then, just proclaiming the gospel is not enough. Since salvation is a supernatural work of God in someones heart then we must be praying as well. Praying that the Lord opens the eyes of the blinded. Praying that those who read a tract or that we may have a conversation with is alerted to the fact that perhaps maybe they aren't quite right with God after all. It was a sobering thought for me but one that changed my life and my focus dramatically. Each day brings more and more urgency to reach those that intellectually have the knowledge of Christ but aren't living it. We must be praying as the Lord says for laborers to be increased for His harvest. But we can not overlook that we can not pray effectively if we are not doing it ourselves!

Are you putting your hand to the plow and not looking back? Are you ready for His return? What if you knew it was tomorrow?

We must labor for the harvest.

We must contend for the faith.

We must be praying for the lost.

...You've been left behind. You've been left behind...

How Old Are Those Dinosaurs Again?

Check out these videos from The Truth Group:



Compare everything you think you know with the Word of God.



Before 1841 they most likely called "dinosaurs" dragons. Check out these other references to these type creatures in the Bible:

Deuteronomy 32:33
Nehemiah 2:13
Job 30:29
Psalm 44:19
Psalm 74:13-14
Psalm 91:13
Psalm 148:7
Isaiah 13:22
Isaiah 27:1
Isaiah 34:13
Isaiah 35:7
Isaiah 43:20
Isaiah 51:9
Jeremiah 9:11
Jeremiah 10:22
Jeremiah 14:6
Jeremiah 49:33
Jeremiah 51:34
Jeremiah 51:37
Ezekiel 29:3
Micah 1:8
Malachi 1:3

A Christian Stand

"Or do you not know the the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9)


From The Daily Express:

A CHRISTIAN registrar was bullied and threatened with the sack when she refused to carry out “sinful” homosexual marriages, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Lillian Ladele, 47, asked to be excused from conducting civil partnerships for gay men and women because of her deeply-held religious beliefs.

But she says her town hall bosses gave her an “ultimatum” to perform the ceremonies or face dismissal for gross misconduct, and was treated like a “pariah” by colleagues when she refused.

Yesterday Miss Ladele wept as she told the employment tribunal she was being forced to choose between her Christian beliefs and her £31,000-a-year job at Islington Council in north London which she has held for nearly 16 years.

“I felt harassed and victimised,” she said. “I was being picked on on a daily basis. There was no respect whatsoever for my religious beliefs.

Miss Ladele accused gay colleagues of “stirring up religious hatred”, adding: “I felt like I was being thrown before the lions.

“I hold the orthodox Christian view that marriage is the union of one man and one woman for life and this is the God-ordained place for sexual relations. It creates a problem for any Christian if they are expected to do or condone something that they see as sinful.

“I cannot reconcile my faith with taking an active part in enabling same-sex unions to be formed. I believe this is contrary to God’s instruction that sexual relations belong exclusively between a man and a woman within marriage.”

Miss Ladele, who is claiming discrimination or victimisation on grounds of religion or belief, said 10 other registrars could conduct the ceremonies.

But council chiefs insisted it would “give totally the wrong message” if she was exempted.

Hundreds of gay couples have married at Islington town hall since the law was changed in December 2005 to allow civil partnerships. The case continues.

Can We Judge?

I posted this before but here's a reminder.

This five-minute video is by Tony Miano. You can read more about his ministry at The Lawman Chronicles.



Also, read this post from End Times Deception on the subject as well.

Why Does God Chasten?

Quoting D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

"Then take the question of health. I have already reminded you of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter eleven. The apostle teaches quite specifically that there were some people who were sick and ill because God had sent this upon them in order to teach them and train them. "Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup; For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.' Now this is the method that God often employed, so that those who say that it is never God's will that any of us should be sick or weak are simply denying the Scriptures. But let no one drop into the trap and say: 'Are you teaching that every sickness is a punishment sent by God?' Of course I am not, I am simply saying that God at times uses that method in order to chastise His children. If it is 'for this cause' that many are 'weak and sickly', it is God's action. God allowed that to happen to them, or God may have brought it upon them, for their own good. God's will is more important than the health of a man's body, and if a man will not submit himself and subject himself to the positive teaching of the Word, then God will certainly deal with that man, and He may very well send an illness upon him and lay him aside in order to make him think.

May I remind you that the great Dr. Thomas Chalmers always said that what really brought him, under God, to understand the gospel truly was an illness which confined him to his sick chamber for nearly twelve months. He had been a brilliant 'scientific' and 'intellectual' preacher, but he came out of that sick chamber as a preacher of the gospel, and he thanked God for that visitation. There is a parallel to that in the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, first chapter and ninth verse where he tells us that he had 'the sentence of death' in himself. And then there is the classic statement about the thorn in the flesh in chapter twelve. God did not remove the thorn because He was anxious to teach the apostle to say 'when I am weak then am I strong', and to rejoice in infirmity rather than health in order that God's glory might be promoted. There is no doubt that God allowed this thing, God perhaps even produced it, in order to chastise and train His servant in that particular way."

FROM: Spiritual Depression, Its Causes and Cure

Who We Are In Christ

In this 11-minute segment Paul Washer addresses who we are vs. what we do.



Father, help me to keep focusing on you and conforming to your image.

It's Not That Hard

For my yoke is easy, my burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)

I am amazed at myself sometimes. Sometimes I want go full out and I engage the person who's getting gas next to me at the gas station and hand them a tract. Other times I chicken out as I get ready to hand them a tract I quickly tuck it back away in my car. Oh, what the enemy likes to do with my self-righteousness and fear sometimes! I am reminded of Paul who said in Romans 7:15 "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." Ah, it's nice to know that Paul was human too.

I continue to be alarmed at professing Christians who just downright don't witness. I understand though because well I was one of them. No sense of urgency. It's not that I didn't care I just didn't feel it was necessary....well, because everyone I was around was a Christian in this so called Bible Belt? I was surrounded by church goers who knew that you had to be born again to inherit the Kingdom of God, right? I was just going to keep on going to church and hope that people would take notice that I was a God loving church goer! How prideful and selfish I was! That doesn't save people!

It's not just a matter of opening your mouth and saying the right thing at the perfect time. It's more than than. It is preaching the gospel of Christ. It's telling others of his judgment and that we all will stand before Him when we die or when He returns regardless if we believe it or not. As Romans 14:12 says, "So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God." This is what grows my fear of God knowing that I will have to account myself to God! I will be in reverential awe and terrified at the same time!

I will have no excuse for not sharing how our Lord and Savior came down in the flesh to save us all for our sins. There are people who don't know this and there are some who do but are not living it! My hunger, my thirst is to tell others. Even if it's just passing out tracts or leaving them in restrooms, stores, ATM's, grocery carts. It's not HARD! So who cares what people think about you -- it's not about YOU! It's to glorify and edify our Lord. And, I have to tell myself this a lot. Romans 13:14, says "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." My flesh doesn't always want to but my love for my Savior and the countless lost keep me going.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:25-26.

As you read this, if you are not striving to witness on a daily basis ask yourself why? I was reading a very good answer to this question recently from Tony Miano from The LawMan Chronicles. Here is an excerpt from his blog entry: Now That's A Great Question!

"When you ask Christians why they don't share their faith, listen for the personal pronouns they use as they give their answers. They will most likely be in the first person singular form. "I'm afraid I won't be able to answer their questions. I don't want to get into arguments. I don't want to jeopardize the relationships I worked so hard to build. I could lose my job. My wife might leave me. I don't want to look like a Bible thumper. I'm just too nervous around strangers. I don't want to seem judgmental. I live my life in a certain way and then I wait for people to ask me what is different about me.....then I invite them to church." And the list goes on.

The sad truth is this. The reasons Christians give for not sharing their faith with the lost reveals that they care more about themselves than they do about where lost people will spend eternity. The reasons (excuses) Christians give for not sharing their faith have everything to do with their own preservation, and have very little to do with the unbeliever's salvation." Read full blog post here.

All I can say is a big ouch to that -- boy does that hurt my ego. What do we value more? It was and still is a hard question for me. Something I wrestle with every day. But the solution is easy -- I don't trust in myself -- I trust that God will deliver me from the irrational fears and doubts. I pray that he will continue to make me bold as a lion. It's not our strength that does it and if we rely on that we will fail. It is God who opens up the harvest -- not me. Even if I see no one come to repentance like Jeremiah did his whole ministry -- I will press on.

I encourage everyone to open some of the links listed to the right and see what tracts you can purchase. Even if all you can do is leave tracts that someone might read and receive the gospel and truth of God's word it is worth the effort. What if that one person you engaged in conversation or even gave a tract to was forever changed by it?

But even before you begin this journey, there is one important question you must ask yourself. Are you right with God? Are you sincerely seeking after Him with a hatred of sin in your heart? Do you love Him enough to follow His commandments and reject the world and its lust to seek Him earnestly?

Our actions are attributed to what we believe in.

Ask yourself.

Do you really believe in Him enough to reach others?